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By Eric Johnson
Check out this podcast that aired Thursday, October 15, 2015: Three New LDS apostles
At the afternoon General Conference session on Saturday, October 3, 2015, the LDS Church appointed three new apostles to replace those who died during the past few months:
- Apostle Richard G. Scott (passed away September 22, 2015)
- Apostle Boyd K. Packer (passed away July 3, 2015)
- Apostle L. Tom Perry (passed away May 30, 2015)
The three new apostles take their places.
Ronald A. Rasband
Born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, UT, Rasband–who was the senior president in the Presidency of the Seventy– had been mentioned by many who thought he was a likely candidate. His career was with the Huntsman Chemical Corporation. According to LDS.org:
Elder Ronald A. Rasband was called as the Senior President of the Presidency of the Seventy on April 4, 2009. He has been serving as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since 2005. Elder Rasband was named a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2000. He has served as a counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, president of the Utah Salt Lake City Area, and Executive Director of the Temple Department. He has also supervised the North America West, Northwest, and three Utah Areas as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
As reported by KSL.com, Rasband said in a statement,
I can't ever remember not believing in Jesus Christ. I have loved him since I learned of Him from the knees of my mother sharing scriptures with me and reading stories. I have just grown up in the Lord. I've always loved Him. I've always had a desire to serve Him. I love the Lord, I know He is God's living Son, Jesus the Christ. I'm honored beyond my words to express, to have been called to serve Him up to this very moment and I will devote my time, my talents, everything I have now 'til the day I die. I'm committed to do it. I'm honored to do it.
Because Rasband was named first, he becomes the tenth apostle, seniority wise, and therefore the twelfth in line to become president after the eleven men ahead of him (two members of the First Presidency and the nine more senior apostles). This is important because, in a similar situation in October 1943, Spencer W. Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson were named as apostles on the same day under President Heber J. Grant. Since Kimball was named first, he retained seniority over Benson and became president of the church before Benson. Had Kimball been named second, he would have never become president since he passed away first.
Gary E. Stevenson
Born in 1955, Gary E. Stevenson is from Ogden, UT, and was a presiding bishop in the LDS Church. At 60, Stevenson is the youngest current apostle and is eleventh in seniority. According to LDS.org
Bishop Gary Evan Stevenson says he has spent much of his life observing the essential work bishops perform across the globe. His father, he said, was "the bishop of my youth, and his service deeply impacted me." While a young man, he accepted a call to serve a mission to Japan. That assignment instilled in Bishop Stevenson a dual love for Asia and for sharing the gospel that has lasted a lifetime. After returning from his mission, he enrolled at Utah State University. . . . While at Utah State, Bishop Stevenson obtained a degree in business administration. He later cofounded and served as president of an exercise equipment manufacturing company. He has served in a variety of Church callings, including counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, and president of the Japan Nagoya Mission (2004–07). He was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 2008 and served as a counselor and president in the Asia North Area.
Stevenson has been the presiding bishop since March 2012. He was the area president of the church's Asia North area from 2008 to 2012 and was the Japan Nagoya Mission president from 2004 to 2007. According to KSL.com, he said,
I've often said that I feel like I was blessed to have a sense of the truthfulness of the gospel, really from my earliest memories, and something that instilled in me the desire, the duty to live the gospel, and every day, try to do that. Balance was probably one of the great lessons. When you're going through something that can be so consuming, what do you do to make certain that you maintain a balance of family, of profession and of Church calling? And then making certain that you take care of yourself as well? Those are the challenges and the struggles that people face. I think that's been a great preparation, and something that really blessed us.
In April 2014, Stevenson gave a powerful general conference talk to the youth titled "Your Four Minutes." Referring to the bobsled runs in the 2014 Winter Olympics Games while quoting from Alma 34, he stressed the importance of actions done in this mortality. He said,
Now, consider how your pathway to eternal life is similar to these athletes' "four-minute performance." You are an eternal being. Before you were born, you existed as a spirit. In the presence of a loving Heavenly Father, you trained and prepared to come to earth for a brief moment and, well, perform. This life is your four minutes. While you are here, your actions will determine whether you win the prize of eternal life. The prophet Amulek described, "This life is the time … to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day … to perform [your] labors." In a sense, your four minutes have already begun. The clock is ticking.
In the talk he also explained,
And in the same way that the discipline of training prepares an athlete to perform elements in his or her sport at the highest level, keeping the commandments will qualify you to receive these saving ordinances. Do you sense the urgency?
Not mincing his words, Stevenson said,
Self-discipline is needed. Daily prayer, scripture study, and church attendance must be the foundation of your training. A consistent pattern of obeying the commandments, keeping the covenants you have made, and following the Lord's standard found in For the Strength of Youth is required. Perhaps you're aware of things in your life that are threatening to slow or stop your spiritual progress. If so, follow this scriptural counsel: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." It is not yet too late to repent. But it soon may be, because no one really knows when your four minutes will be over.
Dale G. Renlund
The junior apostle is Dale G. Renlund, who has been a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy since 2009. He was born in Salt Lake City, UT, in 1952, attending the University of Utah and later becoming a professor of medicine at the university. He later served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program. He joins fellow doctor Russell M. Nelson, who is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and next in line to the presidency. As reported in KSL.com, Renlund said,
We must recognize that the Savior helps everyone. Saints are sinners who keep on trying. There is something about seeing people as Heavenly Father sees them –as a beloved son or daughter of Heavenly parents, and as such, with divine potential. All true followers need to plead for that pure love of Christ that He does give (Moroni 7:48). God is so mindful of individuals, and status doesn't much matter. Faith and hope matter. He knows His children one by one.
In the previous general conference (April 2015), Renlund gave a talk titled "Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying." He said,
The term Saints is commonly used to designate those who have achieved an elevated state of holiness or even perfection. And we know perfectly well that we are not perfect.
What's interesting about the quote is that, in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness, twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball taught,
This progress toward eternal life is a matter of achieving perfection. Living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation through that perfection which comes by complying with the formula the Lord gave us. In his Sermon on the Mount he made the command to all men: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48.) Being perfect means to triumph over sins. This is a mandate from the Lord. He is just and wise and kind. He would never require anything from his children which was not for their benefit and which was not attainable. Perfection therefore is an achievable goal. . . .Perfection really comes through overcoming (p. 209).
In the next part of his conference talk, Renlund said,
Our theology does teach us, though, that we may be perfected by repeatedly and iteratively "relying wholly upon" the doctrine of Christ: exercising faith in Him, repenting, partaking of the sacrament to renew the covenants and blessings of baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to a greater degree. As we do so, we become more like Christ and are able to endure to the end, with all that that entails. In less formal terms, God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were. He cares that we keep on trying. . .. My invitation to all of us is to evaluate our lives, repent, and keep on trying. If we don't try, we're just latter-day sinners; if we don't persevere, we're latter-day quitters; and if we don't allow others to try, we're just latter-day hypocrites.
Again, Renlund contradicted the teaching of Kimball who explained in The Miracle of Forgiveness,
Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin. To try with a weakness of attitude and effort is to assure failure in the face of Satan's strong counteracting efforts. What is needed is resolute action (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 164)
Kimball then gave a story of an army officer and a solider before saying,
It is normal for children to try. They fall and get up numerous times before they can be certain of their footing. But adults, who have gone through these learning periods, must determine what they will do, then proceed to do it. To "try" is weak. To "do the best I can" is not strong. We must always do better than we can. This is true in every walk of life (p. 165).
To hear a Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast on this talk that originally aired on April 16, 2015, click Saints Keep on Trying (General Conference)
In another talk given at the October 2009 General Conference ("Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change"), Renlund spoke in detail on the heart transplant process and declared:
Just as with heart transplant patients, however, this mighty change of our spiritual hearts is just the beginning. Repentance, baptism, and confirmation are necessary but not sufficient. Indeed, equal, if not greater, care must be taken with a spiritually changed heart than with a physically transplanted heart if we are to endure to the end. Only by doing so can we be held guiltless at the time of judgment.
Analysis of the Choices of the Three New Apostles
Since most previous choices have come from the Seventies, we speculated that the choices would be heavy on those with this qualification. We predicted that no outsiders would be invited, including BYU scholars. The picks, we said, would be noncontroversial. Although our speculations were wrong, our overall view was correct. (To hear a Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast that aired 8/13/2015 and Bill and Eric's speculations as to whom they thought were viable candidates, click here.) Indeed, two of the three appointees came from the Seventies. We also predicted that the men would be in high support of the leadership. I thought this might be the year that the LDS Church leadership would name a minority candidate as one of the three new apostles. If so, I thought a Hispanic would be a wise move, as there were several qualified Latin American candidates. Less than an hour before the announcement was made on October 3rd, I stood outside the conference grounds in Salt Lake City and spoke to several Latter-day Saints. I told them how I thought naming a person of color–mind you, something no apostle has ever been–would be a smart move, in more ways than one. I told these Latter-day Saints that this might be the time. One young Hispanic man became so excited at this thought that he began to jump up and down–literally. I turned to my friend Randy Sweet and said, "Boy, I hope I'm wrong."
Thus, I have to admit that I was surprised that three safe and very traditional picks were made. All are Caucasians hailing from Utah. Each one is a lifelong Latter-day Saint going back multiple generations. It appears that the three had served their church positions admirably. Could it be that these men proved faithful in other ways as well? Consider some of the things that they had said at general conferences during the past few years.
In an April 2014 conference talk titled "The Joyful Burden of Discipleship," Rasband stated,
To sustain our leaders is a privilege; it comes coupled with a personal responsibility to share their burden and to be disciples of the Lord.
In another conference talk that he gave in April 2008 called "Special Experience," Rasband showed his faith in the LDS leadership when he taught,
I would like to add my testimony and witness on this special day that President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet on the earth. I am grateful to have this privilege to speak in general conference. I am grateful, as you are, for the experience we have in this historic conference as we sustain, in an orderly and patterned way, our new prophet, First Presidency, and other leaders of the Church.
In that conference talk, Rasband also said,
I know that my Redeemer lives, even Jesus Christ, and that He speaks to and through His prophet, dear President Thomas S. Monson, in this, our day.
And Rasband had only kind things to say about Henry B. Eyring, a member of the First Presidency, in his April 2010 conference talk titled "The Divine Call of a Missionary." He said, in part,
Henry B. Eyring, I would like to relate to you an experience, very special to me, which I had with him several years ago when he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Each Apostle holds the keys of the kingdom and exercises them at the direction and assignment of the President of the Church. Elder Eyring was assigning missionaries to their fields of labor, and as part of my training, I was invited to observe. As the process began, a picture of the missionary to be assigned would come up on one of the computer screens. As each picture appeared, to me it was as if the missionary were in the room with us. Elder Eyring would then greet the missionary with his kind and endearing voice: "Good morning, Elder Reier or Sister Yang. How are you today?" He told me that in his own mind he liked to think of where the missionaries would conclude their mission. This would aid him to know where they were to be assigned. Elder Eyring would then study the comments from the bishops and stake presidents, medical notes, and other issues relating to each missionary. He then referred to another screen which displayed areas and missions across the world. Finally, as he was prompted by the Spirit, he would assign the missionary to his or her field of labor. From others of the Twelve, I have learned that this general method is typical each week as Apostles of the Lord assign scores of missionaries to serve throughout the world. I joined Elder Eyring early one morning in a room where several large computer screens had been prepared for the session. There was also a staff member from the Missionary Department who had been assigned to assist us that day. First, we knelt together in prayer. I remember Elder Eyring using very sincere words, asking the Lord to bless him to know "perfectly" where the missionaries should be assigned. The word "perfectly" said much about the faith that Elder Eyring exhibited that day.
Rasband's first words as an apostle that came from the podium on Sunday morning, October 4, 2015 were, "President Monson, thank you. We love you."
Kind words regarding the prophet were delivered at the end of Stevenson's April 2014 talk:
I conclude with my testimony of the blessing we have in a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and of Jesus Christ and His role as our Savior and Redeemer, in His holy name, Jesus Christ, amen.
In his Sunday morning talk on October 4, 2015, he said,
I like you find strength in and sustain President Thomas S. Monson as propeht, seer, and revelator, and I marvel at his faithful and dutiful apostolic service spanning over fifty remarkable years.
And at the end of his April 2015 talk, Renlund said,
I am deeply grateful for the Savior, for His infinite Atonement, and for latter-day prophets who encourage us to be Latter-day Saints, to keep on trying.
All three had been proven faithful to the current leadership–verbally praising Monson and the other general authorities–to join a club where no renegades or newcomers are invited. Could their faithfulness to the status quo have played an important role in their appointments? This is what we used to call the "good old boy" network. In context, this description typically referred to politics, but isn't the LDS leadership all about politics? If a man can prove himself faithful in the little things, the promise of greater rewards can be just around the corner. By choosing three "white" lifetime members, the opportunity to energize Latin America, Asia, or Africa was lost. Hooray! Now, of course, the four senior apostles are in their mid-80s and beyond, and they will surely be gone sometime in the next decade. I just hope Monson lives long enough to continue missing golden opportunities that could make the LDS Church relevant in this 21st century pluralistic world in which we live.
To hear a Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast that aired 8/13/2015 and Bill and Eric's speculations as to whom they thought were viable candidates, click here.


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Vaizey invited the public and businesses to comment on 'unlocking digital growth', 'transforming government', 'transforming day to day life' and 'building the foundations' to do that by 2020.
Computerworld UK asked businesses in the UK to see what they believe should be done. There's agreement on one thing in particular: the need for heavy and countrywide investment into the digital infrastructure of the UK.
Alex Blandford of digital transformation agency Wunder told Computerworld UK that it would be nice to see a "comprehensive strategy" rather than ringfenced projects that are the result of each department tacking a bit of 'digital' onto their budgets.
He says: "The work that needs to be done is desperately unsexy. You want to fix government digital? Fix procurement. If you want to fix the digital economy you're probably going to have to lay a load of cable around the countryside or do something that's muddy and boring and prosaic."
And EMC's public sector CIO James Norman tells CWUK that while the government is making a lot of noise about embracing technology, it will need to "clarify its plans" for any of these developments.
Read on for the full comments from Wunder, EMC, Accenture, and more...
James Norman, UK public sector CIO, EMC
Storage giant EMC submitted its proposals to Vaizey. CIO for the UK public sector at EMC, James Norman, believes that the government's priority should be in "developing intelligence capabilities into the infrastructure, through data, to help make organisations more informed, responsive, and cost-effective".
"A smarter approach to driving internal government efficiency is needed to improve services for citizens, businesses and those who operate the services themselves," Norman says.
He explains that knowledge sharing and understanding the need for collaboration will be "important in driving the goal of increased efficiencies within government".
"No one group has all the answers," Norman says. "The GDS will have to continue working further afield in the public sector, as well as with the technology industry. Government as a Platform must be built for citizens and public sector organisations, to improve efficiencies in how Government can deliver integrated services.
"The Government has begun to embrace technology. However, it needs to clarify its plan for progress to facilitate this development. Crucial to the Government's transformation success will be a strong focus at central and local Governments and building up user trust in these new systems to encourage wider digital adoption."
Jacqueline de Rojas, Area VP, northern Europe, Citrix – president of TechUK
Citrix provides a range of software and services for the public sector, and area VP for northern Europe, Jacqueline de Rojas, is also president of technology industry group Tech UK, which organises events and lobbies on behalf of tech companies operating in Britain.
De Rojas says that technology's greatest potential will be "opening up a significant number of opportunities to a far larger number of people," including those who live rurally or have illnesses that prevent them from travelling to an office.
"To achieve this potential, we must first make sure that no one is excluded from these opportunities," de Rojas says. "Go.On UK, the digital skills charity, recently produced a digital exclusion heat map which illustrates the extent of Britain's digital deficit, taking into account a series of variables including access, infrastructure, and basic digital skills.
"For technology to truly transform our lives, we must first address these disparities to ensure that its opportunities are not limited just to those fortunate enough to have both the knowledge and infrastructure."
Simon Hansford, Skyscape CEO
Skyscape provides cloud services that are specifically tailored to the public sector in the UK. The company has recommended to Vaizey that the government does more to promote G-Cloud and Digital Services in the wider public sector, who aren't mandated to use any particular government framework.
"This could be achieved with minimal investment on the government's part through closer collaboration with industry," the recommendation reads.
The company also believes that the government needs to "create and market a safe environment for data processing". This could involve updating the Information Commissioner's Office guidelines on big data and on data protection, to state any government led or funded big data initiatives depending on personal data will only be stored and processed in the UK, using "highly secure data processers that are not at risk from exposure to foreign jurisdictions".
A net result could mean increased public trust in big data. Skyscape is also recommending the government launch a nationwide marketing campaign to explain the benefits of data analytics to the public, which would also outline how personal data is protected by law.
Simon Hansford, CEO, says: "Significant progress has been made in recent years to digitise public services; the G-Cloud Framework and GOV.UK are prime examples of the UK's innovative approach, but more is needed to be done to keep the UK at the forefront of the global digital revolution."
Derren Nisbet, Managing Director for Unit4
Unit4 provides back office systems to local government in the UK, and it also has central government customers. Managing director Derren Nisbet told CWUK that the enormous increase in mobile computing means many public sector workers are experiencing a 'digital downgrade' when they go to work.
"If Mr Vaizey is serious about the leading role the UK plays in digital government, then he has the opportunity to do away with clunky legacy systems and look to enterprise that can become the engine room of effective public services," Nisbet says.
"The UK must embrace technologies that are flexible and support mobile working and analytics within the four walls of government – otherwise digital government will be built upon sand."
Ross Mason, founder, MuleSoft
API connectivity platform provider MuleSoft submitted proposals to Vaizey. Mason, the company's founder, believes government records and data that were previously isolated and difficult for the public to access "should be considered to become widely available through APIs".
Mason continues: "By using APIs to expose such data, the government is encouraging and enabling creative developers to discover and create new uses for this information in ways that engage and inform the public, while also making the legislature more transparent, responsive and effective."
There are benefits beyond transparency, according to Mason - by making the most of open APIs, the government can improve its operations and also better serve citizens, including in areas like processing tax returns, NHS applications, and other manual civilian services.
Narry Singh, managing director of digital strategy, Accenture Strategy
Although the UK has made considerable efforts in ensuring it is recognised as a leader in digital, Singh believes there's plenty more to be done in terms of delivering benefits to the economy and to citizens.
Almost a third of the UK economy is related to digital skills and capital - equivalent to £626 billion - but Singh warns that the sheer size of the digital economy won't guarantee its future growth.
"That's because even though the UK has an enviable digital foundation, some of those skills are basic, and some of that technology is not being applied in optimal ways throughout the economy," Singh says. "We have to push harder by using digital skills and technologies in smarter ways. If we take even bigger steps to improve our use of digital technology, the UK can enjoy a boost to GDP in 2020 of as much as £58 billion."
But what does that entail? According to Singh and Accenture, it's ensuring investments are channeled in the proper way. Britain should be paying particular attention to fostering digital skills. There's also, Singh says, a great deal of opportunity in the internet of things and machine-to-machine communication - which lags behind some other European countries.
Singh also believes digital should be 'tapped' to raise capital: "Digital platforms are not extensively used in the UK to access capital, compared to other advanced economies like the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and the US, putting its small enterprises at a disadvantage at a time when traditional lending to this sector has
dried up," Singh says.
He adds: "UK companies are underinvested in superfast internet. Companies also need to make the most of mobile as UK firms lag behind their advanced economy counterparts in mobile connections with consumers."
Alex Blandford, consultant, Wunder
Wunder is a digital agency specialising in public sector digital transformation, and has worked with the Ministry for Justice and Judicial Appointments Commission.
It's interesting in the first instance, Blandford says, that the moves are being made by Vaizey and DCMS – which he mentions has been eking towards something of a digital landgrab in recent years.
"We need to see government support for digital in more than just populist issues, we need money for digital infrastructure, inclusion and data, to build a competitive Britain and stop with piecemeal and contradictory policies," Blandford says.
He goes on to explain that connectivity and rural broadband is the elephant in the room - with Wi-Fi 'notspots' even existing in the capital.
"It's all very well us in London talking about better digital services and a strong digital economy," he says. "But if a good chunk of the country aren't able to access that because they don't have the speeds, that's a huge problem.
Speaking more widely, Blandford asserts that digital strategy feels like it "falls between the gaps". "Each department wants shiny bits that are their bits of digital policy – it doesn't feel like a coordinated response from government to the needs of a very quickly changing economy," he says. "It feels like each department has a little policy they've tacked on to the end of their budget that is their digital thing."
"The hopes I have is that we start to see something in the idea of the national interest.
"It would be pleasant to see a better, a more coordinated response that's also borne out of an understanding of the technological reality, rather than wishful thinking that will waste money and leave us no more competitive and no more able to create a more digital state or a more digital economy.
"The work that needs to be done is desperately unsexy. You want to fix government digital? Fix procurement. If you want to fix the digital economy you're probably going to have to lay a load of cable around the countryside or do something that's muddy and boring and prosaic."

subset: commoncrawl


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Two more church suppers
We missed a couple church suppers on our list.
Raleigh First Presbyterian Church BBQ Fundraiser
Menu: Barbecue. slaw, potato salad, hushpuppies and pork skins, dessert and tea. Eat in or takeout. $9. Deliveries available in downtown area for advance large orders. Plus, the church is hosting a casserole and bake sale and silent auction as well. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 30. Raleigh First Presbyterian Church, 120 W. Hargett St., Raleigh, 919-821-5750, fpcraleigh.org.
Mount Carmel Baptist Church Barbecue and Brunswick Stew Supper
Eat in is all you can eat; $10 for adults, $6 for children, 12 and under. Takeout plate is $9. Bulk barbecue, Brunswick stew, hushpuppies and coleslaw are also available. 4-7:30 p.m Nov. 14. Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 2016 Mt Carmel Church Rd, Chapel Hill, 919-933-8565, mcbc1803.org.
To see the entire list of upcoming church suppers, go to: nando.com/churchsuppers2015


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It is no secret that we're living in a time of great unrest. The news is laden with headlines publicizing "lives matter" and "occupy Wall Street" movements, political protests, active shooter incidents…the list goes on. As a result, businesses are seeing an urgent need to protect their customers and staff from the impacts of these disruptive, destructive, and even deadly acts.
Boon Edam Blog
As the manufacturer that offers the fullest range of physical security entrance products, Boon Edam has the ability to observe and interpret trends in buying behavior across a wide spectrum of vertical markets. In "More Security, From Bottom to Top", we will share with you industry best practices we've observed in recent years in the hope that this may spur discussion, aid you in formulating future building security and implementation plans, and help with reducing workplace violence and active shooter incidents.
For many years, we've been hearing about workplace violence, but where do things stand in 2017? What are the impacts of workplace violence on the organization and what are some ways to proactively prevent such violence from happening before it's too late? Let's take a look at the potential impacts of workplace violence and how it can be mitigated.
Workplace violence prevention is essential in today's world. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), of the 4,836 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2015, 417 were workplace homicides. Workplace violence negatively impacts productivity and morale, which has an overall impact on operations.
Optical turnstiles are an effective lobby security solution that will deter and detect a specific type of workplace violence: outside culprits looking to infiltrate the building. Let's look at 5 enhancements to optical turnstiles worth considering.


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Sponsorship Opportunity
We provide sponsorship and advertisement opportunities to local organizations, businesses and individuals.
Volunteer Opportunity
You can volunteer and help with organizing and running our programs.
Just Make a Difference
Be a part of the success & growth of Shiraz Arts Academy!
Your financial support to Shiraz Arts Academy is always appreciated. To make your contribution using credit card or PayPal, simply use the "Make a Difference" button below. You can make your check payable to Shiraz Arts Academy.


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Accuracy of iPhone Locations: A Comparison of Assisted GPS, WiFi and Cellular Positioning
by Paul A Zandbergen, Department of Geography. University of New Mexico
Abstract: The 3G iPhone was the first consumer device to provide a seamless integration of three positioning technologies: Assisted GPS (A-GPS), WiFi positioning and cellular network positioning. This study presents an evaluation of the accuracy of locations obtained using these three positioning modes on the 3G iPhone. A-GPS locations were validated using surveyed benchmarks and compared to a traditional low-cost GPS receiver running simultaneously. WiFi and cellular positions for indoor locations were validated using high resolution orthophotography. Results indicate that A-GPS locations obtained using the 3G iPhone are much less accurate than those from regular autonomous GPS units (average median error of 8 m for ten 20-minute field tests) but appear sufficient for most Location Based Services (LBS). WiFi locations using the 3G iPhone are much less accurate (median error of 74 m for 58 observations) and fail to meet the published accuracy specifications. Positional errors in WiFi also reveal erratic spatial patterns resulting from the design of the calibration effort underlying the WiFi positioning system. Cellular positioning using the 3G iPhone is the least accurate positioning method (median error of 600 m for 64 observations), consistent with previous studies. Pros and cons of the three positioning technologies are presented in terms of coverage, accuracy and reliability, followed by a discussion of the implications for LBS using the 3G iPhone and similar mobile devices.
Zandbergen, Paul A. 2009. Accuracy of iPhone Locations: A Comparison of Assisted GPS, WiFi and Cellular Positioning. Transactions in GIS, 13(s1): 5-26
For full text of the article, click here.
Related Articles
- Android phones keep location cache, too, but it's harder to access (arstechnica.com)
- Why Apple Tracks You Via iPhone: It's Not Why You Think (pcworld.com)
Trackbacks / Pingbacks
- April 27, 2011 -


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Songket Kaftan - Razeen
This product is currently sold out.
SOUQ Limited Edition Kaftan
Every kaftan is made from a unique piece of traditional Indonesian Songket, hand-loomed and hand-stitched by local artisan's in Lombok.
The songket is a unique type of brocade and is specific to South East Asian culture. The metallic threads are a core difference in it's creation, along with the use of supplementary weft weaving technique's. All this makes sure the fabric and motif's stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering or contrasting effect. Designed exclusively for SOUQ to fit loosely for all general sizes (OS).
- Cotton
- Dry clean only
Length from shoulder to shoulder: 70 cm
Overall length from top to bottom: 87 cm
*NOTE: Due to its handmade nature no two pieces will be the same.


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This web site provides general information only about One10 and does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives.
We recommend that you obtain advice on these matters from your financial and legal advisors.
One10 is not a registered managed investment scheme and the information contained on this web site is not a product disclosure statement.


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ALLSTAR PERFORMANCE Male 4 Wire Weather Pack Housing 10 pc P/N 76295-10
ALLSTAR PERFORMANCE Male 4 Wire Weather Pack Housing 10 pc P/N 76295-10 Store Pages Add to Favorite Sellers Sign up to Newsletter View Feedback Ask Seller a Question Visit Seller's eBay Store Store Category Other (19040) ALLSTAR PERFORMANCE Male 4 Wire Weather Pack Housing 10 pc P/N 76295-10 Description Weather Pack Housing - Male - 4 Wire - 16-24 Gauge - 12V - 20 amp - Set of 10 Fitment Warranty Click Here to View This Items Warranty Information Installation Sheet Click Here to View This Items Installation Instructions Returns Return Information We offer 30 Day return policy. Buyer pays return shipping. Returns will only be accepted with a valid RMA number. All retruns must be in original box unopened. All closeouts and used equipment items are non-refundable and are as described in the auction. We reserve the right to refuse any return. Shipping Shipping Information We ship within 1-3 business days ( Monday Thru Friday) upon receipt of order. We do not ship to APO/ FPO or Post Office Box addresses on Ebay Payment Payment Information All orders must be paid via PayPal. You may use your paypal dollars, or use your MC/Visa, Amex, Discover thru your PayPal account. © Copyright 2017, DanshouseofSpeed. All rights reserved. eBay Store Design by Newsletter Add my Shop to your Favorites and receive my email newsletters about new items and special promotions!


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|Latest offering from Jeff Abbott
We caught up with internationally acclaimed author Jeff Abbott (Capra's creator) between book signings and interviews on Friday afternoon last week. Abbott says of Capra, "Sometimes, because he's sort of trim and not a big bulky guy, the bad guys underestimate him.
"[Sam] can't handle everything that he gets into, that would be pretty boring," says Abbott. But he can hold his own.
Abbott has crafted in Capra a new kind of hero. He's good looking, but he doesn't know it. He's young for the genre, only 25 years old. But in spite of his youth, he's quick of wit, fleet of feet, and, thanks to world-traveling aid-worker parents and extensive CIA training, he's - well - extremely capable.
In one scene from Adrenaline, Abbott's 12th book, our hero Sam Capra faces a crew of roughnecks in a bar fight. "His first thought is you actually take the biggest guy down first," Abbott says, "That will affect the emotions of the others. This may not be true, but he's - that's how he's thinking - strategically." That's about what one would expect from a recently defrocked CIA operative: efficient, thoughtful, strategic - extremely capable.
Mr. Capra, in the course of this first-in-a-series novel, comes into ownership of a number of bars around the globe. While he's not prone to vice, Capra (like so many spies and PIs) savors a fine cocktail. Upon entering one of his newly acquired watering holes for the first time, Abbott says. "[Sam's] happy to see that they are mixing the cocktails with care."
So I think it's safe to say that were Capra to own a bar in Nashville, it would likely be The Patterson House, where they, as Abbot would say, "know what they are doing." For the [FIND] Vice cocktail pairing—this month with our newly introduced action hero, Sam Capra—James Hensley has lent us one of his favorite, hand-crafted summer drinks.
Fizz Montgomery
2 oz Tanqueray
1/8 oz La Muse Vert Absinthe
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
3/4 oz Ginger syrup
2 sprigs of mint
1 Splash of tonic water and club soda
Bruise the mint in the bottom of a mixing tin and then add the other ingredients. Shake briefly and strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with a splash of tonic water and club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a piece of ginger candy.
*Two things you need to do right now: Pick up a copy of Adrenaline, by Jeff Abbott and drop by The Patterson House for a Montgomery Fizz. You'll be glad on both counts.


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Please enjoy a recap from our 5 Nth PIER Summer Interns, who truly enjoyed their experiences in Radiology!
Just like that Nth Dimensions is at the end of our 14th Nth Dimensions Summer Internship Program with 24 Orthopaedic Scholars, 5 Radiology Scholars and 3 Scholars in Physical Therapy! We are elated that our Scholars had an AMAZING experience learning clinical, research and life lessons that will propel them into their desired careers with a firm foundation of academic excellence and unmatched professionalism.
As a result, our Nth Dimensions Scholars (now rising 2nd year medical students and physical therapy undergrads) are already poised to be competitive applicants for their respective specialty programs.
Many thanks to each and every one of our stellar preceptors, associated faculty and residents from over 30 institutions and medical practices for pouring the benefits of your knowledge and experience into our Scholars, during this and so many previous summers.
This is only possible due to the dedication of the Nth Dimensions Staff, Faculty, Partners and Donors.
Together, we are certainly making a difference!
As we close our 14th year of service…
We want YOU to become one of our 250 Nth Partners at the $500 donation level to help us end 2018 with a bang.
Each $500 donation supports student housing with special recognition for each donor.
Together, we are making a difference!


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Lockheed to cut back on VPs and directors
(3:05 PM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Military contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT, +0.87% said Tuesday it would reduce its number of directors and vice presidents to lower costs. The move follows comments from the Pentagon that contractors will need to do better at controlling their costs as the U.S. military realigns its priorities in the wake of two expensive Middle East wars and an national recession, lowering its spending on costly weapon systems. Lockheed did not say how many employees would eventually depart the company or how much it would save as a result, but directors and vice presidents have until Feb. 1 to make a decision. Shares of Lockheed fell less than 1% in recent trading to $74.05.
Bebe shares up 9% on PH8 closings, dividend
(10:15 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Bebe Stores BEBE, +0.00% shares popped 9% to $6.92 early Tuesday after the women's retailer said it would close its PH8 division and pay a one-time special cash dividend of $1 a share. The dividend will be paid July 30 to shareholders of record July 21. Bebe will close or convert 48 PH8 stores, resulting in a pre-tax charge of $17 million. Some of the PH8 sites may be converted to 2b bebe stores. For its fiscal fourth quarter, Bebe said same-store sales will be at the low end of its targeted range. The retailer said it's "comfortable" with its profit forecast. The company will report earnings Aug. 26.
Fidelity National affirms outlook, raises new debt
(7:26 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Fidelity National Information Services FIS, +0.24% affirmed its second-quarter adjusted profit outlook on Tuesday at a range of 45 cents to 47 cents a share. Analysts polled by FactSet Research forecast earnings of 46 cents a share, on average. The Jacksonville, Fla., provider of banking and payments technology said revenue for the June quarter should be up by low-single percentage digits from a year ago. Fidelity National also said it would buyback up to $2.5 billion of its stock with the help of $1.2 billion in new debt. The company will also use some of that debt, with maturity rates between seven and 10 years, to pay off some old debt related to its acquisition of Metavante Technologies Inc. Shares of Fidelity National closed Friday at $26.41, down a fraction. The market was closed Monday for a national holiday.
Tui ups forecast on container shipping
(5:35 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Tui(DE:TUI1)said it expects its 43.33% stake in Hapag-Lloyd to generate higher profit contributions than initially forecasted, due to a recovery in global container shipping. Transport volumes and in particular freight rates have continually improved over recent months and are considerably up year-on-year. Prospects for core business Tourism remain unchanged, it added.
Persimmon completions rise over 16%
(2:35 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. house builder Persimmon(UK:PSN)said Tuesday that the number of legal completions in the first half of the year rose by over 16% to 4,657. The group said its average selling price rose 8% to 168,500 pounds ($256,000), with underlying price growth of around 3% since the start of the year. Revenue rose 26% to 785 million pounds and operating margin improved to around 7.5% from 1.5%. Persimmon said it has experienced a normal seasonal slowdown in reservations since May, which may have been exacerbated by uncertainty prior to the government's recent budget. It added that sales since the budget have been in line with its expectations.
PartyGaming sees revenue growing around 28%
(2:23 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Online gambling company PartyGaming(UK:PRTY)said Tuesday that its second quarter revenue is expected to be up around 28%, mainly due to the acquisitions of Cashcade and the World Poker Tour as well as strong growth in its online casino arm. The group said revenue is likely to be down around 2% compared to the first quarter as the relatively unexpected results in the World Cup -- and the subsequent favorable impact on sports betting margins -- was more than offset by a greater-than-expected adverse impact on other parts of the business. The group said that its online poker arm in particular had suffered from an 8% to 9% fall in the number of players during the World Cup.


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The clock is ticking and the news coverage is heating up. At this point, for religion-beat pros, there's only one question that matters: Will Donald Trump GO THERE? Will he nominate the "loud dogma" candidate who will make heads explode in the liberal Catholic and secular politicos camps? We are, of course, talking about Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
However, there is a rather cynical possibility linked to this story, an angle explored in this week's "Crossroads" podcast. Click here to tune that in.
You see, Trump needs to fire up voters for the midterm elections. In particular, he needs evangelical Protestants and pro-Catechism Catholics to turn out in droves, to help rescue the GOP from, well, Trump's unique ability in infuriate half of America (especially in elite zip codes and newsrooms).
So what if he nominated Barrett and let the blue-culture masses go crazy?
What if he unleashed that storm, knowing that the moral, cultural and religious left will not be able to restrain itself?
What a scene! Remember the hearings long ago for Justice Robert Bork -- the SCOTUS seat eventually taken by one Judge Anthony Kennedy -- and this famous speech by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, speaking for the Catholic left and cultural liberals everywhere?
Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy.
So what would that sound like today, if Barrett has to face her critics once again?
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has already prepared that script, in a piece for The New Yorker, describing this future nightmare court:
It will overrule Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortions and to criminally prosecute any physicians and nurses who perform them. It will allow shopkeepers, restaurateurs, and hotel owners to refuse service to gay customers on religious grounds.


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What is Managed Detection and Response (MDR)?
Managed detection and response is a service that helps solve the needs of organizations who lack resources and enables organizations to better detect and respond to threats.
Managed Detection and Response services are not all the same. Different vendors will offer a distinct set of tools and services, while the goals of managed detection and response remain the same: provide a service that helps organizations detect and respond to security incidents in a timely fashion, while reducing the burden on the organization, saving operational and software cost. Most MDR services combine vendor-provided technology with monitoring and analysis by human security analysts. Some companies, like Cygilant also use threat intelligence and data analytics to improve the quality of detection and to reduce false positives.
MDR services complement an organization's own IT or security team to help provide the extra eyes for 24x7 coverage along with security expertise and guidance for remediating potential security incidents that are detected. These services will install and tune the necessary technology, removing this burdensome task from your organization.
By helping your organization identify and respond to threats, managed detection and response will help you comply with a multitude of compliance regulations. Most managed detection and response services include advanced SIEM and log management capabilities at the heart of their technology stack which is a requirement for many compliance regulations.
Managed detection and response vendors typical provide a team of security analysts to monitor the environment and alert customers to identified threats and provide guidance to the customer. In the case of Cygilant's SOCVue services, we provide a 24x7 Global SOC (GSOC) team of trained security analysts to give customers round-the-clock coverage and assistance with any identified security incidents.
Why Does Managed Detection and Response Matter?
Managed detection and response services allow customers to benefit from a highly trained team of security professionals at affordable prices. With an MDR service, the vendor acts as an extension of your team to provide detection and response for identified threats. This frees your team up to focus on other tasks. With remediation guidance, your team can quickly implement fixes to address threats and minimize risk. For resource-constrained organizations, who lack the budget or time to build and manage their own 24x7 SOC, managed detection and response services can be an affordable alternative.
How Does Cygilant Help?
Cygilant's SOCVue Security Monitoring and SOCVue Managed SIEM for AlienVault USM Anywhere provide managed detection and response services for our customers.
SOCVue Security Monitoring which leverages Cygilant's cloud and on-premises log management and SIEM. This approach is perfect for organizations who have not yet deployed a SIEM or are looking to replace an existing SIEM and Log Management product. The SOCVue Security Monitoring service helps your organization:
- Detect advanced security threats
- Investigate suspicious activity
- Monitor for unauthorized access
- Meet compliance objectives
SOCVue Co-Managed SIEM for AlienVault USM Anywhere, is a service which leverages your existing investment in AlienVault USM Anywhere while providing access to Cygilant's Security Operations Center to tune and tweak AlienVault USM Anywhere and deliver security monitoring. This option is ideal for customers who already have AlienVault USM Anywhere SIEM but lack the time or resources to manage the solution on their own, or don't have a large security team for 24x7X365 coverage.
With either service, the Cygilant SOCVue Global Security Operations Center (GSOCs) security analysts monitor your IT environment 24x7x365 to analyze alerts and reduce false positives, and provide incident notification, remediation guidance, and reporting. Cygilant's trained IT security staff make it easy for organizations of all sizes to benefit from managed detection and response.
Talk to an Expert
Learn how Cygilant can reduce your security vulnerabilities, improve your security workflow, and help you meet compliance mandates.
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Friday, March 29, 2013
A Better Artist
It was a long personal battle trying to figure whether it was necessary to invest the money, (but I feel like more sacrificial is the time, where I won't really be able to work on my career directly, it's probably a short sighted perspective - I need more patience (bc this is indirectly enhancing my career), by the time I get out I'll be 35 or really close to it) and time to go to into a MFA program. Ultimately, I decided to do it under the banner of "In the end I just want to be a better artist". As you join a program that term "better artist" starts to get defined in strange ways you never imagined, or maybe have imagined but not in the concrete ways it has been manifesting. What you start to realize is an institution is inherently, by way of history, structure and those involved - who share what they know which happens to be a particular world, is connected to a very particular art world, the high art world of museums and galleries. The paths of all the alums seem pretty well paved, a familiar path of the same galleries, vying for the same old scholarships and awards. In these terms the idea of a better artist starts to be defined first by figuring out what good art is. A lot of times when you're looking for a what, you have to ask who, because depending on what culture you want to enter, the powerful in that particular group gets to put meaning to terms. So as I learn about this larger, or maybe smaller but more influential, maybe not influential but more powerful, maybe not more powerful but more rich, definitely more rich and probably better well connected into the things that influence mainstream culture. And as I consider the things I value as far as my art, life and career I do want in on this elite, art world. Why? Because that's where the money is and I do want a sustainable career, earn at least enough so that I could live in a giant warehouse, and I do want to be able to influence the greater mainstream culture. I'd say 80% of me doesn't want anything to do with that world but there's still 20% and I'm justifying that by saying I'll get in, get what I need from it and then get out quick or stay in it use it in unsanctioned ways to achieve things on my agenda and subversively alter it. And because there's even that remote 20% that wants to be in the elite high art world - "good art" then becomes defined by them (those who run this world), and ultimately "better artist" is further defined by that version of "good art". Because if the art world were run by a bunch of 3 year olds then what they consider "good art" would certainly be different. So oftern times I feel like in order to get my 20% I need to impress that rich and influential. I know I know they say dont think about it, work freely, but reality is those that are there to objectively help shape my practice have this filter on their eyes and in their words that are colored by The Art World.
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Fane Valley Stores has recently appointed Richard Corkey as store manager for the Rathfriland store.
Richard (pictured) is not unfamiliar to Fane Valley customers having worked in the Portadown store for two years previously.
Following his appointment, Richard commented: "Fane Valley has been trading at the Rathfriland store since March 2015 after acquiring a long-established business from E. A. McAuley. The store is proving to be an essential asset to the local rural community due to the wide range of products carried and the store being easy to access from Castlewellan, Katesbridge, Hilltown, Kilkeel and the surrounding area."
The Rathfriland Fane Valley store is conveniently located less than a mile out of the town on the Banbridge Road and sells a wide range of farm and animal health supplies.
Recently the store has invested in a high-powered laser marking machine to produce cattle and sheep tags. This means new and replacement cattle and sheep tags can now be printed on site while you wait. This includes the Allflex range of TST tags for BVD testing, Ritchey sheep tags along with Caisley, Allflex and Ritchey replacement cattle tags.
"Customers are very pleased with the fact that they can order their BVD tags and collect them in store on the same day. We have also seen a great uptake in the number of sheep tags we have been printing lately. With the store being located close to Rathfriland mart and only 10 minutes away from Hilltown mart this makes getting tags for sales even easier," he adds.
"With Autumn calving now started for 2017 Fane Valley Stores have a number of offers available for new cattle tags as well as a wide range of animal health essentials."
Fane Valley Rathfriland is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1.30pm on Saturdays. For more information on the range of products available in the Rathfriland store or to place an order for tags please call 028 4063 0394.
To find your nearest Fane Valley store visit www.fanevalleystores.com


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Sterling's weakness to continue says HSBC PB's Willem Sels
Willem Sels, UK head of Investment Strategy at HSBC Private Bank, says there are a number of reasons to expect sterling's weakness to continue.
Willem Sels, UK head of Investment Strategy at HSBC Private Bank, says there are a number of reasons to expect sterling's weakness to continue.
We have held a negative view on sterling since mid-January and continue to look for further weakness. UK investors' portfolio performance should benefit from
active global diversification. Foreign investors are likely to suffer from translation losses on UK bond portfolios, but in the stock market, translation effects should help lift earnings prospects.
Recent months have brought a great deal of excitement to currency markets. It started in September, with major weakness of the Japanese yen, followed by sterling weakness since early 2013. Many commentators have labelled some of these moves as 'currency wars', but we think that sterling weakness reflects weak fundamentals as well as monetary policy choices which have been well flagged.
Drivers of currency weakness
Economic stagnation
The UK economy remains in the doldrums. Even in Europe, there are few countries (possibly with the exception of Italy) that have shown little or no growth for so long and have been unable to bounce much since the trough of the 2008 recession. Even in nominal terms, UK GDP remains 3% below its March 2008 peak. Recent data remains lacklustre and has continued to disappoint in spite of already weak expectations. As a result, fears of a triple-dip recession may continue to worry currency markets.
Fiscal / Monetary policy mix
Policy makers could respond in several ways to this economic weakness, and the choices they make can have a profound impact on whether it is the currency or the bond market that take the biggest hit. In the case of the UK, it seems that the government has chosen to continue on its path of fiscal austerity, and that the recent rating downgrade has only strengthened their resolve. Press reports and markets are expecting more monetary easing, and are waiting for the Chancellor to use his Budget on March 20 to reinforce his message of 'fiscal conservatism and monetary activism'. The former should support the gilt market, while the latter should weigh on sterling, in our view.
Monetary policy uncertainty
What exactly the Bank of England is up to is unclear, and we think that foreign investors are bound to limit GBP asset exposure until they can form a clearer picture. Three Bank of England members voted for more quantitative easing in the latest meeting, but markets are also wondering about a change to the inflation target (or the introduction of a growth target), an interest rate cut or an expansion of the funding for lending scheme. Clearly, this uncertainty is exacerbated by the imminent handover of the governorship from King to Carney in July. Uncertainty does not inspire confidence and we see this as a negative for Sterling.
Diverging central bank policies
It is no surprise that the yen and sterling are among the weakest currencies in the world, as their central banks are among the most dovish. While the Bank of England may further ease monetary policy in some shape or form, markets are worried (even if a bit prematurely in our view) that the Federal Reserve will start to exit its quantitative easing programme. Since currencies are very much a relative global game, the policy difference between the US Fed and the Bank of England is likely to weigh on sterling performance.
Improving global risk appetite
We think risk appetite will continue to improve, as global tail risks (e.g., those of a US recession, a eurozone breakup or a Chinese hard landing) have decreased and economic growth is slowly improving in all major economic blocs (in the case of Europe, less negative is a positive). In our view, this is leading investors to shift out of safe haven assets. When risk appetite was at its weakest, investors looked for safe havens, and AAA-rated gilts were seen as a good complement to US Treasury holdings, especially for investors who did not want the euro-currency risk attached to German Bunds. We think that improving risk appetite is likely to lead foreign investors do gradually exit the gilt market, causing them to sell GBP and weighing on sterling's performance.
Sterling plunged in 2008 but since then has been trading in a broad sideways range. The recent weakness has brought the trade-weighted value of sterling towards the lower end of its five-year range, but valuations still seem to be close to fair value (on PPP and other measures). We think the recent momentum and current sentiment will allow valuations to fall into the 'cheap' territory.


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. . . for in Him we live and move and exist . . . (Acts 17:28).
The normal Christian life isn't the norm for many Christians. The key to experiencing the victorious Christian life is not new — it's as old as the New Testament. By letting Christ express His life through us, moment-by-moment, we experience the overcoming, abundant life that Jesus spoke of (John 10:10).
Experiencing normal Christianity through the week yields such a sweet, intimate, relationship with God that we don't attend worship services to get recharged, but to pour out our overflowing worship and praise to the Lord (Psalm 23:5).
Many Christians have taken the independent, do-it-yourself exit off God's "freeway." This explains why many Christians experience routine or perhaps defeated lives. It explains everything from the so-called male mid-life crisis to depression, sheer boredom to anxiety attacks, passivity to dominance, abrasiveness to passivity, the workaholic to the sofa spud, legalism to hedonism, perfectionism to slovenliness, etc. These are manifestations of living in the clutches of human flesh. Jesus Christ is the only One who ever lived the Christian life and by trusting Him to express His life through us, by faith, we experience the Christian life as God intends.
How much faith did you place in self to acquire salvation? None. Then why do you trust in your ability, talent, strength, charisma, education, intellect, beautiful earthsuit, even spiritual gifts, to live the life that you acquired by faith? Oh, the folly of such independent living (see Gal. 3: 2-3)! Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Jesus is not a life, He didn't set the curve for a life-style, He didn't leave some principles by which to live — His Life! For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed . . . (Colossians 3:3-4).
Here is God's definition of eternal life: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life-and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us (1 John 1:1-2 My Emphases). The eternal life you seek isn't a mere extension of your old, sinful, Adamic life. Christ is the eternal life you have acquired if you're born anew. Eternal Life is a Person, not an "it", or a phenomenon or a set of values. And wonder of wonders, this Person, who is Himself Eternal Life, is to express His life through you, by faith, as you present yourself to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
This is not so much to be understood as to be believed and acted upon. There is so much more to your salvation than a guaranteed heaven. Living the Christian life is experienced via using the same faith by which you were saved. It is experiencing a moment-by-moment, intimate, personal relationship with Christ who indwells you — living "in vital union with [Him]" (Colossians 2:6 T, TLB). In addition to trusting Christ as Savior and Lord, God wishes that you would trust Christ as life through you to face each day for you. God says it like this in Galatians 3:1,3: You foolish [Christian], who has bewitched you? . . . Having begun by the Spirit [God's power and grace, by faith], are you now being perfected by the flesh [depending upon your own resources — human effort]?
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life . . . (Colossians 3:3-4). This is not Paul's philosophy of life, gang. This is God speaking to you. God Himself is the Source at work through Paul (Romans 15:18). God says your life is "hidden." You must see this via your spiritual eyes, by faith. For years I knew I would die embracing my faith in Christ, but I never knew I was to live by that same faith in Him.
If you need more understanding, ask God: "Sir, if there is something here that I need to understand, show it to me. I'm not simply curious. I want to know so I can have a better relationship with You."
The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him…to a new life along with Christ – A. W. Tozer
Focus for the day:
Your "darkened mind" has been replaced with the very "mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:16). You are now able to receive and understand spiritual truths.
Verse to remember:
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (John 14:26).
Question to consider:
What is your definition of "believe?" Remember, even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). Is mere intellectual agreement sufficient? What more is needed?


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I am not a VIP Member, but regular registered user, daily.
Yesterday I started having small issues.
Today, I can log in to get here, but as soon as I try to do the hunt, I am logged out, plus no pic visible.
I can't get into the chat for hunt, again logged out immediately.
I get kicked out of my log in if I try to get to home and hourly design. What is going on?
Please respond to my primary email address. I am wondering if I will be able to get back in here to read a reply.
Thank you for your time and assistance with this issue.


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County Court Civil
County civil court files are searched by name and in the state jurisdictional court (county) of current residence, prior residence, work, school, or based on the requirements of your customized program. The civil record search will cover a history of seven (7) years from the date of request. Any record discovered will be matched by CS with as much identifying criteria as made available by the civil court and Client. Information reported to Client will include, when made available by the civil court, but may not be limited to; case number, dates, nature of case, and judgment.


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Employee and Employer relationship is equivalent to knorr sweet and sour soup which is quirkier at times. You must enter and exit an organization with same grace, dignity and respect as in the beginning. One rough patch can rock your professional career and future prospects. So choose carefully, think wisely and adopt legal measures timely. And that's what lawyers are here for.
It can be either of two:
1 You wish to send legal Notice to a employer.
2 Or Reply to the legal notice by employer
What can be the possible reasons:
1 Illegally termination or firing an employee wrongly.
2 Not clearing the final dues in final settlement.
3 Not giving salary or on time.
4 Discriminatory treatment at workplace.
5 Infringement of employment terms and conditions by either of the parties.
6 Sexual harassment or harassment of any sort.
7 Undue pressure or threatening. Criminal intimidation.
8 Unfair treatment in the hands of superiors.
9 Document formalities not taken care of. Experience , salary, relieving certificate.
10 Or any other dispute with Employer.
Legal notices help employee-employer disputes to be resolved at the threshold only.
Legal Recourse after Legal Notice-
1 Recovery case in civil Court.
2 Complain to registrar of companies.
3 Letter to Labour commissioner.
4 File a case at labour court.
How to send Legal Notice online to Employer in Chandigarh Panchkula Mohali
1 Call and discuss your matter on phone (9988817966) with lawyer.
2 Later send supporting documents on email at email@example.com
3 Give all the necessary details in email.
4 Receive the first draft 2-3 days for approval.
5 Once reviewed legal notice is sent to employer through registered post. Receipts are scanned and sent back on email
If the employer doesn't give any response or favourable response to your legal notice, then you may take the matter to court with the help of a best competent lawyer in employment matters. Labour law Advocates and Service law lawyers are also equally good in handling these cases and bring desired results.
If you wish to have detailed opinion on your subject, dial 9988817966 or write to us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Actor-Network Theory
Material Relationalism
The origins of actor-network theory (ANT) can be traced to science and technology studies (STS) and sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) in the early 1980s. The approach has from the start been especially associated with the figures of Bruno Latour, Michel Callon, and John Law, who are much inspired by the French philosophers Michel Foucault, Michel Serres, Gilles Deluze, and Felix Guttari. ANT has spread to different areas of the social sciences and has, since the mid and late 1990s, increasingly been felt in some of the subdisciplines of human geography.
From the outset, the central theme of ANT has been the emergence of societal order. Thus many ANTstudies have revolved around questions of how order is accomplished and made stable in time and space. In general, ANT can be described as a methodological device based on a particular worldview which aims at tracing the practices through which society is assembled. ANT can thus be framed as a practice based perspective, but compared to other such approaches it stands out due to its grounding in material relationalism or material semiotics, clearly expressed by the principle of 'general symmetry'. This is a methodological principle that states that researchers should refute all pre given distinctions between classes of possible actors (natural/social, local/global, and economic/cultural) and treat these categories as symmetrical effects of relational practices. Consequently, ANT approaches the world as consisting of heterogeneous relations and practices through which humans and nonhumans alike are treated as possible actors. This basically means that we cannot take anything as given, as everything is an effect of relational practices. Actors are assembled and structures are arranged in a recursive process of networking or translation. Through the filter of ANT, the world is depicted as a mobile arrangement. It thus seeks to abandon much of the conceptualization of the modern episteme that rests on binary terms and dichotomous relations between purified categories such as nature and society. ANT has sought to highlight the frailty of the modernistic worldview and underline how the making of society demands association of diverse elements that never exist as pure categories cut off from wider fabric of relations. Two characteristic terms that cast light on this associational process are immutable mobiles and centers of calculation. The idea of immutable mobile refers to the general term of inscription that describes how an entity may be transformed into a stable object. An immutable mobile is an object that holds its shape even when it is displaced in time space. As such it is a crucial component in the mechanism of the modernistic worldview. Centers of calculation refer to the sites of transformation, that is, the location where immutable mobiles are drawn together, assembled, and calculated.
To explicate the argument and the worldview of ANT, it is useful to run through the meaning of the key concepts of ANT: actor, network, and theory. The principle of general symmetry is instrumental for a quite different understanding of each of the concepts from what is usual within the social sciences.
In ANT, an actor is a relational effect. Hence, agency is a matter of accomplishment or a collective achievement produced through the enactment of networks but not an inherent trait of particular subjects such as humans. This implodes the conventional distinction between subjects and objects. Instead of being cut off from each other, ANT views them as relational. Objects are thereby not passive components of our world, they are 'quasi objects', meaning that they are capable of agency as they affect all interaction. Most importantly, objects and materials are able to stabilize social interaction, rendering it more durable than pure social acts. Humans would only be naked bodies without their props and it is only through interaction – networking – with materials they become (human) actors. Hence, for ANT, the solid individual actor is nonexistent until it has been stabilized as such through relational ordering. This basically means that ANT treats all actors as hybrids and perceives agency as spun between different actants in networks. Thereby, there is no pure element but everything is part of bundles of heterogeneous networks. The point ANT is making is that the division that can be recognized in the world between the active human subjects and the passive material objects is not given in the order of things. It has to be worked upon, practiced, enacted, and re enacted in order not to crumble down.
The conventional view on networks depicts them as a sort of channel between nodes stretched across Euclidian space. The nodes can, for example, be people connected through social networks or places linked through a network of transportation. Within those channels, reciprocal exchange or transport of various sorts can take place, for example, of information, trust, goods, and money. The network concept undergoes changes on two fronts within ANT. First, it is not either social or material but made up of series of heterogeneous actants. This means that networks are always actor-networks. Hence, the social is not some stuff that is transported along system of pipelines but rather a part of and an outcome of the relational practices of networking. Second, it follows that the work inherent in networks, which is carried out by heterogeneous actants is highlighted. Hence, network cannot be thought as distinct from practices as they necessarily emerge through those. One of the implications of this is that one cannot automatically trust networks as lines of transport. They emerge through series of transformative practices; they are translations. Actor-networks may be ordered in ways which make them capable of transporting objects intact over distance but that demands work and effort by diverse actors, to make them immutable objects. Actor-networks are thereby more fluid and in secure but also more material than most other networks in the social sciences.
The concept of theory does also shift its meaning in relation to ANT. The ANT approach should be understood as a theory of what to study rather than an interpretive framework of the world. The concept of translation can be used to cast light on this. Within ANT, translation refers in general to the relational practices through which actors come into being, that is, the work involved in actor-networks. The concept highlights how actors must constantly work in relations for assembling an order to live by. Translation in this sense is a process of establishing communication or making connections between actants. The theory of ANT is nothing more and nothing less than this: in order to gain some insights into the different ways actors use to order their lives, it is necessary to follow their actor-networks, that is, their translations. It is through translation that actors (and networks) can grow by recruiting ever more actants under their power and thus construct an order. However, translation is a precarious process, which demands a lot of work if it is to create what appears as a solid order and it follows that even though an order may seem durable, it should not be taken as permanent or ever reaching a final level stabilization.
These key concepts are instrumental for the study policy of ANT. ANTstresses an empirical investigation – the tracing of relations – and the description of these. Explanations should emerge out of detailed descriptions and are thus local to the network under study but not transcendent of it. As such, ANT seeks to illuminate the emergent patterns of order and/or disorder. In turn, the social cannot be used as explanation but is part of what has to be explained. Early ANT studies, because of this objective, sometimes had a penchant to functionalistic descriptions of relational configuration, where everything seems to turn into networks. In recent years many students of ANT have sought to distance themselves from such inclinations and given up the hope to reach the end point of network order.
Critical Remarks
At least three critical points to ANT have been raised: First, some would argue that ANT inspired approaches are not the most obvious choice for studies of cultural imaginations, geographical imaginations, nationalistic projects, and the like. While some ANT studies do not discuss the discursive framing of practices much, this is however not the case with all ANT inspired research. It can thus not be taken as an inherent weakness of the general approach. Somehow along the same line, questions of power, domination, oppression, and colonization are not always made explicit. This is in spite of the obvious inspiration from Michael Foucault, the familiarity with much work flowing from feminist studies on these matters, and the fact that some ANT researchers have worked explicitly with power relations. Clearly, however, normative positions are usually not spelled out by ANT proponents themselves. Finally, there is the critique that ANT makes fluids a fetish, appealing to almost liberalist notions of the freedom of movement. But while there is a risk that ANT can be used this way, this does not need to be the case as a variety of studies show. Here it may be noted that two of the main advocates of the approach, Latour and Law, have distanciated themselves from the ANT label after 1999 (the publishing year of Actor-Network Theory and After) although the former has reclaimed it, most notably, in an introductory book to the approach published in 2005.
Moves into Geography – Bypassing Dualisms
Network Geographies


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At Trinity Dental we offer conscious sedation, which is a sedative administered into the back of your hand or your arm and will induce a state of deep relaxation.
You will feel sleepy and extremely calm whilst retaining the ability to respond during your treatment but with no recollection after the effect has worn off. The sedative we use is called Midazolam, from the same family as Valium and is a 'calmer-downer', it is a very safe drug, with no nasty side effects, you will just be very sleepy.
With that in mind, you will need an escort to take you home and stay with you whilst you recover.
Conscious sedation requires a qualified anaesthetist and our preferred partner are Sedation Solutions. An anaesthetist will meet at our surgery to sedate our patients for the duration of their treatment and when booking your treatment we will arrange this for you.
If you suffer from any of the above conditions, conscious sedation might be the perfect solution for all your dental needs.
Dr Alison Simpson is a Dental Phobia Certified dentist Click Here to verify.


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Captain Justin Snauffer: 941-815-1605
Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor, Placida & Boca Grande Fishing Charters
Welcome to Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor & Boca Grande
See the beautiful waters of Charlotte Harbor, Burnt Store, Boca Grande, Placida & surrounding areas while fishing for RedFish, Snook, Trout & Tarpon!
Captain Justin Snauffer
941- 815 -1605
Browse our services below
Inshore Pricing
4 hours $400
Captains Special $600 ALL DAY
Night Snook Fishing $400 (4 hours)
*Pricing based on 3 anglers additional $25 for 4th angler
Includes Live Bait, Fishing Equipment-High End PENN Reels with Shimano Rods, Fishing License, Cooler & Water.
Speckled Trout
Black Drum
Tarpon Fishing Prices
April – July
6 hr am – $600 (half day, 7am-1pm)*
6 hr pm – $600 (half day, 2pm-8pm)*
12hr- $900 (whole day, 7am-7pm)**
August – November
4hr – $450
6hr – $650
8hr – $800
*Maximum anglers for Tarpon Fishing is 3
Boca Grande is known as "The Tarpon Capital of the World". Hundreds of thousands of hungry tarpon migrate to Boca Grande pass and its surrounding areas to breed.
"Silver King" or Tarpon fishing is one of the most exhilarating fishing experiences ! From the second it takes them to bite, when you see the tarpon flying out of the water, to the minute your captain releases your fish, this fishing experience will leave a memory with you will never forget!
Sight Seeing tours
2 hours $200
3 Hour $250
Day to Cayo Costa $250
Drop off at Island and Pick Up from Island
Trip to Cabbage Key $200
to have a lunch or dinner at Cabbage Key Restaurant
(meal not included)
Things to Bring
Sun Screen
Sun Protective Clothing
Beach Towel
Personal items
I will supply:
Boat, Fuel, Ramp Fees, Insurance
Tackle, Lures, and Bait
Cooler with Water & Ice
Fishing License
* Kids are always welcome and there is no minimum age limit but please assess your child's comfort level with boating.
Children 6 years and younger will be required to wear a coast guard approved PFD at all times. Due to insurance regulations, you must bring your own PFD for children six years and younger.
Captain Justin Snauffer -High Tide Charters picks up at several locations.
Laishley Marina
Burnt Store Marina
Placida Park
Other arrangements can be made if necessary. We try to make fishing with High Tide charters as easy as possible.
A great day with Captain Snauffer. He showed a lot of patience with a 4 year old in the boat. Thanks Justin.
Al Engstrom


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|Spiess, M.; Hamerle, Alfred (1995): Regression Models with Correlated Binary Response Variables: A Comparison of Different Methods in Finite Samples. Collaborative Research Center 386, Discussion Paper 10
The present paper deals with the comparison of the performance of different estimation methods for regression models with correlated binary responses. Throughout, we consider probit models where an underlying latent continous random variable crosses a threshold. The error variables in the unobservable latent model are assumed to be normally distributed. The estimation procedures considered are (1) marginal maximum likelihood estimation using Gauss-Hermite quadrature, (2) generalized estimation equations (GEE) techniques with an extension to estimate tetrachoric correlations in a second step, and, (3) the MECOSA approach proposed by Schepers, Arminger and Küsters (1991) using hierarchical mean and covariance structure models. We present the results of a simulation study designed to evaluate the small sample properties of the different estimators and to make some comparisons with respect to technical aspects of the estimation procedures and to bias and mean squared error of the estimators. The results show that the calculation of the ML estimator requires the most computing time, followed by the MECOSA estimator. For small and moderate sample sizes the calculation of the MECOSA estimator is problematic because of problems of convergence as well as a tendency of underestimating the variances. In large samples with moderate or high correlations of the errors in the latent model, the MECOSA estimators are not as efficient as ML or GEE estimators. The higher the `true' value of an equicorrelation structure in the latent model and the larger the sample sizes are, the more is the efficiency gain of the ML estimator compared to the GEE and MECOSA estimators. Using the GEE approach, the ML estimates of tetrachoric correlations calculated in a second step are biased to a smaller extent than using the MECOSA approach.
|Item Type:
|Paper (Research Paper)
|Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics > Statistics > Collaborative Research Center 386
Special Research Fields > Special Research Field 386
|500 Science > 510 Mathematics
|ID Code:
|Deposited On:
|04. Apr 2007
|Last Modified:
|31. Aug 2018 13:51


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Mon, Nov 18, 2019 08:00pm
Tue, Nov 19, 2019 05:30pm
"Kids have power too", stated Deka Arab, a 16 year old student at Ottawa Islamic School. Deka and her fellow students Sarah Hussain, 16, and Fatima Kabeli, 17, drafted the proposal for the "Light the Path" project, which has made it to the final round of PeaceMidan's 320Reality Contest. The contest invited people from around the world to submit their ideas for projects that could address the social challenges facing countries in the Middle East. Contest winners will receive $35,000 US as well as expert support to make their project a reality.


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"What is more difficult? Constructing a problem nobody can solve, or solving that problem?"
"The Devotion of Suspect X"
Finding free Japanese mystery novels at the university library is always fun. Now only if I actually had to read all those books! Even this post's topic, a Higashino Keigo novel, took me almost two weeks. In the holiday, I could easily finish a Higashino Keigo novel in one or two days. Oh, free time, where art thou?
The story starts with Kyouhei, an eleven-old kid, going to his aunt and uncle's place for the summer vacation, as his parents are out of town because of work. His aunt runs a pension in Harigaura, a little resort town that has seen better days. Even though it's the middle of summer, the pension only has two other guests. One is Yukawa, who is a invited speaker for a panel discussion on a planned natural resources development project in the sea of Harigaura. The other guest, an elderly man called Tsukahara, is apparently an interested party too, as he shows up in the public of the panel discussion. The panel discussion is quite heated, with lots of villagers wanting to preserve the sea, like Kyouhei's niece Narumi. Others see no future in Harigaura as it is now and strongly believe that the development project will save the town.
The night after the panel discussion however, Tsukahara is found dead on the cliffs. The police at first thinks it's a simple accident, but when they discover that Tsukahara was an ex-cop and that he didn't die of the fall, but of carbon monoxide poisoning, they start to suspect it was murder. Where did Tsukahara die and more importantly, why? Did it have to do with some of his old cases? And meanwhile, the kid Kyouhei is having the worst vacation ever, as his aunt, uncle and niece are too busy dealing with the police. He does find an unexpected friend in Yukawa though, who seems to have some interest in the Tsukahara case too.
While Manatsu no Houteishiki is mostly a police procedural like the previous two novels, it feels quite different. One reason is that we have about five interested parties, with the story's point of view changing between them. Yukawa, Kyouhei, Narumi and her parents, the local police and the Tokyo police all look at the case from different angles, with information flowing from one party to another, some information being hidden from another party and yes, it's a bit too much. The story never gets confusing or anything and the constant changing ensures the story developments keep up a certain pace, but at times it also just feels like unneccesary padding out of the story.
The many perspectives on the case do make it kinda vague what the main problem of this novel is. The previous Galileo novels were clearly about an alibi trick and an impossible poisoning, but there is nothing like that in Manatsu no Houteishiki. The promotion phrase for this book was "Accident? Murder? The truth Yukawa noticed...", but even the question of accident or murder is not as important as one might think. Near the end, the story focuses on the why and how of Tsukahara's death, but it's pretty sad to see that Higashino basically reuses a plot-device he did much better in one of his other novels. The twists in the previous two Galileo novels were devilishly simple, while Manatsu no Houteishiki's trick is more like 'oh, well, yeah, that was simple and not very interesting'.
While there is little discussion on science in this novel, the interaction between Yukawa and the kid Kyouhei does give some interesting insights in Yukawa's idea of science. However, I had troubles seeing Kyouhei as a real kid in the novel. Which is maybe because he is 11, which means he is not a real kid anymore and thus can act more adult at times, but his character seemed to swing to much depending on the situation. Of course, Kyouhei is a lot more realistic than kids like Conan's Detective Boys or Edogawa Rampo's original Detective Boys (and Kyouhei isn't even playing a detective), but I would guess that realistic children are harder to create on paper than adults.
While Yougisha X no Kenshin, Seijo no Kyuujo and Manatsu no Houteishiki are about different kind of criminal problems, the three novels are in the core very similar novels. Higashino uses a similar plot-device in all three novels, he constructs a 'simple-and-therefore-effective' problem in all three novels, the police procedural angle with opposing forces plays an important role in the story development in all three novels. The 'problem' for Manatsu no Houteishiki is that even though it's a decent mystery, the other two novels are simply better at pretty much everything.
Original Japanese title(s): 東野圭吾 『真夏の方程式』


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Christmas Nativity 2016
Nativity from scratch
Today was St Mary's "Nativity from scratch", which brought our Congregation together to enact the story of the birth of Jesus. No rehearsals beforehand, just pure fun for everyone partaking, watching and singing along to all those well loved carols. Everyone taking part made their own costumes, and there was even a special appearance from some of our well loved Hubble puppets.
A few photos from this family fun morning are here for your enjoyment, and if you'd like to join us for any of our remaining Christmas Services, all details can be found on our Christmas Services 2016 page.


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For the Boss Lady
Are You Bossy? Warn friends, family, co-workers, and the public of the fierce women within with these shirts, accessories, gifts, and more.
Visuals of Pirates always seem to only highlight legacies of the MEN! We, the shirt obsessed ladies of Funny-tee-shirt.com have found incredibly high numbers of famous Women Pirates. REPRESENT THEM! A SUPER stylish Pirate Shirt for Women that will transform being Cute with a little Danger, to becoming a Dangerously Cute Pirate Princess.Continue Reading... No Comments.


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Sticky sweet chilli pork belly with mango sweet chilli salsa
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Ingredients required for this recipe:
1 x 800g - 1kg piece Pork Belly
1 cup Trident Sweet Chilli Sauce
375mls ginger beer
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 fresh mangos, diced
1/2 red capsicum, finely diced
1/2 yellow capsicum, finely diced
1/4 cup Trident Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 lime zested and juiced
Pre-heat oven to 210°C.
Score Pork rind thinly using a Stanley knife or sharp thin bladed knife.
Marinade: Combine the Trident sweet chilli sauce, ginger beer, shallot and garlic in a shallow non metallic baking dish and marinate pork belly for several hours or as long as possible.
Pork: Rub the pork rind with sea salt and roast pork belly for 20 minutes at 210°C then reduce heat to 180°C and roast for a further 40 minutes.
Basting every 5 minutes.
Remove and rest 10 minutes prior to slicing.
Salsa: Combine mango, capsicums, sweet chilli sauce and lime together in a small bowl.
Slice sticky Sweet Chilli Pork and serve with mango salsa.
Garnish with mint leaves. Serves 4


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I was waiting for a while to change my banner into something more cleaner and more ME.
I really loved my first banner because it started my blog and that makes it feel like my baby
but after the last months and all those experiences, I definitely needed a change.
Thanks to Dominik for making me the first pretty banner.
Anyways, my so talented friend Elina made the new one for me as a kind of christmas present.
Since green is my favorite color, she did it the perfect way.
It's so me and I asked her to use that quote because it is magical.
Do you like it?!
Make sure to follow me on twitter, bloglovin' and facebook
Kisses Julia