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Watamu Beach; White sands, low tides
Thought I would take a bit of a break from the Marsabit County series and blog about my favorite coastal destination, Watamu. My last post on Watamu was about the marine park (http://www.safari254.com/watamu-marine-park/).
Watamu is a small town located approximately 105 km north of Mombasa and about 15 km south of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main economic activities are tourism and fishing.
Sunrises are magical and the ones at Watamu are no different. This time I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking. Hopefully you’ll see why I love Watamu.
I took this picture last year, it was such a cloudy morning but the sunrise was breathtaking. The sun is hiding some place behind those clouds.
Image courtesy of Hemingways.
It was a windy morning
Image courtesy of Hemingways.
The landscape of Watamu beaches is amazing: characterized by long sugar white sandy beaches and emerald sea.
Just as the sun was beginning to rise…
I was seated all alone outside the room. It was one of the most tranquil moments ever. The only person who passed by was a security guard who was curious as to why I was up so early.
This is probably my favorite picture of the sunrise that morning. It does look surreal, doesn’t it?
After visiting the turtle rescue centre (a post for a another day) I spent most of the day just lazing around
As inviting as the pool looks, all I did was take pictures. Hopefully next time I’ll take a dip.
The next morning I left Timboni (where I had spent the night) for Watamu village. I had borrowed a bike the previous day and the plan was to ride along the beach with my friend so as to view the sunrise. My friend was a bit late, so I left without her. I ended up on the wrong side of the beach but eventually made it to the right side just in time.
How unique each sunrise is…this is the same beach I was on when I took the first picture.
Yes, those are cows. I didn’t expect to see a herd of cows on a beach.
Coral reef Island isolation s which are a few meters from the beaches and you can walk through the ocean to them when tides are low. The beach has extreme low tides at different times during the day.
I had decided to wait for my friend when I saw the children playing on the beach next to some fishing boats.
It was during the low season so some sections of the beach were covered in seaweed and rather messy. During the high season it gets cleaned up and is pristine.
Eventually my friend showed up and the man posing with the dog would not stop following us. We kept giving him one word answers but he would not take the hint. This is not at all uncommon at the coast. If you are a lone female it is guaranteed that a man will approach you and try to chat you up.
We also met these 2 very friendly dogs; they were much better company than the stalker. I think their owner lives close to the beach. I love the bead-work on their collars.
I imagine the dogs lead blissful lives. I know I would if I lived on such a beach.
We stayed on the beach way past the sunrise. It is always so calming just to sit on the sand and listen to the waves breaking on the shore.
Interesting use of driftwood.
My mode of transport.
I highly recommend a bike tour of Watamu. I had borrowed the bike from a friend but there is a shop in the village that rents out bikes.
The Coastal highway runs north of Mombasa all the way to Kenya’s northern frontier. Driving your own car or hired car as far as Malindi is very easy. There are regular buses and matatus along the North coast. Many hotels and resorts in this area have Mombasa shuttles or can arrange vehicle transfers. Private taxis from Mombasa will also take you to the North Coast beaches for an agreed fare. Malindi airport has daily scheduled flights to Mombasa, Nairobi and Lamu. The airport also serves Private Charters. There are scheduled flights to Malindi.
Post by Rachael
If you liked this post, please share it using any of the social media buttons located to the left and below the page, Thank You! | <urn:uuid:66807014-660c-4ec0-b0e2-ed6c45e1ebd2> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.safari254.com/watamu-beach-white-sands-low-tides-sunrises/ | 2014-07-28T04:12:32Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510256737.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011736-00448-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978809 | 982 |
Hello, beautiful people, my name is Panda and welcome to Panda's Game Musings About Games. So, I saw a blog the other day by a fella named CountBastian detailing a list that he called "Video Game Expendables." He apparently got the idea from mikeerik. I recommend checking both of their blogs as out, in addition to mine. Don't leave yet, though, read this first. THEN go read theirs. I thought this would be a simple and fun blog while I'm in the Business center of a Hotel in Washington DC. I guess this counts as business, right? As a disclaimer, I tried to stick to people who are the good guys. Even though there are more powerful villains I could have put on here, I wanted to stick with heroes. So, here we go!
1: Commander Shepard-The Leader
Yup, I meant FemShep. There's no denying that this woman is incredibly skilled at what she does. She uses her skill at weaponry, and her awesome training to do amazing things, such as saving the galaxy. She hasn't been recruited for her prowess at guns, or her awesome biotic abilities, or even her ability to dance all night in clubs, but her ability to lead. Commander Shepard has an uncanny ability to rally people behind her and lead them on to the greater good. This skill will definitely be needed when attempting to control the hotheads on this team. For these reasons, Shepard is the leader of this team.
2: Cole MacGrath-The Tank
Cole is really, really powerful. I don't want you to misunderstand: When I say powerful, I mean so powerful than he can literally create a tornado of electricity to throw at people. That is hardcore. Cole is also incredibly devoted to doing what is right (if you played the game how it was supposed to be played) and will not stop unless he has accomplished his goal. The good ending of Infamous 2 shows his devotion to doing what is right. I won't spoil it here, but if you've played it, you'll know what I'm talking about.
3: Booker DeWitt-The Loose Cannon
Booker is like a train, pretty much unstoppable once it gets going, and plows down anything and everything in it's path. With his amazing skill with every single form of weaponry in the game, and all of his Vigors at his disposal, Booker could prove an invaluable asset in whatever conflict these characters are going up against. Booker is trying to make ammends, so he's looking for anything he can fight for in his life. In Infinite, it becomes Elizabeth, and in the Video Game Expendables, it's the team he's on.
4: Sam Fisher-The Ghost
We've had a lack of stealth characters so far, so Sam Fisher is now a member of the team. Sam is imperative to the team, as none of the other members are exactly accustomed to stealth. Anytime these guys need to sneak in anywhere, Sam is the man. Sam has the awesome skill-set needed to get in, get what they need, and get out without anyone noticing, and leaving a long trail of bodies in his wake. (Though, if you play like me, they are unconscious bodies) Sam is the perfect member for anytime the lights go out.
5: Nathan Drake-The Looks
Spoiler Alert for all three Uncharted games. You have been warned. Also, go play Uncharted, they're great.
Now, it's not this man's rugged good looks, or his skill in combat that give him a position in this team. It's not even his parkour skills or his ability to attract beautiful women. No, the reason this guy is on the list is because of his luck. This guy is the luckiest man to ever live. Just think about how many times this man has escaped death. Not taking into account his innumerable gunfights, Drake has survived two plane crashes, a sinking cruise ship, a train falling off the edge of a cliff, attacks from steroid monkeys, as well as escaping buildings that are collapsing and/or burning down. He has also carried a wounded man for a mile while taking heavy fire from armed henchmen. At age 14, Drake escaped from at least twenty well-trained agents without so much as a scratch. Not to mention the times he fought off deadly spiders, fought off helicopters, Looney-tuned a giant mecha-thug into falling off a cliff. There is no end to this man's luck and good fortune.
So, that was my list! No Reviews this week, as I am on vacation and since I have a full day of being a tourist tomorrow, I need to get sleep sometime. This is Panda, signing off!
P.S: I typed in Commander Shepard Female on Google, and I found this amazing picture that I felt needed to be shared.
Yup, that's the Doctor with an Omni-Tool. You're Welcome. | <urn:uuid:20d0aeee-98de-42c3-96e5-6d24238b9bc3> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://www.ign.com/blogs/pandarobot/2013/09 | 2016-05-25T20:11:19Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049275328.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002115-00099-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984107 | 1,029 |
SCOOBY-DOO and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyright Hanna-Barbera. Mystery, Inc. [from left to right]: Scrappy-Doo, Velma, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne, and Fred.
The primary characters from the original series, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!," are known collectively as "Mystery, Inc." They have remained remarkably intact over the past four decades, although there have been a few notable additions to the core company. Here's a look at each "Scooby-Doo" character:
Jovial and fun-loving, and just human enough to be understood, Scooby-Doo is by nature a chicken-heart. When pressed, however, he always comes through with a sense of whimsical bravery. If this Great Dane cannot run away from a villain, he will try to trick him or her by using an outrageous disguise. Perhaps his most pronounced characteristic is his passion for "Scooby Snacks," or just about any other kind of food.
Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is Scooby-Doo's closest friend. A carefree, beatnik-ish teenager, Shaggy shares Scooby's cowardliness, his whimsy, and his ravenous appetite. In the long run, he can always be counted on to overcome his fear and confront danger with a hearty cry of "Zoinks!"
Handsome, blond, stalwart, and a bit square, Fred is ostensibly the leader of Mystery, Inc., and the gang's anchor, striving at all times to keep everyone focused on the latest task. He is also the biggest skeptic about ghosts and monsters, and he is always searching for a natural explanation to the seemingly supernatural goings-on.
Short, bespectacled, and tomboyish, Velma is the brains of the Scooby gang. More often than not, she puts clue-and-clue together to come up with a solution to the mystery. Because of her bookish nature, Velma is a veritable font of knowledge, though her youthful innocence is best reflected by her favorite expression, "Jinkies!"
"Danger-prone Daphne" has a knack for falling into trouble and requiring rescue. A beauty queen-type and fashion plate, Daphne comes from a wealthy family -- in fact, it is her father's money that outfits the gang with such equipment as the Mystery Machine, the 1960s-era hippie van that provides Scooby and company their transportation.
If one were to shrink down Scooby-Doo physically and inject him with a double-dose of courage and feistiness, the end result would be Scrappy-Doo, Scooby's diminutive nephew. Whereas Scooby tries to run away from danger as rapidly as possible, the impetuous Scrappy dives into it headlong.
Scooby's country cousin is not the smartest pup in the litter, but he is an endearing character. A near-double for Scooby-Doo, despite his buck teeth and pork-pie hat, Scooby-Dum dog-speaks with a thick southern drawl.
Dr. Phineus Phibes
Take one part Bond villain and one part Dr. Strangelove, add a bionic hand and a very bad toupee, and you have Dr. Phineus Phibes, the gang's primary nemesis in "Shaggy & Scooby Get A Clue!" His efforts to take over the world with the help of a scientific formula developed by Shaggy's uncle are constantly thwarted not only by Shaggy and Scooby, but by the complete incompetence of his henchmen.
Robi is the robotic butler invented by Shaggy's Uncle Albert to work in his mansion. While very well-meaning, Robi is a real klutz who insists upon calling Scooby "Ruby-Roo," since that is the best he can translate from Great Danish.
"Scooby-Doo" is a fascinating combination of traditional and cutting-edge production methods. In the next section, we explain how they do "Scooby-Doo." | <urn:uuid:13e34c81-fad5-4156-b1ea-7ad1634e5fa7> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/activities/movie-fun-night/how-scooby-works2.htm | 2014-07-25T03:38:53Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1405997892806.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20140722025812-00207-ip-10-33-131-23.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95564 | 886 |
Thank you for following our blog Decoding Your Child. “Why name the blog Decoding Your Child?” you may ask. The reason is two-fold. This blog post will touch on the first reason.
Firstly, the purpose of the blog is to help you decode YOUR child. Decoding someone means truly understanding him/her. When we truly understand our children, we are better able to guide them and help them develop. Decoding someone takes time and effort, and most of all, patience. Patience is a rare virtue in a fast spinning society like ours. We demand efficiency and instant results. If we don’t, someone might surpass us and render us obsolete. At least that is what happens in the economic world. What about in the world of growing children? Can we demand efficiency and instant results?
Farmers Manipulating Crop
Let us for a moment just look at farmers. Can farmers prompt a crop to grow as fast as it can? Of course they can. They load the crops with herbicides, fungicides, unnatural fertilizers etc. They would do anything to get rid of anything that poses as a threat and add anything that will help their crops grow bigger and faster. Heck, they would even genetically modify the plants so their crops can withstand the herbicides and pesticides sprayed on them, or even “better”, they would create plants that kill the pests that eat them. Makes you wonder what happens when we eat those plants, don’t you? But that’s a separate topic for another day.
Farmers Following the Money
Some farmers will also focus on growing crops that make them the most money. When corn was selling well, everyone wanted to grow corn. They cleared their land of other productive but not economically high yield crops to grow corn, thinking the corn will yield them better returns. Then what happened? There was an oversupply of corn. The value of corn plunged and many corn farmers lost the shirts on their backs and went bankrupt. Those who chose not to jump onto the bandwagon of corn growers survived and thrived.
Parents Moulding Their Children
How does farming apply to parenting? Like farming, parenting takes time. It takes cultivation. Like farmers, parents yearn to get rid of as many obstacles as possible, so that their children have the best environment to grow. We do everything in our power to remove anything that distracts our children from doing well in school so they can focus on growing uninterrupted. We do our best to “fertilize” them with enrichment programs. We schedule their days, hours and minutes so every moment is productive. Staring into empty space is unproductive. Go read a book. Doodling is a waste of time. Go do a workbook. What happens then is that our children stop thinking for themselves. They wait for instructions. They are lost and bored when not told what to do. We engineer creativity out of them. And then we wonder, “How can we teach our children to be creative?”
Parents Following the Money
Don’t get me wrong. Parents have the best intentions for their children. I am a parent, I know. We want our children to succeed. We want to help them find the path that leads to success. However, many parents fall into the trap of following the money. Do well in school, get a good job, earn lots of money. What’s a good job? It used to be being a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, and now a programmer. Let’s all gear our children into those areas. Forget about the less well paying careers of being an artist, actor or sportsperson. What happens? Engineers graduate without an engineering job. Programmers find themselves uncompetitive compared to programmers from other countries. What happened? We pushed our children into a dead-end career and killed their actual passion in the process.
Decode Your Child And Develop Him As He Is
What can we do as parents? Decode our children. Learn what their passions are. Help them develop those passions, even if those passion seem pointless. Case in point. The son of one of my friends loved to surf google map. He spent hours looking at the maps, “visiting” different countries and drove his mom up the wall with his apparent waste of time. Several years later, the knowledge that he gained from his “time-wasting” hobby won him third place in a Geography Bee contest in USA. Where his passion for map reading and learning about countries will lead him in the future remains to be seen. But we know his passion will help him thrive in this area further than someone who is pushed into it.
If your child loves painting, let him paint. Don’t tell him it is a waste of time. You never know if he will become the next Monet or Van Gogh. If your child loves to sing, let her sing. She could be the next Adele. And you know what? She will love her life better doing what she loves than if she were forced to be an engineer, programmer or architect, resigned to being a bathroom singer. When we tell our children, “Don’t sing/paint/play computer games because you can’t make money out of it”, we are programming in our children the inability to make money out of their passion. And guess what, they will NEVER make money out of their passion. But if we help them fan their passion, encourage them to fly as high as they can go with their passion, they might surprise us with their success.
Help Our Children Find Their Hidden Paths
So decode your child. Know him as he is, not what you want him to be. And parent from there. If we want efficiency, the fastest and surest way to success is to follow one’s passion because the one who is walking the path is intrinsically motivated to walk it. And most of the time, the path is already created, just hidden. And our job as parents is to help our children find their hidden paths, not hack a path for them to walk on our behalf.
– Vivian – | <urn:uuid:cba0ed28-16ff-4b81-8c7f-43d349171ef5> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://decodingyourchild.com/2016/04/ | 2023-09-21T21:08:54Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506045.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20230921210007-20230922000007-00257.warc.gz | en | 0.971737 | 1,278 |
I chose Simplicity 2892 for Tilly's One Week One Pattern challenge (button in the side bar) and here is my second day out in my most recently completed version of this pattern.
Day 2: View D in peacock printed shiny silky stuff from JoAnn. I used the non-shiny side, so essentially the wrong side of the fabric, because I liked the matte look MUCH better.
Worn to church and lunch with my girls. My four-year-old got her first chance to try a picture with my phone and this is the only one where a part of me wasn't cut off. I think there's still some camera shake, but I'll take it!
I'm wearing the top with a gold-flecked brown shrug I've had forever and my turquoise Colette Clovers.
Handmade Holidays Nov. 22: Gifts for Cooks
23 hours ago | <urn:uuid:c2b33feb-c5e9-4823-ac48-3c9cfcebd8c3> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.theprettypickle.blogspot.com/2012/03/owop-day-2.html | 2014-11-23T15:42:42Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400379546.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123259-00249-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95693 | 189 |
“A poem is merely a dance of breath that has
learned to fly.“
Welcome to the tenth episode of SPOTLIGHT ON NCTE POETS! The videos in this series with Lee Bennett Hopkins are brief and personal looks at all the recipients of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.
This series isn’t about analyzing the poets and their work, but rather about preserving Lee’s personal recollections, insights, and memories of each of these amazing people. Through these short interviews, we hope to foster an appreciation of the poets and their work by “reading it and loving it from the heart,” as Lee says.
Barbara Juster Esbensen
In 1994, Barbara Juster Esbensen became the tenth recipient of the NCTE award. Her twenty-one books, which included poetry collections, lyrical legends, and nonfiction, received critical acclaim right from the start.
Barbara often credited her tenth-grade teacher — who once told her “You’re a writer!” — for leading her into the world of poetry. I found this wonderful post written by Barbara’s husband Tory, himself an educator, in which he tells a bit more about this time in Barbara’s youth:
“The biggest influence in Barbara’s life of writing was her high school English teacher, Miss Eulalie Beffel, herself a published poet and journalist. In 1941, under the tutelage of Miss Beffel, Barbara read the poetry of Amy Lowell, Stephen Vincent Benet, and Sara Teasdale. The way these writers used words astonished her. Thomas Wolfe had her in a state of shock! From that point on, she was off and running with language.”
Barbara’s first book, Swing Around the Sun, was published in 1965 and introduced readers to her marvelous facility with imagery and lyrical language.
Unfortunately, I was able to find only a few bits of Barbara’s writing to share, but what I did find just knocked my socks off with its effortlessness…
…and its insightful imagery.
In 1996, Barbara’s collection Dance with Me — which Lee tells us was also her favorite book — won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. I love the exuberance of “Invitation to the Wind.”
As Lee mentions in the video, Barbara was also a wonderful teacher, and her 1975 book A Celebration of Bees has helped countless teachers and parents help their students and children write creatively. The book was reissued in 1995, and I was thrilled to discover that the powers that be have made the book available for Kindle. I bought it immediately. Although written to help children, there is plenty in here to inspire poets of all ages.
Lee’s reflections on Barbara Juster Esbensen reveal a joyous soul who was passionate about words and language, and about sharing that passion with others.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS on BARBARA JUSTER ESBENSEN
During our interview, Lee shared several handwritten letters he’d received from Barbara over the years. They are just as full of humor and charm as her poetry. I will share part of one here — the one she wrote upon hearing she’d won the NCTE award.
I also found two audio recordings of Barbara speaking at various events, which I highly recommend. She is so funny and joyful. You just know she was an amazing teacher.
In Her Own Words: Barbara Juster Esbensen on
“The way words looked when placed next to each other was deeply important to me. When put together in fresh, unexpected ways, they could generate quiet explosions of delight for the reader. Whether it was poetry or prose, placing images in the minds of my readers became a central focus of everything I wrote. I wanted to find those word combinations that make sentences catch fire and shower down sparks!” –from the post by Tory Esbensen
Advice to Poets Young and Old
“You can’t just think. It doesn’t do any good just to think. You must see your words. I tell students the poem is in the pencil. The words are all in there, and as soon as you start letting a few of them out on the paper, you’re surprised; they are all holding hands, and they are all yanking each other along. –NCTE interview
“My favorite thing to tell children when I visit schools is that poets love to lie. But of course I quickly tell them how we lie. In the poem ‘Performance’ (Dance with Me), I use lines such as ‘the trees lock crooked arms’ and ‘a breeze remembers how to rhyme.’ Of course trees do not have arms to lock and a breeze cannot remember. But poets have to be poetic and we have to lie. Sometimes lying is just wonderful.” –via Lee Bennett Hopkins
“Too many school children are worried about being right, about not being wrong, and about not saying something stupid. They don’t want to be laughed at. If you have an accepting, adventurous atmosphere in a classroom, you may find some poets.” –NCTE interview
“I never take [Swing Around the Sun] with me when I’m talking to children, because I don’t want them to horse around with rhyme; it is too confining, and they get too tinky tanky.” –NCTE interview
More about Barbara Juster Esbensen
Dates: b. 1925 in Madison, WI; d. 1996
Education: University of Wisconsin, degree in art education
Occupation: K-12 art teacher, creative writing teacher elementary through college, poet, author
Recognition: NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, 1994; Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, 1996
First book published: Swing Around the Sun (Lerner, 1965)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER READING:
- Interview with Barbara for NCTE, by M. Jean Greenlaw
- Barbara Juster Esbensen Memorial website — includes reflections by her husband and daughter, Barbara’s own writings, audio recordings, interviews, profiles, bibliography, and more
WINNERS of the NCTE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN POETRY FOR CHILDREN
(First links go to NCTE articles about each winner; second links go to NWR video posts)
(Criteria for award)
2015 – Marilyn Singer
2013 – Joyce Sidman
2011 – J. Patrick Lewis
2009 – Lee Bennett Hopkins
2006 – Nikki Grimes
2003 – Mary Ann Hoberman
2000 – X.J. Kennedy
1997 – Eloise Greenfield
1994 – Barbara Juster Esbensen
1991 – Valerie Worth | See Valerie’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1988 – Arnold Adoff | See Arnold’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1985 – Lilian Moore | See Lilian’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1982 – John Ciardi | See John’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1981 – Eve Merriam | See Eve’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1980 – Myra Cohn Livingston | See Myra’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT on NWR
1979 – Karla Kuskin | See Karla’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1978 – Aileen Fisher | See Aileen’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
1977 – David McCord | See David’s NCTE SPOTLIGHT post on NWR
NEXT IN THE SERIES: ELOISE GREENFIELD
Amy has the roundup a The Poem Farm!
You’d like to receive my weekly posts in your inbox, you say? Well, just sign up in the sidebar then!
See more poems in my poetry video library.
All poems © Barbara Juster Esbensen. All illustrations © by respective illustrators. All rights reserved.
Video and post content © Renee M. LaTulippe. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:391ee9ff-bad2-411f-8836-7956334f0817> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://www.nowaterriver.com/spotlight-on-ncte-poets-barbara-juster-esbensen-with-lee-bennett-hopkins/ | 2018-09-25T20:08:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267162385.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20180925182856-20180925203256-00551.warc.gz | en | 0.944113 | 1,753 |
Risetech Technology (HK) Ltd has been serving customers in stocking distribution of electronic components for the past 16+ years . Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, we have offices in Toronto, Canada, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, China.
We are continuously searching for qualified employees to add to professionals in our various office.
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If you are interested in career at Risetech , pls send application letter to: | <urn:uuid:758adaa1-04c2-4e18-9029-0efa9505026f> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | http://risetech-ic.com.hk/index.php/about?id=5 | 2020-07-04T19:12:20Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655886516.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20200704170556-20200704200556-00480.warc.gz | en | 0.884978 | 122 |
Categories UK Bass DUBSLUV – WHO IS A BADMAN THAT CAN DRAW (BASS4LUV MIX) Post author By MizzRuby Post date 5 March, 2013 No Comments on DUBSLUV – WHO IS A BADMAN THAT CAN DRAW (BASS4LUV MIX) It’s a freebie! So grab it quick and enjoy! Share Tweet Share Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Like Loading... Related ← Physik – Younger Days EP → Lapis Lazuli – 001EP Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. | <urn:uuid:937a4d62-6ac5-43f9-a90f-cc773ec7f631> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | http://ukgarage.org/5202/dubsluv-who-is-a-badman-that-can-draw-bass4luv-mix | 2020-09-23T06:39:18Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400209999.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20200923050545-20200923080545-00012.warc.gz | en | 0.742741 | 175 |
The MEK-FU Hawken controller may be one of the first video game controllers designed to make playing a game more complex, less accessible.
The MEK-FU Hawken controller may be one of the first video game controllers designed to make playing a game more complex and less accessible.
Packed with a baffling selection of buttons, toggles, switches, sticks, screens and a full keyboard, the prototype stick designed by fledgling Chinese peripheral company Ripleigh drew a crowd at an evening Hawken play session during E3.
The set up features two ergonomic handle grips loaded with thumb buttons, hat switches and triggers. There's a small keyboard which can be used for chatting between sessions. A band of programmable buttons can be assigned to the mech's various items. The control system also has an impressive number of very specific buttons and switches. For instance, there's a covered ignition flipswitch, a health indicator, and an auto shift switch.
A rectangular digital display, which stretches across the top of the controller, is used to display the player's call sign and for short messages. The entire thing pulls apart for easy storage, a spokesman for Ripleigh told Polygon.
While Hawken can be played with a keyboard and mouse, the game also supports the ability to customize the controls, allowing it to work with this very specialized controller.
The controller at the event was a prototype, the spokesman said, one that they hope to start mass producing themselves soon.
But before they do they have to settle on a price. As I was snapping pictures of the device the spokesman asked me what I'd pay for it. When I dodged the question he told me what "most people" are telling him; $250. | <urn:uuid:b45ad17f-091a-4cc2-9a37-63cdac3828de> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/6/6/3068821/hawken-controller-offers-a-baffling-expensive-way-to-battle-bots | 2014-03-11T08:42:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394011160422/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305091920-00026-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950519 | 354 |
This patch features the Southern Cross of Honor with the letters CSA, a battle flag, and deo vindice embroidered in the cross. 3.5 in diameter.
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The Museum of the Confederacy Headquarters,
1201 E. Clay Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Museum of the Confederacy and nearby Richmond hotels | <urn:uuid:7f2831d0-8e17-45ab-9f78-dbd6832a43b3> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | https://www.moc.org/haversack-store/pins-patches/southern-cross-honor-patch?mode=appomattox | 2015-03-03T15:12:08Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936463318.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074103-00109-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.846004 | 104 |
Grapel is studying law in the US, and his father is paying for it, so he knows. During summers, US law students go on internships. So far, it all makes sense and no rubbish. Why Grapel chose to go to Egypt I don't know, but his claim is that he likes Arabic culture and has been to Egypt a few times already. This is also plausible.
U.S. confirms ISIS computer expert killed in air strike (Reuters)
from the article: Egypt extends detention of alleged Israeli spy Ilan Grapel | <urn:uuid:4b658339-adbe-4990-8a51-34137f137871> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.haaretz.com/misc/comment-page/some-more-reading-to-do-mr-keen-19.2051215 | 2015-08-29T01:26:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644064160.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025424-00048-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98162 | 115 |
Sally went on to inform me that her grandmother always told everyone she had to "feed the cats" when she had gas, and that she and David didn't want to be like that. I filed this information in the "Things I Didn't Need to Know" part of my mind and went back to my Top Gun dream of love: Tom Cruise bare-chested on a motorbike.
I continued dating as I always had; primping and tailoring my personality to suit my boyfriend of the moment. I changed colors more often than a chameleon to find love, oblivious to truth. If I convinced a man to love my pretense, what good would it do? He couldn't love someone he didn't know.
After much heartbreak, God finally got through. I spent a few years alone with Him, getting to know myself. I grew more confident in His presence, ultimately learning to let people know the real me. Then, I started dating my husband.
Jim got under my skin and I held nothing back. I once spurted milk right in his face because he made me laugh during dinner. He held my hair back while I puked my guts out pregnant, and told me I was beautiful at the same time. He's seen me thin, blonde and young and fat, brunette and middle-aged. He's seen me dolled up, and he's seen me filthy. Recently he had a good laugh when I lost my balance trying to weed a flowerbed and rolled right onto my bum, heels-over-head. If he'd had a camera, we might have had a winning video--what a shame.
My idea of romance has deepened. By accepting me as I am, with my many flaws, Jim makes me feel loved. When I was eight months pregnant with my daughter, I broke my ribs vomiting. The baby was active right beneath them every time I lay down, and I became hysterical with pain and exhaustion. This culminated in a screaming rant about getting the baby out. Jim calmed me and held me upright all night long so that I could sleep--that is love.
I find a man who works twelve-hour night shifts at a job he hates to support his family romantic. The man who changes diapers, takes me out to dinner and calls me every time he is away to tell me he loves me is a hero. My husband knows all my hopes, dreams, fears and failures--and he stays. He makes me weak in the knees.
I can spend my life excusing myself to "feed cats," or I can know love. Hollywood romance is a caricature. My husband and I have the Garden ideal: we are naked and we feel no shame.*
*Paraphrase Genesis 2:25 NIV
Debbie O'Connor lives just north of New Orleans with her husband, Jim, and their two children. Jesus has been her savior for 18 years. Contact Debbie at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:9b87ee3f-f4fe-4c88-ad26-9f2c0bf0a3d6> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://articles.faithwriters.com/reprint-article-details.php?article=2353 | 2015-08-02T08:17:19Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042989018.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002309-00196-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984653 | 610 |
10-Year-Old Recovering After Quadruple Shooting In East Baltimore
Get Breaking News First
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A 10-year-old boy was outside on a stoop in East Baltimore trying to cool off when police say he was shot, along with three other people.
Mike Hellgren has new information on the investigation.
Baltimore City police were out in force on East Hoffman Street where four people were shot on Memorial Day, including a 10-year-old. It’s just a block from an elementary school.
“It’s very, very hard,” said Jaleesa Copeland. “Our kids can’t even go outside.”
Investigators do not believe the boy was targeted, just in the wrong place at the wrong time–sitting on the stoop on a hot evening.
“Now we have to worry about whether our children will be shot,” said one mom, who didn’t want to be identified. “It makes me angry because it’s life and it’s young life.”
Police say one of the bullets went straight through that little boy’s leg. They don’t yet know the motive or have anyone in custody.
“That’s crazy. No one ever thinks when they shoot whose lives they’re going to take or whose family is going to be hurt, nothing like that,” Copeland said.
And sadly it’s nothing new. The family of Sean Johnson, 12, just marked the first anniversary of his death in Northeast Baltimore. Police believe the shooter mistook him for someone else. It’s been almost three years since then-5-year-old Raven Wyatt was caught in the crossfire in Southwest Baltimore, a shooting caught on a Citiwatch camera. They solved those cases and hope to wrap up this latest case of bloodshed in East Baltimore.
“Something has got to be done about this. It’s got to be better,” said a woman who did not want to be identified.
If you have any information, please call police. | <urn:uuid:75b4a663-5b54-4874-b641-293bcb79b727> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/05/29/10-year-old-recovering-after-triple-shooting-in-east-baltimore/ | 2014-09-22T08:15:09Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657136963.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011216-00238-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965048 | 454 |
- Holistic Approach
- Academics at BMSIT&M
- Library and Information Resource
- Time Table
- Study Material
- Student Empowerment
- Training & Placements
To develop technically competent Mechanical Engineering professionals for the benefit of the society
Impart quality education in Mechanical Engineering and allied areas by state- of- the- art- infrastructure and dedicated faculty.
Provide conducive environment for both students and faculty to pursue higher education & research and to work ethically for the benefit of society.
Faculty, Staff and Infrastructure
|Dr. Mohan Babu G.N||B.E., PGDCP. , M.Tech., PhD||Professor|
|Dr. HK Govindaraju||BE, ME, PhD||Professor and Head|
|Dr.A.V.Suresh||BE, ME, PhD||Professor|
|Dr. K. M. Sathish Kumar||BE, MTech, PhD||Associate Professor|
|Dr. Suresh.N||BE, ME, PhD||Associate Professor|
|Mr. Praveen Kumar T N||BE, ME, (PhD)||Associate Professor|
|Mr. O.Gurumurthy||B.Tech.,, M.E (Ph.D)||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. K. Chandra Sekhara Reddy||BTech, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Yashavantha Kumar G A||BE, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Anantha Krishna G.L.||BE, ME, PGDBA,(PhD)||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Shripad Diwakar||BE, ME (Ph.D)||Assistant Professor|
|Mrs. S.Nithya Poornima||BE, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Sriganesh.T.G||BE,, M Tech, (PhD)||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Sundaresh S||BE, M Tech, (PhD)||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Madhu.M.C||BE, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Keerthi Kumar N||BE, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Kiran M D||BE , ME||Assistant Professor|
|Mr. Jagadeesh.Y.J||BE, ME||Assistant Professor|
|Mrs. B J Tejaswini||B.AL, LL.B, LLM||Assistant Professor|
|Mrs. Shreya Banerjee||B E, M Tech||Assistant Professor|
(First Row -> Left to Right): Mr.R.Venkatesh (Instructor), Mr.Srinivasa (Asst. Instructor), Mr.G.K.Bheema Rao (Asst. Instructor), Mr.P.K.Ramamurthy (Foreman), Mr.G.Kuppu Swamy (Instructor), Mr.Abdul Razak (Asst. Instructor), Mr.Ananda.R (Instructor); (Second row -> Left to Right): Mr.Ravi Kumar (Asst. Instructor), Mr.Srinivasa.K.A. (Mechanic), Mr.Ashok.G.C (Mechanic), Mr.Pradeep.C. (Mechanic), Mr.A.P.Selvam (Mechanic), Mr.Umashankar.S (Asst. Instructor)
- VTU Ranks by the department so far: 2008- Mary Ernackle Abraham Abraham, 2012- Hemanth Kumar (10th rank), 2013- Kanishk Bhadani (8th rank).
- Mariam Tahoora of 6th semester has won the Wipro Earthian 2015, an Essay competition in the College category.
- Several special courses are organised on CATIA and HYPERMESH for students.
- Project work entitled ?Smart Bicycle? guided by R.G.Deshpande and carried out by 8th semester mechanical engineering students: Pradeep.S, Akash Asopa and Raghu.S.N, was selected for the final round of exhibition under students? project proposal approved by KSCST held at B.V.B.College Of Engineering, Hubli.
- The Department organizes industrial visits for the higher semester students in order to impart holistic education and a better understanding of the theoretical concepts. The various educational visits for the previous years have included visits to Visvesvaraya Technological Museum, GTRE, ISRO, Thermal Power Plant, Bellary, federal mogul, HMT Bangalore , etc.
- Siddharth Kashyap (8th Sem) , participated in and won the Regional Championship at the intercollegiate level of the "Simply Finance Quiz 2014 Bangalore" organized by Tata Mutual Fund.
- The Forum for Mechanical Engineering is a club run by students under the guidance and support from the faculty. Under this club, the department conducts an inter-collegiate technical fest titled ?UTHKHANANA", annually with widespread participation from students of other colleges.
- BMS Institute of Technology and Management has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KPIT Technologies (2014), Federal Mogul (2014), and NDRF (2015) aiming for training faculty members.
- The Department started the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) INDIA BMSIT Collegiate club; under which various activites including FDP, industrial visits, seminars, workshops and competitions are organized. In the year 2015, a two day workshop on "Automobile Electronics" was organized in collaboration with IISC (Bangalore).
- Mr. Praveen Kumar T. N was granted an amount of six lakhs under the VTU Research Grant Scheme for the project titled, "Development and comprehensive characterization of aluminium ceramic-microsphere foamed composite."
- The faculty of the Department have published more than 40 papers in various national and international, conferences and journals.
- Dr. HK Govindaraju and Dr. A.V Suresh have been nominated as a member of VTU Belgaum Local Inspection Committee.
- In the quest for academic excellence leading to global standards and to provide a platform for the students graduating from the portals of BMSIT, the Department has adopted the practice of Outcome Based Education (OBE).
- The students are encouraged to work on both in-house projects and also with various companies like HMT, BHEL, HAL, Indian Railways, Bharath Fritz Werner, L&T, Komatsu Ltd., Federal Moghul, etc.
- The sixth and eighth semester students developed small scale projects and participated in the State Rotary Bangalore Udyog and Standard international precision Engineering(P) for RUSI award.
- The students of II sem, Kaushik Balasundar, Edwin Easo Mathew, Akash S. Nambiar, Abhishek S.A., Aby J. Kottoor have designed and fabricated “HEAD MOTION CONTROLLED WHEELCHAIR” and has won the best paper
- Team of Mechanical Engineering students successfully completed their ambitious project ECOKART sponsored by the institution and have participated in the national level competition and has won best acceleration award held at BML Munjal University, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana, from 21st to 27th February 2017. Faculty advisor for the project was Mr. R.G.Deshpande and convener Dr.H.K.Govindaraju, Professor and Head of Mechanical Engineering
- Shiril. S.Jude of V semester won 2 first prises in karate weapon kata- National Level competition and won second place in general Katas2016
- Suprith Kulkarni Of VI semester Participated in table Tennis and won the runners Up place in the VTU Bangalore North Zone
- Sahana Upadaya and Harishitha Of 4 th semester won the runners up In the VTU badminton Zonals 2016
- Divyam garg Of 4 th semester won the first place In table tennis in the VTU Zonals 2016
- Mr Madhu M C Assistant Professor Published a book on Elements of Mechanical Engineering Under CBCS under Skyward Publishers
- Student Aishwarya N of 5th semester won the International CADD quiz organized by CADD CENTRE and Saman Siddibappa , 5th Semester of Mechanical engineering won cash prize of 1000USD and a trip to Malaysia/Bangkok. Engineeria 2017 -An international quiz contest for civil, mechanical and related streams of engineering. About 1lakh students across 6 countries participated in the event, the final round was held in Pune.
A four day Workshop on “Technical Staff Training” was conducted from 10th july 2017 to 13th july 2017
During the internship Industrial Visit to NTTF training centre Peenya and M/s. Aaditya Auto parts ltd, peenya unit
Mechanical engineering department had organized exhibition of the project works carried out by students on16/05/2017 at amphitheatre of the institution
Blended learning and Co-curricular Activities
Mrs S.Nithya Poornima organised Poster Competition for the students of II semester F section on the topic Energy resources for the subject Elements of Mechanical engineering on 27 Feb 2017.
Five Day Faculty Development Program on “Advances in Composite and Smart Materials”
31st July to 4th August 2017 | <urn:uuid:78f4d438-b22b-46ae-bb36-7dddceed304c> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://bmsit.ac.in/departments/1 | 2018-05-27T01:25:00Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867977.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180527004958-20180527024958-00218.warc.gz | en | 0.894405 | 2,013 |
Filmmaker Nick Smith will be the grand marshal in this year's Electric Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, along Main Street in St. Charles. The writer and director of the movie "Munger Road" is being honored for the contributions he has made to St. Charles.
Smith, a graduate of St. Charles North High School and Columbia College, wrote and directed the recently released movie starring Academy Award nominee Bruce Davison. The story revolves around an urban legend, a serial killer and a group of teens that go missing the night before Scarecrow Fest.
A lifelong resident of St. Charles, Smith could have selected another location to film, but chose his hometown "because St. Charles is an interesting, quaint town," Smith said. "I knew in filming St. Charles, the town itself would become a character in the story. It has historic buildings like Hotel Baker and the Municipal Building that differentiate it from being Any Town, USA." He said that he wanted to show St. Charles in a good light. "It is a reflection on how I feel about St. Charles, which I love."
Jennifer Faivre, executive director of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership, said, "We are thrilled to have Nick as our grand marshal. His work on 'Munger Road' has brought a lot of positive attention to our city. Along with promoting the movie, Nick is always promoting St. Charles. He represents what we hope continues to happen with children that grow up here … he has a great childhood here, gets a great education here, goes to college and then comes back to St. Charles to do great things. Communities that succeed are the ones that nurture, keep and attract talented people such as Nick."
Smith said that being Grand Marshal is a great honor, but is eager to share the credit of the movie's success. "I think there should be a lot more people up there with me who helped me get the movie off the ground. A lot of people's hard work has paid off." Smith cited the cooperation of the mayor and city officials in helping this become a reality. "It's been a really, really big community effort," Smith said.
"Munger Road," which opened locally on Sept. 30, has gained attention, and is currently playing throughout the Chicago area. As for future plans, Smith said "One of the nicest things to come out of this is to see the community come together. I am looking forward to coming back and doing this again."
Miss Illinois 2011, Hannah Smith (no relation to Nick), also will make an appearance at the Electric Christmas Parade.
The Holiday Homecoming weekend continues with free movies at the Arcada Theatre, free horse-drawn sleigh rides in Lincoln Park and, of course, visits with Santa on the 1st Street Plaza. The festivities conclude Sunday with another free movie at the Arcada Theatre.
To find out more about Holiday Homecoming, visit www.DowntownStCharles.org/HolidayHomecoming. For more information about Munger Road, visit mungerroad.com. | <urn:uuid:57bb60cd-7aa7-4c30-b6ab-957322253b92> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111125/submitted/711269952/ | 2016-10-01T02:52:23Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738662438.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173742-00221-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973503 | 640 |
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Scrap Heap by Laura Berringer is made with 100% Cotton and is 45" wide. Made by Marcus Brothers Textiles.
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collection Marcus Prints sku ZD-76671-004 putup
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manufacturer Marcus Brothers Textiles collection Scrap Heap sku R21-0576-1045 designer Laura Berringer | <urn:uuid:ca1ea899-accf-437a-a99e-4a6a04f96bff> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://choicefabrics.com/product/ZD-76671-004 | 2021-09-19T22:26:55Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056902.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20210919220343-20210920010343-00660.warc.gz | en | 0.678235 | 98 |
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View the current catalog, see course descriptions and view the archive of past catalogs.
The Histologic Technician AAS program is a two-year, five-semester course of study requiring a total of 60 semester hours of credit. The program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Rd. Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, 773.714.8886. Graduates are eligible for certification with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists-Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR). New classes begin in the fall of each year. The following courses HPRS 1201, MATH 1314, ENGL 1301, BIOL 1406 are prerequisites for admission to the Histologic Technician - AAS program. Total Credits Prereq Semester - 12
The Gulf Coast Gardener Occupational Skills Award (OSA) allows students to choose a path of study from three areas: nursery, floral, or interiorscaping. It provides students with a general knowledge of horticulture and horticultural practices related to nursery and floral production and landscaping.
The Horticulture Entrepreneur Specialization certificate is designed to prepare students to start their own business. The certificate focuses on the business management aspect of the industry as well as providing instruction in plant care and landscape design.
Horticulture is the art and science of cultivating plants. In the past, this referred to agriculture and simple gardening. New practices and tools have broadened the scope to include ornamental landscape horticulture or production horticulture.
The Hotel Management certificate introduces students to the basic management techniques and administrative practices and procedures of the hotel industry. Individuals completing this course of study are qualified for entry- level management positions within the industry. The certificate program focuses on the following areas of study: principles of food and beverage control, hospitality human resource management, hospitality financial management, hospitality marketing, guest room maintenance, front office procedures and facilities management.
The Hospitality Management Degree is designed to prepare graduates for entry level management positions in the hospitality industry. Students acquire a broad base of knowledge and skills for a successful career in a challenging business service environment. The program focuses on courses such as front office procedures, hospitality marketing, food and beverage management, hospitality resource management, and hospitality legal issues. All of these courses are uniquely designed for the hospitality service industry.
The Human Service Technology program is designed for students interested in the broad field of human services. This degree equips students for employment as technicians in a wide range of human service facilities offering services to varied populations.
The Certified Prevention Specialist Occupational Skills Award (OSA) completes the educational requirement of the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals (TCBAP), Certified Prevention Specialist. In order to obtain the complete certification, a student must take an additional 2000 hours of field work and pass a written exam. For complete requirements, go to the TCBAP website, http://www.tcbap.org. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) requires the Prevention Certification in order to administer prevention programs funded by DSHS.
Community Health Workers are individuals who work either for pay or as volunteers in association with the local health care system in both urban and rural environments and usually share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status and life experiences with the community members they serve.
The Industrial Electricity program prepares students for employment in the electrical industry. There is an increased demand for trained electricians to work in the installation, maintenance, and service of residential, commercial and industrial electrical systems. Rewarding career opportunities exist in the areas of industrial automation and fiber optic installations. The program provides comprehensive, theoretical and hands-on training to meet the industry?s continued and changing demands for qualified personnel. Students are required to purchase tools and books. | <urn:uuid:47b1fdc8-f120-4e16-af6e-21f23ad7a819> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.hccs.edu/finder/?page=20&search=program | 2017-07-23T02:48:41Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424239.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20170723022719-20170723042719-00467.warc.gz | en | 0.915892 | 784 |
Professional poker player Vanessa Rousso has won yet another Big Brother 17 Head of Household competition, and is guaranteed a spot in this season’s Top Four following Sunday night’s CBS telecast.
Rousso nominated John McGuire and Steve Moses for elimination.
This means that Lady Maverick is one step closer to the $500,000 first place prize and becoming a mainstream reality show superstar.
However, to do so, she will need to survive a crucial Final Four process in which she will not be able to compete for HOH. She will be forced to rely on other houseguests or a Power of Veto win to secure her place in the Final Three.
Big Brother 17 Live Feed Spoilers
In a fateful twist, John McGuire won the Final Five Power of Veto competition and decided to save himself from Tuesday’s eviction.
As a result, Vanessa was forced to put up another houseguest up on the block alongside Steve. In the end, she decided to backdoor professional wrestler Austin Matelson — which means either Steve or Austin will be eliminated in fifth place.
Live feeds show that Rousso is actually gunning for Austin this week, but that Johnny Mac has actually switched alliances and is considering voting to evict Steve. If that happens, Lady Maverick would not get to cast a deciding vote since Liz Nolan is likely to also vote for a Steve Moses eviction.
Back To Back Evictions on CBS Tuesday and Wednesday
With only five houseguests remaining, Big Brother will go into overdrive this week and air an eviction on consecutive nights, starting this Tuesday at 8:00pm Eastern Time.
Live feeds will be down for most of the next three days, as Big Brother 17 winds down its production schedule in preparation for its season finale.
Professional sports — the NFL regular season, the MLB pennant races and the PGA’s FedEx cup — typically take over United States television programming during the months of September and October.
CBS Executive Moonves Unhappy with BB 17 Casting
In a somewhat shocking admission during a recent interview with Vulture, CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves stated that “this wasn’t a great year for casting on Big Brother.”
Moonves’ statement made national headlines since he and his wife, Big Brother host Julie Chen, assume a lot of creative control over the Big Brother casting process.
However, some Big Brother fans argue that the show’s lackluster mid-season ratings has more to do with its format, which is much more “solvable” than its sister show, Survivor.
Casting more than a dozen strangers to live together for nearly 100 days is a somewhat hit-and-miss proposition, as can be seen by MTV’s The Real World. That show has aired since the early 1990s and has experienced massive ratings fluctuations during its tenure.
The “Fix” is In?
Rumors have swirled this week among Big Brother fans that “the fix is in” for Vanessa Rousso to win this season. A September 11 article by Earl Burton of PokerNewsDaily outlines some of the rumors, which cite an unconfirmed “Poker Face” reality show deal that Lady Maverick supposedly has in the works with CBS.
For perennial Big Brother fans, “Big Brother is rigged” accusations are nothing new, and heat up every year once the competition gets down to its final houseguests.
Disgruntled Big Brother fans are notorious for posting their displeasure on show-related forums once their favorite houseguest has been eliminated — much like poker players are prone to upload bad beat stories across the Internet.
Big Brother 17 Final Four Eviction Poll
According to nearly half our readers here at PokerUpdate, Vanessa Rousso is the favorite to win Big Brother 17, followed by Scranton, Pennsylvania dentist John McGuire.
It’s ironic that both managed to save themselves via HOH and POV competitions respectively to guarantee themselves a slot in the Top Four.
This week, we would like to know whether you think both Vanessa and John will make the Final Three, or whether one of them will be evicted on Wednesday night’s show.
Big Brother returns this Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00pm Eastern Time on CBS in what will amount to back-to-back eviction nights. | <urn:uuid:a7406cff-f7c0-4789-abc3-cd5e077e7832> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.pokerupdate.com/articles/poker-celebrities/09141-vanessa-rousso-controls-big-brother-final-five/ | 2017-01-23T08:38:45Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282202.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00425-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960187 | 905 |
I was not going to write another post for Young’s Blog until Sunday Morning but this story deserves a post. Whitney Houston died on Saturday Afternoon and was only 48. Just way too young! She was reportedly going to be the next judge on the X-Factor with Simon Cowell. And she was going to be appearing on The Grammy’s on Sunday night. The police has now come out and said there was no foul play in Houston’s death. Most likely she died as a result of using drugs. And this will go down as another big name death as of result of using drugs. No question Whitney Houston was very special. She had many big music hits during her career. And she started the name “diva” which is used a lot today. Many people have said Mrs. Houston is one of the greatest singers of all time. And many people choose a Whitney Houston song to perform because her music was so special.
I think this needs to be said. We have now lost several famous signers in the last couple of years due to the results of drugs or alcohol. Michael Jackson; Amy Winehouse; and now Whitney Houston presumably have now died because they were addicts. To any of the signers out there. What are the pressures in the music business? It just looks like the pressure to be a big name and to stay relevant is huge! Shows like American Idol and the gossip shows showing celebrities being arrested for drugs and alcohol show the bad light of being a celebrity. There has got to be a way to stop the huge pressure in Hollywood and that would spur having the famous celebrities and signers from turning to drugs and alcohol. This death is just such a waste. And the music from Whitney Houston will be remembered for a very long time. And the song I Will Always Love You written by Dolly Parton and performed by Whitney Houston is a fitting tribute to Whitney Houston. R.I.P. Whitney Houston.
For the last pictures showing Whitney Houston; click on the link.
- Whitney Houston Last Ever Performance!! (lukewilliamss.wordpress.com)
- Whitney Houston has passed away (20poorandfabulous.com)
- Whitney Houston Found Dead, Age 48 (923now.radio.com)
- Whitney Houston Dies At The Age Of 48!!!! (lukewilliamsgossip.wordpress.com)
- Whitney Houston, pop diva, dies at 48: AP report (brobrubel.wordpress.com)
- CNN TWEETS CONDOLENSCES R.I.P.’s WHITNEY HOUSTON ON EVE OF MUSIC’S BIGGEST NIGHT: GRAMMY’S (tweeternews.wordpress.com) | <urn:uuid:4b2fba32-21ec-45d0-af97-c456f395b134> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | https://geekalabama.com/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-dead/ | 2016-08-29T08:54:41Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982954771.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823200914-00080-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961923 | 570 |
Explore the history of P&O Cruises through gorgeous images
One of the world’s most loved cruise lines, P&O Cruises can trace its history back over 175 years. Through pictures and words, this book traces the history of P&O Cruises. It tells the story of how P&O helped shape the British Empire. With a fleet of liners that undertook voyages to all corners of the globe, P&O was instrumental in immigration to Australia and New Zealand, while acting as a gateway to the Far East and India.
After the advent of jet aircraft, this venerable company reorganised their services, offering pleasure cruises. Throughout their cruising history P&O has operated some of the most famous passenger ships of all time, including the Oriana and Canberra. In Australia, P&O held a near monopoly during the 1980’s and 1990’s with their ship the Fairstar.
Today, part of the giant Carnival Corporation, P&O Cruises has grown, offering British based cruises, world voyages and a specialist Australian subsidiary that sails into the South Pacific.
With hundreds of original never before published photographs, P&O Cruises: A Photographic History is a unique addition to any maritime library.
By Chris Frame, Rachelle Cross and P&O Historians Rob Henderson and Doug Cremer. | <urn:uuid:838eb461-d218-40dd-9b12-c159d4b28403> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://chriscunard.com/books-media/ocean-liner-books/shipping-history/a-photographic-history-of-po-cruises/ | 2017-04-29T19:20:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917123560.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031203-00198-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943234 | 279 |
Last March, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared without a trace. Remembering the missing passengers and crew, one year later.
Maricopa Association of Governments welcomes new chair
Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers talks about being appointed chair of MAG and their plans for regional growth.
Rogers says that MAG will certainly concentrate on air quality and transportation, but human services are also important. She says that residents in the Valley don’t know where city borders end and begin, so it’s important to focus on residents whether they’re from Avondale or Mesa or in between. Rogers says that MAG’s focus needs to be broad, and Maricopa County leaders need to work across borders to help each other. | <urn:uuid:9bcaa456-65f7-4c22-81ea-6be5593bdb37> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://kjzz.org/content/2007/maricopa-association-governments-welcomes-new-chair | 2015-03-06T09:30:46Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936466999.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074106-00197-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939144 | 151 |
WITH A NOISE WITHIN:
2016-17 Season: Lighting Design, Arcadia
Previous Seasons: Antigone
OTHER THEATRES: 3D Theatricals (Fullerton, CA): Parade (2013 Ovation Award Nominee—Lighting Design, Large Theatre); Hairspray directed by TJ Dawson; Avenue Q, directed by TJ Dawson; Wizard of Oz, directed by Shauna Markey; Altar Boyz, directed by Troy Magino. McCoy-Rigby Entertainment (La Mirada/Riverside CA): Boeing Boeing, directed by Jeff Maynard; Ring of Fire, directed by Jason Edwards (2012 Ovation Award Nominee—Lighting Design, Large Theatre); Smokey Joe’s Cafe, directed by Jeffrey Polk. Cabrillo Musical Theatre (Thousand Oaks, CA): Once Upon a Mattress (set and lighting), directed by Richard Israel; White Christmas, directed by Todd Neilson; Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, directed by Troy Magino; Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Larry Raben (2008 Ovation Award Nominee—Lighting Design, Large Theatre). Ensemble Theatre Company (Santa Barbara, CA): The Housewives of Mannheim, directed by SuzAnne Barabas; Loot, directed by Jonathan Fox; In The Continuum, directed by Saundra McCLain. Lewis Family Playhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, CA): The Fantasticks (set and lighting), directed by Dimyana Pelev; Sweeney Todd, directed by Gary Krinke; Cabaret (set and lighting), directed by Courtney Corey. Bald Ego Productions (Toronto, Canada): Three Penny Epic Cabaret directed by Adam Nashman; To Damasacus, directed by Adam Nashman. | <urn:uuid:12fc2fdf-b75f-437c-9556-207ab4f48841> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://www.anoisewithin.org/artist/2016-17-jean-yves-tessier/ | 2018-07-19T15:15:18Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676591140.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20180719144851-20180719164851-00447.warc.gz | en | 0.947012 | 371 |
Editor’s note: The very same day I arrived in the city of Monterrey the local news reported that police had found six severed heads in the trunk of a car parked at a gas station. I was in Monterrey to lead a seminar and workshop on Service Management to a local group of business men and women over the coming three days and this was hardly the welcoming I was expecting.
I have traveled widely throughout Mexico and the city of Monterrey in particular for more than twenty years on business and have followed the nation’s gradual descent into violence and death. The depredations of the drug cartels in recent years, however, bear witness to a country which despite its potential and promise is on the verge of perhaps never returning from its infernal evil.
In the last decade alone, nearly two hundred thousand people have lost their lives many of whose bodies have been found horribly dismembered strewn on streets or hanging from bridges. In addition, people numbering in the tens of thousands are now classified as desaparecidos or people who have mysteriously gone missing.
The usual rationalization one hears in Mexico – aside from pointing the finger at America’s insatiable appetite for opioids – is that the violence is self-contained as drug cartels struggle with each other for supremacy in a local area. This is a naïve if not a feeble attempt at putting a good face on a grievous problem. Yes, the bulk of the dead are members of one cartel or another but police officers and military personnel have also been killed in ambushes and skirmishes with the heavily armed cartels. In addition, many innocent civilians, including tourists and foreign workers, have either been caught in a cross fire or purposely targeted so as to intimidate the local citizenry.
The plague that is the Mexican drug war seems no longer confined to the handful of states that have historically been a hotbed of crime. More and more drug cartel violence has been in evidence in tourist areas such as Acapulco, Cancun, Los Cabos, and Playa del Carmen. This has to be of concern to government officials as tourism is one of the largest sources of foreign exchange for the country. Still, Mexico is the most frequent destination for Americans with over thirty-five million tourists visiting the country in 2016.
President Enrique Peña Nieto, of the historically corrupt Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), sought an accommodation with the drug cartels. His approach was to push the problem down to local law enforcement. In contrast, Nieto’s predecessor, President Felipe Calderon saw the problem as one infringing on national security and one that required a more kinetic approach in seeking out and eliminating the perpetrators.
Nieto’s approach speaks for itself, however, as bloodshed has spiked to record levels. Homicides are now averaging in excess of 2,000 per month and will likely exceed 30,000 in 2017. That works out to about 25 homicides per 100,000 population. The comparable figure in the United States is about 5 per 100,000. Americans traveling in Mexico are especially at risk as approximately 600 souls were killed in the period 2009 to 2016. This makes Mexico the number one killing field for Americans, by far, of any country in the world.
WHY DO BUSINESS IN MEXICO?
In the 1990’s, I employed approximately one hundred workers in a software development center in Monterrey. We chose Monterrey – the second largest metropolitan area in Mexico with over four million inhabitants and the highest per capita income in the nation – for our development center because the city is a financial, commercial, and industrial powerhouse. The city is cosmopolitan with important museums, and an abandon of chic hotels, malls, boutiques, and restaurants. The city’s infrastructure of roads and highways is above average albeit in much need of repair. Telecommunications is adequate but remains hamstrung by the presence of a nation-wide duopoly that chills foreign carriers from entering the market. It is comforting, but also rather unsettling to see the ubiquitous presence of armed military personnel patrolling the streets.
The city made logistical sense to our company because it was proximate to our hubs in the West and Midwest of the United States, and to markets in South America. Mexico City, a huge market in its own right, with over twenty million population and the nation’s financial, government, and administrative center, is an hour and a half by plane. The icing on the cake, however, was the fact that Monterrey is blessed with some of the finest institutions of higher learning anywhere.
The Monterrey Institute of Technology, known as el Tec, is a world class university known for its STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – undergraduate and graduate programs as well as its programs in business and healthcare. Most of the graduating students are not just highly competent in their own disciplines but most have a working knowledge of English. Furthermore, the workforce embraced with enthusiasm our service mission which in a few words is encapsulated as “customers are first.” Without a doubt, the young men and women who worked for us were some of the best in our employ anywhere in the world.
The software development center proved to be a big success. President Ernesto Zedillo visited the site, gave a rousing speech of praise and spoke of the ushering of a new era in Mexico.
IT’S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN MAQUILADORAS
Mexico’s GDP ranks 15th worldwide at $1.1 trillion and is within striking distance of countries such as Spain, Australia, and even Russia. Two thirds of the nation’s GDP is comprised of services such as banking and tourism. At a macro level, Mexico has the potential to vault higher in the GDP rankings. The country is blessed with ample natural resources, ports of entry in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, a young and industrious work force, an abundance of new graduate engineers, and close ties to the largest economy in the world. Mexico’s economy will have to grow, however, at a more aggressive clip than it has experienced over the recent past. The growth in GDP over the last ten years, for example, has been virtually nil. By all accounts, a developing nation like Mexico should sport a very lofty growth rate. GDP on a per capita basis, too, is bleak: Mexico ranks 72th among all nations and is immediately behind Russia. By comparison, Australia’s GDP per capita is nearly six times that of Mexico.
Mexico’s maquiladoras – export based and usually foreign-owned manufacturing companies – are booming due to the nation’s modest labor rates. In addition, The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has given Mexico access to the huge United States market under very favorable trading terms. But further growth is going to depend on whether the United States has any appetite for continuing to endure an annual trade deficit of roughly $70 billion.
Entrepreneurial new job starts, especially in knowledge industries, must remain a top priority to smartly diversify and spur the economy. To that end, Mexico needs to develop its private equity and venture capital ecosystem which currently is paltry. More fund managers, more capital, and, in the end, more confidence needs to come into the system to give a shot in the arm to young and innovative new businesses and industries. Commercial credit both short and long term is prohibitively expensive and therefore not a viable alternative for most development stage companies.
My experience here is telling. I had a client with a terrific and viable business plan in the e-learning space. The business had a modest revenue stream and was led by a team of very competent and experienced managers. The startup was headed by a CEO with a doctorate in computer science. Potential investors in the U.S. were rightfully wary of investing in Mexico and risk losing the protections afforded minority investors in the United States. As an alternative, I approached the CEO to re-domicile the business in San Antonio but that proved to be a non-starter for a variety of personal reasons. In the end, we were unable to find investors in Mexico who would belly up to the risk-reward profile of a technology-based startup.
Other precautions must be heeded by the foreign investor
seeking to do business in Mexico. An early bridge which must
be crossed is how to denominate a contract. We always insist on dollar
denominated deals given the Mexican peso’s historically erratic nature – the
peso has declined 100% in the last ten years and is now at twenty pesos to the
dollar – but successfully negotiating all of the relevant terms is not easy.
Also, contract negotiations can prove to be arduous as business practices which
might appear to be matter-of-fact to the local businessman seem opaque to us.
In one instance, our Mexican partner’s organization was so labyrinthine that it
was difficult for us to fix a point of liability in the event of a breach.
Mexico is not a common law jurisdiction and therefore expert legal advice is
mandatory in order to interpret laws enacted by the various legislative bodies.
Finally, corporate financial statements in Mexico can diverge significantly
from GAAP standards and will normally require financial and tax advice to
harmonize. These and other institutional and cultural reforms are the order of
the day if Mexico despite all of its promise and potential is to clamber out of
its current economic malaise. | <urn:uuid:aca6440c-ce86-4644-af98-d7a7e035cd34> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://servicemeltdown.com/mexico-a-work-in-progress/ | 2020-01-24T09:15:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250616186.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20200124070934-20200124095934-00343.warc.gz | en | 0.963681 | 1,959 |
Consumers increasingly validate their value-based brand judgements though a simple Google search. Google: “best organic non-fat milk brand in New York City” and you’ll find what you are looking for.
Advertising campaigns can no longer simply focus on awareness building. The challenge is now to put the product as fast as possible in the hands of the consumer. This adds more pressure than ever to create exceptional and competitively priced products (recently Microsoft and Blackberry tablets made the mistake of setting non-competitive prices thus creating artificial adoption roadblocks).
On the other hand, building a strong and engaged community (see it as a social CRM), can greatly improve direct sales and keep consumers engaged.
The following basic analysis should always be done when setting up advertising objectives.
This is usually the hardest and one of the most important business KPIs.
KPI: number of sales, in-store conversion rate, drive-to-store conversion rate
Message CTA: Drive to store, promotion, drive to store contest, rewards program, loyalty, etc.
Awareness of a specific product (knowledge of a specific product or brand);
Association with a specific product (e.g. Axe & nerds);
KPI: consumer brand awareness (aided, top of mind)
Message CTA: Emotional, content heavy, product presentation, open, no closure
BUILD COMMUNITY (CRM, Social Media, etc.)
1. Community building: opt-in consumer info (DM, email, Facebook, apps, etc.)
KPI: number of opt-ins, type of opt-ins
Message call-to-action: Join now, join promotion, participate, etc.
2. Community engagement: consumer participation in conversations (over social media, word of mouth, etc.)
KPI: consumer engagement (Likes, comments, etc)
Message CTA: Share, comment!, participate, engage, share contest, etc.
3. Community advocacy: consumer brand advocacy (positive brand support, message sharing)
KPI: consumer conversations, likes, recommends, shares, RT, etc.
Message CTA: Share if you love, Join VIP community, Brand Nation, etc. | <urn:uuid:a39523a4-988b-4eb4-b131-51d50629c2a4> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://octavianmihai.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/understanding-advertising-objectives-kpis/ | 2014-12-22T00:33:33Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802772897.141/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075252-00121-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.851351 | 463 |
So my girlies have seriously been rocking my new kit and Add On Son Of A Gun. The kit is available in all my stores and the freebie is available here on my blog.
Tasha's Playground did 2 kick ass taggies from the PTU kit. Be sure and drop by her blog and grab her extras there. And while you are at it let her now she so totally rocked it!!
Jane from Tarnished Halo Designs hooked it up with this drool worthy stunner:
Finally my girl Manipulated By Magik hooked you all up with not 1 but 2 new tuts!! The first is from the PTU kit:
You can find the tut on her blog HERE.
And her awesome Man Of Mayhem tut using the Add On Freebie:
Check out the awesome tut and leave her a little love for writing it for everyone HERE.
Thanks so much to all 3 of these rockin babes! | <urn:uuid:b3b80fe0-2702-45eb-a5a4-85075171a0d6> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://tragedyscreationz.blogspot.com/2013/02/tons-of-tag-from-my-kit-son-of-gun-add.html | 2017-12-13T16:52:26Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948529738.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213162804-20171213182804-00218.warc.gz | en | 0.917019 | 194 |
Attention all aviation commands: new insignia instruction and submission guidelines. (Flightbag).
Mail to the Washington, D.C., area is significantly delayed, and irradiation often results in damage to hard copies of photographs and floppy disks. Therefore, requests will be accepted via email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Electronic submissions must include:
* Cover letter requesting approval of the insignia, forwarded through the appropriate chain of command
* Electronic version of the insignia (jpeg or tiff format, 300 dpi)
Direct questions to N78H, 1242 10th Street SE, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5059; 202-433-2321, DSN prefix 288, or to the email address above.
|Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback|
|Publication:||Naval Aviation News|
|Date:||May 1, 2002|
|Previous Article:||Aviation World's Fair coming. (Flightbag).|
|Next Article:||Attention marine aviation squadrons: is your insignia official? (Flightbag).| | <urn:uuid:b2e7e450-9aa4-4116-a79f-48aa2fdbb7dd> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Attention+all+aviation+commands%3A+new+insignia+instruction+and+...-a087374276 | 2015-03-28T11:03:58Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131297429.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172137-00064-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.791246 | 235 |
1 May 2018 5:04 PM GMT
Justice AP Shah, Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice and former Chairman of Law Commission of India, has opined that the Judgment of the Supreme Court in the Judge Loya Case is utterly wrong and jurisprudentially incorrect on so many counts.Justice Shah, who was speaking during the launch of Arun Shourie’s book ‘Anita Gets Bail’, also said that judiciary is going through 'an...
Justice AP Shah, Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice and former Chairman of Law Commission of India, has opined that the Judgment of the Supreme Court in the Judge Loya Case is utterly wrong and jurisprudentially incorrect on so many counts.
Justice Shah, who was speaking during the launch of Arun Shourie’s book ‘Anita Gets Bail’, also said that judiciary is going through 'an extremely volatile phase, and one that he hasn’t seen in some years'. Former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and Senior Advocate Fali Nariman were also present for the occasion.
Justice Shah said our judiciary is going through what he would describe as an extremely volatile phase, and one that he hasn’t seen in some years.
“Most of us are only too aware of what is happening, and some of us talk about some of these things in hushed whispers or, occasionally, in loud voices. But Mr Shourie has done what most of us have not. He has put pen to paper, and in his own distinctive style, and with remarkable flair, “called out” the judiciary and those who staff the system. This book covers a vast expanse of subjects, from the disturbing state of affairs in our lower courts, to how the judiciary is being used by the mighty for their own benefit, to the consequences and meta-consequences of the judiciary’s actions, to the eloquence and sometimes grandiloquence of judicial orders... I can only hope that the powers that be read these essays with care and indulge in some self-reflection to understand where we are headed, and ensure that the course we are taking is not wayward or destructive”, he said.
Regarding the Judgemnt in the Loya Case, Justice Shah said the Judgment of the Supreme Court in the Judge Loya Case is utterly wrong, and jurisprudentially, incorrect on so very many counts.
“Much of the judgment is spent attacking the motivations of petitioners who bring forward Public Interest Litigations, particularly politically-motivated PILs. This is not the first time the court has dealt with this. But has the court properly analysed the use of the PIL in this particular case?”
“Another thing which is remarkable about this case is that the court called it a “veiled attempt to launch a frontal attack” on the judiciary. But how did they come to this conclusion - all that the Bombay High Court petitioners asked for was that the death of a judge should be inquired into. How does this become an attack on the judiciary?”.
According to Justice Shah what in fact transpired is that the Supreme Court acted as a Court of Appeal, and granted a sort of an acquittal, without the benefit of the judgement of a trial court.
“As the constitutional scholar Gautam Bhatia describes it, "it reads like a trial court judgment that has been delivered without a trial”
He also observed that more problematically, the Supreme Court has evolved a whole new jurisprudence regarding the statement of a judge.
“It says that the statements of judicial officers should be accepted on the face of it, as their statements have a “ring of truth” about them. Note that these statements made by the four judges who accompanied Judge Loya to Nagpur were not made in their capacity as judges, but about their personal knowledge of what happened in Nagpur. Nobody has seen their statements. However, the ring of truth still exists, and therefore the court has decided that these statements should be accepted. It is as if judges are to be treated as superhuman, as beings who are not capable of telling untruths”.
Justice Shah added that it gets more uncomfortable when the court dismisses the fact that the judges cannot be cross-examined, because their testimonies are not on oath, as being “mere technicalities”.
“The cross examination is regarded in criminal law, and in international convention, as the most powerful weapon to get at the truth. And our Supreme Court calls it a mere technicality? We should be very very worried.
“Compare this with what court said regarding the video testimonies of father and sister. It said that these were mere hearsay and ought to be disregarded. In the same case, the Supreme Court chooses to completely disregard the Evidence Act, when it comes to the testimony of judges, but chooses to invoke it for the video testimony of the deceased judge’s family. This is an entirely new principle that has been evolved that a testimony is said to be accepted, not because the person is telling a truth, but because that person is of a certain status, in this case, a judge, and by virtue of being of such status, that person is incapable of telling an untruth.
Read the Full Text Of The Speech Here
ANITA GETS BAIL
A HEARTLESS SYSTEM
GAMING THE JUDICIARY
PROTECTING THEIR OWN | <urn:uuid:50056ef4-6094-4196-b940-1785c5ad1a7e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.livelaw.in/judge-loya-case-judgment-is-utterly-wrong-and-jurisprudentially-incorrect-on-so-many-counts-justice-ap-shah/ | 2023-10-01T02:02:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510734.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001005750-20231001035750-00828.warc.gz | en | 0.976301 | 1,158 |
Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's star is fading after that brutal knock-out punch from Juan Manuel Marquez. Unless he can win convincingly against Rios, his star may never recover. Convincingly means that he must dominate, hurt and floor Rios as if he is his greatest enemy and not his best friend.
Manny has already proven himself to be the best ever many times over. He is the best,but has a flaw that needs corrected... Focus and too much multitasking.
Yes he has proven himself to the world that he is one of the best. Unfortunately he can't just bank on his past success. Remember that he was floored by Marquez after losing the previous fight.
The problem with Pacman? Too much distractions.
He needs to focus on one thing and one thing only. BOXING. He need to see only one image and that is the image of the person who he is going to demolish come fight night. He cannot think of politics, he cannot think of religion and he cannot think of other things that would only serve as distractions to his training. He must hunger for this fight. He cannot afford to be a good guy now. He must unleash the beast that made him a champion. If the Pacman can do that, then Rios won't stand a chance.
However, if he continues to allow distractions in his training, then he is almost sure to lose this fight. Rios is young, he's hungry. Pacman is his ticket for a bigger fight purse and most assuredly, Rios would do everything that he can to knock the Pacman down. Just as Pacman was ready to knockdown Barrera in their first fight.
I'll be providing live stream link in this article on November 24, 2013. So stay tuned Pacman Fans. | <urn:uuid:c0afe3c7-53c2-4a19-b614-b6286e5a8c82> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.bubblews.com/news/1042354-manny-pacquiao-vs-brandon-rios-fight-in-macau-clash-in-cotai-with-livestream-link | 2014-09-30T09:48:06Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1412037662882.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20140930004102-00284-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991042 | 376 |
I have the honour to present to you Shri Jahangir Khan, a foremost exponent of instrumental music of the Hindustani School. Born in 1869 in Varanasi, he began learning the Purab Baj on Tabla from his illustrious father, Shri Ahmad Khan, at the age of seven. He continued further training under Shri Mubarak Khan of Patna and later under Khalifa Abid Husein Khan of Lucknow and Shri Chhannu Khan of Bareilly. He acquired perfect mastery over Purab Baj, Dilli Baj and Ajrada Baj. He is a distinguished soloist and an able accompanist. He was appointed court musician of Indore in 1911. An able teacher, he has trained a number of outstanding Tabla players. He was honoured with the title of Tablanawaz in 1955 at an All-India Music Conference in Indore. For his pre-eminence in music, and for his life-long devotion and service to its cause, I pray, Sir, that you may be pleased to grant him recognition in the field of instrumental music of the Hindustani School, and to award to him a Shawl, a gold Shrinkhal and a Sanad in token of that recognition. | <urn:uuid:cf28339d-3676-4a17-9a6a-b73317899daa> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=104&at=2 | 2019-08-25T13:51:28Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027330233.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20190825130849-20190825152849-00205.warc.gz | en | 0.979443 | 259 |
If you have information about this name, share it in the comments area below!
Numerology information Nwoke:
Name Number: 5 Meaning: Motion, Change, Freedom, Diversity, Liberty, Choice, Interest, Search, Risk, Danger, Fear
Songs about Nwoke:
Nwoke Ezu Ike by Oriental Brothers from the Album Warrior
Nwoke Ka Nwayi Nma by Chief Onwuzulike Udemgba from the Album Ezi Afa Ka Ego
Nwoke Kpata Ego by 2 Hours feat. Bosalin from the Album Nwoke Kpata Ego
Oyim Nwoke Ojimka by Igwe Egwu Afam Ogbotobo from the Album Ili Eme Akakpo
Mma Nwoke Medley by Ndi Ichie Super Dance Band of Africa Old Soldier Leonard Okpal De Peace Maker from the Album Mma Nwoke
Mma Nwoke Medley by Leonard Okpala from the Album 51 Lex Presents Onwa Ichida
Nwoke by General Uko Sanshud from the Album Jide Ofor
Books about Nwoke:
Technical Drawing 3: Building Drawing: Building Drawing v. 3 (Longman International Technical Texts) by Ezeji,... (1000)
Technical Drawing 3: Building Drawing: Building Drawing v. 3 (Longman International Technical Texts) 1st (first... (0100)
Wiki information Nwoke:
Precious Oluoma Nwoke Bichiri is a Nigerian track and field athlete, who specialized in the 400 metres. Nwoke competed for the women's 4×400 m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, along with her teammates Folashade Abugan, Joy Amechi Eze,...
Chris Nwoke is an American football running back for the Colorado State Rams. | <urn:uuid:cef94452-32d8-47b6-9e53-cc67c3263c5a> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://1-dot-name-meaning.appspot.com/both/Nwoke | 2021-07-26T12:10:17Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046152129.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20210726120442-20210726150442-00702.warc.gz | en | 0.876834 | 393 |
My girlfriend has gotten really into riding two up with me of late, but the winters in chicago can get to be a little severe with Highway travel. I have spent a small fortune on heated gear on myself years ago when I gave up cager life cold turkey, but I'm a little hesitant to buy new equipment when I'm not sure if it will get a whole lot of use. Basically, I was wondering if anyone has ever bought a heated throw blanket and wrapped it around their passengers inside jacket as a cheap heated liner? Blankets are around 30 dollars and I could always use the throw blanket at my house for reading on the deck on cool nights. Any experience or comments or suggestions? | <urn:uuid:88fd1161-1ec9-42e0-9c15-26653b565956> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/heated-throw-blanket-as-a-diy-heated-jacket-liner.843434/ | 2017-05-23T07:23:50Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607591.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20170523064440-20170523084440-00043.warc.gz | en | 0.977444 | 140 |
I will design a logo and a website for you and can also brand it for you. With good search engine optimization.
I will Create a website for You Starting from for GH₵ 115
I will design a perfect logo for GH₵ 15
I will design a website for GH₵ 400
I will do graphic designs for GH₵ 50
I will design your whatsapp and facebook DP for GH₵ 30
I will design your posters and flyers for GH₵ 55 | <urn:uuid:36647592-6f14-4510-8202-5d07631ae6dd> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://15ghana.com/WebsiteMobileDesign/1390/design-a-website | 2021-05-08T06:42:20Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243988850.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20210508061546-20210508091546-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.920002 | 107 |
Advanced Metering Software
AMM System Technology
Landis+Gyr has partnered with Generis Technology to provide the most advanced electricity and gas prepayment functionality together with a state-of-the-art data acquisition infrastructure and remote meter management capabilities. Landis+Gyr Mehr erfahren
Partnered solutions for complete AMM solutions
Landis+Gyr has partnered with Generis Technology to provide the most advanced electricity and gas prepayment functionality together with a state-of-the-art data acquisition infrastructure and remote meter management capabilities. Landis+Gyr’s open architecture allows for the seamless integration of meter types from other vendors with many meter types already supported.
The back office AMM system supports full two-way meter communication to facilitate accurate and timely data acquisition as well as remote control of metering functions. This includes support for change of tenancy, change of supplier, updates to customer tariffs, retrieval of customer reads and remote disable / re-enable of supply for both gas and electricity.
The Utility is in full control of the meters in the field with the ability to perform scheduled reads of meter data for Gas and Electricity meters, together with the capability to update, configure and manage the meters remotely. This brings benefits to the Utility including accurate billing, load profiling and reduced site visits.The AMM system can be easily integrated into the Utility’s existing software architecture using a number of different integration techniques, including support for existing UK industry flow formats.The prepayment functionality allows the consumer to purchase credit via multiple payment channels, including point-of-sale, mobile phone or web. Once a purchase has been made the AMM System will send the credit value to the meter via an SMS message. This tokenless method of payment transfer makes the Landis+Gyr Fuel solution the leading system in today’s energy market.
Further details on our partnered software solutions can be found by following the link below:
- Configurable data processing engine for enhanced validation, estimation, editing and billing determinants
- Integrated with Generis B-Smart application suite for support of existing and smart data flows.
- Leverages benefits of a Tokenless Smart Prepayment Meter with support of multiple payment channels.
- Multi-vendor meter agnostic head-end capability
- Multiple communication protocols
- Full two-way device communication for acquisition and control
- Europe, the Middle East and Africa | <urn:uuid:31a5349f-b479-4e8d-adda-cd3890630281> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://www.landisgyr.ch/product/amm-system-technology/ | 2019-02-20T00:21:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247493803.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20190219223509-20190220005509-00145.warc.gz | en | 0.882153 | 496 |
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Looking for references to servant leadership principles by many of the greatest leadership experts in the world? Use this map (table) to find hundreds of attributes by dozens of authors.
Looking to measure your progress on the road toward servant leadership? Use this free assessment tool. Many clients use these in their performance reviews or academic programs.
Many of the best run organizations in the world emphasize Servant Leadership. We maintain this list of organizations who claim to practice, develop, and / or value servant leadership.
If you or someone you know if just getting started, learning about servant leadership, this is a great list of books, presentations, videos, and historical figures to study.
Many studies prove leadership development programs, and similar management training programs, to be the best investments a company can make. Use these free calculators to provie it for your organization.
For more free resources, check out these other websites…
A great advocate and partner of Modern Servant Leader, Larry Spears is the person responsible for extracting the most popular 10 Characteristics of servant leaders, from Robert Greenleaf’s writings. He was CEO of The Greenleaf Center for nearly 20 years. He continues at The Spears Center.
Robert Greenleaf is cited as the first person to use the term, “servant leadership”. The center that bears his name is among the leading institutions for academic research on the topic, especially focusing on Greenleaf’s writings and reflections upon those writings. | <urn:uuid:2ad10a67-591b-45c4-afa7-4624df6cd468> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://modernservantleader.com/free-resources/ | 2023-09-28T01:57:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510334.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927235044-20230928025044-00178.warc.gz | en | 0.921377 | 356 |
The Livingstone College National Alumni Association Scholarship was established to provide scholarships to Livingstone College students who demonstrate academic excellence and have a confirmed unmet need.
Your browser or operating system is out of date
In order for us to process your payment securely, you must ensure that your operating system and browser is upgraded to the latest version. Checking that your operating system and browser are fully up-to-date is the best way to protect your payment and guarantee it is processed safely. You can find a full list of compatible browsers and operating systems here. | <urn:uuid:c0495fae-5d58-4d78-9bb6-dbcbfa8aec7f> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://www2.fftc.org/donate/lcnaa_scholarship_fund_program | 2019-07-17T13:53:27Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195525187.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20190717121559-20190717143559-00536.warc.gz | en | 0.950755 | 111 |
Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen passed away at his home surrounded by his loved ones on Monday 6th February 2017. Joost was best known for his incredible rugby career and in recent years has shown the same bravery and strength in his fight against Motor Neuron Disease. He was diagnosed with a form of MND, known as Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in early 2011.
At the time, Joost was given 20% chance of living up to 2 years, however, he defied all odds and next month marks 7 years. On Saturday 4th February, Joost was rushed to hospital as a result of his respiratory muscles weakening due to MND.
Joost fought a hard seven years with a failing body whilst his mind remained unaffected. Joost is survived by his two children, Jordan and Kylie, his parents, Gustav and Mariana as well as his two brothers, Pieter and Gustav and their families.
The family remain strong under the circumstances, however are devastated at the loss. This is a great loss to so many around the world and the family would like to extend their greatest gratitude for the love and support shown over this difficult time.
We ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this time and funeral arrangements will be notified in due course.
For further information: Claire Kaye-Grobler on email@example.com | <urn:uuid:60e6ff60-67b5-4b51-8aed-22227bfceab8> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://joost.co.za/joost-van-der-westhuizen-20-february-1971-6-february-2017/ | 2017-10-21T19:34:31Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187824894.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20171021190701-20171021210701-00233.warc.gz | en | 0.986784 | 289 |
Anticipated Elementary Teacher - Grades K - 5 Multiple Positions - Leave Replacement
Description: Elementary Teacher - Grades K-5 - Leave Replacement - Multiple positions
Location: Central Avenue School, Kings Road School, Torrey J Sabatini School
Job Summary: Start Date 8/31/20 to TBD
Note: The selection process for this position will be controlled by the Madison Public Schools but the successful candidate will become an employee of Education Management & Staffing Solutions (ESS), which is the staffing service used to provide qualified staff for certain daily and long-term positions. For additional information, visit the ESS website at: https://ess.com. | <urn:uuid:e7f8c41c-7728-47a9-b8fb-c627d2f603f7> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.k12jobspot.com/Job/2300164 | 2020-10-23T03:18:41Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107880519.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20201023014545-20201023044545-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.873955 | 135 |
Today’s companies are faced with increasing challenges in terms of competitiveness and their ability to sustain business success. In order to survive these challenges , there is an agreement between both practitioners and scholars that business needs to grow in order to maintain its success in the market. This can be achieved through different types of innovation including the incremental innovation, disruptive innovation, and breakthrough innovation.
In a previous article, Types of Innovation and How to Utilize Them, we defined the different types of the innovation and their characteristics. However, when it comes to startups, micro, and small enterprises, the size of the company and the limited resources target them toward one innovation model rather than the others in order to find their competitive place in the market. This leads us to the question; which type of innovation is good for startups?
- How Designers Can Achieve Disruptive Innovation
- Types of Innovation and How to Utilize Them
- 5 Successful Open Innovation Examples
- Stage-Gate: Your Guide for New Product Development Process
This model is also known as the sustaining innovation. In this model, the innovation isn’t meant to introduce a fully new product or service to the market. Instead, it aims to improve the current product gradually until it reaches the end of its life cycle. Think about the upgrade from Apple iPhone to iPhone “s” devices as an example of the incremental innovation. The company adds enhancement to their products, yet these enhancements are considered improvement for the existing features rather than offering new features. Another example is Toyota automotive company, the company keeps enhancing their current product rather than offering the market with game-changing products.
The incremental innovation requires the company to have an existing product in addition to an experience in innovation management in order to benefit from it. This is applicable to large enterprises because they do have their own product lines and development process that is already established for each product. The process of developing the existing products is part of their development stages.
However, startups usually initiate their business by offering the market with a new product or service to the market. These products start as ideas and don’t reach the noticeable maturity level without the application of incremental innovation. Accordingly, the incremental innovation doesn’t exist at the establishment phase in the startup life, yet it can exist in the following stages after releasing the new product to the market through using the market feedback and impressions to improve their products. At this stage, incremental innovation can help them to stay competitive in the market by addressing their consumers’ needs.
In his book, The innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen introduced the term “disruptive innovation” as a type of innovation that create new markets by disproving new segment of consumers and address this segment needs. Examples of disruptive include Facebook, Skype, Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber. All these products have one feature in common, that is, they all presents a new product to the market which created a new segment of the consumers. Some definitions identify the highest level of the disruptive innovation as the breakthrough innovation. In this level the new product doesn’t only create a new market segment, but also create radical changes in the market such as the Apple Macintosh.
For large enterprises, disruptive innovation means allocating resources from existing successful products in other high-risk products that may or may not achieve success in the market. In contrast, the disruptive innovation can present an opportunity for startup companies since their resources are fresh and they can allocate it toward a new product development.
As one of the big barriers for startups is the competency with large and older enterprises, the disruptive innovation presents a back door for companies to enter the market with a new offering. According to the Performance/Time diagram, the disruptive innovation can achieve higher performance in shorter time comparing with the incremental innovation.
The below points are key features for the disruptive innovation:
1- Disruptive innovation can contribute growing the business through offering new products to the market. Also, it can increase the business profitability
2- The disruptive innovation can either create new market or use a low end of an existing market to establish a new one
3- Disruptive ideas start half-baked, then the business plan contribute to improving the product
4- Disruptive innovation aims to address the consumer needs through the main feature in the new products
The disruptive innovation doesn’t come by itself, it requires thorough investigation in the market in order to address the consumer’s missing needs. Some of the ideas that can help startups to achieve disruptive innovation include the following:1- Think small with a big target. One of the methods is to start marketing research to identify the small problems that face consumers rather than the big problems. it can be a problem in existing product that can represent an opportunity for a new product.
1- Think small with a big target. One of the methods is to start marketing research to identify the small problems that face consumers rather than the big problems. it can be a problem in existing product that can represent an opportunity for a new product.
2- Focus on the consumer rather than the technology. Putting the consumer in the heart of the process help us to understand their needs and subsequently address their needs in a form of innovative products
3- Connect the disconnected. One of the tools that were used to create invention was the Leonardo Da Vinci creative thinking method, connect the disconnected. This method can help build new products that people may not have thought of, such as merging the phone and camera to create a new service for mobile users who would like to take photos.
4- Focus on mono-segment products rather than multi-segments. This helps to easily identify the consumer’s needs and reduce the product cost as the new product is simply focusing on addressing one problem.
According to the above, both incremental and disruptive innovation are needed to achieve success for startups. The disruptive innovation is required at the starting phase where the company is looking for an opportunity to access the competitive market with new product or service. Once the new product is launched to the market, the company should focus on the incremental innovation to constantly improve the product to meet the consumer expectations. | <urn:uuid:fa6bccdb-c93a-478f-9e84-bb0a44be736f> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://www.designorate.com/start-ups-incremental-or-disruptive-innovation/ | 2021-03-08T10:07:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178383355.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20210308082315-20210308112315-00357.warc.gz | en | 0.949387 | 1,259 |
Im 19 and for about a week now ive had blurry vision in my right eye, pain behind the eye and a frontal headache. i've been to the eye department at the hospital where they carried out a really thorough eye test and told me i most probably had bad sinisitus but that i also need glasses, they also told me to take decongestants and paracetomal which i have just started doing. However ive now woken up in the middle of the night feeling really nauseas with a horrible taste in my mouth. I dont know if its anything to do with the above or if i'm just worrying myself about other possibilities. My mums tryed to convince me that if there was anything wrong the consultant that done the eye test would have picked up on it, i also had a blood test done a couple of weeks ago before this started which came back normal. Any replys to this would be greatly appriciated. | <urn:uuid:6f47d67d-2ac5-4ade-ba88-ac9cb8bf4aa0> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | https://forums.netdoctor.co.uk/discussion/56787/blurry-eye-and-headache-please-reply | 2016-07-24T04:53:51Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257823947.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071023-00237-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983844 | 192 |
Hello everyone… Today I have a mixed media project to share with you. Spring colors and flowers are my inspirations when I created this Uniquely You Art Journal…though we have been having cold rainy days and possible snowy this week…
I am using the new digital stamp set, Uniquely You, from Graciellie Design that she released this month. With digital stamp, there are so many ways you can use and you have the freedom to resize the images to fit your project plan.
In the couple of days this week, I have been having fun learning some mixed media techniques and inspired by lots of crafty friends from The Stamp Nation – Mixed Media For Cardmakers Class. I apply one of them on my art journal.
So… I started my art journal page by adding some old music papers and scrapbook papers on the page with Gel Medium. I applied the Gel Medium on the page with foam brush, then added the papers, and added more Gel Medium on them to seal them in place. The Gel Medium will dry in few minutes, but to fast the drying process, I used craft heater.
Once the page is dried, I added some White Gesso on the page randomly with my finger, and then I dried it with craft heater.
I added the Catherine Pooler Inks (Party Dress, Fiesta Blue, Grass Skirt) randomly on the page and sprayed it with water. I tilted the book to mix the colors. I dried it with craft heater and also I used paper towel to pick up some extra colors on the page. After that, I sprayed again with water and dabbed it off with paper towel to get the extra texture on the page.
I created some tags also using the techniques I learned from the Stamp Nation class. And I used one of them on this page which is the one with paper collage on it. I did the same steps on the page to add colors on the tag. I used White Gesso to soften the look of the papers on background, then added the CP Grass Skirt ink on it and sprayed with water. I dried it with craft heater and then I added some shadow on the tag by drew lines around the tag with Brown Stamper Big Brush Pen and smudge the pen right away before it dried becuase this india ink dries permanently.
Next step is working with the digital stamps. I opened the flower and sentiment with image editing software. I printed them with inkjet printer on a white cardstock. To make sure the printed image dries, I heat set it with craft heater before coloring.
I colored the flowers with Prismacolors Premier Color Pencils and Colorless Blender. Then I used UniBall White Gel Pen to trace the stems in the middle of the flowers. I fussy cut each of them with micro-tip scissors. For the sentiment I cut it with one of the ODBD Pierced Squares Dies.
Now it is time to add them on the page! For this step, I used the Art Glitter Dries Clear Adhesive Glue for all the pieces. This is one of my favorite glue, strong, dries clear, and works on most materials.
I started with the tag. I tied some of the Natural Twine ribbon on the tag, I added one of the flower behind it and then I added them on the page with the adhesive glue. Then another flower behind the sentiment tag and then I added the slightly overlapping on the tag. Last, I adde the other flower on top of them. I added some shadow on the sentiment tag with Warm Grey Stamper Big Brush Pen and smudge it with finger.
The page is done. I love the result 🙂 I hope you all can enjoy it as much as I enjoy the time creating it. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. Have a wonderful day!
I link up at: | <urn:uuid:a80e7c90-8dfa-49d6-986e-fcf51b17e9d3> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.helengullett.com/uniquely-you-art-journal/ | 2022-05-17T00:27:08Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662515466.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20220516235937-20220517025937-00041.warc.gz | en | 0.940538 | 800 |
When you start on a new production and draw up the budget REMEMBER that all your efforts cannot begin until and unless you have a play. Hiring of venue, print and publicity, costumes and sets and props, rehearsal expenses: none of this would have to happen if you didn't have a play and yet you do not budget to pay the playwright!
Samuel French Limited (www.samuelfrench-london.co.uk) is the world's largest publisher of play scripts. The Guide to Selecting Plays for Performance, now in its 92nd edition, lists over 2,000 titles for which Samuel French hold the amateur performance rights in the English language.
Each play entry has a list of characters, the setting and a synopsis; against each title you will also see "Fee Code A...M". The letter A through to M appearing here sets the fee amount per performance in Pounds Sterling. This could vary from 10 to 80 Pounds Sterling or approximately 800 to 7,000 Rupees.
The word 'performance' includes readings, extracts, charitable, private and may involve payment of a fee. Even if the fee is waived the name of the author is mandatory on all print and publicity material.
We also ask that the following appears on all print and publicity material 'By arrangement with Samuel French Limited (Artistes' Repertory Theatre)'.
Artistes' Repertory Theatre is the authorised agents in India for Samuel French for the issue of licences to perform. ART agreed to the agency on the express condition that we would be allowed to exercise our judgment on how much should be charged. We may charge Rs.500 where the Pound Sterling rate is Rs.7,000.
Please contact us BEFORE you begin readings and rehearsals. We can help.
The information we require comprises
· Name of the play
· Name of the playwright
· Performing Group, Director, Address and Contact Details
· Ticket Prices
· Venue and Venue Capacity*
· Number of shows, Dates and Times
· Payment to cast and crew?
*there is a surcharge for every 100 seats over 400
Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:7eee3154-9817-4443-89f1-716343f5610d> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | http://art-events-info.blogspot.com/2007/02/licences-to-perform-samuel-french-plays.html | 2018-03-22T17:28:02Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647901.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20180322170754-20180322190754-00484.warc.gz | en | 0.940743 | 454 |
If there's one thing that has been proven out in the last year it is that Rajon Rondo has a trigger. He walks around with this stoic, unflappable face. Yet, underneath facade is a guy that is fueled with swirling emotions that nobody really understands. When he feels wronged, he reacts, sometimes violently. Last night was just the latest incident where Rondo's emotions got the best of him.
He will get a call from NBA disciplinarian Stu Jackson today, at which time he will learn the length of his latest vacation. For the third time in less than a year, the Celtics [team stats] will not have Rondo because Rondo indulged his emotions. After throwing a ball at referee Sean Wright in February and bumping into official Marc Davis in April, he said that he would learn from his transgressions. "Yeah, but usually he goes after the refs," cracked Doc Rivers. "This time it was another guy, so that’s better, I guess."
Add to that list the time in the film room a couple years back where someone questioned Rondo in a way that prompted him to throw a bottle that broke a TV screen. Also, fair or not, you could add whatever it is that happened between he and Ray Allen.
Each case by itself can be explained, rationalized, and forgiven. It is the trend that is more troublesome.
Regarding last night, it was only right for him to back up his teammate and stand up for him. I would even make the case that it is admirable on some level that he cared so much about his teammate that he never thought for a moment about preserving his streak and a chance to eclipse Magic Johnson. But there's a line that he crossed when he tumbled into the stands with Humphries and it will end up hurting the Celtics for at least a game or two after last night's loss.
As Bulpett speaks about in his article, apologies were made after the two incidents with the officials. He promised to hold his temper more in check. But obviously it is still an issue. It doesn't matter the circumstance either. Last year it happened in the first round of the playoffs. When will the next blow up happen?
Don't get me wrong, I'm still a huge Rajon fan. You take the good with the bad with these guys. But perhaps Rajon needs to take a page or two from the guy that he was sticking up for.
Kevin Garnett has a legendary intensity and has as much of a temper as anyone. He gets into shoving matches with guys about once a week. But he's mastered the art of knowing when to walk away and how to put his arms up in the air to say "I'm stopping, if anything else happens it is his fault."
There's that subtle and unwritten line that the league will not allow its players to cross without punishment. Rondo either hasn't figured out where that line is or doesn't care. But this team is sunk without Rondo so I hope he can figure it out soon. | <urn:uuid:b6d367a7-2084-44e3-b0c3-f7b4b38d3eb0> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.celticsblog.com/2012/11/29/3705658/mean-streak-how-much-of-a-problem-is-rondos-temper | 2014-08-28T07:42:57Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500830323.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021350-00073-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985733 | 631 |
Once we have decided on what our goals for victory and success are, be sure to outline a clear daily plan of action! Then turn those determinations into actions. Don’t let a single moment go by in not pursuing our goals! Victory or defeat is entirely dependent on the force of our momentum.
Translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shimbun, based on President Ikeda's recent guidance with universal value and application | <urn:uuid:16a6b290-08d3-4303-b62d-abf8562df04f> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.hosshakukempon.com/to-my-friends/-tuesday-january-5th-2016 | 2018-12-15T00:53:05Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376826530.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20181214232243-20181215014243-00287.warc.gz | en | 0.935846 | 94 |
Jaden Smith is to join Justin Bieber on stage at Madison Square Garden.
Will Smith's son will perform with Bieber during the concert on August 32, reports the New York Post.
Bieber invited Smith to sing with him after the two collaborated for the video for 'Never Say Never' from the Karate Kid soundtrack.
"Special security arrangements are being made for Jaden, who will appear on stage, and his family, including Will, to be in the audience for the concert," said a source.
Sean Kingston and Jessica Jarrel are also expected to attend the show. | <urn:uuid:4fb63517-8aff-49c3-a54a-d780d58b0141> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a267503/jaden-smith-to-join-bieber-for-concert/ | 2017-06-24T19:21:43Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320323.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624184733-20170624204733-00204.warc.gz | en | 0.97434 | 120 |
The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) LLC today announced the launch of the UltraViolet licensing program for content, technology and service providers.
a year ago, ultraViolet has been developed by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem LLC (DECE LLC), a cross-industry consortium dedicated to driving a new, open market for digital content distribution.
Complementing the physical DVD and Blu-ray home entertainment markets, UltraViolet will allow consumers to watch their digital entertainment across multiple platforms, such as connected TVs, PCs, game consoles, smartphones and tablet PCs, in an easy, consistent way.
The UltraViolet experience will be powered by a cloud-based UltraViolet Account, which will include a Digital Rights Locker and account management functionality. Consumers will be able to create an UltraViolet Account, free of charge, via one of the many participating UltraViolet service providers or through the UltraViolet website. Once created, this Account will allow consumers to access and manage all of their UltraViolet entertainment, regardless of where it was purchased.
DECE continues to anticipate that, beginning this fall, consumers in the United States will be able to purchase select movies and TV shows with UltraViolet rights.
Becoming an UltraViolet licensee will enable companies to implement technical specs; market content, services and products with the UltraViolet name and logo; and make use of a centralized digital rights locker system for consumers' management of their UltraViolet proofs-of-purchase. Licensing is available for companies to participate in UltraViolet through one or more of five defined roles: content provider, retailer, streaming service provider, app/device maker, and download infrastructure/services provider. Information on licensing can be found at www.uvvu.com.
Mark Teitell, UltraViolet's General Manager, commented: "Consumers are looking for a better value proposition to own and collect digital movies and TV shows -- a proposition that provides downloads, streaming and physical copy viewing options which are accessible on multiple platforms. The initiation of UltraViolet's business-to-business (B2B) licensing program represents another key step in the development and roll-out of this new ecosystem designed to respond to this consumer demand. Interest in UltraViolet has been robust and we are excited about the number of companies seeking to play roles in the delivery of Ultraviolet to consumers in the coming months."
DECE also today published its technical specifications that define how the various ecosystem roles work together to bring UltraViolet to consumers. UltraViolet?s specifications include a universal Common File Format for downloads, which allows consumers to copy playable files directly among multiple brands of registered apps/devices, even as they may run different UltraViolet-compliant Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems. With the Common File Format, titles intended for downloading will be encoded and encrypted by the entertainment content providers just once, but will play across multiple platforms, creating an efficient alternative to today?s vertical distribution systems.
Initial UltraViolet licensees are now integrating with and beta testing the digital rights locker system, which DECE will operate as a shared cloud resource for all licensees. Neustar, a provider of network and digital media interconnectivity solutions, was selected by DECE as a key partner to build and operate the UltraViolet technology infrastructure.
During the first half of 2011, DECE added eight new member companies, including AMD, Blockbuster Inc., CyberLink Corp., NVIDIA Corporation, PacketVideo Corp., Roadshow Entertainment, SeaChange and Walmart?s Vudu. DECE now includes more than 70 members in ten countries, spanning entertainment, software, hardware, retail, infrastructure and digital delivery. | <urn:uuid:4716adf0-b374-481d-a689-9d84e7465f8e> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Print.aspx?NewsId=30719 | 2014-12-21T14:28:02Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802771374.156/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075251-00039-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.895671 | 762 |
No matter what your political, religious, intellectual or social affiliation, being RFID chipped against your will ought to inspire you to action.
Did you know that one of the provisions (well hidden) of the Obama Health Care plan was the MANDATORY assignment of a national health care ID card which was RFID chipped, which means the federal government would have had the ability to track your whereabouts at any time 24-7 anywhere in North America, South America, Asia or Europe?
And you thought us Christian conservatives (I am a gay part native american Christian Conservative) were just all a bunch of redneck racist hicks didn’t you? I bet it never dawned on you that we are out here blogging and fighting and countering nonstop Obamaganda with factual truth so that you can continue to have the right to travel in privacy, without having to carry an RFID chipped national health care (cough: nonstop surveilance!) card. Imagine: us, knowing how muh you all hate us, caring about you left wing liberals - [ just like Jesus would ] – who are too foolish and misinformed to know that once the FED can get everyone to carry an RFID chipped health care card, guess what comes next in “illuminati globalist gradualism”?
That’s right…. they want to RFID chip you right in the arm. It can be done without you even knowing it by inserting the tiny micro-sized RFID chip right into the VACCINE. How about that?
=> US military & FEMA NorthCom being coordinated right now to enforce possible mandatory swine flu vaccines here in the USA
=> CIA lab created swine flu [see birdflu888.wordpress.com]
=> Baxter International patented the swine flu vaccine 2 years before swine flu even appeared! Wow. How did they do that I wonder? Things that make you go hmmmmm.
=> Eye witness locals in mexico state on the record in citizen journalist documentary videos that when swine flu “broke” in mexico earlier this year, guess what the World Health Org was doing? They were in Mexico at that time, giving “vaccine trials” to the locals. Isn’t that coincidental?
Are you connecting the dots yet? Here: I will help you:
=> Baxter International+Novarits+CIA+Mexico vaccine trials = swine flu released into the population just south of the USA border this spring, so that it will flow effortlessly into the USA and commence the “swine flu pandemic” scare. Atlanta CDC begins to hype swine flu wildly right around May, June… exaggerating the numbr of people infected in the USA by nearly 1000% in some cases. Yes, that’s right, a 1000% exaggeration. That is called HYPE, otherwise known as SPIN, otherwise known as Wag the Dog. Do you comprehend?
=> Mandatory vaccines=a huge chance for the $$$swine flu$$$ shot to be used to tacitly insert the much advertised and vaunted [cough: beast] RFID micro-sized chip to be inserted into your body right with the shot. YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW, AND THE RFID CHIP COULD NEVER BE RECOVERED AND REMOVED FROM YOUR BODY.
=> Swine flu [fake] pandemic=mandatory $$$vaccines$$$=huge profits for Baxter International. Ka-ching! Plus, they kill two birds with one stone: they rake in a fortune and microchip most all of the American population which they despise and want to control and moniter 24-7 like cattle.
If you don’t want to be a cancer crusted lab rat, and be RFID microchipped without your knowledge or consent, I suggest you turn off the TV set and start reading your tail off on Christian conservative patriot blogs like this one and get an education. They intend to do this if we do not speak out and put a stop to it. It’s not about the left or the right! It’s about stopping the march to Godless globalism.
Watch these videos: | <urn:uuid:695d69eb-296a-473c-b666-b8523299580b> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | https://artopia444.wordpress.com/ | 2015-03-03T08:48:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936463165.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074103-00161-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937819 | 872 |
BEFORE THE ARBITRATOR
In the Matter of the Arbitration of a Dispute Between
LOCAL 216-A OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF
STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO
CITY OF ASHLAND, WISCONSIN
James E. Mattson, Staff Representative, Wisconsin Council 40, 8480 East Bayfield Road, Poplar, Wisconsin 54864, for Local 216-A of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, referred to below as the Union.
Scott W. Clark, City Attorney, P.O. Box 389, 214 West Main Street, Ashland, Wisconsin 54806, for the City of Ashland, Wisconsin, referred to below as the City or as the Employer.
The Union and the City are parties to a collective bargaining agreement which was in effect at all times relevant to this proceeding and which provides for the final and binding arbitration of certain disputes. The parties jointly requested that the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission appoint Richard B. McLaughlin, a member of its staff, as Arbitrator to resolve a grievance filed on behalf of "Employees of Water/Wastewater." Hearing on the matter was held on May 23, 2006 in Ashland, Wisconsin. The hearing was not transcribed. The parties filed briefs and reply briefs by October 13, 2006.
The parties stipulated the following issues for decision:
Did the Employer violate the terms of the parties' Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 13.05) in regards to post retirement benefits to "Red Circled" union employees?
If so, what is the appropriate remedy?
RELEVANT CONTRACT PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 13 BENEFITS
. . .
13.05 "Red Circle" of Post Retirement Health for Utility Employees All Utility employees as of January 1, 1973, shall be provided with Medicare plus $22,500 supplementary health insurance upon retirement at age 65 or later, for both retiree and spouse. All Utility employees hired after August 30, 1993, will be provided with Medicare Companion Plan with 1993 options (six riders) supplementary health insurance upon retirement at age 65 or later for both retiree and spouse. There shall be no Medicare supplemental insurance for any Utility employee hired after January 1, 1997. Should a Utility employee elect to retire before age 65 on a retirement annuity, he/she would be required to pay his/her own premiums for current health insurance until reaching the age of 65 at which time the City will provide the supplementary coverage. Should an employee choose to leave the employment of the City before becoming eligible for a retirement annuity other than for a medical or disability retirement, he/she shall relinquish all rights to this supplementary insurance and any other benefits presently provided by the City. Any person employed by the Utility subsequent to December 31, 1972, must be employed at least twenty (20) years prior to retirement before becoming eligible for the supplementary health insurance coverage.
. . .
ARTICLE 26 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
26.01 Should differences arise between the Union and the Employer as to the meaning and application of this Agreement . . . an earnest effort shall be made to settle them promptly under the provisions of this Article.
26.02 A reasonable effort shall be made to settle any differences between an employee and his/her foreman when a dispute arises. . . .
Step I: The aggrieved employee and the Union Grievance Committee shall set forth the grievance in writing to the superintendent or department head within ten (10) working days of the cause of the grievance or when the employee should have reasonably known of such cause. . . .
Step IV: Arbitration
. . .
3. Hearing-Decision. . . . The arbitrator shall not modify, add to, or delete from the express terms of this Agreement.
4. It is agreed that if any time limit set forth herein is not complied with, the grievance shall be deemed decided against the party who failed to comply with the time limit. The parties may, however, mutually agree in writing to extend the time limits in any step of the grievance procedure.
The Union filed the grievance on September 13, 2004. The grievance seeks that the City "reinstate post retirement health benefits stated in . . . Sec. 13.05", and details the history of the grievance as well as the history of Section 13.05. That history is the essential background to the grievance.
The grievance history starts with a meeting between Union officers John Radloff and Dave Wosepka with City Clerk Rae Buckwheat. Radloff and Wosepka initiated the meeting because they had been informed by certain retirees that the City was not providing the same benefit to all retirees under Section 13.05. More specifically, the retirees noted that not all retirees were incurring out-of-pocket expenses. Buckwheat was unfamiliar with the history of the provision and contacted the City's attorney, Scott Clark, to clarify the matter. Clark responded in a letter to Buckwheat dated September 1, 2004, which states:
. . . In response to the questions raised . . . I am enclosing herewith a copy of a November 27, 2000 letter to me from Carol A. Larson, former City Clerk, regarding the post-retirement health insurance for the utility employees.
Based upon the history and the acquiescence of the Union for many years, the benefits provided to retirees under the City's group health insurance plan are to continue based on the established past practice. . . .
The November 27, 2000 letter states:
This letter will outline the changes we have made to retiree health insurance coverage over the years. The City has changed carriers and coverage levels for our group health insurance a number of times. These changes affected retirees as well as current employees. Retirees consist of two groups those individuals (or their spouses) who are under age 65 and those who are over age 65 and also covered under Medicare.
The City was insured by WPS for many years. In 1994, we changed carriers and obtained coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wisconsin. For active employees and retirees under the age of 65, the only change in the benefit level
between the WPS group plan and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan was that the lifetime maximum payment was changed from an unlimited amount to a $5 million lifetime maximum. At the time of that change, however, WPS informed us that they would no longer allow additional enrollees into the "$22,500 Plan" -- a Medicare supplement plan. Through collective bargaining, the "$22,500 Plan" was preserved by "red circling" retirees and employees who turned 65 before January 1, 1994. (see Article 12.05 of collective bargaining agreement) Utility retirees and their spouses who turned 65 after January 1, 1994 could not be enrolled in that "$22,500 Plan" and were provided with continued coverage under the group health insurance plan through a Medicare carve-out arrangement.
In 1995, the City obtained coverage through Wausau Insurance Companies. We went from a plan with unregulated provider choices to a preferred-provider, point-of-service plan. Participants were required to choose a primary care clinic. They had to receive all their care from the primary care clinic, or obtain referrals for services outside the primary care clinic, in order for care to be paid at 100%. Services received outside the primary care clinic without a referral were subject to deductibles and co-payments.
In 1998, the City again changed carriers and coverage levels. Compcare Northwest (now known as Compcare Blue) became the City's provider. Under this policy, the lifetime maximum was dropped to $2 million, the co-pay and deductible amounts were raised for out-of-network services, the co-pay on prescription drugs was increased, co-payments were established for ambulance service and for emergency room care, and days of skilled nursing care and hospice care were reduced.
As I stated earlier, all of these changes were also imposed on the retirees who were on the City's group health insurance plan -- both those who are under age 65 and those over age 65 who receive Medicare carve-out benefits. All these retirees are former union members who are exercising their right to continuation of coverage under the terms of their union contract.
By past practice, there has been no 'vesting" of benefits for retirees. Retirees have received the benefits negotiated through collective bargaining.
The letter also includes a document entitled "Tentative Agreement", dated March 1, 2000. Paragraph 1 of that document states:
Consolidate Local 216-A (DPW Streets & Parks) and Local 216-D (DPW Water & Wastewater Utility) in accordance with Department Consolidation Plan and Local 216-D Collective Bargaining Agreement, January 1, 1999, through December 31, 2001. Streets & Parks shall have the same benefits as Water & Wastewater Divisions except those benefits in Water & Wastewater Division which have been "red circled" and phased out or sunsetted.
As noted above, Buckwheat forwarded Clark's letter, including the documents quoted above, to the Union, which prompted the filing of the grievance.
After the filing of the grievance, the parties discussed the matter at some length, and the City stated its final position to the Union in a letter from Buckwheat to Radloff dated July 28, 2005, which states:
. . . (P)roviding Medicare Plus $22,500 is impossible. The City will continue to provide the City's Group Policy with Medicare carve out provisions to satisfy the Medicare supplemental coverage. Although the current City Group coverage has a $250 deductible and a drug co-pay, there are many aspects of coverage that substantially exceed the benefits that were provided by the $22,500 plan. The City declines the suggestion of the Bargaining Committee to become a self-insurer of the benefits that used to be provided under the Medicare Plus $22,500 policy.
The "Medicare plus $22,500 supplementary health insurance" referred to in Section 13.05, and which is the subject of the grievance is referred to below as the $22,500 Plan.
The $22,500 Plan was included in the 1991-92 labor agreement between the City Water and Sewer Utilities Commission, referred to below as the Utility, and Local 216-D, which represented a bargaining unit of Utility employees. Article 15, Section 4 of that agreement states the benefit thus:
All employees as of January 1, 1973, will be provided with Medicare plus $22,500.00 supplementary health insurance upon retirement at age 65 or later, for both retiree and spouse. Should an employee elect to retire before age 65 on a retirement annuity, he/she would be required to pay his/her own premiums for WPS Health Insurance until reaching the age of 65 at which time the Utility will provide the supplementary coverage. Should an employee choose to leave the employment of the Utility before becoming eligible for a retirement annuity other than for a medical or disability retirement, he/she should relinquish all rights to this supplementary insurance and any other benefits presently provided by the Utility.
In the bargaining for a successor to the 1991-92 agreement, the parties agreed to amend this provision. One of the amendments was to add a sentence between the first and second sentences of the 1991-92 statement of Article 15, Section 4. The added sentence reads, "All employees hired after August 30, 1993 will be provided with Medicare Companion Plan with 1993 options (six riders) supplementary health insurance upon retirement at age 65 or later, for both retiree and spouse." Another amendment was to change the second sentence of the 1991-92 statement of Article 15, Section 4 to read, "Should an employee elect to retire before age 65 on a retirement annuity, he/she would be required to pay his/her own premiums for current health insurance until reaching the age of 65 at which time the Utility will provide the
supplementary coverage." The successor to the 1991-92 agreement was in effect from January 1, 1993 through December 31, 1994.
The last labor agreement negotiated between the Utility and Local 216-D, was originally intended to be in effect between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2001. In that agreement, the benefit once provided under Article 15, Section 4 had been renumbered as Section 13.05, and bore the heading "'Red Circle' of Post Retirement Health for Utility Employees." It also included two sentences not present in Article 15, Section 4 of the 1993-94 agreement. The first became the third sentence of Section 13.05, and states, "There shall be no Medicare supplemental insurance for any Utility employee hired after January 1, 1997." The second became the final sentence of Section 13.05, and states, "Any person employed by the Utility subsequent to December 31, 1972, must be employed at least twenty (20) years prior to retirement before becoming eligible for the supplementary health insurance coverage." This sentence was present in the earlier agreements, stated as Section 5 of Article 15.
Prior to the City reorganization that merged the Utility with the DPW, Local 216-A represented a bargaining unit of City DPW employees. The City's agreements with Local 216-A prior to the merger did not provide a Medicare supplement. The first agreement that reflected a single bargaining unit for City employees was in effect from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2001. Section 1.01 of that agreement notes: "This contract eliminates the separate designation and combines the members of former Local 216-A with former Local 216-D into one bargaining unit." The agreement continued Section 13.05 as stated in the final Utility agreement with Local 216-D.
The negotiations surrounding the consolidation of City Utility operations with the DPW were contentious. Anthony Murphy, then City Administrator, summarized the status of the reorganization in a memo to the Mayor and City Council dated January 5, 1999. The memo states:
The reorganization is driven by the fact that the City expects to build a new water treatment plant. The new plant will allow the City to reduce staffing at the water treatment plant from six positions to one or two positions. Also, staffing at the wastewater treatment plant is currently at eight positions. Plant designs for the wastewater treatment plant indicate that the plant could be operated with five or six positions. A union employee currently manages the wastewater treatment. In September, the City Council accepted my recommendation to hire a water/wastewater superintendent as a part of the reorganization.
It was my proposal that the utility employees be merged into the public works union so that . . . layoff . . . can be avoided. By having all of the employees under one collective bargaining agreement, the City could secure the flexibility needed to keep people productively employed . . . The City has tried to respect union desires to maintain employee seniority structures and to retain some of
their most important employment benefits. However . . . it has been our desire to have public works and utility employees compensated similarly. . . .
The union responded to the pending layoff letter by contacting members of the City Council. In the words of a union official, they decided to respond to the threat of layoffs, "politically." To the credit of the members of the City Council who were contacted, the union learned that a back door political solution wasn't possible and they then approached me with a desire to reopen collective bargaining talks . . . The two sides met . . . and, working from their proposals, the City submitted a revised offer . . . for a three year contract. . . . The City's offer provided for a three year-contract. The offer provides . . . an opportunity for us to gradually help public works salaries catch up to utility salary levels. At the end of the three years the base salary levels should be equal. The unions would be combined with separate seniority lists for layoff purposes. The two most important benefit issues, post retirement health benefits and certification pay, have been maintained for utility employees . . . We feel that all employees in the consolidated public works department should follow the benefits provided in the existing public works contract. We feel that our . . . offer is fair and meets most of the priorities identified by the union . . .
Needless to say, the process of negotiating has been very frustrating. The task is made more difficult by the following factors:
The union feels powerful politically. When faced with a threat of layoff over the Utility Commission implementing wells for drinking water, the employees were very successful in their political efforts. Some may feel that a similar campaign could frustrate new plans
Utility employees have tremendous benefits. While the Utility Commission directed utility operations, the Commission gave away the store. The Utility union has the best benefit package in the City and these employees do not want to give any ground on any of the benefits they receive.
Water and wastewater employees are still adjusting to being City employees. Utility employees were very effective at manipulating management of the former utility and Utility Commission. They are still getting used to public works expectations and expectations of City administration. I'm sure that they liked the old organization better.
Water and wastewater staffs are independent islands. With a few exceptions, water and wastewater employees do not seem to get along. They rarely share equipment or manpower. There is a strange jealousy between the two divisions.
Wastewater staff comprises the bargaining team. The union bargaining team is John Radloff, Len Suminski and Dave Wosepka, senior employees at the wastewater plant. When negotiations broke down in November the union bargaining committee told us that they had a union meeting to discuss the
City proposal. Later, I learned that the union meeting only involved wastewater employees, water employees did not know the status of negotiations. . . .
. . . It is my hope that we may still reach an agreement. But, I am not optimistic. It appears that there may be too much distance between the two positions.
The parties ultimately bridged that distance. The language of Section 13.05 has not been changed since the merger. Neither party has offered a proposal to modify its terms.
As of the date of hearing, three retirees, who were members of the unit represented by Local 216-D or their spouse, were covered by the $22,500 Plan. The individual premium for that insurance is $6,868.00. Five retirees who were members of the unit represented by Local 216-D or their spouse were covered by a Medicare carve out of the City's group insurance plan. The individual premium for that insurance is $4,147.00. These five individuals, together with eleven employees who were represented by Local 216-D and are now City employees covered by Section 13.05 and their spouses qualify for $22,500 Plan benefits if the grievance is sustained.
The background summarized to this point is undisputed. The balance of the background is best set forth as an overview of witness testimony.
Radloff has served the City for thirty-one years as a Treatment Plant Operator and as a Lab Technician. He has served Local 216-A and Local 216-D as President and as Vice-President. He has also served on the Union's negotiating team from late 1998 until the present.
His work with the Union spanned the merger. Prior to 1998, the Utility did not have a formal negotiations team. Rather, the negotiations reflected round table discussions between Stephen Brand, the Utility Manager, the Utility Commission, and bargaining unit members. The merger process was City-initiated, involving considerable City pressure to equalize pay and benefits between the Utility and DPW. The wage gap between Utility and DPW employees was significant. During the initial bargaining concerning the merger, the City published an "at risk list" to let Utility employees know the positions that might be lost if the Union opposed the City's merger effort. In Radloff's view, Utility employees, during the initial negotiations on merger, drew "a line in the sand" concerning the preservation of Utility benefits. Without doing so, the wage equalization process would mean the Utility employees would give "something for nothing" to effect the merger. Radloff acknowledged, however, that red circle benefits did not get much across-the-table discussion. Rather, the parties focused on seniority issues, including the dovetailing of Utility with DPW employees and recall rights.
Radloff viewed the wage equalization process as significant. He calculated that between 1995 and 2002, rates for Utility positions increased seven per cent less than rates for DPW positions. In 1997, for example, Utility wages increased 3% while DPW wages increased 7%. In 2000, Utility wages increased 2%, while DPW wages increased 5%. By 2002, the City had equalized wage rates between Utility and DPW positions.
Radloff was not aware of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan until he was contacted in the summer of 2004 by two retirees who could not understand why they were incurring costs other retirees were not. He could not recall any Utility employee, including Brand, telling him that the $22,500 Plan was no longer available. He was unaware of the content of Larson's November 27, 2000 letter until Buckwheat provided him a copy in September of 2004. Not until a meeting between Buckwheat and Union officials in August of 2004 was Radloff aware that the City was providing insurance to retirees other than the $22,500 Plan. He did not find the insurance provided by the City as an alternative to the $22,500 Plan, Medica, 1500-D, objectionable in itself. Rather, he stated "I like it from what I see so far." What he found objectionable was that Medica does not provide all of the benefits provided in the $22,500 Plan, particularly full coverage of prescription drug costs. The $22,500 Plan sets the standard for the City to meet regarding Medicare supplement insurance, even if the City is required to self fund the benefit.
Radloff could not recall any across-the-table discussions concerning the changes in the language from Article 15, Section 4 to Section 13.05. He could not recall any across-the-table discussions by which the City would self-fund any contractual insurance benefits. Radloff was present for Union/City cooperative discussions regarding insurance. Such discussions over time have become an almost annual event. Those discussions reflect that all City employees are part of a single insurance group, thus necessitating that insurance changes be implemented City-wide. The Union has played an active role in all the changes to City-provided health insurance. In his view, the group plan discussed by the Health Insurance Committee is distinguishable from the Medicare supplemental insurance covered by Section 13.05.
Larson worked for the City as Deputy Clerk from 1979 through 1989, and as Clerk/Personnel Director from 1989 through 2003. Her duties in the latter position included collective bargaining, demanding her attendance at all collective bargaining sessions. She was not directly involved in Utility negotiations until after the merger.
In her experience, all City employees are part of a single insurance group, with retirees included as a Medicare "carve out". This meant that the retiree received the same benefits as City employees.
The existence of a single group demanded that insurance changes be made uniformly and the City, during her tenure as Clerk/Personnel Director made unions part of all discussions that produced changes to the insurance plan. After the change from WPS in 1994, no Utility
retiree who was not already covered by the $22,500 Plan could enroll in it. Utility employees who met the eligibility requirements of Section 13.05 and retired after the change to Blue Cross/Blue Shield received their insurance as a Medicare carve out. The City did not freeze the retirement benefits of any retiree during her tenure. Rather, benefits floated with the insurance group, reflecting the benefit negotiated in collective bargaining, and codified in the governing labor agreement. Those Utility employees who were enrolled in the $22,500 Plan before it ceased to exist continued to receive the benefits of that plan, unlike any other City employee or retiree.
Larson could not recall issuing the November 27, 2000 letter to any member of the Union, and could not recall ever issuing a general notice to all employees advising them of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan. She believed that Brand informed Utility employees at the time of the change to Blue Cross/Blue Shield that the WPS provided $22,500 Plan would no longer be available to Utility employees who retired after the change from WPS. She could not, however, recall any specific discussion of this point at the bargaining sessions she attended. Each time the City changed insurance carriers, the City would discuss the changes with the unions and would supply the union and represented employees a booklet detailing the benefits provided by the new carrier. Cooperative discussions on insurance changes involved a single group for all City employees, and no City employee received any benefit other than those addressed by the discussion group which addressed insurance. She acknowledged that the Health Insurance Committee that addressed potential insurance changes was more concerned with the group health plan than with any issue concerning post retirement Medicare supplemental insurance. However, she believed the unions became aware of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan at the same time the City became aware of it. There would be no reason to discuss changes to the group health plan, including a Medicare carve out, unless the parties were aware of the need caused by the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan for individuals not enrolled as of the change from WPS.
Suminski has served as a City employee for roughly thirty-two years, and was a member of Local 216-D prior to the merger. He served Local 216-D as President and as Vice-President. In his view, the merger was accomplished against the background of City-threatened layoffs of Utility employees and of wage and benefit concessions from Utility employees to equalize them with DPW employees. He resigned his position with Local 216-D in disgust with the merger process.
From his view, the primary benefit that Utility employees retained through the merger was the red-circle benefits of Section 13.05. The Union struggled to retain its seniority rights and some job security. Prior to the negotiations surrounding the merger, Utility negotiations were an informal, round-table process.
Brand represented the Utility through the merger process, and Brand never informed Local 216-D that the $22,500 Plan was unavailable. Suminski was involved in the negotiation
that created the "six riders" Medicare supplement. During those negotiations, the City advised the Union that the $22,500 Plan was no longer available. He did not, however, take this to mean, nor did the City inform the Union that it meant, that the "six riders" benefit supplanted the $22,500 Plan for employees hired before its implementation. From his perspective, the work of the Health Insurance Committee concerned group health insurance benefits, not the Medicare supplement provided by the $22,500 Plan. The City never advised the Union that the $22,500 Plan was unavailable to employees after the City changed from WPS to Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He acknowledged that the City never agreed, at any bargaining session that he attended, to become a self-insurer of any health benefit, although he viewed City provision of an HRA as a type of self-insurance. He was not aware of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan until retirees brought the issue to the Union in the summer of 2004.
Lund worked for WPS between 1966 and 1976, left to work with independent insurance agencies, then returned to WPS between 1995 and his retirement in 2005. WPS created what became the $22,500 Plan in 1967, in response to concerns regarding Medicare coverage in Parts A and B. The Plan was developed to reimburse certain deductibles and to provide drug coverage. The $22,500 amount reflected a lifetime, per illness cap on WPS liability for deductible reimbursement, drug payment or any other Part A and B exposure. The cap started at $5,000.00, went to $15,000.00 and ended at $22,500.00. These caps, meaningful at the time implemented, were blown away by the pace of change and cost of medical technology. Effective January 1, 1994, WPS declined to provide the plan to anyone not currently enrolled in it. The full drug coverage provided by the plan is no longer commercially available from any insurer at any price.
Knapp, currently Interim City Administrator, originally served the Utility as its Accountant/Business Manager, starting in August of 1990. The City consolidated its financial department with the Utility's in 1995. The merger became complete by 1997.
The City has not directly provided an insurance benefit to any retired employee or their spouse beyond the premium payment. Knapp calculated that as of the end of 2005, based on current premium costs and standard actuarial assumptions regarding life expectancy, the City faced a potential liability of $2,403,443.00 to fund the post-retirement health insurance of represented and non-represented City employees and spouses eligible for Medicare supplemental insurance. The City does not currently fund this liability, but treats it as a pay as you go expense.
The City ended participation in the $22,500 Plan when WPS declined to accept further participants. Knapp played no role in Utility negotiations at the time WPS ended the Plan, but shared an office with Brand. Brand informed him that he advised the Union that the $22,500 Plan was unavailable and that he had tried to buy a substitute policy from WPS, but the policy
lacked the drug coverage of the $22,500 Plan. Brand informed Knapp that the Union would not accept the WPS-offered substitute without the drug coverage of the $22,500 Plan. Ultimately, the City, through Larson, informed Brand that the City could provide a Medicare carve out from the group insurance plan. Because the benefits of that plan included first dollar coverage, retirees did not experience any adverse cost impact. The City has consistently required insurers, since the change from WPS, to include a Medicare carve out in their bid. Knapp has discussed retirement benefits with Utility employees at the time of their retirement since 1994. He explained to each, and believed the employees understood, that they received benefits from a Medicare carve out of the insurance plan. He also believed that the retiring employees informed other union members. He believed the employees who complained to the Union in the summer of 2004 knew that they were not covered by the $22,500 Plan, but chose to ignore the difference between it and the Medicare carve out until the carve out reflected benefit changes that had a direct cost impact on them.
After the City changed from WPS to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, WPS could no longer bill the City directly for the premium due from individuals grandfathered in the $22,500 Plan. Union members complained when WPS billed the individuals directly. The City responded by setting up a bank account from which WPS could withdraw premium costs for the grandfathered individuals. Dave Wosepka was aware of this arrangement at the time of its creation. The number of grandfathered individuals serviced through this bank account has dropped from eight to four.
Over time, however, rising insurance costs forced the City, through its Health Insurance Committee, to make changes, including increasing deductibles and co-pays. All of these changes have been implemented after a consensus was reached with City unions. At no point has the City ever agreed to become a self insurer. He believed the Union and Brand discussed the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan during contract bargaining following City change from WPS. He understood, through discussions with Brand, that the Union was unwilling to have the reference to the $22,500 Plan removed from the contract, and that they viewed it as a benchmark. He did not, however, participate in bargaining at that time. City implementation of higher deductibles paid, in large part, via a City funded HRA is the closest it has come to playing the role of an insurer. City staffing and funding levels make it impossible for the City to be a provider of insurance coverage.
Further facts will be set forth in the DISCUSSION section.
THE PARTIES' POSITIONS
The Union's Brief
After a review of the evidence, the Union argues that the language of Section 13.05 is "clear and concise in its intent and meaning" and is "controlling in this instant case." The parties first negotiated the provision in 1973, setting forth the $22,500 Plan available upon retirement. In 1997, the parties modified the language to limit future entitlement to the $22,500 Plan. The language has continued, unmodified, through the present agreement.
Under relevant arbitral precedent, past practice is irrelevant since the language of Section 13.05 is clear and unambiguous. Even if it was relevant, there can be no past practice since the City never informed the Union that it had unilaterally modified the benefit due to its unavailability from WPS. The Union did not know of the alteration of the benefit until August of 2004, and grieved the City's action as soon as it was aware of the issue. Evidence implying Union knowledge of the change is unpersuasive. The absence of any City proposal to modify Section 13.05 underscores this. When the City learned of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan, it was obligated to bring the issue to collective bargaining.
Arbitral precedent will not support the City's view that it "can simply walk away from its obligation to provide this contractually guaranteed benefit." The City's obligations are set by the collective bargaining agreement and the insurance policy is subordinate to it. Thus, inconsistencies between the insurance policy and the labor agreement are resolved by the labor agreement, not by the presence or absence of an insurance policy. The insurance policy reflects an agreement between the insurer and the employer and cannot trump the terms of a collectively bargained labor agreement.
Against this background, the Union concludes that the grievance should be sustained and that the appropriate remedy is that "the Arbitrator . . . hold the City responsible for the contractually guaranteed benefit of providing the $22,500 Plan or equivalent coverage for the red circled eligible employees."
The City's Brief
After a review of the evidence, the City contends that the $22,500 Plan "is not available from any insurer at any price." Since the labor agreement "does not provide for any alterations to Medicare Plus $22,500" and since the labor agreement does not "provide for an 'equivalent alternative'", it follows, as a matter of fact, that it is impossible for the City to meet its contractual obligation. Against this background, "the contract law of Supervening Impossibility would apply to this situation." Well-settled law, reflected in the "Restatement, Second, Contracts", other secondary summaries of law as well as judicial precedent from Wisconsin courts establishes that the impossibility of providing the $22,500 Plan relieves the City of the literal application of Section 13.05. Beyond this, there "is no evidence that the city agreed to be a self insurer of retiree health insurance."
Confronted with the impossibility of meeting Section 13.05, "the City has acted with the utmost in good faith." The City repeatedly advised the Union of the impossibility of providing the $22,500 Plan and "has and will continue to provide the substitute group health insurance with Medicare carve-out to the union retirees after 1/1/94." The Union has responded by declining to address the matter in collective bargaining. Resolution of the matter "is appropriate for collective bargaining and not grievance arbitration."
The Union's assertion that the City failed to notify the Union of the impossibility of securing the "$22,500 Plan" after WPS declined to offer it ignores that unit members knew
that the plan was unavailable and that the parties collectively bargained changes in the insurance benefit from January of 1994 through the present. Beyond this, Section 26.02 precludes an arbitrator from modifying the express terms of the labor agreement as the grievance seeks. At most, the grievance establishes a potential issue for bargaining to address the impossibility of literal application of Section 13.05 and its reconciliation with long practice.
The Union's Reply Brief
The Union "takes strong issue" with the City's assertion that "Union members knew the Medicare Plus $22,500 policy had not been available since 1994." Radloff's testimony rebuts this, as does the prompt filing of a grievance when the Union learned of the issue. That neither party brought the issue to the bargaining table since 1994 underscores this. The absence of written City notice to the Union is undisputed. Discussion and negotiation of insurance changes since 1994 establishes only that the parties never addressed the asserted "impossibility" of providing the WPS $22,500 Plan.
The City's provision of an alternative plan with some superior features can be acknowledged, but cannot obscure that the alternatives provide a lesser drug benefit. Nor will the evidence support any conclusion that the past practice asserted by the City was ever known or accepted by the Union.
The "Supervening Impossibility" doctrine ignores the existence of established arbitral precedent making the labor agreement superior to the insurance agreement. Section 26.02 should not be applied to this grievance. Accepting the City's view would permit it to "walk away from a contractually guaranteed benefit." This would "undermine the authority and reliability of the Labor Agreement." If the City cannot secure a provider for the $22,500 Plan, then it must "pay for such benefits through self insurance." The Union concludes that "(t)his may not have been the intention of either one of the parties but it is the required remedy in this case." The Union specifies the remedy thus:
The Union requests the arbitrator direct the City to either find a comparable plan offering similar benefits to the Medicare $22,500 plan and in the event no such plan is available, the City shall pay directly for the contractually guaranteed benefits primarily the 100% payment toward co-payment on prescription drugs for the red-circled eligible employees as per the terms of Article 13.05 of the parties' labor agreement.
The City's Reply Brief
An examination of the Union's brief establishes that its arguments belie its assertion that the terms of Section 13.05 are clear and unambiguous. More specifically, the Union's request for "equivalent" or "comparable" coverage ignores the absence of those terms in the labor agreement. Rather, the agreement demands a specific insurance plan, which is no longer available "anywhere at any price." Since there is no evidence that the City and Union agreed
to make the City a self-insurer, it follows that the Union's contentions seek to have the arbitrator violate Section 26.02.
Contrary to the Union's assertions, at least two Union witnesses acknowledged that they knew of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan "in early 1994". Similarly, close examination of the arbitral precedent cited by the Union establishes that at least three of the cases involve contract language that imposed a self-insurance obligation on an employer. Examination of the record confirms the fundamental factual assertions of the City's brief and confirms that City provision of alternative coverage for the $22,500 Plan constitutes a binding past practice. Even if no practice is found, the amount of time in question establishes laches or waiver by the Union.
Even if the Union's asserted need for "equivalent" coverage is accepted, the City has provided equivalent or better coverage to replace the $22,500 Plan. The City has consistently sought to bargain the problems posed by Section 13.05, and has consistently indicated its willingness to bargain the matter whether by Union request or arbitration decision. Against this background, the "grievance must be dismissed and the parties ordered to negotiate replacement language for Article 13.05 based upon the established past practice."
The stipulated issue questions whether Section 13.05 obligates the City to pay the premium for a Medicare supplement insurance plan or to provide eligible retirees the precise benefits of the $22,500 Plan, which became commercially unavailable effective January 1, 1994. As noted below, the evidence will not support the Union's assertion of a City violation of Section 13.05. The ease of stating the conclusion should not, however, obscure the interpretive difficulty the grievance poses.
The strength of the Union's case is its assertion that the language of Section 13.05 clearly and unambiguously requires the City to provide the benefits of the $22,500 Plan, whether through a third party insurer or through self funding its benefit level. This contention cannot be brushed aside as frivolous. Rather, analysis of the contention must start with the fact that the language of the section supports the Union's view. The difficulty with the Union's view is that it is not the only plausible reading of the terms of Section 13.05.
The Union reads the section to clearly state two City obligations. The first is to those employees who meet the eligibility requirements of Section 13.05 regarding the $22,500 Plan within the effective term of the 2004-06 labor agreement. The second is to those employees who do not meet those eligibility requirements during the term of the labor agreement, but may at some point in the future. There is no dispute regarding the City's compliance with the first promise. The Union's assertion of the second promise is the crux of the dispute
More specifically, the Union reads the "upon retirement at age 65 or later" reference to state the two City obligations regarding the $22,500 Plan. The reference serves both as an
eligibility requirement for the immediate provision of plan benefits, and as a commitment of unlimited duration to those Utility employees hired prior to August 31, 1993 who will not meet the eligibility requirements of Section 13.05 until after the 2004-06 labor agreement's effective term. On this point, the Union's view is not the sole plausible reading of Section 13.05. As the City asserts, the first two sentences can be read to state no more than its obligation to provide the $22,500 Plan during the contract's term to those employees who then qualify for it. The ambiguity can be highlighted by the parties' conflicting views on why the first sentence continued in Section 13.05 after January 1, 1994. Under the Union's view, the City remained obligated to provide the benefit to a group of Utility employees who had yet to reach the age or years of service required to qualify for Medicare supplement insurance. Under the City's view, the sentence continues because the $22,500 Plan, under its terms, remains available to individuals who enrolled prior to January 1, 1994. Similarly, the Union's reading of the specific mention of the $22,500 Plan in Section 13.05 is clearer regarding the City's obligation to provide the $22,500 Plan during the term of the labor agreement to qualifying employees than regarding the City's obligation to provide it outside the term of the labor agreement to employees who do not yet qualify. If the parties wished to commit the City to an unlimited obligation to provide a level of benefits, why does Section 13.05 specifically refer to the $22,500 Plan without any reference to its benefit level? cf., for example, City of Richland Center, MA-5882 (Houlihan, 10/88), cited by the Union at 15 of its initial brief. In sum, each party states a plausible, but conflicting reading of Section 13.05. Thus, the section cannot be considered clear and unambiguous.
In my view, past practice and bargaining history are the most persuasive guides to the resolution of contractual ambiguity, since each focuses on the conduct of the bargaining parties whose intent is the source and the goal of contract interpretation. The parties produced evidence on each, but evaluation of that evidence is troublesome.
The source of the persuasive force of past practice is the agreement manifested by the parties' conduct over time, see, for example, Richard Mittenthal, "Past Practice and the Administration of Collective Bargaining Agreements", from Arbitration and Public Policy (BNA Books, 1961) at 30-68. Here, evidence of past practice and bargaining history intersect. The City urges that it advised the Union that the $22,500 Plan became unavailable as of January 1, 1994, responding through bargaining and through its implementation of the Medicare carve out in an open, consistent fashion demanding enforcement as a binding practice. More specifically, the City contends that: it consistently maintained a single insurance group for all City employees at all times relevant here; never self-funded any insurance benefit; informed its Unions of plan changes when changes became necessary from at least 1993 to the present; and implemented those changes consensually over that time period.
The City's assertion of a binding practice is flawed. The evidence falls short of manifesting agreement between the parties on the City's response to the unavailability of the WPS provided $22,500 Plan after January 1, 1994. The City's view ignores that the parties did not share a common view of the obligation stated by Section 13.05. As noted above, the Union, unlike the City, reads the provision to embody two City obligations. The City's assertion of a past practice ignores the significance of this point. Knapp, for example, testified that Utility
employees were aware they were being provided benefits through a Medicare carve out. Beyond this, the record establishes that the Union knew of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan not later than the negotiations for a 1993-94 labor agreement. This establishes no more than that the employees involved presumed that $22,500 Plan benefits continued to be provided to then enrolled retirees and available to a group of prospective retirees. Under Knapp's view, the complaints of retirees in the summer of 2004 reflected a cynical response to the presence of unwanted co-pays. However, there is no reliable basis to conclude the affected retirees or Union officials did anything cynical. Rather, the provision of the Medicare carve out after January 1, 1994 without cost to retirees is consistent with the view that the City continued to provide the benefits of the $22,500 Plan through another carrier. Until there was a cost impact, there was no reason to conclude the $22,500 Plan, as a statement of a benefit benchmark, rather than as the statement of a specific insurance carrier's plan, was no longer being provided.
Against this background, the City's view of Section 13.05 as a binding practice is unpersuasive. This conclusion highlights the interpretive difficulty of resolving the grievance.
Ultimately, the evidence falls short of establishing the City violation the grievance asserts. Section 13.05, read in light of what evidence there is of bargaining history and past practice, establishes that the parties agreed to City provision of a Medicare supplement plan, but not that the parties agreed to City provision of a benefit level, through self-funding if necessary.
Each testifying witness with bargaining experience, Union and City, stated that the City never agreed to self fund an insurance benefit. Whatever is said of the evidence regarding past practice, it underscores this testimony. Beyond this, the Union's attempt to create a self funding obligation has no support beyond the terms of Section 13.05. If the language of that section was clear and unambiguous, this would be enough. However, the ambiguity of the provision regarding the self-funding obligation is not clarified by evidence of bargaining history. In fact, bargaining history affords no support for the assertion that the City agreed to the two-fold promise the grievance reads into Section 13.05. Suminski's and Radloff's testimony indicate that the $22,500 Plan came into existence through informal, round table discussions. The assertion that the Union drew a line in the sand or gave a "quid pro quo" to impose a self funding obligation on the City's part lacks support in the evidence. The Union accurately points out that Murphy's January 5, 1999 memo describes "post retirement health benefits" as one of two key issues for Utility employees. This confirms one of the two promises the grievance seeks to impose on the City. The City has, however, never denied its obligation to provide a Medicare supplement under Section 13.05. It denies a requirement to self fund the benefit or to vest benefits at the level of the $22,500 Plan. The January 5 memo will not support the self-funding obligation the Union asserts. Significantly, the memo makes a generic reference to post retirement health and fails to make specific mention of the $22,500 Plan. Equally significant is Radloff's and Suminski's testimony that they could recall little, if any across-the-table discussion regarding the terms of Section 13.05. The self-funding/vesting obligation asserted by the grievance is a significant benefit, particularly within a small insurance group. This is impossible to reconcile to superficial or no across-the-table discussion. On balance, the record shows that Brand acted consistently throughout the merger process. He did his best to address the needs of
Utility employees, up to and including the creation of the Medicare carve out to replace the $22,500 Plan.
Asserted "quid pro quo" evidence also falls short of establishing City agreement to the benefit the grievance seeks. The 1997 wage increases show City/Union agreement to equalize DPW and Utility wage rates, but say nothing about the $22,500 Plan which was then neither in doubt nor under discussion. The 2000 wage increases are similar. Union negotiators acknowledge that what specific discussions there were during the merger turned on job security issues and seniority, not Medicare supplement insurance. In the absence of open discussions about the $22,500 Plan, it is unpersuasive to infer a "quid pro quo" to secure it as the two-fold benefit the grievance seeks.
Viewed as a whole, the record undercuts the grievance's assertion that Section 13.05 embodies a two-fold promise regarding post-retirement health benefits. Beyond this, the evidence affords some support for the City's view of the section. Bargaining history evidence regarding the language changes from Article 15, Section 4 to Section 13.05 between the 1991-92 and the 2004-06 agreements is murky at best. However, the deletion of specific reference to "WPS Health Insurance" in favor of "current health insurance" connotes some understanding that the carrier and benefits could change over time. Standing alone, this underscores the persuasive force of the Union's reading of the specific mention of the $22,500 Plan in the first section of Section 13.05.
The difficulty is that this conclusion does not stand alone. The references are ambiguous and evidence of practice and bargaining history point toward the City's view. From the time of the elimination of the WPS provided $22,500 Plan, the City acted consistently and openly. Neither Larson's nor Knapp's testimony can establish precisely what Brand or City negotiators said at the table in the creation of the Medicare carve out. However, the fact that specific reference to WPS was removed from the labor agreement establishes that something was said on the point. Knapp's mention of Brand's frustration with finding a substitute for the $22,500 Plan is credible and supports the inference that the creation of the Medicare carve out was not done behind the Union's back. That individual employees received retirement counseling, including the Medicare carve out, during this period is undisputed. That the City responded to Union concerns that employees were being directly billed for the $22,500 Plan by WPS, after the elimination of the $22,500 Plan is undisputed. That the City informed the Union of the unavailability of the $22,500 Plan during the creation of the "six riders" language is undisputed. That a Health Insurance Committee addressed insurance changes to the health insurance covering the City's single group between the elimination of the $22,500 Plan and the present is undisputed. That no plan book distributed to document these changes included the $22,500 Plan is undisputed.
As the Union accurately asserts, this falls short of establishing Union agreement to the replacement of the $22,500 Plan with the Medicare carve out. It does, however, establish two essential points. First, the parties agree that Section 13.05 requires the City to provide post-retirement Medicare supplement insurance to certain former Utility employees. Second, the
assertion that the City agreed to self fund the benefit levels of the $22,500 plan rests on the assumption of Utility employees which has some support in the language of Section 13.05, but no support in the bargaining history or administrative practice surrounding that section. There is no evidence the Union ever communicated its assumption regarding Section 13.05 to the City at any time in any forum prior to the assertion of the grievance. The grievance asserts a City violation of a provision which demands the self-funding of a benefit. There is no evidence that the parties ever agreed to this at the table. As underscored by Section 26.02, Step IV, 3, the function of grievance arbitration is limited to giving the parties the benefit of their agreement. An arbitrator lacks the authority to create agreement where none was reached, and the two points noted above establish that this is what the grievance seeks. The record, in sum, will not support finding a City violation of Section 13.05.
It is important to state the limits of this conclusion. That the record will not support finding the parties agreed to the two-fold promise the grievance asserts falls short of confirming the City's assertion that "the parties (must be) ordered to negotiate replacement language for Article 13.05 based upon the established past practice." Whichever party is dissatisfied with the Medicare carve out must address the point through negotiations before it can be enforced in grievance arbitration.
This conclusion underscores that this is not a case concerning the statutory duty to bargain. Even assuming the statutory issue can be addressed by an arbitrator, each party's assertion that Section 13.05 governs the grievance precludes the assertion that the matter demands bargaining during the agreement's term. The conclusion reached above highlights that the agreements reached at and after the elimination of the WPS $22,500 Plan address the City's obligation under Section 13.05 to provide post retirement Medicare supplemental insurance less than clearly. That lack of clarity cannot be resolved through this litigation. The Award precludes reading Section 13.05 to impose on the City the obligation to provide the benefit level once offered through the $22,500 Plan, by self-funding if necessary.
Nor do common law doctrines regarding contract interpretation, including the "impossibility of performance" considerations cited by the City, assist in resolving the grievance. Even assuming a grievance arbitrator should treat a labor agreement involving an ongoing bargaining relationship as if a contract involving a single transaction, the persuasive force of the City's contention is not that it did not comply with the terms of Section 13.05 because the obligation it undertook in bargaining became impossible. Rather, the persuasive force of the City's view is that it never agreed to undertake in bargaining the self funding obligation the grievance seeks to impose on it. The most forceful evidence against the City's view is Knapp's testimony that the Union rejected Brand's attempts to find a substitute for the $22,500 Plan and wished to keep it in the labor agreement as a benchmark. This testimony, in my view, would change the result in this case if it was established to have occurred. The evidence poses a number of problems, however. The first is the hearsay nature of the evidence. Knapp did not assert he was quoting Brand or the Union members to whom Brand spoke. It is clear that Brand did not use the term "benchmark" in his testimony to state a vested benefit. Nor is it clear that the term "benchmark" was used at the table or that Knapp's recall of Brand's discussion of the
bargaining reflected City or Utility desire to fund the level of benefits established by the $22,500 Plan whether or not WPS provided it. More significant is that the Union, through testimony and argument, denies that this exchange took place in bargaining. As a result, this piece of bargaining history evidence is less reliable than that discussed above.
The Union's assertion that the labor agreement governs the City's obligation to provide $22,500 Plan benefits without regard to the City's ability to contract with an insurer is persuasive. The conclusions reached above do not, however, turn on the availability of a commercial provider or on the cost of self funding. Rather, denial of the grievance reflects that the record does not establish that the parties agreed in bargaining to provide the two-fold benefit the grievance seeks to enforce. The doubt that surrounds the creation of the Medicare carve out can not be resolved against the City without persuasive proof that it agreed to the two-fold benefit. The lack of clarity in Section 13.05 must be addressed in bargaining rather than by implying the agreement that the evidence does not prove.
The parties have not questioned the timeliness of the grievance and the Award addresses the issues stipulated by the parties. The record will support the Union's assertion that it acted when it became aware of the issue. Wosepka did not testify because he was on vacation on the hearing date. The parties discussed the possibility of keeping the record open, but decided that his testimony was not essential. The Award entered below should confirm the point. Timeliness issues are similar to the assertion of a binding practice. City and Union arguments regarding when the Union knew, or should have known, that the Medicare carve out had supplanted the $22,500 Plan, miss the core of the dispute. The availability of the $22,500 Plan is essential to the City's reading of Section 13.05 but irrelevant to the Union's. As noted above, the Union reads two promises in Section 13.05 regarding the $22,500 Plan where the City reads only one. Arguments on timeliness or on what Wosepka knew and when he knew it skirt the fundamental divide between the parties' positions. Resolution of the grievance turns not on waiver, laches or past practice. Rather, the resolution reflects that the evidence will not establish that the parties ever agreed in bargaining to the two-fold obligation the Union reads into Section 13.05 regarding the $22,500 Plan.
The Employer did not violate the terms of the parties' Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 13.05) in regards to post retirement benefits to "Red Circled" union employees, since Section 13.05 does not obligate the City to provide, by self-funding if necessary, the benefit level of the $22,500 Plan.
The grievance is, therefore, denied.
Dated at Madison, Wisconsin, this 10th day of January, 2007.
Richard B. McLaughlin, Arbitrator | <urn:uuid:2fd24406-44b9-494d-b150-7787505b3fc4> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.wisbar.org/forPublic/INeedInformation/WERC%20Grievance%20Awards/2007/7081.HTM | 2014-10-30T18:24:52Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637898644.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025818-00169-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96228 | 12,107 |
Manufacturing Relationships Distributing Quality
"The Door to safety swings on the hinges of common sense"
Our staff has the qualifications and experience to take on extensive manufacturing and fabrication projects. All senior fitters are required to have a red seal fabricator certificate and all senior welders are required to possess their red seal qualifications. All junior tradesmen work closely with competent senior tradesmen and any work produced goes through a quality assurance program to ensure the quality of the final product.
What We Provide
We are capable of meeting all your Industrial Fabrication needs including:
-Custom Chutes and Hoppers
-Large and Small Ductwork
-Structural Fabrication and Installation
-Bucket Fabrication Rebuilds
-Large Diameter Pneumatic Pipe
-Tank Fabrication and Replacement | <urn:uuid:63ce9622-92ce-49a9-a55b-1795defb8a9c> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.a10fabrication.com/ | 2022-05-18T16:09:59Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662522284.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20220518151003-20220518181003-00005.warc.gz | en | 0.859415 | 221 |
AMAZINGLY WELL-MAINTAINED SURVIVOR CAR, LOADED WITH ALL THE OPTIONS, RARE
'70s luxury cars are heating up in collectors' minds, and while the regular contestants from Lincoln and Cadillac are easy to find, Mopar guys will be delighted to discover behemoths like this 1975 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron, which was unquestionably every bit a match for the heavy-hitters from the other brands.
Showing a remarkable originality, this handsome 4-door is the last of the Imperials, which really were treated as a separate brand from Chrysler. They afeatured more features, options, technology, and were built to a higher standard to justify their price. Their exclusivity was assured, and the big sedan eschews the styling gimmicks of the other guys: no opera windows, no coach lamps, and the grille remained metal, not plastic, showcasing Chrysler's dedication to tangible quality. Finished in bright Powder Blue, this heavy cruiser has a light-hearted attitude that suits its warm-climate home, and demonstrates remarkable preservation. As far as we can tell, that's original paint, and despite presenting one of the biggest targets on the automotive landscape in 1975, it's remarkably free of dents, dings, and other mishaps. All four doors fit well, the fender skirts line up flush with the body and show no rust in this trouble-prone area, and the vinyl top is nicely preserved.
1970s luxury cars are all about hedonistic interiors, so pillow-tufted seats and acres of stretch-out space are the fitments of choice. White seats against dark blue carpets and dash provide a great contrast that works well with the bright bodywork, and the seats themselves remain in excellent condition. Sure, they're soft and pillowy, but that's entirely the point, isn't it? Matching white door panels show minor signs of use and some light cracking in the usual spots, but as an all-original survivor it would be a crime to replace those items. The Imperial offered standard equipment like A/C, power seats, power windows, power locks, cruise control, and a tilt steering column, and the AM/FM/8-track stereo system sounds decent and includes a cassette adapter so you won't have to crawl through garage sales to find your music. The back seat offers limousine-like accommodations, and the trunk will carry just about anything you'll need on a long road trip with space to spare.
The power comes from Chrysler's 440 cubic inch V8, and with smoothness and torque production at the top of the wish list, Chrysler engineers hit the mark. Well maintained but not restored, the engine bay is tidy and shows signs of life in a warm climate, meaning no rust or other trouble spots. Sure, the paint's a little chipped, but it starts quickly and runs smoothly, and when paired to a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic and a 2.7 axle out back, highway performance is serene. Chrysler's torsion suspension system improved handling versus the Lincoln and Cadillac competition without a ride sacrifice, and 4-wheel disc brakes were standard equipment on the Imperial. A dual exhaust system gives it a muted hum that sounds appropriate, and big 235/75/15 wide whitewall radials look 70's perfect.
An unusual (fewer than 9000 were built) luxury car, there's a growing appreciation for these forgotten trend-setters. Cutting-edge in the 1970s, this Imperial remains a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy first-class accommodations. Call today!
- Engine Type
- Engine Size
- 440 V8
- Transmission Type
- Automatic (Column)
- Body Color
- Body Style
- 94,261 (Unknown)
- Interior Color
- Seat Material
- Shifter Type
- Center Console | <urn:uuid:0fd96985-8121-44e4-9aaf-0f08c8f90912> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/1282-atl/1975-chrysler-imperial-lebaron | 2017-07-21T00:48:58Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423629.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20170721002112-20170721022112-00164.warc.gz | en | 0.93003 | 800 |
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Above: Tom Gill on a USO tour. Tom was a member of the National Cartoonists Society from almost the first day of its inception. He traveled with his fellow cartoonists on many USO tours from the early 1950s until 1987. Looking at this photo, I would guess this is the late 50s/early 60s.
Everything that's old is new again.
This past Monday, a number of cartoonists (Jeff Keane ("The Family Circus" and current NCs President), Rick Kirkman ("Baby Blues"), and Stephan Pastis ("Pearls Before Swine"), among others) went to Walter Reade to entertain the troops. This wasn't the first time that current-day cartoonists have done this, and it won't be the last.
Hat tip to E&P via Mike Rhodes' ComicsDC blog.
Photo from the Tom Gill Collection as printed in his autobio THE MISADVENTURES OF A ROVING CARTOONIST. | <urn:uuid:b829f3d9-daba-4382-a32d-33ebaa209454> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2008/10/cartoonists-visit-wounded-troops.html?showComment=1222883280000 | 2015-04-25T01:51:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246645606.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045725-00085-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966685 | 209 |
Monroe County, Tennessee
The rolling hills of East Tennessee are always calling to you for a visit. Now, you can do more than that: you can purchase a part of those rolling hills! Sweetwater Estates is located on the outskirts of charming Sweetwater, TN. It consists of two to five acre mini-farms. These mini-farms are just waiting for you to build or bring your dream home. Most have a flat to rolling terrain, a few parcels have some gorgeous mature trees, ready to offer shade on hot summer days. As with many small towns in the South, Sweetwater has kindness and sass to spare, filled with quaint shops, great schools, and the world’s largest underground lake, the internationally famous Lost Sea.
In addition to all the convenience Sweetwater proper offers, you’ll also be just a few miles from Interstate 75, which puts you about 45 minutes from Knoxville and just barely more than an hour from Chattanooga. To sweeten our Sweetwater Estates offering even more, we offer owner financing with terms and rates for any budget. All you need is the $295 down payment and you can start building your American Dream right away! | <urn:uuid:aa8d90bb-49ac-4e32-ac62-8826eb4ba273> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.hurdle.com/owner-financed-land/tennessee/county-monroe/sweetwater-estates | 2022-06-29T16:56:48Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656103640328.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20220629150145-20220629180145-00324.warc.gz | en | 0.941838 | 250 |
We compute the K-edge indirect resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrum of a triangular-lattice antiferromagnet in its ordered coplanar three-sublattice 120° magnetic state. By considering the self-energy corrections to the spin-wave spectrum, magnon decay rates, bimagnon interactions within the ladder approximation Bethe-Salpeter scheme, and the effect of three-magnon contributions up to 1/S order, we find that the RIXS spectra are nontrivially affected by magnon damping and anisotropy. For a purely isotropic model, the appearance of a multipeak RIXS structure is primarily dictated by the damping of magnon modes. A unique feature of the triangular-lattice indirect RIXS spectra is the nonvanishing intensity at both the zone center Γ point and the antiferromagnetic wave-vector Κ point. Additionally, we find that a single-peak RIXS spectrum forms at the roton momentum which can be utilized as an experimental signature to detect the presence of rotonlike excitations. However, including XXZ anisotropy leads to additional peak splitting, including at the roton wave vector. The observed splitting is consistent with our earlier theoretical prediction on the effects of spatial anisotropy on the RIXS spectra of a frustrated quantum magnet [C. Luo, Phys. Rev. B 89, 165103 (2014)]PRBMDO1098-012110.1103/PhysRevB.89.165103.
|Original language||English (US)|
|Journal||Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics|
|State||Published - Jul 6 2015|
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics | <urn:uuid:b1397ff3-d909-43fa-ba3f-e48873a0245e> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://augusta.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/signatures-of-indirect-%CE%BA-edge-resonant-inelastic-x-ray-scattering | 2021-09-28T17:43:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780060877.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20210928153533-20210928183533-00706.warc.gz | en | 0.861622 | 389 |
It wouldn't take much of a leap of imagination for someone to integrate this functionality into the already pretty sophisticated apps and gadgets that enable us to adjust our camera settings and fire the shutter remotely. It might do this either using a dedicated piece of hardware or a software-based solution.
As well as extending the possibilities of remote camera control in a general sense, this could also be a useful advancement to aid visually impaired users and photographers with physical disabilities.
The screens adorning the backs of our cameras have come on in leaps and bounds over the past year, firstly in terms of resolution and size, then we started to see improvements in the responsiveness of touch-sensitive devices.
Then touchscreens began to trickle out of the compact camera market to infiltrate the CSC sector, with the first-of-its-kind touchscreen finally making its debut on a DSLR with the recent launch of the Canon EOS 650D.
With the enhancements we've seen in the usability and responsiveness of capacitive touchscreens of late, we don't think it will be long before we start seeing more of these on subsequent DSLR launches in 2013.
With the introduction of devices such as the Memoto wearable camera - designed to automatically capture snapshots of your daily life - we could see more products following along these lines.
With the continuing boom of social networking and file sharing websites - plus Wi-Fi innovations such as Cloud storage - and their influence on the way in which we all share key events in our lives, perhaps we'll start to see more devices capable of capturing and wirelessly uploading content from small cameras worn every day.
The result could be a constantly updating record of your life - complete with GPS location data - with additional scope for users to tag and caption their shots, plus potential for integration of face recognition software and more besides.
New cameras in 2013
In addition to some of the more fanciful predictions we could make about the future of camera technology, there are a few things that are more certain: the fact that - barring global catastrophe - manufacturers are going to keep replacing old camera models with new ones.
Olympus is also expected to continue to develop its superb range of petite-yet-powerful cameras, with advancements to its PEN series range on the cards. We know that the Olympus Pen P3 is ripe for replacement.
Panasonic too is about due to update its excellent G-series cameras, with hopes high for a Panasonic GX2 and a Panasonic GF6 in particular.
With the rise in popularity of more manageable bodied full frame DSLRs, we may also see the technology filtering down through the DSLR hierarchy and becoming more commonplace among the more affordable areas of the market. However, the latter isn't likely to occur with any immediacy, due to current manufacturing costs.
Sony's NEX range of CSCs and its pioneering DSLT cameras have both seen a real boost in terms of the level of versatility each system offers and their resulting overall popularity. We expect this success to continue for Sony in 2013, provided it continues to evolve the technologies it's already grabbed our attention with in 2012.
Could we start to see CSCs and DSLT cameras finally truly matching DSLRs for their functionality and image quality, or even integrating full frame sensors? Time will tell...
Future or fiction?
A lot's happened in the digital camera market over the past year, and it's easy to get carried away with ideas about what the New Year might herald.
As well as the ideas already mentioned, we can see scope for further developments in EVF technology, bringing these closer into line with their optical rivals. We also see potential for wackier ideas, such as hybrid devices that integrate the functionality of a digital camera with that of a tablet running Android, and featuring a removable, wirelessly connected touchscreen interface.
Whether or not we see some - or any - of the above developments becoming reality remains to be seen: roll on 2013! | <urn:uuid:f2c0283c-24dc-4589-ad4a-dfbfe3e01bda> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/cameras-in-2013-what-we-can-expect-1118146/2 | 2017-08-19T18:43:16Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105712.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819182059-20170819202059-00694.warc.gz | en | 0.953394 | 810 |
About: The Great Western Hospital The Great Western Hospital Swindon SN3 6BB
Posted by Terrypop
I went in for a Hernia op on the 13th of June carried out in the day surgery unit. I can offer nothing but genuine thanks to all the staff there, from the consultants downwards who were without doubt superb in the way they treated me and how they conducted the journey from entering the unit to leaving later in the day. Too many people are quick to slam the NHS etc. yet from viewing from the outside as such, you can see that they work themselves into the ground to ensure everything they do culminates in your wellbeing. There are individuals who were utterly lovely, especially when I came round after the surgery, this was the first time I had ever had a general and I was terrified to say the least, but waking up to such cheerful staff took away any fears I originally had. All the staff were wonderful, they deserve huge credit for the work they do and the consultant and his team were a delight to be treated by. Can never thank you enough. | <urn:uuid:25a8f169-4290-4fea-b0df-ff6cc0222e73> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | https://www.patientopinion.org.uk/opinions/164155 | 2017-03-25T10:11:07Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218188914.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212948-00628-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991531 | 219 |
For the 2nd year in a row, the race will be hosted along side the Carpentersville Oktoberfest, which will have a beer garden (which is located right next to the start/finish line), great food vendors, live music, raffles, kid rides (inflatables), and much more. Full details can be found here.
Menu for Carpenter Park…
- Light jazz and donuts from 7am until 9:29 am.
- At 9:30 sharp the main entree is served with racers greeted with a new layout for 2009.
- The Start/Finish will be on Carpenter Blvd (NorthEast Side of the park) .
- Similar features as in past years with creek crossings, the sand pit, a ‘lil sled hill, and a new feature… the “pump section“. BMXr’s will know this better as a rhythm section. Check out Sven Nys flying through one here (0:11).
- Also new this year is a totally free kids race for 5-10 year olds. Register at the Cyclo Kids Course before the 12 noon start time. Note this is NOT a new CCC category but we’re all for it. Parents… you’ll still need to fill out a release form for your kids.
- The weather forecast looks fantastic again… but make sure to bring some warm, dry clothes for after the race so you can put your hand warmers to use.
- Registration will be in the small pavilion in the center of the park near the playground/sandpit. This is the same location as last year.
- There are 319 of you pre-reg’d… that’s the exact same number as Jackson Park!
- The 4A’s are closed and there are 2 spots left in the 4B’s. Just like at past races we’ll have a waitlist for both races to try and give everyone a chance to race.
- Just a reminder, pre-reg’d riders need to pick up their numbers 30 minutes before each race or we will give your number to someone on the waitlsit. Waitlisters… you need to be at registration 30 minutes before your race if you want to get in.
- Another reminder that if you do NOT have a current annual USAC license you need to purchase a one day license for $10. If you purchased an annual license at a previous race and have NOT yet received it in the mail, you need to either bring your receipt (legal pad size of paper) from when you bought the license or show proof from the USAC website. Just because your license # is listed with your previous results does NOT mean you have a current license.
- There are still several of you that have “Pending” listed as your USAC license # in your BikeReg profiles. Please make sure your profile is up to date with your current information.
- Unfortunately we don’t have a course map right now, but as always, course specifics are subject to change. North is the to left, south to the right. | <urn:uuid:ae2b7e81-e50d-4fd6-a43b-f1d2869bb303> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://w.chicrosscup.com/news/page/73/ | 2024-02-29T11:17:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474808.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20240229103115-20240229133115-00406.warc.gz | en | 0.945367 | 655 |
Self Forced Nudity Gone WrongbyNiplovingirl©
Greetings fellow exhibitionists, I am a 28 year old woman from Utah. I am 5'7" with a slim body and small but still perky breasts. I have recently become very interested in public nudity humiliation. Which is very odd considering I have spent my whole life being terrified of being seen naked. I wont even get naked at the tanning bed (which has given me very strong tan lines!" At first I would just look at pictures and videos online, then I started reading stories about it. It turned me on a lot to see or read about other people being so humiliated, probably since I was so afraid of it myself.
I have lately tried to do little things myself like driving at night topless, but nothing where there was any real risk of being caught. This is what made me decide to try something just a little more daring. I got an idea from a story I read, I was of course not going to go as far as the story but people would be able to see me, for a very short time, and at a distance.
My plan was to go to a town I know where there is a parking lot with a public road on one side, and buildings on all other sides. There is one small opening that is kind of like an alley but to small for cars, this alley winds around a couple corners and leads to a park people almost never use anymore because of the busy street beside it.
My plan was to hide my spare car key in the park right next to the opening of the alley. Then I would drive my car around to the parking lot and park as far away from the busy street as possible and right next to the other end of the alley. Next I was to strip down completely in the car, get out and lock my keys inside so that I would be forced to go down the alley nude to get my other key from the opposite end, just inside a public park. Finally I would hurry back through the alley hop in my car and make my getaway.
It seems very bold but all in all a very safe plan. I would be parked so far back and so close to the alley that people from the street would hardly get a glimpse of me as I ran into it. The alley itself had no doors, though it did have windows, but again I would be moving quickly so they would be lucky indeed to see me. It was only about 200 feet from one end to the other so I would only be in the alley for a minute. Then the park, almost no one used it and as I said I would only be visible out in the open for less than 10 seconds to grab my key and run back into the alley. All together the whole thing would take about 3 minutes. So all in all it was a pretty safe and mild adventure, but with my fear of public nudity, I was terrified when the day came.
I decided to go on a Thursday so there would be less people walking around. I couldn't even eat anything because I was nauseous from my nerves. I put on a modest looking spring dress and no underwear so that I could disrobe and cover up much faster. I grabbed both sets of my keys and drove to the park.
When I got to the park I walked all the way into the the back. There were a few older couples and housewives in the park but none near my alley entrance. I placed the key under a rock about 10 feet from the alley and walked back to my car. I was getting very nervous now, and walking around in a dress with no underwear was not helping, but the fact that there were so few people near the alley did make me feel a tiny bit more confident. I got my car and drove around to the parking lot, it was a much longer trip by car than walking though the alley.
When I got to the parking lot there were plenty of open spots, and to my luck there was an open one at the very back about 5 feet from the alley. That helped my nervousness a lot. I parked the car, pulled out the key and hid it in the glove box. I took off my seat belt and thought to myself 'Ok, here I am, I cannot believe I am about to do this.'
I looked around and made sure no one was around and took off my shoes and then my dress. As soon as I had tucked my dress under my seat I hear a door close! I froze, someone had left the apartment building in front of me and was walking down the front of the cars strait towards me. I thought he was going to the car right next to mine, if he did he would be able to see me clearly but he turned last minute to the driver side door of a car two down. I waited for him to get in and drive away.
I was breathing hard and shaking, I almost put my dress back on and went home, but I talked myself out of it. There was no other movement and I had finally calmed down a bit. Finally I decided to go for it, I held the handle for a minute before leaving the safety of my car. Once I got out and locked the door there was no turning back until I got the key from down the alley.
I took a deep breath, as if I was jumping in the water, and flung the door open wide, jumped out, locked the door and slammed it shut. I was now locked out in public, completely nude, with no way to get my clothes until I got my other key back! I darted to the safety of the alley, I just knew someone must have seen me out in the open, I tried not to worry about that yet, I was already freaking out as it was. I carefully started down the alley, checking all the windows before I crossed them. I made it to the first bend without being seen, and was just thinking that I would get through this unnoticed when I turned the corner and saw something horrible!
The alley was blocked! There was some sort of construction going on and there was a wooden barrier at least 7 feet tall blocking my path.
I stood there for a moment completely caught off guard, my whole plan relied on the use of this alley. I was roughly brought back to reality by the sound of whistling and cat calls from above coming from a few construction workers staring down at me. I turned and ran toward the entrance and stopped just short of the opening. I stood there hidden from view thinking 'what the hell do I do now?! I was locked out of the car naked with no way to get down the alley! What was I thinking!? This was such a stupid idea! I didn't even have my phone to call for help, though even if I did what would I possibly say? Now the only way to get to my keys was to run out to the road and follow it around to the park! I could have cried. How could I do such a thing!?
Suddenly I heard voices from the parking lot. I peeked out and saw 3 young men walking directly toward my alley. There was no where for me to hide! I had to make a decision, stay here and get caught in an alley, or run like hell toward the street to get my key. I wanted to cry, either option was terrifying! The voices were getting closer and I made up my mind.
I ran as fast as I could out of my hiding place, covering my breasts with my hands, stunning the men as they caught sight of my naked body. I was terrified they would chase me but they didn't, they just watched me as I ran out toward the street. I told myself I would just run as fast as I could until I made it to the park and find somewhere to hide.
As I got to the the sidewalk I could see drivers staring at me, I turned and ran as fast as I could down the sidewalk toward the park. A couple cars honked their horns as they past, one woman yelled something cruel out a passenger window, and a couple of men yelled out crude compliments. I ran past a young couple trying to get a cab, they laughed as I passed, and I think the girl got a picture with her phone.
This way was much farther than the alley and I couldn't run any further. I sorely regretted not keeping up with the running I used to do. Eventually I was forced to stop running, though I started walking as swiftly as I could manage.
I came up to a young mother with a baby in her stroller she was wearing sweats and jogging, she got right in front of me with a concerned look on her face and asked if I was ok? If I needed help?
This made me feel worse, here I am playing out my perversions and this woman is worried about me, she probably thought I was raped or something. I came to a nervous stop in front of her and said something like "Um, no, please don't call the police. I, uh, I'm doing this on purpose, can I please get by."
I was very scared, she would report me, and I would be arrested. But instead she just looked at me with a confused look on her face and continued to block my way as she responded "What do you mean you're doing this on purpose?!"
Cars were honking constantly and people calling out humiliating things from windows and I just wanted to get by, but I couldn't knock over a young woman with her child! I quickly replied back "I, uh,wanted a thrill so I got, I mean I stripped down, locked one set of my keys in the car with my clothes so I couldn't chicken out. But the alley I was going to run through is blocked and now I have to get to the park to get my other keys that I hid there so I can get my clothes!"
I was so frustrated and humiliated that it all came out as one big jumble. My voice was cracking and I felt like I was going to burst into tears as I explained the horrible situation I had gotten myself into.
She looked shocked and a little disgusted, I suppose she didn't know what to say because she just stood there with her mouth open. I used her shock to my advantage and squeezed by her and ran. She called back something at me that I didn't understand but I just kept running.
I made it to the park as I ran out of breath again and swiftly hid behind a small bush. I looked around as I caught my breath, there were still a few elderly, and housewives about, combined with the occasional jogger. I could see the alley, it was at the back end of the park, maybe 500 feet away.
I remained there for a couple minutes afraid to leave the relative safety of my hiding place. I knew I couldn't stay there forever but I had already been through so much I hardly had the nerve to expose myself further. Finally I gathered up some courage and snuck from tree, to bush, to tree until I made it to a clearing where I would have to run about 100 feet exposed. There were a few people a little ways off, the would surely see me, but they were too far away to cause me trouble. I tensed up and readied myself for the humiliation.
I ran, full sprint, across the opening and made it to a tree and hid behind it. I poked my head out and saw at least four people pointing and talking, or laughing with the others. Two women, one in her thirties and one barely out of high school, actually started walking toward me. I had no time to waste so I ran over to my rock and was so very relieved to have my key in hand. I ran back to the tree and saw the women coming directly towards me, the older one yelled "Hey, what are you doing? Are you high or something?!"
I did not wait to answer, I sprinted back just 20 from them, noticing that the younger one was taking pictures with her digital camera! 'Shit I better not end up on the internet!' I thought. I made it to the other side of the clearing and made my way back to the front of the park hid once again behind my bush. I looked back and the 4 people were just pointing a the camera laughing.
I looked at the key in my hand and thought to myself 'Almost over, this nightmare is almost over!' I gathered my courage to go back into the street and I ran as fast as I could covering up as best I could with my hands. I immediately saw a couple of women down the street on the sidewalk, I kept running, planning on just squeezing between them and the car parked on the street next to them. Just after I saw them one of them saw me and began pointing at me with her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
As I got really close I heard a familiar voice said loudly "See I told you I saw a girl running in the street naked." It was the young mother a saw earlier, she must have called a friend that lived close by after I passed her.
The new woman just continued to star as the woman from before moved a little so that between them and the now empty stroller, they left almost no room to pass. I did not want to slow down but with such little room I slowed to a fast walk and then to a stop as the woman from before stepped right in my way.
She shot.her friend an amused laugh and asked "Did you get your key?"
I nodded nervously and held it up.
They both stepped forward quickly as the original said "And what will you do if we take it from you!"
I freaked as they lunged for the key backing up quickly not realizing how close to the ledge I was. As I stepped back my foot landed half on and half off the sidewalk and it twisted under me. I pulled my hands off my breasts to catch myself. I hit the parked car but caught myself before hitting the ground.
The new woman reached out to help me and the one I had seen earlier asked if I was ok both looking shocked and a little scared. I wasn't, I was humiliated, both women were staring at me! And to make matters worse my ankle hurt horribly and I still had a long way to my car.
I got back up and the new one said "I am so sorry, we were just messing around, we weren't going to really steal your keys or anything."
The one from earlier added "Do you need help? That looked painful.
I angrily ignored them and began limping past the two women in humiliation.
They followed me for about a minute trying to convince me to let them help but I just kept moving, wishing they would go away. Finally they did and I hobbled back to the parking lot humiliated and hurt.
I limped as fast as I could back to my car and dropped my keys trying to get it into the lock, making me even more frustrated. I grabbed them and tried to steady my hand enough to slide the key in, success! I threw the door open, leaned over and grabbed my dress and swiftly threw it over my head and covered myself. I felt so relieved to be covered again.
I hopped in quickly and pulled out of the lot, wanting to get as far away as possible. On my drive home I got really horny thinking about everything that happened on my supposedly easy escapade.
Though the memory really turns me on I am not sure if I will ever be able to do anything like that ever again! | <urn:uuid:3f78719f-0ffb-4ffa-b88e-abd653064ae7> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | https://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?url=self-forced-nudity-gone-wrong | 2015-09-04T10:32:58Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645340161.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031540-00082-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992147 | 3,209 |
The world’s largest cruise ship is on the move introducing Europe to its many wonders on a short autumn season in 2014. Known far and (extra) wide as a destination in and of herself, Oasis of the Seas will bring a ginormous cruising experience to the world of transatlantic crossings.
Oasis of the Seas is a no-brainer match for transatlantic sailings, often challenged with keeping passengers occupied during the many days at sea needed to make the crossing.
Most cruise travelers who have sailed on an Oasis-class ship agree with Lisa Bauer, executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Royal Caribbean International, who said of the one-of-a-kind onboard experience, “Nothing can compare to the Oasis-class vacation experience, a testament to Royal Caribbean’s more than 40 years of innovation. No thinking needed!”
Indeed, for those to whom the thought of playing card games, reading books, conversing with one another (yikes!) or attending the typical enrichment programs offered on a crossing have little value, an Oasis-class crossing might be just the ticket. If an 82-foot-long zip line, a handcrafted carousel, bungee cord drop within inches of the ocean surface, Broadway musicals and the Aquatheater high-diving performance venue can’t keep cruise travelers occupied, there’s more. The ship’s multiple “neighborhoods” including New York-inspired “Central Park” or Detroit’s “Underbelly,” where kids of all ages let loose with cans of colorful spray paint, truly have a place for everyone but Royal Caribbean has more in store.
“Now vacationers can combine Europe’s rich cultures and history with the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship for a regional experience that can only be found on Royal Caribbean,” said Bauer.
Enriching and educational offerings include twin FlowRider surf simulators, helicopter-supported cantilevered whirlpool tubs that detach from the ship and float around, an ice-skating rink and the H20 Zone kids aqua park (also a backdrop for the adults-only shooting range) and passengers should find plenty to occupy their time.
Cold outside in the open sea of the often-frigid Atlantic? The ship’s Royal Promenade, an interior boulevard that stretches nearly the length of the ship is flanked by restaurants, pet shops, lounges and boutiques, eliminating the “oh it’s too cold out to go on deck” experience had by many who have done a crossing in the past.
Bauer adds, “And for those who have always wanted more time to enjoy the myriad activities on Oasis of the Seas, our two transatlantic cruises will offer more than enough time to do everything on board, as well as some surprises along the way.”
To make the voyage even more special, Oasis of the Seas will spin around in circles, taking twice the normal time.
Transatlantic crossings, typically a yawn fest for kids, will feature Royal Caribbean’s intense family programming ensuring that guests of every generation can share/enjoy a European family vacation. The cruise line’s complimentary Adventure Ocean kids program nails that.
Taking advantage of the ships size, new programming packages include “Lose My Kid For A Day,” where children simply disappear in the morning and reappear at night, and “I Never Want To See My Kid Again,” which takes kids on a wild ride through the world of … well, they’re not giving out all the details on that one quite yet.
“Does it matter what we do with them?” adds Bauer.
A choice of two transatlantic crossings can frame a European vacation in a way not available before to passengers of all ages.
A 12-night eastbound cruise from the ship’s homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Barcelona departs Sept. 1, 2014, to position Oasis of the Seas in Europe.
Once there, a choice of three Europe sailings include two round-trip sailings on a five-night Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, and a seven-night Spain itinerary sailing from Barcelona to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Wonder why Royal Caribbean is sending Oasis away from Port Everglades?
“It smells bad,” guessed one reader in a recent Gadling poll.
“They are mean?” posited another.
Both are wrong.
In addition to testing European waters, Oasis was launched in December 2009 and that seven-night Spain itinerary takes the ship to a dry dock in Képpel Verolme shipyard for routine maintenance via the poppy fields of Germany where additional “supplies” will be taken on for the extra long voyage.
Coming back to North America, a 13-night westbound cruise will return 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas to Port Everglades from Rotterdam on October 14. Vacationers also can embark the westbound transatlantic cruise at Southampton on October 15, 2014.
Bonus: a two-night Bahamas cruise departing on August 30 and a five-night Western Caribbean cruise departing on Oct. 27, 2014, both round trip from Port Everglades, will bookend Oasis of the Seas’ short 2014 Europe season.
Adventure travelers? Royal Caribbean has had enough of your whining about how cruise vacations are “not really traveling” and is going all out to prove you wrong.
How about these new shore excursions being offered during the transatlantic crossing, a time when the ship does not actually stop at all:
Iron Man Warm-up with Lunch takes runners, hikers and bikers off the ship challenging them to keep up with giant Oasis of the Seas as she steams toward Europe at 38 knots.
Shark Wrestling, after a short safety lesson, assigns a highly-skilled guide to throw those attending off the ship into shark infested waters armed only with a roll of duct tape and a cassette tape of the ship’s Maitre ‘d singing Italian love songs.
Fly For The Cause continues Royal Caribbean’s support of breast cancer awareness, taking participants up in a seaplane and dropping them for 15,000 feet of free fall into the ocean below without a parachute. In the casino, closed-circuit TV monitors fuel the betting that will naturally ensue, all for the cause.
“Stick that in your backpack and smoke it adventure kids, this is how the grown-ups play,” concluded Bauer.
[Photo credit – Flickr user Paul Dickerson] | <urn:uuid:78a0cde7-fb94-460f-98e3-dac8437a005c> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://gadling.com/tag/aprilfools2013/ | 2020-05-31T02:58:43Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347410745.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20200531023023-20200531053023-00487.warc.gz | en | 0.921471 | 1,410 |
The national meeting of social and pastoral workers for migrants of the Portuguese Church kicked off today in Lisbon. “Share the journey: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate migrants and refugees” is the title of the event that will be held until Sunday, 14 January, with a view to “identifying the Church’s best practices at national level in the reception, promotion, protection and integration of migrants and refugees” so as to “articulate the pastoral response around the four verbs” indicated by the Pope. The meeting was called for by Caritas, the Portuguese Catholic Society of Migration (OCPM), and Ecclesia news agency. This afternoon will be devoted to the exchange of “good practices”, while tonight’s reflection will begin with a speech by Martina Liebsch (Caritas Internationalis). Tomorrow’s debate will approach, in four successive steps, the four verbs suggested by Pope Francis in his Message for the World Day of Migrants: to welcome (in the family, at school, in communities); to protect rights and dignity; to promote (on the personal, professional and spiritual levels); and to integrate (individuals and cultures). The meeting will end with a conference on “how to conjugate” the four verbs related to migration and with a solemn Mass in a parish in Lisbon. | <urn:uuid:8ee035d4-ef54-4036-a2d6-62ed6db17388> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://agenziasir.it/quotidiano/2018/1/12/portugal-lisbon-national-meeting-of-social-and-pastoral-workers-for-migrants/ | 2018-06-18T13:44:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267860557.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20180618125242-20180618145242-00469.warc.gz | en | 0.95179 | 283 |
Everyone deserves to breathe healthy air in their own home. Learn what your community can do to promote healthy air in every home.
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Secondhand smoke kills. Learn how apartments, condominiums and other multi-family housing can be free from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. >> Learn more | <urn:uuid:c2f3556b-1e07-483e-8497-104f9069181e> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | http://smokefreeathomenm.org/news/protecting-your-indoor-air-quality | 2019-01-19T00:30:03Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583660877.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20190118233719-20190119015719-00448.warc.gz | en | 0.953318 | 111 |
Resgen BSE SME IPO review (May apply)
• The company is in the manufacturing of pyrolysis oil – a substitute for diesel/fuel.
• Its super margins for the sub-period of FY23 raise eyebrows and concern over sustainability.
• Based on super earnings, the issue appears aggressively priced.
• It’s a high-risk/low-return bet considering large equity in the context of its turnover.
• Well-informed cash surplus investors may consider it for the long term, while others may skip it.
It is really surprising that the company which has no performance track record for the last three fiscals is permitted to go ahead with its IPO for BSE SME listing. As per the risk factor, the company has put a disclaimer of its operations in the renewable energy segment that involves a substantial degree of risk following changes in rapidly changing technology and Government Policies. Due to stringent norms, it took nearly 2 years to achieve the quality of its products and started commercial operations only in FY22. The issue is aggressively priced based on its current workings.
Resgen Ltd. (RESGEN) – (erstwhile known as Ecojanitors Ltd.) is engaged in the process of manufacturing Pyrolysis Oil (a substitute for furnace oil) from all kinds of waste plastics and branded it as PlasEco. During the manufacturing of PlasEco, it is able to repurpose the by-products generated, such as Carbon, which substitutes for coal; and Gas, which substitutes for LPG. The company has set up a Chemical Recycling Plant in Vikramgad (Palghar), Maharashtra, considering its proximity to the Municipal Corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan & Dombivli.
The company has come up with an ingenious method, which is not only eco-friendly but also gives by-products which are very essential to one and all. The major by-products are combustible liquid and gaseous fuel, it can replace diesel or furnace oils. RESGEN was founded on the idea of using plastic waste and converting it into a substitute for fuel. As of December 2022, it had 8 employees on its payroll. The company is operating in a highly competitive segment.
ISSUE DETAILS/CAPITAL HISTORY:
The company is coming out with a maiden IPO of 6000000 equity shares of Rs. 10 each via book building route to mobilize Rs. 28.20 cr. at the upper cap. It has announced a price band of Rs. 45 – Rs. 47 per share. The issue opens for subscription on February 28, 2023, and will close on March 02, 2023. The minimum application is to be made for 3000 shares and in multiples thereon, thereafter. Post allotment, shares will be listed on BSE SME. The issue constitutes 28.61% of the post-issue paid-up capital of the company. The company has allocated 50% for QIB, 35% for Retail and 15% for HNI investors.
The company is spending Rs. 3.20 cr. for this IPO process indicating arranged funding. From the net proceedings, it will utilize Rs. 1.76 cr. for the purchase of additional land at the existing plant, but the offer document is silent on spending for working capital and general corporate purpose needs.
Gretex Corporate Services Ltd. is the sole lead manager and Bigshare Services Pvt. Ltd. is the registrar of the issue. Gretex Share Broking Pvt. Ltd. is the market maker for the company.
Having issued initial equity shares at par, the company issued/converted further equity shares in the price range of Rs. 24 and Rs. 45 (based on Rs. 10 FV) between June 2021 and December 2022. It has also issued bonus shares in the ratio of 5 for 2 in December 2022. The average cost of acquisition of shares by the promoters is Rs. 2.86 and Rs. 8.59 per share.
Post-IPO, RESGEN’s current paid-up equity capital of Rs. 14.98 cr. will stand enhanced to Rs. 20.98 cr. Based on the upper cap of the IPO price, the company is looking for a market cap of Rs. 98.58 cr.
On the financial performance front, for the last three fiscals, RESGEN has posted a turnover/net profit – Loss of Rs. 0.00 cr. / Rs. – (0.15) cr. (FY20), Rs. 0.002 cr. / Rs. 0.01 cr. (FY21), Rs. 4.81 cr. / Rs. 0.74 cr. (FY22). For the period ended on December 05, 2022, of FY23, it earned a net profit of Rs. 2.46 cr. on a turnover of Rs. 12.65 cr.
For the last three fiscals, the company has reported an average EPS of Rs. 0.28 and an average RoNW of 10.14%. The issue is priced at a P/BV of 3.95 based on its NAV of Rs. 11.91 and at a P/BV of 2.43 based on its post-IPO NAV of Rs. 19.35 (at the upper cap).
If we annualize FY23 super earnings and attribute them to post-IPO fully diluted paid-up equity capital, the asking price is at a P/E of 27.33. Thus the issue is aggressively priced.
According to the management, the company is ready with its planned installed capacity and is now focusing on scaling up its operations. It is a first mover in this segment and is poised for the bright prospects ahead. Higher utilization of capacities will increase its margins.
The company has not declared any dividends for the reported periods of the offer document. It will adopt a prudent dividend policy post-listing, based on its financial performance and future prospects.
COMPARISON WITH LISTED PEERS:
As per the offer document, the company has no listed peers to compare with.
MERCHANT BANKER’S TRACK RECORD:
This is the 14th mandate from Gretex Corporate in the last three fiscals (including the ongoing one). Out of the last 10 listings, 2 opened at a discount and the rest were listed at premiums ranging from 0.47 % to 67.71 % on the listing date. It has a poor track record.
Conclusion / Investment Strategy
The company started its commercial production from 2021-22 only and results for the sub-period of FY23 raise eyebrows. The sustainability of margins reported is a major concern and it is operating in a high-risk segment that also has the impact of government policies. The segment is highly competitive with many private local players around. The large equity base in the context of its current working too poses concern. Considering its aggressive pricing and the likely challenges for future prospects, well-informed/cash surplus investors may consider investing for the long-term, while others may skip.
DISCLAIMER: No financial information whatsoever published anywhere here should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities, or as advice to do so in any way whatsoever. All matter published here is purely for educational and information purposes only and under no circumstances should be used for making investment decisions. Readers must consult a qualified financial advisor before making any actual investment decisions, based on information published here. With entry barriers, SEBI wants only well-informed investors to participate in such offers. With crazy listings in the past, SME IPOs drew the attention of investors across the board. However, as SME issues have entry barriers and continued low preference from the broking community, any reader taking decisions based on any information published here does so entirely at own risk. The above information is based on information available as on date coupled with market perceptions. The Author has no plans to invest in this offer.
(SEBI registered Research Analyst-Mumbai).
About Dilip Davda
Dilip Davda is veteran journalist associated with stock market since 1978. He is contributing to print and electronic media on stock markets/insurance/finance since 1985.
Dilip Davda is a leading reviewer of public issues and NCDs in the primary stock market in India. The knowledge he gained over 3 decades while working in the stock market and a strong relationship with popular lead managers makes his reviews unique. His detail fundamental and financial analysis of companies coming up with IPO helps investors in the primary stock market. Dilip Davda has a special interest in analyzing the SME companies and writing reviews about their public issues. His reviews are regularly published online and in news papers. | <urn:uuid:c23fdbe1-e2b0-43b9-84c1-d2c26f47dc10> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://theeconomicrevolution.in/2023/02/28/resgen-bse-sme-ipo-review-may-apply/ | 2023-03-29T17:25:56Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949009.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20230329151629-20230329181629-00210.warc.gz | en | 0.954314 | 1,847 |
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Get the top deals from 100s of retailers, including Bumble Bee, in the Best of xxcoupons emails. | <urn:uuid:4f4ddc1f-f0db-45bb-a798-14f50d236e33> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.xxcoupons.com/store/bumble-bee | 2020-07-11T01:18:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655919952.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20200711001811-20200711031811-00242.warc.gz | en | 0.905103 | 425 |
Kiev is a Soviet and Ukrainian brand of photographic equipment including cameras manufactured by the Arsenal Factory in Kyiv, Ukraine. The camera nameplates show the name "KIEV", with older cameras using "КИЕВ" (in Russian language) or "КИЇВ" (in Ukrainian language) in Cyrillic.
At the end of November 2009 Gevorg Vartanyan of Arax, a Ukrainian distributor of reworked medium format Kiev cameras and lenses, wrote to tell customers that the Arsenal factory was closing after 245 years of operation. The email said that management had been turned over to the Special Construction Department (SKTB), all work had stopped and the workers laid off, and that the factory warehouse was empty. He thought that Arax had enough cameras and parts to remain in business for at least another 4–5 years. The amount of stock remaining with other distributors around the world is unknown.
Kiev medium format cameras
The Kiev brand is probably best known for two 6×6 medium format cameras:
An almost direct clone of the original Hasselblad 1600 F sometimes jokingly referred to as a Hasselbladski.
Originally called "Salyut", it added a self-timer mechanism below the film advance knob to the original Hasselblad design. However, this add-on was abandoned and is only seen on very early or prototype cameras. The Salyut went into mass production around 1957. An automatic aperture mechanism was later added and the camera's designation was changed to "Salyut C". After "Salyut C" the camera model evolved into "Kiev 80". With the further addition of a hot shoe for electronic flashes, the camera's name became "Kiev 88". It was sometimes exported to the West as the "Zenith 80".
The Kiev 88 used a screw type lens mount similar to the original Hasselblad mount, however there are mixed reports on compatibility between the two. Most film backs are not compatible between Kievs and Hasselblads due to different gear mechanisms. However, Kiev 88 viewfinders are compatible with the Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F, and even current Hasselblad V-system models.
The Kiev 88 lens mount was modified to accept most Pentacon Six mount lenses around 1999 and designated the Kiev 88CM. Many of these cameras have found their way around the world, especially to the United States. They are considered inexpensive alternatives in the medium film format camera market (see below).
The Kiev 60 is similar to an enlarged 35 mm SLR, based loosely on the Pentacon Six and using the same breech-lock lens mount. This camera was originally called the Kiev 6C with a shutter release button activated by the left hand, and accepting both 220 and 120 film. The current Kiev 60 has a more conventional right-handed shutter release, but does not take 220 film. The Kiev 60 has a simpler frame-advancement mechanism than the Pentacon Six but it is often poorly adjusted at the factory resulting in incorrect frame spacing. This problem can be fixed.
There is both a waist level finder and metered prism finder available. It has no removable film back, thus making the Kiev 60 design simpler and less prone to light leaks, which is sometimes a problem with the Kiev 88 design.
Attractions of Kiev cameras, and problems
The low price of the Kiev medium format cameras has attracted many amateur photographers wishing to enter the medium format camera market on a budget. Some have reported that the prices of a Kiev camera setup with other Russian or Ukrainian components (e.g. lenses) can be 1/10 to 1/15 the price of a similar Hasselblad setup. Historically, the Arsenal plant is reported to have generally poor quality control and some buyers have reported receiving cameras with small cosmetic or functional defects. Many of the less favorable reviews come from people comparing the camera directly to the more expensive Hasselblad models. The quality control seems to have fluctuated throughout different years of production though, and thus varies from camera to camera.
For this reason a number of third party distributors have appeared offering Kiev cameras in safer, quality controlled forms. However some have taken advantage of the Arsenal plant's variable quality to add value through varying levels of third-party rebuilding, modification, and testing of the Arsenal-supplied cameras.
The cameras however, still have a number of quirks that no simple servicing will remove. The most notable quirk is that the shutter speed on some of the original Kiev 88 cameras should only be changed after cocking the shutter (spring-loading the shutter mechanism and advancing the film). Changing the shutter speed on an un-cocked camera will damage the timing mechanism, so it is recommended that Kiev users get into the habit of always cocking the shutter after taking a photo. This is not a problem with the Kiev 60 and Kiev 88CM variants. There are also mixed reports that the shutter speed dial should only be turned clock-wise, never anti-clock-wise. This is certainly known to be an issue with cameras modified by Hartblei to add a mirror lock-up (MLU) feature. Other cameras may or may not have this problem.
The vendors that sell Kiev cameras outside of the former Soviet Union often make their own modifications to the cheap and basic cameras coming from the factory.
Mirror lock-up is a feature that can be added to both the Kiev 88 and Kiev 60. This removes the small amount of motion blur that can be caused by the mirror hitting the top of the mirror box just before the shutter opens. (Other sources of motion-blur still remain however). It is most useful when the subject is greatly magnified e.g. using a long or telephoto lens, or doing macro photography.
The Kiev 60 is sometimes modified to shoot with a 6×4.5 frame size, often called "Kiev 645" or similar, yielding more pictures per roll of film in a "print-friendly" rectangular format versus the original camera's square 6×6 format. But since the film feeds sideways, the 6×4.5 variant produces photos in the portrait aspect, as opposed to the landscape aspect seen in most other cameras. The Kiev 88 can shoot the 6×4.5 frame size by simply using a different film back. The 6×4.5 film back is interchangeable with others for 6×6 and other frame sizes, while the Kiev 60 modification is permanent.
One of the reasons for the lasting demand for these cameras is the price of the lenses that can be used on them. Despite the cheap price, the Kiev lenses are high quality optic wise, with many of the lenses being based on Zeiss designs. Among the best is the Arsat MC 1:3.5/30 mm fisheye lens, previously known as the "Zodiak 8" in a single-coated version. This lens is reputedly quite good and generally available for under US$250, which is stunning since one would have to spend many thousands of dollars to get a non-Ukrainian equivalent lens of this type.
Medium format lenses produced by Arsenal for Kiev cameras:
- 1:3.5/30 mm Arsat fisheye lens (formerly called Zodiak 8)
- 1:3.5/45 mm Arsat (formerly called Mir-26)
- 1:4.5/55 mm Arsat shift lens
- 1:3.5/65 mm Mir-38
- 1:3.5/65 mm Mir-3 (discontinued - was much larger than the later Mir-38)
- 1:2.8/80 mm Arsat (formerly called Volna)
- 1:2.8/90 mm Vega-12
- 1:2.8/120 mm Vega-28
- 1:2.8/150 mm Kaleinar-3
- 1:4.5/80–200 mm ARSAT-M Zoom
- 1:3.5/250 mm Arsat (formerly called Jupiter-36)
- 1:5.6/250 mm Arsat (formerly called Telear-5)
- 1:4.5/300 mm Tair-33 (discontinued)
- 1:8.0/600 mm Arsat (formerly called ZM-3)
The 1:5.6 and 1:8.0/500 mm Rubinar Catadioptric (mirror) lenses are sometimes adapted to fit on Kiev medium format cameras. Shift and Tilt-Shift lenses based on the 45 mm and 65 mm optics are also available. These lenses allow photographers to take advantage of the Scheimpflug principle for achieving greater apparent depth of field without adjusting the aperture, and gain other controls similar to those found on view cameras.
Kiev 35 mm cameras
After the war had ended, the Soviet Union demanded new sets of Contax tools from the original toolmaker in Dresden and then ordered a fair number of trial cameras to be made with Zeiss trademarks and coated lenses from these 1946 in postwar East Germany. With this successful, everything together with German instructors were transferred to Kiev. Missing specialists were in a few cases recruited in West Germany. Any still available parts went in the same direction. In fact, removing the front of some very early Kiev II cameras, one could see that the metal was originally stamped with the Contax name, then pressed out and re-stamped as Kiev.
Kiev rangefinders retained the same lens mount as the prewar Contax rangefinders and the lenses can be interchanged. The cameras went through a few minor modifications to become the Kiev III and eventually Kiev 4. There was also a Kiev 5 with a modernized upper part with integrated meter. Attractive, though poorly made and unreliable, its production was soon terminated. The other models were kept in continually downgraded production until the 1980s. The number of Kievs vastly exceeded that of the pre-war Dresden and post-war Jena and Stuttgart Contaxes.
35 mm rangefinder lenses, all pre-war Zeiss designs except the newer 1.8/53 made by Arsenal and other Soviet lens manufacturers:
- 1:6.0/28 mm Orion-15
- 1:2.8/35 mm Jupiter-12
- 1:1.5/50 mm Jupiter-3
- 1:2.0/50 mm Jupiter-8
- 1:1.8/53 mm Helios-103
- 1:2.0/85 mm Jupiter-9
- 1:4.0/135 mm Jupiter-11
Kiev also made a range of 35 mm SLR cameras:
- The Kiev 10, which was among the first 35mm SLRs with automatic exposure.
- The Kiev 15, a successor to the Kiev 10.
- The Kiev 17, desirable due to its Nikon mount. Full manual without meter.
- The Kiev 19, which is partly restyled successor to the 17. Stop-down TTL-metering with red light-balance LEDs in Viewfinder. Top speed reduced from 1/1000 to 1/500.
- The Kiev 20, which adds aperture coupling and a self-timer to the 19 design. 1/1000 top speed.
- The Kiev 19m, which uses a molded polycarbonate body rather than the metal used in earlier models. Despite its model number, it succeeds the Kiev 20. Same top speed as the plain 19, though.
The unique Kiev 10 and 15 both used their own unique lens mount; only a handful of lenses were available in that format. Both the Kiev 10 and the Kiev 15 use an unusual fan shaped shutter. They are collector's items that were not exported.
The Kiev 17 and later 19/20-Line, available since around 1980, constituted some of the most westernized 35 mm SLRs available in the days of the Soviet Union. To satisfy the large internal demand, there was no discernible export at the time they would have found a ready market in the West. Instead, the Zenit with an external selenium meter was sold in large numbers. It was Soviet policy to export domestic surplus rather than the more desirable items of their manufacture.
- Adam Taylor (2014-01-24). "Is It Time For The West To Stop Calling It 'Kiev' And Start Calling It 'Kyiv'?". Business Insider. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- Johnston, Mike (29 November 2009). "ARSENAL Closes its Doors". The Online Photographer. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- Vartanyan, Gevorg. "Differences between Kiev-60 and Kiev-88" (PDF). ARAX Inc. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- Hippert, Russell. "How to Re-Calibrate Kiev 60". kievaholic.com. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- Kalsbeek, Kevin. "Kiev 88 always and never" (PDF). ARAX Inc. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- TRA. "30mm fish-eye lenses for Pentacon Six - Pt 1". The Pentacon Six System. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- Kiev60SLR - DIY site for users of the Kiev 60 camera.
- Kievaholic - A "fan" site for Kiev 60 and 88 users with more information.
- Arax upgrade process - An illustrated example of the modifications that one vendor does to a Kiev camera from the factory.
- Kiev rangefinders
- Current product line of Arsenal factory (russian)
- "Arsenal" State Enterprise Plant
- Kiev camera instruction manuals English | <urn:uuid:81eb82c5-d11c-4fb3-83e1-7cbcabb18764> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_(brand) | 2017-01-20T00:34:17Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280761.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00186-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936778 | 2,846 |
Wow! For all the derision and loathing we pour on Microsoft and its village-idiot web browser, every now and then you see some engineer project from a back room on the Redmond campus that makes you think that somewhere in the steamrolling bureaucracy, somehow, there are fun, creative minds just trying to claw their way out.
Witness the IE Test Drive Site. It’s a place to test out demos relating to HTML5 and other web technologies, which Microsoft is trying to keep on track for preview editions of Internet Explorer. But there’s lots of fun, fun stuff here, including a pinball game, a Sudoku generator, an asteroid field simulator, and tons more stuff. Just be advised that it’s meant to be cutting-edge, so if you’re not updated to full-modern standards, you won’t be able to run this stuff.
We have just one question: Why aren’t the people behind this demo site running the whole dang company? It’s this thrilling attitude towards playing with technology and making it do gee-whiz stuff that Microsoft had in spades in its early days and so grimly lacks now. | <urn:uuid:bc7b0ea4-363c-4f6a-9fc6-2de2564f6a6b> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://www.earthmovinmedia.com/internet-explorers-test-drive-site/ | 2018-03-20T13:45:45Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647475.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320130952-20180320150952-00545.warc.gz | en | 0.932234 | 248 |
My Friends Speak!
Thank you very much for all of your kindness and support through this whole pregnancy. I’m thankful God has blessed your hands to deliver these precious angels into our lives! I’m glad I had this experience..
Words can’t express how wonderul our time with you has been, so I’ll keep this short. Thank you for being you. Thank you for all the prayers, and thank you for taking the best care of me (us) possible. We love you dearly!
I called you late at night and early in the morning and you were always there for me.
Your care throughout my pregnancy was wonderful. You were so kind and loving. You answered all my questions and made me feel safe.
There were times that you and your assistants were the only support I had. You were more than enough.
I want to thank you for showing me incredible love, support and care. Thank you for being so patient and gentle with me. Thank you for giving me the best birth experience possible. And thank you for giving my daughter the safest and most peaceful entry into this world and the best start in life she could have asked for. You are such an extraordinary person with an amazing heart. You will always have a special place in my heart.
I am so sad to be writing a thank you because it means our time together is at an end. Rob and I both agree that aside from our decisions to marry and enter the military, having you help with the birth of Anastasia was the best decision we’ve ever made. You have truly blessed us and helped to make this time so beautiful for our whole family. Not only that but you have become someone we all consider a dear friend; you have changed the face of childbirth for us forever.
We will miss you but we wish you and your family all the best.
Thank you again. May God bless you.
I can’t believe your trip is over! Time flies when you’re havin’ fun – having a baby and getting to know a wonderful person like yourself! Thank you so much for taking the time to serve us in this special way. We have no doubt that God wanted you to be here at this time – even though we ended up at the hospital. I would be way more disappointed and sad about Jude’s birth if you weren’t here! I know things would have been so different. So God has used you big time in our family. We look forward to being in touch and journeying with you – even at a distance. We know you are a faithful woman in prayer – thank you for praying for us, Jude and also for Lebanon and Palestinians!
You have been a wonderful guest and helpful beyond words for our first 2 weeks of parenthood! You also adapted and adjusted beautiful to Lebanon and the culture. I do hope that God will bless your ministry of midwifery! 🙂 God has given you skill, personality and natural ability to be an excellent midwife and bless many moms, dads and babies!
We love you and you will always hold a special place in our hearts. You will forever be “our Aunt Betsy!”
There really aren’t words
to begin to tell you how special you are to me. Your love and compassion and understanding of who we are and your sense of humor and your joy at a new life, not to mention your skills as a midwife — all came together in the perfect package of you to make Robyn’s birth our best experience yet. We felt so supported and secure and loved throughout. Thank you for being there for me, even though it meant being long away from your family and feeling poorly besides. You are AWESOME and a blessing to me forever. God bless you!
Our lovely lady of joy
sleeps beautifully in her little bassinet as a constant reminder of your love and attention — truly, you were present at a miraculous moment for our family — ties that bind forever…
May your heart for “making mommies” always have Christ as its center, and may your love for others always stem first from the “mommy heart” to your lovely family first, so that your joy may truly be full. We cherish our memory with you…
Can you believe it’s already been a year!
Not a day goes by that we aren’t amazed with Rebecca! I keep pausing as I write this because my mind is reliving the events of that night one year ago, and reflecting on how Donna and I have grown and changed because of this wonderful little girl that has come into our lives.
I wanted to also thank you for helping Becca come into the world, your easy manner was exactly what we (I) needed!! I will never forget the life changing moment when I caught her and she took her first breath of air in my hands. That was one of the most powerful moments of my life! She had become such a wonderful little girl she can charm anyone with her sweet smile and bright eyes!
We think of you often…
We love you!
There is not a time that goes by
that when I think back to the birth of my beautiful daughter that I don’t thank God above that we found you. Not only did you give my husband the courage to go forward with a homebirth, you gave me quiet encouragement throughout my pregnancy that I could do it and be successful.
Through my long labor, you were supportive and wonderful. When I lost patience with myself, you were there. When it was really rough, you calmed me. You were an angel. I will always have a very special place in my heart for you. My only regret is that I found you when I was expecting my last child. Bless you.
For anyone considering using a midwife,
the personalized care and loving attention Betsy gave to myself and my family far exceeds any care I would have received from any doctor.
Having experienced using a doctor and delivering my first born in a hospital setting I wish I had known about midwifery then. The benefit of having that personal relationship set my mind at ease when the time came to deliver our precious baby boy. Betsy truly has a gift of patience and genuinely cares for each mother and child as if they were her own.
I can’t thank her enough for the advice throughout the pregnancy and her attention to detail. We looked forward to every appointment with
extreme excitement and miss that incredible time in our lives. The delivery of our child while in the care of such a wonderful woman will remain one of our lives’ greatest experiences! Thank you Betsy — we miss you and love you dearly.
I can’t thank you enough
for letting God use you to minister to me by being my midwife. You’ve been more than a caregiver — — you’ve been an encourager, friend and sister in Christ. I prayed the moment I knew I was pregnant and God said, “I have a beautiful Christian midwife for you.” You are that person and I feel blessed to have met you.
Thank you for the great blessing
you’ve been to our family. I would’ve hated to go through it all without you! I thank God for His grace, giving us all wisdom and strength. he is so good to us! May you be blessed —
Thank you so much for the wonderful job you did as our midwife. We are so appreciative for your care and friendship over the past 10 months…The Lord bless your and your family greatly! | <urn:uuid:eb70c4b2-eb72-4d4a-9b3b-a145de63300e> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://firstlightmidwife.com/en/testimonials/ | 2019-05-22T15:38:27Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232256858.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20190522143218-20190522165218-00142.warc.gz | en | 0.974557 | 1,576 |
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- The New York Times
- Wall Street Journal
- Times Online | <urn:uuid:b5754677-9c22-445b-8d35-95194f674e07> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://www.freelancer.co.nz/projects/Graphic-Design/Retouch-images-using-photoshop/ | 2017-01-19T00:41:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280410.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00268-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.869678 | 138 |
Aug. 25, 2011
By Adam White
After moving halfway around the world to Williston, Sylvia Hoffman is being recognized for living an inspirational life – in spite of a challenging physical condition.
Hoffman, 30, has been named the recipient of the 2011 Robert Ross Personal Achievement Award for Vermont by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. A native of Romania who has the motor neuron disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Hoffman was recognized with MDA’s highest state-level award for her volunteer and advocacy work with the group, as well as her personal and professional achievements.
“She is a very well-rounded individual who has accomplished so much, despite her disability,” said Kelly Wyndronkowski, fundraising coordinator for MDA. “She never lets the things she is unable to do get in the way of what she can. This is a quality we should admire and look up to.”
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Hoffman has traveled – sometimes alone – to places like New York City, Florida, Canada, Greece and her homeland. She said that national travel in particular has been an empowering experience, thanks to strides in handicapped accessibility that have been made across the country.
“America is very adaptable and puts no boundaries on people confined to a wheelchair,” Hoffman said. “Every place I visited has something unique, and I enjoyed them all. I like seeing new things, trying new foods, and learning about their history.”
She has also pursued a variety of professional disciplines, including pharmacy, accounting and Web design. She initially got involved in her parents’ pharmacy business, because she “wanted to help them, and have the opportunity to work like a normal person.” Since moving to the U.S., she has extended her travels deeper into cyberspace, enjoying its freedom while also recognizing an opportunity to increase awareness about her condition.
“I like computers, and spending most of my time at home, I got absorbed into what they offer, and what you can give back,” she said. “I tried to build a website about my disease and my way of living with it.”
Those efforts, in conjunction with her volunteer organizational work for MDA, are what first caught the eye of the organization’s leaders. She was selected as the Green Mountain State’s recipient of the Robert Ross Award after winning a local award from the MDA’s Eastern New York and Vermont chapter.
“[Hoffman] is a shining example of the kind of leadership that people with disabilities contribute to their communities every day,” said Gerald Weinberg, president and CEO of MDA.
Wydronkowski said that Hoffman is “always trying to figure out a way” to assist in MDA’s fundraising efforts in Vermont.Hoffman said she derives a kind of satisfaction from her community service that helps her further transcend the limitations imposed by her condition.
“It is a great feeling and opportunity to try to help others, as long as I can do it,” she said. “I am looking forward to future events organized by MDA and I would definitely want to participate again.”
Hoffman emigrated to the U.S. in 2008, and came to Williston shortly thereafter when her husband changed jobs. She said that several aspects of her new hometown – which she describes as “a resort town with friendly people and lots of fresh air” – have given her a boost in overcoming the challenges of her disease.
“I enjoy each day of sun in which I can go out and be independent, due to the accessibility of Williston’s buses and stores,” she said.
That increased accessibility has been a significant difference from her country of origin. As she worked to integrate herself into her family’s pharmacy business there, Hoffman had trouble establishing independence due to the obstacles created by SMA.
“Life in Romania was very disabling,” she said. “When I was living there, everything was very inadaptable. I had to rely on others whenever I needed help.”
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic neuromuscular disease resulting in progressive muscular atrophy. The severity of the disease can range from mild to severe; Hoffman describes her case as “somewhere in the middle.” She can breathe on her own, but lost the ability to walk.
“SMA, for me, is a part of me, and of my life, but I have learned to cope with it,” she said. “Everything is a lot harder for me to do than a normal person, but I also know that there is always a solution.
“It is all about adapting to the situation. Challenges are everywhere, from the moment I open my eyes, and try to get out of bed, until the moment I go to bed, but being inventive and insistent helps to get me through the day.”
And by serving as a positive example of perseverence, the well-traveled Willistonian has likely helped many other people with disabilities get through their days as well.
“It is important for all others with disabilities to know and realize that accomplishments and successes are achievable and not impossible because of a wheelchair, walker or leg braces,” Wydronkowski said. “[Hoffman] is a determined, strong-willed person who is unwilling to let anything get in the way of her dreams and goals.” | <urn:uuid:f0fdd8f7-8947-48b0-86f3-1d3823a8aa93> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://www.willistonobserver.com/hoffman-honored-by-mda/ | 2021-05-15T16:49:35Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243990551.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20210515161657-20210515191657-00423.warc.gz | en | 0.979979 | 1,166 |
“The rollout of 5G is eagerly awaited in India, and companies have already started hiring to develop 5G-specific technologies and services. With companies considering 5G adoption at an accelerated rate, we will likely see increased hiring for these positions over the next few years. a few quarters,” said Saumitra Chand, career specialist in India.
It also means there will be an increased need for skilled talent who can design security systems and harden network architectures to adapt to new technology, he noted.
“Job seekers and the industry as a whole need to ensure that they are building a strong cybersecurity talent pool to meet the needs of the newly invigorated telecommunications sector,” he added.
The report further notes that clicks for customer service representatives and operations associates increased by 13.91% and 8.22%, respectively, over the past month.
The data also revealed that the average salary for high-level positions such as technical support, BPO manager and customer service representative was Rs 3,53,298, Rs 3,29,520 and Rs 3,06,680, respectively, a he added.
The report is based on analysis of job posting data from September 2021 to September 2022 on the Indeed platform.
Additionally, the report found that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the requirement for robust cybersecurity practices as businesses move away, more devices come online, digital payments increase and security concerns were at an all-time high.
Indeed, data showed that job postings for “cybersecurity” increased by 81% between August 2019 and August 2022.
There is already a 25.5% talent mismatch in security between August 2019 and August 2022, the launch of 5G services will trigger a significant increase in security-related jobs, the report adds. | <urn:uuid:874eec49-aba1-43ce-9ed4-8629a0a87cad> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://findingsites.com/report-telecom-news-et-telecom/ | 2022-11-30T16:15:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710765.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20221130160457-20221130190457-00514.warc.gz | en | 0.97203 | 368 |
Let's just assume that I've hit the rep cap and got the Mortarboard. None of mine have extra scores (i.e) from accepted answers, bounties, etc. All are up-voted posts. I've got some 300 points but the engine stops at 200. Now, we've to count the down-vote. I got down-votes up to some -6. Now, my rep.cap decreases to 194.
My question is, Why doesn't the engine normalize the rep cap again to 200 from the remaining posts? Now, my graph indicates simple 194 and not 200. Why is that?
Is it because - "Once we attain the rep. cap, no other ups count except the downs..?"
P.S: I think it's related to many questions like this one | <urn:uuid:ff6e2090-27c2-43be-abe7-568e3e5a9ca1> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/160120/why-do-the-up-votes-after-reaching-daily-rep-cap-not-contribute-to-compensate-th | 2014-03-10T07:03:57Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394010683198/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305091123-00030-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958936 | 168 |
Where have the children gone?
Education officials in Oakland County and statewide wanted to know. And they went to great lengths over the past year, since the coronavirus pandemic began, to find out.
The Michigan Department of Education reports an enrollment decline of about 3.7% in public schools in fall 2020, compared to the previous fall.
Oakland County lost an estimated 6,400 students, a drop of about 3.5%, over the same period.
State and county officials say that most of the losses are due to parents deciding to homeschool their children, to enroll them in private schools or to delay enrolling their children in kindergarten.
Families are delaying their children’s kindergarten enrollment so they can have a “more complete, less staccato” school experience, state Superintendent Michael Rice acknowledged in a statement earlier this school year.
Additionally, the state experiences enrollment losses every year, even without a pandemic, as families move out of Michigan.
Those factors accounted for most of the losses, but state and county officials were concerned about a number of children who were missing.
MDE issued toolkits to help local districts locate them.
Carolyn Claerhout, manager of pupil services for Oakland Schools, heads a team that assisted local districts in calling families to find out why their children weren’t attending school this year, either in person or virtually. Oakland Schools is an intermediate district that provides services to schools countywide.
“We knew it was going to be a challenging year,” she said. “But you can’t take the school year off.”
State law requires children ages 6-18 to be in school. Even without a pandemic, Oakland County authorities rarely take criminal action against parents or guardians whose children are truant, Claerhout said.
Instead, school officials usually work with them to find out what barriers are keeping their children out of school.
Last March, there was an almost overnight pivot from in-school classes to remote learning. Officials in districts across the county knew that not every family had a computer for each child, or even an Internet connection at home. Districts set up pickup times for families to get the needed equipment. In some districts, officials delivered equipment to children’s homes.
But there are still barriers. Internet availability in some parts of the county is spotty, Claerhout said.
Not all parents could work from home during the pandemic. Leaving children unsupervised, they couldn’t make sure they were logging into online school.
Many parents complained of chronic connectivity issues with their district’s online schooling. Or they grew tired of going back and forth between remote and in-person school.
Oakland County public schools lost about 6,400 students in fall 2020 when compared to the previous fall.
All of these factors contributed to dramatic increases in the number of children enrolled in private schools or being homeschooled.
But state and local officials have few means of tracking these shifts.
The parents or guardians of more than 17,000 students statewide told their public school districts upon exiting last year that they were homeschooling their children. In a typical year, that number would be only about 3,000, according to MDE.
Homeschooling families can register with the state, but they are not required to do so, and many never do, Claerhout said.
State law puts few requirements on homeschoolers. The state does mandate that homeschooled children be in an organized program covering the following subjects:
Firefighters, friends and relatives are donating to a GoFundMe fundraiser for the daughter of the late Madison Heights Fire Capt. Jeffrey Brozich. | <urn:uuid:53f79b99-2025-4f7e-9d8e-95ffd37cf8b6> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/coronavirus/state-oakland-county-officials-account-for-children-missing-from-school-during-pandemic/article_e30c5fa2-81e0-11eb-bf3f-2740728ac4ba.html | 2021-05-08T14:08:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243988882.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20210508121446-20210508151446-00353.warc.gz | en | 0.97147 | 773 |
Join us on this tour of the ancient Zapotec capital, Monte Alban. Let our guide delight you with the history of one of the oldest and most highly populated Mesoamerican sites in Mexico. We will also explore the stunning 16th Century Dominican convent of Cuilapam, visit the alebrije makers of Arrazola and discover how the iconic black pottery of San Bartolo Coyotepec is made.
Groups are always small; no more than 20 persons per guide, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your bilingual professional guides.
Monte Albán, México
Departures from: Oaxaca
Hotel- Monte Albán- Cuilapam-Arrazola- San Bartolo Coyotepec- Hotel
10:00 a.m Departure from Hotel to Monte Albán, considered one of the most important arqueological zones in Mexico. We will continue to Cuilapam, ex convent from the 16th century.
14:00 p.m Lunch (Buffet type with traditional Oaxaca food)
15:00 pm Visit of Arrazola, famous for the colorful alebrijes, we will finalize the journey at San Bartolo Coyotepec to discover the black pottery process.
18:30 p.m Come back to the Hotel
Bilingual Guide registered by SECTUR
Transportation with Air Conditioning, comfortable seats.
Explore one of the oldest and most important Mesoamerican sites in Mexico.
Experience the tranquility of this 16th Century Dominican Convent.
Watch how the skilled craftsmen of Arrazola carve their animal figurines from the wood of the copal tree and see them painted by hand.
Discover the technique behind making black pottery (barro negro) was discovered and have a chance to admire the many intricate pieces. | <urn:uuid:ee425117-6ee6-4591-b6ee-716cca6498fd> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.wayak.mx/tours/oaxaca/monte-alban-tour-44 | 2018-12-12T18:44:23Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376824115.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212181507-20181212203007-00162.warc.gz | en | 0.868946 | 386 |
Wickham Court Events
Wedding and Events Venue
FACILITIES AND SERVICES
We have three rooms available for hire inside the House which includes the use of the 5½ acre garden with a hedged gazebo and a terrace.
The original banqueting hall with a stone fireplace and original beams, Aragon is currently used as a nursery. Leading on to its own private terrace with direct access to the garden. Aragon can be offered as a staffed crèche for your younger guests with the full use of the play area in the garden or on the terrace.
Our largest room seats 150 guests or 200 for a more informal occassion. Austen is quietly located at the furthest part of the house next to the Library and is ideal for those larger functions or events with direct access to the garden.
Our second largest room seats 60 with the capacity for 100 guests on a more informal occasion. A stunning room featuring original oak panelled walls with a beautful stone fireplace, Heydon is located in the oldest part of the house. This room is ideal for civil ceremonies and those more intimate weddings or events and perfect for a drinks reception, christening or funeral wake.
Located in the centre of the house beside a second staircase and nestled between Austen and Heydon, the Library also features orginal oak panelled walls and stone fireplace. This room can be offered as a drinks reception, snug area or for corporate purposes used as a breakout room. For your wedding the Library would be a perfect place to host your arrival drinks reception before moving to the ceremony.
With 5½ acres of beautifully manicured lawns the use of the garden includes the terrace and hedged gazebo. Situated on different levels the garden is suitable to hold all types of events.
Wickham Court has a self-contained kitchen directly adjacent to Austen Hall. Catering can only be offered by our preferred caterers who provide a range of delicious and tempting cuisine from a simple cold-finger buffet to a sumptuous wedding breakfast. For your wedding; all linen, cutlery and crockery will be provided.
You will be able to provide a limited amount of your own drinks. Please enquire for further details.
The bar will be staffed and all drinks supplied by Wickham Court Events. The bar can be run on a tab, as a pay bar or as a combination of both. We are able to take payment by cash and/or debit/credit card. Please ask for further information and a list of our competitive bar prices.
Wickham Court is situated at the top of a long drive where there is ample off-site car parking for guests. There is limited parking on-site.
Security and car park stewards will be in attendance depending on the size of your function and charges will apply. Please ask for further details. | <urn:uuid:7bb402ad-b8df-45a6-8bfe-82c08d0a6292> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://wickhamcourtevents.co.uk/Facilities | 2018-01-21T10:43:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084890514.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121100252-20180121120252-00619.warc.gz | en | 0.939522 | 596 |
Millions of men will wake up Sunday to handmade cards, neckties and, maybe, a new electronic gadget. It’s Father’s Day 2016, a time to acknowledge dear old Dad.
But beyond this increasingly commercialized day of purchasing manly presents (often overwhelming sincere expressions of love), lies a deeper, more important question: where is fatherhood in the United States going today?
Answers can be found in the “State of America’s Fathers,” a new report that advocates increasing both the visibility and value of dads caring for children.
Using never-before analyzed data and rolling out an ambitious set of policy recommendations, the report pushes for a host of improved policies and programs for parents—particularly for the most vulnerable fathers and families. In addition, it can help policymakers see how to throw their support behind a fatherhood revolution, permanently transforming how fathers are viewed in families.
The State of America’s Fathers links increased support for fathers as caregivers to a comprehensive strategy to advance equality and social justice and to improve overall family well-being. Its comprehensive approach begins with a focus on diversity and equality, offering a wide spectrum of ideas to achieve work-life balance.
Here are some of the key recommendations.
- National legislation to provide for paid, equal and non-transferable leave for mothers and fathers of newborns; noting that even as much as 12 or 16 weeks can generally be paid for by both mothers and fathers through a payroll tax of about 1 percent.
- Ensuring a living wage for the poorest fathers, reforming the justice system and policies that encourage and support their caregiving; including an Earned Income Tax Credit for nonresidential fathers who pay child support.
- Supporting joint physical custody of children after a relationship or marital break down when it is in the best interest of the child, and in cases where there is no history or threat of violence.
- Supportive programs and services built on a foundation of reproductive justice, which include comprehensive sexuality education and quality reproductive health services so individuals can plan when and how they want to have children.
- Encouraging workplaces to value what parents do as caregivers as much as they value their professional achievements; for more men to join the HEAL professions (health, education, administration and literacy); and for children to learn the value of caregiving from young ages in order to help accelerate social shifts toward greater acceptance and valuing of caregiving qualities in all genders.
Fathers in the United States are certainly more involved in their children’s lives than in previous generations, but maintaining and deepening their commitment to gender equality and healthy child development—as well as promoting economic strength nationally—will mean helping to insure a funded, effective fatherhood movement in the years ahead.
More fathers and father figures are doing—and are expected to do—more of the child care and housework than in previous generations.
Harnessed effectively, the report suggests that a movement of involved fathers “has the power to advance gender equality, improve childhood development outcomes and raise the U.S. gross domestic product, a measurement of a nation’s economy, by several hundred billion dollars.” How? By championing women to work outside the home at the same rate as do men. Despite achievements to date, the report concludes that the United States is not doing enough to support or advance the movement; in part because until now there has never been a clear or accurate national picture of the state of U.S. fatherhood.
The U.S. fatherhood report is an outgrowth of 2015’s first “State of the World’s Fathers” report coordinated by Promundo, an international organization advancing gender equality founded two decades ago in Brazil.
In its newest initiative, Promundo was aided by a diverse coalition of partners to produce the State of America’s Fathers report. Its editorial board includes key researchers and influential nongovernmental organizations working on engaging fathers in the U.S., with representatives from: Families and Work Institute; the Center for Research on Fathers, Children and Family Well-Being at Columbia University; the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University; the National Partnership for Women & Families; and the University of Maryland.
Authors find that the fatherhood revolution is a highly unequal one. A tale of two fathers cuts across socioeconomic lines, the authors say.
At one end, society increasingly encourages upper middle- and upper-income fathers to be highly engaged with their children; with many Fortune 500 companies offering the paid parental leave to back this up.
On the other end, low-income dads have the least access to paid leave in the country: Ninety-five percent of low-wage workers do not have the option of taking paid family leave through their employers’ policies for the birth of a child, or to care for a seriously ill family member.
New data from the report reveals that one aspect which unites across lines is the inability for parents to find work-life balance: the majority of parents (59 percent) who work full time and nearly three quarters (74 percent) of those who work overtime feel they do not spend enough time with their children.
Prison Plays Outsized Role
Compounding matters, consider the unprecedented size of the U.S. prison system. Prison plays an outsized role in the financial challenges low-income families face. At some point in their lives, the report points out, more than 11 percent of U.S. men will go to prison. Because of racial biases, among other factors, more than 60 percent of those in prison are people of color.
All told, more than 2.7 million children in the U.S. have a parent incarcerated and more than 90 percent of incarcerated parents are fathers. As such, harsh sentencing laws (particularly for nonviolent offenses) are harmful for children, in addition to being racially unjust.
Today children in the U.S. are more likely than ever to live outside of traditional, two-parent, heterosexual households, finds the State of America’s Fathers report.
Coupled with three other factors—the decline of marriage, increased cohabitation and divorce no longer being as highly stigmatized—that means the “traditional” family is no longer in the majority. As many as half of all children in the U.S. now spend some portion of their childhood years living in single-parent households.
Over the last three decades fathers in the U.S. have increased the time they spend with their children during the workday by nearly a third—to 65 percent, the report reveals.
Both men and women are more interested in sharing child care responsibilities than ever, according to the report’s new data. Less than half of men, 40 percent, agree that “men should earn money and women should take care of the home and the family.” In addition, despite a pervasive stigma of nonresident fathers as absent fathers—or worse, “deadbeat dads”—research also shows that most nonresident fathers are consistently very active in the lives of their children.
Both women and men will benefit from policies and efforts that encourage fathers to realize their roles as fully engaged, fully equal caregivers.
Nevertheless, among high-income nations the U.S. is alone in guaranteeing no paid leave to new parents. In addition, 40 percent of workers are ineligible for the 12 weeks of unpaid leave offered under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Even for those who are eligible, taking leave that is not paid is financially impossible. The report also says that extreme rates of incarceration and high child support demands on low-income fathers underscore a need to reframe the conversation on economically marginalized nonresident fathers’ contributions to their children’s lives.
Gary Barker is international director and founder of Promundo. “What our report and our new data show is this,” writes Barker. “Women and men want the policies and the support so that all parents can be full-on, fully engaged, fully equal caregivers.”
Barker continues: “Implementing paid leave is far less costly than often thought; and when implemented alongside income support to low-income fathers and parents, these policies pay for themselves in increased productivity and happier, healthier families. What are we waiting for?” | <urn:uuid:43b6ff02-161a-4013-a637-722666f10e92> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://robokun.net/2016/06/19/fathers-day-present-worth-unwrapping-overdue-policy-advice/ | 2018-11-14T18:19:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039742253.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20181114170648-20181114192648-00373.warc.gz | en | 0.955599 | 1,724 |
After explaining my daft system, some of you wanted to see pictures of the inside of my bible. I'm going to put up a couple, but first, I gotta say some things. :-)
I'm a complete idiot. Seriously. This weekend with the boys proved it yet again (btw: this is the kitchen table with Ethan's sharpie episode. I don't know if you can see it . . .) .
Sinfully, I am not a good listener. I'm not a careful thinker. Sadly, I hear what I want to hear. And that STINKS. Especially when God's talking. I need to hear His words. I need to think His thoughts. That's what this whole system is for -- it's for listening.
That said, here's the pics. Click for larger versions. | <urn:uuid:701fa862-9268-4ec3-88ae-815e9fab8dff> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://retro-evangelical.blogspot.com/2007/03/bible-pics.html | 2017-05-22T23:21:31Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607242.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20170522230356-20170523010356-00277.warc.gz | en | 0.96149 | 169 |
The opinion of the court was delivered by: Hon. George W. Lindberg
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
Before the Court is defendants' Dennis T. Schoen ("Schoen") and Schoen Brown, P.C. (collectively "defendants") motion for summary judgment as to the two remaining claims in plaintiff John Mitchell's ("Mitchell" or "plaintiff") complaint. For the reasons set forth more fully below, defendants' motion for summary judgment is granted as to the remaining counts, Counts I and III, of the complaint because those claims are barred by the applicable two-year statute of limitations. Defendants' third party complaint for contribution against Janice Gambill is denied as moot. All other pending motions are also denied as moot.
The following facts are undisputed. On February 11, 2011, Mitchell filed a three-count complaint against Schoen, individually, and his law firm, Schoen Browne, P.C., alleging legal malpractice (Count I), breach of contract (Count II), and breach of fiduciary duty (Count III). Mitchell's claims stemmed from Schoen's legal representation of Mitchell in an underlying state court action alleging a violation of the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. §688, in connection with injuries Mitchell sustained on August 31, 2003, while working as a Seaman for Central Marine Logistics, Inc. On May 31, 2011, this Court dismissed Mitchell's breach of contract claim (Count II), finding that it was duplicative of his legal malpractice claim.
735 ILCS 5/13-214.3(b) provides that a two-year statute of limitations applies to Mitchell's remaining legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty claims. 735 ILCS 5/13-214.3(b) states, in pertinent part:
An action for damages based on tort, contract, or otherwise (I) against an attorney arising out of an act or omission in the performance of professional services or (ii) against a non-attorney employee arising out of an act or omission in the course of his or her employment by an attorney to assist the attorney in performing professional services must be commenced within 2 years from the time the person bringing the action knew or reasonably should have known of the injury for which damages are sought.
In March 2004, Mitchell retained Schoen to represent him in a personal injury case against his employer Central Marine Logistics, Inc. (the "underlying action"). In the underlying action, Mitchell sought monetary damages for injuries he sustained in a work-related accident that occurred on August 31, 2003.
On September 1, 2006, three years and one day after Mitchell's injury, Schoen filed a personal injury action on Mitchell's behalf in Illinois state court. Mitchell alleged common law tort claims and claims arising under the Jones Act. The statute of limitations in Illinois for common law torts and actions under the Jones Act are two and three years, respectively. On June 7, 2007, Schoen delivered a letter to Mitchell, admitting a potential basis for Mitchell to pursue a legal malpractice claim against him based on an expired statute of limitations, and suggesting that Mitchell seek alternative counsel. On October 17, 2007, Schoen withdrew as counsel for Mitchell in the underlying action. On February 15, 2008, months after Schoen withdrew as counsel, the underlying action was dismissed for want of prosecution.
Mitchell's subsequent counsel in the underlying action never attempted to vacate the dismissal for want of prosecution. Instead, subsequent counsel filed a complaint related to the August 2003 accident in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. The federal case was dismissed, with prejudice, on October 6, 2009 as untimely. Thereafter, Mitchell filed the instant legal malpractice case on February 11, 2011.
Summary judgment is appropriate when "there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and . . . the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." FED. R. CIV. P. 56; Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986). In considering a motion for summary judgment, this Court "may not weigh the evidence or engage in fact-finding but should simply determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial." Hasan v. Foley & Lardner LLP, 552 F.3d 520, 527 (7th Cir. 2008).
Under Illinois law, a cause of action for legal malpractice accrues when the client discovers, or should have discovered, the facts establishing the elements of his cause of action. Woidtke v. St. Clair County, Illinois,335 F.3d 558, 562 (7th Cir. 2003)(citing Profit Mgmt. Dev. Group v. Jacobson, Brandvik & Anderson, Ltd., 309 Ill.App.3d 289, 242 Ill.Dec. 547, 721 N.E.2d 826, 841 (1999); Kohler v. Woollen, Brown & Hawkins, 15 Ill.App.3d 455, 304 N.E.2d 677, 681 (1973)). A court may decide, as a matter or law, when a plaintiff knew, or reasonable should have known, of the cause of action where the facts are undisputed and only one conclusion may be drawn. Lucey v. Law Offices of Pretzel & Stouffer, Chrtd., 301 Ill.App.3d 349, 359 (1st Dist. 1998). The elements of a cause of action for attorney malpractice are: (1) an attorney-client relationship; (2) a duty arising from that relationship; (3) a breach of that duty; and (4) actual damages or injury proximately caused by that breach. Woidtke, 335 F.3d at 562 (citing Sorenson v. Law Offices of Theodore Poehlmann, 327 Ill.App.3d 706, 262 Ill.Dec. 110, 764 N.E.2d 1227, 1229 (2002); Profit Mgmt. Dev. Group, 242 Ill.Dec. 547, 721 N.E.2d 826, 842 (1999)).
A plaintiff is injured for purposes of legal malpractice, and the statute of limitations period begins to run, when a plaintiff has suffered a loss for which it may seek damages. Woidtke, 335 F.3d at 564. When Mitchell's underlying action was dismissed for want of prosecution on February 15, 2008, the statute of limitations on his claims under the Jones Act had already expired. Dismissal after a statute of limitations has expired is effectively a dismissal with prejudice. Hassebrock v. Bernhoft, 2012 WL 384528 at *3 (S.D.Ill. Feb. 6, 2012) (citing Cardenas v. City of Chicago, 646 F.3d 1001, 1008 (7th Cir. 2011)). Accordingly, the two-year statute of limitations period for Mitchell's legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty claims against defendants began to run no later than February 15, 2008 and expired no later than February 15, 2010, almost a year before he filed the instant suit on February 11, 2011.
Under Illinois law, a dismissal for want of prosecution is generally not a final and appealable order. Flores v. Dugan, 91 Ill.2d 108, 115 (1982). Further, 735 ILCS 5/13-217, commonly referred to as the Illinois saving statute ("saving statute"), provides most plaintiffs with the option of refiling an action within one year of the entry of a dismissal for want of prosecution order, or within the remaining statute of limitations, whichever is greater. Citing to the saving statute, Mitchell argues that the statute of limitations applicable to ... | <urn:uuid:dc34c72c-8b12-4ea5-93e3-4cc3e3ed5246> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://il.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20120424_0001031.NIL.htm/qx | 2017-03-30T12:56:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218194600.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212954-00074-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939076 | 1,636 |
In response to the findings of a recent vulnerability in Java 7 that was being exploited by malware developers, Oracle has released an official patch that takes care of the problem.
In the past week, a new, which has been used by hackers in targeted attacks on Windows-based systems. Similar to the recent Flashback malware in OS X, this vulnerability allows criminals to create a drive-by hack where the only action needed to compromise a system is to visit a rogue Web page that hosts a malicious Java applet.
Even though the attacks using this vulnerability so far have been Windows-based, the exploit was demonstrated on other platforms supported by Java 7, including OS X systems where the exploit was successfully run in the latest Safari and Firefox browsers in Mountain Lion.
Following the news of this exploit and the potential for it to do harm, concern arose regarding Oracle's release schedule for Java updates which are usually released quarterly and would mean users would have to wait until October to see a patch to this flaw. As a result, some companies issued their own private patches to this vulnerability in the days that followed its initial finding, but Oracle has stepped up and broken its regular release schedule to offer a patched version of the Java 7 runtime.
The Java 7 Update 7 patch can be downloaded from the Java SE Downloads Web page, and Oracle recommends that all users of Java 7 apply the update.
Do keep in mind that this vulnerability is in new features in the Java 7 runtime and will not work in other versions, so if you have older Java runtimes installed on your system then you will not need to patch them to address this specific vulnerability; however, Oracle has also updated Java SE 6 to address other bugs so it is recommended that you also install the latest update for this runtime. | <urn:uuid:9824a8e9-6a6d-4e65-8a94-229c836a959e> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://www.cnet.com/news/oracle-patches-java-7-vulnerability/ | 2019-04-19T00:54:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578526923.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20190419001419-20190419023419-00223.warc.gz | en | 0.962163 | 356 |
Restyle your Room Reversible Comforter Set by The Home Collection, Queen/Full
The perfect comforter to keep you cozy all year round. The All-Season Down-Alternative Reversible comforter from the Home Collection features the perfect loft and Down-like feel to keep you warm and toasty while you sleep. Designed for healthy living and hypoallergenic for allergy sufferers, this luxury comforter presents a quality alternative to Down.
- 2 Standard Reversible Shams: 20" x 30"
- Hypoallergenic and Antimicrobial for allergy sufferers and sensitive skin
- Cover is made of fine-combed 100% imported microfiber yarns
- Fade Resistant, Winkle Free, No Ironing Necessary
- 1 Full/Queen Comforter: 92" x 92"
- 100% Microfiber
- Machine wash cold, tumble dry low
- Savings based on offering prices, not actual sales
- Web ID: 7532075 | <urn:uuid:bf8a703d-192b-4cfc-bcc9-abb58617a5ab> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://www.macys.com/shop/product/restyle-your-room-reversible-comforter-set-by-the-home-collection?ID=7080919&CategoryID=28898&isDlp=true&mlt=true | 2021-02-26T13:41:57Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178357641.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20210226115116-20210226145116-00154.warc.gz | en | 0.825607 | 213 |
MOZART: Four String Quartets
String Quartet in G major K.
String Quartet in D minor K.
String Quartet in Bb major K.
String Quartet in C major K.
played by the ORFORD QUARTET:
Andrew Dawes & Kenneth Perkins (violins)
Terence Helmer (viola); Denis
Juno Award Winner.
Described by The New York
Times (USA) as an "absolutely first-rate group", the
legendary ORFORD STRING QUARTET, a jewel in the history of Canadian
classical music, is regarded as "one of Canada's national
treasures", and one of the finest international string quartets
of all time. | <urn:uuid:3b4006ae-aaca-4460-8fbe-2cf05126bc81> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.doremi.com/dhr6601%262.html | 2022-08-14T04:25:48Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571993.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20220814022847-20220814052847-00699.warc.gz | en | 0.821785 | 180 |
Well, it has taken awhile, but I am all caught up!!! My husband went out of town on Sunday and I did a non-stop sewing marathon. I owed so many blocks that I could have made a quilt....well maybe not that many but I did owe 6!!!
This is July's block for LDQB (Long Distance Quilting Bee) I call this America's Favorite Past Time. (Sorry it took so long!!)
This is August's LDQB I call Keeping Time. (Not quite so bad!)
This is September's LDQB I call Fruit Basket (right on time!!)
August block for Hive B of OYGB (Orange You Glad Bee).
September's block for Hive B OYGB!
And finally.......I had to have this mailed by the 1st of October in order to have it included in a group quilt for Civil War Quilt 2011. This is the Missouri Star!
It certainly feels good to be on top of things again. I promise never to be THAT behind again. It was getting to the point of being embarrassed to even get on flickr because I was so behind. See I am not that bad of a guild member.
Now to share a few pictures of Whiskers, I will tell you ahead of time, he did not get hurt, it just looks like he did!
He was asleep, yes asleep! I had my husband run down and check on him after I took the picture...........
See.....all better, he was just being lazy!
So now that I am all caught up on sewing I need to continue to get my sewing room in order, I really don't know if that ever is going to happen. I keep finding the strangest things in there. Funny how it became the catch all room! You know what they say......out of sight out of mind! So true.
So until we meet again, be safe, be kind and do the things that make you smile! | <urn:uuid:eae04344-57dd-4796-948f-bef3c5daa636> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://adayintheworldaroundme.blogspot.com/2011/09/at-last.html | 2017-04-27T16:52:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122619.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00357-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984796 | 410 |
Backup Weapon for CCW
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Join Date: Mar 2005
I carry BUG on duty. Off-duty CCW I carry a reload, but no BUG.
A BUG is never a bad thing IMO. A G23 and G27 is a pretty stout loadout for CCW.
A jframe in a pocket and one on the ankle would be a good carry option.
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Find More Posts by collim1 | <urn:uuid:73427106-c46e-4679-a3ed-fcb820fc4a48> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18525894&postcount=31 | 2014-03-08T01:51:47Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999652570/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060732-00066-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.821967 | 98 |
Strong entry for Rally of Scotland
Next month's Rally of Scotland will feature its strongest ever entry with close to 20 Super 2000 cars starting the ...
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The e-mail address(es) that you supply to use this service will only be used to send the requested article. | <urn:uuid:8f6c7644-12fc-4320-985f-7a6747009afb> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.racer.com/strong-entry-for-rally-of-scotland/email/212360/5/ | 2013-12-13T17:31:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164965557/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204134925-00038-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.867696 | 89 |
Why choose a Christian education for your child?
This is a great question and one that has been asked by many. As the administration and educators of a Christian school, we are fully aware and have answers to the main questions surrounding this topic. We encourage you to thoroughly read the questions and answers below to determine the right course of education for your family.
The Purpose of Education
What do Christian Schools see as the purpose of education?
School is an accepted, in fact expected, part of our modern society. We assume it is a good thing. Access to education is now seen as a right not a privilege. Before choosing a school, Christian parents should take a step back and ask a more important question - "what is the purpose of education?" For many parents the often unstated goal of a school education is to prepare their child for a career. Going to university is often seen as the doorway to this. The purpose of education can then become simply the creating of future employees and employers. The Bible has a radically different purpose for life than is taught in most schools.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
In light of this the purpose of education could be to help children understand their God given gifts and abilities so as to serve Him and others in society. An education which denies God, or seeks to diminish His importance misses this "chief aim". Instead it often focuses on the personal success of the individual. The definition of success is often vague. For some, success is defined by what we have attained to or acquired. One of God's definitions of success is found in Matthew 25:23. Here Jesus says "well done good and faithful servant" when speaking of a man who wisely used the talents God had given him.
What is it we really want for our children as a result of their years of education? Is it to be happy, have friends, a job and to travel? The most common desire for Christian parents is that their children will make good choices in life. To choose satisfying work, good friends, to share, to treat others like they wish to be treated. Ultimately it is to choose to follow Jesus and serve God and others with their gifts and abilities. A child's education is more than imparting knowledge. It is to impart wisdom to make wise choices in life.
A Christian school is by no means perfect, but is seeking to impart a godly wisdom for life. The Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 9:10 The foundation upon which an education system is based is therefore important.
As parents we need to be confident our children will receive in school a wisdom which is worth having.
The Role of Parents
Who is responsible for your children?
Christian schooling is often seen as a contentious issue among Christians. Yet most would agree the Bible teaches that parents are responsible for raising and educating their children.
Whether Christian parents choose home schooling, secular, private or Christian schools this responsibility remains. The Bible says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
In many ways parents are like spiritual shepherds to their own children.
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2-3
Like a shepherd, parents care for, lead and protect their children. How we choose to raise our children, and who we engage to help us, provides an example for our children to follow.
When parents enlist the help of others to assist them, be they teachers, sport coaches, Sunday School teachers or even piano instructors they don’t lose their responsibility. It is ultimately up to parents to decide who will be their child’s teacher.
Christian schools are not a way to escape from other education systems, nor take over the task of home or church. Christian schools are an expression of Christian parents attempting to fulfill their responsibility to raise and train their children in a godly manner. They do this by co-operating with, or teaming up with, other like-minded parents.
Christian schools help parents to train the next generation to understand the real world as God designed it. Their hope is that children will discover their place in God’s great story, learn how to serve others and be better prepared for life. In Christian schools, parents can do together what they feel they cannot do alone. They remain active and willing participants rather than merely consumers of an educational service.
Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9
The Question of Salt and Light
Shouldn't children be salt and light in the community?
One of the most common concerns raised by Christian parents is that removing children out of secular schools would make them less effective witnesses in the wider community. They ask how can children be salt and light in the world if they are in a Christian school? Let us look at the scriptures for answers.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13
Jesus described us as salt. We are to preserve, flavour, enhance and have an impact on our society. Yet in the same scripture Jesus explains salt can lose its saltiness. Our salty influence in society can be diminished. If this occurs we are described as "no longer good for anything".
As Christians, our role is to reform the world around us. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Being salt and light is a lifelong calling.
A significant role of school is helping prepare children for all of life. The 12 or so years spent at school is relatively short when compared with an average life span.
The thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and outlook on life formed during school years can last a lifetime. The vision of Christian schools is not separation from non Christians. Rather it is about preparation to live life in such a way as to be salt and light wherever and whatever children choose to do.
As parents a more significant question we must ask ourselves is whether it is healthy to use our children as a means of creating evangelistic opportunities for us. Deliberately immersing a child into an educational culture which denies the existence of God and Jesus' central role in history should not be treated lightly.
Parents need to understand that putting their children under the daily influence of teachers who have a fundamentally different way of seeing life can influence them for life. Fortunately families who choose a Christian school are still part of the wider society. They can still make friends and influence others whether through sport, child activities, neighbours or a variety of other ways.
In the Bible children are seen as a blessing. We have one opportunity to raise our children. These years will pass quickly. Christian Schools can help parents in their role.
Isn't Education Neutral?
Every education curriculum is based on a belief system.
What we believe about education is important. A common belief is that education is neutral. How to read, write or calculate doesn't immediately appear to require any beliefs, a sense of right or wrong or impact upon how we relate to others.
Every education curriculum is based on a belief system. We seek to educate others about what we believe is most important for life. In the same way by not teaching some things we are implying these are not important. As society's beliefs change so do the subjects being offered.
The beliefs expressed in a secular school may initially appear tolerant and accepting of all ideas. In practice however they actively diminish or deny God's role and plan in history, the present and the future.
Secular schools claim to teach the values that are considered the basis of our laws and customs and how we treat others in our society. As parents the important question to ask is what are these values now based on. Are values decided by the majority? Are there any absolutes? Are values subjective and changing over time? Who determines what is important and what is not?
The Bible urges us… whatever you do in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving glory to God the Father. Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do is a very broad statement. It includes education. What a Christian teacher does - in whatever subject - can give glory to God. Likewise whatever subjects a child may study, or careers they choose they can also give glory to God in it. This attaches a significant value, or meaning, to all of life's activities. It is no longer neutral. If God is interested in all of life then a Christian education requires a biblical point of view through the whole curriculum. Merely adding a few courses in religion, or a Bible study or chapel services, does not make a school Christian.
Is This the Real World?
Do Christian schools remove children from the real world?
Some parents feel Christian schools place children in an artificial hothouse. They claim children are not well prepared to live in a society where most people are non-Christian.
The Bible says of Jesus…
For by Him all things were created, things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17
We believe life is not an accident or coincidence. As Christians we understand we are created in God's image. Any education system which ignores God and Jesus also denies the Bible's claims of reality. In its place another view of reality is presented.
Christian parents partnering with Christian teachers can help children discover and understand the truth about the world around them. Rather than removing children from the real world Christian schools help them see it clearly.
Secular education believes history and the world around us can be understood without reference to God or the Bible. By leaving these out curriculums don't become neutral but essentially anti-God.
Families are the first place children learn about the world around them. Schools then help children understand more about the world. In the early years families and schools can be likened to providing a hothouse environment for children. Consider the purpose of a hothouse or glass house. It is to nurture plants while they are young. A hothouse provides an environment where the conditions, watering and nutrition can be better managed. The hothouse is designed to grow healthier plants faster. When removed from the hothouse these plants are better able to thrive in all environments.
Do we believe this is God's world? If so a supportive hothouse environment where God and Jesus Christ are seen as relevant to daily life can help prepare a child for the realities of life.
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church. Ephesians 4:15
Counting the Cost
Why pay for education?
Education for every child is a modern concept. We now think of it as a right. Yet the provision and funding of education is debated around the world.
The models of funding have changed many times over the last 150 years. Historically, education for most was provided by parents. At times it has depended more on churches. More recently it has been considered a government responsibility.
However God has given to parents the primary responsibility for the nurture and care of their children. This responsibility has not changed over time. It has also not been delegated to government, the church or even teachers.
If we do believe parents have responsibilities for raising children then parents also need to have choices. They should have options of where and what their children will be taught. Christian schools give parents a choice.
Some Christians question paying school fees when they are paying taxes to fund government schools. Christian schools may even be accused of undermining the government education system and duplicating facilities. The Bible takes a different view:
Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Jesus saw it as a natural response to give to what we believe is important. What we are willing to allocate treasure, or finances, towards demonstrates where our hearts are. If providing an education which reflects a parent's beliefs and supports their role is considered important then they will work out ways to make it a priority.
Parents do need to carefully consider the financial cost of education if they choose a Christian school. It will come down to setting priorities. The apostle Paul taught…
Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive. 1 Corinthians 10:23
Paul faced choices. He felt some decisions were better than others. As a parent you face the choice of 'which school should I send my child to?' In our society children will learn the basics of education whichever school they attend. However not all they learn may be beneficial or constructive.
We can be thankful we do have a choice. Like all choices we make, it is one for which we will be accountable to God. Our choices can have short-term, long-term and eternal consequences.
The above information was prepared and graciously shared by Covenant Christian School in Sydney, Australia. They also have prepared a pamphlet (found HERE) that goes into a bit more detail. It has been a great resource of Christian families. | <urn:uuid:307053b6-f859-47e2-b311-7f25ad616c34> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | http://libertychristianww.org/why-a-christian-education-1 | 2019-09-20T18:54:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514574058.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190920175834-20190920201834-00337.warc.gz | en | 0.967241 | 2,862 |
U of L football coach Charlie Strong. (Feb. 2013 Courier-Journal file photo by Matt Stone)
The University of Louisville football team is red-hot on the recruiting trail.
Coach Charlie Strong added two three-star commitments from Florida in a span of a couple hours Tuesday: Jacksonville offensive tackle Kavaris Harkless and Lake Worth safety Marques Gayot. They are the fourth and fifth players to commit to the Cardinals since Thursday, bringing the total to seven for the 2014 class.
At this point U of L's class, which includes four Florida players, is ranked No. 13 by Rivals.com and No. 14 by 247Sports.com. ... | <urn:uuid:cba1167c-0ddc-4c09-97a0-a6f5694a2595> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/B2/20130416/SPORTS11/304160062/Recruiting-Insider-Louisville-football-coach-Charlie-Strong-adds-2-more-Floridians-2014 | 2015-08-04T20:12:43Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042991951.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002311-00136-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949763 | 137 |
Eight sticks of butter, three pints of cream, whatever does this mean? Separated eggs, yolks from whites. Sugar, lots of sugar, some white some brown. Crème brûlée for dessert tonight. Along with a variation of Jane’s chicken enchiladas. Vegetarian, so sans chicken. Anne is rolling tomorrow’s pie crusts. Croissants to set out tonight, letting their dough rise, for early morning baking. Trying to get as much done as possible today, because tomorrow will be a very busy day in the kitchen.
Dave and Maren are due in tonight. Hippity hopping southwest from Boston on Southwest. A couple of Beantown buckaroos brought to us by aeroplane, hippity hopping home, here in the Lou. Could be a late night though, what with weather. | <urn:uuid:cb007b63-05cb-4b70-937f-f3b01a9fac17> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://regenaxe.com/2019/11/27/hippity-hop/?replytocom=56011 | 2020-03-31T10:56:25Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370500426.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20200331084941-20200331114941-00222.warc.gz | en | 0.93488 | 179 |
INTRODUCTION: Multiple genetic and epigenetic factors involved in central nervous system (CNS) development influence the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs). DISCUSSION: The beneficial effect of periconceptional folic acid on NTD prevention denotes a vital role for the single-carbon biochemical pathway in NTD genesis. Indeed, NTDs are associated with polymorphisms in a diversity of genes that encode folate pathway enzymes. Recent evidence suggests that CNS development and function, and consequently NTDs, are also associated with epigenetic mechanisms, many of which participate in the folate cycle and its input and output pathways. We provide an overview with select examples drawn from the authors' research. | <urn:uuid:11c0e0c9-635a-4bea-81ee-87fd9f9eab5c> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/research/publications/folate-and-epigenetic-mechanisms-in-neural-tube-development-and-defects/ | 2018-10-23T17:07:46Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583516480.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20181023153446-20181023174946-00202.warc.gz | en | 0.927624 | 143 |
Mutual fund companies have been successful marketing "target" mutual funds. The idea is to have a fund portfolio allocated appropriately for your projected retirement date and corresponding level of risk. Seligman has just jumped into the ETF world by offering three funds that do just that. Their web site is full of great hypothetical tools. The question will continue to be "How can picking one fund and forgetting about it be that easy?"
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product. | <urn:uuid:f196f3c9-168d-4e80-b2e1-528e3fe5018f> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.etftrends.com/2005/10/seligman_jumps_/ | 2022-10-05T09:46:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337595.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20221005073953-20221005103953-00114.warc.gz | en | 0.963283 | 139 |
If you're looking to revamp your home on a budget, you'll want to head to Aldi ASAP! The supermarket has launched a seriously stylish vintage-inspired homeware range in stores and online – and prices start from just £2.99.
Included in the collection are duvet sets in a couple of different designs, a cute floral and deer motif or a navy blue duvet cover that will be a timeless addition to your bedroom from £14.99 for a double duvet or £16.99 for King Size. Add to the look with cosy bedspreads (£24.99) and vintage-style cushions featuring sweet patchwork designs or the words 'Home Sweet Home'.
Aldi has launched a vintage-style homeware collection
For a more subtle take on the trend the accessories are a good choice. Think pretty flower arrangements in glass jars, birdcage style lanterns and even a vintage-style DAB and FM radio.
Prices for the collection start at £2.99 for accessories up to £34.99 for the radio, and it's available in stores and online now while stocks last. It coincides with the launch of Aldi's upcycling range, which features everything from chalk furniture paint to electrical power tools aimed at people hoping to do some DIY over the August bank holiday and recreate the shabby chic vintage trend in their own home.
The range costs between £2.99 and £34.99
A growing number of retailers are making the venture into homeware; Monsoon recently unveiled its debut HOME by Monsoon collection, which features 80 stylish pieces influenced by the fashion brand's signature style. Meanwhile New Look also has a growing homeware range that includes trend-inspired bedding and accessories, all under £28.
Meanwhile celebrities including Amanda Holden and Holly Willoughby also have their own homeware collections. Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda launched her Bundleberry collection on QVC in June, while Holly has a successful range that is available at Dunelm.
See inside celebrity homes here. | <urn:uuid:0f3a4877-1453-49d8-8aa6-35dd0d03cb6f> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/2017073141112/aldi-vintage-homeware-range/ | 2019-03-18T22:13:10Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912201707.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20190318211849-20190318233849-00490.warc.gz | en | 0.943694 | 422 |
These days, search engine optimization is a major influencer of site design, layout, and content. This is a good thing, but I’ve noticed a few trends that lead me to urge caution. The risks of “overdoing” your SEO efforts are big and range from decreasing site usability (for your real users) to being blacklisted by one or more search engines. Here’s my practical approach to SEO.
- Do all the basics – This includes all the common SEO techniques, such as putting keywords in your page URL’s, page titles, meta text, and links. Also work on getting some quality backlinks. Make your content match what your customers / users are interested in seeing.
- Don’t overdo it – Too much content not only detracts from your site usability, but may turn off the search engines as well. Many sites rank well that have little content. Tune your site slowly, and watch the results.
- Have patience – It can easily take a year or more to get your site ranking well, even if you’ve made all the right SEO moves. So don’t expect organic searches to be your major source of traffic in the beginning. Plan to supplement with ads or other promotions.
- Keep in mind the search engine’s goals – Google and Bing are trying to return the best search results possible – that means the most relevant to the user. So make sure your keywords and content match you site’s purpose. For example, if you are in commercial real estate, make sure your site content emphasizes that. If you get users coming in looking for residential real estate, it’s bad for both you, and the search engine. Remember, the search engines can tell if the user returns to the search after viewing your site, and may demote your site accordingly (since the user obviously didn’t find what they wanted). So, be clear what services you provide, and what areas you serve (if you are geographically limited).
- Track and measure – In order to tell how changes are affecting your site, use an analytics/ statistics package to track your traffic over time. It’s difficult to attribute traffic to specific changes, but at least you can determine what growth and ranking has occurred over time.
These are the principles I use to do SEO. I avoid making guarantees or promises, but do offer practical, time-tested techniques for making your site search engine friendly.
Comments Off on Practical SEO | SEO | <urn:uuid:e2dc9b58-a8f7-4f6a-a462-7e6a97b38842> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.robertswebforge.com/blog/2013/01/ | 2017-04-30T10:58:13Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917125074.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031205-00082-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917368 | 517 |
Too Faced Co-Founder Apologizes After Sister Slams NikkieTutorials' Coming Out Video
Published on Jan 15, 2020
Too Faced's co-founder has come to NikkieTutorials' defense. On Monday, the famed beauty YouTuber, whose real name is Nikkie de Jager, shared that she is a transgender woman in a newly published video titled, "I'm Coming Out." The announcement has since garnered more than 18 million views on the platform and spurred public support from celebrities like Ariana Grande and Lena Dunham as well as fellow YouTubers Jeffree Star and PatrickStarrr. However, not everyone was on Nikkie's side. Some sites took notice of Too Faced cofounder Jerrod Blandino's sister, who goes by the name Dani California on Instagram under the account "makeup...
Read full article at: E! Online | <urn:uuid:bd6e074f-fde0-45cd-b5d6-ee9d667952a0> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://imdb.yt/news/too-faced-co-founder-apologizes-after-sister-slams-nikkietutorials-coming-out-video-62747708 | 2020-07-13T07:56:32Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657143354.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20200713064946-20200713094946-00574.warc.gz | en | 0.94484 | 185 |
Amortizing your intangible assets is similar to depreciating your business vehicles and equipment. You deduct a fixed amount of the intangible asset’s value every year for a set number of years. The rules for amortizing your intangible assets are found in Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service code. Intangible assets that are not included under Section 197 are amortized differently. You can use the amortization deduction to lower your annual federal income tax liability.
Amortizable Intangible Assets
Your intellectual property, which includes your trademarks, patents, and copyrights along with processes, formulas, patterns, formats and designs you developed, are intangible assets you can amortize. Your business’ goodwill, the value of your trained, experienced workforce and the value of your business as a going concern are amortizable intangible assets. Customer-based intangible assets, such as your customer lists, and supplier-based intangible assets, such as your exclusive contract with a vendor, are amortizable. You can also amortize the value of your business books and records, business operating systems and information databases.
Non-Section 197 Intangible Asset Amortization
Intangible assets that are not included under Section 197 are treated differently from Section 179 assets. Some types of non-Section 179 intangible assets are the interest your business has in another corporation, partnership, trust or estate. It also includes an existing lease or sublease on tangible property and a debt that already existed when you acquired your interest in the property. The interest your business has in a futures contract or foreign currency contract are non-Section 197 intangible assets unless those activities are part of your principal business operations. Under IRS regulations, intangible assets are treated as physical assets subject to depreciation regulations.
IRS Amortization Rules
Unless otherwise stated in IRS regulations, you must amortize your intangible assets over a maximum period of 15 years. You must use the straight-line method to calculate the amortization deduction. Intangible assets are amortized at their full value since there is no salvage value to deduct. You amortize your intangible assets starting with the first day of the month you first place them in service. You cannot take an amortization deduction in the last month of the intangible assets’ life or in the month you dispose of the intangible asset.
Amortization Tax Deduction Calculation
Under straight-line amortization, you amortize the intangible asset’s value over 15 years starting with the month it was first put in service. If the asset was placed in service during the year, divide the yearly amortization amount by 12 months and multiply that amount by the number of months the asset was used. For example, if your asset value is $45,000, divide that by 15 to get your yearly $3,000 amortization deduction. Divide $3,000 by 12 to get the $250 monthly amortization deduction. If your asset was place in service in July, multiply six months by $250 to get your $1,500 amortization deduction for that year.
- Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:8fa817ef-c4de-4bda-a4e5-cbbe1b44e51c> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-amortization-75109.html | 2019-09-19T09:15:54Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514573465.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20190919081032-20190919103032-00062.warc.gz | en | 0.944761 | 640 |
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Passive Leg Raise Improved Management of Patients in Shock*
(*some assembly required)
Providing the right amount of fluid is vital in a critically ill patient, as both too little and too much can result in poor outcomes. Yet even with this understanding, the clinical assessment of fluid responsiveness remains a challenge because the most rigorously tested dynamic techniques require invasive monitoring and mechanical ventilation. Further, the former gold standard Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheter was not shown to be helpful in managing fluid balance in patients with ARDS, and strong observational data suggests routine use of PACs is actually harmful, for unknown reasons.
Only 50% of hemodynamically unstable patients are volume responsive, but we need something better than just a coin flip to determine who should receive fluids and who shouldn't. Lifting a patient's legs has been estimated to provide a 200-300 mL bolus of fluid, by mobilizing pooled venous blood back to the heart. Marik and colleagues asked whether this quick and easy test was also accurate at identifying patients whose blood pressure would improve with IV fluids, reporting their findings in a recent issue of Chest.
What They Did
This was a single center, retrospective electronic chart review of 34 patients admitted to the ICU. These patients were selected because they had data available for continuous stroke volume index (measured by bioreactance); passive leg raise maneuver; and carotid bloodflow (by ultrasonography). Since these authors practiced in this ICU (at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, associated with Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia), it was unblinded, more of a case series from this institution's critical care practice, where they had previously incorporated formal testing of passive leg raise into the routine management of hemodynamically unstable patients.
A few notes about the methodology:
- In all patients stroke volume index (SVI) was measured and stabilized prior to any maneuvers being performed.
- Passive Leg Raise (PLR): All patients were placed in the semi-recumbent 45° position and then moved to the supine position with legs elevated 45°. See how passive leg raise is done.
- The change in stroke volume index was recorded as the maximum change in the first three minutes from baseline.
- Carotid and brachial bloodflow were obtained by ultrasound doppler during this time as well.
- After passive leg raise, all patients got a 500 cc bolus of crystalloid to determine true fluid responsiveness.
- Patients were "true fluid responders" when they had a >10% increase in stroke volume index from baseline after receiving 500 mL crystalloid.
Patients were excluded if they were not in sinus rhythm. Ventilators were set on pressure control ventilation to target plateau pressure < 30 cmH2O to achieve tidal volume 6-8 mL/kg ideal body weight.
What They Found
- 18 of 34 patients were considered true fluid responders
- PLR was 94% sensitive and 100% specific for predicting fluid responsiveness.
- Fluid responders had higher left ventricular ejection fractions (p=0.02), but the LVEF did not correlate with percent change in SVI
- Carotid bloodflow increased by significantly more after the passive leg raise maneuver in responders compared to non-responders (p<0.001)
- There was a strong correlation between percent change in SVI by PLR and percent change carotid bloodflow (p=0.003)
What It Means
Paired with stroke volume indices in a heterogenous group of hemodynamically unstable patients in sinus rhythm, passive leg raising was a sensitive and specific maneuver to predict fluid responsiveness in this small study. Furthermore, if one is ultrasound savvy, passive leg raise maneuver can be paired with carotid visualization to potentially eliminate the need for cardiac output monitoring. This small study will need to be replicated in larger cohorts.
But when a patient is in shock, one really wants to know whether giving fluid will cause her blood pressure (not stroke volume index) to go up. The authors didn't report the mean arterial pressures before-and-after passive leg raise and fluid challenges, probably either because the data was not available, or because there was no detectable difference.
Clinical Takeaway: When trying to ascertain a patient's fluid responsiveness, our current choices are gestalt (i.e., high uncertainty) and an invasive pulmonary artery catheter of doubtful benefit and possible harm. Using passive leg raise as a test routinely could help, and it's hard to see how it could hurt. (Passive leg raising is already a standard maneuver taught in emergency medicine training.) Ultimately, its effectiveness could be reduced by limited availability of the non-invasive stroke volume index monitoring, or the availability of trained ultrasonographers. Without these higher-tech adjuncts, passive leg raise doesn't perform as well as a test (i.e., many patients' blood pressure won't change noticeably).
Marik, PE et al. The use of bioreactance and carotid Doppler to determine volume responsiveness and bloodflow redistribution following passive leg raising in hemodynamically unstable patients. Chest 2013; 143(2):364-370.
Passive leg raise demonstration (a video produced by Edwards Lifesciences, who were not associated with this article or the authors): | <urn:uuid:748c5f2b-82e5-468e-8a0f-dc89287c8a16> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://pulmccm.org/critical-care-review/passive-leg-raise-offers-promise-in-predicting-fluid-responsiveness-chest/ | 2021-02-28T15:18:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178361510.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210228145113-20210228175113-00534.warc.gz | en | 0.943891 | 1,123 |
Me: I like it 'cause the picture on it looks vintage, with the porcelain blue colour and everything.
Mom: It IS vintage! It was my grandmother's.
Me: No way! I should keep it away from now on, before Abby (my baby cousin) broke it.
No, I haven't keep it, I probably will if my grandma didn't have any back ups. I'll have to ask her, soon...
To keep up with the vintage theme, I put this ring and bracelet, both are vintage and from my mom. The ring was my mom's and the bracelet was my aunt's which later she gave to my mom, and now she gave it to me. Fyi, the colour of the ring's stone is ruby red, not pink. I don't know why in the photos it looks pink.
'Till next time! xx | <urn:uuid:07ac48a5-0612-4f37-b410-563e889c34b1> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://jeshijabellatrix.blogspot.com/2015/04/ | 2017-11-20T05:32:36Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805914.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20171120052322-20171120072322-00436.warc.gz | en | 0.983285 | 183 |
Corel Transactional Licence (CTL) a single or multi product volume Licence that is far more cost effective than purchasing individual box products.
The CTL is a volume dependent Licence programme (volume relates to the number of computers you want to install software on) and is available to all academic institutions across the range of education products, these include; CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo, Corel® Painter, Ulead® VideoStudio®, WinDVD®, Corel DESIGNER® Technical Suite, Ulead® PhotoImpact®, Corel® WordPerfect® Office.
It’s the ideal option for you if you are looking to support one or more courses and have specific product or volume needs. For example, you may be using Corel products on just a few computers and now want to support more users across the whole class or department. Alternatively, you may just want to introduce new products like Ulead VideoStudio or WinDVD from Corel’s extended product portfolio. Either way, the CTL programme gives you the flexibility to grow as your needs change.
The CTL is a perpetual Licence programme and gives you the right to use the product version purchased for an unlimited period. As a solution this is far more cost effective than purchasing individual box products and many of Corel’s products can be deployed over the network, so it couldn’t be easier to manage! Corel offer volume-based price bands so the more copies ordered, the lower the cost per computer. In addition, for guaranteed access to future version releases — ensuring that students are developing skills on current software — you can purchase their annual Upgrade Protection Licence option.
Student Usage Rights
Corel is taking a NEW and completely UNIQUE approach to providing wider access to their range of education products under their Student Usage Rights Programme. If you are a University or Higher / Further Education College and you choose to sign up to either the CTL or CLL programmes, then you can also purchase the option to extend these Licences giving you the right to distribute one copy of each eligible product to your students for their own personal use, at no extra cost.
- Student Usage Rights for CTL customers
Corel’s unique Student Usage Rights Programme option applies to Colleges of Higher / Further Education and Universities selecting the Corel Transactional volume Licence programme too! For example, a university which purchases Corel Designer Technical Suite® for an engineering department can also purchase the rights to distribute the software to students at no extra cost to them!
- You can apply Student Usage Rights to a CTL Licence on the following products; CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo, Corel® Painter, Ulead® VideoStudio®, Corel DESIGNER® Technical Suite, Ulead® PhotoImpact® and Corel® WordPerfect® Office.
- The only education products NOT eligible under this scheme are WinZip® and WinDVD®.
The Students Usage Rights Programme not only offers incredible value to students, but facilitates a high degree of flexible working and learning. Students can develop their skills and complete coursework off-campus and out-of-hours. With Corel’s unique Student Usage Rights programme Universities and Colleges can now offer the very best in software technology and provide unprecedented support to their students.
For further information and discussions about Software Licensing options, please use the following details to contact the Software Licensing team now. | <urn:uuid:f07419d5-4338-477f-af71-d6132b8929bd> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.viglen.co.uk/viglen/Products_Services/software/corel/CTL.aspx?GUID=17590025523 | 2014-10-25T04:36:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414119647629.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20141024030047-00063-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.872813 | 723 |
There are so many threads in this particular tapestry piece that I’m not sure where to begin. I guess I’ll pick the ones that stand out the most.
I’ll start with where I went today. For another medical procedure, a presurgery before a colonoscopy. Scheduling this procedure hasn’t been easy. Finding room in my calendar, aligning my calendar with that of my friend who was to drive me, filling out all of the paperwork, looking up information, talking to disinterested people on the phone to get it set up, and then two phone calls to get preregistered. It was all an irritation. Yes, probably somewhat connected with the procedure, but something beyond that, too. Something that just didn’t feel right. I was concerned about anesthesia and actually dreamed about it, that it didn’t feel right, that I fought it off. I’ve had three procedures in the last year that have involved anesthesia, but that was never a concern. Until now.
Just before I left to go to this hospital for the presurgery, a new hospital to me, one I’ve never been to before, I saw a post on Facebook from a former student asking for prayers for her father who had passed out and had been rushed to a hospital, the one I was about to go to. She I and don’t interact often on Facebook, but I usually respond to prayer requests, and I did this time. I said a couple of prayers for her dad and headed out the door.
I didn’t like what I found at the hospital. The sidewalk at the front hadn’t been swept in a while, the glass in the front doors and around them was smudged, the waiting room area didn’t feel clean. A fly buzzed by when I was registering.
Then they sent me to the main waiting room where I opened email on my phone to read about my sister’s dream this morning. The floor of that room wasn’t clean, either, and the glass on the doors had smudges. Another fly buzzed by. So I was wondering if I really wanted to have a medical procedure there. Even just blood drawn. No other medical place I’ve been (and I’ve been to lots in the last year) has been dirty at all – and certainly nothing like this.
I read my sister’s dream. It’s about us being in my car. She’s driving. It’s difficult to steer, and the road is no longer pavement. We’re in chopped-off corn rows going right then trying to get behind other cars, then going left, too far, and a concrete mixer truck is coming toward us.
I’ll let my sister tell the next part (in her notes that she shared with me): “[I] steer back right but can’t go far enough, surely will collide with truck, we are headed right for it and almost on it. But no impact – suddenly quiet and no other cars or scenery, just us in the car. What happened? Did we hit? But there is light, bright light, coming in the windshield, we are headed toward it. Don’t you feel the warmth from it on your face? Don’t you think this is the after-life light we have heard about? Now at a stop light – people pouring by in front of us, left to right in front of the car, as if a factory shift was just released. Isn’t that [someone I know]? No. Someone else I know? No. Faces I almost know, but not quite. Now we are in a waiting room like at a Drs office. Asking the receptionist and other woman working – what’s it like here in this world? is it like back in the prior world? are we really here or can we go back? One woman says: “It’s basically the same here – soccer games, dinner with family –just all different.” Other woman says: “But you still have time to decide, you can go back.” Krista is very excited! I think probably I want to stay here! Karla (my sister) is concerned – what about Ken (her husband)? I will miss him, he will miss me. I think I may want to go back.”
And now I’ll summarize the rest. We’re in an apartment with her husband, discussing whether to stay. The doorbell rings. It’s our mother (who died several years ago). We didn’t want her to know yet, but here she is. Karla gives her a big hug.
I read this and replied to her, “Wow. Just wow.” It’s going to take me some time to process this dream. And I looked around at the not-really-clean lobby. I thought to myself that I should cancel the colonscopy next week because I don’t want to have a procedure in a place that doesn’t feel clean. Then I thought, “If I’m going to cancel, then why have to pay for bloodwork and other stuff today?”
I’d taken a Sue Monk Kidd book with me. It’s titled When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions. It spoke to me as I was leaving home. I haven’t started it yet. So I thought, “I’ll open it up and see if there’s a message.” I opened to a chapter in which she is discussing the Little Red Hen story. The hen does everything herself. No one helps. She doesn’t take care of herself and becomes a victim. And resents everyone. “The Little Red Hen would have us believe that we should do our duty with silent contentment at the expense of ourselves.” I ask myself, “What does that say to me now?”
My answer is: Sue Monk Kidd is saying that the Little Red Hen always does her duty, even if it’s not best for her. So if I apply that to myself now, my Little Red Hen self would just have presurgery and a colonoscopy in a place that feels dirty because she’s already set it up and people have planned it . . . and are waiting for her right now. She doesn’t make waves. But that’s not right for me now – this day, this time. I don’t want to have a medical procedure in a place that feels dirty.
So I got up and went back to the registration desk and said, “I’m not going to have this procedure.” The girl asked my last name, and I showed her my hospital info bracelet and said, “You can just cut this off and get my name from that.” I wasn’t angry or irritated, just matter-of-fact. She cut if off and looked at me and said, “May I ask why?” I said, “It’s not clean here.” She just looked at me. And I left.
And now for the amazing part. I walked to the door I came in, and at the doorway I heard someone say, “Ms. Seckinger, Daddy didn’t make it.” I looked see who had said that to me, and it was a former student. The very one who asked for prayers on Facebook right before I had left home. I realized that her father had just died.
I put my arms around her. We hugged a long time, and I said into her ear, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” And I kept hugging her. Just before we let go, I said, “I wish him a good transition to the other side. He’s going to be very happy there. But it’s going to be very hard for you.” And I could see my daddy there on the other side, welcoming her daddy, helping him with his transition.
I told her boyfriend and family that I was so sorry. And I went to my car and sat and cried for a while.
If I hadn’t decided not to have the bloodwork and to cancel my colonoscopy, I wouldn’t have been there right at that time.
I know I was supposed to be there.
The veil is thin. Between the other side and here, it’s not far. The edge of a leaf. The width of a silk thread. The beat of a heart.
And we’re all connected. From both sides. | <urn:uuid:0818a277-1f9a-4b2a-b056-9cf9aac0e3c3> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://eddiesandcurrents.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/a-profound-experience-the-veil-is-thin/ | 2017-06-24T15:46:49Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320264.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624152159-20170624172159-00299.warc.gz | en | 0.978155 | 1,864 |
The night started off pretty great – there were loads of local politicians and special guests in attendance, like Senator Michael Gianaris and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, and the restaurant was completely packed. We definitely saw the changes in the space. The color scheme is a lot brighter than before, and the partition between bar and dining area has been removed – making the restaurant a lot more airy.
In light of their new chef, The Astor Room has completely changed their menu. The menu now is a bit smaller, but it’s more concise. It’s also a little more accessible and filled with well known favorites. We started our meal with the grilled octopus, which has citrus, bread crumbs, corn and sherry vinegar. It was tasty, but not our favorite meal of the night.
For entrees, we tried the skirt steak, whole chilled lobster salad, and the mac and cheese. Our absolute favorite was easily the lobster salad – it’s amazing what a difference you can tell when you’re having really great, fresh seafood. This isn’t surprising, as the Astor Room has always been known for their seafood. The mac and cheese was a close contender, though, and it’s hard to mess up such a classic. The bacon and peas on top added to the already hearty dish, which is made with swiss, fontina, and cheddar cheese.
To go with our steak, our server suggested the “Front poorch” merlot, which was an absolutely amazing pairing. In general, the staff was extremely kind and helpful, and they seemed just as excited about the re-opening as we were. We also had the Mary Pickford cocktail, which was heavenly.
One of the coolest additions to the Astor Room is the outdoor seating. Now, up until yesterday, we were thinking the same old tables on the sidewalk outdoor seating, but the Astor Room has done so much more than that. There’s a special outdoor area, and your waitress swipes you in to enter the area. It gives the whole place an exclusive vibe, and we loved it.
Overall, we’re loving the direction the Astor Room has gone it. We were worried it might lose some if its classic, 1920’s feel, but it hasn’t. They’ll be sticking to their live jazz music nights, and happy hour specials. While it’s been updated, it hasn’t lost its glam and charm – and we’re glad we still have a Gatsby-esque restaurant to visit when we’re feeling glitzy.
Now, we want you to see the Astor Room for yourself. This is your last chance to enter our contest for two Astor Room gift cards – we’ll be announcing a winner tomorrow! | <urn:uuid:9fb41e19-e9eb-4847-b38d-f179bca18fd9> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | https://www.givemeastoria.com/2014/07/16/first-look-new-and-improved-astor-room/ | 2018-10-18T02:01:33Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583511365.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20181018001031-20181018022531-00030.warc.gz | en | 0.975947 | 593 |
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) does it for you. When you sign up for a plan with a new provider, ERCOT will send you a mailer confirming the switch. You have three days upon receiving the mailer to change your mind. If you don't, you'll have a new provider within seven days, and ERCOT will notify your old provider. Switch Energy remember, if you abandon a contract before it's complete, you will be on the hook for any fees or penalties detailed in its Terms of Service.
Since 2002, approximately 85% of commercial and industrial consumers have switched power providers at least once. Approximately 40% of residential consumers in deregulated areas have switched from the former incumbent provider to a competitive Gas And Electric Bill. Compare Electricity Rates providing service in the state include: Power Company, Lowest Electricity Rates, Acacia Energy, Power Company Energy,Gas And Electric Companies Energy, Electric Service Providers Energy, Electricity Plans, Who Is My Electricity Supplier, Compare Electricity Rates, Gas And Electric Bill, Compare Electricity Rates, Electricity Prices, Compare Electricity Companies, Power Company Near Me, Best Electricity Deals, Energy Comparison, Compare Electricity Rates, Compare Electricity Providers, Compare Electricity Rates Corporation, Compare Electricity Plans, Electric Company Near Me, Best Electricity Rates, Electric Company Rates, Gas And Electric, Who Is My Electricity Supplier, Electricity Rate Electric Service Providers, Energy Providers, Best Energy Company, Electric Service Providers Power, Compare Electricity Providers, Compare Electricity Rates, Texas Power, Electricity Plans, Best Electricity Rates Energy and Best Energy Company.
With the power to choose a supply plan, shopping competitive Texas electric rates could potentially save you money on your monthly electricity bills. Compare Energy Companies can help you compare retail energy companies in Texas, finding the supply plan that is right for you. Best of all, there isn’t any risk when you shop Texas electricity. Simple enter your ZIP code to start finding electric supply rates in your area.
On average, Texas residents spend around $130 per month on electricity, higher than the national electricity average of $107. Depending on where you live and how much you use, Best Electricity Rates’s lower electric rates can help you to cut your monthly electricity bill and save hundreds on your power bill each year, with rates starting at 8 cents per kWh. If slashing your electric bill is your goal, Best Electricity Rates is the Texas electricity provider for you.
Variable-rate plan:A variable-rate plan means the rate you pay for your electricity may fluctuate based on the market price of energy. Energy price depends on many factors, like weather, demand, fuel prices, the distribution system and the market. Variable-rate plans are flexible because you are not locked into a contract; however, you’ll pay a higher price in high-demand seasons like summer. A variable-rate plan might be ideal for you if you like to shop around and keep an eye on prices.
Gone are the days when you had to contact electric companies to discover their rates, and negotiate a better deal on your own. Today, Best Electricity Company does the work for you, handling the entire process of finding the best Texas electricity rates and plans from providers that have a pedigree of business stability, customer service, eco-friendliness, and financial transparency. This allows you to shop for electricity in just a few minutes, right from your computer.
Power to Choose is a program run by the Cheapest Electricity Rates of Texas. Its goal is to protect residents of the state from unfair energy costs and unregulated Compare Electricity Rates, as well as develop a strong infrastructure. The program provides an easy to use, online tool that give residents of the state the opportunity to compare rates, plans and other energy options. Keep in mind though, you really need to read the fine print if you decide to use Power to Choose (or any other service, for that matter).
In Houston, 0% of people have switched to a plan that has some renewable energy component to it. Another 0% have switched to a plan that is partially renewable, while 0% have switched to a plan that powers homes completely by renewable electricity. This of course means that 100% of people have remained on a plan powered by traditional sources of electricity such as coal or nuclear power.
When a consumer selects a retail electric provider, the company will supply him or her with an electricity supply plan. Depending on the type of plan an energy user chooses, the supply rate could fluctuate or remain fairly stable during the contract length. Plan type is just one of the many factors a consumer with electric choice can shop for. Garland residents and business owners might also look into a company's customer service history, green energy products, billing options or rewards programs.
For example, if you use a small amount of energy each month, you expect to be rewarded — right? Unfortunately, nearly all electricity plans from Texas Compare Electricity Rates are advertised as costing more per kWh the less electricity you use. It’s a little like buying in bulk: Providers often discount your bill when you cross certain kWh thresholds. For instance, one 12-month plan from Electric Service Providers Power quotes 8.1 cents per kWh for 1,000 kWh a month and 8.8 cents for 2,000 kWh per month, but 12.1 cents for 500 kWh per month. Why the difference? Customers get $35 back each month if they pass 1,000 kWh of use, and another $15 back per month if they cross 2,000 kWh. In this case, using half as much electricity as your neighbor on the same plan wouldn’t get you half the bill.
One desired effect of the competition is lower electricity rates. In the first few years after the deregulation in 2002, the residential rate for electricity increased seven times, with the price to beat at around 15 cents per kilowatt hour (as of July 26, 2006) in 2006. However, while prices to customers increased 43% from 2002 to 2004, the costs of inputs rose faster, by 63%, showing that not all increases have been borne by consumers. (See Competition and entry of new firms above for discussion on the relationship between retail prices, inputs, and investment.)
Home to the Barbara Bush Library, Gander Mountain and Meyer Park, the city is full of local spots and lets consumers find competitive electric companies in Spring. The city is passionate about preserving its history, dating back to the early 1800s, according to the Old Town Spring site. It even started a nonprofit called the Spring Preservation League Incorporated (SPL) to encourage conservation and promote development in the southeastern Texas city.
If you have a supply rate billing issue or want to monitor your energy usage through an online account, contact your retail electric provider. Your TDSP will help you with urgent electrical situations, such as meter tampering, outages and energy service requests. Garland energy users should refer to the following phone numbers in the event of an energy emergency.
Minimum Usage Fees: Often set at or around 1,000 kWh/month, these fees mean you’ll always pay for at least that amount — even if you only use, say, 800 kWh of electricity some months. It sounds nasty, but it’s only something to be concerned about if your electricity bills historically show you hover right around that minimum use threshold. If you’re electricity use always exceeds that amount, it’s like it’s not even there.
For example, shoppers for Texas electricity plans in the 77494 ZIP code in Katy, TX, could find 12-month plans for 6.8 cents/kWh in February; by June, electricity rates had increased 27 percent to 9.3 cents/kWh. As of early September, 12-month plans were up again, to 9.9 cents/kWh – a 6.5 percent hike from June and a 46 percent increase just since February. | <urn:uuid:06fe4bdf-f770-488c-a937-3ce98053d947> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | http://galvinelectricity.org/elec-comparison-aubrey-texas.html | 2019-01-17T00:52:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583658662.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20190117000104-20190117022104-00375.warc.gz | en | 0.940127 | 1,620 |
The Air Force is finalizing its study on multi-domain command and control, a top priority for the service’s chief of staff. This concept seeks to orchestrate effects across space, cyber and air seamlessly, and potentially simultaneously, as a way to overwhelm adversaries.
However, cyber effects and forces are controlled and governed differently than other traditional capabilities. This can lead to questions about how cyber fits into the Air Force’s overall plans.
Under Cyber Command’s Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber construct, service cyber components are assigned specific geographic and functional combatant commands where they provide advice for cyber employment in campaign plans. They also provide the cyber forces to execute those plans.
24th Air Force/Air Force Cyber provides advice and cyber forces to U.S. European Command, U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Transportation Command, which means Air Force cyber power is not necessarily implemented across the other regions or commands.
Despite this fact, the study envisions eventual C2 systems as not precluding capabilities of other services and forces but naturally fitting them in, the leader of the study, Brig. Gen. Chance Saltzman, told Fifth Domain following a speech Nov. 17 hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
The Air Force’s effort to study multi-domain command and control is focused on how the Air Force would use Air Force assets, Saltzman said, but to the extent they’re given responsibility to control joint forces, those capabilities should be able to integrate into the architecture easily.
“That’s the goal,” he said. “Build that foundation that allows rapid integration of whatever capability available then you can fit right into the C2 architecture.”
The military at large is trying to move away from stove-piped systems that don’t talk to each other.
Cyber Command also set forth joint standards for training all personnel within the cyber mission force across all the services. Saltzman said this “absolutely” helps with integrating joint effects into an eventual multi-domain command and control architecture if need be.
An example of how cyber might play a role in multi-domain operations could include a cyber capability that allows the Defense Department to identify an individual of great interest, then have an overhead asset pick up the target’s location and then use that location to eliminate that person via kinetic means. | <urn:uuid:55e009e4-db39-438a-ba46-8fcd1fd9cdfe> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/air-force/2017/11/17/where-does-cyber-fit-in-the-air-forces-multi-domain-command-and-control-concept/ | 2017-12-14T04:29:46Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948539745.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214035620-20171214055620-00296.warc.gz | en | 0.939983 | 491 |
Gas Drilling Air Quality Meetings Today, Tomorrow
Today and tomorrow are important days in the push toward improved monitoring of the oil and gas industry.
First off, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating its air quality regulations regarding oil and gas and will listen to residents from noon to 4 pm and 6 to 10 pm today at Arlington City Hall, 101 W Abram St.
“It is our chance to tell EPA about the air emissions — the pollution, the odors, the noxious chemicals released into our communities — and emphatically ask them to tighten their controls on these emissions,” the North Central Texas Communities Alliance (NCTCA) said in a statement.
We must demand accountability from the gas drilling industry and this is your opportunity to let the EPA know that you support their efforts to thoroughly study the effects on our water supplies,” the statement continued. “We must also demand full disclosure of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, as well as supporting the use of recycling the water used in the fracking process.”
Residents seeking tighter controls on drillers are also planning to attend tomorrow’s Fort Worth City Council meeting at 7 pm at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.
The Council is considering a contract for a company to study air quality around drilling sites in the city.
The NCTCA is seeking to keep the city’s Air Quality Study Committee in place to participate in the air study process.
“Mike Moncrief has stated that he thinks the work of this very important committee is finished and that the city staff would conclude the work,” the NCTCA said today. “Please follow up with the council members and/or show up on Tuesday to let them know that any study controlled by city staff will be unacceptable — that is not a part of the resolution they passed and presented to the public.” | <urn:uuid:c93ad782-5219-43a6-a54d-26247f686fef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fwweekly.com/2010/08/02/gas-drilling-air-quality-meetings-today-tomorrow/ | 2013-05-25T14:24:42Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705956263/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120556-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958098 | 387 |
Set decorators use decor to flesh out characters
Our rooms speak volumes about us - and set decorators for television shows specialize in knowing what they can say.
Using colors, accessories and telling details, set decorators help flesh out a character, whether it's a working-class stiff in a worn-in apartment or a wealthy doyenne in a slick salon.
For Los Angeles-based set decorator Lynda Burbank, "homey" means vegetable soup. "I love the soup palette of sage green, burnt orange and warm beige - these colors are very soothing and make people feel comfortable in the set," she says.
For the sitcom "Mike and Molly" on CBS, she packs her sets with details: "Mike's mom's house was a delight to do. I found a fabulous blue recliner with a drink holder where she spends a lot of time. She's surrounded by nail polish and various medications. Her house reflects that she reads a lot, mostly romance novels. She's Irish Catholic, so there are statues that reflect that. When the set first appeared, people came up to me and said it reminded them of their Aunt Sally in Wisconsin, and I was so pleased."
In one scene, Mike's mother's boyfriend Dennis was supposed to represent a cautionary warning to Mike about leading too solitary a life. Burbank put Dennis' personal kit from the Vietnam war on the dining room table, as if he'd been sitting and reliving his past. "Also a couple of shirts on the back of the door in plastic bags from the dry cleaners - so impersonal, so lonely," she recalls.
The room was only seen once, but it drove home a plot point: Mike realizes what might be in store for him if he doesn't take a chance on love, with Molly.
For the pilot of the CBS show "Two Broke Girls" (the show is currently decorated by Amy Feldman), Burbank worked with Glenda Rovello on the loft of a young, wealthy woman who has twin babies and not a clue about motherhood. "The set reflected that, with a lamp shaped like a gun, sharp-edged sculpture and other things that weren't child-friendly," Burbank said.
Clutter and collections of things give a room a "lived-in" look, says Archie D'Amico, set decorator for ABC's "Cougar Town." He also has worked on "Ugly Betty" and "NYPD Blue."
Set decorators have hundreds of prop houses and stores in Los Angeles or New York from which to shop. "Very often I'll need something tomorrow, if not sooner," says Laura Richarz, who has decorated sets on "Married with Children," "Everybody Loves Chris" and "True Blood."
Richarz says she starts by trying to see the room "through the eyes of the characters that live there. What would happen on a daily basis in this set if it were a real home? Who uses it, how old are they, what's their means of support? Do they watch TV, do handcrafts?"
Starting with the basic furniture, set decorators then add "layers" of dressing. Half-read newspapers, stacks of mail, pet leashes, half-burned candles, a knitting basket, remotes and phones, well-scrunched cushions, a full wastebasket, even a plant with leaves on the floor.
Juliann Getman, who designs sets for NBC's "Parenthood," thinks about her own home. "Not everything's in its place. Laundry might be folded but on the sofa because I got distracted by a phone call."
This nuanced approach makes it easier for viewers to imagine lives in progress.
Characters' social or economic status can also be telegraphed through the quality of furniture, accessories and art. Bright, clean rooms say one thing, while a timeworn or messy space says something else.
Richarz recalls working on the "Three's Company" set: "Three single people living in a rental in Santa Monica. The mismatched pieces conveyed the idea of roommates without much money, throwing together stuff they'd found to fill the space. Wicker was inexpensive back in the early `70s so there were several pieces of that. The dishes were brightly colored plastic - certainly not mother's china."
In "All in the Family," Richarz notes, "we know before we see any characters that this is a working-class, traditional family." The furniture and decor are from a different era, the walls dingy. The furniture is worn, the art is traditional. "Things have been added over the years, but nothing has been taken away. It looks real," she says.
Beth Kushnik, set decorator on CBS' "The Good Wife," notes that while the main character's world was downsized after a divorce, "she still had a comfortable degree of wealth. Her apartment was created as if she'd hired a decorator to give her and her two teenagers a relaxed haven. I used lush fabrics, silk lamp shades and beautiful linens."
Kushnik started a blog called "The Good Look of the Good Wife" on CBS.com, in part because she was getting so many questions from viewers about the sets. She shares the provenance of room details, including paint colors and furniture sources.
The Associated Press | <urn:uuid:603cc379-db3b-4224-83be-99d51d055523> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2011/Nov/23/set-decorators-use-decor-to-flesh-out-characters/ | 2015-10-04T07:58:48Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443736672923.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001215752-00196-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977084 | 1,117 |
‘President Trump’ Sings Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ on ‘SNL’
Saturday Night Live kicked off their final show of the season last night by having Alec Baldwin's "President Trump" and his political friends sing Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" while preparing for summer vacation. You can see the full video below.
After playing the first verse straight, the cast starts changing the lyrics to parody Trump's various legal issues and controversial actions: "He's a billionaire, unless you take a look at his tax returns / He's gonna hide, hide, hide / Oh, there's no showing you."
"Don't Stop Me Now" was released in January 1979 as the second single from Queen's 1978 album Jazz. It was a Top 10 hit in England, and later appeared during key scenes in movies such as 2004's Shaun of the Dead and 2019's Shazam.
Donald Trump has been highly critical of Saturday Night Live's portrayal of him and his administration, tweeting that Baldwin's performance "stinks" and that it was "time to retire the boring and unfunny show" in October 2016. Earlier this year, he asked: "How do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!"
Four minutes later, he followed up with an all-caps declaration that "the rigged and corrupt media is the enemy of the people," prompting Baldwin to openly wonder if the President's actions constituted "a threat to my safety and that of my family."
The Best Song From Every Queen Album
You Think You Know Queen? | <urn:uuid:decbed36-8956-46ec-9a96-7c757ad3d324> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://kmhk.com/trump-queen-saturday-night-live/ | 2022-01-25T01:27:10Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320304749.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20220125005757-20220125035757-00695.warc.gz | en | 0.968208 | 352 |
So what is the difference between conservation and restoration? Conservation involves work that stabilises the object to minimise deterioration and try to ensure the object is available for future generations to enjoy. Restoration involves work that helps to return the object more towards its original condition so people can understand and appreciate it better.
For example, the magnificent Warwick Vase at the Burrell is a late 18th century restoration incorporating the original 2nd century Roman pieces. The Warwick Vase is old enough to be an antiquity in its own right now, but if we dug up those pieces nowadays we would probably not perform such a reconstruction. The Tang dynasty Chinese horse was originally in many pieces and was restored to the condition it is in now before Sir William Burrell bought it. This kind of restoration would also be carried out today.
As the Boppard Conservation Project progresses the big question of just how much restoration work should be done will be high on Marie’s mind.
What do you think? | <urn:uuid:c444a847-92b3-4190-8246-c06c13b366cb> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | https://boppardconservationproject.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/to-conserve-or-to-restore-that-is-the-question/ | 2018-01-21T04:57:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084890187.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121040927-20180121060927-00796.warc.gz | en | 0.955404 | 197 |
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