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The Magazine for Underwater Professionals
Jul/Aug 2015
I had hoped, after the decisive result of the British general election, that it would be easier to look into the future. Although UK consumer confidence is at its highest for 16 years, dark clouds hang over Europe. Although some oil service companies are making optimistic statements, producers such as Petrobras have announced huge cuts in their spending and one of the UK's most successful diving companies has gone into liquidation.
I am, of course, pleased with a sharp slow down in the building of onshore wind farms. I still wish more interest would be shown in other forms of renewable energy and carbon capture. For those like me, who believe the huge reserves of UK coal should be mined, I was pleased to see that the US Supreme Court had ruled against new rules to limit emissions from power stations. Even more pleasing has been the announcement by Shell that it is competing for £1billion to develop the world's first plant to extract and store CO2 waste under the North Sea. There was a mention of this idea in the last issue of UCi, following a talk to the Aberdeen Branch of the Society for Underwater Technology; it is sad that the more interesting SUT talks seem to take place north of Watford!
I have never been a great fan of referendums; I believe that if a government has doubts about its progress, it should call a general election – though the UK's misguided decision for a fixed parliamentary term makes this much more difficult. I am appalled by the behaviour of Greece, which cheated about its financial position and should never have been allowed into the Common Market. I was keen for Britain to join the EEC, largely as a way of making another world war unlikely but, unless there are substantial changes in the way that it is run, I may change my mind. I am also, as a result of the boorish behaviour of the Scottish MPs, believing the rest of the UK would be better off if Scotland gained its independence. The crash in the oil price and the likelihood that the Orkneys and Shetland, which share most of the Scottish oil and gas, would in turn declare independence makes me feel that, as in the early 1700s, the Scots would be very soon asking to come back.
As I have said, news from the natural energy area has been very patchy. The John Wood Group has repeated that it will make a double-digit increase in its dividend, Lamprell, a manufacturer of oil rigs, remains confident and even Petrofac has announced record orders and a more promising outlook. The Middle East Unique Group, with a current turnover of more than US$100 million, has announced that it intends to double its size by 2018. Iran plans to invest US$100 billion in oil and gas, if sanctions are lifted. On the other hand, Statoil is to slash a further 2000 jobs and Petrobras plans a 37% cut in its future investment in the next five years. Sadly, Red7Marine announced in June that it had gone into liquidation; the Eastern Daily Press reported that this would affect directly the 280 staff who man Red7Marine's three vessels and 150 subcontracted divers. At the same time non-North Sea diving wages are being cut sharply. As I have said in the past, this is not a good time to train as a diver.
Forecasts on the future demand for oil and gas vary enormously and the only bright spot for the North Sea seems to be the likely sharp rise in spending on rig decommissioning. The failure to obtain permission for the extraction of shale in this country will also help in the short term. More positively, it seems that Shell will get permission to resume drilling in the Arctic, although its rigs have to be 15 miles apart to protect walruses. The British government may also be set to give further help to companies operating in the North Sea. At least the price per barrel of oil seems to be holding near US$60, although the UK Office for Budget Responsibility expects the industry to raise just £2.1 billion for the Exchequer in the 20 years from 2020/21, compared with a forecast of £36.6 billion a year ago. So much for Alex Salmond's crazy forecasts; if he were a company, a serious enquiry would be mounted. Again on a positive note, more takeovers are likely to be mounted following Shell's bid for British Gas, as most recently that of Dragon Oil by ENOC, although Centrica is likely to sell its North Sea assets.
I always try to end my column with some more cheerful news. An attempt is to be made to reduce noise from wind farms by mimicking an owl's wings – the blades will be coated with a new material, smoothing the passage of air as it passes over. Scotch-Hatch Ltd, a North West Scottish company, is aiming to produce high quality diver-caught king scallops in a hatchery, following a 10% decline in scallop stocks off North West Scotland over the last ten years. Readers with long memories may remember I always ask in restaurants if scallops are diver-caught or dredged; the latter method destroys the seabed and gives the dinner a taste of grit.
Readers may also remember my visit to an American prison in Chino to see prisoners being trained as commercial divers. In Italy inmates are to be taught to work in a vineyard. I have always believed that those less fortunate in the world should be helped and was impressed by a recent visit to Somerset to Key4Life, which aims to help ex-prisoners and those likely to fall into bad ways with tuition, including working with horses, and obtaining a job. The charity has been supported by British Telecom and I will watch its further progress with interest. In these uncertain times it is good to be able to be positive.
Jul/Aug 2018


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Cross Cultural Consulting
Enter the global market with your eyes open.
Our Mission
"Mentes Sine Terminus"–Minds Without Borders. This is the driving force behind Geekistan and all that we do. It is our mission to expand the reach of businesses and business people into new countries and new cultures. We do this by providing information and insight, fostering understanding, and building an appropriate public image.


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On 16 March 2016 the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation ("OECD") published a comprehensive review of the arrangements in place across all OECD countries for protecting whistleblowers that raise concerns (the "Review"). Particular attention has been given to the adequacy of protections in both the public and private sector for those who report instances of foreign bribery. It is reported that at least 27 parties to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (the "OECD Convention") do not provide effective protection to whistleblowers in this area. There are 34 member countries to the OECD Convention including the UK, US, France, Germany, Switzerland and Poland. This Alert identifies the key issues for businesses and the likely effects of the Review on the future flow of whistleblowing reports.
Weil has significant global experience of advising companies, private equity firms and funds, engaging through boards of directors, audit and special committees, on issues such as whistleblowing and wider compliance matters.
Our global team regularly works with clients to analyse and review their existing policies and standards, working together to collaboratively develop and implement more robust systems and procedures.
At the 2011 G20 Summit in Cannes, the G20 Leaders endorsed the G20 Anticorruption Working Group's recommendation of supporting legislative changes to protect whistleblowers. This commitment has led to the rapid development of legislation – with more legislation in this field in the past five years than in the previous 25 years combined – and the consequential cascading of corporate policies and procedures in this field.
The policy shift at an international level has driven changes in accepted best practice, which has in turn led to corporates adopting policies and procedures for supporting and receiving whistleblowing complaints. Many corporates who are already struggling to handle the volume of complaints are likely to see a considerable increase over the short- to medium-term.
OECD Findings
Fragmentation of laws
Whilst many countries have implemented some form of protection for whistleblowers, in most instances the laws are dislocated and difficult to access. Eight out of the 34 OECD countries (Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Slovak Republic, South Africa and the UK) have implemented dedicated whistleblower protection laws applicable to both the public and private sector.
Inconsistencies in protections
Whilst countries with whistleblowing laws generally contain the main components of a protection system, there are important differences in scope; i.e., the type of wrongdoing covered, the class of persons to whom protection extends, options for anonymity / confidentiality and remedies for victims of retaliation.
An ad hoc approach
The majority of OECD countries enact protection provisions on an ad hoc basis through piecemeal provisions in laws reacting to events. This is viewed as imperfect and ripe for reform.
Incentive Schemes
Eight OECD territories provide some kind of incentive scheme for whistleblowers. These range from direct and substantial financial reward schemes (the US and Korea) to other reward systems, such as in Israel where the President may award certificates of merit to public servants for reporting corruption or unethical conduct. The OECD study questions if such schemes should be more widely adopted.
Anonymity / Confidentiality
Inconsistencies exist in the approach across countries regarding guaranteed anonymity for whistleblowers. For example, in the public sector, 59% of OECD countries guarantee complete anonymity to workers and almost all territories offer confidentiality; in the private sector, 53% of companies surveyed reported providing anonymity and 38% provided confidentiality. The OECD study – and the market more broadly – questions the practicality of maintaining anonymity when investigating complaints.
Scope of Protected Persons
There are wide variations as to who is protected under local laws and what can be claimed by way of compensation for retaliation.
Awareness raising
Only half of OECD countries publically promote whistleblowing. The Review notes that there is still some stigma around reporting misconduct and that much more should be done to eliminate this.
Private sector protection
The OECD identified a number of local laws as either non-existent or ineffective in its ability to protect private sector whistleblowers. The UK, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and South Africa are highlighted as having good practice; however, the overall conclusion is that 27 of the 41 parties to the Anti-Bribery convention have unsatisfactory protections.
OECD Recommendations
- As a result of the gaps and inconsistencies identified in the legislative framework of members of the OECD and countries party to the OECD Working Group on Bribery, the Review recommends a priority review of these countries' laws.
- Ensure that whistleblower protection laws apply to all persons who carry out functions related to an organisation, i.e., current employees, temporary employees, former employees, foreign or expatriate employees, consultants, suppliers, and other third parties.
- Encourage countries and corporates to raise public awareness through communication and training on the importance of whistleblowing.
- Encourage countries to develop systems to identify data, benchmarks and indicators in relation to the performance of whistleblowing programmes.
What this means
The OECD Foreign Bribery Report (2014) analysed 427 concluded cases for bribery of foreign officials since the commencement of the OECD Convention; of these cases, 31% were brought to the attention of law enforcement by companies self-reporting and only 2% by a whistleblower. However, 17% of these self- reporting companies became aware of foreign bribery in their business operations due to a whistleblower.
How do self-reporting companies become aware of foreign bribery in their business operations?
Click here to view image.
The UK and US are broadly well-placed in terms of their framework of whistleblowing legislation and we do not expect the Review to offer major recommendations for change. This is in direct contrast to expectations for other countries, where we consider it likely that the Review will drive a process of legislative and cultural change that will support whistleblowing in both the public and private sector:
- More countries will be required to implement comprehensive legal frameworks to protect whistleblowers in the public and private sectors;
- The categories of protected persons will increase dramatically;
- There will be public awareness campaigns in all OECD countries encouraging whistleblowers; and
- Rewards systems (financial and non-financial) will become more widespread.
These measures are likely to drive an increase in the number of whistleblowing reports, particularly for corporates who operate in jurisdictions that will be required to upgrade their legal systems to modern standards. Corporates will therefore need to start planning for the expected growth in reports of alleged misconduct, including putting in place robust and well- resourced systems and procedures that are capable of collecting and analysing data to demonstrate performance against a benchmark.


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Over the next couple of months, we'll be looking for what you, the TGT voters think is the greatest actor/actress in Doctor Who post-2005. Here's how it works: we start off with four qualifying rounds, each representing a modern Doctor and supporting actors from that era (each qualifier will have eight actors). Half of the actors from each qualifier will progress, and half will be eliminated.
After the initial 32 have been whittled down to 16, it's a set of head-to-head polls until the final two actors face off for the title in the final! All of this will be starting next Saturday (10th January) with the Ninth Doctor's qualifier. A new poll will follow each Saturday until the winner is crowned in March.
We look forward to seeing you there!


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Fresh shelling has been reported in Syrian cities and towns despite the foreign minister claiming the government had begun to comply with a peace plan that requires it to withdraw its troops.
Activist Dana Al Homsy in Homs told Sky News: "The Syrian army is not withdrawing, they are actually shelling the city right now.
"Every time we have some deadline they only accelerate their violence. It goes worse."
Another activist told Reuters that 26 people had been killed in the bombardment of the Bayada and Khalidiya districts.
Under the plan, brokered by the UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, the government's heavy artillery was supposed to be pulled out of population centres 48 hours ahead of a ceasefire due to start on Thursday.
Speaking in Russia, Syria's foreign minister Walid Muallem said: "We have already withdrawn forces and army units from several Syrian provinces."
However, he did not specify which provinces the military had left and activists in a number of cities and towns where the opposition to Assad's rule is strongest continued to report that troops were on the ground.
The village of Marea, in northern Aleppo province, was shelled after Assad loyalists surrounded it overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based group, told AFP that "army tanks were shelling Marea, while helicopters hovered" over the village.
The Local Co-ordination Committees, one of the opposition groups inside Syria, said "large military reinforcements" had arrived on the eastern outskirts of the besieged city of Rastan overnight.
While in the capital, activist Mar Moaz said: "We've got tanks and military machines 2km away from the building of the prime minister. Yesterday and today, ferocious raids and arrests happened at different hotspots and neighbourhoods of Damascus.
"This (ceasefire) is just giving more time for the regime to kill us, to kill the revolution, to kill as many as they can before any serious political movement," he told Sky News.
UN envoy Annan said that he had information that the Syrian military was withdrawing from some areas, but at the same time was moving into others that had previously not been targeted.
Speaking in Turkey, he said there was "still time" to end the violence, which has claimed at least 9,000 lives in 13 months, before Thursday.
:: Fighting to be halted on April 12 after military withdrawal on April 10
:: Government will work towards inclusive political process
:: Right to peaceful demonstration to be ensured
:: Freedom of movement for journalists
:: All arbitrarily arrested people to be freed
:: Truce to allow humanitarian aid to affected areas
"On the question of whether the plan is succeeding or failing, I believe it is a bit too early to say that the plan has failed. The plan is still on the table," he told a news conference in Hatay province.
The latest shelling came after at least 150 people were reported to have been killed on Monday, many in Hama province.
Foreign Secretary William Hague accused Syria of using the deadline "as a cover for intensified military efforts to crush Syria's opposition".
"There is no evidence so far that the Assad regime has any intention of adhering to any agreement it makes," he said.
"We continue to support Kofi Annan's efforts to implement the plan he set out.
"But if this process fails Britain is ready to return to the UN Security Council to call again for a united international response to this clear threat to international peace and security."
The regime initially agreed to the peace plan but over the weekend demanded "written guarantees" that the rebel fighters would lay down their weapons.
During his visit to Russia, Mr Muallem said: "We will not ask the terrorist groups, which are killing, kidnapping and destroying infrastructure, for guarantees. We want Annan to give us these guarantees."
He also said that the ceasefire must be accompanied by the arrival of international observers.
Moscow has repeatedly refusing to back any punitive measures – even sanctions – against the government of Mr Assad but has supported the peace plan.
"We told our Syrian colleague … we think their actions could be more active, more decisive in regard to the fulfillment of the points of the plan," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference.
China, which also failed to back sanctions against Syria, has also called on both sides fighting in Syria to immediately adhere to the ceasefire.
A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army said his forces were committed to the ceasefire but would continue to fight if government troops did not withdraw.
Meanwhile, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned a "clear violation" of its border after refugee camp in Turkey, which hosts more than 24,000 refugees from the uprising, came under fire from Syrian troops.
The United States joined the condemnation and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement saying he "deplores" the cross-border attacks.
A Lebanese TV cameraman has also been killed by Syrian soldiers while filming the border area from Lebanon.
Article source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Syrian-Violence-Attacks-As-Arab-League-UN-Pull-Back-Ahead-Of-Ceasefire/Article/201204216205537?f=rss


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Emirates 24/7
Selling your car online: Do paid ads work better than free ones?
Emirates 24/7
Classified sites and community pages play an integral role in cracking right deal online. (Shutterstock). Upgrading your car while shopping around for a good deal on your old car is a phenomenon most expats in the UAE will identify with. This possibly …


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The C in SCT stands for community, which means that there are lots of ways that you, as a member of our community, may help at SCT if you would like to do so. We are now seeking Actors and Directors, Ushers, Box Office Personnel, Backstage Managers and Stage Hands, Lighting, Prop and Costume Assistance, Set Constructors and Decorators, and Publicity Assistance. Indeed, SCT is always looking for people to help with all aspects of theatre. Do you enjoy painting, hammering nails, building things? We have a place for you! How about sewing, decorating, etc.? We have the perfect place for you!
There's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction when watching an SCT performance and knowing that you had a part in making the show a success. Community theatre is not just about acting and directing; many people just like you help 'behind the scenes', and they are just as important to SCT as those on stage. And why do we do it? Because it's fun, and because it's a way of giving something back to our town.
Just as importantly, you can also help by:
And of course you may do all of the above if you wish!
Becoming a member of SCT is free; there are no membership fees or dues. Just join us for our general meetings. SCT meets the first Thursday of February, April, June, August, October and December at 6:00 p.m. We also have Fun Days (code for working on a set), Just For Fun events (these really are - just for fun! We may gather for a sing-a-long, go Christmas caroling, take in a movie, or play games!), Fourth Fridays, Rising Stars youth events, Project P.L.A.Y. and of course there are always the shows and our famous Opening Night Parties.
Come join in the fun! You'll be glad you did. To subscribe to SCT's maillist....please click here.
For more information on SCT, contact: Gabe Smith, Paula Mabry, or Pattye Archer.
Enteraining Starkville and the Golden Triangle since 1978.


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Trinity College Senior has the depth and large breadth of subject choices to accommodate a broad range of student interests, abilities and future goals.
TCS's experience tells us academic success, self confidence and skills development are all closely linked and that they thrive in a supportive environment of experienced, motivated and dedicated teachers equipped with our state of the art facilities.
The information provided in this section is designed to help our young emerging adults make informed and wise choices based on accurate information about subject pre-requisites, course content, assessment practices and student expectations.
The outstanding success of our Year 12 graduates from all walks of life clearly demonstrates the benefits of a successful, well rounded senior school education.
Trinity College Senior has the breadth of subjects, the experienced teachers and the depth of resources to individualise student
learning. Within key learning areas students are able to maximise their career or tertiary pathways through a large choice of subject offerings backed up by thorough counselling and transition processes.
Appraisal of student progress is continuous throughout the year and takes many forms, i.e. work placement booklets from employers, SACE Coordinator feedback about possible TER scores, VET pathways performance monitoring by Pathways Coordinator, feedback from Year 11 and 12 Coordinators, tutor teacher advocacy, individual class teacher comments, Parent Teacher Conferences and formal Term and Semester Reports.
The opportunity exists for individual students to re-negotiate their pathway during the year and opportunities are provided for students to attend Career Days, Tertiary Institutions, meet university lecturers and talk to industry representatives, practice interview techniques and develop their own C.V.'s.
Alexander Avenue
Evanston South SA 5116
tel: (08) 8522 0666
CRICOS 00374C / 02709B | Copyright © 2016 Trinity College Gawler Inc | PRIVACY | DISCLAIMER


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This letter was submitted to Seward City News by Scott and Krista Smith, the sister and brother-in-law of Micah McComas.
This week our family has become a reluctant, but passionate champion of the rights of victims' and victims' family's rights. On Sunday, October 1, we were informed that our son, brother and brother in law, Micah McComas had been killed in Seward, Alaska. Alaska State Troopers visited our parent's home outside of Anchorage that morning to tell us that Micah had been killed. Details were sketchy to non-existent. Like most do today, we began scouring the internet and social media sites for any clue as to what might have happened to Micah. Grieving began, but there was no closure. We literally had no details of his death. On Monday, October 2, we found out on Facebook that Micah had been killed in an officer-involved shooting by a member of the Seward Police Department. We were never officially informed that Micah was killed by a police officer in a Safeway parking lot at 1:47 AM. For the first few days, our information came sporadically through media sources on the internet. Micah's sister, Krista, eventually spoke with the Chief of Police of the Seward Police Department. He told her that there were body cameras on the officer, and in the police car. Apparently, according to Alaska state law, we have to wait until the investigation has been completed which has been estimated at 6 weeks for the videos to be released. The conversation was pleasant and respectful, and he seemed like a good man, ready to do the right thing; however, the investigation had been turned over to the Alaska State Troopers. We have to imagine that the Chief had seen the videos and knew the truth, whatever it may turn out to be, but policy prohibits him from sharing. At this point, we have not heard from the Alaska State Troopers directly, though our attorney has made contact.
Before we go any further, it is important that anyone that reads this letter understands very clearly that we are ardent supporters of our police, our military, and our first-responders. Scott's uncle was a State Trooper in his home State of Mississippi, and we believe that virtually every police officer, when given the chance, will do the right thing. We know that the number one goal of each police officer AND his family is for he or she to get home safely each night. We also know that people are fallible. We know that people make mistakes. We know that people abuse their power. BUT, we wholeheartedly believe that is the exception, not the rule. We don't support kneeling for the national anthem, and no matter what happened in this situation, we will always stand. We cover our hearts during the pledge of allegiance and stand for the national anthem. We also support people's right to peacefully protest, but even when we don't necessarily agree. We have traveled the world, and no one will ever convince us that the United States is not the greatest country in the world. If Micah caused the officer to fear for his life or the life of others, then Micah died with the consequences, as we have to live with them. If Micah did not, then our intent is to ensure that those responsible and those who have been aided and abetted will reap the consequences. At this point, we have no ill-will towards anyone, we SIMPLY want to know what happened.
Micah made a number of mistakes in his life. He would be the first to admit that fact. If you've visited the (www.
This process is difficult. It is difficult to grieve because we don't really know what we are grieving. Are we grieving a bad decision by Micah that caused an officer to fear for his life, or are we grieving a senseless execution? It is difficult to maneuver the bureaucratic process. We are receiving conflicting reports. We have talked to eyewitnesses. The investigation has moved from Seward to the State Police, and we have no understanding of the process. We have been told by eyewitnesses that Micah was handcuffed prior to the shooting. We were told he was shot multiple times. We were told he died in the parking lot. We were told he died in the ambulance. We were told there are no security cameras at the Safeway. We were told that there are security cameras in the Safeway parking lot. It had been reported that the officer was injured "but would survive." Then reported that the officer received "non-life threatening injuries" and yet the passenger in the vehicle has stated emphatically that she heard no struggle, no argument, and the officer did not appear to be injured at all and was standing talking to the responding officer when he arrived after the shots had been fired. The name of the Police Officer was released after 3 days, but the name released was not the actual name of the Officer. It was corrected after the media revealed that name released was incorrect. Our early information came from the internet and our attorney, but now we are being contacted by members of the Alaska community with information. What's the Truth? Honestly, the narrative is inconsistent. We don't know, but there are people that do, and we are slowly but surely discovering facts. We believe that body cam and police car video would clear up the facts for all involved. We have heard nothing about a weapon, and I feel pretty confident that if a weapon had been present, it would have been plastered all over the police website.
In the end, a man in handcuffs is dead. This is the elephant in the room, so let us address it. Officer involved shootings are one of the biggest lightning rods in our society today. But, we do believe that this phenomenon is bigger than just being about race. THIS is about who has a VOICE, and who doesn't. This is about disenfranchisement. We all know that where there are people that are dis-enfranchised, there are evil people who will take advantage. Disenfranchisement comes in many forms. Race is probably the most prolific source of disenfranchisement. But things like socio-economic class and criminal records can equally silence someone's voice. Micah was white. Micah was not wealthy, he was not even middle class. Micah had a criminal record. But, none of these are reasons to be killed. If a police officer is going to take a life in the United States of America, there has to be a high bar. In our opinion, that bar is the imminent threat on an officer's life or the life of other citizens. If that bar is met, lethal force is warranted.
Like most, we watch with disgust at some of the shootings of unarmed citizens that we see on social media, and like many of you who are reading this, we wonder what we can do about it. We also see shootings of those who threaten the lives of officers and citizens and thank God that we have brave men and women ready to stand in harm's way on our behalf. Our family believes in the power of the people to bring about change and to force institutions to do what is right. At this point, our family wants to see the videos that were taken of the incident that took Micah's life. We don't want to distribute the videos. We want to watch them. We want to grieve. If Micah is to blame, we accept his fate. If he is not, we will not STAND for anything less than total justice.
Today, whether you are on your knees in prayer or in protest, we ask that you STAND with us and take a quick moment to share this post, this letter or website with folks that you think will care. Then take your knee again, in prayer or in protest. Each night we are on our knees in prayer, but each day we STAND UP and we'll keep STANDING UP until we are given what is the right of ANY victim's family…THE TRUTH.
Scott and Krista Smith
Sister and Brother-in-law of Micah McComas


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Americans enjoy over 2 billion cookies a year or an average of 300 cookies per person annually.1 Not only are there countless cookie cookbooks—books dedicated solely to cookie recipes—there are countless Christmascookie cookbooks. Besides delighting taste buds, however, cookies can serve as a delightfully educational unit of study. And what better time to study it than at Christmas?
The English word cookie comes from the Dutch koekje, which means "little cake."2 These treats that we use as snacks, or stand alone desserts and consider a destination, were once just a small part of a journey to something else. Cookies began as oven regulators, literally little cakes to test temperatures. The earliest "cookies" are thought to date back to 7th Century Persia A.D. when luxurious cakes were being made in one of the first countries to cultivate sugar. These were merely test cakes, as it was better to use a little batter to check an oven than to waste an entire large cake.
Begin your unit learning about the history of cookies through the years. (The websites cited below are great places to start.) You'll find that America's favorite cookie, the delicious and infamous chocolate chip cookie, came about through an accident at the Toll House Restaurant in Massachusetts. As you learn about this happy accident, it would be a good time to add some geography to your unit with the book All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman. This book takes children around the world to learn where the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies come from. Add a small journaling assignment where children think of a time when they experienced a "happy accident," when something didn't go as planned, but turned out to be good anyway.
Continue your social studies and language studies by learning the words for cookie in other languages and cultures. In England and Australia, they're biscuits. Italy has biscotti, Spain galletas. Germans call themkeks, and they even have a name specifically for Christmas cookies—Platzchen. Of course, bake, bake, bake! And eat, eat, eat!
For the most part, it's up to you and your excited children which cookies you'll make. There is one batch of cookies, however, that I specifically suggest you make during this unit, and that is thumbprint cookies. Prior to making the cookies, get an inkpad and let everyone experiment with their fingerprints. Make little Christmas pictures by making people or animals out of your fingerprints. Talk about how everyone's fingerprints are different from everyone else's. Next take those fingers and thumbs to the cookie dough. As you make the cookies, talk about how each person is unique, and how even with all the many people in the world, Heavenly Father and Jesus know each one of us personally. President Ezra Taft Benson taught, "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us."3 And just like Jesus had a mission and role to fill that was specifically His, each of us has a mission to complete as well. While there are certainly future events pertaining to each person's life mission, many elements are in affect now. Learn that our missions in life are now, with each person having a "unique set of gifts, a unique set of challenges, and there are specific needs in the world that the Lord wants us to respond to now."4 When you're done with the pictures and cookies, add a journaling assignment: "What My Fingerprint Means to Me."
Now, the act of baking cookies is automatically mathematical in measuring ingredients, but you can do more than the obvious. This would be a good time to teach or review not only fractions but systems of measurement and conversions. You can rely on learning by doing, or you can add some extra activities. Get going with Gallon Man (or Gallon Guy or Measurement Man). Make it a game using (or creating your own) materials like Merry Measurement and Cookie Sums, seasonally festive and educational, from Flap Jack Educational Resources. You can even add music to the mix by choosing catchy tunes on YouTube about measurement.
Baking cookies also lends itself to a lesson in following directions. If you can stand it, let your kids experiment with the order in which they add ingredients to see if it really makes a difference. Try substitutions. This is also a perfect time to let kids invent their own recipes. Have a cookie creating contest, with the stipulation that all new recipes must be written out and part of the test is how clearly the directions are written. You could also do cooking shows and practice speech and presentation.
Experimentation is science, and yes, there is science in baking cookies! It's called Chemistry. You might want to learn about the chemistry of cookies before or after experimenting (or both).5
And now for treasured reading. Believe it or not, there are some fantastic cookie books out there that aren't cookbooks. Amy Krouse Rosenthall has written a wonderful series that teaches important concepts, traits, and characteristics through the medium of cookies. Titles include Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons; One Smart Cookie: Bite-Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond; Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love; Christmas Cookies: Bite-Size Holiday Lessons. These are brilliant! Read them again and again around the table while you sample your cookies together.
Last but most definitely not least, is the lesson of the unit to tie it all up and make it meaningful. Read together The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus' Birth by Dandi Daley Mackall. Make your own Nativity cookies, either by purchasing cookie cutters, or by drawing your own silhouette shapes on paper to use as a stencil to cut out of sugar or gingerbread dough. Let your children tell the story of Jesus' birth with them and then take some to others to share the true meaning of Christmas.
Because of the saturation of senses, the smells and tastes of food leave distinct impressions. Finish your unit with a final journaling activity exploring the importance of traditions and the role that food plays in it. It would be appropriate for you to share your own childhood memories of cookies at Grandma's or other fond recollections of traditions involving food. Children could even contact extended family members and collect their memories, making a volume of "Family Christmas Traditions and Recipes" to give as a gift for this or a future Christmas.
Merry Christmas! May your hearts be warm, your hands busy, and your heads full of newfound knowledge to ponder and bless.
1 Block, Stephen. The History of Cookies. The Kitchen Project. Retrieved December 6, 2011
2 Stradley, Linda. 2004. History of Cookies. What's Cooking America. Retrieved December 6, 2011
3 Benson, Ezra Taft. "Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations." Ensign December 1988.
4 Pinborough, Jan. "Your Mission in Life is Now." Ensign June 2010.
5 See Vodrey, Catherine S. November 29, 2001. Cookie Chemistry 101. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 6, 2011
You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!
- Sasha


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Passenger Review
May 18, 2017
Filed under Entertainment
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On a routine journey through space to a new home, two passengers, sleeping in suspended animation, are awakened 90 years too early when their ship malfunctions. As Jim and Aurora face living the rest of their lives on board, with every luxury they could ever ask for, they begin to fall for each other, unable to deny their intense attraction until they discover the ship is in grave danger. With the lives of 5,000 sleeping passengers at stake, only Jim and Aurora can save them all.
I've seen a lot of space movies come out in recent years, but Passengers is probably one of my favorites. I'm not usually a huge sci-fi fan either. Not only are the leads of the entire movie two EXTREMELY popular actors (Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence), but the movie also had a great story. The beginning was slow and kind of aggravating as Jim opens Auroras pod purposefully, but by the end of the movie, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.


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Words that start with agady
Found 1 words that start with agady. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words starting with agady. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words containing agady
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Here are some DETAILS ABOUT 6 SCOTT ST.…
Mid Port of Spain – MARAVAL TAXI –
Cost: $5 one way.
1. The Maraval Taxi stand is located next to the KFC on the corner of Duke St. and Charlotte St.
2. The Taxi goes around the Savannah along Saddle Rd. to Maraval. Ask the taxi to stop at the 2nd road on the left after you pass the Ministry of Agriculture (Just before the Ellerslie Plaza traffic light). This is Newbold Street. Many drivers from town know it as ANYA AYOUNG CHEE'S HOUSE…you can also try mentioning that to help you get closer to the location upon arrival.
3. Walk down Newbold, take the 1st right which is Scott St.
4. On Scott St., walk 3 houses down on the right hand side, just after the South African Embassy. It's the only 2-story building with aluminum gates.
Scott Street to Port of Spain – Cost: $5.00 one way.
1. Exit the building and take a right, then the first right towards Ellerslie Plaza. Walk through Ellerslie Plaza to get to Saddle Rd.
2. Cross the Road towards the bus stop and look out for H cars or yellow ban maxi taxis.
3. H cars generally put you down at the Maraval taxi stand on the corner of Duke and Charlotte; Yellow Ban Maxis stop just before Park street
There are also P cars which go down Saddle Road, but you take them at your own risk. You just have to assess the driver (and passengers) as best you can and make a decision). Sometimes the P cars take you further down Charlotte Street so there is not so you don,t have to walk so much when you get to Charlotte. And then there is always UBER!
- We are located upstairs.
- There are 2 mirrored rooms - STUDIO A (18p capacity) and STUDIO B (10p capacity). We are smaller, as we try to connect with you better to be able to adjust for your needs easier.
- The area is serene with the amazing sound of birds and lots of trees.
- Pot lighting so the night classes will feel soothing.
- A/C available for any workshops and specialty classes.
- We have a water cooler to refill your reusable bottles. We don't sell bottled water in an effort to help reduce the amount of plastic that goes back into our environment.
- There is a small lounge area, as well as other areas to just sit and gather while you wait for your class to begin or to lime for a bit after class.
- We have Notice Board you can check for updates there. We also invite you to post anything you want to advertise as well.
- We rent skidless towels, regular towels and yoga mats for your convenience and available at the sign-in desk.
- We also sell yoga mats, skidless towels and yoga blocks available at the sign-in desk.
- Some of you may require blocks, straps, and/or tennis balls during the class...these are all available for your use at no extra cost, at the sign-in table.
- PARKING: It's street parking in the heart of St. Clair. The area is full of embassies, we are near to the Jamaican Embassy and next door to the South African Embassy so the area is pretty safe. Still, we know that night classes could be worrisome so we are going to have security available after 6PM
THE WASHROOMS and THE SHOWERS:
The ladies washroom and shower is located in Studio A and it's air conditioned! There is also a unisex washroom and shower located in the meeting room space next to the lounge. There is a more private washroom located downstairs next to the pool. There is a full length mirror on the ladies side, as well as a divider for those who would like to change more privately. There are hooks for hanging your clothes. We offer other amenities such as Dr. Bronner's soap at the sinks and showers, hair woogies, Q-Tips and cotton facial pads. Unfortunately, like we would like to be eco-friendly in the showers, time has proven that humidity tends to make mold and mildew grow faster so yeah we use it…BLEACH!!!! And tons of it!! Including the doors and handles! Sanitation first peoples!
There are so many other features about this space that we know you will love! There is a Rooftop that will allow us to have sunrise, sunset and even lunar classes! There is an open court and Art Gallery space that we can access for events. There is a café and a beauty bar. There are other tenants on the compound and it's really cool how everyone works together. Annnnnd we can even offer packages that include a combination of Yoga, Massage, the Café and the Beauty Bar…think corporate events, group limes, Mother's and Father's Day gifts…so many possibilities! Just email us!
THE SANGHA TRINIDAD's WELLNESS SPACE!
Exciting news! The Sangha Trinidad is going to be offering Thai Yoga Massages and Reflexology Therapy.
A Thai Yoga massage session differs from a Swedish massage in that it is conducted on a thick mat on the floor, and the client remains fully clothed in loose clothing. A session can last as long as two hours and consists of dynamic and fluid combinations of techniques that move, stretch and twist the client, in almost yoga-like moves while they are positioned on their back, front, side, and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Thai Yoga massage affects the entire body by increasing flexibility, releasing both deep and superficial tension, and promoting inner peace and a quiet mind. Most report that following a session, they feel taller, more graceful, and experience an amazing sense of freedom in their body.
Here are the deets…
- THAI YOGA MASSAGE: TRAINEE LEVEL – This massage is performed by one of our Thai Yoga Massage Trainees so they can practise. TT$100.00 per session (approx. 60mins)
- THAI YOGA MASSAGE: PRO LEVEL – This massage is performed by a pro Thai Yoga Massage Practitioner…someone who has been practising for a minimum of one year. TT$350.00 per session (approx. 90mins)
- You are fully dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility.
Our Trainees are: Annela, Julia, Michelle, and Nigel.
Our Pros are:
A good Reflexology Foot Massage is an incredible healing force that can help alleviate many symptoms such as headache, insomnia, chronic fatigue, dizziness, as well as help treat the underlying cause of many internal diseases such as Liver disease, Kidney disease, Heart disease, High blood pressure, plus virtually any disease known to man.
- REFLEXOLOGY : TT$250.00 per session (approx. 60mins)
During the massage, the client is fully dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility.
Message us at 730-YOGA (9642) OR
email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
to book now!
There is an on-site café – Ambrosia Café – that's focused on providing foods which are pesticide free and promote natural health. Open for breakfast with awesome coffees and teas available for after class…before class…okay not right before *wink*, lunch and dinner…so many options! All made from scratch and with love! And guess what? All Sangha Practitioners receive 10% OFF your bill!
Opening in September…this awesome spot is perfect for that quickie wash 'n' go situation, as well as any other beauty needs. more details coming soon! But again, All Sangha Practitioners will receive 10% OFF !


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For information on advertising in the Crawford County Voice, Roscommon County Voice, Michigan Boomers or Voice of the Au Sable, please contact Tracy Constance at 419-236-0359 or email@example.com.
For information on submitting photos, calendar items, releases, business news or other information you would like to submit for publishing online or in print, please contact
Theresa Ekdom at firstname.lastname@example.com.
AuSable Media Group
Au Sable Media Group, LLC, is a veteran-owned company that owns and operates the Roscommon County Voice, Crawford County Voice, Michigan Boomers and Voice of the Au Sable.
Our focus is on the positive people and events that make Northern Michigan a great place to live, vacation, work and play.
We have been commercial printers and publishers since 2010, specializing in brochures, rack cards, magazines and other newspapers and publications. A new addition to our stable of marketing products are various promotional items such as shirts, hats, mugs, water bottles and much more.
For information on promoting your business in any of our products please contact Tracy Constance at 989-275-1170 (firstname.lastname@example.com) or Walt Smith at 989-390-5359 (firstname.lastname@example.com).
If you have information you would like to see published, email Managing Editor Theresa Ekdom at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Our printed publications include:
Roscommon County Voice – Published the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Cost is .50 at newsstands or by subscription for $40 annually. We cover the communities of Houghton Lake, Roscommon, Higgins Lake and St. Helen. Schools districts covered include Houghton Lake Community Schools, Roscommon Area Public Schools, aand the Charlton Heston Academy.
Crawford County Voice – published the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Cost is .50 at newsstands or by subscription for $40 annually. The Crawford County Voice covers the communities of Grayling, Frederic and Lovells. We also cover Grayling Community Schools.
Voice of the AuSable – Monthly publication covering multiple counties across Northeast Michigan including Crawford, Otsego, Montmorency, Oscoda, Ogemaw, Iosco and Alcona. It is published monthly and distributed free at newsstands and through our advertisers across the region.
Michigan Boomers – Monthly magazine targeted at readers over 50 years old. It features information about maintaining an active lifestyle as we age. Unique features include Corks and Kegs, which highlights a brew pub or winery in Northern Michigan. Boomers is inserted in the Roscommon County Voice, Crawford County Voice, Voice of the AuSable and the Northwest Voice. It's also distributed free at newsstands in the following communities: Gladwin, Standish, AuGres, Sterling and Traverse City.
Through our website at www.UpNorthVoice.com, we currently cover the following communities: Roscommon, Houghton Lake, St. Helen, Higgins Lake, Grayling, Frederic, Gaylord, Lewiston, Johannesburg, Atlanta, Hillman, Fairview, Comins, McKinley, Mio, Rose City, West Branch, Hale, Glennie, Sand Lake, Harrisville, Tawas City, East Tawas, Oscoda, Au Sable AuGres, Standish, Omer, Sterling, Gladwin, Beaverton, Kalkaska, South Boardman, Fife Lake, Mancelona, Alden, Traverse City, and Waters. We are willing to run community information from outside our immediate coverage as well.
Community groups and non-profits can load their events for free at UpNorthVoice.com.
Social Media
Roscommon County Voice
Crawford County Voice
Gladwin Voice
Corks and Kegs
Michigan Boomers
You might be from West Branch
Voice of the AuSable
AuSable River
Au Sable Media Group, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and follows all applicable state and federal laws. Our corporate office is located at 709 Lake Street in beautiful downtown Roscommon, Michigan.
For information call 989-275-1170.


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Privacy Policy
When you sign up for service with XR Networks , we collect personal information from you including your name, e-mail address, billing address, credit card or other payment information, and a password.
We may also collect the IP address, and your browser type and version, all of which are collected in an anonymous manner without being linked to any of your personal information.
Use of Customer Information
Customer privacy is something we take very seriously at XR Networks. We do not sell or disseminate (except in cases where required to by law enforcement agencies) the personal information of our customers to any parties outside of XR Networks for any purpose other than communicating messages provided by XR Networks. We use customer information for the purposes of creating and maintaining individual customer accounts, contacting customers in case of problems with their account(s), sending personal information, for statistical purposes, to administer our systems, to conduct surveys, to administer drawings or contests, to provide product and marketing updates, and to provide technical support.
XR Networks may engage with companies or agencies that may come in contact with some customer data only in cases where that access is required to support XR Networks's own goals and initiatives. Some optional partner offers and services may require customer information to be provided to third parties as a necessary part of establishing service with them.


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Prof. George Verghese and Prof. Thomas Heldt
Selected Journal Publications and Book Chapters
- Mieloszyk RJ, Verghese GC, Deitch K, Cooney B, Khalid A, Mirre-González MA, Heldt T, Krauss BS. Automated quantitative analysis of capnogram shape for COPD–Normal and COPD–CHF classification. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering PP(99): 1, 2014.
- Preciado VM, Jadbabaie A, Verghese GC. Structural analysis of Laplacian spectral properties of large-scale networks. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 58(9): 2338-2343, 2013.
- Reisner AT, Heldt T. A computational model of hemorrhage and dehydration suggests a pathophysiological mechanism: Starling-mediated protein trapping. American Journal of Physiology, 304(4):H620-31, 2013.
- Heldt T, Verghese GC, Mark RG. Mathematical modeling of physiological systems. In "Mathematical modeling and validation in physiology: applications to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems," JJ Batzel, M Bachar, F Kappel (eds), Springer Verlag, 2013.
- Kashif FM, Verghese GC, Novak V, Czosnyka M, Heldt T. Model-based noninvasive estimation of intracranial pressure from cerebral blood flow velocity and arterial blood pressure. Science Translational Medicine 4 129ra44, 2012. (full-text, reprint)
- Heldt T, Kashif FM, Sulemanji M, O'Leary HM, du Plessis AJ, Verghese GC. Continuous quantitative monitoring of cerebral oxygen metabolism in neonates by ventilator-gated analysis of NIRS recordings. Acta Neurochirurgica Supplementum 114: 177-180, 2012.
- Azunre P, Gomez-Uribe C, Verghese GC. Mass fluctuation kinetics: Analysis and computation of equilibria and local dynamics. IET Systems Biology 5(6): 325-335, 2011.
- Nemati S, Edwards BA, Sands SA, Berger PJ, Wellman A, Verghese GC, Malhotra A, Butler JP. Model-based characterization of ventilatory stability using spontaneous breathing. Journal of Applied Physiology 111(1): 55-67, 2011.
- Saeed M, Villaroel M, Reisner AT, Clifford G, Lehman LW, Moody G, Heldt T, Kyaw TG, Moody B, Mark RG. Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (MIMIC-II): A public-access intensive care unit database. Critical Care Medicine 39(5): 952-960, 2011.
- Richoux WJ, Verghese GC. A generalized influence model for networked stochastic automata. IEEE Trans. Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part A (Systems and Humans) 41(1): 10-23, 2011.
- Heldt T, Mukkamala R, Moody GB, Mark RG. CVSim: a cardiovascular simulator for teaching and research. The Open Pacing, Electrophysiology and Therapy Journal 3: 45-54, 2010.
- Preciado VM, Verghese GC. Low-order spectral analysis of the Kirchhoff matrix of a probabilistic graph with prescribed expected degree sequence. IEEE Trans. Circuits and Systems 56(6): 1231-1240, 2009.
- Zager L, Verghese GC. Epidemic thresholds for infections in uncertain networks. Complexity 14(4): 12-25, 2009.
- Gomez-Uribe C, Verghese GC, Tzafriri AR. Enhanced identification and exploitation of time scales for model reduction in stochastic chemical kinetics. J. Chemical Physics 129 (24): 244112, 2008.
- Gomez-Uribe C, Verghese GC, Mirny L.A. Operating regimes of signaling cycles: Statics, dynamics, and noise filtering. PLoS Computational Biology 3(12): e246, 2007.
- Gomez-Uribe C, Verghese GC. Mass fluctuation kinetics: Capturing stochastic behavior in systems of chemical reactions through coupled mean-variance computations. J. Chemical Physics 126(2): 024109, 2007.
- Parlikar TA, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Cycle-averaged models of cardiovascular dynamics. IEEE Trans. Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications 53 (11): 2459 – 2468, 2006. (Special Issue on Advances in Life Sciences Systems and Applications)
- Roy S, Verghese GC, Lesieutre BC. Moment-linear stochastic systems. In: Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics I. J. Braz, H. Araujo, A Vieira, B. Encarnacao (eds.), pp. 263-271, Springer Verlag.
- Heldt T, Chang JL, Chen JJS, Verghese GC, Mark RG. Cycle-averaged dynamics of a periodically-driven, closed-loop circulation model. Control Engineering Practice 13(9): 1163 – 1171, 2005. (PMID: 16050064) (Special Issue on Modelling and Control in Biomedical and Biological Systems)
- Hadjicostis CN, Verghese GC. Coding approaches to fault tolerance in linear dynamic systems. IEEE Trans. Information Theory 51(1): 210-228, 2005.
- Eldar YC, Megretski A, Verghese GC. Optimal detection of symmetric mixed quantum states. IEEE Trans. Information Theory 50(6): 1198-1207, 2004.
- Eldar YC, Megretski A, Verghese GC. Designing optimal quantum detectors via semidefinite programming. IEEE Trans. Information Theory 49(4): 1007-1012, 2003.
- Hadjicostis CN, Verghese GC. Fault-tolerant computation in semigroups and semirings: Applications to automata, dynamic systems and Petri nets. J. Franklin Institute 339: 387-440, 2002.
- Hadjicostis CN, Verghese GC. Encoded dynamics for fault tolerance in linear finite-state machines. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control 47(1): 2133-2140, 2002.
- Asavathiratham C, Roy S, Lesieutre BC, Verghese GC. The influence model. IEEE Control Systems Magazine 21(6): 52-64, 2001. (Special Issue on Complex Systems)
- Lesieutre BC, Mamishev AV, Keskiner E, Zahn M, Verghese GC. Forward and inverse parameter estimation algorithms of interdigital dielectrometry sensors. IEEE Trans. Dielectrics and Electric Insulation 8: 577-588, 2001.
- Fiore P, Verghese GC. Constrained maximum likelihood solution of linear equations. IEEE Trans. Signal Processing 48: 671-679, 2000.
- Hadjicostis CN, Verghese GC. Structured redundancy for fault tolerance in LTI state-space models and Petri nets. Kybernetika 35: 39-55, 1999.
- Burth M, Vélez-Reyes M, Verghese GC. Improving parameter estimation by subset selection: Application to a model for generator dynamics. IEEE Trans. Power Systems 14: 218-225, 1999.
- Caliskan VA, Verghese GC, Stankovic AM. Multi-frequency averaging of DC-DC converters. IEEE Trans. Power Electronics 14: 124-133, 1999.
- Mattavelli P, Verghese GC, Stankovic AM. Phasor dynamics of thyristor-controlled series capacitor systems. IEEE Trans. Power Systems 12: 1259-1267, 1997.
- Stankovic AM, Verghese GC, Perreault DJ. Randomized modulation of power converters via Markov chains. IEEE Trans. Control System Technology 5: 61-73, 1997.
- Karl WC, Kulkarni S, Verghese GC, Willsky AS. Local tests for consistency of support hyperplane data. J. of Mathematical Imaging and Vision 6: 249-267, 1995.
- Milanfar P, Verghese GC, Karl WC, Willsky AS. Reconstructing polygons from moments, with connections to array processing. IEEE Trans. Signal Processing 43: 432-443, 1995.
- Karl WC Verghese GC, Willsky AS. Reconstructing ellipsoids from projections. Computer Vision, Graphics, and Image Processing 56: 124-139, 1994.
- Sanders SR, Verghese GC. Lyapunov-based control for switched power converters. IEEE Trans. Power Electronics 7: 17-24, 1992.
- Sidman SR, DeAngelis FE, Verghese GC. Parametric system identification on logarithmic frequency response data. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control 36: 1065-1070, 1991.
- Sanders SR, Noworolski JM, Liu XZ, Verghese GC. Generalized averaging method for power conversion circuits. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control 6: 251-259, 1991. (Special Issue on Modeling)
- Leeb SB, Kirtley JL, Verghese GC. Recognition of dynamic patterns in DC-DC switching converters. IEEE Trans. Power Electronics 6(2): 296-302, 1991.
- Tsai WK, Parlors AG, Verghese GC. Bounding the states of systems with unknown-but-bounded disturbances. Int. J. of Control 52: 881-915, 1990.
- Karl WC, Verghese GC. Curvatures of surfaces and their shadows. Linear Algebra and Applications 130: 231-915, 1990.
- Pérez-Arriaga IJ, Verghese GC, Pagola FL, Sancha JL, Schweppe FC. Developments in Selective Modal Analysis of small-signal stability in electrical power systems. Automatica 26: 215-231, 1990.
- Vélez-Reyes M, Verghese GC. Developing reduced order electrical machine models using participation factors. IMACS Annals on Computing and Applied Math (Modeling and Simulation) 3: 333-335, 1989.
- Massoumnia MA, Verghese GC, Willsky AS. Failure detection and identification in linear time-invariant systems. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control 34: 316-321, 1989.
- Pagola FL, Pérez-Arriaga IJ, Verghese GC. On sensitivities, residues and participations: Applications to oscillatory stability analysis and control. IEEE Trans. Power Systems 4: 278-285, 1989.
- Elbuluk ME, Verghese GC, Kassakian JG. Sampled-data modeling and digital control of resonant converters. IEEE Trans. Power Electronics 3: 344-354, 1988.
- Lou X-C, Willsky AS, Verghese GC. An algebraic approach to time scale analysis of singularly perturbed linear systems. Int. J. Control 47: 281-308, 1988.
- Lou X-C, Verghese GC, Willsky AS, Coxson PG. Conditions for scale-based decompositions in singularly perturbed systems. Linear Algebra and its Applications 98: 387-413, 1988. (Special Issue on Linear Algebra in Electrical Engineering)
- Lou X-C, Willsky AS, Verghese GC. Optimally robust redundancy relations for failure detection in uncertain systems. Automatica 22: 333-344, 1986.
- Verghese GC, Elbuluk ME, Kassakian JG. A general approach to sampled-data modeling for power electronic circuits. IEEE Trans. Power Electronics PE-1: 76-89, 1984.
- Levy BC, Castanon DA, Verghese GC, Willsky AS. A scattering framework for decentralized estimation problems. Automatica 19(4): 373-384, 1983.
- Verghese GC. A 'Cramer's Rule' for the least-norm, least-square-error solution of inconsistent equations. Linear Algebra and Its Applications 48: 315-316, 1982.
- Verghese GC, Pérez-Arriaga IJ, Schweppe F. Rational approximation via Selective Modal Analysis. Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing 1(3-4): 433-445, 1982. (Special Issue on Rational Approximation of Systems)
- Verghese GC, Pérez-Arriaga IJ, Schweppe F. Selective Modal Analysis with applications to electric power systems, II: The dynamic stability problem. IEEE Trans. Power Apparatus and Systems PAS-101(9): 3126-3134, 1982.
- Pérez-Arriaga IJ, Verghese GC, Schweppe F. Selective Modal Analysis with applications to electric power systems, I: Heuristic introduction. IEEE Trans. Power Apparatus and Systems PAS-101(9): 3117-3125, 1982.
- Willsky AS, Bello M, Castano DA, Levy BC, Verghese GC. Combining and updating of local estimates and regional maps along sets of one-dimensional tracks. IEEE Trans. Auto. Control AC-27(4): 799-812, 1982.
- Verghese GC, Levy BC, Kailath T. A generalized state-space for singular systems. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control AC-26(4): 811-831, 1981.
- Verghese GC, Kailath T. Rational matrix structure. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control AC-26: 434-438, 1981.
- Verghese GC, Friedlander B, Kailath T. Scattering theory and linear least-squares estimation, III: The estimates. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control AC-25(4): 794-802, 1980.
- Verghese GC, Van Dooren P, Kailath T. Properties of the system matrix of a generalized state-space system. Int. J. Control 30(2): 235-243, 1979.
Selected Conference Publications
- Ranger M, Johnston CC, Rennick JE, Limperopoulos C, Heldt T, du Plessis AJ. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure nociception following noxious stimulation in critically ill infants. 14th World Congress on Pain, Milan, Italy, 2012.
- Fanelli A, Signorini MG, Heldt T. Extraction of Fetal Heart Rate from Maternal Surface ECG with Provisions for Multiple Pregnancies. Proceedings of the 34th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 6165-6168, 2012.
- Irena Hwang, Faisal Kashif, Marek Czosnyka, Thomas Heldt, George Verghese. A Frequency-Domain Approach to Model-Based Noninvasive Intracranial Pressure Estimation from Arterial Pressure and Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity. 34th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, San Diego, USA, 2012.
- Haslam B, Gordhandas A, Ricciardi C, Verghese GC, Heldt T. Distilling Clinically Interpretable Information from Data Collected on Next-Generation Wearable Monitors. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1729-1732, 2012.
- Haslam B, Gordhandas A, Ricciardi C, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Relating Noninvasive Cardiac Output and Total Peripheral Resistance Estimates to Physical Activity in an Ambulatory Setting. Proceedings of the AAAI Spring Symposium on Computational Physiology, 27-31, 2011.
- Gordhandas A, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Real-time extraction and analysis of key morphological features in the electrocardiogram for data compression and clinical decision. Proceedings of the AAAI Spring Symposium on Computational Physiology, 15-18, 2011.
- Heldt T, Verghese GC. Model-based data integration for clinical environments. Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 5209-5212, 2010.
- He DD, Winokur ES, Heldt T, Sodini CG. The ear as a location for wearable vital signs monitoring. Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 6389-6392, 2010.
- Kashif FM, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Model-based estimation of intracranial pressure and cerebral autoregulation. Computers in Cardiology 35:369-372, 2008.
- Parlikar TA, Heldt T, Ranade GV, Verghese GC. Model-based estimation of cardiac output and total peripheral resistance. Computers in Cardiology 34:379-381, 2007.
- Heldt T, Chang JL, Verghese GC, Mark RG. Cycle-averaged models of cardiovascular dynamics. Proc. of the 5th IFAC Symposium on Modelling and Control in Biomedical and Biological Systems 387 – 392, 2003.
- Parlikar TA, Ranade GV, Heldt T, and Verghese GC. Model-Based Method for Continuous Determination of Cardiac Output and Peripheral Vascular Resistance. U.S. Patent 8,282,564, 10/09/2012.
- Parlikar TA, Heldt T, Mukkamala R, and Verghese GC. Model-Based Method for Continuous Determination of Cardiac Ejection Fraction and Ventricular End-diastolic Volume. U.S. Patent 8,235,910, 08/07/2012.
- Parlikar TA, Heldt T, Mark RG, and Verghese GC. System and Method for Prediction and Detection of Circulatory Shock. U.S. Patent 8,262,579, 09/11/2012.
- Kashif FM, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Systems, Devices, and Methods for Noninvasive or Minimally-Invasive Estimation of Intracranial Pressure and Cerebrovascular Autoregulation, U.S. Patent Application 2010/0063405A1 allowed for issuance as a patent, 10/02/2012.
Recent Presentations
Heldt T. Challenges (and some solutions) in patient monitoring. Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Yongin, South Korea, December 2012.
Heldt T, Verghese GC. Model-based noninvasive intracranial pressure estimation. National Taiwan University Medical Electronics Workshop, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, November 2012.
Heldt T, Hwang I, Kashif FM, Czosnyka M, Verghese GC. Time- and frequency-domain approaches to model-based estimation of intracranial pressure. Mini-symposium on Information derived from arterial pressure waveform and its clinical significance, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and biology Conference, San Diego, CA, USA, September 2012.
Heldt T. "Model-Based Neuromonitoring," University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA, September 2012.
Heldt T, Kashif FM, Verghese, GC. Model-based estimation of intracranial pressure. Grand Rounds, Combat Casualty Care Directorate, U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center, Fort Detrick, Maryland, July 2012.
Heldt T, Kashif FM, Verghese GC. Model-based estimation in biomedicine – towards noninvasive brain monitoring. Kangwon National University and Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, November 2011.
Haslam B, Gordhandas A, Ricciardi C, Verghese GC, Heldt T. Distilling clinically interpretable information from data collected on next-generation wearable sensors. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference, Boston, MA, September 2011.
Heldt T, Kashif FM, Verghese GC. Noninvasive monitoring of intracranial pressure. MIT Medical Electronics Device Realization Center, Workshop on Next-Generation Medical Electronic Systems, Cambridge, MA, 2011.
Haslam B, Gordhandas A, Ricciardi C, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Relating noninvasive cardiac output and total peripheral resistance estimates to physical activity in an ambulatory setting. AAAI Spring Symposium 2011 on Computational Physiology, Stanford, CA, 2011.
Gordhandas A, Heldt T, Verghese GC. Real-time extraction and analysis of key morphological features in the electrocardiogram for data compression and clinical decision. AAAI Spring Symposium 2011 on Computational Physiology, Stanford, CA, 2011.
Kashif FM, Heldt T, Novak V, Czosnyka M, Verghese GC. Noninvasive continuous estimation of intracranial pressure: a model-based, patient-specific, and calibration-free approach. 14th International Conference on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring, Tübingen, Germany, 2010.
Heldt T, Kashif FM, O'Leary HM, Suleymanci M, du Plessis AJ, Verghese GC. Comprehensive continuous cerebral oxygen metabolism monitoring through ventilator-gated analysis of cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy. 14th International Conference on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring, Tübingen, Germany, 2010.
Heldt T, Verghese GC. Integrating data, models, and reasoning in critical care. Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC) Conference, St. Pete's Beach, FL, August 2010.
Heldt T. Cardiac output estimation: an engineering perspective. Annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, Vancouver, CA. May 2010.
Heldt T, Verghese GC. Multiparameter data archiving and exploration – implications for outcome analysis. Grand Rounds, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, April 2010.
Ranger M, Heldt T, O'Leary H, Suleymanci M, Johnston C, du Plessis AJ. Description of global cerebrovascular activation during noxious stimulus in critically ill premature infants. 8th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain, Acapulco, Mexico, March 2010.
Kashif F, Heldt T, Novak V, Czosnyka M, Verghese GC. Noninvasive cerebrovascular monitoring, Annual Stroke Conference, San Antonio, TX, February 2010.
Kashif F, Heldt T, Novak V, Czosnyka M, Verghese GC. Noninvasive model-based cerebrovascular monitoring for neurotrauma. CIMIT Innovation Congress, Boston, MA, October 2009.
Verghese GC. Deconstructing integrative models: the case for model reduction. Workshop on Computational Challenges in Integrative Biological Modeling, Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, October 2009.
Heldt T, Model-based estimation in biomedicine. Workshop on Computational Challenges in Integrative Biological Modeling, Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, October 2009.
Verghese GC. Getting to the gray box: Some challenges for model reduction. Inaugural plenary lecture, American Control Conference, St. Louis, MO, June 2009. (Video available here.)
Heldt T. Caring for the micro-patient: device needs in the neonatal intensive care unit. Microsystems Technology Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge, MA, March 2009.
Heldt T, Verghese GC. Cardiac output estimation: a signal processing perspective. Workshop on Safe and Effective Devices for Use in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, February 2009.
Heldt T. Model-based estimation in biomedicine. Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, August 2008.
Heldt T, Verghese GC. Subset selection for reduced-order parameter estimation, SIAM Life Science Conference, Montreal, CA, August 2008.


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Operator of the Year 2017
Image courtesy : Edinburgh Trams
Posted on Friday 6th October 2017 by Edinburgh Trams
Edinburgh Trams has scooped the coveted Operator of the Year title at a prestigious awards event celebrating excellence in the light rail sector.
As well as winning the top award, it was Highly Commended in the Most Improved System category at the Global Light Rail Awards in London on Wednesday (October 4).
The annual event highlights exceptional innovation, performance and customer service and the city's tramway also made the shortlists for the Best Customer Initiative, Team of the Year and Project of the Year under €50m awards.
Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams Managing Director, commented:
"To be named Operator of the Year, and to do so well across a range of other categories, is a fantastic achievement and testament everyone's hard work over the past 12 months.
This latest accolade follows the naming of Edinburgh Trams as the UK's number one transport operator for customer satisfaction by the highly respected Transport Focus organisation and reflects our efforts to wrap the business around the customer."
Awards judges were impressed by the way the tramway has increased services at peak times and stepped up operations during the city's many cultural and sporting events, initiatives that have seen customer numbers rise by around 10 per cent to 5.6 million.
The system has also recorded industry-leading levels of reliability and punctuality and turned a profit a year ahead of schedule.
Lea added:
"We're obviously delighted to receive this recognition from the wider light rail sector but we'll never become complacent and continue to look at ways of enhancing our services for the people who matter most, our customers."
Transport Convener and Chair of Transport for Edinburgh, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said:
"This is an excellent win for Edinburgh Trams – to be awarded 'Operator of the Year' is testament to the service's efficiency, reliability and value to the people of Edinburgh.
Since launching in 2014, there is no doubt that the service has grown immensely, achieving near-perfect customer satisfaction and a year-on-year growth in patronage, so to be highly commended in the 'Most Improved System' category is equally deserved.
These awards are thanks to the hard work and dedication of the team behind Edinburgh Trams – congratulations to all those involved."
Posted on Monday, 26th June 2017 by Edinburgh Trams
"Edinburgh Trams has been awarded a prestigious Certificate of Excellence award from the world's leading travel advice website.
The coveted endorsement recognises consistently outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, where eight out of ten contributors rate the tramway as either excellent or very good.
This latest accolade follows hot on the heels of a near-perfect 99 per cent customer satisfaction score from the respected Transport Focus organisation, which ranked Edinburgh Trams as the No.1 transport operator in the UK.
Dean Anderson, Customer Experience Manager at Edinburgh Trams, commented:
"This is yet more recognition for the efforts of all our staff who work day in, day out to provide the best possible experience for our customers."
"The award from TripAdvisor is particularly heartening as it is based on reviews by visitors from all over the world, as well as people who use the tram more regularly for work, visiting friends, shopping or a night out in the city."
Thanks to the positive comments from reviewers, Edinburgh Trams is entitled to use the distinctive TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence logo in its marketing, offering first-time users additional peace of mind that they will receive a first-class service.
"But it doesn't stop there, we're always looking at ways we can further enhance services and our wider offer to all customers," Dean added."
Posted on Wednesday, 5th April 2017 at 14:00 by Edinburgh Trams
"Edinburgh Trams has been recognised as one of the UK's top transport operators for customer service.
Following a survey of people using the tram earlier this year, the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) awarded the organisation a score of 85.8 – more than 11 points above the transport industry average.
The score was also 8 points higher than the average for UK business and, in a report, the Institute highlighted the fact that tram customers were most satisfied with the helpfulness and competence of staff.
Dean Anderson, Customer Experience Manager at Edinburgh Trams, commented:
"We're delighted to have performed so well and the feedback reflects our commitment to putting customers right at the heart of our operations."
The ICS, an independent body for customer service professionals, helps organisations compare their performance against others through its respected Business Benchmarking process.
As well as considering overall satisfaction, the survey also tracked other key aspects of the customer experience and found the tram easy to use when compared to other transport services.
"With a 'Customer Effort' rating of 2.8 – whereby a lower score reflects less effort required by a customer to use a particular service – we compared very favourably with the wider industry, which had an average score of 4.9," Dean explained.
"The report also contained feedback from customers, and it's a real bonus that words such as clean, quick, friendly, smooth, reliable and comfortable all featured prominently in their responses," he added.
More than 30% of customers who added comments did so around a possible extension. One customer wrote:
"Extend the line – it's great!"
Another award for Edinburgh Trams.
On Monday 27th February 2017, Edinburgh's business community came together to celebrate achievements as part of the 6th Annual Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
Edinburgh Trams General Manager, Lea Harrison said -
"To be shortlisted for 5 prestigious awards was an honour and to win High Growth and Excellence in Health & Safety is great recognition for the team who work hard every day to make trams in Edinburgh successful. As the business grows we will be making further enhancements to the service and look forward to next year's awards."
Copyright 2013-2018
All rights reserved.
All photographic images and text are Copyright Chris O'Brien. Moral right are asserted


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AWS services or capabilities described in AWS Documentation may vary by region/location. Click Getting Started with Amazon AWS to see specific differences applicable to the China (Beijing) Region.
Displays the external AWS accounts that are permitted to write events to your account using your account's event bus, and the associated policy. To enable your account to receive events from other accounts, use PutPermission.
For .NET Core and PCL this operation is only available in asynchronous form. Please refer to DescribeEventBusAsync.
Namespace: Amazon.CloudWatchEvents
Assembly: AWSSDK.CloudWatchEvents.dll
Version: 3.x.y.z
public virtual DescribeEventBusResponse DescribeEventBus( DescribeEventBusRequest request )
Container for the necessary parameters to execute the DescribeEventBus service method.
|This exception occurs due to unexpected causes.
|An entity that you specified does not exist.
.NET Framework:
Supported in: 4.5, 4.0, 3.5
Portable Class Library:
Supported in: Windows Store Apps
Supported in: Windows Phone 8.1
Supported in: Xamarin Android
Supported in: Xamarin iOS (Unified)
Supported in: Xamarin.Forms


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With disposables, I've had problems with a rash around my waist. The plastic would cause itching, which leads to scratching, etc. To solve the problem, I have been tucking my undershirt into my diaper for many years now and it has really helped.
Has anyone else had problems with a rash around your waist, and do you tuck your shirt in?
I know it is at risk of someone seeing that you are wearing a diaper, but personally I would rather have that then the awful itch and rash that has developed in the past.


text: I'm gonna go buy a graphics card in a little bit but I was wondering since I had a motherboard with a x4 PCI-E slot rather than x16, is it going to affect it that much? Especially considering I'm going to be buying a lowend card. Also, which would be the best? Gigabyte X1650 Pro 256mb Gigabyte 7600GS 256mb XFX 7300GT 512mb Apogee 7300GT 256mb (ddr3) MSI 8500GT 256mb There all around the same price give or take a few dollars.


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#RedRising in Support of the Backpack Program
The United Way is thrilled to once again partner with Bear Wheel and Brake, Bayshore Broadcasting and the Owen Sound Attack to support The Backpack Program.
Attack Fans are encouraged to donate $1 for every away goal that the Attack Score!
There are 2 ways to participate!
You can have a coin bank and the voice of the Attack Fred Wallace will email you after every game and let you know the score…
Sign up to donate at the end of the season.
Last season the Attack scored 142 goals at away games.
Goals scored to date (March 13):
To sign up or request a coin bank please use this contact form:


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Register for Class
Whether you are looking for a complete solution, or you only need a little help, Moore eSSentials has you covered. We currently offer six different programs to help you. Here they are:
- eSourcing eSSentials
- Limitless LinkedIn
- Facebook Fuel
- Everyone's Email
- Posting Perfection
- Mail Mastery
eSSentials has been our core for years. Once Facebook developed an internal graph search, we developed a class to maximize it's potential- literally before it was fully rolled out in the United States. Throughout this time, many students were asking how we reached out to students. Mail Mastery was born. Both Limitless LinkedIn and Everyone's Email were developed because of constant requests to split that training off of eSSentials as a cheaper, quicker option for tenacious researchers on a budget. Our newest offering is Posting Perfection. Not all job posts are created equal- and if you are going to bother posting a job, you may as well do it better than the rest.


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Michael Schumacher cruised to a record 52nd career victory in another incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps today.
The four-time world champion triumphed in a race that was stopped then reduced to 36 laps after a 170mph shunt involving Britain's Eddie Irvine and his former Jaguar team-mate Luciano Burti.
The Ferrari driver won by 10 seconds from McLaren's David Coulthard, who boosted his chances of finishing a career-best runner-up in the championship to Schumacher with Giancarlo Fisichella claiming a season-best third for Benetton.
The German's victory on the 10th anniversary of his Formula One debut in Belgium equalled the record of five wins held by Ayrton Senna on the feared Spa-Francorchamps track.
Schumacher also claimed the outright career win record from fellow four-time champion Alain Prost, whose driver Burti was taken to hospital for a scan after suffering concussion.
The 26-year-old Brazilian was embedded in a tyre barrier after careering off the track following a collision with Irvine as they battled for position on one of the fastest parts of the circuit.
Burti, who joined Prost after being ditched by Jaguar after just four races this year, hardly lost any speed as he rammed into the tyres in an incident which will again raise concern over the safety of the run-off areas on the famous track.
Irvine was able to walk from the cockpit of his destroyed Jaguar and help remove tyres from around Burti's car.
Fears for the driver's well-being were raised as marshals held up blankets to cover the scene as Burti was put into an ambulance, but it was quickly revealed he was conscious.
Burti was airlifted to the nearby University Hospital of Liege for a scan with early reports saying he could also have damaged his legs.
Officials stopped the race after the incident on the fourth of the original 44-lap battle and after a delay of 25 minutes reduced the race to 36 laps with the field reduced from 22 to 18 cars.
Schumacher, who had seen Williams-BMW rivals Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher both stall at the various starts, went on to win at ease on a track where he made his debut with Jordan in 1991 and scored his maiden win a year later.
Coulthard snatched second spot with an overtaking move on Fisichella nine laps from the finish to move nine points clear of Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, who was fifth, in the battle for second spot overall with three races left.
Mika Hakkinen finished fourth in the other McLaren with Jean Alesi inheriting sixth for Jordan - his first points in only his second outing for the team - after team-mate Jarno Trulli suffered a blown engine just four laps from home.
Veteran Alesi was forced to fend off Ralf Schumacher in the closing laps while Jenson Button retired in his Benetton after 16 laps.


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It's expected that companies and business 'blow their own trumpets' and try to tell you how amazing they think they are. It's second nature to try and persuade people to realise the benefit their product or service can bring you. But it's never as powerful as you hearing what other people like you thought.
Here are a bunch of real testimonials from people that have absolutely no obligation to sing Inspiring Sexuality's praises. They have either attended one of Rachael's talks, been to a Master Class or have done an online workshop.
Message from Rachael
"I just want to say a massive thank-you to everyone that has taken the time to contact me or do me a video testimonial. Your lovely, kind comments mean so much to me. Each and every time receive a letter, card or email I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and pride.
I'm not going to lie to you. Leaving my job and starting my own business has been tough (to say the least) but whenever I get positive feedback and testimonials from you, it makes any struggles I had pursuing my dream of creating Inspiring Sexuality for you, all seem non-existent.
Without you, all of your support and interest I would not be here today doing this job that I absolutely love and be in a position to give back. Thank you!"


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May 2006
William Cardinal Levada of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), who has a reputation for covering up priestly sex scandals, calls for in essence another cover-up, and this in broad daylight. In a homily in Rome on February 26 (Catholic News Service, Feb. 27), Levada mentions "the situation of the gay priest who announces his homosexuality publicly...." Levada says: "Does such a priest recognize this act [revealing his homosexuality in public] places an obstacle to his ability to represent Christ the bridegroom to his bride, the people of God? Does he not see how his declaration places him at odds with the spousal character of love as revealed by God and imaged in humanity?" Catholic News Service makes it crystal clear what Levada means: "a priest who publicly announces he is homosexual makes it difficult for people to see the priest as representing Christ, the bridegroom of his bride, the Church."
Levada says a homosexual priest in effect cannot be a bridegroom, and this is certainly correct. But Levada, a master politician and compromiser, says homosexual priests should stay in the closet, so the laity won't know they're not bridegrooms.
Last September, Fr. Rich Danyluk announced from the pulpit that he is a homosexual. It happened at St. Joseph Basilica in Alameda in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was reported by the Oakland Tribune and five other major dailies in the Bay Area in January. In Fr. Rich's homily, according to the report, he recounted this story: "About two years ago his [Fr. Rich's] aunt was dying.... He arrived at her deathbed. He sat next to her and she started to cry, finally telling the priest, her nephew, she was gay. 'I'm so afraid I'm going to hell,' the priest remembered her saying. 'That's not how God works,' he replied." Apparently, the aunt wanted to repent. No repentance needed, said Fr. Rich. What a betrayal!
In his homily, according to the story, Fr. Rich said: "'This good news is for everybody or it is for nobody,' he told his congregation. The Gospel has to be for his aunt, too. For all lesbians and gays, the priest said with conviction." (If the good news is for everybody or it's for nobody, then everyone goes to Heaven and nobody goes to Hell.) Then Fr. Rich announced that he is "gay." According to the story, "the basilica erupted in applause, and pew by pew the parishioners stood. Their priest was a homosexual and they greeted the news with a standing ovation."
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- Home
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Exhibitor Information
We at C&M Production Group are busy working for you for what looks to be a great show, fastest return on your invested dollar shows for the fall. We are extremely excited for the placement of the McAlester Ranch and Home Show slated for October 21st, 22nd and 23rd 2016 located just west of McAlester in the Southeast Expo Center.
This venue has all the markings for one of the best shows in the Oklahoma with the fall dates of October 21st, 22nd and 23rd 2016. This show is already booking and will continue to book quickly as we move to start promoting the show.
McAlester Ranch and Home Show:
- Immediate sales
- Establish new contacts for future sales and make appointments
- Face-to-face contact with qualified, upper-income buyers
- Consumer feedback
- Market new products
- Train new employees
- Check out what the competition is doing
- Reinforce or change your company's image and branding
- Generate leads for future business at a lower cost per lead than any other form of advertising!
Be sure to get your contracts in as soon as possible for the show as they will fill up very quickly and space is limited. Feel free to contact us at C&M Production Group for any questions. We look forward to helping you kick off your fourth quarter of the year with much success. We sincerely Thank You for your continued support of C&M Production Group's produced shows.
For more information please contact us.
Janelle Martin, Promoter
C & M Production Group LLC
For more information please call C & M Production Group at 580-234-3549 or cell: 580-402-6740.
C & M Production Group, L.L.C.
P.O. Box 3014 • Enid, OK. 73702 • 580-234-3549
Website by Best Day Studio


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Warblers Retreat
The New Zealand native bush is captivating in places, especially near the water. As you follow the track down through the bush, you follow one of two spring fed creeks, showing clearly how beautiful some of our NZ bush is. The New Zealand Silver Fern or Ponga, (Cyathea dealbata), the Black Fern or Mamaku (cyathea medullaris) and the New Zealand Nikau, (Rhopalostylis sapida) are prominent features along the creek, along with a wide variety of ferns.
A tranquil waterfall that flows along this creek provides a place of great peacefulness and solitude. Glo Worms may be seen as you walk down the bush track or along the waterfall on a dark night.
As guests, staying at Warblers Retreat, we welcome you to enjoy the experience of our wonderful New Zealand native bush and the beauty of the gardens created within it.
The natural bush landscape is proudly cared for and maintained by Sustainable Landscapes.


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Sola Naberrie was a human female from Naboo. A member of the Naberrie family, she was a daughter of Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, the sister of Padmé Amidala, and the mother of Ryoo and Pooja Naberrie.
Sola Naberrie was born to Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie. At some point, she married and had two children on Naboo, Ryoo and Pooja. In 19 BBY, her sister died of a broken heart after her husband, Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force. Through her sister, she was also the maternal aunt of the twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. After the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, she and her family attended Amidala's funeral in Theed with her children, holding hands with Pooja.[1]
Behind the scenesEdit
Sola Naberrie was portrayed by Claudia Karvan,[2] an Australian actress perhaps most well-known for her work on TV programs The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way.[3] She first appeared in a scene from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, but this scene was deleted and is not considered canon. She appears at the end of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith attending Padmé Amidala's funeral. The character's name is given in the film's closing credits.
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (Appears in deleted scene(s))
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (First appearance)
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Episode III Casting: Mother & Daughters on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ Claudia Karvan on Wikipedia


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About The Author
My name is Sarah Morgano and I work for CUNY SPS as an Academic Operations Assistant. I also serve as a Community Facilitator on the CUNY Academic Commons. Visit my ePortfolio to learn more about me and my time as a student in the Online Baccalaureate Program at CUNY SPS.
I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a technology enthusiast.
… Follow me on the twitter machine: http://twitter.com/sarahmorgano


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Bug Red
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