question stringlengths 14 1.69M | answer stringlengths 1 40.5k | meat_tokens int64 1 8.18k |
|---|---|---|
Note: To avoid receiving a mat that does not fit use this easy to use round trampoline mat calculator now. If you fail to use the mat calculator and your mat doesn't fit and requires returning a restocking fee of $<|fim_middle|>, but it's very effective. | 15 will apply to the returned goods.
This is a genuine GeeTramp® Curve replacement mat.
Why is my mat damaged?
If your mat's stitching around the edge has deteriorated this is an indication that the pads are damaged or aren't being used anymore. Your pads are designed to protect the stitching from the UV rays.
We stock replacement mats to suit all round trampolines we have sold, so if you have bought a trampoline from us we will have the mat. If you have any doubt which is the correct replacement mat then contact us.
For round trampolines it is likely we have a suitable mat for you. Mat suitability is very sensitive to the sizes and locations of the various frame and spring dimensions so these need to be checked closely. This is done via the round trampoline mat size calculator.
Note: We only release mats for pickup or shipping once the round trampoline mat size calculator has been used, so please use this prior to purchase.
This material is the same used in hurricane barriers! It features an anti-graze finish whereby the individually woven strands have a hot rolled flat finish. The fibres thermally Interlock for the ability to handle constant flexing, making it extremely durable, but yet soft on your feet.
Australia experiences some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world, this material has been proven for years and is backed by our three-year warranty.
There is no point having such a durable mat material if it's not correctly attached to the frame, we have six individual high strength threads holding the spring attachment points. Our spring attachment triangle have a beautiful gold finish coating that protects it from corrosion and ensures long life.
All our trampoline mats have a printed white cross in the centre; gymnasts love this because when they're in the air, they have a constant reference point which helps with their orientation and safer positioning. Sounds simple | 381 |
At this point, most people are aware of the coming release of Windows Vista. Scheduled for deployment to corporate customers late this year and to retailers early next year, there has been a lot of discussion about the software's readiness, benefits, and tardiness.
The questions for many IT shops and businesses that rely on PCs will be what is the impact of Vista on their business? Should they upgrade? Must they upgrade? And so on. There's little use in wringing hands over how ready the latest beta<|fim_middle|> more complex underlying issues. Instead, the noise is about the new interface which is flashy if you have the graphics hardware and power to support it. If you do not, it will still work much like XP with older systems. Other interesting things include purported additional security through modern encryption suites and a hardware (motherboard chip) component that only new computers will have. But real added security will be something judged in hindsight.
In the end, Vista will be an evolution of the basic NT OS, just as XP was. It will have advanced with improvements and updates commensurate with the times. But it will not be revolutionary or a major advance. And it will require computer replacement to take full advantage of some of the new features.
Will Vista trigger big new sales of PCs or upgrades? No. People who buy new systems will get Vista because it will come with it. Technophiles will more likely buy new systems rather than upgrade their current systems and they make up a minority anyway. Corporate will not upgrade quickly because there is no compelling reason. The hyped additional security will not be significant and so large corporations will migrate when they are forced to as Microsoft cuts off support for XP as they eventually will.
Backwards compatibility and corporate support will ensure that nothing too radical happens anytime soon. After all, it's an operating system – it runs hard drives and CD players and applications and holds your files. Not that exciting. So if you are running a business and are concerned about Vista's impact, relax. The advent of Vista will likely be something of a yawn. | or release candidate is. That only affects the timeline for when it will be released. Eventually, it will be released and when it is, Microsoft's market sway will ensure that you will quickly be unable to buy a PC or laptop without it. So, prepare for a mixed environment for some years.
Is it evil? Will it cause massive problems to have a mixed environment? It's unlikely. While the new operating system has much new code, Microsoft is too large and cautious to cause problems with the older XP base used throughout the world. So when it arrives, it will likely fit right in with your existing systems. When the new server code arrives, things may get more interesting.
Is there a great benefit? Probably not. Microsoft has learned that people are swayed by eye candy and interesting design so a lot of the interest in the new operating system is not in technical things like a new file system format or | 183 |
If you are looking for driving schools South Shields, we<|fim_middle|> Haha. | are here to help you get that all-important test pass like our previous pupils with their reviews below. Contact us and visit our prices page for some great deals to get you off to a flying start to gaining your driving freedom.
We are one of the best driving schools in South Shields, be part of our success.
Highly recommend Paul and mini me. Great teacher, very honest and patient. Cheers paul.
What can I say without sounding OTT, this instructor is simply fantastic, this was my second instructor, my first was very good but something was just not clicking for me and my confidence was very low when I met Paul. For me it wasn't just about passing my test, Paul made me drive safely and constantly challenges your thought process so you get it right every time. The Fiat is a dream to drive and if Paul isn't available immediately I urge you to wait for him..I can't thank him enough!
Amazing driving instructor, easy to talk too and really helpful. I passed first time with no minors. Couldn't thank Paul enough for helping me get through my test.
Absolutely fantastic support and guidance, really couldn't have done it without Paul's help, highly recommend to anyone looking to pass with flying colours, thanks so much, Paul!
Passed first time with no minors all thanks to Paul, couldn't recommend him enough and certainly couldn't have done it without him.
Highly recommend mini-me driving school. Paul was patient from day one and always made me feel at ease! Can't recommend or thank him enough!
I passed with paul mini-me driving school today. I would definitely recommend Paul he makes you feel so at ease. And listens to you with any problems you have about driving. Gives good advice. Thank you very much for everything.
I would like to say thank you to Paul for helping me pass my practical test first try! So glad that it's over with, couldn't have done it without the support.
Paul is an amazing instructor. After a bad experience with driving before he made me feel comfortable and confident. He always has great positivity and very supportive. Thank you.
Thank you for all your patience over the last year. Paul is a great instructor who helped me pass first time with zero faults! Thanks again, Paul.
Passed my driving test first time today. What an amazing instructor Paul is! It's been such a fab experience learning to drive and I 100% recommend him to anyone else wanting to pass.
Fantastic guy, patient and supportive, couldn't have passed my test without him! 100% recommend to anyone.
I was absolutely delighted with my driving experience Paul always was there making sure I was 100% on my lesson this pushed me a lot to want to do better He was always on time never let me down never dropped a lesson I had trouble with different instructors with them cancelling last minute but never with Paul, I would highly recommend Paul got me through my test which I passed first time and with no minors.
I couldn't recommend Paul Ryan enough as a driving instructor, the most patient person who makes every lesson personal and enjoyable. Absolutely BUZZING thankyou very much.
I Would 100% recommend for anyone wanting to start their driving lessons? I passed first-time thanks to Pauls teaching.
I decided to apply for a UK licence having previously driven on my foreign driving licence, so I needed a few driving lessons to smooth out my bad habits before applying for my test. Mini-me was local, reasonably priced and able to give me good initial advice from the first contact. Paul is the owner and the driving instructor, he has chosen to operate independently and therefore he is very customer driven. I really could not recommend Paul any higher, he is superb and was able to help me to pass first time this morning, after only a few lessons. Paul combines the perfect personal characteristics that I respect by being both professional and knowledgeable, he is also patient, good fun and light-hearted. Paul was also able to advise me on some apps that automatically check for cancellations, I chose to pay to subscribe to "driving test cancellations" and this enabled me to change my test date to an earlier and more convenient date. In short, Paul is highly recommended.
I would 100% recommend mini-me driving school. A Very professional instructor who makes you feel at ease. I was a very nervous learner and Paul got me through my test, I passed first time. The car is a Fiat 500, so easy to drive and easy to manoeuvre. Overall a fabulous learning experience.
When I first started driving I was not very confident therefore it took me a while to build up that confidence, I would not have been able to do this without Paul and the patience he had for me. I passed my test first time with Paul, I would definitely recommend!
Absolutely over the moon with passing my test today.Thank you so much, Paul for your patience and all your hard work I would highly recommend this driving school to anyone who is either first learners or from another teacher amazing thank you.
I would highly recommend mini me to anyone that is starting to learn how to drive or wanting to switch driving instructor 10/10….. thanks again for the first time pass.
I would definitely recommend mini me to anyone time and time again! Paul is a fantastic instructor and gave me so much confidence through out my lessons that it immediately made me feel calm and at ease. You certainly won't be disappointed if you book in with him. Brilliant instructor all round.
I passed first time with Paul he is some boy.
Absolutely fantastic service from start to finish. Paul makes things really easy to learn.
I can take nothing but positives from my learning experience with this driving school. Mini me allowed me to become a confident and comfortable driver due to the outstanding teaching methods used by Paul. He was patient, extremely professional and all lessons felt completely relaxed. I would recommend this school to anybody within the South Shields area and I can't thank Paul enough for all he has done.
After a rather bruising encounter a few years ago with one of the larger driving schools in the area ( some very unprofessional behaviour and proving the old adage that bigger is not always better ), I questioned whether driving was ever going to be for me at all. So what a godsend to me Paul was as I made a last ditch attempt at becoming a driver. Professional, punctual and so patient he should be sainted, Paul stubbornly set about rebuilding my shattered confidence. Not for a single second did he lose faith in my ability to make a driver during the many times I used to lose faith in myself. The proof? He took this challenging pupil and former hopeless case to a first time driving test pass with 2 minors. An absolutely superb instructor as well as a true gentleman. Very highly recommended.
A first-time pass with mini me @ Paul, thank you ever so much, really enjoyed the experience.
I couldn't have asked for a better instructor than Paul! My lessons were very relaxed and I felt very comfortable throughout my learning experience. Paul is very flexible and patient and goes the extra mile to make you the most confident driver possible. I passed my test with one minor and would thoroughly recommend!
Would 100% recommend Paul to anyone I know that's looking to learn to drive, brilliant instructor and very patient with you, thanks for getting me passed Paul.
Thanks to Paul I passed first time. He is a great driving instructor who is straightforward when it comes to what you need to do and is also very friendly and patient. I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn to drive.
I passed with ease and confidence due to Paul and his patience and teaching skills! I'm never off the road and I absolutely love driving all thanks to Paul! Would highly recommend to anyone, thanks again Paul.
Absolutely first class driving instructor, he made me feel at ease in the car! Challenged me where I needed the extra confidence, very patient and easy to get along with! Very reasonably priced! Goes above and beyond to make sure you are test ready! He makes me miss driving lessons.
It has been a pleasure to learn to drive with you Paul, you made driving feel easy and made me feel relaxed while giving me updates on Gateshead FC!!! All the best for the future and thanks again….. Michael.
Thank you so much to Paul! I've passed first time with 'mini me' and he is very patient and used different techniques to help me understand, would definitely recommend Paul. Thanks again.
Passed first time with Paul what a great guy makes you feel really relaxed and have already recommended mini me to my friends and family what brilliant instructor he is thanks for everything Paul mate.
Passed first time with Paul at Mini Me, absolutely loved learning with Paul he gave me so many useful tips and tricks I use driving today. I would completely recommend Mini Me to anyone who wants fo learn. Thank you for everything, Paul.
Proud to say I'm now the owner of a full licence and can legally drive woohoo! Would definitely recommend Paul to anyone wanting to learn to drive, very patient and understanding! Thanks again for all your help.
Passed my driving test and theory test first time with all the help from Mini Me it was great learning with Paul. I would definitely recommend Mini Me to friends and family because Paul is a brilliant instructor. Thanks again Paul.
Passed first time with Mini Me, would recommend to new learners, brilliant instructor.
Passed on my first time through Mini Me, a Great instructor with a lot of patience, always on time and understanding with personal issues. Thanks again Paul, hopefully, I'll be getting my SmartCar soon! | 1,964 |
Q: MongoDB Storage size scaling I have a Java + MongoDB web application deployed on an OpenShift production medium gear, with no scaling enabled, with 11GB storage.
At the moment, I have some data stored, so MongoDB accurately reports a Data Size of 720.4K. This grows appropriately<|fim_middle|>9GB.
That might help you for a while.
| when I add new objects, everything is ok.
What I am concerned about is the reported Storage Size of 1.52M. Since this is a production gear, I am expecting that this allocated storage space will grow as needed (at the current rate of data production, I estimate the 1.52M limit will be reached in a few days). Is my expectation correct?
ETA: In the meantime, the Storage Size has increased to 2.02M, so I guess that answers my question.
A: You can more or less estimate that but you cannot be 100% sure.
A piece of advice I can give you is to change your storage engine to wiredTiger. I had 20.0GB of disk used by a mongodb instance using the MMAPv2 (which was the default storage engine before Mongodb 3.2). When I converted that to use wiredTiger my disk space dropped to unbelievable 1. | 199 |
Right back who had signed at<|fim_middle|> three times this season and enjoyed every game. They are a strong side with some talented youngsters. | Leeds as an apprentice from Morton, but only made a couple of appearances for the first team. A trial at Doncaster lead to a permanent move.
Anon says: I went to school with Vincent, or 'Totty' as he was called (I've no idea why). As far as I remember everyone in our year considered him to be the best footballer in the school, far better than the other star player Paul Lambert. Vincent was a nice guy - he was sweet to everyone and didn't feel the need to laud his skills and talent over the others. He smiled at me a few times, despite the fact I wasn't one of the most popular kids at school. Not much you might think, but his example affected the way others around him behaved, for the better. I'll always think nice thoughts about that guy.
Brian Hamilton says: I don't remember Vinne playing for Leeds but now he turns out occasionally for Horsforth St Margarets Reserves who are in the top three of the Harrogate and District League. The 1st team play in the Premier Division of the West Yorkshire League. I've seen H St M | 235 |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Winn-Dixie and Harveys stories, along with their customers and parent company, Southeastern Grocers, raised nearly $218,000 through an in-store Hunger Relief Program during a two-week campaign this summer.
Customers were invited to help in the fight hunger in their communities by donating during checkout. The Hunger Relief Program also allowed Southeastern Grocers associates the opportunity to positively impact their local communities by volunteering with partner food banks at mobile pantries throughout the Southeast.
"We want to recognize and thank our generous customers and associates for their contributions to<|fim_middle|> America® local food banks, the grocer also provided more than $150,000 in fresh produce and nonperishable products to food insecure communities in which it serves. | this important cause through our Feeding America partner food banks," said Anthony Hucker, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers.
In partnership with 25 Feeding | 34 |
Natural Beauty Brands offers a range of<|fim_middle|> find more than you expected at low prices. | natural foot care products for relaxed feet. Shop for best foot care products online.
If you are looking to buy a foot care kit online with natural foot care products there is no better place to go than Natural Beauty Brands. Their selection of foot care products online is second to none and you have plenty of options to choose from including the pedi pads that separate your toes and allow you to apply nail polish evenly and cleanly. Another popular option is the soothing foot bath salts that come directly from the Dead Sea and will help to relax and soothe your feet.
NBB carries a great selection of natural foot care products online from Mavala Switzerland and the quality cannot be matched. If you are looking for a smoothing scrub cream for your feet, revitalizing emulsion for tired legs, refreshing foot gel, deodorizing foot gel, a hydro-repairing foot care kit or something else you will | 179 |
Create your product together with a global FMCG leader!
Global seller of consumer goods.
New recipes and ingredients for ice cream<|fim_middle|>ny" | , mayonnaise and sauces, tea.
Examples: powdered fruit and berry extracts capable to add rich aroma; bean fibers, prebiotcs, etc.
New freezers to store ice cream, and refrigerating cabinets with remote door opening/closing that are cost-effective to manufacture, install, and maintain.
Anti-mold treatment of food during packaging and storage.
Solutions to install and track GPS units on freezers.
Anti-mold treatment of tea during packaging and storage.
Communication based on consumer gadgets (VR/AR technologies; user-product-phone interactions).
The goal of Accelerator is to develop pilot projects jointly with Unilever.Based on Accelerator results, Unilever will consider business cooperation.
The participants will undergo expert review. Each of them will get a personal mentor belonging to business community, and an acceleration facilitator from GenerationS and Unilever teams.
When in Accelerator, participants develop their projects and open new opportunities in marketing, sales funnel, legal aspects, etc.
Founders neither pay for acceleration, nor dilute their ownership. Unilever will discuss business cooperation with successful participants of the program.
Investors Club Central Bank "Yuzh | 236 |
Sooo, I was the lonely only skater at the Challenge of the Centuries. And that was fine because it left all the comments of "what you are doing is amazing" all for myself. Ha! No, the bikers where great there, and even the traffic was very considerate. I had a good time talking to people, and felt very welcome. I almost brought my camera on the road with me, and now regret<|fim_middle|> wear the maglia rosa, and the tour returns this year to the steep climbs and spectacular views of the Dolomites. | I didn't. So many cool things. And so many lessons learned.
Sparky's not getting faster at these rides, and that's the point.
Frustrated with the very high cost of prescription sunglasses I opted to check out www.zennioptical.com and found some really good deals, especially on performance shades. My dilemma is fuzzy sight at distances over six feet. Close up reading distance is fine. Is that far-sighted or near-sighted? I don't know,,,,can never keep it straight. I just know that further = fuzzy.
After some celebrations earlier in the week and some skating (including one day that was slow and not such great fun due to some exhaustion and burnout), we decided to get some rest and plan a long day out on the Silver Comet Trail outside Atlanta, near Smyrna, GA. We put out the word late as usual, and got regrets from TomB and JonK but had our plan and perhaps some company.
OK it's raining and my muscles are fine with another day off so I was checking out some ways of stopping on skates. Lots of these are not so much for speed skaters with grippy wheels and grippy asphalt, but for freestylers or hockeyites on smoother surfaces. Having said that, there are certainly those who can do these moves in speed skates.
If you've lost text you were writing in create/blog or create/events, especially when you clicked "Disable Rich Text" or "Enable Rich Text," my apologies! I've switched built-in editor code for the text areas from WYMeditor to CKEditor, so it will have a different look. Thanks to eebee and timv for signaling their loss of work as nicely as possible.
The 2010 Giro d'Italia begins this Saturday with an 8.4 km time trial in Amsterdam. The first grand tour of the season begins with three stages in the Netherlands before returning to Italy for the balance of the event.
While not as ceremony-heavy as last year's centennial Giro, the 2010 event could still be very interesting. There's no heavy favorite to | 436 |
John Partridge obituary
Architect combining flair with social purpose and sound building technique
The Hilda Besse building at St Antony's College, Oxford, probably John Partridge's finest built work. Photograph: James O Davies/The Historic England Archive
Geraint Franklin
Fri 29 Jul 2016 13.18 EDT
Last modified on Wed 23 Sep <|fim_middle|> that afforded the opportunity to indulge a longstanding passion for oriental building traditions.
Partridge was of slight build and dressed smartly, with a neatly trimmed moustache. Behind a stoic formality lay reserves of kindness and a ready wit.
He married Doris in 1953 and the couple raised their family at Petts Wood, near Orpington. Partridge restored a Regency house at nearby Cudham, and retired there after winding up the practice in 1995. His service to architecture was recognised when he was elected a Royal Academician in 1988. He was appointed CBE in 1981.
Doris died in 2000. He is survived by his children, Richard and Jane, and by two grandchildren, Orlando and Leo.
John Albert Partridge, architect, born 26 August 1924; died 20 July 2016
This article was amended on 19 August 2016. The original mentioned Le Corbusier entering his smoothed concrete béton brut phase; it should have been his raw concrete béton brut phase; and the 10-storey towers mentioned were 12-storey towers. | 2020 10.29 EDT
Whether the job at hand was the rehousing of Londoners or the dining arrangements of Oxford fellows, the architect John Partridge, who has died aged 91, was a natural problem solver. To housing, colleges, courthouses and theatres alike he brought a combination of creative flair, social purpose and sound building technique – qualities rarely seen together in contemporary architecture.
Among his most celebrated projects was the creation, with his colleagues, Bill Howell, John Killick and Stan Amis, of 2,000 homes for the London county council at Roehampton. In Oxford, the Hilda Besse building for St Antony's College, probably his finest built work, is an essay in how each part comes together to make an intricate yet ordered whole, while in his halls of residence for St Anne's College, strongly modelled facades refract the daylight entering the interiors and frame views out. He was always creative and conscientious.
Born in Crouch End, north London, John was the youngest child of George Partridge, an accounts clerk, and his wife, Gladys (nee Rolt). He attended Highbury county school and Shooters Hill grammar school. When his father became ill, he left school to support his family by taking a job as a clerk in London county council's public health department.
Partridge discovered his vocation after signing up to an LCC training scheme, enrolling in part-time classes and later an evening school at the Regent Street Polytechnic school of architecture. The course had a pragmatic bent but it was the architectural historian John Summerson's lectures on Renaissance, baroque and Georgian architecture that inspired him. Partridge seized upon the analogies, perspectives and solutions suggested by architectural history. These, he believed, would lead to a richer architecture.
John Partridge was always creative and conscientious. Photograph: James O Davies/The Historic England Archive
When, in 1950, the LCC chief architect, Robert Matthew, regained responsibility for housing, Partridge was among the first entrants to the new division. There he encountered an influx of talented graduates from the architectural schools, including Colin St John (Sandy) Wilson, Alan Colquhoun, Peter Carter and his future partners, Howell, Killick and Amis. It was a formative period, with long hours of debate and discovery. If his educational background differed from theirs, it mattered little, such was the sense of striving towards a common goal.
Of the LCC's newly acquired sites, the largest and finest was at Roehampton, comprising the grounds of four large houses on the fringe of Richmond Park. Partridge joined Howell, Killick and Amis to complete a team preparing a scheme of 2,000 dwellings at the Roehampton Lane site (now known as Alton West). Devotees of Le Corbusier, then entering his raw concrete béton brut phase, they visited his Unité d'habitation in Marseille before its scaffolding was struck.
Partridge grasped that Roehampton's most memorable characteristic was its landscape setting. Clusters of 12-storey towers were planted among the trees, while Howell's mini-Unités emerged from the rolling grass carpet of Downshire Field. The hill was in fact remodelled by Partridge, who for several days directed a bulldozer from the sixth floor of one of the unfinished blocks, like an orchestral conductor. At Roehampton, as Nikolaus Pevsner observed, Corbusian urbanism was reconciled with the English picturesque.
In summer 1959, Howell and Killick persuaded Partridge to join them on their competition entry for Churchill College, Cambridge. Leaving secure employment for private practice was a leap of faith – by then he had a wife, Doris (nee Foreman), two young children and a mortgage. The design was a sculptural reimagining of Cambridge academe, complete with open courts, a great hall and an island tomb for Sir Winston (in the event buried at Bladon in Oxfordshire). The scheme was placed second but it was the critics' favourite and the partnership's first commissions followed. It was the beginning of Howell Killick & Partridge; Amis completed the quartet in 1961.
The partners leased a Fitzroy Square office from the publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, who, on discovering that the architects had sublet rooms to a company he had taken over, roared: "Partridge! You and I are going to fall out!" Howell Killick Partridge & Amis was a disciplined but good-humoured practice with its daily rituals and personalities. The partners remained firmly in control of design, yet Partridge had a knack for recognising and nurturing talent.
In John Partridge's Roehampton development, Nikolaus Pevsner observed, Corbusian urbanism was reconciled with the English picturesque. Photograph: James O Davies/The Historic England Archive
Although weaned on housing , HKPA made its name in the 1960s higher education boom. Its Cambridge commissions were handled by Howell while Partridge took on the Oxford jobs. Whereas Howell evolved a sequence of "vertebrate buildings" whose expressed structure defined the interiors, Partridge was interested in skin as well as bones. He studied how concrete weathered, detailing the chocolate bar facades of his Oxford designs to shed water cleanly. This approach, which he dubbed "elevational plumbing", illustrates his blend of creativity and pragmatism.
The interior of the dining hall at St Antony's College, Oxford, designed by John Partridge. Photograph: James O Davies/The Historic England Archive
After Howell's death in 1974, Partridge increasingly became the public face of HKPA. By then the go-ahead optimism of the postwar years was sapping and concrete was no longer a material to show off. In his later work, bricks, pine trusses and chunky pantiles were detailed with the same rigour. Partridge spoke with particular pride of the Hall of Justice in Trinidad, a master class in courthouse planning; the Albany Theatre in Deptford, south-east London; and Chaucer College, Canterbury, a Japanese university college | 1,283 |
Liam Marshall raring to go ahead of the new campaign and hopes he can help Wigan Warriors be successful this season
Fresh off a bruising climate fight, Oregon Democrats set…
With Sexually Transmitted Infections Off the Charts,…
Dubois County GOP officers attend training
By Evan Vega On Jan 12, 2022
Liam Marshall is looking forward to the new season
The Warriors winger has missed large chunks of the last two seasons with an ACL injury but is now fully focused on the future.
With the new season less than a month away, he's hoping to play as much as possible and help the team achieve their goals.
"The last two years have been difficult for me," he said.
Register to our daily newsletter
The i-Newsletter cut through the noise
"Early in 2020 it was some of the best rugby I've played but then the pandemic started so we took a break and then I broke my knee in the third leg back.
"It was hard to get that rhythm and routine<|fim_middle|> offers.
AheadCampaignhopesLiamMarshallraringseasonsuccessful
'We have got to change' – Sisulu stands by comments on Constitution, judiciary
La máscara de tela, ¿es lo suficientemente buena contra omicron?
5 things to know as Portland Timbers open training camp
The Marketing Campaign For Jurassic World Dominion Is Getting Weird
Washington launches anti-human trafficking campaign
Celtic midfielder pictured in training in major injury boost | back, but I had a full pre-season for the first time in two years and was there with the boys training from day one.
Wigan St Patricks' Challenge Cup tie first round available to stream this weekend…
"Hopefully I'm in a good place to start the season off right. I want to stay fit this year and play as many games as possible.
"Hopefully that should help the team and the main goal is to have some success as a group."
Marshall believes returning to action over the past year will only help him jump into this campaign.
"Maybe in different circumstances I wouldn't have played so many games in such a short time in such a congested season," he added.
"In the long run, getting that bit of rust out of my game and getting back to Super League intensity probably did me a favor.
"I want to string together a full season and do what I can."
The Warriors have two warm-up games before the SuperLeague campaign begins on February 11 in Hull KR.
They travel to Newcastle on Sunday 23 January before visiting Warrington six days later for Stefan Ratchford's testimony.
Thank you for reading. If you appreciate what we do and can support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today click here and see our | 266 |
FAR FROM THE TREE (Libro en papel)
PARENTS, CHILDREN AND THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY
Ciencia General
Solomon's startling proposition is that diversity is what unites us all. He<|fim_middle|> midlife decision, influenced by this research, to become a parent.
Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original thinker, Far from the Tree explores themes of generosity, acceptance, and tolerance—all rooted in the insight that love can transcend every prejudice. This crucial and revelatory book expands our definition of what it is to be human.
Libro a reservar: FAR FROM THE TREE | writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, as are the triumphs of love Solomon documents in every chapter.
All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent parents should accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on forty thousand pages of interview transcripts with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Whether considering prenatal screening for genetic disorders, cochlear implants for the deaf, or gender reassignment surgery for transgender people, Solomon narrates a universal struggle toward compassion. Many families grow closer through caring for a challenging child; most discover supportive communities of others similarly affected; some are inspired to become advocates and activists, celebrating the very conditions they once feared. Woven into their courageous and affirming stories is Solomon's journey to accepting his own identity, which culminated in his | 231 |
Date: December 1, 2018Author: jgersbeck123 0 Comments
Card Corner- Kellogg's 3D 1971 Frank Howard
This card set has always been one of my all-time favorites. I always felt as if 1971 baseball cards marked the cut-off between old school and the dawning of the modern era, and this card fit that mood perfectly. These cards were issued one per cereal box, 75 in the full set. It was a no-brainer to include 'The Capital Punisher', as he was one of the game's most feared sluggers at this time. In this shot, Howard has the look of a stern uncle or a high school Principal who no one wanted to mess with.
The 6′ 7″ Howard had been the 1960 National League Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers and averaged 24 homers a year in his five<|fim_middle|> who lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons. His most recent book, 1970s All-Star Baseball: A History of the Decade's All-Star Games can be found on Amazon:
His bestselling 1970s Baseball: A History and Analysis of the Decade's Best Seasons, Teams, and Players is available on Amazon, B&N, and iBooks:
Previous Previous post: Late Bloomers
Next Next post: The Most Impactful Off-Season Trades of the 1970s | full seasons with LA. Before the 1965 season Howard was traded to Washington, and became the Senators' top player, hitting his peak from 1968-70, when he belted 136 home runs and drove in 343. He finished in the top ten in AL MVP voting and was an All-Star each of those years. In 1970 Howard topped the American League with 44 homers, 126 RBI, and 132 walks (29 were intentional, also tops in the league). This card, issued after that season, captures Frank at the height of his career and stardom.
In 1971, at 34 years of age, Frank was honored as an All-Star for the final time, and though he slipped to 26 home runs with 83 RBI, he still led the league with 20 intentional walks. The team moved to Texas the following season, and Howard was sold to the Tigers on August 31st. He retired a little more than a year later, after being released in October 1973.
Joe Gersbeck is a baseball historian and lifetime fan/student of the game | 254 |
Q: Select element by index (multiple elements of same class) Is there a way to select a element by index with Javascript or jQuery? For instance:
<div class="item"></div>
<div class="item"></div>
<div class="item"></div>
<div class="item"></div>
Under jQuery I could get the length as 4, now is there a way to select and then<|fim_middle|>eq() selector for this job:
var element = $('div.item:eq(3)');
A: $('div.item:eq(4)');
this code will select the 4th div with .item class
A: $('div.item:eq(3)')
or
$("div.item").eq(3)
or
$("div.item").get(3)
If you are talking about getting the "element", the third option returns the DOM element, versus the first two that return the jQuery object containing the DOM element.
The first two are very similar. The difference is that the first one puts "eq" inside the query so you can only manipulate that single element. If you use the second one, you can do something like
$("div.item").css('background','red').eq(3).css('background','blue')
which cannot be done so easily using the other two methods.
| manipulate a element of "div.item" based on its index number?
A: http://api.jquery.com/eq/
$("div.item").eq(0) will give you the first element.
A: You could use the . | 46 |
So thankful for each one of you!
What a weekend. Seriously. Our legs are sore and our bodies are tired from super early mornings but HOLY CRAP...we had such a great weekend. This past weekend we had our very first (of hopefully many) #j&k5k weekends. People flew in from all over the world...yes WORLD (Nathalie for<|fim_middle|> because we felt the love...we saw the tweets, the FB messages, the Instagrams...we saw the smiling faces in the room and we heard the voices singing along. We are a team. | the win)...to hang out with us in our fabulous little city that we call home. The weekend kicked off with a rockin' team dinner held at a Hibachi place.
The next morning we ran a 5k...how cute is our team?
Before the 5k we had the distinct pleasure of singing the national anthem pre-race.
We even got to meet the mayor...Hey Karl Dean.
It was so fun seeing our bright shirts in the crowd!
Kate with her mom & sister. It was their first 5k ever...so proud of them!
We tailgated post race & embraced the warmth of the sunshine. We ate muffins, donuts, re-fueled with coffee and chit-chatted about you know..this and that. And Ryan took lots of fun pics of us that we will post at a later time...we were kind of group-photo-happy.
Later that evening we all gathered in loft office spaces that a team of Über creative professionals transformed into the perfect sound stage for the recording of our live album Heart of Stone.
Our super talented friend Emily came out and took pictures for us. We will post some of her pics soon...they're amazing!
After looking back and thinking about the weekend we've talked about a lot of things. One of the things that struck us the most is how much fun WE had. While planning this event we talked a lot about making sure that our "attendees" would have a kick-A time and we never really thought about us having a good time. Not that we thought we'd have a bad time but you know what we mean.
We were seriously blown away by the quality of people that came to hang with us. They're all amazing and are really super, awesome people that happen to like our music & us enough to come spend the weekend with us. What? How cool is that?
And you guys. There is something really amazing about coming together as a team. You have no idea how inspired we are/were by the folks that surrounded us. It opened our eyes to the fact that yet again, people are AMAZING. The stories of friendship we heard brought tears to our eyes. The funny stories we heard made us laugh 'til we cried. The heartbreaking stories of struggle and pain. Of sickness and the unknowns. We all toughed out 3.1 miles together. Cheering for each other. We were a team.
We weren't only a team out on the course that day either. We were a team during the 55 minutes we hit record and played a show. Even if you weren't in the room we knew we had our team in the room with us. We felt love from all over the world cheering us on for our live recording...thank goodness for technology | 565 |
Talbot-Lago T150 är en personbil, tillverkad av den franska biltillverkaren Talbot-Lago mellan 1936 och 1939.
Sedan det brittisk-franska bolaget STD Motors (Sunbeam - Talbot – Darracq) gått i konkurs i mitten av trettiotalet köptes den brittiska delen upp av Rootes. Den franska delen drevs vidare av Antonio Lago, som haft intressen i företaget under hela trettiotalet, under namnet Talbot-L<|fim_middle|> hjulupphängning fram med tvärställda bladfjädrar. Den starka motorn och det låga chassit lockade Frankrikes främsta karossbyggare, som Figoni et Falaschi, Saoutchik och Henri Chapron att skapa sina mest uppseendeväckande karosser på T150:n.
Motor:
Motorsport
Talbot-Lago byggde även tävlingsbilen T150C, avsedd för sportvagnsracing. Den hade ett kortare chassi och motorn trimmad upp till 200 hk.
Referenser
Externa länkar
Lago T150
Bakhjulsdrivna fordon | ago.
Talbot-Lagos förnämsta modell var den sportiga T150. Motorn var en stor rak sexa med hemisfäriska förbränningsrum. Ventilerna satt vinklade mot varandra i topplocket och styrdes av en enkel kamaxel i motorblocket via stötstänger, vilket krävde ett snillrikt men komplicerat ventilstyrningssystem. Chassit hade individuell | 108 |
Council to ban staff smoking breaks
Smoking breaks will be banned for thousands of council employees under new proposals.
Nottinghamshire County Council has said its 9,000 employees will be barred from smoking during work time with the ban extending to e-cigarettes.
View all 4 updates ›
3 September 2015 at 10:30pm
Is latest smoking ban a step too far?
Nottinghamshire County Council has told staff they are introducing a blanket ban on having a cigarette during the working day.
The ban is intended to apply to anyone in uniform - even on the way to work. But is this latest attack on smokers a step too far? We sent Martin Fisher to Mansfield to find out.
Last updated Thu 3 Sep 2015
Lincolnshire Wig Bank at risk of closure without new volunteers
Lincolnshire Wig Bank is a free service offered by St Barnabas Hospice. It has helped more than 450 patients since it opened in<|fim_middle|> admits he'd be 'flattered' if he was Bridget Jones' Mark Darcy
Calendar Sport
Calendar weather
National Top stories | 2014.
The 2020 Tour de Yorkshire is unveiled and promises to be the toughest yet
The full route of the 2020 Tour de Yorkshire has been unveiled with the men's first stage on April 30th and the women's the next day
Man jailed for abduction of seven-year-old girl
The incident was witnessed by a member of the public and police were able to stop Gavin Sykes, who had the girl in his car, 15 minutes later
Bonfire sparklers being recalled over burn fears
Social groups set up for veterans to reduce loneliness
Shale gas survey to take place in the East Midlands
Five arrested after man stabbed to death in Huddersfield
RSPCA inspector finds beaten and bloodied dog 'barely conscious' in bath
Keir Starmer | 172 |
5 To Watch: Usain Bolt Goes for More Gold
By NBC Bay Area Staff • Published August 18, 2016 • Updated on August 19, 2016 at 5:33 pm
USAIN BOLT GOES FOR MORE GOLD
The Fastest Man Alive will compete in the 4x100 meter final late Friday. Usain Bolt has already electrified the Rio crowd by winning the 100 meter and 200 meter dash.
HOW TO WATCH: Coverage of track and field events begins live online at 4:10 p.m. PT. Bolt's final Rio race is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. PT. You can also see Bolt's race later during NBC's primetime broadcast.
Kami Craig of the USA celebrates a goal with with team mates during the Water Polo semi final match between the USA and Hungary at Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Aug. 17, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
US WOMEN'S WATER POLO TEAM FACES ITALY FOR GOLD
The U.S. women's water polo team, led by team captain Maggie Steffens of Stanford and a San Ramon native, looks to defend its London title against Italy. It's the U.S.'s fourth time fighting for gold in five Olympic appearances. The U.S. is looking to become the first women's water polo team to win back-to-back gold medals. They have medaled in every Olympics since women's water polo has become part of the Games.
HOW TO WATCH: Watch the gold medal match live online at 11:30 a.m. PT or later during NBC's daytime programming.
Claressa Shields of the United States celebrates defeating Nadezda Torlopova of Russia during the Women's Middle (75kg) Boxing final bout on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on Aug. 9, 2012, in London, England.
BOXER CLARESSA SHIELDS IN THE WOMEN'S MIDDLEWEIGHT SEMIFINALS
49ers 3 hours ago
Claressa Shields has become a force to be reckoned with after making history at the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win gold in the sport.
Now 21, Shields is more confident than ever as she attempts to defend her Olympic championship. She'll face Dariga Shakimova of Kazakhstan on Friday.
HOW TO WATCH: Catch Shields live online in the middleweight semifinals.<|fim_middle|> is led by five-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta, who is recognized as one of the best women's soccer players ever.
HOW TO SEE IT: Catch live coverage of live online and on NBC Sports Network at 12 p.m. ET.
STREAM: http://stream.nbcolympics.com/womens-soccer-semifinal-match-2
Photo embed city module: 390216811
ES GOES FOR INDIVIDUAL GOLD
It's Simone time. After leading her team to gold in the all-around team event Tuesday, Biles is looking for an individual gold medal to call her own as she and 23 other women, including U.S. teammate Aly Raisman, compete in the all-around final.
Coming to Rio as a heavy favorite, Biles has excelled under the pressure and the spotlight. On Thursday, she'll have another opportunity to shine.
How to Watch: Catch the American women 3:00 p.m. ET live online.
Stream: http://stream.nbcolympics.com/womens-gymnastics-all-around-final?chrcontext=xxxx
United StatesNBCNBALondonGolden State Warriors | Boxing coverage begins live online at 10 a.m. PT. Shields is scheduled to compete at 11:30 a.m. PT.
Lisa Dahlkvist of Sweden (center) and her teammates celebrate victory in the Women's Football Semi Final between Brazil and Sweden on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on Aug. 16, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
SWEDEN TAKES ON GERMANY IN GOLD MEDAL WOMEN'S SOCCER MATCH
After knocking the U.S. team out of the Olympics on penalty kicks, Sweden defeated host Brazil - also on penalty kicks. Now the Swedes are one win away from gold. The only thing standing in their way: Germany.
HOW TO WATCH: Catch the women's gold medal match between Germany and Sweden live online and on NBC Sports Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. PT.
NBAE/Getty Images
DeMarcus Cousins of the USA Basketball Men's National Team goes to the basket against Argentina during the Quarterfinals on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 17, 2016, at Barra Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
U.S MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM COMPETES IN THE SEMIS
After some early scares, the U.S team rebounded Wednesday in a rout over Argentina, 105-78, to advance to the semifinals against Spain. Now the U.S. team, featuring Golden State Warriors' stars Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, is one win away from playing for the gold.
HOW TO WATCH: Watch Team USA live online or on NBC Sports Network at 11:30 a.m. PT.
SWEDISH WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM FACES BRAZIL IN SEMIFINAL
After booting the U.S. team from the Olympics with a stunning win, Sweden now looks to play its way into a gold medal match, but it must first play host team Brazil.
In the teams' first matchup at the 2016 Olympics, Brazil dismantled Sweden 5-1 in one of the most impressive performances of the tournament. Brazil | 478 |
I get up early but it takes me a while to get out of Grand Junction, lots of riding around to finish up a few chores. It's Easter<|fim_middle|> Bummer, this may have an effect on my plans because there are no services nearby heading west.
Nice free BLM campground in Rabbit Valley.
The entry into Colorado National Monument was free, the ranger said it was National Parks Week. | Sunday (Happy Easter!) so most things are closed.
A couple with a small child and 4 dogs traveling from Maryland to California. They are hauling those two crates with bikes, one of them is massive.
When I finally finish up in Grand Junction I head to the Colorado National Monument. It's free today, normally 5 dollars, the ranger said it's National Parks Week. There is a fair amount of climbing to get up onto the mesa. I run into a ton of cyclists going up and down the climb, I chat with a number of them.
Tunnels in the Colorado National Monument.
Looking back down on Grand Junction.
Not a good deal if you're alone.
After the Monument I head west on I-70 back towards Utah. On the way in I saw a cool looking BLM area with campgrounds called Rabbit Valley so I make that my destination. It's a slog due to the wind but I'm in no hurry today. Once in Rabbit Valley I find a great unused campsite that's set back away from the campground. Probably no one is using it because there is no direct car access. A guy comes over and offers me a beer, turns out he grew up not far away from where I did. We chat for a while then it's time for dinner, when I open my vegetable bag I discover that everything has turned to mush. They froze in the motel fridge and thawed into vegetable soup. | 291 |
The Center Club has the accommodations and expertise to ensure that your social or corporate event will be planned and executed flawlessly. From Bar Mitzv<|fim_middle|>/Bat/B'ani Mitzvah.
We will work closely with you to plan an event that commemorates this joyous milestone.
The Center Club is also able to accommodate your Shabbat dinner and Havdalah service.
You may arrange to save your date up to three years in advance.
We boast nine areas to hold events that can host up to 300 for a reception. Smaller meeting rooms and the Wine Room have a minimum spending usage while our larger, unique spaces with incredible views have a room rental fee.
Surprise and delight loved ones and business contacts with a memorable dinner at The Center Club. Looking for something all your own?
Work with our catering staff and Chef Bannan to create a specialized menu for your event. From specialty linens to custom ice sculptures, hosting a rehearsal dinner, retirement party, Board of Directors Dinner, or other important events with our detail oriented and gracious staff. | ahs and Proms to Board Meetings and Corporate Receptions, we have nine spaces available for rent that can host anywhere from four to 400 people.
"The Center Club is open to non-members for private functions... It's perfect for birthday parties, holiday events, weddings, conferences, charity balls, rehearsal dinners, anniversary parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, as well as seminars, business meetings and trade shows. The views from the 15th and 16th floors of 100 Light St. building are breathtaking! The food is phenomenal, as is the staff." - Kathleen S.
"The view from The Center Club is absolutely wonderful. We recently had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration on their 16th floor. The venue was wonderful, the staff were all fantastic and they handled every little detail with the utmost professionalism and care. The food and the service were all exceptional. My daughter's special day went off without a hitch and The Center Club Staff was a big part of that equation. I would recommend their venue to anyone wanting to hold a special celebration there." - Ian P.
"Amazing event space. Amenities, views, service, all top notch. A great spot in the Baltimore Inner Harbor." - Frank B.
With views of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and over 2,800 sq. ft., the Harbor Room provides the flexibility needed when planning any special event.
When rented with the Harbor Room, the area can accommodate up to 300 people for a cocktail reception.
The Orioles Pub is every Birdland Fan's dream. Decked out in original and rare Baltimore Orioles memorabilia, the 1,408 (33x44) square foot space hosts game nights, corporate events, and private parties with theatre style seating for up to 100 people.
Named for The Center Club's first President, this space can host 60 for a theatre style presentation, 40 for a cocktail style reception, or 30 for board style or conference seating. Your next important presentation or evening event will launch seamlessly with our expert banquet team executing your every wish.
This specially enclosed room is ideal for more intimate dinners - client entertaining, birthdays, graduation celebrations, and more. Capacity in this room comfortably seats 12 for reception or conference.
With an exquisite view overlooking Federal Hill and the Stadiums, the Garrett Room hosts up to 40 for a seated dinner. Special occasions - rehearsal dinners, client celebrations, milestone birthdays are ideal for this space, which comes with its own private bar.
The Russell Room is ideal for important meetings. Available to rent all day, your next boar retreat or client presentation can be expertly catered with an expert level of privacy and genteel service. Hosts 12-14 in a 400 square foot space.
The Davidge room overlooks the Bromo-Seltzer Arts Tower and comfortably seats up to 15 for a private corporate meeting space. We offer multiple catering packages for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Center Club is honored to be the chosen location for Baltimore's most memorable Bar | 644 |
FT Interactive Data launches enhanced FTS service
December 14, 2004, 12:00 , 12:00
Interactive Data
FTS, FT Interactive Data's online portfolio administration tool, has been redesigned to give customers enhanced speed, functionality and clearer data presentation
FT Interactive Data, the major operating subsidiary of Interactive Data Corporation (NYSE:<|fim_middle|>3.5 million securities traded around the world, including hard-to-value instruments. Many of the world's best-known financial service and software companies subscribe to the company's services in support of their trading, analysis, portfolio management and valuation activities.
Interactive Data is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts. Through its branded businesses, FT Interactive Data, ComStock, CMS BondEdge and eSignal, Interactive Data has approximately 1,800 employees in offices located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Pearson plc
(LSE: PSON; NYSE: PSO), an international media company whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group, owns approximately 60 per cent of the outstanding common stock of Interactive Data Corporation.
FT Interactive Data, the major operating subsidiary of Interactive Data Corporation, is a leading provider of financial information and analytical software to global markets. FT Interactive Data supplies global securities pricing, evaluations, dividend, corporate action and descriptive information designed to support mutual funds' pricing activities, securities operations, research and portfolio management. FT Interactive Data collects, edits, maintains and delivers data on more than 3.5 million securities, including daily evaluations for approximately 2.5 million fixed income and international equity issues. FT Interactive Data specialises in 'hard-to-value' instruments and 'hard-to-get' information from emerging markets.
For further information please see: www.interactivedata.com | IDC) and a leading supplier of financial information and analytical software to global markets, has re-launched FTS, its flexible online portfolio administration tool. FTS now offers an enhanced look plus superior speed and functionality enabled by recent advances in web technology. The new design gives the FTS site a modern, streamlined appearance whilst providing the end user with improved page layouts, clearer data presentation, simplified navigation and faster page loading.
An easy-to-use web-based tool, FTS provides desktop access to intra-day and end-of-day market data from over 180 exchanges and other sources around the world, spanning both developed and emerging markets. Asset classes include equities, debt, funds, indices, foreign exchange, derivatives, commodities and futures. Extensive data fields are available, providing excellent depth of detail.
FTS provides access to daily evaluations for thousands of fixed income securities, irrespective of whether trades have occurred, as well as access to approximately 1.3 million US fixed income securities. Intra-day spot rates covering 172 currencies against the six major currencies, and intra-day forward rates for 39 currencies, are also available. Intra-day exchange listed security pricing is supplied every half-hour.
The comprehensive corporate action information - available in ISO 15022 format - includes rights issues, scrip issues, mergers and acquisitions, and redemptions. Corporate actions tracking is made easier through the 'securities alert' report which monitors a portfolio and informs the user when corporate actions are occurring, and the 'events diary' report which reminds the user when an event is about to occur.
Tim Fox, FT Interactive Data's FTS product marketing manager, said: "The new look FTS is an exciting development - intuitive web technology provides easy navigation and a simple function allows the user to build a page containing data available for any selected security. The data is displayed on one screen and hidden behind section headings that can be expanded or reduced by the click of a mouse."
Data can be downloaded into in-house or third party software in a format to suit the user or a customised service can be requested. FTS also allows the user to maintain a portfolio of securities online or via FTP, against which data files and corporate action reports can be generated.
The new and improved version of FTS view facility is now available.
Sue Mitchell, FT Interactive Data
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7825 8076 Email: sue.mitchell@ftid.com
About Interactive Data
Interactive Data Corporation (NYSE: IDC) is a leading global provider of securities pricing, financial information and analytic tools to institutional and individual investors. The company supplies time-sensitive pricing (including evaluated pricing), dividend, corporate action and descriptive information for more than | 565 |
Located just outside the town of Calvi, La Signoria<|fim_middle|>The hotel also has a private beach, and there is a shuttle going to and fro every day. The Signoria Mare, as it is known, is on the edge of Calvi Beach and has deck chairs and a grill restaurant. A variety of activities are also available, such as sailing, fishing, water-skiing and diving.
Harriet and Kate L are our 'La Signoria' experts and as seasoned travellers they have the inside track on the most memorable adventures. | has the best of both worlds – it's at the foot of the Corsican mountains, yet close to the beach.
Housed in an 18th century Genoese estate in three acres of gardens dotted with orange trees, pine trees and fountains, the setting is stunning. The 24 rooms are dotted around the gardens, and comprise of residences (standard rooms and suites), suites in the old house, family suites with two bedrooms, and two villas with private pools - one has three bedrooms and a large pool, the other is perfect for couples with a private plunge pool and just one bedroom.
The restaurant serves delicious food in true Corsican style and there is a soon to be open bistro. Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, sauna, steam room, massage treatments, a gym and a Jacuzzi.
| 170 |
Drugmaker Actelion in 'strategic transaction' talks with ZS Pharma
(Reuters) – Switzerland-based drugmaker Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX) said on Thursday it has initiated preliminary discussions with U.S. biotech company ZS Pharma Inc (ZSPH.O).
Bloomberg had reported earlier in the day that Actelion had offered to buy ZS Pharma last month in a deal valued at $2.5 billion.
Actelion and ZS Pharma both issued statements confirming that the two companies had held preliminary discussions, but did not specifically mention if the talks were related to a buyout.
ZS Pharma said the talks were "regarding a potential strategic transaction" and Actelion said the talks were "without any commitment on either party".
ZS Pharma's shares had spiked nearly 46 percent to touch a record high of $84.85 after the Bloomberg report. They closed up 28.4 percent, valuing the company at $1.9 billion.
San Mateo<|fim_middle|> potassium in the body that could lead to heart failure.
The company filed a marketing application for ZS-9 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May. The FDA is expected to issue a ruling on the application in May next year.
(Reporting by Vidya L Nathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) | , California-based ZS Pharma's lead experimental drug, ZS-9, is aimed at treating hyperalkemia, a build up of | 28 |
On Saturday 3 June my daughter will be a new alumna of FIS. As a Head of School, I've congratulated thousands of students who cross the graduation stage each spring,<|fim_middle|> choose how you will respond to adversity.
Finally, I wish that you will remember FIS when you grow old, and that you will tell stories to your friends about what you learned here. You will always be welcome at our school and I wish that you will find a way to return here when you are an adult, maybe with your own children at your side, and that your memories of your time here will make you smile. | but seeing my daughter, Paige, approach me in her cap and gown will be an altogether new experience. I knew this day would come, but it seems unreal.
As I consider the fact that my firstborn child will soon be leaving home, I am reminded of a special children's book, I Wish You More. In this story, an adult shares his hopes and dreams with a child who will soon be entering a big and sometimes challenging world. Reading the book again recently made me consider what wishes I have for my daughter – and for the rest of our FIS graduates.
I wish as you grow older you will see that FIS has made you a person who is the first to welcome a new friend when they move into your neighborhood. I wish you don't give up easily when faced with a problem, but have the confidence to seek creative solutions. I wish you remember that you can learn something from everyone, regardless of their background. I wish you will also see yourself as a teacher, so that you can help others make their way in this world.
I wish you will choose to hold to your values, even when you are offered a huge reward for putting them aside. I wish you will see that it is your responsibility to care for our planet as you would care for a special friend. I wish you will remember, especially when you feel you are treated unfairly, that you have the power to | 282 |
A Liebherr tower crane recently erected a wind turbine at an altitude of around 800m in the Prechtaler Schanze Wind Farm in the Black Forest. The 1000 EC-B with its extremely low footprint erected for the first time a wind turbine with a hub height of 149m on the hills between the towns of Gutach and Mühlenbach. The tower crane had never before been assembled to such a height for wind turbine manufacturer ENERCON – both with and without guying to the wind turbine tower.
The Liebherr 1000 EC-B 125 Litronic tower crane erecting the ENERCON wind turbine.
ENERCON's Liebherr 1000 EC-B 125 Litronic tower crane erected a new wind turbine in the Prechtaler Schanze Wind Farm in April 2016. With a hub height of 149 m and a blade diameter of 115m, it is the largest turbine ever to be erected using this crane. With its 31.50m jib and a hook height of 164m, the crane was still able to hoist 100t using four lines – one of the main features of the most powerful Flat-Top crane built by Liebherr which has been enhanced for erecting wind turbines. The maximum load capacity of this crane is 125t in the six-line version or 100t in the four-line version.
Wind turbines in areas with poor wind conditions are not generally used in large wind farms and instead are erected in wooded areas or locations with difficult access. Both these criteria are applied to this site in the southern Black Forest. According to ENERCON, only the 1000 EC-B 125 Litronic could be considered for the small, steep hilltop in Gutach, Mühlenbach in the middle of the forest. The area required for erecting a complete Flat-Top crane is approximately half of the normal standing area of other crane systems. The jib used in this case was very short which is why no additional site clearance work was required for its assembly.
In addition the logistics required to transport the 1000 EC-B 125 Litronic are much less than for comparable crane systems since the various components of the tower crane are supplied in small packages. The jib components of the large crane can be inserted into the tower elements, transported on a truck and assembled on site.
The Liebherr Flat-Top crane has a very small footprint.
First of all the compact Liebherr LR 1200 crawler crane assembled the Flat-Top crane to its initial hook height of 39 m. From this point the tower crane erected the wind turbine and was able to climb up the turbine tower as it rose using its own climbing equipment.
For this job in the southern Black Forest<|fim_middle|> free-standing erection heights with short erection times. The erection of the wind turbine took around four weeks.
In addition the crane was fitted with an adjustable undercarriage with a support base measuring 18.0 x 18.0m at the request of ENERCON for the erection of the first turbine. The support arms can be adjusted on this special undercarriage from the 45° position by +/- 5° or +/- 10°. The footprint of the support base is then 20.4m x 15.2m. This means that the crane can be moved closer to the object since it requires so little space.
The locations chosen for wind turbines generally have harsh wind conditions which can adversely affect cranes. One specific benefit of tower cranes is their operational safety in wind speeds of up to 65 km/h.
The infinitely adjustable crane drive units also allow high working speeds to be used. MICROMOVE fine positioning mode enables the concrete rings, nacelles and rotor blades to be positioned and set down with millimetre precision. The very long rotor blades can also be positioned with millimetre accuracy since swinging movements of the attached components are prevented.
The crane driver has a perfect view of what is going on from the cabin. This makes it easier to position the rotor blades precisely and safely using the trolley jib.
ENERCON's Liebherr 1000 EC-B 125 Litronic tower crane erected a new wind turbine in the Prechtaler Schanze Wind Farm in April 2016. With a hub height of 149m and a blade diameter of 115m, it is the largest turbine ever to be erected using this crane. | it climbed to a free-standing hook height of 110m. It was guyed to the wind turbine at a height of 100m. Using this single guying, the crane climbed to a final hook height of 164 m. Both free-standing and also fully climbed and guyed, these represented hook heights that ENERCON had never achieved before. They were only possible because Liebherr's flagship Flat-Top crane was assembled on the 1000 HC tower system. The monoblock tower sections with system dimensions of 3.40m x 3.40m and a length of 5.80m allow high | 140 |
Home » News » 'Guardians of the Galaxy': Michael Rooker finds life after 'Dead'
'Guardians of the Galaxy': Michael Rooker finds life after 'Dead'
From LA Times Hero Complex:
Rarely is there an upside for an actor to have his character killed off one of the most popular series on television. But when Michael Rooker received the news that his role as Merle Dixon on AMC's hit zombie series "The Walking Dead" was coming to an end, he took some comfort in knowing that another opportunity was waiting in the wings.
The popular character actor has a pivotal role in "Guardians of the Galaxy," Marvel's epic space adventure that arrives in theaters Friday, playing Yondu, a bandit who<|fim_middle|>.Rooker with us to speak about his portrayal of Merle in AMC's wildly popular series The Walking Dead and the upcoming soon to be wildly popular Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy!
There's never been a better time to be Rooker
Rooker is coming to Tulsa in four weeks for the city's first Wizard World convention celebrating all things comic books, fantasy lore, TV, movies and more.
Previous post Why is Yondu so happy? Box office: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' rockets to $94-million opening
Next post Why "Guardians Of The Galaxy" Director James Gunn Keeps Working With A "Madman" | is something of a mentor to Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord.
"Yondu is a responder, he's a doer," Rooker said recently. "He's the leader of a group of interstellar piracy-type guys and a very paternal figure for Peter Quill. He's his kid pretty much and he taught him how to get along with alien creatures in space that will eat you."
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-michael-rooker-finds-life-after-dead/
Best Action Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Wins Critics Choice Award
Even more good news, Guardians also nabbed two Oscar nominations today. How cool is that?
Interview: 'The Walking Dead' Ambles into Season 3
Michael recently sat down and had a chat with Melissa Parker at SmashingInterviews.com, in which he talked about humble beginnings in Jasper, Alabama and working his way up to Merle Dixon, the man who very well could become the most loved and hated anti-hero in cable television history…
BlankManInc.com: Interview with Michael Rooker
Since his breakout performance in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Michael Rooker has appeared in over a hundred projects including Cliffhanger, Days of Thunder, JFK, Tombstone, and Mallrats. Today we are pleased to have Mr | 283 |
You are here: Home / Comcast / NBC / FEDERER VS. NADAL, VENUS WILLIAMS VS. LINDSAY DAVENPORT, & FEDERER VS. ANDY RODDICK IN EPIC FINALS HIGHLIGHT "BREAKFAST AT WIMBLEDON," STARTING TONIGHT AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
FEDERER VS. NADAL, VENUS WILLIAMS VS. LINDSAY DAVENPORT, & FEDERER VS. ANDY RODDICK IN EPIC FINALS HIGHLIGHT "BREAKFAST AT WIMBLEDON," STARTING TONIGHT AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN's 24 Hours of Classic Wimbledon & French Open Finals Kick Off NBC Sports From The Vault This Week
"This is the greatest match I've ever seen." – John McEnroe on Federer-Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Final
Venus Williams Defeated Fellow American Lindsay Davenport in Wimbledon's Longest Ladies' Final in 2005
NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts Introduces this Week's Wimbledon Coverage, Continuing Tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 19, 2020 – NBC Sports From the Vault's "Breakfast at Wimbledon" continues with eight hours of historic Wimbledon finals, starting tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The night is highlighted by what John McEnroe called the greatest tennis match ever played – Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon gentlemen's final.
This week, NBC Sports presents nearly 55 hours of classic sports events from the past 40 years, featuring Notre Dame Football, the Orange Bowl, MLB classics, Wimbledon, French Open, PGA TOUR and Ryder Cup.
NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts introduces this week's Wimbledon coverage, continuing tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Match presentations include a specialized ticker featuring live tweets. Fans can tweet #NBCSNVault for the chance to see their tweets live on air.
Programming will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
TUESDAY, MAY 19 – "BREAKFAST<|fim_middle|> world No. 1 and American Andy Roddick in a thrilling five setter, 5–7, 7–6 (6), 7–6 (5), 3–6, 16–14, in 2009. Federer earned his sixth Wimbledon victory and 15th Grand Slam title, breaking the all-time Grand Slam record held by Pete Sampras.
The fifth and final set turned out to be an exhilarating battle – thirty games played over an hour and 35 minutes. Federer and Roddick were both dominant on serve throughout the first 16 games without a single break point opportunity. On match point, Federer broke Roddick's serve for the first time in the entire match to win the tiebreak, 16-14, and clinch the victory. Roddick's run also marked the last time a male player from the U.S. has reached a Wimbledon final.
The match lasted four hours and 18 minutes, and was the longest men's singles final in terms of games played in Grand Slam tournament history (77 games, breaking the record of 71 games set at the 1927 Australian Open).
2005 WIMBLEDON LADIES' FINAL AT 1 A.M. ET
In a pair of comeback tales, Venus Williams defeated compatriot and world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 9-7, for her third Wimbledon singles title in 2005. Williams became the first woman since Helen Wills Moody in 1935 to win Wimbledon after saving a match point.
Coming into the tournament, Williams was seeded 14th and had not advanced past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event in two years, while Davenport was aiming for her first Grand Slam title since 2000's Australian Open victory. Williams' 2005 Wimbledon victory marked her fifth Grand Slam singles title overall and first since the 2001 U.S. Open.
The match was the longest ladies' final in Wimbledon history with two hours and 45 minutes of play.
Below is each night's highlighted content throughout the week:
Tuesday, May 19: "Breakfast at Wimbledon"
Wednesday, May 20: French Open
Thursday, May 21: Notre Dame Football
Friday, May 22: MLB Classics
Saturday, May 23: PGA TOUR (Arnold Palmer Invitational) and Ryder Cup
Sunday, May 24: PGA TOUR (THE PLAYERS Championship) and Ryder Cup
Filed Under: NBC, Tennis, Uncategorized, Wimbledon | AT WIMBLEDON"
Coverage from London continues with a trio of classic Wimbledon finals from Centre Court. At 7 p.m. ET, Rafael Nadal won his first Wimbledon title, defeating five-time defending champion Roger Federer in 2008. Federer's 2009 Wimbledon victory over Andy Roddick earned him his 15th Grand Slam title, breaking the all-time Grand Slam record held by Pete Sampras. At 1 a.m. ET, Venus Williams won her third Wimbledon singles title after defeating fellow American and world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.
Commentators on the encore matches include: Ted Robinson and John McEnroe for the 2008 and 2009 gentlemen's finals; and Robinson and Mary Carillo for the 2005 ladies' final.
EVENT TIME (ET) NETWORK
2008 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Final 7 p.m. NBCSN
2009 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Final 10 p.m. NBCSN
2005 Wimbledon Ladies' Final 1 a.m. NBCSN
2008 WIMBLEDON GENTLEMEN'S FINAL AT 7 P.M. ET
"The greatest match I've ever seen," said three-time Wimbledon singles champion John McEnroe, who called the match on NBC. Through the rain delays and darkness, the epic five set 2008 Wimbledon gentlemen's final saw Rafael Nadal dethrone five-time defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7 (5), 6–7 (8), 9–7, for his first Wimbledon win.
In the third consecutive Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final, Federer battled back in the third and fourth set tiebreaks. Federer saved two championship points in the fourth set tiebreak, which he won 10-8, pushing the match to a fifth and final set. In the final set, Nadal broke Federer's serve and then held serve to win the set, 9-7, and clinch the victory. The second-longest gentlemen's final in Wimbledon history, the match lasted four hours and 48 minutes, stretching past 9:15 p.m. London time and 4:15 p.m. ET.
Nadal achieved the rare French Open-Wimbledon double after his 2008 victory, becoming only the third man to achieve this feat in the Open Era after Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg.
2009 WIMBLEDON GENTLEMEN'S FINAL AT 10 P.M. ET
In the third Federer-Roddick Wimbledon (fourth Grand Slam) final meeting, Roger Federer defeated former | 572 |
With desert terrain, its own mountain range and the Rio Grande running through it, Big Bend is one of the most ecologically diverse national parks in the United States. The lodging in the area is just as varied; visitors can choose between inexpensive motels or incredibly lavish resorts. More than likely, any type of person, on any type of budget, can find accommodations in or around the park.
Those who don't want to waste a moment's time outside of the park can stay in the only hotel in Big Bend, Chisos Mountain Lodge. Guests can choose from a cottage or one of the hotel's 72 rooms. There are five cottages, all with stone floors, and most with three double beds. The park's only restaurant is also located at the lodge as well as a gift shop. Chisos Mountain Lodge is owned and operated by Forever Resorts, an organization recognized for its commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly lodging. Some of the best views in the entire park can be seen at the Chisos Basin, where the lodge is located, and many trails begin in this area.
More of a town than a resort, the pet-friendly Lajitas is a mere 25 miles from the park. The Old West-style community is situated on a 25,000-acre private estate. There are well over a hundred rooms across the entire resort, ranging from the standard hotel room to luxurious suites. The resort also has Casitas,<|fim_middle|> can be rented. On the grounds of the hotel is a 26-acre park with a quarter-mile track for running, a pond, water fountains, a putting green, dance court and iron gazebo. The park is full of native plants, many of which are used in the hotel's restaurant Cafe Cenizo.
Minutes from Big Bend National Park and Terlingua ghost town, Chisos Mining Company Motel is centrally located for tourists visiting the area. The motel offers single and double rooms, three different sizes of cabins and condos. The motel's largest cabin is situated on eight acres of land and is fully equipped, making it ideal for longer stays. The condos maintain an essence of seclusion as well, being located off-property, and also have laundry facilities.
Freeman, Mary. "Hotels Near Big Bend National Park." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/hotels-near-big-bend-national-park-5317.html. Accessed 19 April 2019. | a 2,485-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath cottage. Casitas comes fully equipped with a fireplace, full kitchen, wrap-around patio and all amenities. The resort is also home to Black Jack's Crossing Golf Course and a full spa.
Opened in 1927, as a social gathering place from local ranchers and miners, the Gage Hotel is located in Marathon. Restored in 1980, the hotel exudes personality, with its individually decorated rooms. Expect to see cow-skin rugs, Navajo blankets and hardwood floors, representative of the regional Southwest decor. The hotel's Los Portales section encompasses 20 adobe-brick rooms centered around a quiet courtyard with a fountain. Ten of the rooms have kiva-style fireplaces. Guests can stay in the original two-story hotel, rightly named Historic Hotel, which offers 16 rooms, some of which have shared bathrooms. The hotel has three travel residences that | 197 |
Lock in a great price for Hôtel L'Oliveraie – rated 8.4 by recent guests!
Nicely renovated room. Good self serve breakfast. Parking. very clean. Good news. Nice bathroom.
The young man at the front desk was extremely helpful. He gave us a map and drew out how to get to the sights we were interested in. He even called to set up a tour at one of the distilleries. This hotel is right next to the train station but we never heard a train. We<|fim_middle|> small bottle of water. The young girl working behind the bar is quite rude, and would spend more time on her phone than serving or clearing tables which were covered in cups for over an hour.
The pool was a little smaller than expected. However as we were only staying at the hotel overnight we didn't use it. If you were staying longer and the hotel was full the pool size may be an issue.
I think I've written enough to summarise my impressions . | were able to walk downtown, in about 10 minutes, so we didn't have to move the car and try and figure out the parking.
We had an overnight stay in a family room and it was perfect for what we needed (family of 5). The room was spacious, comfortable and very clean and suited our needs perfectly! Cognac is a beautiful town which was a bonus and we took advantage with a walk around to see some sights.
A very convenient hotel for Cognac visits and a nice swimming pool.
Breakfast was lovely - croissants were really fresh and jam tasted wonderful. The room was very clean and comfortable, and the hotel was quiet at night.
Big bed was the only concession for this ridiculously overpriced place to sleep, staff are in the wrong profession rude -except, surprisingly nice cleaning lady, -it is noticeable, blatantly that they like cash here !
Basic breakfast. Swimming pool an unexpected extra. Dinner not offered but being laid for the next day as we eft.
Nice quite location next to railway station,hotel also had a pool which you need this time of year.only 20 mins walk to town centre where you have all the nice bars and alfresco dining.
L'Oliveraie is located a 1-minute drive from the city center of Cognac. It offers free private parking, free Wi-Fi access and an outdoor swimming pool.
Each soundproofed guest room at the Oliveraie has a private bathroom and satellite TV. Some rooms are also equipped with air conditioning.
Breakfast is served daily and guests can enjoy traditional cuisine in the Oliveraie's restaurant. There is also a bar and a garden with a private terrace.
L'Oliveraie is located approximately 40 mi from Royan, and Angouleme is a 45-minute drive away.
When would you like to stay at Hôtel L'Oliveraie?
With access to the garden or to the flowery parking, this room features a wardrobe, and a bathroom with a shower, some with a bath. There is also a flat-screen TV with cable channels and some rooms are air-conditioned.
The bed set up is on request.
House Rules Hôtel L'Oliveraie takes special requests – add in the next step!
Hôtel L'Oliveraie accepts these cards and reserves the right to temporarily hold an amount prior to arrival.
Hôtel L'Oliveraie accepts these cards and reserves the right to temporarily hold an amount prior to arrival.
Please contact the hotel in advance if you plan to arrive outside these hours.
No window in room no aircon no ventilation.
Rather a long walk for dinner.
The rooms could do with drinks facilities either kettle or fridge for water. There is no local shop so if you require a drink later on ( the bar is closed early by 9 when we stayed) then the only place is a vending machine in the station which charges €2 for a | 603 |
Small World Financial Systems
Mobile & online banking Mergers and acquisitions
Small World Financial acquires French remittance outfit MoneyGlobe
UK money transfer firm Small World Financial Services has acquired MoneyGlobe, a French international payments company.
The transaction represents the first acquisition made by Small World since private equity outfit Equistone invested in the company in November 2018. The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.
MoneyG<|fim_middle|>0
[New Report] The Future of ESGTech 2020 | lobe enables the movement of money from France to recipients in North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean and South America. The acquisition adds coverage of the French market to a money transfer network that currently processes 15 million transactions worldwide each year.
For MoneyGlobe, the transaction provides access to a wider choice of physical and digital channels and a global network of multiple payment options across more than 250,000 cash-pick locations in over 160 countries and direct-to-bank account pay-out in more than 100 countries.
Small World has plans to further extend its footprint through other bolt-on opportunities.
Nick Day, chief executive and founder, comments: "We continue to actively seek acquisition opportunities across a range of countries globally, in order to further enhance our customer proposition and extend our payments network."
Sponsored: [New Report] The Future of ESGTech 202 | 184 |
About Sisters U
Sisters U Story Studio
Wine Woo Spirits
Videos of Past Events
U Magazine
Pamela Varkony
June 2016 Meeting - The Evolution of Success
Women have been told, "You can have it all!" And we can. Except now we're discovering that having it all doesn't mean having it all<|fim_middle|>, 528 West Market Street in Perkasie. Many thanks to Emily Smith and exida for hosting our meetings these past few months. Get your tickets today!
Tagged: Monthly Meetings, Pamela Varkony, women's issues
Copyright © 2018-19 Sisters U Foundation. All rights reserved.
Professional photography courtesy of Amy McDermott, Heart and Soul Portraits
Professional video services courtesy of Spallone Media Productions | at once. Life is a series of chapters. What does it mean to "have it all" within each stage of life?
Join us Thursday, June 16, 7-9pm, when we'll examine this with Pamela Varkony, an internationally known writer, speaker and women's advocate. Pamela has devoted her adult life to women's rights and empowerment around the world, including two fact-finding missions to Afghanistan. Born and raised in Haycock Township, Bucks County, she is currently working on a women's leadership book, "Ten Rules for Ladies."
For our June meeting we'll return to Sisters U HQ | 127 |
What conditions does the Doctor of Chiropractic treat?
Since adjustments normalize nerve function, chiropractors may give care simply to enhance overall health.
• Conduct a thorough physical examination to determine and evaluate conditions that are appropriate for chiropractic care.
• Ensure that the patient understands the type of care to be administered and what results to expect.
• Provide clear understanding of financial arrangements.
• Keep current, detailed, and complete records of the patient's history<|fim_middle|> stated goals.
• Refer a patient to a suitable health care provider for conditions that require co-management or are not otherwise amendable for chiropractic care alone.
• Perform appropriate, ethical care delivered in confidence, with respect for privacy and dignity.
• Observe and comply with all applicable HIPAA regulations. | , examination, and ongoing treatments.
• Provide ongoing evaluations of treatment including both efficacy and projected duration consistent with the patient's | 24 |
You may think it's enough to mute or put away your smartphone when trying to carry out some focused work, but a new academic study suggests that the mere presence of a smartphone reduces our ability to concentrate. The study of over 500 subjects was carried out by researchers at the University of Texas and published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, found that the brain suffers from the unconscious potential to browse, play games and communicate. Even when hidden in drawer or bag, the existence of a smartphone reduces people's ability to carry out even relatively simple cognitive tasks.
The researchers invited more than 500 people to focus solely on solving a set of maths problems while updating and remembering a sequence of letters. While the test was ongoing, some<|fim_middle|> best, those with it turned on and placed on the desk did worst, scoring 10 per cent lower on the memory test and about 5 per cent lower on the maths test.
The scientists said it showed that people should consider putting their phone in another room when they need to concentrate. "Across human history, the vast majority of innovations have occupied a defined space in consumers' lives; they have been constrained by the functions they perform and the locations they inhabit. Smartphones transcend these limitations. They are consumers' constant companions, offering unprecedented connection to information, entertainment, and each other. They play an integral role in the lives of billions of consumers worldwide and, as a result, have vast potential to influence consumer welfare— both for better and for worse. | of the subjects were asked to put their phones on silent while others were asked to put them in another room, hidden from sight in a bag or pocket and others told to merely put them on the desk next to them. The study found a clear link between the location and status of the phone and how well people were able to concentrate on completing the test. Those with it in another room performed | 78 |
Teriyaki Boyz
Oh, Marxy's gonna love this! Found at<|fim_middle|> Grammy Award winners the Neptunes, Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys, French artists Daft Punk, and DJ Shadow. The group will hold a launch party in New York and play live dates in five cities towards the end of the year. There are no plans for the members to continue as a group after that. (japan-zone.com)
Click here to see a preview image.
← Missing Pages → ME on the PIA Film Festival | the TSiG blog:
Members of popular hip hop groups Rip Slyme and m-flo are to team up with fashion designer Nigo (33) to make their recording debut in the US. Ryo-Z (31) and Ilmari (30) from Rip Slyme, m-flo vocalist Verbal, Kaze no Hito's MC Wise, and Nigo as DJ will make up the 5-man unit Teriyaki Boyz. They will release their debut album "Beef or Chicken" on Def Jam Recordings on November 16. Nigo is best known for the A Bathing Ape street fashion brand, which has a huge cult following. He is a friend of Def Jam artist Jay-Z, and got the idea of putting the group together this summer. The album also has a stellar lineup on the production side, with Japan's Cornelius alongside | 183 |
Play Classic Atari, Nintendo NES, Colecovision, Sega Arcade and Video games FREE online in your browser and mobile phone.
Play Nintendo
Play Atari
Play Sega
Our Top
Search for a
To play a classic arcade game, select a game console button from above or find a game alphabetically below
Play Atari 2600 Video Games Online
Back to main list of All our 2600 Games
The Atari 2600 was first released in North America in September 1977 and featured 9 launch titles: Air-Sea Battle, Basic Math, Blackjack, Combat, Indy 500, Star Ship, Street Racer, Surround and Video Olympics. The final licensed Atari 2600 game released in North America was Secret Quest in 1989, and the final licensed game released in Europe was Klax and Acid Drop in 1990 and 1992. Even with their 1980s limited colors and block graphics these games are still entertaining to play today! We have over 500 Atari 2600 games for you to play online for free using our Atari 2600 Javascript Emulator.
This game is mobile device friendly and Iphone compatible. Enjoy!
Instructions and Keyboard Controls towards bottom of page.
Click "Game Reset" or F12 to Start Game
If you grew up in the 80's you shouldn't need instructions!! You might find some help at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atari_2600_games and look up the game you need assistance playing.
Click "Game Reset" or F12 to Begin/Restart Game
Arrow Keys – Move
Space bar to fire/action button
TRANSCRIBED ORIGINAL ATARI GAME MANUAL AND INSTRUCTIONS
ATARI(R) 2600(R) Game Manual
Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material
after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or
omissions. Reproductions of this document or of any portion of its contents
is not allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corportation.
Atari, the Atari logo, 2600, 7800 and Sentinel are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Atari Corporation.
ATARI(R)
Copyright (C) 1990, Atari Corporation
LOCATE AND ABSORB ENERGY!
You're a scientist, and your invention, a pulsating, glowing orb called the
Sentinel, absorbs and stores energy from a variety of sources. Now Earth is
threatened by deadly aliens, and you must use your creation to save your
planet.
You must defend the Sentinel against alien attacks as it glides over four enemy
planets, absorbing all alien energy sources in its path.
The Sentinel absorbs the energy from every power pod or energy capsule you
shoot with your light gun. When an energy source is hit, the Sentinel absorbs
the target's energy.
Each of the four alien planets is more difficult to conquer than the last. You
must find and destroy the alien lords who guard each planet's power station.
Destroy the station to destroy the planet. Then move on to the next world.
A single alien entity controls the other alien lords. When you have destroyed
the four worlds, the Sentinel will come face to face with this evil entity.
Defeat the final evil to complete your quest!
1. With your TV switched on, insert the Sentinel cartridge into you Atari 2600
(or 7800) as described in your owner's manual. Switch on your console.
2. Connect a light gun to the left controller port.
3. To begin the game, press the fire button or press RESET.
OPTIONAL GAME CONTROLS
To enhance play, the following optional game controls allow you to pause and
restart the game:
- If you are using an Atari 7800 press PAUSE to pause the game. Repeat to
resume play. On a 2600, pause the game by moving the B/W button twice (up and
down or down and up, depending on the original location); repeat to resume
- To return to the title screen and restart the game, press RESET.
Sentinel is a fast action arcade-style game requiring lightning fast reflexes
and skillful shooting through four deadly alien landscapes. A direct hit on
enemy power cells, ground and air attack vehicles, colonists, and other
obstacles drain the energy from the alien source and feeds it into the
Sentinel.
You begin the game with four lives. Damage from enemy fire bleeds energy from
the Sentinel, and too many hits from enemy fire destroys the Sentinel
The Sentinel moves steadily across each alien landscape. You must destroy
enemies on the ground before they have a chance to fire, and blast enemy ships
out of the sky before they can touch the Sentinel.
Some alies do more damage than others. Each alien world contains a greater
number and variety of alien obstacles than the previous world. The aliens move
with greater and greater speeds, darting in to steal precious energy from the
Sentinel. Try to blast as many aliens as you can and absorb their energy. Try
not to miss an alien. If you miss an alien twice, your energy decreases by one
point. You will need to store a great deal of energy to survive the deadly
battles with alien leaders.
At the end out each alien world you will encounter the spinning space station
of that world's alien leader. The sinister stations quickly repair damage
inflicted upon them. You must shoot fast to destroy the Station befor the
repairs are completed.
You can also pick up power pods and energy capsules on each alien world. These
pods and capsules will enhance your shooting abilities or provide extra
capabilities to the Sentine. (See ITEMS.)
The Sentinel screen is divided into two sections. The top section shows game
action. The lower section is the statistics screen.
The Statistics screen shows, from left to right:
TOP LINE - Current score
= - The number of orbs (lives) remaining.
P - Your current Power Points (50 max)
D - The distance left to the end of the level.
S - Super Shots: only works when this number is at 99. Super Shots slowly
recharge after each use.
You can find the following items on enemy worlds to help you in your battle:
Energy Pod circles the Sentinel.
SUPER SHOTS destroy all enemies on the screen. Activate Super Shots by shooting
one shot at the Sentinel orb itself. You begin the game with three Super Shots
and earn more from Energy Pods. Super Shots are not effective against alien
AUTOMATIC SHOTS cause the Sentinel to automatically absorb energy from enemy
air or ground targets.
MOVEMENT allows the Sentinel to increase vertical movement speed.
ENERGY CAPSULES revitalize the Sentinel.
There are unmarked secret places in each alien world. Locating these hidden
areas and firing at them will provide you with bonus points and items.
Use Super Shots only when you are hopelessly outnumbered or in a similarly bad
Always shoot the enemies closest to you first.
Dish..........................10
Tube..........................20
Star..........................30
Satellite.....................40
Blob..........................50
Spike.........................60
Hover Craft...................70
Probe.........................<|fim_middle|> 500
(mystery value)
Medium Pyramid...............100
Small Pyramid................250
Big Aliens............50 per hit
REQUIRMENTS:
Our Atari 2600 emulator utilizes Javascript to run in your browser. No plugin is required, but a fast modern web browser will enhance the game play.
SAMPLE IPHONE GAMEPLAY SCREENSHOT
Emulation on mobile devices will drain your battery quite fast. I recommend playing while device is plugged into charger.
Sentinel Arcade Game Emulated on the Atari 2600. Play Sentinel in your web browser or mobile phone. This Atari 2600 console emulator provides very accurate Sentinel gameplay. Sentinel is a classic 1980s Atari 2600 video game.
Free80s Top 40
- Top played NES Games
- Top played ATARI Games
- Top played SEGA Games
Retro Arcade
Baseball Stars
Jungle Hunt
Pitfall
Q*bert
Rush'n Attack
Super Pitfall
Tecmo Super Bowl
Time Pilot
Zaxxon
plus hundreds more ...
Search for a Game
Retrogaming Consoles
All Our NES Games
All Atari 2600 Games
All Sega Games
Virtual ColecoVision
About our Emulators
NES Java Emulator
History of NES
NES Game Guide & Hints
Buy 80's Products
-80s Music and CDs
-80s Video Games
-80s Movies
-80s TV Shows & Sitcoms
-80s Books
Relive the 1980s
-80s TV and Films
-80s Music and Songs
-80s Culture and Fads
-80s Sporting Events
-80s Fashion and Slang
Copyright © Free 80s Arcade, All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy About our Emulators Contact Us | 80
Mine..........................90
Bonus Pods....................10
Large Pyramid..........10 to | 22 |
For many individuals, alcohol and<|fim_middle|> through and treat, co-occurring disorder treatment is difficult to put a time frame around. Often times treatment will last until a patient feels prepared to discontinue it, whereas for alcohol, treatments often last 28 days or 3 months. Co-occurring disorders are simply less predictable and often harder to manage and treat.
5. An aftercare plan is absolutely necessary.
While this is true for a discharge from any treatment program, it is especially vital for co-occurring disorder patients. Often times this is because co-occurring disorder patients have been started on some type of medication and need a psychiatrist outside the treatment facility in order to continue being prescribed their medication. However, regardless of whether medication is involved, some sort of plan should be put in place so that the patient feels secure in entering the real world again.
If you believe you or someone you know is suffering from co-occurring disorders, we can help. We can design your needed treatment plan today. Call us at 877.977.3079. | drug abuse are often accompanied by other mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. In fact, about 50 percent of individuals with a severe mental health disorder also suffer from a substance abuse problem. While these may seem like separate issues, there is actually a term for disorders that go hand-in-hand like these: co-occurring disorders. They may also be referred to as a dual diagnosis, although co-occurring disorder is the more widely used and accepted term.
For example, a person who drinks may also suffer from depression and anxiety. It's almost as if both disorders feed off each other – if that person is feeling depressed or anxious, they want to drink. However, their drinking usually results in feeling depressed or anxious. It becomes a harmful and frustrating cycle, but can be hard for the person going through it to identify since they are unsure which problem came first.
1. Co-occurring disorders can be addressed through integrated treatment.
In other words, they need to be approached as one disorder, not two separate ones, since they both affect the other. A treatment plan should be developed in order to improve both disorders. The same team should develop a plan for both, rather than two separate teams. If treated as one, both disorders have better chances of improving with treatment. According to DualDiagnosis.org, the elements of an integrated treatment plan include "coordinated treatment for multiple disorders, bundled interventions, no division between mental health and substance abuse treatments and all health professionals collaborate in one setting." Since the mid-1990s, there have been over eight studies conducted that have determined that integrated treatment is effective for co-occurring disorders.
2. There are facilities that specialize in co-occurring disorders.
Like anything treatment-related, it may take time to find the right fit for a treatment center. However, anyone with co-occurring disorders should be aware that certain treatment facilities offer integrated treatment and a psychiatric team, while other facilities may not focus on it as much. It comes down to doing the research to be sure that where one is seeking treatment is the right type of facility for the disorders they are battling. In order to find a good fit, there are dual diagnosis hotlines one may call.
3. There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach for co-occurring disorders (and there never will be).
Since there are so many combinations of dual diagnoses, such as alcoholism and depression, drug use and bipolar disorder, etc., it is impossible to design a program that will be effective for everyone who is suffering. Therefore it is important that those who treat co-occurring disorders give each individual their own treatment plan and take the time to really understand what it is the individual suffers from.
4. Treatment for co-occurring disorders can take longer than treatment for one disorder.
Since there is more to sift | 577 |
5 MIN READ | Social Psychology
Is Prejudice Inevitable?
Deirdre Ronan
Deirdre Ronan, (2016, October 18). Is Prejudice Inevitable?. Psychreg on Social Psychology. https://www.psychreg.org/is-prejudice-inevitable/
Myers and Twenge define prejudice as 'a precon<|fim_middle|> offender. While the recommendations Crandall and his colleagues suggest in terms of reducing prejudice would seem to be appropriate to reduction on a smaller scale, it seems in terms of more socially and globally acceptable prejudice there is much work to be done in creating an opportunity where the individual can be judged just as that.
Paluck and Green state that gaining empathy can also help in prejudice reduction. We have noticed at my organisation that there has been a better response to our work with offenders in their 20s, our Young Men's Group, than our work with older offenders. We have not explored this in depth as of yet, but it appears that individuals find it easier to empathise with young offender. I feel this is also an area that could be further explored in terms of prejudice reduction.
Wright and Taylor state that 'mutually beneficial outcomes' can reduce prejudice. If an offender's engagement with a therapeutic intervention programme could be seen as a commitment to child protection, which is what those prejudiced against child sex offenders are most concerned with, perhaps some sort of pathway towards understanding could begin to be traversed.
Deirdre Ronan currently work as a psychotherapist , working therapeutically with adult survivors of child sexual abuse.
Monkey See, Monkey Do: Why We Copy Other People's Behaviour
New Research Explores How Religion Can Hamper Economic Progress
London Ranks as Most Expensive County in England to Hold a Funeral
Childhood Connection to Nature Has Many Benefits but is Not Universally Positive, Review Finds
Let Children Dream
How to Study Effectively: Key Advice From Psychology
Is Mental Illness a Genetic Problem: Money and Madness
Child Protection Information to be Shared with School Nurses and Health Visitors
Almost Half of NHS Trusts Force Pregnant Women to Attend Vital Maternity Services Alone
How to Feel Good in Difficult Times: Simple Strategies to Survive and Thrive
Gift Your Kid the Best Study Desks: Options to Check Out
Who Are You? – Identity and Well-being in Sport
The Psychology of Pelvic Pain
I am a Bowspirit Kid
Good Nutrition Can Transform Mental Health | ceived negative judgement of a group and its individual members'. Crandall, Eshleman and O'Brien describe Piaget's theory regarding children's development of moral reasoning. They report that initially moral reasoning is 'characterised by a sense that external rules are sacred, and if something brings about punishment then it's wrong'. They go on to say that moral reasoning 'is "subject to one's own law", when the child internalises fundamental basic norms and makes them his or her own.' They state that this internalisation is requires cognitive effort and social abilities.
Initially, Crandall and his colleagues describe group norms and how an individual will internalise what is normal within a group. They say that 'to be a good group member, one must adopt the prejudices that the group holds and abstain from those prejudices that the group frowns upon'. So, it could be said that inheriting learned prejudice forms our group, which is initially our family, then later society at large or subgroups within that society is inevitable. We learn how to 'be in the world from the systems that we are part of', and, as Crandall and his colleagues clearly state, we internalise this.
They do state, however, that this is malleable. They report that if the norm within the group changes, so it is for the individual group member. They say 'new norms are created and when this is accomplished, it is found that individual attitudes tend to conform to the new group'. So, it is possible that a group prejudice that has been internalised by the individual can shift. But, how so?
Paluck and Green extensively reviewed the literature on reducing prejudice. They state that 'cooperative learning' seems at this stage to be an effective intervention in reducing prejudice. They further state that there is potential for 'reducing prejudice through narrative persuasion, social norms, empathy, perspective taking, and extended contact. The persuasive and positive influence of peers is a promising area of prejudice reduction supported by laboratory research'. They do, however, name the many gaps in research in this area and cannot conclusively name a successful intervention. One must wonder also how a programme of prejudice reduction based on the above recommendations might be designed and implemented given the complexity of the issue.
The idea of prejudice reduction becomes even more complex when we return to Myers and Twenge's theory of subtle and overt prejudice. They say that 'we may retain from childhood a habitual, automatic fear or dislike for people for whom we now express respect and admiration. Although explicit attitudes may change dramatically, implicit attitudes may linger, changing only as we form new habits through practice'. So, as Crandall and his colleagues state that we may be able to alter to what is normal within a group, it seems harder to challenge implicit prejudice we might carry from our system of origin, i.e., our families.
Myers and Twenge also describe 'automatic prejudice' stating that certain groups that cause disgust cause the primitive areas of the brain associated with fear to become activated. So there may be an inbuilt prejudice on a neural, unconscious level that bypasses cognitive reasoning.
Let's look at a subgroup that almost universally elicit responses of disgust and prejudice – the child sex offender. Crandall and his colleagues state that 'prejudice against rapists child abusers and thieves is quite acceptable'. They also state that 'we hypothesise that expressed prejudice is a direct function of its social acceptability'. Myers and Twenge similarly say 'If prejudice is socially accepted, many people will follow the path of least resistance and conform to the fashion'. I think it is safe to say that all the messages we receive about child sex offenders is negative. From our families and peers and the media, the judgement is almost entirely negative and often vicious. Most of the offenders who attend our service speak of huge fear about their offending becoming public or even disclosing their offending to loved ones, for fear of judgement, and indeed prejudice.
One of the attendees made an excellent point when he said 'It is OK to say you are a recovering alcoholic of drug addict, but not child sex offender'. The innate disgust attached to the prejudice aimed at child sex offenders seems embedded in our culture, and thus, as we internalise these messages, us as individuals.
Wright and Taylor name 'entiativity' where a group is viewed as being a unit. They say that 'these perceptions can be particularly strong when they are based on the belief that the group members share some 'essential' or biological characteristic'. Many people view child sex offending as having a pathology, and being caused by a mental illness or deficiency. We are all also familiar with 'paedophile rings' and the idea that child sex offenders seek each other out. Although this can often be the case, the entiavity strengthens the prejudice.
Wright and Taylor also name the 'self-fulfilling prophecy' stating that members of the group at which the prejudice is aimed can internalise this prejudiced identity themselves, leading to continued behaviour that confirms the prejudice. The clients who I have worked with who have offended have confirmed this. Firstly, all of them have described themselves as 'evil, monsters. and paedos' having internalised the social messages they have received about child sex offenders. Secondly, many would describe, in dark moments, thinking 'Well, I'm just a paedophile, I might as well offend'. Our therapeutic programme is focused on discovering the pathways to offending and supporting the client not to re-offend through robust risk management strategies. However, we are often faced with the ingrained, internalised messages.
Is prejudice inevitable? I believe yes. Given that we all come from and live within systems which are imbued with implicit or explicit, conscious or unconscious prejudice, it seems inevitable that we will internalise these, as the above research has shown. Wright and Taylor state the function of social groups in our society:
One key function of social groups is that they provide structure to, and explanation for, the events in our world.
This necessary function speaks to the prevalence of prejudices continuing within systems. However, I do believe that there is scope for even implicit or unconscious prejudice to be challenged. The first step in achieving this is making what is unconscious conscious, i.e., having an opportunity to challenge the frameworks of belief absorbed by us from our systems. This distance can, I believe, provide an opportunity for group norms to be explored and challenged if necessary.
The difficulty lies in the complexity of prejudice. As I discussed earlier, it is much more socially acceptable to stand in support of an alcoholic than a child sex | 1,336 |
Private M&A trends: the use of a 'locked box' pricing mechanism
Corporate Finance/M&A United Kingdom
What is a 'locked box'?
How does a locked-box mechanism work?
What does it mean for buyers and sellers?
What is 'leakage' and what are typical leakage protections?
For the sale of a company using a European-style share purchase agreement governed by English law, the use of a 'locked box' as the seller's preferred pricing mechanism is now more commonplace than the traditionally popular closing accounts.
Traditionally, English law-governed share purchase agreements have provided for the purchase price to be varied by reference to the net assets of the target as at closing or sometimes by reference to some other measure, such as working capital.
Following closing, the buyer and its accountants would normally draw up a set of closing accounts used to calculate the net assets, with a pound-for-pound adjustment to the purchase price, to the extent that the actual net assets exceeded or were less than a target figure agreed by the parties prior to signing.
The 'locked box' is an alternative pricing mechanism to closing accounts, under which the parties agree a price payable for the target based on a balance sheet (the locked-box balance sheet) that is drawn up and settled between the parties on an agreed date in advance of signing (the locked-box date). This date is often the previous financial year-end date or the date of the most recently available management accounts.
Private equity sellers have driven an increasing trend, particularly in the secondary buy-out market but more generally in competitive sale processes, towards locked-box deals (or fixed price deals as they are also known).
For a private equity seller, the attraction of the locked-box pricing mechanism is that:
it allows a seller to resist closing accounts;
it avoids the potential post-closing disputes which can arise with the preparation of closing accounts; and
the full proceeds of a sale can be remitted to the private equity fund's investors upon closing, without the need for any retention to cover a potential post-closing adjustment to the purchase price.
In other words, this mechanism prevents a buyer from using the closing accounts process (where the buyer would ordinarily expect to have control of the relevant information) to renegotiate price.
In European deals, a locked-box mechanism is commonly stipulated up front in controlled auctions or other situations where a seller is in a position to dictate the terms of the share purchase agreement.
In general terms, the mechanism works as follows:
the price is set by reference to the agreed locked-box balance sheet (essentially by adding cash and deducting debt and debt-like items represented on that balance sheet from the headline price to give the equity price);
the selling shareholder confirms that it has received no 'leakage' from the locked-box date in the period up to signing and is restricted from doing so in the period between signing and closing;
the buyer takes the benefit of trading from the locked-box date; and
there will often also be some form of interest or purchase price adjustment mechanism applied to the equity price in the period from the locked-box date to closing. This is intended to reflect the delayed receipt of the sale proceeds by the seller and is often calculated by reference to the expected earnings of the target in that period, expressed as a percentage of the equity price (often referred to as the 'ticking fee').
In addition, a buyer may also be required to agree to repay or procure the target's repayment of indebtedness, which may include the repayment of shareholder loans.
For a seller, key considerations regarding the use of a locked-box mechanism will include whether:
the equity price is fixed (plus the interest or daily earning amount);
it ensures as clean a break as possible (ie, it avoids the need for a closing accounts process and the potential<|fim_middle|> be no opportunity to adjust the price (other than through a warranty claim, if applicable) once it has acquired the target and had a chance to verify its financial position – in particular, a buyer will not know at signing the precise level of target working capital and debt at closing (yet may have an obligation to repay such target debt at closing);
a buyer may also be attracted to the clarity around the purchase price; however, in terms of funds required on closing, the equity price may not represent the full picture (eg, a buyer might also be obliged to fund the repayment of target indebtedness);
a seller has control over the preparation of the locked-box balance sheet and a significant informational advantage; and
a buyer bears the risk (and possible reward) of the target's performance in the period between the locked-box date and closing.
Ultimately, with the use of a locked-box mechanism, a buyer will need to become comfortable through its due diligence investigations with the locked-box balance sheet (this may require more financial or accounting due diligence than that undertaken when the buyer has the comfort of a post-closing true-up).
To assist, a buyer will usually seek a warranty as to the accuracy of such balance sheets, although private equity sellers have been increasingly successful in limiting the warranties and indemnities that they give. A buyer will also require a number of protections in the share purchase agreement to prevent the seller from being able to extract value (referred to as 'leakage') from the locked-box date to closing, other than any pre-agreed value extraction that can be factored into the purchase price (referred to as 'permitted leakage').
'Leakage' typically includes (other than agreed as permitted leakage):
dividends from a target company;
other distributions or returns of capital by a target company and any other sums paid to the seller or its connected persons which are not paid on arm's-length terms and in the ordinary course of business;
fees and expenses incurred by the seller or its connected persons in connection with the transaction and other costs being put inappropriately through the target group;
other payments made (including management, consulting, monitoring and directors' fees) or assets transferred to or liabilities assumed, indemnified or incurred for the benefit of the seller or its connected persons;
the waiver or forgiveness of any amount owed to a target company by the seller or its connected persons;
the waiver of any claim by a target company against the seller or its connected persons;
loans made or interest paid by the target group to the seller or its connected persons; and
the entering into of any agreement or arrangement by a target company with or for the benefit of the seller or its connected persons or giving any commitment for their benefit.
The leakage protections referred to above (and given by the seller at signing) generally take the following forms:
a warranty that there has been no leakage since the locked-box date;
an undertaking that there will be no leakage from signing until closing (together with other more usual pre-closing covenants – eg, that the business will be conducted in the ordinary course and no material acquisitions, disposals, commercial arrangements and/or restructurings will be entered into without the buyer's consent); and
where there is leakage that is not permitted, the seller will make a pound-for-pound payment to the buyer or relevant target company (the buyer may also want to consider whether interest should accrue on this amount and/or whether it should lead to any walk-right).
For further information on this topic please contact Will Pearce or William Tong at Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP by telephone (+44 20 7418 1300) or email (will.pearce@davispolk.com or william.tong@davispolk.com). The Davis Polk & Wardwell website can be accessed at www.davispolk.com.
Will Pearce
William Tong
Takeover Panel: roundup of recent panel statements
Sky takeover – post-offer undertakings
Sky takeover – regulating an auction process
Sky takeover – applying the chain principle
Takeover Panel seeks to clarify rules on asset valuations | for drawn-out closing accounts-related disputes);
it can enable a private equity seller to remit the full proceeds of a sale to its fund investors at closing;
there needs to be a robust locked-box balance sheet to enable the buyer to price the deal and ring-fence and protect the business's assets to lock the box from the locked-box date to closing; and
any restructuring of the target or carve-out transactions must be completed prior to the locked-box date, as a buyer will accept only financial information which represents the business that it will ultimately acquire on closing.
For a buyer, key considerations regarding the use of a locked-box mechanism include whether:
it will be riskier for a buyer as there will | 140 |
\section{\label{giris}Introduction}
Static correlation,\cite{handy01,becke13}
arising from the tendency of electrons to distribute themselves over the various centers,
is pronounced in materials containing localized {\it d} or {\it f} electrons
such as some transition-metal or rare-earth compounds.
The local density approximation\cite{kohn65} (LDA) or the generalized gradient approximation\cite{PBE} (GGA)
commonly employed in Kohn-Sham density functional theory\cite{kohn65} (DFT)
inherently assume a {\it localized} exchange-correlation hole,
implying that static correlation is treated in an unrestrained manner in these approximations.\cite{becke05}
Thus local or semilocal exchange-correlation energy $E_{\rm xc}$ functionals are often
either combined with a Hubbard parameter $U$ as in the LDA+$U$ method\cite{anisimov97}
or mixed with a fraction $\alpha$ of exactly computed \cite{becke93} (Fock) exchange energy $E_{\rm x}^{\rm exact}$,
yielding a hybrid functional
\begin{equation}
E_{\rm xc}^{\rm hybrid}=E_{\rm x}^{\rm exact}+(1-\alpha)(E_{\rm x}^{\rm GGA}-E_{\rm x}^{\rm exact})+E_{\rm c}^{\rm GGA},
\end{equation}
where the second term models the static correlation energy.\cite{csonka10}
For $\alpha > 0$, the static correlation energy is reduced
in favor of the suppression of electron fluctuations,
leading to a better description for the localized electron states
(as evidenced by the improved prediction of
the binding energy of localized $d$ states,\cite{oba08,wrobel09,burbano11,pozun11,li12,zhang12}
band gaps,\cite{heyd05,marsman08,oba08,wrobel09,burbano11,wu11,lucero12,li12,zhang12,pozun11,kanan12}
and magnetic moments\cite{rodl09,liao11,chen12,heinemann13,pozun11,kanan12}).
In the LDA+$U$ approach, where a $d$ ion is treated as an open system with fluctuation number of electrons,\cite{anisimov97}
a term including $U$ is added to the total energy,
which penalizes more fluctuating configurations\cite{perdew07,perdew09}
and therefore leads to
a better description of the localized states
(as evidenced by the improved prediction of
the binding energy of localized $d$ states,\cite{rohrbach03,mikaye06,petersen06,zhang12,zhang13}
band gaps,\cite{anisimov97,dudarev98,rohrbach03,rohrbach04,mikaye06,gupta07,devey09,rodl09,liao11,arroyo11,zhang12,zhang13,kanan12}
and magnetic moments\cite{anisimov97,rohrbach03,rohrbach04,rollmann04,wang06,petersen06,gupta07,devey09, liao11,zhang13,kanan12}).
Thus the hybrid functional scheme and the LDA+$U$ approach could be regarded
as alternative means\cite{tran06,jollet09} for fixing inaccuracies of the semilocal density approximations,
which result from insufficient localization of $d$ electrons.
Indeed, it has recently been proposed\cite{hong12,andriotis13} to derive the value of $U$ from hybrid functional calculations.
In contrast, we think it is appropriate to adopt
a perspective where the hybrid-functional and DFT+$U$ methods are treated {\it complementary}
(inasmuch as they both reduce the static correlation energy),
which led us to combine hybrid functionals with the Hubbard $U$.
From a different point of view, this means that
one of the two methods (DFT+$U$) is utilized
to reduce the {\it residual} self-interaction error\cite{perdew81}
of the other one (hybrid-functional),
which is pragmatically justified.
Furthermore,
Iv\'ady {\it et al.} (Ref.~\onlinecite{ivady14}) have recently shown that
a hybrid exchange-correlation potential
could be cast into a mathematical form
that is reminiscent of the on-site Hubbard potential
for a subsystem of {\it localized} orbitals,
providing theoretical justification for our methodology:
An additional on-site (DFT+$U$) potential is added
to the hybrid exchange-correlation potential,
which is applied {\it only} to strictly localized states.
This improves the physical description
because localized $d$-band states and delocalized crystal states are differentiated in the hybrid-functional+$U$ approach,
which are indifferent to the hybrid functional itself.
It is also interesting in this regard to point out that
the DFT+$U$ and hybrid-functional methods could both be regarded as approximations to the $GW$ method,\cite{hedin65}
as articulated in Refs.~\onlinecite{anisimov97} and \onlinecite{henderson11}, respectively.
The incentive of using these two methods together
is then to increase the level of approximation,
provided that they are complementary.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\resizebox{0.50\textwidth}{!}{%
\includegraphics{Figur1.pdf}
}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.4cm}
\caption{
(Color online)
Calculated versus measured values of the band gap $E_g$ (a) and
the $d$ band position $\varepsilon_d$ relative to the valence band maximum (b)
for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides.
The experimental values of $E_g$ and $\varepsilon_d$
are taken from Refs.~\onlinecite{bandgap1,bandgap2,bandgap3} and
Refs.~\onlinecite{dstate1,dstate2}, respectively.
The values obtained from the present GGA (HSE) calculations are connected by blue dashed (red dot-dashed) lines to guide the eye.
The solid black lines passes through the experimental values.
}
\label{Egcalvsexp}
\end{figure}
It is usually necessary to perform a calibration\cite{lutfalla11,krcha13}
for the value of $U$ that is {\it optimal} with respect to the material properties under consideration.
Besides $U$ is not only element-specific\cite{lutfalla11} but also material-specific.\cite{karazhanov06,barcaro10}
Thus it is appealing to employ a hybrid functional
with an exchange mixing coefficient $\alpha$
that is in practice fixed to a single {\it universal} value,
e.g., $\alpha=1/4$ in both global\cite{perdew96} and range-separated Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof\cite{heyd03} (HSE) hybrid functionals.
It should, however, be noted that
setting the optimal value for $\alpha$ as $1/4$ in Ref.~\onlinecite{perdew96} was accomplished {\it empirically}
(via error analysis of the atomization energies),
which would not necessarily be optimal for {\it other} material properties.\cite{vydrov06,park11,lim12,himmetoglu13}
We found,
in line with earlier reports,\cite{paier06,fuchs07,henderson11}
that the hybrid (HSE) functional calculations with $\alpha=1/4$ improve
the prediction of both the $d$ band position $\varepsilon_d$ relative to the valence band maximum and the band gap $E_g$
but these improvements are not sufficient to make the predictions agree with the experimental data.
This is demonstrated in Fig.~\ref{Egcalvsexp} for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides,
where the calculated and measured values of $E_g$ (left panel) and $\varepsilon_d$ (right panel) are plotted with respect to each other.
Figure~\ref{Egcalvsexp}(a) shows
that
(i) the improvement for the band gap is impressive
for systems with a somewhat small band gap,
and
(ii) the band gap is {\it still} significantly underestimated for wide band gap semiconductors such as ZnO.
As explored in Appendix,
both the GGA band gap error $\Delta E_g^{\rm GGA}$ and the HSE correction $E_g^{\rm HSE}-E_g^{\rm GGA}$
are inversely proportional to the high-frequency dielectric constant $\epsilon_\infty$
so that $ \Delta E_g^{\rm GGA} \simeq A /\epsilon_\infty $ and
$E_g^{\rm HSE}-E_g^{\rm GGA} \simeq A^\prime /\epsilon_\infty $,
where the constants $A$ and $A^\prime $ satisfy $A^\prime < A$.
Owing to the latter, the HSE improvement falls short for materials with relatively small dielectric constant
(with the exception of CdO for which the HSE calculation yields the right direct and indirect band gaps, cf. Ref.~\onlinecite{burbano11}).
Figure~\ref{Egcalvsexp}(b) shows that
the HSE-calculated $\varepsilon_d$ is {\it still} too high
although there is a significant correction of about $1.3\pm0.4$~eV.
It should be noted that
the prediction of $\varepsilon_d$
could further be improved by adding a Hubbard $U$ term to the hybrid functional,
which would enable one to adjust the $d$ band position.
It is also interesting to note that
the measured values of $\varepsilon_d$ could indeed be reproduced
by using adjusted $U$ values, cf. Fig. 3 of Ref.~\onlinecite{karazhanov06},
in the case of zinc monochalcogenides.
These observations also motivate us to treat
the hybrid functional scheme and the DFT+$U$ method
as {\it complementary} rather than {\it alternative} approaches.
Accordingly,
we propose here to combine the screened hybrid functional of Heyd, Scuseria, and Ernzerhof with the Hubbard $U$.
The main advantage of the latter is that
strictly localized and delocalized states are {\it screened differently}
since {\it only} the former are subject to an additional on-site (DFT+$U$) potential.\cite{ivady14,ivady13}
In contrast, localized and delocalized states are
indifferent to the original HSE functional
as long as the same set of parameters, viz. the exchange mixing coefficient $\alpha$ and the screening parameter $\omega$, are used
for {\it all} states.
Additionally,
we regard $U$ as a semiempirical parameter,
in line with the perspective\cite{albers09} that
the Hubbard term added to the density functionals
is essentially a phenomenological many-body correction.
Our findings show that
the HSE+$U$ calculations
performed by using an {\it adjusted} $U$ value
reproduce the measured band gap and, at the same time,
result in an improved physical description
not only of the electronic structure
but also of the crystal structure and energetics
for the semiconductors with localized $d$ electrons.
This is obviously very convenient
for practical purposes such as setting the range of the electron chemical potential accurately
in the point defect calculations, e.g., Ref.~\onlinecite{oba11}.
It is also very convenient
because it enables one to employ the measured $E_g$, instead of $\varepsilon_d$, in setting the $U$ value.
Note that there is usually some scatter in the measured data for $\varepsilon_d$,
which partly reflects the fact that the width of the $d$ bands is nonzero no matter how localized the states are.
The underestimation of the band gap in the HSE calculations, cf. Fig.~\ref{Egcalvsexp}(a),
could partially be attributed to lacking the correlation part of the discontinuity of the exchange-correlation potential.\cite{seidl96}
Similarly,
the discontinuity of the exchange-correlation potential
is not fully restored in the LDA/GGA+$U$ calculations
even though the $U$ term added to the density functionals yields a discontinuous contribution.\cite{anisimov93}
It should also be commented that
setting the right value of $U$ {\it empirically} is not straightforward
because one needs
to take accounts of hybridization and screening of $d$ electrons {\it a priori}.
Furthermore,
the measured value of $E_g$ could not be reproduced no matter how large a value of $U$ is used
in the LDA+$U$ calculations performed for zinc monochalcogenides,
cf. Fig. 3 of Ref.~\onlinecite{karazhanov06}.
Our study provides a
resolution to this difficulty with the aid of hybrid functional,
and proves that an adequate $U$ value could be determined
by simply matching the experimental band gap.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows:
The next section is devoted to the method of calculation,
which also summarizes the computational details.
This is followed by a discussion of the calculation results
before concluding remarks given in the last section.
\section{\label{yontem}Method}
All calculated properties reported here were obtained
via semilocal or hybrid DFT calculations
using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof\cite{PBE} (PBE) or Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof\cite{heyd03} (HSE) functionals, respectively.
In the hybrid functional calculations,
we employed the HSE06\cite{HSE06} functional by setting the screening parameter\cite{HSE06,wrobel09} $\omega=0.207$ \AA$^{-1}$
(and exchange mixing coefficient $\alpha=0.25$ as implied in Section~\ref{giris}).
In the HSE+$U$ calculations we used the simplified (rotationally invariant) approach\cite{dudarev98}
where the difference between the on-site Coulomb $\bar{U}$ and exchange $\bar{J}$ parameters
is employed as the {\it effective} Hubbard parameter $U=\bar{U}-\bar{J}$.
We performed a variety of calculations for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides
by employing the projector augmented-wave (PAW) method,\cite{PAW}
as implemented in VASP code.\cite{VASP,VASPpaw}
The 2s and 2p,
3s and 3p,
4s and 4p,
5s and 5p,
3d and 4s, and
4d and 5s states are treated
as valence states for
oxygen,
sulfur,
selenium,
tellurium,
zinc, and
cadmium, respectively.
Plane wave basis sets were used to represent the electronic states,
which were determined
by imposing a kinetic energy cutoff of 520 eV for the systems that include oxygen atoms and
400 eV for the rest of the systems.
We first carried out optimization of the crystal structures
where concurrent relaxations of the cell volume and shape as well as the ionic positions
were performed until the total energy was converged within 1 meV
and the maximum value of residual forces on atoms was reduced to be smaller than 0.01 eV/\AA.
In these optimizations,
we used the primitive unit cells of the crystals,
whose Brillouin zones were sampled by
$8\times 8\times 6$ (for the crystals with wurtzite structure) or
$8\times 8\times 8$ or $9\times 9\times 9$ (for the crystals with rocksalt and zincblende structures)
{\bf k}-point meshes generated according to Monkhorst-Pack scheme,\cite{MP76}
enabling us to achieve convergence of the energy within 1 meV/atom.
Using the optimized crystal structures,
we then performed band-structure and density-of-states calculations
in order to obtain the band gap $E_g$ and the $d$ band position $\varepsilon_d$, respectively.
Besides we performed geometry optimizations
for the O$_2$ and S$_8$ molecules and the bulk solids of Se, Te, Zn, and Cd,
and employed the respective equilibrium total energies
in the computation of the formation energy $\Delta H_f$.
As indicated in Section~\ref{giris},
we set the value of $U$ by reproducing the experimental value of the band gap in the HSE+$U$ calculations,
which is justified in Section~\ref{sonuclar}.
Thus, we carried out the HSE+$U$ calculations for a range of $U$ values,
and studied the calculated band gap as a function of $U$.
Since our results showed that
the variation of the band gap with $U$ is virtually linear,
we performed a linear fit to obtain the value of $U$
that corresponds to the measured band gap.
The value of $U$ obtained via this procedure,
which is {\it optimal} in reproducing the experimental value of the band gap,
is denoted by $U^\ast$.
The HSE+$U$ calculation that yields the experimental, i.e., {\it targeted}, value of the band gap
is named here as the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculation.
\begin{figure}[b]
\begin{center}
\resizebox{0.50\textwidth}{!}{%
\includegraphics{Figur2.pdf}
}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.4cm}
\caption{(Color online)
The band gap error $\Delta E_g$ versus
the difference $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}=\varepsilon_{p}^{\rm Ch}-\varepsilon_{d}^{\rm Me}$
for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides.
The PBE- and HSE-calculated values are marked by the empty and filled symbols, respectively, in the top-most panel (a).
In the lower panels (b)-(i), the results of the combined HSE+$U^\ast$ ($\oplus$) calculations
are presented together with those of the PBE (empty symbols) and HSE (filled symbols) calculations.
}
\label{dEgvsdepd}
\end{figure}
It should be mentioned that the HSE band energy differences
depend on the value of the screening parameter $\omega$,
which is not necessarily universal.
It was, however, demonstrated\cite{brothers08,janesko09} that $\omega=0.207$ \AA$^{-1}$
as used in HSE06
is an average optimal value
for which the band energy differences
approximate rather accurately {\it quasiparticle excitation energies},
for a variety of semiconductors.
Therefore, the HSE band energy differences are often {\it directly} compared
to the experimental band gaps\cite{henderson11}
(e.g., in order to demonstrate\cite{heyd05} the success of the HSE calculations
in reproducing the experimental band gaps).
In addition to this,
as long as the HSE+$U$ approach could be regarded as an approximation to the $GW$ method,
it would be preferential to use the quasiparticle energy differences (the $GW$-calculated band gaps)
in our procedure for setting the value of $U^\ast$.
However, the $GW$-calculated band gaps are usually in good agreement with the experimental band gaps
(e.g., Ref.~\onlinecite{shishkin07}).
It should, on the other hand, be also noted that the $GW$@HSE calculations {\it overestimate} the band gap
of a number of semiconductors including CdS and ZnS (Ref.~\onlinecite{fuchs07}).
Hence, we preferred to utilize the experimental band gaps instead of the $GW$-calculated energy differences,
which is also convenient from a practical point of view
since it enables one to avoid performing quasiparticle calculations
that might easily become computationally exhaustive, especially for large-scale (e.g., defect) calculations.
\section{\label{sonuclar}Results and Discussion}
We first quantify the relationship between the band gap error $\Delta E_g$ in the GGA and HSE calculations
and the position of $d$ level
in the case of zinc and cadmium chalcogenides
since the latter is, in effect, adjusted by varying the value of $U$.
Figure~\ref{dEgvsdepd}(a) shows a plot of $\Delta E_g$
versus
the difference $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}=\varepsilon_{p}^{\rm Ch}-\varepsilon_{d}^{\rm Me}$,
where $\varepsilon_{p}^{\rm Ch}$ and $\varepsilon_{d}^{\rm Me}$ denote the $p$- and $d$-state
energies of the chalcogen and metal atoms, respectively.
In zinc and cadmium chalcogenides,
the $d$ band is located below and next to the topmost valence band.\cite{supplemental}
Thus, the valence-band maximum turns out to be {\it above} its actual position
if the metal $d$ states are positioned {\it too} high (as in both the GGA and HSE calculations),
which contributes to the underestimation of the band gap.
The difference $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$ is therefore used here
to quantify the relationship between the band gap error and the position of $d$ level.
In Fig.~\ref{dEgvsdepd}(a), a linear trend is noticeable for each set of data, cf. the solid lines,
with the exception of data points for CdO.
It is seen that the band gap error is proportional
(with a negative slope) to $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$.
We obtain, via fitting,
\begin{eqnarray}
<|fim_middle|>SE and PBE calculations is presented
Fig.~\ref{karsilastir} where the comparison is performed
for the unit cell volume $V$ [in Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(a)],
for the ratio $c/a$ of (wurtzite) lattice parameters $a$ and $c$ [in Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(b)],
for the internal parameter $u$ of wurtzite structure [in Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(c)],
for the $d$ band position $\varepsilon_d$ [in Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(d)], and
for the formation energy $\Delta H_f$ [in Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(e)].
Our analysis reveals the following:
First, we see in Figs.~\ref{karsilastir}(a)-(c) that
the optimization of the crystal structure
via HSE or HSE+$U^\ast$ calculation results in a similarly more accurate description,
in comparison to the PBE calculations.
Thus, the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations seem to preserve the accuracy of the HSE calculations
in the crystal structure optimizations.
Secondly, Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(d) shows that there is a significant correction
to the $d$ band position thanks to adding $U^\ast$ term to the HSE functional:
The mean error in the $\varepsilon_d$ prediction becomes $\sim$~0.6 eV
in the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations,
compared to $\sim$~2.3 (3.6) eV in the HSE (PBE) calculations.
It should also be noted
that the variation of the difference $\Delta \varepsilon_d^\ast = \varepsilon_d^{{\rm HSE}+U^\ast}- \varepsilon_d^{\rm HSE}$
with $U^\ast$ is almost linear,\cite{ikinci}
which is consistent with $\Delta \varepsilon_d^\ast \approx -0.35~U^\ast $,
where both $\Delta \varepsilon_d^\ast$ and $U^\ast $ are in eV.
Thus, using a larger $U^\ast$ yields a larger correction to $\varepsilon_d$,
shifting the $d$ band to a lower position that is closer to its experimental location.
Recall that employing a larger $U^\ast$ is necessary for the systems
with a larger HSE band gap error (cf. Table~\ref{tablo}).
Hence, the improvement in predicting the $d$ band position
via HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations
is warranted
{\it since} the value of $U^\ast$ is determined by matching the experimental band gap.
Finally, as for the improvement of the HSE+$U$ approach in the prediction of formation energies,
Fig.~\ref{karsilastir}(e) shows that
the mean absolute error in $\left | \Delta H_f \right |$
is on the order of $\sim$~0.1, 0.2, and 0.4~eV per formula unit
in the HSE+$U^\ast$, HSE, and PBE calculations, respectively.
Thus, the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations
result in a more accurate description of crystal energetics of zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides,
compared to the HSE and PBE calculations.
Note that the mean error in $\left | \Delta H_f \right |$
turns out to be {\it positive} in the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations,
which is {\it negative} in the HSE calculations.
This indicates that the error in the formation energies
could be further reduced,
whenever necessary,
by re-adjusting the value of $U^\ast$.
\section{\label{netice}Conclusion}
In this work,
we treated the hybrid functional scheme and the DFT+$U$ method as complementary
rather than alternative approaches
in studying a set of II-VI semiconductors with localized $d$ states.
This led us to introduce the HSE+$U$ approach
where the range-separated HSE hybrid functional is combined with the Hubbard $U$.
Furthermore, we regarded $U$ as a semiempirical parameter.
This enabled us to determine an optimal value $U^\ast$ of the
Hubbard parameter, for which the HSE+$U$ calculation
yields a {\it targeted} (e.g., experimental) value of the band gap.
We find that the correction to the band gap
due to the additional $U^\ast$ term is roughly given by
$U^\ast/2\epsilon_\infty$,
which is in line with theoretical reasoning.
The results of a variety of HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations
performed for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides, viz., a subset of the semiconductors with localized $d$ states,
indicate that
an improved description of the electronic structure as well as crystal structure and energetics
is obtained
in these calculations,
compared to the hybrid functional calculations employing the HSE functional without an additional Hubbard term.
The present study thus shows that
adding the $U^\ast$ term to the HSE functional leads to more accurate prediction of both the electronic and crystal structures
of II-VI semiconductors with localized states.
\begin{acknowledgments}
The numerical calculations reported here were carried out at the High Performance and Grid Computing Center (TRUBA Resources) of TUBITAK ULAKBIM.
\end{acknowledgments}
| \Delta E_g&=& -0.48~\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}+3.33 ~~~({\rm PBE})\nonumber \\
&=& -0.20~\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}+1.52 ~~~({\rm HSE})
\end{eqnarray}
for Zn chalcogenides, and
\begin{eqnarray}
\Delta E_g&=& -0.50~\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}+3.84 ~~~({\rm PBE})\nonumber \\
&=& -0.26~\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}+1.97 ~~~({\rm HSE})
\end{eqnarray}
for Cd chalcogenides (excluding CdO),
where $\Delta E_g$ and $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$ are both in eV.
It is clear, comparing the data points represented by empty (PBE) and filled (HSE) symbols connected by dashed lines,
that the band gap error is reduced
when the difference between the chalcogen $p$- and metal $d$-state energies is increased.
This applies to all II-VI semiconductors studied here, including CdO.
As shown in Figs.~\ref{dEgvsdepd}(b)-\ref{dEgvsdepd}(i),
$\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$ is significantly increased in the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations,
making $\Delta E_g$ vanish.
This is reassuring that the optimal Hubbard parameter $U^\ast$ could be determined
by matching the experimental band gap.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\resizebox{0.50\textwidth}{!}{%
\includegraphics{Figur3.pdf}
}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.4cm}
\caption{(Color online)
The band gaps $E_g$ obtained in our HSE+$U$ calculations
as a function of the effective Hubbard parameter $U$
for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides.
The symbols represent the calculated $E_g$ values,
and the solid lines connecting the symbols represent linear fits to the calculated points.
The vertical dot-dashed lines
mark the values for the optimal Hubbard parameter $U^\ast$ in eV,
which correspond to the experimental $E_g$ values (marked by the horizontal dot-dashed lines).
}
\label{optU}
\end{figure}
\begin{table}
\caption{\label{tablo}
The optimal Hubbard parameter $U^\ast$,
the experimental band gap $E_g$, and
the HSE band gap error $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ (all in eV)
for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides.
}
\begin{ruledtabular}
\begin{tabular}{llccc}
Semiconductor & Crystal structure & $U$$^\ast$ & $E_g$ & $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ \\ \hline
CdO & rocksalt & 0.0 & 0.84 & 0.00 \\
CdTe & zincblende & 0.8 & 1.48 & 0.03 \\
$c$-CdSe & zincblende & 3.0 & 1.68 & 0.19 \\
$w$-CdSe & wurtzite & 3.4 & 1.75 & 0.21 \\
ZnTe & zincblende & 5.0 & 2.35 & 0.28 \\
$c$-CdS & zincblende & 4.2 & 2.40 & 0.27 \\
$w$-CdS & wurtzite & 4.5 & 2.50 & 0.31 \\
ZnSe & zincblende & 5.0 & 2.71 & 0.38 \\
$c$-ZnO & zincblende & 6.1 & 3.27 & 0.95 \\
$w$-ZnO & wurtzite & 6.0 & 3.37 & 0.92 \\
$\beta$-ZnS & zincblende & 5.0 & 3.72 & 0.45 \\
$\alpha$-ZnS & wurtzite & 6.0 & 3.91 & 0.58
\end{tabular}
\end{ruledtabular}
\end{table}
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\resizebox{0.50\textwidth}{!}{%
\includegraphics{Figur4.pdf}
}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.4cm}
\caption{
(Color online)
The HSE band gap error $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ versus the ratio $U^\ast/2\epsilon_\infty$.
}
\label{UvsEg}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
\resizebox{1.00\textwidth}{!}{%
\includegraphics{Figur5.pdf}
}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.4cm}
\caption{(Color online)
A comparison of errors in the predictions via HSE+$U^\ast$ (red bars),
HSE (green bars) and
PBE (blue bars) calculations for
the unit cell volume $V$ (a),
the ratio $c/a$ of lattice parameters $a$ and $c$ (b),
the internal lattice parameter $u$ (c),
the $d$ band position $\varepsilon_d$ (d), and
the absolute value of formation energy $\left | \Delta H_f \right |$ (e).
}
\label{karsilastir}
\end{figure*}
We now determine the $U^\ast$ values that corresponds to vanishing $\Delta E_g$
for the II-VI semiconductors under consideration.
Thus, the results of HSE+$U$ calculations for a range of $U$ values
are given in Fig.~\ref{optU} where the calculated band gap is plotted as a function of $U$.
Note that the variation of the band gap with the effective Hubbard parameter is virtually linear
(with a different slope for each system).
For each compound, a linear fit is thus performed,
which yields the solid lines in Fig.~\ref{optU}.
The $U^\ast$ values are marked by vertical dot-dashed lines,
which correspond to the measured band gap (marked by horizontal dot-dashed lines).
Table~\ref{tablo} gives
the optimal Hubbard parameters and corresponding band gaps
for zinc and cadmium monochalcogenides.
It should be remarked
that one obtains $U^\ast = 0$ for CdO
since the measured value of the band gap of CdO is reproduced already in the HSE calculation, as mentioned in Section~\ref{giris}.
Next we compare the values of $\Delta E_g$ and $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$
obtained in the HSE+$U^\ast$ calculations to those obtained in the PBE and HSE calculations.
Figures~\ref{dEgvsdepd}(b)-\ref{dEgvsdepd}(i)
show a plot of the band gap error $\Delta E_g$ versus the difference $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$
for the II-VI semiconductors under consideration.
As already noted, the HSE calculations yield
an increased value for $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$
in association with a reduced band gap error,
in comparison to the PBE calculations.
The difference $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$ is further increased in the HSE+$U$ calculations,
reducing the band gap error further.
Having $U=U^\ast$ in this trend makes $\Delta E_g$ vanish, with adequate increase of $\Delta \varepsilon_{pd}$.
It is seen in Table~\ref{tablo}
that the larger $E_g$ the greater $U^\ast$ (with few exceptions).
This implies that employing a large (small) $U^\ast$ would be necessary
for a wide (narrow) band gap semiconductor for which
the HSE band gap error $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ is rather large (small), cf. Figure~\ref{Egcalvsexp}(a).
Thus, having a large band gap error in the HSE calculation
necessitates using a large $U^\ast$ for correction.
Furthermore,
there appears to be a roughly monotonic relationship
between $U^\ast$ and $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$, cf. Table~\ref{tablo}.
Our analysis presented in Fig.~\ref{UvsEg}
shows that
this relationship could be quantified
by taking into account the screening effects through the high-frequency dielectric constant $\epsilon_\infty$.
A plot of $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ versus $U^\ast/2\epsilon_\infty$ is given in
Fig.~\ref{UvsEg}
where all data points satisfy
\begin{equation}
\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}= \frac{U^\ast}{2\epsilon_\infty} \pm 0.14 ~{\rm eV}.
\label{UvsdEg}
\end{equation}
Here both $U^\ast$ and $\Delta E_g^{\rm HSE}$ are in eV.
Note that the shift in the occupied (unoccupied) $d$ state energies
due to the $U^\ast$ term would be
$-U^\ast/2$ ($U^\ast/2$) if the hybridization and screening effects are ignored.\cite{anisimov93}
Thus, the correction to the band gap would be proportional to $U^\ast/2$,
ignoring the dielectric screening,
for the II-VI semiconductors studied here
since their lower conduction bands have virtually no contribution from the metal $d$ states.\cite{supplemental}
On the other hand, the band gap correction needs to be scaled by $\epsilon_\infty$
in order to reflect the dielectric screening of the Coulomb potential in a solid.\cite{harrison85}
Thus, the $U^\ast$ term added to the hybrid (HSE) functional
results in a correction of $U^\ast/2\epsilon_\infty$ to the band gap.
This explanation justifies our means of setting the value of $U^\ast$
by matching the experimental band gap.
It also implies that an approximate value for the optimal Hubbard parameter
could {\it a priori} be obtained by inverting Eq.~(\ref{UvsdEg}), i.e.,
$U^\ast \approx 2\epsilon_\infty(E_g - E_g^{\rm HSE})$, provided that
the experimental and HSE-calculated band gaps $E_g$ and $E_g^{\rm HSE}$
as well as the high-frequency dielectric constant $\epsilon_\infty$
are available.
Note that the hybrid-functional calculations could be utilized
to obtain $\epsilon_\infty$
when the experimental data is not available, cf. Table~I of Ref.~\onlinecite{paier08}.
It is interesting to point out that one could assign a single $U^\ast$ value of $\sim 5$~eV for ZnTe, ZnSe and $\beta$-ZnS
while $U^\ast \sim 6$~eV for $c$-ZnO, $w$-ZnO and $\alpha$-ZnS, cf. Table~\ref{tablo}.
Thus, a mean value of $U^\ast_{\rm Zn} \approx 5.5$~eV appears to be adequate
for {\it all} Zn compounds studied here.
It is clearly pleasing to obtain a single (universal) $U^\ast$ value for Zn,
which is almost independent of the composition or crystal structure of the relevant zinc compounds,
for its practical importance
since it would allow one to set $U^\ast_{\rm Zn} \approx 5.5$~eV
in the studies on {\it alloyed} systems made of Zn, O, S, Se, Te atoms.
In order to assess the improvement of the HSE+$U$ approach
in relation to the general physical description of the foregoing semiconductors,
we computed the mean error in
(i) the optimized crystal structures,
(ii) the $d$ band positions, and
(iii) the formation energies
of the metal chalcogenides under consideration.
Accordingly, a comparison of errors in the predictions of the HSE+$U^\ast$, H | 2,969 |
Recently I put on the wall above my desk two photos from old newspapers, one photo of an old Russian woman voting in December 2007 in western Russia, Alexandra Zhaldybina, 101 years old. I stuck this photo to the wall because her face is leathern, marked, a line for each<|fim_middle|> me walk better. And so I put photos of old people on my wall, for any of these confusing reasons that don't make sense in my head but make sense in my belly.
When it comes down to the real reason, perhaps it's just that I love looking at those faces that are each their own landscape, faces that tell a story. | year of her life, I think. Black-rimmed glasses help her see out from underneath her black scarf, her pursed lips show an intensity of thought and significance of the moment. Her face is beautiful in its great age. Putting her picture on the wall gives her a new life about which she knows nothing, for I'm sure she is no longer living and I have no connection with her other than my feeling that she deserves to be remembered for her determination and the beauty of the traces of her long life in her face..
The other photo shows a brother and sister reunited after not seeing each other for 80 years. The man, identified as Benjamin Feinstein is also 101 years old. His sister, Sara Pyatigorsky is 87. She holds him against herself, lays her face on his forehead, and the two are weeping and laughing at the same time, their faces equally lined, the skin rough and spotted. They, too, are beautiful in their craggyness. I am sure their lives were full of turmoil and pain and the full range of human emotion. Their faces reveal the many years of their lives.I've saved this clipping since 1994, and only last week did I decide to put it on my wall because… I am not sure why.
Why do I like looking at these images of these old, very old, people? Why, when I am out on the street do I notice the old? But I also notice the young, I notice how they move so easily, how moving seems the most natural thing in the world, fluid like a stream of water winding down a hilside. Why do I notice the young women laughing and jostling each other on the sidewalk? Because I want to remember, I try to remember how that feels. I try to imagine walking without ever feeling stiff, pretend I have fluidity, thinking it might help | 390 |
A state of relaxation and concentration at one with a state of heightened awareness induced by suggestion. It is<|fim_middle|> Hypno-Psychotherapy or Psycho-Analysis?
Not only can they, but they should. For an insight into yourself, it has no equal. | a non-addictive power for good and is a natural manifestation of the mind at work.
No. Without realising it everyone has been in trance. Some people can relax easier than others but everyone can be hypnotised to some level.
Are drugs or tablets used?
Shall I be aware of what is happening?
So I am not asleep then?
No. You are simply extremely relaxed. This is why the technique is called 'Conscious Hypnosis'.
Is there any cause at all for concern?
None whatsoever. Hypnosis is a proven therapeutic aid.
Simpler problems like smoking, nail-biting, slimming, pre-test nerves etc. usually require 1-3 sessions and the success rate is surprisingly high. The more deep-rooted nervous disorders require 'analytical' rather than 'suggestion' therapy which usually consists of 6-10 weekly sessions.
Could I be influenced to do anything against my will or nature?
No. In fact you would be shocked out of the hypnotic state immediately if any such action was suggested to you.
Can 'normal' people undergo | 220 |
The market volatility continued this week and it was best demonstrated by the Shanghai Composite Index, the stock market index of all stocks traded at the Shanghai Sock Exchange.
In 2014, Shanghai Composite was the best index returning +52.9%. During the last 90 days of the year, it was up almost +40%. By the end of second week of the year (January 16), it was up another +4.4%. Then on Monday, January 19th, it dropped like a rock for -7.7%, the catalyst being the Chinese government's crackdown on speculation. By the end of the week, however, it had recovered almost all of that.
The two-week 30-minute chart of Shanghai Composite shows the volatility. On Monday the index gapped down and then after making a minor 'double-bottom (non-exact) on Tuesday, it continued to climb up before retreating mildly on Friday at the January-high resistance level.
The basic chart-pattern of the S&P 500, in 30-minute timeframe is similar though it did not occur on the same dates, After making the high for the year on January 9th, it retraced and the made a double bottom on Friday, January 16th. Last week it just kept on climbing up before hitting the resistance at the year's high.
The daily chart of S&P 500 shows the volatile trading range since December 8th more clearly. Since then the index has had six short & sharp moves either up or down; each move lasting 3-8 trading days. The tug-of-war between the bulls and the bears hasn't resulted in a clear-cut winner so far but is also apparent that the bulls are not yet ready to forfeit the upper hand that they have enjoyed for a long time. Buying the dip mentality is still alive.
<|fim_middle|> pattern and will be bearish. Note the uneven Right Shoulder of the pattern. For the rising wedge to complete, the index has to break below the upward sloping bottom line convincingly. The rising wedges have a bearish bias. However, it does not indicate how much the price will fall. Going by the past few year's history, S&P 500 will have some strong support levels to break even after the rising wedge pattern completes.
The chart pattern of NASDAQ composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average are also similar, though not exact. Dow's pattern looks more like an upward sloping channel, which indicates continuation, than a rising wedge. NASDAQ's pattern is more like a horizontal channel, hinting trading range, than a rising wedge.
From the perspective of the Dow Theory, a confirmation has to occur to indicate the resumption of the uptrend or the down-trend to begin. In late December, the Industrials made a new high but the Transports did not. For the uptrend to resume convincingly, the Transport have to rise above the November high of 9310.22.
On the other hand, neither of the indices have broken below the December lows, hence there is no indication of a break in the uptrend. The bottom line is that the current market outlook remains bullish.
Major European indexes are in different stages but they all are breaking out.
STOXX 600 and Germany's DAX have broken above the all time high; French CACI-40 is at the highest level since June 2008; Italy's FTSE MIB has broken a down-trend line and is forming a bull-flag; Spanish IBEX 35 is lagging but is threatening to break above the down-trend line and form a bull-flag. Here are the weekly charts.
For 3-month and 12-month periods most global indices have been showing a sharp rise except for the troubled spots like Russia because of Ukraine and sanctions; Switzerland because of the euro peg removal and Brazil.
Commodities are still having a rough time. Except for precious metals all declined for the week.
Most commodities are down for the last 3-month and 12-month period too. The world does seem to have deflationary concerns.
The ECB move and continuing good economic news from the Unites States are keeping the greenback strong.
January 25, 2015 in Market Commentary. | However, the simple technical analysis tells us that it is not all clear sign for the uptrend. All major indices still have some immediate resistance levels to overcome and are traversing similar looking patterns. Depending upon one's market bias one can view these patterns as bullish or bearish. Another alternative is to wait for the pattern to complete.
In the accompanying daily chart of S&P 500 we can see two such emerging patterns. One is the upward sloping rising wedge and the other is Head-&-Shoulder patter, albeit an uneven one. A break above December high of 2093.55 will nullify the H&S pattern and will be bullish, whereas, a break below the January low of 1988.12 will complete the | 157 |
Protect your identity without leaving the car! Shred Days are free and open to everyone so tell a friend about this opportunity.
Feel like lending a hand?
Shred day is an opportunity for you to protect your identity by<|fim_middle|> go! If you'd like to stay and watch the bin with your materials enter the shred trucks you are more than welcome to do so.
Remember to only shred items you no longer need or are out of date. Once you determine this, a good guideline is to shred anything that has personal, financial, medical, account, or family information on it. Here are a few things to consider shredding. | safely destroying old documents and items with your personal information on them. FCB partners with AllShred, a local shredding company to make sure everything is destroyed properly. Shred day is free and open to the public. Everyone is invited to bring up to 3 boxes of items to shred.
Here's what to expect at an FCB shred day. You'll drive up to the trucks and stay in your car. Team members from Frederick County Bank and AllShred will help load your documents into big recycling bins. At this point, you are good to | 113 |
Cooperation and Networking
Universities and Research Institutes
Research Area Economy and Civil Society
Research Group Creativity and Work
Research Group Social Innovations in Rural Spaces
Research Group Globalisation and Knowledge Economy
Research Area Politics and Planning
Research Group Urban Sustainability Transformations
Research Group Urban Politics
Research Area Contemporary History and Archive
Research Group Urbanisation Trajectories and Cultures of Planning in the 20th Century
Research Group Digital History/Scientific Collections
Research Programme (pdf)
IRS Spring Academy: Investig<|fim_middle|> Kochskämper
Anna Charlotta Kronvall | ating Space(s)
Transfer Publications
Podcast Society@Space
IRS Annual
Holdings and Finding Aids
Politics and Planning
Urban Sustainability Transformations
Foto: artfocus/stock.adobe.com
Sustainability and climate policy is increasingly being shaped under the impression of drastic disruptive events: Heavy rainfall events and heat waves, but also sudden changes in social and political priorities challenge established institutional procedures and planning processes. Against this background, the Research Group investigates the prerequisites and possibilities of local and regional sustainability and climate policy as well as the sustainable transformation of cities. The focus is on the development, expansion and implementation of strategies in climate, energy and environmental policy. Special interest is given to the possibilities of action of city administrations and city politics in international comparison, institutional change as well as the increasing importance of cities and city networks on an international and European level. In addition, the research group examines the transfer of knowledge between cities or regions and between different policy areas within cities. In this context, it is also investigated whether and how policy experiments and innovations (e.g. real world labs, pilot projects, smart city projects) can be transferred from one city or region to another.
Politics and Planning01/2022 - 12/2025
Conflicts in Planning: Major Projects and their Potential for Institutional Change
The project examines large-scale projects as profound disruptions that shake the well-rehearsed routines of institutions and can lead to institutional change. The project examines the large-scale project of the Tesla settlement in comparison to other case studies with regard to disruptive effects on policy and planning and thus tests the transferability of the term disruption to policy and planning research. more
Urban resilience to extreme weather events - Typologies and transfer of adaptation strategies in medium-sized cities and towns (ExTrass-V)
ExTrass wants to better equip medium-sized cities and towns in Germany against heat and heavy rain. To achieve this, the project examines the factors that hinder or enable urban climate adaptation and identifies examples of successful measures. One focus of the project will take place in three case study cities - Potsdam, Remscheid and Würzburg – which will test greening initiatives, pursue climate-adapted urban planning, extend datasets related to the urban climate, communicate climate risks to residents, and improve emergency planning. The project will also facilitate networking and knowledge exchange so that cities can learn from each other. more
Pioneers, Imitators and Laggards: Governance of Climate Change in German Cities
For several decades, (some) cities have been active in climate policy. Previous research on urban climate policy has mostly focused on internationally well-connected and high-profile larger cities and on a handful of prominent smaller pioneering cities. But what about the cities in the second tier, which, unlike the leaders, usually (have to) work with very limited financial and human resources and without significant political and civil society support? This habilitation project focuses on the widest possible range of cities and explores the question of why climate policy activity emerges in cities and why it does not. more
Political construction of critical infrastructures and effects of digitalisation
The cumulative dissertation project tries to approach the topic of critical infrastructures with different approaches. Central aspects are "space" and "scale". First, the perspective of the nation state is examined, because nation states define sectors and infrastructures that are considered critical; they thus have a formative role. Then, the city level is examined as a planning unit, because decisions are also made at this level that influence the nature and functions of infrastructures. Finally, we zoom into the health sector in hospitals, because processes and decisions that change infrastructures also take place here.<br/>Critical infrastructures are inherently potentially affected by failure events, because "critical" refers to the possible failure of infrastructure. Therefore, concepts that guarantee maintenance occupy a special position. In Germany, the focus is on the protection concept, whereas in Nordic countries such as Sweden, resilience is significant as a concept. more
Prof. Dr. Kristine Kern
Dr. Peter Mark Eckersley
Dr. Wolfgang Haupt
Felicitas Klemp
Dr. Elisa Dorothea | 845 |
Александру Фрода (16 июля 1894, Бухарест, Румыния – 7 октября 1973, Бухарест, Румыния) — румынский математик, внёсший значительный вклад в математический анализ, алгебру, теорию чисел и классическую механику. В 1929 году доказал теорему, позже названную в его честь.
Биография
Александру Фрода родился в Бухаресте в 1894 году. В 1927 он окончил Университет Естественных наук (сейчас Математический факультет Бухарестского университета). Получил степень кандидата наук в Парижском университете в 1929. В 1946 году был избран президентом Румынского математического общества, а спустя два года возглавил Факультет физики и математики в Бухарестском университете и получил профессорскую степень.
Научная деятельность
Главная сфера интересов Фроды - математический анализ. Его первая серьёзная работа была посвящена проблеме множества разрывов вещественнозначной функции действительной переменной. В теореме, приведённой там, Фрода доказывает, что множество простых разрывов вещественной функции действительной переменной всегда счётно.
В своей статье в 1936 году он доказал, что функция, на которую опирается теорема должны быть измерима.
<|fim_middle|>Математики по алфавиту
Математики XX века
Математики Румынии | В теории алгебраических уравнений Фрода открыл новый метод решения уравнений с комплексными коэффициентами.
В 1929 году Димитрие Помпей предположил, что любая непрерывная функция с двумя действительными переменными постоянна, если интеграл от неё постоянен. В этом же году Фрода доказал это, однако позже стало ясно, что оба учёных ошибались, и предположение было неверным.
В 1907 году Димитрие Помпей представил общественности пример непрерывной функции с ненулевой производной, обращающейся в ноль на каждом интервале. Используя эти наработки, Фрода находит новый путь решения проблемы, поставленной Михаилом Лаврентьевым в 1925 году: существует ли функция с двумя переменными, где дифференциальное уравнение будет иметь как минимум два решения, проходящих через каждую точку плоскости.
В теории чисел, кроме проблемы рациональных треугольников, Фрода также рассмотрел и доказал несколько условий, при которых действительное число, являющееся пределом рациональной сходящейся последовательности, может быть иррациональным.
В 1937 году Фрода доказал теорему Борсука — Улама.
Примечания
| 374 |
April 6, 2013 Seminar – Bruce Norris – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm | NorCalREIA - Sacramento's premier real estate investment club.
Summary: Bruce Norris teaches this full-day, step-by-step seminar on the special skills and strategies you need, not just to succeed, but to supersede all boundaries of normal "success" in California Quadrant 4!
Opportunity is here! Can you hear it knocking? Despite what some might tell you, investors that have shifted gears know exactly what they have to do to succeed today and they are buying up a storm. Don't miss out! You can do it too. It's not "magic." It's not "luck." It's not even "who you know." Success in this market comes from applying a set of predetermined skills and strategies – or in plain language, "know-how." And it's downrightformulaic. Once you have the formulas, you'll know how to<|fim_middle|>cal into coupon code. | use them again and again in a market like this one.
The Norris Group is so excited this market has arrived that we've completely restructured our hard money lending programs to help investors buy and flip, buy and hold, and even build as many new homes as possible within the next 24 months.
Don't sit on the sidelines and let this opportunity for true wealth-building pass you by! All it takes is the right "know-how" to take advantage of this hot market. With decades of experience and proven investment savvy to his credit, Bruce Norris can give you the step-by-step strategies to exponentially explode your wealth in the current California real estate market.
NorCalREIA members $297 per person until April 1st. Insert nor | 151 |
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the southeastern part of Louisiana and the population of the Lafayette community grew with evacuees. With the growth, the needs of the community changed and the Lafayette 4-H Junior Leaders were key in addressing the needs. When the junior leaders regrouped after their dismantled retreat and Hurricane Katrina, they began to discuss the needs of the evacuee population. The community housed many shelters. Even though the junior leaders weren't the required age for shelter volunteers, they discovered other ways to aid in the effort. After hearing a guest speaker from The Family Tree counseling service, the junior leaders partnered to assemble and distribute 5,000 Hurricane HERO Courageous Kids packets.
On September 20, evacuation orders for the Lafayette area were issued as another storm entered the Gulf. Once again, the Lafayette community was impacted, but this time the devastation would be much closer to home.
When the junior leader group was reassembled, the youth and adults involved once again began the needs-assessment process involving group discussion and reviewing of printed media materials. The needs identified ranged from environmental literacy to personal needs created by Hurricane Rita. To come to consensus, each issue was researched, and youth gave peer presentations to justify addressing the need. After each needs presentation, club members had dialogue on the issue, and then a vote was taken. The issue decided on was disaster recovery needs of youth. As the group reflected on the various needs and their capabilities to address the needs, they concluded one of the best means to address the needs was through what they knew best, 4-H. The group targeted the Cameron Parish community with a concentrated focus on their peers and providing them support in their 4-H work. The objectives identified were to develop empathy for youth displaced as a result of a hurricane, practice decision-making skills, and identify feelings and actions encountered by children after a disaster.
Once the need was decided on, the planning by youth and adults began. A needs assessment was conducted to identify and prioritize the needs that the youth could best serve in rebuilding. The goal set by the youth was to establish a network with 4-H members in Cameron Parish directly impacted by Hurricane Rita. The first function planned was to begin developing caring relationships and a better awareness of the needs. An initial visit to the parish included a tour of the devastated area conducted by Cameron Parish sheriff and school board officials.
As members participated in the tour they were introduced to the stages of grief, listened to personal testimonials and asked questions exploring their feelings based on being present in a disaster. Members had to undergo medical requirements prior to the trip, which was an important component of the orientation process. Members had an opportunity to hear about the devastation and received an update on the progress being made and future plans to continue the clean up efforts. Youth toured the downtown area of Cameron on foot. Participants indicated through reflection that they have a better understanding of the stages of grief in relation to experiencing a disaster.
Upon the return home, the Lafayette group formulated a plan to address the needs they saw and heard. Initially, the Lafayette members assembled packets on managing stress in times of crisis for the students and their families. These packets were distributed to all students in the Cameron Parish school system.
The second effort targeted the livestock project. Lafayette 4-H members learned of the large percentage of Cameron youth involved in the project as well as the divesting impact on that sector of the parish. Livestock and horse equipment drives were conducted during the parish and district livestock and horse shows. These supplies were distributed to Cameron Parish exhibitors at the LSU AgCenter state shows.
Given that many of the Cameron Parish 4-H events and activities were cancelled, the Lafayette group extended an invitation to Cameron members to participate in Lafayette 4-H events. KLFY-TV 10 featured the effort during their weekly teen report that highlighted the project. Realizing that many families couldn't afford to participate in routine 4-H events such as 4-H camp and 4-H U, the Lafayette group developed the "Coins for Cameron" drive throughout the parish that raised $4,500. These funds were used to offset expenses for the Cameron members that participate in state 4-H events such as 4-H Camp and 4-H U.
Throughout the year, the Lafayette Parish youth continued to learn about natural disaster issues through educational tours and guest speakers. One of the most interesting experiences was a tour of the KLFY-TV 10 television station and weather laboratory. The tour featured various career opportunities, educational requirements and discussion about the 2006 hurricane season.
Members participated in Hurricane Rita Anniversary Celebration sponsored by the Americas Wetlands Campaign. The celebration provided another opportunity for the members to visit the parish, and they were able to witness the progress made. The youth also had an opportunity to visit their friends and receive well-deserved recognition of their efforts at a ceremony attended by Governor Kathleen Blanco, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, and David Vitter, R-Metairie, Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach, White House hurricane recovery coordinator Don Powell and Army three-star Gen. Russell Honoré, who commanded federal recovery troops.
Youth reflected periodically throughout the project using various methods. Reflection focused on learning experienced related to disasters, individual growth and their role in society. Throughout the process, students shared their experiences in group settings, interviews and personal journals. In an effort to capture the outcomes of the service-learning effort, the parish participated in the online evaluation offered by the state 4-H department. Through the online evaluation instrument as well as through the different reflection exercises, many outcomes were achieved. Youth members and adult volunteers have become more aware of the community issues and were able to jointly develop and demonstrate leadership and communication skills in plans addressing needs. As a parish 4-H program, youth in the junior leader role have been more engaged and have increased participation.
The group is still committed to the effort and has expanded to environmental educational outreach and direct environmental projects. The group was instrumental in the establishment of a Water Festival that targeted all fourth-grade students in Cameron Parish.The effort was collaborative with many other groups such as USDA-NRCS Imperial Calcasieu Resource Conservation & Development Council, Soil and Water Conversation District (SWCD), American Wetlands Conservation Corps (AWCC) members, Calcasieu Parish 4-H Junior Leaders, Cameron Sheriff's Department, Cameron Parish School Board and Cameron Parish Police Jury.
The Water Festival consisted of multiple, structured learning stations where students actively engage in hands-on water activities and investigations. Station topics include the hydrologic cycle, water quality, wetlands, water management, water conservation, watersheds and more. The educational activities from the Make a Splash with Project WET Water Festivals are designed to emphasize water education principles within a fun, interactive environment. Project WET Water Festivals provide a solid educational framework for teachers and students. Students built beach fences to help establish sand dunes. Participants planted grass in the Holly Beach area.
The Lafayette 4-H Junior Leader group also participated in the Acorns of Hope project sponsored by Bob Thibodeaux. The group traveled to Cameron Parish and planted acorns in an effort to reestablish the tree population of the coastline.
Given the 200<|fim_middle|>6,695.25 monthly. Their efforts also raised $4,500.00 through donations and in-kind. Donations were solicited through local media, personal contacts and newsletters from local businesses, private individuals and clubs in the parish. | 8 storms, the group continues to target this effort by working with Acorns of Hope effort, the Water Festival and working with the AmeriCorps effort with American Wetland Conservation Corps.
The group has also expanded their environmental work in the Lafayette committee by addressing local community needs and education. This year's efforts include building bat boxes to address the mosquito problems and Go Green Grocery Shopping Day in which they would educate the public of the environmental impact of plastic bags.
Overall, this effort has increased the networking of community agencies (KLFY-TV10, United Way of Acadiana, Cameron Parish Police Jury, Cameron Parish Sheriff's Department, Cameron Parish School Board, Cameron Parish 4-H Junior Leaders, Cameron Parish 4-H members, Vernon Parish 4-H Junior Leaders, The Family Tree, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Lafayette Parish 4-H Clubs, Americas Wetland Campaign, American Wetlands Conservation Corps, USDA-NRCS, Imperial Calcasieu Resource Conservation & Development Council, Soil and Water Conservation District, Lafayette Parish School System, Lafayette Parish 4-H livestock exhibitors and parents.
Beyond the educational impact, youth contributed a monthly average of 395 hours or 16 days. According to The Independent Sector, the value of volunteer service in Louisiana is $16.95 which yields an economic value of $ | 272 |
Download the original WordPerfect Document here
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANTS: ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE:
JEFFREY A. MODISETT BILL D. EBERHARD, JR.
Attorney General of Indiana Steele, Ulmschneider, & Eberhard
LaGrange, Indiana
CAROL A. NEMETH
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
STATE OF INDIANA and TIMOTHY J. CAIN, )
Prosecuting Attorney of LaGrange County, )
Appellants-Defendants, )
vs. ) No. 44A03-9706-CV-198
JOHN MAILLARD, )
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
APPEAL FROM THE LaGRANGE CIRCUIT COURT
The Honorable John Jay Boyce, Judge
Cause No. 44C01-9604-CP-26
HOFFMAN, Judge
The State of Indiana appeals a trial court determination that "'Pot O Silver' machines owned by Plaintiff are not gambling devices as defined by Indiana Code § 35-45-5-1." The facts relevant to review are recited below.
In April 1996, Maillard's late wife, Jill, instituted proceedings for a declaratory judgment as to whether "quarter slide" or "quarter pusher" machines she owned constituted gambling devices pursuant to Indiana's criminal code. Jill placed the machines in convenience stores within LaGrange County. Sometime prior to April, the Prosecuting Attorney for LaGrange County, Timothy J. Cain, informed Jill that the machines had to be removed from the stores on or before March 19, 1996. Jill was advised that her failure to comply would subject her to prosecution under the Indiana statutes pertaining to gambling. Jill complied with the order but instituted these proceedings for a declaratory judgment.
In June 1996, a hearing was held. A demonstration of the operation of the machine was videotaped. The tape is included in the record of proceedings. The machines owned by Maillard are approximately five feet tall encased in fibreboard or plywood boxes. The upper half of the front of the machine is glass allowing the player to observe and control operation of the game.
To operate a machine, a player chooses a point of entry and inserts one or more quarters after viewing the location of various chutes and the location of the quarters inside of the machine. As a coin is inserted, revolving wheels begin to turn at a constant speed. Dots of different colors placed on the wheels correspond to dots on four short chutes approximately two inches deep. After rolling down the first chute, the coin passes to a wheel
and will drop into the short chute with the color which corresponds to the color on the wheel. The wheels drop the coin onto a tray that moves forward and backward at a constant speed.
At any time during play, an operator can stop the tray from moving back and forth by pressing a "skill button." Movement of the tray is stopped for as long as the button is depressed. Timing, selection of the initial chute, and use of the stop mechanism allow a player to manipulate placement of the coins.
The moving tray can force quarters over the edge of the top tray onto a lower, stationary shelf. As quarters drop to the bottom shelf, they may push the existing quarters which may allow them to fall into an area for retrieval by the player or onto the side where they are retained by the machine. Additionally, for each coin placed in the machine, the machine dispenses a ticket which can be redeemed for a twenty-five cent item such as a comb.
At trial, Maillard presented expert witness testimony that the machine always gives a ticket redeemable for a quarter item. The machine shuts down if the ticket portion is inoperable. A player's skill can determine the amount of quarters which are returned. The expert likened the machine to "skee ball" and "crane" machines placed in children's arcades
At the conclusion of the hearing, the matter was taken under advisement. In December 1996, the trial court allowed John Maillard to be substituted as the plaintiff after the death of Jill.
On February 28, 1997, the trial court issued findings of fact and conclusions of law. The order determined the method of operation of the machines, which is substantially in accordance with the facts set out above. Also, in relevant part, the trial court concluded:
2. Indiana Code § 35-45-5-1 states: 'Gambling' means risking money or other property for gain, contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device; but it does not include participating in:
(1) bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries...
3. In Tinder v. Music Operating, Inc., 237 Ind. 33, 142 N.E.2d 610 (1957), the Indiana Supreme Court held that a device that awarded a prize by chance was a gambling machine. Activity, however, that required substantial skill and judgment was determined not to be gambling. 142 N.E.2d at 615.
4. Successful operation of a 'Pot O Silver' machine requires more than an element of skill and is not determined primarily by chance. Hence, Plaintiff's 'Pot O Silver' machine fails to be a gambling device under the rule of Lashbrook v. State, 550 N.E.2d 772 (Ind. App. 1990).
5. A device requiring skill and judgment to be successfully operated is not a gambling machine under Indiana Code § 35-45-5-1.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that judgment is rendered in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant. The 'Pot O Silver' machines owned by Plaintiff are not gambling devices as defined by Indiana Code § 35-45-5-1.
This appeal ensued.
The State and Cain, as prosecutor for LaGrange County, present one issue for review: whether the trial court erred in determining that the machines do not constitute gambling
devices in light of the evidence that the machines do not return the same payoff for the same consideration every turn.
In the present case, the record does not reflect that either party requested the trial court to enter specific findings of fact pursuant to Ind.Trial Rule 52. Instead, the trial court allowed the parties to submit proposed findings and conclusions, and then entered findings and conclusions on its own motion. In such a case, a general finding or judgment will control as to<|fim_middle|>. App. 1983) (determining that machine was gambling device and that petitioners' use of machine fell within meaning of professional gambling as well).
The parties agree and the trial court implicitly found that the machine does not always return the same value or property for the same consideration upon each operation. Neither dispensing a ticket for each operation nor requiring skill for a more successful operation can alter the violation of the clear meaning of the statute prohibiting "gambling devices."
The judgment is reversed.
GARRARD, J., and DARDEN, J., concur.
Converted from WP6.1 by the Access Indiana Information Network | issues upon which the trial court has not expressly found, and special findings will control only as to those issues which they cover. In re Marriage of Loeb, 614 N.E.2d 954, 956 (Ind. Ct. App. 1993). Special findings will be reversed on appeal only if they are clearly erroneous. Id. The trial court's factual findings will not be found to be clearly erroneous unless the evidence contains no facts or reasonable inferences supporting the findings. Id. In determining whether the trial court's findings are clearly erroneous, we will not reweigh the evidence nor determine the credibility of the witnesses and will consider only the evidence on record which supports the judgment and the reasonable inferences which can be drawn from that evidence. Id.
The State argued at the hearing, and now on appeal, that the machines violate the subsection of the gambling statute which defines gambling devices.
IND. CODE § 35-45-5-1 (1993 Ed.) provides in pertinent part:
'Gambling device' means:
(2) a mechanism that, when operated for a consideration, does not return the same value or property for the same consideration upon each operation[.] . . .
The State recognizes that the machine always dispenses a ticket for each quarter placed in the machine. The ticket is redeemable for a twenty-five cent item. However, the State asserts that the return of coins in various amounts, including zero, violates paragraph two of the gambling device definition.
In support of the trial court's decision, Maillard directs this Court to the portion of the statute which defines gambling:
'Gambling' means risking money or other property for gain, contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device; but it does not include participating in:
(1) bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries[.] . . .
IND. CODE § 35-45-5-1.
Maillard focuses upon the exclusion of "bona fide contests of skill" as not constituting "gambling." According to Maillard, it would defy logic for the machines to constitute gambling devices, yet the operators using them not be engaged in gambling because of the "contests of skill" exemption.
The trial court's order sidesteps the question whether the machines violate the "gambling device" portion of the gambling statute. Instead the trial court, as urged by Maillard, focused upon the definition of gambling and then applied that definition to conclude that the machines do not constitute gambling devices.
Our primary task in construing a statute is to give effect to the intent of the legislature. Ashlin Transp. Services, Inc. v. Indiana Unemployment Ins. Bd., 637 N.E.2d 162, 166 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1994). A reviewing court is duty bound to construe a statute to give effect and validity to each provision if the statute is susceptible to reasonable and intelligible construction. Sullivan v. Day, 681 N.E.2d 713, 717 (Ind. 1997) (citing Tinder v. Music Operating, Inc., 237 Ind. 33, 52, 142 N.E.2d 610, 620 (1957)). A statute is examined as a whole, and while the language itself is analyzed, a reviewing court will refrain from overemphasizing a strict literal or selective reading of individual words. Id. If the language of the statute is clear and unambiguous, it is not subject to judicial interpretation. Albright v. Pyle, 637 N.E.2d 1360, 1363-64 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994). We look to the plain, ordinary meaning of the words and phrases in a statute to discern the legislative intent and presume that the legislature intended its language to be applied in a logical manner consistent with the statute's underlying policies and goals. Ashlin Transp. Services, 637 N.E.2d at 166.
Here, there is no blatant ambiguity in IND. CODE § 35-45-5-1. The statute clearly defines "gambling" and "gambling devices." It may be presumed that the legislature's ban of "gambling devices" could be more stringent than the prohibition against engaging in gambling activity. If the machine is unlawful, the owners may be ordered to remove the device or it may be seized when appropriate thereby obviating any ability to operate the machine in order to engage in gambling. Additionally, such an interpretation would serve the goals of curtailing gambling at its source. Thus, no obvious ambiguity exists.
Assuming the trial court correctly determined that operation of the machine does not constitute gambling based upon the skill exception, it does not follow that its lawful use ipso facto insulates the machine from violation of the gambling device prohibition. It is
conceivable that gambling devices could be used in a lawful manner. Cf. Matter of Prop. at Marriott Inn, Clarksville, 456 N.E.2d 444, 446 (Ind. Ct | 1,122 |
The Cannondale Habit is a pretty damn good example of a 'True' MTB. It's an exciting bike!
The all new and redesigned Cannondale Habit is an excitement machine. 130mm of suspension travel, 29" wheel equipped but capable of running 27.5" Plus sized wheels too, relaxed head angle, individually tuned suspension to suit every frame size, smart component selection, options on either alloy or<|fim_middle|> Get ready for fun. | carbon frame versions and the list goes on. It's a bike that can't decide if it sits in the trail or all mountain category as it truly does sit in both. This bike has gathered a lot of attention on release and rightfully so. It's a bike that we feel has really hit home to a lot of people what a MTB is and perhaps should be. Ride up hills, ride down hills, have lots of fun and make lots of smiles, repeat, over and over again!
Why would i buy a Habit?
You'd buy a Habit if you want a bike that will let you do it all and have an absolute bucket load of fun along the way. It's light and not too much of a long travel bike to make it a slouch on the way up yet it has enough travel and a slack enough head angle to make it loads of fun for the downhill and very capable. If you wanted to try and define a MTB, this is a bike that we would certainly put forward as a pretty damn near perfect example. | 211 |
MasterControl offers equipment maintenance software which helps<|fim_middle|> integrated platform with a continuum of risk-based software validation products and services, MasterControl drives down the total cost of ownership and enables customers to extend their investment across the enterprise. Hundreds of companies worldwide use MasterControl for easier compliance, faster validation, and better process management. For more information, visit www.mastercontrol.com, or call 800-825-9117.
To learn more about equipment maintenance software systems by MasterControl, feel free to contact MasterControl representative today. | in implementing accurate functioning of instruments, apparatus, gauges, and recording devices which is critical in the manufacturing and analysis of product. The FDA therefore mandates a written program for the routine calibration of such equipment as well as the retention of calibration records. Besides the obvious quality benefits, such a program also helps minimize downtime in manufacturing and laboratory operations.
How Can the MasterControl Equipment Maintenance Software Help You?
MasterControl equipment maintenance software systems manage your maintenance schedule and automatically triggers maintenance tasks before they are due. The solution routes tasks containing specific instructions to the appropriate personnel for completion and review. A complete record, including captured information, is stored for inspection by regulatory agencies or other auditors.
MasterControl considers validation an integral part of equipment maintainance systems for FDA-regulated customers. For FDA-regulated companies, MasterControl provides several flexible validation offerings and services to meet each company's individual validation and risk requirements. These offerings dramatically cut the time, pain, and cost involved in validation to ensure compliance.
When a company uses equipment maintanance systems that are not integrated, support costs increase, work is duplicated due to overlapping functionality, and vital information is not linked in a quality context. This results in a loss of efficiency and less control over quality issues.
Equipment maintenance software is a part of the MasterControl integrated suite, enabling anything from single-site to global, multi-site implementations. MasterControl collects compliance-related data in a single repository for use in continuous quality improvement.
The system tracks all routing information and data entered into the electronic form, allowing a program manager to identify bottlenecks and understand the sequence of events during processing.
An equipment maintenance system depends heavily on the reliability of task creation and reminders. The sheer number of equipment pieces with their associated maintenance tasks, even in a moderately-sized program, makes maintaining orderly records a challenge.
MasterControl equipment maintenance software manages the entire maintenance schedule and automatically generates preventive maintenance tasks before the due date is reached. Complete records are maintained. Advanced reporting capabilities provide insight into maintenance activities.
The maintenance schedule manages and automatically triggers all preventive maintenance tasks.
Corrective maintenance can be requested manually as a work request by personnel.
The maintenance process in the equipment maintenance software, including task preview, completion, and review is automated and overdue assignments can be escalated to supervisors.
Specific instructions, including spare parts lists and required equipment lists, are created during schedule setup.
Maintenance data, including instrumentation used and observations, are stored as a permanent record.
Third-party materials can be imported to supplement internal data within the equipment maintenance software.
Checkpoints guide participants to initiate further actions, such as failure investigations, or taking the equipment offline as needed for re-qualifications and recalibrations.
An analytics reporting tool comes with a standard set of pre-configured reports that can be adjusted and customized by the end user. The solution includes customizable reports including Maintenance History; Current Maintenance Tasks; Maintenance Tasks Past Due; and Corrective Maintenance by Cause.
As with all software developed by MasterControl, the equipment maintenance software provides all the features necessary to comply with 21 CFR Part 11 requirements. It provides a secure, time-stamped audit trail, reporting, and electronic signature capabilities. Security features include dual passwords for document approval and password expiration, encryption, and certification. MasterControl solutions exceed good business practice requirements for companies that comply with ISO quality standards such as ISO 9000 and ISO 13485.
MasterControl Inc. is a global provider of GxP process and document management software solutions for life science companies. MasterControl's equipment maintenance system is easy to implement, easy to validate, and easy to maintain. It incorporates industry best practices for automating and connecting every stage of the product development cycle, while facilitating regulatory compliance. By combining an | 753 |
What has been your most memorable experience of the process?
I was lucky enough to have a personal studio visit by Stinger Wong, Creative Director of Lane Crawford. We hit it off immediately and I remember so vividly his warmth, enthusiasm and love of art. He was really excited about my work, and art in general, I felt giddy and happy to talk to him! After speaking to him, it was obvious that art and artists were built into Lane Crawford's brand ethos and philosophy. Art wasn't just used to decorate the retail space but was an integral as the brands and designers they worked with. This made a really big impact on me, I immediately knew I'd love any chance to work with Stinger and Lane Crawford. I knew they trusted my artistic voice and would support my creative vision.
I was absolutely ecstatic! The first thing I did was call my mother, as I always do when I have good news. Then, she messaged her friends in Korea, which I know is a sign that she was very proud of me.
As a Korean American artist I have always had deep desires to show my work back in Asia, so the chance to share my work in Hong Kong meant so much to<|fim_middle|> spaces to spread my wings further.
What kind of project have you worked with Lane Crawford on since winning?
I showcased my newest series of paintings at Lane Crawford ifc mall during Hong Kong Art Basel in 2018, which were displayed so beautifully and prominently. Also, my work featured in a wonderful editorial story on lanecrawford.com and Lane Crawford's Instagram.
There have been conversations about further collaborations with Lane Crawford, which I would love for it to materialize sooner than later! I think it would be incredible to show my next series in Hong Kong to continue the dialogue and share progress of my work with the Asian audience. I'm definitely interested in the possibilities of displays and installations within Lane Crawford stores.
Do you have any words of advice that you would give to this year's winners and runners-up?
Be yourself. Lane Crawford and the judges trust you and your personal creative process, they don't have a specific style or exact description of what they're looking for. So, keep making the work you believe in! | me. Once my paintings were displayed at Lane Crawford ifc mall the response was fantastic. Without a doubt, learning all my 20 paintings sold within two weeks, 18 of them were bought by the same collector completely shocked me and it really felt like an incredible, warm homecoming. To have my work shown and loved in Hong Kong and Asia touched my heart so deeply. It really sparked my desire to share my art in Asia and I am actively looking to connect with galleries and | 99 |
Consultants, internal auditors and external auditors serve very different roles in a data center project, and all of them being vital to the project. A consultant for a data center project cannot be the auditor for the same project. An internal auditor can serve as an external auditor but only for organizations other than the one where they are employed to ensure impartiality. Below is a short description of the various roles and some of the high level requirements.
A consultant provides professional advice to companies who wish to achieve conformity to the requirements of the ANSI/TIA-942 standard. In a data center build project, consultants could serve a variety of roles such as technical advisor, designer, implementer, project manager and other important roles.
A TIA-942 certified consultant carries the CTDC (Certified TIA-942 Design Consultant) credential.
An internal auditor is an individual who helps an organization, which could be the organization where the internal auditor is employed or another organization, to get their data center ready for conformity certification to the ANSI/TIA-942 standard<|fim_middle|> conformity verification. The external auditor is able to write a non-conformity report and review the potential fixes of the non-conformities.
A TIA-942 certified external auditor carries the CTEA (Certified TIA-942 External Auditor) credential.
Consulting / Audit companies are companies providing consulting and/or audit services. For those companies offering both services to a data centre, it is important to ensure that the external auditor is not the same individual as the consultant. The external auditor is also not allowed to work for, or be related to, the company under the scope of the audit to ensure proper impartiality. | . This individual understands the complete audit cycle and is able to help the organization to assess at the very least, the major non-conformities and ensure that all documentation and resources for the external certification audit are well prepared and allocated.
A TIA-942 certified internal auditor carries the CTIA (Certified TIA-942 Internal Auditor) credential.
An external auditor is an individual who is external to the organization that wants its data center to be assessed for conformity to the ANSI/TIA-942. The auditor understands the full technical requirements of the standard in detail, understands the audit process and is skilled in seeking evidence for | 130 |
Better Communities. Better Policy. Better Lives.
The largest non-profit for owners and managers of Massachusetts residential real estate.
Networking & Training Events
Current Laws
Eviction Data
Past Meeting Videos
Fitchburg (Northern Worcester)
Marlborough (MetroWest)
Pittsfield (Berkshires)
Southbridge (Southern Worcester)
Springfield (RHAGS)
Waltham (Charles River)
Worcester (WPOA)
Future Policy » An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HOMES Act)
An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HOMES Act)
Eviction sealing refers to hiding the names of plaintiffs and defendants named in summary process (eviction) cases.
191st Session
191 S824 now 191 H934
The Session 191 HOMES Act
Video: How to Read MassCourts.org with Carl Lindley
Eviction Sealing Talking Points: An In-Depth Essay
Summary for Member Alert
Eviction sealing is a class of proposals that seek to reduce housing barriers by preventing eviction records being used in rental screening. The idea is that redacting or withholding some, all, or a portion of the public records pertaining to summary process (eviction) proceedings will prevent misuse. Landlords tend to strongly oppose eviction sealing.
What Eviction Sealing Advocates Say
Advocates of eviction sealing have identified a group of renters who experience disproportionately high housing barriers on account of past evictions. They say such renters appear on rental applications as if they wear a "Scarlet Letter 'E' " for 'eviction,' the way Hester Prynne wore a "Scarlet Letter 'A' " for 'adulterer' in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Having once been evicted, no future landlord will rent to them.
Examples of eviction-related housing barriers include:
A renter who was taken to court by mistake, because the landlord was confused about which unit or individual they were serving.
Minor children who are listed as defendants on eviction notices, even though they were not responsible for the rental agreement or breach.
Households who experienced a period of low income resulting in eviction, housing instability and/or experiencing homelessness, who now have adequate income.
Households whose rental agreements were terminated "no fault" who cannot move in the required notice period, overstay, and generate an eviction record.
Once an item like an eviction record appears on the Internet, it is hard to take it down. Eviction advocates therefore argue that all public records should be sealed from the first moment of court procedure, and only unsealed in certain circumstances.
The list of circumstances under which documents pertaining to an eviction could be published is limited and varies by proposal. In most proposals:
Evictions would be public if they result in a judgment (<|fim_middle|>19, MassLandlords testified against eviction sealing at the state house.
Of all the current challenges to good housing policy, An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HOMES Act, 191-S.824, 191-H.3566) is the most surprising. It states:
… It shall be unlawful to ask an applicant for housing … about such applicant's tenancy-related litigation history, including receipt of any notice to quit…
The bill would erase MassCourts.org in wide swathes, prohibit landlord comments to one another, and forbid MassLandlords from facilitating conversations about renters.
Walsh: "40,000 Evictions a Year" or "43 Evictions a Day"
At the hearing, Advocates and renters said there is an epidemic of evictions. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh repeated the oft-cited statistics, that there are 40,000 evictions a year, and 43 forced removals a day.
Actually, there are only 8 a day. The actual number of forced removals is not known with certainty, but based on our move-and-store survey, we estimate it to be 3,000 a year, or 80% less than renter advocates say. We have the Boston Globe Magazine to thank for mischaracterizing Eviction Lab data, in their February 19, 2019 article by Jenifer McKim and Alejandro Serrano. McKim and her editor acknowledged our point of view but refused to publish a retraction or a correction.
Renter advocates testified that renters who get taken to court appear in the public record forever, and have to wear a "Scarlet Letter E," like in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.
(In the Scarlet Letter, A Puritan minister named Arthur Dimmesdale #meToo's congregant Hester Prynne, who then has his daughter. Dimmesdale blames Prynne for adultery, slaps a red letter "A" for adulterer on her, and forces her to be a single mom outside the village.)
The HOMES Act would overcorrect the problem. It would hide every bad renter, regardless of whether actually they deserve it:
The court records in any eviction action or in any other civil action covered by this section shall be deemed sealed immediately or upon filing.
Landlords won't know that their latest applicant is currently being evicted. Did they throw a chair off their porch at 2am trying to hit their ex? Did they let their dog void itself perniciously all over the interior common area hall? Did they cause $10,000 in property damage? However long the trial takes, the worst renters will appear blameless as they apply for their next apartment.
Tenant to Landlord: "I will Financially Rape You"
Landlord testimony at the July hearing was emotional and emphatically opposed. One landlord described how public knowledge of all court proceedings is critical.
Her tenant refused to pay his rent. Instead he used the rent money to hire his own attorney, and with certainty that he would prevail in court, told the landlord, "I will financially rape you." The judge made the landlord state her home address publicly. Afterwards, the renter tried to burn down the landlord's house while she was asleep in it. Fortunately, the attempt failed. When she left her home the next morning, she saw with horror burnt-out kindling wedged in her front door. She pulled it out, saved it, and brought it to the hearing.
This renter would appear in the public record only if the landlord is eventually able to win for nonpayment or cause. If this were a no-fault eviction, needed when witnesses are afraid to testify, this case would remain sealed forever:
…A sealed court record in an eviction or other civil action covered by this section shall be made available for inspection by the public thirty (30) days following:
(i) entry of final judgment, after summary judgment or a trial on the merits, for possession or damages in favor the plaintiff in a fault or nonpayment eviction action; or…
When this landlord tried to enter testimony about landlords who were too afraid to testify, the chair cut her short, saying that he was not interested.
Under the chair's steering, renter after renter told their sob story, many of which were describing public housing violations, subsidy administration ineptitude, and failures of the social safety net. These are all important to correct, but few of these stories had anything to do with eviction sealing. The groundswell of support for eviction sealing was astonishing.
To seal all no-fault records is to aid the arsonists, the abusers, and other criminals in their quest for a new mark.
Renter Advocate: "The Public Records Cannot Be Read by Lay People"
The hearing intensified when the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute testified that the court records were not designed to be read by lay people. In essence, they said landlords were too stupid to know whether a case was relevant.
Well, if we can't tell the difference between "case dismissed" and "Judgment for $32,715," maybe we would be allowed to talk to one another about our experiences with a renter? No:
"Consumer report" means any written, oral, or other communication … bearing on a consumer's credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living…
A "consumer reporting agency" is any person which, … on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties.
A consumer reporting agency shall not disclose the existence of, or information regarding, an eviction action or other civil action sealed or made confidential under this section…
You read it here first. If this bill passes, mentioning your renter on the MassLandlords message board will get us both fined $2,000 per post. If you provide a landlord's reference, good bad or indifferent, you will pay actual and consequential damages if that renter gets declined.
Worcester 2019-12-11
To view all of this presentation, you must be logged-in and a member in good standing.
Log in or join today and gain access all presentations and videos
MassLandlords is a nonprofit dedicated to helping owners rent their property. Presenters are not necessarily vetted by MassLandlords. Although we try to offer the best possible advice, we recommend you consult an attorney or tax accountant before you alter your business processes.
Slides are available only for members in good standing who are logged in.
Click here to watch the latest MassLandlords Business Update.
This is part of our Statewide Rental Real Estate Networking and Training series.
Is your Landlording Fate Sealed?
Help us defend your property rights.
Explore Property Rights Options
Join MassLandlords Today!
Join the Largest Landlord Association in New England
New Page: COVID-19 Coronavirus Landlord-Tenant Laws, Regulations, and Procedures
© 2021 MassLandlords.net
Site by StellarWebStudios.com | About this Website
Monthly updates, smart and relevant articles, and free premium content.
Zip code (optional, for news of events)
Free to read, but not to write
Owners, managers, and service providers sustain our nonprofit trade association with membership dues. Open to all. | a decision by judge or jury) for nonpayment or lease violation;
Evictions would remain secret in "no fault" evictions, without a specific reason given;
Evictions would usually remain secret in any case dismissed by the plaintiff; and
Evictions would usually remain secret in any case that did not result in a final judgment, regardless of the original reason for eviction or the motivation behind dismissal.
Some proposals for eviction sealing would not publish "agreements for judgment" (mediated agreement), others would.
Eviction sealing proposals also stipulate how long a published eviction can remain public. Eviction records might remain public indefinitely or might become automatically sealed again after a period of time. It might be possible to request records be sealed given certain circumstances, like having paid off a previous judgment (similar to criminal law).
Advocates of eviction sealing claim it will not achieve the desired level of privacy unless it also gags landlords to prevent informal sharing of eviction-related information, especially over private message boards, chat groups, or conversation. For this reason, there are usually standards proposed like those that pertain to credit reporting agencies. Under eviction sealing, landlords would not be able to publish information about a renter's creditworthiness except according to strict guidelines. Some proposals go further and attempt to ban all speech about renters, including "manner of living."
What the Court Records Currently Say
The staff at the Housing Court and District Court who hear summary process (eviction) cases work hard to ensure that public records are relevant to the public, complete, and truthful. Court records objectively describe what happened and how justice was served. Court records do not get into "he said, she said" or other subjective details. Court records also do not collect or display personally identifiable information. A typical online court record looks like this (actual case but names changed):
09H85SP000335 Landlord, Larry vs. Tenant, Tina
Case Type: Housing Court Summary Process
File Date: 01/26/2009
Initiating Action: SP Summons and Complaint – Non-payment of Rent
Status Date: 06/16/2009
Property Address: 74 Wall Street 1, Worcester MA 01604
01/26/2009 SP Summons and Complaint – Non-payment of Rent
01/26/209 SURCHARGE 185C:Entry of Action filed (Section 466 – M.G.L. c. 185C, §19) SURCHARGE Receipt: 11945 Date: 01/26/2009
01/26/2009 SUMMARY PROCESS: MGL Chapter 185C, Section 19; CHAPTER 262 SECTION 2 Receipt: 11945 Date: 01/26/2009
01/27/2009 Scheduled
Event: Summary Process Trial
Date: 02/05/2009 Time: 09:00 AM
Result: Not held but resolved
02/05/2009 Agreement for Judgment
02/17/2009 Motion by Larry Landlord to issue execution
Event: Motion Hearing
Result: Allowed
02/26/2009 Event Resulted
The following event: Motion Hearing scheduled for 02/26/2009 09:00 AM has been resulted as follows:
Judgment Date: 02/26/2009
Judgment Type: Final Judgment
Judgment Method: Agreement
Judge: Justiciar, Honorable Jane
Judgment For: Landlord, Larry
Judgment Against: Tenant, Tina
Terms of Judgment:
Date Interest Begins: 01/26/2009
Date Judgment Entered: 02/26/2009
Days of Interest: 31
Daily Interest Rate:
Single Damage Amount: 1700.00
Filing Fee and Surcharge: 135.00
Other Costs Paid to Court: 5.00
Other Costs: 30.00
Costs Total: 170.00
Damages Total: 1,700.00
Judgment Total: 1,870.00
Further Orders:
06/16/2009 Case Disposed
The online court records do not contain:
Social security numbers, dates of birth, or other unique identifiers that would let a reader know definitively who was a party to the case.
Evidence including text messages, photographs, or rental agreements.
Testimony including statements made at court and written arguments.
Rationale for decisions.
Moral judgment on who was right or wrong.
Attorneys may be able to find evidence and testimony online through their portal. The public may be able to obtain evidence and testimony in person at a courthouse. Unless a decision is published by the judge, the rationale will never be known. There will never be personally identifiable information (this is not collected unless it is entered into evidence).
The case above shows that the tenant owed the landlord $1,870. A landlord using this information to screen would be able to infer a likely match between their applicant and this record only if the defendant name matches the name on their rental application, and if the address also matches. Otherwise, nothing else is known. Is this the same Tina Tenant? Why did rent go unpaid in this case? What was the condition of the apartment when rent was withheld? If this is Tina, which of her circumstances have changed that make this case irrelevant to her current application? Landlords must inquire outside the court records to find out if this case is a match or is housing relevant.
Summary of Eviction Sealing Flaws
Eviction sealing as a public policy is flawed in many ways:
There is already a process for sealing select housing court records;
Housing court records are highly relevant on rental applications;
Sealing eviction records exacerbates systemic sexism, racism;
More data, not less, helps renters show innocence;
Renters can use public data to screen landlords, too;
Secrecy requires licensing of journalists;
Secrecy facilitates corruption and nepotism; and
Secrecy erodes bedrock principles.
Eviction Sealing Flaw One: There is Already a Process for Sealing Select Housing Court Records
Eviction sealing proposals in Massachusetts seek to enact new sections of law, without reference to existing law, as if there were currently no means of sealing court records. Under existing statute, the court already have authority to seal or delete court records in certain circumstances.
For instance, MGL Chapter 186 Section 12 says that if a tenancy is terminated because an agency of the federal or state government fails to pay the renter or the landlord an assistance payment, "the court… shall… if all rent due with interest and costs of suit has been tendered to the landlord… treat the tenancy as not having been terminated." This establishes "payment in full" as the condition under which the legislature has authorized sealing records of eviction. The wording could be expanded to cover additional instances where the landlord has been repaid in full, even if the original nonpayment was not related to government default.
Alternatively, the process for sealing criminal records is laid out in MGL Chapter 276 Section 100A. This section provides an explicit procedure for how court records shall be sealed.
Criminal records, including juvenile records, are not sealed upon filing. Rather, they may be sealed upon request after a period of good behavior has rendered the previous court record irrelevant.
Any properly drafted eviction sealing legislation ought to begin with reference to either or both of these sections of the law. We should strike them, differentiate from them, or expand on them to make a change, rather than create conflicting procedures.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Two: Housing Court Records are Highly Relevant on Rental Applications
Eviction sealing advocates say that landlords have little or no legitimate purpose looking at eviction records. On the contrary, landlords have an obligation to themselves and their existing renters to ensure that each new resident is likely to contribute to the community financially and in terms of following the rules.
A minority of so-called "professional tenants" abuse the court system and live rent-free by bouncing landlord-to-landlord. Some deal with their neighbors and their landlord in a confrontational, entitled style once they have the keys. Although rare, these abuses cast a long shadow and give many addresses a bad name. A single bad renter can clear out all adjacent units over the next year (by adversely impacting the desirability of renewing a lease). Landlords must be able to screen out applicants based on past behavior as a service to their current renters and neighbors.
Noisy and destructive renters are a boogeyman that stalls zoning reform and density. If it were possible to ensure that "bad renters" don't take up residence, resistance against expanding rental housing in single family neighborhoods would decrease. Renter behavior is highly relevant to both microeconomic success and macroeconomic housing policy.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Three: Sealing Eviction Records Exacerbates Systemic Sexism, Racism
Advocates of eviction sealing argue that eviction has a disparate impact on women and renters of color, and that income, credit score, and other non-eviction metrics should count more on a rental application than whether someone ended up in court. Their conclusion does not follow from the facts.
It's true that eviction disproportionately affects women and renters of color. This is because women and renters of color have disproportionately, unfairly lower income and less borrowing ability due to systemic sexism and racism in employment and credit. Renters affected by these systemic issues will make less and have less ability to buffer against financial setbacks. Such renters are more likely to experience housing instability. The only thing entirely within the control of such renters is their communication approach during such setbacks, and whether they end up in court.
If a renter unable to pay says nothing to the landlord, or says "I can't pay and I'm not leaving," that is a very different customer relationship than a renter who says, "I can't pay and I hope you will work with me to either move out early or pay late." In the former case, a landlord will have to go to court for lack of communication. In the latter case, the landlord will likely delay court filing in an effort to avoid litigation expense against a well-meaning customer. Court will cost three month's rent, on average. Landlords can work with renters who are poor. What we can't work with is non-communication and no plan.
Eviction sealing prevents a landlord from learning about a renter's housing history, and therefore removes an opportunity to have a hard conversation and learn about communication ability. Landlords who cannot inquire about past evictions will instead screen tougher on the numbers, exacerbating the effect of systemic sexism and racism, for which eviction sealing is no cure. Without substantial reform in areas unrelated to housing (e.g., workplace equality, reparations), it is unlikely that women and renters of color will see improving scores on rental applications. Whereas before landlords could assign 20 points for a clean court record, now landlords will require higher income or higher credit to qualify for the same apartment. More marginal applications will be declined. Eviction sealing will disproportionately harm those of us it is meant to protect.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Four: More Data, Not Less, Helps Renters Show Innocence
To the extent that public court records are vague, they are harmful to good applicants. Consider the following example (real story submitted by a member, with names changed):
"Tina was evicted for nonpayment from her last place eight months before I met her. Since then, she along with her boyfriend and two kids have lived in a homeless shelter.
"Reason for eviction: Tina and Tony both worked for the same company, which abruptly went out of business. They were not able to financially recover from the unforeseen loss of both incomes.
"Eight months later, their combined gross monthly income is $4,200. I was prepared to accept them despite the eviction because this double loss of income had since been corrected and was unlikely to occur in the future.
"She disclosed the eviction, claiming that she owed the landlord zero dollars. MassCourts.org does not divulge the details because it was settled in mediation.
"We called the previous landlord for details. He confirmed the nonpayment eviction and said she owed him $1,600 in back rent, much different from the $0 she has told us. He confirmed that Tina had moved out on the date that she claimed and left the place in good condition. He said he no longer had the written mediation agreement/judgment.
"This damning piece of information would have been the end in a lot of landlords' screening. What reason did the other landlord have to lie? Tina had already left his unit. But Tina wants my unit, and does have an incentive to lie.
"Before rejecting Tina and her family, I asked Tina if she could put her hands on the judgment. As fortune would have it, she found the court papers.
"The mediation agreement clearly states that the last month's rent and security deposit would be used for the remaining tenancy and that she owed zero dollars. The landlord lied. Tina had told us the truth.
"Tina almost didn't have a home because of a bad landlord reference. If masscourts.org were to show the detailed judgments generated form mediation, which make a substantial percentage of housing court cases, then landlords can make decisions based on the facts. If landlords are rejecting someone because of an eviction where facts that are actually beneficial to the renter are hidden, then perhaps MORE facts are the answer instead of NO facts.
"For people like Tina, the current system places the burden of documentation entirely on the renter. Eviction sealing will only increase the burden on the renter. Do the renter advocates know that? If Tina didn't have that piece of paper, she would have remained homeless indefinitely because we still would have called the previous landlord regardless. We would have been forced to take the landlord's word over hers and would have rejected her. It was a court record that saved her.
"I guarantee that if I asked Tina, who has now been our resident since September 2017, if she would be willing to attest to this, that she would. She is very grateful that a court record got her family a home."
This example shows how objective court data can be more freeing than inaccurate or gossip-style landlord references.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Five: Renters Can Use Public Data to Screen Landlords, Too
The housing crisis has reduced housing supply to the point where many applicants do not have wide choice of landlord, but every applicant still has some measure of choice. All renters can use the court records to screen the landlords themselves, just as landlords are screening them.
Consider a landlord whose Registry of Deeds record indicates they have owned their three-unit building for 20 years, and whose MassCourts.org record indicates they have never once taken a renter to court. The two combined mean they have an eviction rate of zero over 60 unit-years. Compare that to a landlord in the same market who has owned a six unit building for ten years and has evicted five households, a rate of one per 12 unit-years. Does it mean one landlord was very lucky, while another was not? Perhaps. But equally possible is that these two landlords likely have very different approaches to conflict resolution.
In the same way court records shine a spotlight on professional renters, they can shine a spotlight on landlords who are quick to evict.
This information is particularly useful to subsidy administrators helping their clients navigate a difficult search, parents and guardians helping their children find their first college apartment, and others who take care and exercise due diligence when shopping for a new home. All of this critical landlord background is readily available in the public records, but would not be available under eviction sealing. And eviction sealing would preferentially hide those landlords whose claims were the most frivolous, since those cases would not result in judgment rising to the standard requiring publication.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Six: Secrecy Requires Licensing of Journalists
Because landlords could share their own bad renter references even if the court records were sealed, eviction sealing proposals seek to restrain landlord speech as well. But since it's recognized that democracies require access to government records, eviction sealing proposes to permit legitimate journalists to read court records. Who is a legitimate journalist? Is a Boston Globe reporter a journalist? How about a MassLandlords reporter? How about a landlord who is a blogger?
In the United States, anyone can become a journalist or an investigator of government abuse without license from the government. This is an essential freedom. Imagine the opposite, where only licensed journalists can investigate malfeasance, or can criticize the government. What public official would grant a license to a journalist who might attack them and deny them reelection? It only takes one round of self-serving politicians or officials to eliminate all honest journalists from the profession, leaving the remaining licensees lackeys or uncritical yes-men.
Licensing of journalists has been effected many times throughout history, but never in a free democracy. Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and Communist China have relied or still rely on journalistic licensure to maintain control of their state propaganda.
Many of the proposals for eviction sealing cannot be implemented because they rely on defining a journalist apart from a landlord. This cannot safely be done.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Seven: Secrecy Facilitates Corruption and Nepotism
Eviction sealing seeks to seal all records upon filing to prevent that information from being exposed to public scrutiny. In sealing all eviction records from the outset, eviction sealing facilitates corruption and nepotism.
When a well-connected plaintiff or defendant appears in court, the only thing keeping the trial fair is the character of the judge and the public spotlight. Eviction sealing eliminates the major enforcer of justice – the public spotlight – and leaves the character of the judge the only determinant between fairness and corruption.
Imagine a scenario where the landlord is evicting a renter but doesn't really have all the evidence needed to prove their case. Imagine the renter is unrepresented by an attorney, does not speak English well, and has no hope of attracting media attention. What expectation of fairness do we have if the landlord and the judge are regular golf partners, the existence of the eviction case is a secret, and the rationale for any decision will never be known?
Landlords have the most to gain from secret courts, because landlords often have a greater degree of money and favor to bestow upon judges, clerk magistrates, or other housing court staff. Landlords (and to a lesser extent, well connected renters) may obtain results in secret cases that otherwise ought not be obtained.
Secret courts are sadly a danger in Massachusetts. As the Boston Globe spotlight series on "show cause" trials proved, we already have secret pre-criminal courts. We suspect they have for years resulted in unfairly favorable treatment to politicians, officials, their relatives, and other influencers, to the detriment of their victims or accusers. The corruption runs so deep the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Courts, Ralph Gants, oversaw a denial of the Boston Globe's request for access.
In Boston Globe Media Partners LLC vs Chief Justice of the Trial Court, Chief Justice Gants denied the Globe's request for full access to show cause hearings, which are a preliminary step on the road to criminal prosecution. In a nutshell, the judge argued that it was not necessary to prosecute for a crime if everyone could work it all out behind the scenes. The court argued a hypothetical "hockey fight" scenario, where one parent assaults another in the bleachers at a high school hockey game:
"Returning to our youth hockey altercation example, where a clerk-magistrate finds probable cause to believe that the accused parent struck or pushed the complainant parent, and therefore committed a misdemeanor assault and battery, and where the prosecutor's office has not communicated an intent to prosecute the accused parent, the clerk-magistrate may decline to issue a criminal complaint and instead explore… ways to resolve their dispute outside the criminal justice system."
What ways are there to resolve cases outside of the criminal justice system? Mediation, for one. Bribery, for a second. In other words, the Chief Justice's court wrote that you can break someone's nose in front of an entire school, and if you can "persuade" the clerk magistrate that you will work it out with the parent privately, you ought to be free to go without criminal charges and without a public record. A favor here, a little muscle there, and the case will never be heard of. Does it sound like secrecy is designed to help the underdog, or the corruptly well connected?
It is not possible to know whether well-connected landlords or renters are being disproportionately helped or harmed by court proceedings unless on any given case the public can inspect the process. Eviction sealing eliminates all hope of knowing, and it stands to reason that renters won't be the ones who benefit.
Eviction Sealing Flaw Eight: Secrecy Erodes Bedrock Principles
Eviction sealing advocates have argued by analogy: "If a criminal defendant is innocent until proven guilty, then so is a renter. Therefore, nothing negative should be published about a renter until their case has been decided and they are found to be 'guilty'." This analogy is misleading for several reasons and erodes bedrock principles.
First, eviction sealing would put a moral judgment on merely being named in a lawsuit. Currently, there is no moral judgment with being named in a lawsuit. Anyone can be sued for any reason. Sometimes people are sued rightly. Sometimes people are sued wrongly. The point is, until a case is decided, it's impossible to know. The fact of the lawsuit itself is not something shameful or pejorative, and experienced landlords know this all too well. It is important to emphasize outcomes rather than process, to focus attention on decisions rather than complaints.
Second, if "innocent until proven guilty" requires secret housing court records, then surely it requires secret arrests. Nothing can be more unfairly damning on a rental application, especially with a small mom and pop landlord, than having been arrested for something from which you have yet to be exonerated. But consider what happens when arrests are made secret. China has secret arrests, and has "disappeared" unknown numbers of dissidents and others against whom the state feels antipathy. Such arrests may have good intentions, say the Chinese, but the result is unambiguously evil: family, friends, and loved ones cannot know what has happened or come to the aid of the detainee. As we have described above, secrecy breeds corruption. The bedrock principle of "innocent until proven guilty" does not override the bedrock principle of public access to government process, and to argue otherwise is to argue to absurdity.
True, landlords may use both court records and criminal records in tenant screening. But there are laws in place prohibiting discrimination on the basis of arrests alone. Landlords are allowed to consider convictions, but not arrests. The same kind of discrimination protection is missing in the housing space and could easily be implemented, akin to the criminal protections, without the need for secrecy.
Eviction Sealing Conclusion
Having considered all of the foregoing, it is clear that sealing all records preemptively does not fulfill a legitimate public purpose, and in fact has serious adverse consequences for those of us it is intended to protect. Sealing on a case by case basis could make sense via expansion of existing statute, rather than by a completely new "eviction sealing" overhaul. Likewise, offering additional protection against unfair discrimination could be accomplished without giving up the public access required in a self-governing society.
When politicians try to make things secret, we should worry. We should worry more when they promise that greater secrecy will lead to greater economic opportunity. So we should all be very worried – landlords, tenants, and the public at large – about 191-S.824 filed by Senators Joseph Boncore and Sal DiDomenico, a bill titled "an Act promoting housing opportunity and mobility through eviction sealing" with the ironic acronym HOMES.
This eviction sealing bill, and its house duplicate 191-H.3566, would ban the public from knowing about ongoing eviction cases, which currently are searchable at MassCourts.org. If enacted, eviction sealing would lead to higher rents that would reduce both housing opportunity and mobility. It would also erode a bedrock constitutional principle by making secret what is and ought to be publicly available court information.
"Justice in a self-governing society requires secret courts be the exception rather than the norm, or not used at all." Executive Director Doug Quattrochi
Overview of Eviction Sealing
"An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing" would seal the records of summary-process cases until after judgment. Readers know how few eviction cases go far enough to have an official judgment (think cash-for-keys, or cases dismissed following move-out, with money owed but where the landlord has given up ever getting it).
In this way, the eviction sealing bill would prohibit the public from knowing about the existence of both public Housing Court litigation as well as possible private losses. If a judgment enters, the public would be allowed to know, but only for three years. After three years, the information will disappear down the memory hole.
The eviction sealing proposal would apply to all current cases, not only cases filed after the law goes into effect. Keep in mind that some cases last for two years or more, and that a renter may be applying for their next apartment while litigation is secretly ongoing at their last.
Is this a quirky, no-hoper, dead-on-arrival kind of bill? Hardly. Thirty (30) state legislators from the progressive wing of the Democratic party have already signed on to eviction sealing to demonstrate their support. They are the ones who are making the running these days.
Eviction Sealing will Lead to Higher Rents and Fewer Rental Homes
Sealing court records is not inherently wrong. Secrecy makes sense for matters of national security, domestic violence, and juveniles, situations where disclosure of information would put people at risk of real harm. But summary-process cases are not in that category.
The obvious goal of eviction sealing is to prevent landlords from screening out the frequent fliers, i.e. tenants with regular appearances in Housing Court. The "advocates" think that landlords should not be allowed to know whether an applicant has been the defendant in Housing Court.
Conversely, of course, tenants will not know which landlords are trigger happy, i.e. prone to seek eviction as a matter of routine. From the standpoint of a renter shopping around for good landlords, this seems like information worth having. But perhaps the "advocates" do not think ordinary people should be privy to this information, or perhaps have not thought to use it themselves.
Right now, the availability of this information affects the behavior of landlords and tenants, even if landlords are the primary end users:
Landlords search the court records in order to find out whether the would-be tenants have been taken to court by previous landlords. The greater the number of cases, the greater the risk of the tenants proving to be unreliable payers of rent, or disruptive to their community.
Tenants know the public records are being searched and, therefore, many (perhaps most) try to avoid being taken to court. This is a helpful incentive for communicating with the landlord about problems, for paying rent promptly, and for abiding by the other terms of the lease or rental agreement. It also helps encourage tenants who receive a notice to quit to actually comply, thereby obviating the need for costly litigation in the public courts.
The fact that an applicant has been a summary-process defendant is not dispositive. It can lead to a conversation that lets the applicant explain what happened. It is one factor among several that landlords take into account when choosing among applicants. Landlords can choose how much weight to give this information and decide accordingly. The proponents of eviction sealing do not believe that landlords should be free to make this decision; instead they think that politicians should make the decision for them.
Under eviction sealing, landlords will have less information on which to base their decision. Statistically, the likelihood of any given would-be tenant turning out to be a tardy/non-payer will go up.
How will landlords insure against the increased risk? One way is the obvious one: raising rents. The other way is to move on, find another way to make a living, and exit the business, which is the only sense in which this bill would "promote mobility." When the laws become so strict that all the scrupulous landlords are driven away, we will be left with only the least well-prepared landlords still operating.
Landlords will Share their Eviction Data
It is worth noting that prior to the creation of MassCourts.org, landlords aggregated their own eviction lists by self-reporting evictions to other landlords. This practice would surely resume through private channels, with no public oversight of what was being said of individual renters. Surely the objective court records are superior to what used to happen.
"Secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream of." Bill Moyers, Journalist
"An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing" would fly in the face of the presumption of public access to court records that is well-established in Massachusetts. How well established? Almost 400 years. Article 48 of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties enacted in 1641 states:
"Every inhabitant of the Country shall have free liberty to search and
review any rolls, records or registers of any Court or office."
That liberty is no less important today than it was in 1641. Secrecy breeds suspicion and distrust in government and in the fair administration of justice. Massachusetts courts have upheld this liberty from colonial times onward. It is a bedrock constitutional principle.
The fact that some legislators would sacrifice the public's right to know merely to curry favor with one small constituency (a subset of repeat offender tenants and their politically vocal allies) is disturbing. The fact that they do so to the detriment of the majority, including the tenants who work hard, play by the rules, and expect their new neighbors to be screened as carefully as they were, is even more disturbing. It's no secret: eviction sealing is one bill that ought not pass.
Eviction Sealing Supplementary Testimony: An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (191-H.3566 and 191-S.824)
By Peter Vickery, MassLandlords Legislative Affairs Counsel
August 26, 2019, Joint Committee on Housing, State House, Boston, MA 02133
Dear Committee Members:
Thank you for your attention to my remarks on behalf of MassLandlords at the hearing in July. By way of a supplement to my prior written testimony (attached for ease of reference) and to further address the point that Representative Livingstone raised, I offer the following:
The eviction-sealing bills would prohibit the public from seeing court records in any summary process case unless and until the case (if it is for fault or nonpayment) results in a judgment. Judgments in no-fault evictions would never become public. Sealing has long been the exception to the well established rule whose rationale Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes described:
"It is desirable that [judicial proceedings] should take place under the public eye … because it is of the highest moment that those who administer justice should always act under the sense of public responsibility, and that every citizen should be able to satisfy himself with his own eyes as to the mode in which a public duty is performed."
Cowley v. Pulsifer, 137 Mass. 392, 394 (1884) (Holmes, J.) quoted in Republican Co. v. Appeals Court, 442 Mass. 218, 222 (2004). At the hearing Representative Livingstone pointed out, quite rightly, that the presumption of public access is not absolute. In the context of criminal records, the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has held that there is a common-law presumption of public access, and although this presumption is not the same as a right guaranteed by the First Amendment "the basic framework remains the same: sealing may occur only where good cause justifies the overriding of the general principle of publicity." Com. v. Pon, 469 Mass. 296, 313 (2014).
However, as the SJC noted, unlike the state courts, the First Circuit Court of Appeals does consider public access to be a right guaranteed by the First Amendment. "The public has a First Amendment right to judicial documents and records because without them a full understanding of judicial proceedings would be impossible." Globe Newspaper Co. v. Pokaski, 868 F2d 497, 509 (1st Cir. 1989). Certainly, the right is not absolute and attaches "only to those governmental processes that as a general matter benefit from openness." Id. But it is worth noting that the federal courts are unequivocal: the First Amendment guarantees the public's right to access.
In addition, I believe that the exception set forth in the proposed §30 (c)(5) (allowing the court to permit inspection for "scholarly, educational, journalistic, or governmental purposes only") would require judges to decide the parameters of the word "journalism." Requiring people to establish to the satisfaction of a judge that they are engaged in "journalism" is likely to have a chilling effect on members of the public who are not affiliated with traditional news organizations. Committee members may be familiar with the contested meaning of "news media" in federal cases arising under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), e.g. Cause of Action v. FEC, 799 F. 3rd 1108 (2015). Unlike the proposed bill, which does not define "journalism," FOIA contains this provision:
"In this clause, the term 'a representative of the news media' means any person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. In this clause, the term 'news' means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public. Examples of news-media entities are television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large and publishers of periodicals (but only if such entities qualify as disseminators of 'news') who make their products available for purchase by or subscription by or free distribution to the general public. These examples are not all-inclusive. Moreover, as methods of news delivery evolve (for example, the adoption of the electronic dissemination of newspapers through telecommunications services), such alternative media shall be considered to be news-media entities. A freelance journalist shall be regarded as working for a news-media entity if the journalist can demonstrate a solid basis for expecting publication through that entity, whether or not the journalist is actually employed by the entity. A publication contract would present a solid basis for such an expectation; the Government may also consider the past publication record of the requester in making such a determination."
5 USC §552 (a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). The foregoing provision is quite lengthy, and in defining the term "news media" it includes a sub-definition of the word "news." I am certainly not suggesting that the Legislature should follow suit by amending the eviction-sealing bill so as to define the word "journalism." Rather, I quote FOIA simply to point out: (1) that absent a statutory definition the task of construing "journalism" will fall to judges, who will look to precedents and persuasive federal equivalents; and (2) whichever branch defines the word, whether legislative or judicial, the effect will be to privilege some speakers over others. This is another way in which the bill would impinge upon the speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Thank you for your time, attention, and ongoing service to the People of Massachusetts.
Faithfully,
Peter Vickery, Esq.
Eviction Sealing Loophole: Stipulations vs Judgments
The bill says that records will be unsealed when a judgment enters, but increasingly (especially in the northeast division of the housing court) we're seeing "stipulations" entered. These are treated differently from judgments, and would not be disclosed under the current eviction sealing text. But in terms of culpability, a stipulation against the landlord or the tenant has the same significance as a judgment, and ought to be equally public.
The following was sent to members as an alert, and gives a useful summary:
On July 16, 20 | 7,693 |
Arianespace's participation in the Satellite 2018 conference March 12-15 at Washington, D.C.'s Walter E. Washington Convention Center looks to the future with Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers at the service of its customers.
Satellite 2018 is an excellent opportunity for Arianespace to meet with all its partners and customers, spotlight its<|fim_middle|> by Ariane 5, 28 by Soyuz, nine by Vega/Vega C and two by Ariane 6.
The development of Arianespace's future launchers is proceeding on schedule, with first launches planned as soon as 2019 for Vega C and as soon as 2020 for Ariane 6.
Two contracts for the Ariane 62 version awarded to Arianespace by the European Space Agency, on behalf of the European Commission, to launch four additional satellites, built by OHB, in the Galileo navigation system.
Three Vega C contracts, including two to orbit satellites in the Airbus Earth observation constellation, and one to launch the COSMO-SkyMed second-generation satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for the Italian space agency (ASI) and Italian Ministry of Defense.
This trend should accelerate in 2018, in particular with the expected first commercial launch contracts for Ariane 6 in the pipeline. | past successes and future milestones, showcase its service offering and share its vision of the launch market.
In this context, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Israël will participate in the launch services roundtable discussion entitled: "Breaking Through the Bottleneck" on Monday, March 12 beginning at 4:15 p.m. local time in meeting room 202.
Moreover, Arianespace's staff will be greeting visitors at booth 1109 (Hall 2) alongside ArianeGroup. Interactive video demos will allow visitors to discover Arianespace's current and future family of launch vehicles, along with the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).
Arianespace conducted 11 successful launches in 2017 from the Guiana Space Center (six by Ariane 5, two by Soyuz and three by Vega), orbiting a total of 20 satellites for commercial and institutional customers from around the world. With 12 satellites sent into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), representing a total mass of 54 metric tons, Arianespace once again confirmed its leadership in the GTO launch market. Ariane 5 also set a new performance record, injecting 9.969 metric tons into GTO on a mission performed in June 2017.
A total of 14 launch opportunities from the Guiana Space Center have been identified for 2018. Two of these launches already have taken place, on January 25 with a heavy-lift Ariane 5, and on March 9 with a medium-lift Soyuz rocket. The next mission is planned by the end of March, using an Ariane 5.
Arianespace's order book stands at 4.8 billion euros, including 56 launches for 28 customers (70 percent commercial and 30 percent institutional, in terms of the number of launches), with 17 | 419 |
UltimateZip es un compresor y descompresor compatible con los formatos más habituales, además de otros menos frecuentes<|fim_middle|>. UltimateZip has a highly optimized ZIP/7-ZIP engine, with it's Multi-Core Support the complete power of your computer will be used.
0 Response to "UltimateZip 6.0.0.87 (NEW)" | , y que destaca por la variedad de accesorios que ofrece.
Con UltimateZip podrás abrir y crear archivos comprimidos en varios formatos, ver su contenido en el caso de tratarse de imágenes, navegar por las carpetas y subcarpetas, etc.
En UltimateZip también encontrarás protección con contraseña para los ficheros comprimidos, lista de favoritos, creación de comprimidos por lotes, comprobador MD5 y reparador de ZIP. UltimateZip también ofrece una herramienta de copias de seguridad, si bien es bastante rudimentaria.
UltimateZip is a perfect compression utility that supports a wide variety of archive types, creates self extracting archives, integrates with mail and virus scan, and integrates with Windows Explorer.
UltimateZip has you all the features you need to archive, encrypt, share and shrink your files and documents. With it's flexible and intuitive user interface, UltimateZip is easy to use for first-time users and offers many useful features for power users. UltimateZip perfectly integrates into the Windows Explorer, creating or extracting is just one mouse click.
UltimateZip 6.0 (Now with ZIPX Support!) is the best version to date. It is extremly fast and easy to use. Even first-time users can create or extract archives of any kind in seconds | 272 |
Business Or Personal?
We Deal With Both!
UK NORTH: 0161 928 3456 | UK SOUTH: 0203 096 3705 | N. IRELAND: 0289 018 3336
UK NORTH: UK SOUTH: N. IRELAND:
0161 928 3456 0203 096 3705 0289 018 3336
Any makeAudiBMWCitroenCupraDSFordGenesisGMWHyundaiKiaLand RoverLexusMaxusMazdaMercedesMGMiniNissanPeugeotPolestarPorscheRenaultSeatSkodaSuzukiTeslaToyotaVauxhallVolkswagenVolvo
Any model
Any typeCabrioletCoupeElectric / HybridEstateHatchbackPick UpSaloonSmall CarsSUV / 4WDVans
Any price£0.00 - £100.00£200.00 - £300.00£<|fim_middle|> vehicle and charging technology used. As discussed, fast charging packs are available and can drastically decrease charging times.
Using a normal three-pin socket is expected to take at least 8 – 13 hours depending on the vehicle. Fast charging points are capable of halving this, achieving a full charge in typically 4 – 6 hours.
Rapid charge points are capable of charging your vehicle in under an hour. They are available across the UK with manufacturers such as Tesla installing them at many service stations.
Are there any grants available for electric vehicles?
There's a series of grants and incentives available for electric vehicle users. Please find our Electric Vehicle Incentive Guide for more information.
What's the range and power of electric vehicles?
Increasing innovation has eased consumer concerns regarding electric vehicle range. Electric motors have been widely praised for their instant response, which often produces fast acceleration and high torque figures.
Pure electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model S 85D, has an estimated driving range of 253 Miles! Using all-wheel-drive technology, the electric motor produces 422bhp and 600n/m of torque, capable of achieving 155mph and does 0 – 60mph in just 4.4 seconds.
Proving that power doesn't need to be sacrificed for range!
More budget-friendly alternatives such as the Nissan Leaf has an estimated driving range of 168 miles, with the Leaf-E achieving 239 miles! The standard leaf produces 150 bhp and can achieve 0 – 62mph in a respectable 7.2 seconds.
Need more information? Call us: 0161 928 3456
Or email your questions to: [email protected]
All Car Leasing Deals
WE'LL FIND THE BEST DEALS FOR YOU!
Our base rental pricing means you save every month. No additional monthly charge and no hidden extras.
Get in touch with our team of experts today.
0161 928 3456 (UK NORTH)
0203 096 3705 (UK SOUTH)
0289 018 3336 (N. IRELAND)
Leasing Guide
Personal Car Leasing
In Stock Cars
Electric Car Leasing
Guides & FAQs
Fair, Wear & Tear Guide
Servicing & Maintaining EV's
Electric & Hybrid FAQs
AdBlue Solution For Diesel Vehicles
Diesel Particulate Filter
Incentives To Go Electric
Initial Disclosure
Commission Disclosure Statement
Ordering Terms & Conditions
No Deal Brexit
Contract Cars
12 Ambassador Place
Stockport Road
Altrincham, Cheshire
WA15 8DB
Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Envelope
Big Media Presence Limited T/A Contractcars.com are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are a credit broker, not a lender. We provide motor vehicle finance brokerage services to customers via third party finance providers on business and personal contract hire agreements. Our registered address is 12 Ambassador Place, Stockport Road, Altrincham, Cheshire. WA15 8DB. Our Financial Conduct Authority Firm Reference Number is 662026. You can verify our status on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA's website at www.fca.org.uk.
Big Media Presence Limited T/A contractcars.com is a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA membership number 2274). ICO Number Z9897147. VAT number 887 1715 83. Company Registration Number 05474936 registered in England & Wales
© Copyright 2021 ContractCars.com. All Rights Reserved. - | 300.00 - £400.00£400.00 - £500.00£500.00 - £600.00£600.00 - £700.00£700.00 - £800.00£800.00 - £900.00£900.00 - £1,000.00£1,000.00 - £1,100.00£1,100.00 - £1,200.00£1,200.00 - £1,300.00£1,300.00 - £1,400.00£1,400.00 - £1,500.00£1,500.00 - £1,600.00£1,600.00 - £1,700.00£1,700.00 - £1,800.00
Electric and hybrid F.A.Q'S
Due to growing innovation and the recent government strategy to phase out combustion engine vehicles, many consumers are enquiring about electric vehicles.
Contractcars.com has compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions, to help you find the answers you need
What's a pure electric vehicle?
A fully electric vehicle draws energy from an external power source, which is then stored within the vehicle's battery for later use. It doesn't rely on a combustion engine, therefore, doesn't require an exhaust system which produces harmful C02 gasses.
As a result of this, it's the most environmentally friendly method to drive, further, saving road users thousands on fuel and tax costs. Increasing innovating means that 'Range Anxiety' is no longer a concern for EV users.
Typically, an electric vehicle chassis will look like the one below. Electric Vehicles consist of the following;
Battery – A battery which stores power. Some hybrid vehicles are charged via an external power source, whereas, others are charged by a combination of regenerative braking and power created from the combustion engine.
Like a combustion engine, batteries are equipped with cooling technology, in order to prevent overheating and maintain battery life.
Charging Plug – Purely electric vehicles some types of hybrid vehicles are charged via an external energy source, therefore, require a charging socket.
Drivetrain – As with any vehicle, the drivetrain consists of components such as the gearbox; clutch and differential. Which send power to the wheels in order to make the vehicle move. The drivetrain location and components will depend on the vehicle type.
What's a hybrid?
A hybrid uses part EV technology, combined with a traditional combustion engine. There are many kinds of hybrid vehicles, for example;
HEV
Hybrid Electric Vehicles recharge particularly due to regenerative braking and don't rely on an external electricity source.
Further, the combustion engine creates the power which is then stored by the battery for later use. Typically, HEVs will use the electric motor at low speeds, with the combustion engine taking over when higher speed is required.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles are plugged into an external source to charge their battery, hence the term 'Plug-In Hybrid.
PHEVs use both an electric motor and a combustion engine, with the electric motor typically lasting around 30 miles before the petrol or diesel engine takes over. Making them ideal for both inner-city and long-distance driving.
How do you charge an electric vehicle?
This will depend on the type of EV you use. As discussed, Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) are charged using a combination of regenerative braking and the combustion engine to produce power, which is stored within the batter.
Pure electric vehicles and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) are plugged into an external charging socket to generate power.
Fast and rapid charging packs are available with most manufacturers and allow users to fully charge their vehicle in under an hour. They are also available for home installation, or you can plug your vehicle into a standard three-pin socket for convenience, but this will increase your expected charge time.
You can use tools such as the online Zap-Map, to locate your nearest charging point!
How long does it take to charge an ev?
This will depend on a number of factors, such as your | 921 |
<|fim_middle|> etc.
| Q: How to check if today is Monday in Python How would I write a statement that says:
If today is Monday, then run this function.
My thoughts are:
if datetime.now().day == Monday:
run_report()
But I know this is not the right way to do it. How would I properly do this?
A: Both datetime.date and datetime.datetime
objects have a today method that return respectively a Date and a Datetime object.
Which both have a weekday and isoweekday methods.
weekday count from Monday = 0, while isoweekday count from Monday = 1:
from datetime import date, datetime
if date.today().weekday() == 0:
# it is Monday
if datetime.today().isoweekday() == 1:
# it is Monday
See documentation
A: You can use date.weekday() like this:
from datetime import date
# If today is Monday (aka 0 of 6), then run the report
if date.today().weekday() == 0:
run_report()
A: import datetime as dt
dt.date.today().isoweekday() == 1 # 1 = Monday, 2 = Tues, | 248 |
Andrea Sittig-Rolf of Sittig Inc. launches her new live internet talk radio show called "Power Talk: when talent and passion collide, success is inevitable." on the VoiceAmerica's Business channel.
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) August 15, 2008 -- Andrea Sittig-Rolf, President and founder of Sittig Inc, author of three compelling sales books, developer of the "Blitz Experience," and owner of Andrea Sittig-Rolf www.sittiginc.com , will host her new live internet talk radio show, "Power Talk: when Talent and Passion Collide, Success is Inevitable" starting Friday, August 22, 2008 at 1PM PST on VoiceAmerica's Business channel (www.modavox.com/VoiceAmericaBusiness) The show is re-broadcast 12 hours later and available through a 24/7 archive on the computer and through web enabled cell phones, nationally and internationally, away from the computer.
Andrea is the author of three compelling sales books; the first, Business-to-Business Prospecting: Innovative Techniques to Get Your Foot in the Door with any Prospect, (Thomson Reuters, 2005) is endorsed by best-selling author Brian Tracy. Her second book, The Seven Keys to Effective Business-to-Business Appointment Setting (Thomson Reuters, 2006) is endorsed by several sales professionals and the fore<|fim_middle|>. Her third book, Power Referrals: The Ambassador Method for Empowering Others to Promote Your Business and Do the Selling for you (McGraw-Hill, 2008) is endorsed by Tom Hopkins and is now available. | word is written by Tom Ziglar, son of Zig Ziglar and CEO of Ziglar Incorporated | 19 |
Please read just a small sampling of the many letters we receive on a regular basis from families we serve. And feel free to call us to learn how to ask them directly about the quality of our service.
"When a loved one dies, of course the focus is on your profound loss. But soon after, you have no choice. You have to think about the logistics. And at time when emotions are running high and family members may be scattered across the country (or not in agreement about next steps), it's hard to think clearly. That's why we can't say enough about the help and support we got from Kevin Gray. From the minute we called to say that my mother-in-law had passed until her burial was over, he did everything possible to lead the way. He answered all of our questions, graciously took our many phone calls, made great suggestions and ultimately made arrangements that best suited our large family. When we were back home, we realized how smoothly it all went from beginning to end. Every burden had been lifted.
Amazing experience – can't thank them enough! The Star of David Chapel was excellent & I highly recommend them. My Mom's death did not come as a surprise at all, but I kept putting off making the arrangements, as I wanted something that would be nice, and convenient for all. Being just up the road from New Montefiore Cemetery, made if nice without a long procession drive from the Chapel to the cemetery. My contact with Andrew at the Star of David was extremely professional, yet very caring.
Having a website, extremely detailed, even showing details of coffins, including all pricing, made it extremely easy for me to make that initial call. My first contact with Andy was over the phone, as he went over everything in detail, including all prices. I had friends who had been at services there and they said how clean & professional the place looked.
My family was very pleased with the appearance of the chapel and the way that business was conducted. There was not a push for anything that we didn't want and there were no hidden costs. They did not do the nickel & dime dance like other places. Everything he said was provided for on the day of the services as well as memorial candles for immediate family members. Each time I called, my questions were answered promptly & courteously.
We didn't have to do anything ourselves the day of the funeral, the chapel staff handled everything seamlessly. Although it was a closed casket, a few people did request it open to say their "goodbye's".
My biggest fear was when they did the make-up for my Mom, they would make her up with lipstick and face make-up that it wouldn't look like her.<|fim_middle|> services to all my friends, even though I sometimes get some pretty strange looks! Thanks again and again..
We would be remiss if we did not write thank you for helping us through the funeral of my mother, Bertha Levine. It is really nice know that not only are there still knowledgeable, honest, and caring people in your business; but that they also happen to have the best values and care one could hope for such a dreadful time! Casket prices at most places are outrageous and they have you at a most unfortunate time, when you do not have the best business acumen. Your prepaid services were reasonable. Further, the caskets were made well and deeply discounted.
You worked with us from the beginning right through to the end in every conceivable way. You've accommodated our requests, answered all our questions; often knowing what we wanted before we can ask. Your service was complete, and wrought with thoughtfulness like having chairs and blankets for the mourners at the grave site on that cold day. We've been to far too many funerals that lacked this kind of considerate care. You're a consummate professional in every way.
It is interesting to note that your "discount" service, offered us so much more than we've received from others from others at previous family losses, despite the fact that we had previously paid double, triple, or quadruple your fees! We will certainly highly recommend your facilities.
The Kalachman and Levine families wish to convey our heart felt gratitude for you caring and handling in our time of need. It is unusual that the grieving will have naught to concern themselves with but their grief….you and Star of David Memorial Chapel helped make that possible. Thank you. | I did share my concerns ahead about that. Andrew explained that if I sent a few pictures via e-mail, they would do a great job, and the day of the service, if I didn't like it, they would re-do it. Much to my pleasure, it could not have been more perfect. They captured her look, perfectly!
I can't thank Star of David enough for making this day, as good as it could possibly could have been.
I am writing to thank you for the wonderful services you provided for my father in-law's funeral. I was extremely skeptical at the idea of "saving" money on such a solemn occasion, but you explained everything in a professional and sensitive (as well as practical) manner.
The harsh business side of a funeral is real. Things cost money, people grieve and there is always someone to take advantage during this trying time. You are not one of those people. You are a rare find…..a businessman who cares. The funeral home and rabbi were wonderful and I know that my family' s demands were tougher than most and you rose to the occasion each time.
What impressed me was that during our difficult time, prior to the service, you did the right thing as a businessman. That is why I am writing this letter. Please feel free to post this and show your potential clients who may have any trepidation of using your company. I am as finicky as it comes and you past with flying colors. Be assured that I will recommend your service to anyone I meet.
Although this is a sad and very difficult time in my life, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you and your employees have done. There aren't enough words to express our gratitude. Your loving and caring transfer of my son's remains to a final resting place in "Pinelawn" cemetery was noticeable. Mr. Skeeter, one of your Funeral directors who handled all of the burdensome details, is truly an asset to your organization.
His compassion and sincere devotion has made this most painful event in our lives manageable. On behalf of my daughter and myself, I want to thank you and Mr. Skeeter as well as all the members of your organization who assisted in this transition. May God bless you and keep you in his loving arms as you kept my son in yours.
I am not sure exactly where to begin in thanking you for bringing some solace into the worst day of my life. After burying my mom three years ago, refraining from making all the painful decisions until the day of her imminent death, my sister and I decided to pre-plan my father's funeral. I had mixed feelings about this, but we were applying for Medicaid so of course it was the practical thing to do, but in my heart I didn't want to acknowledge that my dad, my very best friend, was going to be leaving me. I visited a local funeral home and while I didn't expect to have a good old time, I left feeling somewhat annoyed. I realize everyone has to earn a living, but there are certain professions that I feel require enhanced empathy skills. I know I was just another customer with a sick father but a little warmth, albeit "forced" wouldn't have been out of line. The cash wasn't coming out of my pocket so this honestly wasn't the issue, but I felt I was being steered into spending excessive money on unnecessary AND essential items. Ironically on my way to this particular funeral home, a friend called me and told me about your business, and since I had time on my side I decided to visit your store. I was hesitant at first because this really isn't the type of comparison shopping that is fun to do. However, after talking to you for ten minutes, I felt it was the best decision I made regarding this entire depressing ordeal. First of all, you were honest.what a refreshing attribute to find in the business world! Second, you were able to "read" the type of person I was and tapped into my needs and feelings. You explained all I needed to know in a professional yet empathetic way. There wasn't one ounce of insincerity in your manner, in fact you suggested that I spend LESS on a casket than I was originally planning to spend. You spent much more time than was even necessary, making me feel comfortable and at peace with my decisions. Because of this, I trusted you to make all the other arrangements (choosing the funeral home, selecting a priest to speak at my dad's graveside, etc). When my dad died only a few weeks later, all that was required was a simple phone call and you were "there". I not only respect you as a businessman but as a person whom I was fortunate enough to meet in this crazy, fast paced world. In fact, I find myself enthusiastically recommending your | 983 |
My birthday was 27th August. I meant to let it passed because birthday was not an important event with me and I was so sick of that kind of birthday party with a lot of people and drinks. But all of a sudden, my friend asked me to go Sapa just before my birthday 3 days. He loved that place, he wanted to turn back one more time and show me how gorgeous Sapa is. Anyway, I also needed some fresh air which can not be found out in Hanoi. So, lets go!
Actually we did not prepare too much. We just checked Sapa weather, bus price and booked hotel. The best way to get to Sapa is to take sleeping bus. It is cheap and fast. There is one more choice - sleeper train for you guys from Hanoi to the town of Lao Cai. But I think it is less convenient than bus because after you get train station in Laocai, you have take one more bus to get Sapa from there.
My sister is a tour guide, she helped us book sleeping bus with good price around 180.000 VND (~ 8,1$) at 10pm on 25th August.
We booked a room at Sapa Diamond Hotel with mountain view, price was 1.600.000/night (~73$). Preparing completed.
We arrived Sapa at 4.30pm. But it was still dark and no one get off. Staying inside the bus, I saw drops of water which was flowing down along the window and I know it was raining. I could not wait any more and asked my friend to go out right away to enjoy fresh atmosphere of Sapa.
As soon as I got off the bus, I was socked a little bit because the difference in temperature between inside and outside. It was too cold when comparing with Hanoi in that time. It was drizzling and small town was covered with fog. Since it was too early, so I felt like I was lost in some deserted town in Western. Holding his hand and walking along the street while rain drops was falling on my face. That was one of the most beautiful memories in Sapa.
We needed to wait to check in hotel at 2pm. And we decided to find out hotel first and put our stuffs over there. After that, we found some restaurant to have breakfast. A dish of hot fried rice was quite good in this weather.
We already had enough energy to explore the mountainous side of Sapa.
We finished breakfast at 6.30am. It kept drizzling but we didnt care about it because the most important thing was the way of creating memories with each other. Rainy day or sunny day wasn't matter at all. We didnt want to waste time to wait in hotel, so we made a decision to discover mountainous side with bike. We turned back hotel after bought 2 raincoats. A hotel receptionist helped us to rent bike with 200.000 VND/12 hours (~$9.1) including petrol fee. Started an amazing journey.
From hotel, we went up the mountain. It started heavy raining, Our raincoats was not really useful. we got wet but kept going up. It was to hard to drive bike in that situation when raindrops constantly fell on my face and my vision was surrounded by white fog.
Sapa nature seemed to see through our efforts and repay us worthily. When we was going<|fim_middle|> trying to write exactly what I saw but honestly, there is no word to describe it.
Sapa made us almost crazy and could not stop the exploring journey. With a full petrol bike, with a loudspeaker which was playing EDM playlist. The sound of raindrops, of music, the sound of waterfalls, of nature made us so high. We went through the villages of ethnic people, we stopped anywhere we wanted just to see longer some beautiful scene and memorize it in our mind. We drove along the mountain road as far as the google map could not show anything anymore. And we returned after discovering almost everything.
I am not sure Sapa was really gorgeous and amazing like that or that is because I was so emotional with the nature that I could not see for a while. But some small things like kids, wildflowers, cattle, the fields of rice and corn along mountain slopes, ... Everything created a Sapa with both impressive and poetic beauty.
When we went back to check in hotel room, we didnt know what was waiting for us over there. Yeah. Life is up and down. It always takes you by surprises. | up slowly along the winding mountain road, an amazing scene gradually appeared. You guys cannot imagine my feeling in that time.
From slope of mountain, we looked down the small valley. It looked so peaceful in the amid of impressive mountains.
The more raining, the more it looked like a picture drawn by The Creator.
Keep going, you will be re-paid.
We believed that Sapa would not have only that, there were more gorgeous scenes. And we kept driving to reach to the clouds. You know what, it had heavy rained before but when we went up high enough to pass over the clouds, there was a sunny sky was welcoming us.
We saw gleams of sunlight thrusting through the gray cloud layers and brightened up small village in the valley. That was the most amazing view I had ever seen in my life. Both of us were suddenly quiet, looked at that view, looked at each other and only one response was "wowwwwww".
I tried to take a lot of photos but there was not any camera be able to take whole that scene. I am | 218 |
From Florence: Pisa & Lucca Day Tour with Buccellato Tasting
Popular Day Trips in Lucca
From Florence: Cinque Terre, Vernazza, Lucca Guided Tour
From Florence: Pisa, Lucca, Forte dei Marmi Full-Day Tour
Florence, Accademia Gallery, and Chianti Wine Full-Day Tour
From Livorno: Siena, San Gimignano & Chianti Wine Excursions
From Florence: Pisa and Lucca Full-Day Private Tour
Lucca: 1 Day Vespa<|fim_middle|> alleys, and see the remains of its 14-century castle and watchtower. Take a relaxing boat ride to Vernazza, home to the only natural port of Cinque Terre and famous for its elegant houses. Visit Corniglia, the only town in Cinque Terre that isn't directly located by the beach yet equally stunning. On your way back to Montecatini, stop at Lucca — a charming city by the Serchio river. Go for a stroll along its cobblestone streets and witness the town's Renaissance architecture.
The tour was great. The e-bike once went along the city wall of Lucca. Our guide provided us with interesting information before we drove further into the fields to later eat some bread with sausage and cheese and try wine in a small and beautiful winery. The tour was a lot of fun. The ride on the e-bike was very relaxed, even when it went uphill. Our guide was very friendly and personable and knew a lot about Lucca and the history of Tuscany. We would book the tour again.
Lucca: Guided E-Bike and Wine Tour Reviewed by Sascha, 8/29/2021
The trip was well organized. In each village we had enough time for a tour. Our guide Luca explained some details to us at the beginning and then gave us free time to explore the villages on our own. Luca took over everything organizational, which led to a very relaxed trip. We would book the tour again.
Cinque Terre Small Group by Minivan from Lucca Reviewed by Sascha, 8/29/2021
We had a great tour with Marta who was so kind, friendly and interesting. We really enjoyed learning about Lucca and its culture. The cycle of the walls was great as was the visit to the vineyard with excellent lunch and tasting of wines. A wonderful tour.
Lucca: Guided E-Bike and Wine Tour Reviewed by Mark, 9/10/2021
This excursion was wonderful. What a great introduction to evokes and to the city of Lucca. Our tour guide Lucca was nothing short of amazing. This is a MUST. Thank you Lucca
Lucca: Guided E-Bike and Wine Tour Reviewed by Karen, 9/8/2021
Luca was an excellent guide! The tour on the walls allows you to see Lucca at its best. The Urbani family made us feel at home. Experience to do absolutely!
Lucca: Guided E-Bike and Wine Tour Reviewed by Veronica, 8/30/2021 | and Scooter Rental
1-Hour Hot Air Balloon Flight Over Tuscany from Lucca
From Pisa or Lucca: Half-Day Tuscany Chianti Wine Tasting
Our most recommended Lucca Day Trips
1. From Pisa or Lucca: Half-Day Tuscany Chianti Wine Tasting
Explore the glorious hills of Tuscany on a 4-hour tour of a picture perfect landscape just moments from the city centers of Pisa and Lucca. Following a pick-up from either city, travel to the picturesque countryside surrounding Pisa and stop at the winery. The owner will give you an insight into the various methods that go into producing the wines and extra-virgin olive oils of the estate. After a short introduction, go to the cantina to see where the wine is aged. Then, enjoy tastings of the delicious wines. Relax on the transfer back to your hotel, enjoying views of the Tuscan landscape along the way. Departures: From Pisa (your selected hotel or a close meeting point) From Lucca (your selected hotel or a close meeting point)
2. From Florence: Pisa & Lucca Day Tour with Buccellato Tasting
On this guided tour of Lucca and Pisa, you will have the chance to discover the art, architecture, and history of Tuscany, along with some delicious local wines! Your tour begins with a trip to Pisa, where you will see the incredible Piazza dei Miracoli, most famous for its "Leaning Tower." After that, visit the town's many other historical monuments, including its majestic cathedral, before grabbing a cappuccino and heading off to Lucca. In Lucca, famous for its still-intact city walls, your guide will lead you through the enchanting old town center and give you a chance to walk along the city's rooftops. The views will take your breath away! Next, admire the main attractions of the city: the Anfiteatro Square, Guingi Tower, San Martino Cathedral, and the town's many antique shops. Your tour ends with a Buccellato tasting, a typical Lucchese Cake!
3. 1-Hour Hot Air Balloon Flight Over Tuscany from Lucca
Experience the magic of flying high above the cypress-studded hills and vineyards of Tuscany on a 1-hour VIP hot air balloon flight over Lucca. The adventure begins as soon as you arrive at the take-off field, dependent on weather conditions. Watch as the balloons are inflated and prepared before your eyes. Once the pilots have done their final checks and given you a briefing about flight safety, climb into the balloon basket and begin your float to altitudes of up to 2,000 feet (6,000 meters). Glide over valleys and castles, enjoying breathtaking panoramic views of the rolling hills below. As the balloons are directed by the breeze, each flight offers a unique experience every time. Upon landing, enjoy a glass of sparkling champagne to celebrate your adventure. Then transfer back by shuttle bus to your take-off site.
4. Cinque Terre Small Group by Minivan from Lucca
Depart Lucca and transfer to Riomaggiore to catch a boat (weather permitting) to Manarola, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the Cinque Terre, and its houses are built along the cliff face. Upon arrival, explore one of the oldest villages of the Cinque Terre. Walk down narrow alleys to pretty squares of pastel colored houses. Enjoy some free time for a relaxing lunch (own expense) at one of the open-air restaurants that line the waterfront. Take a stroll through the back streets for impressive views along the coast.
5. Lucca: Guided E-Bike and Wine Tour
Meet your guide and grab your e-bike for a tour of charming Lucca and its surrounding villages. Visit a winery and learn all about the wine-making process as you go. Being your tour with an introduction to the city by your guide and a visit to the walls of Lucca. Ride over the 4 km of cycle path around the historic center as you admire the elevated position above the city. Next, ride out of the city into the surrounding countryside, among charming villages and family farms. The e-bike allows you to face a few short climbs effortlessly. Your guide will also explain the complexity of the vineyard ecosystem and its low environmental impact. Conclude your experience with a visit to a wine cellar. Taste local wine combined with typical local products such as bruschetta, meats, cheeses, and olive oil.
6. Lucca: 1 Day Vespa and Scooter Rental
Pickup your Vespa or scooter from the meeting point, get kitted out with the necessary gear, then hit the road where your adventure begins. Spend the day exploring Lucca and its surroundings according to your own preferences. Visit some of the region's most famous and historic villas, stop at the impressive Devil's Bridge in Borgo a Mozzano, pass by the sprawling vineyards and olive groves in Montecarlo, or see the thermal baths in Bagni di Lucca. By the end of the day, you'll have seen the very best that the area has to offer, and experienced a thrilling ride.
7. From Florence: Pisa, Lucca, Forte dei Marmi Full-Day Tour
Dive into a "sea of beauty", and experience many of Italy's splendid art masterpieces, enjoy spending time at a famous seaside resort and admire the breathtaking landscapes of Tuscany. The beautiful city of Lucca is along the picturesque road from Florence that leads towards the coast. It is a refined city of art, surrounded by renaissance style tree-lined walls which feature beautiful doors and impressive bastions. Begin your tour of the city with a relaxing walk along a stretch of the city walls and enjoy a wonderful overview of roofs, alleys, tower-houses, wonderful churches and aristocratic palaces of the old city, before moving onto the historical town center close by. Discover Piazza S. Michele in the heart of the city, which features a splendid Basilica in white limestone built between the 12th–14th century. Pass by traditional Italian shops overlooking the squares and narrow roads and reach Piazza del Mercato which was built on the tracks of a Roman amphitheatre dating back to the second century BC. Following this you will visit the famous Gothic Cathedral of San Martino built in the 11th century and featuring the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, an artistic masterpiece. After a short journey, you reach the splendid and flat Versilian coast and the seaside town of Viareggio, famous for its beautiful beaches, the wonderful "Liberty" architecture that characterizes many of its buildings and the long and exciting walk along "Viale del Mare" with cafès–chantant, restaurants and shops that are among the most elegant of the coast. After a short journey, you will then reach the splendid and flat Versilia coast in one of the most famous tourist seaside resort of the Mediterranean sea, attended by aristocrats, celebrities and sports stars: the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi, which stretches along sandy beaches against the backdrop of the magnificent Apuan Alps. During your free time you can take the occasion to admire the old town, with many elegant shops, high fashion boutiques and outdoor cafes and to walk in the shade of the palm trees on the waterfront, to admire the villas sprouting from the pine forest and the most beautiful beach resorts in the world. Do not miss the opportunity to try the fragrant seafood in one of the many restaurants along the coast, and during the summer, you can take the occasion for an unforgettable swim in the warm waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea with the spectacular backdrop of the white marble of the Apuan Alps that sparkles in the sun. In the afternoon, you move inland and reach the famous city of Pisa, heralded by the glittering view of Piazza dei Miracoli, UNESCO heritage, where the peerless masterpieces in marble rise from the green lawn. The famous Leaning Tower, the magnificent Baptistery, the stunning Cathedral, and the Monumental Graveyard, are unforgettable examples of Romanesque architecture from the 12th and 13th centuries.
8. Livorno: Full-Day Private Shore Excursion to Pisa & Lucca
Meet your private driver/ guide at 08:00 as close as possible to your ship's arrival for the pleasant hour drive to the charming medieval city of Lucca. It is a city enclosed and protected through the centuries by an imposing 16th century wall, which is one of the best preserved Renaissance defenses in Europe. The wall has helped keep the city's original features and Roman street plan intact. You may enjoy starting off your day with a bike ride on top of the walls along the beautiful tree-lined promenade where you can peer down into the palazzi and piazzas of the old city or look up to views of the surrounding hills. Bike rental will be an additional (optional) cost paid on the day of your tour at 5 EUR per bike per hour. Discover the city's Roman features with the Church of San Michele in Foro standing on the site of the original Roman forum. It was here that Giacomo Puccini began his musical career as a choir boy. Strolling along the lively shopping street of Via Fillungo, you will arrive at the Church of San Frediano with its 6th century origins. See the tomb of Saint Zita (1278), mentioned by Dante in the Inferno, whose mummified body can be seen through glass. Discover the unique shaped arena, Piazza Anfiteatro, constructed in the 1st century A.D. under Emperor Claudius with 54 arches and a cave able to hold as many as ten thousand spectators in 18 rows of seats. The base of the original amphitheater is now some 3 meters below the center, which was reconstructed in the 1800s as the town's marketplace. The Cathedral of San Martino houses the precious holy relic, the Volto Santo, a cedar wood crucifix said to be a true portrait of Jesus sculpted by Nicodemus, an eyewitness to the crucifixion. Also see the remarkable marble tomb of Ilaria del Caretto and Tintoretto's infamous 'Last Supper.' The city is filled with artisans and tempting delicatessens offering Tuscan specialties, and Lucca is particularly renowned for its olive oil. Not to be missed are the underground cellars of Enoteca Vanni, offering a tempting selection of wines from all over Italy. Lunch will be at your own cost, and your driver can make recommendations and point you in the right direction. You may even have time to enjoy lunch at a local vineyard on the outskirts of town before taking the short drive to the 11th century powerful maritime republic of Pisa. Enjoy a driving tour of the city, which will lead you to the heart of one of the most important monuments in Italy, the breathtaking Piazza dei Miracoli with its Baptistry, the cathedral, Campo Santo Cemetery and of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You will be free to explore some of the city on foot before meeting up with your driver for the return journey back to your ship in the port of Livorno with arrival at around 17:00.
9. Lucca: City Sightseeing on E-bike
Lucca is a small medieval town with a rich history that has preserved itself in the heart of Tuscany. Rent an E-bike and explore Lucca and walls park, have a coffee at the magnificent public square("Piazza dell'Anfiteatro") You can reach the square through four gateways located at the four vertices of the ellipse. A cross is carved into the central tile of the square with the arms pointing to the four gateways of the square. The town is a strategic location and its 85,000 inhabitants make it a quiet, pleasant, and desirable tourist destination. You will have a view of the symbolic monuments of Lucca from above the city. The entire route that circles the city center is ideal for walking and cycling in the open air and is suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. The walls are around 4.2 km (2.61 miles) long and are easy to walk along as motor vehicles are not permitted.
10. From Florence: Cinque Terre, Vernazza, Lucca Guided Tour
Begin your tour with a scenic drive to Manarola. Arrive at the picturesque town of Manarola, where colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces. Stroll through its charming | 2,692 |
Review: Thee Oh Sees, 'An Odd Entrances'
By Stephen Thompson | NPR
Thee Oh Sees' new album, An Odd Entrances, comes out Nov. 18. Courtesy of the artist
Note: NPR's First Listen audio comes down after the album is released.
For<|fim_middle|> Sees' many component parts together. "The Poem" captures a restless band at relative rest, as a beautiful guitar line snakes through a thoughtful and lovely rumination. Though far from An Odd Entrances' only highlight, it's a refreshing detour for a group that, by definition, never slows down for long.
Thee Oh Sees, An Odd Entrances
You Will Find It Here
Artist: Thee Oh Sees
Album: An Odd Entrances
Jammed Exit
At The End, On The Stairs
Unwrap The Fiend, Pt. 1
Nervous Tech (Nah John)
Review: Jay Daniel, 'Broken Knowz'
Review: Gillian Welch, 'Boots No. 1 The Official Revival Bootleg'
Review: Highly Suspect, 'The Boy Who Died Wolf' | nearly 20 years, guitarist, singer and label head John Dwyer has followed an incredibly circuitous creative path: Charting the course of just one of his bands involves breaking down a discography that includes records by Orinoka Crash Suite, OCS, Orange County Sound, The Ohsees, The Oh Sees and, now, Thee Oh Sees. (This says nothing of his work with other groups around San Francisco, most notably Coachwhips.)
Aided by bassist Tim Hellman and drummers Dan Rincon and Ryan Moutinho (yes, there are two of them), Thee Oh Sees' sound is similarly mutable. Though its sound generally works from a psych-rock template, no two records fit neatly side by side, even when — as in the case of An Odd Entrances and its predecessor, A Weird Exits — they come out a mere three months apart. Where A Weird Exits was a pummeling bruiser, An Odd Entrances lets Thee Oh Sees' members wander artily through alternately jittery and hypnotic jams.
At just 30 minutes, An Odd Entrances qualifies as a sort of mini-album, with three of its six tracks devoted to instrumentals. But it's plenty ambitious. The set's wordless pieces embark on especially unpredictable journeys — in "Jammed Exit," synths burble like water as flutes flutter in a compact but free-flowing jam — but its best song brings Thee Oh | 307 |
Spanish Moss: A Natural Wonder
Gracefully draping trees throughout Nature's Place to Play and much of the southeast U.S., Spanish moss is not actually moss at all; it's a bromeliad, a perennial in the pineapple family.
Here are six fun facts about our distinctive outdoor décor.Without roots and capable of absorbing moisture and nutrients from the air, Spanish moss is non-parasitic; only using its tree hosts for support. Most common on southern live oaks and bald cypress, it can also be seen<|fim_middle|>Native Americans told French explorers the plant was called Itla-okla, which means "tree hair". The French Explorers in turn named it Barbe Espagnol, or "Spanish Beard." It is said that early Spaniards pronounced it Cabello Frances or "French Hair" but the name evolved over time to be Spanish moss.
Lacy festoons of Spanish moss can extend up to twenty feet in length.
Its tangled clumps and strands are home to some species of insects, frogs, spiders, bats, snakes and more. A favorite among birds, it's a popular nesting material.
Spanish moss contains a strong fibrous core that – after curing – has been used for many things including padding for automotive seating in the 1930's as well as furniture upholstery, mattresses and home insulation. In the Civil War, it was a favored textile woven into blankets and saddle pads by the Confederate cavalry. Native Americans, particularly such indigenous tribes as the Timucuan and Seminole, fashioned it into clothing, furniture, medicine and other items.
These days, besides being a valuable part of the ecosystem, Spanish moss plays a starring role as an ethereal, gothic, silvery and beautiful backdrop, evocative of the American South. | on other tree types.
Spanish moss isn't even from Spain. It's native to Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
| 27 |
From scaling rock<|fim_middle|> A separate playground offers a space for toddlers to play with a couple of swings. And in winter, the town of Stratford sponsors a free outdoor ice skating rink. During the summer months, kids can splash all day in the park's splash pad. | walls to zipping down those twirly slides, what kid doesn't love to swing, slide and climb at playground? And, with so many great options right in Fairfield County, we thought we'd zero in on some of our favorites for you to check out with your family. And, be sure to check out our list of Ten top Playgrounds in the Hartford Area.
A fabulous place to play, and an even more fabulous place to eat lunch or dinner. Spend an hour on the playground – which features a separate enclosed area for the smaller tykes – and then enjoy a delicious, nutritious meal at the fabulous Apple Cart snack pavilion. Great food for both kids and adults. Order the falafel platter – you'll thank me later!
Twin Meadows is a great playground for lots of reasons. Its soft rubbery play top softens any tumble, and the play equipment is innovative and unique. Kids can enjoy a great raft that rocks back and forth, lots of stepping-stones for climbing, as well as the traditional swings and slides. Plus, many of the play features are designed to be suitable for kids with a variety of disabilities.
My favorite part of this playground? The view. What's better than finishing an hour at the playground by taking off your shoes and dipping your toes into the ocean? If you're not too cold after testing the ocean waters, swing by Brendan's 101 for ice cream on your way home. Delicious. Bayley Beach has residential permit parking during the summer season, so be sure to check their webpage for up to date parking information.
No ocean view at this Ridgefield Park, but you won't miss it! Ridgefield's Accessible playground was designed to be welcoming to all children. Specific design elements, such as the rubberized flooring and ramps, make nearly 70% of the play space accessible to children in wheelchairs or with leg braces. And all kids and adults alike will enjoy the tranquil park setting and the innovative playground.
Bruce Park playground is our family favorite in the Greenwich area. The playground successfully separates the big kids from the little kids (so the big ones don't trample the little ones). Tetherball is always a fun activity, and the big boulders that line the playground are the best climbing attraction around.
If you're looking for something a little different then the primary colors of traditional playgrounds, visit this Natural Playground in Westport. All of the "equipment" is made from wood and other natural resources found on the 20-acre plot. You'll be amazed at how the kids delight in the novelty of a different style of play equipment. Pack some Band-Aids – splinters come with the territory.
This place sprawls and sprawls. There are two playgrounds, at two different entrances ... a big, wooden one that even includes a sandbox for tots, or the more modern looking plastic one alongside the swimming hole -- even this one has equipment the tiny kids will enjoy (phew, mama). Aside from the playgrounds, there are wide open grassy fields to play soccer, or you can watch baseball and the pool. Perhaps the best part -- it has one of the least strict seasons requiring residency. Only in summer will you have to pay to enter.
There are no frills, and no views, but this place is clutch for the under 5 set. There are two playsets skewed to their size and capabilities -- in other words, no heart-stopping drop-offs for your 3-year-old to happen upon when you look away for 5 seconds. The only drawback is they aren't shaded, but there is a sandbox with trees to catch a break from the sun. There are also swings, a picnic table, and enough street parking to satisfy the pre-nap crowd. If you need it, there's a port-a-potty, and you won't be the only mommy setting up a training potty in the back of your SUV.
Not only is this place accessible from the Stepping Stones parking lot (where you could spend the morning/lunch), but it has the holy grail of park setups -- a playground AND a splash pad. Seriously, a summer day is good as spent when you trek here!
This is really the motherlode of Fairfield County parks. Your eight year old will love it. Your two year old will love it. You will love it. (You'll especially love the clean public restroom!) Set alongside sprawling lawns, tennis courts, and a lovely pond and gazebo, Cherry Lawn Park has everything. Really, everything. From a toddler playground filled with sand, little playhouses and a larger-scale playgym for the older kids complete with bouncy bridges and tire swings, this park is a family favorite. Plus, it's home to the Darien Nature Center.
This playground not only offers kids plenty of opportunity for play, but also teaches kids about recycling. The playground, located on the grounds of the Trumbull Nature and Arts Center, was created from about 50,000 plastic laundry detergent containers rescued from landfills. The environmentall sustainable playground, spanning a 40 by 60 foot area, has everything from monkey bars to swings plus plenty of picnic tables perfect for an al fresco lunch.
Built in 2014, this relatively new playground known as FunSpace II offers plenty of cool features like built-in musical instruments, a zip line and climbing stones. There's also fun wooden play areas and a water space with sand. Plus, it's handicap accessible.
Built as part of the Where Angels Play Foundation playground project, Vicki's Playground is located at Pender's Field at Longbrook Park in Stratford. The bright Flamingo-pink playground is set alongside a pond filled known to harbor large turtles and fish. | 1,183 |
Black Excellence in Sport: Crystal Emmanuel
Celebrating Black Excellence in Sport
Crystal Emmanuel - Athletics
by Aaron Sanders
As a decorated athlete, record breaker, Olympian and a role model for future female athletes, Crystal Emmanuel is a great candidate for one of Canada's greatest female athletes. When she wears the maple leaf, she thinks of two things - confidence and conquer. That also translates to empowerment and positivity off the track. With a third trip to the Olympics on the way, let's have a look at Crystal's life up to this point.
Crystal was born in Scarborough, Ontario, but was raised in Barbados. She was part of a family with athletic history in their background. Her father was a bodybuilder and her mother represented Barbados in track and field in the 1980s. Crystal's competitive spirit in the sport started shaping up when she was six years old, thanks to her mom and others.
"Being disciplined, being able to focus on track and having my mom being my inspiration, because she did track in Barbados," Emmanuel said. "Being in track in Barbados was fun. Playing with my friends and challenging them."
Crystal's first chance to represent the nation came at the 2009 Pan American Junior Games. She placed fourth in the 100m dash but was disqualified in the 4x100m relay race. A year later, she was in the IAAF (now named World Athletes) Junior World Championships. She competed in the 200m race, the 4x100m relay and finished eleventh and sixth place, respectively. She appeared in four more World Championships between 2013 and 2017.
After sitting out for nearly a year because of an injury, Emmanuel ran the 100m dash and won the bronze medal at the 2012 NACAC U23 Championships. But her international journey did not stop there that year. Her next stop, the Olympics.
She is also a two-time Olympian and participated in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. In her first Olympic Games,<|fim_middle|> - setting a new, and current, Canadian Women's record in the relay race.
"It was amazing because we had four girls that were ready to execute on the track and we came together as a team," said Emmanuel. "It was really exciting to be in the record books and show the world that we're out here and we can execute when we need to."
Steve Russell/Toronto Star/Getty Images
Emmanuel felt at home when she was a part of the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. Aside from a 10th place finish in the 100m race, she was able to show the nation that she can represent the maple leaf well once again. With her and Team Canada ending up in third place in the 4x100m relay race, she captured the bronze medal.
"It was a great feeling because it was on home soil," Emmanuel said. "We got to show the Canadian community and track and field family that we were out here to be great and give everyone a show. To be able to show the bronze medal to younger athletes that we did it on our home soil and to be confident in themselves."
In 2017, Emmanuel had some setbacks, but she ended up powering through and had a landmark year. She added more medals to her resumè when she won gold medals in both the 100m and 200m events in the National Championships. Not only that, put herself in the Canadian record book once again at the Cork City Sports meet in Ireland. She set the new 200m record when she ran 22.5 seconds. That broke the previous record Marita Payne-Wiggins (mother of NBA star Andrew Wiggins) set of 22.62 seconds back in 1983.
"I had a good run and executed well," said Emmanuel. "I looked at the board and saw 22.51 (seconds) and then it said 22.50. My coach was yelling 'You broke the record!' I shook my head 'no', and then I thought about it, I was like 'oh my gosh, yes I did!' It was the most comfortable and relaxing race that I ever ran. My coach has said many times the one race that doesn't feel the fastest will end up being the fastest race. I broke the record and I didn't even know because I was so comfortable and ready."
The accolades kept on coming to Crystal when she medaled in the 2018 NACAC Championships. She won bronze in the 100m dash and the 4x100m relay race and silver in the 200m dash.
Photo: Canadian Olympic Committee
Crystal was a part of the National Team once again at the Pan American Games in 2019 in Lima, Peru. She and Team Canada found themselves in the final round of the Women's 4x100m relay race. The final race had Canada run for 43.37 seconds - their best time of the season. However, they ended up winning the silver medal after placing 0.33 seconds behind the gold medal winning Women's Brazillian National Team. It also meant that the Women's National Team were on their way to the 2020 Tokyo Games, Crystal's third Olympics.
Throughout this pandemic, Emmanuel has been very vocal on positivity. She has been posting uplifting messages to offer support for women on social media.
"Giving someone positive thoughts can get someone through a tough time, even though you're not physically there," Emmanuel said. "A lot of people may not have a support system like I do or someone else. I know a lot of people are on their phones, [watching] TV or social media. Just being positive for someone to catch on to if they're having a bad day gives me motivation to do what I do. You still have someone who can make you feel positive."
Along with positivity, Crystal said that diversity is another key in the world of sports.
"It doesn't matter [what race you are]," said Emmanuel. "We can have fun, cheer each other on and be happy for one another that we're doing great things and showing the world we can come together, compete and still come out victorious."
Emmanuel reflected on the confidence she has gained in her track and field career.
"Being confident, getting over obstacles that I never thought I would get over because I'm stronger than I thought I was," said Emmanuel. "To see myself in a different light each year and being able to hop over obstacles that I thought were going to be tough. I never gave up on them and I set my goals high - big or small, win, lose or draw. I was still happy with myself. I was always learning."
How does Crystal want to be remembered for when she decides to end her career? It's simple.
"I want to be remembered as the fastest woman in Canadian history in a long time and also be empowering for young women and girls in sport," Emmanuel said.
The next step for Crystal Emmanuel is the 2020 Olympics and her eyes are set on becoming the first female to make all three finals in track and field - the 100m dash, 200m dash and the 4x100m relay race.
Aaron Sanders is a journalist and broadcaster for the Windsor Express Basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada and for St. Clair College Saints athletics. He is also Content Creator for NBL of Canada. Aaron is also the public address announcer for University Athletics including, University of Windsor Lancers athletics, and Essex Ravens football. | she placed seventh in the semi-final round of the 200m dash. Crystal said learned to maintain focus following her first Olympic Games.
"I had some doubts because I went out there, excited and had my 'wow' moment at the 200m dash," said Emmanuel. "What I took away from 2012 was I can't doubt myself at the wrong time. I need to focus on the plan that I set for myself."
The 2016 Games had her compete in three events: the 100m dash, the 200m dash and the 4x100m relay race. Her best finish that year was making the semi-finals at the 4x100m relay race. Emmanuel said the Rio Games was her redo and this time, she experienced something else than a 'wow' moment back in 2012.
"I didn't make the final, but I had a good semi-final and was happy with my outcome at Rio," Emmanuel said. "What I took away from the 2016 Games going into 2020 is that now it's my 'go' moment."
In the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Crystal and her Team Canada mates, Kim Hyacinthe, Isatu Fofanah and Khamica Bingham, finished in sixth place in the 4x100m relay race. However, the team ran for 42.85 seconds | 310 |
Added on January 9, 2020 by Kristjana.P
Football can be considered the most popular sport in America; almost every high school in the U.S. highlights the sport. What is not usually highlighted is the group of people behind the scenes, assisting the players when they are on or off the field, the people who make the athlete's health their number one priority.
What the audience sees is a few girls carrying water racks at the football games, handing the athletes a bottle of water when they ask for it; what people don't see is the enormous responsibility that is placed on these students.
Every day, these students go to school and go throughout their day as any other high school student. When the bell rings, they rush to the Athletic Training room and get everything prepared for that day's practice. They tape writsts and ankles for the athletes that need the support. After that, they start filling up coolers with ice cold water, bring the coolers to the field, and fill up every water bottle to the brim.
They stand in the heat, making sure the athletes stay hydrated throughout their practice. The trainers often stay after practice just to make sure that everyone<|fim_middle|> up and teaching them how to slam dunk. They also took the opportunity to teach all the athletes the most important part of a game: the celebration dance. The coaches turned on music and the players formed a circle to watch. They took turns dancing and showed each other how to do different dance moves. As I watched this, I saw how the camps had the ability to create awareness and an inclusive environment.
As a school privileged with many skilled coaches, WPS was able to share its resources and help improve the skills of the SO players. While there were many differences between the Special Olympics players and the WPS players, their love for the same sport brought them together and created a lasting bond.
This camp created a welcoming atmosphere and allowed both groups to share a sport they love. After the camp, Coach Ben Wilson came up to me and said, "This was one of the coolest things I have been a part of and I want the Special Olympic athletes to be a part of our team at a game." Many athletes saw it takes one small connection to form a friendship. With more awareness and exposure to special needs athletes, I hope our WPS community will become more inclusive. I believe it starts with camps such as these.
If you would like to get more involved in the Special Olympics community, reach out to your county chapter and sign up as a coach or an assistant coach. In addition, the state office is always looking for volunteers. The Special Olympics are a great way to spread your passion for a sport while helping a good cause.
The Softball Team
I have played everything from tennis to lacrosse. However, the sport that truly changed my life was softball. As an 8th grader varsity player I had little experience, was scared to play, and was unfamiliar with our new coach. "This is a new experience for a majority of us but let's start by taking it one game at a time," said my coach, JD Wood. Although he had experience coaching sports, he was inexperienced coaching female athletes. His leadership and time in the Army taught him how to lead us and unite us as a team, which was his goal for the season and ultimately inspired me.
This year, I started as the catcher. I had no experience in the position, but it fueled me to work harder and grow as a player. Even though I didn't particularly enjoy catching, I refused to give up and took my position behind the plate as I knew everyone had to play a role for the team to succeed. I was determined to help turn our losing team into a winning one; however, it was not to be. Despite being 0-12 and receiving a mercy-ruling every game, our team's spirit, energy, and unity never wavered. Coach kept our spirits up and rallied the team to continue to work towards improvement game after game.
Although this season was not our desired outcome, it taught me about being a leader and a teammate. Being a leader means demanding the best out of others and yourself. Through our year in WPS Softball, I also learned many valuable things from my teammates: selflessness, trust, confidence, respect and communication. Being a leader or a teammate on a WPS athletics team does not mean you necessarily are the best player but it means you consistently show determination and give your best effort through all of the ups and downs. If you are interested in being a member of the WPS Softball team, please be sure to come out to tryouts next season. We are accepting anyone who wants to learn and be a part of the family we are creating. | has made it off of the field safely and that there are no injuries. If the athletes do sustain an injury, however, they stay until their treatment has been completed. Most days, they stay for over 3 hours just making sure the athletes are in their best interest.
Every Friday night, the team plays a competitive game against another school, which everyone wants to do their best in. In order for the athletes to perform their absolute best, they need the assistance of their peers, who put their performance and health first.
Every injury sustained in a sport is treated by the Athletic Trainer, who is assisted by the Student Athletic Trainers. Every player is the student's responsibility: everything from bandaging a wound to rehabilitating an athlete who suffered an injury.
Not everyone can become a Student Athletic Trainer. In order to be considered for the responsibility, you need to be trustworthy, responsible, and dedicated. Learning the techniques needed for the part include taping wrists, fingers, and ankles for games. They need to become first aid and CPR certified so they are prepared for anything and everything regarding possible injuries.
Added on May 4, 2019 by Shailee.S
My third year playing under Coach Wood was one to remember and was one of the peaks of the program. With our entire team returning we could pick up exactly where we left off and this led to us being extremely successful. As we played harder teams and played more public schools we saw that we were one of the best teams out there. Our rankings in the state rose to 6th among 3A Florida public schools. Our continuous work and effort allowed us to gain a spot in the playoffs. Not bad for a 0-12 team 2 seasons prior! Our apex was winning our district championship, a crowning achievement for our team. Reflecting back on this season I credit my team for helping me grow in maturity, selflessness, discipline, responsibility, confidence and trust. Go Lady Lakers!
Added on September 10, 2018 by Student
After participating in the Special Olympics and WPS football clinic and watching the Ray Lewis interview, I want to send a word of thanks to Shailee Shroff on a stellar job! It was a once in a lifetime event to have the Hall of Famer - Ray Lewis participate with us in teaching football skills to Special Olympics athletes on Saturday at WPS. Not only did it build up the WPS Football team, but we had a great time teaching these great kids about a sport we love. I especially loved seeing all fun personalities on the Special Olympics team from areas as far as Vero Beach and Lake County. It was crazy how excited and hyped up they were to meet Mr. Lewis! Your tenacious and persistent nature helped to get Mr. Lewis to attend – I am sure this was not an easy task. The questions you asked during the interview helped me realize that he is a caring guy who is much bigger in life than the sports figure on TV. He gave some great advice and showed the power of dreaming and believing in yourself. Thanks for inspiring me Shailee!
Choosing A Sport
Added on April 13, 2018 by Gloria.E
Sports are exciting extracurricular activities that keep you happy, fit, and engaged. But, there's a variety to choose from, each fitting different personalities and abilities. It's great to have an insight on multiple different sports so that you understand the commitment and qualities used in each one. Many sports seem like barely any work when watching, but you'd be surprised at how much practice and effort they put in. I totally recommend playing a sport and trying new ones, but make sure that don't just do it to play a sport. You want to find one that you'll enjoy and will be a great addition to your daily routine.
I've put together a list of commitments required for two fall sports (swimming and volleyball) since they're both very popular and fun to try! It also includes what it's like to play it. I've gotten volleyball information from experience, and interviewed a friend to learn about the WPS swimming program.
They are usually 2 hours long and 5 days a week for JV, 6 days a week for varsity. Practices usually involve running (as a warm up or if we make mistakes), ball control warm ups (such as passing), controlled scrimmage, and a few other drills that vary between practices.
Before games, players eat team meals together and then either start warming up, or take a van to the game (if it is away). Each game is best out of 3 sets for JV, and best out of 5 for varsity. If it goes into the last set, that will go to 15 points, while all the other sets go to 25 points. Varsity must watch half of JV's game, and JV must watch half of varsity's.
3. Positives
It's an exciting sport to play with friends and there are many positions for people with different skills. There are different actions done throughout each game such as hitting, blocking, setting, serving, and passing. People in the back row pass (and occasionally hit), while people in the front row, besides the setter (who sets) hit and block with an occasional pass. That way, if you dislike one activity, but enjoy the other, you can specialize in your favorite aspect of the game.
Swimming(Information provided by a brief interview with swimmer, Sophia Hill):
Q: How long are practices?
SH: Practices for JV are usually an hour and a half, and practices for varsity are typically two hours long.
Q: What exercises are usually done during practices?
SH: Practices involve a variety of exercises such as breathing exercises, relays, arm and leg movements, and diving practice.
Q: How long and how often are meets?
SH: Meets during the season are typically once a week, or twice if one is on a Saturday.
Q: What are some positives of doing swimming?
Swimming has multiple benefits, such as getting into shape, becoming stronger, breathing better, plus the overall spirit of the team is very uplifting.
As you can see, they both have many commitments, but also many benefits that come with them. I hope this helped you get a thorough insight on these sports and motivated you to consider trying one!
Contrary to my 8th grade year, this year's team was very successful. I was adamant not to give up on playing softball even though the previous year we had was disheartening. We had developed very good team chemistry despite having no wins and we were feeling confident of having a better season. People seemed to sense this and wanted to be a part of our team. We had some experienced players come to our school and join our team furthering our enthusiasm. Having these skilled members, allowed our team to position players by skill not by necessity.
Our team and coaching staff worked together like a well oiled machine. Our compatibility coupled with a desire to win led to a change in our record from 0-12 to 10-6. As a dedicated, experienced member of the team, I was awarded the position of team captain, as a 9th grader. I continued to encourage others around me and I was determined to be the best teammate I could be. To improve my skills, I would take time after practice to do extra drills on the field or in the batting cage.
Being A Trainer for WPS Football
Added on December 15, 2017 by Shailee.S
Growing up with 2 brothers and no sisters made me an automatic sports lover. The one thing which brought us together was football. My desire to learn more about the medical field and love for football led to me to accept a position as an athletic trainer for Windermere Preparatory School Football. Even though I always watched football on Sunday nights, I never knew athletic trainers played such a vital support role in the game.
Every day after school, the student athletic training team would prepare for practice, which consisted of filling up water and Gatorade jugs, wrapping wrists and ankles, and tending to sore joints and other practice injuries. Contrary to the popular belief that the Student Athletic Trainers are "water girls", the truth is there is much more to the job. Being a member of the team means consistently being ready to help any player. The toughest job during games was blood and wound duty - in 30 seconds we had to change gloves, stop any bleeding, and wrap a player's arm!
Student Athletic trainers had to oversee the well being of all the players on the field on both sides of the ball. Being a member of this team has taught me how to be an effective communicator. Lack of communication, would oftentimes mean players were left with injuries needing attention or players not receiving any water. For different types of injuries, we would have hand signals to bring out certain equipment. Our ability to communicate effectively when a massive injury occurred was potentially life-saving for the players.
Being a Student Athletic Trainer requires selflessness, dedication, and persistence. The team performing at its best is dependent on having athletes in the best physical condition during, before and after the game. This is a cornerstone of the commitment of a Student Athletic Trainer. If you want to be a trainer, please don't hesitate to reach out and see if you have what it takes.
Special Olympics: Basketball
Added on November 19, 2017 by Shailee.S
Volunteering at the Special Olympics State Office was a very inspiring experience. While I only performed clerical work, I quickly learned how Special Olympics plays an integral role in the athletes' lives: inspiring confidence and teamwork.
When reading through feedback questionnaires from the athletes, one of the questions asked was: "What is your favorite part about playing sports with the Special Olympics?" The athletes' responses unanimously said they enjoyed playing and meeting other people. Many of them mentioned that they were alleviated of social anxiety when playing team sports.
Considering the benefits Special Olympics (SO) events had on the athletes, I was inspired to provide them more opportunities for memorable experiences. As a member of multiple WPS (Windermere Preparatory School) athletic teams, I knew about the extensive athletic resources and experienced coaches we have. I thought this would be an excellent way to use WPS resources. Furthermore, my peers would also get a chance to train and teach while playing a sport they loved. Thus, I conceived the idea to create clinics which integrated Special Olympics athletes with WPS athletes.
The first Special Olympics-WPS camp was with the WPS Basketball program. On the morning of November 18, 2017, WPS hosted its first Special Olympics-WPS athletics clinic, with 25 special olympic athletes and 44 WPS High School basketball players (3 teams of players). I did not expect such a large turnout. Each of the Special Olympic Athletes were paired off with 2 WPS Athletes. They worked together to complete drills and at the end participated in a scrimmage.
I witnessed not only the Special Olympics athletes laughing and having fun, but also my fellow WPS classmates. The WPS players were lifting kids | 2,304 |
Crossfire Boomerang
April 25, 2019 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 12:43 pm Primers Tagged with: Assange, Bill Barr, Binney, CIA, Comey, FBI, fiction, GRU, Mueller, Pompeo, Putin, Russia, Steele dossier, Trump, truth, VIPS, Warner 2 Responses »
M. C. Escher Relativity Lattice 1953
From Twitter:
Remember Spying on Trump was called "Crossfire Hurricane"? Well now it's renamed to "Crossfire Boomerang". BOOM. Karma!
From the moment the Special Counsel investigation into Trump-Russia collusion began, we've been presented with a portrait of Robert Swan Mueller III as a man of unassailable character, a straight shooter, as impartial as can be. But Mueller was director of the FBI for 12 years (2001-2013), he was the king of the spies.
Does anyone really have the idea that the people who work in US intelligence are the country's straightest shooters? Not everybody does. For instance, not Mike Pompeo, who bluntly stated: We lied, we cheated, we stole; It's – it was like – we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."
So why should we believe Mueller is a man of such unassailable character when he rose to one of the very top ranks in intelligence? It doesn't make much sense, except of course it's what politics and media – and intelligence- want us to believe. It may not make sense, but boy, does it work.
And then at some point obviously you have to wonder why Mueller got the Special Counsel job on May 27 2017. Because of that unassailable character, we were told at the time. But if that doesn't apply to Pompeo, why would it be true of Mueller? And why Mueller while there were strong links to US intelligence that would obviously have to be probed by the counsel (but were not).
That brings us straight to the next question: The main issue, post-report, is not whether Trump tried to stop the Mueller probe. The main issue instead is why it was instigated to begin with. Yes, US intelligence. CIA. And then there's yet another question: When did Mueller know there was no collusion? Not just 1 or 2 weeks before presenting his report, that's for sure.
So when? 6 months ago? A year? Did he ever really think there was collusion? If so, based on what? The almost entrirely discredited Steele dossier? Did he have faith in that? The Mifsud-Papadoloulos-Downer connection 'engineered' by CIA asset Stephen Halper? Did he have faith in that? Or was the whole thing goal-seeeked from the start?
It appears very silly to assume that Mueller did not start his job with an agenda, because of the heavy involvement of his former employees and colleagues and his best friend James Comey, whose firing by Trump was one of the main reasons to start the investigation. Sounds like a very hard one to sell, but the media did a great job. Everybody bought into it.
And then the whole thing collapsed. Yes, collapsed. Because this was never about finding the truth, it was always about digging for dirt. On Trump. Think Mueller wasn't aware of that? I own a bridge….
Mueller was forced to find Trump and his team not guilty on conspiracy or collusion -and obstruction. This is because he would have had to prove this, and couldn't. But he's left the accusations against the Russian government and Julian Assange stand. Not because he has evidence for that, but because he doesn't have to prove them.
Nobody believes a word any Russian says anymore, thanks to the MSM and US intelligence campaign against them. As for Assange, it's obvious what Robert Mueller has done. He's completely ignored the one person who could have helped him find the truth -just not the dirt-. and let him rot in hell. Here's wishing for that same hell to befall Mueller and all of his family.
There is zero chance that Mueller didn't know his buddy and successor James Comey prevented Assange from talking with the DOJ in 2017. Neither wanted Assange's evidence to become public, because that would have killed the Russia narrative as well as the WikiLeaks one. And then what?
Let's make one thing clear. All that proof of Russian hacking and Russian Facebook ads? It doesn't exist. The entire story is fictional. How do we know? Because the only source that says it is true is US intelligence. And they can not be believed. As Mueller's investigation once again shows.
Mueller and Barr, like all of Washington -it's a bipartisan effort-, want the narrative to remain alive that the Russians hacked and meddled in the US elections in favor of Trump, and that Julian Assange was in cahoots with them. None of which Mueller has any evidence for. And Mueller at all have no problem sacrificing Assange and Chelsea Manning while they're at it.
Assange is not the only expert source who is silenced. The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity -VIPS- also can't get their voice heard. People who ran US intelligence for decades are being silenced by those who succeeded them. As if they don't exist. As if their expertise is worthless.
The evidence they offer simply doesn't rhyme with the official narrative promoted by their successors and the CIA and FBI. Remember: Mueller only dropped in his report what he would have had to provide evidence for. The rest is still there, but that doesn't mean it's true.
One VIPS member is Larry Johnson, "former CIA Intelligence Officer & former State Department Counter-Terrorism Official, (ret.)". Trump referenced him the other day on Twitter:
"Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson accuses United Kingdom Intelligence of helping Obama Administration Spy on the 2016 Trump Presidential Campaign." @OANN WOW! It is now just a question of time before the truth comes out, and when it does, it will be a beauty!
And sure enough, the Guardian today described Johnson as a "conservative conspiracy theorist". This stuff is predictable. But at least we know that while Mueller et al ignore the VIPS, Trump knows at least something about them. A few excerpts of a letter they sent to Trump last week (which he hasn't seen, undoubtedly):
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President. SUBJECT: The Fly in the Mueller Ointment
[..] the Mueller report left unscathed the central-but-unproven allegation that the Russian government hacked into the DNC and Podesta emails, gave them to WikiLeaks to publish, and helped you win the election. The thrust will be the same; namely, even if there is a lack of evidence that you colluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin, you have him to thank for becoming president.
Mueller has accepted that central-but-unproven allegation as gospel truth [..] Following the odd example of his erstwhile colleague, former FBI Director James Comey, Mueller apparently has relied for forensics on a discredited, DNC-hired firm named CrowdStrike, whose credibility is on a par with "pee-tape dossier" compiler Christopher Steele. Like Steele, CrowdStrike was hired and paid by the DNC.
[..] In Barr's words: "The Special Counsel found that Russian government actors successfully hacked into computers and obtained emails from persons affiliated with the Clinton campaign and Democratic Party organizations, and publicly disseminated those materials through various intermediaries, including WikiLeaks.
Based on these activities, the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian military officers for conspiring to hack into computers in the United States for purposes of influencing the election." We are eager to see if Mueller's report contains more persuasive forensic evidence than that which VIPS has already debunked.
"But They Were Indicted! "Circular reasoning is not likely to work for very long, even with a U.S. populace used to being brainwashed by the media. Many Americans had mistakenly assumed that Mueller's indictment of Russians — whether they be posting on FaceBook or acting like intelligence officers — was proof of guilt. But, as lawyers regularly point out, "one can easily indict a ham sandwich" — easier still these days, if it comes with Russian dressing.
The VIPS mention a few times they can't get heard. They sent Barr a letter 5 weeks ago, and never got an answer. Here they say: ".. specialists will have a field day, IF — and it is<|fim_middle|>The person who is supposed to have done that is Seth Rich. Who was murdered on July 10 2016. Kim Dotcom has long claimed to have evidence that Seth Rich was indeed the person who provided the files to Assange. Today he said on Twitter that his lawyers warned him about exposing that evidence, citing his safety and that of his family.
Half a year after Rich's -never solved- murder, in the first months of 2017, the US Department of Defense was involved in negotiations with Assange in which the latter was offered -temporary- 'safe passage' from the Ecuador Embassy in London where he is holed up, in exchange for Assange 'redacting' a batch of files on the CIA known as Vault 7.
These negotiations were suddenly halted in April 2017 through the interference of James Comey -then FBI chief- and Mark Warner, a US Senator (D-VA). In the talks, Assange had offered to prove that no Russians were involved in the process that led to WikiLeaks receiving the files.
Today, of course, Assange is completely incommunicado in the Ecuador embassy, so he cannot defend himself against the Mueller accusations. Mueller really doesn't have to prove anything: he can say what he wants. Comey and Warner prevented Assange from providing evidence exonerating 'the Russians', and Assange has been shut down.
Let me reapeat once again: Assange is fully aware that the smallest bit of non-truth or half-lie would mean the end of WikiLeaks. It is based on ultimate trust. Nobody would ever offer a single file again if they wouldn't have full confidence that Wikileaks would treat it -and them- with the utmost respect. So the American approach is to smear Assange in any way possible, rape allegations, collusion with Russian agents, anything goes.
And 'the Russians' can be 'freely' accused in a 29-page indictment released on the eve of the first summit President Trump is supposed to have with his Russian counterpart a year and a half into his presidency, where his predecessors all had such meetings much earlier into their presidencies. With many lawmakers calling on him to cancel it.
Do we all still remember the true meaning of 'collusion'? | a capital "IF" — by some miracle, word of VIPS' forensic findings gets into the media this time around."
The evidence-impoverished, misleadingly labeled "Intelligence Community Assessment" of January 6, 2017 had one saving grace. The authors noted: "The nature of cyberspace makes attribution of cyber operations difficult but not impossible. Every kind of cyber operation — malicious or not — leaves a trail." Forensic investigators can follow a trail of metadata and other technical properties. VIPS has done that.
If, as we strongly suspect, Mueller is relying for forensics solely on CrowdStrike, the discredited firm hired by the DNC in the spring of 2016, he is acting more in the mold of Inspector Clouseau than the crackerjack investigator he is reputed to be. It simply does not suffice for Mueller's former colleague James Comey to tell Congress that CrowdStrike is a "high-class entity." It is nothing of the sort [..] Comey needs to explain why he kept the FBI away from the DNC computers after they were said to have been "hacked."
And former National Intelligence Director James Clapper needs to explain his claim last November that "the forensic evidence was overwhelming about what the Russians had done." What forensic evidence? From CrowdStrike? We at VIPS, in contrast, are finding more and more forensic evidence that the DNC emails were leaked, not hacked by the Russians or anyone else — and that "Guccifer 2.0" is an out-and-out fraud. Yes, we can prove that from forensics too.
No Russian hacking. No Guccifer 2.0. But Mueller mentions both a lot.
Again, if Mueller's incomplete investigation is allowed to assume the status of Holy Writ, most Americans will continue to believe that — whether you colluded the Russians or not — Putin came through for you big time. In short, absent President Putin's help, you would not be president.
Far too many Americans will still believe this because of the mainstream-media fodder — half-cooked by intelligence leaks — that they have been fed for two and a half years. The media have been playing the central role in the effort of the MICIMATT (the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank) complex to stymie any improvement in relations with Russia.
We in VIPS have repeatedly demonstrated that the core charges of Russian interference in the 2016 election are built on a house of cards. But, despite our record of accuracy on this issue — not to mention our pre-Iraq-war warnings about the fraudulent intelligence served up by our former colleagues — we have gotten no play in mainstream media.
Most of us have chalked up decades in the intelligence business and many have extensive academic and government experience focusing on Russia. We consider the issue of "Russian interference" of overriding significance not only because the allegation is mischievously bogus and easily disproven. More important, it has brought tension with nuclear-armed Russia to the kind of dangerous fever pitch not seen since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the Russian provocation was real — authentic, not synthetic.
[..] We recall that you were apprised of that Memorandum's key findings because you ordered then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo to talk to William Binney, one of our two former NSA Technical Directors and one of the principal authors of that Memorandum. On October 24, 2017, Pompeo began an hour-long meeting with Binney by explaining the genesis of the odd invitation to CIA Headquarters: "You are here because the president told me that if I really wanted to know about Russian hacking I needed to talk to you."
[..] Binney, a plain-spoken, widely respected scientist, began by telling Pompeo that his (CIA) people were lying to him about Russian hacking and that he (Binney) could prove it. [..] As we told Attorney General Barr five weeks ago, we consider Mueller's findings fundamentally flawed on the forensics side and ipso facto incomplete. We also criticized Mueller for failing to interview willing witnesses with direct knowledge, like WikiLeaks' Julian Assange.
You may be unaware that in March 2017 lawyers for Assange and the Justice Department (acting on behalf of the CIA) reportedly were very close to an agreement under which Assange would agree to discuss "technical evidence ruling out certain parties" in the leak of the DNC emails and agree to redact some classified CIA information, in exchange for limited immunity. According to the investigative reporter John Solomon of The Hill, Sen. Mark Warner, (D-VA) vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, learned of the incipient deal and told then-FBI Director Comey, who ordered an abrupt "stand down" and an end to the discussions with Assange.
Why did Comey and Warner put the kibosh on receiving "technical evidence ruling out certain parties" [read Russia]? We won't insult you with the obvious answer.
Assange is now in prison, to the delight of so many — including Mrs. Clinton who has said Assange must now "answer for what he has done." But is it too late to follow up somehow on Assange's offer? Might he or his associates be still willing to provide "technical evidence" showing, at least, who was not the culprit?
VIPS can't get their voices heard. Everyone ignores them. These are highly experienced veterans of US intelligence, whose successors, and politics, and media, simply act as if they don't exist. And while it's curious to see how they go out of their way NOT to create the impression that Mueller makes his "mistakes" on purpose, the gist is just that.
What this adds up to is not just that Mueller has come up with nothing in his $20-30-50 million investigation, but that he has purposely left things in his report that he has no evidence for but also doesn't have to prove, because those he accuses cannot defend themselves. Note also that Mueller has never indicted Assange, he has only smeared him.
Mueller doesn't just have nothing, he has less than nothing. What is left of his "findings" once the collusion and obstruction elements are gone, are things that either he himself (his team) or US intelligence has concocted out of thin air. And have you seen even one 'journalist' who has questioned these fantasies?
I see only 'reporters' more than willing to heap their own fiction on top of the report's. They'll grudgingly accept there's no collusion only to run away with what can still be construed as obstruction, but not a single one questions the Russian hacking or emails or Facebook ads anymore or Assange's involvement, though Mueller offers zero proof for any of these things. Ditto for Guccifer 2.0.
The GRU (Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, formerly the Main Intelligence Directorate) is a very advanced operation. When they hack something they leave no traces. US intelligence is just as capable of leaving GRU "traces" as the GRU itself is of NOT leaving them. The CIA is not smarter than the GRU. That's what we're looking at here.
How many Americans do you think there are who think this is the way to conduct investigations ostensibly aimed at truth-finding? You know, if only they knew?!
The only thing perceived as reality in America today is a bunch of fantasies designed to hide the truth. What truth there is, is left to rot in hell. What a place -and time- to live.
Incidents and Accidents, Hints and Allegations
August 5, 2018 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 1:19 pm Finance Tagged with: allegations, America, Assange, bravery, Comey, Corbyn, freedom, Gitmo, life, narrative, Putin, Trump, Warner 9 Responses »
Salvador Dali Spain 1936-38 (Spanish civil war)
Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-semite. Julian Assange is a rapist, a Russian agent and a terrorist. Donald Trump is an anti-semite, a rapist AND a Russian agent. Vladimir Putin wants to invade and enslave the entire western world and to that end employs Assange, Trump, maybe also Corbyn(?), as well as thousands upon thousands of hackers and murderers who make people vote for whoever Putin chooses, and poison former Russian agents on western soil.
These allegations, and there's many more of them, have a number of things in common. Most importantly, they serve to change your mind. They serve to change your perception of reality. They seek to whip up your support for the very people and forces that launch them into the media.
Something else they have in common is that none of them has ever been proven, even though some of them are getting on in years. But they were never meant to be proven, simply because they don't have to be. If your mind is a fertile breeding ground for such allegations, all that needs to be done is plant a seed, and plant another, and then water them day after day by repeating the allegations and make them 'yummier', until they sprout a plant or a tree 'spontaneously'.
A third feature the allegations have in common is that as they change your perception of reality, you will be -more- inclined to support those who invented them for that exact purpose, so you will not oppose their -further- grab for power and wealth.
That Jeremy Corbyn would hate Jews goes against the man's entire life history. But he's been exceedingly weak in defending himself, and his Labour Party, against the accusations of anti-semitism, so the label sticks and has been very successful. Instead of explaining his position in the face of the unfolding and increasingly disastrous Brexit proceedings, all Corbyn gets to do is utter some feeble defence about his history with Jewish people. On Brexit, he's been all but silenced. Even his own party merrily goes along with the smear.
The accusations concerning Assange in the Swedish rape 'case' are, if possible, even more preposterous, even if they have also ostensibly been even more successful. The Swedes, British and Americans involved in the narrative knew beforehand that all they needed was to plant a fragile seed. Julian had historically enjoyed a lot of support from women, and that was over in a heartbeat.
Sweden's female(!) prosecutor, Marianne Ny, refused for 4 years to talk to Assange one on one and when she finally did, dropped the case right after. But that's 4 years of allegations hanging over him, easily enough to serve the purpose of those allegations: plant a seed of doubt. By then, another -hollow- tree had sprouted: Assange was accused of working directly with the Kremlin.
He always denied this, but after negotiations with the US Justice Department in early 2017 were abruptly halted by then FBI-head James Comey and US Senator Mark Warner (D.-VA) as Assange offered to prove that it wasn't Russians who provided him with files from the DNC server(s), Robert Mueller felt free to accuse him of working with Russia once again in his indictment of 12 Russians last month. Not only could Assange not defend himself by then, since he had been totally silenced, but Mueller didn't even attempt to provide evidence.
And I've said this numerous times before, but I still think it bears repeating: WikiLeaks is based on one underlying principle above and beyond anything else: trust; which means uncompromising honesty. WIthout that, no-one would ever again offer them any files. WikiLeaks doesn't reveal sources, and it doesn't redact things out of files other than to protect people's lives.
In that sense it's interesting that even with the Vault7 CIA files, after Comey had betrayed Assange, the latter still held back from publishing certain pages, just so CIA operatives wouldn't be exposed. If Assange is caught in just one lie, be it about rape or about Russia, WikiLeaks is done, and so is he and his life's work. So what do you do about someone who doesn't lie? You spread lies about him.
But, again, that's not what people see, because that's not what their media report. Papers like the New York Times and the Guardian, who were more than happy to share, and profit from, WikiLeaks files before, have turned on Assange with a vengeance. Journalists are more than willing to throw a fellow journalist under the bus and then turn around and accuse Donald Trump of endangering journalists when he says they spread fake news. Well, they do, that's what Assange's case proves without a doubt.
That brings us to Trump, a 'case' that has much in common with Assange -even if the men themselves don't-, but is also very different. Trump doesn't seem to shy away from the odd white lie or embellishment. And sure, that may be putting it mildly. But both journalists and their viewers and readers need to keep one thing in mind: their work does not consist of spouting allegations. They need to provide proof.
And in the 18 -or 24- months since Trump prominently rose upon the Washington scene, precious little has been proven. Robert Mueller has alleged plenty, but proven next to nothing. It's fair to say after all that time that he's fishing. Sure, Paul Manafort will likely go to jail, but his case has nothing to do with Russia collusion, at least not in any way that Mueller has evidence for (we would have known if he did).
And you know, if you spend so much time, and resources, trying to find something, trying to find proof, and you have failed to find it, you have to acknowledge just that. Maybe not halt the investigation entirely, but go public and state that you haven't been able to find what you thought you would or could. The country deserves that, The American people deserve it, and yes, Donald Trump does, too.
But the whole country now lives on a narrative. Media left and right profit from it, each to feed their audience the 'latest' 24/7. And there's nothing really, so they have to make it up in order to continue profiting from the whipped-up attention. One side tells you how evil Trump is, the other how great he's doing. The truth is always in the middle, but America has no middle left.
I said before that Donald Trump is portrayed as an anti-semite, a rapist AND a Russian agent. As for the first bit, I covered that a few days ago in "Globalist". Does Trump hate Jews? Even if he does, he hides it pretty well. He's always done business with Jewish people (hey, this is New York!), there are plenty Jews in his government, and in his own family. Calling someone an anti-Semite is a very serious thing, not a detail to be thrown around at will. Prove it or hold your tongue.
Is Trump a rapist, like what Assange is accused of? You can certainly find no shortage of people willing to state that in both cases. But again, no evidence. And with the fame and glory awaiting anyone who does prove it in either case, you would think by now someone would have found something. Again, prove it or hold your tongue.
Thirdly: is Trump a Russian agent? Look, if Robert Mueller hasn't been able to prove that he is after two years and tens of millions spent, at least get off your high horse and focus on something else for a bit, if you want to be taken serious as a journalist. Russia, and Putin, are America's favorite bogeyman today, and about the only thing that still unites the country.
So find something instead that unites you that is not your enemy. Find common cause. Find what makes you proud to be America. Are you all going to be proud if Assange is dragged into some place like Gitmo? Then you have completely lost what it is that should make you proud citizens of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Because no matter how you may twist it, Julian Assange is braver than any of you, and braver than all of you put together too. But no, he's not free. He gave up his freedom so you would know what it means to be free. Free from manipulation, free from people making up your minds for you, free from indoctrination, free from the forces that take more of your freedom away every day.
You see, Julian Assange is not free. But neither are you. He's a prisoner of the very people who are taking your freedom away, day by day, step by step. That's why you should stand up for him. And of course, it's not just your freedom that's at stake, it's your humanity, it's the very essence of what makes you human, the difference between a life worth living and a life wasted by complacency and cowardice.
Anything else is just narrative. It's not life.
And yes, the title is from Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al.
pic.twitter.com/HnkDZ7C4ll
— Kengarex (@kengarex) August 5, 2018
The True Meaning of 'Collusion'
July 14, 2018 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 12:14 pm Finance Tagged with: Assange, collusion, Comey, Guccifer, indictment, Mueller, Putin, Rosenstein, Trump, Warner 3 Responses »
Vincent van Gogh Weeping woman 1883
The indictment by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose task it is to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and 'Russians', that was released yesterday by Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, raises so many questions one has to be picky.
Many people have already stated that the report contains no proof of anything it claims, and that Mueller doesn't have to prove a thing, because the 12 Russians he accuses will never show up in a US court. Many of course also have at least questioned the timing of the release, 3 days before the Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki, of information Mueller and Rosenstein have allegedly been sitting on for months.
The idea that the event was not coordinated to inflict maximum damage to the summit seems indeed far-fetched. But something else struck me in the report: the role of WikiLeaks (labeled "Organization 1"). Mueller very much focuses on both Julian Assange -though he doesn't get named and is not indicted- and his presumed links to the indicted Russians, who -allegedly- posed as Guccifer 2.0:
Use of Organization 1
47. In order to expand their interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the Conspirators transferred many of the documents they stole from the DNC and the chairman of the Clinton Campaign to Organization 1. The Conspirators, posing as Guccifer 2.0, discussed the release of the stolen documents and the timing of those releases with Organization 1 to heighten their impact on the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
a. On or about June 22, 2016, Organization 1 sent a private message to Guccifer 2.0 to "[s]end any new material [stolen from the DNC] here for us to review and it will have a much higher impact than what you are doing." On or about July 6, 2016, Organization 1 added, "if you have anything hillary related we want it in the next tweo [sic] days prefable [sic] because the DNC [Democratic National Convention] is approaching and she will solidify bernie supporters behind her after." The Conspirators responded, "ok . . . i see." Organization 1 explained, "we think trump has only a 25% chance of winning against hillary . . . so conflict between bernie and hillary is interesting."
b. After failed attempts to transfer the stolen documents starting in late June 2016, on or about July 14, 2016, the Conspirators, posing as Guccifer 2.0, sent Organization 1 an email with an attachment titled "wk dnc link1.txt.gpg." The Conspirators explained to Organization 1 that the encrypted file contained instructions on how to access an online archive of stolen DNC documents. On or about July 18, 2016, Organization 1 confirmed it had "the 1Gb or so archive" and would make a release of the stolen documents "this week."
48. On or about July 22, 2016, Organization 1 released over 20,000 emails and other documents stolen from the DNC network by the Conspirators. This release occurred approximately three days before the start of the Democratic National Convention. Organization 1 did not disclose Guccifer 2.0's role in providing them. The latest-in-time email released through Organization 1 was dated on or about May 25, 2016, approximately the same day the Conspirators hacked the DNC Microsoft Exchange Server.
49. On or about October 7, 2016, Organization 1 released the first set of emails from the chairman of the Clinton Campaign that had been stolen by LUKASHEV and his co-conspirators. Between on or about October 7, 2016 and November 7, 2016, Organization 1 released approximately thirty-three tranches of documents that had been stolen from the chairman of the Clinton Campaign. In total, over 50,000 stolen documents were released.
This means Mueller et al claim that WikiLeaks received the DNC files from Russian parties which had hacked into DNC(-related) servers. Something Julian Assange has always denied. Now, remember that the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), a group of former US intelligence professionals, as well as others, have said that the speed with which the files were downloaded from the server(s) indicates that they were not hacked, but put onto a hard drive.
| 4,609 |
Alex Weber was nine years old when he learned that over one billion people on the planet did not have access to safe drinking water and that every day thousands of children die because of water-related diseases. This statistic was not ok with him. Alex started a community initiative called Wheels for Wells. His mission: To provide clean and safe drinking water to the world.
Creating a non-profit organization is a lot of work. "The first year we started it I didn't know what it took to organize a big event in Calgary. There was all kinds of forms we had to fill out and permits we had to get... especially for the roads. I mean, I was nine, I barely knew my own address let alone the roads we needed to get permits for, but we worked through it and got it done and now the ride has grown" (Alex, 2015).
In the first year he raised over 25,000 dollars. Alex donated this money to World Vision and a water well was established in a village is Mauritania, Africa. This was the first Wheels for Wells event.
Debbie Rice
Volunteer Director of Food Donations debbie.wheelsforwells@hotmail.com
Debbie and her husband, Russell, have lived in Calgary for 22 years. Their lives have centered around their family and community. They watched their two children grow up here. They've participated in community sports and stayed active as a family.
Debbie finds her career in Real Estate (Re/Max Landan) to be very rewarding. Debbie enjoys her clients and the time she spends with them searching out homes and researching best values for their current home.
Debbie chose to get involved with Wheels for Wells in its initial stages. Ever since then she has encouraged, prayed for, and supported Alex's dream: the dreams of a young boy who listened to his heart and God when he saw that there was a need to be met in the world."I find Alex's passion for people so refreshing."(Debbie Rice)
Debbie is good friends with the Weber family. "Alex's family touched my heart. The entire Weber family wants to be all they can be for God" (Debbie Rice). Coincidently, Alex and Debbie share the same favorite scripture, "I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
Debbie is so excited to continue working with Wheels for Wells as Sarah Fillier and David Custer continue to grow Alex's dream. Debbie is the Wheels for Wells Director of Food Services! We can give a big thank you to Debbie for arranging the food sponsors for the Wheels for Wells Community Bike Ride!
Josh Rice
Volunteer Director of Roads and Safety
joshua.wheelsforwells@hotmail.com
As a long-term friend of Alex, Josh first heard about the Wheels for Wells vision during a youth meeting in 2011. Josh was inspired by Alex's passion and believed in Alex's dream: Everyone should have access to safe and clean water. Josh contributed to Wheels for Wells by either participating in or volunteering for every event possible! When the opportunity for the director of roads and safety opened up, Josh immediately jumped on-board.
As a member of the Ambrose varsity volleyball team, Josh's unique perspectives on athletics is that sports have the ability to unite community members for a greater good. Josh wrote, "I love how sports can<|fim_middle|> 2015/2016 Josh joined an international mission to South Africa. This experience enhanced his already fiery passion to help those living in poverty. Currently a student in pastoral studies, Josh wrote, "In the Bible, Jesus says that when we are giving water to the thirsty, we are also giving it to Him (Matthew 25:40). I want to be serving the Lord through Wheels for Wells. Alex has truly inspired me and I want to do everything I can to contribute to his incredible dream."
Lindie Roberts
Assistant Coordinator of Outreach and Communications
lindie.wheelsforwells@hotmail.com
Lindie first heard about Wheels for Wells five years ago at her church when Alex came to share about his first ride. She was reacquainted with the organization after volunteering with the community bike ride in 2016. Thanks to a friendly nudge from lifetime volunteer Julia Amulung, Lindie shifted from seasonal volunteer to year round team member!
"I am thrilled to be able to help this unbelievably worthy organization achieve their goals. When I learned there was a need for another year round volunteer I leaped onboard so that I could become involved in the behind-the-scenes preparations. "
Like the rest of the team, Lindie is inspired by the way the community has supported Alex and the Wheels for Wells Water Projects NPO succeed in achieving their mission. Everyone in the world should have access to safe and clean drinking water.
Lindie has a personal connection to this mission "What tugged on my heartstrings about this particular NPO is its focus of getting clean water to those without. My parents are currently missionaries living among people in Northern Ghana who struggle at times to find water and sustain themselves. I hear stories from my parents and, while visiting, I witnessed first hand the impact that having clean and safe water has on a community"
Lindie wants to make a difference in the lives of others and strongly believes being involved with Wheels for Wells, and the work they do is a great way to do so.
© 2016 WheelsForWells | connect people. I love that Alex started Wheels for Wells based on his passion for helping others and riding bikes. He used sports to connect our local community and make a difference to our international community."
In | 40 |
In this book, John MacArthur and other scholars and teachers from The<|fim_middle|> syndicated radio broadcast. | Master's College encourage Christians how to learn to "think biblically"--to distinguish which voices lead toward a godly life and which lead astray, to embrace a mind-set absolutely and exclusively dedicated to an understanding of the world based on biblical truth.
The authors discuss the outworkings of that worldview in issues of postmodernism, gender, worship, psychology, science, education, history, government, economics, and the arts and literature. Each writer also suggests resources for further study.
John MacArthur is pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church. Following in the steps of his father, Dr. Jack MacArthur, John represents five successive generations of pastors in his family. He is also president of The Master's College and Seminary and is heard daily on "Grace to You," a nationally | 160 |
Chicken kebab in Esfahan, Iran.
Street food beets in Ardabil, Iran.
Iranian plain yogurt (doogh) with spices on top. Yazd, Iran.
A big pile of steamed & sp<|fim_middle|> cinnamon, sugar and walnut filling. Just delicious! They are made in the town of Fuman in Western Iran.
Gol Reshte desserts in Rasht, Iran.
Persian rice with chicken and berberries in Tabriz, Iran.
Different types of khoresht (stews) - eggplant with tomato, spinach with meat and lentils served with dill and bean rice. Delicious lunch outside of Shiraz, Iran.
Halvah made with sesame, pistachios and walnuts. Masuleh, Iran.
Kebabs for dinner in Rasht, Iran.
A big pile of rice with lentil and vegetable stews, typical Iranian dishes. Tehran, Iran.
Iranian herbal tea in Tabriz, Iran.
Tabriz Kofte and flatbread in Tabriz, Iran.
A picnic of Tabriz kofte at St. Stephanos church near Jolfa, Iran.
Pistachio halva at the Tabriz Market in Iran.
Bowls of sour cherries and other fruit in the mountains at Ganjnameh near Hamadan, Iran. | iced fava beans in the mountains near Kermanshah, Iran. Delicious with some vinegar and red pepper.
These cookies are stuffed with a | 30 |
Rarely do we have the opportunity to do a straight and level driveway that simply runs from the street to the garage. I suppose that really the only thing that I can attribute this to is that as a Custom Builder, my clients do not generally have flat, square lots. I must admit though, part of the joy of building comes from the challenges of building one-of-a-kind homes.
<|fim_middle|> the garage door and then divert it around the garage and down the sidewalk along the exterior of the garage itself. The edges of the sidewalk slope ½ inch to the grate drain, which we centered in the sidewalk.
Additionally, there are four canales that will drop a significant amount of water onto the sidewalk and we needed to be sure that this water would be properly captured and diverted as well, thus we ran a slope in our drain of ¼ inch per foot.
Prior to building the retaining walls, we installed about seven four-inch drain pipes at the base of our retaining wall, at strategic locations, yet above the retaining wall footing. Due to this drain pipe installation, we have more than enough pipes available and already in place that we can use to divert water to our ponding areas.
In this instance, we will connect one of our "pre-installed" drain pipes to the end of our channel drain and we will easily be able to capture and divert all of the water from our driveway, as well as the water from the four canales.
Water capture, diversion and control is really not that difficult, as long as the specific site considerations are taken into account prior to the commencement of construction. The four-inch drain pipes that we strategically placed in our retaining wall were really the simplest thing that could have been done to ensure proper water control upon completion of the home.
Forethought. It is required in every aspect of a Custom Home. | As you can see in our video, we essentially have three drainage planes on the driveway, as well as four canales that drop water into the sidewalk area between the outside wall of the garage and the retaining wall.
One of the things that we have working in our favor on this site is that the crest of the driveway is nine inches above the bottom of the street gutter, so it is very unlikely that we would ever accept water from the street onto the driveway. However, the drive does slope downward to the garage door and the client wanted to have a turn-around area for getting out of the driveway as well as for guest parking. This turn-around area had to be created above the elevation of the garage door and below the elevation of the crest of the driveway, and it has two planes of slope on it.
One of the things that we always do is create a three-quarter inch door pocket for the garage door and this not only serves to prevent driving rains from entering the garage, but it also serves to prevent any potential standing water from entering the garage as well. Additionally, we always slope the driveway away from the garage door opening itself, typically at ¼ inch per foot for three to four feet.
In studying the lay-out of this particular driveway, we determined that a four-inch wide grate drain would provide the greatest assurance that we would never have issues draining water off of the driveway and/or any issues with standing water anywhere near the garage door itself.
We installed the drain to capture water from in front of | 303 |
Backed by 30 years of homebuilding experience, Mike Holley knows what's needed when it comes to a high quality home. During 2009, Mike transitioned from a homebuilder into a home inspector, with the intent to assist new home buyers. His goal is to offer new home<|fim_middle|>, our commercial inspections are thorough from start to finish that will leave you feeling satisfied with the service. Our aim is to help identify any concerns with deferred maintenance, water and seepage problems, roof or membra issues and any concerns with the structure itself.
Are you a realtor? Take advantage of our quick service to close the deal fast and problem-free!
Do you have a close coming up and need a quick inspection before you and your client seal the deal? Call us. We understand the time sensitive nature of this and are ready to jump into action and be where you need to be. We service a very wide area in the GTA as well as surrounding it, and are very responsive to your needs. Let's help you close that deal and not only satisfy you as our client - but your client too. | buyers the chance to receive a thorough and ethical home inspector when purchasing what could very likely be the biggest purchase they'll ever make.
There really is no sense in leaving the potentially most expensive aspect of your home to chance: the roof. This is what protects your home from the elements, and keeping it working proper is a key aspect of a home that will stay in better shape for longer. Our inspections are thorough so not to miss any issues with this aspect of your home. We pride oursleves on not just being effectve - but also friendly. If you require an effective and high quality inspections of your roof please do not hesitate to reach out to us so that we can set one up for you.
At Holley Homes, we understand that the typical customer has many options - that's why we lead with value to stand out from the crowded marketplace. Our inspectors are all equipped with the proper certifications and are friendly, personable, experienced and most importantly - reliable. We aim to instill our confidence in you during period of time and replace any anxieties with the feeling that you know you made the right choice. We don't just identify any potential issues - we'll help you understand them without leaving you wondering what we were talking about.
We don't just do residential inspections - we also do commercial ones. Like our residential services | 268 |
All islands
Beach and coastline
Remote workers
Nature spaces
Dolphin and whale watching
Places full of charm
Dive points
Museums and tours of interest
Tourist resorts
Ports and marinas
Routes for cruise-goers
Wineries and cheese factories
The archipelago
Weather in the islands
Travelling between islands
Moving around within the island
Volcanic eruption on La Palma
You have not selected favourites
See your favourites
Download to your phone
Test the planner
LAST HOUR |
In the north of the island, between the Hermigua and Vallehermoso valleys, and just over half an hour from the capital town of San Sebastián by car, we find Agulo. A lovely, picturesque village full of history, nature and traditions, where you can disconnect from it all and take a walk around Garajonay National Park, look out from the Abrante Viewpoint, see the natural monument of Roque Blanco or wander through the alleys of the perfectly conserved historic quarter.
The sweet of La Gomera
Founded on 27 September 1607, it wasn't until 1620 when people began to settle in what is now known as Agulo. By 1739, two major constructions had been completed: the town hall and the Parish of San Marcos Evangelista, one of the town's most iconic buildings. It was in the 1960s when the population of Agulo peaked – at 2747 inhabitants, a number which has dropped in recent years to barely a thousand. It has more than eight kilometres of coastline and a peak that measures 1360 metres.
Agulo was the first place on the island to get access to drinking water and electricity and to have a crane and a pier from which to export products to the rest of the world. But its current appearance as a small town that has been meticulously cared for and its delicious cakes and pastries are what have earned it the nickname of 'the sweet of La Gomera'. All at the foot of a great basalt rock wall that creates a natural green balcony over the sea.
Pie de foto
Agulo, La Gomera
Discovering Agulo
Located between two valleys, Agulo is divided into two clearly differentiated parts, the upper area and the lower area. The latter, which is closer to the coast, is where we find the historic quarter, one of the most beautiful in the entire archipelago, with narrow, cobbled streets and white houses with characteristic, red-tiled roofs. Around the houses, the owners have vegetable gardens for personal use, maintaining a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle.
Abrante, La Gomera
You have to visit the Casa del Pintor José Aguiar, which currently houses the Filii Christi theme museum, and also the Plaza de Leoncio Bento. Aguiar was born in Cuba, but was raised in Agulo, and he became one of the main painters of Canary Islands art and the best Spanish muralist of the 20th century. The building was turned into a museum, library and exhibition hall after being the home of the painter for many years. The square, meanwhile, is a meeting point for locals and tourists and one of the most usual places to take a stroll in Agulo.
From the Abrante Viewpoint, at the top of the cliff with the same name, you can<|fim_middle|> rare bushes, such as the strawberry tree. Another attraction in the area is the Las Rosas Dam, a peaceful reservoir surrounded by nature where you can enjoy the sound of birds singing, or the Montaña del Dinero Viewpoint.
Iglesia San Marcos, La Gomera
The Bonfires of San Marcos
Agulo is home to a tradition that is unique to the island of La Gomera, known as the bonfires of San Marcos. On the eve of 24 April, crowds gather in the streets of Agulo to jump over little piles of burning juniper wood that fill the town with their characteristic scent. This local tradition goes back centuries and, at night, turns the town's streets into a stage where fire, music and religion combine in equal parts.
Agulo was the birthplace of Antonio Marcos Chinea Hernández, a boxer who competed in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, and he is the only athlete from La Gomera to participate in any Olympic Games to date. Besides Chinea, poets and authors such as Cesarina Bento Montesinos, Pedro Bethencourt Padilla and his brother José, and Antonio Jesús Trujillo Armas were all born in Agulo.
DISCOVER LA GOMERA
Nature in La Gomera
Well-being on La Gomera
The identity of La Gomera
Gastronomie auf La Gomera
Active tourism in La Gomera
'Silbo gomero'
Natural spaces of La Gomera
Beauty spots of La Gomera
Beaches of La Gomera
Viewpoints of La Gomera
Hiking trails of La Gomera
Whale and dolphin watching
How to reach La Gomera
Where to sleep in La Gomera
Where to eat in La Gomera
The climate of La Gomera
Services in La Gomera
Moving around in La Gomera
Shopping in La Gomera
Webcams of La Gomera
Info La Gomera App
© Canary Islands Tourism 2021 | enjoy a panoramic view of Agulo in its entirety, and the three hubs it comprises: El Charco, Las Casas and, a bit further away, La Montañeta. All from a stunning glass overhang that makes you feel like you are suspended in mid-air. Near Abrante, we find the natural monument of Roque Blanco: 27 hectares of pure nature and scenery where you can see specimens of very | 86 |
Iquitos Jungle – North Peru
Categories: Generales, Peru, Travel guide
Amazon/jungle of Peru
The longest river in the world: the Amazonas
With 7,200 km of length, the Amazonas river is the longest in the world and has a fluvial basin surface of 7'050,000 km2. The Amazonas is born in the altitudes of the snowcapped mountain Mismi, in the Cordillera de Chila, in Arequipa with the name of Monigote river. Then, it goes down the Peruvian rainforest and receives the water of more than 70 tributary rivers. After crossing the Brazilian jungle it ends at the Atlantic Ocean. Known as the sea-river, the Amazonas is also the wealthy river in the world.
Iquitos city is located in the shores of the Amazon River in the Northern jungle of Peru at 100 meters (350 ft.) above sea level. It's the largest city in the Peruvian jungle, but it are no roads joining it to the coast or the Andes, it can only be reached by air or by river. Near the city of Iquitos, the waters of the great Ucayali River join those of the Mar<|fim_middle|> fascinating tributaries and islands of the Amazon or fish in the rivers and lakes. The most comfortable option is to take the 4-day river cruise to the Brazilian border (a 7-day round trip). It is also interesting to extend your trip as far as the border of Colombia.
Special Requirements: When entering the jungle itself, be prepared for tropical conditions: heat, rain, insects,
Altitude: 100 m above sea level.
Season/Climate: The best months to visit Iquitos are April through October. High temperature and humidity during the day, cooler nights. Tropical rains at any time
Getting there: Daily flights from Lima (90 minutes) ( ask for updated info because this constantly change )
Local river transport from Pucallpa, Yurimaguas and points along the border. | anon, to form the powerful Amazon, which flows more than 3,500km, through the jungle to the Atlantic Ocean. The world's largest river
It's tropical, hot, humid and rainy (day and night) with a mean temperature of 28°C (82°F) and intense rains between December and March.
Landscapes:
Iquitos is the entrance to the Amazon river, one of the most impressive natural formations in the world. It starts in Nauta with the confluence of two different rivers, and becomes in the longest and widest river, with the greatest volume of water in the world. Its water changes of color along the river, and between seasons, but it keeps its majesty as the "king of the rivers". Close to 900 species of fish have been identified in its waters and its consider the longest highway in the jungle, crossing more than the half of the South American continent.
Another destination close to Iquitos is the "Pacaya-Samiria" National Reserve, the largest protected area in Peru. With more than 2 million hectares, this reserve contains a vast network of lakes, lagoons, swamps and wetlands, as well the Pacaya and Samiria rivers. There is an impressive variety of flora and fauna, including the giant "charapa" turtle (1 meter or 3 ft. in diameter), the "paiche" fish (largest of the Amazon, 3 meters or 10 ft. long), the pink dolphin, the black caiman, the giant otter, etc. This entire species can't be found in the Southern Amazon thanks to rapids, waterfalls and other obstacles that make impossible its migration.
The city of Iquitos itself is also interesting. Its history starts in the 18th century with the first Jesuits missions in the jungle. Nevertheless, it was with the rubber boom in 19th century that it became in a city and later in the capital of the Northern jungle. One of its highlight points is the "Casa Eiffel", a mansion built completely with iron by the French architect, Gustave Eiffel (the same of the Eiffel Tower in Paris).
Customs and folklore:
The native tribes have lost part of its folklore due to its exposition to the occidental culture. However, there are some ethnics that conserve its traditions and arts, especially in craftsmanship and cuisine. It's very interesting to hear the stories and legends of these tribes and stay with them for few days in its villages.
The greatest adventure here is to do a journey through the Amazon river in a ferry, from Iquitos to Manaos in Brazil. It could take a week, but the experience is worthwhile. Also, guided excursions in the jungle and stay in native villages are great experiences. Finally, the nightlife in Iquitos is worth a shot, but be careful with the exotic drinks. From the city, there are different ways to see the river and jungle, You can travel by river to typical lodges deep in the jungle,Peruplanet can arrange nice jungle lodges for you ! Or visit the Yagna or Bora Indian villages that proudly preserve their native customs. You can also explore the | 667 |
City officials listen to students at Lehman High School describe the school's struggles last year at an "early engagement" meeting. This year's meetings will have a different tone because closure is not a possible outcome.
Sustaining an annual tradition, Department of Education officials will hold meetings with teachers, parents, and students at 71 low-performing schools in the coming weeks.
But with the department's leadership set to change over when Bill de Blasio becomes mayor Jan. 1, the meetings are not a prelude to a round of school closure announcements, as they were in the past. Instead, they'll be used to develop plans to help the schools get better, as de Blasio has said should be the response to low performance in almost all cases.
The Bloomberg administration's strategy for improving the school system has rested heavily on closing struggling schools and opening new schools in their place. That strategy drew fire from school communities that said the city had not tried to fix the schools before closing them.
Responding to that criticism, the city began holding "early engagement" meetings at schools with low scores several years ago to show communities that it had considered their explanations for their poor performance before making closure decisions. It also began creating "targeted action plans" for the schools it decided not to close.
The "early engagement" terminology is gone this year, reflecting the gentler approach to school improvement that the<|fim_middle|> the Performing and Visual Arts, which kept its middle school open after powerful politicians came to its aid, and Bushwick Community High School, a transfer school that the department removed from a list of schools facing "turnaround" last year. | department is cultivating as the Bloomberg era of school reform comes to a close. Now, the meetings are being billed as "conversations with struggling schools" as a way to figure out what they need to improve.
Several times this week, department officials have touted a new statistic: Of the schools that developed targeted action plans in the past two years, more than three quarters saw their annual letter grade improve, and 40 percent gained two or more letter grades.
Levy Thompson said the 71 schools chosen for the meetings, which will begin shortly, are both in the bottom 15 percent of schools citywide on this year's progress reports and are seen within the department as not being on track to get better.
The schools include Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, which received its third straight F this year, but not Dewitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, the other school to extend the same unprecedented spree. A former top department official became Clinton's principal this year.
The list also includes three schools that until this year received support from the College Board. The nonprofit cited shifting organizational priorities when it withdrew its support this year, but it had previously pulled aid from one school when it began to struggle.
And it includes a few schools saved from closure in the past, including Wadleigh Secondary School for | 264 |
It's normal and even useful to experience some anxiety in your life. The symptoms of anxiety – including shallow breathing, rapid pulse, sweating, and difficulty focusing – can be a signal that something is causing you to feel some uncertainty. Anxiety is part of our innate "fight or flight" response to stress. It serves to motivate you to make changes to stay safe or otherwise take care of yourself and your life. However, if you experience generalized anxiety (out-of-control worrying) that has become part of your daily life, it becomes difficult to function and fulfill your responsibilities. While in everyone's life there are times we experience worry that we can't get away from<|fim_middle|>.) Now look around at your surroundings – whether you are in your car, your office, outdoors, or at home. Even if you've been in this same location thousands of times before, make a point to look carefully at what's around you and describe it to yourself (again, out loud or in your mind – your choice).
Then describe what you are doing ("paying bills" or "driving home from work," for example). Remind yourself why you are doing this. This part of the exercise anchors you in the life you are living.
After you have done this a few times, you may find that you are developing the ability to notice, tolerate, and then move past your anxious feelings.
Sedatives or tranquilizers (like sleeping pills or Valium).
Inhalants or solvents (like glue). | (for instance, if you or a person you care about is facing a scary medical situation), if your anxiety has no true cause and is not based on any actual threat, you may have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders have become quite common – by some estimates, as many as 18% of American adults have an anxiety disorder at any given time. This type of anxiety is destructive to your life and well-being. It can interfere with your relationships, intrude on your career, and be destructive to your health.
Ask yourself this question: "Am I leaving the current moment?" (Of course the answer is "yes," but the question is a prompt that will help you push the anxiety away and return to the present | 151 |
Steve Nash has missed all 62 of the Lakers' games and is out for the rest season.
Julius Randle has missed the last 61 games and is out for the rest of the season.
Kobe Bryant<|fim_middle|> Bryant, hung around and hung around for three quarters against the Blazers, only to have Lillard own the fourth. But the Lakers are not the only victim, Lillard has scored 232 points in the fourth this season, more than any other player in the NBA.
"I just look to attack more," Lillard said of his big fourth quarters. "For the first three quarters, let (Nicolas Batum) come off pick-and-rolls and make some plays, finding (Wesley Matthews) off pin downs, finding (Aldridge) on pick-and-rolls, and dropping it to him on the block….
Lillard finished the night with 34 points.
However what everyone was talking about after the game was Lillard's monster and-1 dunk that was part of his fourth quarter onslaught.
"The time before I had the ball at half court and (Lakers' point guard Ronnie Price) was pressed up on me, like way up at the half court line, and I saw everybody was flat on the baseline. I got in there the first time and I wanted to see how the bigs would play it, the first time they rotated over and I just threw it to (Chris) Kaman.
Lillard tried to downplay the dunk a little. Nobody else would. Nor would they downplay his fourth quarters — Lillard has gained a reputation as one of the game's best closers.
We may not be surprised by it, but we could use some popcorn so we can sit back and enjoy it.
Kobe Bryant hit the game-winning basket against the Pacers, but maybe the Lakers wouldn't have needed that late shot if Ronnie Price made this dunk (hat tip: BBall Breakdown).
My favorite part of that clip is Robert Sacre jumping up and realizing what'd gone wrong before his feet even hit the floor. | has missed the last 19 games and is out for the rest of the season.
Ronnie Price has missed the last seven games and is out for the rest of the season.
Nick Young has missed the last seven games.
The Lakers' injury woes definitely qualify them for hardship – four players missing at least three games and continuing to miss games – and the ability to sign a 16th player. Depending on Young's timeline for return, the Lakers could even petition for a 17th player.
For now, they're adding just one.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Jabari Brown to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
Brown went undrafted out of Missouri, played for the Lakers during training camp and had been with their D-League affiliate since. He's a talented scorer, and his long-range shooting – 39 percent on 3-pointers with the L.A. Defenders – is probably his best ticket for immediate NBA playing time.
This reunites Missouri's backcourt from last season, as Jordan Clarkson is already the Lakers' starting point guard. Clarkson has shown promise, and Brown gives the Lakers another young player to develop down the stretch.
LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Lin went from around 15 minutes a game to more than 30 minutes, to a DNP-CD, to almost 30 minutes again — and that was all in the span of two weeks.
Ronnie Price used to be the starter, now he's the third point guard in the rotation. Nick Young has seen his minutes fall (although there may be good reasons for that). And that list goes on and on.
There is a randomness to the Lakers rotations, a lack of consistency that has left the players — who like a routine and rhythm — searching. And wanting.
Lakers coach Byron Scott says before pretty much every game that he's got his starters but will let the flow of the game dictate his rotations. That is not changing for a while.
That starting five is rookie Jordan Clarkson at the point, Wayne Ellington, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre. Even their minutes are not guaranteed. After that Carlos Boozer was the first guy off the bench Sunday, followed by Lin, Ed Davis and Nick Young.
More than just up and down minutes, the lineups change nightly, with new combinations all the time.
To be fair, this is more than Scott's nature, his hand was forced n some cases. He entered the season with a healthy Kobe Bryant and a team he thought could make the playoffs. But Scott struggled to find rotations that worked and he started to realize this team wasn't as talented as his opponents most nights. He was searching for answers. Then Kobe's body needed more rest, adding another level of randomness to the mix — would the guy the Lakers' run their offense through play or not? Now they unfortunately know the answer to that question.
Pile on some other injuries to the team and Scott has struggled to have guys for the rotations he wants.
That said, he is not the only coach dealing with these issues — go ask Scott Brooks or Flip Saunders about it — yet Scott's response has been experimentation, which continues halfway through the season. And not knowing if you will play, or how many minutes, or with whom, or in what role, starts to throw players off.
You may want to be careful about having a Lakers' player on your fantasy roster the rest of the season. Because the randomness will continue.
LaMarcus Aldridge said that of Damian Lillard's fourth quarter, although being in the game prevented any popcorn munching.
But make no mistake there was a fourth quarter show from Lillard — 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the final frame, taking control of the contest and leading Portland past the Los Angeles Lakers to a 106-94 win. It was the second time this season that the Lakers, playing without Kobe | 811 |
Due to a lack of economic opportunities, he joined the Iraqi military and reported to Camp Speicher, a former U.S. military base two hours north of Baghdad. Little did he know that only 12 days later he would be caught up in the ISIS tsunami sweeping northern Iraq and barely escape the mass execution of hundreds of his fellow soldiers.
Ali Hussein Kadhim, 23, a Shiite-background Iraqi soldier, was captured with about 1,700<|fim_middle|>40 Iraqi soldiers from Anbar, Diyala, Mosul and Baghdad get home safely with fake IDs we made for them," Sheikh Jubouri told the New York Times.
Ali stayed with the sheikh for nearly two weeks until it was safe to travel to Erbil, in the Kurdish region, a trip in which they passed through several ISIS checkpoints, Ali says.
His beard had grown out and he lost some weight. "My daughter didn't recognize me and she ran away," he says.
The scale of the massacre he survived — ISIS says it killed 1,700 Shiite soldiers — makes it the deadliest sectarian atrocity in Iraq's recent history, according to the New York Times. | other soldiers by ISIS fighters on June 12th and taken to the grounds of one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces near Tikrit, according to a story in the New York Times.
The New York Times verified his dramatic story using witness accounts, a Human Rights Watch report and videos of the massacre.
He and his fellow soldiers replaced their uniforms with civilian clothes and about 3,000 of them walked out the front gates of Camp Speicher.
It was a terrible decision because the camp never fell to ISIS. If Ali and his friends stayed at the camp they would have been safe.
They began to walk toward Baghdad, about 120 miles south. But only a few miles down the road, they ran into a group of about 50 ISIS fighters in armored vehicles, Ali told the New York Times.
"We're not here for you," one of the ISIS leaders shouted to them. "We'll take you to your families," the man said, but it was a deceptive ploy.
At gunpoint, the ISIS fighters separated them into groups of Shias and the Sunnis. The Sunnis were allowed to repent for their service to the government. The Shiites were marked for death and lined up in groups, according to the New York Times.
"No one could do anything. If you moved they killed you," Ali recounts.
Hundreds of the Iraqi soldiers were thrown into trucks of the sort that carry animals to market. Some of the men underneath the "pile" of bodies suffocated.
Then Ali was led single-file in a long line toward a large pit, where the men were systematically machine-gunned to death. Others were taken along the Tigris River where they were shot in the head and thrown in the river.
He also noticed a video camera in the hands of another fighter, carefully documenting their atrocity for intimidation and propaganda purposes.
Ali was fourth in the line. As he considered the end of his life, he thought about his young wife and two children.
Who will care for them? he wondered. What will happen to them?
The executioner shot the first, second and third man to his left. "Then he came to me. I swear he fired, but I don't know where the bullet went," Ali told the New York Times.
Blood splattered his face from the man next to him, but inexplicably, he was unharmed. God had spared his life.
Ali played dead, with his eyes closed, his bloodied mouth open, and flies landing on his face. Then he opened his left eye slightly and saw the executioner's boot.
His eyes closed again and soon it was dark. In the middle of the night, Ali opened his eyes and looked around. He didn't see a guard nearby so he got up and made a 200-yard run for the Tigris River, his hands still tied behind his back.
Since ISIS controlled the west side of the river, he figured his only chance was to swim across to the east side. But how could he swim with his hands tied? He also noticed the swift current of the Tigris would carry him toward an ISIS checkpoint downstream.
Suddenly, Ali noticed a dark figure near the water's edge, slightly obscured in the reeds. The dark figure rose up and began to move toward Ali.
It was a man named Abbas, a driver at Camp Speicher who had been shot by ISIS and pushed into the river. He was barely alive, with external and internal wounds. But he still had the strength to take a sharp-edged shell on the riverbank and use it to free Ali's hands.
The two men hid along the riverbank for two days. Famished, Ali ate worms he dug up, but Abbas refused to eat.
After moving up river, Ali made three failed attempts before he successfully crossed. Ali quickly discovered the neighborhood on the other side was Sunni, the same sect as ISIS. Ali was afraid the Sunni residents would turn him in, according to the New York Times.
As Ali walked along he wondered which door he should knock on. Alone and starving, he felt he had no other alternative than to beg one of the Sunni households for help.
By God's grace, he knocked on the door of "an honorable" Sunni family, who invited him to stay with them – and to keep him hidden.
But after three days, someone reported him to ISIS. "On the third night they came searching for me in cars and motorcycles, but they didn't know which house I was in," he recounts.
In the morning, his host family concealed him in their car and took him to a neighboring town. From there, he went to the town of Al Alam and the home of a Sunni tribal sheikh, Khamis al-Jubouri, who had been helping Shiite soldiers escape from ISIS.
"We also helped | 988 |
Shania Twain to perform a medley of her greatest hits at 2019 American Music Awards
Mon, Nov 11th 2019 02:10 pm
5-time American Music Award winner will take AMA stage for first time in 16 years
dick clark productions and ABC announced today that five-time American Music Awards winner and the top-selling female country artist of all time, Shania Twain, will take the stage at the 2019 American Music Awards to perform a medley of her greatest hits. The performance will mark Twain's return to the American Music Awards stage for the first time since 2003.
The global superstar, who kicks off Shania Twain "Let's Go!" The Vegas Residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Friday, Dec. 6, joins previously announced performers Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Lizzo and Thomas Rhett, as well as Taylor Swift, the 2019 American Music Awards Artist of the Decade award recipient.
The American Music Awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 24, (8 p.m. EST), on ABC.
The AMAs is where the world's biggest artists and pop-culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene. As the decade comes to a close, this year's show celebrates the past 10 years with some of the best moments in music and live performances from the biggest names in the industry. From pop and rock to country, hip-hop and beyond, "it only happens here."
Twain is a five-time Grammy Award winner and reigning "Queen of Country Pop." With more than 90 million albums sold worldwide and U.S. sales topping 34.5 million, Twain remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. Twain's albums include "Shania Twain," her Platinum-selling 1993 debut; "The Woman in Me," her Grammy-winning, double-Diamond-selling 1995 release; "Come On Over," the bestselling studio album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre – and the bestselling country album of all time with over 40 million units sold worldwide – and "UP!," Twain's third consecutive Diamond-selling album release.
Recognizing her indelible impact and achievements in music, Twain is the first and only female to receive CMT's Artist of a Lifetime Award, and she recently received the Icon Award at Billboard's Women in Music ceremony. Twain<|fim_middle|> was followed by a year-long sold-out world tour.
Categories: ~ Entertainment ~ Top Entertainment News ~ | 's hits include "Any Man of Mine," "That Don't Impress Me Much," "You're Still the One" and "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!"
Twain's first album in 15 years, "NOW," was released in September 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums, making it the first female country release in over three years to top the all-genre chart. Additionally, the album landed at No. 1 on the Billboard top country album charts and went to No. 1 in Canada, Australia and the U.K.
The release of the album | 131 |
Home Article I'll Be the Judge:
I'll Be the Judge:
by Lindsay Sobel
As the trial opens today in a case in which plaintiffs charge Republican voting officials with illegally permitting GOP operatives to tamper with absentee voter applications in Seminole County, many observers are calling the case a dark horse that may crush George W. Bush's momentum. Presiding over the case is Judge Nikki Ann Clark, a five-foot-tall Democratic appointee who makes Republicans quake. If she rules against the Bush team, Clark could go so far as to throw out all of Republican-dominated Seminole County's 15,000 absentee ballots. If so, Gore would take a lead of several thousand votes in Florida.
The most nail-biting fact for Republicans is that on November 17 -- just two weeks ago -- Florida Governor Jeb Bush passed over Judge Clark for a position on an appellate court. Having slighted her, they fear her. Fearing her, they're trying to crush her.
Republicans have done everything in their power to get the case out of Judge Clark's courtroom. They tried to remove Clark from the case. In an affidavit, a defendant in the lawsuit charged, "It is my firm belief that Judge Clark will not provide a fair trial to the<|fim_middle|> shake from her. She's worse than the Florida Supreme Court." In fact, it is Judge Clark who doesn't seem to be getting a fair shake from Republicans. Not only did this advisor refer to her by her first name -- a form of disrespect often reserved for women and African Americans in power -- but Bush's lawyers have been repeatedly dismissive of her actions.
"I think the judge is enjoying the case," attorney Irving Terrell told The Tampa Tribune, referring to Clark's refusal to consolidate the cases. "But before she has her one-day trial to decide the presidency, I think the court of appeals will want to be heard."
Conservative columnist Robert Novak confirmed that Bush lawyers loathe Clark. "They think she is very prejudiced against [Bush] and that is a very dangerous case and they're worried about reversing it in the Florida Supreme Court which has not been too friendly to the Bush cause," said Novak. Now perhaps Republicans can try to get Clark to recuse herself from the case because she can't give them a fair trial now that they've dissed her so much.
Judge Clark's liberal credentials are clear from her biography. Democratic Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Clark to the Leon County Circuit Court in 1993, making her the first African American and the first woman to sit on that circuit. She served as director of cabinet affairs for Chiles in 1993 as well as director of legislation and policy development for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection before that. From 1981 to 1991, Clark served as an assistant attorney general for Florida. Interestingly, however, Clark's sister is a Republican who served as former President George Bush's director of media relations.
The 48-year old Clark grew up in Detroit and attended Wayne State University there. She got her law degree from Florida State University in 1977. She has a daughter and a stepson -- and a reputation for not shying from tough cases.
Despite her Democratic reputation, Clark's rulings have not had any single ideological slant. Earlier this month, Clark made a moderately favorable ruling for Democrats in another case involving the presidential election. In that case, a Republican operative sued to strike down a law that only allows candidates or parties to ask for recounts. He argued that he wanted to ask for a recount in his own Republican-leaning county, but could not. And since the Republicans have refused to ask for hand recounts, only heavily Democratic counties have had hand counts. Clark refused to overturn the law.
On other legal matters, Judge Clark has ruled both for and against traditionally Democratic interests. This year, Clark refused to dismiss a case challenging the constitutionality of a tort reform law strongly supported by Governor Jeb Bush and other Republicans. On the other hand, Clark also dismissed a case brought by Florida's Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth. Butterworth charged that the drug store chain Rite-Aid over billed select customers. Since Butterworth may run for governor against Jeb Bush, a high profile victory in this case could have helped Democrats take back the governorship.
Regardless of Judge Clark's ruling tomorrow, two things are clear: The case will be appealed to the state's high court. And Republicans do not shy from biting the hand that holds the gavel.
Lindsay Sobel
Lindsay Sobel came to the American Prospect in January of 2000 as the first editor of the newly launched American Prospect Online. Before joining the Prospect, she worked for Slate magazine and covered Congress for The Hill newspaper.
Read more by Lindsay Sobel | Republican Party and its nominees for president and vice president because Governor Jeb Bush did not appoint her to the First District judgeship." Clark disagreed, and an appellate court upheld her decision not to recuse herself.
Republicans tried to consolidate the absentee ballot case with the recount case before Judge N. Sanders Sauls -- a move that would have taken the case out of Clark's court. They also tried to get the case dismissed. When they didn't get their way, they asked for a jury trial. Clark rejected that request.
Unable to squash the case, Republicans have taken to trashing the judge. For example, The Los Angeles Times quoted a Bush advisor as saying, "Judge Nikki is a Democratic political operative. There's no way you're going to get a fair | 153 |
The University of La Verne volleyball squad concluded its weekend with a 2<|fim_middle|> Janelle Lubong ran the defense with 13 digs and an ace on the night.
The 2-2 weekend boosts the Leopards' overall mark to 3-8 after the first three weeks of the season.
La Verne continues SCIAC action this Tuesday when it hosts the Pomona-Pitzer (5-3, 0-0 SCIAC) Sagehens at Frantz Athletic Court at 7:30 pm. | -2 mark at the Leo Invitational tournament, posting two major wins over Clarkson University (NY) and Whitman College (Wash.).
La Verne's (3-9, 0-1 SCIAC) young squad struggled to find a rhythm in their first match of the tournament Friday when they went up against SCIAC opponent Whittier College (4-2, 2-0 SCIAC). The Leos fell to the Poets with scores of 21-25, 16-25, 23-25. Freshman outside hitter Jaime Kons paced the Leos hitting .235 for the match, followed by setter Tiffany Mancuso who posted 26 assists.
Later that night the Leo's rallied to the call of their boisterous fans. Clarkson (8-4), ranked No. 24 in the AVCA Preseason Poll, fell to the Leos under the powerful performance of sophomore outside hitter Brittany Yaxley - who posted 15 kills and 9 digs. Other key performances were seen by sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Cross and freshman middle blocker Kelsi Robinson, both of whom tallied 9 kills apiece. Scores for the match were 25-23, 25-22, 25-13.
The Leopards wrapped up action Saturday - again splitting the day 1-1. The early morning 0-3 loss (17-25, 24-26, 9-24) to No. 4 Elmhurst College (9-1) was this time led by sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Cross, who posted a .250 hitting percentage and earned 6 digs in the effort.
By evening the Leos had again found their fire, posting a three-set sweep over Whitman in a 25-23, 25-11, 25-20 verdict. Brittany Yaxley's exceptional performance paced the Leos with 22 kills (.312 hitting percentage) and 8 digs. Senior defensive specialist | 438 |
Most people are familiar with Bluetooth headsets. What they might not know is that there are some models specifically recommended for truck drivers. Bluetooth headsets adequately used by truckers are designed with the strength to handle any conditions in the cab. Additionally they have a superior battery life of up to ten or twelve hours. Following is a list of ten of the top Bluetooth headsets for truckers. Each of these can be found on Amazon. They are representative of different styles of Bluetooth headsets and various price ranges. Any of these would be an excellent choice.
PowerLead Psug P004 Bluetooth Sunglasses Headset.
Protect your eyes and your vision from the ultraviolet rays of the sun while enjoying many other Bluetooth perks. This stereo hands-free Bluetooth 4.1 headset comes in grey. The set can be utilized with all Bluetooth mobile phones as well as for a listening device for music and other audio applications. This product can also be used to take photographs with the touch of a button right on the device. The PowerLead Psug P004 supports four languages including Spanish and French. It is extremely comfortable to wear for lengthy time periods. The PowerLead Psug is perfect for truck drivers.
This Bearded Blue Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless Sports headset is a hands free calling headset in high fidelity stereo that comes with a built-in microphone for hands free calls and optimal noise reduction. This set can be utilized with smartphones, other types of mobile telephones and tablet computers. It offers music that is free from skipping and a playing time of up to eight and one half hours. The Bearded Blue Bluetooth is designed to be sweat proof and is very comfortable to wear. Although not noted in the product name, this headset is a viable option for a truck driver. Many drivers are quite happy with its performance.
This over-the-head set of headphones comes with a microphone and is rechargeable for up to thirteen hours at a time. The Cypress Digital Stardrift works with an extensive number of Bluetooth enabled telephones. It boasts up to thirteen hours of talk time and up to two-hundred twenty hours of standby time. For the trucker who is more concerned with being able handle vast numbers of telephone calls than entertainment, this is the best Bluetooth headset available. Its soft ear cushion is known to be skin-friendly and extremely comfortable. The Cypress Digital Stardrift receives an extremely high rating from the truckers who use it.
This heavy duty Bluetooth headset has one of the longest talk times and standby times in the industry. The talk time is up to twenty hours and standby time up to four hundred hours. Its soft lightweight over-the-head design make it extraordinarily comfortable for truckers to wear. This headset includes an active T5 noise canceling function that enhances the overall clarity of sound that comes from it. This product comes with a USB and a vehicle charger. Truckers love it and give it a four and a half out of five star rating.
For more than four years Blue Tiger has been producing superior quality noise canceling headsets specifically with truck drivers in mind. They feature nearly fifty hours of talk time and an unequalled caliber of Hi-Fi performance speakers. This Bluetooth headset is especially great for entertainment as well as business usage. The soft flexible ultra-comfortable headsets fold neatly away for efficient storage capabilities. They consistently receive five out of five star ratings from their clientele.
This professional grade wireless BlueParrott B250-XT Bluetooth Headset has a sixty-six foot talk range and can be paired with three separate devices. It is highly compatible with Bluetooth cellular phones in addition to computers and is DOT approved. It has an excellent noise canceling microphone and ear piece and is superb for blocking out the inherent noise of an eighteen wheeler. The BlueParrott can conveniently be charged either inside the vehicle or at home. Truck drivers simply rave about this product and give it a high rating.
Never miss an important call while on the open road with this exceptional make of Bluetooth headset. It is lightweight, sturdy and hands free with up to thirty hours of talk time and a full six hundred hours of standby time. It can successfully connect to two devices at a time. It fits comfortably over either ear and comes with an adjustable strap. The FRiEQ Noise Canceling Wireless Bluetooth Headset is virtually perfect for the heavy travel regimen of a trucker. This device receives super reviews from the drivers who have purchased it.
The Top Dawg Trucker Bluetooth Dual Ear Stereo Headset is perfect for the trucker who enjoys listening to music or watching videos at different points of his travels. It is also superb when he needs to take telephone calls. It is capable of blocking up to four times the amount of external noise than that of competing brands. Its padded design fits over the trucker's head and yields crisp loud stereo audio in both ears and is quite comfortable to wear. The Top Dawg Trucker Bluetooth Dual Ear Stereo Headset costs a little bit less dough than the competition, yet does not sacrifice quality. That fact can be ascertained from its excellent customer reviews.
The Plantronics M180 Wireless Bluetooth Headset is a little more compact than some of the other brands mentioned here; however, the quality of this product is remarkable. It is compatible with Androids, iPhones and most of the other leading Smartphone types. Its voice control feature can be activated with the simple pressing of a button on the headset. Audio reception on this device is clear and always free of external noise. Its light and comfortable design is intended to conform to the shape of either ear and will not constantly fall off. This is crucial when a driver is trying to focus on the road ahead of him. The Plantronics M180 has an amazingly long battery life, which is a factor in the exceptionally high rating it receives.
This uniquely designed product is fantastic for keeping a trucker's head warm while he enjoys all of the pleasures associated with a Bluetooth headset. It is comprised of universal Bluetooth technology and is able to connect to a wide array of media player devices. The Bluetooth beanie has an enhanced audio system for an unmatched listening experience. The driver can also make and answer telephone calls from the beanie. Through the use of a USB cable, the<|fim_middle|> going to be ones that are fairly small, can be charged on the go quickly, have a long battery life between charges, and with noise cancelling properties.
Because they spend so much time on the road and can't be certain when they'll be home or in the same place a second time, it's also important that they have a headset that can be matched up with a generic charger, and also can be returned, replaced, or re-purchased just about anywhere (think shopping at big box stores, national chains, etc.).
Truck drivers spend long hours on the road, and away from home. They need to make phone calls to check on family, to discuss the load they're hauling, get directions, schedule appointments, and simply to abate the boredom of long hours spent staring at stretches of road.
That all makes it critical that the headset they choose is one that is comfortable. There are options that fit into the ear, as well as ones that fit over the ear. When choosing an in- or over-the-ear option, drivers should remember that this will be used for many hours a day, and consider whether having it in their ear is going to be comfortable for that long. You also need to make sure that it will stay firmly in place, as you turn your head to watch traffic, change lanes, and walk around to check your freight.
Size may also need to be considered. The cab of a semi-truck is a home-away-from-home for most truck drivers, and will be cluttered with paperwork, pens, photos, electronic devices, books, and maybe even trash. A small headset might be convenient on the head, but if it gets lost on the dashboard, passenger seat, or in a compartment, it won't be much use. A larger headset that is easily visible may be a better option.
Semi-trucks are loud. Their engines are enormous, and there's just no way to quiet them down. Highway traffic isn't very quiet, either. Even when a driver is stopped for the night, many times they leave the engine or a generator running to watch TV, run air conditioning or otherwise have some comfort. A headset that can cancel out all, or at least a good portion, of noise will be critical to having easy, comfortable conversations. Along with noise cancellation, look for good sound quality. Noise cancellation ensures that the person on the other end of your call doesn't hear all the excess noise and can hear you better, but if you can't hear them because the volume doesn't go high enough or it's scratchy or cuts out, it's still not going to make for a pleasant phone call.
When you're guiding several thousand tons of truck down the road, the last thing you want or need is to have to manually answer calls, adjust the volume, or hang up. A quality Bluetooth headset will allow you to do these things with your voice, so you can keep your hands safely on the wheel, where they belong.
While you're going to mostly want the Bluetooth headset for phone calls, there are a few extra benefits that you can get with some headsets that might be worth the extra money for you.
Some headsets come with an app that you can install which will then read your texts to you in real time as they come in. While they may not allow you to dictate a response to the text, it will at least allow you to determine whether a text is urgent and requires you to find a place to stop ASAP. | Deego HD Stereo Premium Sports Bluetooth Hat Wireless Smart Beanie Headset Musical Knit can be charged easily and quickly. It is both practical and stylish at the same time. Truck drivers everywhere give this Bluetooth beanie a very high rating and superb reviews.
Truck drivers have limited space, limited charging options, and a lot of noise. The best Bluetooth headsets are | 74 |
<|fim_middle|>'s Day visit something special. | Visiting the Barossa Valley This Valentines Day and looking for something special?
Visit Château Tanunda for a whole selection of romantic experiences to share with your loved one!
- Book a Barossa Platter to enjoy by the Croquet lawn, with a glass of Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, blue skies above, and views of the vineyards rolling into the picturesque Barossa ranges.
- Play a relaxed game of Croquet over a bottle of wine.
- Treat each other to a luxury hosted Tasting of our Old Vine Expressions or Terroirs wines, or a Barrel Tasting for something different.
- Secure a place on either our daily Historical Tour, or the Vines and Wines Tour to learn more about the Barossa and winemaking in general.
- Arrive in style and book a Helicopter journey with Barossa Helicopters to land on the famous Chateau Tanunda Cricket Ground.
Any other ideas or inspirations? Get in touch with our friendly Cellar Door team to see if we can make your Valentine | 212 |
Find courage and strength to do what needs to be done.
Be courteous and diplomatic without any prejudice.
Make decisive decisions and stay committed to them.
Actively resolve lingering issues and problems.
Let Bronzite inspire you to act with honor!
Location: The most important deposit for Bronzite is in Mysore, India. Additional deposits are located in Brazil, Canada, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, and the United States (Arizona).
Mineral Family: Bronzite is the brown variety of Enstatite, a type of magnesium silicate. Silicate minerals form the largest family of minerals, including more than 25% of all known minerals and 40% of all common minerals. In<|fim_middle|> great to know that none of these stones were mined by children or exploited workers. Her caring really comes through. Do not miss ordering from Moonrise! | addition to being a major part of the Earth's crust, Silicate minerals have also been found on the moon and in meteorites. Silicates are minerals which contain the elements Silicon (a light gray shiny metal) and Oxygen (a colorless gas). Together, these two elements form a tetrahedron – a shape similar to a pyramid – with a Silicon atom in the center and Oxygen atoms at each of the four corners. These tetrahedra connect with other chemical structures, in six different ways, to form various minerals and rocks. There are six main groups of Silicate minerals, and these main groups are further subdivided into secondary subdivisions, such as Quartz and Feldspar. Enstatite is a member of the Pyroxene group of minerals, which also includes Astrophyllite, Dipside, Jadite, and Rhodonite. The Pyroxene group is composed of important rock forming minerals and form the basis for much of the Earth's upper crust. Enstatite can be colorless, yellow, green, brown, or black. The brown variety with a metallic luster is commonly called Bronzite.
Formation: Bronzite is formed when liquid magma from a volcanic explosion cools down and transforms into igneous rock. During this cooling down period, silica acid bubbles shift from being a gas/liquid into a solid compound. Trace amounts of magnesium and iron within the silicate determine which type and color of silicate mineral is formed. Bronzite is the brown variety of Enstatite. Enstatite typically grows as an opaque stone, but occasionally it develops small crystals.
Mining: Typically mined from the primary deposits which still have their original relationship with the host rock. Enstatite is a relatively common mineral, found in both igneous rocks and in meteorites and is considered an important rock building mineral. By itself, its only commercial use is as a gemstone.
Enhancements: All Bronzites on the market are natural, enhanced only by tumbling, cutting, and polishing.
Bronzite was "discovered" relatively recently by the metaphysical community and so it was not included in any early lapidaries, texts that describe gemstones and their powers. Bronzite's name, of course, comes from its distinctive metallic luster. While it makes a striking decorative stone when cut and polished, Bronzite is rarely used except for the occasional small object.
Bronzite belongs to the mineral family Pyroxene, whose name is Greek for "fire stranger." This is because Pyroxenes sometimes form as crystals embedded in Obsidian (volcanic glass). It was originally thought that these crystals were impurities, or "strangers." In fact, the Pyroxene crystals were actually formed before the lava erupted!
Spiritual: Bronzite is a very grounding and thoughtful stone. It encourages us to bring logic to our spiritual practice, so that we know exactly why we believe or do something, rather than just relying on blind faith. With the addition of this logic, not our spiritual practices are deepened, but our ability to communicate about them is also increased. Bronzite is also a stone for service, teaching us the value of community, and the joy of both giving and receiving. Bronzite is attuned to the Root and Solar Plexus Chakras and linked to the astrological sign of Leo. It is connected to the elements of Earth and Fire and vibrates to the number 1.
Emotional: Bronzite helps us to step outside our emotions so we can properly analyze ourselves and our situation. This is particularly helpful during stressful or negative times. Once we understand and accept the reality of our current state, Bronzite encourages us to start taking proper action to improve the situation. Bronzite's message is essentially one of love and balance, not as an impossible ideal but rather as something that should be actively worked towards.
Mental: Bronzite has a wonderful mellow energy which can help us deal with difficult people and situations. It has been called the "stone of courtesy" and encourages us to keep a level head and remain civil. Such civility is not meant to be passive or submissive! Rather it is about using our conscious mind to control our actions, as opposed to allowing ourselves to be controlled by our most basic "fight or flight" instincts. Bronzite teaches us to be discerning in our thoughts and words, decisive in our actions, and loving in our emotions.
Physical: Bronzite is said to be helpful for bringing the body pH balance into harmony. It is also believed to help the body better absorb iron and other nutritive minerals. Bronzite has been used by metaphysical healers to treat anemia as well as a variety of illness caused by vitamin deficiencies.
These Bronzites were mined in Brazil and tumbled in South Africa.
It would be my pleasure to hand-select a beautiful Bronzite for you.
his price is for one stone.
You can buy a single Bronzite or several, depending on your individual needs. Each Bronzite measures approximately 1 inch at its longest length and has a unique shape with soft edges. Tumbled stones are natural products and variations are part of their beauty.
The stone I choose for you will be smooth and free of chips, and be a beautiful dark brown with shimmering bronze streaks. If you buy multiple stones, I will choose stones that look and feel particularly good together. Stones will be cleansed and smudged with sage before being shipped to you.
With their shimmering colors and clean energies, these Bronzites are perfect for crystal healing. Add them to a medicine bag, place them on an altar, use them in a crystal elixir, fashion them into jewelry, or simply carry them in your pocket.
I love the beautiful, sparkly, coppery, metallic luster that the bronzite has. It reminds me a lot of astrophyllite. It's such a beautiful and understated crystal!
I love my stones. Thank you!
Thank you So much!! I received them and they are perfect!!
Julie is amazing and so are her crystals! I loved emailing with her about how I would use the stones and the particular shade of kunzite I hoped to get. Many online sellers "intuitively" choose your stones (randomly!) but Julie really does take the time to pick them for you, as if she were picking out just the right gift for a friend. It's so | 1,321 |
SignPlot has covered the complete range of TSRGD 2016 signs since before those regulations came into effect. The new enhancements therefore focus on making bus lane and other signs quicker to design, helping answer the thorny question, "Does this sign need lighting?", and providing for future innovations in signing.
Bus lane signs are now created simply by ticking the relevant options<|fim_middle|>, and improved depiction of ghost or hollow arms on signs showing how to avoid a banned turn.
SignPlot 3.40 is now ready to be downloaded from our website user area by those with current support contracts, and the free Sign Illumination Tool can be found on our downloads page. | and entering enforcement hours in note form. This even works for offside bus lanes and bilingual signs in Wales and, as for all SignPlot dialogues, you see immediately the results of your selections and can recall the form later to make changes.
Other enhancements include an easy way to add a junction name or other header to a sign | 66 |
The thought of time travel in film rattles my brain. It's never as simple as John Smith goes back in time and explores. There are dire consequences and horrific consequences for each and every action!!! Cue intense, foreboding music! When handled correctly though -- or as much as my feeble mind can grasp -- it can be a gem, like 2006's Deja Vu.
It's Fat Tuesday in New Orleans when late in the morning the Canal Street Ferry explodes in a fiery blast that claims 500-plus lives. There is little doubt the attack was the work of a terrorist with countless law enforcement agencies descending on the town to investigate. Among them is ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) out of the New Orleans office. A dogged investigator, Carlin follows the clues, trying to find out why a suspicious corpse ended up in the explosion's aftermath. He's approached by an FBI agent (Val Kilmer) leading a special investigative team that has some special technology at its disposal. They say it enables them to compile satellite images to see what happened some four days before. Carlin goes along with it, starting to piece it all together, all in hopes of finding some clue that will lead them to the terrorist bomber. It isn't long though before he figures out the "satellite" description is garbage. Somehow, some way, he's literally looking back in time...
What a fun, smart, stylish movie. Like I mentioned, time-travel movies are inherently complicated to the point it is difficult/impossible to 1. Keep up with it and 2. Not shake your head at the goofiness of it. With director Tony Scott at the helm, it has some of the stylistic elements of his previous efforts, especially Man on Fire, Spy Game and Enemy of the State. The quick cuts, the rapid camera movement, the unique shooting angles, it's all there, combining with a memorable score from Harry Gregson-Williams to add that great secondary layer to the story.
For me though what sets 'Deja Vu' apart from so many time travel movies -- Back to the Future to The Terminator, Looper to Planet of the Apes and many more -- is its creativity. It seems to revel in that creativity, that original, generally unique idea. How so? SPOILERS Carlin figures out they're not looking back in time, they're literally watching the past happen through some time-bending technology this investigative team has stumbled upon. Plot holes, time discrepancies aside, it's so cool as a premise. Scott's clearly having some fun with the time-bending concept, especially with a bit of technology that allows Carlin to wear a goggle headset so the time-traveling moves with him, what he sees through the goggles is what happened previously. Wwwwwhhhhaaaatttt? The premise injects some crazy energy into the always fun car chase sub-genre. Just watch this extended chase scene, sit back and smile, take it all in.
There is something eternally watchable about Denzel Washington in just about any movie he does, from heavy drama like Philadelphia or Glory to more mainstream, fun affairs like 2 Guns, Out of Time<|fim_middle|> Jim Caviezel is perfectly creepy, a so-called patriot but an unhinged one willing to go to horrific measures. Bruce Greenwood is a high-ranking FBI official on the case while Matt Craven appears briefly as Doug's long-time partner in the field.
It can be so easy with time-traveling stories for things to derail and do so quickly. That's not the case here with a story that manages to hold it all together under some post-movie scrutiny. The multiple storylines (and timelines) hold together when you really (really) think about it. Through it all, it's fun, even a final act that comes across as a little forced, a little too gimmicky. Still, 'Deja' is ridiculously fun from beginning to end with a finale that's frustrating a touch, but mostly, it just works so well. So freaking entertaining. Highly recommended, a great time-bending thriller.
Deja Vu (2006): ***/****
Labels: 2000s, Adam Goldberg, Bruce Greenwood, Denzel Washington, Jim Caviezel, Paula Patton, Tony Scott, Val Kilmer
Self/less
The Moonlighter
Stagecoach (1986) | and Deja Vu. His Doug Carlin is a career agent with the ATF, and a good agent at that. He's a dogged investigator, stubbornly pursuing his cases, especially a terrorist attack that tears apart a city with the deaths of 500-plus people. Washington is so good, so effortless, it's just a pleasure to watch him do his thing. He's calm and cool...until he isn't like when he pieces it all together and figures out exactly what kind of technology he's working with. The case develops around the dead body of a beautiful young woman (Paula Patton) from New Orleans, Carlin wondering what he could have done to save her. Could he have done something different? Not one of his best performances, but just about any Denzel is good Denzel.
Dezel is the star, and Paula Patton gets a chance to shine in the final act, but who else to look for? Doc Holliday himself, Val Kilmer, has some good chemistry as Carlin's quasi-counter, not always telling the full truth while not lying either. His team includes the always reliable Adam Goldberg, Erika Alexander and Elden Henson. As for the villain who we see in all sorts of different ways courtesy of the time-bending story, | 261 |
I've recently been getting back into the Pokemon TCG and have really been enjoying it so far. Up until now I've been using theme decks (mainly<|fim_middle|> to use Cynthia as a supporter every turn. Guzma would deny this. | Mach Strike) but have now decided to try and make a standard deck for the first time based around Garchomp and Lucario. Considering this is my first deck I was hoping I could get some suggestions/advice on it so that it may be improved. Thanks!
Which Oranguru are you referring to?
The Oranguru that has an ability that lets you draw until you have 3 cards in hand.
You can find it in the Destruction Fang Theme Deck.
I would have to say though that your deck aims to do what Garchomp cannot. Garchomp is a deck that wants to 1HKO everything it is up against. The earlier you can start doing this, the more likely you will win. In short, you want to kill your opponent before they can setup properly.
Also, don't run Guzma. You want | 173 |
Ozeri Touch Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale, Professional Grade in Elegant Tempered Glass | Smoking Meat Forums - The Best Barbecue Discussion Forum On Earth!
Combining new advanced touch sensitive buttons, a tempered glass surface, and new GFX sensors, the Ozeri Touch is one of the industry's most advanced digital kitchen scales. The Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale features an elegant reflective black surface made out of high quality tempered glass that is 4 times stronger than normal glass. It includes 4 high precision GFX latest generation sensors to deliver superior accuracy and the fastest response times for the quick paced chef. The Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale combines all this technology into a contemporary thin design and stands out as a show piece for the modern kitchen. Designed for the culinary perfectionist who desires superior accuracy and a showpiece design, the Ozeri Touch is one of the lightest kitchen scales on the market and offers easy portability. The Ozeri Touch also features an automatic Tare button that quickly calculates the net weight of your ingredients by subtracting the container weight, whether the container is a bowl, tray, plate or anything else. The Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale has a capacity range from a mere 0.1 ounces to 11 lbs, and provides measurements in graduations of 1g or 0.1oz on its bright LCD screen. The scale also displays results in both the US and international metric systems (grams | ounces | pounds | kilograms). The large screen features a new bright LCD with an improved viewing angle for the on-the-move chef, and provides Low Battery and Overload indicatorsThe Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale comes equipped with 2 Lithium removable batteries for long life, and features a 1 minute automatic turn-off that preserves battery life.
Includes 2 Lithium Batteries and an Easy Access Battery Compartment (<|fim_middle|> is not liable for incidental or consequential damages of any nature resulting from the use of this product and any liability shall not exceed the purchase price of the product. | no screwdriver needed).
Your "Ozeri Scale" is warranted to the original owner for 1 year from the date of purchase against defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service. Should your scale prove defective within 1 year from the date of purchase, return the defective part or unit, freight prepaid along with an explanation of the claim to "Ozeri Scale." Please pack your scale carefully to avoid damages in transit. Under this warranty, Ozeri will repair or replace any parts found to be defective due to a manufacturer's defect. This warranty extends only to personal use and does not extend to any product that has been used for commercial use, rental use, or use which is not intended. There are no warranties other than that expressly set forth herein. This warranty is not transferable. Ozeri is not responsible in any way for damages, losses or inconveniences caused by equipment failure or by user negligence, abuse, or use not in accordance with the "User Guide" or any additional safety, use, or warnings included in the product materials. Further, Ozeri | 223 |
Prosper is one of the pioneers of peer-to-peer, or marketplace, lending,<|fim_middle|> collected more than 30 data points from the lender, interviewed company executives and compared the lender with others that seek the same customer or offer a similar personal loan product. Loan terms and fees may vary by state.
Prosper provides unsecured personal loans that can be used for nearly any purpose, including debt consolidation and home improvements.
To qualify applicants, Prosper says it uses a proprietary risk-rating system that takes into account hundreds of data points, including credit history. Prosper's ratings are used by investors to decide whether or not to fund your loan. Your application expires if your loan request isn't funded.
Fees: Prosper charges an origination fee between 2.4% and 5% of the loan amount, which is deducted from the loan proceeds. The loan also carries a $15 late fee, and you'll be charged a similar amount if you don't have enough money in your account for a payment.
Payment options : Unlike some lenders, Prosper doesn't allow you to adjust your payment schedule, nor does it directly pay your creditors if you're consolidating debt.
Loan example: For a borrower with excellent credit, a $10,000 personal loan with a repayment term of three years at 13.9% APR would carry monthly payments of $341, according to NerdWallet's personal loan calculator.
Compared to Prosper, LendingClub has slightly more flexible loan terms and a lower minimum loan amount. It lets borrowers file joint loan applications and offers a payment modification plan when borrowers have trouble making payments.
SoFi offers similar rates, but its "members" also receive social perks like networking and educational opportunities, more flexible payment options, no late fees and unemployment protection. SoFi also offers higher maximum loan amounts up to $100,000.
You can apply directly on Prosper's website, submitting information including your employment status, income and monthly housing payment. Once approved, Prosper says funds will be transferred to your bank account within one to three business days. | which connects good-credit borrowers with investors who can choose to fund their loans.
Have good to excellent credit scores. Prosper's minimum score is 640, but its customers average 710.
Have substantial annual income. There's no minimum requirement, but the average for Prosper borrowers is about $89,000.
Want a personal loan from an experienced online lender. San Francisco-based Prosper was founded in 2005 and has facilitated more than $12 billion in loans.
Origination fee: 2.4% - 5%.
Late fee: $15 or 5% of unpaid amount (whichever is greater).
Minimum credit score: 640, but average is 710.
Minimum credit history: Two years, but average is 11.
Minimum annual income: None, but average is $89,000.
Maximum debt-to-income ratio: 50% (excluding mortgage).
Click "Check rates" to get started with Prosper.
To review Prosper, NerdWallet | 216 |
X- and Shift-Focus are our main youth groups in the Old Vic on the church site. Come along for a great time hanging out, making new friends and playing games. Each week we also spend time thinking about God as we have interactive talks from God's word, the Bible. All very welcome.
As with all of our youth work if you want to know more, just ask , our youth worker.
Anyone in school years 6-8.
What actually happens at X-Focus?
X-Focus is always buzzing with lots<|fim_middle|> on what's been said.
Your first time is free so if you've not been down before, just turn up and you'll be very welcome. After that, it costs 50p a time. | of members running around and an awful lot of tuck being eaten! We begin the evening with free time where you're free to just do what you like really. Whether that's playing football (either real or table), playing on the Wii or sitting chatting to your friends.
We then play a game altogether which a leader has planned and then we head across for a talk which one of the leaders has prepared from the Bible. This talk is always aimed specifically at 10-13 year olds and are quite interactive so they're generally lots of fun! And then we finish off the evening with a bit more free time.
One option is to bring a friend along with you! But everyone at X is really welcoming and the leaders will make sure you're not left out!
Anyone in school years 9-13.
Shift-Focus is a pretty standard youth club. We meet for a couple of hours on a Friday night and it's a great place to hang out with your mates. As well as general time spent hanging out and playing pool/table football/real football/uno etc. we always play a main game all together.
The thing which makes Shift slightly different from some other clubs is that all the leaders are Christians and so every week we have a talk from the Bible. These talks are geared towards older teenagers and we generally think about issues and ideas which you guys are facing. These talks are always designed to be interesting for someone who has never been to church before and if you don't like what we have to say then you get your chance to tell us so in 'Backchat' where we chat about the talk in small groups for five minutes or so and ask you your opinion | 341 |
Race Report: 101st Annual Dipsea
**Time: 1:06:03
Place: 625th/196th/69th ** (see below)
On Sunday I ran the 101st annual Dipsea, the oldest trail race in America. The 7.4 mile course starts in Mill Valley (30 minutes north of San Francisco) and finishes at the Pacific Ocean at Stinson Beach. In between is about 2,200 feet of climbing and descending over some very rugged terrain.
I got to the start well ahead of time, especially given that I was slotted to start in the very last wave of runners, 52 minutes behind the first wave. The Dipsea is unique in that it is a handicapped race. Runners are given up to a 25 minute head start on the field based on age and gender, and each wave goes off at one-minute intervals, starting with the largest head-start group: men ages 74+ and under 7; women 66+ and under 8. "Scratch" runners, males between 19 and 30, start all the way in the back of the pack.
In addition, there are two sections of the Dipsea, each of which follow this handicapping system - the Invitational section (which starts first) and the Runner section. To qualify for the Invitational, you have to run well in the previous year - if you start in the Runner section, this means the top 750 overall, including the Invitational runners who started well ahead of you.
As the Scratch wave of the Runner section was finally preparing to start, someone remarked that the "SCR" abbreviation on our racing bibs stood for "screwed."
We all knew it was going to be a tall order to move from our starting position
1328th place - up to 750th or better by the end of the race. It wasn't until afterwards that I did the math - you need to pass one person every six seconds to make up that many spots.
Faced with that challenge, we were off. The first quarter mile of the race is really just a prelude to the famous Dipsea steps, and I took a fairly easy pace in light of that. We hit the first of the three flights of stairs (671 in all) and I realized that the major challenge was not the stairs themselves but rather the herd of people who were trying to make their way up at various speeds.
I don't have the actual experience to back this up, but heading through that pack felt like trying to navigate rush hour on a major freeway on a motorcycle. Throw in the added variable of a constantly changing number of available lanes, a lot of other motorcycles darting in and out of traffic, and a shoulder filled with hazards. Bay area residents will no doubt recognize this as 101 on a good day.
The two breaks in between the three flights of stairs were therefore a free for all of runners finally liberated from the death march, trying to pick up as many spots as possible before the next flight. After the 671st step, the course actually opened up for the first time, but not for very long and with a decent uphill grade to still contend with. I was able to pick up some places here, dodging both runners and water cups through the first aid station.
The first technical downhill section began, and we were back to rush hour traffic. As perennial fastest-time winner Alex Varner has noted, this is possibly the most frustrating section of the course. It's near enough to the start that you're still dealing with a lot of traffic. Because it's downhill, though, everyone thinks they're going pretty fast, which results in a lot of people jumping into the passing "lane" (if you can call it a lane) on the left and causing pileups behind them. The section was thankfully short and we were unceremoniously deposited onto Panoramic Highway after a very steep final drop.
At this point we had given back about half of the elevation that you gained from the steps. The other half evaporated with the descent into Muir Woods - the infamous "Suicide<|fim_middle|> often meant a judiciously timed scramble up the more uneven sections of trail.
By this point I had realized that this is perhaps the most important skill to master in the early miles - the art of knowing when to pass, and executing the pass with minimal extra effort. You have to be very mentally engaged with your surroundings and make a thousand small but instant decisions about which energy expenditures will be worth it.
Luckily the trail soon split, offering some relief from the congestion but not from the uphill. It took a lot longer than I thought before the final incline, "Cardiac," came into view. At the highest point in the race awaited a water station and another round of "dodge the water cups" - I have a vivid image of one of them exploding over my head as I ducked underneath someone's outstretched arm to avoid being clotheslined.
At this point the Bay Area fog machine was in full effect and in fact made for ideal racing conditions - slightly overcast with a bit of mist in some places. You could look ahead and see a trail of runners fading off into the clouds. Very Scottish-moor-esque.
The only flat section of the race followed - it was here (or slightly earlier) that I really got into the rhythm of saying "on your left… thanks" as I passed people. In the first miles there really isn't much point and you would just hear people yelling blanket statements about keeping to the right. By the "Swoop," though, the pack was thinned out enough that it seemed like the polite thing to do. The Swoop is very similar to Suicide - very steep, and not a lot of structure. You find yourself weaving back and forth, cutting your own mini-switchbacks in an effort to not just skid down the whole thing on your butt.
We rejoined the main course after being unceremoniously dumped down a very steep final drop (for a second time). This marked the start of the Steep Ravine section, known for its stairs that are anything but regular in their reliability, incline, and direction. About halfway through this section I spotted someone on the ground up ahead - I thought that someone had misjudged their footing and taken a dive. But no - this was a photographer who had chosen to set up camp along one of the nastiest stretches of trail. Not exactly something I would have volunteered for but I bet he got some good shots. Here's one - I'm in the back trying to decide if the stairs are wide enough for two people.
We hit the last real uphill on the course, "Insult Hill," meaning there was a little over a mile left to run. I had absolutely no idea what place I might be in, but I figured it was a good time to start running as if I was outside the top 750, so I powered up the hill, onto Panoramic Highway and down into a very overgrown shortcut, pushing a lot of undergrowth out of the way. As we popped back onto the highway I caught up with a woman as she also passed a kid who turned out to be all of 13; he put on a pretty strong, if temporary, surge after she asked how old he was.
As I approached the final shortcut I sensed that someone was coming up from behind me, and I turned my head slightly to check and asked if he wanted to take the lead on the upcoming single track. He declined though, and that turned out for the best - I went flying through the narrow gap in the guardrail and didn't see him again.
The race's most famous spot, the stile before the final unceremonious dumping onto Panoramic, is famous for a reason. In addition to being easily accessible to spectators, it's also been the site of some of the most spectacular wipeouts. The woman running immediately in front of me took a nasty dive onto the pavement, but was fully recovered by the time I leapt over the stile, down the hill, and proceeded to very nearly do the exact same thing.
The cowbells were in full effect by then, and certainly helped to supercharge the final sprint to the finish. Afterwards I contemplated taking a jump into the ocean but instead opted for a post-race burger and beer with Laura & co., who had arrived at the finish just in time to see me take the final turn into Stinson Beach.
Even after the race I had no idea whether I had made the top 750. I asked someone nearby and found out that my time was about 1:06. It was slower than I had been hoping for but I had also massively underestimated how much of a factor the congestion on the course would be. I found out later that the fastest time from my section was a 58:40, and I felt a bit better that I was only about 8 minutes off that pace.
As it turned out, I didn't have too much to worry about - I finished 625th overall, including the 562 Invitational runners who all had between 27 - 52 minutes of a head start on my group. Based on time, I was #196 of the 1,327 finishers. The main goal was to qualify for the invitational next year. I'm hoping that being in the Invitational section will help make things a little less congested, and that having one under my belt will help in knocking some time off of this year's result. I'll still be starting in the back of the pack with the Scratch group, though - in approximately 625th place. It's a two year race.
Right now that race is the only one on my calendar - dipsea.org has already begun the countdown to June 10, 2012. Between the marathon in April and this race it's been about two months that I've had some event upcoming on the race calendar, so I'll most likely be calling that a wrap for the season and taking some recovery time. | " section. The organizers actually had the sign that's been used for many years to let runners know what they're getting into:
Naturally, I went left. The challenge here is that even though the terrain is just as steep as many other sections, there are no stairs or even much structure to speak of. Just lots of loose dirt and dust. The pack was still bunched up pretty tightly here and it was a challenge to keep a precise handle on your speed to avoid collisions.
We bottomed out in Muir Woods and began the second big climb of the race, this one up to 1,300 feet. For the first several minutes the trail was decidedly single track, which meant that we were once again in very close quarters and looking for any opportunity available to pass. This | 161 |
Exmark Holding Press Conference, Prize Drawing at GIE+EXPO
Louisville, KY (October 29, 2009) —
Exmark Manufacturing will hold a press conference Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. at GIE+EXPO to introduce media to the company's next generation of mowers. Following the press conference, Exmark representatives will dive into the specifications for each of the company's new mowers.
On Thursday and Friday during GIE+EXPO, Exmark will give away prizes to booth visitors via a drawing. One $1,000 Cabela's Gift Card will be<|fim_middle|> 4 p.m. (Live drawing for Cabela's gift card)
Media are invited to attend both live drawings.
Exmark is encouraging media and GIE+EXPO attendees to visit its booth and see what's next. The company will be introducing a handful of new mowers designed to meet a range of needs for consumers and landscape professionals.
Become a fan of Exmark's on Facebook and follow Exmark on Twitter at @exmarkmowers. For more information about Exmark and its new products, please visit www.exmark.com. All media inquiries or requests for photos should be directed to Wendy Fitch, (402) 514-9425 (office) or (402) 682-1361 (cell). | awarded each day.
When/Where:
Friday, Oct. 30, 9-9:30 a.m. on stage in new products arena
In-Depth Mower Overviews
Friday, Oct. 30, 9:30-9:50 a.m. at Exmark's indoor booth (7094)
Prize Drawing
Participants must register for the prize drawing at the Exmark booth between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Registrants must be present at the drawings to win and must register each day.
Scheduled drawings:
Oct. 29, | 127 |
The cardboard hospital provides an opportunity for staff and architects to meet with patients - as users of the hospital environment and services - and co-create the infrastructure. The central idea is that by constructing physical spaces, one is situated in the environments through all senses, thus enabling new ideas and their evaluation. Through prototyping activities that aim for a concrete end-result, the cross-disciplinary group has to negotiate differing needs in a constructive way.
The props work as representations that can be combined to achieve different elements of hospital spaces (walls, screens, tables, benches, ICT etc.) and they were coated with a film that allowed writing on them. The hospital management, architects and staff are able to co-construct a vision and requirements for future hospital environments through group discussions, visualisations and quick exercises.
The need for the method arose from the strategic aim of the hospital to put the patient in the centre of the operations. There was also ongoing planning of a new hospital wing, which was seen as a good piloting opportunity. Various prototyping methods were explored to answer this need.
Improve service outcome: If the infrastructure supports patient needs, speed of admittance and recovery times will increase.
Improve service quality: By rehearsing new practices, staff are ready to work in the new building. Also, the infrastructure supports better service for the patients.
Improve user satisfaction:<|fim_middle|> discussion and ideation to physical prototyping, which can be countered with efficient facilitation.
Architects were involved in prototyping workshops.
Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture was behind the development and implementation of the concept and provided the prototyping space.
Funding was received from the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra for the development of the method.
The overall pilot can be considered a success. However, it was noticed that this kind of prototyping space should be an on-going process, taking place parallel with the building planning process.
Early stage of the building planning.
Participation of all the stakeholders.
Processes for continuing towards implementation. | Hospital environments guided by patient participation provide better experiences. In addition, workshop participants expressed their enjoyment of taking part in the process.
Improve staff satisfaction: Employees enjoyed having a say in the hospital design in ways other than just evaluating plans on paper. They were able to bring in vital information about the challenges of their work.
Meet new regulations: New Finnish healthcare regulation is emphasising that the goal is to provide customer-centric services through whole healthcare system.
Patients benefit from the design of spaces that account not only for efficient treatment but a holistic environment that takes into account their emotional and social needs.
Staff benefit by making sure that the design of the hospital suits their daily activities. During prototyping they can also create and rehearse new work practices so they can get used to their new environment.
Architects by gaining a better understanding of the issues that are important in hospital design. Through prioritised needs, they gain a framework from which to approach the design of the building.
There is a physical prototyping lab situated in USA, which tests architectural plans for hospitals. However, their methodology comprises of collecting feedback from staff, not the ideation phase and not from patients.
Architects, managers and developers understand more easily the treatment process, the needs of patients and staff, which enables a quicker designing process.
Includes the patients in the design process, which supports the development of customer-centric hospital space and service development practices.
Patients were willing to come to workshops and they were touched that the hospital was interested in their opinion when developing practices and designing new facilities.
Employees were pleased that they were able participate before new facilities are built. It was important that they could do this as a team.
The need for the method arose from the strategic aim of the hospital to put the patient in the centre of the operations. The innovation was a result of participatory design method expertise, set design expertise (based on the expertise of one of the researchers) and the forward thinking capability of the organisation.
The pilot was based on tight collaboration between two designers and good project management. The leading Designer and set designer worked in collaboration with a manager and doctor from the hospital. Together they developed small prototypes of the workshop place.
Making cardboard elements and props, prototyping the theatre space.
Workshops where the prototyping and the discussions took place with doctors, nurses, architects, patients and managers.
Overall cost of the pilot: EUR 30 000, which includes materials, transportation, food and beverages (this figure does not include the indirect cost for employee work time for planning and workshops).
Coming up with the right kinds of props and estimating the needed amount, which was countered through testing the concept with peers and through miniature scale models.
Switching from | 545 |
Hillsdale MICHIGAN
Hillsdale Businesses
Hillsdale County Information Page
Hillsdale County Michigan Church Directory
If you would like to be listed in the Hillsdale Church Directory please check out our Rates page for more information. Also while visiting infomi, check out our other directories and information pages.
Hillsdale Assembly of God 4075 Beck Road, Jonesville, MI 49250
Phone: (517)849-2187 Kevin Phillips
We are a virbant, growing church in Southern Michigan between Hillsdale
and Jonesville. Service times are 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and 7:00 p.m. on
Wednesdays, with other meetings, events, and ministries throughout the week. Please visit our website for more information.
Jonesville Baptist Church 431 Adrian Street, Jonesville, MI 49250
Phone: (517)849-9510 Pastor Kenneth F. Pierpont
Come and join us - 10AM Sunday School, 11AM Worship, Praise Songs and Fellowship, 6PM Sunday Evening... 7PM Wednesday Bible Study and Prayer. General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.
Lickley Corners Baptist Church 10000 Tamarack Road, Pittsford, MI 49271
Phone: (517)383-2277 Pastor John J. Poole
Sunday School @ 10:00am, Morning Worship @ 11:00am, Evening Fellowship @ 6:30pm, Wednesday Midweek Prayer Service @ 7:00pm.
Charismatic
House of Refuge Church 123 East Carleton Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517) 437-1138 Lorie Nichols
Service Schedule: Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 am, Wednesday Evening (children's classes) 7:00 pm, Thursday Morning Intercessory Prayer 10:00 am.
Christian Reformed
Cascades Fellowship CRC 2390 W. High Street, Jackson, MI 49230<|fim_middle|>40 South Pittsford Road (Main Street), Pittsford Township, MI 49271
Phone: (517)523-2313 Cinda Walton, Church Clerk
We welcome all to our service each Sunday at 11:00am (Every Sunday - year round). Choir practice most Sundays at 10:15am - if you like to sing you are welcomed. Bible Study on Wednesday at 7:00pm (contact the church first as in the summer, the Wednesday h
Grace Episcopal Church 360 East Chicago Road, Jonesville, MI 49250
Phone: (517)849-7694 Pastor: The Rev. Judith Kalom
Grace Church is one of the oldest frame churches in Michigan. The first services held in 1836, present building erected in 1844. Small, friendly and welcoming you! Grace - It's Amazing!
Free Methodist
Hillsdale Free Methodist Church 150 Union Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517)437-2251 Pastor Kieth Porter
Come worship with us. Sundays at 8:30am (Traditional Service) or 10:50am (Contemporary Service) and Wednesdays at 7PM.
Calvary Baptist Church - Hillsdale 192 Spring Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Independent Fundamental Soulwinning.
Calvary Baptist Church of Hillsdale 192 Spring Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242
We are friendly, independent, fundamental, Bible-believing, soul-winning Baptist church. Transportation and Nursery Available.
Salem Mennonite Church 13751 South Tripp Road, Waldron, MI 49288
Sunday Worship @ 9:30am, Sunday School @ 10:30am.
New Covenant Fellowship 1611 East Chicago Road, Jonesville, MI 49250
We have famiy atmosphere in which to learn about a personal relationship with
Jesus. Come join us on Sunday starting at 10:00 AM. We begin our day with singing and sharing and then have a teaching from God's word.
Presbyterian Church USA
Jonesville First Presbyterian Church 300 Chicago Street, P.O. Box 6, Jonesville, MI 49250
Phone: (517)849-9505 Audrey Dunten
Jonesville First Presbyterian Church welcomes you to our worship services on
Frontier Baptist Church 9151 Steamburg Road, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517)439-9418 Pastor, Dr. August C. Peters
Come worship with us.
Camden United Methodist Church 205 South Main Street (P.O. Box 155), Camden, MI 49232
Phone: (517)368-5406 Pastor Diane Stone
We are a growing church that has a mission to be "A Beacon of Hope to Our Community". We invite you to worship with us. Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. & worship service at 11:00 a.m.
Hillsdale First United Methodist Church 45 North Manning, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517) 437-3681 Rev. Curtis E. Jensen
Worship Service Sunday 10:00am; sunday School 11:15am; Nursery provided. Radio
broadcast 11:30am, WCSR 92.1FM
North Adams United Methodist Church 228 East Main Street, North Adams, MI 49262
Phone: (517)287-5190 Rev. Timothy Doubblestein, O. S. L.
We are a congregation firmly rooted in our ancient faith while delivering the timeless good news of Jesus Christ. Sunday School meets at 10:00 AM Worship begins at 11:00 AM (Holy Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month).
Waldron Wesleyan Church 200 East Center Street, Waldron, MI 49288
Phone: (517)286-6295 Rev. Tom Brodbeck
Sunday School @ 10am, Morning Worship @ 11:00am, Praise Service @ 6:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Sunday Evening, Wednesday Evening Prayer Meeting @ 6:00pm. |
Phone: (517) 784-9615 Rev. Chris Lanham
Where you belong. Services: September-May 11:00AM/June- August 10:00AM, Sunday School 9:30 AM (Sept-May) Sunday Evening Study 6:00PM.
Waldron First Church of Christ 107 South West Street, Waldron, MI 49288
The Waldron First Church of Christ is a group of people whose primary desire is
to praise God for the blessings He has given. We attempt to do this by allowing
Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Master.
Betzer Community Church 8980 East Camden Road, Pittsford, MI 49271
Phone: (517)567-4310 Pastor Kim Repp
Sunday Services: School @ 9:30am, Worship @ 10:30am, Evening Service held the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of each month @ 6:00pm.
First Congregational Church of Pittsford 43 | 248 |
A Day On, Not Off
You may be aware that a federal holiday marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was signed into legislation in 1983. First observed in <|fim_middle|> the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In December 1964, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his nonviolent resistance to racism in America. He was only 35 years old. These are just a few of Dr. King's notable accomplishments.
Through his achievements and his life, we can see that Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all people, calling on all citizens to make this country a better place to live. The MLK Day of Service is a way for any citizen to apply Dr. King's teachings to community action.
"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." – Martin Luther King Jr.
Awareness and participation in MLK Day of Service has only grown since being signed by Congress. More and more Americans are honoring Dr. King's legacy each year through volunteering. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands have impacted communities through tutoring and mentoring children, painting schools and senior centers, delivering meals, and building homes. For more information on the MLK Day of Service and for service opportunities, please visit the Corporation for National and Community Service.
No matter the size of your estate, we believe that the heart of generosity is a giving and serving spirit that glorifies God, and that serving is, of course, not limited to any particular holiday. We would encourage you to draw inspiration from Dr. King's legacy throughout the year by generously giving from those resources with which you have been blessed, including your time, talents, and treasures. | 1986, we commemorate Dr. King by remembering his legacy and his work for the advancement of racial equality. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death in 1968.
Many, however, may not know that in 1994, Congress designated the third Monday in January as the MLK Day of Service. It's the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off."
Dr. King's passion for service, of course, fueled his leadership in the movement to end segregation during the civil rights movement that started in the mid-1950s. In 1956, to protest Montgomery's segregated bus system, Dr. King led the bus boycott after Rosa Parks' arrest. This led to the Supreme Court decision to integrate Alabama bus lines. In 1963, Dr. King helped organize the March for Jobs and Freedom, which became known as the March on Washington. It was here that he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, calling for an end to racism. The march proved crucial in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination on | 247 |
04. 28.16 Before we begin, I want to provide a little context. I just completed my Adobe Creative Residency. For those of you who aren't familiar with the program, it's a new initiative from Adobe that provides designers, photographers, illustrators, etc. a full year to work solely on passion projects. Kelli Anderson and I were the first residents. My projects were (mainly) working on my second book, The Roommate Book (on sale June 28!) and launching my online store, Chipper Things, that features my illustrations on over 70 products.
Much of what I learned during my Creative Residency can be summarized as this: a lot can happen in a year.
I learned (and relearned) the value of accountability, saying yes before feeling ready, sharing publicly and surrounding myself with people who are rooting for<|fim_middle|>! I'm chipping away at The Roommate Book one spread at a time. Here's a modified version of said spreads.
1. New art in any capacity is cool, right?
2. I'm jotting down my process / tools used for every new piece from now on (including the last nine).
3. I also include the original scan, unedited. It's easy to highlight our process—to show on Instagram what we want people to see. This is the raw footage.
My hope is for this art to become a resource for aspiring illustrators or those looking to compare notes. Check out the rest of the page. I'm still deciding if I want to make the animals black or keep the white cutouts. Thoughts?
If you're interested in these updates being delivered to you via email every other week, sign up below. I promise I will never send something just to fill the space. Also, a newsletter that's 90% pictures? TOO EASY. | me.
A little accountability can go a really long way. The program is remote, therefore I live and work out of my studio in Austin, Texas. Team Adobe is stationed in San Francisco. I talk to Libby (Creative Community Liaison) every Wednesday (specifically at 1 PM CT / 11 AM PT). Throughout the week, we send emails, texts and Trello notes, but overall, this call is where we get down to business.
Libby (and the rest of the Adobe team) is always two steps ahead of me. They're constantly scheming of ways to make the most of my time as a resident. Because of these weekly meetings, I have done things that I would have otherwise delayed or declined because I didn't feel ready, think I had the time, etc. This is where the growth really happened. I got so used to saying yes to new things that I accidentally became tougher, faster and better along the way.
Let's talk more about accidentally becoming brave.
One year ago, I was scurrying to meet with a local film crew (Arts+Labor) at their cool Austin office (it is cool by definition because it has a conference room that's heavy on the windows.) Since we're both based out of Austin, it made sense for me to meet at their office while we had a call with my new Adobe team in San Francisco.
It was in a building that shared an address with a few other offices. I was so close, but so far away, because I couldn't find their suite number. I was already nervous enough as it was — they were filming a video all about Becky to show the world what Adobe was thinking by hiring me as one of their inaugural Creative Residents. Yet I couldn't even find an address in plain sight.
That was one of those moments where, if you're like me, you feel completely unqualified and freaked out that someone (or something, particularly an entity as big as Adobe) is investing time, energy and money in you. At the same time, in your heart of hearts you know that you did not trick them in the process, therefore things must be going as planned. It felt more like the leap from high school to college than the leap from 7th to 8th grade.
Thinking back to how nervous I was compared with how comfortable I am now makes me realize that I walked in as a freshman and I'm walking out as a graduate.
And just like that, I became more confident without meaning to. It happened because I was pushed a little and then tiptoed even more out of my comfort zone. The accountability led to bigger things, beyond what I thought I was capable of in 365 days.
I said yes to figuring it out later and then I figured it out later.
A core part of my role as a Creative Resident is to share the process publicly. The goal is for this program to lift up and elevate the creative community as a whole. I didn't have much trouble with this as I shared my 100 Day Project (#100daysofgettingstarted), where I displayed my daily illustrations. I also didn't mind sharing the process for The Roommate Book. And I also didn't mind showing folks 90% of the process of designing, building and launching Chipper Things. That last 10% was a lot harder to share.
Before I go on, I acknowledge that sharing the process of my Creative Residency project is a fair ask. It is the main part of the job description. It's interesting and helpful for us (humans) to see a dream turn into a plan and then that plan turn into reality. Sharing is easy when you know you're in the clear. It's much harder when you're not so sure.
And by not so sure, I mean, plagued with doubt. I've been talking this dang thing up for a year. "What if come launch day people are just…underwhelmed?", I often thought to myself. We're busy people. If something isn't up to snuff, we don't take the time to rationalize why. We make our judgments and move on with the day.
I also had a "to-do" list that was longer than my "done" list just days before the launch. I knew it would work out but I was still very nervous (most likely seen on my Real World Confessional-esque Snapchats).
What ended up happening was the opposite of what I had feared.
I finished Chipper Things on time, and I finished it well. Part of why I still had so much to do come launch week was because I was obviously behind schedule. Why was I behind schedule? I made a semi-last minute decision to swing for the fences a few months ago and added 50 more products than originally planned. This significantly pushed back the whole operation. Instead of starting out slow and steady, I decided to throw it all out there and figure out what sticks. I bootstrapped everything from photographing the products to building the site (thank you, Shopify) to sourcing materials. The notebooks weren't actually in the hands of my fulfillment center until the day of launch.
I was overwhelmed by the support I received from the moment the site went live. Friends, acquaintances and internet cheerleaders banded together to make sure the world knew about this project I'd been working on for the last year. I couldn't believe (and still can't believe) how enthusiastic people have been.
I learned an important lesson in all of this: By letting people in on my journey, they became vested in my success. Things become interesting when we know a thing or two about them. This is true for flags, astronomy, art and everything else. Knowledge leads to understanding. That's why we all got lost in the deep web learning more disturbing facts about Robert Durst after we watched the Jinx.
Everyone's situation is different. This is not a rule of thumb — this is an observed personal outcome. It just so happens to be something that I find useful and will keep working toward — sharing my work in a sustainable way and trusting that nobody is going to beat me up if some projects are better than others, I change my mind along the way or even fall flat on my face. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of discernment. Not everything needs to (or should be) shared, nor should we hastily announce our goals to the world. And I also think it's okay (and best) to ask for help and feedback. When I launched this store, I was not shy about asking friends to help spread the word. We have to ask for what we want and help people help us.
At the end of the day, it's a lot easier to create when we know that our comrades are rooting for us. It's tough when we fear the wrath of not getting it right the first time. We make better stuff when we put ourselves in situations where we're pushed further than we think we can go, and the nectar is that much sweeter when the backstory was illuminated along the way.
Not sure how to properly link to myself below. I'd like to provide places for people to reach me / my work, but I don't want to overwhelm them with links.
Check out the Chipper Things store and read more about my process and the release of The Roommate Book over here.
Note: To read more about why it's nice to show your work, read Austin Kleon's appropriately titled book, Show Your Work!
In 2010 I moved to Waco, Texas from Ames, Iowa. I landed a job at a cool design firm where I was paid to doodle, draw and distract my co-workers with ridiculous hypotheticals. I look back on these 2 1/2 years fondly. But I often forget how hard it was in the beginning. I didn't have any friends when I moved. On one particular stroll through the aisles of Hobby Lobby, I saw a wood burning pen and a few planks of wood. I decided to buy it. That night I burned a ship (inspired by an old stamp) onto one of those planks of wood. Eventually I started burning more wood planks with quotes, pictures and letters. Then I had them laser cut and then I opened an Etsy shop.
In searching for the perfect name, with equal parts jolly, spunky and punny, I came upon Chipper Things. My product was literally (and I mean literally the way it is meant to be said) chipper things.
Not long after that, the Chipper Things blog began as an outlet for me to share my drawings, writing, ideas and inspiration. I started I'd Rather Be Short on this platform (as well as a handful of other good and bad ideas). Meanwhile, my Etsy store morphed into a little print shop, where I sold my art on paper instead of walnut (and by art I mean, mostly this print in particular). Through this experience, as well as writing my first book, I learned that it is indeed possible to make a living off of my art.
Between the wood burns and today, Launch Day (April 19, 2016), I've spent a lot of time freelancing. During this time, I had been dreaming of opening up a more robust online store with my work. I was slowly chipping (see what I did there?) away at this when I wasn't working on client work. Then, a little over a year ago, Adobe came out of nowhere. I started my Creative Residency, which afforded me the opportunity to work on Chipper Things full time, without the responsibility of those client obligations. Throughout the last year I had the chance to make art, explore, play, learn from artists, entrepreneurs and professional tinkerers who inspire me to keep playing and keep creating.
Today Chipper Things is an online store that sells paper and lifestyle goods. I have plans to expand to wholesale but I want to get this part right first. There are over 70 products and only two were carried in the original Etsy shop. The collections are: Gal Pals, Flowcharts, Young at Heart, Love and Kindness.
As the name implies, Chipper Things is as much about process as it is seeing the good in our world and ourselves. This business aims to embody exploration, connection and play. The logo, colors, art and products will always be evolving, as will I.
I'd love to hear what you think. What do you like, don't like or want to see more of? Shoot me an email at becky@chipperthings.com.
Chipper Things 2.0 is coming this Spring!
Real excited to share some news I've been working on and thinking about 25/7.
As a part of my Creative Residency, I'm opening an online store with my new product line, Chipper Things. I called it 'Chipper Things 2.0' in the header of this post because that's exactly what it is: the new and improved, all-in, LOLs to the walls, "There's no turning back now" art and paper paraphernalia line that will be illustrated by yours truly.
I've had my Chipper Things Etsy shop for a little while now. Some of these products will be in the new store, but that's nothing compared to the work happening behind the scenes. Follow @chipperthings on Instagram for more process shots and a glimpse into the tangents of my brain.
This is something I've been dreaming about for years so I'm very excited to share the process with you. Pretty soon I'll share more about my timeline, strategy, how the name came about (and stayed) and why I decided to take my art in this direction. Sign up for my newsletter for the occasional picture viewing and pump up party as well.
My very first art show, All the Things, opened on December 1 at Companion. I displayed 31 pieces total, with a mix of prints and originals (and a variety of mediums like gouache, watercolor, risograph, screen printing, etc.) It was a very special night for me and I greatly appreciate all who came out to support this work I've done during my Creative Residency.
The show will be up through the end of the month. Check it out if you're in Austin!
Dear Austin, Please join me at Companion on December 1st from 7-10 p for the opening reception of my very first art show.
I'm very excited to be showing off work I've created throughout my Creative Residency that will kickstart the next phase of my project (I'll tell you about it soon).
The show will be up through December, but I want to see you there. Grab a drink next door at Brew & Brew and join the fun!
Woo hoo! 2016 calendars are available! They're 12x18" and perfect for any office, kitchen or kids room.
I illustrated the type with crayons and India Ink. Each month's header has a unique illustration and type treatment. The left side has space for writing notes and goals, and each day on the calendar has little boxes for marking goal progress. It includes holidays and even has a cardboard backing to make it extra sturdy.
Snag one while they're hot.
Meg Gleason is the founder and designer of Moglea (pronounced Moh-glee), a letterpress and stationery studio. You've probably seen her work, even if you don't know it.
I met Meg at Iowa State back in 2006. It was a brief but memorable interaction. Long story short, she was a junior when I was a freshman. I saw her work and thought it was the coolest (she had a poster that featured a llama). The following year she remembered me and asked if I was accepted into the graphic design program. Fast forward 10 years later and her work is still the best and I'm still trying to play it cool.
Today Meg works from her studio on her family's farm in Audubon, Iowa (which is beautiful). Her husband Chad is also a designer and farmer. They have several employees and they ship their stationery and other paper goods to Anthropologie, Paper Source, Steven Alan and shops all around the world.
Meg was kind enough to let me hang out with her at the studio when I was in Iowa a couple of months ago. She gave me the full tour and some pretty great swag. She dropped some knowledge and I learned a lot about what to expect from the stationery world as I move on to the next phase of my creative residency—developing my creative business.
Here are a few of my questions about starting a stationery business and some of her answers.
Q: How did you first get your work into stores? Where do you sell the most products?
A: Tradeshows. If you want to make a big splash in the stationery world, you need to attend the National Stationery Show (NSS). It's in May, but it's best to apply early (ideally by October in order to get a good spot—you don't want to be on the outer ring). There are others too, like NYNOW, which is twice a year (this show is optimal for gifts like prints and other products).
Q: I've looked into NSS, but the price of attending seems unclear. How much does it all cost? How did you know what you were doing when you first attended?
A: NSS costs about $2,500 for a small booth then several thousand more (at least) to put the space together and cover travel, food and products. It's not cheap, but this is the place to be seen. As far as how to navigate the new tradeshow scene, sign up for Tradeshow Bootcamp.
Q: How prepared were you when you first attended?
Q: How do you start a new business when the markup is so low per product? It's so expensive to print a low quantity that selling a few here or there seems hardly sustainable.
Q: What's a line? How many cards do you need to have in a line?
A: "A line is all of your cards. It's best to have 60-100, but it's okay to start smaller." Meg went into the first tradeshow with about 30 designs. Her products went over well, and retailers even wished she had more. Obviously it's best to have quality over quantity, but quantity is really important too. When I had lunch with her and Chad, they told me that retailers like to be directed to top sellers. "The top 3% sounds better than the top 30%. That's the difference between a line of 100 and a line of 10." Well put, Chad.
Q: How do you find the time to design and run the business?
A: Observe what's missing in the market. See what people are doing. Find the right balance between being knowing the market really well and not finding yourself too…inspired…by other brands. When Meg emerged, nobody was doing what she was doing—mixing hand painted cards, collage, hand lettering and letterpress (they still aren't). She's found a way to mass-produce individual pieces of art. Find what makes your style unique and run with it.
Shop Moglea here and follow Meg on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Q&A: How do you make time for side projects?
Last week I received an email from a nice college student named Lauren. Lauren had a good question and I thought it was worth sharing on the world wide web (with her permission, of course). I also edited the exchange to only keep the relevant parts to this blog post. Hello! I am currently balancing a job, class and my "side-project" illustration work. When you were in college, what worked for you? Did you keep a daily journal? How did you keep what you wanted to do separate from your assignments?
Thanks for writing. I was a crazy college kid who took herself like, soooo seriously. I spent all my time on class projects, which is okay enough because I did a good job and had fun, but a few side projects wouldn't have hurt. I think you're already ahead of the game if you're creating personal work now. I do well with self-initiated projects that have a start and end date (100 day projects and the like). I even started my first book by turning it into a monthly blog post where I uploaded one new "I'd rather be short" drawing every day. They took way longer than I thought, and I only created half as many as I intended, but this structure helped me accomplish my big goal—compile enough illustrations to pitch to lit agents.
I've also found that doing a side project at the same time every day helps, even if it's just 10 minutes before bed or first thing in the morning. I think it's best to give your personal work the best part of your day (early morning). This way you start the day out feeling satisfied, and no job or class project can take that from you.
I've learned that slow and steady wins the race. Steady baby steps are usually more powerful than sporadic sprints. There's a time and place for each, but for the sake of practice, I'd rather "stay in shape" by drawing a little bit every day than just picking up the pen for a huge project once every couple of weeks.
UPDATE: Watch my MAX talk here.
Do I need an agent? Should I go with a traditional publisher, or self-publish? How much money will I make? How long does it take? What can a book do for me? Should I share my ideas online? What's the difference between a query and a proposal? ...and more.
I hope this provides clarity to what can seem an ambiguous, arduous undertaking.
Not going to Adobe MAX? Sign up to view the keynotes online. I'm going to try to Periscope my talk. Will keep you posted! Follow the fun.
Please join Adobe, Makeshift Society and me for a night of Exquisite Totes next Thursday, September 24 from 7-9.
We're paying homage to exquisite corpse, a surrealist game dating back to the early 20th Century. Artists would pass around a piece of folded paper and write a word that would become part of a collaborative sentence. The name comes from one of the first sentences, translated to, "The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine." It's also fun to play with pictures, and now totes.
I created a series of monster heads, torsos and legs. During the event you'll be able to pick one of each to create your own monster for a tote. There will also be drinks and light bites.
Purchase your ticket here. Even better, take 50% off with coupon code 'friendsof'.
Only a couple more weeks left of my September Tattly bonus! I designed this pup with the Adobe Creative Residency. It's the next best thing to having a real tattoo, and you even have the opportunity to reenact this scene. How it works: order any Tattly(s) from the site and you'll receive this pup with your order for free.
If you'd like to see how I created it, check out this tutorial I wrote for the Tattly blog.
I finished my 100 day project last night (if you haven't read about this concept, head over to The Great Discontent to learn more). My project? 100 Days of Getting Started, inspired by Mark Twain's quote, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
1. They don't read clickbait articles all day.
We live in a world of information overload. We're constantly forced to curate our lives, because we know that if we don't, someone else will. We have more opportunities than ever, and we're better than ever at sifting through said click bait links and YouTube videos. Those of us who have found our home in creative industries are also learning how to hone our skills, manage our time and coddle the vision that got us here in the first place.
But that's the double edge sword. We like to dream.
It's easier to dream than work.
I feel a sense of FOMO rush over me every time somebody posts a book/blog post/podcast that was "life changing." I want to drop what I'm doing so I can acquire this fruit from the tree of knowledge instead of doing the work that will instill valuable lessons of my own.
Before I started working for myself several years ago, my dad told me, "Your biggest struggle will be staying focused. Every business owner has to learn focus." I didn't know what he meant because I always thought my vision was clear: I wanted to work for myself doing graphic design and illustration. I wanted to be my own boss. What else was there to figure out?
After a couple of years I realize exactly how right he was. Productive procrastination runs rampant in any workplace. Crossing tasks off the to-do list welcomes a lukewarm adrenaline rush that can only be satisfied by crossing off more lukewarm tasks.
As I reflect on the last three months of art I've been creating for 100 Days of Getting Started, I'm oddly surprised by how much I learned by experience (those specific lessons learned will be on Adobe Inspire later this week).
Perhaps the biggest lesson of all was the reinforced advice my dad gave me that December: learn to prioritize focus.
The beauty of 100 day projects is that they don't allow room for petty excuses or lack of direction.
At the end of the day, the only question that matters is: "Did I do the work today?" If the answer is yes, then you are inching closer to victory. If it's no, then you have failed. However, knowing that each day is a fresh start is the most redemptive part of the project (side note: this is also how I survived golf in high school—new hole, fresh start). Doing this over and over makes you feel like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow for pretty much three months straight, and that's cool because he saves the world from aliens...but I digress.
100 day projects don't have to be complex, but they should be challenging. They're meant to be practice, after all. With healthy practice, process and growth are celebrated, not perfect performance.
Projects like this teach us to hunker down and do the work. Unexpected consequences arise (a.k.a. lessons learned), but only those who do the work will be able to internalize these game changing lessons. It's the ultimate, "You had to be there" for personal growth. The good, the bad and the ugly are all agents of change. They're the warriors to bring us to the finish line.
What else is nice about working on something for 100 days?
You have 100 more of anything you want. In my case, it's a slew of new illustrations.
I need your help! I'm nearing the end of my 100 Days of Getting Started project with my Creative Residency (reminding me that three months is not long at all). I'm excited to bring some of this art to life. Below are a few images I may print. Several of them would be edited / recolored / resized appropriately. Do you have any favorites? If you give me your feedback by Thursday morning (August 6), you may win a print of your choice from my shop. Also note: anybody who leaves feedback will receive 25% off the next round of prints (email becky@chipperthings.com to redeem). Let the games begin!
Hello all | 5,349 |
Blame it on the iPad, or on employees complaining about having better gadgets at home than in the office. Whatever the cause, more and more workers are demanding that their companies accommodate their personal laptops, smartphones<|fim_middle|>. Often, companies will provide stipends for workers who want to buy their own equipment.
The advantages of a Bring Your Own Device policy are clear. Many workers respond positively to the sense of autonomy and individuality that choosing their own laptops and tablets implies. It's good, in short, for morale — especially among workers in the creative or tech sectors, who like to think of themselves as independent.
BYOD also saves companies money. Even if the organization provides a stipend for purchasing devices, they can potentially save money on IT support.
"You can basically outsource your IT department to Apple," says one analyst.
In addition, most companies have a cap on their device stipends. If you want a laptop that doubles as a time machine and can align the satellites in space, you'll have to shell out the extra money yourself.
What's the downside to letting your employees bring their own gadgets? Well, see previous re: outsourcing that IT department. Many workers are understandably less than excited about spending their off hours negotiating with the Geek Squad. It's also less time efficient for the company to depend on workers seeking help from outside vendors. After all, the IT guys might make fun of you, but at least they're just in the cubicle down the hall and can come turn your computer off and turn it back on in person.
Finally, allowing workers to choose whichever devices their little heart desires almost certainly means that you'll have an office full of disparate computers, phones, and tablets. Even if you choose to continue providing some sort of formal IT support, you'll likely wind up with a PC guy shrugging his shoulders at the profusion of Apple products, and vice versa.
In the end, as with most things, it's about the tradeoffs you're willing to make. BYOD, and you can have more flexibility … for a price. | , and tablets — and companies are complying.
Companies like Netflix and Kraft Foods allow their employees to choose their own devices | 23 |
Video games are my hobby and passion since young, and one passion actually led to another. Most of the video games I played then came from Japan, and I decided to pick up Japanese after my O' Levels, the study of which I ended up greatly enjoying. Having graduated with a Social Science degree, I didn't think I would end up working in games industry but applied anyway. Thinking back about it now, I think there might not be anywhere else I fit better than working in this industry!
There is definitely a sense of gaming culture over here with our colleagues and that is something I greatly appreciate as it made me feel that we are more on a similar wavelength at least. (Then again, who would join a games company if you didn't like games?) Another thing I really appreciated is the opportunity for open discussion and problem solving with our colleagues and/or superiors. We have an open office and I think that really helped to facilitate and open up communication. Or might that be due to the common gamer in us?
Estimating correctly for, and releasing features according to the schedule is challenging for me. This depends on the scale of the feature to be planned; active management of implementation progress; while also making sure there would be enough time for test and fix cycles to make sure the feature is<|fim_middle|> expected is another great avenue of feedback and source of improvement for me.
"Don't be chasing success or happiness. | ready for release! At KTS, I have learnt a lot from more experienced planners on this managing this.
Witnessing features go from the drawing board (conceptualization and planning) to initial testing on sandboxes, and finally to release on production where players gets to experience them is incredibly satisfying for me. Thereafter, monitoring to see if player progression is as I | 74 |
Q: Swift Firebase: Identify Change in Database I am writing a chat application and attempting to implement readReceipts. I have the following Firebase database structure, and when a message is opened, I will do a updateChildValue. This will update the Bool to true, like so:
Snap (messages) {
"-L7E-3km6bvx3WWFHeuj" = 1;
"-L7E-MXzwmZ9iv6Bj0oM" = 1;
"-L7E-N5pm-FGtb3m3AOr" = 1;
"-L7E-Q2cRJz9DDFgRWL_" = 1;
"-L7E-U4r1vd94i-xbNTh" = 1;
"-L7E1LdrJaqZDjIkWd7X" = 1;
"-L7EBz3hxfJ-E3f7joJ6" = 1;
"-L7EE8A5eZNyey12GcHB" = 1;
"-L7EEwX2m-rrPYFgDoA8" = 0;
"-L7EFA7CHfyRoECUkeLm" = 0;
"-L7EFPICxdWQcrLOEUkM" = 0; //Updating this will<|fim_middle|>) { (snapshot, key) in
print(key)
//"-L7EFPICxdWQcrLOEUkM"
}
| change Bool to 1
"-L7EJ1byG2KLKZf_Cspv" = 0;
"-L7EKRmXYz_94UrIPGhS" = 0;
}
I listen for childChanged on my messages node, and when the update changes to true, I will update the views of the collectionViewCells. However, implementing childChanged will always extract the whole messages node.
Is there a way to identify the exactly which id gets the update and hence obtain the indexPath to update the collectionViewCells? Alternatively, is there a better way to implement readReceipts?
A: There is another observer function just for your case
from Firebase Docs
observeEventType:andPreviousSiblingKeyWithBlock: is used to
listen for data changes at a particular location. This is the primary
way to read data from the Firebase Database. Your block will be
triggered for the initial data and again whenever the data changes. In
addition, for FIRDataEventTypeChildAdded, FIRDataEventTypeChildMoved,
and FIRDataEventTypeChildChanged events, your block will be passed the
key of the previous node by priority order.
func observe(_ eventType: DataEventType, andPreviousSiblingKeyWith block: @escaping (DataSnapshot, String?) -> Void) -> UInt
Example:
Database.database().reference().child("messages").observe(.childChanged | 290 |
Luxury Industry, Luxury Lifestyle, news
Rebecca Robins and Manfredi Ricca, Honorary Judges of the 2014 Luxury Lifestyle Awards
Rebecca Robins and Manfredi Ricca are appointed Honorary Judges of the 2014 Luxury Lifestyle Awards for their acknowledged experience and expertise of the luxury sector.
Rebecca Robins, Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America and Manfredi Ricca, Managing Director of Interbrand Italy have been appointed Honorary Judges of the prestigious Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2014. The ceremony will take place on August 29, 2014 at The Langham in London, UK. Interbrand is the world's leading brand consultancy.
"To have our talents and expertise acknowledged by such a renowned award is an important achievement, said Simon Bailey, CEO of Interbrand EMEA & LatAm. "Rebecca and Manfredi have uniquely examined what is at the heart of true luxury and we are very proud that the 'Meta-luxury' paradigm has become part of the global luxury lexicon." The Luxury Lifestyle Awards is an international award that aims to honour the best in the realm of luxury. The competition brings together leading brands of different segments of the luxury industry across several countries, prizing the most original initiatives and outstanding achievements with a handcrafted 24-carat Golden Crown created by the famed jewellery brand<|fim_middle|> touchpoints, in all market dynamics. By understanding and anticipating the changing needs and demands of consumers, the firm helps its clients across industries, to drive greater business growth while solving their most pressing business challenges. Interbrand is widely recognized for its annual Best Global Brands report, the definitive guide to the world's most valuable brands, as well as its Best Global Green Brands report, which identifies the gap between customer perception and a brand's performance relative to sustainability. It is also known for having created brandchannel.com, a Webby-award winning resource about brand marketing and branding. Interbrand is part of the Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) network of agencies. For more information, please visit us at interbrand.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. www.interbrand.com
Getting Ready For Spring
Haute Horlogerie: It's Not Just for the Boys
Haute Couture From Paris To NYC - Polaroids By Cathleen Naundorf at Edwynn Houk Gallery
Bertoni 1949 – The Story of a Luxury Game Trunk
Media Partnership with Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2014 Announced
For The Love Of Lipstick & Lipgloss
Discover Tiergarten Sculptures of Quintessential Forms
Luxury Moment: A Spa Visit
AirPortr On-Demand Baggage Delivery Launched at London Heathrow
Technology and Fashion Merge Beautifully into Smart Coats by EMEL AND ARIS
The Kempinski Hotel Ajman - An Oasis Worth Visiting
Rediscover: Joy in The Art of Doing Nothing
Faraone MennellaInterbrandLuxury Lifestyle AwardsManfredi Riccameta-luxuryRebecca Robins
Discover 'Patrón en LALIQUE: Serie 2'
Entrepreneur and business innovator Adrian Cheng makes significant investment in Moda Operandi
SIHH 2016: Novelties and Trends for Ladies | Faraone Mennella.
The illustrious judging panel consists of a Main and Honorary jury. The Main Jury comprises one representative from each of the nominated companies, while the Honorary Jury incorporates the management of international luxury brands – including Brioni, Escada, Loewe, LVMH and Montblanc International as well as independent experts, recognized specialists and editors of luxury publications.
Rebecca Robins and Manfredi Ricca have been selected for their acknowledged experience and expertise of the luxury market and for having introduced the paradigm of 'Meta-luxury.' This approach, presented in the book, Meta-Luxury: brands and the culture of excellence, co-written by Robins and Ricca, sets out to define the ultimate meaning of true luxury, exploring it both as a culture and business model. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, the book has been hailed as a breakthrough and has received notable attention from The Financial Times, Branding Magazine, Warc, among many other leading business and marketing trade publications.
About Interbrand
Founded in 1974, Interbrand (www.interbrand.com) is the world's leading brand consultancy. With nearly 40 offices in 27 countries, Interbrand's combination of rigorous strategy, analytics, and world-class design enables it to assist clients in creating and managing brand value effectively, across all | 277 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.