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Market drivers and development
Today, there is a bioplastic alternative for almost every conventional plastic material and corresponding application. Bioplastics have the same properties as conventional plastics and offer additional advantages, such as a reduced carbon footprint or additional waste management options such as composting. The current market for bioplastics is characterised by a dynamic growth rate and a strong diversification. There is a multitude of applications for bioplastics ranging from beverage bottles in the packaging segment to keyboards in the consumer electronics segment and interior parts in the automotive sector.
With a growing number of materials, applications, and products, the number of manufacturers, converters and end-users also increases steadily. Significant financial investments have been made into production and marketing to guide and accompany this development. Legal framework conditions provide incentives for the use of bioplastics in several countries worldwide, providing stimulus to the market.
The latest market data does not only demonstrate the contributions of the industry on moving towards a sustainable future with a reduced environmental impact. The forecast also predicts the budding bioplastics industry to unfold an immense economic potential over the coming decades. According to a recent job market analysis conducted by EuropaBio (2016), the European bioplastics industry could realise a steep employment growth. In 2013, the bioplastics industry accounted for around 23,000 jobs in Europe. With the right framework conditions in place, this number could increase more than tenfold by 2030, with up to 300,000 high-skilled jobs being created in the European bioplastics sector.
The factors driving market development are both internal and external. External factors make bioplastics the attractive choice. This is reflected in the high rate of consumer acceptance. Moreover, the extensively publicised effects of climate change, price increases of fossil materials, and the increasing dependence on fossil resources also contribute to bioplastics being viewed favourably.
From an internal perspective, bioplastics are efficient and technologically mature materials. They are able to improve the balance between the environmental benefits and the environmental impact of plastics. Life cycle analyses demonstrate that bioplastics can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to conventional plastics (depending on the material and application). What is more, the increasing utilisation of biomass in bioplastic applications has two clear advantages: renewability and availability.
European Bioplastics focuses and promotes its activities on European and member countries' level. Numerous countries outside the European Union are actively pursuing the development of bioplastics, yet Europe in particular offers excellent conditions to compete globally for future markets and technologies. These include:
- A highly developed economy and educated society
- Leading global companies in the chemical and plastics industries
- Industrial users with the aim of promoting sustainable development
- Consumers with strong purchasing power and a high degree of environmental awareness
- Legislative and regulatory frameworks that actively promote sustainable development and aligned innovations
Political support
It is essential for the further development of the market that products are marketed profitably even at this early stage. A secure investment framework and support from policy-makers will foster the framework needed to nurture this pillar of a sustainable future.
The continued support for the introduction of biobased products is a rewarding strategy for Europe's decision makers in policy and business. Research on the biobased economy is already supported by a number of national governments as well as by various EU programmes such as FP7 or the European Technology Platforms (ETP). A significant increase in funding for bio-economic research has already been announced as part of the European research programme "Horizon 2020" which will run from 2014 to 2020. European Bioplastics supports all efforts to strengthen R&D activities in Europe and welcomes any measures to facilitate the market introduction of bioplastics.
A common label for Europe
Association members have made a voluntary commitment to certify and label their industrially compostable products according to the EU standard EN 13432 / EN 14995, if they wish to advertise 'compostable' properties. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has published the CEN/TS/16137 on the subject of the 'biobased' element of bioplastics. This standard elaborates how to measure the biobased carbon content according to the 14C method. A common labelling has not yet been defined, however there are third party labels available which conform to the CEN standard from the certifiers DIN CERTCO and TÜV Austria Belgium.
Consumer behaviour
To the environmentally conscious customer, the advantages of biobased plastics give them a clear edge compared to conventional plastics, considering that about 80 percent of European customers want to buy products with a minimal impact on the environment (eurobarometer survey, European Commission, 2013). This of course means that the use of biobased plastics needs to be transparently explained and marketed: How much biobased content is in the packaging? How much CO2 emissions are saved? And was the biomass grown sustainably? These are questions that need to be answered.
Big brands adopt bioplastics for prominent consumer products
With an ever-growing number of big brands turning to bioplastic solutions, the market penetration is well on its way. Brands and brandowners such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Danone, Puma, Samsung, IKEA, Tetra Pak, Heinz, or Toyota have already introduced first large scale products in Europe. Many more, including Lego, have announced corresponding plans in the near future.
The introduction of different bioplastic materials with these new products will raise the level of awareness and information significantly. The quality of the materials will become apparent and accepted. And with increasing volumes of bioplastics on the market, higher production costs will soon adapt to prices paid for conventional materials.


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The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers by the
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). The scheme name
was changed from the Respite Care Grant in 2016 to better reflect how the Grant
is used. Carers can use the grant in whatever way they wish. You can use the
grant to pay for respite care if you wish, but you do not have to do so. More
information about respite
care facilities is available.
In June of each year (usually on the first Thursday of the month), the DEASP
pays the grant automatically to carers getting Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, or Domiciliary
Care Allowance from the Department. Only one Carer's Support Grant can be
paid for each person getting care.
The grant is paid automatically to people getting Carer's Allowance (whether
full-rate or half-rate), Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance.
It can also be paid to certain other carers. To qualify, you must be:
You do not qualify if you are:
If you are caring for more than one person, a grant is paid for each
of them.
A Carer's Support Grant of €1,700 (June 2018) is paid once each year,
usually on the first Thursday in June, for each person you are caring for. It
is not taxable.
If you are getting Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care
Allowance, you do not need to apply for the Carer's Support Grant. It will be
automatically paid to you in June.
If you are not getting one of the above payments, you should fill in an application form CSG
1 (pdf) in respect of each person you are caring for.
If you were not getting one of the above payments but got the Carer's
Support Grant last year, you do not need to re-apply this year. The Department
will send you a letter and a short 2-page questionnaire in April. You must
return the completed questionnaire as it will be used to assess you for the
Carer's Support Grant this year.
You can apply for a Carer's Support Grant for any given year from April of
that year until 31 December of the following year. So, for example, you can
apply for a grant for 2018 at any time from April 2018 up until 31 December
You can download a Carer's
Support Grant application form or get one from your Intreo
Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office or Citizens Information Centre.
Carer's Support Grant Section
PO Box 10085Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 673 2222 (If calling from outside the Republic of Ireland please call + 353 1 673 2222)
Homepage: http://www.welfare.ie
Carer's Support Grant - SW141

subset: commoncrawl


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Introducing: Boys in Summer Blog Tour!
These are exciting times, my friends! Too long have the interwebs been lacking in inspiration in sews for boys, but this is about to change. I have partnered with 22 talented sewing bloggers to bring you:
Sewing Blue Blog Tours!
From now on, every month we will have a blog tour showcasing sewing creations for boys. The theme for May is Boys in Summer. For the next two weeks, every day between 1 and 3 bloggers will show off their sewing projects for the boys in their lives. You will see swim outfits, summer tees, breezy pants, and more – all made for boys young and old, ready to bring on summer! By the way, I know it's bad timing, but don't confuse the blog tours name with my new blog name! Sewing Blue Blog Tours is for males young and old, while Made for Little Gents is more for the little guys. Got it? Good.
So remember how I said there's 23 bloggers involved in this round? I encourage you to get to know each of these wonderful women. I've compiled their profiles below -aren't they all so pretty? And talented! And better yet – they sew for BOYS!
Make sure to check out each blog post for the Boys in Summer tour over the next two weeks. Each link will be active on the day it's scheduled for. I'll be doing promoting over social media, so follow me on Instagram and Facebook so you don't miss a single day!
Fri. May 4
Made for Little Gents (Intro to Boys in Summer Blog Tour)
Mon. May 7
Elli & Nels in Stitches
Tues. May 8
Our Play Palace | Made by Laura! | Beri Bee Designs
Wed. May 9
Made for Little Gents | Mamma Newey's Makes
Thurs. May 10
Phat Quarters | Dreams & Stitches
Fri. May 11
Stylin' Stacy | Tenille's Thread
Mon. May 14
Paisley Roots | Fabulous Home Sewn
Tues. May 15
Seams Like Style | Kathy's Kwilts and More
Wed. May 16
Sewing with D | Auschick Sews | Seams Sew Lo
Thurs. May 17
My Sewing Roots | Sewing à la Carte | Middle River Studio
Fri. May 18
Lunatiek | Needles to Say | Manning The Machine


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In a perfect world, Broncos executive John Elway would hoist the Super Bowl trophy and proclaim: "This one's for Pat."
The Hall of Fame quarterback, who led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances and won them in his final two seasons, soon could be reunited with owner Pat Bowlen and the franchise in an official capacity, although that role, and its scope, has not yet been defined.
One job Elway will not hold — head coach.
Bowlen and Elway did have dinner on Monday evening just hours after Josh McDaniels was fired, and they discussed the possibility of Elway joining the Broncos on a full-time basis. No firm offer was made, or specific job determined at the time, though. Several different potential scenarios were talked about as the two did a high-five twice at Elway's restaurant in Cherry Creek.
Chief operating officer Joe Ellis told me Wednesday evening that he's "had two very good conversations with John, and I know he genuinely is very passionate about helping the Broncos and Pat in any way he can. We're only in the preliminary stages, and, truthfully, we don't know where it will lead."
Elway confirmed the details Wednesday night from California. "That's all true. I'm passionate about the Broncos, their fans, the people of Colorado. I love the game of football, and I'd like to have the opportunity to get back in it. I want to do whatever I can for Pat and his legacy, after all he did for me in my career.
"I don't know what the situation is right now, and where Pat's going. It's too early. I've gotten more involved on the business and marketing side, and I went to several practices and talked with the players, and I've enjoyed it. It's important to do what's best for the Broncos. If it's right for everybody, I'd love to be a part of it. I think I have a lot to contribute."
Clearly, the Broncos need Elway's help in restoring the franchise's respect and trust.
On Nov. 30 in this column, I quoted a source as saying Elway "would accept an offer to rejoin the Broncos in a full-time executive position." On the day of his 50th birthday in June, Elway acknowledged he had been asked to serve the Broncos this season in an unofficial consulting capacity. He also said he hoped someday to be a minority partner in the franchise's ownership.
When Elway was in the final years of his career, he was offered 5 percent of the franchise. Elway decided against buying in, but became co-owner, with Bowlen and Stan Kroenke, of the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush, which won a championship before the league suspended business.
Elway was a hands-on owner, running every aspect of the organization. He had become interested in scouting and sat for hours with his father, the late Jack Elway, who had been a prominent college coach before becoming the Broncos' director of scouting. John coached his son, Jack, in his final season as a quarterback at Cherry Creek. Elway owned several successful car dealerships in the Denver area before selling them to a national company. "I'm in several businesses, but if I got more involved with the Broncos, that would be my full-time job," he said.
Ellis said in his Tuesday news conference that the Broncos will be changing their line of authority. No longer will the coach have full control of the football operations, as Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan and McDaniels did.
So there are several options for Bowlen and Ellis if Elway is hired.
With Ellis firmly in place as COO, as he should be, Elway could become the vice president of football operations, aid in the selection of a general manager, then a coach, and act as a liaison between Bowlen and Ellis.
He could be named executive VP — advising on both business and football affairs, and being out front as the club's voice to the fans and the media, particularly as the Broncos try to rebuild trust and confidence lost in the past several years. He probably could get the no-shows to show again.
He might be the general manager with personnel power over the coach. Or he could be a roving executive working in all facets of the franchise.
One task Elway definitely would have is becoming a mentor to young quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn.
Much has changed in the NFL since Elway left the game. He once was the league's highest-paid player at $1 million a year, then $5 million per. As McDaniels texted me before this season, quarterback Kyle Orton's new contract for next season included "only $5 million," chump change among today's quarterbacks.
Bowlen once held up the Lombardi Trophy and bellowed: "This one's for John."
John would like to return the trophy and the deafening roar to the Broncos, Orange Madness to Denver and the shout-out to Pat.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Hurry - Only 2 left in stock!
Philippa Pearce grew up in a millhouse near Cambridge and read English and history at Girton College. She was a scriptwriter-producer for the BBC, a children's book editor and reviewer, a lecturer, a storyteller and freelance writer for radio and newspapers as well as writing some of the best-loved books of the 20th century. She won a Carnegie Medal for TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN and a Whitbread Prize for THE BATTLE OF BUBBLE AND SQUEAK. She died in December, 2006.


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I'm running at a pretty quick pace (for me anyway) averaging about an 11-minute mile. As I'm pumping my arms and panting and running and panting some more, I notice out of my peripheral vision that the person to the left of me (with one person in between us) had an unusual item in propped up in the cup holder on the treadmill.
My eyebrow went up at the sight of it and I smirked, turning my expression of "Whhhaaatt?!" into a huge gasping breath, so as not to draw attention to myself. In the cup holder of the treadmill down the row was…
(Wait for it)….
A bag of Ruffles sour cream and cheddar potato chips!
Although those are my absolute favorite kind of potato chip (they are like cream-cheddar-cheesy, crunchy, salty bits of heaven in my mouth) I was a bit taken aback at seeing them propped up on the treadmill.
At the gym.
Where people were working out.
You know, trying to get healthy, avoid a heart attack and all that jazz? Yeah. It was weird. Talk about some serious sabotage. Why in the hell would you be walking (or jogging) on the treadmill, only to have a little snack of Ruffles potato chips the minute you stepped off… or even worse, while you were on it? It seems kind of counter-productive to me. I don't know, maybe the guy is just more honest than what I'm used to. He didn't skulk off and wait until he was in the private sanctity of his home to gorge himself on junk food. Nope. He was gonna do it right there in the gym. Perhaps even while he was on the treadmill, in front of all of us poor suckers depriving ourselves of that wondrous salty, cheesy, delight.
People surprise me that way. They do something so ridiculous then they wonder why the hell they fail, or can never seem to "catch a break." Uhhhh. It's called use your brain first.
Think. Then act.
You might remember, I recently wrote about not being afraid to try new things in my last blog. I said, "Don't avoid doing something just because you don't think you'll be good at it. Try harder. Work harder." But that being said, have realistic expectations about what you are trying to achieve and don't let false hopes sabotage your chance at success. Too many times, we do this to ourselves. Maybe not as intentional as this dolt down the row from me with the chips, but in many other ways we do. We sabotage our own good intentions with something that will be detrimental to our desired outcome.
Why do we do it? Are we weak? Are we stupid? I think it's a little bit of both. Mentally, we are obviously not entirely focused on what we want our desired outcome to be. If we were, we wouldn't do something that dumb. And obviously, because we are doing something that dumb, we must be kind of stupid. At least, about whatever it is we're sabotaging ourselves on. (I defer to the guy eating his chips while walking on the treadmill. I say again: counter-productive, don't you think?)
If something is worth your doing, then it's worth your doing well. If you don't fully understand the process or can't commit to at least attempting to do it right, then do yourself a favor and do a little research first. Educate yourself. Get the mental awareness so that you can put some good effort in. It's like driving a car. We wouldn't send a 15-year-old kid out in a brand new Jag and say, "Go ahead. Drive it." That's just asking for trouble. If you think you're going to do something but don't have the willpower or education to do it, don't expect to succeed. That may be tough to hear, but it's the truth. I'm not saying you shouldn't try new things, or that you have to be an expert in any given field or concept to do well at it. But don't have unrealistic expectations about your outcome.
Here's another example: Expect to fall down when you enter a room blindly, with the lights turned off and furniture in the middle of the room.
You're bound to trip over a table. That's okay. Just remember to get back up, brush off your bruises and start again. Don't get mad that you tripped over the furniture, or that the stupid table was in your way and it was dark. It's not the table's fault. Move the table. Turn the light on. Duh. Are you catchin' my drift?
So kids, what can we take away from today's adventure? Don't be afraid to try something new… but don't have unrealistic expectations and expect to succeed if you haven't properly educated yourself on the matter. Hey -- Mr. I'm On The Treadmill Eatin' Chips, don't get your hopes up honey, because you ain't droppin' one pound that way. And when you feel like you're gonna yack that crap back up after working up a sweat, please stay away from my treadmill.
*Please click the FB Like button at the bottom of this blog if you liked it! And feel free to share/re-post! Thanks!


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Icon maximize : untuk memperbesar jendela hingga satu layar penuh/mengembalikan jendela ke ukuran sebelumnya. A primary-yr resident at the Cleveland Clinic, she was compelled to leave the U.S. hours after touchdown at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, Jan. Data shows homeowners usually get an 80 percent return on investment on the time of sale after they construct a deck.
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More than half expressed worry that there could be uncertainty in the future about whether or not a inexperienced card or approved visa would be thought-about valid for entry to the United States, and multiple in four predicted that the manager order would result in a long-time period reduction in enterprise travel.


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Resident Artist Program Mission
Resident Artist - Program Mission, Description, & Guidelines:
The goal of the Red Brick Resident Artist program is to provide affordable space for community artists, established and emerging, within a vibrant, collaborative, educational environment. We strive to foster a dynamic and robust program which is representative of a variety of art mediums and fosters the growth of artists not only as creatives, but as entrepreneurs and business owners. The Resident Artist program is intended for artists who thrive in a collaborative environment, want more than just affordable studio space, and those who truly wish to be part of an active program. We have the expectation that our resident artists will willingly participate and contribute to the greater good of the program and our organization.
Studio Descriptions: All studios are shared spaces with a minimum of two artists in a space There may be up to four artists working within a full studio space ½ studios are approximately 300 square feet ¼ studios are approximately 150 square feet Monthly rent ranges from approximately $300 up to approximately $550 Occupancy Requirements:
Resident Artists are required to use their studios a minimum of 20 hours a week during peak seasons (June 1 – September 30 and December 1 – April 15). Artists are asked to use their studio a minimum of 10 hours per week during off season, with leniency for travel, etc. Studios may be sublet for a maximum and total of six weeks during a one-year lease and three months during two-year lease term. A Resident Artist will be required to sublet their studio if they plan to travel for more than 4 weeks during any time of the year. Artists will also be asked to sublet their studio for health related or personal leaves of absence that are anticipated to last (or end up lasting) longer than 4 weeks. All Sublets shall go through the Red Brick. Subletting artists will be selected from a pre-established list of approved tenants generated from those not accepted during the application process or otherwise reviewed on a rolling basis by the Selection Committee. Subletter will have the option to review the list of approved artists and preference who they would like to sublet the studio to. Storage and usage will be handled on a case by case basis. Program Participation Artists are required to attend Gallery Openings, with the exception of the April ArtStart opening, and host open studios during this time. Artists are required to attend quarterly artist meetings Artists are required to host one free artist workshop during an agreed-upon time of the year. Artists are required to provide building coverage on at least one Saturday during the summer months when we have the building open to the public. Lease Terms
2-Year lease terms will be offered by the Selection Committee prior to the start of the application and selection process. Only current resident artists will be considered for the 2-year term. The Selection Committee will review all existing Resident Artists and, in conjunction with feedback from the Executive Director, will offer 2-year lease terms to the artists they feel best exemplify the mission of resident artist program. 1-year renewable lease terms will be offered to artists selected through the application and review process overseen by an unbiased Selection Committee. All current resident artists, who have not been selected for a 2-year term, are encouraged to apply to be considered for a 1-year renewable lease. Artists selected for the 1-year leases will be offered quarter studios. Artists must complete an application to be considered for a studio but may be offered renewal, at the discretion of the Selection Committee, without re-applying at the end of their term. 1-year non-renewable "project" lease term will be offered to two artists who are interested in short-term studio space to build a specific portfolio, explore a new style of art, etc. Artists applying to this portion of the program must provide a clear outcome for their one-year term and explain it in the application. Artists accepted into this part of the program are not eligible for renewal and must reapply to the application process to be considered for a longer term or renewable lease. After fulfilling at least two back to back 1-year lease terms, an artist may be considered for a 2-year lease. Again, selection is at the discretion of the Selection Committee. Artists must adequately fulfill the requirements of the Resident Artist Program and regularly meet the occupancy requirements to be considered for a lease renewal. All artists will be required to submit an application and be reviewed by the Selection committee every two years, regardless of lease type or renewal options. Term Limits:
There are currently no term limits on how long a resident artist may stay in a studio. This is subject to change in the future.
Application Process: All existing Resident Artists will be reviewed, without an application, by the Selection Committee prior to the release of the general application via a walkthrough led by the Executive Director. The time and date of the walkthrough will not be announced in advance, so that the review remains as blind and as unbiased as possible. Based on this walkthrough, the selection committee will decide on which artists shall be offered 2-year leases.
The Selection Committee will review all applications in a "blind" manner, so that no one knows the names of the artists. Based on the application alone, the Selection Committee will choose a group of artists to move to round two.
Round two of the process will include an in-person interview with the Executive Director, select members of the Committee, and other members at the discretion of the Selection Committee. After the round of interviews, the Selection Committee will decide which artists will be offered 1-year renewable and 1-year fixed studio leases. Selection Committee The Selection Committee will consist of three voting members, with the Executive Director acting as a non-voting facilitator. The committee will be an ad-hoc group who assists the Executive Director in all matters related to the Resident Artist Program, including but not limited to the initial selection and continued monitoring of the program and review of rolling applications for consideration on the sublet/wait list.
The committee will stay in place for one year, from June 1 – May 31, at which point a new committee will be chosen for the next application process and will continue on for the following year.
Apply now for our upcoming studio space
The Red Brick Center for the Arts invites artists to apply for our upcoming exhibitions. We aim to present themes that spark creativity and are left open to interpretation. All mediums of art are welcome to apply. Please note application deadline for each different exhibition, and if selected the date for installing the artwork in the gallery. Exciting news! Artists no longer have to wait 18 months after exhibiting to reapply for a Red Brick show. You are welcome to apply for any shows of interest without the wait. Artworks presented by artists must be comprised of at least 80% new works (created within the past year) that have not been previously exhibited. The remaining 20% may be older works that have not been previously exhibited in the Roaring Fork Valley within the last 9 months. Please read our Exhibition Agreement for additional information.


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Yesterday, on the day of publication of his new novel, Great North Road, Tor took a trip to Google London HQ with British SF star Peter F. Hamilton. We met Alastair Reynolds in the lobby and Iain M. Banks appeared a few minutes later. All three were present to take part in 'The Best of British SF' hangout with Google Play on their Google Plus page. Eight very lucky fans got to join in with the discussion, posing their questions about reincarnation, which character from each other's books they'd be, who they read to relax, what advice would they offer to hopeful writers & more. Check out the discussion in full below...
Read an interview with Peter F Hamilton, watch our video of Peter at home and see behind the scenes pics and find out where you can see Peter on tour in the UK
Buy the hardback, DRM-free ebook or signed limited slipcase edition of Great North Road
Catch-up with Peter on facebook http://www.facebook.com/PeterFHamilton


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The new clients must stay happy, he said. They have to trust that shifting their investments from Citigroup Inc., the largest financial services firm on the planet, to a home-grown operation in Baltimore will be seamless. It's the riskiest element of Legg Mason's deal, in which it will shed the brokerage business upon which it was founded and acquire Citigroup's money management business, Mason said.
"I have no idea if this bridge is a real bridge or not," Mason said. "And I'm walking across this ravine."
Yet there's a safety net, installed at the demand of other executives who negotiated the $3.7 billion deal. Chip Mason is it.
The 68-year-old chief executive will work at least two more years from his office atop the Legg Mason tower on Light Street, carrying out the deal that will leave his company managing some $830 billion in investors' money. The gray-haired engine behind Legg Mason's extraordinary growth preached about ethics before it was vogue and rooted out conflicts of interest before it was law. Such is his reputation for dependable and respectable oversight, analysts say if he weren't staying the deal might not survive.
Mason's insistence that brokers and asset managers not commingle was considered stodgy back before such things spawned industry scandals, they say. His line about employees never getting close enough to ethical lines to even get chalk on their shoes sometimes seemed tired. But as Legg Mason stands to become an international powerhouse in the business of managing mutual funds and bond portfolios, the prescience of the firm's surviving namesake seems apparent.
"I know it sounds kind of breathless, but in his case I think it's true. He was a visionary," said Ben Phillips, managing director of Cerulli Associates, a financial services consulting firm in Boston. "He realized, when it now seems like no one else did, that brokers and asset managers have different skills - that if you kept them autonomous they were better equipped to succeed. Well, today everyone knows he was right."
Mason wasn't cheering Friday. Associates said he seemed more relaxed than normal after the deal's announcement, perhaps relieved to have the marathon negotiations behind him. But as he sat for a moment to discuss the deal, in the glow of his office's postcard view of the city, he was cautious about sounding gleeful. There would be no pictures taken down on the company's trading floor, where brokerage employees were still assessing their fates. "It's too soon," he said.
So wrenching was the decision to trade away Legg Mason's brokerage - an evolved version of the trading operation Mason & Co. that he founded in Newport News, Va., in 1962, at age 25 - that it nearly scuttled the deal, he said. One reason the negotiations dragged on, why the company didn't announce the deal for weeks even after details leaked to the media, was his emotional attachment to the business that was his life for so long.
"I would get cold feet and say, 'I can't do this,'" he said. "To call it traumatic is an understatement.
"This is something that I've built for the last 40 years, and for me to more or less say, 'I'm walking away'? It was not easy. It's where I started."
Still, he and others say they knew the deal was inevitable - if not with Citigroup, then with one of the countless other firms that have knocked on his door in recent years. And the roots of that impending future can be traced at least back to 1986, when Legg Mason acquired the Los Angeles-based bond firm Western Asset Management Co., getting one of its first tastes of a business where revenue doesn't rise and fall on the market's whims.
The brokerage was still Legg Mason's main business - as it was in 1970 when Mason merged with Legg & Co., whose Baltimore brokerage business dates to 1899 - but the future had been cast.
The asset-management business grew precipitously in the years that followed, accounting for 33 percent of the company by 1995. Then Legg Mason went on a buying bender - Brandywine Asset Management, Perigee Inc., Private Capital Management, Royce & Associates, among others - and its managed assets skyrocketed. By 2004, asset management was 69 percent of Legg Mason's business.
The growth and acquisitions garnered some attention from the industry's observers, but so did another remarkable development: Executives at the acquired companies tended not to leave. And when they investigated why, they often found the same answer: Chip Mason.
"When he goes out to acquire ... people can pick up the telephone and call these other firms that have been acquired, and they say, 'This is a good person to deal with.' That is critical," said George A. Roche, chairman and president of Legg's cross-town competitor, T. Rowe Price Group, in a recent interview. "When people sell out to Legg Mason they don't want to just do it for money; they do it because they can continue to work with them and flourish. And they have."
"I have told people for years he is perhaps the best executive in the financial services industry," Roche said.
Mason was born in Lynchburg, Va., in 1936, graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in economics in 1959, and founded his brokerage in southeastern Virginia two years later, hiring friends from college. Today he owns more than 3.1 million shares of Legg Mason stock, worth more than $300 million at Friday's closing price, and earns an annual salary and bonus package of roughly $7.6 million, not counting stock options.
In early 2004, Legg Mason settled a case with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Association of Securities Dealers in which it was accused of failing to provide certain volume discounts, paying more than $10 million in reimbursements and fines. At a time when the SEC and other federal authorities were investigating alleged in-trading and fraud throughout the industry, the settlement hardly registered. Many other brokerages were similarly penalized.
Also last year, CBS MarketWatch named Mason "CEO of the Year," not just for increasing the company's assets by billions of dollars in a weak investment year but also for "standing above Wall Street's nefarious dealings."
"It's not just marketing propaganda for him, it's a tenet of his management philosophy," said Tal Daley, a Legg Mason senior vice president who briefly left the firm in 1990 but says he quickly returned because of the culture that Mason engendered there.
"It's a big reason I've been here for 22 years."
The remodeled Legg Mason, and the imprint that its top executive continues to have on its character, had people considering the company's future last week.
"It makes me think of two important questions," said Phillips. "Now that Legg Mason is so much bigger, can the same model still work? And maybe most importantly, what happens when Chip decides to step away?"
Mason was wondering the same thing. His arrangement to stay on for two years - "The market has got to believe, in essence, that an old head is sitting there to watch what is going on," he said - means that the company will probably start looking for his successor soon.
He's hoping for someone inside the firm, though he wouldn't offer names.
"My legacy?" he asked. "This will define it. No matter what I've done until now, it won't matter, because of this."
Sun staff writers Bill Atkinson and Laura Smitherman contributed to this article.


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When we got married, I knew without a doubt that I loved you and was willing to love you until the end of my days. What I didn't know was how much that could multiply.
I didn't know having our son would change me in such a profound way. Yes, I became a mom for the first time... but I became so much more than that. I became the mother of your child. For the first time, I saw an extension of you in a tiny, innocent, perfect human being. My love for you multiplied the day we met August.
I've entered into a whole new dimension of love. It's a kind of love that transcends our own relationship. I see August's crooked smile, I look at his profile when he stares up at you, and I see the purest form of you sitting before me.
I see the way you look at him, joy emanating through your eyes. I see the excitement in your smile as we witness milestone after milestone. I see the tenderness you extend, the way your broad shoulders soften when he's in your arms.
I listen to the way you speak to me, your mom, your sisters and any woman you encounter. I love you even more when I imagine the impact you will have on our son as your example molds him into a gentleman, protector, a man after God's own heart. This tiny reflection of you will be a piece of your legacy.
The way you love me is part of your legacy, too. When someone declared that I am too passionate, you lifted me up and said, "Don't lose your passion. It's beautiful." I'll never forget that. It's the most profound compliment you could possibly give me.
When I doubted if I was capable, you surrounded me with motivation and hope. You have a way of showing me my potential.
You make me want to create. You take my ideas seriously. You see the abstract that I see and add definition. You help my vision come to fruition.
You encourage me to do better, be better, love better. You make the road to chase my dreams more smooth. You affirm my role as a mother and wife. You affirm my role as an artist, writer, an individual.
You give. You give and you give and you give. You gave the coat off your back to a homeless man in a parking lot. You gave our groceries to another man in need. You raced to our neighbors house shirtless and barefoot in the middle of the night when you heard him calling for help. You invited a stranger to eat with us on our anniversary. We bought him a beer, gave him money for a bus ticket, and shared stories. You willingly give your time to any and all who don't even know they need it.
To my love on Valentine's Day, I never imagined my heart would be capable of so much. This transcendent love is immeasurable. My words are not enough.
I love you.


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Netherlands Antilles
AN OVERSEAS TERRITORY of the NETHERLANDS, the Netherlands Antilles consists of four and a half islands, separated by about 545 mi (880 km) of the CARIBBEAN SEA. The southern group, Curacao and Bonaire, known as the Windward Islands, lie 40 to 50 mi (60 to 80 km) off the northern coast of VENEZUELA. Formerly known as the ABC Islands, the A (Aruba) left the group in 1986 and is administered separately. The northern, or Leeward Islands group are the islands of Sint Eustatius and Saba, plus the southern half of the island of St. Martin (Sint Maarten in Dutch), sandwiched between the British dependency of ANGUILLA to the north and the independent nations of SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, and ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA to the south and east. The northern part of St. Martin is part of France, as is the nearby island of St.-Barthelemy.
The islands are a constituent part of the Netherlands and have had full autonomy of internal affairs since 1954. The departure of Aruba was mostly due to resentment over dominance in the group by its larger neighbor, Curacao, but initial plans for independence were scrapped in 1996. Other separatist movements have met with defeat in referenda, most recently for Curacao in 1993 and for Sint Maarten in 1994. The latter was by a lower percentage than previously (59.8 percent), so there may yet be change to the administrative structure of the five constituent parts of what is known as the Dutch Antilles Federation.
Physically, the two groups are very different. Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten are all considerably more elevated volcanic formations and have about twice the amount of rainfall as Bonaire and Curacao. The latter islands are low, barren, and arid (less than 25 in or 63 cm of rain per year) and have more of a desert climate than one would think for the Caribbean—aloe and cacti thrive, plus numerous small herds of goats. But this lack of moisture is also a problem for the southern islands' tourist industry. Large seawater processing stations have been built, a side product of which is salt. Salt was one of the chief attractions for Europeans in the 17th century, and Bonaire is still a major exporter. The tourist industries of both islands benefit from constant sunshine and scant rainfall. Bonaire is also known for its rich underwater life, and its large flocks of flamingos (now protected). Curacao is known for its characteristic liqueur made from locally grown orange rinds. The southern islands lie outside the hurricane belt, but hurricanes occasionally cause severe damage to the northern group. The most recent case was in 1995, when Hurricane Luis devastated resorts and the island infrastructure on Sint Maarten.
The northern group (sometimes called the 3 S's) are each distinct from each other: Sint Eustatius (locally called Statia) is the poorest, Saba the smallest (only 5 square mi or 13 square km), and Sint Maarten, the most developed. All depend on tourism because they lack any major resources. All were settled by the Dutch in the first half of the 17th century and have been officially administered by the Netherlands since 1816. Yet while Dutch is the official language and the language of schooling, most people on all three islands speak English. Each island has its specialty: Saba's rich underwater life, Statia's historic charm, and Sint Maarten's endless beaches. Saba and Statia are both of fairly recent volcanic origin, while Sint Maarten is part of the older, outer arc of the Antilles (like Antigua) and considerably flatter and drier. Saba has recently created a marine park, circling the entire island, to protect its sofar unspoiled underwater environment from increasing traffic of divers. Efforts to increase tourism on Statia have been less successful.
Because none of these five islands was suitable for the establishment of large-scale plantation economies, they became instead centers for trade in sugar, tobacco, cotton, and especially African slaves. In the 18th century, Sint Eustatius and Curacao were two of the biggest marketplaces for slaves in the entire Caribbean. Merchants, pirates, and administrators from all over Europe settled in the major Dutch port of Willemstad, on Curacao, which led to the development of that island's unique trading language, Papiamento, a mixture of Portuguese, English, Dutch, and Spanish, still used by most residents. The abolition of slavery in 1863 in all Dutch colonies hit the islands hard, especially Sint Eustatius, which still today has one-fourth the population it had in the 18th century. Curacao and Aruba were given a boost with the discovery of oil in nearby Venezuela in the early 20th century and the building of an oil refinery by Royal Dutch Shell on Curacao in 1917 (one of the largest in the world). Oil formed the backbone of the local economy until the 1980s, when Venezuela opened its own refineries. The Dutch government bought the refinery on Curacao to prevent it from closing and now leases it to the Venezuelan state oil company. Tourism is most important on Curacao and Sint Maarten, both of which are lined with resorts for visitors, mostly from America and Venezuela. Duty-free shopping plazas are an additional lure in Willemstad, along with offshore banking, which first developed on the islands in World War II, during the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany.
Sint Maarten, the driest and flattest of the northern group, held little interest to European colonial powers, save as a source of salt because of the extensive salt ponds on the southern and western ends of the island. Peaceably divided between the Netherlands and France since 1648, the island was mostly ignored by outsiders until the tourism boom of the latter years of the 20th century. The population of the island has mushroomed, from about 1,500 on both sides of the island in 1950, to over 33,000 today in just the southern half. But duty-free zones and limited customs controls have caused the Dutch government concern over trafficking in drugs, weapons, and even people, as illegal immigrants attempt to take advantage of the numerous cruise ships that stop here (and in Curacao) daily.
Willemstad is the largest town in the Netherlands Antilles (population 140,000). Other towns are Kralendijk on Bonaire and Philipsburg on Sint Maarten. The main towns of Saba and Sint Eustatius (The Bottom and Oranjestad, respectively) are much smaller. The Bottom has only 350 residents. About half the population is black (except on Saba); the population of Curacao retains a significant degree of Amerindian (Arawak) blood, more than most other islands in the Caribbean.


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The National Alternative Education Association (NAEA) is seeking Energetic, Highly Motivated Individuals who are committed to best practice, resource sharing, research, and networking to Serve on the NAEA Board of Directors.
Our Vision
The vision of the NAEA is to provide outstanding, innovative, and professional services to education personnel both nationally and internationally to enhance programs, promote academic excellence, develop self-discipline, and create life-long learners in a multifaceted, diverse society.
NAEA is a volunteer organization dedicated to sharing information in professional development, best practice, public policy, and advocacy for alternative and nontraditional teaching and learning.
Commitments of NAEA Board Members:
Accepting an appointment as a member of the NAEA Board requires each Board member to commit to these expectations:
- attend and participate in all Board conference call meetings acting in the best interests of the NAEA membership during discussions and decision making;
- promote NAEA membership participation in NAEA programs, and provide information about current issues in alternative and nontraditional education to other professional organizations and contacts;
- secure sponsorships to support NAEA outreach programs.
Under the direction of the current Board, the new Board will be expected to oversee two or more of the following NAEA Goal Areas:
Regional Membership * State/DOE Initiatives * Conference Oversight * Organization Sponsorship *Student Support Services * Organizational Outreach and Membership Development * Teacher Resources and Evaluation * Program Management, Development, Evaluation * Awards and Recognitions Program * Student Representative Program
For more information about the election process please visit our Annual Elections page.


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About DMK
WingSpace Project Manager & Meeting Facilitator
Independent Worker, Mind Your Own Business! Consulting
With more than 40 years of combined professional and volunteer experience as a facilitator, writer, trainer, public speaker, marketing manager and fund raiser, Deborah Mainville-Knight (aka, DMK) brings a varied background in the private and public sectors to her work. In addition, her multi-cultural experiences, which includes almost a decade of living in Europe and Africa, have provided her with the awareness and sensitivity to function comfortably and effectively in widely diverse situations.
As a motivational trainer for The Travelers Insurance Companies and as a loaned executive sponsored by Motorola, Inc. to The Valley of the Sun United Way, Deborah designed and conducted workshops and made presentations to many audiences.
As the founding Director of Marketing & Development at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona, Deborah worked with the President to research, plan, develop, organize and successfully establish the graduate level Medical College and the affiliated Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center.
Deborah is a Motorola-trained facilitator with almost 20 years of professional experience. She has facilitated groups of all sizes for a variety of purposes, and is particularly skilled in the Strategic Planning process. Deborah employs a variety of tools and strategies which ensure that work sessions are participatory (interactive) and highly productive.
Deborah is committed to providing Focus & Direction for small and medium sized organizations by providing an organized, systemic approach to facilitating their Visions into Action…ON purpose WITH purpose.


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Full online privacy. Internet access with no restrictions.
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With 29 bloggers imprisoned in 2014, Vietnam is one of the worst countries for online freedom of speech. NordVPN helps you reclaim your online freedom by protecting your identity and the content of your communications. Extra privacy measures are available, including Double VPN
Vietnam's computer networks are among the most targeted for attack in the world. Although a VPN cannot protect from malware, it is crucial for protecting sensitive data shared over the Internet. NordVPN encrypts your Internet traffic with military-grade security protocols.
Even though file-sharing has a number of legitimate uses, some ISPs may restrict access for users who engage in P2P. NordVPN has a number of P2P-friendly VPN servers in Hong Kong and Singapore, which ensure high connection speeds for Vietnamese users.
With the Vietnamese market for consumer electronics rapidly expanding, it's important to set up a VPN on each Internet-enabled device you own. NordVPN has native apps for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. Furthermore, you can set it up on up to 6 devices with a single account.
With a censorship system, the so-called Bamboo Firewall, Vietnam citizens face frequent content restrictions and blocked access to many Internet services. Because of these extensive censorship and surveillance practices, Reporters Without Borders has listed Vietnam as one of the enemies of the Internet.
Even though the Vietnamese government claims that some filtering is necessary to protect residents from obscene and harmful content, they mostly block sites that contain politically critical information or encourage freedom of speech. As a result, local users look for ways to access Facebook and other popular services.
NordVPN helps you to bypass geographical restrictions and avoid content censorship. It directs your Internet traffic through a remote VPN server and replaces your IP address making it look like you are located somewhere else than Vietnam.
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William Faulkner Quotes About DemonsQuotes about: Demons
I think that-that anyone, the painter, the musician, the writer works in a-a kind of an-an insane fury. He's demon-driven. He can get up feeling rotten, with a hangover, or with-with actual pain, and-and if he gets to work, the first thing he knows, he don't remember that pain, that hangover-he's too busy.
Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. An artist is a creature driven by demons. He don't know why they choose him and he's usually too busy to wonder why. He is completely amoral in that he will rob, borrow, beg, or steal from anybody and everybody to get the work done. The writer's only responsibility is to his art.
I don't think anybody can teach anybody anything. I think that you learn it, but the young writer that is as I say demon-driven and wants to learn and has got to write, he don't know why, he will learn from almost any source that he finds. He will learn from older people who are not writers, he will learn from writers, but he learns it -- you can't teach it.
William Faulkner
- Born: September 25, 1897
- Died: July 6, 1962
- Occupation: Writer
- Cite this Page: Citation


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Ordering From Us
All footage in The Travel Film Archive is represented for licensing either by Getty Images or the TFA Network of agents. The "Library" field for each clip indicates which library holds that clip. To place an order you can use our cart system and, depending on which clips you select, your request will be sent to the appropriate library and they will contact you to provide licensing information and complete the transaction. If you are ordering sections from an entire film or from a long clip, please make sure you record the in and out time codes for each section in the Notes box before adding it to the cart.
If you currently deal with either of these libraries you may also contact them directly and refer to the relevant Travel Film Archive clip number. Each Getty Images clip also contains a link which will take you directly to that clip on Getty's web site.
Clip #: TFA-2D-2
Length: 4:08
Year: 1949
Sound: Silent
Decade: 1940s
03:59:38 04:03:46 Bicycle race thru city streets, shots of streets and building, many sequences of the carnival and demonstrations of the flag twirlers.
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Bicycle Police
Clip #: SF-11B-4
Length: 3:38
Year: 1904
Sound: Silent
Decade: 1900s
Paris Bicycle Race
Clip #: TFA-20A-11
Length: 3:17
Year: 1948
Sound: Silent
Decade: 1940s
Geneva: The International City
Clip #: TFA-169C
Length: 10:21
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1950s
A tour of Geneva, Switzerland in the 1960s
Clip #: TFA-315H
Length: :35
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1950s
Short industrial film about inflation.
Europe At Your Window
Clip #: TFA-195A
Length: 13:20
Year: 1956
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1950s
A tour on a Swedish Bus Lines bus throughout Europe
Santa Barbara
Clip #: TFA-91C
Length: 13:09
Year: 1975
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1970s
A film about the California city of Santa Barbara in 1975
Clip #: TFA-165B
Length: 14:03
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1940s
A film about Norway, Denmark and Sweden in the 1940s
Picturesque Denmark
Clip #: TFA-162D
Length: 19:59
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1950s
Towns and Country in Denmark
A Family of India
Clip #: TFA-268B
Length: 12:58
Year: 1954
Sound: Sound
Decade: 1950s
Portrays the life of an average middle class Hindu family that leaves near Benares.


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Kate Upton attended Saturday night's Clippers-Thunder game at the Staples Center and during the break 'Teach Me How to Dougie' was heard on the arena speakers.
That's when Upton decided to teach the Dougie to her fellow Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Damaris Lewis. If you thought the Dougie is so last year, you haven't seen Kate in action.


text: Today is the beginning of April, National Poetry Month. As a lover of poetry and a poet, I've launched a poetry project with Joe Holland called Dry Bones Poetry. It's a free PDF with original poetry by the two of us and some other friends. Please enjoy, share with others, and let us know what you think at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences was established by family, friends and colleagues to honor the legacy of Warren L. DeLano. The award will be given to a scientist for the most accessible and innovative development or application of computer technology to enhance research in the life sciences at the molecular level. The contribution should include two key elements: more productive use of computers to accelerate and facilitate research, and ready access of these programs for the scientific community. The award consists of a plaque, a $3,000 cash award and travel expenses for the recipient to attend the ASBMB annual meeting to present a lecture.
11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110Phone: (240) 283-6600 • Contact us Privacy Policy© Copyright 2019 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology


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None of the candidates for major statewide office in Georgia are talking about carbon emissions or climate change, despite major new policy from the EPA that will make these issues central to their terms in office.
The Environmental Protection Agency's groundbreaking new carbon emissions proposal hedges some pretty hefty bets: the new rules require the equivalent of taking two-thirds of all cars and trucks in the U.S. off the road. The proposal will cost the economy more than $7 billion annually, but will lead to public health benefits accruing to more than $55 billion. The heated discussion it has prompted from environmentalists, industry, and lawmakers has centered on the multi-billion dollar question: what is the role of government regulation in addressing climate change?
The EPA rule has assigned each state a separate pollution reduction target, and under the plan, Georgia would need to reduce its carbon dioxide output by 44 percent by the year 2040. Notably absent from the debate, however, are the individuals who will soon be directing the discussion through their policy decisions: the current gubernatorial and Senate candidates. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter, endorsed by the Sierra Club in May, has only noted that he wants residents to get credit for progress they've already made in carbon reduction. His "On the Issues" online platform fails to include environmental policy as a broad topic, let alone talk of pollution.
Although Governor Deal may want to distance himself politically from Carter, the candidates are remarkably similar in their lack of talking points on the EPA standards. A spokeswoman for Deal said it was too early for the governor to comment on the emissions proposal back in June, and apparently it's still too early three months later, even as the election approaches in November.
Former Dollar General CEO David Perdue, who beat out Rep. Jack Kingston to win the Georgia GOP Senate nomination, has dismissed the emissions regulations as altogether too burdensome. In June, it was revealed that Perdue has sat on the board of the Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy Corp. since 2001.
Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn has served as the sole light in this matter; although she has offered a 'wait-and-see' on the emissions plan until what will go into the state calculations is made clear, she has at least affirmed her support for reducing carbon emissions.
The candidates' insubstantial weigh-in on how to tackle these rapidly approaching EPA deadlines provides voters with an incomplete policy platform, and one that is myopic in scope. For example, what is to be of Georgia's Plant Scherer? It's been identified as the dirtiest power plant in the United States, and under the EPA policy, there will be significant pressure to shut the coal plant down. What would the next steps be for evaluating Georgia's energy portfolio, and how would the candidates handle claims that the limits will crush jobs and the economy?
By failing to more concretely enter into discussions on how to tackle these EPA deadlines, candidates also lose the ability to capitalize off the new regulations. For example, a comprehensive report released last month ranked the Atlanta-based utilities provider Southern Company 31st among 32 utilities across the U.S. in percentage of sales tied to electricity from renewables. Individuals in the gubernatorial and Senate races should work to address mounting pressure to improve Georgia's national ranking in energy efficiency and renewables by connecting it to the EPA guidelines, and proposing to tackle the emission standards through increasing emphasis on clean energy infrastructure.
The most critical issue left unaddressed, however, stems from our Georgia candidates' inability to define issues such as carbon emissions within the larger sphere of climate change. Just as the esteemed evolutionary biologist Dobzhansky noted that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, nothing in environmental policy really makes sense except without accepting the involvement of climate change. Although both Deal and Carter have campaigned extensively for improved water conservation methods and the protection of Georgia's coastline, these issues cannot be adequately examined without including factors symptomatic of climate change into the picture, such as sea level rise, the decreasing reliability of water supply networks, threatened coastal infrastructure, and increased risk of drought.
The question that remains is why our Georgia political candidates aren't talking about the EPA standards in the context of climate change. Perhaps I already know the answer: it is not in the interest of the candidate to do so. Climate change is a loaded, divisive phrase, and an intensive analysis into the Georgia public's views on the matter has, to date, been overlooked. However, Florida's open emphasis on climate policy as a major bipartisan issue during the election, as well as the overwhelming amount of public witnesses at the EPA Atlanta hearing prove that the topic is ripe for public discourse and political opportunity. Georgia candidates would do well to remember that these issues are not simply environmental issues, but fundamentally economic and public health issues. For the sake of Georgia voters, candidates should view these issues as mandatory to offering a more complete and expansive view for the future of the great state of Georgia.
Torre Lavelle is the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment. She is majoring in ecology and environmental economics at the University of Georgia.


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Posted by Lotg on December 05, 2004
In an earlier thread, the 'British Empire' thread, Lewis used the term 'right made up', which I queried.
TF answered with the following: : "Right made up" means very happy (at something having happened). I know it as Manc slang (emanating from Manchester in the North West of England), but it's more than possible that it's also an Irish expression. The London equivalent would be something like "dead chuffed".
Which explains the meaning, which was what I was asking. But I'd also like to know, how 'made up' means happy? Does anyone know how this came about? ---GODDESS


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No holiday to the Cook Islands would be complete without visiting the azure lagoon and white sand shores of Aitutaki. Due to the Air New Zealand flight schedules in and out of the UK and LA, itineraries to the Cooks tend to be 12 nights long, 7 of which we recommend you staying on Rarotonga and 5 on Aitutaki. The reason to do it this way round is that Rarotonga is all about the local… the seeing, the doing and the experiencing of colourful Cooks culture and it's great to have a full week to explore and relax on Raro. Aitutaki on the other hand is ALL about the chill… the sandy islets, the lagoon, the pampering, the lazy sun soaked days, the ultimate island escape for 5 uninterrupted, heavenly days!.
Although there is more than enough to do and see on Aitutaki, after a busy week on Rarotonga, this is the place to totally rest, relax and unwind. Whilst the accommodation on Rarotonga tends to be self-catered or breakfast only, on Aitutaki we recommend checking into a luxury resort - we love Pacific Resort Aitutaki - for an indulgent, full service hotel experience. The combination of self-catering on Raro followed by hotel accommodation on Aitutaki complement each other perfectly, and it's another reason why a holiday to the Cook Islands is so unique.
The one thing you must do whilst enjoying the laid-back life of Aitutaki is book a half or full day lagoon cruise. We can do this for you in advance or you will be able to organise it whilst you are there through the hotel concierge. It is hard to find the words to describe just how breathtakingly beautiful the lagoon is, and the only way to really get out there and experience it in all its glory is by boat. The cruise will take you on a journey through the turquoise pathways of crystal clear water which weave in and out of countless white sandy cays, stopping off along the way for you to snorkel and explore. Alongside sun cream, hat and camera… make sure you pack your passport, not because you'll need it, but because along the way you will stop off at One Foot Island, where you will find the world's most rustic passport office. The footprint stamp is the ultimate Cook Islands souvenir and potentially most sought-after passport stamp in the world, you won't want to go home without yours!
This rustic yet luxurious tropical retreat is surrounded by nature and fronted by wide, gleaming-white sands on the unspoilt island of Con Dao, a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City – the perfect beach ending to a top-to-toe journey through Vietnam.


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RADAR received the my-VITA Award 2016 for innovative practice and initiatives on validating competences in informal and non-formal learning in Europe.
The RADAR training project aims at the understanding of the communicative construction of racism and xenophobia and the elaboration of anti-hate communication strategies in an intercultural perspective through guided analyses of different communication practices (talk shows, newspaper articles, advertising pictures and videos, other pictures and videos, social media posts, legal texts).
The prize was handed over during the 7th REVEAL conference in Thessaloniki (Greece) on 22nd September 2016.


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Export Exchange 2018 will take place at
Hilton Minneapolis
1001 Marquette Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
Reservations for the Hilton Minneapolis can be made online or by calling the hotel's reservation at 612-376-1000 and identifying oneself as an attendee of the U.S. Grains Council meeting to receive the discounted rate. There are still hotel rooms available, you can book online or e-mail Rebecca Kane at email@example.com.
Any questions, problems or concerns can be directed to Rebecca Kane at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Hilton Minneapolis is approximately 25 minutes from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport (MSP). Transportation to the hotel via taxi will cost approximately USD$40 one way. Uber is available at an estimated cost of $22 one way.
SuperShuttle service is available, estimated at $14 one way from Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport (MSP). To book a Super Shuttle please click here.


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At the Cincinnati Golf Center, there's fun for the whole family on our newly renovated Mini-Golf course. 36 holes of challenging twists and turns, hills and water to test your putting skills.
We can handle any size group, or birthday party. Open till 9 pm everynight during the Summer, your kids will love it while you work on your game on one of our three driving ranges.
Mini-Golf Photo Gallery
Below is a gallery for the mini-golf at Cincinnati Golf Center. Please click on each photo for a larger version.


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Tir na nOg
The Stables
Balfunning, Balfron Station
United Kingdom
telephone: 01360 449300
email: email@example.com
A gentle, non-invasive energy therapy, Reiki boosts the body's natural energy (chi or ki), replenishing energy levels depleted by illness, stress or environmental factors, and restoring the flow of chi through the body. Increasingly recognised as a valuable complement to conventional medical treatment, Reiki is also popular simply for the deep relaxation it offers. Potentially beneficial for virtually any condition, from insomnia to chronic back pain to emotional trauma, Reiki has no contra-indications and can be safely combined with conventional medicine.
There is no need to remove clothing to receive treatment, which can be given using light touch, or without touching the body at all, and the most common experiences during treatment are deep relaxation, sensations of warmth, coolness or tingling, and even colours or images appearing.
Oona McFarlane has been working with Reiki since 2000, as student, practitioner and teacher, building a strong foundation of both theoretical and practical knowledge of energy healing (she also works with Seichem/SKHM energy and other healing modalities). As an Independent Reiki Master, she doesn't teach a specific trademarked 'style' of Reiki, but instead aims to pass on a more open and progressive approach to working with Reiki: to learn and master established practices through a commitment to working with healing, but also to question what is passed on, and to continue to explore other techniques and discoveries that may inform Reiki practice. Oona's aim is to allow each student to make their personal connection to the Reiki energy, and to develop their unique style of working with it, from a safe and supported framework of knowledge and experience.
A form of energy healing similar to Reiki in many ways, the Seichim/SKHM energy also works to bringing release, balance and healing on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. However, this energy is often experienced a little differently to Reiki, with the physical sensations of the energy having a different 'feel', and Seichim tends to work more obviously on spiritual and emotional issues, often providing an opportunity for blocks or unnecessary burdens to clear.
Please call us on 01360 449300 to check availability and book your appointment.


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Melastoma is revised for Borneo: 41 species are recognized, of which 31 are newly described. Hypanthium indumentum types were used to group species, with penicillate emergences, bristles, scales with entire or subentire margin, scales dissected into segments, and scales with denticulate, serrate or ciliolate margins being the main categories. Other useful characters were mainly derived from twig indumentum; leaf shape, venation and indumentum; inflorescence form; flower size; hypanthium shape; development and form of intersepalar emergences; and staminal differentiation. Only Melastoma malabathricum L. occurs outside of Borneo as a regionally widespread species; the other 40 species are Bornean endemics. A biogeographic assessment is provided, in terms of common and narrowly distributed species, including lowland taxa and montane and edaphic specialists, as well as species that correlate with specially recognized floristic areas in Borneo. A subgeneric classification is considered premature. Previous records for Borneo of Melastoma crinitum Naud., M. imbricatum Wall. ex C.B.Clarke, M. minahassae Koord. ex Karst.Mey., M. muticum Ridl., M. sanguineum Sims, and M. velutinosum Ridl. are considered untenable, as the relevant specimens can be shown to belong to other (often new) taxa with distinctive morphological features. New species include Melastoma ansowii, M. apiense, M. barioense, M. botryanthum, M. bukitrayense, M. collinum, M. hansenii, M. iliasii, M. impressinervium, M. incisum, M. kostermansii, M. kuchingense, M. linusii, M. longiramense, M. maraiparaiense, M. microlepidotum, M. oreophilum, M. oresbium, M. palungense, M. picklesii, M. postarii, M. praetermissum, M. pulongtauense, M. runiae, M. sarawakense, M. sibatii, M. sugaui, M. tanjiewhoei, M. ultramaficum, M. yahudii, and M. yiianthum. New varieties include Melastoma boryanum var. murutense K.M.Wong and the new combination M. boryanum var. nitidum (Korth.) K.M.Wong. Putative hybrids are identified for Melastoma boryanum, M. hansenii, M. oresbium, M. sabahense and M. sugaui, all represented by a small number of collections, but are apparently more prevalent with the widespread M. malabathricum.
The Author of The Genus Melastoma in Borneo
Khoon Meng Wong researches the taxonomy of Southeast Asian plants, including especially the woody bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), gentians (Gentianaceae), and the Gardenia tribe of the coffee family (Rubiaceae: Gardenieae). Current interests include revisions of Melastoma (Melastomataceae), Saurauia (Actinidiaceae) and Timonius (Rubiaceae) for the biologically rich island of Borneo, for which there is no documented Flora. He also participates in the botanical survey of Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam's Central Mountains Region, and is involved in the new Flora of Singapore.
His background has spanned careers at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Brunei Forestry Department, Sabah's Forest Research Centre, the University of Malaya, and the National Parks Board Singapore where he is Principal Researcher in Plant Taxonomy with the Singapore Botanic Gardens.


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Retail operation takes hold in Celadon
A retail store that fronts the East Beltline promises a lot of exposure to car traffic. Gary Greer, owner of The Crushed Grape, a specialty beverage and food store, wanted something different.
"I looked at other properties along the Beltline in this area and really wasn't all that impressed with what you get for it. Here, I actually have a storefront that people go by and they see," said Greer. "On the Beltline, you don't really see anything. It's just a strip mall. You might have a lighted sign out front, but it's just not all that appealing to me."
Greer's shop is just off East Beltline Avenue on Knapp Street and is the welcoming storefront to Mosaic Properties' latest creation, Celadon New Town, a 22-acre mixed-use development and the area's first new urban community.
The new urban community concept includes a variety of living spaces from single-family homes to live/work units that are like town homes with storefronts on the main level. Celadon also includes an amphitheater, picnic areas, a pool, parks and retail units.
The community recently added three new commercial tenants to the development. The Crushed Grape, the first commercial tenant, opened in December 2008.
"It's cool to be an anchor for (Celadon). When we first started looking at this, there was really nothing out here. It was an empty field with a couple of streets in it," Greer said.
Construction on The Crushed Grape began in September last year, and Greer opened the doors for the first time on Dec. 6.
"The thing I like the most about it is that we're not on the Beltline but we have good frontage on Knapp Street and plenty of traffic going by," said Greer. "We have had such a great reception from everyone in the area."
Greer said the concept for the store's layout was for it to be comfortable for customers. Everything is laid out to touch and feel. The two-floor, 3,500-square-foot space contains an extensive wine selection from around the world. On the main floor are wine kegs converted into displays, a custom wine rack, a huge beer selection and an array of food selections.
"I tried to develop a concept that's not your average liquor store," said Greer. "Whether you're buying a bottle of wine or a bottle of Jameson, you can pick it out yourself off the shelves."
The other tenants include J. Williams Design, an illustration and design firm that functions as a part-time gallery; Kanai Wealth Management Group, which filled its 2,000-square-foot office with financial consultants and wealth managers; and Mosaic Properties, which moved its offices to the new location.
"Celadon represents a new model for future communities," said Brad Rottschafer, owner of Mosaic. "Celadon's fresh architecture inspires energy; it represents who we are."


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HOKA Clifton 3
By Bella Zurowski, FIT Specialist
I'll be the first to say it, I like a lot of cushioning in my running shoes. But at the same time, I hate anything that feels clunky or weighs me down. This winter, I decide to try out the HOKA Clifton 2 as my work horse shoe for my half marathon training. It turns out I made the perfect choice. Incredibly cushioned yet unbelievably lightweight right and smooth heel to toe motion kept me feeling comfortable and protected on recovery days and longer runs, but still felt quick enough or shorter faster work too.
The Clifton 3 keeps everything I love about the Clifton 2. It's lightweight, smooth and surprisingly responsive, but adds a few key updates. The forefoot of the three is more accommodating than that of its predecessor. The upper material is more flexible, breathable and lightweight plus the toebox feel slightly wider. The shoe strikes a nice balance of fitting to the shape of my feet while still giving them plenty of room to stretch and breathe especially during those longer runs.
If you're looking for a versatile, go to shoe that strikes the perfect balance between high cushioning and a lightweight feel stop in and try out the Clifton 3. Your feet will thank you!


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Scam Letter(s) from Alla Gulyeva to S. H. (USA)
Letter 1
Hello my dear,
you made me to be interested in you and I do hope to continue our communication.
Our life is wonderful,but short. A real love will help to make it brighter and more beautiful.
I am here to find my love and to make him happy.
What is our life without a smile of your dearest man?
What can be better than to give your love and tenderness to your beloved man?
We do not know what is waiting for us tomorrow,but I know exactly that I will be waiting for your next letter to get to know you much better.
My e-mail is: email@example.com
With warm regards, Vera.
Letter 2
My dear,
it is a pleasant ritual for me to come to the office of my translator every day and my heart is going to jump out of my chest when I think about your letter. It seems to me that we created our special world, where just you and me and we do not need anybody else there. :)
It seems to me that we have got a lot of similar things and the same interests. I think it would be comfortably for us to spend our time together. You write me your thoughts and it seems to me that you read my thoughts. It is really very nice! :)
Sometimes it is hard for me to belive that you are far from me because your words are such touching and real, but every time, when I come back home I feel it sharply because of my loneliness.
Sometimes I wake up in the night because of a cold. I want to snuggle to my beloved man and to feel a warmth of his body,but the place, which is next to me in my bed is empty. I embrace my pillow and I feel hot tears in my eyes.
Maybe it is very hard for you to understand this feeling because you are a man. You know,I can't live for myself. It seems to me that I was created for love and home warmth. I want to give my love and tenderness to my beloved man and I truly believe that one day my dream will come true.
By the way,what is a true love for you? How do you feel that you fall in love with a woman? What is the indicator for it? :)
Sorry, but I should finish my letter now because my lunch time is finished and I must go to work, but I am waiting for your next letter very much and...I miss you.
Sincerely your Vera.
Letter 3
This wonderful day brought your letter to me, my dear!!
I am grateful to you for your respond and I should confess that it is a pleasure for me to continue our communication. I get some new information about you and I try to picture your image in my mind. Each detail of your life is important to me because I can feel a deep interest to you.
Sorry, I didn't give to you a lot of information about me in my previous e-mail and I will try to do it right now.
I was born on the 1st of June, in 1979. My parents are very nice people, but they are retired now. I am a single child in my family, but I have my cousins, aunts and uncles.
I live in Lutugino. It is a small town on the East of Ukraine, but I like it because I was born here. My height is about 167cm, my weight is about 58kg.
As for my occupation, I am a cosmetologist. I work in a beauty saloon. I like my work, but unfortunately it doesn't support me financially very well. Unfortunately a lot of Ukrainian people are very poor. My country is wonderful, but its government doesn't take care of its people and it is very sadly.
As for my hobby,I like music,reading, dancing and cooking. I can say that I am a family oriented person and I am a woman of one man. I do not like night clubs, but I like travelling. I have never been abroad, but my dream is to see this wonderful world. Maybe one day my dream will come true. :)
Unfortunately I should finish my letter because I write it to you during my lunch time. I do not have my own computer and I should get to the office of my translator by bus and it takes me about 20 minutes. So, my letters are not long, but belive me, I am very glad to have our connection and I will be waiting for your respond impatiently!!
With the warmest regards, Vera.
P.S. My contact phone number is +38-067-765-31-94. It is my working phone because my own mobile phone is in a repair service temporally.So, please, call me from 10a.m. till 5p.m. Ukrainian time every day, except Saturday and Sunday because I do not work at the weekends. My English is not very good, but I do hope to understand you.I want to hear your voice very much.
Letter 4
I am grateful to you for your e-mail and I would be glad to know you much better. We do not know what is waiting for us tomorrow- future meeting or separation, but anyway,we do not lose anything if we write to each other our letters. :):)
I should confess that it is my first experience in the Internet. I have never used it before because my country is not well developed. So, one day I made my photos in a photo studio and asked my friend to help me with my profile in the Internet. Unfortunately I do not have my computer at home and I can't write to you by myself, so I use a service of the private translator and I am satisfied with her work.
I am sending to you some of my photos and I do hope you will like them. :)
As for my purpose, I want to find my soul mate because my soul is lonely now, but I believe that my beloved man lives on this planet and I do hope to meet him one day.:):)
My English is not bad, but I would like to improve it because I understand its importance. By the way, it would be great to hear your voice. If you like me and if you decide to continue our communication, I will write to you my phone number in my next e-mail.
You know, I do not have any special demands to my beloved man. If he is for me, I will feel it. That is all. :):)
It is very hard for me to describe my character, but I can say that the words "love" and "friendship" mean a lot for me and I will not be able to forgive a betrayal. If you give me one, I will give you ten, but I hate the liars and I appreciate sincerity.
What else?? I do not know. Sorry, I am not a writer and I can't write the letters, :( but I will be waiting for your respond and I will answer all your questions gladly.
With the warm regards, Vera.
P.S. My full name is Vera Lukovetskaya. My home address is Ukraine. Lutugino, 91000, Leninskaya Street,69.
Letter 5
Hello dear !!
my name is Sveta and I am in a search of my true love and happiness. I am a very devoted person and I will be happy to create the Paradise between me and my beloved man. If you are interested in me, I will be happy to know you better and I will be waiting for your e-mail.
My private e-mail address is: firstname.lastname@example.com
Letter 6
Good day, dear ) How are you today and how is your life? I'm very happy to meet you and to have a chance to know you better! You seem to be a really good man and I hope that we can find a common language)
Thank you for the wonderful photo))
I will tell you a little bit more about myself) My name is Svetlana, or you may call me Sveta as all my close people do) I live in a small town called Schastye that is in Luhansk region (eastern Ukraine)where I rent a flat together with two girls. The owner of the flat is living there as well, but she is a very good woman and never gives any inconveniences to us. My parents live far from me, in Milerovo and I visit them when I can) They are very good people, they gave me a wonderful childhood and a good education) I love them very much!
What about your family?
I'm 37 years old, I have never been married and have no kids. I had serious relations 6 years ago with a good man, we have been together for over 8 years, but he died in car crash...I still cannot speak about it easily. After that accident I didn't even want to start any new relations. But now I feel that this is the time for me to find a good man and to become happy at last. A serious man with the wish to love and be loved, a man who wish to give and receive care, a man who is ready for something more than just dreams is a good match for me) I don't consider myself as an old woman, but I'm really tired of loneliness. I dream to see beside me a person that I love and that loves me...someone who will understand and support me. Are you looking for the same?
I've decided to use Internet to find my love because of a few reasons: firstly I have no time for looking for men here, and secondly I don't even know where I can find a good man...I don't go out to clubs and cafes, I don't work with men and my work is very close to my home.
It's almost impossible for me. And frankly speaking, in Ukraine I didn't meet a man who could be able to understand my soul...usually men are looking at me as a cute doll. I think that the dating sites is the best way for me to become happy) What do you think?
But to my regrets I don't speak a good English, that makes my search a little difficult. For now I have to use the help of my friend's sister to translate our letters, and she does a good job) Anyway,I'm not going to leave it as it is, I've bought a book of English language and will try to learn it at home when i have a free time) What languages do you speak?
My desire to find my love is really huge and you will understand it during our communication) Please, tell me about yourself too, and if you have any questions I will gladly answer all of them)
Sorry, i don't use skype now and don't know what is viber.
Will be waiting for your letter soon)
Sincerely, your new friend Svetlana)
Letter 7
Hello, dear ) How are you today and how was your day?) Hope I reach you in good mood)Thank you for your letter! It's very pleasant for me to talk with you and to know more and more about such a nice and interesting man like you ;) I really like the way you look for the woman, I should agree with you in everything, because you're really right.
I was thinking about us this night and was wondering if we will match each other and if everything will be very serious among us...and you know, I came to the conclusion that you're a good man, and I can't even think that you can act in a bad way with me) Am i right? I know, it's a lot of bad people here as well, but they exist everywhere and if to be afraid of them, how to live at all? Moreover, Internet gave us the possibility to know each other...and it's great!) I hope that you are the exact man I'm looking for) I really like you so much!
Talking about me and my life, I guess you're interested in what I do for living?) So, I work as a sales manager. It's a very interesting job, I travel all over Ukraine sometimes and I really love it. Do you like travelling? Well, I think all people like it)))) But to my regrets I have never been abroad( This is one of my dreams...to travel to beautiful countries such as France, England, USA, Italy and many others. Where did you travel?)
Of course it's not my only dream))) What I want most of all in my life is to find my real love...the man understanding, supportive, caring, loving, honest...this is my real dream)
Before I was dreaming to get the second degree, guess which? I wanted to be a teacher of literature. I love reading so very much! Especially English and American books) This is what I do when i come home after work,I open a book and rest) Do you like reading?) And also I like children and to work with them would be nice for me))
Honey, can you tell me about your dreams? Your hobbies? What are you doing after work?
I would be really happy to see you in skype, but I don't have my own computer here and cannot use it.
Well, I don't want to make this letter too long, i will stop here. I wish you a good day and sweet dream) Hope to hear from you very soon))
Svetlana ;)
Letter 8
My dear ! Hello) How are you and how was your day? I already miss your letters! You are a good writer and I've got used to you even in such a small period of time) I like the way you express your attitude to life, your opinions. That's why, may be, I'm not afraid to talk with you on any topic) So, don't be afraid to ask me about something you would like to know, ok? Cause sometimes it's difficult to understand hints. I need you to be straight and honest with me, and I will answer you with the same)
I don't have many people I can trust to, only my parents and you) My parents are good people and I always ask them for advices, and from now on I will always ask you for advices too because I understand how smart and wise you are. I hope you will not be against it?)
Despite the fact that I am a matured woman I still feel like a tender flower that needs a strong protector, lover and real man. All my life i dream, I violently believe that some day I will meet him. I want my man to be caring and gentle, loving and passionate, brave and tough...
Only then I will blossom in his strong hands...and bring happiness) I see that you're such man and hope that we will be together!)
Yes, of course you can have my number, but we have no phone connection now and we won't be able to speak. Sorry!
You know, my friend and her sister(who translates our letters) are so scared today! Yesterday evening there had been a fight right in front of their house. They have heard that soldiers were shooting from submachine gun really close. It's good that I don't live in the center of the town!
How is the weather in your country now? Here it's getting so hot! And we don't even have a clean river to go and swim( I imagine we could go to the sea if we were together) I was on the sea a long time ago, it was wonderful!! I love swimming a lot, it's one of my favourite sports. I also like volleyball and aerobics) From time to time i attend the gym and work out) But my work doesn't allow me to do sports regularly. Do you like sports?
What my work allows me to do, is to watch movies in the evening. I love comedies and fantasy. I'm not a "Horror woman", after scary films I see bad dreams. May be I could watch horrors laying in your arms...it wouldn't be too scary for me:) What films do you like? You know I have never watched serials before...but the last few years I feel so lonely that I started to watch them. It's so sad( But I believe you will save me from it)))
I can continue to talk to you endlessly! But I don't want to bore you)
I hope to hear more from you soon)
Have a wonderful day, darling)
Kiss you!
Your Svetlana!
Created: 2011-04-22 Last updated: 2014-09-18 Views: 255


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Allure performance at 8:50pm. Buses leave Saturday at 6:45am.
Revolution performance at 2:25pm. Buses leave Saturday at 6:45am.
By Request performance at 4:20pm. Buses leave Saturday at 6:45am.
ALLURE - Best Performer: Audrey Daugherty. Best Choreography (tied with Clover Hill). 2nd Runner-Up on the day (Not eligible for finals)
REVOLUTION - Exhibition performance. Best Performer: Richard Smart.
BY REQUEST - Best Performer: Jake Saunders. Best Male Soloist in a performance: Tim Kim. Best Band, Best Choreography, Best Vocals, Daytime Grand Champions. Performed in finals and won Grand Champion.


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Day two started back at Siya's parents house where we began with more henna; this time by Siya's aunt. It was nice having time with just the immediate family as it provides a more intimate experience. The natural light was a bonus. We then started to get ready with hair and makeup for the big day.
Siya happens to be very passionate about makeup so it was only appropriate that she did her own makeup on her wedding day! You can check out her makeup channel on youtube here.
Once the hair and make up was completed, the wedding party helped each other put on their sarees. Siya's saree weighed as much as my camera, however it looked and photographed just beautifully. Right before we headed off to the temple, Siya and her brides maids took some time to open and share some gifts. Last minute preparations to some final details were made before we headed off in the limo.
Arriving at the temple, we quickly headed into a private room where the bridal party could make some final preparations for the ceremony. This room also provided a hiding place for us in a sense, as it's customary for the bride to not be seen by the guests before the beginning of the ceremony. Siya couldnt help but take a peak outside the room as the guests gathered.
Rob arrives shortly after with his immediate family and is offered a ceremonial welcome by Siya's family. He is then joined by Siya's dad on the altar for prayers and a blessing.
The ceremony officially beings as Siya enters the room with her cousins by her side. Prayers and blessings, mixed in with offerings of gifts start things off.
A fire is then lit as the ceremony continues. In a Hindu wedding, the fire acts as the main witness and plays an integral role to the ceremony itself. During this time vows and rings were exchanged and we welcomed the new couple as Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery!
The ceremony is followed by two small games the first involving the henna on Siya's hand. It is said that the husband should be able to find his initials in his wifes henna. A crowed gathered as Rob successfully takes on the challenge.
The next game involves Rob's shoes. Of course shoes are not allowed in the temple, and during this time the brides maids will take advantage of this and will hide his shoes as part of a traditional game. After the ceremony, Rob must find his shoes, or pay up; and it is the goal of the brides maids to get as much as they can out of him!
The day is completed with a vegetarian dinner as the newlywed couple is greeted by guests at the head table. Tomorrow begins the party!