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Berkshire, United Kingdom (22nd February, 2013) – Mizuno, a world renowned provider of performance footwear and sportswear, has launched a new version of their...
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Project Audio Visual Announce Premises Purchase
Berkshire, United Kingdom (20th August, 2013) – Project Audio Visual, a leading provider of online designer and retailer of audio visual and video conferencing systems, has announced the purchase of their office premises. Project Audio Visual had been leasing an office unit for nearly 4 years before they decided to purchase the premises. The...
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Issue 20 of Two Magazine out now
Hi everyone, another month has gone by and I feel like my feet haven't hit the gound! Sam and I have just got back from our Real Techniques tour of the US with plenty of work to catch up with but most importantly plenty of family time to catch up on first.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Design daily visited Salone del Mobile for the ninth time a few weeks ago. It's always a little daunting to select highlights from some such a massive event given its nigh on impossible to see everything on offer over the week - no matter how dedicated to the cause you might be. But slowly the viewing fatigue has waned and the pleasures of the good aspects of design week have surfaced and crystalised to the point where I feel confident in posting a highlights package. With big brands that woo the visitor with immaculately presented stands bigger than most domestic houses showing at the fairgrounds and installations that cost a bomb and last for just a week spread across the city, it's somewhat ironic that it's actually the smaller, more personal events that resonate the most. Don't get me wrong, I can't help being excited every time I walk into an elaborate palazzo to view some contemporary design event or other but the 'bigger is better' mantra can be overwhelming. I think this is why small scale events such as Apparatus Studio's space in Milan, strikes such a chord with so many people.
Regardless of whether you are more interested in beautifully resolved industrial design, early prototypes or limited edition art pieces, Milan Design Week does always offer up more than its fair share of memorable moments - you just need to know where to look. I feel extremely privileged to be an extended part of the design community and to be able to witness this incredible event each year. I have to admit that the week had its low points......but I will wait until you've swooned over the opener to tell you about those!
Okay, so what was the big disappointment? Well to be honest it was one of my favourite destinations, Ventura Lambrate that fell most short. Once an event that I spent the entire day and into the night discovering, I was able to walk around and see everything in less than three hours. There were less design schools and way more food outlets, less interesting young studios and one big and very over-hyped Ikea event. The two images below show the two sides of Ventura Lambrate this year - the saturation marketing of Ikeas involvement on the left and the honest beauty of Norwegian Crafts Everything is Connected exhibition on the right.
It was actually depressing to see a line of people queuing to get into the Ikea exhibition while real designers like Umut Yamac (who was located in a small space opposite) looked on. Is this what it all boils down to? Are people more interested in buying discounted Ikea items on the last day of a show than they are in discovering new design? Maybe.....obviously I applaud Ikea for wanting to be being part of a design event and for employing designers generally but I would much prefer if they were a part of a celebration of innovative design rather than dominating it.
Some said that the newly created Ventura Centrale in the tunnels at the back of the giant Centrale FS railway station was a distraction from the Lambrate event and that the commercial benefits of having the likes of Lee Broom, Maarten Baas and Luca Nichetto in the one location outweighed the hundreds of designers exhibiting at Lambrate. D.d has no idea if this is true but Ventura Lambrate has definitely slipped from the must see list for next year.
Thankfully there is always a silver lining to such things and at Lambrate this year it was again the Norwegians who provided something special. The Everything is Connected exhibition had been shown at Stockholm in February but its always nice to see it for one's self. Design daily has already covered the show in the Salone del Mobile 2017 previews post (which you can revisit here) so I wont go into it in too much detail but suffice to say the work was stimulating and the set-up was beautifully executed. You can see the entire thing in all its glory here.
Right next door to the Everything is Connected show was an exhibition of work by Danish designer Amanda Lilholt that caught the attention. The simple metal framed furniture was upholstered in unusual fabrics that resembled coloured and patterned cowhide that were referred to as 'Kopenhagen Fur'. Various seating forms were countered by a striking tall cabinet and console table with fine metal supporting structures and mysterious enameled elements.
Another stand out event in Lambrate was the Studio Thier & van Daalen display inside Design daily's favourite Lambrate location, the mechanics garage in Via Sbodio. For the last three years D.d have followed the work of this young Dutch studio (Iris van Daalen and Ruben Thier) and this year they expanded their repertoire of beautifully executed blown glass in timber frames to include several new lighting concepts involving brass and layered glass.
At Ventura Centrale however it was a case of a grungy location filled with dazzling spectacles. Lee Broom's 2007 - 2017 ten year retrospective was built up massively prior to design week but delivered regardless. It was quite mesmerising standing in a gloomy railway arch with a room full of people watching bright white versions of Broom products rotate slowly around. The average person spent at least 5-10 minutes watching quietly - which in a fair full of hustle and bustle and an impossible agenda of events to visit is no mean feat.
Literally next door was a entrancing glass installation called Decode - Recode by Luca NIchetto and perfumier Ben Gorham for Salviati, the Murano glass company. One room was filled with giant vase-like totems, the other with a collection of delicate sheets of glass.
The Danish crafts organisation has been a regular exhibitor in various parts of Milan during design week since 2008. For the last two years their annual exhibition called Minecraft has been curated by GamFratesi whose 2015 show at Chiostro Minore di San Simpliciano was one of the highlights of that year's design week. This years show returned to the same magical venue but is curated by Henrik Vibskov and he chose to showcase the work of seventeen Danish creatives in a very different way, inserting pod-shaped structures into the classical courtyard to house the smaller works. Larger pieces including that of regular MIndcraft contributor Isabel Berglund (whose incredible Spinning Time Machine is the green clock style object below left) stood amongst the pods. Other contributors included Tobias Møhl, Yuki Ferdinandsen, Eske Rex and Maria Mengel, Birk Marcus Hansen, Emil Krøyer and Mads Sætter-Lassen, Anne Dorthe Vester and Maria Bruun, Kasper Kjeldgaard, Lærke Valum, Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen, Hanne G, Anders Ruhwald, Christina Schou Christensen, Pernille Pontoppidan Pedersen, and Carl Emil Jacobsen. You can find a lot more information on MIndcraft 17 and images of the items exhibited here.
Of course some of the old favourites continue to deliver in their usual way - Spazio Rossana Orlandi was again a haven from the commercial with a basement full of the work by interesting young designers and a leafy courtyard that remains a feature of design week despite the ever increasing crowds.
You can find out more about Mastrangelo's work (shown below left) here and Jorge Penades' work (shown below right) here.
5VIE - now in its third year - was again full of interesting events including the collaboration between Fabscarte wall paper and Martyn Thompson Studio at Ladies & Gentlemen. In the same general area Apparatus Studio and BDDW showed how American design is currently taking the world by storm and the Australian contingent of eleven designers under the banner of Local Design presented a lovely show in the absolutely beautiful 11th century chapel Oratorio Della Passione.
Also showing in the 5VIE are were Italian British duo Giopato & Coombes (Christopher Coombes & Cristina GIopato). Their new range of lighting was definitely spectacular moving from delicate tubes to brass chains with LED circles.
Every year Formafantasma create something special for Milan and this year it was a beautiful exhibition of their recent lighting experiments at Spazio Krizio. Some of the lights had previously been seen as part of their exhibition at Design Miami / Basel for Gallery Giustini Stagette and Galleria O. Roma (you can see an earlier Design daily post on this show here) but there were also lots of new designs - some of which have been industrialised into lights for Flos.
American manufacturer Matter Made put on a and the absolutely gorgeous exhibition in an area near Porta Garibaldi, north of the Brera district with pieces by Philippe Malhouin, Oeuffice, Jonah Takagi, Faye Toogood and Pedro Paulo Venzon.
Marni's extraordinary Playland show held in their warehouse near Porta Romana created a circus world with colourful woven objects and circular patterns created in sand poured directly onto the floor of the space. Colourful LED lighting and a live orchestra playing circus themes completed the atmosphere. The woven objects are limited edition pieces and were for sale on the night with proceeds going to the Colombian charity that Marni has supported for many years.
Milan is a city full of incredible old building s and during deign week a great number of them are taken over as venues by brands and events keen to exploit their potential as a backdrop for contemporary design. For the last few years the Dutch government has funded a massive exhibition of Dutch design called Masterly at Palazzo Francesco Turati. The palazzo is a sensational place for a design show with grand staircases and ancient rooms full of wallpapers and marquetry floors but this years collection of designers was too commercial for its own good and the whole event was actually overshadowed by the beauty of the location.
Although Hayon's installation Stone Age Folk for Caesarstone had been shown at IDS in Toronto in January, the opulence of the Milan setting made it totally new again and this was complimented by a new section to the show that debuted in Milan. The furniture and wall pieces (shown above) were made from Caesarstone using a contemporary marquetry style technique. In the next room Hayon created a very different mood with a massive stained glass and Caesarstone structure squeezed into the palace's elegant ballroom. You can read about the Stone Age Folk component of the show in an earlier Design daily post here.
Gifu prefecture in Japan has employed Swiss architects and designers Atelier Oi to promote the manufacturing ability of the region for the second year during the Milan fair. Atelier Oi are devotees of the Japanese aesthetic and culture so have been able to do and incredible job of presenting a genuine Japanese experience in an exhibition called Casa Gifu II. Although there were lots of beautiful metal pieces like samurai swords and knives on display it was the experimental perfume dispersing installation in pleated paper (below) that stole the show. You can see a delightful short film that demonstrates the way the installation works here.
Another quietly beautiful installation was the COS x Studio Swine installation called New Spring. Essentially a giant sculptural tree which delivered spheres of 'mist-filled blossoms' that disintegrate on contact with the skin, the concept was based on the cherry blossom festival of Japan. Visitors were supplied with black fabric gloves that allowed the blossoms to be caught and handled. You can watch a lovely video of the event here
Salone Satellite at the fairgrounds in Rho was celebrating it's 20th year and it did it in great style with the area designated to satellite in Halls 22-24 never looking better. While there was the usual mix of first timers and old hands (if being allowed to show a maximum of three times provides this status) it was the stands of designers like David Derksen and Kasper Nyman who have been there before that generally stood out. A few of the new exhibitors that really shone included Greek lighting designer Chris Basias, Viennese creatives, chmara.rosinke design studio and Studio Finna from FInland. Design daily will cover Satellite in full in a subsequent post so we leave you with just a taste of what is to come......


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A Children's Christmas Activity Day with the Youth and Children's Ministry Team of the Archdiocese
For children (age 5 upwards)
Held late December each year in the week before Christmas
At the Parish Hall, Hendra
Singing and story-telling, advent craft, Christmas magic, blessing of the crib and lots and lots of fun. For children wishing to take part in our Christmas Eve Mass (5.00pm carols, 5.30pm Mass) a practice for the event will take place during this session as well. Teenage and adult helpers are most welcome!


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Making the Most of Your Dumbphone
Not everyone has a smartphone.
It's true! Though they are excellent devices, and can even be productivity-boosters for the savvy student, they are expensive–and parents are unlikely to see the need for a smartphone to be as urgent as you see it.
Those of us who have yet to join the ranks of Androids and the iGeneration are not totally without hope, though. Even the dumbest of phones, so long as it can text, can be used as more than a pricey doorstop:
Google Calendar - Though most readers are probably aware that you can both create and be informed of GCal events via text message, dumbphone users have an added advantage: since there's not a constant barrage of incoming messages from installed apps, the 15-minute warning the Google Gods text you about an upcoming meeting is much more likely to be seen.
GOOG-411 – Google's directory service will give you location-specific business listings, connect you to them, and give you their address. Very helpful if you're stuck somewhere and need to find the closest taxi service in a hurry–just be patient with the sometimes-confused voice recognition software.
Cha Cha – Cha Cha, much like its competitor KGB, is an SMS-based answer service. However, Cha Cha has a leg up in that it's free in exchange for ads at the end of their answers. Because it's a free service, the answer quality isn't always the greatest, but if you're lost and need to know the address and phone number of the restaurant you're looking for, it will spit it out for you in phone-friendly SMS format. (And, unlike GOOG-411, it doesn't require you to wade through an automated phone menu to get the info in text form.)
Tumblr – Unlike Livejournal (which requires a paid/plus account) or WordPress (which requires a third-party work-around), Tumblr allows users to easily create voice posts just by calling them and talking. Useful for keeping people abreast of travel experiences when you're somewhere without easy free internet access/a computer.
Everything else - And of course, there's always Google SMS (to check the weather), Twitter (to inform the world what you're doing), Fourquare (to inform the world where you're doing it), and Facebook (for everything else).
These hacks can extend the lifespan of an aging phone without a data plan–and getting more life out of one's tools is never a bad thing. And besides: nothing beats the smug satisfaction of knowing your phone works no matter how you hold it–even if you have clammy soft developer hands.
Dumbphone users: do you have any hacks you've used to increase your productivity? Share the love in the comments!


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Cicoski Participates in Panel on Recent Developments in Insurance Law
June 1, 2017
At the North American Meeting of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR), associate Ryan Cicoski participated in a panel discussion about recent developments in insurance law.
COMBAR is the specialist association of the English and Welsh Commercial Bar, representing more than 1,600 individual members and 37 leading barristers' chambers. Cicoski is an honorary overseas member of COMBAR.


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There are many different types of airbrush products on the market today and the type that is used makes all the difference. Artistic technique also has a rather big impact on how the resulting application will look. I use water-based and/or silicone based foundation from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, MAC or Temptu, the leading brands of airbrush makeup. Not only made to last 12 plus hour with minimal touch-ups required, they are highly compatible with all skin types. I also use a professional airbrush gun and compressor made by Iwata, one of the leading airbrush manufacturers in the world. (Recently, I've added the Temptu Airbrush compressor to my makeup kit too!)
The reason airbrush makeup looks so much smoother than traditional foundation is simple; it is applied with a fine mist of air, rather than being pushed into the skin and pores like traditional foundation, minimizing the appearance of skin texture and pores. The result in an extremely smooth, long-lasting finish
Airbrush FAQ
1. What is Airbrush Makeup? Airbrushing is a patented makeup application technique that utilizes compressed air through an "airbrush" with drops of color ie: foundation, blush, etc. to spray on a fine mist of makeup. Most clients find the application technique rather soothing and since traditional brushes are not used during this technique you never have to worry about sanitation.
2. How does it feel? Airbrush makeup is exceptionally lightweight. Most clients say they feel as if they aren't even wearing makeup.
3. What are the benefits of airbrush makeup? Airbrush makeup provides flawless coverage by minimizing skin imperfections while giving skin a beautifully natural finished looking result. Airbrush makeup is water resistant and will last for up to twelve hours or more.
4. Does it cover tattoos, scars, etc? Yes, with a proprietary, patented "paramedical" airbrush makeup all skin imperfections including tattoos, scars, birthmarks, vitiligo, stretch marks, and post-op surgery patients can be concealed.
5. Is Airbrush Makeup right for everyone? Airbrush makeup is suitable for women of all ages and every skin condition. The makeup is hypoallergenic and fragrance free. In fact "Airbrush Makeup" is the only makeup that is suitable for the new "High Definition" standard in television.


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Warm and friendly, well established veterinary hospital in search of associate, PT or FT. We provide complete preventative, medical and surgical needs to small animals and exotics in Pelham, Massachusetts. Loyal clients, family-oriented feel with benefit of advanced technology, progressive medicine alongside trained support staff. Technicians and CSRs are very knowledgeable and everyone is team oriented. Open to DVMs to want to bring their own aspect of practice or special talents. Our practice utilizes mostly in-house lab machines (IDEXX), but has access to multiple outside reference laboratories for top-notch veterinary care. Onsite diagnostic machines include the new IDEXX SediVue, the new ImageVue DR50, as well as dental X-ray and portable ultrasound. Other aspects of our practice indulge small mammal exotics work (rabbits, ferrets, etc.) and occasional house calls. We also have the ability to hospitalize patients overnight when needed, but there are no on-call/ER hours. Competitive salary with monthly commission bonus. Please visit us @ www.lichtenbergvethosp.com and find us on Facebook! Must be proficient in general surgery. Maximum 4 work days a week, plus rotating Saturday mornings (3 hours) split among doctors.
Applicants must provide cover letter, CV and 3 professional references attn: Dr. Molly Jackson. 2 years required in general practice, but no internship training required.


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Problem Website
- User Forums
- Offline Explorer Enterprise Edition
- Problem Website
|Will Marsh
|06/25/2010 01:00 pm
|Hi when I try to download this site Thcfarmer.com even with just a couple of connections, it starts out normal and then comes to a very slow slow download, even when using a name and password combo that isn't even required anyways.
Any ideas would be appreciated, all of your hard work is sooooo appreciated, you have some great products, Thanks Will
|Oleg Chernavin
|06/28/2010 09:33 am
|Perhaps, the site overloads quickly with the requests. Try to set 2-4 seconds delay in the Internet tab of the Ribbon. Type exactly 2-4 - it will choose random delays every time, so it looks like himan browsing.
Best regards,
Oleg Chernavin
MP Staff


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The Problem of Resentful Reading
Fifth-grade teacher Pernille Ripp in School Library Journal on "Why Reading Sucks: Talking honestly with kids might make them more passionate readers":
On posterboard, I wrote the heading, "Why Reading Sucks," and asked the kids to name their own reasons for why this might be the case. At first, the children darted glances at one another, not quite sure where this crazy teacher was headed. Then one student finally blurted out, "I don't think a teacher has ever asked me that!" . . .Ripp originally wrote this piece for her blog in September. She also offers a survey asking kids how they are as readers.
When we looked over the list we had created together, I agreed that these were valid reasons, indeed, why reading may not be the most favorite thing to do for a child or even many adults. Some children hate sitting still; others find reading boring, time consuming, or restrictive. They resent that they are forced to read certain books or at a certain time. They feel pressured, and some believe that they are bad readers. What it all adds up to is a miserable reading experience, and that is what we have to fight.
I thanked the kids for their honesty, and then asked them for their solutions. One after another my students raised their hands. "Can we pick our own books?" "Yes," I replied. "Do we have to read a certain amount of minutes and log it?" "No," I said. "I expect you to read every night and you only log it in [class]." "Do we have to finish every book we start?" "No," I assured them.
The day after the SLJ site published Ripp's essay, she had a baby.


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Popular Burmese movies include "The Monk," directed by The Maw Naing in 2014; "Golden Kingdom," directed by Brian Perkins in 2015; and "Ateik i ayeik," directed by Sin Yaw Mg Mg in 2010. Another popular film is "Wearing Velvet Slippers Under a Golden Umbrella," directed by Maung Wunna in 1940.
"Golden Kingdom" features four young monks living alone in a monastery in Myanmar after their master leaves to go through a mountain pass. "The Monk" is about a character named Zawana who must choose the next path in his spiritual journey while adjusting to life at a monastery. "Ateik i ayeik" is about a man who meets a girl who looks exactly like his late fiance from 20 years ago. "Wearing Velvet Slippers Under a Golden Umbrella" is a story of love between a doctor and his patient.


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NASA has invested billions of dollars into space program research (including stem cell research) during the last 20 years, involving multiple tests in space shuttles.
NASA found that specific magnetic fields increased stem cell growth and NASA found the exact magnetic field that optimizes stem cell growth up to 4 fold and increased about 120 tissue growth and regeneration genes.
Introducing this exact magnetic field to the human body is likewise expected to stimulate production of stem cells. This stimulation would allow the body to perform rapid 'self repair' not only in local tissues but also in the whole body.
Working with NASA, MIT and the University of N. Carolina, Dr. Bob Dennis, Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, has completed development of a sophisticated, portable, miniaturized medical device the size of an iPod that you place on your body using the NASA signal as the base. Dr Dennis is the inventor on the NASA patent issued after the NASA research and later acquired the rights from NASA to market the technology.
Based on his long research history he improved on the original PEMF signal and developed a new device, the Stempulse.
The Stempulse quickly eliminates or significantly reduces painful inflammation & stimulates tissue healing, fully supporting the body's inherent healing abilities while optimizing nutrient transport.
Stempulse Description
The Stempulse was designed as a unique device to provide complete portability by using extreme miniaturization of the electronics while at the same time delivering a strong and reliable magnetic signal. The 2 coil system also enhances the effectiveness of the magnetic signal and compares to other magnetic device designs commonly used in research.
The intensity of the Stempulse is similar to many prior PEMF devices being used in clinics or home environments. But, it has the major advantage of allowing people to be free to move about during daily activities or for treatment even all night. Most other PEMF devices either treat portions of the body or the whole body at one treatment setting, for short periods of time, 8 to 30 minutes, and often have limited cell stimulation capacity. The Stempulse is able to run continuously as long as the battery allows with an amazing filed intensity considering the size of the package. All this a result of amazing NASA research.
The Stempulse is small enough to fit comfortably in a pocket or under/over any wrap or bandage. It can be used to treat specific body parts like organs, joints, teeth, eyes, etc. up to and beyond 24 hours a day continuously, if needed.
The small applicator rings are only two inches in diameter and can be placed on either side of a body part, for example, the knee. This stimulation supports the body to work to possibly rebuild the joint over a period of months. It begins working the very first day and, based on the NASA research, is expected to stimulate the body to grow stem cells used to rebuild the parts of the body being stimulated. It would also be expected to stimulate circulating stem cells as well. These stem cells can then be available to go to other parts of the body for enhancing healing and regeneration.
Even though the coils will be placed over a specific area needing treatment, that is, any part of the body, treatment will still benefit the entire body in that any stem cells produced will be used throughout the body, not just at that specific place of application.
The Stempulse can be thought of as a tiny, high tech, thin box, half the thickness of a cigarette pack, with two small wires extending two feet out with 2 two inch diameter rings at the end of each wire.
This device replaces equipment that can cost anywhere from $5000 up to $30000 dollars, but only costs a fraction of that amount, making it affordable for most people, especially considering its health benefits. The value of daily treatment amounts to a cost of pennies a day.
The meaning of Stem
The 1st part of the word Stempulse was chosen because the word "stem" comes from the Greek ????, meaning "body". It can refer to the entire body of an organism or the body of an individual as contrasted with the mind or psyche. Stem also commonly refers to the cell body of a nerve cell. This is the portion of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus.
With the word stem, I am also referring to whole areas. These whole areas may be the entire body, an entire organ, an entire tissue, an entire cell, or an entire metabolic process. That means that these PEMFs affect the body in many layers and levels, down to the level of the atom.
PEMFs stimulate all the levels of the body. They are externally applied, penetrating all the way through a body, even through clothing, bandages, braces, etc. They are extraordinarily dynamic in stimulating the body at all of its levels.
During the healing process, we affect the physics of the body or cells first, then this affects the chemistry of the body, then as a result, the tissue. It takes time to achieve benefits at the tissue level. If a problem in the body exists at the energy level, i.e. the physics level, then results can happen dramatically and very quickly. Normally, however, problems are layered with much more complexity. That means that in any given problem and body, you will have all three layers involved, and needing stimulation. So, stimulation happens as physics first, then chemistry, then what we notice last, the tissue. The physics level will respond quickly, within minutes to hours. The chemistry level will respond in days to weeks, and the tissue level will respond in weeks to years, depending on the regeneration capacity/cycling of that tissue and the level of damage.
The focus of the Stempulse, is to provide stimulation from the physics level, affecting chemistry all throughout the tissues of a body.
Since stem includes the whole body and everything within, if you touch a piece or part of the body, the whole perceives that touch. Any experience within a part of the whole affects the whole. As a result, PEMFs applied to any part of the body still indirectly affect the whole body.
Therefore, the Stempulse, is a PEMF system, employing dynamic, pulsating electromagnetic fields that are strong enough and with enough of the right frequencies and signal form to positively and significantly affect the stem from the level seen with the eye or felt, down to the atomic level, effectively always in a positive direction.
History of the Stempulse
This new American-developed technology is the result of scientific research and development that evolved from programs funded by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in the 1990?s. Dr. Robert Dennis was the design engineering and biophysics consultant to the NASA program that I asked for this device to be developed and tested and he has continued to further develop the technology under an exclusive sub-license of the NASA patent. After more than 15 years of research and development of the PEMF technology, radical design enhancements, and several new patents beyond the original NASA research, this technology is now being introduced for use with both humans and animals.
This technology has been shown to create nerve stem cell fiber growth in culture and to double the rate of production of ECM (extracellular matrix – the connective structure between cells) in at least two scientific studies. Testing has shown significant reduction in joint pain within a few days to weeks when used as directed.
Uniqueness of Stempulse PEMF Technology
Uniform cell stimulation
The Stempulse device uses a roughly uniform magnetic field in the tissue where it is applied and then carefully controls the rapid changes in the magnetic field to induce the desired electrical field in that same volume of tissue. It therefore uniformly stimulates all cells in the affected volume with roughly equivalent electromotive force on the ions in and around cells. This uniform stimulation was considered necessary to be able to mimic the effects of natural stresses on the tissues. These natural stresses stimulate ion flows among cells and through channels in the extracellular matrix, the ground substance of the body.
Energy approaches to treatment in medicine and research typically use electrical stimulation. Stimulation by the Stempulse system is much more uniform in the body and among cells than electrical stimulation. With electrical stimulation there is a "lightning bolt" path of overstimulated cells, therefore harming some cells while not providing treatment for many others. Instead, all cells in the Stempulse magnetic field receive a nearly uniform level of stimulation, just as they would during natural mechanical stress, which is normally relied upon to initiate healing responses.
No electrodes, non-invasive
Electrical stimulation often requires the need to implant electrodes, usually necessary for electrically stimulating bone and wounds. Electrostimulation is often used in acupuncture, physical therapy and chiropractic therapy. The Stempulse device uses absolutely no electrodes and is completely non-invasive.
Tissue subjected to minimum stress
Because the Stempulse device simulates ion flow from a simulated mechanical stress without actually applying mechanical stress, the tissue does not get subjected to additional stresses. With severely damaged tissue even low levels of additional stress can reduce function. Also, damaged tissues cannot properly handle their mechanical stress in a helpful way to elicit a functional adaptive response. This is probably why some serious injuries just don't heal completely: they are no longer able to respond enough to generate regeneration at the cell level. These healing responses also change with age, making it more difficult to get sufficient regeneration with increasing age beyond early adult hood.
And so, the Stempulse induces ion flux in and around cells with a response as though the tissue were intact and healthy, even if the tissue is badly damaged.
Safe, low-power system
The Stempulse device gives off very low levels of power because the system is uniform and well controlled in the volume of the tissue to be stimulated. It is optimized to stimulate at low power output levels. In fact, the output is only about 350 milliwatts or about a third of the power of a typical cell phone.
Pulse output tuned to be truly effective
Finally, the Stempulse is fundamentally different from other suppliers of magnetic pulse devices. While the NASA research was done in the 1990?s, Dr. Dennis has done extensive additional physiologic and bioengineering research since. Stempulse is likely the only device that has an actually calculated and tuned magnetic pulse profile to induce electrical fields that make sense physiologically to the cells being stimulated. The Stempulse device does not simply send out pulses of arbitrary duration, intensity, frequency or shape. The pulse intensity and duration are carefully selected based on intensity (Rheobase) and duration (Chrona, ie, time) measurements and the repeating patterns of pulses selected are based on known motor-neuron stimulation patterns for musculoskeletal tissues. Both fast-twitch (power) and slow-twitch (postural) muscular and tissue activity are copied. Musculoskeletal stimulation also effects all the cells around it. The same level of stimulation will also affect all the solid organs. The hollow organs are likewise stimulated, since they mostly comprise smooth muscle.
A variety of cell types are activated, and within cells several different pathways may be activated. Cells in structural tissues (bone, tendon, ligament, muscle, cartilage) seem to be stimulated to activate growing stem cells in the tissue being stimulated, and these cells go on to begin the regenerative process by making proteins that build the tissue extracellular matrix. This has been known since the research at NASA in the late 1990s.
More recently it has been shown clearly by other investigators that PEMFs closely related to the Stempulse signal protocols influence inflammation. The effect is very prompt and can be very dramatic. This results in clamping down on undesirable chronic inflammation, and for acute injuries the effects of PEMF seem to include a dramatic, massive and sometimes persistent reduction of edema and pain. For chronic injuries the mechanisms of pain reduction may also include nervous system feedback loops that are currently being studied with Dr Dennis's colleagues at UNC.
Principles of Operation
There's more information in the science section about other aspects of the development of the StemPulse, the NASA research and PEMFs and Dr. Dennis's research.
Patented technology to accelerate tissue healing
The Stempulse technology, originally invented for NASA, employs a carefully designed sequence of magnetic pulses programmed to provide a Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (PEMF) around a volume of tissue that is experiencing pain or to assist in the healing process. The Stempulse is designed to safely promote healing in muscle, tendon, ligament, skin, and bone tissues. These tissues make up more than 75% of the weight of the body of animals and humans. It is common that in one or more of these tissues debilitating injury and pain need to be corrected.
The Stempulse is unique because it is based on the physics of electricity and magnetism as well as the physiology of cells and tissues. StemPulse signal is covered by several patents, including the original patent issued by NASA.
Stempulse signal pattern development history
The three stimulation patterns in the Stempulse are based on the stimulation patterns developed over the years for several different applications. Some of this information has been published by the engineer developing the system, some by others, and quite a lot has not been published at all yet. These different types of experiments and applications have driven the understanding of what the best stimulation patterns are likely to be needed mainly for skeletal muscle, with the idea that what is good for skeletal muscle is likely also good for other tissues of the musculoskeletal and neuromotor system. Clinical observations with this PEMF system support this idea.
Different types of experiments and applications were worked on with these signal patterns since 1987.
So, taking Dr. Dennis' experience from about 25 years with all of the above, the most effective and very efficient stimulation patterns were boiled down to three sequences. Experience from these electrical stimulation patterns was then converted to the necessary magnetic field patterns and how the magnetic fields needed to change over time to induce the desired electrical charge within the tissue being stimulated. Then these magnetic field requirements were designed to be generated by the PEMF waveform generator unit to drive the magnetic stimulation coils. It was discovered by testing various waveforms, that a square wave was optimal. But it was not necessarily the most efficient. From an engineering perspective it's almost impossible to generate a true square wave. Therefore, using engineering assessments, an optimized trapezoidal waveform was the result.
From research and experience, it is known that stimulation of muscle will stimulate nerves which stimulates bones and therefore all the intermediately involved cells as well. There are fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Stimulation patterns for both of these types of muscles are necessary to appropriately stimulate all the muscles of the body, or over those areas where the magnetic field is placed.
The three fundamental PEMF stimulation patterns in the StemPulse are:
- Simulated slow twitch for stem cell stimulation and slow twitch tissue and muscle activation and contraction: 5-10 Hz electrical square waves tuned to produce the necessary magnetic field trapezoidal waves between the coils. These primary electrical square waves are single electrical pulses alternating positive -> negative -> positive -> … with a 200 ms delay between each pulse to yield 5 pulses per second, with an effective rate of 10 Hz – the same as used in the NASA stem cell/gene study, alternating polarity.
- simulated fast twitch muscle activation and contraction:Short bursts of electrical square waves, one burst each second, repeating for the duration of the second stimulation pattern (10 minutes). Each burst is comprised of 5 electrical square wave pulses at 100 Hz, then a rest period for 1 second, repeat for the duration (10 minutes). All pulses are unipolar (not alternating polarity as above).
- Exactly the same as #2 above, except with the opposite polarity for the electrical pulses.
All three active settings, that is, settings 1-3, run these three fundamental stimulation patterns, except that setting 3 does not have a rest period.
The Pulse Generator
The pulse generator is the heart of the PEMF System. Under microprocessor control, the pulse generator powers the two coils to transmit pulsed magnetic fields into the area to be stimulated.
Single Output Profile, Simple Operation
Designed to be simple to use, the PEMF has a small number of switches to control the device operation. Turning it on is as easy as slipping the 9-volt battery into its spring-loaded, quick-insertion slot. When you're done, simply select one of the control settings. Also, you could slide the battery out to turn off the device.
Based on the control setting selected, the PEMF automatically controls the management of stimulation periods and rest periods, if any, as selected, and as indicated above. Periods of rest for setting 1 are sometimes preferred, to allow tissues to recover, however the field intensity is half of what it is for programs 2-3.
In settings 1 and 2, the 41 minute cycle repeats automatically as long as the battery is functioning.
When the unit is stimulating the green LED is lit. When at rest, with settings 1 and 2, the orange LED will be lit. With a red light, the device is in stop mode or the power has failed.
The Stempulse – PEMF is an extraordinary pulsed electromagnetic field [PEMF] system that allows portability, flexibility and extraordinary stimulation levels given its portability and battery operation capability. Since it is based on high-level NASA science, regarding stem cell and genetic stimulation, this system offers extraordinary benefits for low-cost and maximum, self use flexibility.
Technical information
|System Information:
|5-10 Hz, 100 Hz
|Maximum intensity:
|80 Gauss per coil, 200 Gauss with coils stacked
|Number of programs:
|Program duration:
|9V battery
|System dimensions:
|Control Box:
|2.5? x 4? x 0.75"
|Coil diameter:
|Coil lengths:
|10 in/.26m
|20 in/.52m
|47 in/1.2m


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House concerts
I love house concerts. I'm just home from playing at one in Mollymook with Mike Dooley. Every house concert I've done is really satisfying as was this one. People are there for the music. They listen and they bring food. Hosts are welcoming and generous. There is something very special about house concerts. I am playing with Fiona Boyes and Ali Penney at a house concert in October in Sussex Inlet - we have played there before - it was an over-full house in a beautiful setting. I would like to play more house concerts :-)
Thanks Julie Fox for these pics.


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Reducing Your Environmental Footprint in the Garden
Switching over to sustainable gardening practices goes a long way to building a garden that you can enjoy, admire and even eat. At the same time, you reduce your environmental footprint, by increasing carbon storage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to plant and animal biodiversity. Here are a few tips to create your sustainable garden:
Plant trees. Planting trees helps to store carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. Trees can also cool your home in summer and let in the winter sun. If you don't have room for trees at your place, volunteer with a local landcare group.
Grow your own organic food. Not only does this help to reduce the distance your food travels before it hits your plate, but it also helps to save water and fossil fuels.
Compost your waste. The less green garden waste and food scraps going into landfill the better, and you get to use the compost in your sustainable garden.
Take responsibility for your gardening practices. Think very carefully before you reach for the bug spray or synthetic fertiliser! So many good, sustainable alternatives exist — use your compost to help feed your plants, and get worms and insects working for you.
Help stop the spread of environmental weeds. Find out what plants have become weeds in your area and, if you have them or they pop up, either get rid of them safely or contain them.
Minimise your use of powered tools. Mowers, blowers and brush-cutters can make life easier, but think about their environmental impact. Buy an energy-efficient mower, mow less often and keep the grass height to about 4 to 5 centimetres — it's better for your sustainable lawn as well.
Start a list of groups of like-minded people you can join or learn from. Local knowledge goes a long way in establishing sustainable practices.
Get the kids into sustainable gardening. At home, at school or in the community, if kids learn the right way from the beginning, they're sure to keep gardening sustainably into the future.
Only use renewable resources in the garden. Check the source of gardening materials, and make sure you reuse, recycle and renew. Think about where your pavers, sleepers and mulch come from and how they're manufactured.
Create a haven with a diverse range of plants. Not only do you help increase plant biodiversity, but you also provide a habitat for animals, beneficial insects and birds.
Build your garden for the future, not for fashion. Make your garden climate-friendly and water-wise. Understand your environment, weather patterns and the plants that thrive where you live, not what the magazines dictate.


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Photography by Nadia
|Photography by Nadia offers wedding photography in a modern and fresh style. Located in Edmonton, we also do destination wedding photography.
|Contact Information:
Nadia Melnycky
|Web URL:
|www.photographybynadia.ca [go]
Portfolio: [show full size images show images thumbnails]
click to view image details
Location, Area of Coverage & Pricing:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Other Edmonton, Alberta wedding photographer(s)
Location map not available. Please call the studio for location information
|Area of Coverage:
|Airdrie, Athabasca, Banff, Barrhead, Beaverlodge, Bow Island, Breton, Brooks, Calgary, Camrose, Canmore, Cardston, Claresholm, Cochrane, Cold Lake, Coronation, Crowsnest, Drayton Valley, Drumheller, Edmonton, Edson, Esther, Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray, Garden Creek, Grande Cache, Grande Prairie, Hendrickson Creek, High Level, High River, Highvale, Hinton, Jasper, Kananaskis (Nakiska Ridgetop), Lac La Biche, Lacombe, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Mildred Lake, Milk River, Nordegg, Okotoks, Onefour, Peace River, Pincher Creek, Red Deer, Red Earth Creek, Rocky Mountain House, Slave Lake, Sousa Creek, Stavely, Stettler, Stony Plain, Strathmore, Suffield, Sundre, Taber, Three Hills, Vauxhall, Vegreville, Wainwright, Waterton Park, Westlock, Wetaskiwin, Whitecourt, Willow Creek
|Price Range:
|$1500-$1999, $2000-$2999, over $3000
Wedding Vendors Directory
|Wedding Rental Providers Wedding Planners and Consultants Decorators DJs, Bands, Music Providers Limousines and other Transportation Bartenders Cakes and Chocolatiers Catering and Beverages Wedding Dresses Other Wedding Apparel Shows - Bridal/Wedding Beauty, Hair & Makeup Dance Instructors Ceremony Locations Flowers and Florists Gift Registries Invitations - Stationaries and Websites Jewellery Other Wedding Related Officiators Videographers Receptions - Reception Halls, Cruises, Yachts


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Relay For Life of WWU - "The Walking Cure" Zombie Pub Crawl - Walk to Fight Cancer
STARTS at MCKAY'S TAPHOUSE @6PM
ENDS at ASLAN BREWING CO.
Get out your best zombie gear, and head out to join the "Walking Cure!" Wrist bands featuring local pubs and breweries will be for sale starting September 15th. Each wrist band is $35, and gets you one free beer at each sponsored location, and a t-shirt from the first annual "Walking Cure!"


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Replace your stock incandescent fuse bulbs with bright white LEDs. Each pull roughly 1 watt of power instead of 8 watts for stock bulbs. *Not a Genuine Honda product.
Vehicle Applications
2008-2015 Accord (4 bulbs required)
2012-2014 CR-V (2 bulbs required)
2015 CR-V (4 bulbs required)
2010-2014 Crosstour (4 bulbs required)
2011-2015 Odyssey (4 bulbs required)
2009-2015 Pilot (4 bulbs required)
Installation Instructions
Additional Product Notes
When installing make sure power is off first. This will prevent an electrical short. This bulb is polarized. If it does not light up when you install it, take it out, turn it around and reinstall.


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General thoughts about Gardening, Food, Wine, Art, Music, and many other things that come to mind when I'm sitting at my keyboard. For thoughts on theology and literature see my other two blogs.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
When the opportunity came for me to have a garden after more than 13 years of living in a Sydney home unit, one plant near the top of my wish list was the Grevillea.
I'd grown a very successful Robyn Gordon many years before and was so impressed with it that Grevilleas became my favourite species of native plant.
My garden now has many different types of Grevillea but unfortunately the larger flowered types like the Robyn Gordon do not survive well due to the heavy winter frosts. As well as the Robyn Gordon I tried similar plants such as "Coconut Ice" and "Ned Kelly" before I realised that the conditions just weren't suitable.
I still have one very impressive, leafy "Ned Kelly" in the backyard. It barely survived last winter and had to be cut back severely in early spring to remove the frost damage; but eventually recovered well. Now as winter approaches again I'm nervous and don't hold much hope for it. It is very susceptible to frost burn when the frosts are heavy, and our temperatures can drop to -6.
While it is now a very attractive bush, it has never given a good display of flowers. At the most we've had a short spell with one or two, but most of the time it's had nothing but leaves. But that seems to have been a problem with a lot of our Grevilleas. They are often described as being long-flowering plants but ours, if they flower at all, do so for only brief periods.
My "Coconut Ice" clings to life in my native "bonsai" garden near the front fence-line. While it hasn't been affected by frost (it is sheltered by some kind of Melaleuca) its roots have been restricted by the concrete-like clay that lies under the raised garden bed. Nothing has thrived in that particular bed, and the "Coconut Ice" demonstrates its distaste for its home by refusing to flower.
This week I have noticed that several Grevilleas have started to bud. They are the sharp leaved types like the G. Rosmarinifolia. One is near our front windows. It is one of the few existing plants that we kept after we moved in. At the time it was a tiny specimen that seemed to have self-sprouted in a crack in the concrete garden edging. It has now grown into one of the most robust plants we have and when flowering is a favourite of the Red Wattle birds.
The pride of our Grevillea collection is the Bulli Princess, a plant that was discovered at the Bulli Grevillea Park near Wollongong. Ours has been here for less than a year so I am concerned about its chance of survival over winter. It is now over two metres in height and about the same in diameter, so it's a bit too big to shield with plastic. There is a photo of a "Princess" flower in my article "Gardening Progress"; however the photo does not do the it justice. The photo was taken at the Bulli Grevillea Park. Our plant has so far joined ranks with my other Grevilleas in being stingy with its flowering. To date we've had only one flower from it.
The experts at the park seem confident that it won't be affected too badly by frost. They know of one growing in Canberra where the climate is very similar to ours. But then again, survival can also depend on which part of a garden the plant is growing in. Some parts of our garden seem to be more protected from the cold than others.
Grevilleas in my Garden:
Bulli Princess; Fireworks (x2) Poorinda Peter; Longistyla; Ned Kelly; John Evans; Rosmarinifolia "Nana" (x3); Unknown Rosmarinifolia; Coconut Ice; Lady O; Amethyst; Scarlet Sprite;.
There are two more whose names elude me. For some reason the name Molongolo comes to mind for one, which is a very dull rust colour with absolutely no vibrancy. The other is one of the "woolly" Grevilleas; I think a type of "Lanigera". The latter are quite common in nurseries around this area so I'll be able to check the name next time I go plant shopping.
1 comment:
Hi. Wondering if you might help us solve a mystery? We planted 11 grafted Grevillea longistyla belle along our eastern garden fence. They did very well for approx 15 months but every few months one will simply die. The die offs began in summer and are occuring in an ordered fashion - the first in the centre of the row and then plants to left left slowly dying. The soil has been tested and is fine. We fertilise the lawn adjacent to the plants and thought that may be killing them but the sequence that the plants are dying in has us perplexed. We live in St. Leonards, victoria - a coastal town on Port Philip Bay, we do not experience frost.
- 7:16 am


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Tag Archives: Dire straits
Break it off with your significant other with this playlist
It's "love and hate" week at RIFF. We've taken on the theme of Valentine's Day to talk about both sides of love. Today. we asked our writers, photographers and editors about their favorite breakup songs. Additionally,…


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HirePlanner at Slush Tokyo
April 10, 2018
HirePlanner was honored to participate in the #pitch contest organized by #Slush Tokyo this March 2018 in Tokyo Big Site. Selected among 300 companies, we had the opportunity to promote our Japanese HR Recruiting platform #HirePlanner.com to a great crowd of entrepreneurs and investors. Fantastic event and great experience for everyone looking for innovation and interested in disrupting the market!


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Aardman Animations and StudioCanal have premiered the first teaser trailer for "Early Man," their new prehistoric animated comedy adventure starring the voices of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall, Richard Ayoade, Selina Griffiths and Johnny Vegas.
Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of courageous caveman hero Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his best friend Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his Bronze Age City to save their home.
Nick Park ("Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ," "Chicken Run") helms the film which opens in UK cinemas on January 26th 2018.


text: commit b80b4c328a74f1d0c2f262272a7170d10546d957 Author: Matthew Dillon <dillon at apollo.backplane.com> Date: Thu Aug 12 18:20:41 2010 -0700 kernel - Fix pty clone vnode leak * Any cloned devfs device (vn, tap, ptmx primarily) was leaving an extra vref on the related vnode, preventing the vnode from being recycled. This was due to devfs called vop_stdopen() but forgetting that vop_stdopen() will load the file pointer (fp), which devfs was also loading. All devfs really needs to do is to replace fp->f_ops. Reported-by: swildner Summary of changes: sys/vfs/devfs/devfs_vnops.c | 13 +++++++++---- 1 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) http://gitweb.dragonflybsd.org/dragonfly.git/commitdiff/b80b4c328a74f1d0c2f262272a7170d10546d957 -- DragonFly BSD source repository


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For all of our brides in the midst of planning, we wanted to remind you not to forget about yourself and your health! With so much pressure leading up to the wedding, it can be easy to let stress overtake your wellness. We have guest blogger Andrea here from Luminous Body and Wellness to give you some tips on ways to be your most beautiful and healthy self on the big day:
Invest in your canvas: Makeup is a finishing touch, not a solution. Healthy skin is the foundation for a beautiful and natural look. Begin skincare treatments 3-6 months in advance and develop a relationship with a skin care therapist to avoid unexpected breakouts, reactions to products, or a dry and flaky look with your makeup application. If you haven't received a skin analysis in quite awhile, now is a good time to get started with a skin care regimen specifically for your individual needs.
If you are going to work out, do it right! All too often I see women working out with incorrect form. Lifting weights in an unhealthy way can bulk up the very muscles you wish to see lengthen. If you want sculpted arms and elegant posture for your strapless gown… Work with a trusted expert to guide you through your fitness routine properly.
Take a time out to relieve tension and stress. Most people don't realize the effects that stress can have on your body and your skin. It's common for brides to experience high levels of stress throughout their planning process which can result in red, inflamed, and blotchy looking skin... not to mention feeling frustration instead of the enjoyment of getting married. Even a few short stress-relieving treatments can bring your focus back to what is really important, ease tension, and result in a much more relaxed experience leading up to your wedding day.
A former dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, Andrea is located in the city but also does home visits. She even offers special bridal packages, so if your bridal party would enjoy a beauty and relaxation themed bachelorette party, or if you know a bride you'd like to treat, you can email Andrea at:
Photo Credits: noelbass.com, Luminous Body & Wellness


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- Latest Industry Standards
- Professionally Trained Team
- Residential service
- Performed by Qualified Professionals
Reducing unexpected surprises
When it comes to Acrylic Blocks in Jackson Center, OH, you have to be informed to come up with the very best decisions. You won't want to go in blindly, and you will need to know what to expect. You won't need to encounter any sort of unexpected surprises when you choose Acrylic Block Guys. The first step will be to contact us at 888-400-5746 to arrange your job. We will reply to all your questions and concerns and arrange your initial meeting. Our team will show up at the arranged time with the necessary materials, and will work together with you during the entire undertaking.
When you'd like Acrylic Blocks in Jackson Center, Wyoming, work with Acrylic Block Guys
When you find yourself planning a project for Acrylic Blocks in Jackson Center, OH, you will find great reasons to prefer Acrylic Block Guys. Our supplies are of the very best quality, our money saving practices are helpful and effective, and our client satisfaction ratings are unparalleled. We're available to serve you with the greatest competence and practical knowledge in the market. Whenever you need Acrylic Blocks in Jackson Center, get in touch with Acrylic Block Guys at 888-400-5746, and we are going to be more than happy to help.


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2016 has been phenomenal, despite the dry season our approach to sustainable wine grape growing has ensured this harvest was overflowing with great fruit quality. The season was challenging, a result of prolonged dry periods and a warm December but we had few days above 40oC and then a much needed rain event came late in January. This was the turning point of our vintage, as the exhausted vineyards inhaled the relief of 48mm of rain, the vines were now set, absorbing the light to bring on the flavours and textures to see way for another great harvest.
60% Grenache, 40% Mataro with each variety vinified separately. This process is to ensure each wine component is picked, vinified and matured using techniques tailored to the specific grape variety. The two vineyards, Gnadenfrei Grenache (15% whole bunch) and Stonewell Mataro were blended 10 days before bottling.


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By Gerhard Hope www.constructionweekonline.com
The proposed Doha Metro, an essential part of Qatar's infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup, faces major scheduling challenges due to the tight timeframe, says Hyder Consulting regional rail director Geoff Leffek.
The World Cup deadline has specific timeframe implications for rail projects planned for Qatar. "From what we understand, the big issue at the moment is the scheduling," says Leffek.
"The programme is very ambitious, and there is a clear deadline that nobody is going to be able to miss. You have got some very complex engineering, as you effectively have three very big networks.
"That is going to affect the way the work is procured almost certainly, because we have heard that they need to tender these contracts almost immediately. It is all coming up very quickly," says Leffek.
Another major challenge is logistics, as "the vast majority of labour and material will need to be imported. I suspect that with the explicit support of the government, a lot of these issues will fall away, but some will not and will have to be dealt with."
Leffek says "the biggest challenge is going to be in the CBD of Doha, in squeezing in all of the proposed metro into a densely-urbanised area."
He says many of the multiple lines in the CBD will be tunneled, "sticking as I understand it pretty much to the boundaries of the roads above. It just adds another layer of complexity that, if you add the tight schedule, makes that, to my mind, the biggest challenge of that particular project."
Leffek says the Dubai Metro is a good benchmark for the Doha Metro. "I am not a geologist, but I understand that Doha is the same as Dubai geologically.
"The issue they found here [in Dubai] was that the TBM (tunnel boring machine) tunnelling was very fast. It was almost too fast, as they were struggling to deliver the precast segments that make up the rings fast enough to feed the TBM.
"Thus I think the tunnelling itself, once the TBMs are in the ground and drilling, will probably be fairly straightforward. The big expense and the major complexity is getting the station boxes in, and to launch and receive those TBMs. This involves some very deep structures and multiple lines coming into some of the stations."
Leffek adds that, "again, these are not new issues," and points out that Qatar can draw on the Dubai Metro experience as well as other recent global projects such as the Gautrain in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He does add a note of caution, however: "We think of 2022 as being quite a long way away, but you are talking about a large number of very big projects, and all of them happening simultaneously."
Leffek says he does not know "how developed those designs are [for Qatar's rail projects]. DBI Design [an Australian engineering consultancy] is doing the concept design for the network at the moment. I have seen a lot of computer-generated drawings."


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Less is more when choosing digital ecosystems!/
Good article to review and ponder how you're organizing your digital life.
How to Survive the Next Wave of Technology Extinction
Here's a couple thoughts:
The author highlights five behemoths, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Nice that he ordered them alphabetically to not show favoritism. Me, I'd drop Amazon and Facebook off the list entirely. Why? One word... Email. Still the killer app to which all else in a real ecosystem must tie without being on the website or running a site-specific app.
What about Yahoo? Interesting that Yahoo isn't on his list and without them having an iCloud, Google Docs, SkyDrive type component, I guess I can't argue for them as a good ecosystem either. Too bad, I remember when Yahoo used to be somebody.
Picking a digital ecosystem is important. Having as few ecosystems as possible is better than more. Why? It is easier to properly secure less points of attack than more. Consequently, those ecosystems that provide the broadest range of utility are better than those that require yet more utilities to satisfy your digital lifestyle needs.
I disagree with the prioritization of iOS over Android if you're going to recommend Google services. iOS is great hardware, obviously, but iOS is no longer superior in any way to Android. More apps? Some apps come out for iOS before Android? Perhaps, but per my first point, fewer ecosystems, hence apps is better for productive and secure use. If you are a hardcore Apple user with a Mac and use Apple specific apps, then you're already disregarding Google services, so iOS at that point makes perfect sense.
I completely agree that Amazon is the way to go for media. Books, movies, TV shows, with these last two tied into Amazon Prime for free shipping. No brainer.
Given how Amazon purposely breaks your ability to fully use Google services on their Kindle Fire line of tablets, steer clear. I've been very disappointed in how many things family members who have the Fire, one of which I bought for them, can't do with their device. Save a little more money and spring for the Nexus 10 or 7 to get ALL the power of Google with pure Android.
DrobBox and Evernote are great apps, but again I'd argue that you can get the same utility of these services without adding them to Apple, Google or Microsoft ecosystems.
I'm very interested in other's thoughts, even fanboys! :-)


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University showcases Degree Apprenticeships at annual show
Staff from the University of Wolverhampton Apprenticeship Hub will be showcasing the benefits of Degree Apprenticeships at the annual Apprenticeship Show at the International Centre, Telford, in March.
The Apprenticeship Show is taking place at the International Centre in Telford on Thursday 16th March, showcasing a range of career and training opportunities available across Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire and the wider West Midlands.
The University has sponsored the event which has been organised by Telford & Wrekin Council and the British Army following its success last year.
The University will join more than 60 of the biggest local and national employers and education providers to showcase the wide range of apprenticeships on offer in the region, including Degree Apprenticeships.
Michele Roberts, Head of the University's Apprenticeship Hub, said: "School pupils have been invited to the event to help them make their career decisions, but this event is not just for young people.
"There is no longer an upper age limit for apprenticeships. The University is committed to working with employers and other partners to increase access to Degree Apprenticeships across the Black Country and beyond, providing fantastic opportunities for people who wish to gain a degree whilst working whilst at the same time creating employment and contributing to economic growth in the region."
Councillor Gilly Reynolds, Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Employment & Regeneration said: "Apprenticeships have recently become much more popular with both employers and apprentices alike. For employers, it gives them the opportunity to grow their business and nurture their future workforce. For the apprentice, it gives them a non-academic route into a chosen career.
"The Apprenticeship Show is a great opportunity to apply for or find out about the hundreds of opportunities available."
The University of Wolverhampton's £500,000 investment in a new Apprenticeship Hub, which includes a funding contribution of over £150,000 from the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), is part of the University's ambitious Our Vision: Your Opportunity strategy which will see a £250 million investment over five years in support of economic growth.
The Apprenticeship Hub provides a one-stop destination for employers, parents and apprentices, providing access to valuable resources and support, including details on available Apprenticeship programmes covering a wide variety of trades and professions.
For more details about the Telford event and registration check out the Apprenticeship Show web page.
The Apprenticeship Hub team will also be attending the National Apprenticeship Event at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th March 2017 and the Skills and Apprenticeship Show at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Tuesday 4th April 2017.
Picture Caption: From left to right Ab Dean Hartlebury, Royal Navy, Michelle Roberts from the Apprenticeship Hub at the University of Wolverhampton, Kim Hodgetts, Telford & Wrekin Council, Paul O'Neil, Marches Skills Provider Network (MSPN) and Ssgt Mickey Bushell, British Army.
For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.
Date Issued: 6th February 2017
For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.


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by Chris Durst Dec. 7, 2016
Here, at Rat Race Rebellion, we receive many queries from people who have great administrative support skills but who aren't sure how to find a work from home job that will enable them to leverage their expertise.
We list a number of options on our BIG LIST of Work from Home Jobs so it's a great starting point. To round out that list, this post will direct you to 12 sites where you use those administrative skills you've worked so hard to perfect!
With Clara, the emphasis is on scheduling so, if you are very organized and great at making sure everyone is where they need to be when they need to be there, this may be for you.
The work is done mostly via email so this is a non-phone job!
Pay is about $15/hour once you get "in the groove" and are able to work efficiently.
In their words:
"Clara is a virtual assistant product that saves customers hours a week and tons of cognitive load. Customers copy Clara on emails initiating meetings, and Clara schedules the meetings. Clara's promise to the customer includes high accuracy, fast response time to requests, and a socially aware service that deals with scheduling complexity elegantly.
While customers interact with Clara as a single entity, on the back end Clara is a software platform that empowers humans – Clara Remote Assistants – to process scheduling requests correctly and efficiently. CRAs process customer requests within the Clara software, follow established Clara protocol found in our knowledge base and utilize their excellent English communication skills and scheduling experience."
Click here for more about Clara.
Virtual Gal Friday
Hiring, but so many people were NOT following the application process they have asked to have the link removed.
Worldwide 101
Hiring assistants in North America, Europe & Australia
In their words:
"Worldwide101's team of talented professionals has left behind the daily commute for the advantages of working virtually. For some its about having a more flexible schedule, or the freedom to spend winter somewhere warm, or the variety of working with multiple clients. As a business-class Virtual Assistant, you'll play the rewarding role of supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners with a wide range of tasks, helping them to succeed, and freeing them up to focus on growing their business.
Sound appealing? If you have a strong professional background in administration, customer service, marketing, or project management, an interest in learning new skills, & a stable home-office environment we'd love to hear from you."
Click here for more about Worldwide 101.
Hiring US-based virtual assistants.
In their words:
"eaHELP, the leading virtual assistant provider in the United States and an INC 500 Company, is recreating what "work" looks like with a third option. We successfully embrace a 100% remote work place. We've been partnering with hundreds of skilled, service-minded VA's for more than five years. Thanks to the service our team of VA's give to their clients, we are able to celebrate with our clients the incredible work they've been freed up to do thanks to their VA's.
If this sounds like the perfect place to spend your workday, we would love to talk to you about becoming part of our world class team!"
Click here for more about eaHelp.
Time etc.
In their words:
"If you're a full time freelancer or if you're just looking to earn extra money from your skills, freelancing with Time etc really makes sense.
Whatever your skill-set, freelancing through Time etc can deliver regular ongoing work – as much or as little as you are happy to do.
Unlike other marketplaces there is no overseas competition and no bidding to secure jobs. Instead there is a guaranteed, fixed, hourly rate matched to your skills."
Click here for more about Time etc.
Fancy Hands
In their words:
"We're currently hiring people to work as assistants for thousands of very discerning users of this site. If you have fast internet connection and the ability to use common websites and software, this could be a lot of fun. We're looking for smart people who want to help build a great company and get paid. Keep reading if you're interested. Are you good on the phone and great at internet research? This could be the perfect position for you."
Click here for more about Fancy Hands.
24/7 Virtual Assistant
In their words:
"Our Human Resource Department will go through your resume as soon as it comes through . If we have an immediate client need that matches your skill sets, we will contact you right away. If not, we will keep your resume on file and contact you when we have a need that matches your skills to see if you are available at that time. Average pay for a US virtual assistant is between $10-$12 per hour and it depends on VA's skill level and client's requirement. 90% of the time, clients are looking for part time VA's which ranges from 20-120 hours a month."
Click here for more about 24/7 Virtual Assistant.
Vicky Virtual Receptionists
In their words:
"Our clients are busy, small business owners who hire us to handle their phone calls and treat their customers the way they would.
Our job is to answer those phone calls, and do what we can to be helpful, and turn those callers into loyal customers and raving fans of the businesses we serve.
If you decide to join our team, you will be handling phone calls (from your home, through your computer and a headset) for multiple businesses throughout the day, assisting callers with questions and booking appointments, and performing basic receptionist duties.
Compensation: $10/Hour"
Click here to learn more about Vicky Virtual Receptionists.
Red Butler
In their words:
"Join the leading executive virtual assistant and travel service provider, Red Butler. Help people around the world see more, do more and be more."
Click here for more about Red Butler.
Surplus Hands
In their words:
"If you're a full time free freelancer or looking to earn extra money from your skills, then Surplus Hands is the place to work. From your very first day, we connect you and guide you with tips and advice to help you become successful. Want some extra income? Go for it. Want to take charge of your future? You can make it happen. There's no pressure and no quotas, only unlimited potential. Work hard and your earnings can increase exponentially—for life.
Surplus Hands is currently seeking US and Canada based applications only."
Click here for more about Surplus Hands.
In their words:
"Vasumo is dedicated to creating a revolutionary virtual assistant company full of talented, enthusiastic people who enjoy coming to work every day. We are really passionate about helping our clients achieve success and find their work and life balance. We love our work and we have fun doing it."
In their words:
"Equivity is on the lookout for virtual assistants that are resourceful, detail-oriented, proactive and extremely organized. Equivity is a team of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of our clients so that they can focus on their priorities. Our virtual assistants take initiative and develop creative solutions that help our clients achieve these goals.
What we do at Equivity: Equivity simplifies the lives of our clients by providing personal assistant and administrative assistant services virtually. You may be providing much needed organization to a client's life by scheduling appointments, managing a personal calendar, or planning the perfect vacation. You may be helping an executive with online research, document formatting and proofing, or finding a restaurant for a client meeting.
The job: We are looking for virtual assistants available to work part-time that are available from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday to Friday. As a virtual assistant, you can work entirely from home."
Click here for more about Equivity.
PLEASE SHARE this post – turn your friends into Rat Race Rebels!


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Accredited ATAS contributors click on here for access to the safe enterprise help area. Airline consolidators , tour operators , and other varieties of travel consolidators and wholesalers are excessive volume gross sales firms focusing on selling to area of interest markets 17 They might or might not provide various varieties of services, at a single point of entry.
Within the 24 hour period, the journey agency can cancel the entire segments within the PNR and the transaction might be positioned on a queue to be labored within the Frontier Airways system for a refund to the unique credit card form of payment.
The actions of a tour operator and travel company shall be carried out at a everlasting centre of operation which is to be open to the public at specified hours. Travel Brokers Have Charges That You Don't – Journey agents are aware about particular flight costs, special resort and cruise cabin rates that consumers won't ever discover on-line themselves. To register with Spirit and have entry to booking utilizing our Travel Agent portal, accredited agencies must full the Company Registration web page (see the tab above).
Any traveler can use the Frontier Report Locator and Buyer Final Title to entry the Handle Travel section of to purchase advance seat assignments. GDS integration has turn out to be inevitable for travel business as a result of via this know-how, the agent will get consolidated inventories of all the GDS listed airways. Finest for Vantage Deluxe World Travel is finest for world travelers, frequent vacationers, teams and solo vacationers. Many skilled to turn out to be specialists in numerous travel merchandise — journey, multigenerational/group, cruise, luxurious. IATA accreditation: IATA accreditation offers businesses with a Sales Agency Agreement and a TIDS number that authorizes gross sales of worldwide and domestic airline tickets. If you are a startup company and Non IATA, then you possibly can go for non GDS travel software or B2B2C methods.
Seamless transfers: Making the transfer from onshore accommodations to a cruise ship can eat up virtually a complete day, but a journey agent takes care of the hassle by arranging journey to the port at the proper time. SmartPay discounts: When people pay for his or her trip in full in advance of their journey date, they receive a reduction. That is vital information that our journey company partners want to provide help to our mutual customer, the Frontier Airways traveler. Not solely will you get monetary savings by utilizing a web-based travel company, additionally, you will get completely different offers which might be solely obtainable online.


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Do you often feel torn between the pet charity projects of employees, associates, and vendors?
Do you wonder how to stem the tide of throwing money at multiple charities in an effort to please everyone?
Do you feel unable to say "no" to the competing interests? When you do say "yes," do you wonder how much it really counts?
Avoid offending or turning off potential customers, vendors, and business associates by saying "no" to their pet charity project. Identifying a philanthropic initiative that makes sense for your business and for your market will rule out 90% of solicitations from the start.
"Lisa's knowledge of the non-profit industry is beyond powerful and yet she has the gentle hand to make it all far less intimidating. I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking to grow their business visibility as well as staff and community engagement through philanthropic endeavors.
She owns the knowledge, the connections, and the passion to produce a home run on the first pitch." – Bill Duffy, Retail/Restaurant Executive
Would you recognize a controversial nonprofit program before they made an inopportune partnership? Chili's made that costly mistake recently: http://rodmanassociates.com/2014/04/21/the-best-intentions/
Rodman & Associates applies the same proven strategies you used to make your money to direct your charitable giving: Research, Analysis, Strategy, Action Plans, Implementation, and Evaluation.
Budget constraints? There are lots of options that don't require cash, such as:
- donating meeting space,
- donating product, unused office supplies, or extra inventory,
- professional expertise,
- and cross marketing partnerships
How does your business' efforts get heard above the noise?
Achieve your business goals and elevate your company profile: Rodman & Associates delivers proven practices for making sponsorship and media partnerships a success and provides management and administration for your company's short-term or long-term needs.
"Lisa Rodman has the experience and the connections to aid individual and corporate donors in making strategic alliances with nonprofits and Non-Governmental Organizations from Main Street to the Middle East." – Ambassador Lewis Lucke, U.S. Response Coordinator for the Haiti Earthquake


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By Susan Mudd, Client Marketing Director, Valassis
Published Tuesday, Nov 8, 2016
Picture this -- a tug-of-war contest where the shopper is at the center line. At one end of the rope is the national brand, beautifully packaged and supported by a team of marketers, complete with data, advertising and glittery pom-poms, all cheering on the brand.
On the other end of this tenuous rope is the retailer's private label brand, perhaps not as glamorous, but still in an attractive uniform. Retailers hold on tight to their end but there may be a smaller assembly of supporters on the bench. Nonetheless, the private label brand is a worthy opponent in the struggle to win the rope, and bring the shopper along with it.
But here we are in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) world and, unlike a tug-of-war competition, there really isn't a clear delineation in the sand as shoppers decide between national and private label brands. Rather, the line seems to be getting blurrier by the year as private label brands up their game. With a constant influx of retailer introductions and technology options that strive to improve shopping convenience and move the influence needle, consumers perceive the store brand as a worthy competitor, and loyalty has become harder for CPGs to secure.
Within this consideration set for consumer confidence is loyalty, which has been fluctuating plus or minus 5 points since August, and is currently at 98.6.1 While confidence is up, shoppers still seem reluctant to dive back into the indulgent days of all national brands, all the time. In fact, in 2015, 37 percent of consumers said they were buying more store brands and had less intention of switching back to CPG brands in the future. Millennials are driving some of this, as 70 percent agree that store brands are higher quality than they used to be.2 Retailers are reimagining their brands to look more like national brands, with upscale packaging – consider Safeway O Organics as an example – and a narrowing of the price gap between national and store brands. Retailers are also forging ahead in innovation, especially in the food category, by adding variety and product news to its foundational reputation of discount and value. Private Brand frozen novelties, as an example, has attracted health-conscious consumers away from ice cream and toward healthier options with greater flavor variety and cleaner ingredient lists.
Inflation also fuels the fire for store brands, making up 17 percent of CPG industry dollars.3 While consumers continue to manage their budgets, store brands often win, as many national brands, carrying increased prices due to inflation, make it easier for private brands to entice consumers to purchase. This is particularly true for commodities (trash bags and refrigerated meats, for example). And, product recalls are another example of store brands getting a boost. Since the Tylenol recall in 1982, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented over 20 CPG brand recalls in the United States – this, unfortunately, can lessen brand loyalty and trust.
On the flip-side, national brands have some strategies of their own. Currently, the ultimate tug-of-war strategy and the Achilles heel of the store brand contender is the coupon. Coupons can level the playing field in vulnerable categories where private brands are gaining ground, like K-Cups, olive oils, snacks and salad dressings, which have all seen significant growth over the last three years.4 Saving money and having the best mix of price and quality continue to top the list for choosing a store.5 Regardless of the swinging economic pendulum and ever-changing consumer mindset, leveraging coupons on branded CPG purchases also plays into the consumer desire to be viewed as a smart shopper. In fact, according to The Checkout, 5 Year Trend report, consumers said that buying national brand names, even though they may be similar to the private label alternative, still makes them "feel better" about themselves and report feeling more successful and like they're better homemakers.5 Coupon use is emotionally charged – tapping into the pleasure centers of the brain as they have been for over 100 years.
So what should brands do with this game of strength, weakness and wit? For CPGs, reinforcing the foundation of quality products and messages that truly resonate with the consumer goes a long way, along with brand data and insights that help inform the innovation funnel. Keeping your best player on the rope, the coupon, as a game-changer will continue to help drive the shopper past the proverbial center line of decision. But don't take your eyes off of the private brand contender, which has no intention of letting up – not by a long shot.
1) Wall Street Journal: Consumer Confidence Steps Back in October, Oct 5, 2016;
2) Mintel.com: Nearly Half of US Millennials find store brand food products more innovative than name brands, March 2015#1;
3) IRI: Taking Stock; of CPG Past and Future: Gear Up Now for a Year of Growth, January 2016;
4) Hartbeat Exec: The Premiumization of Private Label, 2016, Volume 6 Issue 2;
5) The Checkout: Five-Year Shopper Evolution, Issue 1, 2016


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My name is Kim Cox. At Glenthorne I am a Teaching Assistant supporting Year 1 and cover PSHE and RE in Years 1 and 2.
I have four children and four grandchildren. I was an army child living in different countries and went to a total of thirteen schools!
I enjoy reading, crosswords and watching films. The most interesting book that I have read is the autobiography by 'Superman' Christopher Reeve.
One of the things I really like about Glenthorne is how everyone works as a team.
My favourite subject when I was at school was History, especially the Tudors' era.
If I wasn't a teaching assistant I would be a sign language interpreter.


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There is a small hawker centre on Jin Basar Road, near Farrer Park under the Travellers Loft where you can a delicious bowl of Yong Tau Foo in Singapore. People Park Hakka serves hand-made Yong Tau Foo based on a family recipe. The sauces and chilli are all home made and the ingredients are fresh. But the best thing is the taste… whether you have their best selling laksa version or a more healthier clear soup base, you are guaranteed a flavoursome meal that will leave you feeling content.
Flossy's rating: ★★★★
Yong Tau Foo is a hugely popular Hakka Chinese dish in Singapore that you will come across in most hawker centres and food courts. It is tofu that is stuffed with meat or fish mince and can be served with a bean gravy or in soup or laksa along with other vegetables, chilli and noodle. It is one of my favourite dishes for lunch or dinner because it tastes good and it is a healthier option since the ingredients are steamed cooked (or at least I tell myself this).
When you come to the People Park Hakka stall you will be met with an assortment of many interesting, colourful and a few weird looking ingredients in boxes and trays. These ingredients include aubergine, Chinese broccoli, coriander and other fresh herbs, chilli and okra stuffed with fish paste, enoki mushrooms, cuttlefish, crab sticks, boiled eggs, and lots of different fish balls or tofu parcels stuffed with fish paste. On my recent visit, I took a bowl and selected mostly vegetables but also one of the prawn and fish tofu parcels which are my favourite. Once you have chosen your ingredients using the provided tongs, you then tell the chef how you would like it cooked and if you want any noodles added.
I almost always go for the clear broth with yellow noodles, as the soup is flavoursome and not watered down. As it does not taste too salty or appear too yellow, it assures me it is not made from a stock cube. However this place is particularly famous for its laksa soup base, and some evenings there is a queue is forming for this dish.
The average bowl of Yong Tau Foo here is around $5. Some people complain this is one of the more expensive Yong Tau Foo hawker stalls, but you get what you pay for and there is no disputing the freshness of the food. However the downside is that there is no transparency regarding pricing. Usually for Yong Tau Foo, there will be a board showing the costs depending on how many ingredients you choose. Here there are no prices on display.
The People Park Hakka food stall is a great little gem in Farrer Park and so far, it serves one the best Yong Tau Foo I have discovered in Singapore. It is also located at one of the better hawker centres to go to for dinner in Farrer Park. Although it is on a main road, it is situated on a rounded road corner near a patch of green which affords it some privacy and quiet. The place is always predominately filled with the same local residents each night as well as the odd backpacker.
People Park Hakka
Hawker Centre, underneath Travellers Loft
Jin Bihar corner with Allenby Road
Singapore 208953
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park


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Submissions are now open for the HDI Analyst of the Year and the HDI Desktop Support Technician of the Year.
This simple nomination is a great opportunity to show your appreciation for the work done by a fantastic employee, coworker, or colleague.
These prestigious awards begin at our Local Chapter. Winners from our chapter go on to a Regional nomination. Winners from each region are then sent to the HDI Annual conference.
The deadline for nominations for the HDI West Texas Local Chapter is December 18th, 2015.
Please take time to nominate one or two people from your organization for this honor. See the links below for details on each award or to submit a nomination:
Recent Announcements >


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When you become a member of Alternatives, you join a global movement that transcends the boundaries of nations, languages, religions and ethnicities in order to support the environment, democracy, human dignity, and solidarity amongst all peoples around the world. Being a member of Alternatives is about showing your belief that another world is possible, and your commitment to making that vision a reality.
Members make small financial contributions. Thanks to these contributions, we can keep executing our projects (which have touched more than 30 countries thus far), we can keep training young Quebecers and Canadians to become conscientious and motivated citizens (over 1,000 interns have already been trained here) and we can continue to educate people here at home on issues that are largely hidden from the headlines of mainstream media.
Members also give us a common voice. By speaking together, we can demonstrate our solidarity to governments, companies, and other organizations. By standing together we can exert the political pressure that is necessary to encourage these institutions to respect our common objectives and values, and to result in real change.
How to Join
Online: Use our payment secured system using Moneris by choosing one of the options in the right sidebar.
By Phone: Give us a call at (514) 982-6606 or toll free 1-800-982-6646. We're available Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
By Mail: Simply fill out a cheque to the order of Alternatives and send it along with this membership form to: Alternatives, 3720 Park Avenue, office 300, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H2X 2J1.
It's that simple!
FAQ for New Members
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As a member, you can choose to give us a small donation every month or one larger donation every year.
Here are the standard monthly amounts:
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Should I give monthly or yearly?
That's up to you, but donating monthly has several advantages. The advantage
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- We will deduct this amount from your account on the 15th day of the month.
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financial difficulty). All you have to do is call us at (514) 982 6606 and tell us what you want to do!
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No problem. If you prefer to just make a one-time donation, please visit our Donate page. Your donations can be of any amount you wish, and are also tax deductible.
Can companies and organizations be members?
The only members of Alternatives are people, but unions, businesses, philanthropists and other organizations can donate whenever they want.
Will Alternatives respect my privacy?
Always. The information you provide to Alternatives will remain strictly confidential. Alternatives will never sell, lend, exchange or expose your personal information such as your contact information or financial data for any reason to any other individual, organization, company, or other entity except for purposes specifically required by law. We will
use this information to communicate privately with you in order to discuss your membership or other needs and wishes, any possibile administrative problems, or to issue your yearly receipt for tax deductions.
What happens after I join?
We will send you a welcome package. We will expect to see you at our public events. We will encourage you to come to our annual General
Assembly and other forums like the Alternatives Days to share with us and inspire one another, and work together for a better world.


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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of energy-drink maker Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) continued their slide for the second straight day, down as much as 12%, following negative news from the FDA and Goldman Sachs.
So what: One factor driving the maker of Monster Energy lower is the fact that Goldman Sachs removed Monster Beverage from its "conviction buy" list. That was perpetuated by confirmation today that the Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of deaths associated with consumers who drank Monster Energy. The scope of the FDA's investigation dates back to 2004 and will focus on the safety of the highly caffeinated energy drink. Monster Beverage denies all allegations that its energy drink is responsible for consumers' deaths.
Now what: It's almost like you can smell the lawyers hovering like vultures waiting to pounce on their prey. The lawsuit that provided the impetus for this drop could be the Pandora's box that places energy-drink makers under increasing scrutiny, eventually leading to some form of FDA regulation and/or warning label on the product. This is a fear I've had for months now and is a primary reason I've avoided Monster Beverage. Until we get better clarity on the scope of the FDA's findings, I feel Monster is off-limits.
Craving more input? Start by adding Monster Beverage to your free and personalized Watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news with the company.