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AAI chief Guruprasad Mohapatra envisages plans for modernisation of airports
| Updated: Aug 23, 2017 11:20 IST
By Paras Bisht New Delhi [India], Jan.17 (ANI): The chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Guru Prasad Mohapatra, spelt out the AAI's achievements over the last year and what he plans to achieve during fiscal 2017-18 in terms of modernisation. Addressing a press conference at the AAI headquarters at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan on Monday evening, Mr. Mohapatra said, "Project DISHA (Driving Improvement in Service and Hospitality at Airports) which was launched last year to improve customer service and operations excellence has been launched at 10 AAI airports viz; Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneshwar, Pune, Goa, Guwahati, Coimbatore and Trivandrum". He further added that "over 4000 customer surveys and 7500 plus time machine studies have been conducted". Examples of actual on-the ground impact in Chennai and Guwahati were also shared. At Chennai, there were high queuing time initially at check-in and security, steps have been taken to add 10 additional checks in counters and clustered self check-in has been introduced to increase self check in usage. At Guwahati airport, an additional entry gate has been created to ease out the rush and queuing times at peak hour. The check-in area is also undergoing multiple modifications with the aim to decongest the area. The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN in October 2016 to facilitate/ stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable. The AAI has been designated as Implementing Agency and is working on revival of unserved and underserved airports to facilitate the regional connectivity scheme. Unserved airports will be operationalized at an indicative cost of 50 crores. To Rs 100 crores. Further, 51 Airports which are ready for operation with no expenditure or expenditure upto around Rs 5 crores, have been identified. Further Mohapatra added that the "AAI is in the process to leverage its cargo business to increase the Non-Aeronautical revenue and has chalked out a road map by identifying 24 Airports across the country for creation of Common User Domestic Air Cargo Terminals (CUDCT)". To give special focus on cargo, AAI has formed 100% owned subsidiary of AAI, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. (AAICLAS) with an initial authorized capital of Rs 25 crores. The AAI has completed various key projects during the last year which have been stepping stones in its success from infrastructural development to customer service excellence in respect of airports amenities at its airports. The revenue during 2015-16 has increased at 16.58% to 10824.50 cr from 9284.98 cr (2014-15) and profit after tax (PAT) has also increased at 29.51% to 2537.36 from 1959.22 cr. (2014-15).(ANI)


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USATF Trail Marathon National Champion 2012
Kerri Lyons and Cody Moat win the USA Trail Marathon Championships
Story by Jason Bryant:
Saturday morning in Moab came crisp and cool. But with the sun rising over the desert landscape, the temperatures heat up quickly as did the racing at Moab Trail Marathon. The Moab Trail Marathon was serving as the USA Trail Marathon Championships which attracted a highly competitive field on both the men's and women's sides. Toeing the line were US mountain team members, previous male and female trail/mountain champions, fast roadies(2:14 marathon guy, 35 minute 10K gal), hardened mountain goats, and a Spartan Racing World Champion. Yes, you could say it was quite the mix of competitors. Question is how would all that shake out on the trail. The little bit that heard about race director Danelle Ballengee indicated that she was fairly hardcore. So you would expect the course to match her persona. This was no run through the lilies. This was hardcore trail racing, competitors had better brought some trail skills. There were few places to set a rhythm and crank. Slickrock and just general rockiness were the order of the day. Throw in some sandy sections, squeezing between boulders, and trails along steep drops, this was a trail runner's playground. Hopefully, runners got a chance to look up at the beautiful surroundings of canyons and desert. What more could a trail racer want?
The men's race got out quickly, but soon settled into the grind this course would require. The 2012 Spartan Racing World Champion, Cody Moat, sees the trail as a place to just let go. More accustom to obstacles in his way on race days, he did just that as he rolled over the course ahead of everyone. Cody claimed the Trail Marathon title in 3:08:26. Justin Ricks and Jason Bryant started out conservatively hoping the course would reward their patience. Justin executed this strategy best in taking second in 3:14:39. Bryant fought off the young speed behind him over the last 6 miles to take third overall in 3:17:06. A couple of guys with fast road marathons on their resumes rounded out the top five. Kalib Wilkerson finished fourth in 3:20:22 and Ryan Bak took fifth in 3:22:34. Bryant was also the first master for the men, followed by Chris Grauch in 3:31:51 and Brad Poppele in 3:45:55.
On the women's side, it was a loaded field. Women with impressive resumes filled the entry list. On the out and back at 10 miles they got a good chance to size one another up as they were all still fairly close together. Kerri Lyons changed from the half to full marathon just the day before the race. Lyons may be discovering that she has more than just road speed. This was just her third trail race, all coming this summer. A summer that also including a 35 minute 10K and 59 minute 10 miler on the road. Lyons ran to the women's trail marathon title in 3:27:46. Megan Kimmel battled the intense course taking second in 3:32:06 for her third podium finish this year. Kimmel was runner up at the half marathon distance in June and claimed the national title at the 10Km distance in August. US mountain team members Michele Suszek and Melody Fairchild took third and fourth in 3:37:10 and 3:43:37 respectively. Stephanie Howe finished in fifth with a time of 3:44:35. Kristi Anderson came in first master in 4:08:04. Shari Marshall and Anita Rawlinson followed in 4:17:48 and 4:54:26.
Complete race results can be found here: http://www.myentryfee.com/results/RaceList.aspx?target=373
Photos by HunterImagery.com


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One of the biggest challenges of any multiple-location retailer is consistent execution. How do you make sure every associate at every location on every shift is up to speed on every initiative. Last night, I took my kids to Barnes & Noble. When I checked in on Foursquare, I was excited to see a special actually in the store (not nearby), AND it was just for checking in (not for being mayor), AND it was for an item my son was buying. Score! Now, for the bad news. I showed the offer to the associate working in the music section. He wanted to see the offer, so he asked to hold my phone. I wanted the $2 off, so I let him. He wanted to check with his manager, so he started to walk off with my phone. I really like my phone, so I asked for it back.
When the manager arrived, she also asked to read the offer, and she also did not know anything about it. She and I walked the entire music section looking for the Foursquare display. No joy. Finally, I suggested, "Why don't we just try the discount code and see if it works." They tried it, and it worked. Joy.
How do you make sure every possible person in your execution chain can deliver as promised? Leave your ideas in the comments below.


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There's been a lot of emphasis on the DETAILS as of late for the 2016 Saskatchewan Roughriders. Sunday's practise saw the team focus on the Special Teams units and the various techniques associated with them. During today's practise, if onlookers were listening close enough; there was a ton of vocal demand for attention towards the little things.
For those who may not know what the "little things" are in football, you're not alone. As a matter of fact the maturation process of a pro football player actually includes learning what the little things actually are.
We spend an awful lot of time here on #ProPerspective talking about what it actually takes to make a pro football team. The list is quite extensive but when we talk about the little things or paying attention to detail one may be surprised about how simple things can be at times.
Sometimes a couple of the answers to a player's internal question, "how do I make this squad?" are right there in front of his nose. Sometimes it's simply a matter of listening...REALLY LISTENING, to what's being asked.
I'll use a quick example on the defensive side of the ball from today.
It's no secret about how fast the tempo of the reps happen here in Training Camp and a player can't control the way the plays are distributed amongst the depth charts. The one thing the player CAN control is one's effort level.
You'd be amazed at how many decisions are made by coaching staffs based on one's effort level. If there are two guys on the same fence and only room for one of them, you can bet the house on the one that is on film making the most effort.
If you happen to get a chance to stop by practise this training camp, listen intently as each play happens. Through all the sounds of the pads clashing and the helmets banging you'll here two consistent asks... One will be the words of coaches demanding a finish, and the other ask that you'll hear almost always is, "RUUUUUNNN!"
That's it! Right there in front of everyone. It's not hiding anywhere and one doesn't have to decode any metaphors. One of the little things that a player can do to make this football team is simply RUN to the football.
All that the coaches are asking for is EFFORT. It's a perfect example. Coaches are not asking for a certain technique. They're not talking X's and O's...All the coaches want to see is a player running to the football and making an effort.
The ability of a player to listen to the little things that are being asked of him shows that he is COACHABLE and that he has the DISCIPLINE that one needs to play at this level.
It's staggering how simple (yet complex) this can be as an athlete, however it's what separates the Pros from the Joes.
Despite the CONSTANT requests for effort to the ball, even out here in Saskatoon, sometimes the message just doesn't register in some players.
I always remember a conversation an old coach had with me. We were having the same convo you and I are having now and he said,
"You know Luc it's funny how a player will always go home and tell his friends why he got cut. A lot of times he'll give a bunch of reasons as to why the coaches didn't give him a fair shot, when in actuality, HE DIDN'T GIVE HIMSELF A FAIR SHOT."
That comment was something I remembered for the rest of my career.
Day 9 was an up-tempo practise that featured Indy and Special Teams periods where coaches continued to work on detailed technical skills. Obviously from a production standpoint the players that apply those techniques will have a huge chance to move forward after the first round of cuts.
But here's the thing...Every player on this roster is being taught the same thing, and there's going to be times during evaluation that some guys are going to be on the same level as others. Players are going to be doing themselves a HUGE favour if they've been the guys consistently on film doing all the extras.
RUN TO THE BALL. Coaches don't just yell things in practise for the sake of yelling them. Listen, and apply. Understand what the coaches are looking for. #TheLittleThings.
That was actually the main theme I had throughout my note today but here's a couple of tidbits that you guys may find valuable...


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The Platinum 3776 Century Chartres Blue is not the first 3776 I have owned or reviewed, but it is the first 3776 that I have felt like was designed for me.
I'm particular, we all are. Especially when it comes to spending non-trivial amounts of money on fountain pens. I could have bought a standard 3776 years ago if I wanted to settle for one with gold trim. I didn't want to settle, so I waited. And waited. Rhodium trim limited edition models came and went, and I jumped on the Sai when it became available, but I was holding fast for Platinum to decide that their stock, gold nib, entry level fountain pen was deserving of the rhodium trim treatment.
It finally happened in early 2015. Platinum added rhodium trim throughout the 3776 lineup. And it was beautiful. It didn't happen with every model, but Chartres Blue was the pen that benefitted the most, and they even added the Black Diamond barrel, which, like Chartres Blue and Bourgogne, has a very sublte demonstrator look.
While the barrels look and feel great, the 14 karat gold nibs are what make Platinum pens the favorite of many. They are different in a way that only Platinum has been able to pull off. Unfortunately, the feel of the nib is very difficult to explain in words.
The best way I have found to describe it is that there is a pencil-like feedback when writing. Imagine if you held a pencil in your hand and dragged it across a piece of paper without gripping the pencil. As lightly as possible, no pressure in your fingertips. You hear the sound of the graphite on the page. You hear Platinum nibs when you write with them.
This sounds like a negative, right? It's hard to explain how it isn't, but you need to try it. It's a wonderful feel. If you did a blind test of basic 14k Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum nibs you might mix up the Pilot and Sailor offerings, but I promise you will know which one is the Platinum.
The line these wonderful nibs leave is right up my alley. Crisp, clean, and even across every letter. Consistency is their hallmark, making them perfect every day writers.
Now that rhodium has happened, I need Platinum to start expanding the 3776 lineup even further. Bourgogne in rhodium trim would be a great start, but making the UEF nib more widely available is something I personally want, although admittedly it would not be a top seller. What about stub nibs? Does Platinum even make one in any pen outside of the Nakaya brand?
You are on your way Platinum. Make it happen!
(Goulet Pens provided this pen at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)


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A baseball team in New York (the Hudson Valley Renegades) is offering free tickets every Monday to iPad owners. This promotion appears to be in response to a decision by a different major league baseball team in the same area not to allow iPads into their stadium. To capitalize on the publicity received by the other team, the Hudson Valley Renegades are encouraging fans to bring their iPads to the stadium. In addition to free tickets every Monday to all iPad owners, the team is providing a support booth to help fans set up various social media services.
This is an innovative marketing approach to attract fans and get some "free advertising" for the team. I'm not sure what the team is doing on Mondays to interact with the fans that bring iPads, but here are a couple possibilities. The team could ask the iPad users to tweet during the game using a particular hash tag, then randomly select one of the tweets and give that person a prize. The team could also send messages (tweets, text messages or emails) to fans at the game providing additional information about the players, statistics for the game, specials at the concessions, etc.
How can you apply similar innovative marketing techniques in your business?


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Can I just point out, that like yesterday, when I gave you TWO recipes for the price of ONE (shawarma seitan and spiced mashed potatoes), today I am giving two recipes as well. I hope you will look upon me kindly when we get to the end of the month, I am burned out and behind, and am putting up recipes for things like toast, and tea.
Day Two and we're headed out of the Middle East and westward ho into American Jewish territory. Egg and tuna salad on bagels, baby! I don't miss very many dishes since becoming vegan in 2009, but the whole egg and tuna salad on bagels thing was a comfort food combo that I did often pine for, especially breaking the fast on Yom Kippur. So I am delighted to finally be able to recreate it for my break-fast this year. The yummy and easy bagel recipe will be up tomorrow, stayed tuned. I also have a chopped liver spread recipe that goes well with the "bagel and a shmear" category. I'll blog that one too.
Both of today's recipes were inspired by The Happy Herbiviore's. I used those as my starting place and then did my usual thang to them. Honestly I was afraid of the egg salad as it uses uncooked tofu and I thought that would be gross. So I only made half a recipe and then it was so good that I ate it all and had to make more. Then the tuna salad, which I thought I would love, ended up being kind of meh. It was saved the following day when it became a tuna melt. More on that below…
Both salads call for sweet pickle relish which I'm sure you can find here somewhere, but rather than hunt it down, I just chopped up a regular pickle, added some sugar and some vinegar and bam, close enough. You can play with the amounts of sweetener and vinegar to suit your taste buds. I like things to be strongly flavored.
The tuna salad also calls for kelp granules which I order from vitacost. I actually use it regularly as a salt-like seasoning, as it contains iodine, which is one of the important nutrients that can come up short on a vegan diet. If you don't have any, I imagine you could crumble some nori sheets or some dried kelp – both available at most health food stores or the Asian section of most grocery stores. Or you could leave it out, but then you won't have a fishy sort of taste to your tuna.
- 1 block (300g) firm tofu
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- 2 Tbsp pickle relish (OR 2 minced pickles + 2 tsp sugar + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black salt (can use regular, but black salt has a slightly sulfurous taste, similar to eggs)
- 2-3 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 1 can (560g) chickpeas, drained
- 2 celery stalks, minced
- 2 Tbsp pickle relish (OR 2 minced pickles + 2 tsp sugar + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 tsp onion flakes
- 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp granulated kelp (or crumbled nori or kelp)
- 1 Tbsp dried dill
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- Chop the tofu into small squares.
- Mix with all other ingredients.
- Adjust seasonings to your taste.
- Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork
- Mix in remaining ingredients.
- Adjust seasonings to your taste
As mentioned above, the next day I made a tuna melt by spreading 1/4 cup of the tuna salad on a slice of bread, topping it with a slice of vegan cheese and broiling until the cheese melted. It was fabulous!
And because I know you are going to ask, the brand of Vegan Cheese I used is called Violife and it is made in Greece. They make it from coconut oil rather than soy and I think it really tastes pretty good. There are many flavors, the above one is tomato-basil, my favorite. For local peeps, I buy it at Shufersol and the package looks like this:


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
We are asking our residents to help keep our street lights working. If you notice that a light is out, you will need to gather some information. On the base of the pole is a number that you will need to report. You can either call City Hall with that number or click here to report directly to AEP.


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The Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) is an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service. In 1978 it was the first remote Aboriginal Medical Service in Western Australia. BRAMS is committed to the core principles of Aboriginal self-determination, access, equity, empowerment and reconciliation.
Services Provided
Content Management System
BRAMS website is a Content Management System, allowing them to update content on their website, themselves.
Banner Design
Click here for more information regarding their Website Banner.
Kimberley Web Design provided all photography for their website, including staff photography and location photography.
Mobile Friendly
BRAMS website is built to be "Mobile Friendly".
Click here to visit our other Mobile Friendly websites.
WordPress Training
At the sites completion, we train the administrator, in a 1-3 hour, one on one training session.
At the end of the training session, the new site administrator is able to upload images, change text, add pages/posts and manage their site efficiently.
BRAMS Website was a very collaborative process with all its staff, from the Family Centre, the Clinic, the Health Workers, the Administration and everyone who provides such an amazing service to not only the Indigenous Community but to all members of the community seeking their help.
Their website features tables of visiting specialists and online application forms.
Their slideshow is a collection of photography and artwork. The little boy photograph taken by Kimberley Web Design was transformed using photoshop filters and applying hand painted design. The borders chosen from our stock photography. The other two slides, their borders were chosen from artists at a local indigenous organisation, Nagula Jarndu.
Kimberley Web Design has had the privilege of designing health and promotion brochures, fact sheets and now their new website. I also have provided the photography throughout the new Family Centre, along with their logo.
Click here to visit their website.


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Cindi Ross Scoppe
This business-friendly bill is friendly to some businesses — but not most
CALL IT THE be-careful-what-you-wish-for bill.
For years, businesses have complained about business licenses. They don't like the taxes that 220 S.C. cities and eight counties charge for the licenses. But their primary, and quite reasonable, objection has been the hassle: separate forms to fill out in every jurisdiction, with different deadlines and different bookkeeping requirements everywhere they do business.
The protests come primarily from builders and electricians and security companies and other entities that don't have a physical presence everywhere they have customers, but the issue has made it to the top of the agenda for the state's premier business lobbying group, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.
Standard business licenses statewide?
Business leaders present legislative agenda to lawmakers
SC Rep Atwater: Business license reform can spur growth
So at lawmakers' urging, business leaders have been working for two years with the S.C. Municipal Association to devise a single form, filled out once and filed in a single place by a single deadline. And city officials thought they were nearly there — until Feb. 2. That's when Rep. Bill Sandifer, the powerful chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, suddenly filed a bill that did all that — and much, much more.
Of course there's a lot in the bill that strips power from local governments, which is what first attracted my interest. But it's what the bill does for some businesses — and by extension to others — that could cause significant heartburn.
Business license taxes are calculated based on a business' revenue, and H.3650 exempts 25 percent of the revenue collected outside the location "where the business maintains its principal business license."
So an electrician whose customers are all inside the city of Columbia would pay a tax on all of his income. But his competitor just across the river in West Columbia who also does business in Columbia would have to pay taxes on just 75 percent of his Columbia income.
Nor does the discount apply only to itinerant businesses. So while Villa Tronco in downtown Columbia would pay a business license tax on 100 percent of its sales, the Olive Garden would only have to pay the tax on … well, that's not entirely clear, but certainly well short of 100 percent.
One reading of the bill suggests it would have to pay the tax on 100 percent of the revenue in one of its eight S.C. locations; another suggests it would pay just 75 percent statewide, since its headquarters is in Florida. (Mr. Sandifer did not return my phone call to discuss this bill.)
That provision also would give Wal-Mart a 25 percent tax advantage over all those Mom-and-Pop retailers it's already undercutting.
You think that sounds bad for the very businesses that have been demanding business license tax relief? It gets worse. The bill allows — I would actually say encourages — cities and counties to raise their tax rate in order to make up for the income they lose by giving the discounts.
So not only will it put Wal-Mart and the Olive Garden and that West Columbia plumber at a greater competitive advantage, and lower their taxes, it will almost certainly produce an immediate tax increase on their one-location competitors.
"Representative Sandifer said we're not capping your ability to raise the tax; you just have to raise it enough to cover the exemptions," the S.C. Municipal Association's Reba Campbell told me. "Well, nobody wants to do that."
Some cities say they'd have to raise everybody's rates by 75 percent or more in order to collect the same amount of money as they do under the current law.
That's because the 25-percent big-business preference is just one of the exemptions. The other biggie is insurance: Life, accident and health insurance companies that pay the state insurance premium tax would be exempted from local business license taxes. Which is the Legislature's favorite way to grant tax relief: Don't lower state taxes, which would give the Legislature less money to spend; lower taxes that local governments charge.
The bill also gives special tax breaks to businesses that get their money from the taxpayers: It exempts all income that subcontractors receive from general contractors with a government contract. And it exempts 25 percent of revenue day-care centers receive from the S.C. Child Development Program or the DSS voucher program, which gives them an advantage over day-care centers that don't receive government funding.
Several other exemptions, some involving manufacturers, are just too complicated for me to figure out. None of the exemptions, Ms. Campbell said, came up in two years of negotiations with the business community.
The bill sailed through Mr. Sandifer's subcommittee and committee, although it did stall out for a week as his staff worked on the amendments he offered — some to make it worse, some to make it less bad. It could come up for debate as early as Tuesday, although I would hope the cities would have enough friends in the House (it only takes five) to boot the bill to the bottom of the lengthy calendar and slow it down for a week or two.
And that might give them enough time to make sure small-business owners know what their friends in the State House want to do to them. Because I'm sure all the big businesses already know what's being done for them.
Ms. Scoppe writes editorials and columns for The State. Reach her at email@example.com or (803) 771-8571 or follow her on Twitter or like her on Facebook @CindiScoppe.


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If you think about it, how do you usually respond to compliments? Do you always say, "Why thank you, you are so kind" or, "That's very sweet of you"? You may not even notice that instead your reply might be, "What, this old thing?" Or, "Really? It's been in my closet for ages," or you […]
Tag | compliments
You are here: Home › compliments
You Look Marvelous!
By MA TESOL on January 20, 2019 in TESOL Blogs


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An Ideal Retreat: The Monverde Hotel in Portugal
Experience the luxury of this new eco-friendly hotel that offers a fine-dining restaurant and its own winery!
Virginia Miller writes, "Eco-friendly vineyards with a state-of-the-art winery, a carbon-neutral hotel, expansive grounds, eco-lodging opening out onto the vineyards and a fine-dining restaurant? This isn't Napa, it's Portugal. Opened in August 2015, Monverde Hotel is the first hotel of its kind, not just in the idyllic Douro wine region (where Vinho Verde wines hail from), but in the whole country.
Home to Quinta da Lixa winery, which produces a range of Vinho Verde wines, Monverde is in the countryside near the village of Amarante, about 30 miles east of the city of Porto (where you'll find Portugal's famed port houses). It's a 74-acre estate of gently rolling terrain and rows of grapevines leading to a stately main building designed by local architect Fernando Coelho. The property houses 15 guest rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a luxurious vinotherapy spa that utilizes restorative grape seeds, skin and stems in treatments. The expansive indoor/outdoor pool, which includes a Turkish bath and sauna, is divided by mirrored glass and lined with white chairs for lounging. You can choose from a range of massages including Ayurvedic and hot stone, with materials sourced from the nearby Tâmega River."
We're ready to take a trip! Get the full article with all the tips and highlight from Food Republic: http://www.foodrepublic.com/2016/12/02/hungry-concierge-monverde-hotel-portugal/


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The Philly Party Band is a happy family in more than the figurative sense with his son Steven playing trumpet, his wife, Phyllis, doing sound and video, and his son Robert, a veteran keyboardist of the group currently pursuing a music career in New York. It is this closeness amongst his extended family in the Philly Party Band that allows them to work so well off of each other.
It's not only drumming and leadership that Dan brings to the Philly Party Band. Not one to keep his various interests separate, Dan used his knowledge of computers and electronics to assemble a state of the art sound system and lighting display that make the Philly Party Band look and sound better than any of their competitors.


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The Estonian capital, Tallinn, will be the host for Junior Chamber International (JCI) 2019 World Congress. The selection of the venue was announced on November 8 at the 2017 event in Amsterdam. The 2018 congress will take place in Goa, India.
With 5.000 participants expected, this will be the biggest congress ever held in the country. Set to take place during the last week of October or the first week of November, the five-day event will include over 190 hours of training sessions, seminars, workshops and keynote speeches, organised both in the capital and in other Estonian cities and regions.
The major congress is expected to boost the local meetings industry, and will have an impact on the relatively small host city.


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To fix paint steaks, wait for the paint to dry completely, purchase new paint that matches the original shade, and prepare the area for painting. Apply primer over the streaks, and then paint the area with a fresh coat.
- Wait for the paint to dry completely
Ensure that the paint is completely dry before fixing the streaks. This takes about 24 hours.
- Purchase fresh paint
Purchase the exact type and shade of paint as the original. Take a paint chip with you if you are unsure of what the original paint is. You may need to purchase a lighter shade if the original paint has faded into a different color.
- Prepare the area
Move furniture and equipment away from the area that needs painting, and cover them if necessary. Apply primer on the paint streaks and uneven areas.
- Apply the new paint
Paint over the streaks in a crisscross motion to ensure that all the streaks are covered. Ensure that your brush or roller is evenly covered with paint before applying. Streaking occurs mainly due to uneven paint application.
- Assess the results
Wait for the paint to dry completely before assessing the results. You may need to completely redo the area if there are still signs of uneven painting or streaking.


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The Federation experimented with installing hangar operations pods to several Nebula Cruisers in the late 2360's in an attempt to facilitate the new Peregrine Strike Fighters.
[1-29-03] Shield generator power requirement increased to 6.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Please contact
Tyrel Lohr at email@example.com or via this online contact form.
I look forward to hearing your feedback and ideas.
All original content © 2019, Tyrel Lohr.
All other materials are owned by their respective authors.


text:
Harlequin Historical, $6.50, ISBN 978-0-373-29795-5
Historical Romance, 2014
Rachel Sutter's husband Robert is finally dead. That man was a useless gambler and a total failure in providing for his family, and he made it clear to Rachel long ago that her land was the main reason he'd deigned to woo her in the first place. Still, Rachel isn't going to be dancing on the man's grave anytime soon. She has to find a way to feed her brother and her adopted son somehow, and it's quite hard to be a woman and a breadwinner when she has nothing to her name. She wouldn't put out for money, however, even if putting out means feeding the supposedly beloved members of her family, because her mother was a skanky woman and Rachel would rather see everyone she loves die before she spreads her legs for money. Oh, she wouldn't want them to die, but she won't put out either, so she just stands there and scrunches her face at the hero most of the time, her mouth always poised to launch accusations of all kinds about his dastard antics.
Caleb Beckett is a drifter, a cowboy, whose old flame betrayed him, blah blah blah – and he's the one who brings Robert's corpse back to his widow. Oh, and he springs some great news on her: Robert used her land as his collateral, and guess who the new owner of the land is.
Caleb doesn't want to throw out the widow and her family, but he doesn't know what to do with them or the land as well as he never expects to settle down in one place. Still, his conscience dictates that he should stay a while, especially since Rachel is being harassed by the token greedy SOB that only wants her land.
Caleb decides that maybe he can stay and pretend to be the ranch hand, while he pays Rachel to take care of the place. This is an arrangement that they will keep between themselves naturally.
Rachel is not happy because he has "stolen" her land and she doesn't want his charity. She seems really eager to pack her family off so that they can all starve, all the way letting Caleb know of what he has consigned her to by winning a card game fair and square.
Caleb helps get rid of the SOB for a time being.
Rachel screeches that he is not the boss of her and she could have taken care of herself, thank you very much. (She can't.)
He suggests that maybe he can loan her the money and she can pay off the SOB.
She is furious because she will not accept charity, and besides, she's not some kind of whore who would put out for money, thanks very much, all men are pigs, everyone please hashtag #whitemenareherpes and un-follow a man today.
They kiss.
She hates it (okay, she likes it, but she refuses to like it, even if she likes it, because she doesn't like it – that kind of thing) and she hates the fact that she is becoming a whore like her mother.
Hmm, she thinks that he kisses a bit too well.
He must be married! She must confront him and insist that he tell the truth, because #menareworsethanHPV.
They make out.
No! No whore! No whore! Caleb is turning her into a whore! No!
Caleb helps her out again.
Not the boss of her, she could have taken care of herself, she is not a whore… the usual drill.
The climax of the story sees her accusing Caleb of pretending to be honorable when all he wants to do is to seize control of her life, and it's his fault that she has no land, nothing. Oh, and she'd now go become a whore for the bad guy now, since Caleb left her with nothing so he has better not forget that everything is his fault.
Of course, in the end, she decides that she's a hypocrite and a loser for driving the man away when all he has done is to protect her in all sincerity without expecting anything in return. Good for her, but this is one hag that deserves to lose everything because of her irrational paranoia and shrewish behavior. Oh, I know, she had a horrible marriage and a sad childhood, but she can take all that and choke on it. She could have married Caleb in an arrangement that would have given her and her family security and stability, but instead she spends nearly all her time insisting that she would never be like her mother while not doing anything other than to blame the hero for everything or resent him for being kind to her and her family. She subjected me to her relentless episodes of moronic behavior up to her convenient epiphany, making me roll up my eyes more times than I could keep count. She doesn't want to be a whore? Here, let me jam a pick up her nostril.
There is something here that has me thinking that perhaps I'd like a book by this author under other circumstances. Caleb is a dreamy hero, a reluctant knight in shining armor who is just adorable, and there are glimmers of authentic tenderness in some of the author's scenes. But she also allows Rachel to charge ahead in man-hating dumb rhino mode for too long, and epiphany comes way too late for me to believe that she won't drive the two of them crazy three months into the marriage.
Maybe next time, Ms Boyce.


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4 Apr, 2017
Urgent Action Victory! Activist Dr. Ali Esa Mansoor Al-Ekri Released (Bahrain: UA 296.11)
On 10 March, Dr Ali Esa Mansoor al-Ekri (Dr Ali al-Ekri), a Bahraini consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon was released from Jaw Prison, south of the capitol Manama. He had served a five-year jail sentence as a prisoner of conscience.
Read more here


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- This event has passed.
End of Life Care and Decision Making
December 18, 2017 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Consultant David Leven will be presenting "End of Life Care and Decision Making" at the New School. This lecture is not open to the public.


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I love the theme title and the beautiful colours. This is a great section to visit
I like what C.S. Lewis said, that a good book is one that you can enjoy as a child and again as an adult, for entirely different reasons.
My "Fisheye Files" (YA Christian mysteries) are good, clean, tightly woven stories for young readers...or just the young at heart.
I hope you like them too. :)
This is a wonderful section. I know many adults who enjoy reading children comics. Perhaps that's why at a ripe age I decided to rediscover myself by writing children comic books.
Leon Chameleon PI and the case of the missing canary eggs by Jan Hurst-Nicholson.
"At the age of nine I found the story easy to read and very funny too. My mother read it to my younger brother and laughed a lot as the author, she says, has written the book in a way that makes it funny for parents to read."
Rebecca van Zyl (9) – Time Out, Daily News.
'All The Dead Things' has been enjoyed by children, teens and adults (although it is thew adults that sometimes find it a little too scary!)
I think my book 'Wychetts' fits this category perfectly. Although originally written with 9-12 year olds in mind I've found it also appeals to people of any age; anyone in fact who enjoys magical adventure with a liberal sprinkling of humour.
Brilliant idea for a category! My book is aimed at kids, but the feedback I have had from parents and grandparents is that they really enjoyed it as well! Perhaps part of the success is because it doesn't try to dumb things down and includes lots of interesting facts that appeal to everybody..
I love the category. The iAuthor team is very talented, I'm learning =)
Prelude to a Hero was written for kids...but I have parents quoting passages of the book (and the other books in the series) to one another! Go figure. Not complaining....but it goes to show that readers have a WIDE RANGE of tastes. =)
Bandar, a book set at the Pushkar Camel Fair in India and dealing with conflict and reconciliation on the personal level.


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In 2019, a winery in Moldova hosted a 10-km race in the world's largest wine cellar, which holds 2 million bottles. more...
November 19 , 1863 : The Gettysburg Address speech was delivered. more...
Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
Leatherleaf viburnum or Viburnum rhytidophyllum is a flowering evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub native to the central and western regions of China. These shrubs have dark-green leaves and yield clusters of cream-colored flowers. Growers around the world value the flowers for their showy blossoms and cultivate them in mass plantings, as specimens or as shrub borders.
These shrubs, which are members of the Adoxaceae family, usually grow between six and 15 feet tall (1.83 to 4.57 m), with an approximately equal spread. Young plants have an upright form that becomes more open as the shrub matures. They have multiple stems and a layer of short, woolly hair covers the grayish-brown bark.
Leatherleaf viburnum shrubs have shiny, dark-green, lance-shaped leaves with rounded bases and pointed tips. The leaves grow between three and seven inches (7.62 to 17.78 cm) long, with prominent veins. They have a rough upper surface texture and hairy lower surfaces, with smooth outer margins. Their simple, alternate leaves stay green year round in frost-free climates.
Four to eight inch (10.16 to 20.32 cm), flat-topped clusters of fragrant creamy-white or yellowish flowers blossom during the spring. Showy clusters of berry-like fruits called drupes replace the blossoms. The fruits, which ripen in September, are red when immature but black when ripe.
No serious disease or insect problems usually affect leatherleaf viburnum shrubs. They transplant easily and have little or no difficulty becoming established. These shrubs require protection from harsh winds and need to be watered regularly. Pruning should occur right after flowering.
Leatherleaf viburnum shrubs propagate best by semi-ripe cuttings. They can be difficult to germinate by seed, because they need a period of cold dormancy and stratification. These shrubs do not self-pollinate; two different plants are necessary before flowers and fruit can occur.
They grow well in most types of well-drained soil and can adapt to full sun or partial shade. Plants that grow in hot southern climates might need protection from direct or intense sunlight. Leatherleaf viburnums are hardy in United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 9. Shrubs that grow in harsh winter climates sometimes die back to the ground, but they usually send up sprouts during the spring.
Several cultivated varieties, or cultivars, are commercially available. Variegatum has cream-colored patterning on its foliage, while Cree, which is somewhat more cold hardy than the species in general, yields large numbers of flowers. Roseum yields pink flower buds, but its flowers look much like those of regular leatherleaf viburnum.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


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Paul Munby, director of Obsurvus, loves what he does and knew that he wanted a marketing company who would be able to love it as much as he did. They needed a company that would understand their passion, their expertise, their very essence. Cue Chameleon.
Obsurvus are geo-surveying experts, a family firm with its roots firmly based in Doncaster but with clients from all over the country seeking their services, including some of Britain's largest mining and engineering companies like The Coal Authority and National Grid. Obsurvus require robust marketing tools to withstand the demands of their vigorous clients and that's exactly what they get.
Never ones to back away from a challenge, Chameleon have created a powerful website which impacts on the user, illustrating the skills of the Obsurvus team in a fresh, accessible, visually stimulating way by utilising professional photography and creativity.
Paul was overwhelmed with the way in which Chameleon formed the perfect partnership and they have now been working together for over 15 years - enjoying the seismic adventure every step of the way!
Please scroll down to read what Obsurvus has to say about Chameleon:
What Obsurvus has to say:
The ability to stand outside a company and see the potential, ideas and vision is a unique skill.
Combining experience and communication, marketing strategies are built with confidence and a professional attitude.
Chameleon 'grasp it' and deliver from the very beginning. We recommend Chameleon on a regular basis.
Paul Munby - Director.
If you would like to find out more about Chameleon and how our ideas, experience and creativity could help rocket your marketing into orbit, please call us on:
or fill in the form below:
Chameleon Creative
Chameleon House,
Great North Road, Retford,
Nottinghamshire DN22 8QG
01777 553433
Chameleon Creative
Northgate, Tickhill,
Doncaster, South Yorkshire
01302 515700
So...how can we help?
Just select the option that best suits your needs and allow us to do the leg work.
Chameleon Creative, Chameleon House, Great North Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 8QG | Chameleon Creative, Northgate, Tickhill, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN11 9HY
Opening times: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Company Registration: 5227538 | VAT Reg: 756 0788 96 | Copyright © 2019 Chameleon (Tickhill) Ltd. All rights reserved.


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Assad visits Syria displaced
March 13 - Syria's president visits those displaced by civil war outside central Damascus in a rare public appearance. Paul Chapman reports
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3 Syrian television shows President Bashar al-Assad on a visit to people displaced by the country's civil war. It's a rare public appearance outside the heart of Damascus. He was shown meeting people at a shelter in Adra, about 20 kilometres outside the centre of the capital. In a short speech he assured the government was working to overcome the problems they faced and that the armed forces were fighting to get them back home. The trip on Wednesday underlines his increasing confidence just 18 months after rebels appeared to be challenging his control over the capital. Video posted on a social media website purports to show Syrian forces taking control of part of the last major rebel stronghold near the border with Lebanon. The footage was said to show the town of Yabroud, although Reuters has been unable to independently verify the content. Other clips shows what was said to be a bombardment of the city of Raqqah in the north-east. More than 140, 000 people have been killed in the conflict now entering its fourth year. At least two and half a million have fled the country which is fragmenting into separate government, rebel and Kurdish-controlled areas.


text:
Navigating the often complicated sets of council regulations and restrictions while attempting to get your plans approved can be a real hassle unless you plan far ahead. It may go much smoother if you get the professionals to take over the planning and permits, so that you can rest assured your construction will go ahead without to many major headaches.
Gold Coast Council & Granny Flats
If you are seriously considering building a granny flat in the Gold Coast area, there's a few questions you should be asking yourself. Have you considered the size restrictions regarding granny flats on the Gold Coast? The Gold Coast Council has regulations concerning the parameters allowable for granny flats in addition to other building approval guidelines. It's generally fine to build a one or two bedroom granny flat, but anything else will require an individual assessment on-site.
Granny Flats and Rezoning - Gold Coast
In some areas a rezoning of a property is required to obtain building approval for a granny flat, however, on the Gold Coast rezoning is not a requirement if the granny flat is intended for family use. Have you checked if your land is suitable for development, you need to look into the requirements for building a granny flat on your land? Gold Coast City Council can assess your site, however if you pay a professional to build the granny flat on your property they sometimes will perform this inspection for you for free.


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Nine-year-old's letter to thieves who stole treasured keepsakes from her baby sister's grave
A nine-year-old girl left heartbroken after thieves stole keepsakes from her sister's grave has written to culprits in a desperate plea for them to return the items.
Jessica Ryder has left the heartfelt message at her sister's grave side after she discovered the sentimental items had been taken from the grave at Widney Manor Cemetery.
Jessica's sister, Gracie Bishop, died in January this year when she was just 23 weeks old.
Jessica placed items including a fairy and butterfly lights on her sister's grave, only to find they had disappeared when she next returned to the cemetery at the end of last week.
It is part of a spate of thefts at the cemetery recently.
Christina Morton's baby son, Lyle Bagley, is buried next to Gracie.
Plaques were taken from his grave and another resident, who asked not to be named, said a plant had been taken from her 33-year-old son's grave.
Gemma Ryder, mum to Jessica and Gracie, said: "How can anyone be so heartless?
"It's hard enough having to explain to your nine-year-old daughter why we're burying her sister and now she has to deal with this.
"Jessica has written on the message 'no more broken hearts' – this is what we always say to each other. She said to me the other day – 'when will there be no more broken hearts mummy?' She just can't understand why anyone would want to do this.
"Jessica decided that she wanted to write to the thieves and leave it on her sister's grave because she wants them to know how they have made her feel."
Jessica's message reads: "Please give my baby sister's fairy and butterflies back. It's made us sad to see them gone. No more broken hearts."
Ms Morton said: "I just don't know how anyone can steal from a baby's grave. It has got to the point where I have had to mark all of the things I put on my baby's grave – it shouldn't have to come to this, not in a cemetery of all places."
Solihull Council, which is responsible for Widney Manor Cemetery, has also condemned the thefts.
A Solihull Council spokeswoman said: "It is difficult to understand why anyone would want to steal items from the cemetery and show such complete disregard for people mourning the loss of a loved one.
" In incidents such as these we encourage residents to contact the police and we will do what we can to help them investigate the matter."
The recent spate of thefts follows another one when 51 red roses were taken from Robin Hood Cemetery last month.
Widower Maurice Powell left them at a memorial at the cemetery in memory of his late wife. Police are still hunting for the woman captured on CCTV stealing the flowers.
Read more: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/nine-year-olds-letter-thieves-who-stole-7644393


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Edge, Peter W. and Harvey, Graham eds. (2000). Law and Religion in Contemporary Society: Communities, Individualism and the State. Aldershot: Ashgate.
|Google Scholar:
|Look up in Google Scholar
The relationship between law and religion has traditionally been analysed according to two basic paradigms. One has focused on the relationship between religious communities and the State (the Church/State paradigm), while the other has concentrated on the relationship between the State and the individual (the liberal-individualist or civil liberties paradigm). This book enriches the analysis of law and religion in society by emphasising a third and complementary analytical dimension involving the relationship between religious communities and religious individuals. In particular, the contributors explore the various facets of the multiple tensions that exist in the legal relationships between religious organisations, State and adherents in the period leading up to the third Christian millennium.
Against the background of the complex and sometimes contradictory responses of religious organisations and the State to the Human Rights Act, this interdisciplinary collection draws on contributions from leading scholars active in the field of religious rights and the interaction of law and religion based in the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and elsewhere, and makes a timely and significant contribution to international debates in a variety of academic disciplines. Contributors explore international concerns over religious liberty, focusing particularly on the boundaries of ethnicity and religious community, the status of the 'established' Churches in the UK, and the proper place for religious organisations under generally applicable legal regimes of non-discrimination. Themes discussed are closely related to wider interests within legal and socio-legal studies involving gender, discrimination, equality, community and the nature and limits of individualism and individual legal rights.
|Item Type:
|Edited Book
|Copyright Holders:
|2000 Ashgate
|0-7546-1306-2, 978-0-7546-1306-0
|Academic Unit/School:
|Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Social Sciences and Global Studies > Religious Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Social Sciences and Global Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|Jean Fone
|Date Deposited:
|01 Jul 2010 09:15
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|06 Aug 2019 08:33
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text:
In addition to discussions about the potential for this crossover film, the Guardians of the Peace obtained thousands of other private emails, from fiendish Sony execs Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal to the unintentionally hysterical star Channing Tatum.
Once made available online, these emails were swiftly picked up by the press. The first I heard of the scandal came in the form of a Tweet enticing me with the knowledge that someone important in Hollywood considered Angelina Jolie "a spoiled brat with a rampaging ego."
The reaction to these emails being publicized has been divisive. Gossip mongers are excited to see the curtain pulled back on their favorite stars and yellow journalism sites are delighted to feed this frenzied crowd. Some journalists, however, are also concerned about the ethics of sharing such private details, though that does not necessarily stop them or their publications from reporting on these matters. And those who were featured in the emails, whether they wrote an email or were simply discussed in someone else's, are angry, their privacy clearly violated.
Anne Helen Petersen, a Buzzfeed writer who styles herself as just a quirky girl with a "Ph.D. in gossip," wrote about the ethical issues from the new media perspective. In her article "The Messy Media Ethics Behind the Sony Hack," she ultimately defends the decision of Buzzfeed News and others to "report" on these emails, saying that if they didn't, less qualified reporters and less reputable news sources would take up the torch.
Aaron Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," argued the opposite in an op-ed in The New York Times this morning. In his piece "The Sony Hack and the Yellow Press," Sorkin berates the press, calling their actions "demented and criminal." With Sorkin-ian flair, he pits Guardians of the Peace against the American press, ultimately choosing the Guardians. "At least the hackers are doing it for a cause," he writes. "The press is doing it for a nickel."
Both of these articles tiptoe around crucial questions. Petersen's piece poses the dilemma of what makes a journalist a journalist. What separates a true reporter from any old blogger in their mother's basement? Sorkin's piece, meanwhile, pokes and prods at the ultimate purpose of the press. What is newsworthy and why? Furthermore, what is the difference between gossip and real news? Does it matter?
I certainly don't have any of the answers. While I can understand Kevin Roose of Fusion's belief that these documents could potentially be "valuable and important to democracy and industry," I also know the truth in Sorkin's statements about the fundamental difference between reporting on the private emails of Enron employees, who intentionally set about harming the American people, and Sony affiliates, who were minding their own damn business.
While the Sony hack and subsequent coverage will be debated for decades to come, what we know now is this: Asking and answering these questions and ones like them is essential if we are to maintain, support, and reap the rewards of a freer and more noble press.
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Since 1983, we have delivered results for our customers. Today, we continue our commitment by providing service to a wide range of facilities, including commercial and industrial spaces nationwide. We have over 20 offices across the nation and internationally. With our entrepreneurial business model that is focused on creating solutions, we adapt our full-service cleaning services to meet the unique needs of our customers. We believe that this will help earn us our place as the #1 facility services company in the nation.


text:
Campus Corner
Pre-NFL Draft Q&A with Missouri tight end Eric Waters
If there was a breakout star at Missouri's Pro Day on March 21, it was Eric Waters.
Waters caught only eight passes for 72 yards with a touchdown as a senior tight end for the Tigers. He caught six passes for 73 yards during the previous two seasons.
Still, with a 4.58 40-yard dash, a 39 1/2-inch vertical and a board jump of 10 feet, 2 1/2 inches, Waters put himself on the NFL Draft map with a stellar workout.
He also caught every pass thrown his way from quarterback James Franklin during passing drills.
Waters, who bumped his vertical to 40 inches before twisting an ankle during an NFL Super Regional Combine in Detroit last month, has worked out for the Patriots and also talked with Pittsburgh, Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Tennessee.
He's hoping one of those teams or another of the NFL's 32 teams will scribble his name on a piece of paper this weekend during the draft. If not, he's confident that he'll get a crack as a free agent signing.
Waters talked to The Star about the last six weeks of his journey:
•Q: How much of an impact do you think your Pro Day performance had on boosting your NFL Draft stock?
Waters: "It's been huge. I went from a guy that was on pretty much nobody's radar to a guy that a lot of teams that were in need of a tight end started to notice. That made a huge difference, especially when it comes to the next couple days in the Draft. Now, we're looking at a possibility of going from a priority free agent to being drafted."
•Q: Is it crazy to think that, before the weekend's over, you could have an NFL home?
Waters: "It is crazy to think, because that's something that I have been wanting since I was about 5 years old, maybe 4."
•Q: Have you always played tight end?
Waters: "No, sir, when I was starting out younger, I played quarterback for a little bit. As I got into high school, I did a little bit of everything. I played wide receiver, running back and I really thought I would be a defensive end. That was my main position in high school until my junior year when we installed a new offense and I moved to tight end. It just stuck with me. My junior year, I had my hand on the ground and my senior year I split out more in the slot."
•Q: Blocking seems to be a question mark for a lot of top tight end prospects. Obviously, you didn't get a lot of passes thrown your way, but was that a blessing in disguise as far as answering questions about your blocking?
Waters: "Definitely, I do think of it as a blessing in disguise. That helped me show a side that not everybody has shown. That's a question for everybody else. I showed at my Pro day and I showed at the Combine that I went to afterward that I can catch the ball, I have really great hands and I move well. My route-running is great and I can make cuts, but I didn't need to show everybody my blocking too much. It shows on film against some of the best teams in the SEC."
•Q: Is it hard to keep your emotions in check this week?
Waters: "Right now, I'm really trying to keep it levelheaded as far as whatever happens, happens. You've just got to take it with a grain of salt. I'm trying not to get my expectations and hopes up too much, but it would be a dream come true. I would like it to happen, but I also know I only need one opportunity to really show what I can do. If I'm an undrafted free agent, so be it. That's where the chips fell, but now I've got to make the best of the opportunity I've been given."
•Q: Growing up a Cowboys fan, where would you like to land or do you care at this point?
Waters: "Me personally, I have no preference at all. Whatever team I land on, that will be my future and they'll get 100 percent of my focus and attention. But yeah, I'm a Cowboys fan at heart."
•Q: Has anything in this process been surprising or different than you expected?
Waters: "Not in this experience. This experience has been really smooth. Jim (Schottell Jr.), my agent, has been through this process so many times. He let me know what to expect — what could happen, what may not happen, stuff like that. He's made this process so simple on me and my family. I really couldn't ask for more."
•Q: Knowing the NFL Draft is in a few days, are you getting some butterflies?
Waters: "Yes, sir. I was actually sitting outside on the tailgate of my Ram 1500 thinking about what it will be like even to just get signed as a free agent. Just thinking about the look on my parents' face, it brought tears to my eyes, because that's something I want to be able to give to my parents. In a way, they almost want it worse than I do. To be able to give a gift like that, especially to my mom on Mother's Day, would be almost unbelievable."


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How to plan a special Tibet tour during the peak season
As Tibet is located at the average altitude of over 4,000m above the sea level, the weather is special: a little harsh, with thin air, intense ultraviolet radiation, and with frozen road among most of areas from late November to next February. What time is best to visit Tibet? Generally speaking, the eight months from April to November is the golden time of Tibet Tourism; and the peak months are May, June, July, August, September, October.
Due to the devastating earth quake in Kathmandu Nepal, resulting in badly massive damage in Kathmandu and damages spreading the areas in western Tibet, incl. Zhangmu town, Tingri County. In the whole May, Mount Everest, Ali area and the road to Nepal are suspended. From June 7th, the tour packages are able to be booked. How to plan a special Tibet tour during the peak season? We have listed below five points.
Plan 1: when to go to Tibet?
The weather from May to October is comfortable and oxygen content is also higher than other months, which makes many international and domestic travelers plan to travel Tibet areas. The weather from November to the next February is cold, dry and windy. The period is considered as the low tourist season. At the time, you will enjoy a less-crowded trip and various discounts of hotels and other fees.
In addition, you need to consider the Tibet Travel Permit application when you are thinking about what time to enter Tibetan area. Without the permits, the foreign tourists are not allowed to enter into Tibet. Nowadays, foreign tourists can entrust one of Tibetan local travel agencies to apply for the permits 15-30 days in advance. However, the tourists need reserve their tour packages. Otherwise, they can not apply for the permits from the PSB in Lhasa.
So, it is important to choose a reliable Tibet travel agency.
Plan 2: choose a reliable Tibet travel agency
When foreign tourists plan to visit Tibetan areas, they need to trust one of Tibet local travel agency, like Beijingholiday.com. Beijing Holiday is the leading China local agency based in Beijing, and have branch offices in Tibet, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai. We can offer you an itinerary in Tibet according to your needs and requirements, high-quality service, and comfortable hotels and safe vehicles. All of them are what our Beijing Holiday team do.
Plan 3: where to enter Tibet?
There are two ways recommended by our travel experts:
1.Entering Tibet from the cities in China: like Beijing, Xining, Chengdu, Guangzhou. You can choose to take a direct flight from these cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, Shangri-La.
2.You can also take the direct trains to Tibet from Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xining, Chongqing and Guangzhou. Due to the long distance and long time by train, we recommend you take flight from your arriving cities in China to Xining, and then take the train to Lhasa. On the way, you will not miss the landscapes: snow-capped mountains, green and blue lakes, Kekexili Prairie, Tibetan antelopes and herdsman
2. Entering Tibet from the Kanthmandu in Nepal: you can choose to take the direct flight or take the off-road vehicle from Zhangmu port to enter Tibet.
Plan 4: where to go in Tibet?
Tibet is the second province in China after Xinjiang. You can not travel all areas in your holiday. We recommend you plan to visit: Lhasa and surrounding, Ali, Shigatse & Mount Everest, Shanna area, depending on your travelling date.
The other reason to consider where to go in Tibet is the Tibet Travel Permit. This is the most important, because the international travelers must apply for Tibet Travel Permit and then take it to visit Tibet. For different Tibet areas, travelers will need to apply for different permit in advance.
For example, to visit Mt. Kailash, you need to apply for Military and PSB Permits; to visit Mount Everest, Samye Monastery and Nyinchi, Alien's Travel Permit is necessary. Of course, you can entrust us to apply for them.
Plan 5: Keep Healthy
We can design different tour package based on your require and physical strength. All Tibet tours must be booked at least 20 days in advance. Tibetan sightseeing regions belong to the high altitude, which requires a good body. Therefore, you need not only contact a local Tibet travel agency for booking the itinerary, but also keep healthy and not catch even a cold before entering in Tibet, as illness makes any altitude sickness feel worse. We advise the travelers do some aerobic exercise prior to two or three months, take it easy, rest well, keep warm, drink a lot of water and eat simply to reduce altitude sickness symptoms.


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asb law aviation claims expert presents to European Parliamentary Assembly hearing on Smolensk plane crash
The Legal Affairs and Human Rights committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) convened last week in Paris for a special hearing relating to the air crash of the Polish Air Force Tu-154 transporting a Polish delegation over Russia.
On April 10 2010, a plane carrying President Kaczynski and 95 other people including Poland's top officials crashed in Russia, near the Smolensk military airport.
The PACE committee hearing last week was the first of several scheduled to take place over the next six months in which the PACE rapporteur will highlight the need for further detailed analysis of the wreckage, which is yet to be returned to Poland.
asb law's aviation claims specialist, Tim Brymer, presented information in support of the rapporteur's investigation. After the hearing, he commented, "The existence of two independent safety enquiries into an accident involving a State aircraft, ostensibly conducted according to the civil standards and recommended practices imposed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), is unique. In this case it does not appear that the relevant standards regarding preservation and return of evidence/wreckage have been fully complied with.
"Parallel criminal investigations continue in both Poland and Russia, although the status of these is unknown. The on-going delay in sharing evidence and information in order to precisely establish cause and prevent recurrence is regrettable. It is, sadly, yet another example of the general conflict which exists between the objective to promote aviation safety and the demand to hold individuals personally accountable. As a well known philosopher opined, 'those who do not learn from history are forced to repeat it'."
The committee is scheduled to convene again in April 2016.
Author:ASB Law


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Full disclosure: The author works at Visa, but the views herein are his own and do not represent his employer. The author also owns some Bitcoin. Follow him on Twitter at @ggollerk.
Bitcoin is in the news again this week, after the price dropped over 10% at one point. Predictably, this led to a spike in media coverage, with pundits offering their explanations for the recent price volatility. Culprits identified included NYDFS' proposed "Bitlicense" regulations, CFPB's warning on virtual currencies and margin trading at some Bitcoin exchanges. This focus on price — i.e., Bitcoin as currency — is all too typical of mainstream coverage, but it often comes at the expense of understanding Bitcoin as a protocol and as a network. This post will focus on these latter two aspects of Bitcoin, and we'll also take the pulse of Bitcoin's performance in a few typical use cases. Before we proceed, it behooves everyone to know that the right way to think about Bitcoin is the following: protocol first, network second and currency third.
Bitcoin as Protocol
The Bitcoin project is a breathtaking accomplishment: an open-source, distributed, peer-to-peer, cryptographically secured protocol that effectively solves the Byzantine Generals' problem and delivers a mechanism to transmit value anywhere in the world, without a central authority. This is the stuff of dreams (payments geek and cypherpunk dreams, anyway) and probably deserves a Nobel Prize. Bitcoin still faces an uncertain future, but regardless of the outcome, some of the key ideas represented by Bitcoin are probably here to stay: cryptographically secured transactions, the power of decentralized networks, "smart" transaction fees (i.e., market-determined), a stable, non-arbitrary growth in the money supply. Bitcoin has forced people to ask fundamental questions about the nature and role of money in an economy, the purpose of central banks and state-issued fiat currencies and what we really mean by "good money." This is an encouraging development in these unprecedented monetary times, and for that, we have Bitcoin to thank.
Bitcoin as Network
What about Bitcoin's key features as a payments network? Bitcoin offers push-based, "sender-pays" transactions with cash-like properties that ensure the funds are good as soon as the network confirms the transaction as valid (~10 minutes). This stands in direct contrast in almost every way to most retail payments today (in particular, card-based payments) which are pull-based. (At least in the developed world; the developing world is overwhelmingly cash-based, which is a form of push payment.) These "receiver-pays" transactions have an authorization/clearing/settlement framework and can take 2+ business days for funds to be delivered to the recipient. It's useful to unpack the jargon here to really understand the differences.
First, push-based payments mean that the sender does not reveal any payments credentials in the process of transacting. The receiver publishes a public address (e.g., via a QR code) to which the sender then "pushes" funds. (Email is a good analogy, with email IDs being the equivalent of public addresses and the sender not having to reveal his email password to complete an exchange.) A traditional card-based payment today is pull-based, where your card credentials are read (or in some cases, stored on file) during every transaction, which is clearly not preferable — at least in terms of network design.
What about practical use, though? A formidable security infrastructure has grown up around card-based payments over the decades (EMV and tokenization are recent examples). Reading the data-breach headlines in recent months (e.g., Target, PF Chang's, etc.) you would think that card-based fraud is rampant and exploding. In fact, according to the Nilson Report, global card fraud was about 5bps (i.e., 5c per $100) in 2012, and has remained remarkably stable for ~20 years. Fraudsters and payments security professionals battle every second of every day of every year, but thus far, nobody is decisively gaining ground. (Recall the useful analogy of fraud being like a balloon — you press down in one place only to see it pop up in another.)
Second, Bitcoin is a sender-pays model. This model inverts the economics of traditional retail payments, where the receiver (typically, a merchant) pays a discount rate (also called an interchange fee) to facilitate the transaction. Interchange fees vary across the world, but according to the Federal Reserve, they average ~150-175bps globally. Recall that card fraud was about 5bps, which means that interchange pays for much more than just card fraud (more on this later). Bitcoin also changes the economic model in another way — Bitcoin transactions feature a fixed-fee per transaction, rather than the ad valorem fee associated with traditional card payments (leaving aside exceptions created by regulation like the Durbin amendment).
Third, Bitcoin is like digital cash. The act of completing a transaction embeds the traditional steps of authorization, settlement and clearing (think of it as the digital equivalent of handing over dollar notes). With Bitcoin, transactions are confirmed by the network of Bitcoin nodes; it is the network that confirms that ownership of the funds has been transferred from sender to recipient. Traditional payments network operators like ACH, Visa/MasterCard, etc. cannot "settle in Bitcoin" like they can in other fiat currencies, unless they join the network of nodes running the Bitcoin protocol.
Where does this leave us? It's probably fair to say that if we were designing a global payments network from the ground up today, it would look a lot like Bitcoin. Bitcoin has some interesting network/protocol design advantages over prior payments systems. But these design advantages tend to be marginal to anyone who is not a payments geek or Bitcoin believer. The ordinary consumer just doesn't care enough about how the plumbing of payments works behind the scenes. Now is a good time to recall a simple rule of thumb that tends to hold in most two-sided markets: to dislodge an incumbent, a new service needs to be 10x better than the existing options (indeed, Uber comes to mind as the archetypal example of that 10x improvement). The conclusion is inevitable — Bitcoin's mere creation and continued existence are not enough to achieve mainstream usage. The Bitcoin ecosystem of entrepreneurs, Bitcoin enthusiasts, early adopters, merchants and technology providers will need to build products that demonstrate Bitcoin's utility in real-world use cases.
Crypto-currency confronts the Real World
This section will evaluate Bitcoin's progress in a few typical use cases: remittances, eCommerce and retail payments.
Remittances: On the surface, remittances would seem to be a use case tailor-made to demonstrate Bitcoin's potential. Remittances today are often expensive and slow, just like they were decades ago. Why can't we just use Bitcoin to "solve remittances" and allow anyone to transfer money anywhere in the world? Slam dunk, right? It turns out that once you wade into the remittances world, regulation (KYC, AML, etc.), fraud, the need for physical end-points that provide cash-in/cash-out services, consumer education and the challenges of managing inflow/outflow imbalances across various remittance corridors will quickly halt you in your tracks. You can't "move fast and break things." This industry has already seen newer entrants like TransferWise and Xoom innovating and building next-day (even same-day in some cases) remittance services, all within the existing payments infrastructure. This is hard, unglamorous work, but these innovators are materially improving the lives of migrant workers and immigrants, i.e., those who need it most. There are many Bitcoin-based companies that are hard at work as well, and one of them may very well be building the "10x improved" remittance solution right now — we just haven't seen it yet.
Grade: C+
eCommerce: This is a space where Bitcoin has made the most visible progress, particularly in the U.S., with Bitcoin payments processors like Coinbase and BitPay signing up big merchants like Overstock, Dell, Rakuten's US subsidiary, etc. What do these merchants have in common? They are hypersensitive to "cart abandonment." The holy grail of eCommerce appears to be frictionless commerce, i.e. building an Amazon-style 1-click checkout [An aside: as a consumer, I personally find the friction in eCommerce quite helpful in thinking through whether to really buy something. I leave items in my Amazon cart for a while before pulling the trigger, and highly value the option to reconsider whether to buy after a night's sleep.] Are Bitcoin transactions frictionless? Not really, not true blockchain transactions anyway, which involve scanning a QR code or copy-pasting a Bitcoin address or some other way to get hold of the recipient's address.
Some Bitcoin service providers offer smoother checkout processes by using off-blockchain transactions, but at that point, you're using "Coinbase-coin" (or "Circle-coin"), not actual Bitcoin. A closed-loop service like that isn't much different from PayPal or Google Wallet, and it changes the nature of Bitcoin by reintroducing an intermediary and requiring the re-establishment of a trusted 3rd party relationship. Clearly, merchants find it useful to offer any payments mechanism that has a chance of ensuring a purchase conversion (see the screencap below from Rakuten's website, featuring a multitude of digital wallet checkout options). Merchants receive a PR boost from aligning their brand with Bitcoin and they may also win the loyalty of the Bitcoin community. What about the mainstream consumer though? Sure, it may be about as frictionless as other digital wallet services (although a smoother Bitcoin checkout requires a trusted 3rd party as noted above). Does this meet the bar of a 10x improvement over existing options? No.
(A separate, but related, point: the "power law" distribution of online retail means that most of the purchase volume flows through a handful of websites like Amazon and Apple, who already have consumers' cards-on-file and thus already provide friction-free checkout. The top 5 eCommerce merchants are the ones who can actually move the needle and influence consumer behavior.)
Grade: B
Retail payments: More broadly, what are the other reasons why Bitcoin makes sense for retail payments, for both merchants and consumers? Lower fees associated with Bitcoin-based transactions are the most cited reason and there is clear value to the merchant from accepting lower-cost Bitcoin payments (although at the moment, the cost of converting from Bitcoin to fiat currency eats into the benefit of accepting Bitcoin). Some Bitcoin enthusiasts seem to believe that lower merchant cost is an end in and of itself. It is wise to remain less sanguine about the desire and intent of merchants, both big and small, to pass along these savings to consumers.
Recent history tells us that when merchant acceptance costs are lowered, merchants do not pass along the savings; instead lower costs enrich their bottom-line. Australia is a good example, where interchange was regulated over a decade ago but consumers have seen very little benefit from lower acceptance costs. Global fraud rates, as we noted earlier, are stable and low. Much of the interchange fee charged to merchants is actually delivered to consumers in the form of rewards. As fashionable as it is these days to rail against the big banks, the reality is that a credit card offers consumer protection in the form of zero liability (either the bank or the merchant bears the risk of fraud, depending on the type of purchase), the benefit of float / cash flow management in the case of credit products, and a robust rewards program. Essentially, your bank gets you a discount on every single purchase, paying you back in the form of cash, points, miles or another currency of your preference. As a baseline, let's say that the typical card product offers you 1% cashback (although it's possible to do much better, just ask Samuel L. Jackson). Let's relax our 10x improvement rule and use 5x instead—this also happens to be the value proposition of Target's highly successful REDcard product. That means Bitcoin merchants need to offer a 5% discount for Bitcoin-based payments to have a chance at mainstream acceptance. While a few merchants have offered discounts for Bitcoin payments (it's the only time I've been convinced to buy anything with Bitcoin), much more work is needed before mainstream consumers have a reason to pay attention.
(Note: Bitcoin early adopters receive an additional benefit from spending their Bitcoin since the price has increased multi-fold since their purchase; this is a benefit unavailable to mainstream consumers, and even this incentive is diluted by the recent IRS guidance which treats Bitcoin as an asset, requiring tax reporting for every single Bitcoin purchase.)
Grade: Merchant value proposition A-, Consumer value proposition C+
The Road to Mainstream Adoption
It is still early days in the Bitcoin experiment and many people are hard at work building great products and services that are aimed at bringing Bitcoin to much wider usage. The purpose of this post was to take a clear-eyed, dispassionate view of Bitcoin's progress-to-date. Much has been accomplished in a short period of time, but in absolute terms, Bitcoin has only reached the foothills—there are mountains to climb ahead before Bitcoin finds its way to the mainstream.
If this post has sounded pessimistic, it is only because I have tried to view Bitcoin from a mainstream user's perspective rather than through rose-tinted glasses. I believe Bitcoin has the potential to change the world—beyond payments, exciting new possibilities are on the horizon—distributed p2p asset markets can help address the absolute power of Wall Street, trustless Bitcoin-based contracts can introduce huge efficiencies in contract negotiation and enforcement, machine-to-machine payments running on Bitcoin could completely reshape commerce, and Bitcoin could emerge as an alternative asset class (i.e. the new gold) or even as an international reserve currency (i.e., bancor for the 21st century). These transformative "Bitcoin 2.0" applications deserve a closer look, but that is a topic for a separate post.


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Lewis J. Rubin, MD; Jessica Mendoza, BSN; Michele Hood, BSPh; Michael McGoon, MD; Robyn Barst, MD; William B. Williams, MD; Jane Hall Diehl, MS; James Crow, PhD; Walker Long, MD
Study Objective: To determine the efficacy of continuous intravenous infusion of prostacyclin (epoprostenol) in primary pulmonary hypertension.
Design: Randomized trial with 8-week treatment periods and nonrandomized treatment for up to 18 months.
Setting: Four referral centers.
Patients: Sequential sample of 24 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. Nineteen patients completed the study. Four patients died and one left the study because of adverse effects (pulmonary edema).
Interventions: Continuous intravenous prostacyclin administered by portable infusion pump at doses determined by acute responses during baseline catheterization in ten patients. Nine patients were treated with anticoagulants, oral vasodilators, and diuretics.
Measurements and Main Results: Starting with a baseline value for total pulmonary resistance of 21.6 units, there was a decrease of 7.9 units (95% CI, -13.1 to -2.2; P = 0.022) in the prostacyclin-treated group after 8 weeks; there was virtually no change in the conventional therapy group (from 20.6 to 20.4 units, not significant). Six of ten prostacyclin-treated patients who completed the 8-week study period had reductions in mean pulmonary artery pressure of greater than 10 mm Hg, whereas only one of nine in the conventional treatment group had a similar response (P = 0.057). Nine patients receiving prostacyclin for up to 18 months have persistent hemodynamic effects, although dose requirements have increased with time. Complications have been attributable to the drug delivery system.
Conclusions: Prostacyclin produces substantial and sustained hemodynamic and symptomatic responses in severe primary pulmonary hypertension and may be useful in the management of some patients with this disease.
Rubin LJ, Mendoza J, Hood M, et al. Treatment of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension with Continuous Intravenous Prostacyclin (Epoprostenol): Results of a Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 1990;112:485–491. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-112-7-485
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 1990;112(7):485-491.
Cardiology, Coronary Risk Factors, Hypertension, Nephrology, Pulmonary Hypertension.
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Polar bears do not live at or near the South Pole. In fact, polar bears actually live near the Arctic Circle, or North Pole, where they hunt seals through the openings in the frozen water.
Scientists have identified 19 populations of polar bears living in four different ice regions in the Arctic. They can also be found roaming wild in Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia and Norway. Polar bears spend much of their time at sea. Their bodies have adapted to the cold Arctic temperatures and they are easily able to move across the snow, ice and water within the region.


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I know how badly you are hurting and I know that part of the hard time you are having is with everyone saying to you (over and over again) that you have to forgive your abuser (7 x 70); that you must show mercy and grace, that you must not break your marriage covenant, etc. They want you to just forgive your abusive husband and go back to "the way things were." So does he!
There is much in our Bible about forgiveness. Should you forgive someone even if they don't ask for it? Yes--because that sets you free. You won't be carrying hatred in your heart towards that person; instead, you will release them to God (the ultimate Judge) and the only one capable of truly knowing our hearts.
We have so many instances of forgiveness shown in the Bible. We only talk about a few in most sermons—those we have decided to embrace.
Jesus came to bring mercy, grace, love, compassion and forgiveness but there is always a "when/then" requirement. When you repent, He then forgives as far as the East is from the West.
When Jesus hung on the cross to pay for our sins, one thief acknowledged his guilt and who Jesus was. The repentant thief's belief and sorrow allowed Jesus to forgive him and tell him he would be in Paradise that very day.
Even in Revelation, justice and avengement is shown to the unrepentant…there is NOT blanket forgiveness given to the unrepentant.
The Bible does not require that you forgive an unrepentant spouse's empty sorries or requests for forgiveness, thereby allowing yourself to remain in a dysfunctional, toxic situation. The very definition of Repentance states that it requires change evidenced by one turning from his wicked ways. We ARE to forgive our brother in Christ when he repents (changes his wicked ways) and asks for our forgiveness.
Last, but certainly not least, you must take the necessary "no contact" time to let your heart and soul heal. HOWEVER long that takes you is okay!
You have to know the truth...you have to know the Word for yourself. You have to know in your heart that when someone says to you, "You have to forgive as you have been forgiven," you are doing just that. I don't know about you, but when I was forgiven, it involved being truly sorry and crying out to Jesus in true repentance and CHANGING MY WAYS! That is our Biblical model of repentance. You are to forgive your husband as Jesus forgave you…when you came to Him in love and sorrow and repentance and the willingness to change your heart, soul, mind and behavior.
Praying for healing to those who have been harmed emotionally and/or physically that you will experience healing (which takes time); and will be able to experience the ability to move on in freedom by giving your situation to God for justice--recognizing He is the perfect Judge.


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"Dog Park I" by Maggie Shively
"Dog Park I" by Maggie Shively
Medium: Oil
Substrate: Canvas
Measurement: 12" X 9"
About The Artist
Maggie Shively is an artist currently living and working in Evansville, Indiana. She started her artistic career in Indiana, but she has lived and painted in the mountains of Colorado and by the ocean on Long Island. While versatile in all mediums, her gallery work is concentrated in representational oil painting.
Maggie's success in New York included several solo shows at North Main Gallery (Southampton, NY), as well as participating in group shows at Mark Humphrey Gallery (also Southampton, NY). Local businesses and private collectors all over the country - and outside of the States as well - have acquired her work. She became a member of the National Art Club in New York City in 2009, having been sponsored by Will Barnet, a well-known printer maker and National Medal of Arts recipient.
Well known for her collection of street scenes and barges, Maggie also paints active life portraits (both human and animals), still lifes, nudes and florals. In addition to painting on canvas, she has been commissioned to paint murals and to write and illustrate children's books. In 2013 she completed a large outdoor mural for From the Ground Up, a Newburgh, Indiana greenhouse business. (Driving into Newburgh it can't be missed!) In 2016, a large steamship painting, commission by the owners, was featured in an Architectural Digest article showcasing their Brooklyn home.


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Donal O'Sullivan
President & Owner
Ambitious, hardworking, loyal, and generous are just a few of the words used to describe Donal by those who work with him. Donal started Navillus with his sister, Helen and brothers Kevin and Leonard over 30 years ago and Donal has never stopped driving the business forward and growing it into what is now the largest union contractor in all of New York City.
Originally from Ballingskellings, Ireland, a small village of less than a few hundred people in the southern part of County Kerry, Donal understands what it takes to build lasting relationships and grow a reputation by achieving notable results. Fast turnaround, high quality and loyalty are what Donal is known for along with his constant push to innovate. Donal is an optimist who believes in the capability of human ambition to overcome challenges and generate success through adapting and innovating with the changing times. His personal story reflects this – emigrating from Ireland when jobs were scarce, and setting out with his own business when he saw a niche in the industry.
Donal never forgets where he came from, and as a result he always gives back and supports a variety of Organizations, associations and programs at local level from habitat for humanity projects to cultural & heritage development to annual fund-raising charity events to help the young and the old in our local communities and to those in need. Corporate Social Responsibility is paramount to Navillus and Donal. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Sandy in New York, and Hurricane Irma in Florida, Navillus was first to jump in with emergency restoration, moving everything forward at its own cost. This is who Donal is.
In addition to being dedicated to Navillus and giving back to his community, Donal is a family man and is incredibly proud of all six of his children. If you know Donal, you are likely to know at least one of his children – and you will remember them. The O'Sullivan family is one who cares deeply about those around them and who are not afraid to share their outlook and personality with the world at large.
Donal is inspiring both inside and outside of the office. In looking at the NYC construction industry, Navillus is the story of a man who removed any ostentation from the picture and built a company that thrives because of its hard-earned reputation and compassionate leadership.


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Vintage Fine Cigars Metal Bar Sign
In stock and ready to ship.
If only this vintage pub sign was true! Fine cigars for five cents?! That's not a deal, it's a steal!
- Overview
If only this vintage pub sign was true! Fine cigars for five cents?! That's not a deal, it's a steal!
Whether you want to reflect on the good ol' days or just inspire some wishful thinking, this durable metal pub sign has you covered. Made from the finest 24 gauge American steel and coated with a long lasting finish it's a seriously high quality bar sign (just like they used to make!)
- Made using cold, hard 24 gauge American steel
- Vibrant image baked onto the powder-coated steel using sublimation
- Coated with a durable and long lasting finish
- Pre-drilled and riveted for easy hanging
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- Dimensions: 12"W x 18"H
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Description: Mandarin Square is 39-storey luxury condominium located within 2,350 square meters of property along Ongpin Street in Binondo.
A magnificent high-rise considered to be one of the premier landmarks of Binondo, Manila where Chinatown is found, the Mandarin Square provides its residents utmost comfort and convenience within this secured community.
The Mandarin Square serves as a gateway to experience the best of Chinatown that bridges its residents to the various commercial and recreational establisments that surround the area.
It boasts of the first of its kind two-loft style units withn their own garden, as well as bigger unit cuts that were unheard of in Binondo, It further raised the bar of luxury in the district, in the process changing the way Chinatown residents perceive and experience condominium living at its finest.