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Friday, September 19, 2008
Markets, Lehman Brothers and stuff
These days many people ask me the same set of questions- "what's happening in the financial markets?", "Is the worst over yet?", "why did Lehman Brothers go bankrupt?" And so on. Working in the financial industry, I am somehow supposed to know it all. Yeah, right! But, I can share what little I know so here we go.
Financial Markets in Crisis
Financial markets are not just in some crisis, they are in deep crisis. You know that when Allan Greenspan says on TV that this is by far the worst he has seen in his life. You know that when every major financial institution is going under, one by one. You know that when governments and central banks the world over push $ 800 billion into the markets to keep them alive (more like on life support systems, but breathing nevertheless). And finally, you know it for sure when Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and AIG are all in the news for either being bailed out, bought out or, in Lehman's case, just out.
So, what's happening? When one of the world's largest economies is perennially in debt, when "experts" pretend to know how to manage that debt, when "risk managers" fool themselves and others that they have things under control, when "intelligent finance gurus" create instruments to make money out of all this and when they all are living in a fool's paradise, it is obvious that the party can't last long. Signs are that the party has ended. Depending on who you are talking to, this is the worst financial crisis the world has seen in ten, fifty, hundred or a million years.
So, is this the bottom? Are worse days ahead? In my honest opinion, this might be one of the worst financial crises the world has ever seen, but I am confident that many of us would weather the storm. Big names will fall. But, that doesn't necessarily mean the end of the financial markets as we know them. If there is one thing that the bean counters and managers in this market are known for (apart from greed) is resilience. How long will this storm last, and what will we see next? Well, I don't know. Nobody does. Even the experts who write long articles in business magazines or talk on TV, with bookshelves and flowers in the background, are saying just one thing: "we have no clue at all. Just wait and see". Anybody who claims to know the future in today's market is either a shameless liar, an absolute madman or God in disguise.
So, what happened to Lehman Brothers?
Lehman was America's fourth largest bank; a 158 year old grand institution that had weathered the great depression and many other storms successfully; a financial company so important that if it sneezed, the world would catch flu. Well, it didn't just sneeze, it kicked the bucket. So, what happened?
It all started in 2007, and the subprime mortgage crisis. Lehman owned a subprime lender called BNC Mortgage and closed it down in August 2007 following the infamous crisis. This led to about $25 million charge and $27 million reduction in goodwill. The crisis spilled over to 2008 and Lehman's losses started to mount. Though it closed BNC Mortgage, it held on to large positions in lower rated (subprime, even) mortgage tranches when securitizing the underlying mortgages. It probably did so hoping for a reversal in the market. It is also possible that it couldn't sell the lower rated bonds.
In Q2 of 2008, Lehman reported losses of $2.8 billion. By now, it had lost 73% of its value in the market. August 2008 saw rumours that Korea Development Bank was considering buying Lehman Brothers. That didn't go through, most probably because KDB had trouble attracting partners for the deal and pleasing regulators. As a result, the already battered Lehman share value plunged by a further 45%. After seeing all this, investors became wary of this stock and its price continued to go down south. The bank tried every trick in the book to stay afloat- it tried to downsize, sell parts of it to others, approached the Fed for help and even tried selling itself to somebody. Nothing worked. Barclays and Bank of America both mulled over buying it out, but declined after due diligence. With no other option left, it announced bankruptcy on Monday, 15 September 2008. On 16 September, Barclays came back showing interest in the bank. Here is a link to the announcement on Lehman's website.
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Next-gen Nissan Leaf teased
in Nissan
in Nissan
Japanese auto hulk Nissan has initiated teasing the next gen Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle, ahead of its official debut later this year. The world's most popular EV in terms of sales, the Leaf will be moving into the new gen this year with a totally new design language, independent features and a much higher range compared to the existing version. Nissan plans to release more of such teaser images running up to the reveal, which will take place in September this year maybe at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Without giving too much away, the first teaser image discloses the two LED projector lights on the all-new Nissan Leaf. The headlights housing is alike to the one seen on Nissan's IDS concept that was showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015. In fact, previous spy shots of the all-new Leaf have also revealed the silhouette to be very alike to the IDS concept. Also expect to see Nissan's V-Motion grille on the EV and floating roof.
In addition, the next gen Nissan Leaf will get a larger cabin and will be joining a host of new creature comforts. More prominently, the new Leaf is likely to feature Nissan's pro-Pilot autonomous driving tech with the model getting three levels of independent capability. The EV will also see a major hike in its total range from the present 172 km range. With other electric vehicles having grown by a good margin, the new Leaf is probable carry a maximum range of 350-400 km on a single charge. That said, the new Leaf will be offered in multiple range options globally.
The Nissan Leaf is one of the most popular EVs worldwide with over 260,000 units sold since its launch in 2009 We exclusively told you that the Leaf is being considered for India and it is said that a pilot program in partnership with government bodies is also planned towards the end of this year. While the outgoing Nissan Leaf may look a little bland, the next gen version surely looks a lot more exciting. It is one model we will be excitedly looking forward to this September.

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome back shoe enthusiasts...we hope that you have had a good festive break and are looking forward to the year ahead? Who knows what it will bring, but hopefully many, many more beautiful shoes.
For us, it starts with a blast of teaching as our January Intensive Handsewn Shoemaking course gets under way on Monday. With almost two weeks away from the workshop our hands and bodies will be feeling it almost as much as the students I am sure!
But before we dive into the new year, forgive is an indulgent moment as we look back on 2016.
- The Design Museum opened in West Kensinton opened with us in it!
|There's a fabulous shoemaking film - being viewed here by James under the critical eye of film maker Camilla Corr - a pair of boots, tools, patterns, leathers ....
- We saw some great shoe making by students during the year...including
|Charlie - very proud
|Johanna and Barbara....
|Wei Fen and Nicole...
|Matt, who came back for a masterclass...
|The January 2016 guys...
|and a very rambunctious summer class!
- We started an annual Shoemaking School alumni Christmas drinks tradition!
- We made Winkers Resort Shoes in a wide choice of fabrics...including bespoke commissions
- We received our National Shoefitters Association certificates
...and were proud to help Cockpit Arts celebrate its 30th Anniversary...
- Launched our new branding
- Launched Barkan Desert Boots
|Warmly received by our Kickstarter supporters - thank you all - and their canine friends!


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Boy Saved Money For Video Games But Donates All $450 To Local Food Pantry
May 25, 2018
A 7th grader at Avon Middle School North in Indiana donated $450 to a local food pantry.
Most kids can't wait to spend their allowance on video games and new toys.
But after learning about the food shortage at a local food pantry, Brecken Hayes chose to use all of the money he has saved up to help those in need.
"I don't really need that stuff," Brecken told WTHR. "Those are wants. People need food and water to live. and they don't have that. And I already have it. So I don't want to be greedy. I just wanted to help them."
Brecken's donation was nearly half of the entire school's donation of $1,000 to the Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry.
Please consider making a donation to Sunny Skyz and help our mission to make the world a better place.


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High Tech Distribution UK is now stocking MusicNomad's polishing cloths for string instruments.
"The 3-pack, super soft Microfibre Suede Polishing Cloths prolong that fresh-from-the-showroom feel through their superior design, quality and value," promises HTD UK.
Microfibre is a revolutionary material containing 90,000 fibres per square inch, these fibres remove dirt and grime from surfaces. Its super soft, lint free construction is an ideal way to clean your equipment. Also, MusicNomad uses a non-hemmed edge to avoid scratching your prized instrument.
These cloths are designed for an instrument's body, neck and string care and work on electric and acoustic guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele and orchestral strings.
Each pack includes three 12×12″ premium Suede Microfiber Cloths.


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"I see people who talk about religion, constantly quarrelling with one another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Shaivas, all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. "There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names.". Truth is one; it is only called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the disagreement is due to differences in climate, temperament, and names. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart."
In Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten, Lord Krishna also says that He is the source of all beings & of different gods. Not even that as per Lord Krishna, all these universes & creations spring from but a spark of His splendor only. As per Him, He is seated in hearts of all living entities. He Himself is Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva & Lord Brahma. He Himself is Sun, Moon, Wind & Fire. He Himself is Rama God too. He Himself is Lord of wealth - Kubera. He Himself is Spiritual word Om. He Himself is river Ganges. Among women He Himself is manifested as Goddess of fortune (Lakshmi), Goddess of wisdom (Saraswati) & other Goddesses of fame, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience. As per Lord Krishna His opulence is limitless.
Hindus likewise believe in only one God. They glorify and praise His thousands of qualities. For example when God is love, He is symbolically represented by Lord Krishna, God as virtue is represented by lord Rama, God as power is represented by Lord Hanuman, God as wisdom is represented by Goddess Saraswati etc. etc. So these different aspects of Gods represent spirituality, purity, power etc. of the Ultimate One who is endless truth and bliss.
Below are some verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain about various manifestations of One Supreme God.
"aham atma gudakesha
aham adis cha madhyam cha
bhutanam anta eva cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 20)
"Sri Krishna said: I am the Super Soul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings."
"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)
"Sri Krishna said: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the Moon."
"rudranam sankaras chasmi
vitteso yaksha-rakshasam
vasunam pavakas chasmi
meruh sikharinam aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 23)
"Sri Krishna said: Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kubera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru."
"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)
"Sri Krishna said: Of purifiers I am the Wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges."
"yac chapi sarva-bhutanam
bijam tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vina yat syan
maya bhutam characharam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said: Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or nonmoving—that can exist without Me."
"yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-'msa-sambhavam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 41)
"Sri Krishna said: Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."
"atha va bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 42)
"Sri Krishna said: But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."
So lets see One God in all human beings & in all the religions. We should not fight on the basis of religion & understand the view point of different people in different religions.


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A judge has denied Deutsche Bank's bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Los Angeles accusing it of letting hundreds of foreclosed properties fall into disrepair and illegally evicting low-income tenants, a representative for the city's attorney said on Wednesday.
Reuters reports that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle allowed the 2011 civil enforcement action to proceed, according to the city attorney's office.
The ruling was made during an April 8 hearing and a written decision was issued late on Tuesday, the city said.
'This ruling will now allow our action to move forward to trial and ultimately to holding the bank accountable for its intolerable practice or perpetuating blight', city attorney Carmen Trutanich said in a statement.
In the meantime, the news agency reports that a federal judge said on Wednesday the U.S. government can proceed with a lawsuit accusing Bank of New York Mellon Corp of overcharging clients for trading currencies, a case brought under a rarely-used financial fraud law.
While dismissing some of the fraud claims, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said the complaint 'generally suffices' to let the government pursue its main claim, that the bank fraudulently misrepresented that it would provide 'best execution' to various trading clients.
Deutsche Bank can't shake L.A. claims over foreclosure blight
U.S. can sue BNY Mellon over currency trades - judge
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Tags: Dazzling, babe, Marketa, strips, dress, naked, striptease, sexy, free, porn
Categories: Brunettes
Submitted: 11 years old
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Dazzling babe Marketa strips off her sexy dress - Marketa is a slick babe who knows how to tease the camera with her amazing body. This babe is sexy and beautiful, and she knows it.


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The theme we've picked is 'WOODLAND'... thats not a surprise for some of you who know I have an infatuation with all things woodgrain tee hee! Here are a few piccies and ideas we have discovered so far that just might get a serious look in when the time comes to decorate...
Love the tree decals and colour scheme with this one.
Really liking the wood paneling as a feature wall,
hmmm its a possibility!
I have also started a little collection of picture frames mostly red and white ones and a few letters I have bought from Reverse Garbage that will get a new life in a similar grouping on a wall like this image below...
I discovered this absolute must have online the other week and know that it would be a perfect little addition to the
nursery...its a beanbag that looks like a sleeping grizzly bear...isn't it just the cutest!
Sleeping Grizzly Beanbag
They also have these gorgeous knitted Beaver logs.
...oh gosh gotta have me some of these, you can get them here at Chicsindesign just follow the links to their Etsy shop!
I also found another fabbo site called Design Public, which is a great resource for things that are a little bit left of centre in the baby nursery category.
Here's a little 'faun' cushion that caught my eye
and this Mushroom clustered side table designed by Thomas Wold.
I am seriously thinking I'll be buying some MDF and getting my Jig Saw out of the shed for this little project!
Well thats it for now, but I am going to start the hunt for some fabbo and affordable art work that would work in the nursery... stay tuned for a post on that one! TFL


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Built on the technology of Micorsoft, EMR can integrate and transfer data from various sources (HIS, LIS, RIS, PACS or medical devices) into pre-defined health record, achieving high efficiency in usage. The EMR is linked to reliable drug interactions database, and to the patient claim history of Health Insurance of Vietnam and the Department of Health's Data Portal. The hospital has the flexibility to adjust report templates upon change requests but will not need to change the structure of the EMR.
With licensed technology, LifeSys™ provides the most advanced features for all RIS / PACS which allows all size health facilities to deploy and install instantly with convenience. The product can be adapted to workflow in multiple locations and with multiple physicians, allowing physicians to communicate, send SMS and/or email to physicians working remotely, ensuring sharing, remote consultation promptly for urgent, special cases. The product supports an unlimited number of medical facilities using high-security cloud storage, for a whole variety of images including DICOM and fast data transfer technology.
Complete management system for health facilities that includes information of health checkup, inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy system management, hospital fees, health insurance, integrated EMR, finance, human resources, strategies, plans, activities, ... The product has the effect of optimizing the planning and utilization of the resources of health facilities with high stability because the development is based on an ERP platform which has been deployed for many big businesses over the past 8 years. The product also helps to standardize management procedures easily due to the flexible management system, assign permission to every function.
(From Austria) is accredited by JCI, currently available in many countries – which is an open framework and patient based with the capability of configuring the user interface, business logic of the system according to the hospital's workflow and policies even with changes over time. Several intelligent functions: Nursing care, symptoma recording, diagnosis, automated nursing intervention, care plan; Medication management: Support prescribing mix, infusion prescriptions, drug interactions warning (connected to MIMS or thongtinthuoc.com),pause/discontinue drugs, automatically transmit orders from doctors to pharmacy department by automatic calculation of drugs per day, supporting the preparation and dispense drug by the nurses
A laboratory management system has multi-dimensional connection to many types of machine equipment and can be integrated with the hospital or clinic management system via the APIs. Laboratory quality management system connects intelligently, accurately, flexibly from the Cobas, Roche system: from collection, pre-analysis of clinical samples to the results; allows comparison on different machines on the same module, database; quality management, sample surveys; meet the test management procedures such as: Hematology, immunology, biochemistry, microbiology,.....
Connects doctors and patients to make appointments in a certain time frame. Application helps to distribute patients to the clinic.
Consult the doctor selection and appointment: By applying Microsoft technology, Bacsi24x7 Bot mines the data from clinic management software, EMR, hospital management software... to support the medical units: support the patient by providing medical information search, booking appointment smartly, looking up the appointment slot and estimate the coming time, time of result returning, auto-analyzing consultation data for health-focus education of patients, record all needs, inquiries, enhance the medical facilities to improve and support the patients more efficiently.
Fully interconnected all the RemoteCase devices which are FDA-approved. Be able to assess, diagnose, and treat the patient remotely by using Microsoft's Skype or Skype For Business. The results of the consultation can be stored in the PHR if necessary. It can be used in: emergency ambulance, remote areas, home care, nursing homes, military, oil, gas, mining, communities, aviation, disaster preparation and many other areas.
Builds on Power BI technology to control large amounts of data for health facilities or state management agencies such as Department of Health. The product provides analysis of raw data, updated in realtime, and creates structured reports based on pre-defined criteria to support health facilities or state management agencies more timely and effective.
Is based on CHBase technology of Get Real Health, integrated with management software system of medical facilities and with Health Insurance of Vietnam system, interconnected with over 400 health devices and meeting FDA standard. The PHR allows the patients to store comprehensive personal health information and use in a variety of health facilities. The PHR can store and exchange different data, including structured data, medical notes, and unstructured files (including DICOM or other medical imaging files).
The online learning portal is a virtual learning environment that can collect the training content from many sources, in a variety of training formats. As a result, it provides medical practitioners with continuous training (CME) to improve their medical skills with the advantage of "unlimited space and time". Doctors can study anywhere, whenever they have an internet connected device (desktop, laptop, smartphone etc).


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HI Everyone,
I don't consider myself a luthier, although I have done a fair amount of heavy duty repairs including neck resets and rebracing archtops without removing the back or top.
These days I make pickguards, pickups and piezo systems which don't require preamps and "plug and play" guards for vintage archtop guitars that don't require drilling or cutting the top.
Here's a photo of a Bo Diddley type guitar that I recently finished using an old Stella folk guitar neck.
Scale is 24-1/2 inches and it plays pretty well for a neck with a non adjustable truss rod.
It was a learning experience for me, especially setting the neck.
There wasn't enough room for a proper joint, so I used hardware, shims and glue.
It is small and plays well for it's size (not great above the 12th fret).
Bridge pickup is my own design, a P90 without pole screws and alnico rod magnets, surface mount which sounds more like a Telly lead pickup than anything I can think of. It is not a humbucker and grounded well for low interference.
http://reverb.com/item/117637-stella-bo ... 3-mahogany
Some of my other stuff is here:
Setting the neck so it is adjustable before gluing it was useful, as I could check it by putting strings on and tightening them up.
This is probably not politically correct but I've done it on old Kays and Harmonys with great results.
Once the neck is set properly, it can be glued and actually the hardware could be removed if desired but it is much stronger with metal inside, like a pin in a broken leg...


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Presentations are a part of life for many business owners, managers and employees. There are very few positions in most businesses that won't have to give a presentation. Sure, some employees do it more than others, many however likely won't give presentations very often. In order to make it easier, Microsoft has integrated keyboard shortcuts you can enter while giving a PowerPoint presentation.
Here are 12 useful shortcuts you can use while presenting with PowerPoint 2010 and 2013.
- F5 – Pressing this key will start the presentation. By default it should start from the first slide. If you want to start from the slide you are currently looking at, hit Shift+F5. In PowerPoint 2013, you should also be able to hit S to start a presentation, as long as you aren't editing a slide.
- N – Will flip to the next slide, foregoing all animations.
- Right arrow/Down arrow/spacebar – Tapping any of these keys will trigger the next animation. If there are no animations, it will switch to the next slide.
- P – Pressing this will flip to the previous slide.
- Left arrow/Up arrow/backspace – Hitting any of these keys will replay the last animation or switch back to the previous slide if there are no animations.
- Number + Enter – If you enter a number, and hit Enter, you will be taken to that slide. Be sure to hit the numbers in quick succession, or it may not work/move you to the unintended slide.
- B – If you need to display a blank black screen, hit this. Clicking the mouse or tapping the key again should move back to the slide you were previously looking at.
- W – If you prefer to show a blank white screen, hit this key.
- Ctrl + P – Changes the cursor from an arrow to a dot, that you can annotate or draw on slides with. Pressing E will erase any marks made.
- Ctrl + A – Changes the cursor to an arrow.
- Ctrl + H – Will hide the cursor
- Esc – Tapping this will end the presentation.
These keyboard shortcuts should help make the next presentation you have to give go a bit better, and may even help you if you forget your slide, or move forward too quickly. If you are looking to learn more about how PowerPoint, or any of the Office programs can help make business easier, please contact us today.


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8 New Year's Party Punches
We are now in what I call the Holiday Donut Hole, which is the brief period of time between gorging yourself at Christmas and gorging yourself for New Year's. Personally, I'm taking these few days to do some healthy eating, but it's definitely worth starting to plan for New Year's, especially if you are throwing a party.
Call me crazy, but I've never really been a fan of the New Year's bar scene – especially in a big city. You just pay a lot for some usually sub-par food and a few glasses of champagne in a packed restaurant. Not really my idea of a good way to ring in the new year. Instead I find it much more fun to hang out with a few friends at a house with food, drink, and games.
If you do happen to be throwing a party (or attending one and willing to lug some ingredients around), it's always a good idea to have a solid punch. Most punch recipes make a lot of tasty drink for a fairly economical price tag – especially if your alternative is going out on the town.
Over the last week I've been browsing through some punch recipes and here are eight favorites that caught my eye!
AB EggNog – I made this great eggnog recipe last year and it's definitely worth revisiting. Homemade eggnog is so superior to the stuff you buy in the store; it's not even close. Traditional eggnog is made with raw egg but this version is made with eggs that I pasteurized over a double boiler. Makes it safer and doesn't really affect the taste.
Pomegranate Champagne Punch – Pomegranates are in season and Champagne is about as New Year's as it gets! If people bring a lot of cheap champagne to your party this year, feel free to put them to use! Also, this post has a bonus eggnog recipe! (@ Yum Sugar)
Pacman Punch – Ok. So this punch recipe was actually for a recent boxing match, but I think it would be awesome for a party. Looks tasty and I think it probably packs a punch (PUNNY). (@ Burnt Lumpia)
Cotillion Club Punch – This is a crazy recipe that is some sort of Southern concoction involving lots of whiskey. The most impressive thing though is the 300 servings the base recipe makes. You might need to work on your division for this punch unless you are throwing an EPIC bash. (@ Serious Eats)
Jasper's Rum Punch – Sometimes punches are too packed with sweeteners and have generally too many ingredients. This one, I imagine, tastes like what it's supposed to taste like: rum. The recipe is the exact opposite of the Cotillion punch recipe. It's written for one serving. You'll need to times it by a few dozen to get a good punch recipe ready. (@ Kaiser Penguin)
Wassail – The phrase means "Be Healthy" which is always a good New Year's resolution. The recipe has some steps, but the result is an awesome spiced wine punch. It'd be great for a cold December 31st night. (@ use real butter)
Mulled Apple Cider – A pretty straightforward recipe involving cinnamon, apple juice and mulled spices. Of course the rum is optional or, if you wanted, just stick a bottle of rum near the punch and people can add it to taste. (@ Phoo-D) If you wanted to pass on the mulled spices, you could make your own from scratch using this recipe (@ Elena's Pantry)
Cranberry Apple Cider – One more apple cider variation using cranberries. Maybe you have some leftover from the holidays? This recipe is actually without the booze, but you could add it if you wanted. I'd go with a dark rum or whiskey. (@ Pham Fatale)
Those are a few of the punch recipes I'm thinking about trying out this year, but how about you? Leave a comment with your favorite punch!
Photo by AlleyesonJenny.
6 comments on "8 New Year's Party Punches"
Dad shelly
Wow. We are going to a home party …
Have a few bottles of champagne
everyone have a fun safe new years eve
So how do you know you really eliminated pathogens when you pasteurized your own eggs? Time and temperature are critical. If not exact, you could end up creating an environment where bacteria flourish. Can't you buy pasteurized shell eggs where you live?
@Ben The general rule of thumb is to heat the yolks, whisking constantly, to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. I just follow Alton's recipe, but I've seen similar technique and instruction for other egg recipes like Swiss Meringues. But yes. You can buy pasteurized eggs and avoid the whole deal I suppose.
You're right that there is no specific indicator when the eggs are pasteurized (and that might not even be the correct term for home use).
Thrifty DC Cook
I like the Pomegranate Champagne Punch. I'm going to mix that one up this year.
If you go to A Dash of Bitters – Aged Eggnog – Safe or Not you'll find a link to an experiment at the Rockefeller Institute where over time the alcohol in their eggnog killed salmonella. FYI.
Hey Nick – Thanks for the shout-out! You have a terrific list of party punches here. I'd be happy to run into any of these tonight. =)


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Randy Pennington is an expert in helping companies make the changes they need to deliver the results they want in order to sustain a competitive advantage in their marketplace.
He has worked with a diverse group of corporations, associations, universities, and government agencies. The list includes Alabama Power Company, American Rental Association, Brinks Home Security, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Sprint, and State Farm Insurance. Additionally, Randy serves as an instructor in the Cox Business Leadership Center at Southern Methodist University. Randy is author of three books, Results Rule, On My Honor, I Will, and most recently Make Change Work. His expertise has made him an internationally respected commentator with appearances on CNN, PBS, Fox News, the ABC Radio Network, and the BBC. His views have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Executive Excellence, Training & Development, in numerous newspapers, and many professional/trade association journals.


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Should youn't delight in doing transcription, it can be extremely tricky work. There are various kinds of transcription. It is highly detailed work with strict deadlines. This page is about transcription. Legal transcription is not appropriate for everyone. It is required to have law office skills and experience.
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Getting a loan without a bank account is not impossible, but the lack of a savings or checking account rules out loans from most traditional lending institutions like credit unions and banks. HowStuffWorks explains that lenders view a consumer's lack of a bank account as a liability since those who do not have bank accounts are often unable to obtain one due to financial hardship or a bad banking history.
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Cite as:
Yaneer Bar-Yam, Sleep as temporary brain dissociation, CSDL Research Report YB-0005-10.10.92 (1993).
During sleep the brain is active but is largely isolated from sensory neurons. It is here proposed that during sleep the mind further subdivides into isolated neuron groups. This division decomposes imprinted experience from the waking period into pieces which then form the building blocks for analyzing and responding to future circumstance. The approach is based on the perspective that the central purpose of the brain is not to remember experiences, but rather to obtain from them knowledge that will serve in future circumstances.
Modern theories of sleep suggest it serves a biological restorative function, or that sleep exists because of a survival advantage in removing primitive man from danger [1, 2]. However, the existence of dreams has motivated theories in which sleep plays an important role in psychology or how the brain processes information [3, 4]. One modern framework for describing information processing by the brain is the neural network. In this framework, Crick and Mitchinson [5, 6] suggest that dreams cause selective forgetting of undesirable or parasitic neural network states. In contrast Geszti and Pázmándi [7] suggest dreams are a form of relearning. In these works, roles in information processing are attributed to Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, or dream sleep. The other parts of sleep, where dreams are infrequent (non-REM sleep), are still generally believed to have a biological role. However, total sleep deprivation causes psycho-functional, not physiological, deterioration in humans and the primary effects occur with loss of non-REM sleep [2].
In this article it is proposed that both REM and non-REM sleep play a significant role in information processing by the brain. It is suggested that during sleep brain subdivisions are temporarily isolated from each other. The known specificity of neurotransmitters makes it possible selectively to 'turn-off' synapses or axons that connect between subdivisions. Such selective control enables isolation of the brain from sensory input even though sleep is a neurologically active state [8]. The possible role of further internal dissociation of the brain appears to be discussed here for the first time.
It is proposed that the temporary subdivision of the brain during sleep, and a selective relearning process during this time, enables and maintains the distinct roles of different subdivisions of the brain during waking [9]. The fundamental motivation for subdivision of the brain is the need to generalize experiences by isolating aspects that may reoccur in other contexts. Quite literally the act of combining aspects of prior experience is directly the result of recombining states of partially independent brain subdivisions.
It is further suggested that dissociation in sleep performs an essential restorative function. Neural networks fail catastrophically when overloaded. Selective relearning also results in a selective forgetting of information that prevents overload failure. Experimental observation of psycho-functional failure after sleep deprivation [2], which prevents this restorative function, may be directly related to overload failure.
Consequences of this discussion are far reaching both for public policy and progress in understanding brain function and disorders. Public attitudes, and corporate behavior, motivated by or motivating scientific thought often proceeds on the assumption that sleep is a waste of time. In contrast, these proposals suggest that well-balanced sleep schedules are of central importance in human functioning not only for the short term effects of sleep deprivation but for its long term effects. Moreover, the temporary subdivision of the brain and selective relearning may provide a step towards understanding mechanisms of pattern recognition, the 'logic' of human language and the ability of separate parts of the brain to function coherently. Finally, it provides predictions that can be tested by the new techniques currently available for mapping regional brain activity.
This article is arranged as follows. First, the conventional neural model of adaptive learning is reviewed. The existence of brain subdivision is motivated within the neural model. The problem of neural network overload and the impact of selective relearning is discussed. The role of temporary dissociation and the purpose of different levels of sleep are described. The impact of sleep deprivation and other malfunctions of the sleep process are presented. Finally, it is suggested that the role of sleep provides an intrinsic basis for human individuality.
The neural model
In the conventional model of neural networks, the brain is composed of neurons that can be in an excited or passive state. Neurons affect the activity of other neurons through synaptic connections. The 'state of the mind' at any time is described by the activity pattern of the neurons. This activity pattern evolves in time because the activity of each neuron is determined by the activity of all neurons at an earlier time and the excitatory or inhibitory synapses between them. During waking hours, sensory information directly affects sensory neurons and, therefore, in part determines the state of neuron excitation throughout the brain. Actions are the result of motor neuron activity and, therefore, also reflect the state of neuron excitation. A substantial part of synaptic connections are 'hard-wired' performing functions that are pre-specified. However, synaptic strengths are also affected by the state of neuronal excitation. This influence constitutes a basic step in learning called imprinting originally proposed by Hebb in 1949.
In theoretical models [10, 11], an imprinted pattern of neural excitations can be recovered if a sufficiently large part of the pattern is re-imposed on the neurons. Evolving the activity pattern then causes the complete original imprinted pattern to be recovered. This is an associative memory which associates the restored pattern to the part-of-it that was imposed. Such neural networks are also considered to be capable of generalization. This capability arises because the region of 'possible experiences' near a particular memory evolves by neural dynamics to the memory. This region, called its basin-of-attraction, becomes a generalization of the memory.
Why brain subdivision?
It is generally accepted that the storage capacity of a neural network increases with the degree of interconnectedness. For a network where each neuron is connected to every other neuron the number of imprints that can be recalled αN is proportional to the number of neurons N with a constant of proportionality α somewhat dependent on the particular imprinting rule. When additional imprints are added an overload catastrophe causes erasure of all information [10]. Subdivision inherently results in a decreased storage capacity. Why then subdivide the brain?
An illustrative example of the subdivided function of the brain is found in vision. Vision begins with a continuous field of light on the retina. However, we describe the image using object attributes: color, shape and movement. In the vision system information that is relevant to each of the attribute categories is mapped to a distinct part of the brain. For example, color is separated from the details of shape and movement and routed to one part of the brain. This part of the brain is then responsible for 'recognizing' colors. In this system the number of distinct images that may be stored is the product of the number of colors, shapes and movements. Considering the total number of neurons N the number of neurons in a subdivision is roughly αN/3 and the number of distinct images that may be stored is (αN/3)^3. This is useful because color, shape and motion occur in various combinations because they are largely independent of each other. More generally, the effective storage of information grows exponentially (αN/q)^q with q brain subdivisions.
Logic of natural language
The subdivided functioning of the brain may be recognized in the artificial world of 'natural' language. Consider a network large enough to be subdivided into three networks each of which can store three words (coded appropriately). A complete network would then be able to store nine sentences with three words each since the storage capacity grows linearly with size. On the subdivided network we could imprint three sentences and twenty-seven sentences would be recognized (see Fig. 1).
The central difference between the set of sentences that can be remembered by the full network and the subdivided network may be summarized by the notion of 'content' vs. 'grammar.' The complete network knows more full sentences but does not have knowledge of the divisibility of the sentences into parts that can be put together in different ways. The subdivided network knows the parts but has no relationship between them, thus it knows grammar but does not know any context information, like who it is that fell.
Clearly the actual process in the human brain is a combination of the two, where sentences make sense or are 'grammatically correct' if properly put together out of largely interchangeable parts, but an actual event or recalled incident is a specific combination. This can be captured in the network by having a partial interconnection between subnetworks.
Simulations have been performed to test these ideas [12]. For example (see Fig. 2), a network with 100 neurons using conventional Hebbian imprinting can store approximately 12 images. Subdividing it into four equal subdivisions results in a storage capacity of roughly three to four sub-images and this is comparable to the storage capability of the divided network for complete images. However the number of combinations of sub-images is nearly 400. If the strength of interconnecting synapses is set at 0.2 of the strength of sub-network connections, 6 full imprints can be stored and 60 combinations. Thus it is possible to achieve a balance between recall of complete states and independent parts.
Having motivated the existence of subdivision, we must now address the problem of overload.
Mental capacity and overload
An overloaded network fails catastrophically. As the number of imprints on a neural network increases the basins-of-attraction of each decreases. In addition, spurious states composed of pieces of different imprints arise that are also stable and compete with the real memories. Catastrophic failure of the network occurs when the spurious states dominate and the real memories cannot be recalled. A variety of phenomena accompany this transition that is known to be analogous to a 'spin-glass' transition [13] and which shares some qualitative features with the usual transition of a liquid to a glass. Thus not only do the memories become irretrievable, but the barriers to changes in the state of the neural network become insurmountable -- resulting in a locking of the neural state.
In order to avoid overload failure a process whereby information is erased is necessary. A storage device that selectively retains recent memories is known as a palimpsest. Several models for neural-network palimpsests have been proposed. An approach to selective memory retention better suited for understanding sleep is selective relearning [7]. Strictly, it is not a palimpsest because the retention of memories is not determined solely by order of imprint. It is important to understand the tradeoff between the strength of a memory (the size of its basin-of-attraction) and the number of memories that can be stored. The objective is to increase the basin-of-attraction of some memories at the expense of others. To strengthen prior imprints selectively it is necessary to retrieve some of the imprinted activity patterns and reimprint them. Recovery of the imprinted states may be achieved by use of the network itself. Starting from random activity patterns, evolution recovers previously imprinted states. The randomness indicates that the selection of memories has some degree of chance. Moreover this procedure sometimes recovers spurious states. Nevertheless, reimprinting the result is effective in selective reinforcement of memories.
Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this process as a selective filter on memories. In a test case (see Fig. 3), a network with 100 neurons was first imprinted with 8 images. Then four random starting points were evolved to stable states. After imprinting these states it was found that on average two stored memories were strengthened at the expense of the others, which were destabilized. Two memories rather than four are reinforced because duplicate reinforcements of the same memory occur and in other cases spurious states are reinforced. Significantly, the process of recovering imprinted memories is a delicate one and it was found important to include a measured amount of noise that promotes the recovery of imprinted images. This use of noise is analogous to its use in avoiding shallow local minima in a minimization problem [10].
Subdivision and selective relearning
The motivation for brain subdivision and the relearning procedure may now be combined into a model for the phenomenon of sleep as a temporary dissociation with relearning.
To simplify the discussion of temporary dissociation, hard-wired connections may be separated from adaptive synapses. Thus, it is assumed that sensory information is mapped by a hard-wired neural network onto a second network containing adaptive synapses. It is further assumed that there are several mappings which perform different operations on sensory information before affecting the neurons of the adaptive network. For vision, one mapping may highlight edges by performing a second-order difference of intensities, another highlights motion by taking temporal or delayed differences, a third extracts only general color information [9].
During waking the network is imprinted with multiple images. Then while asleep, the network is temporarily subdivided by diminishing the strength of synapses that run between subnetworks. While the subnetworks are dissociated a selective relearning process occurs. Starting from random excitations the neural evolution recovers previously learned information, which is then re-imprinted. As a direct result other memories are diminished in strength. Finally, the strength of inter-sub-network synapses are restored but at a reduced level.
In contrast to conventional artificial networks, the objective of this model of brain function is not to recall each imprint. Relearning emphasizes (1) the memories with largest basins-of-attraction, and (2) the most different memories. Minor deviations or details in standard elements are forgotten, and connections between imprints on different subdivisions are preferentially weakened. By strengthening the basins of each subnetwork separately, these basins continue to be relevant to the description of the subnetwork state even after it is reconnected to the rest of the network during waking. As shown by the simulations, this enables subnetwork imprints to be put together in new ways. Since the process of dissociation and relearning is incremental, recent imprints (experiences) should be remembered in full, while earlier imprints become progressively decomposed into elements.
Sleep as dissociation
Sleep is known to be have several levels identified by different brain electrical signals (EEG). There are five recognized levels, the two deepest being Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) while the shallowest is Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep. Typically, in the first part of sleep, the deepest level is reached rapidly. Then the level of sleep alternates in a pattern of shallower and deeper levels with the average level becoming shallower as sleep progresses.
The stages of sleep are here suggested to correspond to levels of connectedness between subdivisions of the brain. SWS corresponds to the greatest dissociation where small neuron groups function independently of each other. At shallower levels of sleep larger groups of neurons are connected and the waking state is a fully connected state, when sensory and motor neurons are connected.
REM sleep has attracted much interest because of the frequency of recalled dreams upon waking. During REM sleep there is an internal triggering of neuron excitation that may simulate sensory input. If dreams are simply response to simulated sensory information, REM sleep would correspond to an internally connected network weakly connected to sensory and motor neurons [9]. The often bizarre content of dreams may follow from the triggering that simulates sensory input. However, it has been remarked that higher level critical faculties and a "sense-of-self" are absent from dreams. This is similar to the waking mental functioning of post-lobotomy patients, suggesting that major subdivisions are present in REM sleep [14]. The existence of subdivisions may also explain why most dreams are not remembered, since the connections between neural subdivisions are weakened, and the elements present in each subdivision will be mutually incompatible to the waking brain. For deeper levels of sleep with smaller subdivisions, the waking brain can make no coherent picture of the sleeping mental state.
According to this theory there is a distinct architecture of the brain composed of at least three and up to five levels of subdivision. Sleep is thus a largely genetically programmed mechanism for maintaining a specific subdivided architecture of the brain. In order to be effective, the subdivisions must be consistent between different sleep episodes. Interconnection strengths at different levels are balanced by the duration of dissociation at a particular level. Feedback control may be used to balance the independence and interactions of subdivisions. This control is important to ensure that during waking the brain functions in a coherent fashion so that response is a collective function of the component parts.
Overload and sleep deprivation
While the longer term effects of sleep deprivation directly affect the architecture of the brain, the first manifestation of sleep deprivation should be overload failure. In a subdivided architecture, overload occurs in parts of the network rather than the network as a whole. Key to understanding the phenomenon of overload failure is dynamic locking described earlier -- an inability to shift from an existing state to a properly functioning state when stimulus changes.
Direct experimental verification of this result is found in the well studied 'vigilance' test, one of the tests most sensitive to sleep deprivation [2]. In this test after a period of similar signals, a slightly different signal requires a very different response. The inability to change behavior is not only of experimental interest but is also understood to be responsible for many early morning accidents. A second example is that of visual illusions such as blurred or wavy objects, e.g. a double floor. This may be understood as due to a locking of parts of the brain responsible for receiving the visual signal causing distortions during movement.
One particularly interesting observation is the presence of so-called 'micro-sleeps' in sleep-deprived individuals [2]. These consist of short lapses in responsiveness. These may actually not be sleep, but rather temporary suspension of effective brain activity due to locking.
Comparisons have been made (both similarities and differences) between extreme aspects of the behavior of a sleep-deprived individual and a psychotic individual. It is not difficult to believe that disorders in the mechanism of sleep may be responsible for or contribute to psychosis. Experimentally, a correlation has been made between sleep disorders and both schizophrenia and severe depression. The severe lack of SWS sleep in 50% of schizophrenic individuals2 may be interpreted as leading to a loss of ability to separate distinct information processing tasks.
While excessive sleep does not lead to a dramatic failure such as neural locking, it may also lead to poor functioning through excessive forgetting and dissociation of parts of the brain. Such excessive dissociation may have both physiologic and psycho-functional manifestations.
Non-Universal Computation
The design of modern computers relies upon models that perform all computational tasks. In contrast, the subdivided architecture of the human mind is a non-universal strategy. There are many possible filters of sensory data and many ways of mapping them on subdivisions of the brain. The subdivisions are connected to each other in varying degrees according to how far apart they are in the sleep determined hierarchy. Weaker connections exist between subdivisions reconnected at shallower levels of sleep from those at deeper levels. It should be apparent that different choices of filters and arrangements will be preferentially suited for different tasks. This non-universal strategy is consistent with the uniqueness of individuals for which science has found little justification. Sleep controls the architecture rather than the information contained. This suggests a novel approach to the balance of genetic and environmental influence on human behavior.
Webb, W. B., in Sleep Mechanisms and Functions, Mayes, A. Ed. (Van Nostrand Reinhold,UK,1983),chap. 1.
Horne, J., Why We Sleep, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1988).
Fishbein, W. ed., Sleep, Dreams and Memory, Advances in Sleep Research Vol. 6 (SP Medical and Scientific, New York, 1981)
Cohen, D. B., Sleep and Dreaming: Origins, Nature and Functions, (Pergamon,Oxford,1979)
Crick, F. , and Mitchison, G. , Nature 304, 111 (1983)
Hopfield, J. J. , Feinstein, D. I. , and Palmer, R. G., Nature 304, 158 (1983)
Geszti, T. , and Pázmándi, F. J. Phys. A20, L1299 (1987); Physica Scripta T25, 152-155 (1989)
Hobson, J. A., The Dreaming Brain, (Basic Books, New York, 1988), p.209-210
see Scientific American, (September, 1992)
Amit, D. J. Modeling Brain Function, the world of attractor neural networks, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989)
Grossberg, S. and Kuperstein, M., Neural Dynamics of Adaptive Sensory-Motor Control (Expanded edition) (Pergamon, New York, 1989)
Attractor networks with symmetric synapses and synchronous updating were used (see Ref. 10). Random unbiased imprints were used and results reflect averages over many samples. A more complete discussion of these and related results will be given elsewhere.
Mezard, M., Parisi, G., and Virasoro, M. A., Spin Glass Theory and Beyond, (World Scientific, Singapore, 1987)
Hartmann, E. L., The Functions of Sleep, (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1973) pp. 136-8
Figure 1: Illustration of subdivided network concept using natural language example. A fully connected network with enough neurons to store exactly nine sentences shown on the left may be imprinted with and recognize these sentences. If the network is divided into three parts it may be imprinted with only three sentences (center). However, because each subnetwork functions independently, all possible twenty-seven combinations of words shown to the right are recognized. Comparing left and right columns suggests the difference between content and grammar in sentence construction.
Figure 2: Illustration of subdivided network concept using a simulation of Hebbian imprinting. The horizontal axis is the number of imprinted states. The vertical axis is the number of recalled states (note logarithmic scale). Networks tested contained 100 neurons partially subdivided into four equal subdivisions. Distinct curves are for different degrees of subdivision resulting from weakening synapses interconnecting between subdivisions by the factor indicated. The curve marked "0" is for a completely subdivided network while the curve marked "1" is for a fully connected network. The recalled states are all fixed points of the network dynamics composed of combinations of substates imprinted on each subnetwork. As in Fig. 1 subdivision causes more states to be recognized from fewer imprints.
Figure 3: Illustration of the effectiveness of a relearning procedure in causing a selective reinforcement and forgetting of prior imprints. The figure shows the number of imprinted states that have basins-of-attraction larger than the horizontal axis value. Four cases are shown. All cases start with eight imprinted states on a network with 100 neurons shown as (a). (b) shows the result of reimprinting four of the original eight states causing four to be strengthened (larger basins-of-attraction) at the expense of weakening the others. (c) shows the result of starting from a random neural state evolving the neural state and imprinting the result on the network. (d) shows the same as (c) with the addition of a measured (optimized) amount of noise during evolution. In (c) approximately 1.5 of the original states are reinforced while in (d) 2 are reinforced.


text: My first video of an air-breather! Banded Sea Snakes, a.k.a. Banded Sea Kraits, are active and bold, but docile. They have one of the deadliest venoms in the world, but reserve it for fish. They are active foragers, and can be observed for extended periods of time probing reef pockets for cornered fish, rarely surfacing for air. It is widely thought that their mouths are too small to bite humans, but this is not true; however, due to their calm nature, bites are rare and only occur when they are handled. The genus name of "Laticauda" is Latin for "wide tail" -- if you look closely in this video you can see the broad, laterally-flattened tail that improves their swimming ability. In addition to needing to breathe air, they also need to drink fresh water, and emerge onto land to do so. They also rest, mate and nest on land. They are common throughout the Indo-Pacific. This beauty was filmed in Puerto Galera, Philippines.


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CREATE Magazine: Live Simply
The Scrapbook Generation CREATE Magazine March card sketch inspired me to use word art to create this project, allowing my own interpretation yet keeping within the guidelines. I used twine for the vertical lines and various paper flowers for the embellishments. The 'message' was substituted with a quote on the raised bracket frame.
Supplies Used
Patterned paper: idea-ology; letter stickers: Silhouette vinyl and foil paper; ribbon: idea-ology; ink: Ranger and Tim Holtz Distress Ink; paint: Ranger; stamp: Tim Holtz; flowers: Prima, Kaisercraft; drop pearl: idea-ology; key: Graphic 45; other: self-adhesive rhinestones, twine.
– Glenda
live SIMPLY…DREAM BIG…BE GRATEFUL…GIVE love…laugh lots


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Frasier, Hines hope to be fast learners for NC State
Johnny Frasier has only been through five practices, just one in full pads, but the N.C. State freshman running back is already well versed in the difference between high school and college football.
"It's a whole lot faster here," Frasier said Sunday at N.C. State's media day.
What, exactly, is faster?
"Everything," freshman receiver Nyheim Hines said.
Not many high school defenses could keep up with either Frasier at Princeton High or Hines at Garner. They were both big recruiting gets for N.C. State coach Dave Doeren and his staff.
Frasier, who ran for 2,266 yards and 33 touchdowns last year in high school, switched after verbally committing to Florida State. Hines, who ran for 2,362 and 38 TDs, was pursued by Ohio State, Florida and Georgia.
Both decided to stay in-state, to the delight of Doeren and Wolfpack fans. Hundreds of N.C. State fans lined up for their autographs Sunday at Meet the Pack Day. But as the hype from the recruiting cycle melts away, Frasier and Hines are focused on more practical matters, such as learning the playbook and finding roles.
With senior Shadrach Thornton and junior Matt Dayes back from last season, N.C. State has multiple options at running back. Sophomore Dakwa Nichols and freshman Reggie Gallaspy are also competing for playing time.
"Competition is a great thing," offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. "If you have to look over your shoulder and know somebody can take your job, we're all going to be better."
N.C. State's running game was the team's strength last season. The Wolfpack averaged more than 200 yards per game (204.5) for the first time since 1992, and its 5.2 yards per carry was the best average since the school starting tracking the stat in 1954.
The quality and depth at running back prompted the decision to move Hines, primarily a running back at Garner, to slot receiver. Hines has embraced the position change.
"I just have a lot to learn," Hines said. "It's just being a lot more technical with your routes and learning how to read the coverages."
At 5 feet, 9 inches and 190 pounds, the move to the slot will save Hines some punishment and allow him to use his speed and quickness. Doeren didn't rule out using Hines at running back, but for now he'll carve out a role at receiver.
With two of the top receivers leaving the program in the offseason, there's room for Hines to play right away and make a difference.
"He's going to play in the slot a lot," Doeren said. "And then if it develops where he's shifted back into the backfield some we'll have to see but we're not there yet."
Hines already has Frasier's confidence.
"He can do anything," Frasier said.
Frasier's role is still a work in progress. A big, powerful back (5-10, 230 pounds), Frasier adds a different element than Thornton and Dayes.
"We are all different," Frasier said. "Everybody has their things that they do well."
Thornton, who led the team with 907 yards and 164 carries last season, and Dayes, who led the team with 13 touchdowns (eight rushing), have taken the freshmen under their wing.
"They're like big brothers already," Frasier said. "They're teaching me the offense and it's starting to click."
Doeren said it's possible either Frasier or Gallaspy, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com from Southern Guilford High in Greensboro, could redshirt this season.
"It's a process and sometimes you have injuries and it speeds up the process," Doeren said. "Sometimes you're better than the guys that are there when you get recruited in. Sometimes you have to develop."
Doeren said they wouldn't make any decisions about which players to redshirt until after a few scrimmages. He did note that Gallaspy, who enrolled in January, has a better grip on the offense than Frasier.
Frasier said his preference would be to play this season but understood the decision will be made by the coaching staff.
"Just like any freshman, I want to play, and I want to do well," Frasier said. "Whatever happens, happens. I'm just going to be prepared."
Giglio: 919-829-8938, @jwgiglio


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On Istanbul And The Poems From Istanbul
İbrahim Zarifoğlu
İbrahim Zarifoğlu, who has nine poetry books, one of which was published by the Fatih Municipality Cultural Publishing, will meet with his fans with his program named "On Istanbul and The Poems From Istanbul" in the Ali Emiri Efendi Cultural Center. Zarifoğlu, who will walk his guests around Istanbul with the poems, will enable you to look at Istanbul from a poet.
+90 - (212) 453 1453 +90 - (212) 453 14 00
Follow @mergun_turan


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For Advisors: Kansas Board of Regents Advising Policy
Academic Advising /www.kansasregents.org
a. Effective academic advising is central to the educational mission of the Board of Regents. To ensure that all students have access to high quality advising, each Regents university shall establish an Academic Advising System which shall provide the following:
- Goal Setting: Each Academic Advising System should help students to set both short-term and long-term educational goals.
- Information: Each Academic Advising System should be able to accurately inform students of graduation requirements of their department. It should be sensitive to the importance of strategic course selections so as to minimize the number of semesters required for graduation. Additionally, the System should be able to inform students of career opportunities in their field of study.
- Transitions: Each Academic Advising System should inform students how to change colleges and/or departments. Furthermore, the System should provide information to explain the process students follow to enroll in their curriculum and to drop or add courses during the semester.
- Accessibility: Each Academic Advising System should have reasonable hours and methods of availability for students. Additionally, students should be able to set up appointments within the System for an adequate amount of time to make curricular selections and career choices.
- Referral to Campus Resources: Each Academic Advising System should be able to refer students to various campus resources including, but not limited to: university counseling services, student activities, and career and employment services.
b. Each Academic Advising System shall provide information to students to inform them of their responsibilities in the Academic Advising process.
c. Each Academic Advising System shall be responsible for the necessary training of academic advisors to assist them in meeting the responsibilities of this policy.


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ChimeTV: Web Video that's iPhone-Ready
There are several services on the Web that aggregate video from other online video sources and then pipe them through a different client, but not all of them are as attractive as Chime.tv. The sleek grey-and-black interface is a winner, and the layout is conducive to searching for videos, creating your own channels, navigating through search results, and most important, playing videos in any of three sizes. All three viewing sizes, including the full-screen mode, live inside your browser, so while it's not technically full-screen, it does play the video smoothly inside your browser window and begins playback while the rest of the video is streaming. But wait, there's more.
Chime.tv is completely coded in PHP and Ajax, which contributes to its sleek appearance and ease of use. But at the same time, perhaps the designers of the site have set themselves up for a benefit they didn't know they had: They're iPhone ready. With Apple bringing YouTube videos to the AppleTV and the announcement at the WWDC this week that iPhone applications will be Web 2.0 apps coded and presented via Safari, this could put Chime.tv in a position to be the first service to offer Web video straight to the iPhone via Safari with minimal tweaking. The service already has tools built in to the video streams to adjust aspect ratio, contrast, brightness, and color, all while the stream plays behind the controls, which are overlaid on the video.
Many of Chime.tv's videos are piped from YouTube, but there are videos on the site from services like Veoh and Revver as well, and the selection is massive. I particularly like ninjas, so I decided to check out the wealth of ninja videos and even create a ninja channel for myself. Creating a channel took a little clicking around, but once you're familiar with the interface, it's simple enough.
Perhaps the best thing about the various pre-made channels is that there are simply so many videos to watch. While you're generally left dangling when you get to the YouTube homepage to go in any direction you choose, Chime.tv lets me pick the type of video I like to watch, and really lets me feel like I'm surfing by topic. If I'm interested in politics, I can head to the political channel and watch all of the videos that kid made in his dorm room, interviewing candidates like Ron Paul and Mike Gravel. If I'm having a bad day, I can watch the "OMG Cute" channel and check out videos of baby animals. You can even check out the original (and in my opinion the best) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles side by side with episodes of Robot Chicken on the cartoon channel.
Considering you can add content to your channels from any other video site using its bookmarklet, I think Chime.tv has some serious staying power. It reminds me a great deal of Joost, only without an external client and completely functional within any Web browser. The selection is great and the video quality is good. Don't tell my boss, but I have a feeling I'll be watching old episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender at the office for a while.
Post by Alan Henry


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Mikvah in Tampa
For thousands of years, Jewish women have immersed themselves in the mikvah to cleanse themselves for the sake of family purity.
Please feel free to contact me for all your mikvah questions and needs I'll be happy to guide and assist you at any time.
Rebbetzin Dvorki Rivkin: 813-983-9770


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Interview: Matt Monath, Portrait and Landscape Photographer, Graphic Designer
One of the things I love about college and undeniably one of the things that makes me wish I was still in college, is the incredible gathering of amazing and talented people in one small place. Being surrounded by such people is an inspiration in and of itself. People I've met have gone on to do some incredible things in the small time since college; Some acting in movies, others working in politics, others writing books or blogs that have become popular, and several discovering something they love to do, and that to me is the ultimate success in college.
Finding something you love to do and doing it beautifully is art(Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!) and Matt is definitely an artist. I met Matt my second semester at SUNY New Paltz (a fairly modest New York State school filled with incredibly artistic people) in Integrated Design if I remember right, a great class that helps shape your basic artistic skills…well Matt has come a long way from that basic class. He is a wonderful portrait photographer, and his skills have grown into their own animal, so much so that you can tell just from a glance that photography is a part of him.
He is able to take the traditional portrait and give it a life of its own. Fun, sexy, serious, beautiful, and unconventional all at the same time, his portrait work is just a hint at his underlying talents. Proficient in photo-manipulations, graphic design, drawing and painting even, Matt is a verifiable jack-of-all-trades in the visual art world. And he is still in college! Let's catch up with him.
Chris-Matt, thanks for taking the time out to chat with us, lets get right into it. If you would, just give us a quick summary of how you got interested in photography.
Matt– I've always been a pretty visual person. I've been drawing for the longest time, thanks to my mom. In high school, I started getting into graphic design. I taught myself everything I know about Photoshop, before I even had a decent camera. I came to college for graphic design, and my focus slowly turned to photography as I went through my college career. Now that I'm at the end of it, my heart is really in photography.
C-After you graduate do you plan to advance your schooling, or would you like to move into full time photography (Which wouldn't be too hard a jump from seeing your portfolio)?
M– I'm definitely interested in moving into full time photography. I just want to be able to shoot some great models, enjoy myself, and make some beautiful photos. For a while, I thought about continuing my education and getting into Toy Design, but I think I'm ready to just get out there are really applying myself
C-What's your chosen weapon(camera/gear)? Does it ever leave your side?
M– I have a Canon Digital Rebel xTi. It's on the cheaper side, but it's good enough for me. It's the photographer that makes the image, not the camera.
C-How much post(Photoshop) effort do put into common portrait work?
M– I put in a lot of Photoshop work into the majority of my images. I love digital photography because it's so easy to mold. I usually spend a few hours touching up each picture to personal perfection. I love the kind of control I have with it. However, when shooting portraits in a studio, the Photoshop work is usually cut down a bit, due to the amazing control you have when originally photographing. Since most of my later stuff has been studio work, I still use Photoshop, but much more sparingly than I have in the past.
C-Your portrait photography is stunning; Each series is original, often dramatic, beautiful, and often look really fun to shoot, where do you draw your inspiration and ideas from?
M– Thank you! It's hard to say where i get my inspiration from, but I guess I'd have to say just from the faces of my models. I usually see someone I want to shoot, before I even know them. I'm really attracted to faces that are beautiful in a non-conventional way. I like seeing a face that is different, but still gorgeous in its own unique way. There's just something about portraiture that keeps me addicted.
C-Color is such a powerful element and in some series you paint on your models, achieving such beautifully stark contrasts, could you talk about the expression there and how the challenge is different mixing painting elements with photography?
M– I've been on a kick lately with bright colors. It adds something new to a traditional portrait, and draws the viewer in. I've done work with paint, colored acetate, and chalk pastels. When you have bright props in your pictures, you need an even stronger body language, so the color doesn't take over the whole image. I try to keep in mind that the face is always what is most important, and everything else comes second. it's definitely a challenge to use paint in a portrait, and very, VERY, messy.
C-Several portraits of yours involve cultural fashion, what were you seeking to explore here, or did it just happen to be the models who stepped up for you those days?
M– The cultural series is one of my favorites. I sought out particular models for that, and I'm lucky enough to have a pretty diverse group of people that were willing to model for me for that series. I had models that are Polish, Indian, Russian, Albanian, and Italian. My favorite from that series is "Sonia". I tried to really capture the essence of personal culture. I thought about how much an individuals ethnicity means to them, and I wanted to portray that my models are proud people. Everyone should be proud to be who they are, and I created this series to support that idea.
C-You have quite a few self-portraits in your portfolio, is this due to lack of models, or just trying out ideas, or are you just horribly vain ;)?
M– Haha. Hmmm, well I do a lot of self portraits because I often can't vocalize ideas to my models. Therefore, my self portraits are essentially a way of experimenting, and sometimes I actually get some not-so-bad shots. Plus, self portraits are just fun to do sometimes.
C-One of your first series'(not online) depicts you and a woman with profanities written on your skin. Social commentary is huge in portrait photography, do you welcome that challenge, maybe plan to do more along those lines, or do you see yourself moving in more of a fashion/commercial photography direction?
M– Many of those images aren't online because I wasn't the photographer. The photo credit actually goes to Vicky Haralam, but I did the retouching. I'd love to use more social commentary in my photography, because I think it packs a powerful punch. The human body can be an excellent canvas. I'd really like to expand my photography into lots of different facets, and not just stay hooked on one type.
C-You've done a bit of traveling out of the states, can you talk a bit about Limerick, and how being in Europe has maybe changed your view of photography, or art in general?
M– My experience living in Ireland and traveling around Europe really changed my life. It triggered my love for travel photography, and my passion to always find someplace new. I can't wait to spend more time abroad, and to bring my camera to all the new places I discover. Living in a different country really forces you to grow up, and become completely independent. It's a good feeling. It was because of this sense of growth that I was able to get out there and get some good shots. Everything just felt limitless, and I tried to really capture what is out there. It made me realize that art really is universal, and can be globally appreciated.
C-By now, we know you love portrait photography, but talk a bit about other forms of art that you enjoy, your favorite type of photographs to take.
M– Yes, I do love portrait photography, but I seriously fell in love with travel photography. It became a way of documenting my experiences, and now I get that warm nostalgic feeling every time I look at a picture from Europe. I also enjoy photo-manipulations, which rely heavily on Photoshop, but allow me to create a really fantastical image.
C-What do you get into daily for inspiration, or just to get by, do you read blogs or browse Flickr, etc? How important is inspiration and creativity to your everyday life?
M– Inspiration is NECESSARY. How can you create anything interesting without a strong original source of inspiration? Everyone has to have some sort of inspiration, whether it applies to art or not. I browse Flickr quite a lot. I enjoy seeing what other young photographers are doing out there. It often does serve as some sort of inspiration, or a daily dose of artiness at the very least.
C– Well Matt, that's all I have for now, Thanks very much for chatting with me.
M-Thanks again, I really appreciate you featuring my stuff.
Here's a few more of his works for your viewing pleasure:
Thanks for stopping by viewers, Comment and leave some love for Matt, he'll be dropping by DJ continue conversations if you guys have any questions for him, and be sure to stick around DJ for some more awesome content every day/week!!!
Find Matt Monath Online:
Also be sure to check out Design Something's Flickr page for some Daily Inspiration, and Link up with Design Juices on Facebook.
Thanks for stopping by!


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At Blossom we build relationships! We collaborate with the city outreach teams, other non-profit organizations and companies to help tackle some of the homeless issues the women on the street faces.
Recently, we teamed up with 14 female employees at Zendesk in San Francisco to pack 300 bags for homeless women in the Bay Area. The next packing event in December will be a team of female employees from Google.
More than 7,500 companies offer matching gift programs to their employees. These companies match, double or even triple the amount an employee gives to a charitable organization. – Your gift could qualify for a match. Contact your human resource department for information.
Do you want to host a packing event, donate products or funds please reach out to Blossom today, if you or your company would like to take a stand and support homeless women in San Francisco through our sanitary project or our locker room project.
The information I have provided is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that I am applying for a volunteer position and therefore agreeing to use my time, skill and expertise on a volunteer basis, without compensation of any kind (monetary or otherwise). Upon acceptance of my application a volunteer relationship in no way constitutes a relationship of employment, partnership, principal or contractor with Blossom-Project. I agree to Blossom-Project collecting, using, storing and disclosing my personal and sensitive information for the purpose of facilitating and managing my volunteer relationship in accordance with US privacy laws. I understand that all volunteers are bound by the policies and procedures of Blossom-Project.


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Call us on: 01332 296200
You are here: MHA Home > Get Involved > Events
Whether you're an adrenaline junkie looking for your next thrill-seeking activity or determined to challenge yourself to a charity run, walk or cycle, make it the Best Fundraising For Ages and help tackle loneliness and isolation for older people living across the UK with MHA.
We have a host of exciting and challenging events available across the country for people of all ages who wish to improve the lives of older people. With your support, we can ensure they feel supported, able to contribute and connected in communities that care.
To register and find out more, head over to our fundraising website or contact our Events Team by calling 01332 221641 or emailing email@example.com.
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Learn more about how we use cookies and how to change your cookie settings.


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OIO is a platformer game. The player controls OIO, a little wooden character, who can grow wooden beams by throwing special seeds on fertile grounds. As he wakes up in a strange universe made of wood, OIO finds that all his wooden companions are petrified. Being left alone in this gigantic place, he will embark for a journey that will help him understand what happened to his people. He will retrace the history of the wood civilization and how the steel changed everything in the run to more power and technology. To understand why he is now alone, OIO progress through various levels and environments. OIO's power can be used in different ways, mixing classic platform gameplay and puzzle situations.He is able to combine up to three wooden beams at the same time. He will use them to climb cliffs, jump higher, solve puzzles and control the fire propagation.
|Free to try
|File Size
|Operating System
|Mac OS X 10.6 Mac OS X 10.7 Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh Mac OS X 10.5 Intel


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Thank you for contacting us at J Houston Insurance.
We will be in touch with you shortly.
ThanksJ Houston Insurance Team(214) 467 5414 | firstname.lastname@example.com
"As an independent agency, our goal is to match the right company, the right coverage, and the best price to your individual needs." - Tom Stogner, Stogner & Associates


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I was talking to someone recently about age, and how I don't feel my age at all. I feel like I'm still a kid sometimes on the inside, I still just want to run around outside and climb trees and get dirty. Anyone will tell you the importance of being young at heart, and I certainly believe in its power. Don't just be young at heart, be wild at heart and stay that way forever.
More inspirational quotes from the BLDG 25 Blog.
Photo by Julia.


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SCSDA 2018 Season Schedule Announcement
The Southern California Sand Drag Association has announced their 2018 Race Schedule. This 2018 season kicks off February 23-25 followed up by Race 2 just one month later March 23-25. Then the SCSDA Season Finale will take place on September 28-30. All three events will again be held at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, CA. More info on the SCSDA will be posted as the season gets closer. Keep an eye on this site as well as like the So Cal Sand Drag Association Facebook Page for all things SCSDA.
2018 SCSDA Schedule
February 23-25
March 23-25
September 28-30


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I'm awfully excited about my debut at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3. It's not your typical "Holiday Show". One part story telling + one part stand up+ one part song. Featuring the amazing talents of Sarah Hawkey, and Tim Girrbach. It's a night to remember, so bring your jingle bells and get ready to witness the soon-to-be-classics, Spa Castle, and Cauliflower Foot, with brand new songs, and of course instruments!
Grab tickets here: Rockwood Music Hall Tickets


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3 Simple Rules for Listening to a Sermon
By J.C. Ryle
"It is not enough that we go to Church and hear sermons. We may do so for fifty years, and be nothing better, but rather worse. "Take heed," says our Lord, "how you hear." Would any one know how to hear properly? Then let them lay to heart three simple rules.
1) We must hear with FAITH, believing implicitly that every word of God is true, and shall stand. The word in old time did not profit the Jews, since it was "not mixed with faith in those who heard it" (Heb. 4:2).
2) We must hear with REVERENCE, remembering constantly that the Bible is the book of God. This was the habit of the Thessalonians. They received Paul's message, "not as the word of men, but the word of God" (1 Thess. 2:13).
3) We must bear with PRAYER, praying for God's blessing before the sermon is preached, praying for God's blessing again when the sermon is over. Here lies the grand defect of the hearing of many. They ask no blessing, and so they have none. The sermon passes through their minds like water through a leaky vessel, and leaves nothing behind.
► Summary:
Let us bear these rules in mind every Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached. Let us not rush into God's presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise."
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke volume 1, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 258-259. {Luke 8:16-21}
That which I have found most beneficial in my experience for the last fifty-one years in the public ministry of the Word, is, expounding the Scriptures, and especially the going now and then through a whole gospel or epistle. This may be done in a two-fold way, either by entering minutely into the bearing of every point occurring in the portion, or by giving the general outlines, and thus leading the hearers to see the meaning and connection of the whole.
1. The hearers are thus, with God's blessing, led to the Scriptures. They find, as it were, a practical use of them in the public meetings. This induces them to bring their bibles, and I have observed that those who at first did not bring them, have afterwards been induced to do so: so that in a short time few, of the believers at least, were in the habit of coming without them. This is no small matter; for every thing, which in our day will lead believers to value the Scriptures, is of importance.
2. The expounding of the Scriptures is in general more beneficial to the hearers than if, on a single verse, or half a verse, or two or three words of a verse some remarks are made, so that the portion of Scripture is scarcely anything but a motto for the subject; for few have grace to meditate much over the Word, and thus exposition may not merely be the means of opening up to them the Scriptures, but may also create in them a desire to meditate for themselves.
3. The expounding of the Scriptures leaves to the hearers a connecting link, so that the reading over again the portion of the Word, which has been expounded, brings to their remembrance what has been said; and thus, with God's blessing, leaves a more lasting impression on their minds. This is particularly of importance as it regards the illiterate, who sometimes have neither much strength of memory nor capacity of comprehension.
4. The expounding of large portions of the Word, as the whole of a gospel or an epistle, besides leading the hearer to see the connection of the whole, has also this particular benefit for the teacher, that it leads him, with God's blessing, to the consideration of portions of the Word, which otherwise he might not have considered, and keeps him from speaking too much on favourite subjects, and leaning too much to particular parts of truth, which tendency must surely sooner or later injure both himself and his hearers.- Expounding the word of God brings little honour to the preacher from the unenlightened or careless hearer, but it tends much to the benefit of the hearers in general.
October 2017


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DUBAI: Chinese and Arab banks have helped Dubai real estate investment firm SKAI Holdings raise a 1.1 billion dirham ($299.5 million) loan to build a new resort development on the emirate's palm-shaped manmade island and upgrade an existing hotel, the company said on Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Minsheng Banking Corp, Invest Bank and Arab African International Bank provided the loan which was split between Islamic and conventional financing, SKAI said in a press release.
It said the issue saw strong demand, drawing 2.2 billion dirhams in subscriptions, suggesting investor confidence in the local real estate market remains firms despite depressed oil prices and concerns about a slowdown in the property market.
China State Construction Engineering Corp (Middle East) is the main contractor and a key investor in both of SKAI's projects.
Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah will offer rooms and serviced apartments in a development on the manmade island, and SKAI will also upgrade a hotel in Viceroy Dubai Jumeirah Village to turn it into a five-star resort.
Dubai is seeing strong growth in tourists from China. Their numbers jumped 27 percent last year, according to Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
Terms of the loan deal, including its lifespan and pricing, were not disclosed by the company.