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Guess what? I've been a busy boy!
Not only is work plenty on my day job, I also…. Drum roll… sound the horns!…
had my soon-to-be-debut-novel edited!
Those of you who follow this humble blog for a while, especially if you write, might appreciate the process. It started a really long time ago (as I have a really full-time job) with coming up with the concept, continued with plotting (I'm a plotter), and then writing the novel. Once that was accomplished, I had to go through multiple cycles of re-write, as no first draft is a finished product.
Well, even once you have the final draft, it is far from finished. It isn't called a "draft" for no reason.
As you're well aware, English is my second language. Even if it was my mother tongue I'd have to get someone professional to read my text and do the necessary editing. Nobody's perfect. Needless to say (what a needless saying, huh?), having written the novel in English, the importance of editing was tenfold.
When I write these blog posts, I do my best (for the most part). I run the spellcheck, and except where I intentionally leave an error (for context mostly), I try to "edit" them. But I don't make too big of a deal of polishing these, because "we're just talking here".
Before unleashing the fruit of my hard labor on the world, I do want to make the effort. To make it the best novel I can produce at any given time.
I invested time (nights, weekends, smoke breaks and more) in writing and plotting, I invested time (very well spent I might add) in learning. I write regularly (in so many different outlets) and I read. So if I was willing to do that, there was simply no way I'd just publish a good story that most people couldn't read…
Luckily, I hit the jackpot on the first go-around, when it comes to editing. I took the advice of my good friend and writing coach, Christina Ranallo, and contacted Loree Grigoletto in order to edit my book.
Now, I'm no Stephen King by any stretch, and this is the first novel I have edited, but I do know what I expect from my editor, namely:
Read my story – don't run it through the machine and produce a report.
Understand that my characters – could speak English as a second language. They may not know the Chicago manual of style by heart.
Understand the same about me.
Loree read my book once, to get a feel. She went over it and edited it, and then she read it again to make sure she got it all. I am so grateful for that, as it made this process so much easier than I would think.
I received my edited text back the Saturday before last and even as I read the comments on the first couple of pages, it was apparent that Loree read the story just as she'd told me. It was also apparent that she understood my character's background, and even state of mind at the different points of the story.
Most of all though, I think, it was apparent that she understood who I am.
One of the most important parts of this edit was the attention to the flow, the idiomatic aspect of writing and those little awkward sentences I use every so often.
I started doing my bit on Sunday night and as I clicked away, I have to say to my surprise, I felt joy. For every mistake I fixed, every sentence I changed, I could see the immediate effect. Re-reading the modified text was a "wow moment". Dang, she made this scene better. By simply helping me make it flow better, make more sense.
Like reading a good book, I couldn't put the novel away. I gave myself a week of evenings at the computer, and as I live and breathe, I finished it in a week.
I fixed the last spelling mistake and sighed, "What a good story you wrote"… Yes, good story, but now it's a good story that people can read without stopping at the end of every second sentence, asking, "What did he mean by that?"
Bottom line folks, if you write, and I know there are many great stories out there, never skip this step. Don't give yourself a pass, don't save. This is too important an aspect to neglect.
And once you have your final draft ready for editing, know that there is a great editor out there who did wonders with my second-language-English. I'm going to spill the beans here, her email address is email@example.com and I honestly sign my name on this warm recommendation!
Speaking from experience,


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RENO has Las Vegas. Thessaloniki has Athens. And Ponce has San Juan.
Second cities, the stepdaughters of the urban world, have always had trouble emerging from the shadows of their more glamorous big sisters. And ever since it was founded in 1692 on the island's southern coast between a mountain range and the Caribbean Sea, Ponce has had to contend with San Juan's pre-eminence.
It was San Juan that settlers chose as the island's seat of government and center of commerce. It was San Juan where developers built glittery casinos and high-rise hotels. And San Juan is where cruise ships deposit thousands of tourists every day.
But in the last few years, Ponce has started making a serious effort at big-city respectability. Tourist visits jumped 8 percent from 2005 to 2007, partly because three airlines — Continental, JetBlue and Spirit — now offer direct flights from the continental United States to Ponce's renovated airport.
JetBlue started flying to Ponce from Kennedy International in the summer of 2005, and it has had enough demand from both tourists and Puerto Ricans traveling back to visit their families that it now also offers direct flights to Ponce from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
You don't have to look far to see stirrings of development across Ponce. Construction crews are busy repaving its narrow 19th-century street grid. Billboards advertise new condos and apartments. Many of Ponce's historic Spanish colonial, Art Deco and neo-Classical buildings are being restored. And the city is spending $20 million to renovate and expand its cultural crown jewel, the Ponce Museum of Art, which claims to have the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean.Continue reading the main story
All of this expansion is exactly the type of development the Puerto Rican government had in mind when it started actively promoting Ponce as a tourist destination in 2006. For decades, Ponce has drawn at least a little interest from foreign visitors. Two cruise lines, Holland America and Celebrity, make occasional stops in its port. And a few large beach resorts have sprung up in the Ponce metropolitan area over the years.
But the Puerto Rico Tourism Company wanted to push Ponce harder. It borrowed a page from its successful marketing strategy for the island's western coast and rebranded the entire southern region Porta Caribe. Advertisements touted the area as an alternative to vacationing in the San Juan area.
The Ponceños now eagerly await their moment. Local pride spills out of them so effusively, you'd think the city's drinking water had been spiked.
The city has no fewer than five museums that honor different aspects of its history and culture. Among them are the Museo de la Historia de Ponce (the Ponce History Museum), the Museo de la Música (the music museum) and the Museo de la Arquitectura (the architecture museum.) There are also museums honoring the city's baseball stars and the nearly two dozen people killed when the police fired on a group of protesting Puerto Rican nationalists in 1937.
Residents greet tourists with gratitude and warmth — if not a little bit of surprise. They know you could just have easily gone to one of Puerto Rico's more conventional destinations, so they go out of their way to thank you for choosing their city instead.
"Are you American?" a little old man asked me in a downtown cafe, as if he thought I were some exotic polo-shirted creature who had strayed too far from the Hilton Ponce Golf and Casino Resort. When I replied that I was indeed American, his face lit up and he began talking about how he had once lived in Spanish Harlem but moved back to Ponce, which he was proud to call the city of his birth.
As eager as Ponceños are to show you their city, they can also be humorously realistic about its shortcomings. "In Ponce?" was the reply I received more than once when I asked what new clubs or bars the city had to offer someone who wasn't ready to turn in at 10 p.m.
But you don't go to Ponce for thriving night life. The city is best for those who admire art and architecture and can enjoy soaking in its ambience.
A stroll through downtown makes you quickly forget that you are still in the United States. Puerto Rico is, of course, an American commonwealth. But from the looks of the city, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Spain.
Its downtown is a hodgepodge of ambitious designs, from the Spanish colonial row houses, to the neo-Classical-style high school modeled after Grand Central Terminal, to the red and black candy-striped wooden firehouse on the town square.
The growing museum of art, which is to reopen in January 2010, is another example of how this ambitious city has strived to stand out. Designed by Edward Durell Stone, whose credits include Radio City Music Hall and New York's Museum of Modern Art, it houses more than 3,000 pieces, from ancient Greece to Goya.
Ponce's downtown is actually about three miles north of the sea. For a waterfront scene, you have to head to the boardwalk along the harbor, known as La Guancha.
It has one large restaurant, El Paladar, which tends to be over-air-conditioned but makes up for it with large windows that face the marina and a hearty menu of local Puerto Rican cuisine like mofongo, a dish of seasoned mashed plantains. It also serves a fried whole red snapper that was extremely tender and moist the night we tried it.
Farther down the boardwalk, a number of small food stands have Puerto Rican staples like stewed chicken and rice and beans. The city is not known for its beaches, but the coast to the west of it is. It is an easy day trip to one of the nearby coastal towns like Guánica, which has a downtown so small it makes Ponce feel like San Juan, and it is only about 40 minutes away. From there, it costs $6 to take a short ferry ride to the uninhabited Gilligan's Island, which is popular for snorkeling.
Closer to Ponce is the uninhabited Isla Caja de Muertos, or Coffin Island, a popular day-trip spot by ferry for swimming, sunbathing and hiking.
THE natural setting around the city is one of the less promoted but most appealing parts about visiting Ponce. It is well worth a drive up Route 10, a corkscrew of a highway that winds north and south through the island's verdant interior, to see how quickly the landscape changes from urban and flat to rural and mountainous. Suddenly, it feels as if you've somehow crossed into Guatemala.
That Ponce doesn't feel like the Puerto Rico advertised in commercials from the island's tourism bureau or seen from the busy streets of San Juan is precisely why some tourists seek it out.
"We're not the kind of people who say, 'Let's go to a place where there are a thousand other people from New York at the hotel,' " said Judith Kleinberg, a retired state employee from Washington County in upstate New York, who was visiting Ponce on a two-week trip of Puerto Rico with her husband, Ivan Kazen.
They were planning to stop "everywhere but San Juan," she said. "You come down here, and it's quiet."
Hilton Ponce Golf and Casino Resort, (877) 464-4586; www.hiltoncaribbean.com/ponce) is the place to go for a full-service, big-beach-resort feel. It includes a 27-hole golf course and a spa. Winter rates start at around $200 a night excluding taxes.
Fox Delicias Hotel (6963 Calle Isabel; 787-290-5050) is a renovated theater right off the town square that has clean, cheap rooms. Winter rates start at $69.
Hotel Meliá (75 Calle Cristina; 800-448-8355; www.hotelmeliapr.com) is a more upscale option for staying in Ponce's city center. Doubles start at $105.
Rincón Argentino (69 Salud Street; 787-840-3768) has a large menu with seafood, steaks and sangria, and is connected to one of Ponce's hippest (and loudest) bars. Most main dishes are $15 to $25.
El Paladar on La Guancha, the boardwalk (787-842-1401), is good for big, hearty helpings of Puerto Rican specialties like mofongo ($10 to $36) and fried snapper ($11.50).Continue reading the main story

subset: commoncrawl


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The most important thing to remember about a recognition and reward program is that you are trying to build a team environment, stimulate employee interest, and create positive behaviors. That doesn't always take money. It does take some listening and a special time to say what employee is a valuable asset to your company. The corporate recognition that sticks with people doesn't have anything to do with money. People enjoy being thanked for the work they do.
What you need to determine is how much the award you are giving the employee should be worth. On average most companies will budget 10-12 dollars per year of service. Of course this is determined by what type of reward program you are implementing. An effective award mix accommodates different levels, from everyday employee contributions to major achievements and milestones.
With our 20 levels of customized award products includes options for any budget.


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When it comes for their hatred for President Trump, liberals are very vocal with making their disgusting vitriol abundantly clear. While personal attacks, fake stories, and even assassination attempts are becoming a daily occurrence at this point, we're quickly realizing that their vile attacks are not just limited to the president, but his entire family as well. However, what liberals just did to President Trump's tiny 2-year-old granddaughter is so sick, it will make you a staunch believer that these leftist morons truly possess no soul.
While Obama was in office, liberals within his administration made it clear that targeting the president's children was completely off limits, with the White House frequently threatening to go after journalists and news agencies who dared to "slander" Obama's twerking and parting teens. However that same courtesy is not extended to President Trump's children or grandchildren, as evidenced by the vile attacks liberals launched at Barron Trump, making the innocent 10-year-old the target of vicious nasty jokes from day 1. While that was enough hatred to last a century, what liberals just did to President Trump's granddaughter is far, far, worse.
Yesterday, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the following picture of his adorable daughter, whose beautiful bright eyes and cute grin would be enough to melt anyone's heart.
Oh Chloe!!! Always the cutest. Hardest thing in the world is to not spoil the last of my little monsters. #family #familytime #kid #time pic.twitter.com/SbZsZjGLd0
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 22, 2017
But of course liberals instantly began salivating over their latest target, launching a nasty brutal assault on the tiny blonde-headed toddler, using the picture as a way to slander the entire Trump family.
Yet again, liberals are showing us the true content of their character. Classy group of people, aren't they? Could you imagine if one of Obama's daughters were singled out for ridicule like this by Republicans? We'd never hear the freaking end of it!
H/T [Young Cons]


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The Need For The Proper Security Locks In Home
The modern world has stepped towards a new dawn. In this era, there is development and advancement. However, along with a new dawn the shadow of security issues are also rising. It is sad to say, but the grip of rising threat to one's safety is one of the most worried issues of the modern time. That is why it is necessary for you to take care of your safety in the best possible manner. There are various ways that you can employ to take care of your security purpose. The best among them is the use of the security locks in home.
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Texas best locksmith 24 hours provides the quality affordable services one can just trust. They are available 24 hours and you can call them for help anytime when you are in need.


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Atlas Shrugsenfreude
Michael Barbaro and Christine Haughney gently explain why New Yorkers who are semi-pleased over Wall Street reversals are a little daft. Too gently, I say.
Andre Anderson, 34, an account executive at TheDeal.com, a financial news Web site, would like to buy a Manhattan apartment with his girlfriend, but he said their combined incomes still make it nearly impossible to afford one.
But Andre, would you want to live in a Manhattan devoid of millionaires? I can see how one might. In truth, though, Manhattan is kind of a smelly patch of land, quite literally for four months out of the year, when the ultrarich decamp for sweet-smelling retreats. Brooklyn, with its 19th-century scale (pre-Bloomberg), is more humane and attractive as an urban landscape, including the burned-out, riot-scarred precincts. People like New York because of the bustle, and of course the bustle is driven by some combination of the ultrarich and the strivers, mostly immigrants, who cater to the ultrarich. What happens when the ultrarich are humbled? The service economy retrenches, of course. This means economic dislocation for new arrivals, some of whom will return to their native countries or greener pastures elsewhere.
And account executives at financial news Web sites don't exactly flourish in this environment either. If this sounds like trickle-down, it is. It's more than that — it is cultural trickle-down. Even my egalitarian friends should accept New York as an oasis of extreme inequality, an exotic hothouse in which we allow giants and pygmies to scowl at each other. My guess is that Andre enjoys amenities that simply would not exist if the ultrarich weren't there to subsidize them, thus making them accessible to people at (say) the bottom of the top quintile. All of those repertory theaters, the culinary-industrial complex fueled by the outsourcing of household production that is fueled by the working rich — all of it depends on a base of quantitative nerds who spend vast amounts on luxuries they hardly ever get to enjoy, all so people further down the greasy pole can enjoy long lunches, leisurely strolls, and a a spectacularly dense array of cultural amenities.
"If there is greater good for everyone, is it worth a few people losing their jobs?" Mr. Anderson asked. "I think so. I hate to see people lose their jobs, but prices in the city have become ridiculous."
Sad to say, New York city is still cheap in euros. So yeah, these guys will lose their jobs — but lowering prices will require a steeper downturn still. And that will mean crime. I for one prefer not getting stabbed to, um, having a hard time getting into restaurants that would be dirty, empty holes if not for the wealth boom. It occurs to me that anarchist squatters have pretty solid objections here, and I have strong sympathies with anarchist squatters, but please note that our friend Andre is not an anarchist squatter. Also, anarchist squatters can always squat in, say, some crumbling rustbelt dystopia. No on ever said squatting should be convenient to enormous multiplexes and fashionable boutiques.
Just as I root for the superintelligent machines that will render me obsolete, I root for the Calvinist middle-class millionaires. Yes, they are often tacky, soulless workaholics — but they will also dramatically drive down the price of my awesome neckband voiceless telephone of the future. My goodness, I can't wait to not appear to be saying anything while "subvocalizing" to a friend millions of miles away, "Man, I can't stand these bozos" while the bozos are standing inches away from me! Oh, the thrill will never get old! But first Carlos Slim needs to buy it for 80 bajillion pesos to taunt his fellow Mexican bajillionaires.


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GROWING in CHRIST through the WORD, FAMILY, and MISSION
Through the WORD
"Faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the Word of God." - Apostle Paul
"Those who have ears, let him hear." - Jesus
A true sign of a believer is that their obedience to the Word of God is based on the acceptance they have before God through the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. Our motivation is based on grateful-joy for what God has done. We get to read and understand our small story in light of God's grand story, the Bible. The above video gives a picture of God's greater story and what he accomplished through Christ.
"Church is not an event I go to, but a body that I belong to." - Sam Alberry
Christ-believing students, we believe what the Bible says about the local body of believers in Jesus. We are a family. Are we dysfunctional? You bet! Do we have it all together? No Way! But we submit ourselves to our leaders, to each other, and seek to be a healthy member, through servant leadership, to our whole church family.
We have received LOVE, FORGIVENESS, GRACE, and JOY through JESUS! Now we get to give the gift that we have received away to our family, our friends, and our city. Don't wait on people to plan stuff for you to do. Be who you are: A follower of Jesus on mission. Seeking help, prayer, and encouragement from a small group is a great way to grow your faith while you live on mission for Jesus.


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Category: HydraFacial™By contourindia
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Photos by John Drysdale sell worldwide to
magazines, advertising agencies and publishers of books, cards,
posters and calendars. Books of his work have been published
in Germany, Japan, UK and the USA.
This website shows only a glimpse of the wide range of high-quality
colour and black-and-white pictures which are available.
John Drysdale grew up in East Africa acquiring an early interest
in both photography and animals. He trained at Guildford School
of Art in England in the early 1950s and worked as an assitant
to Cecil Beaton taking the official photos of the Coronation
of Queen Elizabeth II.
He has since worked in photo-reportage, advertising and industrial
photography and won numerous awards. But perhaps his most
memorable work has been in the field of humour, working with
children and animals in real life situations which give a
new slant on the world.
My Love Unleashed: A Dog's Gift of Comfort &
St. Martin's Press
from amazon.com
Our Peaceable Kingdom
St. Martin's Press
from amazon.com


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Granite and countertops are two words and phrases you don't instantly created. Marble or some form of laminate are more typically noticed suitable for use within as kitchen area tops. But folks receive the improper understanding of granite, picturing a hard rocky chemical, particularly as a gemstone counter top is often referred to as a slab. In reality it's in fact really smooth and it does usually seem marble like.
On a single concept, the notion that it is actually a complete rectangle slab also need to be pulled from your attitude. Some counters have holes for that kitchen sink, while others have curved edges. As usual all of it depends on the requirements of your kitchen and whether you acquire anything premade or bespoke.
The difference among countertops of granite and countertops of those other substances must be stated. It is actually deemed a rather cleanable fabric, clean-downable to put it differently, and can't be damaged.It is cheaply better than equally marble and quartz. (To mix up matters, some granite may have quartz crystals within it-which makes it look white colored-or any other crystals like feldspar. There are a very least 200 various shades of granite counter top accessible, despite the fact that many people generally think about grait can be a grey color. With that in mind, this color is the most commonly offered and the rarer shades tend to be the better pricey.
Laminate for example is very likely to be destroyed by popular items being positioned at first glance, whereas granite is prone to stand up to them.
The main reason for choosing granite is that it gives a more natural look than other types of countertop, marble tends to look a bit too extravagant.
There are several down details in picking granite because it will require yearly securing but then that relates to marble way too.
So why shouldn't granite and countertops be placed together?


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Top 6 Made In America Motorcycles You Can Buy TodayIs there anything more patently American than a motorcycle? Even as Asia and Europe have become...
Is there anything more patently American than a motorcycle? Even as Asia and Europe have become more indelibly associated with their design and manufacture, motorcycles made in this country remain true world beaters. Here's the RideApart staff's pick of the best motorcycles made in America today.
Think electric motorcycles are the work of the devil? Ride one of these and it'll change your mind forever. Handling and feel are better than Internal Combustion Equivalents, merits made possible by the inherent benefits of electric drive. The first electric motorcycles that's good to ride, that can top 100mph and 100 miles in range wasn't designed or produced in Japan, Europe or China, it was designed and is made in Ashland, Oregon.
Zero FX
Since 2009, Zero's been delivering electric motorcycles to showrooms. Good for them, but those motorcycles have failed to live up to their claimed ranges and were delivered fitted with components (including important stuff like suspension, brakes, tires and headlights) of unbelievably low quality and function. Finally, that seems to be changing. Contributor Susanna Schick, who just bought one, writes, "The bike that made me forget that absolute power (R1) corrupts absolutely? Quick, nimble, ready for anything. This bad boy tears up the mean streets of LA like a supermodel on steroids. Light enough to laugh at whatever mistakes you make, fast enough to help you make them. Completely at home (with S wheels & street tires) lane splitting rush hour traffic or diving through the corkscrew a la Rossi vs Stoner. But yes, it tops out at an indicated (and optimistic) 85mph. Great for preserving one's license, but harder to get used to than the lack of a gearbox. Easily fixed with a bigger front sprocket, depending on how much of that 70 ft lbs of wheelie-inducing torque you're willing to sacrifice."
The most capable track motorcycle available to the general public isn't a Honda or Ducati, it's made in a little warehouse space in an industrial area in East Troy, Wisconsin. Racing among other production superbikes, it turns in times so fast that it looks like a MotoGP bike at a public trackday. Fresh off a further investment by India's Hero Motor Corp, EBR is poised deliver more bikes and finally get down to seriously campaigning the 1190 RS in American racing.
Harley Davidson FXDC Dyna Super Glide
We could argue all day about the origin of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts. What matters is the bikes are designed in America, built in America by Americans and after 110 years the company is still going strong. Amongst the current line-up, we think there are several good bikes in the Dyna range and one unsung hero in particular. It's Harley-Davidson's FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom. Just your basic big v-twin. Nothing fancy. It's got some nice classic styling cues, so is not completely over the top. For a Harley it's light too at 683lbs, which means it's reasonably nimble, rides well and for a big v-twin handles far better than you would ever expect. There are a ton of upgrades you can do to the Super Glide to make it yours. Starting at $13,199 it's not cheap but we think this Dyna is good value for a big twin Hog and worthy of a second look.
Victory 8-Ball
Victory Motorcycles is starting to gain some real traction here in the U.S. But it's got a long way to go to catch Harley-Davidson which sells to more than three quarters of this market sector. Buried away in the Victory line-up is the Vegas 8-Ball. At $12,499 it's the entry-level model but it's also something of a bargain as you get a decent bike and quite a lot for your money. You can opt for any color as long as it's black, which is not a bad thing as it's a handsome cruiser and the all-black look suits it. There's a 106 ci v-twin engine, which has 97 hp and 113 lb ft of torque, a solo seat and a 21-inch Stingray front wheel. Judging by some of the 8-Ball owner reviews on Victory's own web site they're more than happy with the decision to go the Victory route with the Vegas 8-Ball and we can understand why.
Ok, you can't buy one, but you can put down a deposit for 2014 delivery. The Mission R has proved itself capable of lapping Laguna Seca on par with 600cc Super Sport race bikes and will exceed 150mph and up to 140 miles in range when it goes on sale next year.
Lightning SuperBike
Capable of climbing Pike's Peak faster than a Ducati Multistrada, the Lightning SuperBike is seriously fast, even reaching 218mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Not bad for only $39,000.
Rokon Trail Breaker
This little workhorse can go almost anywhere, thanks to its two-wheel drive and hollow wheels that allow it to float in water. The New Hampshire company has been quietly producing the Trail Breaker since 1963. Trail Breakers have even ridden through the Darien Gap, where no other vehicle is capable of travelling and invaded foreign countries in the hands of US special forces soldiers? What's more American than that?


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Ethical Finance
Three proposals raise concerns about ethics and finance, on student loans, tax fairness and fraudulent banking practices. All have been broached in the past.
Student loans:
The Rhode Island pension fund is again asking Navient about student loans, this time seeking a report
on the governance measures Navient has implemented to more effectively monitor and manage financial and reputational risks related to the student loan crisis in the United States, including whether Navient has assigned responsibility for such monitoring to the Board or one or more Board committees or has revised senior executive compensation metrics or policies.
Last year, it filed a similar resolution, which the company successfully challenged at the SEC on ordinary business grounds. The company contends in 2018 that the new proposal can be omitted for the same reason and also because it is moot. Last year, the resolution asked for a review of the company's procedures "to adequately service customers in default and at risk of default include encourage the use of Income Driven Repayment plans, ability to adapt to shifting legal and standards for loan servicing, and ability to adequately service borrowers in the event of economic shock."
At Nike, the AFL-CIO is taking up the tax fairness baton initially raised by Domini Investments at Apple in 2015. The resolution asks the company
to respond to rising public pressure to limit offshore tax avoidance strategies by adopting and disclosing to shareholders a set of principles to guide Nike's tax practices. For purposes of this Proposal, "offshore tax avoidance strategies" are transactions or arrangements that exploit differential tax treatment of financial instruments, asset transfers or entities by taxing jurisdictions to reduce a company's effective tax rate.
The principles should state that Nike's board will:
- Consider the impact of Nike's global tax strategies on local economies and government services that benefit Nike;
- Ensure that Nike seeks to pay tax where value is created;
- Periodically assess the reputational consequences, including views of customers, shareholders and employees, of engaging in practices deemed to be "tax avoidance" by such stakeholders; and
- Annually review Nike's tax strategies and assess the alignment between the use of such strategies and Nike's stated values or goals regarding sustainability.
Wells Fargo:
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have gone back to Wells Fargo to ask for more transparency about its internal problems with fraud, after receiving 21.9 percent for a detailed, eight-point proposal last year seeking a report on the problems and how they could be resolved. This year, the proposal is shorter and calls simply for "a comprehensive report by October 2018 on the root causes of past and present fraudulent activities, plans to address them, and how progress will be measured, and disclosed." Wells Fargo states in a challenge to a different proposal filed by NYSCRF about compensation ties to risky banking practices that it intends to include this resolution in its 2018 proxy statement (See ESG Pay Links).


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Episode 13: Hulk/
The Cinema Excelsior crew gets angry with Ang Lee as we trudge through 2003's interminable Hulk, starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. There's also some Roger Rabbit fan fiction in there.
Featuring Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Lillian DeRitter, Derek Long, and Daniel Watson-Jones.


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Ozone generators are top of the line odor removers. It quickly destroys odor from pets, smoke, mildew, and more. Ozone generators are used in a variety of places
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Ozone Generator Photos
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We stock dehumidification solutions for water damage restoration and environmental control.
Air Filtration
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Ferry fire on North Sea leads to two arrests
Two men have been arrested after a fire on a North Sea ferry led to six people being airlifted to hospital.
A 26-year-old was arrested on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray.
RAF helicopters winched one passenger and five crew off the MS King Seaways, which was sailing to Amsterdam, when it was 30 miles off Flamborough Head.
The DFDS ferry, which returned to North Shields early on Sunday, had 946 passengers and 127 crew on board.
The six people who were airlifted were taken to Scarborough Hospital suffering what was believed to have been the effects of smoke inhalation and have now been discharged.
The five crew members had been involved in fighting the fire, and the passenger was a pregnant woman, a member of the Humber Coastguard said.
Graham Dawson, Humber Coastguard watch manager, added: "There were four doctors on board who were travelling as passengers, and they treated the people. Luckily it was down to just six people requiring evacuation."
Passengers have disembarked, following police interviews.
Ferry operator DFDS said the fire had started at about 22:45 GMT on Saturday but had been extinguished within 15 minutes.
Insp Andrew Dixon of Humberside Police said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had called them at about 23:00 GMT and had said a passenger was "believed to have set fire to a cabin".
"As a result of this incident, the person suspected of causing the fire, or the person from the cabin where the fire occurred - be it deliberate or accidental - has been detained by ship staff," he added.
Some 15 passengers and eight staff were checked on the ferry by a doctor, DFDS said.
DFDS said it was doing "everything to help" passengers complete their journey from Newcastle.
It said it was organising free alternative travel arrangements with another ferry operator departing from Hull on Monday 30 December - with free accommodation on Sunday night on the MS King Seaways before a coach transfer to Hull.
"If passengers opt to cancel their travel arrangements and make alternative arrangements they will be fully refunded with the option to re-book at a later date for no extra charge," the operator added.
Steven Basford, who had been travelling to Amsterdam with his partner to celebrate the new year, described his experience of the fire alarm.
"We were told to evacuate outside the ship and when we got outside they asked us to converge around the lifeboats.
"The fire was on our floor but on the other side of the ship. When we climbed up to the communal area we could see the smoke. It wasn't thick but it was definitely noticeable."
The 28-year-old, from Northumberland, added that although "people were generally pretty calm", a fight had broken out between two male passengers during the evacuation.
"Obviously people had had a lot to drink - it's a bit of a party boat. Two big blokes started brawling," he said.
Karl McMurrough, from Pennywell, Sunderland, was also among the passengers.
The 18-year-old said: "We all got rushed on to the deck, there were helicopters, kids squealing, life jackets.
"They were telling us to keep calm but they weren't giving us any information."
And, when asked about passengers fighting, he said: "There were a few people going wild - no-one knew what was going on.
"I'm never going on a boat again, I'm horrified."
A DFDS spokesman said the cabin that was burnt was "very damaged" and there had been some smoke damage to surrounding cabins, "but the ship's function has not been affected in any way and is safe to travel".
The MCA said it would survey the vessel for any lasting damage.
DFDS runs a daily 17:00 GMT service from North Shields, arriving in Ijmuiden, the Netherlands, at 08:30 GMT (09:30 local time).


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There's a duty to satisfy the constitutional criteria
Dear Editor,
Thanks for publishing my article entitled 'State of Emergency, Zones of Special Operations and the Fundamental Rights of Individuals' on January 20, 2019 in the Sunday Observer. However, in the publication of January 22, 2019, the editorial makes a number of imputations against me to which I will not respond.
It asked the following specific question: "On what basis has he (that is I) determined that the SOEs [states of emergency) are no longer necessary when the leadership of the security forces has said otherwise?
This is not an accurate representation of what I wrote. What I stated very clearly is that the renewal of SOEs should be preceded by detailed statements of relevant data so as to guide the public and parliamentary debate. Those who propose the extension have the duty to satisfy the constitutional criteria which I set out. I expressed the view that this had not been done, hence the debate had been conducted without "the rational analysis which the situation demands".
It is very dangerous to say, as your editorial implies, that the mere fact that the leadership of the security forces say that it is necessary is enough. This is the basis on which police states and military dictatorships operate. It is not what our constitution requires.
The reports imply that the security forces have not had in their possession sufficient evidence to charge any appreciable number of the SOE detainees with violent crimes. Some 75 per cent of detainees have been released within 48 hours, and those who had the opportunity to have their cases referred to the Review Tribunals have been ordered to be released. Against this background, all the commissioner of police has ventured to say is that most of these detainees were deserving of detention. The question then is, why were they released?
In the same newspaper (January 22), you reported that Dr Horace Chang, who is the minister responsible for national security, has assured the residents of St James that their security will not be compromised by the cessation of the SOE, as adequate presence of the security forces will be maintained. This confirms the views I expressed that the maintenance of high levels of the security forces in the troubled communities is an effective weapon in the suppression of violent crimes.
Contrary to your imputations, I am deeply concerned about and I am not ignoring the right to life. I did express concern about the threat to the fundamental right to life and indicated that stringent measures are justified, but that, as Minister Chang confirms, increased presence and responsiveness of the security forces can, without SOEs, protect this right.
Lloyd G Barnett
Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at http://bit.ly/epaperlive
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Today I decided to play with this amazing 2Crafty frame…I have popped it under the photo to give the layout some dimension.The frame has a 2 toned coating of Glimmer Mist to give it some sparkle…
until next time – Susan Longman
Stunning page Susan, the colours look fabulous. Love how you have placed the frame.
Post a Comment


text: Your photos of the decade Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Last month, we asked 10 authors to choose the photograph that best summed up the decade for them. We also asked you to send in your own. Hundreds of you responded; here are some of our favourites Guardian readers Fri 10 Dec 2010 05.55 EST First published on Fri 10 Dec 2010 05.55 EST Demo 02 Students demonstrating against war, taken by Luis Bustamante Photograph: Luis Bustamante Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lewes Bonfire Night 2010 We asked readers for images that captured significant political, cultural, or artistic events of the decade. This photo covers all three categories.Taken by Erika Szostak Photograph: Erika Szostak Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tabloid News, NYC Arguably one of the most important cultural events of the decade was captured with this photograph from 26 June, 2009, the day after Michael Jackson died. Taken by considineshaun Photograph: considineshaun Facebook Twitter Pinterest G20 demonstrations Several thousand protesters congregated at the Bank of England on Wednesday 1 April 2009 to protest about climate change, the perceived greed of bankers and the credit crunch. Taken by Will Strange Photograph: Will Strange Facebook Twitter Pinterest Together The National Mall in Washington in DC on 5 November 2008, the day after President Obama was elected. Taken by desba37 Photograph: Desb37 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protest The bundles of banners are a reminder of large numbers of people that took part in this, and other protests against the war in Iraq. Taken by Steven Wood-Matthews Photograph: Steven Wood-Matthews Facebook Twitter Pinterest Banksy, Cans Festival, Leake Street 2008 PD Smith's photo captures one of the most significant artists to have emerged over the last 10 years. Taken by PD Smith Photograph: PD Smith Facebook Twitter Pinterest US Air Ditch 3 Michael Cairns: 'US Air Flight 1549 ditch in the Hudson River and all survive. Definitely one of the most amazing things I am ever likely to see: An Airbus floating past my front window.' Taken by Personanondata - Michael Cairns Photograph: Michael Cairns Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chris Hoy Chirs Hoy preparing for a race at the Manchester Velodrome. Taken by Jim Clarke Photograph: Jim Clarke Facebook Twitter Pinterest Zen Calendar 3 In the days after 9/11, Clairemurphy2010 found this calendar page stuck to a wall near Union Square, New York. Taken by clairemurphy2010 Photograph: Claire Murphy Facebook Twitter Pinterest Riot police at student demonstrations in Santiago, Chile Toby Butler: 'This was taken during the 'Los Pinguinos' student demonstrations in Santiago during 2006 against the increase in the price of the university entrance exams. The demonstrations lasted for about a month and were covered by rolling news coverage in Chile and made international news at the time. As ever it was the violent minority of the demonstrations that made the headlines.' Taken by Toby Butler Photograph: Toby Lawley Butler Facebook Twitter Pinterest Blind World cup- Spain vs Columbia Photos taken at the Blind World Cup 2010. Taken by Stanyal Photograph: Stanyal Facebook Twitter Pinterest Muhammad cartoon protest in Oslo On 12 February 2010, between 2500 and 3000 Muslims in Oslo, Norway, protested against the printing of a cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammad. Taken by Olav Ljone Skogaas Photograph: Olav Ljone Skogaas Facebook Twitter Pinterest Topics Books Photography


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Knox County
mu extension > Knox County > Ag-Business Programs > Missouri Century Farm Program
Ag Connection Newsletter
Missouri Century Farm Program
The Missouri Century Farm program's history dates back to 1976 as a result of the Missouri Committee for Agriculture which was co-chaired by James B. Boillot, Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture; and Elmer R. Kiehl, Dean of the College of Agriculture, University of Missouri. The committee's purpose was to organize the American Revolution Bicentennial celebration in Missouri. One activity initiated by the committee was the "Centennial Farm" project, which awarded certificates to persons owning farms which have been in the same family for 100 years or more. Interest in the program continued after 1976. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and University of Missouri Extension planned a 10-year update in 1986 called the "Century Farm" program. This program has been sustained as a yearly event with over 100 farms recognized each year. In 2008, the Missouri Farm Bureau became a program co-sponsor.
Century farms and ranches have shaped the nation. Amidst every kitchen, behind every faded barn door, and in every soiled and calloused hand lie untold stories of those who feed our nation. As an industry, we are called to discover these stories and share with consumers everywhere the contribution farmers and ranchers have made to our American heritage. It is time to redefine sustainability and put a face to the farmer who fills our cupboards and clothes our backs. A Century Farm application can be downloaded at http://extension.missouri.edu/centuryfarm/
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019
Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
More Knox County events
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University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer.
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Next Level Probiotics
Next Level Probiotics is a growing segment of Hollison that is utilized in the food safety industry as a food additive/health benefit, and also as an environmental treatment to counteract pathogens. In a world of growing health and environmental concern, we seek alternate natural remedies versus chemical treatments for such issues. Utilizing probiotics provides next level technology in environmental treatment as well as positive health benefits. Hollison's Probiotic Blending division takes the most beneficial strains of probiotics and formulates those to the customer's needs to create a tailor-made product suitable for the application required.
With a highly qualified and well-trained team, we strive to produce a high quality product each and every day. The process begins with incoming raw materials, which are purchased from approved vendors and are certified with a COA (Certificate of Analysis). Certification is further verified utilizing an accredited laboratory. The raw material is released for use in production upon verification of probiotic viability and non-existence of pathogens through the accredited laboratory. Raw materials are utilized on a stock rotation FIFO (first in, first out) basis to ensure quality, shelf life, and reduce potential of pests.
A probiotic blend is then formulated specifically and uniquely according to the customer's application. The product is then batched and blended at the Hollison production facility, in a clean and sanitary environment. The blended product is then packaged in predetermined packaging based on customer-driven request. A sample of each lot of product is taken and submitted to an accredited laboratory for probiotic viability verification. A COA is then created and the product is then shipped to the customer.


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We have professional support from our clinics, consultants and diabetes nurse specialists. We also have professional support from Diabetes Ireland, our national diabetes association, who also have a facebook page.
Thankfully, since the take off of social media Diabetes Support Groups are becoming easier to find and peer to peer support for people with diabetes is growing.
Here is a list of what is available nationally in alphabetical order:
There may be other groups that I don't have details for and I apologize if you are not on the list. If you would like to be included on this list please leave your details in a comment below.


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Community & Social
I like to think that the first nausea was a haunting visited upon me by my Sindhi Hindu ancestors, many of whom were seafaring merchants.
An Interview with Leah Silvieus about her collection Arabilis
"One thing I never expected to pick up from touring was my social justice activism—and I really dove into that world, of all places, at an anime convention." Here's an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Simon Tam's stereotype-flipping memoir on taking a fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
Even in the whirlwind you made sure to shelter us. You gave rise to a people that withstood.
I thought of all the other reasons, implications and annoyances that went with this strange business of changing my name.
One Muslim American's reaction to the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand
Arts & Culture
"It's against the rules to talk about the things that hurt me."
Review of Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
An Interview with Leah Silvieus about her collection Arabilis
A Review of Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
News & Politics
Lynn, Massachusetts is home to the third-largest Cambodian American population in the country. 28-year old Cinda Danh could become their first Asian American city councilor.
"I often wonder what King Kalākaua would think of today ... How would he understand the observatories, set to study the heavens at the cost of the gods?" Contributor Madelyn McKeague walks us through the history that led to today's fight to protect the sacred site.
To understand her story, we have to go back to the beginning of Asian immigration exclusion.
Presidential candidate Andrew Yang presents an interesting case. Here's what you need to know.
Even in the whirlwind you made sure to shelter us. You gave rise to a people that withstood.
in Memes to Movements: How the World's Most Viral Media is Changing Social Protest and Power by An Xiao Mina
From 1946 to 1958, the U.S. tested sixty-seven nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands. Today, some who left dream of going home.
More Recent Posts
Harry Mok - November 1, 2004
Melissa Hung - November 1, 2004
Claire Light - October 31, 2004
Melissa Hung - October 30, 2004
audrey - October 28, 2004
Lisa Ko - October 27, 2004
Jennifer - October 26, 2004
Claire Light - October 24, 2004
Todd Inoue - October 22, 2004
audrey - October 21, 2004


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Saturday, August 20, 2011
Featured Deviations
I added this gadget is because I actually added a widget on deviantART. To see the widget on my profile...
Go here --->link
So yes, I thought whatever I put on the widget...I put the gadget on here. This is the current deviantART at the moment.
Yes, it's dedicated to another deviantART user that I have a crush on. Name's Miranda. To see her deviantART profile...
Go here ---> link
Ah ha...she's hot alright. And she didn't even mind a thing about me drawing sexy stuff about her. She even thanked me for making that art.
I never thought girls wouldn't be offended by some perverted dude. Not sure, really. But yeah anyways, this is all I can say.
And this stupid links always attach to each other. Like when I'm typing next to the linked word, the text I typed after that turns into the link.
Damnit. But I guess I don't have to tell you that, do I? Guess not. So anyways, don't forget to comment, share and get more viewers.
Bye :)
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


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On a sunny day in May, Iowa City Cohousing members and friends gathered at our land for a work day. Our mission was to begin cleaning up the "encampment" on the east hillside, a ragged conglomeration of makeshift shelters left over from past years. Some of our new buildings will be located in this spot, and we worked hard to clear the accumulation of rotting wood and other trash from the ground.
Annie ready for work
One crew dismantled a partly underground shelter (see below). Others sorted things that could be recycled. Still others piled up panels, wire, and fence posts. We were very dirty by the end of the day, but happy to see that we'd restored some order to the landscape even though there is more to be done.
Clearing the hillside of trash


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23Jan 2014
Top of the line Pest Control Service in Murrieta Ca here
There is pest control, and then there is pest control. We definitely fall on the latter side here at Bull's Eye Pest Control. We are known by everyone in our area to provide the absolute best Pest Control Service in Murrieta Ca. There are numerous reasons for us having developed that reputation over the years. We employ only the best personnel and the latest and best...
Read More


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地址﹕Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4SQ
|click artists to view
|click artists to view
如果可以把世界上所有美術館、博物館的藏品匯聚在一個資料庫,從美國大都會美術館的當代藝術作品到中國沙漠的敦煌石窟,都可以在平台上瀏覽、檢索與編輯,世界的珍藏盡收眼底…甚 至可以下載到個人電腦裡儲存。在台灣,這是進行數位典藏工作人員心中的夢想與藍圖,但是在美國,美崙基金會在過去幾年開發了ARTstor線上資料庫系 統,結合數位科技與藝術人文,正朝向這個目標不斷前進。Myka Carroll來自美國紐約,擔任ARTstor拓展海外業務的公關經理,所學橫跨圖書資訊、歷史人文,並曾出版相關書籍,運用其資訊與圖書的專業,旅行 世界各地介紹ARTstor資料庫。她在2009年5月來到台北,透過「藝享新視紀:數位藝術的合作典藏」座談會分享ARTstor資料庫博大精深、縱觀 古今的藏品內容。
在過去五年內,ARTstor資料庫收錄了近百萬筆跨時代、跨文化、跨領域的藝術典藏影像檔案,內容涵蓋畫作、雕刻、器具、建築、手稿、樂譜、地 圖、文物與裝置藝術,透過眾多合作典藏機構的貢獻與分享,在平台上跨學科地提供博物館典藏、亞洲典藏、歐洲藝術、拉丁美洲與中南非文化、當代藝術、建築、 攝影、紀念物…等主題研究,並且積極強化圖檔的品質與各種3D、虛擬實境技術的應用,不僅呈現藝術品最細緻的一面,與哥倫比亞大學合作研發的 QTVR(Quick Time Virtual Reality)更進一步地呈現建築物的內部空間,提供各種拉近、拉遠、360度環繞…等功能。目前在資料庫中約有1200筆,主要應用在建築物上,讓使 用者在網路上身歷其境,甚至看到建築物在日常生活中無法窺見的一面,拓展使用者的日常視覺經驗。
為了回應使用者與專業社群需求,ARTstor資料庫查詢與檢索的功能回歸到人性化與直覺操作的設計,除了最基本的檢索與查詢功能外,使用者可以簡 單地以滑鼠操作圖片的放大、縮小、拖曳…等功能,並且透過篩選、排序等方式組合搜尋結果,每一件圖片下方,提供了額外兩個功能選項,按一下便可顯示其他收 錄的複製與攝影作品,或者列出與主題相關的其他資料。
進入圖片檢視視窗,ARTstor所提供的圖片品質與細膩度著實讓人驚艷,以安迪沃荷 (Andy Warhol)的Campbells Soup Cans畫作為例,在瀏覽器上將作品檢視放到100%視窗,螢幕上僅能顯現藏品約1/12的範圍,可以看到畫作上清楚的細節,雖然在檢視圖片細節時無法同 時看到藏品的全貌,但這樣的解析度確實不輸觀看畫作圖錄時的清晰度。
看 過精采而豐富的資料庫,不管是想要加上個人的心得與大家交流和分享,或者是希望透過圖片的比對與展示在演講與教學上,都能運用OIV系統進行更個人化的編 輯與處理;其特別為影像展示所設計,提供簡單的排版和文字註記的編輯功能,讓使用者可以加上自己私人的圖片與簡報,整合起來成為一個完整的個人知識展示 櫃,應用於教學、演講,在離線的狀態下向觀眾展示經過設計與組織的影像,並且在展示中隨時進行影像的放大與縮小,介面設計極富質感,簡單而大方,讓人能夠 更清楚地將注意力集中在圖片上。此外,檔案size可以壓縮成read only格式,便於攜帶與分享。
台 灣多樣性知識網的主要目的是呈現台灣文化、社會及自然生態的多樣性資源,數位藏品的來源是以參與數典計畫的機構、公開徵選計畫、「數位島嶼」徵集而來的資 源,透過各單位彼此資源的分享、組織、合作及聯結的方式,將各種藏品分享給眾多使用者。和ARTStor一樣,知識網的用途也是主打學術研究、教育與學習 等領域。
檢索功能上除了依照各知識專題設計專屬關鍵詞的篩選功能外,也設計時間軸的篩選功能,可直接 輸入時間範圍或使用拉霸設定時間範圍,使用者可以設定多重的篩選條件,找到自己想要的資料。另外,在瀏覽資料的同時,也可將用不到的搜尋功能隱藏,讓瀏覽 網頁時有更開闊的視窗來顯示更多的資料。
在瀏覽單筆藏品詳細資料的頁面,知識網提供各類詳細藏品資訊,以及最大到1024*1024pixel的藏品圖片,讓使用者可以隨意調整圖片大小來 檢視藏品細節。下方的藏品展示列功能就如Amazon.com的推薦書籍功能,以及ARTStor顯示藏品相關延伸資訊功能一般,經過這樣關連性的脈絡引 導,可以讓使用者經由單一主題物件,找到更多樣性與意想不到的藏品資訊。
個人知識櫃的功能和ARTStor OIV簡報功能類似,使用者可以將喜歡的藏品納入知識櫃,建立GIS知識地圖、將藏品附上個人註解、創建簡報、電子書並分享給其他使用者觀看。
ARTStor也藉著這種優勢建立部落格,不定時發表資料庫更新狀態,以及與各博物館的合作情形,也預計在2009年夏天建置使用經驗分享的部落格 (ART stories),提供大眾如何更有方法的使用ARTStor並交流。ARTStor和台灣多樣性知識網廣納眾多的數位化藏品匯入資料庫內,讓社會大眾在 敲擊鍵盤同時,就能看到世界各地知識文化的結晶。除了知識的吸收外,也提供素人經驗為藏品附上個人註解,彼此分享和創造知識,讓這些原本只是素材的藏品, 經過分享、組織和創造,變成更多有用的知識。
1. ARTstor: http://www.artstor.org/
2. ARTstor Blog: http://artstor.wordpress.com/
3. 拓展台灣數位典藏計畫:http://content.teldap.tw/
4. 台灣多樣性知識網:http://knowledge.teldap.tw/
5. 數位島嶼:http://cyberisland.teldap.tw/
【明報專訊】剛於年初逝世的Jan Kaplicky可說是建築界的殿堂級建築師,London Design Museum由即日至2009年11月1日,舉辦Remembering Jan Kaplicky: Architect of the Future回顧展。他於1994年為倫敦Lord's Cricket Ground設計的媒體中心The Lord's Media Centre,獲得建築界最高榮譽的史特靈建築獎(RIBA Stirling Prize)。而他於2003年參與設計伯明翰Selfridges Building,亦為他帶來7項建築大獎。他的作品充滿未來色彩,展覽中陳列他歷年建築設計的模型、草圖,讓公眾一窺大師腦海中的世界。
■Remembering Jan Kaplicky: Architect of the Future
地址﹕Design Museum, Shad Thames,London, SE1 2YD
電話﹕+44 (0)20 7940 8790
Sep 13th 2009
From Economist.com
After all, the Capodimonte is filled with masterpieces from the world famous Farnese Collection, some 800 paintings by such artists as Titian, Raphael, Masaccio and Mantegna. Caravaggio's searing "Flagellazione" stands out among the dramatic pictures in the Neapolitan Galleries. And then there is Parmigianino's beloved "Antea", an arresting portrait of a beautiful young woman (pictured). In Italy images of this woman, whose identity is not known, can be found on everything from fridge magnets to tea towels and Christmas ornaments.Yet the contents of the Capodimonte are best known from reproductions or loans to international exhibitions. Only 86,000 people visited last year, few of whom were foreigners. Sadly, the city's daunting reputation may put many off, and the museum's website is too limited to lure the uninitiated. But courage is no longer a prerequisite for a stay in Naples. The city has cleaned up its act (or, in the case of its garbage, had its act cleaned up for it). Handbag snatchers are now far less common than opportunities for delectable pizza. The Capodimonte is not the only reward for spending time in Naples, but it may be the most lasting one.
The striking hilltop site for a new royal palace was chosen in 1734 by Charles, the first Bourbon king of Naples. Its wooded surroundings suited his passion for hunting; its capacious interior provided room enough for the enormous art collection amassed by his forebears. (The family of Elisabetta Farnese, his mother and Queen of Spain, had been great collectors for more than 200 years.)
An enormous room hung with Farnese family portraits soon greets visitors. Do not yawn: this is no tedious group of ancestor likenesses. It is somehow shocking to come upon so many pictures of such high artistry, which reveal so much about the variety and vagaries of human character. Among the seven Farnese portraits by Titian on view (seven Titian portraits in one room!), the most haunting may be that of a white-bearded, hunched over Pope Paul III, weary but majestic. Raphael also painted two of the portraits here.
In addition to the museum's Old Master paintings, there is a suite of royal apartments as they looked in the 19th century. One large room is hung with "The Battle of Pavia", a masterly cycle of early 16th-century Brussels tapestries. Based on drawings by Bernard van Orley, it is an exceptionally honest look at men making war. And then there is "Antea". Yes, this is an Old Master painting, but in a sense this is a work apart. She is "our Princess," says Mariella Utili, the museum's director. "Antea", it seems, has been exercising royal prerogatives since she first came into being.
During the sack of Rome in 1527, Parmigianino's studio was broken into by German soldiers. Besotted by the woman in the painting, they left him unmolested. In 1799, when Charles's son, Ferdinand IV King of Naples, fled advancing French troops, he took with him to Palermo some 20 works from the Farnese Collection—its Titians and "Antea". During the second world war, many masterpieces were removed from Italy's museums and hidden, only to be taken as booty.
A cache of works was discovered in 1945 in a Salzburg cave, including the Farnese Titians and "Antea". Much celebrating greeted her return to Naples with the others, and they were honoured with a grand "new" home in the former palace at the top of the hill. The Capodimonte Museum opened to the public in 1957. To say a visit it is worth a detour is an understatement.
WHEN Roberto Gagliardi, an Italian-born art dealer and collector based in London, drove past an old, shut-down hotel on the main concourse of the ancient town of Chianciano Terme, in the Italian province of Siena, he saw an opportunity. After four years of renovation, the 150-year-old building has been converted into the just-opened Museum of Art of Chianciano (Viale della Liberta 280; 39-0578-60732; www.museodarte.org).
The museum now houses Mr. Gagliardi's impressive collection, accumulated over a 30-year career, items from which have been lent to museums like the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The museum is now home to works by artists like Delacroix and Dalí, Goya and Rembrandt, as well as historical pieces from China's Han Dynasty and ninth-century sculptural fragments from Afghanistan.
In addition, Mr. Gagliardi is organizing a new contemporary art festival to run at the museum every two years, highlighting the work of 160 artists from around the world. The first Biennale di Chianciano, which will replace the museum's permanent collection temporarily, begins today and runs through Sept. 27 (www.museodarte.org/EN/Biennale.html; admission is free). Works include some that have been lent to museums as far afield as the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Whangarei Art Museum in New Zealand.
With the new museum and festival, Mr. Gagliardi hopes to turn this provincial town into an artistic center, both provocative and analytical.
"Our aim is to create active spectators," Mr. Gagliardi said. "Art isn't two-dimensional; it transmits emotion and moves the intellect."
With this goal in mind, the museum is laid out in an intentionally nonlinear format.
On the first floor, there is an array of diverse sketches by Magritte, Munch and Tiepolo. In the basement, an ambitious collection of artifacts from ancient Chinese dynasties is placed alongside rustic, romantic paintings by the contemporary artist Jincheng Liu.
Tonally, as well, works are displayed to play off one another. Frances Turner's agonized self-portraits share space with colorful, soothing abstractions by Albert Louden. In the History Room a rather clumsy 19th-century drawing of artillerymen by Napoleon III is placed near an icon given by Pope Pius XII to Princess Margaret in 1949.
Although Mr. Gagliardi's collection made the museum possible, its vision was collaborative.
"We all helped with the display," said Francesca Vottari, his assistant. "Mr. Gagliardi was keen to listen to everyone's opinion, to create the right sense of harmony."
And while Chianciano isn't as well known as its neighbor Siena (about a half-hour drive away), Mr. Gagliardi and his crew see the town — with both charm and a strong cultural history — as the perfect candidate for an art festival.
The town's historic center is gloriously unspoiled and offers spectacular views of the Tuscan countryside. Thermal baths have been a strong tourist draw since the sixth century B.C., and Chianciano's archaeological museum is one of Italy's most important sources for Etruscan history.
Chianciano's charms extend beyond the historical: pastas served in the town's rustic restaurants are inevitably homemade, while wine lists are filled with bottles from nearby Montepulciano and Montalcino.
Despite these draws, Mr. Gagliardi isn't the only one with a stake in his new museum and festival. Gabriella Ferranti, the town's mayor, made no bones about feeling that Chianciano was going to receive a new lease on life in her reception speech at the museum's opening. "Gagliardi's fortune is our own fortune as well," she said.
©2009 - 隱私權政策
If you can look past the mushrooming 21st-century industrial blocks, you'll find that Suzhou in southeast China is still, at least a little, what it anciently was: a city of humped bridges, walled gardens and winding dark-water canals. It was the cultural capital of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) in the 15th and 16th centuries, which is when most of the gardens were built by scholar-officials, some of whom were artists.
The latest on the arts, coverage of live events, critical reviews, multimedia extravaganzas and much more. Join the discussion.
One of the smallest and most intricate of the surviving gardens — it's like a walk-in clockwork of pavilions, freakish rocks and mini-trees — inspired the design of the Astor Court at the center of the Chinese painting galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And these days Suzhou is everywhere inside those galleries, in the exhibition "Arts of the Ming Dynasty: China's Age of Brilliance."
Like most dynasties, the Ming — the name means bright or brilliant — was built on the ruins of an earlier ruling line, in this case the Mongol Yuan dynasty. And again like most conquerors, the Ming sifted those ruins, extracting what was of cultural value or interest and adding new elements, including influences from a deeper Chinese past.
This mix of salvage and innovation produced, among other things, a hybrid art. The Ming inherited two different, parallel traditions of painting: courtly professional and scholar-amateur. They developed their own versions, which eventually bled into each other. The first, sometimes referred to as the Zhe school because of roots in Zhejiang province around the city of Hangzhou, involved a decorative, highly detailed and polished naturalism. It took as its model the academic art of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) and was favored as very "Chinese" by the Ming rulers in Nanjing and Beijing.
The second tradition, which was concentrated in Suzhou and known as the Wu school, continued and elaborated on the self-expressive, improvisatory art practiced by Yuan scholars, and its artists followed the lead of their predecessors in keeping their distance from the centers of imperial power.
But in the Ming period the division between the modes was far from absolute. The court never established an academy, so professional art had no regulation look. And scholar-artists, far from being reclusive, often worked for the government. You can see all kinds of impulses — formal perfectionism, autobiographical storytelling, political commentary, soul-searching — playing out simultaneously in the Met show, which has been organized by Maxwell K. Hearn, a curator in the department of Asian art, entirely from the museum's collection.
The large hand scroll "Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden" falls somewhere in the realm of Zhe realism. It documents a specific occasion, a reception given by a scholar-official for eight of his high-ranking friends in Beijing on April 6, 1437. The picture's details are as precise as its date: the portraitlike faces, the minutely observed array of status objects — paintings, ceramics, brush holders, even a pet crane — arranged for maximum visibility here and there.
But this is realism of suffocating artificiality. The scholar-officials are substantial in form and dressed in colored robes, but they seem to exist in a depthless, monochromatic world. Are they sitting in a garden or on the front of an ink-painted mural of a garden? Or are they on a stage set with cut-out flats of rocks and trees for props? The painting is intensely naturalistic but detached from nature, realistic but unconnected to life.
By contrast, the scholar-artists of Suzhou conjure fantastic, half-abstract dreamscapes that feel oddly, inhabitably real. A hanging scroll titled "Anchorage on a Rainy Night," painted by Shen Zhou, the founder of the Wu school, is almost as much an occasional piece as the Beijing party picture is. We know from an inscription that Shen painted it in 1477, less than two months after the death of his father. He seems to have intended it as a thank-you gift for a friend, Zhou Weide, who kept him company at the time as he drifted around, grief-stricken, in a boat.
The landscape features are both plain and strange: a tiny harbor at the bottom right, a few trees and a rounded mountain. The trees are composed of ink stippling — dot, dot, dot — and thin spines of line. They look shivery and molecular, as if seen through water. And the mountain doesn't look like a mountain, but like a big, solid, hunkered-down beast with a wrinkled pelt. Everything about it is soft, invites touch, radiates comfort, like a pillow. You could curl up beside it, the way a child curls up with a pet dog, and sleep.
As it happens, the show has a painting of someone sleeping, an album-page image of a scholar dozing on his bamboo studio couch. With its Zhe-style photographic detail, the picture could have been taken from life, except for one feature: the room's walls are covered with patterns of rippling lines that suggest projections of a mellowed-out sleeper's brain waves.
The point is that as Ming painting develops, naturalism and fantasy, what is and what could be or should be, flow together. In 1543 the Suzhou artist Wen Zhengming painted a picture, "Living Aloft: Master Liu's Retreat," depicting a rooftop pavilion within a walled garden with a wide-open gate. He made the picture for an old friend, Liu Lin, who at 69 was finally able to leave his government job but, whether for lack of time or funds, had neglected to provide himself with a retirement getaway. Now that he was ready to power down, he had no place quiet to go.
So Wen built one for him in the painting. It's a sweet place, set amid treetops at the base of a hill near a stream — great feng shui — and simply but elegantly furnished. We can see that Liu has already moved in: there he sits, with stacks of books on a shelf behind him. And he has a visitor: Wen himself, who has dropped by for a chat and some tea. In real life Liu never did manage to build a real retreat; he settled for a comfortable chair somewhere, and that was that. But he had one in art, where the seasons never change, the talk is always good and tea is always at hand. Fantasy was realer than real.
By the late Ming the reality-fantasy mash-up was getting pretty wild. Politically and socially things were in rough shape, with absentee emperors, armies of venal officials and the sound of angry underdogs growling in the air. Ordinary people were growing scared and superstitious. Religious revivalism was on the rise. Imperial support for art had long since stopped, leaving former court painters to scrounge commissions from a rich bourgeoisie. With government jobs hard to find, scholar-artists were vying for the same clientele. Almost everyone was reduced to doing whatever would sell.
One thing that sold was a new kind of religious Pop Art. In a hanging scroll by Chen Hongshou, dated 1620, a Buddhist goddess radiates the picaresque glamour seen in illustrations of theater stars of the time. A hand scroll by Zheng Zhong, "Searching the Mountains for Demons," brings lurid realism and comic-book fantasy together in illustrations of supernatural tales dating back to the Song.
Then the Ming imploded and another dynasty, the Qin, began to sift its ruins for salvage. Fortunately, one of the things that appealed to them was the idea of the scholars' garden, which is one reason so many have survived in Suzhou. They are curious, contradictory creations: exquisitely calculated artificial containers for the organic energies of nature. The Astor Court at the Met only hints at this dynamic. Even in modern Suzhou it can be hard to see, but it is there.
One of the city's most popular gardens, the Garden of the Humble Administrator, has been altered so often over the centuries that it is basically a fantasy version of what it probably once was. Yet at least one Ming feature remains unchanged: a wisteria said to have been planted by Wen Zhengming still grows here, its trunk as dark and fantastically twisted as history, its branches flowering every spring.
"Arts of the Ming Dynasty: China's Age of Brilliance" continues through Sept. 13 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; (212) 535-7710, metmuseum.org.
Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art


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T.H. Eifert Mechanical Contractors
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Dream Team
The Dream Team is a group of young adults from different countries who are actively involved in building bridges in the Southwestern part of the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium. We also call them 'Bridgebuilders interns' as it is an internship-volunteer progam. Most of the interns are supported by the EVS (European Volunteers Service) of the Youth in Action program of the EU, others join on their own accord. The 2013-2014 team is made up of nine interns, eight from Europe and one from Canada.
So let's introduce them:
from left to right
Hadi is from Israël, has left a good job to be able to experience more of Europe. He likes philosophy and film making and comes from the Druze, a religious community considered a minority in Israël.
Attila is from Budapest, Hungary, is a student of Theology and took off a year between his studies to get some experience. When he finishes his study, he would like to be pastor of a church. He likes many sports but chess and bicycle riding are favorites. He is from a Calvinist-Reformed church.
Matthew is from the Toronto area of Canada. He studied music education at Western University and then went to YorkU for teachers college. He enjoys playing his trumpet, listening to music of all forms and connecting and mentoring youth of all ages. He hopes to one day be a Music Teacher and make a difference in peoples lives through music education. Matthew also comes from a Christian home with roots in the Baptist church.
Jonas is a football trainer from Erfurt, Germany and has been studying Engineering in Dresden. He is active member of a Roman Catholic church,
Paul is from London and has lived in England since he moved from Thailand at the age of seven. Currently taking a year break from a business degree to volunteer at Atlantic Bridge to find new experiences. Likes to play football and aspires to travel the world. Paulis has a Buddhist backgroiund and went to a Christian Secondary school.
Elisa is from Weimar, Germany, also likes to dance, play piano and loves different forms of art. She is from a Lutheran church.
Diego is originally from Colombia but has lived in the Canary Islands for the last 9 years. He studies Bussines Management at the moment and shares his time with activities like writting, reading philosophy and dancing. He decided to come to Atlantic Bridge and take a break from his studies to learn another culture, other languages and learn from different people. Diego considers this time with Atlantic Bridge as an opportunity to gain a new perspective on life, studies and profession in the future. Diego is member of an Assembly of God church.
Petra is from the Czech Republic and is the only one without a religious upbringing. Petra loves to bake and is a project manager and GTD enthusiast. She has an infinite amount of energy to do the right things than the things right, prioritization! She follows her dreams like a straight arrow and never stops finding meaning of her own existence. She loves children and is interested in the Montessori alternative pedagogy approach and healthy lifestyle. In this time, she is seeking the direction of her life to find meaningful and fulfilling work with a positive impact on the world.
Asthgik is from the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. She got her Master's Degree in Linguistics. She has also been working as an editor in a teenage magazine for the past two years. She loves traveling and making new friends. She dreams to fly to the moon in future. Astghik enjoys making bracelets and hairwraps, loves going to the beach and sunbathing. She is from the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Their tasks vary between doing research into the youth culture in a region, helping students with language learning, giving presentations about their own culture and faith background in schools and before youth groups, challenge students to (re)discover the Christian heritage of Europe, and build interest for Bridgebuilders clubs and in the various exchange projects Atlantic Bridge has to offer. And, last but not least, promote the idea of Europe and the EVS program they are part of.


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Watering China's Economic Growth
Sandstorms sweeping through China have put the scarcity of life's most precious resource, water, back in focus this week.
City dwellers from Beijing to Hong Kong have been inconvenienced by the latest evidence of spreading desertification in China. But the problem has been severe for some time now in parts of southwest China struggling through a seven-month-long drought.


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I am super stoked to announce Garmin as part of my support crew!
I LOVE gadgets! Especially really clever gadgets. The courier dropped off my new 310XT the other day. It is quite an improvement on the previous version. It is smaller, and seems more sealed to the water. For training it is the "perfect all-rounder", and can be used for any sport-paddling, running, biking, swimming etc.
So far I am loving it. I have been training a lot on my own these past few days, and it is the perfect training partner. It never complains that we still have one set left 🙂
The beauty of this product, is that you only have the wrist unit (and heart rate strap if you want to see heart rate). No GPS pods or any other extra's to strap onto your boat, or remember to take with! So much simpler. Training is so much more intelligent now, as I can base everything off accurate data regarding my speed, and especially in the sea, you can identify where the currents are! Amazing! And you upload all your training history to an online training diary to analyze.
More info to follow!
Thanks Fraser and Garmin!


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For passionate sex: Bubblegum Kush
Bubblegum weed provides you with a strong sensual buzz, so you will immediately feel the need for touch. What is really great about this strain is that it brings you closer to a relaxed orgasm as opposed to the kind most people experience: tense and toe-curling.
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The Red Ensign Group has announced that it is working on a new code of practice for the safety and operation of large commercial yachts designed to merge the Large Yacht Code (known as "LY3") and the Passenger Yacht Code (known as "PYC") into one consolidated framework.
The Red Ensign Group is the collective working party for the shipping registries comprising the British Register of Ships. This includes the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) and eight UK Overseas Territories (including the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands).
Any vessel registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or UK Overseas Territory, is a "British ship" and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign flag. The Red Ensign is the most popular international flag flown by large yachts due to its high level of quality, prestige and universal acceptability. It is estimated that around 80% of the world's large yacht fleet flies the British flag.
The new code of practice will be titled, 'The Red Ensign Large Yacht Code', and will be unveiled at the 2017 Monaco Yacht Show. It will further develop the well-established industry standards of the current codes and assimilate the lessons learned from almost 20 years of regulating the large yacht sector since the first version of the Large Yacht Code was published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in 1997.
The Cayman Islands Shipping Registry will take the lead in the secretariat function of the code, on behalf of the Red Ensign Group. Highlighted in the code are the necessary steps required to adapt to the International Maritime Organisation's new four yearly adoption and amendment cycle for its Conventions to which the codes form equivalences (SOLAS, Load Line & STCW). This will make the Large Yacht Code more dynamic to industry change and development, whilst slowing the annual Passenger Yacht Code editions to continue to meet the new international requirements for passenger ships.
The new Red Ensign Group Yacht Code will be a code of two parts with common annexes, such as for helicopter landing areas, enabling builders and designers to continue to recognise the familiar formats of the existing REG codes. An updated version of the Large Yacht Code in 'Part A' will continue to be applied to yachts which are 24 metres or over in load line length, in commercial use for sport or pleasure and don't carry cargo or more than 12 passengers. 'Part B' will consist of the latest version of the Passenger Yacht Code applicable to pleasure yachts of any size, in private use or engaged in trade, which carry more than 12 but not more than 36 passengers and do not carry cargo.
The new code will make larger use of industry best practice and international standards such as ISO (British Marine have a large input into the development of ISO standards by sitting on SME 32 BSi working groups). It will also follow the IMO's overarching remit for increased 'goal based standards' as a form of regulations, allowing room for further flexibility and innovation in the design and construction of yachts.
Oceanskies has always recommended the adoption of the applicable code of practice as the benchmark standard for the build and operation of any yacht regardless of its usage and we welcome this latest evolution that recognises not only the dominance of the British Register of Ships in the large yacht market but also the importance of the codes in establishing and maintaining this position.
As one of the world's largest yacht registration and documentation agencies we welcome enquiries from owners considering options for their chosen flag state and port of registry for their vessel.


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Jeremy Waldron
Jeremy Waldron is University Professor at New York University. One Another's Equals: The Basis of Human Equality came out in 2017.
In the LRB Archive:
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- Virtues of Mendacity: On Lying in Politics by Martin Jay
Reality Check: The One Per Cent Doctrine · 10 April 2008
- Worst-Case Scenarios by Cass Sunstein
Boutique Faith: Against Free Speech · 20 July 2006
- Courting the Abyss: Free Speech and the Liberal Tradition by John Durham Peters
Deservingness: Equality of Opportunity · 19 September 2002
- Against Equality of Opportunity by Matt Cavanagh
11 September · 4 October 2001
What about Bert?: equality · 9 August 2001
- Sovereign Virtue: The Theory and Practice of Equality by Ronald Dworkin
A Mistrust of Thunder and Lightning: Hobbes · 20 January 2000
- Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes by Quentin Skinner
The Plight of the Poor in the Midst of Plenty: John Rawls · 15 July 1999
- Collected Papers by John Rawls, edited by Samuel Freeman
Whose Nuremberg Laws?: race · 19 March 1998
- Seeing a Colour-Blind Future: The Paradox of Race by Patricia Williams
- Colour Conscious: The Political Morality of Race by Anthony Appiah and Amy Gutmann
- Race: The History of an Idea in the West by Ivan Hannaford
Politics can be Hell · 22 August 1996
- Machiavelli's Virtue by Harvey Mansfield
By the Roots · 9 February 1995
- The Anatomy of Anti-Liberalism by Stephen Holmes
The Edges of Life · 12 May 1994
- Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion and Euthanasia by Ronald Dworkin
Privatising the atmosphere · 4 November 1993
- Beyond the New Right: Markets, Government and the Common Environment by John Gray
Select a letter to see more contributors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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3 Simple Steps: How to Find the Best Gold Refiner/
Like many companies, you probably have some older gold-bearing scrap and used equipment and components on hand that could put money in your pocket if you sent them to the right gold refiner. They could be old circuit boards, cellphones, medical equipment, eyeglass frames, automobile airbags, digital cameras, sputtering targets, or gold-containing resins and salts that you don't use in your manufacturing processes anymore. All those things – and more – could contain valuable quantities of gold.
What's stopping you from recycling those unneeded things? It's probably uncertainty. How can you really know how much gold is inside each of the old cell phones that your electronics company has taken back in trades, for example? You can't tell by looking. And how can you know much gold can be extracted from the used sputtering targets that you've taken off your production line?
If you're feeling that uncertainty, you're probably feeling some anxiety too. Sure, you could send those old cellphones or circuit boards to just any precious metal recycling company you find online, but how can you be sure that company will pay you for the gold that those items really contain – and pay you a fair price? How can you be sure that you're not about to be ripped off?
Three Steps to Finding a Reputable Gold Refining Company that Pays You What You Deserve
Well, there are ways. Here are some steps that can safeguard you . . .
- Step One – Check out the company's reputation. Before you send in any items that could potentially contain gold, ask to speak with one or two of the companies that the recycling company serves. Ask those client companies about the refiner's expertise, honesty, and speed in paying. Note that although many companies display customer testimonials on their websites, those quotes have been carefully selected for inclusion. So speak with some of the refiner's clients instead.
- Step Two – Send in only a few items for testing and evaluation. For example, if you're an automobile dealer with hundreds of airbags that were removed from cars because of a recall, don't send them all to a refiner and hope for the best. Send in just one and listen to what the company has to say before sending in everything that you have. Also: Consider sending the same kind of samples to several refiners/recyclers to see which is offering you the highest value.
- Step Three – Do business with a company that bases its value on current metal prices that you can verify independently. We do this at Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, for example. You can always visit our home page to see the current market price for gold. It's an open, verifiable process, because you'll know exactly how much gold is contained in each item that you're recycling and know the current market price too.
Don't let uncertainty or anxiety keep you from extracting the gold from components and materials that you have on hand. Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners has been the top choice of businesses and individuals in the US for secondary refining for over 30 years. We invite you to call us today at 800-426-2344 to learn more.
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Gold Refining: Why It Takes an Expert to Evaluate Your Gold-Plated Items
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The Confusing – and Very Profitable – World of Gold Alloys


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Profile of Corporate Secretary
Profile of Corporate Secretary
Elisabeth Novi S. Aruan
Corporate Secretary
Novi was appointed as Corporate Secretary according to Circular Decision of the Company as replacement of Board of Directors Meeting on 1 February 2018. She graduated from Academy Secretary of Tarakanita, Jakarta in 2002 and pursued her education at LA City College. Before taking on her position as Corporate Secretary, she served Corporate Secretary and Investor Relations division. Prior to joining the Company in 2012, she worked at PT Amstelco Energy Resource as the Executive Secretary to CEO/Founder from 2010 to 2012. Prior to that, in 2010, she worked as Project Consultant at PT Royston Advisory in Jakarta. She has also worked at the Indonesia prominent law firm, Ali Budiardjo, Nugroho, Reksodiputro (ABNR Law) as the Marketing/Communication Officer in 2006 – 2008. She has worked as Executive Secretary to Managing Director for Jakarta Office at APCO Worldwide, a strategic consultant agency based in Washington DC, USA. Besides the professional experience, she served as Master of Ceremony for several formal and informal events in Jakarta.


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As well as invaluable tools for keeping in touch with our friends, families and our work, mobile devices have become an increasingly big part of how we access the Internet. Unfortunately, while many smartphones are nearly as powerful as computers, we often don't use the same caution with them as we do with our computers—and they often don't have the privacy and security safeguards that come built into computers.
MediaSmarts has partnered with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to develop the Online Commerce Cyber Security Consumer Tip Sheet – the fourth in a series of tip sheets on cyber security issues.
CIRA and MediaSmarts have partnered on a series of five tip sheets to educate Canadians about online security issues. The 5th tip sheet in the series, Socializing and Interacting Online, looks at negative issues that can come up when interacting with others through networked technologies including phishing scams and hoaxes, and strategies for dealing with them.
Since at least the days of Birth of a Nation (1915), Hollywood has turned to history for material. A quick survey of this year's Academy Award nominations shows that this is as true now as ever, with five out of the nine nominees for Best Picture – Argo, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty and odds-on favourite Lincoln – based in history in some way. Their approaches vary, of course, with the history-as-backdrop approach of Les Miserables, the revenge fantasy of Django Unchained, the academic character study of Lincoln, the docudrama of Zero Dark Thirty and the history-as-thriller of Argo.
Trend Micro's "What's Your Story?" Contest Awards $10,000 to a Trio of Ottawa High School Students: Poetry Performance Video Highlights the Internet's Impact on a Generation
Someone encountering the Internet for the first time might be forgiven for assuming it was created specifically for teenagers. Indeed, the Internet could reasonably be said to have been aging backwards since its birth – the domain first of scientists and the military, then of university students in the 1990s and now children and teenagers.
Teachers who include media literacy in their classrooms often face issues that don't arise in other subjects. Nothing illustrates this better than the issue of diversity in media. It's not unreasonable for teachers to see the topic as a can of worms and be concerned about offending students and their parents – not to mention worrying about what the students themselves might say. At the same time, it's a topic that is simply too important to be ignored: what we see in media hugely influences how we see others, ourselves and the world. As a result, an ability to analyze media depictions of diversity is not only a key element of being media literate, it's essential to understanding many of the social issues and concerns that we face as citizens. That's why Media Awareness Network has developed That's Not Me – a new online tutorial for professional development to help educators and community leaders approach this issue through key concepts of media literacy.
How #Ottawapiskat turned the tables on media coverage of native issues Over the last few months the Idle No More movement has succeeded in bringing Aboriginal issues to national attention. This has been due in no small part due to the movement's use of Twitter, where #IdleNoMore was a Trending Topic in both Canada and worldwide.
Canadian teens love to socialize online, and they especially love to share photos.
If anyone still doubts that youth need to learn how to evaluate online information, those doubts should have been dispelled by a recent hoax perpetrated by the group called the Yes Men. This group, which has a history of staging fake press conferences, decided to draw attention to Canada's position at the Copenhagen conference on climate change by creating a number of fake Web sites purporting to be, among others, the Copenhagen summit site, the Wall Street Journal, and Environment Canada's site. While it didn't take long for Environment Canada to make a statement exposing the hoax, by that time many journalists had reported the story as fact and the story had been widely distributed by wire services.


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