The raiders forced their way into a property in Levenshulme, Manchester, on Friday night.
They held a knife to the youngster before using pliers to cut six gold bangles from a woman's arm.
Police said the men were disturbed by a noise and ran away from the address in Barlow Road shortly after 7.45pm.
Detective Constable Gareth Croll, from North Manchester CID, said: "This was a shocking robbery that left the victims terrified and no longer feeling safe in their own home.
"I find it hard to believe that these men did not think twice about threatening a defenceless child to get what they wanted.
"Thankfully no-one was hurt but it has left mental scars.
"I would firstly urge anyone who may have seen these men in or around the area to contact us. They clearly have no morals and need to be caught as soon as possible. If you have any information that may help us bring these men to justice, we would like to hear from you.
"Secondly, if you or if you know anyone who may have been approached and offered these bangles or any jewellery under suspicious circumstances, please phone police."
Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 3020 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.


The ‘streaming’ platform Footters will broadcast live the play-offs for promotion to Second A and Second B, reported this Wednesday the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) through a statement.
The promotion playoffs will be held this summer, after the RFEF ends the competitions in their regular format due to the serious health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Soccer fans, especially those of the 88 participating teams, 16 of Second B and 72 of Third, they will be able to enjoy matches through Footters.
The 14 games of the play-off promotion to Second Division A and the 54 of the play-off promotion to Second Division B they will be held behind closed doors following the instructions of the health authorities, as confirmed by the RFEF.
The candidates for promotion to Second Division A have met this Wednesday and have approved that the qualifying rounds will be played entirely in the Region of Murcia from July 18 to 26.
As reported by the journalist of COPE, Isaac Fouto, Footters has acquired the rights exclusively for 500,000 euros. Subtracting production costs, each club from the 16 that will participate in the express play-off to Segunda A they will correspond to about 26,000 euros. The hotels and the stay will be borne by each team. In addition, the players and the other members of the clubs will pass Covid-19 test before every game and the draw will be held on Monday June 8.


Tabcorp has delivered a worse than expected $20.8m net loss for the year. The gaming group’s bottom line was mainly impacted by almost $200 million in significant items (one-off costs).
Tabcorp (TAH) has delivered a worse than expected $20.8 million net loss for the year. The gaming group’s bottom line was mainly impacted by almost $200 million in significant items (one-off costs). These costs were linked to its proposed merger with Tatts Group, legal costs (AUSTRAC money laundering civil proceedings) and a loss from its Sun Bets business in the UK.
Tabcorp will pay investors a fully franked $0.125 final dividend on 18 September 2017. It will trade ex-dividend on 11 August. This takes total payments for the year to $0.25; a $0.01 improvement on FY16.
TAH shares have improved regardless of the miss for a few reasons. Firstly, TAH had pre-announced most of its results in a June update. Secondly, when not including the substantial one-off items, underlying profit (profit before significant items) was at the top end of the company’s guidance ($173m-$180m) and slightly above analyst expectations ($175.1m).
The company was pleased with the performance of its core businesses. Earnings improved in its Gaming Services and Keno unit. However, Wagering & Media (its biggest division) went backwards. Its wagering & media business (TAB), which accounts for 70% of earnings, posted an 8.4% slide in its underlying profit to $350 million. The result was held back by the impact of a loss from Luxbet (its online betting business based in NT) and a 14.6% decline in Trackside revenues (its animated racing game). It will introduce new initiatives in FY18 for its Trackside division and is undergoing a strategic review of Luxbet. It has secured rights for continued broadcast on Sky Racing.
TAH’s second biggest earner, Gaming Services (includes more than 9,000 poker machines) posted a 17% lift in profits to $82.1 million and a 34.2% jump in revenues thanks partly to seven months of Intecq trading (a gaming tech company it bought for $128m in 2016) and is being successfully integrated into the group. Not including Intecq’s contribution, revenue was up a more modest 7.8% and was boosted by a number of new venues in NSW such as Panthers Group from February 2017.
Keno has enjoyed strong performances in NSW, Victoria and ACT, helping to partially offset weakness in Queensland. Sun Bets – the UK start-up – posted a $46.2 million loss over the year and was a drag on the result. It expects to be better positioned for a stronger performance in FY18.
Looking ahead, TAH’s merger with Tatts (TTS) will be a priority over the coming year. While TAH said it expects the combination to be completed by the end of 2017, a vote on the $11 billion merger has been delayed until October 2017.
For more Reporting Season coverage, visit (VIEW LINK)


Before I go off on a complete "tangerine," as I heard a good ol' Cajun lady say once, I'll get back to the point. I had one of these Small World moments yesterday. Here's how it went~~
Back story: I belong to a church group that makes food for church members who have lost a loved one, mostly to be served wakes or afterward. Sometimes we also bring food to shut-ins when there's a request. I got one of the latter calls and made arrangements to bring food to an address not too far from my house.
Me: (knocking on door) "Hello, I talked with you on the phone yesterday, and am here to drop off some food."
Her: "Oh, hello. Just a second." (Rattle noises as if searching for deadbolt keys and/or retrieving walker or cane.)
Her: (Unlocking door and letting me into her small apartment.) "Hi there. Thanks for coming..."
[Here we chat a bit and I explain to her I've brought salad, lasagna, cornbread and a miniature chocolate cake. She looks like a little elf with shining eyes as she oohs and ahhs over the food. Then, I don't know how we got on the subject, but I'm telling her about how ill my mother is.]
Her: "Would you mind writing your mom's name down on that little tablet for me so I can pray for her?"
Me: "I sure will. And I'll write your name down to take with me too since you live so near me. I'm always on the road, and I bring food to my parents' often. It'd be my pleasure to bring you some again if you're ever in need." [I write Mom's name down for her.]
Her: "Hmm. That name is so familiar. Is your Dad's name _____? I knew someone with that name a long time ago. There couldn't be two because it's quite unusual. I once lent them my baby stroller when they had their twins."
Me: "Yes, that's my dad and mom! And I'm one of those twins. See, I'm paying you back after all these years for helping my family out." (Laughing.)
[Here there is much hugging and promises to pray for each others' families, and to meet up again soon. She pats me on the shoulder with her arthritis-crippled hand and reminds me to tell my parents Charlie Jo Thibodaux sends her regards.]
I just love these Small World happenings. They're almost as good as those unexplainable "coinkidinks" or "Godincidences." Feels nice to be part of something bigger. Something being directed by a much larger force outside oneself. Something kind, gentle, just and just a tad humorous.Have you had a Small World meeting lately? If so, please share. They're fascinating.


Happy Monday, MOPS Moms!!
Our last meeting is this Thursday, April 26 at 10:00. I hope you all have been blessed by this MOPS year as much as I have. The Lord is doing great work through us as moms and I am so thankful we have had this opportunity to develop our MomSense together.
Highlights for Tea & Testimony:
* Each group will be "theme-ing" and decorating their own tables. Prizes are awarded to the winning tables. Setup will be available at 8:30 on Wednesday night or early before our meeting (9:00). Please have tables completed by 10:00 so we can start the meeting on time. Have fun with it! and remember it is optional, no stress ;)
* Testimony - please pray for me as I prepare to share my testimony. Glorify the Lord with me; Let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3
* We will have the evaluation forms, interest forms and pre-registration forms available again at this meeting. If you did not get a chance to fill them out last time, please get one from the back table.
* A nice lunch will be served to enjoy with your table and celebrate the close of an exciting year with MOPS at Grace Evan!
Chalkboard saying for the week: Glorify the Lord!
In all things,


How digital signage and mobile is the latest and greatest convergence for DOOH advertisers (Commentary)
By Alex Romanov
President and CEO, iSIGN Media
You know the saying "the more things change, the more they remain the same"? Think about how true that is for marketers today.
Despite so many advertising technology advances and new media breakthroughs, marketers still face the age-old challenge of reaching new customers and placing the most appropriate offers in front of them at the most advantageous times.
Traditional broadcast and print media have become increasingly unresponsive and impotent, as the once-powerful "mass media" is nearly a thing of the past. Newspapers are dying (still), broadcast radio is a shadow of its former self and the previously monolithic television audience is now so scattered and fragmented, it's far less effective and more expensive than ever to make an impression — or drive sales. Writer and marketing guru Seth Godin refers to this phenomenon as "the end of the TV-industrial complex."
Catering to the constantly connected consumer
Paradoxically, at the same time mass media and marketing are producing diminished returns and facing impending extinction, consumers are more empowered than ever and have shown, in increasing numbers, a willingness to be constantly connected. The cascading expansion of mobile communications has created an unprecedented opportunity for marketers to reach out and touch their customers in a very specific and personal way, with products and offers tailored to their needs, wants — and demographics.
Digital signage is one very smart way to address this erosion. It provides advertisers with the means to convey messaging in an exciting and innovative manner. It's an effective, attention-getting medium for marketing. HP, for example, says that digital signage "provides information in an attractive format that entertains, informs and engages for a unique experience that gets results. Reach your key audiences and grow revenue by making your communications more relevant and memorable."
But is innovative and exciting digital signage enough? Are there complementary ways to get the word out and make the sale?
Yes! But first a little background: As the growth of mobile phones over the last 25-plus years paralleled the explosion of the Internet for personal and business use, these twin phenomena have converged. The ubiquity of smartphones that combine cellular communications (voice and text) with always-online Internet accessibility to data, Internet and online media (sound and images) is now a fait accompli.
Mobile and digital signage come together
This convergence continues. Along with the growing popularity of digital signage, a new and very exciting advertising medium has been added to the mix. Now, smartphone and other mobile cellular users can get in on the action, as their providers partner with digital signage companies.
For DOOH, or digital out-of-home, advertisers, this convergence of mobile communications creates enormous advantages and opportunities for interaction and commerce. But there are also some challenges. Spamming, for example, remains strictly verboten, whether it's in the form of email or SMS. Opt-in "permission-based marketing" is still the way to go. But opt-in "permission marketing" is far more effective than intrusive, untargeted and unwanted advertising.
There are also great benefits. The ability to measure may turn out to be the pearl in this oyster. In fact, it could prove to be the most valuable part of the equation. Data is collected, including likes and dislikes, and buying habits can be aggregated, then sliced and diced to create a customer profile. Age, gender and the number of customers viewing a specific message can also be collected and measured. This data can be analyzed to increase advertising effectiveness. Measuring the ROI of a given campaign is another benefit.
Respect thy data
Privacy is always a concern in targeted marketing and has to be extensively addressed in developing advertising solutions. Metrics must be kept private and not used for any purpose outside of the transaction.
Using these innovative applications for marketing is, by itself, a quantum leap, but combined with shopping and transaction tools, they become a superior means of interacting with customers and selling your product or service. The shopping experience also becomes far more personal. For customers, the positive feeling engendered by dealing with an organization that knows their needs and preferences is quite powerful. And it opens up a world of creativity and innovation for advertisers and marketers.
What's next then? As technology advances and the only constant is change, it's difficult to predict the future.
However, if the past is any indication, ongoing convergence can be counted upon. Consumers will continue to embrace new platforms and incorporate social media, but it's not clear if they will emerge as effective marketing tools. Will digital signage and mobile communication effectively leverage social marketing? The ultimate success of Facebook's recent IPO may depend on its ability to project revenues based on monetizing social activity but thus far the results have been far from convincing. "The Wall Street Journal," "BusinessWeek," "Fast Company" and "The Atlantic" prophetically thought so too.
Regardless, it's clear that as media consumption, mobile usage and the advertising landscape changes, marketers must continue to find ways to utilize technology to deliver their message using new platforms in the most cost effective and efficient ways. My money is on the convergence of mobile and digital signage to lead the way.
Ontario, Canada-based iSIGN Media is a provider of multiplatform advertising solutions that utilize Bluetooth, mobile, Wi-Fi and location-aware technologies to deliver rich media, permission-based messages to deeply engage consumers.
Read more about digital signage and mobile interactivity.


Let’s be honest, not everyone enjoys visiting their dentist. Often, this can be due to dental-related fears and phobias. If this sounds like you, you may feel isolated and alone; however, the issue is more common than you might think. In fact, it is estimated that 15% of Americans delay scheduling an appointment for the same reason. If fear is keeping you from visiting your general or emergency dentist in Green Hills, you know that sedation dentistry can help, but you do not want to go that route. Instead, you would like to conquer your fears on your own. To help you overcome your anxieties, there are several things you can try to put your mind at ease.
Use a Topical Anesthetic
Many people fear pain during their dental appointments due to a bad experience in the past or from sensitive teeth. No matter the reason, you can help to ensure a pain-free visit by asking your dentist in Green Hills for a topical anesthetic. This does not require a needle to apply. Instead, it is an ointment that is used to pre-numb an area.
Use Blindfolds or Headphones
The sights, sounds, and smells of a dental office can be overwhelming, often causing anxieties to increase. To help block the sights and sounds that may cause your palms to sweat, consider wearing blindfolds and headphones to limit your sensory intake.
Ask for Breaks
It is not unusual for many patients to have difficulty laying in one position for too long. Some are claustrophobic and have a hard time having people too close to them. To help ease your discomfort, it is OK to ask your dentist to take a break. Prior to beginning your procedure, create a hand signal to notify your dentist that you need a minute or two prior to continuing.
The fear of the unknown can help fuel anxieties. The more you know about a treatment, the more confident you will feel. To ensure that you understand every aspect of your treatment plan, be sure to ask any questions that you may have. In addition, you can conduct research at home to help you fully understand the procedure.
If you have a trusted friend or loved one by your side during your appointment, it can help you relax. Prior to your visit, arrange for a companion to accompany you to your visit.
Conquer Your Dental Fears
If dental fears are holding you back from visiting your dentist, you can overcome them on your own. If you do need a little extra help relaxing, ask your general or emergency dentist about the benefits of sedation dentistry.
About Dr. James Kirby
As a trusted dentist in the community, Dr. James Kirby takes the comfort of his patients seriously. He understands that some suffer from dental fears. He works to cater to everyone’s comfort level to help them relax. If you are anxious about your appointment, Dr. Kirby will work with you to provide you with the compassionate care you need. Contact our office today to learn more.


|Nurse Elizabeth Phillips|
Where a village like Preston is well covered by a local historian with an excellent web site such as A History of Preston in Hertfordshire I am delighted as I can relax as there is no point in duplicating what is already online and I can simply point the visitor to the appropriate URL., and pass on useful updates via this newsletter.
Philip has just posted an interesting account of Preston's first midwife which makes interesting reading - and includes some interesting general information on childbirth and midwifery. It also highlights two useful sources of information I had not considered.
The first is that Ancestry have now included some information on midwives to add to there collection of useful sources.
The second relates to the Hertfordshire Cohort Study - which is a major clinical research study based on the finding of records of births and early infancy for children born in Hertfordshire between 1911 and 1939. Records were kept of child's name, data and weight at birth, together with weight at one year, vaccination history and first school at five, and some other detail, and this can now be related to what happened (and in many cases is still happening) later in life. Similar records were probably kept elsewhere but have not survived, while most, but not all for Hertfordshire have survived. I remember, many years ago, there was a news article in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette about the discovery of a book of old maternity records which had been saved from ending up in a skip and how useful they would prove to be. However I had not realized how important they were.
None of my immediate family are part of the study as my mother was born in Hemel Hempstead in 1908 and while I was born in St Albans in 1938 the St Albans records have not survived - and in any case would not have included information on my weight at one year, etc, because my parents moved to SOmerset when I was 11 months old.
Of course the files contain medical information on living people so the detailed information, such as whether a child was breast-fed, is not yet available to genealogists but there are some interesting statistical findings.
Quite by chance the question of birth came up at the recent St Albans History Conference. Roger (who has previously corresponded with this site) asked a question, relating to Bernards Heath. I happened to mention I was born on the other side of the road, and he commented that he had been born at "Hazeldene" at about the same time. ... As it happens my son was born in a nursing home in Exeter but both my daughters were born at home in Tring, with midwife care and grandma (a trained nurse) available to help as necessary.
So do you know whether your ancestors were born at home - or in a nursing home, or in a hospital, or did they go to their mother's house for the actual birth?


I have been shaving for quite a long time and from the looks of things I will be shaving for the most of the rest of my life. If I was not so lazy it would end up being a daily routine. To save a couple of bucks I would use razors until my skin would peel off and leave the stubble. All that changed a couple of years ago when I watched the very video featured on this article.
The Dollar Shave club delivers your razors to you every month so you don't have to worry about going out and getting new razors. The least expensive plan ($1.00 a month plus shipping) will have five razors sent to you every month. That is a new razor every week. It may be the best dollar you spend.
The razors each month is not the only perk of being a member. Each month The Dollar Shave Club attaches a business card on the razor cartridge with clever sayings (see Google+ page for examples). Also included in the shipped box is Bathroom Minutes which is the clubs own publication. Then every now and then there is samples of other toiletries that club sells. It is like getting a birthday present each month. It can really add a smile to that freshly saved face of yours.
The Dollar Shave Club also sells Shave Butter to replace your average shaving cream, Post Shave for an after shave moisturizer and One Wipe Charlies for wiping after using the restroom... if you know what I mean. The One Wipe Charlies are what "gentlemen use to wipe" according to the web site. There is a video on that web page to clear up exactly what a One Wipe Charlie is if you still have questions.
Marketing has been great for this company. You should at least check out the videos and their Google+ page. I have no doubt you will at least consider joining after a little thought of how much shaving is a pain and how much you tend to spend on shaving. If you would like more information or would like to sign up, use This Link.
There is one more benefit worth mentioning. Every friend (or anyone else) that signs up using your unique URL will earn you $5.00. Like their website states, 1000 friends to sign up will get you free razors for 83 years! Give it a try.


DENVER (AP) No. 1,000 was nothing new for Nolan Arenado.
Arenado also doubled twice and drove in two to help the Rockies win for the seventh time in eight games. He is the ninth Rockies player to reach 1,000 hits, getting there with a solo shot off Wander Suero (1-2) in the seventh to make it 6-5.
''I'm just thankful I was able to put the team ahead there and have a good quality at bat against a guy throwing hard and throwing really good cutters,'' Arenado said. ''I just tried to hit the ball hard there.''
Washington manager Dave Martinez said Suero's pitch to Arenado went over the middle of the plate.
''With a guy like Arenado you've got to make a better pitch than that,'' Martinez said. ''He's a really good hitter. He's one of the premiere players in the game and you've got to make your pitches.''
The Rockies located the home run ball, convincing the fan who caught it to give it up in exchange for balls autographed by Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon. Clubhouse manager Mike Pontarelli put the ball in a case and presented it to Arenado after the game.
''This is real cool,'' Arenado said with a smile.
Mark Reynolds and pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia also homered for Colorado, and Trevor Story singled twice and drove in a run to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
Brian Dozier had a three-run home run for the Nationals, who could not hold two- and three-run leads.
Tapia connected off Kyle Barraclough in the Rockies' eighth.
Wade Davis got three outs for his second save, capping a strong showing by Rockies relievers, who picked up faltering starter Tyler Anderson by not allowing a run over six innings. Chad Bettis stabilized the game for the Rockies by working three innings and Seunghwan Oh (1-0) worked a hitless seventh.
''Those guys have been doing a great job for us all year,'' Reynolds said. ''Bettis came in and threw three innings, really good work, then Oh and (Scott) Oberg and Wade. They haven't had too many leads to pitch with this year, but when they do have the lead, they tend to hold it and keep us in games. And to fall behind twice and win this game against a really good team, it's a confidence boost.''
Washington catcher Yan Gomes said the Rockies relievers were tough to crack.
''We knew coming in they had a pretty decent bullpen,'' Gomes said. ''It was just a matter for us to put some good at-bats together. We did, we were just one knock away from away from breaking the game open, just like they were. We took some good approaches, it just didn't go our way.''
Arenado helped defensively in the ninth, snaring pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki's sharply hit grounder to third, stepping on the bag for the force before going to first to complete a game-ending double play.
Colorado evened the score for the second time with a three-run fifth, highlighted by Reynolds' two-run homer off Jeremy Hellickson, who allowed a season high five runs on nine hits in five innings.
With the score tied at 2 and runners at first and second following successive walks in the fourth, Dozier drove a 2-0 offering deep into the left field bleachers to put Washington up 5-2 and chase Anderson, who was reinstated earlier in the day from the 10-day injured list (left knee inflammation). Anderson allowed five runs and four hits in three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season.
Howie Kendrick put Washington on top with a two-run single in the first, but Colorado evened it in its half of the inning on Arenado's RBI double and Ryan McMahon's RBI single.
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland will miss his scheduled start Tuesday night after going on the 10-day injured list because of a blister on his left middle finger. The move was retroactive to Friday. ... INF Daniel Murphy is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list, which he has been on since April 1 after fracturing his left index finger diving for a ground ball. Murphy has gone 2 for 13 with a double and three walks in three rehab games at Triple-A Albuquerque.
INF Jake Noll has been recalled from Triple-A Fresno, and the team optioned RHP Austin Adams to Fresno.
Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0, 2.36 ERA) is set to make his 22nd career start against the Rockies on Tuesday night. He has eight wins against them.
Rockies: No announcement had been made regarding a Tuesday night replacement for Freeland.
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
Copyright 2019 by AP. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of AP is strictly prohibited.


We offer our guests various packages: accommodation, accommodation with breakfast, accommodation with dinner or accommodation with half-board. It’s not possible for guests to prepare their own meals because of the small kitchen, limited cooling space but we are leaving you with option of taking your own food (that doesn’t require cooking) or if you were planing on renting a boat, eating in in one of the restaurants on island Lastovo.
You can also order food in our restaurant a la carte where we offer you grilled fish or meat, vegetables and season salads. During the day you can order sandwich, omelette, anchovies or similar. Our food is daily fresh and prepared in traditional way. The fish we are preparing is caught the same day and what makes it especially attractive is that you get to choose yours as soon as the local fisherman brings them.
Come and rest your mind and body with the untouched beauty of Mrcara! In the restaurant we serve following drinks: mineral and natural bottled water, juices, beer, wine, brandies. We should mention that we will gladly accommodate guests that don’t consume meat with supplement food that is right for them. There is a 2 km path through the woods that is excellent for jogging and path of a few km for walking. There is a multipurpose concrete playground ideal for volleyball, soccer, badminton etc.
Guests with a license can rent a boat ( EUR 35 per day, an arrangement should be made in advance). It is possible to arrange half day group trips around Lastovo archipelago. We recommend wearing sport clothes, shoes, beach and swimming garments. You should bring sun cream, basic medication, aspirins, anti-allergic cream and special medication for people who are sensitive to mosquito bites, flies or wasps. We don’t sell cigarettes. Smoking is allowed only in the restaurant and on the beach. It’s very useful to take with you flashlights, hats, cameras and camcorders. Recharging of cell phones, cameras and laptops is possible in the restaurant.


Imagine you are holding a credit card. It can be bowed or bent to a degree with
the fingers, but when you let it go, it will snap back to its original shape. This will occur every time ... until it finally
gives in and forms a crease or a fold due to repetitive bending. Once this happens, the crease or fold in that credit card
cannot be removed. It will no longer snap back to its original shape and unlined smoothness. A credit card is similar
to the muscles in your face.
How muscles work
In youth, facial muscles, when contracted
and then are released, will snap back to their original, unlined smoothness. Over time, however, the muscles will eventually
crease. As long as those facial muscles continue to contract, the creases will persist and deepen over time.
Think about muscles in general and how they respond to use. Whether we’re talking
about facial muscles or a bicep, if you exercise any muscle (by movement or by lifting weights for example), it will
grow in size and strength. If you stop exercising that same muscle, it will shrink in size and become weak. This shrinking
and weakening of certain facial muscles is precisely what is accomplished through injections of Botox®.
How to maximize results
goal is to keep the muscles between the eyebrows, across the forehead and at the outer corners of the eyes weakened so that
they become - and stay - as smooth and small as possible. To do this, one should ideally receive Botox®
injections at three-month intervals for the first 12 to 18 months. At that point, Botox® should
be administered to still-weak facial muscles approximately every five months to maintain their smoothness. Allowing the Botox® injections to “wear off” will allow the weakened muscles to crease once again and grow in
size and strength. The goal is to soften the face and allow it to have natural expression without the muscles “bunching
It comes down to a matter of maintenance. The smoothness of a youthful face can be extended and the worsening
of already established wrinkles and folds can be halted with consistent treatments of Botox®. Used
worldwide for the prevention and management of facial wrinkles, Botox® is one of the most powerful
tools in maintaining your appearance.
If you are interested in preventing and managing facial wrinkles, call our
office today to schedule an appointment. Our professional staff will be happy to assist you!
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
|Frowning ability before Botox®.
|After Botox®, frown lines do not appear.
|Forehead lines before Botox®.
|After Botox®, forehead lines are eliminated.
Scheduling a Botox® treatment or consultation
Call us at (310) 278-1839
Or contact us by email


In November, medical device giant Johnson & Johnson agreed to begin settling thousands of lawsuits from patients who were injured by the defective DePuy ASR metal hip implants, which were recalled in 2010.
News reports stated that the settlement could be worth a potential $4 billion after all was said and done. However, many of those affected don’t know the details, whether they qualify or what steps they need to take to receive compensation.
First, it is important to know that this is not the first settlement attempted by Johnson & Johnson.
DePuy ASR metal hip implants were used in approximately 93,000 surgeries from 2005 until 2010. After they were recalled over concerns of early failure and metallic poisoning, J&J tried to get as many patients as possible to accept small settlements, sign releases giving up their legal rights and turn over their defective hips.
Unfortunately, thousands of patients who required painful revision surgery did just as J&J wanted, reportedly giving up their legal rights for settlements as low as $20,000.
More than 12,000 other patients hired lawyers to make sure their rights were protected. As DePuy lawsuits were filed in state and federal courts around the country, internal documents showed the company knew of the dangers of their hips years before the recall, but kept selling them regardless.
After several verdicts against Johnson & Johnson, the company agreed to the current settlement. It will pay at least $2.5 billion to settle around 8,000 lawsuits for patients who already had surgery to replace defective ASR hips prior to August 2013. The deadline to join this phase of the settlement was January 6th.
Now, J&J is expected to continue negotiating settlements for the rest of the claims, including those who had surgery at a later date or may need surgery down the road. The potential total settlement is expected to reach over $4 billion.
Those joining the current settlement may receive awards averaging $250,000, although specific cases can be worth more or less depending on circumstances. This is much more than the paltry amounts offered at the time of the recall.
Surgeries to replace defective hip implants can be painful and require long periods of recovery. Anyone who received an all-metal hip from DePuy should talk with their doctor about the risks of early hip failure or metallic poisoning.
Patients should also speak with a lawyer as soon as possible to learn if they can receive file a hip replacement lawsuit. The time to act is limited.
Lawyers are available to discuss your case, investigate records and file a claim at no cost unless you receive an award. Due to the complexity of these cases, DrugNews only recommends lawyers who specialize in defective medical device cases and have already handled a DePuy lawsuit settlement.
Elmiron is a mild blood-thinner drug that has been around since 1996 and is prescribed to treat bladder pain or inflammation, a condition called interstitial cystitis.
Since many of the companies that sold asbestos or used it in their products have long since gone out of business, people who are diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers often think it’s too late to file a lawsuit.


The US has launched yet another airstrike in Pakistan’s Taliban controlled-tribal agency of North Waziristan, the sixth in the region in 11 days.
The deadly unmanned Predators and Reapers strike aircraft attacked a compound in the village of Hurmaz, just outside the town of Mir Ali. Four terrorists have been reported killed in the strike, but no senior Taliban or al Qaeda leaders have been reported killed.
“The militants have cordoned off the area and no one is allowed to go there,” a Pakistani intelligence official told Reuters, highlighting the extent of Taliban control in the region.
The village is administered by Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the top Taliban commander in North Waziristan. Bahadar is rumored to have been killed in a US swarm attack on March 10 in the Datta Khel region.
Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an Iraqi national who is also known as Abu Akash, also operates in the open in the Mir Ali region. He has close ties to the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, and serves as the key link between al Qaeda’s Shura Majlis, or executive council, and the Taliban. His responsibilities have expanded to assisting in facilitating al Qaeda’s external operations against the West.
Today’s airstrike in North Waziristan is the sixth in the Taliban and al Qaeda haven since March 16. The last attack took place in the Datta Khel region on March 23. Six Taliban fighters were reported killed in that attack.
The latest strike puts the March total at eight. Since the air campaign heated up in August of 2008, the US has averaged between five and seven strikes a month.
So far this year, the US has carried out 25 strikes in Pakistan; all of the strikes have taken place in North Waziristan. In 2009, the US carried out 53 strikes in Pakistan; and in 2008, the US carried out 36 strikes in the country. [For up-to-date charts on the US air campaign in Pakistan, see: Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 – 2010.]
Unmanned US Predator and Reaper strike aircraft have been pounding Taliban and al Qaeda hideouts in North Waziristan over the past several months in an effort to kill senior terror leaders and disrupt the networks that threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the West. [For more information, see LWJ report, “Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 – 2010.”]
Most recently, on March 8, a US strike in a bazaar in Miramshah killed a top al Qaeda operative known as Sadam Hussein Al Hussami. Hussami was a prot


Estet Beauty 2010
Participation of the Studio “Nata-Li” at the exhibition “Estet Beauty Expo 2010”
Participation in the exhibition “Estableciendo-2010” was presented to our Studio the opportunity to once again exclusive to Express themselves, to attract new customers and establish business contacts with new us suppliers and manufacturers.
the Studio “Nata-Li” was and is among the leaders in the beauty industry. For each exhibition we create for ourselves a new image. In this exhibition, we were in severe suits and hats.This hat boom for us and visitors had the opportunity to feel like a real lady. Buyers had the opportunity to try on designer hats, made in a single copy, and purchase at an affordable price.
For master barbers were the original decorations for hairstyles in the form of “Babyak and bows made of artificial hair colors natural hair.
Leading masters of our Studio held a master class on hairstyles based on wig-making products – extensions, hairpieces, polubarinov, as well as on the techniques of wrapping hair with a conical Curling irons and Curling irons hair straightener.
To all our buyers during the exhibition, the Studio “Nata-Li” in conjunction with the Studio “Dance Hads” made you smile-surprise – the opportunity to participate in the video and get a souvenir DVD disc. Also to everyone who have already bought a hairpiece or chignon, was handed a gift – a unique mini – Curling.


Young professionals, mature students this is for u
THIS smart, comfortable and clean house, with lots of amenities close by such as supermarkets, takeaways, gyms and movies has two available rooms. Please note that the equivalent weekly rent for comparison with others is £98 per week.
EASY connections by bus or train for uni or work and parking for those with their own cars.
CLEANERS every fortnight to keep the communal areas spotless and ALL bills included: heating, electricity, broadband, water, TV licence etc (you will require your own licence should you have a TV in your room).
DETAILS Three double bedrooms available all furnished with a double bed, desk, chair, chest of drawers and cupboard.
KITCHEN equipped with cutlery, crockery, cooking pots, pans and fridge-freezer. Washing machine and tumble-dryer.
TWO SHOWER ROOMS so no early morning queuing.
OUTSIDE the terraced garden has a whirly washing line and shingled area for sitting. There is a rear gate which is lockable giving a secure area for storing bicycles or motorcycles. The rear access road is suitable for parking cars.
HANDYMAN always available for maintenance.
PLEASE NOTE: non-students are charged an additional sum to cover Council Tax. Students are exempt from Council Tax.
THE house is suited to people working in Cardiff who don't mind a short commute from Treforest. There are regular train and bus services. All enquiries welcomed.
- House share
£425 pcm(NOW LET)
- £395 pcm (double)
- £410 pcm (double)
£410 pcm(NOW LET)
- Minimum term
- Maximum term
- Short lets considered
- Bills included?
- Disabled access
- Living room
- Broadband included
- # housemates
- Total # rooms
- 21 to 34
- Any pets?
- University of South Wales
- 1 Female, 1 Male
New housemate preferences
- Couples OK?
- Smoking OK?
- Pets OK?
- Don't mind
- Min age
- Max age
- Males or females
Report this ad
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CTMcKim got their new logo design by running a design contest:
Mortgage Company Logo
Check out CTMcKim's Logo design contest…
Looking for a logo for McKim Mortgage. The logo should have a classic look. If you can add a subtle high tech twist that would be great. Think classic first, high tech second.
What's your vision?
Desired Color Scheme: Open to any color scheme. Nothing too loud or flashy. Desired Style: Classic, solid, respectable, high tech, abstract The current logo is a green leaf (like Caesar wore on his head) in between McKim and Mortgage. I don't care if you incorporate that into the new design or not. Feel free to use any color scheme you like. The image that we convey in this office is: classic abstract art on the wall. An open, clean work area with lots of glass. nice computers each with 2 flat screen monitors. Using some kind of abstract art/ design might look good, but we are open to anything that conveys the idea that we are a solid, trustworthy company with a great understanding of the value of technology. We will use this logo primarily for business cards and possibly the website. If we find a logo we really like, we may hire you to design stationary and thank you cards. Do not get any ideas from our website. It is a stock site and doesn't reflect any of our style.
Every design category has flexible pricing for all budgets. Logo design starts at €269.
Full copyright with production-ready files for digital and/or print.
It all began with a design brief.
A quick, interactive guide helped them understand their design style and captured exactly what they needed in their logo design.
Designers across the globe delivered design magic.
CTMcKim collaborated with designers to refine their ideas
When design entries come in, you can rate them so designers know what you’re looking for in your logo design.
99designs has great collaboration tools so you can pinpoint and capture your ideas
And then… they selected a winner!
Along the way, they met lots of talented designers…
We think contests are a super fun way to get design.
Recently completed contests:
We provide short term property finance (bridging loans) to businesses and property investors in the UK.......with a stro
Modeschmuck, Glücksarmbänder, Mandala Armbänder, Echtsteinarmbänder, Ohrstecker, Halsketten, Schutzengel aus Kristall, F
Wellness spa with high-end technologies at spas. watch video of www.SaunaBar.com to get idea of what type of business I
A holistic healing business that focuses on bringing joy, love, connection, and courage through daily matras, positive q
The MacroHuman proposal is for a business specializing in simple, finger-prick testing of nutritional status, as well as
hair treatments,healthy long hair,shiny hair,straight hair


The EHS girls varsity volleyball team celebrated an incredible opening weekend with a third place finish in the gold division of the Adidas John Turner Classic in Pearland. The Knights captured their pool championship with consecutive sweeps of Shadow Creek, DIckinson, and Kingwood and moved to the quarterfinals with wins over Clear Falls and Georgetown. In Saturday's quarterfinals, the Knights earned a thrilling 2-1 win over Boswell to move to the semifinals. The semifinal match proved to be another thriller as the Knights fell 2-1 to San Antonio Reagan. The team regrouped and defeated Deer Park 2-0 to earn third place in the highly-competitive field.
In addition to the third place finish, Camille Hanna and Cimone Woodard were named to the all-tournament team.
The Knights host College Station Tuesday evening following matches by both the JV White and JV Blue teams. Action begins at 4pm in Alkek Gym.
VYPE INTERVIEW: @jokoch09 caught up with @EHSSports VB Coach Amanda Watts (@texaswatts) after the Knights' 3rd Place finish at @Adidas_JTC #txhsvb @KMACChuck @bwoodard_ @brenbrenh2 @Cimone_C @spcsports @EHSHouston pic.twitter.com/dxJ9wvl9BT— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) August 10, 2019


Plantar Fasciitis is typically an inflammation of your plantar fascia. In more simple words, a band of thick tissues that stretch from your heel to the foot bones is called Plantar Fascia. It acts as a shock absorber and supports the arches of your foot. Inflammation of this tissue is the most common cause of heel pain and is called Plantar Fasciitis.
Correct Plantar Fasciitis rehab is extremely important to cure this foot pain of its roots. But first, let us understand what causes this pain and what the symptoms are.
Runners, walkers, hikers, soldiers and basically anyone who are on their foot a lot can be affected by Plantar Fasciitis. It is primarily caused due to repetitive injury or repetitive overstretching of the Plantar Fasciitis. However, overpronation, high arched foot, tight calf muscles, poor footwear, and being overweight can increase the likelihood of this heel pain.
Pain anywhere on the underside of the heel is the most common symptom. Additionally, taking the first steps after getting up in the morning or after a long period of rest is painful or walking on your feet for a long time causes a stabbing pain at the bottom of your foot are other symptoms. Other symptoms also include mild swelling under the heel and tight calf muscles.
For some, a little rest is sufficient to ease the pain, while for some comfy shoes or regular shoe inserts are required, though these are just temporary methods. Normally treatment includes correcting the cause through stretching of the tight fascia and lower leg muscles and gradually returning to full fitness.
We provide a variety of Special Plantar Fasciitis exercises like a different kind of stretches, which helps cure this foot pain naturally. First, we will teach you stretching technique to reduce pain and ease foot functions. After which we will provide strength to all the muscles of the foot through an exercise program customized for you. Together, both the treatment phase will increase stability and prevent the foot pain from reoccurring.
Our treatment is proven successful over the years and you can recover from Plantar Fasciitis, living a life with no restrictions.


He was used as a search and rescue, carting and guard dog
Personality and Behavior
He slobbers and drools a lot!
He makes a great family companion
He's good with children he's raised with
His intimidating size and bark makes him a good guard dog
He's not easy to train. You will need patience as he is slower than most to learn obedience commands.
He sheds profusely! You will find a lot of hair in your home - stuck to your couch, carpets and clothes - and to just about everything else. You will be vacuuming regularly.
Grooming / Maintenance
His medium-length coat only needs to be brushed occasionally. However, because it sheds profusely you may find yourself brushing it a couple of times a week, or even daily, to reduce the hair in your home (what you remove with a brush doesn't end up on the couch!).


Mini Q&A with poet Elizabeth Austen
This is an excerpt of Elizabeth Austen’s Q&A in Everyday Book Marketing, in which she talks about radio interviews. For more book promo information, and to read Elizabeth’s complete Q&A, check out Everyday Book Marketing.
Elizabeth Austen is the author of Every Dress a Decision, a finalist for the Washington State Book Award, and two chapbooks, The Girl Who Goes Alone and Where Currents Meet. Her poems have appeared online (The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily), and in journals including Willow Springs, Bellingham Review, the Los Angeles Review, and the Seattle Review, and anthologies including Poets Against the War, A Face to Meet the Faces, and What to Read in the Rain. Elizabeth produces literary programming for KUOW 94.9, a Seattle NPR affiliate.
Q: What are some of the best ways an author can prepare for a live interview?
A: The most important thing is to spend some time beforehand thinking about what you want to say about your work. Imagine the interview is already over: What do you want to have said? What would you regret not saying?
Often, the person interviewing you will not have had time to read your book. So you need to be prepared with a short description of it. What’s your book about? Why did you write it—what drew you to this subject matter? Is it a departure from your previous work, and if so, in what ways? Is there an interesting story about how it got published? Also think about what you want to say about how you got started writing and why you continue to do it.
You’re essentially interviewer-proofing yourself. Hopefully you’ll get an interviewer who is genuinely interested in you and your book, and will talk with you briefly before the interview starts about what he/she wants to discuss, but you can’t depend on that.
Also, choose a couple of short excerpts or a few short poems that you might read aloud. What would provide a good introduction to the book? Practice reading aloud, and practice giving a concise introduction to what you’re going to read.
If you have time, I recommend listening online to an example or two of your interviewer’s program, so that you’ll have a sense of what to expect in terms of tone and approach. Does this interviewer tend to ask more about craft and process, or about the backstory of the book or individual poems? Is the interviewer looking for anecdotes and stories? Does it seem like the interviewer has actually read the book?
I’m a great believer in preparing for anything, and then letting go of the preparation during the interview so you can respond to what’s actually happening in the conversation. The most important thing is to be present. In the moment, approach it like you would any conversation with someone you care about—by listening and responding as honestly and generously as you can.
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When I received the TJ for AG press release (below the fold), I felt like I was coming home to a real Vermont grown campaign team. Sam Winship will serve as Campaign Manager, Mary Sullivan as Treasurer for Donovan 2012, and Jay Els will serve as communications consultant.
Personally, I think this could really turn out to be an exciting race. Odum used to rave about how great primaries are, and I always despised them after my exposure to Connecticut races where primaries seemed more like back room deals pretending to be an open race. After Vermont’s Democratic Gubernatorial primary, I have changed my mind. I learned more about each candidate and their campaign promises than I ever imagined. I think a real race for Attorney General will help Vermont’s talent shine and put real substantive issues on the table.
I have worked with all three Donovan 2012 professionals, and each one is a veteran campaigner. I have also hosted a variety of campaign workers during our time in Vermont, and as a relatively new flatlander in VT – 11 years, I think that getting a quality team like this one that consists of local Vermonters is really important. Vermont is a unique state facing some tough issues, we need campaign teams who understand Vermont and want to listen to its many and diverse voices.
Mary Sullivan was chair of the Burlington Democrats when I first became really active in Burlington politics and was appointed as a public works commissioner. I have learned more about city and state politics and the inner workings of Burlington and the Vermont Legislature from working with Mary than from almost anyone I know.
I will be interested to see what other teams come together for this race. Original Press Release below the fold:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TJ Donovan 2012
CONTACT: TJ Donovan
State’s Attorney Donovan Hires Veteran Campaign Staff in Bid for Attorney General’s Seat
BURLINGTON, VT – Chittenden County State’s Attorney TJ Donovan has hired a team of experienced campaign staff to support his run for the office of Attorney General of Vermont. The three new staffers bring more than 30 years of political and campaign experience.
“We wanted to hit the ground running and getting quality people like this on the team is vital to building a strong campaign,” said Donovan.
Sam Winship will serve as Campaign Manager for Donovan 2012. Winship, a native Vermonter and University of Vermont grad, brings strong experience as a dependable fundraiser and manager to the team. After working on the John Tracy for Lt. Governor primary campaign in 2006, Winship spent the 2008 election cycle as the Finance Director of the Segall for Congress Campaign in Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District. More recently, he served as a fundraising consultant for Doug Racine’s gubernatorial campaign and was the Campaign Manager of the Steve Howard for Lt. Governor campaign.
Mary Sullivan has signed on to be Treasurer for Donovan 2012. Sullivan brings over 20 years of experience in Vermont politics and campaigns, 10 of them serving as a State Representative from 1990-2000. Sullivan chaired the House Natural Resources Committee during her final two years in the legislature. She has also served as chair of the Chittenden County Democrats and Secretary of State Committee. Currently, Sullivan is the Communications Coordinator at Burlington Electric Department.
“Over the past five years, TJ has done an incredible job as Chittenden County State’s Attorney. As Vermont’s Attorney General he will take his knowledge, energy and passion to better serve all Vermonters. He will be great for our state,” said Sullivan.
Japhet (Jay) Els will serve as a Communications Consultant. Els got his start working for Howard Dean’s Presidential campaign in 2003 before going on to work the 2004 election in the swing state of Wisconsin for America Coming Together. After serving as National Online Fundraising Director for Senator John Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign, Els helped lead a national effort to limit the influence of money on national politics and public policy. Els grew up in South Burlington and attended South Burlington High School.
“I’m thrilled to have great Vermonters working with me,” said Donovan. “Our campaign will be a grassroots operation that earns the supports of Vermonters all over the state.”
Donovan is available for comment: (802) 488-4800


By The Associated Press
JACKSON — This year’s roster of finalists for the Gillom and Howell trophies, given to the state of Mississippi’s top college basketball players, has a familiar feel.
All three finalists for the inaugural Gillom Trophy last year — winner Alexis Rack of Mississippi State, Southern Miss’ Pauline Love and Bianca Thomas of Ole Miss — are back.
And the 2009 winner for the Howell Trophy, Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado, is a finalist again. He is joined by Ole Miss’ Chris Warren and Jackson State’s Garrison Johnson, the Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year.
The awards will be given out March 29 in a ceremony at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
The trophies are sponsored by Cellular South.


MLS® ID: 72440763
136 Weston Road
Lincoln, Massachusetts, 01773 $2,675,000
Introducing a unique and sophisticated Craftsman style home. Fine architectural detail with artful appointments are complemented by exquisite Zen gardens. Custom wood paneling, coffered ceilings and beautiful mahogany doors enhance the thoughtful design. The Dalia designed kitchen and breakfast area opens to the family room with cathedral ceilings and a majestic twenty foot stone fireplace. The elegant master suite has generous closets with custom built-ins and a stylish bathroom with limestone counters. Quality workmanship continues in the lower entertainment level with a home theater, lounge/bar area and exercise room. Lincoln is known for its scenic landscape, top schools and easy access to Boston.


Dried out bread isn't merely edible, it's the ideal building block for these easy recipes.
When you open your refrigerator, you see deadlines: Eat the asparagus by Tuesday, drink the milk by Thursday, reheat the leftover pot roast by Friday. So isn't it nice to know that when it comes to bread, any kind of bread―crusty, doughy, grainy―you have a little breathing room?
If a loaf is past its peak, you can slice it and throw it in the freezer for up to three months. Or process the loaf into bread crumbs and store them in the pantry for about three days. But your best option is to transform stale bread into one of the following healthy dinners or indulgent desserts. You may never want your bread fresh again.


The Horse Listener
colic Oregon State University Veterinary Hospital Horse Listening Imprinting Chico California Alpha Horses Horse feeding Body Language Veterinarian Horse Hollywood Park Racetrack Arabian Horses The Horse Listener *Shahwan GASB Paradise California Listening to Horses Catalina Island El Rancho Escondido Arabbian Horse
- “The Horse Listener” I know what my calling is text and photos
- The continuing “revolution” in the horse world. One answer to unwanted horses headed to slaughter.
- Memories, The Spanish Arabian Nationals in 1986.
- Memories, Why I chose the Spanish-Egyptian Bloodlines
- How To Deal with Problems of Moving with Horses


Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced a £10 million package to improve sea links between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, upgrade roads on the island and carry out ports repairs.
The new funding includes £7.3 million towards a £12.8 million scheme to improve harbour infrastructure at both St Mary’s and Penzance and £1.8 million to repair and resurface public roads on the island.
Patrick McLoughlin said: This funding will make a huge difference to the people of Scilly and also to visitors to the island, so vital to the local economy. Good transport links and high quality infrastructure are key for the island.
"These improvements will not only make it easier for those living on the islands to get about, but will also benefit those visiting the Scilly Isles, which is very important for the local economy.
The harbour scheme will see the pier extended and widened at St Mary’s, along with provision of new freight storage facilities and improved access for passengers. It also includes dredging and some highway improvements in Penzance.
The roads funding for the Council of the Isles of Scilly will fund resurfacing for the majority of the local road network on the island and is a one off payment and will be done at the same time as resurfacing of the island’s runway. Doing both at the same time while specialist equipment is on the island will save taxpayers a significant amount of money, sharing the cost of shipping a hot asphalt plant to the island between the 2 jobs.
The harbour infrastructure works are expected to begin this September and to be completed by June 2015, with the St Mary’s Quay extension to be complete by March 2015 ahead of the summer season. Works to maintain the local roads for which the council of the Isles of Scilly is responsible will take place over this summer.
During his visit to the south west, the Secretary of State also announced £1.7 million to fund repairs of harbours hammered by the harsh winter weather that hit the English coast at the end of 2013 and the beginning of this year. Most of the funding will be spent on fixing small ports and harbours in Devon and Cornwall.
The cash includes £434,786 to repair collapse of wall at Fisherman’s Quay in Porthleven, remove large granite blocks partially blocking the sluice and fix damage to the hospital corner wall, loss of capping to harbour head wall and undermining of slipway.
A further £66,391 to fix damaged caused by wooden baulks to Inner Harbour shifting, damaging roads, ladders and mooring chains.
Patrick McLoughlin said: Our small ports are vital to the livelihoods of the communities they serve and are the lifeblood of the local economy.
The government has already provided significant funding to reverse the damage caused by an exceptionally wet and windy winter. I want to see this additional money help the recovery in these coastal towns.
Mr McLoughlin also saw construction progress on the Redruth-Pool-Camborne Link Road currently underway. The government is contributing £16.1 million towards the £27 million scheme costs. This scheme when completed later this year will encourage the wider regeneration of the local area by providing a new east-west road to remove traffic from the A3047 and allow public transport improvements between Roskear and Barncoose.


B.C. is home to a dozen “premier” provincial family campgrounds.
A quarter of them are within a three-hour drive from each other, right here on Vancouver Island.
The new B.C. Parks fee schedule for 2016 was released last week. It shows three Island campgrounds on an exclusive list of the most expensive camping stays in the province.
Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville, Gordon Bay on Cowichan Lake and Goldstream just north of Victoria each charge a B.C. provincial park high of $35 per party per night. Miracle Beach, partway between Comox and Campbell River, just missed the cut at $33.
“The three parks mentioned are amongst the most developed and popular in the system,” Ministry of Environment officials said in an emailed statement. “Their fees are in line with other top-tier flagship parks.”
The ministry states 21 million B.C. park visits — including day trips — per year create an increased demand for services and the fees help sustain the expected visitor experience. A $60 million investment in improvements during the past five years was also pointed to as a factor.
“The appeal of British Columbia’s treasured parks is reflected in the growing number of visitors who come from around the province, and the world, to enjoy them,” Minister Mary Polak said. “We are ensuring B.C .Parks continue to offer a high level of service, as well as enhanced facilities, for the public to enjoy now and for many generations to come.”
Longtime central Island NDP MLA Leonard Krog (Nanaimo) said demand is no excuse for high fees.
“(Camping) fees were never designed for that, just like MSP was never designed to cover the cost of health care,” Krog said.
“It should be available to the public at reasonable or no cost,” he said. “I just think it’s outrageous that B.C. families can’t afford to camp at B.C. parks. That was always the cheap holiday for low-income families.”
Krog said a succession of NDP and Social Credit governments always understood the parks system was about providing a public amenity, something he thinks has been forgotten under the B.C. Liberals.
“Instead, they have just become another commodity,” he said. “Clearly, they just aren’t the priority they once were.”
The new fee schedule arrives with several hikes affecting many B.C. parks — a majority of them $1 or $2. The most significant Island increases involve group camping fees.
The basic family rates at some of the Island’s most popular parks, including Goldstream, Rathtrevor and Gordon Bay are not affected by the 2016 wave of increases, but each had rates jacked up by $5 in 2015.
The government says the hikes are expected to generate an additional $410, 000, which will be used to subsidize operating and maintenance costs.
In the 2014/15 fiscal year, West Coast campsites attracted 541,431 users, and generated $3,662,823 in revenue. Each figure was significantly higher than the previous six-year highs of 525,551 users and $3,286,979.
The 2015 individual breakdown was not yet available, but in 2014 Rathtrevor was the second busiest campground in the province with 80,737 overnight visitors. Goldstream was eighth (51,097) and Miracle Beach tenth (47,105). Golden Ears, outside Maple Ridge, topped the charts with 107,098 campers.
According to Krog, he’s getting feedback that the B.C. Parks system is no longer providing value for the money compared to other camping opportunities, a position the ministry rejects.
“User fees at BC Parks are generally lower than those of most private campgrounds in the province, and competitive with public sector campgrounds in other jurisdictions,” the emailed statement reads.
2016 overnight fees for other popular provincial family campsites on the Island include Morton Lake, Newcastle Island ($18 per night), Bamberton, Cowichan River, Elk Falls, China Beach, Loveland Bay, Buttle Lake ($20 per night), Englishman River Falls, Little Qualicum Falls ($23 per night), Sproat Lake ($25 per night) and French Beach ($26 per night)
According the government, more than 158, 000 reservations were made through Discover Camping last year – an increase of nearly 19% from 2014. The reservation systems opens again March 15, the same time the fee hikes take effect.


A game theoretic model for generation capacity adequacy in electricity markets: A comparison between investment incentive mechanisms
In this paper we study the problem of long-term capacity adequacy in electricity markets. We implement a dynamic model in which operators compete for investment and electricity production under imperfect Cournot competition. The main aim of this work is tocompare three investment incentive mechanisms: reliability options, forward capacity market - which are both market-based - and capacity payments. Apart from the oligopoly case, we also analyze collusion and monopoly cases. Stochastic dynamic programming is used to deal with the stochastic environment of the market (future demand) and mixed complementarityproblem formulation is employed to find a solution to this game. The main finding of this study is that market-based mechanisms would be the most cost-efficient mechanism for assuring long-term system adequacy and encouraging earlier and adequate new investments in the system. Moreover, generators would exert market power when introducing capacity payments. Finally, compared with a Cournot oligopoly, collusion and monopolistic situations lead to more installed capacities with market-based mechanisms and increase end-users' payments.
|Date of creation:||2009|
|Publication status:||Published in Working Paper GATE 2009-05. 2009|
|Note:||View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00371842|
|Contact details of provider:|| Web page: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/|
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~ Bisalpur Nature Reserve ~
Around half an hour from Ranbanka Palace, on the Jodhpur-Jaipur highway lies a large chunk of untouched forested area. Surrounded by the Bishnois, Bisalpur is a safe sanctuary where all living species are nurtured and protected. This arid desert terrain offers an ideal natural habitat for indigenous wildlife and livestock. Bisalpur Nature Reserve is a private protected area designated for the conservation of flora and fauna in Jodhpur.
Residents of Bisalpur include migratory birds, rescued animals and native wildlife like blackbucks, chinkaras, blue bulls, hares, jackals, wild boars, ponies, parrots, peacocks, and kurjas or demoiselle cranes among others. When a large number of camels were rescued from slaughter and had no place to go, the management at Ranbanka Palace became their legal guardian and Bisalpur welcomed them with abandon. These ships of the desert traveled a long distance to reach Camel country and are now flourishing in their most conducive natural habitat.
Bisalpur Nature Reserve is a natural and protected environment that is conducive for the conservation or rehabilitation of a wide variety of species. The wild residents of Bisalpur receive medical aid, nutrition & the best possible care. No activity that could place them in an unduly stressful situation is permitted here. Guests can visit Bisalpur Nature Reserve for a Morning Safari (Departure - 6:00 am) or an Evening Safari (Departure - 3:00 pm).


Utilize the system curve and the pump performance curve to select the proper pump for a particular application
The System Curve
A fluid flow system is characterized with the System Curve - a graphical presentation of the Energy Equation.
The system head visualized in the System Curve above is a function of elevation - or the static head and the major and minor losses in the system and can be expressed as:
h = dh + hl (1)
h = system head (m)
dh = h2 - h1 = elevation (static) head difference between the inlet and outlet in the system (m)
A generic expression of major and minor head loss is:
hl = k q2 (2)
q = flow rate
k = constant describing the total system characteristics - including all major and minor losses
Increasing the constant - k - by closing some valves, reducing the pipe size or similar - will increase the head loss and move the system curve upwards. The starting point for the curve - at no flow, will be the same.
Pump Performance Curve
The pump characteristic is normally described graphically by the manufacturer as the pump performance curve. The pump performance curve describes the relation between the flowrate and the head for the actual pump. Other important information for a proper pump selection is also included - like efficiency curves, NPSHr curve, pump curves for several impeller diameters and different speeds, and power consumption.
Increasing the impeller diameter or speed increases the head and flow rate capacity - and the pump curve moves upwards.
Selection of Pump
The proper pump can be selected by combining the System Curve and the Pump Curve:
The operating point is where the system curve and the actual pump curve intersects.
Best Efficiency Point - BEP
The best operating conditions will in general be close to the Best Efficiency Point - BEP.
Special considerations should be taken for applications where system conditions frequently changes during operation - like applications for heating and air conditioning systems or water supply systems with variable consumption and modulating valves.
When a pumps operates in the far right of its curve with poor efficiency - the pumps Carry Out.
The Shutoff Head is the head produced when the pump operates with fluid but with no flow rate.
A pump is in Churn when it operates at shutoff head or no flow.
- en: pump system curve
- es: curva del sistema de bomba
- de: Pumpensystem Kurve


Dr. Andre Berger featured on CBS News
Posted June 06, 2011 in Uncategorized
As people live longer and healthier lives, more and more of us are searching for ways to look as young as we feel. As we age, the fat and collagen beneath the skin begins to diminish, resulting in wrinkles and sagging skin. This can be further exacerbated by sun damage, heredity, disease, trauma, and scarring.
Today’s natural, advanced injectable fillers provide a simple, safe, non-surgical option to correct those unwelcome lines, folds and wrinkles so that you can restore those timeless, youthful elements and look as young and beautiful as you feel.
Also known as PRP Therapy, Sephyl™and Dracula therapy, this non surgical age defying injectable wrinkle treatment uses your own blood to stimulate collagen production and cell migration that results in fresh, healthy, younger looking skin.
For more information about Vampire Therapy or Rejuvalife Vitality Institute, please visit us online at rejuvalife.md
Click here to read more about this CBS special report.


In the modern structure of the conceptual house, windows play a major role. There are all kinds of windows that differ from each other based of the shapes, colors, thickness and whatnot. There are many ways that you can do to improve the functionality of your windows. Getting them colored is such one.
Here are 5 reasons why you should do it!
Enhanced visual appeal
Tinted windows have its unique flair that boring glasses don’t possess. Given that there is a wide range of colors and designs, you will be given with a lot of choices. Based on your taste, you are given opportunity to decide the color that matches the best with the inner wall colors of your house without having to go with something too default.
Houses in Australia feel like ovens during summer and on extremely hot days. With use of a great tint or a film, you will be capable of reducing the amount of heat that enters your house. It is essential that the heat inside the house is controlled. This reduction of heat benefits not only you, but all your family members including the pets.
To control the excessive heat inside a house, you may have to use air conditioners. The continuous use of such electrical equipment draws a lot of energy. Moreover, air conditioners are considered as one of the most energy consuming machineries in the market. The entire process of course costs you a lot. But as long as your windows are colored in the right way, you’ll be able to save a lot of energy that in turn saves you a lot of money.
Prevents health issues
Excessive exposure to sunlight causes the skin to burn. It even makes skin rashes turn septic and people with sensitive skins always have hard time with strong sunlight. Window tinting blocks UV rays and this allows you to stay healthy. If you want a house window tinting, check this link http://www.windowenergysolutions.com.au/window-film/home-window-tinting/
None of us want the people who walk by the streets to see what goes inside our houses. As normal humans, we all prefer privacy. With the colors and the filming infused on the glasses, the opacity will be altered in favor of you. This will allow you to have an amazing view without being seen at all.
When you think about it, simple solutions like these are what enhances our lifestyles in ways that we don’t typically expect. Hence, when you come across amazing things like these, you should never ever hesitate. Because it’s worth it.


But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53:5-6 (You can read Isaiah 53 in its entirety at the bottom of this post)
Isaiah 53 Written After Jesus’ Death and Resurrection?
Isaiah chapter 53 is so descriptive of Jesus Christ it seems out of place. There’s just no way this should be here. It should come after the New Testament, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, not before. But in the late 1940s, archeologists discovered a copy of the book of Isaiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and this copy was dated hundreds of years before the life of Christ. You might be asking yourself, How can that be?
Jesus in Isaiah 53
What we see here in Isaiah 53 is that, what Jesus said about the Old Testament is true, “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me…” (John 5:39) Isaiah chapter 53 is a prophecy describing Jesus Christ. Most scholars put the date of authorship around about 700 years before his coming.
For me, personally, I can’t read this chapter and the four corroborating gospels without believing Jesus is who he said he is.
More of Jesus in the Old Testament
This is the last in a series of posts about how Jesus is found in the Old Testament. (You’ll find links to the four related previous posts in the series at the bottom.) But this series is nowhere close to exhaustive. Jesus’ virgin birth is prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 and his birthplace prophesied in Micah 5:2.
The beating Jesus endured is prophesied in Isaiah 50:6.
Jesus’ crucifixion is prophesied in Psalm 22:16-18.
And there are many other Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus.
There are also appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament before his virgin birth called Christophanies. In these Christophanies he’s often described in the Old Testament as “The Angel of the Lord.”
There are also foreshadows of Jesus found in the Old Testament called types. The tabernacle is a type of Jesus, the Old Testament sacrificial system is a type of Jesus. (For further study I recommend Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volumes 1 and 2)
There are also titles that refer to Jesus in the Old Testament such as Son of Man, Redeemer, Savior, Lord of Glory, Light, Rock, and Shepherd.
I Cannot Not Believe
For me, personally, I just can’t: I cannot, not believe Jesus is who he said he is, after looking at all these places where he’s revealed in Old Testament scripture. It really is the way he said it is. The Old Testament writers, Moses and the prophets, were writing about him.
For me, I have no where to go–but to believe.
(If you have questions, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at email@example.com.)
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
You might also like:
- Jesus in the life of Joseph of the Old Testament
- Jesus in Abraham’s obedience to sacrifice his son
- Jesus in the gospel message from Adam’s genealogy in Genesis 5
- Jesus’ coming prophesied by Daniel
Finding Jesus in the Old Testament by Rabbi Jonathan Bernis
Where does the Old Testament predict the coming of Christ? from GotQuestions.org
Where is Jesus in the Old Testament? by Aaron Armstrong
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Volume 1, Nelson 2005
C. S. Lewis, Miracles, New York: Macmillan 1960
[Image via John Kroll – Creative Commons]


It’s crunch time for the Durst Organization at 1 World Trade Center.
Despite popular wisdom that Douglas Durst’s 10 percent, joint-venture partnership with the Port Authority was a sweetheart deal, it turns out he’s under the gun to find new tenants or face getting booted from the project.
According to PA board minutes we unearthed from August 2010, if Durst doesn’t achieve a “minimum threshold for lease-up” once the tower opens, the agency can buy back his $100 million share.
Sources now tell Realty Check the “threshold” is 150,000 square feet within the first year after the tower’s opening — which begins when Condé Nast moves in by January. Moreover, it isn’t sufficient that the new leases merely be signed by the end of 2015 — the tenants must actually be paying rent on them in that year.
The 150,000-foot total can’t include the roughly 1.5 million square feet previously signed to Condé Nast, China Center and the federal GSA. The few, freshly signed office leases since those total about 50,000 square feet, including 35,000 feet for KiDS Creative — a mere third of the threshold figure.
The “iconic” 3 million square-foot tower is about 60 percent leased. Durst, citing weak demand, recently reduced asking rents on middle floors to the $60s per square foot from the low $70s, although KiDS Creative is paying in the $90s for the 85th floor.
The previously undisclosed pressure on Durst illustrates an overlooked truth: His $100 million purchase of a 10 percent stake in 1 WTC, while a sound deal with low risk, augurs anything but a honeymoon, even as his Midtown office buildings are facing large lease expirations.
His 1 WTC exposure is modest compared to his empire’s Forbes-estimated value of $4.4 billion. But it must be viewed in context of the Durst Organization’s overall competitive posture.
The company, for all its deal-making prowess, faces the same challenges as any developer/landlord. And the PA has more teeth in the 1 WTC deal with Durst than many believed.
The JV promises Durst a relatively modest return compared with the profits he made at 4 Times Square and 1 Bryant Park. Durst can make money several ways on the deal — including a 99-year contract management fee, a reward for saving the PA money on the tower’s final stage of construction, and leasing commissions similar to those at any office building (and to be shared with Cushman & Wakefield).
But, by our reading of the documents, Durst won’t share directly in rent proceeds until the tower is “stabilized” at 92.5 percent occupancy — right now a distant dream. Until then, he receives only a fixed, single-digit return on the $100 million investment.
The management fee is around $2 million this year, and Durst has already harvested about as much as he can, around $30 million, from cost savings on 1 WTC’s final stage of development.
All the revenue combined might yield tens of millions of dollars more over time — hardly peanuts, but modest compared, for example, with the estimated half-billion-dollar value creation Durst achieved at 1 Bryant Park.
Durst’s four-year involvement at 1 WTC has gobbled up company time and resources even as it’s generated bad press over cost-cutting changes to the original design and security lapses that saw pranksters sneak past dozing guards and make their way to the top.
Meanwhile, the PA has enjoyed significant benefits in addition to cost savings. At the time it tapped Durst over two other companies in 2010, when the site still carried a terrorist-target stigma, the PA had neither expertise nor enthusiasm to find private-sector tenants.
Durst swiftly negotiated a 50 percent space reduction by the GSA, which had previously committed to over 500,000 square feet. The scaling-back of a government tenant made the tower more attractive to private-sector users, and freed up 270,000 square feet for higher rent than the GSA’s bargain-basement $40s.
Then, Durst lured Condé Nast from his own 4 Times Square — nudged along by the PA’s agreeing to cover Condé’s lease costs at 4 Times Square until 2019.
It was a feat Durst won’t likely be able to repeat. He’s unlikely to woo another tenant from his uptown holdings, where about 25 percent of his 10 million square feet are likely to become available in the next few years — at 4 Times Square, 1133 and 1155 Sixth Ave. and 114 W. 47th St.
At 1155 Sixth, law firm White & Case plans to leave behind 450,000 square feet in 2017. To make the 1984-vintage tower more competitive, Durst plans to spend tens of millions on a partial redesign, including a new ground-floor façade, a new terraced rooftop, and installation of floor-to-ceiling corner facet windows.
The looming vacancies don’t mean Durst is in trouble: tenants come and go, and there’s time to replace the ones who leave. But he’s got his work cut out for him even as the PA will be holding his feet to the fire.
Software firm Infor has leased the 21,802 square-foot duplex penthouse at SL Green’s 635-41 Sixth Ave., increasing its stake in the building to nearly 115,000 square feet.
SL Green leasing director Steven Durels said the deal brings the 271,000 square-foot property to 100 percent leased.
The landlord is redeveloping the two-building complex between West 19th and 20th streets into a single property.
Cushman & Wakefield repped Infor and Jones Lang LaSalle acted for SL Green.
Note: The rendering of the Knickerbocker Hotel rooftop on July 14 should have been credited to Neoscape.


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Full Name: Soori
Pet Nmae : Parotta Soori
Date of birth: 27th August
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Comedy actor
Works with the heroes: Vishal, sivakartjikeyan.
Born in: Madurai
Mother tong: Tamil
State: Tamil Nadu
Soori is a South Indian actor in the tamil fiml industires. He got nick named “Parota Soori from his first movie Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu -2009.In this movie soori involving a parotta eating challenge coined him the name Parotta Soori and from that scene he become very famous.
He was also nominated for the best comedian in vijay award and pending award is SIIMA award for best comedian.
He came from madurai and Soor is married and have a baby girl.


Miss Bala (2019) is an awesome and breathtaking movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke with contains a lot of great actors and actresses in his best performance too. Miss Bala release date on 01 Feb 2019 in theater with 104 minutes in length, Miss Bala get 5.0 out of 10 average quality score according to imdb users and N/A Academy Awards, I think Miss Bala (2019) is one of the box office movie 2019 can be recommended for any one who likes watching movie with a riveting theme. Follow the link where to watch Miss Bala online full movie streaming.
Miss Bala (2019) More Info
Title : Miss Bala (2019)
Released Date : 01 Feb 2019
Genre : Action, Drama, Thriller
Runtime : 104 min
Movie casts : Gina Rodriguez, Thomas Dekker, Vivian Chan, Barbarella Pardo
Director : Catherine Hardwicke
Writer : Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (screenplay by)
Language : English
Country : Mexico, USA
Rating : PG-13
Award : N/A
IMDB Votes : 786
Miss Bala (2019) Trailer and How to Watch Full Movie Online Streaming
Miss Bala (2019) Plot : Gloria finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength. Based on the Spanish-language film.
FullMovieClub is one of the best place to find best movies of all time. Check out our search for Miss Bala movie release, Miss Bala review, Miss Bala movie trailer, where to watch Miss Bala 2019 full movie online streaming and more.


If you’re champing at the bit in anticipation for the 2016 season, which is approximately 141 days away, then this post is for you.
Here is a look at the very early Steamer600 projections, via Fangraphs. These are based on what a player’s projected stats would look like if they played a full season (600 plate appearances) in 2016.
- Kris Bryant projects to be the most valuable Cubs player, following up his stellar rookie campaign with a 5.1 WAR that would make any talk of a sophomore slump obsolete. Bryant also projects to lead the team in strikeouts (170), but a 28.3 percent strikeout rate would be a slight improvement from the 30.6 K% he posted in 2015.
- Jake Arrieta projects to be the Cubs’ best pitcher, with a 5.0 WAR that would go a long way toward proving his 2015 Cy Young caliber season was no fluke. Steamer600, which puts projects starting pitcher stats over 200 innings, pegs Arrieta to go 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA and 2.93 FIP.
- Jon Lester figures to right there at the front of the rotation with Arrieta. Projections have Lester with a 4.5 WAR in his second year of his $155 million dollar deal.
- Anthony Rizzo is projected to lead the team in 12 different categories, including home runs (30), runs (83), runs batted in (88) and walks (67). Unfortunately, he is also projected to lead the team with 13 HBP, too. Rizzo’s projected 4.6 WAR ranks just behind Bryant.
- Here’s a surprise. Both Javier Baez and Addison Russell project to post a 2.5 WAR in 600 plate appearances. Baez projects to be more of an offensive contributor than Russell with 28 homers, 78 RBIs, 15 steals and a 105 wRC+. Russell does project to hit more doubles (30) and draw more walks (44) and strikeout fewer times (143) than Baez.
- The big surprise on the pitching staff is Kyle Hendricks’ projected 3.5 WAR over 200 innings. Offensively, the biggest surprise is the drop-off in Chris Coghlan, who projects to post a 1.0 WAR after being a 3.3-WAR player last season and a 2.4-WAR player in 2014.
There are some eye-opening projections across the board including what Steamer600 has in store for the projected starting corner outfield of Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber, possible rookie call-ups of Albert Almora, Willson Contreras and Pierce Johnson, and a potential bounce-back year from Starlin Castro.
More From Bleacher Nation


Protests continued in Barcelona on Thursday evening against the ongoing trial of a dozen Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid.
They are in the dock over a 2017 referendum and subsequent declaration of independence deemed illegal by the Spanish government.
If found guilty, the group could each face up to 25 years in jail.
Pro-independence supporters took part in a general strike in Catalonia on Thursday to protest against the proceedings.
Activists burned tyres and blocked key roads in the north-east region.
Thursday's strike followed huge pro-independence protests on Saturday evening, which saw 200,000 people, according to police figures, gather in the streets of Barcelona.
Organisers placed the attendance estimates at more than double this figure.


Policy makers are as subject to behavioural biases as everyone else according to the Behavioural Insight Team’s (BIT) latest report, Behavioural Government (P7). In fact, when making decisions we may be more biased given that the subject of our work is inherently emotive. BIT identify eight of the most common cognitive biases in government which they categorise into three areas: noticing, deliberating, and executing. The report proposes several strategies to mitigate these behaviours which, after mapping their relationship with our tools and techniques, I believe are already implicit in Policy Lab’s tools and processes.
My first blog was on noticing… if you missed it, it’s called Bias Busters: who you gonna call?. It explains what behavioural biases are and explores how Lab processes help policy-makers overcome framing effects, the (mis)allocation of attention, and confirmation bias.
In this, the second of three blogs, I share how policy-makers can, and already are, using experimental approaches and practical tools to ‘bust biases’ when deliberating.
Policy makers are constantly in conversation. Of course, we communicate regularly in the written form - and are accustomed to critically challenge while we read. But according to the report, the subconscious data in our verbal, group based, conversations are harder to control and can have a huge impact on creation of policy; “although groups are often believed to create more and better ideas than people working separately, this is not the case - they actually produce fewer and worse ideas.” (P.32).
So what’s going on? And what can we do about group reinforcement, the illusion of similarity and inter-group opposition?
Think back to the last time you were at a pub quiz and had to agree an answer with your team (“You're a Quizard, Harry”). When an idea is expressed with confidence, often one that the majority of the group already think, it is accepted by the whole group. This reinforces the idea, justifying it even when not supported by evidence, often because it is seen as, or becomes ‘common knowledge’. BIT’s report suggests that this behaviour occurs for two main reasons which are easy to relate to: firstly, when an opposing view is expressed, people may question their own beliefs and think they lack full information; secondly, people do not express their own contrasting opinions because of social pressure and the human desire to belong.
BIT’s ThinkGroup approach allows meeting participants to sit and add their ideas anonymously into an online document. This allows people to pursue their own thoughts fully and add to other ideas. The approach is also good for introverts who may not feel comfortable in workshops. Find out more in our blog on making workshops more inclusive.
Whether Lab is running tailored policy sprints for small team meetings or large scale co-design events (or pub quizzes), we focus on opening up the policy making process. This can be quite simple: changing a meeting setting; inviting a broader group of experts; building ‘silence’ into workshops; replacing the chair with facilitators. We think all these tweaks help us have more constructive conversations, leading to tangible outcomes.
Before our workshops we consider who needs to be in the room, and what evidence they need to have an open conversation. That might be collecting primary and secondary data for an evidence discovery, or bringing citizens into the room through ethnographic films and human-centred research.
According to BIT, cognitively diverse teams are much better at approaching problems, especially if there is a need to be creative (P.12). Many organisations are working to improve their workforce diversity in terms of race, gender and socio-economic background. At the same time, Lab works alongside policy teams, bringing in experts from various disciplines to bring new perspectives and help them team generate a wider range of potential solutions.
Illusion of similarity
Put simply, the illusion of similarity occurs when people don’t realise they are assuming how much others share their point of view and consequently make inaccurate predictions about how others will behave (P.35).
For policymakers the illusion is often broken only at a point of crisis, where the public's opinion of a new policy contradicts the government's expectation. Behavioural Government gives examples.
The design approach is about building empathy and breaking assumptions. We think that taking a citizen-centred approach to policy design reduces the risk of the ‘illusion of similarity’. In early stages, we ask policy makers to sketch out a persona of people who might be impacted by a policy. Often participants feel uncomfortable, as though they are stereotyping a particular group. The process forces policymakers to reflect on their own biases. This often sparks the need to spend time with those affected to understand what’s really going on in their lives. Only then do we build prototypes of how the problem could be solved, and test them again and again. If our ideas resonate, we’ll keep exploring them, and if they are criticised we adjust accordingly and ensure the citizens’ voice is communicated back to the department. One example was our project on the Private Rented Sector where we tested six policy prototypes with landlords, letting agents and tenants across the country. The result was a recommendation for a new, three year secure tenancy agreement which is currently out for further consultation.
When generating ideas with a group of stakeholders or a policy team we try to bring in different scenarios to produce divergent thinking. Our change cards ask questions like, “What is definitely not the answer?” followed by, “What is the opposite of that?”. My favourite has to be “What would a person experiencing your idea think about it?” These constraints force a group to move away from their go to solutions.
Legal and behavioural economics scholar, Cass Sunstein, explains that when two groups with different beliefs deliberate on a topic, they tend to polarise. Both groups reject the others view, even if one argument is more robust, and their beliefs entrench. This is a real challenge when trying to get teams or stakeholders to cooperate. BIT’s report concludes, “In fact… when groups interact with each other they are less cooperative and more competitive than when individuals interact with each other.”
Policy-makers will be very used to dealing with pressure groups, think tanks and other stakeholders when consulting about a new government action. However, the idea of bringing them together in the same room, at an early stage can be daunting. During these co-design sessions we find it useful to take groups out of their comfort zones and explore problems in a different way.
We recently worked with a range of partners to gain insights into the good and bad cybersecurity practices of large corporations. We invited individuals (not large groups) from different organisations for a ‘red-teaming’ workshop (as attendees were in a similar market, our approach allowed them to remain anonymous in the meeting). We provided a fictional scenario, with hacker and company personas, and created two opposing teams. Attackers and defenders filled out cards with a mix of threats and protective measures before taking it in turns to play. Teams then had to deliberate, with a referee judging the winning approach. This helped gather really rich data including types and level of threat, cost and complexity of intervention. Red-teaming used biases to generate insight. Through competition, we got co-operation.
Sitting in the Cabinet Office, one of our key functions is to bring together groups from within government, to break down silos and share expertise. With so many moving parts, we try to create bespoke tools to ensure that when groups deliberate about policy, talk leads to action.
Next week: Executing