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Canary’s Adam Sager Eager to Connect Home Security to Smartphones
Yesterday’s CES Unveiled New York show gave a glimpse of flashy gadgets, familiar and new, with local startup Canary chirping among them. I ran into Adam Sager, Canary’s CEO, at this preamble to January’s annual International CES. He said Canary is busy prepping for next spring’s release of its home-monitoring device. It can be hard for a startup to stand out, especially among exhibits that feature giant curved OLED televisions, yet Sager was keen to chat about Canary’s plans.
“We’re going to market with a product that has such a different view of home security,” he said. “The vast majority of people don’t need sensors all over the home.”
The forthcoming, compact Canary device will be packed with sensors and a high-definition video camera—all to let people monitor their homes through their smartphones. Alerts can be triggered by such things as motion, changes in temperature, and sounds. Friends and family can also be notified, if users desire, when something is happening at the residence.
The concise, discrete design of Canary, Sager said, streamlines home monitoring. The alternative—setting up separate types of detectors scattered around homes—he said, can overload folks with data and false alarms. “It gives them a lot of useless information,” Sager said. “People get frustrated. There’s a much simpler way.”
Backers who got in on Canary’s crowdfunding campaign will soon have a chance to see if the device lives up to this promise, as they will receive their units in May, Sager said. The wide release is expected to follow right after, he said. | {
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The origin of Blaine Halvorson started with his youth in a small cabin in Montana. The skilled trade of working with your hands is unfortunately, turning into something of the past. “Blaine Halvorson is a hands-on creator that dreams up…
Rising up from the heart of New Hampshire, where the state’s main highway intersects the Appalachian Trail, are the woodlands and ranges of the White Mountain National Forest: a mix of rolling hills blanketed by trees and exposed ridges dominated…
South Lake Tahoe’s newest boutique hotel has everything a West Coast hipster could want when spending a weekend in the mountains. Coachman was originally built in 1960 to accommodate the influx of tourists headed to the Tahoe Olympic Games before being…
Fount is a high end leather goods brand, employing a small army of artisans that design, cut, and sew each of their unique heirloom handbags and accessories at their studio in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Founded in 2012: San Diego, California Bradley Mountain began producing designs and products one at a time out of their garage and later expanded. Their products consist of Packs, small carry goods and accessories primarily in the realm and great…
I remember it vividly. I was young and had a world of opportunities behind me. It all really started in 2011. Before I discuss my business ventures, there were a series of events that lead me to this that will…
Introducing The Traveler pre-sale, a boot Iron & Air Supply Co. developed in partnership with Rancourt & Co. Built on the tried-and-true base of Rancourt’s classic Knox boot, the Traveler is designed to go wherever the day may take you.…
When you think of raw or selvedge denim, I’m sure over 5-6 brands roll off your tongue. And while there are so many brands out there, the key to being successful is maintaining a high-quality product and being fully transparent…
Red Clouds Collective, The collective of makers from Portland, Oregon recently released their new Great Northern Series – Waxed Canvas Jacket. Read a bit about the history of RCC here. The Great Northern Waxed Canvas Jacket The Great Northern Waxed…
Article to Iron & Resin – The entire article can be read here. From the word’s of Chad Barela – Makers and Silversmith “Hi, I’m Chad Barela and I’m a second generation silversmith from New Mexico.” I fell into the…
The Type 3 aka the Trucker Jacket represents an interesting time in the evolution of denim jackets. It’s the last of the classics, and the first of the modern fits. Revolutionary for the time, it was slim, long, and totally…
Military heritage, an appreciation for quality, a commitment to domestic manufacturing and shared hometown roots are the inspiration behind PF Flyers’ latest Made in USA collaboration with Boston based outerwear company Sterlingwear. For over 50 years, Sterlingwear has been the exclusive producer…
Craftsmanship is a word that is often thrown around in an unmerited fashion to describe the quality of work performed on any number of products. That’s not the case with bespoke knife workshop Join or Die. Every knife produced in…
The RPG (Regulation Prescription Glasses) is a Lowercase x Knickerbocker collaboration that developed out of inspiration from the Brooklyn Army Terminal, where Lowercase makes all of their frames. Working out of a repurposed military supply base has always provided for…
I don’t think the world needs more clothing, but it does need more free thinking individuals who cherish what they do and tell their story. Andrew Livingston photographs by Wovenwords by Andrew Livingston Knickerbocker isn’t a typical brand in so many ways,…
Brick & Mortar
South Lake Tahoe’s newest boutique hotel has everything a West Coast hipster could want when spending a weekend in the mountains. Coachman was originally built in 1960 to accommodate the influx of tourists headed to the Tahoe Olympic Games before being…
Back in 2012 (I believe), I sat down with Adam and Greg, editors at the time, with Iron & Air Magazine. I&A – the timeless publication and table book dedicated to all things, motorcycle. We chatted about online presence, ventures,…
It’s easy for us at Founded to be put onto really great boutiques, especially in the Los Angeles area. For out-of-towners, finding the right boutique can be challenging in a city that’s so spread out. La Brea Avenue has been…
Their location in Downtown Los Angeles primary initiative is to be closer to their denim production. Imogene + Willie’s new location; called (undisclosed) focuses on appointments with personal fittings for individuals and groups.
Named after the term for ensuring that things are a chronological match, Period Correct is a clothing store that’s perfectly suited to current times. Housed in a former Porsche parts store, their Costa Mesa flagship has racks holding the brand’s USA-made tees… | {
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The Wonderful Ones
The Wonderful Ones
The Best Acts of 2007 featured on NBT
Year Zero.
Those who lived and were (at least mentally) young during the birth of Jazz or Rock or Punk will know what I mean.
Year Zero.
The beginning of a new time in popular music, dangerous to some, exciting to many others.
A new way, a new life-force, a new country.
Misunderstood and feared, those who held the ‘old’ powers tried to defeat it, manipulate it, and worst of all, just pretend it did not exist.
They failed.
And as this giddy screaming, giggling, life form took shape so too did NBT.
We had existed before this, but 2007 was the year that our soul was found and our mind grew bright.
And I would like to showcase just a few of the Wonderful Ones, the artists who made 2007 beautiful and complete. So showing no favourites and in no order of importance, let us begin.
I will say a few words about each act and then let some of them tell you, gentle reader, about their own thoughts on the past year and the one to come.
To me he is the soundtrack to autumn. There is wildness in the quietness between chords and sadness behind the wry smiles. His music is a great old tree, burning gold, reaching for the ever colder air. He soothes and provokes at the same time.
Breadfoot:Uhm and here’s what I got to say about 2007-08;
2007, yeah, uhm a curious year. Slack-ass distributors, crackhead mutha’f**kers camped out on my stoop, and worrying about where our country is headed done wore
me out.
Left Brooklyn. Landed in Bynum, an old mill town on the Haw in North Carolina. Now pretty much settled, am hopin’ mostly to get back to workin’ on the follow up to Tea with Leo, which is gonna be called Salvatella.
So yeah, for 2008 I’m figurin’ my trip is gonna be to get that new disc recorded, keep my old pick-up running, enjoy the green & the quiet and when I can, poke a stick in Washingtons’ squinky, constitution trashing, wrecklessly legislating eye.
When Ryan Adams gets you down because of his lack of quality control on his hundredth release of the year, take a spoonful of Mr Holder’s immaculate Americana bar band soul boogie elixir. You will be dancing the rough and rumble for weeks afterwards.
NBT enjoyed collaborations with a few brilliant companies in 2007, one of which was the wonderful Ariel Publicity. Multi platform (like NBT) and dedicated to getting new independent music out into the world, AP provided not only promotion, but educational resources and intricate networking skills and started debates on many subjects important to any band or label or site that wanted to get anywhere on the world wide web.
As well as all this, Trevor Dye writes a weekly column for NBT, which showcases and interviews important contributors and podcasters from all over the internet.
Bringing back purity of form and honesty to grunge and poppunkRock, This new York based band sidestepped the lethargy of the mainstream. Through a fierce grasp of what it means to be independent and an uncanny skill with hooks and melody, rocked hard all over the net, the virtual and real world and in too many NBT shows to count.
DJ of Gee Davey: 2007 has been a fun and exciting year for Gee Davey. It feels like we really matured, not only as a band, but as an entity. After releasing Sparticle last year, we all sort of took a bit of a breather. But this year, we came back rested and ready. We engaged in a massive, at least for us, push on the CD, including a promotional sweep of all the major College radio stations in the US and Canada, several local tripleA stations, international pod casts, and online radio streams. I’m happy to say that Gee Davey can now be heard regularly in places as wide and diverse as Alaska, Germany, Japan and Russia.
2008 promises to be our most ambitious year yet. We have just completed recording a small EP package for another promotion, but this will be bigger and better. We have geared up our live show to go out in support of our new material, and hope to coordinate a massive push in early 2008, with more radio play, a new video, live performances, social networking and of course the support of those like NBT that have been with us all along.
So that’s our little story. Gee Davey will be reaching for the stars in 2008, and this year we may just get one.
A devious wedding took place in Sweden some too far away time ago. Folk slept with Pop Electronica and triplets were born, Mood, Music and Magic.
Crystal vocals and subtle distortion could be heard across Wonderland and the world of NBT too. The strangers had arrived.
the jinglejangle of postpunk and post folk and future cool. I think these guys have featured om more NBT casts than any other. And they never seem to run out of passion, ideas or just the lightest, coolest, uplifting tines in this alternative universe. For a traveller on these sometimes too dark roads, you have made my journey easier.
For 2008 my personal wish is to be better organized in promoting and succeeding in my creative and music endeavours. My wish for the world is for me and others to be more conscience of how we treat one another and the planet.
In 2007 Lauren joined up with Carol Statella the multi talented string poet, and together they gave the traveller a new dream to visit. A soundtrack for shadows made by firelight, dancing on the wall.
Carol Statella of Rosary : 2007 has been a holy blur. Since spring, opportunities to play and listen and absorb have come in quick succession–to where it’s now time to STOP and daydream, get fallow. Winter is a good time for that.
Ronnda Cadle & The String Poets made a CD that we are endlessly proud of.
Playing with Lauren Fincham (in Rosary) and my dear friend Ron Hipp (fingerstyle extraordinaire) has been nourishing and boundary stretching. Rosary’s EP is in production, and we plan to make it available soon. I hope we’ve made some people feel good when they listen, or just Feel.
In 2008 I want to bring more technical tools to the table in service of expression, and to generate more original sounds in addition to responding to the sounds of others. Whenever I go onstage, I think about what each audience member went through to get to the venue that night. I wonder why they came…what their inner landscapes are like, and how we as transmitters of music can dance in those secret places.
May the muses dance with you in 2008
I wrote this as a review for Ron’s release ‘Lone Wolf’ on CDBaby. This is the sound of the Cowboy, the Truck driver, the Poet, the Ordinary Guy. This is the sound of the great open spaces at long past midnight, when the heart is fearful and the soul is lonely. This is the sound of a brightly lit bar, full of noise laughter and raw, honest music.
This is not afraid to sing of friendship and love and loss. This doesn’t conform to fad or fashion and doesn’t pose. It is as pure as dawn in the mountains and as truthful as city street traffic jams.
Ron Rutherford: 2007 was a banner year for me and my music. I launched my album, Lone Wolf, headlong into the podisphere in the fall and met some of the most helpful and supportive personalities in the music business, namely Host/Producer/Podcasters and their shows. The album has been well received with over 50 plays of my songs on a variety of podcasts since early September 2007. I must also thank Internet radio for being so friendly, accessible and supportive by embracing my album on the air. And, a very special thanks goes to you Martin for airing Lone Wolf tracks for your listeners on many of your Next Big Thing shows…the support is much appreciated!
It’s a brave new artistic world and freedom abounds for independent music everywhere as no longer do the old guard music business gatekeepers run the game of when and where ones music can be recorded, promoted, marketed, distributed, aired and purchased. I’m looking forward to 2008 and fully expect the new media revolution on the Internet to further solidify its stronghold on being THE best avenue and platform for all music of any genre aside from live performance opportunities.
My goals in 2008 are to continue to make connection inroads with the independent scene on the web and work an ever-widening footprint with site presences. Visibility and communication are key to staying actively in touch with peers, friends, and fans through social networks and music sites to get the word out and broaden the horizons for Podcasters and independent music in general. There is amazing music being created out there all the time by an army of great independent music artists and I for one can’t wait to hear what the next big thing is in 2008…no pun intended.
Also in 2008 I plan to record my next album tentatively entitled Coyote Dream. I have been very active at writing new material this year and am very excited to unleash the tunes into the wild and send them on the podcast prowl for all to enjoy.
All tunes by rock bands should be this insanely catchy and crystal pure in their production. Colour Cold have been one of the most delightful bands to work with and release their debut cd ‘Safe From Silence’ in March 08. With elements of hard rock, grunge and metal never overshadowing the pure pop writing this is a band that will OWN the new year. Elizabeth Tsikkos Guitarist for CC, writes a regular column for NBT letting the world in on the highs and lows of an independent band broadcasting all the way from South Africa.
Elizabeth of Colour Cold: With 2008 approaching, we look back and realize the significance of our debut album “Safe from Silence” and how it has changed our perception of the word “independent” for not only our band, but also the many independent artists who we admire and today enjoy great success.
We always knew our first album would be independent, not realizing how important this would be for us as a band and also as songwriters. It is great when fans contact us and ask for new music to be uploaded to our websites, the music that we wrote purely as Colour Cold and gave to the world untouched by anyone except the band and our producer.
Looking back through 2007, we are thankful to everyone who helped and inspired us. 2008 will give you Colour Cold at the start of a long journey, trials are over, and bags are packed. We approach the New Year with more knowledge and crazy ideas than ever before.
There is no way of knowing what the New Year will hold for us, and that is our greatest gift!
We will meet you in the New Year!
Towards the end of 07, it was an absolute pleasure to work with Ollie Hammett and Mark Saunders who provided NBT with one of its best shows ever. Mark talked to Martin Heath of Lizard King Records, and it was shiver inducing to realise that between these two men they were responsible for over 40 top ten UK hits! The show also featured a track from Santogold which made it into the NME’s top twenty singles of the year. Proving once again that NBT is the country you go to find the future.
Another lady who writes on occasion for NBT, this artist makes music for flying. No need for airplanes just plug your mind and soul into one of her creations and you are soaring over exotic strange lands, experiencing the rhythms of gentle dreamers. Her music makes you think of giggling schoolgirls, sensual tangos, dusty attics and sunlight ballrooms.
Barbara Gilles: 2007 has been a great year, and I sense that it has been great for NBT too, I see how many artists were broadcasted and promoted, and for what the musicians in the christmas show (and in every show) say, I know that I’m not the only one who considers you a good friend and an excellent professional. And it makes me happy, because it’s always great to know that one’s friends are doing fine.
My duties for this year are still not finished. Tomorrow I will play a 2 pianos ravel concert with a friend, and on sunday there are two more gigs to go. Only after that I’ll consider myself on vacation (something that I too desperately need).
When I come back from the beach, I’ll start recording my new songs, , although it takes me so much time to make every little step…
The term bittersweet could have been invented for Richard and his music. Also the words Wry and Elegant and Quirky. Piano pop at it’s very best, Richard also proved that in the NBT universe distance means absolutely nothing, and wrote and performed on a duet with Barbara Gilles that was the perfect soundtrack for any listener falling in love or just lost in thoughts about who they really were.
Nelson and Robert Heise brought the maverick spirit of Big Star, the Replacements and the DBs into the NBt world. Using folk and country rock as a start and a way with a rough and ready boogie and a finely tuned sense of Pop with a capital P, the Brothers bands brought excitement back into what was all too often a polite and bland business.
The Heise Bros: 2007 was actually a quite year on the The Heise Bros. & The Hit & Mrs. front. While The Hit & Mrs. released the critically acclaimed ‘Buried in the Backyard of My Heart’, The Heise Bros. band rested. This was partly due to the Bros. moving back to Ohio from Minnesota. In 2008 one or the other bands is going to release a new album. The recent thought is to record a Christian country album to boost sales from zero to something, so in the vein of that idea we recorded ‘Praise Jesus’ for NBT. ‘Sultry Lips’ is an extra track from the ‘Buried in the Backyard of My Heart’. Hope you dig the tunes. In 2008 we hope for an end to the war, Obama for President, to become huge rock stars and Nelson’s baby to be born healthy and happy.
-Nelson, Robert, Stacie and the rest of the THB & TH&M gang
In an Alternative Universe Dusty Springfield conceived a love child with any member of the Runaways, while The Pixies and the Bangles danced all night and then made out in the back seat of the Folk singers car. The universes collided and the Histrioniks were born, and gave us their short sharp thought provoking tunes.
Listening to a Neykov tune always becomes a personal thing, it is music for fears and desires kept secret from others, but wishing that everyone could understand. Gentle Folk hymns.
Lionel Neykov: “The past year was crucial for me because I put out my first record. I spent 18 months writing and recording songs locked a room a big red brick wall and very little sunshine. And this process really changed me. I figured out what I really wanted from music, re-evaluated a few things… Holding the finished CD was amazing, being able to say “I made that”, it’s a great feeling. But it was even better to see people buy it and respond to it, that was the true reward. I started this project with big dreams of success and glory and ended up wanting none of it. Just the pleasure to sing my songs, to share my stories, and maybe raise a few spirits. So what are my hopes for 2008? That more and more people get to hear my music, share it with others and spread the word to all the corners of the world.”
when it came time to write this about Robert, i was frankly stumped for a few minutes, because trying to pin down the essence of his music is just too damn difficult. He is a chameleon, one second channelling the ghosts of the Small Faces, another making perfect powerpop, the next second writing soulfunk tunes and the very next indie at it’s most gleeful
Lisle Engle: Music has always been a constant in my life. I sang on my first record in 5th grade and got to perform with the Savannah Symphony for their Christmas Concert. I played trumpet in the Jazz band in High school. My father was a minister and played folk songs to the smiles of many. Finding bands like U2, REM, Dead Kennedys, The Clash…. And on and on…. Brought new ideas and ways of thinking that were very different from my private school southern upbringing. I have been fortunate enough to be able to take what I have heard and learned, and be able to transform it all into an expression of my own. I have found that the constant ebb and flow of life have brought songs into my life and then out again… And over time have created a diary of sorts for the waves of experience that have washed over me and then away again. Now at the ripe old age of 41, I now have the ability to create and record as I feel; without the intrusion of the industry machine, telling me what to write, what to say, what will sell. These people who run the business really have nothing to contribute to the creative process of writing great music. Such music comes from the heart and from a desire to express to the world, what the songwriter is feeling and thinking about life that surrounds us all. Most of the bands that I love have never sold a million records. That is probably why I love those bands. Great music mostly comes from the artists on the fringe that are not concerned with the bottom line of record sales, but instead yearn to tell the world something about how they feel about life and their position in it. I now have a child coming to me and my lovely wife Eliza in June and believe that this experience will open doors yet undiscovered to me. I look forward this year to following a new path and seeing where it leads me. I’m happy that the Web has opened everything up to the individual and has stripped the industry of it’s ability to sell mediocrity to the masses. That will continue I’m sure, but fortunately I will not be a part of it. I will continue to write and sing and play what life brings to me and, hopefully, be able to share a little bit of what I am feeling with the rest of you! Happy Holidays! No Turning Back!
Lisle
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nbtmusic
Welcome to the world of NBT. On these pages we journey into the soul of independent music. discover the thoughts and dreams of the creators and their creations.
NBT is all about music tourism, independent musicians from all around the world, playing their tunes and sharing their views. a multiplatform of A 24 Hour streaming Radio, Blogs and websites!
http://nbtmusic.de/
Contact : [email protected]
View all posts by nbtmusic | {
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Shtogarenko, Andrei
Andrei Iakovievich Shtogarenko(1902-1992), Ukrainian-Soviet composer, he studied at the Kharkov Conservatory. From 1954 to 1968 he served as rector of thr Kiev Conservatory, and then became the chairman of the board of Composers Union of the Ukraine. He composed symphonic and vocal music. | {
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Small-Block Chevy Crate Engine - Own Another Piece Of The Grump
This Month We Take A Look At The Jenkins/Smeding 406 Small-Block
Sometimes lightning does strike twice. The first bolt that struck was the 572 cubic-inch big-block Jenkins/Smeding Performance engine that we ran a story on in our December '08 issue. Ready for a second helping of horsepower, legendary racer Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and Ben Smeding have teamed up once again to build a street-friendly 406 small-block.
As was the case with the 748-horse 572 build, the signature 406 will be produced in a limited quantity. Each of these engines is fully balanced, blueprinted, and dyno tested before it leaves the shop. And those results come only after a series of dyno tests and parts swaps. Only when both men are satisfied will the 406 be built and produced.
Once again, we spent a couple of days up at Smeding Performance documenting the build and test runs of this big small-block.
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Small-Block Chevy Crate Engine - Own Another Piece Of The Grump
The bottom end of any engine build is just about the most important link in the chain. You can have the highest flowing heads, largest carburetor, and greatest manifold, but they will suffer if the bottom half of the engine is poorly built. The Jenkins/Smeding small-blocks all start life with a Dart Little M block. The bore size of each cylinder is opened up to 4.155 with a special cross-hatch honing that aids the rings in sealing and oil retention.
Ben Smeding (left) and Bill Jenkins discuss the various types of cranks and rotating assemblies.
The entire rotating assembly is private labeled and custom forged for Smeding Performance, excluding the pistons, which are from Keith Black. Notice on the Keith Black pistons the pivot point is higher up when compared to a stock SBC piston. The rings used on these pistons are Total Seal.
In this photo, Smeding is working on the balancing of the 3.75-inch stroke crank.
He also tells us that this lightweight crank is lighter than most others out there and is gun drilled with undercut counter weights.
The connecting rods are also of a better design than the standard SBC rod. The H-beam rod on the right is 6.125-inches in length compared to the stock 5.7 rod.
The wrist pin holes are honed to fit each individual free-floating pin.
The bearings that are used in this engine provide 240 degrees of oiling to the rod compared to the 180 degrees grooved bearings. That means that the rod receives oil during 66.6 percent of its rotation, compared to 50 percent of its rotation.
The cam that is used in this build is a Comp grind, but we don't have the specs on it. This part of the Jenkins/Smeding build is kept secret.
The cam is a full hydraulic roller, as evidenced by the cam thrust plate.
The tolerances are checked on each bearing. Since the build employs a sturdier aftermarket block with less flex, the tolerances can be tighter. Tighter tolerances can equal horsepower gains.
Each piston finds its home in the designated cylinder.
Once the bottom end is done, which takes up most of the build time, things speed up.
The oil pump used in the 406 is a standard volume Melling oil pump.
The two-piece Comp Cams timing cover that is being installed in this photo is for the test build engine.
The Canton oil pan has a seven-quart capacity.
Jenkins and Smeding talk shop as Ben works on a set of cylinder heads.
The top half of the engine consists of AFR 195 cylinder heads with 65cc combustion chambers.
The lightweight intake valves measure 2.050-inch and the exhausts are 1.600 with hardened ductile iron interlocking valve seats. The intake used is an Edelbrock Super Victor topped with a Quick Fuel 750 cfm double pumper.
Once the engine was on the dyno and the rings were seated, a few different tests and parts swaps were conducted.
After we left Smeding Performance, they tried one last dyno run this time with a highly-tuned 850 cfm Quick Fuel carb with the Professional Products Hurricane intake. Ben informed us that the Quick Fuel carb was within 4 horsepower of the Mighty Demon. As for the final production version of this engine that hits the streets, well, that is up to Jenkins and Smeding.
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Cash-strapped Greece puts govt buildings on block
Greece's cash-strapped government detailed Monday its plans to sell 28 state-owned buildings on long-term lease, including tax offices, ministry buildings, and the main police headquarters in Athens.
A government privatization fund said it hoped to make (EURO)30 million ($39 million) annually from the lease agreements lasting 20-25 years.
Included on the list of buildings for sale are the main properties used by the ministries of justice, education and culture, 12 tax offices and the greater Athens police headquarters.
Potential investors should express their interest by April 19, according to a statement by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund.
Greece is under pressure to speed up its privatization program by its rescue lenders, the other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund, who have been providing bailout funds since 2010 that are set to total (EURO)240 billion ($312 billion).
Inspectors from the rescue creditors are currently in Athens and were meeting late Monday with Greece's ministers of finance, labor, development, and the interior. They will meet Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday.
The debt inspectors are also pressing for faster implementation of public sector staff reductions, despite a national unemployment rate nearing 27 percent and the ongoing recession that started in late 2008.
Updated official data Monday showed Greece's economy shrank at a slightly slower pace than initially forecast in the last quarter of 2012, but still contracted by 6.4 percent during the year. | {
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Athens Private Tours
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
If you are planning to explore the beautiful city of Athens and its surroundings you can choose among our especially designed selection of private tours or contact us and allow us to help you customize the experience you have imagined.
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Unesco declares Garden Route biosphere reserve; S Africa
Johannesburg, Jun 15 (PTI) The South African government has welcomed the declaration of the scenic Garden Route in its Western Cape province as a Unesco biosphere reserve.
Unesco members voted in favour of the inclusion of the Garden Route as a biosphere reserve at a meeting in Paris today.
“The positive response to the application to declare the Garden Route a biosphere reserve is most encouraging, not just for us, as a country, but also for the people of the region,” said Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molema.
Somewhat ironically, the announcement came as rehabilitation and relief efforts continue in one of the municipalities that make up the Garden Route region after a devastating weeklong fire that destroyed large swathes of the town of Knysna, leaving hundreds of people homeless.
Officials said the Unesco declaration would go a long way towards assisting in revitalising the region as a major tourist attraction.
Current government-sponsored projects in the area include Working for Water, Working for Wetlands, and Working on Fire, all of which are involved in alien vegetation eradication and fire management.
The vegetation cleared is made available to small businesses or entrepreneurs for making furniture, crafting, making charcoal, or sold as firewood to create economic opportunities as well.
An official launch of the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve will take place later this year. PTI FH ABH
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire. | {
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Crosswalk.com aims to offer the most compelling biblically-based content to Christians on their walk with Jesus. Crosswalk.com is your online destination for all areas of Christian Living – faith, family, fun, and community. Each category is further divided into areas important to you and your Christian faith including Bible study, daily devotions, marriage, parenting, movie reviews, music, news, and more.
It’s funny how people who’ve had life-changing experiences can talk about them as if they happened yesterday. Take a professional athlete, for example, who can describe the great championship game in detail. And old soldiers often get deeply emotional when remembering their comrade who was killed in battle 60 years ago.
When Christ comes into your life, it’s a life-changing experience. So if He really has come, then you’re going to want to tell others about it. I’m not saying you won’t ever struggle to articulate the Gospel. But the truth is that if you’re truly changed, your story of grace is going to be seared into your mind.
Now, there are some believers I know who don’t think their testimony is all that interesting. They say, “I’ve never done drugs or anything like that, so people aren’t really moved by my testimony.” Well, the same grace that saved you is the grace that saved the worst sinner. So your testimony matters!
Your testimony of the Gospel is important. That’s because it’s about God, not about you. Share it with others as evidence that your life is truly changed!
WHATEVER YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR TESTIMONY MATTERS. SHARE YOUR STORY OF GRACE WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
When it comes to sharing the Gospel, many Christians today are either afraid, feel unprepared, or are overwhelmed by the number of ways to do it. That’s why we want to send you a copy of Greg Laurie’s book, Tell Someone. It will help you experience the simple joy of sharing Christ! | {
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Latest information
Every tournament
May 7 2013
1:49 PM
Yes, Rory McIlroy is the No. 1 player on the PGA TOUR -- according to one statistic. (Lecka/Getty Images)
By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It's finally here, THE PLAYERS Championship. Before the first tee is planted in to the turf, let's take a look at some notable stats from Derek Ernst's victory last week at the Wells Fargo Championship and look ahead to this week's event at TPC Sawgrass. Some stats may surprise you -- Rory McIlroy's rank in one category and Tiger Woods' scoring history here to name a few.
.825Strokes gained-putting average for Sergio Garcia, which ranks 10th on the PGA TOUR. … Garcia’s putting continues to improve from past seasons. Once his nemesis, the putter has arguably become a friend. Garcia ranked 26th last season, up from T144th in ’11 and T159 in ’10. In 2013, Garcia is picking up 3.300 strokes on the field average per week.
No. 1Rory McIlroy’s all-around ranking. … That’s right. Despite all the fuss over equipment changes and seemingly mediocre play in 2013, McIlroy ranks No. 1 on TOUR in all-around, which is calculated by adding the rankings of a player in the following categories: Scoring Leaders, Putting Leaders, Eagle Leaders, Birdie Leaders, Sand Saves, Greens in Regulation, Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy. Click here to see the all-around rankings.
1Number of players that have birdied the 17th hole in all four rounds at THE PLAYERS. … The only person to accomplish the feat is Paul Azinger in 1987. Azinger finished sixth in the tournament.
9Number of balls Bob Tway has hit into the water at No. 17 during THE PLAYERS since 2003, which is the most on TOUR. … There were 39 water balls on the island 17th last season out of 423 attempts, or 9 percent. The highest percentage of water balls came in 2007, when players hit an amazing 93 balls in the water (21 percent). Click here for more water stats on No. 17.
28Number of aces in tournament history, which includes 24 at TPC Sawgrass. … The last hole-in-one came in 2008 by Robert Garrigus on the 13th hole. The last ace at the 17th was by Miguel A. Jimenez in 2002.
63Tournament 18-hole scoring record at THE PLAYERS Championship. … The mark is shared by Fred Couples (1992) and Greg Norman (‘94). Couples carded the 9-under round in the third round, which included an eagle on No. 9, bogey on No. 15 and birdies at 16 and 18. He went on to finish T13. Norman, meanwhile, shot a 63 in the first round with a nine-birdie performance on his way to victory.
164 Spots that Derek Ernst moved up in the FedExCup standings by winning the Wells Fargo Championship. ... When Ernst defeated David Lynn on the first playoff hole at rainy Quail Hollow Club on Sunday, he grabbed his first TOUR win -- which gave him a spot at THE PLAYERS this week. It also moved him up to No. 32 in the FedExCup standings, which is led by Woods.
71.35Career stroke average for Tom Lehman at THE PLAYERS, which is the lowest among players with at least 25 rounds played. … Lehman, who has played 62 rounds, never won THE PLAYERS. His best finish is second twice, in 1998 and 2005. He also has six top 10s in 17 tries. Defending champion Matt Kuchar ranks second (71.36, 25), followed by Woods (71.44, 55). Woods has one victory and four top 10s in 15 attempts at TPC Sawgrass. | {
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Relaxation at the Clumber Park Hotel and Spa
With a busy few months ahead of us, finalising wedding plans
and arrangements, we decided that it was time to treat ourselves to a little
luxury and relaxation; so we booked into the Clumber Park Hotel and Spa.
Set next to the beautiful Sherwood Forest and
Nottinghamshire country side, they offer a range of services, from weddings to
spa weekends. Given that we’re pretty busy at the moment, we opted for their latest
offering of a Step into Summer Day Spa Package.
Arriving at the spa, we noticed a beautiful wedding was
taking place and we moved to the side of the building to enter the New Leaf
Spa. Here we were greeted by Keeley, who sat us down in the café and talked
through our plan for the day. As she showed us around the spa, we were also
handed a key to our lockers, where we found our fluffy white robes, towels and
slippers.
Like the big kids that we are, our first port of call was to
find the beautiful outdoor hot tub that was surrounded by beautiful greenery
and the smell of fresh cut grass. After spending a good 45 minutes in this
basking in the sunshine, we decided to go for a swim – hey, we had to be a
little healthy J
After relaxing back on the indoor loungers, we were called
by our beauticians who guided us into the treatment rooms. We both opted for an
all over body exfoliation from the ‘summer cocktail’ collection. I had the Strawberry Daiquiri and Gareth chose the Whiskey Sour – all I can say about this treatment is WOW!
Starting off on our front, we were body brushed to get rid
of any dry or dead skin, before they applied an Elemis scrub/massage to our
bodies. Once the treatment was complete, we were left to use the private
showers in the treatment rooms to wash off the amazing smelling scrubs. Once
dry, we lay back down on the beds to have a full body moisturising oil applied.
When you book this package, you also get an additional 15%
off treatments, so we decided to take full advantage of this and indulge
further in a 25 minute back, neck and shoulder massage. Once our treatments were completed we were taken back to the relaxation area and given a glass of bucks fizz to continue with our relaxation day.
However, after all of the ‘hard work’… we had worked up a bit of an appetite and so we decided to order some lunch. There was a range of sandwiches, baked potatoes and afternoon teas to choose from – but of course, we opted for a traditional cream tea to finish off our day. It would have been rude not too J
We left feeling relaxed, revitalized and rejuvenated – thank you Clumber Park Hotel and Spa.
Relaxation at the Clumber Park Hotel and Spa
Reviewed by Stephanie Taylor
on
09:00
Rating: 5 | {
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Kenneth Allen Paul
Kenneth Allen Paul, 62, of St. James, died Monday, March 25, 2013, at Mayo Clinic Health System-St. James. Memorial Services will be held Saturday, March 30, 2 p.m., at Sturm Funeral Home in St. James with Rev. Ken Bowman officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, St. James. Family condolences may be sent online at www.sturmfh.com.
Kenneth was born April 12, 1950, in St. James, the son of Leslie and Genevieve (Wolner) Paul. At age three, Kenny contracted scarlet fever, leaving him disabled. He, however, did not let that diminish his determination to be independent and to enjoy life. When he was 20 years old, he moved to his own place where he lived independently. He was able to obtain a drivers license and in the late 1980s, earned his GED. Ken enjoyed baking and cooking, collecting “things” like little owl figurines, Beatle’s music and plates. He enjoyed his daily gathering at the Band Box, swimming, puzzles and crafts. Kenny was always willing to try new things if they interested him.
Kenny is survived by his siblings, Dorothy Hoeft of Worthington, Dick and Marian Paul of St. James, Jack Paul of Madelia, Gloria Smith of Sioux City, Iowa, Dianne and Art Meyenburg of Jackson and Peggy and Mike Wiese of North Mankato; special niece, Marcia Dubois of St. James; and other nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Eileen Jablinske; brother, David Paul; and brothers-in-law, Clair Hoeft and Bud Smith.
Community Info
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St. James Plaindealer - St. James, MN ~ 604 1st Ave. So., (P.O. Box 67), St. James, MN 56081 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service | {
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Follow Sunlit Uplands by E-Mail
Monday, February 3, 2014
Pete Seeger, Marxist Minstrel
Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Pete Seeger’s death at age 94 is a cultural catharsis for the
American left. The New York Times accorded his passing the kind of space
normally reserved for the death of a president. Such was Seeger’s special place of reverence among liberals.
The media is hailing Seeger as a “social-justice” crusading
“progressive,” a voice for the poor, the downtrodden, the working man,
and the environment. He’s also being portrayed as a victim of wild-eyed
McCarthyites who maniacally searched for a red under every bed.
Well, the full story is a little different.
Pete Seeger had in fact been a Marxist, a committed one who stumped
for international communism at the height of the Stalin era. Interviewed
in 2008 for the PBS series, “American Masters,” Seeger conceded those
sympathies. He first joined the Young Communist League at Harvard
(mid-1930s) and later (early 1940s) joined Communist Party USA (CPUSA).
That latter fact is a halting one. Many American communists,
especially Jewish communists, bolted from CPUSA when their beloved
Joseph Stalin allied with Hitler, specifically via the August 1939
Hitler-Stalin Pact. Not Seeger. He was undeterred, joining the party
after the pact. (For the record, likewise undeterred was Barack Obama’s mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, who also joined CPUSA after the pact.)
Seeger was a loyal comrade. If you were a communist
agitator/organizer staging a big display or furthering the revolution,
Pete Seeger’s presence was as reliable as a red flag. He was guaranteed
to provide musical entertainment for the cause.
Here are a few examples:
At the massive anti-Vietnam rally held in New York City in April
1967, organized by the radical New Mobe, Seeger was there, strumming for
the faithful.
In the 1950s, New York communist parents sent their red-diaper babies
to the Little Red School House, founded in the 1920s by “progressives.”
There, the likes of Angela Davis, Victor Navasky, the sons of Julius
and Ethel Rosenberg, and future Weather Underground terrorist Kathy
Boudin (still in jail for murder) sat at the knee of leftist celebrities
like Seeger, who played and taught music there.
Seeger also provided rousing performances at the summer “commie
camps” in the Catskills where the New York faithful sent their children
to study the gospel according to Marx. These surreal spectacles were a
sort of twisted red version of Vacation Bible School.
But Seeger’s most disturbing work as a Marxist minstrel was his crooning for “The Almanacs,” which historian Ron Radosh—himself a former red-diaper baby—calls
a “communist folk-singing group.” At varying times, “The Almanacs”
included Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives, and Will Geer, later known as
“Grandpa” on TV’s “The Waltons.” Seeger founded the group in 1941.
The most egregious work by “The Almanacs” was its propaganda for the
insidious American Peace Mobilization, which Congress identified as “one
of the most seditious organizations which ever operated in the United
States” and “one of the most notorious and blatantly communist fronts
ever organized.” Founded in 1940, the objective of the American Peace
Mobilization was to keep America out of the war against Hitler. This
also meant no Lend-Lease money to Britain.
Why did the American Peace Mobilization take such a position? It did
so because Hitler signed an alliance with Stalin. For American
communists, any friend of Stalin was a friend of theirs. They literally
swore an oath, formally pledging to a “Soviet America” and to “the
triumph of Soviet power in the United States.” They were unflinchingly
devout Soviet patriots.
As for mobilizing the “peace,” eager Pete Seeger was there to salute the flag.
The kick-off rally to attract naïve recruits (i.e., liberal dupes) to the American Peace Mobilization was a huge April 1941 promotional in New York. The featured musical talent was Stalinist Paul Robeson
and “The Almanacs.” Almost every “folk ballad” was a swipe at America
and FDR—who communists were attacking at that point—for supporting an
“unjust war” by aiding Britain as it was besieged by the Nazis’
ferocious onslaught.
Such was the position of American communists, like Pete Seeger.
Of course, liberals should be enraged at Seeger for efforts like
this. Unfortunately, they don’t understand their own history. For them,
the bad guys are never on the left. As ex-communist James Burnham used
to say, for the left, the preferred enemy is always to the right.
Speaking of which, in the left’s perverse moral universe, I’ll be
viewed as the bad guy for pointing out these sordid facts about Pete
Seeger. I’ll be pitied for my crass McCarthyism, whereas Seeger will be
forever lionized by liberals as a peace-loving lamb, a happy-hearted
hippie unfairly persecuted for his mere pursuit of “social justice.”
This website is dedicated to a renewal of Christian culture. It is inspired by Sir Winston Churchill, a valiant defender of Christian civilization, who believed "we have a great treasure to guard; that the inheritance in our possession represents the prolonged achievement of the centuries." With Churchill, we believe that a "fraternal association" of the English-speaking peoples must "for their own safety and for the good of all walk together in majesty, in justice and in peace.” | {
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If you mean FreeEMS, you're in the wrong section. And if you do, and are, then we use a modified copy of EMStudio that's only available to genuine users. It's effectively Linux only though. Mac is too painful. Windows is even worse.
Hello,thanks Fred. Yes it is for FreeEMS. Sorry for the wrong section.
My project is new, and for the moment I inquire.Today I am Microsquirt Module V2.2 User , and I created my own mainboard for use it.I wanted to use MS3 Daughterboard Kit, but it is licensed, then I can not make my mainboard for use it.I then thought to FreeEms.Would it be possible to have a link to get an idea of the software? What are these options? what it can control?
sorry for my english.is there a section for french user (may be an idea) ?
No worries re the section. I'll move it later when the discussion has concluded.
If by "get an idea of the software" you mean EMStudio and what *it* can control, then:
2D and 3D tables are editable either unitless, or with units if meta data in the app vaguely matches the firmware.All other memory (configuration, 1D look up tables) can be accessed and edited with a hex editor which is painful, but has proven useful sometimes.It datalogs in binary format suitable for opening in OLV or ULV log viewersYou can view the meta data from the device (versions, dates/times, email/name of builder, etc)You can watch real time live data from the device in several forms (gauges, values, status flags, etc)You can reset the deviceYou can control the bench test variantYou can setup your offset with a wizardYou can set your TPS up with a wizard
So the main thing missing is configuration, which is done using source code, you build the firmware from source after filling in details for your engine.
The other main thing that's missing is offline mode, so it's not much fun to try it without a connected device.
Which operating system/OS are you on?
Re languages, your English is better than Google's French ;-) The Spanish section is because I hablar un poco y mi mujer is from Madrid :-) There's no one on here with good knowledge who speaks French AFAIK. Don't worry too much about it, I'm pretty patient so long as you're making an effort, which you clearly are :-)
My experiences allow me to use and understand the various electronic schematic. But I'm not an engineer and am not able to make component calculation. I know and use kicad.I am also not able to code (I have notions of the old "basic" or code for Arduino, but not more).
I am ready to learn. But my English is sometimes a problem to understand (google translate helps me but not always).
- use only 4 cylinder fine- rpm/throttle map for injection and ignition normal- possibility to sequential, semi-sequential, or full group injection yes, caveat: 6 timed outputs total- i use only high impedance injector 14-16ohms good- possibility to wasted spark or sequential ignition yes, caveat: 6 timed outputs total- possibility to use logic coils (with integred drivers/controller) or high current coil logic only in current designs, by choice. high current drivers inside the ECU is a BAD idea, if you design your own, you can do it, but I do no recommend it - you'll have issues- Toothed wheel with missing tooth (60-2,36-1) yes, fully generic from 4-1 to 100-10 or something like that. caveat: high RPM limitations on higher counts, 60-2 2500 36-1 5000 approx, fixes coming- Ambient Absolute Pressure (barometric) , Intake Air Temperature (IAT) and Coolant Temperature yes: logged, used, used- crank and cam sensor VR yes: hardware dependent- user programable output (relay coolant, fuel pump, shiftlight...) yes, simple on/off with hysteresis on any value, fuel pump is not programmable, it has special logic - you can choose the timeout- launch control (with variable rpm) what type? "2 step" is easy to implement and has been used before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGxxafir7n0- Tacho output more detail needed, hardware component, software has limitations, but works for most setups, possible more flexible future variant, too.- Wideband lambda controller (maybe intregerd ?) input is there, logged, no closed loop, not integral in existing designs, you could do it with a 14point7 module, but i don't recommend it- Knock ? no support, not overly useful in high power applications, and only limits efficiency a little in lower power by giving sufficient margin- USB Conector (ftdi) all current hardware uses this
I think is similar to CoolEFI Basic ECU (maybe can i use it ) ? No, you can't. Sorry.
No official support for Windows at this time and there is no good version of EMStudio for Windows right now either, and possibly forever. It's an interim solution to be replaced ASAP. But it meets our needs on Debian/Ubuntu, so for now, we keep using it.
High current ignition can work IF it's done correctly however it remains a BAD idea, no matter what anyone says or does. Good that you've had success with it, but it's a scenario that is best avoided. Fortunately most decent modern coils have drivers built in, anyway. This keeps the current round trip short and the overall system noise to a minimum.
CoolEFI Basic ECU does not work with FreeEMS at all. A future version might. You can't use it as is. No other source code is available that runs on it, either, so it's basically an ECU without a purpose, right now. Hold out for a version that works with FreeEMS or use the existing heavily peer-reviewed Jaguar design, instead.
I'll create a new post for my project, or I continue here and you will move it ?What do you recommend me Debian or Ubuntu (Debian is based on Ubuntu i think)?Is it interesting that I publish my circuits for microsquirt module?
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Categories
Maternity services in Ireland
Anne Matthews and Jene Kelly look at the challenges for maternity services in Ireland
Irish maternity services are almost exclusively hospital-based and highly medicalised. Over 50% of the population of Ireland have private health insurance, mainly for reasons of continuity of private consultant care and private accommodation and this is reflected in the high level of private maternity care practice in Ireland. Registered midwives fulfil the international requirements as independent practitioners and champions of normal birth, but in this privatised, medicalised environment, this is a difficult challenge.
Expected legislation to statutorily recognise the distinct identity of midwives is impatiently awaited by midwives and childbirth activists. A report of the recent review of Dublin maternity services by management consultancy company KMPG is expected in autumn 2008 and seems focused on the co-location of maternity services with general hospital services and with the 'rationalisation' of the existing three maternity hospitals in Dublin. It may promote alternative models of care to the existing orthodoxy, hopefully midwifery-led care, probably on the grounds of cost-effectiveness, but delays to its publication mean that this is only speculative at present.
There have been some other recent signs of change which offer some hope. There have been several midwifery-led initiatives across the country (most notably the Midwifery-Led Unit (MLU) in the north-east of the country, the site of a prospective randomised controlled trial being carried out by midwifery researchers at Trinity College Dublin). Home births continue to be available on a limited basis, provided by the fewer than 20 independent midwives working nationally. However, recently, the threatened discontinuation of insurance for independent midwives has caused alarm within midwifery and women wishing to access home birth services. In the south of the country, independent midwives provide home births for the statutory services.
It is within these mixed contexts, that AIMS Ireland (AIMSI) was established in May 2007 by a small core of people dissatisfied with the maternity care system and ready to campaign for changes. It is a consumer led, campaign pressure group operating with a self-regulating committee elect and a body of members consisting of parents, consumers, health professionals, and support group representatives throughout Ireland. AIMS Ireland was set up with the support of AIMS UK. In addition to a national committee, AIMS Ireland has adopted a regional structure which matches that of the Health Service Executive (HSE): South,West, Dublin-Nor th East and Dublin-Mid Leinster. This facilitates having a local presence and voice for women. In the short time since its establishment, the membership and activities of AIMSI have expanded hugely and this seems set to continue. The main activities of the AIMSI committee and other members are the provision of support and information to women and campaigning for improved maternity services.
Support and information provision
Between May 2007 and May 2008, 103 women contacted AIMSI for support services or information. A further 29 women shared their stories with AIMSI, both positive birth stories and raising awareness stories. In particular the positive birth stories have been welcomed by visitors to the AIMSI website. AIMSI also received 41 queries about birth healing workshops and two workshops were run in 2008. AIMSI assisted 51 women with making their complaints. The nature of complaints covered issues such as limited birth partner policies, problems with antenatal care and classes, lack of choice for breech delivery, mistreatment, bullying from staff, lack of support, lack of information about services and being unhappy with vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) policies.
AIMSI's electronic survey findings
A total of 735 women took part in five electronic surveys over the year. The main two surveys were one on the topic of 'Availability of Information and Consent' (161 participants) and one on 'What matters to you?' (326 participants). All respondents who voluntarily complete AIMSI surveys are anonymous.
Information
The first survey findings highlight serious deficiencies in information and consent. For example, more than half of respondents (61%) said that in pregnancy (outside of antenatal classes) they had no opportunity to discuss choices and information regarding hospital policies, routine procedures and common procedures, tests or treatments which they may need to make a decision about during their pregnancy, labour or birth. This is particularly important while intervention rates in Irish maternity services are so high. Of the 39% who responded that they did have opportunities, over half (53.1%) had to be the one to initiate the discussion to gain access to information. This places a serious onus on women to initiate such discussion, which can be difficult in such a disempowered position within current services.
Consent
Over three quar ters of respondents (75.6%) stated that they felt that consent is an issue of concern in the Irish maternity system. Participants were asked if their consent was fully sought and given in pregnancy, during labour, during the baby's birth and after the baby's birth and the percentages of women who answered yes across these time periods were 48.4%, 38.4%, 33.3% and 41.5% respectively. These findings highlight that during all stages, women are vulnerable to not consenting to their care. More than half of respondents (57.6%) were not given the option to refuse a procedure, test or treatment and only 23% responded that they were given information and choice for all procedures.
The unavailability of unbiased information and a serious lack of regard for consent within maternity care settings in Ireland were shockingly highlighted within this sur vey. Women's choice appears to be backed up by information obtained by themselves and the majority of women surveyed were not happy with the current levels of information available to them by their care providers. AIMSI can also conclude that there are major issues surrounding consent in the Irish maternity system. Women's accounts regarding consent appear to suggest that it is not always sought or obtained where needed and that care providers are not always clear when consent is and should be obtained. There appear to be very few instances when informed consent and refusal was apparent.
What matters to birthing women in Ireland?
In the second survey being highlighted here, women were asked about what matters most to them and their families, how they were affected by previous experience and what improvements they would like to see. The survey was aimed at women who have had a baby in Ireland in the last five years. Of those who completed the survey, 39.3% had received public care, 21.2% semiprivate care and 39.6% private care. Over one third rated information regarding choices of care as 'poor'. Just over one-fifth (21.8%) would have liked local midwife-led care and 16.9% would have liked midwife-led hospital care. Over half of respondents (56.1%) said their care in labour was 'excellent', while only 35.5% said that information given during labour was 'excellent'. Again, women raised their concerns about lack of information and consent. Regarding postnatal care/suppor t, only 35% of respondents said their care was 'good' and the main issues of dissatisfaction were lack of feeding support, difficulties after caesarean section or when baby unwell, poor hygiene and lack of care and support when at home. These reflect the lack of community based midwifery services and variable breastfeeding support in particular.
Overall across AIMSI's recent surveys the main issues of concern to women about maternity services have been found to be: lack of information, choice, informed consent and support - very basic requirements.
AIMSI's campaigning and lobbying
AIMSI has been actively campaigning and lobbying to meet its current goals of
Improving health, safety and hygiene within maternity services;
Bringing about the creation, implementation and monitoring of National Guidelines for maternity care and the publication of annual clinical reports
Bringing about improved mother-friendly birth choices, making midwife led initiatives such as DOMINO schemes, MLUs and home births more widely available.
Bringing about the inclusion of normal birth and breastfeeding practice as part of the Social, Physical and Health Education Programme at second level education in Ireland.
AIMSI representatives have had two meetings with the Minister for Health and Children and the Health Service Executive, as well as meetings with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and local and national public representatives. AIMSI has also had meetings with a number of hospitals, community and voluntary groups who have expressed concern about their service users' experience of maternity care in Ireland. AIMSI is also represented on the Home Birth - Domino Implementation Group (which is looking at how best to roll out home birth/domino choices for women). We are seeking to make links with other voluntary groups across Ireland with similar concerns to ours
In the coming months and years, AIMSI will continue, as required, to support and provide information to women and to campaign for improvements in Irish maternity services to address the serious problems facing women that are reflected in this article. | {
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alexa hackathon
a four hour venture
What you can expect
Invent and develop with other new ideas for Amazons
Alexa. Implement your ideas as rapid prototyp
within four hours.
you can join other teams with great ideas as well as pitch
your own ideas at the beginning of the hackathon.
Alexa Skills can be developed with any
(backend-) programming language. We will start the hackathon
with an introduction which will enable you to develop your
first skill.
Also non developers are invited to pitch their
Ideas and Concepts and get part of this
venture.
Everything is possible
Adopt your existing app or create something new.
For example, connect Alexa with a Smart Home device,
your own existing API, an API from one of our event partner
or you some open data.
Be creative!
With the pleasure of our sponsors we can provide
enought test devices and other hardware to play.
You need more inspiration?
Checkout the latest hackathons like
the iBeacon or Connected Car hackathon.
Schedule
We open the doors for you at "die wohngemeinschaft" at 2 pm
and start the hackathon at 3 pm with some great talks about the opportunities.
Get some inspiration before you start your 4 hour venture.
Tech talk: Alexa Skills Kit introduction
Kay Lerch works on different 3rd party Alexa Skills for well known companies in Germany.
He give regular talks within the community and is contributor of
the reference implementation and different Open Source Alexa SDKs.
He will give a short introduction into the
Alexa Skills Kit,
the API opportunities and restrictions.
Mentors
So that you can focus on the implementation of an idea,
we are happy to have some developers which will help you with troubleshooting. | {
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Tweet Beat: Adam Levine Talks Selfies, Sci-Fi & Being Sexy
Making his movie debut in 'Begin Again,' singer Adam Levine proves himself to be a man of many talents. He can craft an interesting tweet just as easily as a hit song. On Twitter he "Moves Like Jagger."
Adam Levine, People magazine's reigning 'Sexiest Man Alive,' seems one step closer to world entertainment domination with his upcoming film, Begin Again, in which he plays a rocker who dumps his girlfriend on his quest for success. But, unlike his onscreen counterpart, we don't believe for a minute that Adam would dump his real-life fiancé Behati Prinsloo to ensure he and his Maroon 5 crew are selling hits with their new album due out this fall...
On Twitter, Adam's got five million followers to his name, and with thousands of tweets to his credit, expect this bad boy of pop and Voice judge to talk about anything—with a huge dose of funny and self-deprecation.
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ON STYLE:
#1 According to Adam, scary is good:
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#2 Adam embraces his dark side:
ON THE VOICE:
#3 America's sexiest judge:
#4 A one-side bromance?
ON SCIENCE FICTION:
#5 Adam isn't afraid to show his inner geek:
ON TECH TRENDS:
#6 #ThingsAdamHates:
ON RECYCLING:
MORE STORIES FROM BIOGRAPHY
Actress Anna Kendrick has lots of talents—singing, dancing and tweeting. With her new film Happy Christmas opening this Friday, it's a great time to visit with one of Twitter's most popular personalities.
On the eve of Boy George's 53rd birthday, we thought we'd celebrate him through his own words. And even though his musings are limited to 140 characters or less, don't think this 'Karma Chameleon' singer's holding anything back!
With a new album on the way, Weird Al Yankovic is still the prince of parody. He's also the master of the clever tweet, making fun of food trends, vampires and his lookalikes − all in 140 characters or less.
With the second season premiere of 'Under the Dome,' let's check in with the grand titan of horror Stephen King. From food to sports to pop culture, this author's tweets will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The film 'Third Person' opens this weekend, making now the perfect time to check out the offbeat tweets of its star Olivia Wilde. She's candid, she's quirky, and she's real, all in 140 characters or less. | {
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The Blog
5 keys to successful change?
Last week I was working with a client organisation going through a transformation. They know and understand the value of change management to the successful outcome of the transformation. So they asked “How do we get people to embrace change?’ Change is always difficult. Human beings by nature like status quo. To help people embrace change we have to understand what motivates individuals are to change.
A simple model that can be quite useful in helping to understand the factors needed for change is the Four C’s. They are:
Choice
Conviction,
Commitment, and
Compassion
1 – Choice
Whether we are dealing with organisational or personal change it all starts with a choice. As an Executive coach my clients often have been told by their organisation to participate in coaching – the reality of this is whilst in theory they are said to have a choice to decline – most feel that they have to do it or they’ll be fired! A similar situation when as a Leader your organisation wants to make changes and you have to tell your team – ‘this is the change we must make’. When this happens it’s key to get this out in the open and talk about it because it is a reality that is does not feel like a choice.
2 – Conviction
When a client comes into a coaching relationship, effectively on the mandate of the client organisation, or as a leader you have to tell your team the change is going to take place there may not be the desired conviction, i.e. belief in the need for the change.
If there is no belief in it then the next stage, commitment will be lacking. The key to developing conviction for the change is to remember:
you coach the whole person
As a leader you need to understand your teams, and the individuals in your teams concerns. Are there valid reasons for why they don’t believe in the change initiative? Have you explored their concerns and addressed them? You can try using the CHANGE CANVASS METHOD to explore the issues related to change with you team.
3 – Commitment
Only when your people are convicted that the change is necessary, and achievable will they be committed to it. Your commitment is critical to mobilising others. That means you must demonstrate your commitment in what you say, and how you behave. You must champion the change.
4 – Compassion
Compassion is critical and MUST be present from the outset. This is about our compassion as coaches and leaders for our clients or teams. This is needed to push through with clients who feels there is nothing at all they need to change, or teams who are of the same view or think a different change is required – denial, ego and a whole host of other behaviours can manifest at this stage which are all resistance to change. Our compassion is needed to be able push through this resistance in a way that says “I hear you, I know it’s painful, I’m but I will go through it with you”.
Enter No. 5 – Challenge
Coupled with compassion the other C that must be present for change to take place is Challenge. We do our client’s/team a disservice if we do not challenge their perspectives on situations/circumstances (of course respectfully and appropriately). Our job as change agents is to help them gain “clear perspective’ – helping them to see different perspectives.Challenge can be difficult for both the coach/leader and the client and the team. It generally requires the client/team to re-assess their thoughts and perspectives because behaviour doesn’t change until the thought that produces a particular behaviour changes. This is the hardest thing for all of us to do – re-writing our scripts. The good news is that Cognitive neuroscience shows we humans are “uniquely and wonderfully made” and so have the capacity to re-write our thought patterns if we choose to, have the conviction that it’s possible and commit to doing practical things to change our thoughts!
Maybe it’s time for you to re-write the script in your head…I have and it really does promote chnage, why not join me, till next time. | {
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The head of Evin prison, has repeatedly denied families of political prisoners the right to deliver books to their loved ones. The family members are now questioning why books are prohibited, while narcotics are openly smuggled into ward 350 without a problem. The families have brought this issue to the attention of the authorities at the judiciary and in particular to the attention of Tehran’s Prosecutor.More details
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This is an absolute atroscity! That is so far beyond low. My heartfelt prayers and wishes go out not only to Saeed, but to his wife Fatemeh and his family and friends. There is no way that Saeed is guilty of anything but being a good, upstanding citizen of not only Iran, but of Canada as well. This current situation just goes to show how low the Iranian government and judicial system have fallen. Saeed Malekpour is no more guilty of the charges being brought against him than God is for creating this world and universe. Saeed should be found INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES and also should be deemed completely free to go and have repirations made to himself and his wife and family. Free Saeed!!! As someone who knows Saeed and Fatemeh personally, I know without a shadow of a doubt that he has done nothing wrong and that this is all some very terrible and elaborate mistake. I have never heard that it is a crime punishable by the death penalty and/or time/life in prison, prisons mind you that are corrupt and which put absolutely no value what-so-ever on human life and freedoms. I have never heard it was a crime to be an honest, upstanding person and citizen who wishes to better themselves and to help to better society by becoming highly educated, no matter the cost and effort. Nor have I ever heard that it was a crime to visit your terminally ill father in your home country. This whole situation has been handled very poorly, and while Saeed sits rotting in a hellish prison with little or no contact with even his wife and family, the people who are actually responsible for these heinous crimes are out and about, free to go about their daily lives. The true perpetrators need to be found and brought to justice. Again, my deepest heartfelt wishes and prayers go out to Saeed and Fatemeh, as well as to all of his family and friends during what has to be the most difficult and trying time in all of their lives. Saeed needs to found innocent of all charges and they need to FREE SAEED!!!!
Thank You and Sincerest Wishes,
Cara Rogers-(daughter of Jim Rogers and Rita Wittman) | {
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A personal blog from librarian who is progressive and pagan, discussing politics, current events, and books.
Friday, July 11, 2008
David Bromwich: The Unitary Executive Congress
"The collapse of the Democratic leadership on FISA was thus a sheer political calculation; yet the panic of the reversal ran ahead of any visible threat. It betrayed an embarrassment at the leadership's complicity with the president -- but in a manner that only increases the embarrassment and only tightens the complicity."
Provides a good explanation of the FISA bill, what the vote means, and why Obama's vote was a mistake. | {
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Clubwear UK
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Beauty Desires is one of the UK’s most popular websites for buying Adult Toys, Women's Lingerie, Women's Underwear and Clubwear UK stocked products online. Being a leading Lingerie UK Supplier we provide a fast, safe and reliable way for our customers to purchase Adult Toys online while sitting in the comfort of their own homes. Service is our utmost priority and we pride ourselves on that along with our unbeatable prices and price match guarantee. So, whether you are single, married, co-habiting or divorced, gay, straight, lesbian or bi, in your 20’s or 60’s, you will always be welcomed at Beauty Desires. You can get online advice about all things relating Adult Toys, Women's Lingerie, Women's Underwear, Hosiery or Clubwear UK from our highly trained staff who are always available and happy to help. | {
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There’s probably no holiday I look forward to more than Beaujolais Nouveau Day. It’s my favorite excuse to gather all my friends for a night of cheap wine and expensive cheese, and this year’s celebration was one of the best. All told, I think we managed to cram fourteen cheeses, eighteen wine bottles, and more than twenty friends into our tiny apartment. It was…
Yay for the weekend and upcoming holidays! We’re kicking off the season of celebration tonight with our annual (day after) Beaujolais Nouveau Day party. Cheap wine and lots of cheese are my idea of a perfect night, and I definitely look forward to this one all year long. Here are a few photos from past celebrations. While its a great night for cheap wine,…
As a belated birthday treat, the Mister planned a long-weekend escape to the Sonoma Valley. The weekend was hot and dry, the sort of weather that forces you to slow down, drink slowly, and find quiet, shady hillsides to enjoy a cool bottle of wine and each other. Sonoma was heaven. Just my pace and everything I felt I’d been missing. This week, I’ll…
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I had fun making Shutterbean’s candied citrus peel. One of the happy byproducts of the candying process is a jar of bright citrus syrup, perfect for making cocktails. The abundance of amazing citrus is the best part of winter, and this syrup, mixed with a little sparkling wine and a sprig of rosemary, made for a perfect cold…
Last Friday, the Mister and I invited our good friends over to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day. It’s our favorite excuse for a party and this is the fourth year that we’ve hosted. Over the course of about six hours, we welcomed around twenty friends, shared fourteen bottles of beaujolais nouveau, and devoured ten kinds of cheese, two kinds of charcuterie, and one large block…
I haven’t been feeling great lately and with the gloomy weather, I was in need of a little pick me up. What could be more comforting than a little mug of hot chocolate? Rather than a packet of cocoa and hot water, I was in the mood for something more indulgent. I like the French approach to hot chocolate: very rich and thick with…
As I mentioned yesterday, the Mister is a bourbon man. Years ago, when we were first dating, he asked me to go away with him for a long weekend to explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I wasn’t much of a bourbon drinker, but I love going anywhere new and Kentucky sounded like as good as any place. It was breezy and overcast, and as…
The Mister is a bourbon drinker; has been for as long as I have known him. In terms of flavor, he likes that its sweeter, smokier and bolder than, say, scotch, another high quality whiskey. Philosophically, he likes that bourbon is American-made, both in product and in process. Not being imported helps keep the price reasonable, but more than that, he finds it endearing… | {
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Prospective service members are often recruited from high school or college, the target age ranges being 18–35 in the Army, 18–28 in the Marine Corps, 18–34 in the Navy, 18–39 in the Air Force and 18–27 (up to age 32 if qualified for attending guaranteed "A" school) in the Coast Guard. With the permission of a parent or guardian, applicants can enlist at age 17 and participate in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), in which the applicant is given the opportunity to participate in locally sponsored military activities, which can range from sports to competitions led by recruiters or other military liaisons (each recruiting station's DEP varies).
During World War I, the need to break the deadlock of trench warfare saw the rapid development of many new technologies, particularly tanks. Military aviation was extensively used, and bombers became decisive in many battles of World War II, which marked the most frantic period of weapons development in history. Many new designs, and concepts were used in combat, and all existing technologies of warfare were improved between 1939 and 1945.
Under current Department of Defense regulation, the various components of the U.S. Armed Forces have a set order of seniority. Examples of the use of this system include the display of service flags, placement of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen in formation, etc. When the Coast Guard shall operate as part of the Department of the Navy, United States Coast Guard Academy cadets, the United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve shall take precedence after United States Naval Academy midshipmen; the United States Navy; and Navy Reserve, respectively.[49]
Although mostly concerned with the military transport, as a means of delivery using different modes of transport; from military trucks, to container ships operating from permanent military base, it also involves creating field supply dumps at the rear of the combat zone, and even forward supply points in specific unit's Tactical Area of Responsibility.
Other training and auxiliary organizations of the Army, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary, as in the preceding order. The CAP was constituted through the Administrative Order 9 of 1 December 1941 and operated under the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. The CAP became the official civilian auxiliary of the newly independent USAF with the enactment of Public Law 80-557 on 26 May 1948.
Military strategy is the management of forces in wars and military campaigns by a commander-in-chief, employing large military forces, either national and allied as a whole, or the component elements of armies, navies and air forces; such as army groups, naval fleets, and large numbers of aircraft. Military strategy is a long-term projection of belligerents' policy, with a broad view of outcome implications, including outside the concerns of military command. Military strategy is more concerned with the supply of war and planning, than management of field forces and combat between them. The scope of strategic military planning can span weeks, but is more often months or even years.[31]
Each service has a uniformed head who is considered the highest-ranking officer within their respective service, with the exception of the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. They are responsible for ensuring personnel readiness, policy, planning and training and equipping their respective military services for the combatant commanders to utilize. They also serve as senior military advisors to the President, the Secretary of Defense, their respective service secretaries, as well as other councils they may be called to serve on. They are as follows:
Direct commission: civilians who have special skills that are critical to sustaining military operations and supporting troops may receive direct commissions. These officers occupy leadership positions in law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, intelligence, supply-logistics-transportation, engineering, public affairs, chaplain, oceanography and others.
As of 31 December 2010, U.S. Armed Forces troops were stationed in 150 countries; the number of non-contingent deployments per country ranges from 1 in Suriname to over 50,000 in Germany.[28] Some of the largest deployments are: 103,700 in Afghanistan, 52,440 in Germany (see list), 35,688 in Japan (USFJ), 28,500 in South Korea (USFK), 9,660 in Italy and 9,015 in the United Kingdom. These numbers change frequently due to the regular recall and deployment of units.
The Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) Program allows enlisted servicemembers and offers to enroll in courses at accredited colleges, universities, junior colleges, high schools, and vocational-technical schools. TA will pay up to 100% of the cost of the course and up to 100% of the cost of obtaining a high school degree, with a limit of $250 per credit hour and an aggregate annual limit of $4,500. MGIB benefits may be used to "top up" TA benefits, paying the difference between tuition and the TA benefits. Military.com provides a good overview of the tuition assistance program.
The human capital shortage may be worse than the shortage in ships. A report by the Maritime Administration to Congress highlighted the problem. The report “estimates that 11,768 qualified mariners ... are available to crew the Ready Reserve Force ... the estimated demand for mariners [in an emergency] is 13,607.” Given the shortage, those mariners who are available “may have to endure prolonged assignments or tours of duty until the emergency is over,” which will decrease effectiveness, increase errors and — of greatest concern — delay deploying the forces necessary to win a large-scale conflict.
Command over the U.S. Armed Forces is established in the Constitution. The sole power of command is vested in the President by Article II as Commander-in-Chief. The Constitution presumes the existence of "executive Departments" headed by "principal officers", whose appointment mechanism is provided for in the Appointments Clause. This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 by the National Security Act. The DoD is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The Defense Secretary is second in the U.S. Armed Forces chain of command, with the exception of the Coast Guard, which is under the Secretary of Homeland Security, and is just below the President and serves as the principal assistant to the President in all defense-related matters.[14] Together, the President and the Secretary of Defense comprise the National Command Authority, which by law is the ultimate lawful source of military orders.[15]
Military Sealift Command and the Maritime Administration’s sealift fleets are in even worse shape. Combined, they furnish 61 cargo ships. Yet, even that small number is misleadingly high. Twenty-six of those ships run on steam — to call them outdated would be a compliment. We’re also keeping that 61-ship number artificially high by allowing ships to operate for 50 and even 60 years, long past their life expectancy. These older ships require more maintenance and risk major breakdowns.
There are two types of military history, although almost all texts have elements of both: descriptive history, that serves to chronicle conflicts without offering any statements about the causes, nature of conduct, the ending, and effects of a conflict; and analytical history, that seeks to offer statements about the causes, nature, ending, and aftermath of conflicts – as a means of deriving knowledge and understanding of conflicts as a whole, and prevent repetition of mistakes in future, to suggest better concepts or methods in employing forces, or to advocate the need for new technology.
The Woman's Army Auxiliary Corps was established in the United States in 1942. Women saw combat during World War II, first as nurses in the Pearl Harbor attacks on 7 December 1941. The Woman's Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Women's Reserve and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) were also created during this conflict. In 1944, WACs arrived in the Pacific and landed in Normandy on D-Day. During the war, 67 Army nurses and 16 Navy nurses were captured and spent three years as Japanese prisoners of war. There were 350,000 American women who served during World War II and 16 were killed in action. In total, they gained over 1,500 medals, citations and commendations. Virginia Hall, serving with the Office of Strategic Services, received the second-highest U.S. combat award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for action behind enemy lines in France.
One of the oldest military publications is The Art of War, by the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu.[32] Written in the 6th century BCE, the 13-chapter book is intended as military instruction, and not as military theory, but has had a huge influence on Asian military doctrine, and from the late 19th century, on European and United States military planning. It has even been used to formulate business tactics, and can even be applied in social and political areas.[where?]
The operational level is at a scale bigger than one where line of sight and the time of day are important, and smaller than the strategic level, where production and politics are considerations. Formations are of the operational level if they are able to conduct operations on their own, and are of sufficient size to be directly handled or have a significant impact at the strategic level. This concept was pioneered by the German army prior to and during the Second World War. At this level, planning and duration of activities takes from one week to a month, and are executed by Field Armies and Army Corps and their naval and air equivalents.[31]
The academy, now celebrating its 75th year of service to the nation, reduced the entering-class size from 350 midshipmen per year to some 270 years ago. The infrastructure is there to support larger classes (but not the budget), making this revitalization of the student body an obvious first step. An increase in class size would assure the nation of additional committed Merchant Marine officers available to man any vessels that the U.S. might need to utilize in a national emergency. As investments in national security go, this one is inexpensive.
There are several different authorized pay grade advancement requirements in each junior-enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-3), which differ by service. Enlistees in the Army can attain the initial pay grade of E-4 (specialist) with a four-year degree, but the highest initial pay grade is usually E-3 (members of the Army Band program can expect to enter service at the grade of E-4). Promotion through the junior enlisted ranks occurs after serving for a specified number of years (which can be waived by the soldier's chain of command), a specified level of technical proficiency or maintenance of good conduct. Promotion can be denied with reason.
After enlistment, new recruits undergo basic training (also known as "boot camp" in the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard), followed by schooling in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), rating and Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at any of the numerous training facilities around the United States. Each branch conducts basic training differently. The Marine Corps send all non-infantry MOS's to an infantry skills course known as Marine Combat Training prior to their technical schools. Air Force Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training and are awarded their Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level. All Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by Advanced Individual Training (AIT), with the exceptions of cavalry scouts, infantry, armor, combat engineers and military police recruits who go to One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which combines BCT and AIT. The Navy sends its recruits to Recruit Training and then to "A" schools to earn a rating. The Coast Guard's recruits attend basic training and follow with an "A" school to earn a rating.
Under current Department of Defense regulation, the various components of the U.S. Armed Forces have a set order of seniority. Examples of the use of this system include the display of service flags, placement of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen in formation, etc. When the Coast Guard shall operate as part of the Department of the Navy, United States Coast Guard Academy cadets, the United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve shall take precedence after United States Naval Academy midshipmen; the United States Navy; and Navy Reserve, respectively.[49]
In the Navy, the rank of Admiral of the Navy theoretically corresponds to that of General of the Armies, though it was never held by active-duty officers at the same time as persons who held the rank of Fleet Admiral. George Dewey is the only person to have ever held this rank. After the establishment of the rank of Fleet Admiral in 1944, the Department of the Navy specified that the rank of Fleet Admiral was to be junior to the rank of Admiral of the Navy. However, since Dewey died in 1917 before the establishment of the rank of Fleet Admiral, the six-star rank has not been totally confirmed.
Each of the five services employs a single Senior Enlisted Advisor at departmental level. This individual is the highest ranking enlisted member within that respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief and Congress on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to three-star general or flag officers. They are as follows:
The results of each test are shown as soon as you complete it. You’ll see what you got right and how it compares to other people who took the same test. Feedback is also visual, showing your percentile and success on each question compared to others. The answers to each ASVAB practice test question are explained as well. The free ASVAB example questions are both tools for learning and for comparing your results to your own previous attempts, and to the scores of your classmates and peers. You can use the scores as a baseline and to identify your weaknesses. With this information, it becomes easier to focus your study time and effort on areas that need improvement. | {
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GDNSD Public Testing
The authoritative DNS servers for these domains are usually running the very latest development release of gdnsd, and serve as the author's primary public testbed during development cycles.
For cut and paste convenience, the nameserver/webserver IPs:
ns1 (aka dallas)
69.164.198.85
2600:3c00::f03c:91ff:fe96:6a4f
ns2 (aka newark)
69.164.220.36
2600:3c03::f03c:91ff:fe96:1282
These domains are also testing gdnsd's IPv6 DNS support as well, thanks to linode.com's Native IPv6 support. All hosts and services here are v6-enabled, and gdnsd is serving proper IPv6 data over IPv6 itself (including reverse DNS for some ipv6.he.net tunnels I use at home). These domains also both have proper IPv6 glue at the GTLD servers upstream.
Within the test domains standard hostnames like "www" exist, as well as a wildcard "*.wild" which contains a few different RRs, for you to use for testing.
Direct access to the server instances' internal stats (normally, you probably wouldn't expose these in production) can be found here:
gdnsd-plugin-geoip testing
gdnsd-plugin-geoip is now being tested here as well, using the publicly available GeoLiteCityv6 database from Maxmind, and fully supporting optimized edns-client-subnet queries.
The hostname "www" uses it for dynamic address resolution. Assuming no current outages at either site, client addresses in North and South America, Oceania, Antarctica, and a few major countries along the East and SouthEast edges of Asia should receive the "dallas" addresses noted above, and clients in Europe, Africa and the rest of Asia should receive the "newark" addresses.
The hostname "search" is also set up to test dynamic CNAME resolution. The split is as above, but with the "dallas" group of locations resolving to "www.google.com", and the "newark" group of locations resolving to "www.yahoo.com". | {
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Day-votions for Women: Heart to Heart Encouragement
Kobo ebook | March 23, 2010
Introducing a new series of Ebook Day-Votions™ from bestselling inspirational author Rebecca Barlow Jordan. This beautiful, lighthearted series of devotional Ebooks is perfect for you and is a perfect gift for women of all seasons, and all stages of life. From deepening your walk with the Lord to strengthening your relationships with others … mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and women everywhere will find page after page of powerful spiritual encouragement within. Each “day-votion” points to a biblical truth, affirming with every reading that God is faithful no matter what challenges you face. With forty devotions per Ebook in this three-set series—Day-Votions for Grandmothers, Day-Votions for Mothers, and Day-Votions for Women—designed to bring you into deeper relationships with God, your family, your children, and your friends … inspiration is certain.
Pricing and Purchase Info
$9.99
Available for download
Not available in stores
From the Publisher
Introducing a new series of Ebook Day-Votions™ from bestselling inspirational author Rebecca Barlow Jordan. This beautiful, lighthearted series of devotional Ebooks is perfect for you and is a perfect gift for women of all seasons, and all stages of life. From deepening your walk with the Lord to strengthening your relationships with o... | {
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Distance Widget
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Monday, August 1, 2011
This is going to be one of the craziest month's of my life, but I'm ready!
Allow me to recap the forthcomings that are about to take place over the next 30 days….
This weekend, I will be emerged in heart pounding RPM training to obtain my spin certification. Next weekend we leave for Napa for our vacation. Toly and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary. The day I get back from Napa, I turn around and head to Philly for the HLS.
And, this happens to be the busiest time at work. Seriously, I feel like my head is spinning but in a good way. It's all so wonderful and I feel like my anxiousness is more excitement at this point. | {
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Up with the alarm. Spook was on the bed begging for treats an hour earlier. She actually parked herself on the bed for a few minutes.
Out early, very light traffic, almost at the speed limit all the way. Strange but true, after grabbing breakfast the front door to the hole was open.
The bad news is I had to haul back out the Aussie box and run a whole day's worth of tests I had completely forgotten about. Boss had shown them to me last month, but I did not know they were supposed to be done yet. Two of them are supposed to run for 3 hours. Not fun.
Lunch was a tuna salad sandwich and peanut M&Ms. Had an apricot PNB&J cup for an afternoon snack. Grapes and tangerine too.
Ordered from BestBuy three off-brand speakers, same function as the Fabriques, but better design. Volume controls are on the opposite side from the USB power plug. Fabrique can't be controlled while plugged in. FAIL.
Need to ramp up my ebay sales soon.
Loaded my work laptop into the car, will start tomorrow in the big building. Looks like at least 2 days of testing to do there, maybe 4.
Drove to the Sunnyvale UPS store and sent back the 3 echo dots. Amazon screwed up and gave me return codes as if they were in two deliveries. Which they were not. I'll have to deal with that when they are delivered. On a lark I drove across the street to what used to be my favorite massage place, which went out of business a couple of months ago. New name, similar personnel. Real massage tables, with the face ring thing. She worked on my sciatica areas a lot. Yay.
Home, watched the Seahawks blow a chance for a miracle win/tie. Boo hiss.
Locked Spook in the guest room and took Zoe out to the bathroom, but she is so traumatized she climbed onto one of the ledges above the tub and froze there. Put her by the food, she ate for a few seconds, but still paranoid. Spook has bullied her way too much. I put food and water dishes on the laundry room counter, near the window sill she gets chased to. She comes out for that. Maybe this long weekend I can spritz Spook enough to level the playing field.
Dinner was a Smart Way steamer meal. Quinoa & chicken. Yum. And the 2nd to last piece of ice cream cake.
Watched another episode of Lost Lives. Two success stories. I miss the sister show, Who Do You Think You Are? which digs into a celebrity's heritage.
Plans for tomorrow:Work in the main complex. Breakfast may be a challenge. Need to locate restrooms.Home | {
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This design takes its inspiration from the fata morgana mirages or as they are sometimes called "floating mountain" mirages. The optical effect of this dramatic mirage has astonished explorers throughout history. Some have suggested the origin of Coronado's fabled cities of gold was inspired by this mirage reflected from the golden colors of the desert. The illusion of a mountain or city seen floating above the horizon can be explained by the refraction of light and perspective but that doesn't diminish the experience. This type of mirage has the unique effect of widening the object in the distance. Here, a base circle marks a single point of view that looks up to a curved bar floating above the horizon on radiating shimmer lines. | {
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} |
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A shared post by Victorian Nia Sims, whose father died in distress despite palliative care involvement, and who writes from the perspective of both witnessing this and having scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease that may result in her applying for voluntary assisted dying herself.
In my previous post I wrote about why we (including the media) should pay less attention to the pronouncements of the AMA on voluntary assisted dying, and instead look at organisations that better represent the population/s for which they speak. While there’s a general belief that the AMA represents most, or at least many, doctors, that’s far from true. Even taking that into account, however, the AMA’s stated position on behalf of its members isn’t as representative as it appears.
In 2015, the AMA (Federal) announced that it would review its policy on ‘euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide’ , which had previously been unremittingly negative – a position that had, in turn, affected the willingness of politicians and the public alike to support various incarnations of assisted dying legislation. The review process, which concluded in 2016, included an online survey in which 3700 members participated. The conclusion? The AMA continues to oppose any legislation around assisted dying, but wants its members involved should such legislation come to pass.
A logical assumption from this is that the majority of AMA members, if not Australian doctors in toto, oppose voluntary assisted dying. But Neil Francis of Dying for Choice analysed the review process, in a fascinating report titled AMA Uncovered, in which he examines design flaws that encouraged desired responses, on the analysis of results, and on the way the survey was selectively publicized to justify the policy. The full report runs to 50 pages, but I’ve summarised what I see as the key aspects to take into account when assessing the AMA’s ‘revised’ position.
Doctors often underestimate the severity of patient symptoms but want significantly less medical end-of-life care for themselves. Nearly nine out of ten USA doctors would not want intensive end-of-life treatment they provide to others. Yet patient death, despite its inevitability, is often regarded by doctors as a ‘failure’ of medicine, with many still uneasy even about withholding and withdrawing life-preserving interventions. – p.15
There are three main areas to appreciate about the original report, as unpacked by Francis.
First, the data comes from an opt-in survey that captured just over 3,700 AMA-affiliated doctors; as the AMA represents just under 30% of Australian medical practitioners, respondents to the survey represent 12% of AMA membership, and only 3.6% of Australian doctors.
What the methodology variations suggest is deeply-entrenched hostility towards assisted dying that has flowed through to substantial biases is the survey design. These in turn will result in significantly more negative responses toward assisted dying in later questions than if the AMA’s policy had been revealed later in the questionnaire, after doctors had been asked their attitudes about various facets of assisted dying. – p. 21
Second, the survey is multiply flawed, a fact that was brought to the AMA Executive’s attention and dismissed. The most important of these flaws are briefly listed below:
the way questions are worded means responses are less likely to be genuine reflections of respondents’ beliefs and more likely to be weighted toward an anti-assisted dying response (see p. 16 of the critique for specific analysis)
the survey omits suffering or intolerable pain from its definition of euthanasia/assisted dying
the survey definition of euthanasia/assisted dying includes neither voluntariness or competence, both of which are key requirements
some established life-limiting practices (withholding/withdrawing treatment, the doctrine of double effect) are defined as separate to euthanasia/assisted dying
multiple questions presuppose a response in the framing of the question (e.g. “Do you agree…” or “To what extent do you agree…”
the first two questions separate ‘good medical practice’ and ‘clinically appropriate’ treatment when they’re dependent components of appropriate professional practice
similar, often successive, questions are differently constructed for no apparent reason
at least one question rolls two aspects of euthanasia/assisted dying together: being compelled to participate in the practice and (if unwilling) being compelled to refer a patient to another practitioner
Many Australian doctors don’t believe that the law is as important as medical and family consensus when making such decisions, and are inclined to ignore the law anyhow. – p. 19
Finally, and worryingly, it seems as though much of the opposition to or concern about this legislation is that a sizeable proportion of doctors don’t want this practice legalized. From the report, Francis notes that:
complementary research demonstrates 25% of Aus MDs support E/AD but don’t want it regulated/performed with oversight!
a significant proportion of doctors already deliberately assist patients to die, with neither protection of law nor, necessarily, patient consent
In a 2006 study “25% doctors were not opposed to euthanasia itself yet were opposed to its legalisation. In other words, a quarter of doctors thought ‘private’ euthanasia practice acceptable, but didn’t want the practice legalised.” The researchers said this was “in significant part due to ‘the resistance of doctors to further intrusion by the law and bureaucracy on their clinical and professional autonomy.’” – p. 25
I leave you with this observation by Francis, which should be particularly alarming for all of us (including opponents to voluntary assisted dying) who champion voluntariness, competence, and consent:
Nia has a highly informed perspective – an experienced nurse, she watched the protracted death of her father with cerebral cancer (recreated by Go Gentle in Stop The Horror), and is living with and dying from the autoimmune connective tissue disease scleroderma. For her, voluntary assisted dying is not hypothetical or professional but as personal as it gets.
By the wee hours of Friday morning, the mood in the house was slightly delirious. My friend, colleague and registered nurse Jane Morris and many others cried when the vote on voluntary assisted dying, 47-37, was finally declared to a packed house at 11am after a record 22 hour sitting in Victorian Parliament. It was met with a weary but fulsome round of applause from most in attendance.
My vantage point from the “accessible” section of the public gallery was one of the few perks of being, as far as I know, the only visibly seriously physically sick or disabled person to attend the sitting. I could see the entire public gallery, press gallery, and members to the right of the speaker. If I craned my neck forward, I could watch the…
I take pride in the calibre of nursing I provide – I’m good at what I do, thanks to a combination of aptitude, experience, education, compassion, intellect, and reflective practice.
So I understand why many palliative care nurses are upset, offended, angered, and otherwise unhappy about the voluntary assisted dying movement in general, and Go Gentle’s Stop The Horror film in particular – it seems to say that palliative care isn’t good enough, that too many people suffer at the end of life, that patients and families can’t trust their expertise, and that their expert, skilled, informed care isn’t valued or valuable.
I’m sorry that this is how the push for VAD is perceived. It’s not the belief held by anyone I’ve communicated with; without exception, their position is the same as mine – quality palliative care is the best, more effective, most appropriate intervention for the overwhelming majority of dying patients; we need to improve access to and funding for palliative care; and there are a small number of cases (industry estimates vary from 2-4% of patients) where symptom management is ineffective or inadequate, despite the best interventions available. These are the patients for whom another option is appropriate.
Acknowledging that there is still room for improvement is part of reflective professionalism and best practice. Responding to first-hand experiences of colleagues and family members with, “That wasn’t good palliative care!” is defensive and unhelpful – it means their experience is dismissed, along with a learning opportunity. Often that’s right – there were gaps in care, or in knowledge, or prescribing, or in anticipating how rapidly the patient’s dying trajectory would escalate.
And sometimes the person received the very best care possible, but their intractable nausea, terminal dyspnoea, restlessness and agitation, seizures, neurological pain, or distress couldn’t be resolved. That happens. It really does. Not often, but not never.
Mostly we win the battle, if not the war; we never win the war – eventually, all our patients die. But whatever our specialty, we’re never effective all of the time. We’re just not. And that’s as true for those who midwife death as it is for those who work to defeat it.
Acknowledging that doesn’t invalidate our work, our value, our effectiveness, our professionalism, or the difference we make. It just means that we still have room for better.
I hope we’ll one day have no need for voluntary assisted dying – that nobody will suffer, and that all anticipated deaths are gentle. We’re not there yet, and it’s cruel to deny peace to those we can’t help enough.
One year and two days after ANF (Vic. branch) released our log of claims, the public sector EBA has gone into effect – look for pay rate increases, back pay (to March 31) and CPD funds (where applicable) from your next pay.
Our officials are at FWA today, in Conciliation proceedings with RDNS; an acceptable final offer from VHIA for Mental Health nurses is looking promising; and Forensicare negotiations continue.
Even if all our EBAs were resolved tomorrow, I know none of us will quickly forget what it took to get even modest outcomes in the face of a government determined to erode conditions, remove ratios, deskill the workforce, weaken the profession, increase burnout and turnover, and compromise care – all for a dollar, and not even cost-effective in the medium term.
Victorians go to the polls in 876 days, which is just under 29 months away, Australians will vote some time in the next 511 days, around 17 months from now. In both cases we need to look not only at the leader we’re voting for, but the principles of their party. I know I don’t want to do this again in 2016, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
I’ve just read a post on the FB page of the same name as this post – It’s okay, not to be okay post stories and support for and about Astralian men battling (and too often the ultimate victims of) depression.
The story I read was exceptionally well written by the partner of a man whose depression overwhelmed him. Nicole’s pain was heightened by the fact that the notification of his death, by police accompanied by her mum, occurred hours after the birth of their baby.
For me, the biggest takeaway message was a regret expressed to Nicole by one of Pat’s friends:
None of Pat’s friends were aware he’s suffered from depression…
One of his mates told me how much he wish[ed] he knew Pat had suffered, as [he] was a sufferer too and wished they could have talked about it.
This is the silence that makes so many people with depression, particularly men, think they’re alone – not Pat’s mate, but society’s silence. And I understand it – for 29 years I told nobody of my episodic, far less malignant, depression, which is a long overdue story for another post.
Though saddened and troubled by this account, what stirred me to write this post were the comments from people who, despite Nicole’s clear descriptions of Pat’s pain, still saw his death as “weak,” “selfish,” “a coward’s act,” and not something anyone would do if they really loved those they leave behind.
MRI and PET scan imaging shows that major depression alters the way our brains work – it’s not something you can overcome through strength of will, fortitude, determination, or the live and support of those around you, and more than these would stop asthma or diabetes.
This outcome may have been different if Pat had help (antidepressants, therapy, inpatient care in crisis, even much maligned but sometimes invaluable ECT), but mental ill health is so strongly stigmatised, and this ‘snap out of it’ mentality so prevalent, that he fought alone.
For many people with major depression, the utter bleakness and pain of living is overwhelming. They may think their existence is a burden on those they love, that everyone would be better off without them. They’re wrong, but that feels so true they believe it. Surviving every day takes more work and courage for some people than many of these commenters will ever need to draw on.
For people who still can’t or don’t get that, know this – first, you are luckier than you realise. Second, if you don’t understand, shut up. Your uninformed opinions about depression are not just unhelpful, they’re actively damaging to those surviving with depression, and those left behind when the disease was too much.
Nurses are not alone in having positions where our work includes the potential for misuse of power over vulnerable people. As Australians have been appalled to learn in the last week, as footage of barbaric treatment of detained children was broadcast on Four Corners, there are professional cultures where egregious mistreatment (and that is an unquestionably mild categorisation) appears to not only be accepted but almost expected.
Nursing is not immune to that – several years ago I wrote about the horrifying treatment of patients at Mid Staffordshire in the UK, the contributing institutional factors, and the injustice of focusing on clinicians alone instead of the managers whose policies not only facilitated but almost demanded it.
It’s reasonable to expect that, at a bare minimum, those in our care are treated humanely and with respect. As I’ve commented several times on social media since the ABC broadcast, excusing corrections officers’ actions because of juvenile detainees’ behaviour misses the mark. I have been spat at, sworn at, threatened, slapped, pinched, bruised, groped, scratched, punched, and had projectiles from faeces to metal bed pans thrown at me; my colleagues have been sexually assaulted, knocked unconscious, partially scalped, contracted infectious diseases after being spat on, had bones fractured, and needed breast reconstruction after biting. Not only do we not retaliate by dropping patients naked and leaving them, restrained and alone, to do so would justifiably be condemned, by our profession and the public.
We are, however, human. We carry with us to work the same stressors everyone else does – relationship woes, family worries, financial concerns, inadequate sleep, colds that are enough to cause misery but not enough to warrant time off work… When work frustrations are added to that, sometimes something has to give.
I love what I do. I get to make positive differences to people’s lives every day: my colleague said, through education and support; family members, with explanation and reassurance; most of all my patients, through skilled, compassionate, experienced nursing care. After returning to the bedside after over a year of illness, my commitment to providing that care is even stronger.
I am proud of few things – I am privileged that most of my positive attributes come without work, so taking pride in something I have by good fortune would be ridiculous. I am, however, proud of managing my temper (which was once significant), and my still-evolving capacity to step back rather than engage and escalate conflict. These are not qualities that came effortlessly, for all their necessity in my position.
Despite one’s very best efforts at calm, professional, therapeutic distance, sometimes someone manage to find your last nerve and play it like a virtuoso. And I recently had a shift that was dominated by a patient for whom I could do no good, as I was repeatedly told, but who nonetheless called for me multiple times each hour, only to react with anger and disparagement despite my genuine best efforts to help.
It is fortunate that my other patients were stable, needing few interventions; I was certainly unable to assist and support my colleagues as much as I’d have liked.
I know my patient was scared, distressed, anxious, panicked on occasion, enormously fatigued, sleep deprived, and angry. I also know that we are often safe targets – our patients know we won’t abandon them, or retaliate. I certainly hope they know that.
And, despite my experience, my empathy, my knowledge, and decades of honing professional distance, I became frustrated – by not being able to meet my patient’s needs, by their expectation that I should know what they wanted without asking, by my every suggestion being shot down, by going over the same ground with repeated futility, by hours of belittlement.
I didn’t express any of my frustration to my patient – though I took a slow, deep breath before responding to each call, every interaction was polite, warmly professional, as long as my patient needed, and I responded in under a minute on every singly occasion.
The reason I was able to maintain this for my whole shift was because I vented my frustration to my colleagues. A little hyperbole, some fantasy, and I was able to optimistically smile the next time I walked through the patient’s doorway.
All of this has been preamble to the point of this post. I also wrote a Facebook entry where I described my venting. There, as here, as always, I omitted identifying details. I made it clear that the issue was not so much my patient as my frustration. And I wrote about how this informal debriefing allowed me to work effectively, to provide professional care, to put my patient’s needs first.
And I was reminded today that none of those aspects matter, because my post could have been enough to jeopardise my registration. The days of acknowledging the emotion labour of dealing with ‘difficult’ patients have gone – when text, absent tone, can make jest indistinguishable from the corrosive, toxic culture revealed last week, staying silent is the safest option.
Every week nurses and midwives attend disciplinaries, recieve warnings, and face employment and registration consequences of social media activity. Oftentimes this is completely warranted, because of confidentiality breeches, employment conditions (don’t take sick leave then tweet about being at a music festival!), and the like. Sometimes it may seem like an overreach. Either way, determination isn’t made by those who know us and our intent – it’s made by people whose job is to safeguard the public, and who understandably err on the side of caution.
I am no social media neophyte. As a union rep I have a better idea than most how inappropriate social media posts comprise a significant, and growing, number of disciplinary procedures. And even as I wrote my post I wondered how wise it was, even adorned with caveats and clarifying notes.
So, for myself and for any health professional who’s made it this far, a reminder: before posting anything remotely work- or profession-related, think twice. And if even the smallest part of you has any doubt, hold back – you can always write it later, you may not be able to retract it.
Like all nurses of any length of practice, my clinical experience includes the most intimate moments of people’s lives. I suspect most laypeople think first of physical intimacies – bedpans and nakedness, though those are the least intrusive; for me and most of my colleagues, though, the real intimacies are less tangible – people who need to be strong for their families allowing themselves to be vulnerable with us; confiding long-held secrets and fears; making their dying days comfortable and calm; continuing care after their lives end.
While nursing care and death work have been the foundation of my academic career, I realised today, after starting a response to ‘Nurses Grieve Too,’ an excellent guest post by Emily Rankin on Ian Miller’s blog The Nurse Path, that I haven’t written about it here.
Like one of my favourite medical authors, American surgeon Atul Gawande, Emily introduces and closes her writing with the dying of a specific patient, while the body of her piece explores the emotion labour of grieving for and with our dying patients, wondering if we could have done more, and of needing to contain our emotions as we continue to care for our other patients.
Approaching her second year of registration, Emily is near the beginning of her career; I commemorated the 27th anniversary of my hospital-based education 45 days ago, and I long ago lost track of how many of my patients have died on my shift. I certainly don’t remember all of them, though there are some I will never forget.
Like many nurses, I prioritise the care of the dying – as well as pain relief, sedation, and secretion management (do they stiffen or grimace when turned? Are their eye movements rapid? Is their breathing shallow, rapid, laboured, moist?), fundamental nursing practices like smoothing sheets to prevent uncomfortable wrinkles, flipping pillows to the cool side, frequent mouth care to avoid caked secretions and dry lips, position changes, and back rubs make a huge difference. Helping someone die well is a mitzvah, for them, their loved ones, and it also helps us.
The deaths most of my friends and I remember most vividly are where the dying was not peaceful. Where the medical team, the family, sometimes (but rarely) the patient themselves pursued treatment long after the benefits outweighed the toll; where someone bleeds to death as we stand by, helpless to stop it; where end-stage organ failure means the only doses of pain relief high enough to treat condition A would kill them thanks to underlying disease B, so we have to see them suffering on their inevitable trajectory to death.
We remember the young people, whose time was cut cruelly short; the confused and demented people, terrified by things only they can see; and the unexpected deaths of those who seemed to be doing well.
I have shed tears for my patients, and for the grieving loved ones they’ve left behind; I hope that those who’ve seen the glisten of tears, the pinkening of my nose, also see compassion, without loss of professionalism. But I have not wept – whatever distress we feel, whatever we’ve seen and felt, the expectation is always that we keep going, absorb the experience, because it’s part of the job.
I have once been offered formal debriefing, after a patient I didn’t know committed suicide on site. It was disruptive, distressing, and chaotic on several levels, but not close to the most traumatic experience I’ve had. Without in any way blaming my management (for this attitude pervades the profession at all levels), it is only these spectacular deaths that we’re ‘supposed’ to be troubled by – not the elderly man drowning in secretions we can’t stop, the young mum with congenital vasculopathy, the younger man with breathtakingly rapid progression to advanced HIV, the woman who’s been cared for by us over the eight year decline from neurodegenerative diagnosis to death, or the man whose decision to end dialysis was received with a diagnosis of depression and course of electroconvulsive therapy.
I believe this lack of acknowledgement, along with intimacy, little direct control, the honour and responsibility of caring for people at their most vulnerable, and only rare opportunities to direct the residue of that labour and emotion, plays a part in why some of us speak to our patients while performing post-mortem care: we get to say goodbye, give uninterrupted care, and complete a journey that we have uniquely travelled.
I was part of one of Victoria’s last hospital-based nurse training groups, so I had opportunities to compare our experience and knowledge with my then-college educated peers, and with university-educated nurses in the two-plus decades that RN qualifications have been solely via university.
There were undoubtedly advantages to the way I learned how to be a nurse. To start, we were paid from day one, whether we were in class, on the floor, on specialty placements, or on leave – 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, until we qualified. That meant that, unlike the majority of today’s students, we didn’t have to balance the needs of study and placement with survival.
We knew early on whether or not actual nursing was really what we wanted to do – shift work, short changeovers, abusive doctors, terrifying charge nurses, rude relatives, violent patients, every single disgusting fluid our bodies produce, bursting wounds, maggots, caring for people sicker than we knew it was possible to be and still breathe, the helplessness of not being able to make a difference to someone’s anguish, watching people treated past usefulness and into cruelty, caring for the bodies of the dead, making mistakes that could have (and sometimes did) make patients worse or even die, the heavy cloak of being literally responsible for strangers’ lives every single day, were all known to us within months.
Our educators taught us in the classroom and on the floor – they knew all of us by name, because each intake (three per year) was capped at 60-65 students; when I graduated I confided in one of my teachers that, had there been cardiac questions on our state exam paper, I’d have failed. Though she’d taught our cardiology block more than 18 months earlier, June drily replied, “Yes, Tara, I know.”
Our progress was monitored consistently, every step of the way, with ward reports for every rotation longer than two weeks. Those charge nurses cut no slack, and we lived in fear of bad reports – we could lose our career, job, and home in one fell swoop.
We lived together on site, at least for the first six months, which meant both strong team building and ready access to peers and students ahead of us when we had questions or needed debriefing.
And there’s no question we had strong clinical skills: well over 4,000 hours (100 weeks+ of 40 hours of patient care) of general and specialty medical, surgical, theatre, emergency, paeds, radiology, midwifery and neonates, psychiatry, RDNS, community health – I knew where I wanted to work as an RN, and what I had no interest in at all.
All of which sounds like a really good grounding for our nursing workforce. Here’s the other side.
We were employees first, students a poor second – our rotations were based on where they needed hands. I remember a two month period of fortnightly rotations: two days off, a PM shift, nine AMs, two days off, and a new ward – no time to become part of a team, to learn the specialty, to even know where all the equipment was.
We were frequently frighteningly out of our depth. I vividly remember being told six hours into one shift that I was needed on another ward to special (nurse 1:1) a patient. I had almost no time to hand over my patients to colleagues whose workloads just jumped without warning, and my sole introduction to the patient was, in essence, “they’ve got an axilla DVT [clot in a deep vein running under the armpit]. This infusion’s [a medication that breaks down clots]; don’t leave their side; don’t take down the dressing; buzz if they’re symptomatic [have signs the clot’s moved or the medication’s caused abnormal bleeding].” Then she left.
I was so terrified I didn’t speak to the patient. At all.
I wasn’t familiar with the kind of pump used. I’d only ever heard of streptokinase, and didn’t even know it could be used as a continuous infusion.
I didn’t know what I was looking for, or what the management plan was. I had no access to the patient’s history, and my only way to contact other nurses or a doctor was to press my patient’s button, then wait.
Nobody checked in on me until the night special came.
I was so relieved to see her that I almost cried – and I can count on my digits how often I’ve cried at work. My overwhelming feeling as I left was relief that my patient was alive.
When I arrived on my ward at 7AM the next morning as was told I was going back to the special, I thought I’d vomit.
The plan was to transfer my patient from this ward to another ward I didn’t know, via radiology. We went down to imaging, then waited in a corridor for an hour until an orderly took us up to the new ward – I had no way to get help, should I have needed it, except to yell.
On the new ward I was reminded by the charge nurse not to leave the patient, who I was still afraid to talk to. Whenever I buzzed to get a pan for my patient, a responding nurse would tell me the pan room was just outside. Whenever I went to the pan room the charge nurse would see me and tell me not to leave the patient.
I found blood in the infusion line. I had no idea how to get it out, how long the IV could be stopped for, and I was afraid to ask. Fortunately I knew not to bolus [give a larger dose over a short time] streptokinase, and went out to the desk. The charge nurse was irate that I’d once again left my patient. When I told her about the blood, she directed me to get a new infusion set. As I didn’t know where anything was on this ward, I ran down two flights of stairs the old ward, got a set, ran up the stairs, and found the nurses had fixed it already.
Nothing bad happened – I don’t know what happened in the long term, but when I finished my shift the patient was fine. But 25 years later than remains one of my ten worst shifts – and the others include a Coroner’s case, a patient fall with fractures, a patient so severely vomiting blood that the room looked like a murder scene, a patient bleeding to death in front of me, accidentally increasing an IV medication that could have been fatal, and the death of a young mum.
We were thrown in the deep end with one floaty, and expected to swim.
And here’s the thing. Our patients are so much sicker now, they have more comorbidities, and their stays are shorter. Almost without exception our patients are too vulnerable to entrust to early-level students with almost no supervision. If you take nothing else away, know this: patients would die, and it would be the individual students, not the system, held to account.
Nursing and midwifery have transitioned from vocations to professions, and education has been a vital part of that change. Health care today demands a far more technical, detailed, complete knowledge base than hospitals can provide. The old method of half a dozen interchangeable students, overseen by one or two RNs, is long gone, and that means better patient outcomes.
Which is not to say that change isn’t needed.
Our students should be able to survive without working on top of study and placements – increasing Austudy to a reasonable amount would allow student nurses and midwives to focus on learning.
Students’ placement assessments are currently done by clinicians, who have no training in it, often have no guide to expectations of proficiency at this placement, no easy access to processes for unsatisfactory performance, and who are supervising students and completing their assessments in addition to their workload, without compensation. Returning educators to the floor, one per ward, would help catch struggling students before they’re registered.
The idea of nursing and midwifery as apprenticeships is right, though my analogy would be with medicos rather than tradies.
Doctors must complete an accredited program post-graduation, that includes an intern year, residency, registrar experience, exams, and then specialist training.
Nurses and midwives can apply for a graduate year position, somewhat like an intern year – they include a supernumary period, a preceptor, study days, supervision of clinical educators, and individualised goal setting. The cost of this is met by state government funding.
Unfortunately, graduate funding is grossly inadequate – in Victoria alone we have 800 or so graduates, every year, who are unable to find a position. While the programs are theoretically optional, in practice it’s next to impossible to work without one. This is fiscally short-sighted: tax payers have subsidised the education of needed professionals, who now also have a hefty HECS debt they can’t repay, for a career they can’t pursue.
Instead hospitals hire overseas-educated nurse said, who cost less in the short term because they don’t need as much support. Some of the best nurses I’ve worked with have come here after qualifying, and easily half of my locally-educated nurse friends have worked overseas. This reciprocity is a good thing all around, for individuals and the system. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of our early career nurses and midwives.
Our nursing and midwifery work forces are aging – the average Australian nurse is mid-forties, and global shortages are projected within a decade. It makes sense to encourage the next generation to join us, but we need the funding to ensure the best candidates are attracted to degrees that will lead to jobs. Not debt.
TL;DR? There was a time when hospitals were the best place to educate nurses. That time has passed, and it’s in all our interests not to go back.
8/7/16
01:25
Addit: as The Conversation recently noted, patients are more likely to survive when cared for by a nurse with a degree (with thanks to Meta4RN) | {
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NFL Minimum Salaries for 2017
Each year the NFL minimum salaries increase by $15,000, up to $465,000 for a rookie in 2017. A player’s minimum salary is determined by his years of experience (YOE), ranging from 0 to 10 or more. The chart below shows the minimum (P5) salaries a team can contract a player to based on Years of Experience (credited seasons).
Yrs.
2017
2018
2019
0
$465,000
$480,000
$495,000
1
$540,000
$555,000
$570,000
2
$615,000
$630,000
$645,000
3
$690,000
$705,000
$720,000
4-6
$775,000
$790,000
$805,000
7-9
$900,000
$915,000
$930,000
10+
$1,000,000
$1,015,000
$1,030,000
Veteran Minimum Benefits
When qualified, a player with four (4) or more years of NFL experience can earn his total minimum salary, but have a cap figure that reflects two years of experience – or in 2017, $615,000. The contract must be for only one year, and must not contain combined bonus money (signing, roster, workout) that exceeds $80,000.
For instance, let’s pretend Ryan Fitzpatrick re-signs with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 on a 1 year, minimum salary contract. With 10+ years of experience, he’ll be slotted for a $1,000,000 base salary. With four or more years of experience (11), and a 1 year contract, Fitzpatrick qualifies for the cap hit benefit. His 2017 cap figure with the Bills would be $615,000
Had he received a bonus (signing, roster, workout) up to the maximum $80,000, he would have received a total $1.08M contract, with a $1M base salary, an $80,000 signing bonus, and a cap figure of $695,0000 (615+80).
With plenty of veterans being released, or not signed back thus far in 2017, the use of the Minimum Salary Benefit Rule becomes useful both for older players looking for jobs, and teams looking to minimize their cap dollars.
Reserve/Future Contracts
The majority of Reserve/Futures contracts, as well as nearly all Un-drafted Free Agent signings this summer will include a minimum salary base contract. In the 2017 season that would include a salary of $465,000 in 2017, $555,000 in 2018, and if applicable $645,000 in 2019.
Restricted Free Agent Tenders
Most restricted free agents will be offered 1-year tenders this offseason rather than long-term extensions. Each year these tenders rise according to CBA regulation. We will update the 2017 RFA tenders as soon as they become official.
1st Round: $3,910,000
2nd Round: $2,746,000
3rd Round: $1,797,000 | {
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What Recovery?
Another implosion bomb is set to hit American workers. The public sector, which has been one bright spot for decent wages and benefits, is about to shed tens of thousands of teachers, firefighters, park employees, utility workers, and others from state and local governments, sending our country in exactly the wrong direction.
Yet economists are cheerfully bandying around the most moronic oxymoron I’ve ever heard. They are exulting that we’re experiencing a “jobless recovery.”
I don’t see how their minds can put those two words together without having their heads explode. Excuse me, Einsteins, but there’s no such thing. You can spin your data ’til the cows come home, but an economy that has nearly 20 percent of the workforce either unemployed or underemployed, that has no plan for replacing the eight million jobs we lost in the last two years, that is now proceeding with mass layoffs of such essential workers as teachers and firefighters, and that is willing to accept poverty pay as the new American norm is not by any stretch of the imagination in a recovery.
There is, of course, a way to avert this economic disaster. It’s called leadership. Stop talking about a green economy and put Americans to work building it.
This is but an excerpt from Jim Hightower’s column in our September issue. To read the full article, and to subscribe to The Progressive for just $14.97 (a 75% discount!), simply click here. | {
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Keyword: Hansen
Dr. Kendall Hansen, the owner/breeder, who is known for pulling such wacky acts as dying his champion colt Hansen's tail blue prior to the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), recently revealed some other unusual plans
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner I'll Have Another departed Churchill Downs at 1:19 p.m. May 7 and was taken to nearby Louisville International Airport for a flight to Baltimore, Md.
There is no true standout in the 2012 Kentucky Derby, but despite it being a wide-open affair, that shouldn't be mistaken for inconsistency. A record nine Derby starters return from last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Following their efforts in the Toyota Blue Grass, winner Dullahan returned to Churchill Downs and Hansen and Gung Ho, who ran second and third, returned to trainer Mike Maker's barn at Trackside Training Center.
Champion Hansen, the 6-5 favorite for the April 14 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), was schooled in the gate at Keeneland on the morning of April 13 and then jogged over the Polytrack surface at the Lexington track.
Hansen, the 2011 champion 2-year-old male and one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), breezed five furlongs in 1:00 at Churchill Downs' Trackside training center April 7.
Jockey Ramon Dominguez, injured in a spill at Aqueduct Racetrack March 18, will ride only a few horses on Friday and Saturday of each of the next two weeks, he said April 2 after talking with his doctor.
Reigning American 2-year-old champion Hansen tuned up for a planned run in the upcoming Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) with a strong five-furlong work in :59 4/5 March 31 at the Churchill Downs Trackside training center.
Michael Matz has put the past behind him and is only focusing on getting Union Rags through the Florida Derby and on to the Kentucky Derby, but the trainer is still clearly bothered by the Eclipse Award voting.
Hansen, the 2-year-old champion of 2011 who is among the favorites for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), breezed five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 March 24 at the Churchill Downs Trackside Training Center. | {
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Hey all. I used to roam this forum way back in the day under the name of Ryne the Dashing... I think. Anyway, that's not important.
I'm trying to gather thoughts and information for putting together a Skies of Arcadia inspired Dungeons and Dragons game. I thought the idea was too awesome to have not been done before, but I can't seem to find that to be the case anywhere online. So, apparently, this is virgin territory.
Where I'm coming up with problems is how much of the battle system I want to filch from SoA itself. I've thought about lifting it wholesale, but that would require going back to the game to see how the different characters stats are aligned and how many points they receive for going up a level... etc. etc. But if I use the more traditional D&D scheme, information would have to be translated to make sense in an Arcadian world.
I'm only in the brainstorming session of this game at the moment. I was just wondering if anyone else has either tried this or has thought of running a similar game. All thoughts, opinions, and advice are welcome.
If you're looking at DnD 4e, you could probably most easily turn the Astral Sea and Eberron stuff into Arcadia. Already plenty of magic-powered airships and flying islands. Even airship pirates. Would just be a matter of changing the flavor text, really.
Last edited by Kyyp on Sun Jun 06, 2010 8:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
If you're set on using a version of D&D, the 4th Edition is probably the way to go. The mechanics of 4E probably match the rules of SoA better than any other version of the game: weapon users and spellcasters retain parity with each other at high levels, there are fewer setting-inappropriate spells like Invisibility and Wish, healing someone in the middle of combat is viable, everybody gets cool special powers to use in combat, and the ties between game mechanics and setting are kept to a minimum. Just reskin everything like Kyyp said: Vyse becomes a Tempest Fighter or a Two-Blade Ranger, and Fina becomes a Hybrid Cleric/Invoker.
The problem with 4E D&D is that it isn't really all that amenable to homebrewing, because it's put together so meticulously and so well that when you start bringing new rules into the game it just becomes jarring. If you want to change the game to be more like Skies then you're better off using something else.
I don't think reverse-engineering the SoA battle system on paper is a really great idea, because pen and paper rpgs are a very different animal from Skies. You're better off trying to figure out how to represent the "ideas" of Skies rather than directly adapting the statistics from the video game. So if you want to homebrew, start with an existing generic rpg system and customize it for Skies. You could use anything from the rules-lite FATE to the ultra-crunchy GURPS, or something in-between those like True20 or Unisystem.
I actually tried coming up with a standalone system for creating S-Moves about six years ago. I started with a basic metric of how much damage someone should be able to do to a single target for a given cost in spirit points and extrapolated out how valuable certain modifiers to this attack were worth. For instance, an area attack that could hit up to six enemies would be worth between 1x and 6x as much as the attack that could only hit one enemy (depending on the circumstances) and priced accordingly. An attack that would only work in certain circumstances (such as a Slaying Attack modifier that would make the attack able to deal damage only if that damage would be enough to kill the enemy) would be available at a discount. If I were to re-do it today I'd re-examine some of my assumptions but I think I'd take the same general approach.
No, no, no, no, no. 4th Ed. is too weird on its own. Working with 3rd ed. is much more simple and the rules/guidelines are much more malleable, especially regarding magic. PDF files of all the manuals are everywhere. I'm game either way.
No, no, no, no, no. 4th Ed. is too weird on its own. Working with 3rd ed. is much more simple and the rules/guidelines are much more malleable, especially regarding magic. PDF files of all the manuals are everywhere. I'm game either way.
Really the problem is with the spell list itself. All the best spells let you do things like make your whole party invisible or summon demons from alternate dimensions or go back in time and alter historical events. Spell-casters in Skies can't really do that. You'd have to pare down the spell lists quite a bit. There are big chunks of the game that don't have any relevance to Skies, too, such as any of the cleric/paladin abilities that involve the undead and the druid's wild shape. Really I'd start with the True20 system, which is like 3rd Ed. D&D except breezier and designed so that it can be more easily adapted to specific settings.
I was thinking today about how to do ship-to-ship combat in a way that isn't absolutely boring. About a year ago I came up with an idea for treating space battles between space opera ships of the line as contests not between two ship stat blocks (this would probably be boring), but as a conflict between the officers on one vessel and the officers on the other, with the two ships serving as intervening transfer functions. I'll write something up later. | {
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{Note: I am now blogging at my brand-spanking-new site, SteveWoodruff.com. Just click here to subscribe to the new feed. Bonus – you can also sign up at the same time for my astonishingly brief yet brilliant e-newsletter, Clarity Blend (see sample), and when you sign up, you’ll get a free download of my helpful new e-book, Make Yourself Clear:Six Steps to De-fogging Your Direction and Your Message.}
I didn’t always enjoy the fact that my wiring is definitely on the introvert side of the fence. Since our culture tends to value extrovert tendencies and behaviors, we who are quieter, who are more inclined to think before speaking, and who are energized more by alone time than by crowds can often feel marginalized or inferior.
Over time, I’ve shaken free of that perspective. I was born with this wiring, and though I’ve become much more outgoing and confident with people (some people now mistake me for an extrovert), I remain a thorough-going introvert.
And I love it. Yeah, I said it. I love being an introvert.
In a world filled with chatty and superficial crowds exchanging pleasantries and (often) little else of substance, I can sit down with people one-on-one or in intimate groups and really dive deep. To that place where minds and lives are changed. I love that.
While others desperately seek their inner fuel by surrounding themselves with others in social settings, I can enjoy alone time to think. In fact, I crave it – I’m energized by a combination of solitude and people time. And in those quieter times of reflection, insights arrive. I love that.
My inward-focused mind is always seeking to analyze and make sense of the world; and often, can be harnessed to help others make sense of their world. I love that.
I may not be the most glib person in a crowd – certainly not the life of the party – but I can write, and make presentations, and reach many more people that way, than pretending to be chatty Charlie. I love that, too.
In a world that often feels a compulsion to consume and consume and consume, introverts take time to digest. Life, for us, is not an endless carousel of coming-from-the-outside sensory stimulation. We regularly gain our strength from within – we’re more self-contained. And I love that.
I love being an introvert. If you share that wiring, there’s no cause for shame or a sense of inferiority – we have our fit in this world, too; and it’s a rich place. Embrace who you are. Manage it. And make waves in your own way!
I found his thesis intriguing that extroverts don’t necessarily have an inherent advantage over introverts in sales success – you can see a summary of his thinking in this Washington Post article (if you don’t have the book).
But, a couple of things set off some alarms bells in my head.
First, I think his use of the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” are somewhat imprecise. Pink reinforces some of the more behavioral notions of the two orientations (sociable/lively/assertive vs. soft-spoken) – you know those stereotypes about the gregarious extrovert and the retiring introvert. In fact, the essence of introversion is finding one’s energy source from within, while extroverts generally find their energy from other people. While it is usually true that extroverts may tend to favor being more often in larger groups of people, and introverts typically need more (quiet) alone time, to look at stereotypical extremes and label only those as introverts or extroverts is to miss the point (in fact, there are many introverts who can quite effectively project outgoing behaviors). The ” ___vert” wiring has to do with replenishment of energy; behaviors are somewhat elastic across the spectrum. One of the best treatments of this topic is Susan Cain‘s excellent book Quiet.
My sense is that most people lean toward one orientation or the other – there are degrees of introversion and extroversion, but I am ambivalent about the notion of ambiversion as presented by Pink. He depicts “ambiverts” as the majority of people on a bell curve, with introverts and extroverts as extremes. I’d argue that there may be very few (if any) true ambiverts – people who draw energy equally from within and without. If you think of introversion/extroversion as a linear scale, I theorize that we all natively lean in one direction or the other (according to our internal wiring), even if we have learned and adopted behaviors that are more outgoing or contemplative. See this blog post for a fuller muse on this point.
The other point of contention I have with Pink’s methodology is his over-reliance on a single study (by Adam Grant) correlating sales effectiveness with self-reported measures of extroversion. In this study, people at (either) extreme end of the introvert-extrovert scale did not sell as successfully as those in the middle (whom Pink labels as the ambiverts). This result is used to argue against the prevailing notion that extroverted people are (of course!) the most productive sales people. Instead, people who could be somewhat chameleon-ish in the middle were the most successful.
It’s an intriguing and suggestive result, but there is a serious limitation to keep in mind – this is a single study (300 people), and it involved only call center representatives. Generalizing from that sample is tenuous – this is, after all, only one type of selling, and it is via phone, not in person. We can safely conclude that extremely extroverted and extremely introverted people were less effective in this particular type of non-face-to-face selling than people who were less introverted/extroverted – but that’s about it. I’m not convinced that the data and extrapolated conclusions are as convincing as they at first appear.
To then call a large swath of the population “ambiverts” and imply that they’re going to be just fine at whatever-kind-of-selling may be a bit of a stretch.
I’m an introvert, and I have done a lot of selling. I don’t schmooze as naturally as my extroverted brethren, but I practice many outgoing behaviors (that doesn’t make me an ambivert; I’m just an outgoing introvert!). And I’m actually in sympathy with a lot of Pink’s message in this book, especially the notion that, in one form or another, we’re just about all in sales (of some type). I just think that the evidence for some of the conclusions being drawn seems a bit thin on this point.
{Note: I am now blogging at my brand-spanking-new site, SteveWoodruff.com. Just click here to subscribe to the new feed. Bonus – you can also sign up at the same time for my astonishingly brief yet brilliant e-newsletter, Clarity Blend (see sample), and when you sign up, you’ll get a free download of my helpful new e-book, Make Yourself Clear:Six Steps to De-fogging Your Direction and Your Message.}
During a deep discussion with a Clarity Therapy client this week, we touched on a theme that I’ve often thought about. His orientation, his preferred work-style is similar to mine, in that he prefers to work more independently.
Don’t try to manage me. Just give me the job to do and I’ll do it. And don’t make me dependent on the (non-) efforts of others.
On the other hand, there are many people who gravitate toward building, leading, or being part of a larger team.
Interestingly enough, the person I reference above is clearly an extrovert, and absolutely does his best work in and around people. But I’m thinking there is a work-style, a preference, that has to do with independence vs. interdependence.
Now, obviously, to be effective in business most of us have to work, at various times, in more or less team/interdependent situations. But I strongly prefer to work more alone than as a dependent part of a team – and I’m wondering if the preference, the orientation, is DNA-level wiring. Put me somewhere in the Mostly Alone/Light Collaboration end of the scale.
Again, this isn’t a measure of introversion or extroversion, nor is it a function of whether we enjoy people and even work around them. A gregarious sales person can still prefer me-working, while a quieter introvert may feel the greatest comfort being part of a larger team.
What do you think – does this sort of scale make a valid distinction? Where would you place yourself?
{Note: I am now blogging at my brand-spanking-new site, SteveWoodruff.com. Just click here to subscribe to the new feed. Bonus – you can also sign up at the same time for my astonishingly brief yet brilliant e-newsletter, Clarity Blend (see sample), and when you sign up, you’ll get a free download of my helpful new e-book, Make Yourself Clear:Six Steps to De-fogging Your Direction and Your Message.}
We all know a bunch of stuff. And when we formulate our ideas and words, and spill them forth into the world – we’re often surprised at the misunderstandings that occur.
I worked on the content that went into this blog post (about introversion/extroversion) for hours. Thought I had it nailed. Turned out that there were several revisions still awaiting me once I hit Publish, as people weren’t “seeing” what seemed clear to me.
“Seemed clear to me” = Assumingmyowncontext.
If you’ve been mulling over an idea for any length of time, particularly in an area where you have some domain expertise, you have probably developed your thoughts up to the third or fourth level (without even recognizing it). But your readers? Most of them are coming in at the ground floor. They don’t have the surrounding knowledge, the metadata, that you and I simply assume.
Because we’ve become used to occupying our own minds, our own context. We’ve got the whole blueprint in our heads, and others are just glancing at one room.
One of my most valued resources is a group of smart people whom I invite to critique my ideas and writings. And when they do, sometimes I’m amazed….how did you come to that conclusion??….until I look with fresh eyes, and OOPS! – they’re seeing the words from a very different angle. Sure enough, I was stuck in my own context.
As for that blog post where I had to keep revising terms and graphics? It finally led to a follow-up blog post, where (I think) the presentation is finally pretty much clear and intuitive. Our ideas improve when they are “battle-tested” through different sets of eyes!
I’ve been having a good bit of discussion on social networks (public and private) about this whole introvert/extrovert issue, and unfortunately, 140-character tweets and Facebook updates make it hard to paint a good picture.
The question we keep bumping into, and that I’d like us all to think through together is this: what is innate wiring, vs. what is situational behavior?
Now, I believe that when it comes to Introversion/Extroversion, we have innate wiring that puts us somewhere along a continuum – and that the distinguishing feature is our personal source of psychic fuel (internal, within ourselves; or external, from other people).
Graphically:
(larger version – click thumbnail to biggify)
I would put myself squarely at the “In” place in the scale. You?
So, here, I’m theorizing an orientation – a default setting, an internal wiring, a preferred mode of interacting with people and the world. This wiring may change in small ways over time but will remain in one camp or the other – primarily introvert-ish or primarily extrovert-ish. Because this is DNA-level stuff (so I think, anyway).
On the other hand, there is (situational) behavior. An introvert can appear to be more extrovert-ish in some settings, and vice-versa, but for the moment, let’s not call this being an extroverted introvert – because if this is a DNA-level trait, then you cannot really be both. Let’s call it being an outgoing Introvert (at times), or a contemplative Extrovert (at times). That doesn’t really change your default wiring/identity/DNA, it’s just that certain situations bring out skills and behaviors that are more inward- or outward-facing. Your primary fuel source remains the same.
So – I’m an introvert. Always have been, always will be. It’s in my DNA. But I’m far more comfortable in social settings than I used to be (acquired behavior) – I can appear to be situationally Extrovert-ish (except in small, dark, crowded, noisy settings – those, I run from!). Nonetheless, though I can engage well in one-on-one social interactions, though I can present to crowds, though I can pro-actively network – my sourceoffuel is still inward.
And I’ll probably never enjoy mingling and making small talk in crowds. I guess I’m finally at peace with that!
I can also imagine that there are extroverts who can work alone as consultants, think and analyze contemplatively, and exhibit other introvert-ish behaviors – but, still, they MUST have more people time to re-energize. It’s in the DNA. They’re not introverted extroverts, they’re extroverts whose circumstances require more alone time.
OK – your turn. Does this distinction make sense? Agree? Disagree? The comments are yours!
UPDATE: I’ve gotten some great feedback so far – here’s an updated graphic that perhaps simplifies further and is more accurate. Your thoughts?
I’ve been thinking a lot about introversion and extroversion. Specifically, are such dispositions better thought of as a continuum, rather than an either-or proposition?
If so (and I lean in this direction), how could we portray it in a way that is simple and reasonably accurate?
I crowdsourced a rough concept on Twitter and Facebook, and got some great help from a number of you, especially from Justin McCullough on the graphical design side. Here’s a version that emerged from numerous revisions (click to biggify the thumbnail below):
What do you think? Does this make sense to you? And where would you place yourself? (I’m probably about second position from the left – a native introvert who has become outgoing).
Some folks describe an ambivert – dead-center between the two. I tend to think most or all of us natively lean in one direction or the other (and, besides, a middle position on any scale is the easy cop-out!)
Are there better ways to portray the range of introvert-extrovert dispositions? Ideas?
Being wired as an introvert is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it has tremendous advantages – we all, as a society, simply need to better understand how introverts (typically) operate with their built-in makeup (for background, see my post last week: How I Manage My Introversion).
We may be quieter, but yes, we do have a pulse, thank you very much!
There are several helpful ways to better understand how introverts handle the stimulation of human relationships (compared to their more extroverted companions). In fact, one way is to think about relational involvement in terms of pulses.
One pattern common to introverts is a need to withdraw for periods of quiet and solitude. While extroverts tend to feed off of a steady stream of human contact, introverts typically are wired with a more frequently-used On-Off switch. When “On” with other people, introverts can appear little different from extroverts – we can be engaging, outgoing, and glad to talk to people (though often tending to favor smaller groupings or one-on-one discussions rather than the milling crowd). But our cup of interaction fills up pretty rapidly – we may have a coffee mug’s worth of interaction capacity, while our extroverted friends have a super-sized Slurpee-cup-capacity to mingle and chat.
We introverts then need a break to process and re-charge. Introverts often prefer to handle stimulation in a pulsed fashion, with more On-Off control, while extroverts are typically energized by higher levels of human contact.
Not being an extrovert, I cannot speak with as much certainty, but I suspect the red bars would tend to be significantly higher and wider, while the blue bars might be a bit lower and narrower – and the green “quiet times” probably shorter and less frequent. What do you think?
(by the way – I fully realize that I’m generalizing in any post like this, and that there are always variations and individual exceptions. What we’re seeking to identify here are broad trends!)
Introverts aren’t being anti-social when they avoid some social settings (or feel the need to spend a shorter time in them). We’re just instinctively avoiding overload, and taking the time to think through what we’ve seen and heard. In my particular case, my mind is constantly analyzing, atomizing, systematizing, categorizing, figuring out alternatives – and I’m learning to give myself that space. It doesn’t stop me from in-depth interactions, pro-actively building an extensive network, selling my services, speaking publicly – but that all has to occur in pulses, or the boat becomes unbalanced and starts to totter.
If you tend more toward extroversion, hopefully this will help you understand those of us who seem to need more quiet. If you’re an introvert – what are your strategies for keeping up a healthy pulse? | {
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POTW | Woodbury
A popular and growing eastern suburb, Woodbury is the largest city in Washington County and sits less than 10 miles from downtown St. Paul. Although many residents work for 3M in nearby Maplewood, large Woodbury employers include Woodwinds Health Campus, Summit Orthopedics, The Hartford, Globe University and Target.com. An upscale, open-air mall also opened in 2005. With a strong eye toward economic development, regional integration and a desire to capitalize on its key gateway location, Woodbury stands to benefit from the ever-expanding regional economy of the Twin Cities.
At $286,000 versus $219,000, the Woodbury median home price is about 30.0 percent higher than the 13-county metro area as a whole. Since that might reflect slightly larger homes selling, it’s important to divide out (or normalize the data) by square footage. In Infosparks, that metric is called Price Per Square Foot.
Sure enough, the median price per square foot in Woodbury is really only 1.7 percent higher than that of the metro area. In other words, once we adjust for the square footage of homes selling, buyers are spending roughly the same amount on a square foot of real estate in Woodbury as they are in the rest of the metro.
There is some evidence of densification in the area, which could reflect heightened development pressure, limited buildable lots as well as evolving consumer preferences. Sure, the single family product remains dominant, but townhouse sales rose 9.3 percent over the last 12 months and are now above 2013 levels. Single family unit sales rose 3.9 percent over the same period and remain below 2013 levels.
With inventory levels still near 10-year lows, there was some evidence in 2013 and 2014 that new construction was picking up, both in Woodbury and elsewhere around the Twin Cities. Judging from the chart above, that trend seems short-lived, as new construction sales volumes fell back to historically low levels. That should change, as builder sentiment is improving, as is the economy and consumer finances. | {
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My Pages
Thursday, 8 November 2012
There will be a lot
of analysis as to why Mitt Romney despite the supposed odds that had become
political Shibboleth for the past 18 months lost the US presidential elections.
The mantra that
combined jobs, healthcare, taxes, socialism, misogyny, homophobia, immigration
and racism into a compelling conservative narrative was so shrill the world
literally stopped to see what will happen as the 7th of November
2012 dawned on us.
I just wanted the
whole thing to be over long ago as I watched cherry-pickers of Mitt Romney’s
vaunted business qualities wilfully ignore the realities and the truth of what a
Romney presidency would bring to the world.
Scary, it was
There might just be
a third of a billion Americans but whoever becomes the president is literally
de facto leader of the world, his ideas, opinions, utterances, actions and much
else can determine the global outlook of the world in such unintended ways, it
is scary.
The day after
George W. Bush was elected by reason of that Supreme Court judgement, I said to
my friends, this man will take us to war, I just did not know who with. If I
had a blog then, it would have been documented, but there we are.
A businessman who
became governor whose father was still alive that there would have been reason
for him to come out of the shadow of his father, it does not to take much to
realise something radical will happen.
Disaster!
The trigger was the
Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Centre and the course of world history was
changed forever, two wars, economic policies that lowered taxes and cheapened
access to money – the whole edifice of false hopes collapsed ruinously as he
was seeing off the last few months of his 8-year rule and the world has in no
way recovered from the crisis as we close the fifth year of economic turmoil.
We all know that
the lower taxes idea does not really create jobs nor grow the economy, not in
the Reagan times nor in the Bush II times and this was the crux of Romney’s
grand economic recovery scheme, but I am no economist just an observer of the
realities as the world suffered them.
False dawns
Romney as a Bain
Capital executive in the clearest truth did create wealth but never created
jobs, he was at best a corporate raider who both well, piled on debt and sold
it off to other mugs who thought the fat organisation had been made so lean and
efficient but at what real cost to every single component of the business;
especially the people and the communities?
However, the irony
of this presidential escapade is in the kind of money that was sunk into the
campaigns to the point that it was looking like a black hole casino that would
no doubt have fattened the organisations that pushed the advertisements of terminological
inexactitudes – to be blunt, lies to an electorate that probably just got fed
up with it all as fact checkers worked overtime trying to keep up with the next
rotten untruth, half-truth, bending of the truth or complete absence of the truth
– it almost made the Devil feel outwitted at his game.
I should expect the
networks that ran the advertisements to declare eye-watering profits and walk
away with vulgar bonuses, this was a bumper year that they will be looking to
make this a formula for each election cycle an assured source of atrocious
income.
Run a company like this
Again, let us look
at the presumably amazing business machinery that Mitt Romney brought into his
campaign for the US Presidency.
If this were a
company, it would be a case of the CEO being known to have a clear vision,
mission and set of values for the company that changed with the sentiment of
the market that none of the company shareholders could determine what purpose
the company was for.
Each time, it
seemed there was the promise of great returns and shareholders ploughed even
more of their money into the company just as others saw that the products were
going to a niche market and alarm bells were ringing questioning the viability
of the enterprise.
Bust!
Where there should
have been clear indicators of profit warnings, the investors were so locked
into what had become a Ponzi scheme; they could not cut their losses and run.
For all that was
invested, made, sold and accounted for, at well over $1 billion and management
experience that made the niche market swoon at the genius of the Chief
Executive, the company went bust.
Yes, for all the
acumen that Mitt Romney brought to this business, he failed to get a sustainable
market for his product, one that did not have enduring quality but was
constantly recalled because of flaws and what we might uncharitably refer to as
flip-flops.
Alas! No fault
The honest truth
was that Mitt Romney was not able, not ready and not reliable enough to take
the reins of America and consequently the world in leadership, direction and
purpose – if anything, that was the economic solution for America that Mitt
Romney had; truncated before it compounded the liabilities we are still
contending with.
Sadly, because the
quest for office was not like running a company, Mitt Romney rather than be
charged with false accounting and running the company to ruin with all investors
losing their money, he will return to the comparative comfort of being another
footnote in history that will only come up when parallels are required for
healthcare reform, hosting the Olympics or running the most expensive campaign that
came to naught.
The best outcome
Without doubt from
where I could observe things from, Mitt Romney had no business trying to be
president and I am so glad that after the campaign revealed the character and
substance of the man, not enough Americans were persuaded to hand him
the keys to the White House – even though someone suggested a tweet I posted
was the dumbest he had read with regards to that election night – whether prescience
or just foreboding, I think wars are ending and the prospect of engaging Iran
in a war might well have been kicked out of touch.
We need a world of
accommodations on the pain of everything within our means, Mitt Romney never
showed the foreign policy nous that would have kept the uneasy peace and détente
and for that too I am glad that those who could decide stuck with what they
already knew with the hope that change for the better is still possible. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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49ers win 48-3 The overwhelming win by the 49ers has caused Fox to re-shuffle their broadcasting lineup. Suddenly, the game next Sunday in Detroit looks titanic, so Fox is going to Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa on that game. They did the game today at Candlestick Park. The 49ers may have to go […]
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One of the best linebackers to ever play at a school known as Linebacker U., LaVar Arrington identified NaVorro Bowman as one of Penn State’s next great linebackers several years ago.
In fact, Arrington felt so strongly about his protege that he asked …
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Optimism abounds among the 49er Faithful, with good reason.
After one-quarter of the season, the Niners find themselves alone in first place atop the NFC’s West Division with a 3-1 record. Their nearest competitors are 1-3.
Is it too early to start tal…
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Q:We heard a little bit of (coach Jim) Harbaugh after the game. As a player, does all that yelling and stuff inspire you?
A: (laughs) Yeah, as a team we definitely have taken on his personality, just embracing everything that he has to offer us. I think it shows tremendously out there.
Q:I know you don’t want to say bad things about (Mike) Singletary, but I’m curious: Did he give similar speeches to Harbaugh?
A: He probably did – Singletary was a great speaker. I think the thing with Singletary was that he gave his speeches too soon. He was just one of those guys that whatever was in his heart, he just had to spit it out right now, he couldn’t just save it. So he would have a great speech for us, but he’d give it to us on a Tuesday, on our day off.
Q:So in the best sense of the word, Harbaugh is a little more conniving?
A: Yeah, most definitely. He saves his best speeches for right before the game.
Q:Coming into the Eagles game, I’m sure you saw the press clippings – the Eagles have (Dominique Rogers-)Cromartie and Asante Samuel and Nnamdi (Asomugha). … Tell me how you guys beat the Eagles’ trio of big-time cornerbacks.
A: Just using great technique. Basically, the line just protected for us, allowed us to try to get open and allowed Alex to get back there and read the defense. We know if we put everything together, we can get open versus anybody – we can make big plays all across the board. (Receivers) coach Johnny Morton is doing a great job with our technique and everything, and we just need to really put it together. This was a great overall job by the offensive line and Alex Smith to allow myself, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis to do what we did to that secondary.
Q:Everyone is speculating, but you probably know: What’s the difference between Alex Smith from last year as opposed to this year?
A: It’s not a big difference at all. It’s a different offense, which helps because this offense allows him to get the ball out of his hands since he has a lot of progression reads and he’s not back there overthinking and trying to make plays – he can just get the ball out of his hands. If you’re open you’re open, if you’re not it’s a check-down; it’s those type of reads. I think this offense is more like his offense at Utah.
Q:Is he more confident in the huddle, though – are his eyes different?
A: No, he’s always the same. I would say he’s more comfortable. He’s always had the confidence, but with this offense being more like the offense where he had all that success at Utah coming out of college, I think he’s a lot more comfortable in this offense. He just goes through the reads like it’s nothing now. He just makes all the right reads, he’s not turning the ball over, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s not throwing picks or anything.
Q:It was great to see the Philly fans shut up – they’re such a loud, vocal group of fans. Is there anything you can share that you heard yelled from any of the fans in Philly? I’m sure they were shocked.
A: I’ll be honest with you – I’m from Washington, D.C., so I’ve been to a lot of Philly games. And that was most definitely a tale of two halves, but they went from literally talking about everybody on our team, talking about our mothers, saying all the most hateful and hurtful stuff they could say – and then that second half they ended up rooting for us. You ended up hearing Niners chants. It was crazy, it felt like a home game in the second half.
The KNBR Conversation is a weekly Q&A culled from interviews conducted on KNBR 680/1050 AM.
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Before he was teaming up with Patrick Willis, 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman was linked to another legendary linebacker, LaVar Arrington.
Bowman and Arrington both went to Penn State – Linebacker U – and they formed a close teacher-student friendship during Bowman’s three seasons at State College.
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In Sunday’s game at Candlestick Park between the Buccaneers and 49ers, both teams will be in pursuit of power. The “Power” run play is a signature feature of San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense; the Bucs, behind 247-pound running back LeGarrette…
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Jim Harbaugh threw 129 career touchdowns, led his team to an AFC Championship Game and directed enough second-half charges to earn the nickname “Captain Comeback.”
So, naturally, one of the proudest moments of Harbaugh’s 15-year career didn’t end in an end zone. It began, and concluded, at the bottom of a pile.
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DT Isaac Sopoaga (infection) is doubtful. CB Shawntae Spencer (toe) is questionable and WR Michael Crabtree (foot), RB Frank Gore (ankle), G Mike Iupati (neck), G Adam Snyder (hamstring) are all probable. Gore was asked about his comments earlier today to ESPN in which he said the Eagles did not want to play any more. […]
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When running back Frank Gore said the 49ers knocked the fight out of them, he’s absolutely right. At the end of the game, the 49ers ran the same play SIX straight times and the Eagles couldn’t stop it. Gore scored on a power run with Chilo Rachal in the game as an extra lineman and […]
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Frank Gore apparently didn’t think much of the Eagles’ second-half effort last week. According to a report from ESPN, while Gore appeared on their show “First Take” to discuss the 49ers big come-back win over Philadelphia, he declared “I think playing that second half the way we came out, the Eagles didn’t want to play […]
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OK, this doesn’t rival the initial meeting between former Niners running back Xavier Omon and his half-brother, Chargers defensive tackle Ogemdi Nwagbuo, before the preseason finale, but it’s along the same lines.
On Sunday, 49ers safety Reggie Smith will meet his cousin, Tampa Bay backup cornerback Elbert Mack, for the first time. Smith and Mack’s great-grandmothers are sisters.
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— Niners coach Jim Harbaugh has deemed it an instant masterpiece.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mentioned it in the same breath as the most famous play in franchise history.
Yes, defensive tackle Justin Smith’s game-saving strip of Ea…
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— A former seventh-round pick, 49ers backup nose tackle Ricky Jean Francois says he’s heard it all before.
He’s too small. Too slow. And too weak.
On Sunday, it appears, Jean Francois will have the best opportunity of his career to show what ability …
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Less than an hour after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga was “highly unlikely” to play against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Sopoaga’s backup, Ricky Jean Francois made it clear he’s serious about filling Sopoaga’s various roles.
Could Jean Francois, like Sopoaga, also play fullback against Tampa Bay?
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There is a general sense that the 49ers’ West Coast Offense is more complex than That Offense They Ran Last Year.
When it comes to beating the blitz, though, San Francisco’s has simplified things, as wide receiver Josh Morgan explained Wednesday.
Last season, Morgan said, an opponent’s blitz set off a chain reaction on the offense. The receivers would cut off their routes and the quarterback would find the open receiver.
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The mysterious nature of staph infections themselves and the 49ers policy of refusing to talk about most injuries allows for Isaac Sopoaga’s infection to be open to a range of possibilities. They’re also contagious until the infection is resolved which is one reason we haven’t seen the big, benevolent presence of Sopoaga this year. Wide […]
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No shock here: Alex Smith has been at his best this season when targeting Vernon Davis.
Smith had an astronomical 124.0 rating when targeting his Pro Bowl tight end last year and that number hasn’t changed much (121.7) through the first four games.
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} |
Bitcoin Mining is Getting Profitable Again, But For How Long
8Jan 2016
With the release of the latest generations of powerful mining hardware such as the Bitmain AntMiner S7 and Avalon 6 that is available to normal miners and not only to large mining operations along with the increase of the Bitcoin price lately mining for Bitcoin has started to become profitable again. As a direct result of the new hardware getting released and the price increase there was the inevitable total hashrate and thus difficulty increase in the Bitcoin network and that increase has been quite significant. If you take a closer look at how difficulty has risen in the last month and a half or so you will notice that the things have developed quite rapidly with close to 50% increase and the rise will apparently continue with a lot more more new hardware still getting added. So while it is still quite profitable to mine with new hardware such as the latest ASIC miners mentioned above and fast ROI times for these devices the miners with older hardware might already be struggling to make a profit. So you should be careful with making investments in new mining hardware even though at the moment things look quite nice if you do the math.
Do note forget that in a couple of months, roughly this summer, another halving of the Bitcoin reward is expected and even though it will most likely be coming with another significant increase in the price of BTC you should still have it in mind. The current situation on the Chinese financial markets are also significantly influencing the price of Bitcoin with many people saying that the trouble in China are also responsible for many people turning to BTC and thus further increasing the price of the crypto currency. This all means that we have an interesting year ahead of us with many expecting to see Bitcoin price getting back to levels like $1000 USD per BTC when the reward halving occurs and even more by the end of the year. Still this does not mean that there could be some negative surprises as well, so you should be carefully and not rush into buying Bitcoin or getting back into mining it without thinking things through first.
This is a blog for crypto currency miners and users of Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC), Ethereum (ETH), ZCash (ZEC) and many others.
If you find helpful and useful information you can support us by donating altcoins or Bitcoin (BTC) to: 1AxbMZwtcmCByrHiaWwhse5r6ea1YgBwk1
ETH: 0x8d785ff337046444d8afbac169bcb7c0adfb3266 - LTC: LPYFPK7dL1uEtwrAteLmxs7w8Je446gAAJ - ZEC: t1gg5rWxeMBMsyDRMrq5PJdFLiWQ86LGggi | {
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Meta
Archive for May 29th, 2008
So the Best Western we stopped at last night apparently has a PC just off the lobby. I figured I would manage to come across one sooner or later. The drive down wasn’t too bad. We managed to get out[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
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Pete and Repete swimming Originally uploaded by rmiles After dinner the girls decided to enjoy a Leisurely swim. There is supposed to be a light show at 9 followed by fireworks. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry | {
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INCredible
56
Inc-redible has been responsible for some stellar releases in the past. Also a home at some stage to artist such as Sasha and John Digweed, Satoshi Tomiie, Goldie, Gilles Peterson, Jo Whiley, Trevor Nelson and Roger Sanchez just to name a few superstars. Don't forget that Inc-redible was responsible for a few of the Gatecrasher releases and you got yourself a label with proven results. | {
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If you are using SP 2010, You can access SP Lists by using SPMetal.
Though SPMetal ignores few fields like Modified, Created etc. You can include these fields using an XML file consisting of parameters. | {
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} |
Normal Unit. Nation: Magallanica. Clan: Bermuda Triangle. Race: Mermaid. Grade 2 / Intercept. Power: 8000. [AUTO]:[Counter Blast (1)] When this unit is placed on (VC) or (RC), if you have a Bermuda Triangle vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, put the top card of your deck into your damage zone, and at the beginning of your end phase, choose a card from your damage zone, return it to your deck, and shuffle your deck. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Lionsgate have set a 15th anniversary edition of Darren Aronofksy‘s Pi for release in the UK on August 12th. In other news… we’re all getting old. 15th anniversary? Wow.
As soon as I caught wind of Lionsgate’s plans I excitedly got in touch to ask for more details, and they offered me the opportunity to premiere the cover artwork and list of special features. Which was nice.
So here we go. And I’m still excited. It’s a hell of a film.
First, a 3D version of the packshot:
Now a 2D one, while we’re here:
And the extras will be:
A commentary with Darren Aronofsky
A commentary with Sean Gullette
Deleted Scenes
A Behind The Scenes Montage
The theatrical trailer
The original “Darren & Eric” trailer
The Πr2 Music Video
Now I just have to somehow finagle a copy. Matthew Libatique‘s cinematography should look great at 1080p.
Here’s an SD version of the trailer for those who’ve never seen the film. | {
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Media Meet
Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and Monday at 3:30 p.m.
Hosted by Bill Hart, this weekly public affairs program delves into the issues that are important to the people of the Upper Great Lakes Region. During the half-hour program, local media representatives, community leaders and special guests of regional, national and international prominence engage in intelligent discussion and candid debate regarding topics of local interest.
Media Meet Schedule
September 2 & 3 - Youth Substance Abuse Prevention - Representatives of several organizations and agencies discuss efforts and challenges in preventing substance abuse in Middle School, High School and College age youth.
September 9 & 10 - Suicide Awareness and Prevention - A program on Michigan’s leading cause of death among teens and young adults on the occasion of a Marquette County produced documentary film aimed at awareness, hope and prevention.
September 16 & 17 - ‘Peter White Public Library’ Tax Proposal - Discussion of a local November ballot proposal to recoup $224,000 in tax repeal funding losses that would restore important services. The measure would appear on the ballot in five of the library’s service areas.
September 23 & 24 - Neighborhood Business - A review of legislative proposals by Michigan House Democrats to support small businesses and entrepreneurship. The package— dubbed 'Neighborhood Business, Neighborhood Growth'— includes a small business preference in state procurement, a retirement insurance option, and a new state services office aimed solely at small business owners. (repeat)
September 30 & October 1 - Global Issues on Aging - A look at the recent United Nations Open-Ended Work Group on Aging, focusing on a proposed charter for the ‘Rights of the Elderly.’ Topics include elder independence and autonomy, long-term and palliative care, and other issues.
Airs Sundays at 7:30 am et Repeats Mondays at 3:30 pm et
Program topics are subject to change in order to cover timely news and events. Media Meet podcasts available at WNMUFM.ORG
A look at the recent United Nations Open-Ended Work Group on Aging, focusing on a proposed charter for the ‘Rights of the Elderly.’ Topics include elder independence and autonomy, long-term and palliative care, and other issues.
Discussion of a local November ballot proposal to recoup $224,000 in tax repeal funding losses that would restore important services. The measure would appear on the ballot in five of the library’s service areas.
Upper Peninsula residents with Diabetes make up about 9% of the population, but numbers appear to have increased statewide, putting more people at risk for related conditions, ranging from heart disease to blindness. Prevention and self-management remain key weapons against the disease. We'll look at the latest information and strategies.
How does one make a cultural resource out of a ghost town? We'll put that question to members of the 'Keweenaw Historical Society,' which has been restoring period homes in the town of Central, a former Copper Country mining community.
A review of legislative proposals by Michigan House Democrats to support small businesses and entrepreneurship. The package— dubbed 'Neighborhood Business, Neighborhood Growth'— includes a small business preference in state procurement, a retirement insurance option, and a new state services office aimed solely at small business owners.
A discussion of hiring trends and job issues for college graduates with Michigan State University Collegiate Employment Research Institute Director Philip Gardener, who is also an expert on Millennials in the workplace.
The state contractor for a new Advance Care Planning program discusses its effect on patient choice, end of life healthcare decisions, healthcare costs and other matters. The program helps individuals decide on the care received if unable to speak for oneself. | {
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These link to downloadable PDF copies of all of my client forms. Feel free to use the information and/or alter them to suit your needs. Please don't ask me to alter or edit them; as I cannot accommodate all requests even if I would love to do so. The links will expire in 30 days! Enjoy. | {
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STORMY WEATHER CASTS DARK CLOUD ON ATTENDANCE AT AMUSEMENT PARK
Lagoon's new Ferris wheel - the 150-foot-tall "Skyscraper" - has been scraping mainly clouds since the amusement park opened on weekends three weeks ago.
As a result of the inclement weather, the park's total attendance to date is about 20 percent of last year's early season number, said Lagoon marketing director Dick Andrew."We had better luck last year," Andrew said.
This year, however, Lagoon has already experienced its entire projected spring weather losses. "We've lost that amount, and we still have a month (of spring) to go. We're hoping for sunny skies." | {
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} |
"Barack Obama's candidacy for president reveals critical fissures in the historical African American worldview, forcing black citizens and activists to make a choice: Will we support a cosmetic change in regime
that is no more than skin-deep—endorsing the ruling structure because it has a black face—or continue on the long journey to self-determination, true social democracv
and peace. Obama, the political twin of Hillary Clinton and the corporate Democratic Leadership Council her husband helped found, is determined to liquidate black politics as an independent force in the United States, having already proclaimed, 'There is no black America.'"
FROM BLOG COMMENTS
concerning a British man who was convicted of disturbing the peace and
added to a sex offenders reg-
iistry when a janitor unlocked the man's hotel room door and
found him engaged in a sex act with his bicycle: "I am more disturbed by the sheriff's ruling than the act of having sex with a bike."
FROM A STATEMENT released by a consortium of British nonprofits and the teachers union, insisting U.K. students receive sex education and citing the correlation between increased sex education and lower teen birth rates over the past two decades: "We believe that all children and young people are entitled to receive sex and relationships education as part of the statutory provision of personal, social, health and economic education in schools. No school should be able to opt out of delivering good sex and relationships education to its pupils (including primary schools, faith schools and academies), which should be taught throughout a pupil's time in education."
FROM THE PAMPHLET
Against Bosses, Against Oligarchies, a series of interviews with Richard Rorty, published by Prickly Paradigm Press: "My feeling is that there's been a tacit collaboration between right and left in changing the subject from money to culture. If I were the Republican oligarchy, I would want a left that spent all its time thinking about matters of group iden-
tity rather than about wages and hours.... I think nothing is going to happen until you can get the masses to stop think ing of the bureaucrats as the enemy and start thinking of the bosses as the enemy." | {
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Thursday, August 14, 2014
White Christmas Joy
As soon as I saw this stamp set in the Holiday Catalog, I knew it had to be near the top of my wish list. It has everything needed to build a beautiful, whimsical winter scene, down to the littlest detail. This is a photoploymer set, too, so it's super easy to place the image
exactly where you want it, because the stamps are totally clear.
First of all, I adore bears, especially polar bears. I love birds, too, and the two tiny Cardinals are so cute. And a snowman? Don't even get me started on how much I love snowmen! So, as you can see, this set really, really appeals to me.
After stamping the trees on Whisper White, I stamped again on a large sticky note making sure the hill was near the sticky part. I used it as a mask when I spritzed the sky. (Fill Stampin' Spritzer to within 1/2" of top with rubbing alcohol, then add 6 drops of Lost Lagoon refill ink.) Three or four sprays is all it takes.
While the sky dried, I stamped and fussy-cut the bear. Since the spray was largely alcohol, it dried quickly, so I colored the tree trunks with Smoky Slate using a Blender Pen. I then added a few swipes of the 2-way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds to the hill and tree branches. (When dry, it helps to brush off the loose glitter with a soft brush.)
That's it for another sneak peek from the Holiday Catalog. Stay tuned for more in the coming days! There's another polar bear in the works.STAMPS: White Christmas, Good Greetings
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My work (including text, photographs, and design work) is protected by copyright, and is shared for personal use and inspiration only. Please do not copy it for contest submission or publication. Most, but not all, stamped images are Copyright Stampin' Up!®
I may be compensated by Amazon for links to products that I use and recommend. | {
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Welcome to the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim!
Take a trip to the north side of one of the greatest wonders in the world, the Grand Canyon. As a part of this scenic spot since 1928, the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim sits just above the canyon with a variety of cabin and motel room choices available for your next vacation. Enjoy all that the canyon and lodge have to offer when you visit us for your next vacation.
Forever Resorts is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and state and public agencies, and operates under special use permits with the USDA Forest Service. Forever Resorts is a Committed Equal Opportunity Service Provider. | {
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Applies to:
The Bose system uses standard Bose IR codes that are available in many cable set-top box remotes and other universal remote controls. Refer to the owner's manual for your remote control to find programming instructions and codes.
The Bose system's remote control is a universal remote that can be used to control many devices. For more information, see Programming your remote. | {
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Nobody relishes the idea of sleeping on an air mattress, but they might not mind this discounted Insta-Bed.
$108 is more than you’d spend on most other air mattresses (though it’s an all-time low for this one), but this one includes a pillow top cover for extra softness, and most importantly, a built-in pump that silently trickles more air into the mattress overnight. Just set your desired firmness, and the mattress will automatically maintain it as long as it’s plugged in. I slept on one of these for a few days after a recent move, and loved it as much as anyone can love sleeping on an air mattress. | {
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JANUARY 14, 2014
Button's father John dies at 70
Jenson Button's father, a highly popular F1 figure and a long-standing paddock regular, has died.
John Button, a former rallycross driver and preparer of kart engines, died at the age of 70 at his home in France of a suspected heart-attack, McLaren driver Button's management announced in a statement.
He was an always-smiling presence in the F1 paddock, rarely - if ever - missing a race.
"Ever since Jenson was a boy, racing go-karts, his dad has been at his side, helping him, supporting him," McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said. | {
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Oregon Vape Death Patient Used THC Device from Dispensary
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s public health physician said Wednesday that a person who died recently of a severe respiratory illness had used a vaping device containing marijuana oil that was purchased at a legal dispensary.
The death is the second linked by public health officials nationwide to vaping and the first linked to product purchased at a marijuana dispensary.
Public health authorities in Oregon haven’t determined what sickened the middle-aged adult or whether the person may have added something to the liquid or tampered with the device after it was purchased, said Dr. Ann Thomas, a public health physician with the Oregon Health Authority.
Thomas declined to name the brand of the product or the dispensary where it was purchased, citing the ongoing investigation. It’s the only case of vaping-related illness or death in Oregon that authorities are aware of right now, Thomas said.
“Our investigation has not yielded exactly what it is in this product,” she said in a phone interview. “At this point, some of the other states have more data than us.”
As of last week, 215 possible cases of severe pulmonary disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes had been reported by 25 states, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said Wednesday that he will introduce legislation next week that would tax e-cigarettes in the same way that traditional cigarettes are taxed to reduce their appeal to teenagers who are increasingly taking up the popular smoking alternative.
Oregon lawmakers passed state legislation this year to tax e-cigarettes, and the question will be referred to voters in 2020.
“The products are highly addictive. They’re subject to minimal safety standards and oversights, exposing users to dangerous chemicals … and they are getting into the hands of more and more young people,” Wyden said.
The American Vaping Association said in a statement Wednesday that vaping products are “far less harmful than smoking” and have helped those addicted to traditional cigarettes break that habit.
“Making vaping products more expensive has not been shown to reduce experimentation by youth and will only lead to more adults continuing to smoke deadly combustible cigarettes,” Gregory Conley, the association’s president, said in an email.
Conley said the fact that the Oregon patient had vaped a product containing THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high, was a critical distinction. The association has blamed the recent spate of lung illnesses on illegal vape pens that contain THC.
“Oregon is far from the first state to specifically link recent serious lung illnesses to THC vaping products, but it is the first state to report a death or injury in a patient who purchased his or her products at a dispensary,” Conley said.
Wisconsin public health officials said late last month that 89% of the people they interviewed who became sick reported using e-cigarettes or other vaping devices to inhale THC.
Under the law, marijuana dispensaries in Oregon can’t sell products that have not been tested by state-accredited labs.
Mark Pettinger, the spokesman for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees Oregon’s general use marijuana industry, did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.
In general, all marijuana intended for sale at a medical or general use dispensary is tested for pesticides and potency, as well as for solvents, if the product is not dried marijuana flower.
The rise in teen vaping has been driven mainly by flavored cartridge-based products such as Juul. The rechargeable, odorless device can be used discreetly in bathrooms, hallways and even classrooms.
Health experts say nicotine is harmful to developing brains. Researchers worry that addicted teens will eventually switch from vaping to smoking.
E-cigarettes, which have been available in the U.S. since about 2007 and have grown into a more than $6 billion-a-year industry, are battery-powered devices that typically heat a flavored nicotine solution into an inhalable aerosol. Juul, which launched in 2015, now controls roughly three-quarters of the U.S. retail market for e-cigarettes.
Most experts agree the aerosol is less harmful than cigarette smoke because it does not contain most of the cancer-causing byproducts of burning tobacco. But there is virtually no research on the long-term effects of the vaping chemicals, some of which are toxic. | {
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Charlie Byrd looks like every little five-year-old boy and has a smile that will melt your heart. But Charlie is in a dangerous battle for his life against a rare, and even deadly, form of epilepsy called "Dravet Syndrome."
"He keeps smiling and he doesn't even know that he's sick," said Crystal Byrd, Charlie's mother, through tears.
The Byrds say the first seizure happened when Charlie was just a few months old, the second came just a few months later when he was six months old. From there the hospital trips added up, as did the pain and the seizures.
"We quit counting, it had become a little hard to deal with," stated Charlie's mom.
The Byrds have given their only son everything they can find.
"We've tried numerous therapies, medicines, and nothing's ever worked," said Eric Byrd, "Today, he's on four different types of anti-epileptic drugs. This morning he had two seizures in his sleep."
The West Liberty family even started the young boy on medicine from other countries after doing research. Along the way they connected with other families with children battling "Dravet Syndrome."
One case stands above the rest. Crystal Byrd pointed to a girl in Colorado who seems to have found a strong remedy, "The child went from 300 seizures to one a week, and sometimes the one-a-week doesn't even come."
The medicine, though, is only legal in 19 states and Kentucky isn't one of them.
"It was the medical marijuana, the CBDs," answered Crystal.
CBD, or cannabidiol, isn't like other forms of marijuana, as Crystal explained, she's not giving her son a cigarette. Instead, she said it can come in the form of an oil or even pill.
"He won't be high from it, it doesn't have the taboo marijuana association with it," she said.
One of my favorite qualities about marijuana is it’s ability to help me sleep. I don’t know how many times I have been on a trip without marijuana and it is extremely difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Compare that to nights that I consume marijuana, and I sleep like a baby. It’s something that I try to point out to some of my senior friends who constantly complain about the poor quality of their sleep patterns. Maybe now that there is a study out, more people will consider using marijuana to help. See below:
Courtesy of The Joint Blog
A new study published by the American Journal of Addiction, and funded in part by the National Institute of Health has found that THC - one of the primary components of cannabis – is “significantly associated with shorter sleep latency”, as well as “less difficulty falling asleep”.
Every morning, a questionnaire was completed by the participants, and “Plasma THC and 11-OH-THC (active metabolite) concentrations were measured in venous blood samples collected every evening. Changes in sleep characteristics over time and associations between sleep characteristics and plasma cannabinoid concentrations were evaluated with repeated measures mixed linear regression.”
Using this method, researches conclude; “Higher evening THC and 11-OH-THC concentrations were significantly associated with shorter sleep latency, less difficulty falling asleep, and more daytime sleep the following day.”
It's no secret that marijuana can put a smile on many people's faces, but research suggests that the drug's positive effects go beyond just getting high. A 2012 study published in the peer-reviewed academic journal European Neuropsychopharmacology suggests that the brain's endocannabinoid system – which is activated by THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – may play an important role in emotional processing, "an essential aspect of appropriate social interactions and interpersonal relationships."
Specifically, the study's authors found that participants given THC in a controlled experiment showed lower brain activity in response negative stimuli than did those given placebo. A bias toward negative stimuli has been linked to mental illnesses like depression, and evidence that THC reduces this effect suggests that the endocannabinoid system could play an important, beneficial role in how humans experience emotions and mood.
Researchers measured test-specific effects of THC administration on about a dozen men who had used marijuana at least four times in the past year, but no more than once a week. Half of them were given THC, the other half placebo; the researchers then showed all the men images of faces with expressions that appeared either "fearful" or "happy." They found that participants given THC showed significantly decreased accuracy in matching facial expressions with negative emotion, but showed about the same accuracy for positive associations. Using brain imaging technology called fMRI, they were also able to watch the effects of THC on the parts of the participants' brains that process emotion – identifying a "network-wide shift from a bias for negative emotional content towards a bias for positive emotional content."
NJ Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, one of the prime sponsors of the state's three-year-old medicial marijuana law, is puzzled by Gov. Christie's veto of a bill that would remove hurdles that keep seriously ill children from using cannabis. The veto was conditional, meaning Christie is demanding changes before he will sign the bill.
The bill was passed after Brian and Meghan Wilson told lawmakers their two-year-old girl needs cannabis because it has the potential to stop her frequent, life-threatening seizures. The Scotch Plains couple urged amendments to the law, which they said was flawed. A big problem was the ban against edible marijuana.
Their daughter, Vivian, cannot smoke and requires a solution that may be added to butter, they said.
The bill would have lifted the restriction for all registered marijuana patients but Christie wants edible marijuana to be available only to minors.
"What about a 70-year-old woman who has emphysema?" Gusciora (D-Mercer) said in an interview.
"What is the harm if elderly patients take it in a brownie? Christie says he wants to make sure marijuana is restricted to only severely ill patients and wants to take safeguards so it is not abused by people "with a migraine." He favors strict regulations, he says, so that "potheads" don't get their hands on the drug.
A new study published recently in the journal Neurochemistry International has found that a compound in cannabis can help grow brain cells.
“We tested three compounds: cannabidiol, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene (CBC), and found that CBC has positive effect on the cell viability of mouse NSPCs [adult neural stem progenitor cells] during differentiation in vitro“, states the study’s researchers.
The study, which was conducted by the Institute ofBiomolecular Chemistry and funded by a GW Pharmaceuticals grant, is one of several studies which has found that cannabis can stimulate brain growth.
Researchers conclude that; “Taken together, our results suggest that CBC raises the viability of NSPCs while inhibiting their differentiation into astroglia, possibly through up-regulation of ATP and adenosine signalling.”
WASHINGTON -- The White House declined to weigh in Tuesday on whether President Barack Obama has changed his position on medical marijuana use after the president's onetime choice for surgeon general, Sanjay Gupta, reversed his stance and apologized for misleading the public on the drug's effects.
During the daily press briefing, CQ-Roll Call reporter Steve Dennis asked White House spokesman Josh Earnest if the administration had any reaction to Gupta's Aug. 9 column, "Why I changed my mind on weed," in which Gupta explores the discrepancy between the Drug Enforcement Administration's classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug and scientific research demonstrating its benefits. Gupta, who serves as CNN's chief medical expert, not only apologized for dismissing the evidence from medical marijuana patients, but said he had concluded that marijuana has a low potential for abuse and "very legitimate medical applications."
Dennis also asked if Obama had personally been looking at the issue, given that national polls show rising support for marijuana legalization since he took office.
Earnest ducked the question, responding, "I have to confess I did not see the Sanjay Gupta column you're referring to, so it's hard for me to comment at this point."
The Obama administration has cracked down hard on medical marijuana, even in states that have legalized its use. A recent report found that this administration spent nearly $300 million on medical marijuana intervention through lawsuits, indictments and asset forfeiture attempts by the Justice Department. Over the past few years, the Internal Revenue Service has also targeted medical marijuana dispensaries, forcing many of them to the brink of closure, and largely ignoring the fact that many such businesses were in compliance with state laws.
But as the White House continues to wage war on pot, public opinion has shifted in the opposite direction. A HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted in April found that 51 percent of Americans said marijuana should be "legalized, taxed and regulated like alcohol." An earlier Pew Research Center survey also found majority support among Americans for marijuana legalization. | {
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'Hardball' leaves clichés warming the bench in story of a washout redeemed by coaching ghetto kids
Surprisingly, the redemption-by-baseball picture "Hardball" is not some warm-fuzzy "Bad News Bears" clone transplanted to the projects. It's considerably better than that.
Yes, it is about a drunk, gambling-addicted ticket scalper who spitefully agrees to coach a ghetto little league team for $500 a week to pay off a two angry bookies. Yes, the scalper is played by the historically vacuous Keanu Reeves, and yes, he's going to learn What's Really Important In Life from endearingly foul-mouthed street kids who live cautionary-tale type lives of inner city strife.
But as fast as "Hardball" sets up such eye-rolling clichés, director Brian Robbins knocks them down. There are no inspirational montages of the squad pulling together and honing their skills. The well-financed rival team? Present and accounted for, but not a major subplot. Ditto for the schoolteacher romantic interest (Diane Lane) and the headstrong tenement mom whose respect Reeves must earn.
Robbins even fades out to a later scene in the middle of The Big Game. He's that determined not to be a slave to stale storytelling -- which is quite startling coming from the guy who directed the all-hackneyed-all-the-time high school football flick "Varsity Blues."
"Hardball" does, however, start off on the wrong foot with a dead-serious boo-hoo opening setting up Reeves' sorry life of drinking and betting. From the ominous title credits and the dank accompanying score, you'd think he was a troubled cop from a gritty crime thriller.
But after establishing that the sullied hero owes $12,000 to the kind of people that come to collect packing brass knuckles and loaded guns, Reeves goes begging for a loan to a childhood pal (Mike McGlone) who has become a successful investment banker. McGlone isn't about to give him money, but being a shallow and insincere yuppie he seizes the opportunity to get out of "giving back to the community." He offers Reeves a weekly pittance to coach the ghetto kids' baseball team on his behalf.
While all that stuff was invented for the film, "Hardball" is actually based on an autobiographical book by Daniel Coyle -- a yuppie who coached a season of ball in Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project. But the reinvented character's pessimistic indifference is just right for Reeves, who has not only gotten better at picking roles in the last five years, but has also become a good enough actor that he can convincingly pull off being fundamentally changed by his experience with these kids. He even cries with meaningful conviction when one of them -- inevitably -- gets shot.
The kids aren't exactly stock characters either, although they may appear that way at first glance. The roly-poly one has asthma, but his condition doesn't become a plot point. The littlest kid is too young to play under league rules, but Reeves puts him in one game anyway, jeopardizing the championship but knowing it's the kids' spirit that counts. And while they're cute, these boys are most definitely not sweet. They're largely angry types who have grown up before their time and without fathers. They find their inspiration in places no sheltered suburban parent would approve of -- like the star pitcher who keeps his game rhythm by listening to a continuously-looped track of Notorious B.I.G.'s nasty "Big Papa" on his Walkman.
"Hardball" does leave a few narrative blanks (doesn't Reeves have a day job?) and moviegoers more cynical than I (and that's pretty cynical) may not be able to see past the hackneyed concepts to embrace the fact that those concepts are willfully knocked into left field.
It's that very fact, however, which so deftly raises this movie above the tripe it could have been. The hard-knocked-life melodrama is kept to a minimum. There is no great epiphany for Reeves (although he does bark "You don't know s**t about those kids!" to someone who pooh-poohs him after he quits at one point). There's no contrived triumphant-underdog last act miracle. In fact, the film spends surprisingly little time on the baseball diamond.
Yes, "Hardball" does visit all the expected places. But it does so like a tourist at a cheesy roadside attraction, taking snapshots then moving on to a destination of considerably more substance. | {
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Finishing the Mark Clark: Winners and Losers
The current West Ashley endpoint of the Mark Clark Expressway can be seen in this aerial photo. The Stono River and Johns Island are in the distance. Leroy Burnell /
Related story
If built, the final leg of the Mark Clark Expressway over the Stono River would fly over spectacular vistas of river and marsh.
But for people on 780 properties in and near its path, a new highway would bring road noise, pollutants known to cause health problems and uncertainty over land values.
Every new road generates winners and losers, but according to a new Post and Courier analysis, these 780 property owners have the most at stake — the Mark Clark would be in shouting distance of their front and back yards, or closer.
To better understand who is inside and outside the project's path, The Post and Courier obtained detailed map information from the Transportation Department and cross-indexed it with property ownership data. The results show that the project would affect a wide range of landowners, from people in spacious estates on Johns Island to homeowners in modest West Ashley subdivisions to users of James Island County Park.
The roster also reveals that a large number of people have bought homes and land in the impact zone during the last decade.
Further, while the epicenter of opposition to the project has been Johns Island, more West Ashley and James Island residents would see, hear and feel its effects.
Meanwhile, many key questions about intersections and other design features have yet to be answered, making it difficult for those in the impact zone to fully gauge how the highway would change their lives.
The idea is more than four decades old — build a highway belt around metropolitan Charleston with the buckle straddling downtown Charleston.
The plan generated the same emotions when it was unveiled as it does today. In 1970, for instance, 200 residents jammed the Charleston County courthouse to argue that the highway belt was desperately needed, while others dubbed it a 'monster freeway.'
Over the next three decades, the state stitched pieces of this belt together: the James Island connector; two bridges over the Wando and Cooper rivers that fueled massive developments on the Cainhoy peninsula; and another bridge over the Ashley that connects North Charleston with West Ashley.
But one major piece was left: a roughly 9-mile leg to Johns Island with two bridges over the Stono River. This piece is expected to cost about $500 million and has been in limbo after the county rejected it, then turned it over to the State Infrastructure Bank, which in turn punted it to the state Transportation Department. It's up to the state to decide whether to proceed.
A pivotal part of many big-ticket public-works projects is the 'draft environmental impact statement.' Assembled by state and federal agencies, the impact statement is a collection of studies that attempts to document a highway's visual, noise, health and other effects. It describes different route options, and from those options, highway planners choose one.
State highway engineers settled on what is now known as Alternative G, which would require four businesses and people in 22 homes to be relocated.
But a highway's impact ripples far beyond its pavement and shoulders.
In recent years, researchers have found that people who live within 650 feet of a highway are exposed to ultra-fine particles of black carbon and unhealthy levels of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
Studies have shown that people near highways have higher risks of asthma, lung problems, and possibly heart problems and lung cancer.
Highway noise also is known to generate health problems and reductions in property values for those immediately next to busy thoroughfares.
Highway noise is affected by traffic speeds, pavement types — concrete is louder than asphalt — and other factors, but road noise calculation models show that a highway similar to the current plan for the Mark Clark extension would generate sound levels similar to a clothes dryer or air conditioner.
This noise would extend 400 feet or more from the highway in some scenarios. Closer in, it would sound as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
In its analysis, The Post and Courier identified a zone of properties 500 feet on either side of the highway's proposed route.
Within this area, 374 property owners would see a highway crossing their property boundaries. An additional 406 have land and homes just outside the road's actual footprint, but within 500 feet.
Among the most affected areas, the neighborhoods in the highway's West Ashley path stand out.
Today, the Mark Clark Expressway flows across North Charleston into West Ashley, ending at Savannah Highway with a long circular on-ramp next to a bowling alley.
If completed, the Mark Clark would keep going, slicing through part of The Savannah condominium complex and into the Citadel Woods and Oakland neighborhoods. It would continue for another three-quarters of a mile until it hits the marshlands of the Stono River.
On a recent afternoon, Mildred Tisdale, 77, pointed to the woods in her backyard off East Shore Lane. 'I have two more payments on my home, and I'll have lived here for 30 years,' she said. 'They're supposed to put four lanes through my yard.'
As with more than two dozen property owners contacted for this article, Tisdale said she hasn't received any direct communication from officials about what the new highway will specifically do to her property's value, and how noise and pollution will affect her.
Like many, she said she learned about the project by going to public meetings, though those have often been emotional affairs where the focus was on showing support or opposition.
'I almost hit a woman from Folly Beach,' she said with a smile, referring to a supporter of the project.
But she left these meetings wondering: How would the highway look from her back porch? How loud would it be? Would it cut her neighborhood in two? Would any of her land be taken?
Some of that information is in the environmental impact statement.
Depending on how far away the highway ends up from her house, noise would be expected to sound like a vacuum cleaner or a lawn mower at 100 feet, according to ranges in the study's noise analysis.
From her back porch, she likely would look up at the highway.
David Kinard, a project manager for the state Transportation Department, said the highway in this area would be built on fill and low-level bridges, meaning it would likely rise at least 16 feet at some points.
Raising the highway to this level would allow enough clearance for Clayton Street and South Shore Drive to continue underneath, a design that would preserve existing traffic patterns in the area.
A 10-foot-wide bike path also would be built along the northwest side of the route, which would tie into the West Ashley Greenway. Kinard said no sound barriers are planned, and no studies have been done that would predict noise impacts from a highway at different heights above the surrounding area.
When The Post and Courier described some of this information to Tisdale and others in this neighborhood, they wondered why, given the seriousness of the impact on their lives and properties, no one from the state contacted them with specifics about their properties.
Kinard said the Army Corps of Engineers sent letters in 2010 to property owners next to the route, and that the state Transportation Department sent several mass mailings announcing the hearings.
Kinard provided a copy of the Army Corps letter to The Post and Courier. It's a form letter that tells addressees 'you have been identified as an adjacent property owner,' and includes a crude map of the Alternative G route. The letter references wetland impacts, future public hearings and ways to comment.
Several property owners interviewed for this story said they remember receiving fliers about the hearings, but none recalled receiving correspondence about how the highway would look from their properties, how loud it would be or what it would do to the values of their homes and land.
'I don't feel very well-informed about it, period,' said Tom Palmer, who lives in the Waterway South condo complex and has attended public meetings.
From West Ashley, the highway would cross a new bridge over the Stono River and curve south into the marsh between two relatively new developments, Rushland to the west and Headquarters Island to the east.
It then would meet the first of two T-shaped intersections on Johns Island. Plans call for each intersection to have an access road that takes traffic to and from the highway to River Road.
Through Johns Island, the highway and access roads would cross or be within 500 feet of 66 property owners, including Casey Baynes, who lives in a subdivision off River Road.
'I think my wife and I are numbers 94 and 96 on the NIX-526 list,' he said, referring to a group that opposes the highway.
Baynes said he grew up on James and Johns islands, once lived at Buzzard's Roost marina and sometimes helped hand-crank the old bridge open.
The highway would cut through the marsh behind his house, ruining views, harming wildlife and generating noise that would destroy the area's rural character, he said.
'We don't want it, but there are lots of people who stand to profit from it.'
Indeed,
owners of large tracts off the access roads would have quicker access to downtown and West Ashley, making those tracts more ripe for future development. Already, flags and signs announcing new homes for sale line River Road near its intersection with Maybank Highway.
Harris Teeter owns land next to the foot of one of the proposed access roads, and investors have plans for a major development around it.
The project would have a major impact on River Road, traffic projections show. If the extension is built, River Road traffic would grow to about 23,000 vehicles a day by 2035, about as many as use five-lane Sam Rittenberg Boulevard or the busiest section of two-lane Harbor View Road.
If the extension isn't built, traffic is expected to increase to 12,000 cars a day, about twice the current level.
Despite these numbers with or without the Mark Clark, state engineers have said River Road won't need to be widened to four lanes.
On James Island, 339 properties would be in or close to the project's path, including James Island County Park.
Of these landowners, 78 percent bought properties in the last decade. Many are purchasers of condos in the Regatta, a complex off Central Park Road, and Ellis Landing, a development of large homes amid heirs' property.
Jerry and Sue Smoak are in the zone. They live in a house along Ellis Creek off the whimsically named Up on the Hill Road. It's a world away from the commercial clutter on Folly Road.
Ellis Creek meanders past their house, which is shaded by old oaks. Off their dock, dolphins sometimes school fish onto the bank.
'A little piece of heaven,' Jerry said.
He and his wife also are opposed to the highway, and scratch their heads about the department's plans for the area.
Current plans call for traffic to flow over Folly Road into the area where they live. Up on the Hill Road would be blocked by the new highway.
In the absence of any designs, and with no timetable for making a decision, the Smoaks and others wonder how the highway will affect the character of this hidden corner of James Island.
James Washington, 68, lives nearby off Riley Road, a country road that dead-ends at Ellis Creek. He said he was born in the house next door and heard stories about how the tides in the area got so high, family members had to drill holes in the floor so the water would run out.
Current plans call for a new, ground-level intersection as the highway crosses Riley Road. Stop signs would be placed on Riley Road, but none on the expressway. 'There's going to be a bunch of traffic,' he said, referring to Riley Road. 'It doesn't make much sense.'
Of the more than 25 residents in the impact zone interviewed for this article, none said they want the project built, though a handful said they hope a decision is made soon, thumbs up or down; the uncertainty over the project is preventing some property owners from moving on with their lives, said Jared Guichard, a resident in The Savannah condominium complex.
Guichard's building would be demolished if the roadway is built, and he said neighbors can't get refinancing or find good mortgage refinancing deals because of the project's status. 'We want to know which way they're going,' he said.
'It's going to clobber everyone's property values,' said Dave Dolber, a resident of Waterway South, a condo complex on the Stono River.
'The consensus is that this is something the rich kids want so they can get from the airport to Kiawah quicker,' he said, adding that he pilots corporate jets.
Those outside its path also have a stake in what happens. The project has many cheerleaders, including Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who has said a 'silent majority' supports it.
Motorists throughout the region would have a beautiful ride through wooded areas and the Stono River's marsh and tidal currents. It would save some people time: With the extension, motorists should be able to shave 36 seconds off an 'average' regional trip. (An example would be a motorist traveling from West Ashley to James Island, or James Island to Johns Island.)
Those traveling to and from Johns Island should save about 4 minutes and 36 seconds, according to the state's traffic projections.
But for those in the path, the project remains a line on a map, one that could be moved one way or another, or removed altogether, an ongoing source of uncertainty about a decision that will be made by lawmakers and engineers who live elsewhere.
Gill Guerry contributed research to this report. Reach Tony Bartelme at 937-5554.
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This is a true story about how LizardSkin stopped a heartbreaking car fire from turning tragic, wiping out my house and all its contents in the process. In September 2003 I had begun building a 1941 Willys coupe with a steel tube frame, ’57 Chrysler 392 Hemi, 700R4, and a Ford 9-inch rear end. I had spent countless hours and dollars painstakingly putting it all together. I had read about LizardSkin in Street Rodder magazine, and decided to give it a try since its thermal-acoustic properties would greatly reduce noise and heat levels within the car. I only needed one gallon to coat the entire interior. In PICTURE ONE you can see how I then covered the floor and inside firewall with bubble-wrap tinfoil insulation.
On April 15th 2005 I had just taken the Willys for its first drive, and was looking forward to a cross-country road trip in it. I parked the car in my garage, closed the door, and headed off to a restaurant for dinner. When I returned home, I was dumbfounded to see scorch marks on the garage door exterior. PICTURE TWO shows what greeted me when I pulled open the door. The fire had already burned itself out, and no one in the neighborhood had noticed a thing nor called the fire department. It had broken out in the steering column I had taken from a junked ’86 Firebird as a temporary measure just for the test drive. I had planned to replace it with a brand-new after-market steering column. Remarkably, not only had the fire been contained within the garage, but it hadn’t escape the inside of the car itself, thanks to LizardSkin. Without its extraordinary insulating properties, the fire would have spread to the interior of the garage where I also stored a ’58 Chrysler and a motorcycle. From there it would have spread to the house.
The suspected source of the fire is shown in PICTURE THREE. The circle on the column between the mounting bracket and the wheel is the bezel from the speedometer now melted onto the column. PICTURE FOUR looks through the driver’s window to where the side-view mirror used to be. The shiny drip in the lower middle of the image is the melted blob of aluminum it became, indicating just how extreme the heat had been. During clean-up I removed the driver’s door (PICTURE FIVE) giving a view of the burnt-out interior. For PICTURE SIX, I flipped over the dashboard to show how badly damaged the instruments were: you can see what remains of the windshield wiper switch in the middle, as well as the melted gauges. You can also see that the tinfoil insulation from the hardware store had mostly burned, although a few remnants can be seen in the upper right of the image. While the tinfoil would have provided thermal insulation it clearly has no fire retardant capabilities. I pushed what was left of the Willys out of my garage (PICTURE SEVEN). You can see the charred remains of the interior, with the rear windows blackened and the windshield completely gone. Yet on the engine side of the firewall all the wires are untouched! Amazingly, they show no signs of heat damage – all are intact and still functional. I had also coated the interior of the roof with LizardSkin which ended up containing the fire inside the car.
As upsetting as the fire proved to be, I have returned to rebuilding the Willys. Thanks to LizardSkin, I have the groundwork from which to begin. Believe me, when I went to the auto parts supplier to replace what was lost, LizardSkin was the first thing I bought. | {
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Jeff Heath's Projects
Everyone's Projects
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11 comments so far
Great job on that one, it took several hours to do! The proportions look great as well.I am planning the same set up except the upper part to be curios instead of bookshelves.That way the wife can put all the nick knack in one place!!! Yea right!!
-- Dennis in Iowa "You can have 30 years experiance or 1 year 30 times!!!!"
This is another beautiful piece. I firmly believe that a home cannot contain too much wood and this certainly helps confirm that philosophy. I just hope that you had plenty of help moving the sections in for installation. :)
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine | {
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1/18 Bunya StreetGreenslopes, Qld 4120
Fully Renovated, Ground Floor Unit in Convenient Greenslopes Locale
Fully renovated for functional low maintenance living, this ground floor unit presents an impressive buying opportunity in highly sought-after Greenslopes. Offering a superbly convenient inner city lifestyle, there is nothing further to do except move in.
Impeccably presented with a functional floor plan, the central living and dining area flows to a modern and well appointed kitchen. It features sleek white cabinetry, timber benchtops, dishwasher as well as quality appliances and ample storage.
Two bedrooms with built-in robes and roller blinds are serviced by a renovated and stylishly appointed brand new bathroom.
Complete with a secure single car space with internal access and a laundry, this unit also benefits from good security. With only five units within the complex, residents will enjoy quiet secure living.
Great for an investment property, the low body corporate fees ($1,000 per year) and ultra convenient locale means potential for quality rental returns. This unit can also be purchased fully or partially furnished.
Ideal for buyers seeking close proximity to the CBD, this fantastic low maintenance property is also nearby to Greenslopes Private Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital. This position offers public transport access and is also a short walk to the local state school and extensive parklands as well as the Stones Corner precinct of trendy bars, restaurants and shopping.
Don’t let this exciting opportunity pass you by – enquire now!...Read more | {
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Terminal De La Plata to Terminal De Hobo Bus Timings & Fare
Travel by Bus from Terminal De La Plata to Terminal De Hobo
The road journey from Terminal De La Plata to Terminal De Hobo is pleasant and relaxing. At redBus, we work with different bus companies that operate on this route with well-maintained buses and experienced drivers. Although the travel time varies from one bus operator to another because of traffic and climatic conditions, our continuous availability of bus services between Terminal De La Plata and Terminal De Hobo reduces uncertainty and offers convenience for travelers.
Why book a Terminal De La Plata a Terminal De Hobo bus with redBus?
You can also time-to-time redBus offers while booking your bus tickets online from Terminal De La Plata to Terminal De Hobo. Follow a simple, fast and secure bus booking procedure. This helps save time and also helps to create a joyful travel experience!
About Terminal De Hobo
Terminal De Hobo is one of the most interesting cities in Colombia, not only because of its tourist attractions but also because of the warmth of its people and its rich cuisine. It is undoubtedly one of the best tourist destinations for any traveler. If it is the first time that you are traveling to this city, the preferable thing to do would be to stay for a minimum of 3 days to help you explore it thoroughly.
About the route to Terminal De Hobo
redBus offers the most convenient way to travel by road to Terminal De Hobo. Terminal De Hobo is a favorite destination spot for travelers and people who want to spend a little vacation time and enjoy special moments and experiences. Travel time usually varies depending on the amount of traffic, weather conditions and road conditions.
FAQs
Q-1). How can I make an online bus ticket booking in Colombia?
A: You can book a bus of your choice to any destination in Colombia by logging on to the official website of redBus which is redbus.co . The site is user-friendly and you can book your bus ticket in a matter of minutes.
Q-2). How do I book a bus from Terminal De La Plata to Terminal De Hobo?
A: You can either visit the terminal and go the booth belonging to the bus operator of your choice, wait in line, select a seat, and book your ticket. If you’d rather not do that, you can visit redbus.co and book your seat within 5 minutes.
Q-3). Do I need to print out my bus ticket before boarding?
A: There are two main scenarios that you might fall into when you have to board a bus. Now, if your boarding point is at any terminal in Colombia, passengers will have to take a print out of the bus ticket that has been sent to the email in a PDF format. The second scenario is when your boarding point is a bus stop and not a terminal. In this case, you will receive an M-ticket that you will have to produce before boarding your bus. If the operator does not provide an M-Ticket, you will have to take a printout of the ticket (PDF) that has been sent to the registered email ID that you have used to book the bus ticket on the redBus website. Some operators might levy a charge if these conditions are not followed.
Q-4). Can I reschedule my journey after I have booked my ticket?
A: Yes, you can. But this feature is limited to only a few bus operators in Colombia. Look for the reschedule icon before booking your ticket.
Q-5). How do I pay for my bus ticket on the redBus website?
A: There are a number of different modes of payment offered to customers. Customers can either pay by credit card, debit card, or they can select any of the banks listed.
About redBus
Info
Global Sites
redBus is the world's largest online bus ticket booking service. It has been trusted by more than 8 million customers globally. redBus offers bus ticket bookings through websites, iOS and android applications for major routes in Latam(Columbia and Peru). | {
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A Microsoft executive confirmed the release of a new Xbox
console, while talking to the media about Microsoft's new
Outlook.com email platform.
Speaking on the The Verge's August 3 podcast, General
Manager Brian Hall said that Hotmail's transition into
Outlook.com came "right in time for the new wave of
products that we have coming out, with Windows 8, with the
new version of Office, with the new Windows Phone and the
new Xbox."
The "accidental" confirmation shows that the next Xbox is
an everyday reality for Microsoft.
The console's codename had previously been outed as
Durango, with Microsoft priming third-party developers
early in 2012, and it's expected to launch late 2013.
However, "clarifying" Hall's own words, Microsoft urged to explainthat the phrase "new Xbox" in fact refers to a "new Xbox update" due for deployment this fall.
"When Brian mentioned a 'new wave of products,' he was referring to the full lineup of products coming later this year from Microsoft, including Windows 8, Office, Windows Phone and of course our fall Xbox update which will bring a host of new consumer experiences like Xbox Music, Videos, Games on Windows 8 and Xbox SmartGlass," Microsoft said in a statement.
The PlayStation 4 console, also currently known by the name
Orbis, is thought to be on track for announcement the same
year; Nintendo's Wii U is due late 2012, PC-powered virtual
reality headset Oculus Rift has December 2012 targeted, and
the Android-powered cube Ouya is scheduled for March 2013. | {
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Easy To Use Patents Search & Patent Lawyer Directory
At Patents you can conduct a Patent Search, File a Patent Application, find a Patent Attorney, or search available technology through our Patent Exchange. Patents are available using simple keyword or date criteria. If you are looking to hire a patent attorney, you've come to the right place. Protect your idea and hire a patent lawyer.
Aseptic container and manipulator for a urethral catheter having an
integral antiseptic solution and lubricant
Abstract
An aseptic container and manipulator for urethral catheters comprising an
elongated tubular container for the catheter, and having at one end a
first enclosure containing a lubricant while at the other end there is a
second enclosure having an antiseptic solution therein, with the wall
between said container and the first enclosure being frangible. By this
arrangement the first enclosure may be opened and the frangile wall
thereof pierced, and the catheter may be inserted into the patient by
manipulating the outer sleeve of the container, without the physician
requiring sterile gloves, forceps or other instruments.
1. Aseptic container and manipulator for urethral catheters providing lubricant and antiseptic, characterized by having at one end an enclosure which is separated from the
main container by a fragile wall element which is disposed transversely to the length of the container; a lubricant contained within said enclosure; a tear strip disposed in a longitudinal side of the container for releasing the lubricant of the
enclosure and opening the container; and including a second enclosure having an antiseptic solution therein, said second enclosure located in one end or the other of the container.
2. Aseptic container and manipulator for urethral catheters providing lubricant and antiseptic, as in claim 1 characterized by said container being sufficiently flexible whereby the catheter may be forced out of the container and through said
enclosure having the lubricant therein so as to progressively lubricate the catheter to facilitate the passage thereof into the urethera without requiring the use of sterile gloves, forceps, or any other instruments.
Description
The subject invention deals with the development of a container made of any suitable material for keeping sterile urethral or ureteral catheters, and at the same time allowing for necessary antiseptic solution,
as well as lubricant, for quick and safe urethal catheterization in both men or women, as well as in children.
A uretheral or urethral catheter is usually presented in a container made of a plastic material which is steriized. However, when it is going to be used, the catheter has to be removed from its sheath or container, and in order to be introduced
aseptically into the urethra and bladder of the patient, the catheter must be handled by the physician with gloved hands or by using special clamps or forceps. In addition, the urethral meatus, as well as the glans penis in men, or the introitus in
women, must be cleaned properly with an antiseptic solution, and finally the tip of the Foley catheter or any other urethral catheter must be lubricated with a lubricant.
All of this entails a procedure which is time-consuming and cumbersome, since the lubricant, the antiseptic solution, the gloves, or any necessary instrument may not be readily available for a quick, safe and aseptic catheterization.
For these reasons, the subject invention provides an aseptic container for urethral and ureteral catheters which need to be introduced in an aseptic manner, allowing a direct manipulation, by holding the urethral catheter within its sleeve or
container and passing it into the urethra without any additional requisite or waste of time.
In the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown the container and within it the urethral catheter as well as the compartments for the lubricant and
the antiseptic solution.
The container 1, which shape and size will adapt itself to any variation to fit properly, any urethral or ureteral catheter, includes in one end an enclosure 2, which is separated by a wall 3 which is fragile. Within the
enclosure the lubricant 4 is provided, so that when the catheter is being used, the catheter will pass through the enclosure 2, and thus will be progressively lubricated.
The container and aseptic manipulator for urethral and other types of catheter, in addition to the aforementioned elements in the preceding paragraph, it can have another enclosure 7, which consists of an hermetically sealed envelope, containing
a small towel or sponge impregnated with antiseptic solution for sterilization of the glans, vaginal introitus and urethral meatus, as shown in FIG. 2.
As it can be observed in the same figure, the container includes along one of its longitudinal sides 5, a tear strip 6 which can be detached easily from the container thereby leaving the end of the container freely opened.
At such time the physician by merely grasping the sleeve-like container 1, without the use of gloves may readily and quickly insert the catheter into the urethral channel, whereby the subject invention simultaneously functions as both a container
as well as a manipulator.
Although the invention has been described with respect to several preferred embodiments thereof, it is readily apparent that variations, modifcations and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. As an example, in lieu of using a tear strip 6, the enclosure 2 may be fully sealed and the fragile wall 3 may be readily broken by squeezing of the enclosure 2 such that lubricant 4 passes through the broken wall 3 and lubricates the tip of
the catheter. Still further, the elongated container 1 including the end closure which contain the lubricant and antiseptic may be made of double wall thickness for greater strength and protection, with the outer sleeve being first removed preparatory
to the aseptic introduction of the catheter as described above. It is noted that in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the enclosure 2 is disposed at one end of the elongated container and manipulator 1 while the antiseptic solution 7 is disposed at the opposite
end thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, both of the enclosures for the lubricant and antiseptic solution are disposed at one end of the container and manipulator. | {
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Confidentiality
Issues of Confidentiality
It is important for young adults to have the opportunity to develop, mature and make independent decisions and even mistakes from time to time. There are many resources on campus students can access to prepare and help them along the way.
We respect each student’s right to privacy and will not release the following personal information: | {
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Trusty Highland Cow Coasters – 10pck
£4.95
Made from 100% recyclable beermat board and printed in red, orange and pink using vegetable based inks, these environmentally friendly highland cow coasters feature the bold and and protective highland cow on one side, and an illustration of winter fir trees on the reverse. Each pack contains 10 mats measuring 94mm x 94mm and comes packaged in a clear plastic box. | {
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NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS IN TORONTO
Many projects are in there final stages of sales and are offering some great deals and incentives. Never before has it been such a good time to buy.
Reason to Work with Ashley
1) We have no interest in any one development. We can compare developments and advise you on which ones are the most potential suited to your needs & requirements.
2) Many Developers are giving incentives, Find Out which ones are best for you.Ashley can also advise and help you negotiate on closing costs, upgrades, deposit schedules, etc. Ashley has sold 100's of new condos, He has pre-sold entire buildings (LONDON ON THE ESPLANADE) and worked with many different developers.
3) We can get you to the font of the line and sometimes pull units on special MARKET holds! Most successful projects are 50% sold before they even reach the public. Just ask my many clients who recently bought at projects like Pier 27 - they also profited between $50,000 and $80,000 on the value of their suite in 1 DAY as prices increased for the public release. Ryan Krugar
4) Ashley knows the best units to buy and the ones to avoid. Floor plans, views, exposures, etc. are critical in achieving price appreciation whether you will be living in the suite yourself or for investment.
5) Finally, when you visit a new condo project, the salesperson on-site works for the developer - who is working for you? Best of all Ashley's expertise costs you nothing as the developer pays the commission. It could save you $5,000 to 10,000's.
NEW CONDO MARKET IS CHANGING IN TORONTO
When the market exploded 10 years ago, the mix of buyers was about 60% end users or consumers and 40% investors. Today it is almost 100% investors! Why?
From the time one buys a new development until it is built and registered is four years on average. Just think of a single male (or female) who buys a one bedroom unit. In four years, they could be married and possibly expecting a child – they then need something bigger and they have to sell before they even move in! So why buy something for the future? Also today's younger generations want everything now – not in 4 years.
Among investors, it is clear that there are two types. The first, let's call then ‘cash on cash' investors want to buy with 20-25% down and rent the units out. It made economic sense for several years. The problem now is that condo prices have continued to rise but rental rates have been stagnant for the past three years. Now it makes little sense to buy and rent out condos in Toronto. We call these types of investors 'North American Style Investors'
There is second group of investors – mainly Asians and Middle East nationalities who pay ‘all cash’. Currently they can get about 3-4% on buying and renting out their condos. Their rationale is that the returns are better than leaving their cash in the bank. So they continue to buy.
Currently we have a lot of new condo developments coming to market this Fall. The problem is that developers have only about 60% of the investors that they had before. My prediction: a lot of new developments will pre-sell only 50-60 % of the units. How do they get to 70-75% to get construction financing?
Do developers make special deals – selling 50 units to a single investor group at a big discount? Or do they pull the plug? We won’t know the answers until 2012!
WANT TO KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME?
FILL IN THE FORM AND YOU WILL RECIEVE THE COMPARABLE PROPERTIES AND VALUE OF YOUR HOME IN TWO DAYS!! | {
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the old-rose smell doesn't bother me nor do I notice it after putting it on. I have an oily T-zone and it has not caused me to break out and seems to moisturize well, so I will continue using it. as for reducing wrinkles, it's so hard to say if it does or not, but my skin does look good and healthy with it.
I used this cream for several weeks and noticed bumps starting to develop on my face. I stopped using it and the condition improved. After a time I used it again and the bumps re-occurred. I threw this cream away and do not recommend it. Started using another brand with no problems.
I like this face cream. I've been using it (in combination with several other MyChelle products) for a couple of weeks. I use this cream in the morning and the MyChelle Revitalizing Night Cream at night. It feels rich and wonderful on my face, and I like the smell. Also, a little goes a long way. I'll definitely keep using it. And I really like that MyChelle products are pure with no noxious chemicals. I'm very careful what I put on my face. | {
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Forward to the Future
When the fifth- and sixth-graders arrived at class to find a
disc jockey spinning hot, new Christian CDs and suggesting that if
they liked Britney Spears, they’d also like Stacie Orrico, they
knew someone had stirred the mix.
When the giant red and yellow hot air balloon loaded with Sunday
school teachers rose up over the kid-covered church lawn, everybody
within five miles knew something was up.
When more than 90 percent of the third- and fourth-graders in
Sunday school aced their final exam on theology, it was clear that
Sunday school had risen to a stratospheric level of expectation and
competence.
• • •
Success! Where does it come from? The best things that’ve happened
in our children’s ministry we first saw in our heads. Ministry
successes are often generated by new ideas. And new ideas are the
time machines we ride into the exciting future that God has in
store for children.
Seeing the future God has for us and traveling there are thrilling
parts of our calling. As children’s ministry leaders, we’re to move
ahead and perceive what our teachers can do before they’ve done it,
see what children can become before they’ve become it, and scout
out the future before others have even imagined it.
FUTURE-PERFECT QUIZ
Our calling is to be visionary. “Open your eyes and look…” Jesus
taught us in John 4:35. Let’s look past this Sunday’s absent
teachers and missing supplies to see the future — ripe with new
ideas that can challenge children.
So let’s check out where you are right now in your church. Answer
yes to the questions in this vision test, and you too are ready to
ride the time machine to success.
• Can you see past next Sunday? Being a visionary means looking
further than the next educational unit or next problem. Children’s
education and activities aren’t disposable — things we get through
and discard. There must be a forward-looking continuity that ties
together our weekly interaction with children. We need a long-range
view, like God’s.
We looked past next Sunday at our church by envisioning a deeper
relational ministry to children. To develop more influential
relationships with kids, we grouped teachers by grade level to plan
field trips with their children. One class recently toured a Navy
ship with their teacher, who was a Navy SEAL. One class met in
their teacher’s cabinet-making shop and crafted decorative shelves.
Another class went mountain biking with their teacher and bonded a
la poison oak! These are ties that’ll be remembered for life.
• Can you spot what might sabotage your next good idea? True
visionaries must have an intuitive eye for how to make new events
and curricula work. They must spy potholes ahead, plan a
step-by-step process, and see through flighty, unrealistic
expectations. Genuine farsightedness helps you ride a visionary
time machine into a pragmatic future.
We recently organized a family event for parents and their
children to create a Christmas craft together. Each family
successfully built a Christmas tree skirt, but only because our
leaders saw ahead of time that this activity would be tough to
complete in one sitting. The solution? Our leaders pre-cut the
material and organized it into kits. Our craft team meticulously
prepared the kits, enabling families to create heirlooms in one
evening that may touch lives for generations. A good concept, a
pothole stepped over, and a workable solution!
• Can you see how to bring others along for the ride? For new
ideas to have a future, they must be communicated. We have to move
the ideas out of our heads and into other people’s minds so they
can own and shape them also. This requires selflessness. Howard
Hendricks has said that “there is no limit to the good we can do in
the church if we don’t care who gets the credit.”
We have a good model of this in our church. We run a communitywide
Fall Festival each year for hundreds of young people and their
parents.
Who came up with the idea?
Who remembers now?
And who cares?
Whoever it was successfully passed the idea on to others, who
passed it on to others. Hundreds of people in our church now own
this event, having added to it and made it better year after
year.
LOOKING AHEAD
So you’ve taken the test. How perfect is your future? Just
thinking about the importance of seeing ahead sharpens you and
reminds you to use your spiritual sight.
But this brings us to a much-needed question: What are you going
to do next in your church?
Not sure where to start? First pray. Then consider traveling to a
better future through these areas of rich potential.
• Fresh curricula-Discover new curricula. We children’s
ministry leaders — not just the publishers — are
responsible for discerning what our children need to learn. While
still continuing to use and benefit from our published materials,
we should also ask: What’s missing from our children’s education?
Where could we find additional curriculum? Could we create
it?
We noticed that most of our Christian- educated children couldn’t
give sufficient answers to some of the most basic questions of
Christianity, such as Who is God? Why did God make us? So we wrote
a Christian catechism for them and called it The Cat. It’s original
and effective in filling the gap we identified.
• New momentum events-Organize big children’s events,
concerts, camps, field trips, musical productions, family
gatherings, or holiday events. These build steam and a shared
history.
We managed to host performers such as Mary Rice Hopkins, Nana
Puddin’, and Dean-O at our church before they became nationally
known figures. You also can latch onto the talent around you.
New events equal new momentum. At one point in our ministry we
created a Disney-like character named the Grouchy Lion that showed
up at all our children’s events.
• High-tech ministry-The church now exists in a digital,
video, wireless, and Internet information era. These technologies
are creating a new future, so the church can’t ignore technology.
We can minister the truth of God to our children through computers,
Web sites, and video projection machines.
At our church, we just bought a digital camera so we can post
pictures of children’s ministry events on our Web site immediately
after the event. Kids love seeing themselves on the Web.
• More eyes-Your two eyes aren’t enough to dream the
whole future. Every children’s ministry needs several visionary
leaders hanging around. You need people who are often asking
excitedly, “What if we try this?” Find these people, and you’ll
thrive. Which teams of creative people can you get together to
playfully imagine and plan in areas that need attention?
Our preschool program didn’t take off when the same person oversaw
it and our grade school. So we hired a preschool expert who was a
visionary preschool mom with great organizational skills. Then our
preschool program rocketed to success. More eyes!
The bottom line is this: New vision can help us risk and succeed
in new areas. Think it up in your head today, and watch it become
an exciting spiritual reality for your children tomorrow.
Children’s ministers, hop in your time machines. Power up a new
idea. Forward to the future!
ABOUT
Children's Ministry Magazine is the MOST read magazine for children's ministry. It's packed with practical, authentic ministry ideas to help you become even better at what you do best—lead kids to Jesus. You'll get sound advice and encouragement from today's children's ministry experts, plus hundreds of ideas that'll have kids begging to come back! Available in print and in digital! | {
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Super Cities №19 — Saudi Arabia, Where Markets Meet Geopolitics
One Big Thing
SoftBank Group Corp. plans to invest as much as $25 billion in Saudi Arabia over the next three to four years as the Japanese company run by Masayoshi Son deepens investment ties with the kingdom, according to people familiar with the matter.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is the middle of a geopolitical crisis.
Earlier this month, after spending considerable time with Jared Kushner-Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman’s favorite son, arrested en-masse leading intellectuals, princes, and business people. Robin Wright of the New Yorker called it a “purge” supported by the United States. Others have called it a coup.
As Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushes his political and economic vision, some markets will open up (e.g., renewables) and other markets will consolidate. But no one knows how it will end. | {
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Wednesday, June 09, 2010
MFB are really and truly proud to be part of Jackson Pearce's UK blog tour. I've read Sister's Red and in fact, I had to put it aside for a day or two because I started having vivid dreams about the two main characters. I kid you not! It's very immersive reading and a book I highly recommend readers of both YA and adult urban fantasy to get stuck into, especially if you like and enjoy intelligent and creative reworkings of fairy tales. Review to follow tomorrow!
I’ve always wanted to write, but didn’t start trying to get published until I was a junior in college. My first book, THE KEYBEARER, got rejected everywhere—and I mean everywhere. I started writing my second book, AS YOU WISH, as a form of therapy to get over how sad I was about KEYBEARER flopping. As it turns out, AS YOU WISH would become my very first published book! Of course, within that roadtrip was also a lot of side trips, a lot of sadness and happiness, and a whole lot of anxiety. It’s never an easy road, no matter who you are, but it’s worth it.
2. You are clearly a big fan of fairy tales and their retellings. Which is your favourite fairy tale and why?
My favorite fairytale, at the moment, is The Snow Queen. It’s Hans Christian Anderson’s (arguably) second most famous fairytale, after The Little Mermaid. The story is about a girl on a quest to find her best friend, who was stolen by The Snow Queen. The main character is fun on her own, but it’s the secondary characters that make this story my favorite—in particular, the Little Robber Girl, a gypsy child with a good heart but a sharp knife.
3. There are so many layers to the two sisters, Scarlett and Rosie. Did you find it hard to make sure each girl remained so strongly individual?
Scarlett and Rosie are so different, it really wasn’t too tricky to write each of them as individuals. Sometimes if I’d been writing in one’s perspective for a long time, it was difficult to quickly switch over to the other, but even that got easier with time.
4. Like the two girls, Silas has a pretty tough time with his family. What drew you to Silas’ character as a writer? Similarly, did you find it hard, distinguishing him from your two very strong heroines and from other boys in the YA genre at the moment?
I loved Silas from the start—he’s good at hunting, he might even be brilliant at hunting, but it’s just not what he loves, and he’s very okay with that (even if Scarlett isn’t!). He’s confident, he knows what he wants, and he isn’t afraid to get it—but at the same time, he loves both the March sisters like family.
I wanted to make sure that Silas was a real character, a real person, not just an attractive male mannequin stuck into the text. His relationships with the March sisters is based on how his particular personality meshes with theirs, which means his relationship with Rosie is very different from his relationship with Scarlett.
5. I love that you call the weres Fenris. Did you have to do a lot of research on purpose or was this part and parcel of things you’ve always read and wanted to write?
I did a lot of research on werewolf mythology, and was most drawn to the mythical Norse Fenrir—giant, killer wolves. I also researched a lot of other traditional werewolf fairytales. I combined everything together to create the Fenris.
6. What are you reading for fun for yourself at the moment?
I just finished BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, and am still reading THE REPLACEMENT, both of which are amazing.
7. I love how media savvy you are, with your site and your videos. And I admire them greatly, as do so many others. Did you find that you really had to work on putting yourself out there, walking away from your writing cave? Or have you always been a crazymad singing writer?
I’ve always loved blogging—I actually started my livejournal as a freshmen in college, years before I was trying to get published. Vlogging is more recent, but I really enjoy it too! I love putting myself out there because it creates a real dialogue and relationship with readers. I think I’d feel very lonely as a writer if I didn’t have blogging.
8. What is the utmost best advice anyone has ever given you about writing? And the worse?
Best advice: “A writer writes.” A writer doesn’t just talk about writing, or just dream about writing, she sits down and actually WRITES.
The worst advice? “Write what you know.” Because I totally don’t know any werewolves.
9. And finally, please choose wisely: PIRATES or NINJAS
I’ve never understood why there has to be war between the two. Wouldn’t pirate ninjas be the real scourge of the seven seas? Can you imagine? Make peace, pirates and ninjas. It’s only through your combined forces that we can take out the zombies.
**
Fantastic! Thanks so much to Jackson and her publicity team at Hachette Children's Books for popping by MFB to chat about Sisters Red and to prove to us we're not the only ones worried about those zombies! | {
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[General knowledge flashcards] Popular Food in KL, Malaysia
Made a set of flash cards that my kids love. Malaysia is a place with a huge variety of interesting food, so these cards are very useful.
Teaching objectives:
Increase general knowledge on the food choices available at our city of residence: Our diet is mainly vegetarian at home and healthier choices outdoors, so we haven’t tried many of the food. Yet, it’s important to understand what our peers from different cultures enjoy eating so that we can connect with them socially.
Learn about the healthier food choices: By understanding how each popular dish is prepared, I teach the kids which are the healthier choices should they need to buy their food outside. (Vee’s starting Primary One next year and would be buying food at the canteen.)
For instance, Pan Mee would be a healthier choice over Maggie Goreng.
Learn to read menus: Besides pictures, the older kids learn to read the names of the dishes, so that they can order their own food outdoors. An important life skill.
Enhance essay-writing skills: older children may use the phrases behind the cards to describe the full flavour of food in their essays.
When Daniel from PathFinderCity.com approached me to share his article, I immediately thought of transforming his post into this set of flash cards. (That’s what a flashcard-crazy mummy does often!) The photos are either his or properly credited, and he has given me permission to share the information for educating our kids.
I have also edited the information and added a bit more where appropriate.
Here’s a sample of the front of the flash card:
Here’s a sample of the back of the flash card:
Lesson ideas:
To younger children: flash the pictures in front and say the names
To older children: flash the pictures and names behind
Play flash card games: find the correct dish
Choose a few cards for discussion
Describe how it’s prepared and whether it’s a healthier choice
Discuss ways to make the dish healthier. For instance, request for less added sugar and salt.
Discuss ways to prepare a healthy version of the dish at home
Sort cards into piles of “healthy”, “moderately healthy” and “unhealthy”. Observe the proportion of healthier versus less healthy choices.
Let a native speaker describe dishes from her culture in her language (We invited our Malay home tutor to do this.)
Real-life application:
Let the child read the menu and order a dish outdoors
Try the dish and experience the full flavour. Encourage her to describe the look, texture, smell and taste.
Memory practice: memorise and recite description of favourite dishes.
So there are many ways to use a set of flash cards. It is simply a pictorial and word manipulative tool that acts as a springboard to other concrete ways of learning. | {
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Islamic Hijab in France - A law banning Islamic headscarves and religious symbols from French state schools came into effect on Thursday, the first...
Islamic Hijab in France - A law banning Islamic headscarves and religious symbols from French state schools came into effect on Thursday, the first day of term.
The ban triggered massive demonstrations in France and protests in several cities around the world earlier this year. Critics condemned the law as an attack on religious freedom and said it would stigmatize the estimated 5 million Muslims in France. Some Muslim groups pledged further protests, calling the restriction anti-Islamic
Marwa Sherbini is being hailed as the shahida, or martyr, of the Hijab
The body of a Muslim woman, killed in a German courtroom by a man convicted...
Marwa Sherbini is being hailed as the shahida, or martyr, of the Hijab
The body of a Muslim woman, killed in a German courtroom by a man convicted of insulting her religion, has been taken back to her native Egypt for burial.
Dr. Marwa Sherbini was three-months pregnant when she was murdered in court by her molester. Her murder has sparked off angry protests around the Muslim world.
Dr. Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.
Husband Elwi Okaz is also in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.
Ms Sherbini had sued her killer after he called her a "terrorist" because of her headscarf.
The case has attracted much attention in Egypt and the Muslim world.
German prosecutors have said the 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims.
'Martyr'
Medics were unable to save Ms Sherbini who was three months pregnant with her second child. Her three-year-old son was with the family in court when she was killed.
Egypt funeral for stabbing victim
Egyptian woman killed in a knife attack in a Dresden courtroom is laid
Axel W and Ms Sherbini and family were in court for his appeal against a fine of 750 euros ($1,050) for insulting her in 2008, apparently because she was wearing the Muslim headscarf or Hijab.
Newspapers in Egypt have expressed outrage at the case, asking how it was allowed to happen and dubbing Ms Sherbini "the martyr of the Hijab".
Senior Egyptian officials and German diplomatic staff attended the funeral in Alexandria along with hundreds of mourners.
Media reports say Mr Okaz was injured both by the attacker and when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom.
http://intermultira cialissues. suite101. com/article. cfm/killing_ of_pregnant_ muslim_woman_ in_german_ court#ixzz0KVKCI aS3&D
"People are looking for victims and Muslims are sometimes seen as a viable option"
Sulaiman Wilms,
European Muslim Union
For eight long minutes, the 28-year old German man of Russian origins continued to stab Marwa Sherbini. For eight long minutes, she suffered the stabs in full view of the panel of judges inside the Dresden courtroom. When the German police finally arrived on the scene, they shot her husband who was desperately trying to save her. The image of middle-easterners as potential terrorists, an image propagated by the media for years now, led them to the wrong conclusion that Elwy Okaz, genetic researcher at Max Planck Institute, must have been the perpetrator of the violence.
Marwa Sherbini’s Four-Year Old Son Watched his Mother Being Butchered
Four-year old Mustapha was witness to the massacre of his mother and the injury of his father. After the incident, he was left in the custody of German Authorities until his aunt arrived to take him home back to Egypt, suffering from severe shock. He will need rehabilitation to be able to cope with the trauma he experienced. In all probability, the tragedy will leave a permanent psychological scar on his whole life.
Marwa’s Body Arrived in Egypt
Marwa Sherbini probably never imagined that this was how she would return home after her years with her husband in Germany. Hosts of grieving mourners stood at 8pm on 5th July, 2009, as the body of the Egyptian pharmacist arrived at Cairo Airport. The dominant feeling was one of deep anger. Her funeral in her native city of Alexandria the following afternoon was marked by masses of people who probably never knew her. Among the mourners were young students from her old school, the EGC, who came to pay their last respects to her
Media Silence Regarding the Murder of the Muslim Woman in the Courtroom
The official stand of the German authorities has been one of muted regret. European media in general, and German media in particular, gave the brutal attack no prominence at all, regarding it as an isolated incident and presenting the attacker as a man who is mentally disturbed. The question that immediately comes to mind is where Marwa Sherbini went wrong. She sought justice and had no doubt in her mind that she would get it. The cruel irony was that she was murdered in the very place that should have protected her and afforded her the highest degree of safety and justice. She trusted the propaganda that Europe was a place of freedom and equality for all, regardless of gender, race or religious persuasion. She did not realize that in Europe some human beings are more equal than others. She had paid for her misconception with her very life.
http://intermultira cialissues. suite101. com/article. cfm/killing_ of_pregnant_ muslim_woman_ in_german_ court#ixzz0KVKpL CPz&D
For eight long minutes, the 28-year old German man of Russian origins continued to stab Marwa Sherbini. For eight long minutes, she suffered the stabs in full view of the panel of judges inside the Dresden courtroom. When the German police finally arrived on the scene, they shot her husband who was desperately trying to save her. The image of middle-easterners as potential terrorists, an image propagated by the media for years now, led them to the wrong conclusion that Elwy Okaz, genetic researcher at Max Planck Institute, must have been the perpetrator of the violence.
Marwa Sherbini’s Four-Year Old Son Watched his Mother Being Butchered
Four-year old Mustapha was witness to the massacre of his mother and the injury of his father. After the incident, he was left in the custody of German Authorities until his aunt arrived to take him home back to Egypt, suffering from severe shock. He will need rehabilitation to be able to cope with the trauma he experienced. In all probability, the tragedy will leave a permanent psychological scar on his whole life.
Marwa’s Body Arrived in Egypt
Marwa Sherbini probably never imagined that this was how she would return home after her years with her husband in Germany. Hosts of grieving mourners stood at 8pm on 5th July, 2009, as the body of the Egyptian pharmacist arrived at Cairo Airport. The dominant feeling was one of deep anger. Her funeral in her native city of Alexandria the following afternoon was marked by masses of people who probably never knew her. Among the mourners were young students from her old school, the EGC, who came to pay their last respects to her
Media Silence Regarding the Murder of the Muslim Woman in the Courtroom
The official stand of the German authorities has been one of muted regret. European media in general, and German media in particular, gave the brutal attack no prominence at all, regarding it as an isolated incident and presenting the attacker as a man who is mentally disturbed. The question that immediately comes to mind is where Marwa Sherbini went wrong. She sought justice and had no doubt in her mind that she would get it. The cruel irony was that she was murdered in the very place that should have protected her and afforded her the highest degree of safety and justice. She trusted the propaganda that Europe was a place of freedom and equality for all, regardless of gender, race or religious persuasion. She did not realize that in Europe some human beings are more equal than others. She had paid for her misconception with her very life.
http://intermultira cialissues. suite101. com/article. cfm/killing_ of_pregnant_ muslim_woman_ in_german_ court#ixzz0KVKpL CPz&D
Egypt cleric seeks stiff penalty for Sherbini killer
Tantawi says man who killed 'veil martyr' in Germany should receive maximum punishment.
ALEXANDRIA - A man who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in Germany should be punished to the utmost extent of the law, Egypt's top cleric said on Monday as the woman was buried in her hometown.
"The man who killed Marwa Sherbini, the Egyptian citizen in Germany, and wounded her husband Elwi Ali Okaz should receive the maximum punishment," Grand Imam Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi told the official MENA agency.
"The killer is a terrorist who should receive severe punishment for what he has done, something that contradicts all the values of humanity, decency and religion," he said.
Sherbini, 32, was killed in a court in the northern German city of Dresden on Wednesday shortly before she was to give evidence in an appeal lodged by her attacker.
The 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W. had been convicted and fined after calling her a "terrorist" for wearing the Islamic headscarf.
According to the Egyptian press, Sherbini was three months pregnant when she was killed. She was laid to rest in her hometown of Alexandria in northern Egypt on Monday.
Her husband, a researcher in genetic engineering who was reportedly shot by German police while trying to save his wife, is still in critical condition in hospital having also been stabbed by the assailant.
Tantawi told MENA he hoped the killing of Sherbini, whom he described as a "martyr," would not negatively affect the dialogue between the West and Islam because it was "an isolated event."
Sister Zainab (aka Kirsteen James) visited us here at Islamic Pulse and one of our presenters, Brother Shahzad asked her some interesting...
Sister Zainab (aka Kirsteen James) visited us here at Islamic Pulse and one of our presenters, Brother Shahzad asked her some interesting questions. It is fantastic to see – by the grace of Allah – that Islamic Pulse is managing to have such a profound impact on people out there. Sister Zainab gives us an interview on her journey so far and how she came to not only the path of Islam and the Ahlulbayt but also the path of the Islamic Revolution.
TheMuslimTV.net is founded to provide a source of education to facilitate understanding between contemporary Islamic thought and the world
by monitoring, procuring, translating, studying, sharing and preserving all relevant media, cultural material, literature, speeches, discussions, debates, & talks.
We aim to promote education and understanding while building a historic archive relating to contemporary Islamic thought. TheMuslimTV.net does not claim ownership
to any of the contents and may not necessarily agree with points of views expressed in any of the media. | {
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Monday, May 03, 2010
An Important Auction
Over on LiveJournal, there is currently an auction running to raise money for Deb Mensinger, the wife of my friend and fellow-fantasy-author Laurie J. Marks. Deb needs a liver transplant, and although she has health insurance, it doesn't cover all of the costs of the procedure. Thus folks in the writing, art, and LJ communities are rallying around to raise some urgently needed cash.
I've donated the painting above ("Mr. Fox," an English trickster figure), and other folks have donated items as well. Ellen Kushner, for example, has donated a copy of the beautiful book pictured below, a limited-edition, small press volume with illustrations by Thomas Canty. New auction items are being added daily. The auction runs until May 23.
Here are the ways you can help:
1. By bidding on something. (All donations are being run through a women's health charity, and are tax deductible.)
2. By donating something (a piece of art or craftwork, a signed book, etc.) to the auction. Anyone can donate; you don't have to know Deb & Laurie personally in order to help out.
3. By spreading word of the auction through your own blog or Facebook page.
4. By buying Laurie's books. You'll be glad you did. The writing in her "Elemental Logic" series bears comparison to Le Guin's "Earthsea" series, and that's high praise from me indeed. (To sample Laurie's work, you can read her selchie story "How the Ocean Loved Margie" online in The Journal of Mythic Artsarchive.)
Please note: You do need
to have a LiveJournal account to bid or donate something. It's easy to register on LJ, and it's entirely free. If, however, you don't want to register on LJ but you'd still like to bid or donate to auction, you can do so by writing
to Jude, the auction organizer: dziwozony [at] gmail.com
God, how I hate the U.S. health care system. I'm very grateful to live in England, where an auction like this would be entirely unnecessary. (Friends over here find the need for it absolutely barbaric.) I'm also grateful to the writing-and-reading community for helping Deb to get the life-saving care she needs.
Comments
An Important Auction
Over on LiveJournal, there is currently an auction running to raise money for Deb Mensinger, the wife of my friend and fellow-fantasy-author Laurie J. Marks. Deb needs a liver transplant, and although she has health insurance, it doesn't cover all of the costs of the procedure. Thus folks in the writing, art, and LJ communities are rallying around to raise some urgently needed cash.
I've donated the painting above ("Mr. Fox," an English trickster figure), and other folks have donated items as well. Ellen Kushner, for example, has donated a copy of the beautiful book pictured below, a limited-edition, small press volume with illustrations by Thomas Canty. New auction items are being added daily. The auction runs until May 23.
Here are the ways you can help:
1. By bidding on something. (All donations are being run through a women's health charity, and are tax deductible.)
2. By donating something (a piece of art or craftwork, a signed book, etc.) to the auction. Anyone can donate; you don't have to know Deb & Laurie personally in order to help out.
3. By spreading word of the auction through your own blog or Facebook page.
4. By buying Laurie's books. You'll be glad you did. The writing in her "Elemental Logic" series bears comparison to Le Guin's "Earthsea" series, and that's high praise from me indeed. (To sample Laurie's work, you can read her selchie story "How the Ocean Loved Margie" online in The Journal of Mythic Artsarchive.)
Please note: You do need
to have a LiveJournal account to bid or donate something. It's easy to register on LJ, and it's entirely free. If, however, you don't want to register on LJ but you'd still like to bid or donate to auction, you can do so by writing
to Jude, the auction organizer: dziwozony [at] gmail.com
God, how I hate the U.S. health care system. I'm very grateful to live in England, where an auction like this would be entirely unnecessary. (Friends over here find the need for it absolutely barbaric.) I'm also grateful to the writing-and-reading community for helping Deb to get the life-saving care she needs.
Myth & Moor
by Terri Windling
I'm a writer, artist, and book editor interested in myth, folklore, fairy tales, and the ways they are used in contemporary arts. I workin the New York publishing industry but I live in aDevon village at the edgeof Dartmoor with my English husband, dramatist & puppeteer Howard Gayton, our daughter, Victoria Windling-Gayton, and a joyful hound named Tilly (a Springer Spaniel/Labrador cross).
The 37th International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts: I'm delighted to be Guest of Honor in 2016 along with writer Holly Black and fairy tale scholar Cristina Bacchilega. ICFA is held annually in Orlando, Florida in March. Further information on the 37th conference will be posted soon.
Other events in 2016 are still being confirmed, so please check back.
Take a stroll through our village (and its environs) by visiting my neighbors' blogs & sites:
"As a poet I hold the most archaic values on earth...the fertility of the soil, the magic of animals, the power-vision in solitude, the terrifying initiation and rebirth, the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe. I try to hold both history and the wilderness in mind, that my poems may approach the true measure of things and stand against the unbalance and ignorance of our times." - Gary Snyder
"People talk about medium. What is your medium? My medium as a writer has been dirt, clay, sand - what I could touch, hold, stand on, and stand for - Earth. My medium has been Earth. Earth in correspondence with my mind.” - Terry Tempest Williams
"This earth that we live on is full of stories in the same way that, for a fish, the ocean is full of ocean. Some people say when we are born we’re born into stories. I say we’re also born from stories." - Ben Okri
"Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion." - Barry Lopez
Bookshelf
The Wood Wife:A mythic novel set in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. This link goes to the US edition; a UK edition is available here; and the new French edition is here. (For those who might be interested, I did a Q-&-A session on the book over on the Good Reads site.) Winner of the Mythopoeic Award.
Welcome to Bordertown:The latest volume in a classic Urban Fantasy series for YA readers. (An Audie Award nominee, for the audio book edition.) For information on the previous books, visit the Bordertown website.)
All told, I've published over forty books for children, teenagers and adults. More information on my writing, editing, and art can be found on my website.
--------------
Please note that these books are linked to Amazon because it's the only book linking system that Typepad (this blogging service) has,but I urge you to please support your local bookstore if you plan to purchase any of the books mentioned on this blog.
Links to:
The Endicott StudioThe nonprofit organization for Mythic Arts that I ran for 22 years (starting in 1986), co-directed with author & folklorist Midori Snyder. The organization is currently on hiatus (while we catch our breaths and make a living), but a great deal of material from our Journal of Mythic Arts archive remains online.
Interstitial ArtsEllen Kushner, Delia Sherman, & other good folk look at writing and art in the interstices between genres. I was one of the founding board members, and remain an enthusiastic supporter. | {
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Big Ass Disappointments: Fresh Crop of Horror Films Fail to Horrify
'Haunter' and 'Big Ass Spider' are as forgettable as last year’s Halloween
Just in time for Halloween, two new horror staples have arrived with the candy corn. Haunter is the latest in a long line of haunted house epics, and Big Ass Spider is proof that, along with witches, vampires and the undead tripping over your backyard clothesline, you can most definitely have too many monster flicks. Neither film is worth writing home about to warn the babysitter.
Abigail Breslin, 15, can’t be Little Miss Sunshine forever. In Haunter, she’s filling out a dull, confusing movie for which nobody bothered to provide a script. In a house shrouded in fog, the car is always broken, there is no way out, and every day 15-year-old Lisa (played by Ms. Breslin) finds herself stuck in a replay of the same domestic routine—pancakes for breakfast, mac and cheese for lunch and meatloaf for supper. At night, it’s always another rerun of Murder, She Wrote. Sometimes Lisa plays the clarinet. Sometimes she talks to a Ouija board that never tells her where she is or how to escape. Beneath the floor, there’s a cave that leads to the corpses of children. Voices rise from the anguished souls trapped behind bars. Yes, you’ve seen it all before. In the tradition of B movies about new tenants living in homes in which brutal crimes have been committed (Daniel Craig in Dream House,Elizabeth Olsen in Silent House),with every paranormal gimmick thrown in from Poltergeist to The Amityville Horror, this awful rehash, badly directed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice), reeks of stale, recycled ideas. There is one important difference: Lisa and her family may be dead themselves. And there is one cadaverous fiend with the key to survival, played by Stephen McHattie, who also holds the key to staying awake.
Big Ass Spider evokes memories of such 1950s drive-in double features as Mothra, Godzilla and Attack of the Crab Monsters. We now get a giant tarantula from outer space that emerges from a body bag in the morgue of a military hospital in which those mad government scientists have been up to their old mischief again, cross-breeding DNA from two different planets to produce superior growth hormones. “The promise is infinite!” cries one of the eggheads with a movie microscope. “Giant tomatoes to feed the whole world!” Accidentally, one of the genes contains a spider from Mars, and now the humongous arachnid that escapes from the lab is 50 feet tall and hell-bent on destroying the city of Los Angeles—an understandable and appropriate goal for any tarantula with delusions of grandeur, if you ask me.
This crawling terrorist is laying eggs on top of the Epic Bank Building and ready to multiply. So it’s up to a team of scientific researchers, soldiers and one brave exterminator with a can of bug spray to kill the thing before it eats Beverly Hills for brunch. Machine guns, helicopters and explosives are powerless to fight it. Neither of the leading characters, the pest-control specialist and his Mexican sidekick who talks like Mel Blanc in the old Warner Bros. cartoons—nor the helicopters served as hors d’ouevres to the hungry insects—produce enough action or humor to keep you on the edge of your seat. But I did enjoy one exchange in which the clumsy, overweight hero pulls out his bug spray: “Is that like Raid?” someone asks. “Raid is for housewives. This is a very potent brew—my own concoction of sticky acid,” he says. “A few drops on a termite hive, and it’s history, and it’s eco-friendly!”
For Halloween, you’re advised to stick to TV reruns of Them! with James Whitmore and the radiation-fueled killer ants. Big Ass Spider, lazily directed by Mike Mendez and unwisely written without a trace of necessary camp by Gregory Gieras, aims for satire and settles for stale shtick. It ends with the song “La Cucaracha,” leaving the door open for more insects to come. Cockroaches, anyone? | {
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Thanks for the comment Joe. How you see it is exactly how it came from Ibanez. The guitar was never played. At least not when I had it. I don’t play $20,000 guitars, I look at them and admire them and share my knowledge. Lol. My personal guitar isn’t less than 60-some-made like the Chrome Boy and it’s only worth about $1,500. I’m not scared to wale-on or abuse that axe.
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Social Recruiting: Is Facebook Your Best Tool To Recruit Employees?
The job market is becoming increasingly competitive. With unemployment rates the lowest they’ve been in decades, recruiting top quality candidates has become increasingly difficult for businesses in nearly all industries. Because of this challenge, along with the pervasiveness of social media in today’s society, businesses have found a new outlet to connect with potential new employees on Facebook.
Facebook, with 2.41 billion users, offers vast potential as a channel to tap into candidates actively seeking employment as well as the harder-to-reach talent that isn’t looking but might consider making a move for the right reason. If your business is growing and looking for a recruiting edge, Facebook just might be the place where you’ll find your next A-player. Here’s what you need to take your recruiting on to social media.
How To Recruit Your A-Team On Facebook:
Show your personality. Top employees are looking for companies with above-average cultures. In some cases, top talent is looking at the company culture even above traditional aspects like salary. By showcasing your company’s strong culture on social media, you might attract the attention of potential employees who are worried about more than just earning a paycheck. To demo your company culture, you can post events, perks, promotions and team member spotlights to help the outsider get a glimpse of what it’s like to work for you.
Keep the information flowing. Keeping a regular schedule of posts related to your business activity can help potential candidates understand the business. It’s this kind of consistent information that helps businesses capture the attention of social media users that might be interested in making a move, for the right brand.
Empower your top team members. Your strongest brand advocates might be already working for you. Empower key members of your team to share the word about how amazing your business is doing as well as what it’s like to be a top team member. This type of organic content not only helps promote the benefits of working for your business from the mouth of an employee but also allows you to tap into a wider audience.
Target your future employees. Facebook allows you to target personas that match your target candidate. Facebook’s demographic targeting is extremely granular, making it easy for businesses to drill down on users with very specific skills and demographic data. Once you’ve created your own audience, you can create a lookalike group to potentially top candidates.
Don’t skimp on the messaging and images. Many companies that are seeking to amp up their recruiting efforts through the use of Facebook make a common mistake. They are in such a fervor to get posting on social media, they neglect the importance of quality. Your social media content (including images) should be of engaging, interesting and error-free. Remember, the old adage – you only get one chance at a first impression.
Stay on top of your messages. Once you begin your Facebook recruiting efforts, it’s critical that you watch for messages from potential applicants. They might comment on your post or send you a direct message, but either way, they expect a timely, professional reply. Don’t miss out on a top candidate because your Facebook communication is delayed, unprofessional or inaccurate.
Tap into all Facebook recruiting has to offer. By connecting with potential new employees on Facebook, you’ll gain access into their personal lifestyle that you would not automatically have otherwise. You can check out who they are by pursuing their accounts and assessing their communication style via social media. In addition, you can use tools like video to get to know the candidate quicker and in a deeper way.
With the unemployment rates at all-time lows, finding new ways to recruit as your business grows in an imperative. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram are all places to consider as you ramp up your employee recruiting efforts. It is important to consider your target audience as you find the social media platform that suits your needs most accurately.
For example, millennials, the largest growing segment of the workforce, has been shown to prefer Instagram as a social media platform as compared to Facebook. Facebook, however, with its 2.41 billion user base, is hard to ignore when you are trying to attract new talent with the use of social media. Your social media recruiting success lies in following these best practices.
Support On Social Recruiting
As a Spring-Green franchise owner, you’ll have a solid brand to tap into from day one. Recruiting new employees will be easier than ever with the support you receive from our Marketing and Technology teams.
Our Digital Marketing engages your customers and best prospects, and handles your social media presence so you can focus on operations and providing superior customer service. Call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com if you would like to learn how Spring-Green can help grow your business.
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This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. | {
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Author
Topic: DTS and the C-Bar - Pictures Added! (Read 2665 times)
I told Alan to look on my table saw and look at the funny collection of parts and cut aluminum piece and tell me what he thought when he went over to my house to pick up a tool I forgot..
He knew what it was, and now it's all done up and installed on my car. Alpha testing starts NOW!
I stayed up late last night and finished it up. I was totally soaked with bug repellant and dust from the bottom side of my car, but it's done and on. I took my car out for a test drive and it felt really, really good. "SOLID" is one word. In a phrase: "Sure shifting and solid." No clunking around or bobbing up and down of the tranny played out in a shift leave that rocks around in the shift boot. No more. And I even got a tire scratch out of a hard shift from 2nd to 3rd. I have never gotten that before.
So what is it that seems to have me all happy like a school girl?
My first ever attempt at a C-Bar with DTS system. I jhave some work to do, but if this works out like I'm thinking it will, I'll be able to offer up a new incarnation of the the C-Bar with an added feature that people have been asking me about for some time.
I've got no pictures to tease you with because I didn't have all the cool zinc plated nuts and finishing touches on it yet. This is a very early prototype and needs a little refinement, but in this basic form, it works and well.
I'm sorry Dave, there is no way this can work for the tips. The 5 spd tranny has this set of holes and bosses on the bottom of the tranny that are just waiting for the parts of the DTS. There is nothing like it on the bottom of the Tip except that huge oil pan! 8O
Alright, I did some more finishing work to this new bar today. I basically built a prototype first. From that I then built a better working unit that will now serve as the master from which all the others will be modeled. I also tested out my manufacturing techniques to makes sure that a unit I build and ship to someone is that same as the one I put on my car.
Basically, it works and well!
Here are some pictures of the finished product. I need to get some better nuts to attach the mounts to the plates, but this is it.
It's slick as snot and bolts right up under the tranny way easy. I've had people asking me about this for some time now, but I just didn't want to do it. That, or I didn't know how to do it, untill now! I just needed that spark! :onfire: :onfire:
Just a question though, what about a head on collision? From the looks of it, the middle now has more strength. Or is the two-post assembly collapsible.
Dave, this bar is the last thing that will go through your mind in a massive front end collision. From some "tests" that a few people have done with these bars, the actual steel mounting points of the sub frame seems to tear appart first. Also, take notice of the two 1/4" - 20 allen head bolts that hold the lower plate to the C-Bar. In a massive front ender those are going to fail right out of the gate. Remember the forces involved in a front end collision. The bar and mounts are not going to hinder the release of the engine from it's mountings. | {
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February 14, 2008
Week 54 - 04/02/08
The weather has just been amazing and only serves to underline what we're missing here. So can't wait to move in and get to know who we'll be sharing our garden with on a day to day (and nightly!) basis!
All this sun inspired me to take lots of outside pics, as everything looks so wonderfully enhanced in the sunlight!
And we were praying that the weather would hold for the installation of the flue and chimney, an intricate procedure that would definitely have been hindered by wind and rain! Luckily we weren't disappointed and hey ho we now have our wood burning stove installed!
Just to round off the week, we managed to put up half a dozen nesting boxes, as there is most definitely a 'Spring is in the air' feeling around here!!! | {
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== Searches related to internet explorer 6 full version: ==02/18/2015 12:41:10Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) is the sixth major revision of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems. It was ...Internet Explorer usualmente abreviado a IE , es un navegador web desarrollado por Microsoft para el sistema operativo Microsoft Windows desde 1995 . Es el navegador ...Windows Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is a web browser for Windows. It was released by Microsoft in October 2006. Internet Explorer 7 is part of a long line of versions ...Internet Explorer 6 has been updated as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 is now available. For …Internet Explorer 11 is the latest version of Microsoft's default browser11/30/2012 · Discusses a software update that changes how Internet Explorer handles some Web pages that use ActiveX controls.Free Download IDM 6.08 Full Version crack patch serial keys. Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a tool that increases download speed.Internet Explorer 8 is Microsoft's incredibly popular web browser. Almost everyone has used some version of it, and you can be sure all websites will support it.Perfect for touch Internet Explorer is the browser built for touch, now with larger tabs, simpler controls, and fluid response to gestures.Internet Explorer 6 SP1, the latest version of Internet Explorer for users not running Windows XP, provides a flexible and reliable browsing experience with enhanced ...internet explorer 6 full version | {
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Re: excessive src / alignement Errors
Excessive CRC errors usually indicate that this end is set to full duplex while the other is set to half (or auto which will setup at half if the other side is not at auto). The other end of the circuit will see an ungodly number of collisions. Every time the full duplex end sends something while the half duplex end is sending something the half duplex end will stop sending immediately. This means the full duplex side will receive a lot of incomplete packets which it interprets as CRC and alignment errors.
Remember if one side is set to Auto the other side MUST be set to Auto too or the Auto side has to set up at Half. Don't ask me why that is but it is is a requirement of the RFC. If you use FULL on one end you must use it on the other end or you will have a duplex mismatch.
That said I have seen a few driver updates where they said it corrected a tendency to send packets with bad CRC and at least one switch firmware update where it couldn't calculate them correctly. | {
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U.S. Hopes Spat With Turkey Over Pastor Resolved 'in Coming Days'
By Reuters
Aug. 3, 2018
SINGAPORE — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday he hoped Americans detained in Turkey would be released "in coming days", following a meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Singapore which both sides said was constructive.
Washington earlier this week imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the case of Andrew Brunson, a U.S. pastor on trial in Turkey for backing terrorism. The United States has also been seeking the release of three locally employed embassy staff detained in Turkey.
Investors' deepening concern over Turkey's ties with the United States, a major trading partner, have sent the lira to record lows and hammered local stocks and Turkey's debt risk profile.
"I had a constructive conversation with my counterpart yesterday. I made clear that it is well past time that pastor Brunson be free and permitted to return to the United States and that the others being held by Turkey also similarly be freed as well," Pompeo told reporters in Singapore.
"I am hopeful that in the coming days that we will see that occur."
Speaking after the meeting on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said: "Of course you can't expect all issues to be resolved in a single meeting. But we have agreed to work together, closely cooperate and keep the dialogue in the coming period."
He also described the talks as very constructive.
Brunson is charged with supporting a group Ankara blames for orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016. He denies the charges but faces up to 35 years in jail.
He was in a Turkish prison for 21 months until he was transferred to house arrest last week. On Tuesday, a court rejected his appeal to be released altogether during his trial.
He was accused of helping supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric who Turkish authorities say masterminded the coup attempt in which 250 people were killed. He was also charged with supporting outlawed Kurdish PKK militants. Gulen denies the allegations.
Turkey has been trying to have Gulen extradited from the United States for two years.
Asked if the issue threatened Turkey's membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Pompeo said: "Turkey is a NATO partner whom the United States has every intention of continuing to work cooperatively with."
Washington and Ankara are also at odds over the Syrian war, Turkey's plan to buy missile defenses from Russia and the U.S. conviction of a Turkish state bank executive on Iran sanctions-busting charges this year.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Jack Kim; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Nick Macfie) | {
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Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro]) Ufficiale OMRI (born 9 November 1974) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus.
On 5 February 2011, with his substitution against Cagliari, Alessandro Del Piero became the most capped Juventus player, edging out former Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti. Del Piero remains the third most capped player in the Serie A, behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti, respectively. On 5 May 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at the Juventus Arena. His previous deal was due to expire on 30 June 2011.
On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a friendly match being former England defender Gary Neville's testimonial match. Del Piero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovation from the United supporters. Juventus confirmed on 18 October 2011 that the 2011–12 season would be Del Piero's last with the club. The 2011–12 season under new manager Antonio Conte, his former teammate at Juve, saw Del Piero being used sparingly because of the summer arrival of Mirko Vučinić from A.S. Roma. He scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012 in the 3–0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Later in the season, Del Piero stated that he was surprised at Juventus president Andrea Agnelli's announcement regarding the club's decision to not offer the striker a new contract.
In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant move by Juventus as they secured a 2–2 draw on the night and progressed to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win. On 25 March, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Internazionale by scoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory, his first goal of the Serie A season. In Juventus's match against Lazio on 11 April, Del Piero replaced strike partner Mirko Vučinić in the second half, making his 700th appearance for the Old Lady, and then went on to score a fantastic free kick to earn his side a 2–1 victory and return the Old Lady to the top of the Serie A table.
On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus's final league game of the season against Atalanta, marking the occasion by scoring a goal. Twenty-seven minutes into the match, del Piero picked the ball up on the edge of the penalty box and placed a shot past Giorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0 and help Juventus clinch an undefeated Serie A season. He would be substituted off after 59 minutes to an emotional response from both sets of players and supporters. This would be Alessandro Del Piero's final Serie A appearance for Juventus. Following his departure, the Juventus board were understood to be keen to retire Del Piero's number 10 jersey as a tribute to his efforts and accomplishments during a decorated nineteen-year career. However, Del Piero, did not want to see his number withdrawn from service.
Del Piero's final match for the Bianconeri was in the Coppa Italia Final on 20 May against Napoli, Del Piero was subbed off in the 67th minute for Mirko Vučinić as his Juventus career came to an end. He received a standing ovation from both the Juventus and Napoli fans. Following the game, he confirmed that after his 19 year spell with Juventus, he did not plan to retire. He then left the club and became a free agent. On 30 June, Del Piero wrote an open letter to the Juventus fans thanking them for almost two decades of support, stating, "Above all what remains is the fans, you who are Juventus. That jersey that I loved and will always love, that I desired and respected... From tomorrow I will no longer be a Juventus player, but I will always be one of you. Now a new adventure begins and I am as fired up as I was 19 summers ago."
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI (born 19 May 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as a leading exponent of this position. Praised for his technique, dribbling, control, incredible vision, inventive play and his accurate passing ability, he is also a set-piece specialist and is known for his long distance shooting and passing. Fellow players on the Italian team gave him the nickname "l'architetto" (the architect), because his long passes frequently set up goal-scoring opportunities for the Italy national football team.
In 2011, Juventus signed Pirlo as a free agent on a contract that will last until 2014. His debut with Juventus was a friendly match against Sporting Clube de Portugal, which they lost 2–1. His first competitive match with La Vecchia Signora was the Serie A opening match against Parma at home and tallied two assists, for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio, in a 4–1 victory. Antonio Conte played him alongside younger midfielders Marchisio and new signing Arturo Vidal in a three-man midfield. His first goal for Juventus was a free kick against Catania on 18 February 2012 securing a 3–1 victory for the Old Lady and put the club back at the top of the Serie A table, above his former side Milan. On 18 March, Pirlo scored in a 5–0 demolition of Fiorentina and after the game dedicated the win to Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Bolton Wanderers during a match against Tottenham Hotspur the same day.
He finished the season winning the 2011–12 Serie A after helping the Old Lady secure a 2–0 victory over Cagliari Calcio, the midfield general also provided the most assists in the Serie A season, with 13. Pirlo also found the back of the net three times in the league as he was named to the Serie A "Team of the Year" along with midfielder partner Arturo Vidal, proving that he still has what it takes to cut it at the top level following his departure from Milan. Pirlo and Juventus also finished runners up to S.S.C. Napoli in the Coppa Italia final. Pirlo's fine form in the 2011-12 season, in which he led Juventus to the league title, the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia Final, as well as leading Italy to the final of Euro 2012, saw him nominated for the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, in which he finished 4th. He was also elected to be part of the ESM 2012 Team of the Year.
Claudio Marchisio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo marˈkizjo]; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Juventus and the Italian national team. A product of the Juventus youth system, he has spent his whole career thus far at his hometown club, with the exception of a season-long loan spell at Empoli. He is currently the club's second vice-captain, behind Giorgio Chellini.
Marchisio started the 2011–12 season well by scoring Juve's final goal in the opening match 4–1 win over Parma. Under former Juventus legend Antonio Conte, he was played alongside new signings Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo to great effect and were dubbed the "M-V-P" midfield by the press and fans. He scored a late double to break the deadlock in the 2–0 win at home against Milan, the first time he has ever scored more than one goal in a match. On 20 November, he scored in his second consecutive league game and surpassed his personal season record of 4 goals by scoring the last goal to seal 3–0 win over Palermo. He scored his first Coppa Italia goal, the match winning goal against Bologna to send Juve to the quarterfinals. His good form during the first half of the season earned him an Oscar del Calcio nomination for the Best Italian Player Award and a place in the Team of the Year. On 18 March he ended a three-month goal drought with a header in the 5–0 thrashing at Fiorentina and dedicated it his second son, who was born earlier that week. He scored his ninth goal of the season against Lecce in his 200th career match to take his goal tally for the season into the double figures. The following match, he won his first Scudetto after Juve won 2–0 against Cagliari Calcio and runners-up Milan lost 4–2 in the Milan derby. He ended the season with 10 goals in league and cup matches.
With the departure of captain and club legend Alessandro Del Piero in June 2012, it was speculated that that Marchisio would "inherit" the number 10 jersey but he declined, stating that he was a midfielder, not a striker, and had grown accustomed to his number 8. He captained the team on the opening match of the season against Parma in the absence of captain Gianluigi Buffon and first vice-captain Giorgio Chiellini. In November he scored his first ever goal in a European competition in the Champions League group stage fixture against FC Nordsjælland. He was one of four Juventus players nominated for the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year. | {
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YOUR HAUNTED JOURNEY STARTS AT DUSK -
A Historian and a Ghost-Whisperer take you on walking tours of Old Town, Fort Collins, CO. We want to tell you ghost stories!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Optimizing Your Use of the New Frequencies on the Planet
by Grace Cooley Psychic, Medium, Ghost-Whisperer
More info from the non-physical ones! Join us in the
basement meeting room of Mugs Coffee Lounge (261 S. College Ave.) - the one downtown - corner
of Olive and College Ave., Fort Collins, CO at 6:30p until 8:30p on Friday, Feb. 15th for an informational
channeling about how to adapt to, use and optimize your use of the new
frequencies on the Planet.
There will be an informational channeling, a
short meditation/visualization followed by a Q&A session. Bring
questions of all sorts: personal or cosmic. All questions are welcome!
Expect to receive energetic gifts /upgrades /recalibrations
during this event! It always happens! :) Since the peak of the Earth Shift that occurred around December 21, 2012, you may have noticed that, energetically anyway, things are different. The concept of time is changing, the wait time between thought and manifestation is shorter (sometimes almost instant!), etc. We will bring through information to assist you in learning how to use the new frequencies; they are very different from the old frequencies. Personally, I am noticing that I need to be even more conscious of and careful with my thoughts. I am also noticing that the time between when I know I should be doing something and when I do it has to be less. I used to procrastinate when I'd get messages from the non-physicals (just b/c I am so bloody stubborn), but I am finding that if I don't take action very quickly, things get can get very weird very fast. :)I am told that this is the optimum time to get rid of your negative stuff - old grudges, past pain and sorrow, anger you are holding on to, etc. They are wanting to see humans get very clear and ready for the energy coming later in the year. They are wanting to instruct us about how to get clear and use the new energy that is here specifically for our use.
I will be channeling 'Team
Grace', as usual, which consists of but is not limited to: Abraham,
Kryon, the Pleadians, the Sirians, the Octurians, the Crop Circle Dudes,
the Orions, ArchAngel Zadkiel, your Guides, my Guides, etc. :)
Love offerings accepted but not required. Just come and enjoy the most
excellent energy that will be available for your healing. :)
If you want answers but are too shy to ask them out loud, come anyway, b/c they will always answer your questions in some fashion, even when not asked out loud. :)
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About Me
Contact: [email protected]
Reservations ARE required! Our passion is to educate and entertain our guests- without making anything up. We offer true, real, historical information about Ft Collins- supported by Historian, Suzy, who has done 100's of hours of research on Ft Collins. We will never tell you a location was something it was not in order to add more drama to our tour. The Ghost-whisperer, Grace, offers matter-of-fact information about the nonphysical world to educate. She speaks with the ghosts on the tour route, but will not manufacture information/ghosts to make a better sell. We have 2 different tour routes. Guests are encouraged to bring cameras, EMF detectors, etc, to get photos of orbs, mists and sometimes even figures! $10.00 per person or $35.00 for groups of four. Cash only please.
Tours are Saturdays at 7:30p and are about 1.5 hrs and are a flat walk. We do tours year-round and don't cancel tours because of weather. | {
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Students should withdraw from some credit card programs
The GAO expressed concerns about the potential steering of students to these debit cards instead of encouraging them to shop independently for a bank account or prepaid debit cards with better terms and lower fees. As institutions receiving revenues from these debit card partnerships grow dependent on the funds generated, students might be better served by determining whether these debit cards serve their best interest.
With these and other findings, the GAO report called for actions to address student choice, transparency, and access for the growing market of college debit cards.
The report will likely serve as a factual reference for the current rulemaking process that DOE is developing for college debit cards. For consumer advocates—including the Center for Responsible Lending—a major concern is whether these debit cards will put students at risk of incurring hefty overdraft fees. Some banks simply decline debit card transactions at no cost to the consumer when consumers lack adequate funds. Other banks charge overdraft fees each time a transaction that lacks available monies on account is attempted. This extension of credit also comes at a high cost.
In 2013, CRL research found that debit card transactions were the most common trigger of overdraft fees, causing consumers to incur a median $35 fee per incident. An earlier study of overdraft charges by the FDIC found that young adults were particularly vulnerable to debit card overdrafts.
Two leading civil rights leaders, Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Hilary Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director, co-authored a commentary on the effects of overdraft fees on communities of color.
“Surveys have found that high overdraft fees disproportionately impact people of color and lower-income communities—those who already suffered a disproportionate impact from the financial crisis, and who are now having the hardest time recovering,”said the leaders.
Now with so many colleges and universities entering into contracts with debit card providers the opportunity for these lucrative fees to strip away needed student aid is at hand. The DOE faces a major decision. Should the Department restrict schools from entering into partnerships with financial institutions that allow students to overdraw their accounts with the swipe of a debit card? If so, that decision would be consistent with the Department’s existing policy to disallow disbursements of student aid onto debit cards or accounts that can be used or converted into a credit instrument.
Allowing consumers to spend more than they have in exchange for a fee is the equivalent of offering them a loan to be repaid with interest.
Until DOE finalizes its rulemaking, students and their parents should set out on a mission to better understand the terms of the college debit cards issued. If review of the ‘fine print’ details lead to more questions, those concerns should be brought to the attention of the debit card providers, college officials and if necessary, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through its online complaint forms. Those forms can be found at http://www.consumerfinance.gov.
Just as the United Negro College Fund slogan advises that ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste’, so too is financial aid. Funds disbursed to support higher education should not be snatched away for private gain.
(Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.) | {
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Features on the opposition, their manager, how they made it through to round two of the Carabao Cup, plus the manager’s notes and competition stats are just some of the features in the edition.
Speaking to the programme, Harrop said he will do what it takes to give him the edge after his injury nightmare – even if it causes his team-mates to have a laugh at his expense!
The midfielder admitted to doing some ‘fast feet’ in his garden on his day off as he continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered last September against West Brom.
It led to the No.10 being sidelined for almost a year, along with team-mate Billy Bodin, and now he is keen to use all the time and resources at his disposal to make an impression.
“It was my day off and I was in the garden doing some fast feet,” smiled the 23-year-old former Manchester United player.
“The boys gave me banter over it, they gave me some grief as I put it on Snapchat, but I just want to try and be the best I can be, work hard and stay positive.”
The injury hit him hard, he has admitted to ups and downs throughout his time out, but says having Billy alongside him, who also suffered an ACL injury, helped him through – and they are still helping each other.
After scoring against Stoke City in the 3-1 win last Wednesday, his first league goal since September 2017, Josh was put in front of the press and admitted he was tired and just wanted to go home.
But he knows that six months ago, as he and Billy were recovering, he would have given anything to be the centre of attention and he has to appreciate it.
“A few months ago I was down and in dumps and only had Billy to keep me happy so I guess I have got to enjoy moments like this.
“Billy and I are top friends now, we are even in gym in the mornings doing activational stuff together, playing head tennis to warm up and we have a good connection.
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} |
[Reuters] Pirate Bay fileshare four guilty, get year in jail
[Reuters] Pirate Bay fileshare four guilty, get year in jail
- 04/17/0907:49 AM
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish court handed down a guilty verdict and a year in prison on Friday to all four defendants in a copyright test case involving The Pirate Bay, one of the world's biggest free file-sharing websites. | {
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} |
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Abstract
The development of a simple, rapid and low cost method based on video image analysis and aimed at the detection of low concentrations of precipitated barium sulfate is described. The proposed system is basically composed of a webcam with a CCD sensor and a conventional dichroic lamp. For this purpose, software for processing and analyzing the digital images based on the RGB (Red, Green and Blue) color system was developed. The proposed method had shown very good repeatability and linearity and also presented higher sensitivity than the standard turbidimetric method. The developed method is presented as a simple alternative for future applications in the study of precipitations of inorganic salts and also for detecting the crystallization of organic compounds.
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} |
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A recent job had me checking the plumbing on a house being freshened up. After replacing the mixing valve in one bathroom I came to find out that the previous owner had never used the shower, which filled the valve body with crap requiring replacement. This of course after the walls had been painted and carpet laid. Since the shower was tiled. entry from the front was a non starter.
After measuring the walls, I got lucky and discovered that the common wall was in a closet. In order for the plumber to get in, I needed to cut him a hole. Because the walls were textured, I needed to minimize the damage, so I cut the access with a utility knife. This takes longer than with a keyhole saw or a router, but the walls have been painted and new carpet installed.
I bagged and taped off the floor and cut the hole.
Here is the hole. The studs were already in place. Yeah the plumber got his work done in that little hole. He is that good.
Next up is re-installing the drywall. Because of the backing screwing it back in was a breeze. Looking at the bottom of this photo you can see where I taped off the trim and taped it to the poly on the floor.
I used my old friend mesh tape for covering the seams. Here I have taped the horizontal and vertical wall seams. If you look closely you can see the tape line where somebody else had opened this wall before to work on the drain.
Tech Tip: When you tape or repair drywall always do the butt joints first, cover the ends of the butt joints with the flats, (factory recessed seams) and finally the corners allowing you to overlap the ends with your corner tape. It makes taping easier as you will not telegraph the seams requiring more sanding to finish.
Here is the final tape. Notice the corner tape extends beyond the flat. This helps with finishing.
Next is the mud. Here your coats need to be thin enough to just cover without creating large bulges that are more work.
Because this is a ‘knock down’ texture After the mud is dry and you have sanded it lightly, texture in a can is applied. Follow the directions on the can as far as testing it on cardboard and following the directions in terms of drying time before ‘knocking it down’.
After this dries, before you repaint, lightly sand the area to match the original finish. You want to round the edges to hide your repair especially if your wall has been painted many times. I took the time to cover and texture the previous repair since I was in the neighborhood.
All done! the photo sucks but nobody who has looked at it can find it. And that is name of the game. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The Back Story
December 31, 2013
We were exchanging a propane tank that wasn't quite empty and I hated to waste it. This is how I transferred the extra into our barbeque propane tank. Quick and easy tutorial on how I filled one propane tank from another:
- make up a ~6' length of hose with a propane tank connector at both ends. You might have to search a bit to get one with a hose barb. One of mine did (bought in a Mexican hardware store), one did not and I had to add a pipe thread to hose adapter. Crank down on the hose clamps quite hard. This is more pressure than a boat water system for example which may top out at 60 psi.
- use hose with a moderate pressure rating. Around 250 PSI / 1.6 MPa. I used clear vinyl reinforced hose, 10mm. Larger diameters will have LOWER pressure ratings. Clear hose is great because you can see the propane flowing and also when it stops flowing
- Connect the 2 tanks with your hose
- Hang the full tank upside down in the sun (to help raise it's internal pressure).
- Have the empty tank 6' lower, and in the shade (gravity helps - propane is a liquid under pressure)
- open both tank valves
- open bleed screw on empty tank (not wide open, just a bit). You'll smell a bit of propane but it's normal
- close both valves and bleed screw when propane stops flowing.
Cautions:
- make sure the gas bleeding from the lower tank does not fill a cockpit with cockpit drains that are underwater. Do it on an open deck.
- no open flames. Make sure the stove is off, and nothing with a pilot light is on.
- do it downwind so propane won't flow back into the boat's interior
- if you want to be extra cautious you won't turn on or off any electrical switches or breakers because of the potential for a spark, but now you're getting paranoid.
- disclaimer: do this at your own risk. These are how I did it, and you're results may vary.
Clear hose - you might be able to see the propane here. It's clear
The bleed screw is visible right at the bottom of the valve, right in the center of the image.
December 18, 2013
When we first arrived in Australia in November 2011, we were struck by the number of safety signs. It was worse than the US, where fear of litigation means an abundance of signage. It seemed sometime a little common sense was lacking...
It's hard to see but there is a bright yellow hose where you might walk.
This was on the sidewalk downtown. Only problem - you couldn't have workers above dropping tools on you because there was an overhead concrete awning...
I am not sure why Nailing Tools need a special sign. Perhaps a construction worker ran amok some day and now you have to have a sign to warn pedestrians to duck if they hear one going off.
The ramp to our dinghy dock. The danger was that 2 of the boards were slightly lower than their neighbors which might be a hazard if you were in say high heels and drunk.
It's important to have these little reminders for those that missed out learning them in childhood.
This was a 2m high little reminder in a busy downtown pedestrian mall. With no cars.
And of course, if you are a passenger on a ferry and if the captain passes out, here's what to do.
If you can read this sign at the airport, it is likely you probably have seen an escalator before. If not, won't the lift (elevator) be scarier? Are you likely to have been on tons of elevators but no escalator?
In case you get umm, overly hot in the hot tub?
Not likely because the heat is only on from 4-8 pm.
You have to protect the post. Mere caution tape is not enough.
And you have to protect your barbed wire fence too:
In Brisbane, certain types of fencing materials are not permitted if the fences adjoin public property such as parks, reserves, roads, footpaths and waterways
Hazardous fencing material
Barbed wire is only permitted in industrial and rural areas. The barbed wired must not endanger people using the adjacent public land.
Razor wire, tiger wire and other materials which could cause harm to people or animals is only permitted in industrial areas. Use of these materials must comply with the Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law 2009.
In industrial areas, the hazardous fencing materials must be:
at least two metres above ground level; or
separated from publicly accessible areas by a barrier
So if you have a barbed wire fence to protect your property and it's less than 2m high, you need another fence to protect the criminals from getting to it. I found this out on a project where I wanted to rent some temporary fencing around a small ship we were working on.
The sidewalk was actually fine. Just a bit muddy on the adjacent grass. So take up half the sidewalk with safety rope and pylons.
I love rule 2 - can't have the kids running in the park near the dangerous duck pond.
October 31, 2013
If you asked
Maia, she’d tell you Halloween is the hardest holiday to be away from home for.
It’s the one night of the year (plus the week or two leading up to it) where
you can delve into your imagination and become anything you like. Then, with
your alternate persona firmly in place, you head out into the spooky streets en
mass and find what’s out there beyond your normal boundaries. The discoveries
are quite splendid: I recall learning things like where that cute boy at school
lived, that a favourite teacher had just moved down the road (and she had a
husband!), and that the forbidding lady on the corner was actually really nice.
Here, Halloween
isn’t quite like that. The celebration is occurring, but on a smaller level, despite
Aussies holding a few misconceptions about the day. The belief that it’s an
American day of excess and commercialization, which is rooted in evil and
gore, is hard to shake. And it’s kind of hard to sell an evening where kids
dress in black and go begging lollies off strangers.
Getting ready is the same in any country.
It’s not
surprising, I guess. If my only exposure to Halloween was through movies and TV
I’d know nothing of the feeling of
the holiday. It’s kind of hard to describe to people what’s it’s like to take
to the streets of your neighbourhood in disguise; the excitement of passing
each other in the dark, trying to sort out who you’re seeing while being
disoriented by fireworks and scary displays; the fun of being warmly welcomed
by neighbours you normally only see at a distance and getting to peak in
through their front doors…
Memories of home.
An effort to bring the fun here: witches fingers and a pumpkin cheese ball.
So for my Aussie
friends who asked: Halloween’s roots are found in the Gaelic harvest festival of
Samhaim and the Christian festival of All Hallow’s Eve. The traditions, like
everything in North America, are a mash-up of
cultures and ideas (Maia used to get treats that ran the gamut from Japanese
rice sweets, to Turkish delights to Latin American sugared skulls).
Trick-or-treating is reminiscent of souling
(where kids went door to door for soul
cakes) and the symbols (carved pumpkins, apples, spooky skeletons) reflect
the season’s transition to the darker months of the year. After that, it’s refining
the details. Costumes can be spooky or aspirational (Halloween isn’t a theme…)
and the more creative the better. Socializing is important but spending a fortune
is not.
Our
Halloweens in Oz have been spoockacularly charming small-scale versions of the
holiday at home. The stores aren’t filled with elaborate costumes (they’re
overflowing with Christmas stuff instead…) so most kids wear simple DIY
efforts. Pumpkins are imported and very expensive, so decorations are DIY as
well. Urban myths of poisoned Halloween treats (which never actually happened) have
never reached Oz, so kids happily accept unwrapped lollies, or eat a chunk of chocolate
offered at the door (less plastic waste). And because only a handful of people
participate—the kids do a lot of walking to earn their treats.
But the
feeling? It turns out that’s the same. The kids dress too soon and then jitter
with anticipation while they wait for it to get dark so they can head out. And
once they’re out it’s just pure fun.
October 29, 2013
Okay—so as epic journeys go 2000 km (round trip) isn’t that
epic. And we didn’t even get that far off the beaten path. Though when we told
a few Aussies that we were headed toward the outback they seemed more than a
little surprised. It seems most people go to the beach, or a city or the
mountains for holidays. But Ev’s mum Gail was with us and she was keen for an
adventure. So we set off with the goal of seeing (and doing) a bit of
everything.
Not all 80-year-olds would have embraced the adventure (and discomfort) the way Ev's mum did)
Our first stop was the NSW surf town of Ballina (which turns out is pronounced
Bal-lin-na not Bah-leen-ah, or even Bah-een-ah.) I guess the Spanish/French
influence is a bit diminished here… Every time we do something new in Australia it
seems like it comes with a whole new vocabulary. And as we passed turnoffs for
towns like Mummelgum, Dingadee and Dirranbandi we decided on a new rule:
if we couldn’t (sort of) pronounce a name without assistance, we weren’t going
there.
Giraween
After a dip in the ocean we continued on, mispronouncing our
way across the Great Dividing Range to Girraween National Park.
Happily Girraween is easy to say because the huge granite outcroppings and
lovely wineries would have been unfortunate to miss! Then it was on to Moree
(go ahead, give it a go) where we soaked off the bumpy miles in the bore baths,
aka hot springs.
a town along the way
I think we’ve mentioned that Australia is expensive and our
disposable income is already spoken for. So our road trip wasn’t luxurious. In
fact, I may have rented us the cheapest campervan in the country. And with a
few hundred thousand kilometers on Big
Red, a door that alternatively fell off or got stuck while open (or closed),
and a sad lack of shock absorbers it was a pretty uncomfortable excuse for
transportation.
But after the second long soak we crammed Gail and Maia into
the way back and continued toward our goal: the opal mining town of Lighting Ridge. Honestly?
I’m not sure why this was the goal. Maia wanted to go to Coober Pedy, Ev wanted
to see the outback, Gail wanted to see a bit of the country and I like shiny
things. So Lightning Ridge seemed the logical choice.
baby emus!
There are a lot of dead kangaroos between Brisbane and Lightning Ridge. Recently there
was a local headline, “Kangaroo Kills Girl”. The tragic story went on to
describe a kangaroo bounding across the road, through the front windscreen and then
out the back window; as though it was intentional. The truth is the bitumen (fancy
Aussie word for road) holds heat at night which attracts animals and if you
drive at night: bamm! Big Red wasn’t
insured to be on the road after dusk, and considering the slaughter (we went
through sections where there were dead kangaroos, emus and foxes every few
meters) this was a good thing.
Despite containing our driving to daylight hours, we
eventually made it to the Ridge and secured a campsite at the Crocodile (that’s
local speak). From there we headed out to explore. With thousands of miners
each inhabiting 50 meter square plots, the Ridge looks a bit like a moonscape.
The really fascinating bit is when you take a tour underground. We chose to
visit the Walk-in Mine (there was a particularly touristy mine that had been
turned into an art gallery—but it seemed a bit too weird for us…) Down in the
mine the tunnel was larger than I expected, at least for an opal mine I was
told was dug by hand and once entered through a drainage tube. When I brushed
my fingers along the seam, where the chunky red rocks might hide gems, I joked
about accidentally knocking free an opal and pocketing it. The comment brought a
dirty look and a lecture from Maia, “That would make you a ratter.” Ratter is the name of a person who steals from
another miner.
After seeing the mine and learning how to identify opal we
had a go at fossicking (see what I mean? It’s a whole new language…).Noodling through the scrap heapwe kept an eye out for potch: a grey form of
opal that indicates some of the colourful stuff might be near.
in the mine
fossicking for opals
Maia did a great job of searching and found a few pretty
pieces and then she and Gail befriended an opal cutter who gave Maia a big bag
of rough opal to polish up herself. It turns out my only opal skills occurred
in the shops—where I discovered how to trade money for them.
Aussies camp differently than us. Our tent is on the right. We thought it was pretty big until we saw a proper family-sized tent. Gail slept in the van.
A miner's castle in the Ridge
After a couple of days broken up by cool interactions with
locals and a wonderful night time soak in a bore bath (nothing like looking up
at the stars from a hot spring while kangaroos nibble the grass around its
edges) it was back into Big Red and
back on the road for the return voyage.
October 16, 2013
Minor Updates April 2014We arrived
here in November 2011, to live and work and go to school.This is what we know.
Mooring / Marinas / Docks / Anchoring
The city of
Brisbane is about 12 nautical miles upstream
from the mouth of the Brisbane
River. The channel is
well marked and easy to enter at night if you have to. The current is quite
significant, running about 3 knots either direction at times.So go with the tidal flow. The current seems
to lag slack tide by about 1 hour. (Notes to which bank of the river something
is located on will always assume you are facing upstream)
As you head
upstream you will pass the container terminal and coal docks.We’ve anchored at the side of the channel
just upstream of the coal docks (across from the tugboat docks) when the
current is not right to get upstream. It’s a bit noisy from the coal loading
operation but better than fighting a current. It has also been a useful staging
area to stop when heading out during shorter winter days when the tide hasn’t
been right for an early departure
Marinas:
www.rivergate.com.auRivergate Marina is
just downstream of the Gateway
Bridge. It has a customs
dock if you are arriving directly from overseas.Not well serviced by any public transit.It’s a long way from the city proper but
could be useful if you’re storing your boat and going for a visit overseas or
inland.
http://www.docksidemarina.com.au
Dockside Marina is located on Kangaroo Point,
left side of the river just before the Story Bridge.
It has space for transients but limits liveaboards.Friends paid ~$1000/month for a 47’ mono with
liveaboard fees in 2012.
Manly: A ~1
hr. train ride away from Brisbane
is the big marina in Manly.Popular with
folks passing through or looking to sell their boats.There is also a small marina in Redcliff,
about a ¾ hr drive from Brisbane
to the North.
Anchorages:
Just
upstream of the Gateway
Bridge is an anchorage on
the right hand side of the river. Usually 4 – 6 boats there.There is a nearby Citycat terminal adjacent
to Northshore Riverside Park
with a beach but as it is the last terminal in the system it does not get as
regular service to the city.Good option
if you don’t want to be in the heart of the city.There is Colmslie Recreation Reserve park on the left bank with a dinghy
dock.
People do
seem to anchor in many places, outside of the main channel as you head further
upstream, but you’re sort of in the suburbs and there is less point to doing
so.
The CBD
(Central Business District): You can anchor upstream or downstream of the pile
moorings on the right hand side of the river. You can also anchor on the left
hand side of the river opposite the CBD. Some rental moorings are located there
but we don’t know who owns them. Most seem to be occupied with long term
boats.Don’t anchor in the channel as
you will get told to move by the Police or ferries will come quite close to “encourage”
you move closer to shore.There is a
large shoal upstream of the pile moorings, close to the Captain Cook
Bridge. Holding is
‘adequate’ because the bottom is soupy mud. I would not say it’s great and
would definitely try to be on the boat if strong summer thunderstorms are
forecast. I would not plan to leave the boat for an extended trip away from Brisbane anchored here.
Avoid power cable crossing just downstream of pile moorings. Signs on shore are partly obscured
Garden PointPile Moorings: these are operated by Brisbane City Council. 4
parallel rows of about 60 moorings are available for short or long term stay.
Minimum stay is 1 week. A mooring is free if no boat is between the piles.A rope tied between 2 adjacent piles
indicates that spot is taken; just the boat occupying it is away for awhile.
People do leave the moorings for short sailing cruises and then return.Dinghy dock, showers, and coin laundry
ashore. You’ll need a $20 key fob purchased from a city employee mid – day Wednesdays
to get access to shower and laundry. Otherwise just get other residents to let
you in until you get a key fob. $70/week; $280/month.These are popular and tend to fill up as
transient cruisers start arriving in October; though spaces do open up mid
summer as people come and go.Lots of
permanent residents.Right in the CBD so
a great location!Ferry wakes used to be
worse but now the City Cats reduce speed to 12 knots as they pass.And they stop running just after 11:30 pm.
Important:
pick a time of slack water to enter the moorings and secure yourself.High slack is easier than low slack because the
mooring rings will be more easily reached.Have a dinghy handy to help act as a tugboat if there is any wind.
Slack tide
current in the CBD is usually about ½ hr – 1 hr after “Brisbane Port
Office” high tide (except if there is an active flood of course)
The winding
bends of the river can make it slightly confusing to know which way you’re
going until you’ve explored the city a bit.The CBD is on a narrow triangular peninsula that is only about 6 blocks
wide at some spots.The Botanic Garden
forms the S end of the Peninsula.Numerous bridges link the city to the
surrounding suburbs on the south side of the river.
One bridge
(the Go Between) is a toll bridge and the others are all free.There a few toll tunnels around and under the
city but you don’t save much time using them except at the busiest rush hour
times – so most people avoid them.
The Story Bridge
is the old steel truss bridge you will pass under as you enter the CBD.The Captain Cook
Bridge is next, linking
the Botanic gardens with the Gabba – and it’s too low for most sailboat
masts. The pedestrian bridge immediately upstream is even lower at 11.4m.
Suburbs –
are small, confusingly named and numerous.There are something like 190 mini suburbs that make up greater Brisbane, all managed by
the Brisbane Council.So someone may say
they’re from Yeronga but not know where Hemmant is, about 10 km away.
Fuel / Propane / Kerosene:
Rivergate
Marina has the only fuel dock on the river (reasonable petrol / gasoline, but expensive
diesel when compared to land based petrol stations).There are 2 petrol stations in Fortitude Valley (Shell/Matilda) that are about a
10 minute bus/bike ride from the CBD or 20 minute walk.
update: Just downstream of Dockside Marina is Mobray park. It has small dock which has a 5 minute time limit. Walk through the park and across the street to the BP station. Easiest place to get fuel by dinghy.
There is
also a petrol station on the right hand side of the river near the West End
Market (see Food) You tie your
dinghy up to the abandoned restaurant dock, walk under the underpass or over
the busy 6 lane road and get fuel from the station there.All petrol stations seem to sell diesel.
Fuel Discounts: Grocery stores offer discount fuel savings on
your receipt with your purchases ($0.04/litre for $30 purchase up to sometimes
$0.30/litre for $200 purchases). But only at selected Shell/Coles or
Caltex/Safeway Woolworth branded petrol stations. Useful if you’re buying lots of
fuel i.e. a car rental. Not all Shell or Caltex stations honour supermarket
coupons and this will be marked on the pumps.
Propane can be obtained at Bunnings (see Hardware) but only on a bottle exchange
basis. OK if you use steel cylinders, not so useful if you use aluminium or
composite. About $20 for a 20 lb / 9 kg exchange.
Bottles can
be filled at Barbeques Galore in the Woolangaba (“the Gabba”) neighbourhood. Australia uses
North American connectors, however they use the bleed screw on the side of the
bottle to slowly fill a tank from a larger tank without actively pumping it
into a cylinder.So it will take longer
than you expect.
They have a frequent
filler card – after 5 fills you get 1 free. However price for a 20 lb bottle fill is about
$30 – so it made more sense for us to get 1 cheap steel cylinder and keep
exchanging it while we are here.
update: BBQ Galore lowered prices for a fill to about $20 but no frequent filler discount.
Kerosene can be purchased from Bunnings for those still
in the dark ages of marine cooking and lighting.
Translink
is the Brisbane
area integrated bus/train/ferry system.It extends out quite far – easily 1+ hour train journey north / south.Get a $10 (refundable) plastic “GoCard” from
7-11 stores. Get a “concession” card if
you’re a kid or “senior” card if you’re old. Kids under 5 are free. Top up the
card with cash at 7-11’s, main train
stations, or online with a credit card automatically.Using cash on buses is about 30% more expensive
so it makes sense to get a card. If you register your card, you can transfer
the balance to a new card should you lose your old card. So register your card
online.
Fares are
based on time of day and distance travelled.Unfortunately Brisbane
has the distinction of having one of the most expensive transit systems
anywhere.A single zone (basically
within the CBD and nearby outskirts) peak hour fare is $3.28 / off peak $2.63. $3.53 / $2.83. This is a short bus journey.
Transfers
are automatic with your GoCard. Just remember to swipe on and OFF each bus or
train or ferry.If you forget to swipe
off the system will charge you a much larger amount.You can call them and plead your case if your
card is registered.They seem pretty
good about refunds if you spot an error.
If you do a
round trip within a 1 hour limit you will only be charged one fare.
Other fare
rules:
You can transfer up to 3
times across all zones.
You have 6 hours to complete
your journey.
The final trip of the journey
must start within 3.5 hours of when you started the first trip.
There is a 1 hour time limit
between transfers.
Make 9 trips in a 1 week
period (M-Sun) and further trips are free. Useful for commuters. Dept of Unintended Consequences: Smart
commuters that have long distance expensive fares to get into the city will
hop a cheap fare city bus for 1 stop on M/T/W lunch break and so have free
rides on Th/F J
Ferries are
all part of the system.The smaller
slower monohull ferries operate close to the CBD and a few cross river
routes.Some of these monohulls are painted
red and are known as CityHoppers – and they are free!Useful for crossing the river from the CBD to
Kangaroo Point or getting to various parks.They run every ½ hour.The
Citycats are much faster and go further up and down the river.A nice river tour for yourself or visitors is
to take a Citycat downstream and return to the same CBD dock – you only are
charged for a 1 zone fare.There are
sometimes pamphlets on the ferries which give a history of Brisbane’s river sights.
Local Trains
Can be useful
to get further away – Manly, Redcliffe, the Brisbane Entertainment
Center
Rental Cars
Rental cars
are found in the CBD, Airport and Fortitude
Valley. Fortitude Valley
have a few ‘no name’ outfits that are cheaper than the big
Avis/Thrifty/Europcar. We’ve found the
best deals with either http://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au/
East Coast Car Rentals or www.alphacarhire.com.auAlpha. Book online in advance for better
rates.Book well in advance if
you are planning to rent a 7 passenger mini van around school holidays. They
sell out as we found when we wanted to share a van with cruising friends
Parking is
very expensive in the CBD except after 10pm evenings when it’s free or weekend
rates in the parking garages. Smart and thrifty cruisers park in Kangaroo Point
where it is free after 5 pm and on weekends and take their dinghy or free ferry
to the Thorton St ferry dock to get the rental car.
Recently we
rented a 4 pax camper van to explore the outback.It was not new and the engine was tired but
for $63/day it was a good deal.Burned
about 11 L/100 km of fuel. www.awesomecampers.com.
Taxis
Are
expensive if you’re used to 3rd world taxis!A CBD – Airport fare is around $45. It costs
more to go from Airport – to CBD because drivers add their $3 airport toll to
your fare.Before 7 am and after 7 pm
taxi fares increase further. If you phone for a cab there is yet another extra
charge. There are many taxi stands around the CBD, probably because the fares
are high enough to justify taxi drivers spending a lot of time waiting around
for fares!
UPDATE: We found out that a taxi from nearby Fortitude Valley with 2 adults and 2 kids was cheaper than bus fare for all of us. About $7-8 before 7 pm.
Airport
The
Airtrain runs from the CBD and other stations to the airport and takes 20-25
minutes. Relatively convenient but it doesn’t run after 10 pm. It’s also more
expensive than the regular train, about $16 each way but drops you right to the
terminals (International and Domestic – they are different stops)
Brisbane airport only has 1 runway so it’s
common to have delays in mid-late afternoon flights when it gets busy.
Flights to Sydney are often around
$100 one way if booked well enough in advance. About 1-1/2 hours.
Long Distance Trains
If you have
a large family it may be cheaper to take a train to Sydney than fly because sometimes children
are just $1 each.Adults are ~$90.
Duration is about 14 hours however.
.
Food & Drink
Food is expensive in Australia –
especially things that North Americans would expect to be cheap.Blame it on the high cost of farm labour as
almost all produce is grown in the country.
Supermarkets: Right in the CBD are the 2 giants of Ozzie
groceries - Woolworths (Edward and Queen
Street) “Woolies” and Coles (Queen Street
Pedestrian Mall).This particular Woolies
is a bit bigger but they are fierce competitors. If you’re going to stay in Australia
awhile check out their rewards program to get airline miles.
Aldi is a cut price grocery store chain with
limited selections and off brand canned/dry goods.Not found in the CBD but you’ll save a bunch
of money if you’re provisioning to head offshore again.One is found in the nearby suburb of Newstead
on Anne St.
Costco is supposed to be building near Brisbane sometime in mid-2014.
Farmers Markets:Wed in
the Square beside the Library (George and Queen St) there is a farmers market.Produce is cheaper than the grocery stores
ESPECIALLY if you show up around 5 pm when the market is shutting down and they
want to sell it rather than pack it up.Suddenly everything is $2/kg or $2/bunch...
The other
big market that is relatively easy to get to is the bigger West End
Market.Food, clothing, crafts, food,
music and alternative lifestyle people and stuff.It’s more funky and more fun.Further upstream from the CBD (about 10-15
minutes by planing dinghy) or a 10 minute bike/bus ride away.Held in Davies Park
every Saturday.Closes down starting
around 1:00 pm.We park our dinghy at
the left bank rowing club docks and nobody seems to mind; get there early and
you won’t have to climb around the locked gates to get to the dock.Across from these docks is the abandoned restaurant
where you are near a petrol station (see Fuel)
Specialty food stores – Fortitude
Valley has Indian/Mexican/mini Chinatown, the CBD has some Chinese/Korean stores,
etc.You’ll have to explore!
Alcohol
BWS (Beer Wine Spirits) is one of the bigger
chains with several outlets in the CBD including one beside right beside
Woolies.Better deals can be found
slightly further away at Dan Murphy’s.The closest one is in Woolangaba (the
Gabba) over the Captain
Cook Bridge.
Restaurants
Cheapest
are all the streetside sushi places where you can get 2 big sushi rolls about
$4-4.50. Scattered through the CBD
Next
cheapest are fast food joints like
MacDonalds (“Maccas”) and Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King but an Aussie company
had already trademarked the name here so they had to change the name).Maccas on Albert St and Hungry Jack on Queen St.
Mall.
Pizzas – Eagle Boys in Fortitude Valley
will deliver for about an $8 fee. Cheap Tuesdays are the day to save money on
your pizza cravings.Gluten free crusts
available.
Regular restaurants – sigh. We don’t frequent these too often
because they are so pricey, and frankly Australia service is somewhere
between indifferent and incompetent. We sometimes get a Groupon coupon to save
some money.Fortitude Valley
has more interesting ethnic food choices, but the CBD does have some cheaper
Asian restaurants and a surprising number of Korean BBQ joints.
Other Shopping
Mitre 10 Hardware – 165
Elizabeth Street in the CBD.Small but packed.Expensive but convenient if you run out of
something and don’t fancy a visit to Bunnings
Big W – department store like Kmart, upstairs in Macarthur Center at Edward and Queen St.
Meyer Center – big shopping mall in Queen St. pedestrian
mall.Lots of stores including a big
fabric store and the odd Japanese store where everything is $2.80 (like a US
dollar store but of course with slightly inflated prices because it’s Australia)
Bunnings – Hudson
St in Albion.Pretty close to Albion
train station and a few bus lines.Bunnings are similar to Home Depot or other large US hardware stores.
Electronics – JB HiFi, Dick Smith, and Harvey Norman all
compete.Officeworks also sometimes has
better deals than these guys too.
Amazon – if you need a 120V power tool, it’s often
fast and cheap to order from Amazon.Most of their affiliates won’t ship to Australia but Amazon themselves
will for many goods.
Online shopping – due to the high cost of Australian goods
(software, cameras, shoes, books, marine hardware) it is often cheaper to buy
mail order from the US or Hong Kong.If you
keep the value of the order < $1000 Aus, you won’t be charged any GST.We were not charged any duties / brokerage
fee from Amazon purchases and shipping was cheap.If the online company does not have a direct
path to Australia
shipping will be costly
Op Shops – Salvos or Vinnies (we would call them the Salvation
Army or St Vincent de Paul) thrift stores in Fortitude Valley
have good selections of used clothing.
IKEA – our favourite Swedish retailer of meatballs and
housewares is found in Logan,
a good ½ hour or so to the south by car, but reachable by train and 1 km walk.
Marine Chandlery
Whitworths – is the biggest fish in a small pond of
online and retail store marine chandleries in Australia.They’re the closest to Brisbane CBD on Sandgate Road near
the Bunnings store. Bus is easiest
but you can take your fast dinghy down the river and up Breakfast Creek and tie
on the right bank at higher tides.It’s
about a ½ hr ride away.
Bias Boating – another online and retail chain we’ve
used.None of these chandlers dominate
the market or have as big a selection as West or Defender.Marine gear in Australia is often 2x the price of
North American goods with the exception of some safety equipment like EPIRBs
and inflatable lifejackets which can be good deals
Bitter experience lesson:If you buy a replacement Australian EPIRB make sure it can be coded to
your country.
Oil Filters - cheapest I found were through these guys. http://www.ausfilters.com.au/
I bought a case of 12 in anticipation of lots of motoring in SE Asia.
Phone/Internet/Library
Phone:
If you have
an unlocked GSM phone just buy a SIM card from the many providers.Cheap unlocked phones at lots of electronic
stores.
Telstra
truly does have the best national network and they know it so their rates are
considerably higher.If you’re sticking
to the settled parts of the country you can think about skipping them and
choose somebody else.
We use Amaysim for pay as you go ($0.15 min /
talk $0.12 / text) phone service. Optus, Virgin, and Vodafone are the other big
3 – all have stores in the Queen St. Mall.Some have free calling to 1 or more other phones so this might be useful
if you mostly call another family member. Get recharge vouchers at 7-11 or
Woolies or phone stores.
Internet:
Free Wifi–
available in Brisbane State Library (a 20 min walk from CBD), in a hot spot in
the Botanic Gardens, at a few Maccas, and the CBD Public Library (but you’ll
need a library card – see below).Also
Judith Wright arts center in Fortitude
Valley.
3G data –
all the phone companies sell 3G dongles with pay as you go plans.We are heavy internet users (Diane is often
on the computer many hours a day working on Facebook) and up until
recently we on a $79 Telstra “casual plan” with 12 GB of data / month.This is a lot of data IF you are not
streaming movies, doing big downloads etc.
We recently
switched to a different system – it uses “WiMax” technology.Its coverage supposedly includes the river
beside the CBD but it varies a lot between spots in the moorings.The high river bank might block some of the
signal. We get great speed and a boat 2 spaces away gets good but not great
speed.The advantage is that is much
cheaper - $79 for UNLIMITED data each month (we have watched a lot of videos
and haven’t hit any caps yet).$39 / 10
GB for those not so greedy as us.
The other
drawback is that is only available in some portions of major cities – so if
you’re travelling around a lot it won’t work; you might think of going with a
pay as you go with one of the other 3G phone companies.
Library
Brisbane
State Library is a reference library not a borrowing library so not much fun
for borrowing books but a nice place to get internet or spend a rainy
afternoon.
Brisbane
City Library (on George St)
is pretty easy going about giving out library cards – if you have an
address.They accepted a marina receipt
from Dockside Marina as proof of residence.
Medical
Australians
have government Medicare and also usually have 3rd party health
insurance to help cover more than the basics.We are required to have medical insurance for our 457 working visa but
we pay up front and get reimbursed. Our family rate is about $260/month. So was our friends on Totem with 3 kids but they paid more for a higher coverage type of plan.Ours covers hospital visits, Drs visits, but no
prescriptions unless associated with hospital stays.This is typical of what we have been paying
for some basic services:
It’s super
easy and fast to get appointments as well. Doctors are pretty good about
keeping some space in their schedules for same day urgent appointments we have
found. We go to Tenerife Family Doctors (#60 City Glider bus route, 76 Skyring
Terrace in Gasworks complex)
Dentists – are expensive.The only cheap option we have found is the
Queensland School of Dentistry near the CBD.For uncomplicated cleaning and exams these are much cheaper than the
full doctors – and they are supervised pretty carefully.We’d recommend them after several visits.
They're expert in contact lenses and took tons of time with me. I have really odd eyes due to lots of myopia and PRK laser treatment when young. Got me 20/20 corrected vision for the first time in 25 years. Highly recommended.
Eyeglasses - we order online from China :) Quite cheap, 3 week delivery, frames tend to fit a bit small but the price can't be beat. www.zenioptical.com
Contacts - we order online from the US because prices are about 2/3 of cheapest Oz online stores. Here's one but shop around, things change: http://www.bestpricecontacts.com/
Attractions / Things to Do
Lone Pine
Koala Sanctuary – well worth the 45 minute bus ride and the admission fee. Plan
to spend a ½ day or so there.See lots
of Australian fauna. Watch Tazzie Devils eat dead baby chicks if you’re
luck.Hand feed kangaroos and cuddle
koalas.Lots of fun.
GOMA
(Gallery of Modern Art) – Southbank, free
Brisbane City
Museum – small but free
Brisbane City Hall – take the manual elevator tour to the clock tower high above
Brisbane
Theme parks
near Gold Coast: Dreamworld, Movieworld, Seaworld, Monkeyworld (ok I made up
that last one)– if you’ve been to Disneyland these might seem overpriced and
underwhelming, but if you go mid week when it’s not school holidays they won’t
be busy.Check for deals and coupons
Misc.
Security –
bikes and dinghies go missing from the dinghy dock area with depressing
regularity. If you get a bike, use a decent U lock. My beater bike disappeared
with a cheap cable lock. Just about anything lockable seems to deter dinghy thieves.
September 25, 2013
I checked
the blog the other morning (after a few ‘where are you?’ emails landed in my
inbox) and realized it had been a while. I guess that’s what happens when life
is just ordinary (in its own extraordinary way). The blooming jacarandas are
reminding us we’ve been here almost two years. The crews crossing the Pacific
this season are for the most part strangers to us. And the crews we crossed
with? Well, their lives have moved on too.
Jacarandas-a sure sign of spring
New and old friends squeezed aboard as Maia turns 12
September
started off at full speed. After arriving back from a three week trip home I
was greeted by our friends from Piko and Britannia. Both boats are up for sale
and both of the crews are planning to expand their crews and rebuild their
kitties stateside then set off on bigger boats again someday.
Buddy boat reunion was sweet as
watching them sail away for the last time was not
Saying
goodbye to the friends we meet is the toughest part of cruising. In an ideal
world we’d gather up all our favourites, synchronize our budgets and life
schedules, and sail the world in company. But we can’t. So we take heart in the
fact goodbyes will be followed by reunions.
Cake with schoolmates
Skating with her besties for her b-day
Maia also
turned 12 this month, and surrounded by love, I’m reassured that this life is a
good one for her. Looking back over her four + years aboard I’m able to let go
of some of the fears I had. She’s made friends, she’s found a place for
herself, she’s strong and capable and she’s happy…
September
is spring for us—a time of beginning and renewal. A time to plan for what’s
next.
About Me
Our family of three (+ feline) just finished sailing around the world. This blog contains the story of our travels and experiences, thoughts about the world, and on Maia's blog you'll also find the occasional rant. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Upon receipt of a requisition to purchase, the Purchasing Department will seek a source of supply and enter into transactions for the purchase of the commodity or service in accordance with the provisions of the N.J.S.A. 4OA:ll.
Prices for purchases up to $6,000.00 can be either written or oral, at the discretion of the Purchasing Director. Purchases estimated to cost between $6,000.00 and $17,500.00 will be made by written request for quotation (RFQ). Every effort will be made to obtain a minimum of three (3) quotations for each item or group of items required.
Written requests for quotations (RFQ) will be mailed to all prospective bidders, as feasible, and such RFQ's shall be opened at a pre-determined time and date. Emergency purchases are exempted with prior approval of the Purchasing Director. RFQ's documented completely, shall be maintained with the Purchase Order.
The Purchasing Department shall request sealed bids on purchases exceeding $40,000.00. Advertisements shall be published at least one (1) time in a newspaper distributed in the County. The Purchasing Department shall solicit bids from responsible prospective suppliers
A tabulation of all bids received shall be available for public inspection in the main offices of the Purchasing Department during regular business hours. The Purchasing Director, with advice of assigned County Counsel, shall have the right to reject all bids and request the entire transaction be re-bid. Vendors can view the current Bid Opportunities or Projessional Services Contract Opportunities by clicking the drop down box above.
Please be specific when asking for this information as the Bid numbers and RFP numbers are listed in sequence
You are encouraged to look at our web site for all bids or RFP's as they are updated on a daily basis.
Responsibility For SpecificationsThe preparation of specifications is the joint responsibility of the Purchasing Department and the using department. Specifications shall permit competition. In general, specifications should define the level of performance required rather than specific brand name. For the benefit of vendors and the department, specifications must be clear and concise. The Purchasing Department reserves the right to alter or revise specifications to allow open competition.
Bid Invitation
The invitation to bid is sent or placed in the hands of prospective bidders. Notice of Bid shall be advertised and posted in the County newspaper. The Notice shall contain the following instructions and information:
The time, date, and place of bid opening.
Quantity desired
A full description of the material (or title of bid)
Date, time and location of pre-bid meeting, if required
Bid Bond/DepositsIf required, Bid bonds shall be prescribed in the public notices inviting bids. Unsuccessful bidders shall be entitled to the return of surety where the Purchasing Director has required such. Bid deposits, bid bonds or performance deposits may include cashier's checks. Surety in the form of a bid bond, certified check or cashier's check in the amount of 10% of the total bid, but not to exceed $20,000.00 made payable to the County of Gloucester will be required on all bids unless specifically excluded.
Disposition of BidsBids shall be opened and read in public at the time and place stated in the public notices. No bids shall be accepted after the time and date designated for bid opening. After the sealed envelopes containing the vendor's bid submissions have been dated and time stamped, they will be placed in a designated safe/file until the time specified for opening. The opening and tabulation of bids will be under the control of the County Purchasing Director or his designated representative.
The County will reject any bid received at the Office Of the Purchasing Director past the exact time and date specified for opening. Explanations that a delayed bid or proposal submission was caused by delays in traffic, lack of adequate parking, late mail deliveries, or for any other reason, will not be accepted. Bidders are not required to attend bid openings, but are encouraged to do so. After the formal bid opening, a tabulation of the received will be made and be available for public inspection. All bids items are to be shipped FOB Destination, with all costs for shipping, handling and delivery included in the base bid at the time. Exceptions to this rule may be permitted only as specifically allowed in the solicitation. When insurance is required of a contractor, the solicitation document identifies the specific coverage and limits required. Vendors must review the insurance requirements with their insurance agents to be certain that they can obtain the required coverage. No work for the County will be allowed to start until the County has received and approved any required insurance documents. Failure to provide the required insurance, if awarded a contract, will result in cancellation of the award. The Bid or Proposal Forms must be filled in completely. Failure to complete each item on the form can result in rejection of the response as non-responsive. Brochures, specifications, or samples, when required in the solicitation, must be attached to the form. Failure to comply may result in rejection. The Bid or Proposal Form is required to be submitted to the County as a bid or offer. All bids requiring Board approval shall be submitted with recommendation to the Board for final approval.
Award Of BidsAn award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder complying with all of the provisions of the bid invitation. A responsible bidder shall mean an individual, company, firm, corporation, partnership or other organization who has the capability in all respects, to perform fully the contract requirements and the moral and business integrity and reliability which will assure good faith performance. A responsive bidder shall mean an individual, company, firm, corporation, partnership or other organization who has submitted a bid which conforms in all material respects to the invitation to bid or request for proposal. In determining the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, in addition to price, the following shall also be considered.
The ability, capacity and skill of the bidder to perform the contract.
Whether the bidder can perform the contract within the time specified, without delay or interference.
The sufficiency of the financial resources to perform the contract to provide the service.
The quality, availability and adaptability of the supplies or contractual services to the particular use required.
The ability of the bidder to provide future maintenance and service when applicable.
The number and scope of conditions attached to the bid. Bid award recommendations wherein the award to each vendor exceeds $26,000.00 shall be approved by the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Waiver of IrregularitiesThe Purchasing Director, with the advice of County Counsel and the consent of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, shall have the authority to waive any and all irregularities in any and all formal bids, should it be deemed in the best interest of the County to do so.
Tie BidsThe County of Gloucester reserves the right to award at their discretion to any one of the tie bidders. | {
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The $7.1 billion purchaseof Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company was announced this week. Shareholders will receive a premium of more than 30% over the last trading, and industry experts seem to agree that the deal is a good one for both Smithfield Foods and China’s Henan Shuanghui, the Chinese meat processing firm. You can read more about the deal and its ramifications here and here.
Smithfield was being pressured by shareholders to re-evaluate its integrated pork production model; the purchase of Smithfield is expected to alleviate that pressure at least in the short term. U.S. investors may not love the U.S. protein market, but the rest of the world does. Brazil, Mexico and the Pacific Rim have been the most aggressive in acquiring U.S. protein companies.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has voted officially to designate the U.S. as a country whose risk for the spread of BSE is negligible. “Negligible risk” is OIE’s lowest risk classification under the OIE animal health code. Countries with this status are recognized as having implemented robust BSE controls and done extensive surveillance of their herds to demonstrate this extremely low risk level.
Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, says the new designation should remove any legitimate hurdles that U.S. beef has faced in the global market due to BSE. “This decision by the OIE should clear away any remaining concerns that some countries have about the risk associated with importing beef and beef products from the U.S. We think the decision announced by the OIE today should provide a number of beef-importing countries with a reason to reevaluate their requirements for beef imports from the U.S.,” Seng said this week.
• Meanwhile, corn planting pulled closer to the five-year average last week, as of May 26. At that time, USDA reported that 86% of the crop had been planted compared to the 90% average for 2008-2002. At this time last year, corn planting was complete.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report indicates that both soybean and corn planting remain well behind schedule, however, and are both roughly at the level of 1993. After planting 43% of corn acres the week of May 19, heavy rainfall in many parts of the Corn Belt reduced planted acres to only a further 15%. Read more here.
With the crop mostly in the ground, the focus now shifts to satisfactory growing conditions over the next eight weeks.
Contributors
Troy Marshall is a multi-generational rancher who grew up in Wheatland, WY, and obtained an Equine Science/Animal Science degree from Colorado State University where he competed on both the livestock... | {
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Heating
Kitchen & Bath
We carry premium, brand name toilets, sinks, faucets and so much more to help you create the perfect kitchen or bath.
With over 65,000 SKUS, 850,000 SQ FT of warehouse space & our Triple-A guaranteed availability of the 30 SKUs that are among the most essential and commonly ordered items, Elmsford Winnelson has the products you need to get the job done. | {
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Bulky goods site construction slowest in three years
MELBOURNE: Bulky goods site construction has slowed this year in Melbourne despite developments across Australia reaching unprecedented heights, with most new centres built in the past three years being anchored by brand-name tenants such as Harvey Norman.
Almost 80,000 square metres of bulky goods construction is scheduled to take place this year, compared with 131,454 square metres last year and 142,451sqm the year before, according to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Most of the new centres now being built are anchored by brand-name, quality tenants, such as Harvey Norman and Bunnings, which tend to attract long-term leases, helping to sustain the ongoing success of the centres,” CBRE senior associate director Stephen Thomas said in the report.
Thomas estimates the forecasts of the actual amount of bulky-goods construction this year to be closer to 29,386 square metres, and puts this down to the prevalence of aforementioned high quality tenants.
Even so, Harvey Norman has a few million dollars worth of bulky-goods construction planned for the next 18 months, including a 45,000 square metre site at Springvale, a $120 million, 44,000 square metre site at Frankston and a $150 million, 40,000 square metre redevelopment of the Nylex site at Mentone, according to the report.
Further south, Harvey Norman has also signed a $70 million joint venture for a bulky goods development in Tasmania, which will take the form of a 39,000 square metre bulky goods retail homemaker centre at Cambridge, outside of Hobart.
Harvey Norman will have an estimated $195 million from the sale of its stake in Rebel Sport to finance the development. The appliance and furniture retailer already anchors the SupaCenta in Sydney’s Moore Park, which is a bulky goods homemaker centre.
According to a report released by BIS Shrapnel in January this year, the total amount of bulky goods retail floorspace in Australia currently stands at 4.6 million square metres.
Although it is believed there will be another building surge before the year is out, the report said that the bulky goods sector is entering a maturation phase.
“We are already seeing signs many areas are adequately supplied with bulky goods floorspace and believe current demand is insufficient to justify continued extraordinary growth in floorspace,” said BIS Shrapnel senior project leader and author of the report, Maria Lee.
“The ‘golden age’ of bulky goods retailing is past. Over the four years to June 2005, average annual growth in consumer spending on bulky goods items was over 10 per cent in real terms as the sector benefited from a one-off shift to mortgage-backed debt. This cheaper source of funds facilitated the purchase of ‘must have’ items such as plasma TVs,” she said.
“Spending eased to 7.5 per cent in the year to June 2006 and is expected to reduce further to under five per cent over the next three years. The cracks that have been appearing will widen and spread.” | {
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We believe that an education and living an active, healthy lifestyle is pivotal to the development of children and young adults.
Post Date: 11/21/2014
Category: LJFF News
Kitchen Overhaul: PROMISE Project Episode One
“This was a dream we had… Nicole Curtis and our Northeast Ohio partners made our dream a reality. We had over 30 incredible partners come together, we never could have done it without them. I am so damn proud to be from Akron, Ohio.” – LeBron James
The debut of the PROMISE Project on Nicole Curtis’ Rehab Addict on HGTV on Thursday, November 20 marks the celebration of a PROMISE Kept.
Fittingly, PROMISE Project on Rehab Addict opened with a highlight of our Akron I PROMISE Network all-star, Mariah, and her wonderful family: Zeke, Xavier, Melanie, and LaToya. Mariah’s hard work and dedication EARNED her family a complete home make-over.
The first of six episodes, “Kitchen Overhaul” follows the team as they tackle the tough task of overhauling the kitchen, backyard, and driveway. Helping LeBron and Nicole along the way was a very special, and very dedicated partner, Jack Plas. Jack, who is LeBron’s estate manager, served as the PROMISE Project’s general contractor. Along with overseeing the renovation, Jack helped unite all of our partners, many of whom have done work on LeBron’s home. Jack is indispensable to the James family, the Foundation, and the PROMISE Project.
LeBron and Nicole wasted no time getting to work as they demolished the kitchen. To finish what Nicole and LeBron started, our dedicated crews worked 24-hour shifts…
but in the end, it was all worth it.
Nicole Curtis, the kid from Detroit, and LeBron, the kid from Akron, kept the PROMISE Project a family affair. Both Nicole and LeBron’s children lent a helping hand alongside all of our PROMISE Project partners.
Ms. James and Mr. Curtis both put in a hard day’s work with the team from Rice’s Nursery, creating a beautiful backyard for Mariah and her family.
Embodying LeBron’s “Earned Not Given” motto, Mariah got down to business. With help from the Rice’s Nursery Team, Mariah hand-laid the bricks in her family’s new, white fenced and flower lined backyard.
Along with an overhaul of the backyard, the team completely rebuilt Mariah’s driveway, demolishing the old surface, making way for a new, wider footprint, laying concrete, and hand finishing the surface.
When the kitchen, backyard, and driveway were finished, LeBron brought his wife, Savannah, to inspect his handy work and give final approval, “Not bad, honey,” said Savannah, approvingly. “We want to give Miss Mariah and her family a special home to live in,” Savannah said, while she was inspecting the kitchen.
Nicole's Gallery
To see behind the scenes photos from PROMISE Project episode 1, check out Nicole Curtis’ gallery: | {
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'NHL 13' almost makes up for lockout, video game reviewer says
Most hockey fans would agree that last year's "NHL 12" video game was pretty close to perfect. But that hasn't stopped the producers at EA Sports from trying to improve it.
This year, the improvements in "NHL 13" (for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99) include even more realistic skating with more than 1,000 new animations. Player control is better, and the artificial intelligence more closely mimics what you'd see on the ice if you were watching a real game.
Those are all good things because, dare I say, this may be the closest thing to the NHL we'll see this season as the league lockout continues.
My favorite feature in "NHL 13" is the new "NHL Moments Live," which allows you to go back in time and recreate some of the most memorable events in the league's history. The feature is familiar to fans of other EA Sports games, and it's about time we saw it in the hockey franchise. With dozens of moments to choose from, tackling all of them can certainly keep you entertained -- and new moments are set to be added for the latest season (if that ever happens).
Picture this: It's the first game of a 1993 Stanley Cup playoff matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs. In the second overtime, you're challenged to score the game-winning goal as Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour from his viewpoint on the ice.
This year's game also takes the popular "Be a GM" mode online so you can play with friends, create your own NHL league and manage your own team. There's even a mobile app that allows you to make trades, check standings and connect with your friends in the league without even logging onto your game console.
"NHL 13" again features the spectacle of the Winter Classic outdoor game, giving fans the choice to replay last season's contest between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park or the previous season's game between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field. Of course, you can also choose whatever teams you want.
Overall, "NHL 13" builds on the features that have made it the best (and now only) hockey video game experience. There's plenty to enjoy if you just want to pick up the controller and play a few games as your favorite team. If you're looking for enhanced features that'll get you even closer to the action, "NHL 13" can do that too. Three and a half stars out of four. | {
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FCH 2 - JTI Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
The public-private partnership „Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking” was established at the beginning of the 7th Framework Programme as a Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) and has been prolonged for the duration of Horizon 2020 and until 2024.
The general objective of the "FCH 2 JU" for the period of 2014-2024 is to develop a strong, sustainable and globally competitive fuel cells and hydrogen sector in the Union, in particular to:
reduce the production cost of fuel cell systems to be used in transport applications, while increasing their lifetime
increase the electrical efficiency and the durability of the different fuel cells used for power production, while reducing costs,
increase the energy efficiency of production of hydrogen from water electrolysis while reducing capital costs,
demonstrate on a large scale the feasibility of using hydrogen to support integration of renewable energy sources into the energy systems, including through its use as a competitive energy storage medium for electricity produced from renewable energy sources.
Organisation
The JTI is implemented by the „Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU)“. Members of this public-private partnership with its registered office in Brussels, are the EU, represented by the European Commission, the European fuel cells and hydrogen technologies industry represented by the „Hydrogen Europe“ and the R&D community, represented by „N.ERGHY“, an association of European research institutes and universities doing research on fuel cells and hydrogen technologies
Basis
On July 10, 2013, the European Commission has issued the proposal for the prolongation of the FCH JU for the period 2014-2024. This proposal has been discussed in the European Parliament and adopted by the Council on May 6, 2014.
Based on a Strategic Resarch Agenda the JTI will implement a ten-year programme for research funding, that will be open for all EU member states and associated states. The total funding amounts to 1.33 bn Euro, of which 0.66 bn EUR from Horizon 2020 and the rest as the contribution of the Joint Undertaking’s member companies and other institutions participating in the activities of the JU.
Calls for proposals
On July 9, 2014, the FCH2 JU has published its Multi-Annual Workplan for 2014-2020 and its first call for proposals under Horizon 2020. Information on current calls is available on the EU Commission's Participant Portal and on the FCH JU website. | {
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The Electronic Music Awards to host a 'Detroit Dock' with Juan Atkins, Delano Smith, Robert Hood
Performances from the city's icons will ensue
Valerie Lee
13 September 2017
It wouldn't be right to host something titled the Electronic Music Awards without paying proper homage to Detroit techno and its founders - and producer Paul Oakenfold knows it.
The EM Awards have announced 'The Detroit Dock', an entire arena of the awards show meant to celebrate and showcase the legends that helped to pioneer electronic music as we know it today. Performances from Detroit legend himself Juan Atkins, Delano Smith, Robert Hood as Floorplan and The Saunderson Brothers will be hosted in the arena on September 21.
The awards show will be broadcasted live on Twitter and also on Sirius XM Radio. Find a list of nominees and categories here. | {
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