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Tech Data Secures Excellent Performance on IBM Power Business Award in Hong Kong
HONG KONG – 9 May 2018 – Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD) today announced that it has been awarded the Excellent Performance on IBM Power Business award in Hong Kong. Tech Data secured this award as a result of its ability to demonstrate business excellence, exceptional customer experience and IBM Power business growth during 2017. The award was presented at IBM Think Forum 2018, held in Beijing, China on April 11th, and was accepted by Alan Hui, general manager, Hong Kong and Macau at Tech Data.
"It was a great honour to receive this award at IBM's flagship partner event, IBM Think 2018," said Alan Hui. "We are proud to hold the title of IBM Platinum Business Partner due to our successful partnership with IBM which has flourished in Hong Kong for over three decades. The Excellent Performance on IBM Power Business award demonstrates that this highest level of IBM partnership is justified. We are successful due to our team's commitment to deliver high quality solutions and services which are backed by our unique strength and knowledge of IBM Power Systems."
Connect with Tech Data on Twitter or Facebook.
|Excellent Performance on IBM Power Business Award
About Tech Data
Tech Data connects the world with the power of technology. Our end-to-end portfolio of products, services and solutions, highly specialized skills, and expertise in next-generation technologies enable channel partners to bring to market the products and solutions the world needs to connect, grow and advance. Tech Data is ranked No. 107 on the Fortune 500® and has been named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies for nine straight years. To find out more, visit www.techdata.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Media Contacts
Kenji Yuen
Marketing Manager, Tech Data Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2197 2137
Email: email@example.com
Sarah Harvey
Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, Asia Pacific
Tech Data
Phone: +612 8875 0523
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Jim James | Josiah Tan
EASTWEST PR for Tech Data, Asia Pacific
Phone: +65 6222 0306
Email: email@example.com
Tech Data Key Facts
45 years in IT distribution
$36.8 billion in sales for fiscal 2018
Publicly Traded (NasdaqGS: TECD)
Ranked No. 88 on the FORTUNE 500
125,000+ IT reseller customers
150,000+ IT products sold
Operations in 40+ countries
100+ countries served
14,000+ employees worldwide
Named one of FORTUNE's World's Most Admired Companies


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Effective Speaking is a presentation skills consultancy based in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand.
We can help you:
We can help your company or organisation:
Our clients include:
The Effective Speaker is your opportunity to receive expert training, feedback and practice.
Includes individualised coaching and lifetime access to our online presentation design program.

subset: commoncrawl


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Capture the aura of historic Savannah right in the hub of the Landmark Historic District! Get away and enjoy fall, winter, spring or summer in the city, Savannah style.
1895 Inn ... Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is out the front door, turn left and walk one block. You'll spot the spires through the trees!
Armstrong Inns B&B ... Walk out the front door to Mother Mathilda Beasley park, honoring an African American Catholic pioneer. Bike or walk the trail.
Catherine Ward House ... Forsyth Park is out the door, turn right! Drop in for a comfort break or cool beverage if you're walking the Bull Street corridor at the Forsyth Park Cafe.
Forsyth Park Inn ... Walk down the front steps and through Forsyth Park to Betty Bomber's, a canteen style, World War II themed, All-American cafe. We can hear the music now, the Bugle Boys of Company B!
Green Palm Inn ... Walk out the front door to East Broad Street, turn left to dine at Cha Bella, organic farm to fork supper and fabulous Sunday buffet brunch.
McMillian Inn ... Walk down the stairs from parlor level, day or night, and turn right to explore allure of Forsyth Park! Nightlife is magical in the 30-acre park and Arboretum.
Olde Savannah Inn ... Walk out the door and turn left to take in the beauty of Armstrong Mansion overlooking Gaston Street. Entitled "On a summer stroll", this photo portrays the founding home of Armstrong College, now the law office where Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was filmed.
Presidents' Quarters Inn ... Walk out the parking lot and turn right to take the romance of the world famous Owens-Thomas House. Enjoying a hero's welcome to Savannah, American Revolutionary General Marquis de Lafayette spoke to the grateful citizens of Savannah from the balcony overlooking President Street following the war.
Savannah Villas ... From the Broughton Street town home you'll be a stroll away from historic theatres and Leopold's Ice Cream.
Zeigler House Inn ... Walk down the steps to the Jones Street sidewalk, turn right and enjoy a southern lunch (only) at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room and beautiful, romantic and natural backdrops for romantic photos in Orleans Square, and Mercer House (setting of John Berendt's New York Times best seller novel and Clint Eastwood's movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil).
Are you ready for a getaway to Savannah, Georgia? Our Romantic Inns tourism stars have more insider tips awaiting your call and visit to this top destination city. We hope to see you soon and often!
Meanwhile, here are two quick links to Romantic Inns of Savannah Press Fact Sheet and easy contact to reach all our historic inns with one click! We invite you also to follow us on Twitter @RomanticInns and Facebook.
Copyright © 2015 Romantic Inns of Savannah


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Who the hell is Legion?
Well, you know who Charles X Xavier? Well he is kind of his son. I don't know whether it is like that in the TV Series though.
Anyways, Legion is like an alternate personality of David Haller the long lost son of Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men.
To get a better understanding of the aspects you can watch X-Men Evolution series.
To be more precise his part is Sins of the Son.
Since FX is really into making cool TV series, I'd really like to see something on Lorna. I'm pretty sure not many people know her. Lorna is the youngest Daughter of Magneto who carries the legacy of her father when everyone dies.


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India benefits protest leads to water crisis in capital
More than 16 million people in India's capital are facing a water crisis as a result of violent demonstrations in northern India over government benefits, which have left at least 10 dead.
Protesters have damaged equipment that brings water from Munak canal in Haryana state to New Delhi, depleting the capital's water supply.
New Delhi gets about 60% of its water from the neighbouring state.
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister, announced schools in the capital would be closed on Monday, and also ordered the rationing of water to people's homes.
At least 10 people have been killed after Indian security forces fired on protesters since the week-long protests turned violent on Friday, according to Yashpal Singhal, the state's top police officer.
Another 150 protesters have been injured in clashes in various parts of Haryana.
Sporadic violence was reported in Haryana on Sunday, with protesters setting a bank ATM and bank records on fire. Mr Singhal said no major incidents of violence were reported in the state.
He also said paramilitary forces and irrigation engineers are trying to restore the water flow from Munak canal to New Delhi.
The protesters, members of the lower-caste Jat agricultural community, are demanding benefits both at federal and state levels, including guaranteed government jobs or university places.
Talks on Friday between community leaders and state government representatives failed to lead to an agreement.
The protesters are demanding 27% government job quotas or university spots for their community.
India's constitution includes a system of affirmative action for people in the lowest castes to help them overcome discrimination. The government has expanded the number of groups, including the Jat, qualifying for quotas.
PA Media


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Sunday, July 02, 2006
Speaking for England
"A couple of years ago, I proposed and researched at length almost the exact same piece for the Spectator. It was at the time of the Euro championship. In the end, they didn't want it, and for interesting reasons: they had a very snobby distaste for what they saw as all the aggressive, chavvy flag-waving. They were in favour of the mythical, quiet type of English patriotism of Elgar, Vaughan Williams and a melancholy sense of loss. Well, I could certainly understand that, as I have more than a bit of that in myself.
"But what they didn't seem to understand was that that brand of Englishness relied on an assumption of effortless superiority. This no longer stands up, and I'd suggest that the various forces pitched around us now mean that a more in-your-face brand was bound to emerge.
"What struck me when I researched it was how completely this was a grass-roots development - in the face not only of no encouragement, but of active discouragement. I have to say I was astonished (and quite moved actually) by some of the things teenagers (in quite poor areas) said to me - their unironic attachment to their nationality.
"Apart from the odd comment, there was also no real racism evident, despite the way the metropolitan elite try to portray this. But this does lead me to one point which you didn't mention in your piece: along with the all-important effects of devolution, there's no question in my mind that this English revival is also a (possibly unconscious) product of the relentless drive for multiculturalism, and the concomitant hollowing out of the idea of Britishness. If everybody can seemingly be British, then nobody is British. As a result, people who would have once called themselves British are now increasingly calling themselves English. They are, in effect, trying to maintain their identity.
"This causes all manner of problems for the liberal elite. So they put their minds to deconstructing Englishness, calling it inherently racist, etc etc (Eddie Izzard's Mongrel Nation, AA Gill's bile-filled rant)."
8 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 03, 2006 8:43 am
Just a small point -is it truly possible to FEEL British, as against English? Was it ever? Was Britishness ever really internalised by the English, except as Englishness writ large? Did English people routinely describe themselves as British until officially obliged to? I certainly don't feel British and never did, feeling I have about as much and as little in common with the Scots as with the French, apart from the more-or-less shared language. This feeling, needless to say, is only exacerbated by the overwhemlingly Caledonian make-up of our present McGovernment.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 03, 2006 7:51 pm
As a working class man from North Manchester, I have to take issue with some of the sentiments expressed in the original article.ReplyDelete
'?They are reacting to a systematic repudiation of Englishness by the intellectual elite,? says the great philosopher Roger Scruton.' Perhaps, but remember also how the English working classes were robbed of their dignity so crudely by such institutions as the Conservative government of the 1980s - the institution that the very newspaper you are writing for supported unswervingly. The government that also de-humanised football supporters in this era.
It was not until the 1990s and the advent of middle-class football support and the Euro 96 championship that it suddenly became 'okay' to celebrate one's nationalty (We shall ignore the trashing of German cars after the semi-final defeat. That was probably down to some 'leftist British snobs').
However, English patriotism is very aggressive in its portrayal. Just listen to the tabloid radio station Talk Sport and its aggressive attacks on anyone not displaying the most fervent patriotism. In addition, it serves to feed the image of the England fan as a van-driving, beer-bellied lout.
Yes, football is a way of uniting a nation - it is the national sport after all. However, we (working and middle class) still believe that, as the nation that invented football, we have a divine right to win every tournament. Please don't ignore (like most have) the continued violence that accompanies defeat both at home and abroad. This delusional arrogance (yes arrogance) still persists.
Also funny how some of the names mentioned in the article (Martin O'Hara, Michael Collins - oh the irony!) are clearly not English in origin but consider themselves so. To paraphrase The Duke of Wellington (an Irishman) - because one is born in a stable does not make one a horse.
I wonder, Brian, if you have a flag of St George on your car or draped out of your window? I may be wrong but somehow I think not.
To draw a couple if your recent strands together: Englishness; lack of sporting prowess. Looks like Uncertainty Principle writ Large. Englishness is a vaguely geographic quality, so we are looking for something as vaguely connected with movement. Rhythm look like a good candidate and could explain a lot of other things too. The more you protest your Englishness, the more trip over your own feet.ReplyDelete
Of course for this to be a proper theory it needs to :
a) be falsifiable , and
b) predict new, hitherto unobserved phenomena.
To blow it out of the water, all you need to do is find me an englishman wot can dance (the challenge is there).
I predict groups of 6 or more Englishman (wearing funny clothes to accentuate the Englishness) gathered together and attempting to dance will start to wave sticks and pigs bladders and so forth and sing incoherently to hide the lack of co-ordination and prop each other up. If anyone sees this, please let me know.
Note I say Englishman. There are obviously other factors at play here - gender and possibly race. This law, if law it be, does not apply to women (do any?). Lamentably I haven't had the opportunity to observe any Black Englishmen (and even more lamentably don't know whether that's an acceptable term) move closely to see whether this holds or not. I hesitate to extend the stable metaphor, but how many generations before natural rhythm and grace get diluted to traditional English levels ?
I feel a response to some of the comments made by the anonymous 'working class man from Manchester' is in order. (Islington, Manchester perhaps?)ReplyDelete
You claim, sir, that the English working class was robbed of its dignity by the Conservative government of the 1980s. Well, in fact, the Conservative government rode to successive election victories in that decade by virtue of capturing the vote of the English working class; what the pollsters would call the C, D and E socio-economic groupings. Strange that a class so robbed of its dignity should choose to re-elect the perpetrators.
Perhaps you are referring to the high levels of unemployment, and the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, which beset the economy in the first half of the 1980s. Well, in fact, this was not caused by the Conservative government, but, rather, was caused by the uncompetitive state of British heavy industry, which, in turn, was caused by trade-union malpractice: overmanning, underproductivity, frequent strikes etc. If you wish to find the origin of the high unemployment in the early 1980s, you need look no further than the infiltration of Marxists into positions of power in the trades unions.
- AnonymousJuly 05, 2006 9:42 am
Well said, Gordon! But to bring together two other strands of this cat's cradle - music and England's World Cup disgrace - were my ears deceiving me or was that the fine Resurrection hymn Thine Be The Glory ushering our boys into the arena of shame? And was that or was that not Johnny Cash's cover of Trent Reznick's Hurt playing over their tearful little faces as the end? If so, then surely no further confirmation is needed that the world has finally gone stark, staring mad.ReplyDelete
A. Ghast
Ah, Mr Ghast, I too noticed the use of that sublime Cash cover. Did those who chose it know that it was about a lifetime of excessive drug use? One wonders. Perhaps the England team would consider suing. They have time on their hands, after all.ReplyDelete
- Ian BirchJuly 12, 2006 6:32 am
I enjoyed your article (2nd July 2006) and felt cosiderable empathy with much of the sentiment.ReplyDelete
I do feel that we are witnessing a steady process of break up of the UK, but the re-emrgence of a sense of Englishness might be too late.
At school in the late 60's and 70's I was, even as a school boy, totally disillusioned by the manner in which British, let alone English, history was taught. It wasn't presented as a history of the mix of people in Britain providing a context of who we were and from whence we had had come. It was presented at best as a source of embarassment and often as a reason to feel shame and guilt. Britain and the British were some bunch of chancers on the decline deserving any humiliation the rest of the world could dump on us.
Through the 70's, 80's and 90's this became a case of the English being responsible for most, if not all, of the bad things in world history and with the Empire in particular. The Scots and Welsh rose above this because they too were the victims of the English and joined the Irish as the ever innocent parties.
The point is the process. In the 60's it was Britain that had to pay the price of Britain's brutal imperialism. The process shifted in the 70's to one where the English quite specifically had to pay that price. But it isn't all the English of course, it is the proletariat and the lower middle classes who actually have to pay that price.
It always amazes me how large a percentage of the upper middle class and indeed wealthy people I know either directly or indirectly who are always not English, even if they happen to have been born here and lived and succeeded here. Indeed how many of the political and media "elite" are also living in England but are not English.
Being English steadily became a badge of shame and perhaps it was the football hooligans who reflected this most poignantly. They actually reflected the shame all the English should have felt for our dreadful past.
But having lived and worked in a number of countries around the world, I know that the the strongest and weakest aspect of modern Englishness is accepting other people for what they are.
I sometimes forget this as I am now bombarded with anti-English sentiment on a constant basis here in my own country. But every now and again something happens to remind me. For example, I had the pleasure of a meeting with a Romanian couple a few months back. He was a senior IT executive and she a professor. As we parted company they both thanked me. Bemused, I asked why. They each replied that in all of the countires and cultures they had lived and worked around the world, England was the only place where they felt they could be truly themselves.I felt incredibly angry that this characteristic developed over centuries and generations was being obliterated. It was being obliterated because some within our own midst and some from elsewhere in the world are hell bent on imposing their distorted view of Britain, the world and the English in particular.
In my travels I have had the misfortune to be abused on numerous occassions for being English. I have been threatened with physical violence on several occassions by Irish and Irish-Americans and was twice actually attacked by Australians. Ironic as my father was Australian. Since being back in England in my own country, I observe the tirade against the English and England is getting steadily worse. Indeed I have been subjected to racial abuse and threats of physical violence by Asians and West Indians.
But what is truly frightening is that as I debate and argue with friends (?) and colleagues about the absurd imigration policy that the current government has embarked upon, I try to make the point that the indigenous populations of England and the other constituent countries of the UK have the right to decide who and how many people are allowed to migrate to this country, I am howled down as a racist.
It seems that people, any people other than the English are actively deciding the fate of England and the English. It seems that I now have no right to protect and nurture my own culture, my own country. That right now rests with someone else, anyone else.
That someone else of some self appointed political, media and business elite in this country and elsewhere have taken it upon themselves to decide that England and Englishness can be sacrificed for whatever purpose. If I or any other English person dares to raise a dissenting voice then I and we will be howled down in the most shocking manner.
So whilst I enjoyed your article, it made me incredibly sad. It is, I suspect too little too late.
Hey everyone this is my website:http://www.experience-dating.com/free-online-dating/free-online-dating/england.html - My website is free for people in England and you do not even need to register to use it.ReplyDelete


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Evidence of Robert Aragon Committing Tax Evasion or Worse?
Robert Aragon is running for a seat on Albuquerque's City Council in District 5 and Liberal Resistance has been shown physical evidence that he may have committed income tax evasion and attempted to defraud a client in January of 2006. The individual that showed us this evidence was a client of Robert Aragon in 2006. He claims that he was already on retainer with Robert Aragon on January 12th of 2006 for two child custody cases when Mr. Aragon called him to a critical meeting at his office. Robert Aragon's client claims that, at this meeting, Mr. Aragon solicited $30,000 in cash to," make all his legal challenges go away." Mr. Aragon's client says he did not ask how Robert Aragon intended to make his legal challenges go away, he just trusted Robert still at that time and wanted to protect his children.
We must say that Robert's former client's story initially sounded a little outrageous. That changed immediately when Robert's former client produced the hand-written receipt shown below.
Robert Aragon's former client claims that the next day January 13th, 2006 he gave Robert $30,000 in cash, at which time Robert wrote him the above shown receipt. Mr. Aragon's former client also claims he was never provided an accounting of the hours charged for this $30,000 cash payment and was even billed for additional hours. The former client stated that he had to speak with Mr. Aragon's staff and tell them he would not pay Robert anything more for services rendered. The former client stated that it was obvious to him the staff had no idea Robert Aragon had taken the $30,000 cash as there was no accounting for it on his billing statement.
Robert Aragon's former clients says he kept the receipt in his safe deposit box all these year because he realized, after the fact, that Robert Aragon had stolen $30,000 from him at the lowest and most desperate point of his life.
Why did Robert Aragon demand $30,000 in cash from a client with a positive balance on his retainer? Why did he demand cash? Why didn't his client's billing statement show the $30,000 payment? Why didn't Robert Aragon's staff know about the cash payment? What are the chances Mr. Aragon paid income taxes on a $30,000 cash payment he never showed on his books? We do not pretend to know the answers to these questions, but we think any reasonably intelligent person can answer these questions for themselves.
After speaking with Mr. Aragon's former client, we did a very brief internet search of this interesting man and below are some things we found of interest. It seems Mr. Aragon has a less than pristine past.


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Fiori or more precisely Fiori UX is a new User Experience based on web technology. You have very likely already heard that or seen some presentations and demos. With Fiori you can have good, modern and intuitive user interfaces to operate with your SAP systems.
There are plenty of apps available and ready to use. And there are tools and technology to modify existing apps or even create new apps tailored to your needs.
The Fiori ecosystem is growing rapidly and offers many options for various use cases and scenarios.
Where can I use Fiori?
Now you may ask yourself:
- What matches my requirement?
- What do I need?
- How should I start?
Let us help you with that. Knowing the products and technologies we can tell you how and when to use Fiori, SAPUI5, SAP Gateway, HANA Cloud Platform, Fiori Client, OData, Mobile Platform, Mobility Service etc.
But technology is not everything. A solid and deep understanding of your processes is also required.


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Welcome to my very first 'Sewing with me on Saturday' Post! The first post for this series will be getting to know the basic functions of a sewing machine, although there are MANY models/makes of sewers out there the basic functions are relatively the same.
There are MANY, MANY, MANY great Learn to Sew tutorials on the web, this is just my version :)
I am assuming at this point you've got your machine plugged in? If not it's very simple, on the side of your machine there will be an on/ off switch alongside a plug connection. The plug that goes into this connection will have two cords running from it, one connects to a power point and the other to your foot pedal. I myself have accidentally pushed on the foot pedal whilst having my hand close to the machine so for this 'tutorial' you don't need to turn the machine on at all.
The Needle
When I purchased my own machine (all 5 days ago) it already a 'universal' needle fitted, however there are several circumstances where you might need to install a new needle so I thought I would go over this briefly. There will generally be a metal bar (going horizontally) with a screw top at the end. To install/change a needle you unscrew this top which will loosen the needle making it easy to pull out. Then to insert a new needle you simply push it up into the hole and tighten the knob once more.
The Presser FootI was daunted at first when I learnt there were different types of presser feet. I wasn't sure what you would need a different foot for, let alone how I would change one, however let me reassure you that the process of removing/ replacing one is very simple. The foot is used for holding fabric down and guiding the needle, there is a lever on the right (as pictured below) which can be raised and lowered accordingly.
The particular machine I have uses a snap on technique, I raise the lever up then locate a button on the back of the bar (generally quite small) which holds the presser foot, press this and the foot simply falls off. To replace the foot I keep the lever raised, line up the new foot, then lower the presser until it 'snaps' onto the clamp.
I hope this has been somewhat helpful. I was aiming to do a YouTube video today to go alongside this post however at this point it is still in the drawing board stage. Would this be something you'd like to see a video of? If so let me know if the comments below and I will aim to get it completed this weekend for you all.
Next Saturday I will be going over the basics you will 'need' (what's recommended) and what I have in my sewing kit as I am just starting out too.
Happy Sewing!!
Until Next Time,


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2013 WILLA Winners in Attendance
by Pamela TartaglioWomen Writing the West honored the recipients of its 15th Annual WILLA Literary Awards at the WWW conference in Kansas City, Missouri. These books, listed below, represent the best of 2012 published literature featuring women's or girls' stories set in the West and include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children's/YA.
"Fascinating, excellent, gripping, engaging, wonderful," are some of the words the professional librarian judges wrote about the Winning and Finalist books. A number of the winning authors traveled to Kansas City to accept their awards at the October 12 Finalist Luncheon and the evening WILLA Banquet, where each Winner was presented with a crystal trophy and $100. The ceremonies, at which every title is recognized with comments written by the librarian judges, are highlights of each year's WWW conference.
The recipients of the 2013 WILLA Literary Awards are as follows:
WINNER: Theft by BK Loren (Counterpoint Press)
FINALIST: A Growing Season by Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl (University of New Mexico Press)
WINNER: True Sisters by Sandra Dallas (St. Martin's Press)
FINALIST: Tributary by Barbara K. Richardson (Torrey House Press)
FINALIST: Dance with a Gunfighter by Joanne Pence (Quail Hill Publishing)
WINNER: The Bones and the Book by Jane Isenberg (Oconee Spirit Press)
FINALIST: In Need of a Good Wife by Kelly O'Connor McNees (Berkley/Penguin)
FINALIST: The House on Swiss Avenue by Irene Sandell (Eakin Press)
WINNER: Kissed by a Fox and Other Stories of Friendship in Nature by Priscilla Stuckey (Counterpoint Press)
WINNER: Women in Wonderland: Lives, Legends and Legacies of Yellowstone National Park by Elizabeth A. Watry (Riverbend Publishing)
FINALIST: Divinely Guided: The California Work of the Women's National Indian Association by Valerie Sherer Mathes (Texas Tech University Press)
FINALIST: Colorado Women: A History by Gail M. Beaton (University Press of Colorado)
WINNER: Steam Laundry by Nicole Stellon O'Donnell (Red Hen Press)
FINALIST: Reluctant Traveler by Laurie Wagner Buyer (Seven Oaks Publishing)
WINNER: Liberty's Christmas by Randall Platt (Texas Tech University Press)
FINALIST: The Quilt Walk by Sandra Dallas (Sleeping Bear Press)
FINALIST: Outcasts of River Falls by Jacqueline Guest (Coteau Books)
2013 WILLA Finalists in Attendance and WILLA Chair
WWW is now seeking entries from authors or publishers for the 2014 WILLA Literary Awards, which will honor books published in 2013. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2014. For 2014 Guidelines and Application, visit www.WomenWritingtheWest.org or write Women Writing the West, 8547 E. Arapahoe Road #J-541, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112.
The award is named in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winner Willa Cather, one of the country's foremost novelists.
Pamela Tartaglio, 2013 WILLA Chair/Past President, was delighted to read aloud the comments from the librarian judges and hand trophies and plaques to the authors.


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I'm delighted with some early reviews:
' … engaging, credible and interesting characters, and a couple of good twists … ' (Amazon)
' … Finally we discover what the Christmas Wish of the title is based on and sigh contentedly. Curl up and enjoy ... ' (Goodreads)
' … You will love all the characters and their relationships and the dual setting of the Borders and Edinburgh creates a very real background for the story. … ' (Amazon)
' … A Christmas romance and a family secret, with characters I thought about long after I finished reading.' (Amazon)
Guest posts, lists, extracts, interview:
Look out for the forthcoming blog tour ...
And read the book for yourself (leave a review if you can) …
Published by Black and White Publishing and available on Amazon as an e-book 99p:


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Month: November 2006
Having lost motivation recently it has been difficult to move myself to action. I say the words and make the speech. "I want to loose weight, I want to get fit, I want to put my socks on with ease". But my heart hasn't been in it. But now I'm starting to get the first
Read More
I love dance, dance of any kind. I also like a bit of comody, so when I stumbled on the Evolution of Dance I thought it was fab.


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This years event turnout was small.
Friday nights ride was canceled due to heavy heavy rain. It poured here in Belmont, so it was a good thing to "pull the plug."
We did however have a nice dinner and get together at 21 Van Ness with Youtube and Netflix entrainment. Lots of laughs, great food and great beer.
Saturdays ride was sweet. Slow going because of the wet surface and slippery decks along the Charles. The trail had a few walking and running events going on which made riding as we got closer to the Hatch Shell slower and more of a challenge. Fun though!
We split up as a group at about half way back to Waltham and made a b-line to Wheelworks for Recumbent Demos.
Hot and sticky, customers passing by the booth of bicycles on the street were quick to get inside to the AC in the store.
Larger dinner party Saturday evening at 21 Van Ness, with more laughs, fun and food
Sundays "Hub on Wheels" was packed. Parade pace for the first 11 miles, after the Arnold Arboretum, things thinned out and had us riding as a group at our regular comfortable riding speed.
The ride went well and is something all lovers of the wheel should try someday.The route takes you to places you might never go to on any other day.
At the 30 mile mark, the ride takes you along the shore and cooler riding due to the ocean and harbor breeze.
The finish was at what seemed to me a little short of 50 miles Back to City Hall Plaza and a Beer and great band.
On another note about the day: There was a huge film group shooting downtown. The film is called "RIPD" and will be opening sometime in 2012. It was cool to see the production with smashed cars and trucks wetting down the streets for effects. I did get a view of filming where they had some kind of smoke machine and a car that the roof had been crushed down to the doors. Not sure why, but I guess we will have to see the movie. Comments from the film crew about our bike were fun as we got lost trying to find where we parked the car in the morning, Thank you Susie for that!
Monday, September 26, 2011
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I'm finally getting settled into the rhythm of the semester. It's a lot of work, but I kind of like it. I do well with a little extra bit of stimulus and while I wish it were a class or two less, I still get a bit of a thrill from doing well in my classes. (Not that I'd know. Darn you, college and your small number of tests!) There's just that bit of Hermione in me that gets way too excited about reading all the books and learning all the things.
While there isn't a problem with a passion for learning, sometimes I worry that I get a little too Hermione-ish and become that one student. You know the one. The one where everyone rolls their eye because they've got their hand up again. There's a large possibility that I am actually that student. I can't help it. It's the Hermione in me.
Theses are also the times that I wonder why Hermione didn't use the time turner for sleep. Because that's totally what I would be doing with it.
I also worry that sometimes I push too hard. I have a bad habit of putting too much pressure on myself. It can be good in a minor sense because it motivates me, but it can also become an issue. Sometimes there are days when my body goes, "you know your limit? It was back there." and I feel all of that pressure at once. Like this morning. You know it's gonna be a good day when the barf bucket gets to ride in the car with you. (8:00 am classes at a school an hour away can sometimes disagree with me.)
I think that for me, one of the biggest things I am learning this semester(year) is how to gauge my abilities. While everything feels so immediate right now, sometimes I have to take a step back and remember that finishing that book or giving that presentation is not worth a full blown anxiety attack. (Don't get me wrong, all of my work gets done. Sometimes I just have to walk away from trying to perfect an assignment too much.) I've been really trying this semester to maintain a sense of peace during the semester and trust that I am in the right place and therefore won't be able to screw things up that easily.
Do you ever struggle with placing too much pressure on yourself? Did you find a solution that worked for you? I'd love to hear about it.


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I'm a lifelong Enthusiast & Explorer of all things Unknown.
It seems once I saw my first ghost about 57 years ago, I've been hooked on knowing about all things outside-of-normal & otherworldly ever since.
Today I find I want answers to the big questions… the really big questions about life, death, life purpose and so much more!
And I am positive the answers are out there, just waiting on us to find them.
Therefore… if you too are interested in exploring life, death & all things in-between, you've come to the right spot.
Please Join me as we dive deep into topics such as:
• Astrology's Influence on Our Lives •
• Psychic Abilities •
• Making Contact With The Spirit World •
• The Power of the Mind •
• Ghosts & Hauntings •
• Dreams, Lucid Dreams & Altered States •
• Life After Death •
• Life Between Lives •
• The Possibility of Other Beings, Alien Life •
Oh… Just So Much More
I'm looking for the pieces to the puzzle. The puzzle of what makes us tick and why things happen as they do.
Please feel encouraged to share your own stories, on any page on this site.
Or feel free to ask questions & make suggestions. This site is about opening up to all that's possible.
I look forward to my journey with you!
Be sure to visit my blog while you're here.


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January – Health & Wellness
Healthcare and the Jewish People
The Jewish tradition has always placed high regard and attention to the health and wellness of an individual on all physical, mental, and spiritual levels. The Jewish value of sh'mirat haguf (protecting our bodies as they are a gift from God) demonstrates the need to protect and maintain a healthy body and mind. Jewish people have a long history of establishing health care systems both in and out of an insular Jewish community. In fact, Jewish scholar Maimonides would list health care on a list of ten communal services that a city should offer its residents. Additionally, Jewish people were required to live in a community that had a doctor, public baths, and fruit, which assured access to health care, proper hygiene, and healthy food, respectively.
Another Jewish value, B'tzelem Elohim, meaning that all people are created in the image of God, also asserts the idea that we have an obligation to maintain a healthy body and mind for ourselves and for the community. When it comes to health care in community, Jewish people have always placed importance in the phrase pikuah nefesh, which embodies the obligation to save lives. This, partnered with tzedakah (charitable giving), can focus on the importance of providing food, shelter, clothing, and medical care to those in need and to use community resources to ensure this social safety net (Epstein, 2011).
Healthcare in America
According to healthyamericans.org, the United States' public healthcare system is responsible for improving the health of all citizens but has been chronically underfunded for decades. Tens of millions of Americans suffer from many preventable diseases, and the United States continuously ranks poorly when it comes to health and health care concerns. In a 2016 study, it was found that adults in the United States are sicker and more economically disadvantaged compared to citizens of eleven other economically-similar countries. This study, calculated by The Commonwealth Fund (a health care nonprofit), went on to find that the main challenge to America's health care system is "compounded by higher health care costs, greater income disparities, and relatively low levels of spending on social services."
Health and Social Justice
World Health Organization states that "the social conditions in which people are born, live and work are the single most important determinants of good health or ill health, of a long and productive life, or a short and miserable one." Therefore, it's important to place health equity as an important ideal to strive for in a society. Unfortunately, not all people are able to achieve stable, accessible, and fair healthcare or health services. This healthcare gap and inequality within the United States is the direct result of unjust public policies and practices that help further establish the unfit distribution of money, resources, and power among marginalized groups, women, and other minorities.
- The Healthcare Policy Podcast
- Stay up-to-date on public policy regarding healthcare from industry experts.
- Health Care News Podcast
- Established by the Heartland Institute, this podcast helps bring you vital information, quickly and conveniently, to healthcare consumers.
- TEDTalks Health
- Offers compelling and inspiring presentations about new and interesting topics involving healthcare and the medical field.
- Health Care in the U.S.
- The Khan Academy offers a 10-part series on an introduction to the United States' Healthcare System.
- Film:
- Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (2010)
- "Morbidly obese and stricken with an autoimmune disease, a man endeavors to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for 60 days in an effort to lose weight and reclaim his health."
- Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (2012)
- "Filmmakers Susan Froemke and Matthew Heineman use personal stories and expert analysis to diagnose serious problems in the U.S. healthcare system."
- Sicko (2007)
- "Filmmaker Michael Moore examines America's health-care crisis and why millions of citizens are without coverage. Moore spotlights the cases of several ordinary citizens whose lives have been shattered by bureaucratic red tape, refusal of payment, and other health-care catastrophes. He explains how the system has become so problematic, and he visits countries where citizens receive free health care, as in Canada, France and the U.K."
- What the Health? (2017)
- "Filmmaker Kip Andersen uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases, and he investigates why the nation's leading health organizations doesn't want people to know about it."
- The Waiting Room (2012)
- "Filmmaker Peter Nicks chronicles events at a public hospital's emergency room, where the overworked staff and many uninsured patients must cope with disease, injury, bureaucracy and hard choices."
- Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (2010)
- TEDTalks:
- EliTalks: (Allows individuals and organizations to cultivate, transmit, and curate Jewish ideas and thoughts through digital conversations.)
- Books:
- "The Healing of America" by T.R. Reid
- "Reid draws contrasts between health care systems in a half-a-dozen wealthy nations with the health care models followed in the United States, in a straightforward, easy to read narrative."
- "Jewish Paths toward Healing and Wholeness" by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky
- "Grounded in the spiritual traditions of Judaism, this book provides healing rituals, psalms and prayers that help us initiate a dialogue with God, to guide us through the complicated path of healing and wholeness."
- "Better" by Atul Gawande
- "The struggle to perform well is universal: each of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives may be on the line with any decision."
- "Facing Illness Finding God" by Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler
- "How Judaism can help you and caregivers cope when body or spirit fails. Finding spiritual strength for healing in the wisdom of Jewish tradition."
- "To Your Health: The Torah Way to a Healthy Life in Modern Times" by Yechezkel Ishayek
- "The Torah tells us to guard our health, and here is a book to show us how. To Your Health combines the wisdom of Chazal, the teachings of the Rambam, along with recent scientific research and evidence-based medicine to provide proven strategies for eating better and living a healthier, happier, stress-free life."
- "America's Bitter Pill" by Steven Brill
- "Book on how the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was written, how it is being implemented, and, most important, how it is changing—and failing to change—the rampant abuses in the healthcare industry."
- "An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back" by Elisabeth Rosenthal
- "A shocking investigation into our dysfunctional healthcare system - and offers practical solutions to its myriad problems."
- "Healing and the Jewish Imagination" edited by Rabbi William Cutter
- "Where Judaism and health intersect, healing may begin. Essential reading for people interested in the Jewish healing, spirituality and spiritual direction movements, this groundbreaking volume explores the Jewish tradition for comfort in times of illness and Judaism's perspectives on the inevitable suffering with which we live."
- "The Healing of America" by T.R. Reid
- Helpful Articles:
- Locally:
- Fit City SA
- Powered by the Mayor's Fitness Council, Fit City SA strives to increase awareness and connect San Antonio residents to opportunities for improved emotional well-being, physical activity, and healthy eating.
- San Antonio Health Office
- The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District provide public health programs, health education, and health information. Services include: immunizations, clinical services, STD testing, health education, disease control, and health code enforcement.
- Planned Parenthood SA
- Healthcare provider and advocate, that provides vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.
- Por Vida!
- A community of restaurants and businesses committed to offering healthy choices for San Antonio residents.
- Fit City SA
- At home with friends or family.
- Try:
- Going to a local park
- Family exercise (i.e. walking, swimming, recreational activity)
- Cooking a healthy meal
- Try:
- Prayer & Meditation:
- Jewish Meditation
- Ritual Well - Healing Services
- Ritual Well - Healing Illness
- "Mishkan R'fuah: Where Healing Resides"
- "This beautiful compilation contains contemplative readings and prayers for many different moments of spiritual need, including illness, surgery, treatment, chronic illness, hearing good news, transitions, addiction, infertility, end-of-life, and more."
- "Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing" by Alden Solovy
- "This simple and profound collection of meditations, poetry and prayer is from well-known liturgist, Alden Solovy, whose voice emerged after the sudden death of his wife from traumatic brain injury. It tackles challenging topics including cancer, infertility, living with Alzheimer's disease, gun violence and alcoholism and includes a variety of memorial prayers."
- Donate:
- Blood at the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.
- Pledge with the American Public Health Association to be the healthiest nation within one generation.
- Volunteer:
- Stay Informed:
- On current health and health care news/issues
- By talking to your health care provider and insurer
- By meeting with health experts in the community
- Jewish Values and Reform Movement Positions on Health Care


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Maximuscle are perhaps the most iconic brand in the 'health and fitness' industry, with PhD right on their tail! In my opinion, Maximuscle have created a fantastic image for the industry with a 'clean cut' approach to nutrition and supplementation, with their supplements appealing to a vast sporting audience. There is good reason for this because they have shown over and over again the ability of their supplements, and now you can learn how they are so effective. Today I wanted to evaluate Maximuscle Cyclone, maybe their most popular supplement!
So what exactly is Maximuscle Cyclone? In short, it is an 'all in one' supplement, which is known to really stimulate growth in strength, power and size! In fact, back in 2007 this very product won MonsterSupplements 'all in one' power product of the year. This particular supplement is very popular among the rugby community because it has every component they need to support their goals.
The protein content of Cyclone is 30g per serving, which is very respectable and what I would describe as the 'middle of the road' amount for the average athlete. Personally, I don't think you would want any less than that. You will be glad to know the protein used is of the highest quality, with the Maximuscle Proprietary Blend consisting of Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolysates and Whey peptides. This means that the rate of digestion from this protein will be rapid, making it a perfect start to your day, as well as the perfect recovery drink after exercise!
Another key part to Maximuscle Cyclone is its Creatine content. Each serving delivers over 5g of Creatine Monohydrate, which in my opinion is probably the highest quality form of Creatine. This is because the particles are relatively small, meaning that it is that much easier for the body to digest and utilise! Creatine is notoriously difficult for the body to actually use, and a lot of the time it is actually converted into Creatinine, a useless waste-product! The high quality Creatine monohydrate used in Cyclone will increase the rate of ATP resynthesis within you, which will improve your anaerobic endurance, recovery levels as well as strength and power.
Cyclone also contains Glutamine, which is a fantastic amino acid for promoting recovery as well enhanced energy levels. Glutamine is known to increase your protein synthesis levels, which should equate to a faster recovery time! It is known as the 'foundation' recovery supplement in the industry, and this is a very important component of Cyclone!
As you learn more about supplements, you will notice more and more of the 'smaller' ingredients which make the biggest differences. HMB is known for its ability to prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue as well as promote the recovery of muscle tissue, right after intense exercise. This ingredient really caps of Cyclone nicely because you have all of the recovery pathways covered, which is important for any 'all in one' supplement!
Maximuscle have also incorporated an excellent mineral matrix within Cyclone which contains the likes of Potassium Bi-carbonate, Sodium Bi-carbonate and Chromium picolinate. These minerals are fantastic for supporting and maximising the rate of absorption of Creatine! As I mentioned before, the biggest challenge with Creatine is getting it into the muscle cell. In fact, this brings me on nicely to the final point.
Per serving, Maximuscle Cyclone contains 21g of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of Dextrose. What this does is stimulate an 'Insulin Spike' which is required in order to maximise the uptake of Creatine and shuttle it into the muscle cell. Maximuscle have also very cleverly used the first ever Bi-carbonate Alkaline blend to help prevent the breakdown of Creatine and Glutamine in the harsh acidic environment of the stomach. It is of utmost importance to get these supplements past the stomach if you want to get any benefit from them, it isn't a case of just 'taking them!'
Maximuscle Cyclone is a great overall product and I certainly can see why it is so popular with many sportsmen and women across the UK right now! It really does offer the 'total package' for the all round athlete. If I was after a product to give me a boost in growth, strength, recovery and energy, I would strongly consider this along with PhD Synergy-Iso7!


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Girls' Night Out 2016: Accentuate the Positive
You are invited to join us for a Girls' Night Out! Save the date for Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Accentuate the Positive… The words we choose have the power to transform our lives. Our key note address with Dr. Sally Stone, Ed.D, author of Golden Words: The A to Z Toolkit for Changing Your Life…Read More


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HANSA-PARK – Deutschlands einziger Erlebnispark am Meer | Ostseebad Sierksdorf bei Lübeck
Download the Park Map now
All you need to know about the Park at a glance!
Tickets & Season Tickets
Book your ticket now and enjoy a day or a whole season filled with fun and excitement!
Holiday by the Baltic Sea
Check out the accommodation available at HANSA-PARK Resort by the sea!
Jobs at HANSA-PARK
We have plenty of exciting job opportunities for you in hospitality, tourism and leisure!
Need a refreshment?
If you don't dare sit on the Super Splash but need something to cool you off on a hot day, then this is the place to be.


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Defining the Priorities of Life
Last night we covered the square, pentagon and hexagon. The lessons of the square have been growing on me as I have mused over it of late, so I encourage you to do the same. It sheds a lot of light on how to lead others, and how to grow as others lead us.
"Servant leadership" is a bit of a buzzword but when we look at how Jesus modelled servant leadership it might raise some eyebrows. He was willing to wash his disciples' feet, and also to step into line of fire to protect his followers. He was also prepared to be directive ("do what I say"); to lead with vision, clarity and courage; to rebuke even his closest disciples strongly ("get behind me Satan"); and to make himself a whip and overturn the traders in the temple courtyard. Jesus took some pretty raw material – a rag-tag bunch of fisherman and so forth – and through his leading (and the power of the Holy Spirit), turned them into the group that would turn the world upside down after His death and resurrection.
Here is the square. Four phases of discipleship (D1/D2/D3/D4) and four corresponding styles of leadership (L1/L2/L3/L4). Remember that disciple means learner, and this applies to Christian discipleship but also in any learning/leading situation.
The phases in more detail:
D1 – enthusiastic/incompetent
L1 – directive (high direction, example; low consensus, explanation)
Like a child with first bike, the disciple is very excited but incompetent. The leader needs to provide strong vision and guidance (you wouldn't ask the kid how they think they should right the bike, but instead tell them what to do). Jesus calls his disciples with a stark "follow me" (Mark 1:17).
D2 – unenthusiastic/incompetent
L2 – visionary/coach (high direction, discussion, example, accessibility)
Disciples get some initial experience of ministry but start to encounter resistance, persecution, difficulty, failure. Doubt and discouragement appear: why am I doing this? The kid has fallen off the bike and is thinking that the tricycle wasn't so bad after all! The risk is that the disciple doesn't go through this phase to its conclusion but gets stuck oscillating between D1 (enthusiasm) and D2 (despair). The leader needs to clear their diaries, get down in the pit with the team, provide grace and vision. "Do not be afraid, little flock…" (Luke 12:32-34). The leader has to help the disciple realise that God is in charge (grace) and that the difficulties are only to be expected but are worth battling through (vision). Engaging their reality rather than engaging their enthusiasm!
D3 – growing confidence (conscious competence)
L3 – pastoral/consensus (lower direction, higher consensus, high discussion, accessibility)
This is when the kid starts to ride the bike cautiously but actually reasonably well! In this stage the disciple starts to implement the lessons learned in D2 and start to grow in confidence and enthusiasm, built on experience. The leadership style is a consensus-orientated, pastoral and based on friendship. "I no longer call you servants but friends, because servants do not know their master's business… go and bear fruit" (Jn15:12-17).
Many of us are trained to start in this democratic-style leadership mode, which is fatal (not enough vision shared to create a shared goal, and disciples have not enough experience to meaningfully contribute). Also, this phase (D3/L3) can be comfortable and the danger is we stay there and lose vitality. But Jesus pushes the disciples fairly quickly towards D4 but explaining that soon he will be leaving them.
D4 – the end is in sight (unconscious competence)
L4 – delegation (low direction, example, high consensus, explanation)
At this stage the disciples are high experience, high enthusiasm, high confidence, high competence. Confidence is in God not themselves: no longer self-reliant but trusting in God. The kid hardly knows he riding the bike – it comes almost without thinking now! This is where the leader begins to disengage to allow the disciple to become a leader. Jesus is with them (in his resurrection body) but only intermittantly. At this point Jesus says "Go and make disciples… I am with you always" (Matt 28:18-20) and leaves them.
L4 is about delegating responsibility. But delegation (D4) only comes after the preparation of D1/D2/D3. Often we try to delegate too early, before the learner has enough experience and wisdom.
A "Kairos moment" (for either the disciple or the leader) may well signify the transition from one phase to another.
The leadership stages can perhaps be summarised as:
- L1: Directive (I do, you watch)
- L2: Coaching (I do, you help)
- L3: Pastoral (You do, I help)
- L4: Delegating (You do, I watch)
The square is important because we need to go through this whenever we tackle a new thing, or whenever we are in a position of leadership with someone (an employee, a child, a team, a new Christian, a small group, a seeker, …) If a learner does not go around all sides of the square they will stagnate. The square reminds us to serve them by offering the appropriate leadership style at each time.
If you found this post helpful, I strongly suggest you purchase Building A Discipling Culture by Mike Breen (buy from Amazon here). The book goes through Life Shapes in detail and explains how best to introduce them to a Christian community.
— Continue the discipleship and mission conversation ! —
Thanks for visiting! We have found Life Shapes really helpful in creating a culture of discipleship and mission as our home group has made the transition to an outward-focused missional community. Why not follow our new adventures on http://theuntaming.wordpress.com/ (or via Twitter or Facebook)?


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Mosquito-Borne DiseasesThere are several mosquito-borne diseases that currently pose concern in Delaware: Chikungunya, West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Canine Heartworm Disease, and a possible newcomer, Zika, for which the state's awareness is growing.
Click here to view a video about backyard mosquito control that can help with mosquito-borne disease prevention.
Zika VirusZika virus is a pathogen transmitted by mosquitoes that is now largely threatening Central and South America, the Caribbean islands, and the southeastern U.S. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, headaches, muscle aches and/or conjunctivitis. Rarely fatal, the illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week. What distinguishes the Zika virus from other mosquito-borne illnesses is the effect it seems to have on pregnancy. Zika can spread from a pregnant mother to her baby, and that infection may be linked to birth defects such as microcephaly.
The mosquito species capable of transmitting this disease are the Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Both species lay their eggs largely in man-made containers, such as tires, buckets, corrugated rain spouts, etc. Traditional mosquito control methods of truck-mounted and aerial sprays are limited in controlling these mosquitoes, since they are often active during daylight hours. Reducing mosquito populations around the home via removal of containers that hold water and thus become prime mosquito habitat is one of the key prevention strategies for preventing mosquito bites and the possible transmission of Zika virus. Click here for a quick Fact Sheet on Zika Virus. For more information on the Zika virus, please visit the Delaware Division of Public Health website.
Chikungunya VirusChikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a pathogen transmitted by mosquitoes that is now threatening the United States. Although rarely fatal, the symptoms include debilitating joint pain and can persist for several weeks. In 2014, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands recorded their first locally-acquired cases. In 2014, only travel-related cases of CHIKV were reported in Delaware. As of Nov. 17, no local or travel-related cases of CHIKV have been reported in Delaware for 2015.
The mosquito species that transmit this disease are the Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Both species lay their eggs in man-made containers, such as tires and buckets. Traditional mosquito control methods of truck-mounted and aerial sprays are somewhat ineffective in controlling these mosquitoes. Removal of containers that hold water and yard sanitation are key strategies for preventing Chikungunya.
West Nile VirusWest Nile virus (WNV) is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. While there is a vaccine available for horses, there is no human vaccine for WNV. The best way to reduce your risk of WNV is to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
2015 WNV Activity in Delaware: There were five human cases of WNV reported in Delaware in 2015. Eight dead wild birds and 27 sentinel chickens (from 11 different locations throughout the state) were positive for WNV. The Mosquito Control Section reminds residents and visitors to protect themselves from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne disease by avoiding mosquito activity when possible, dressing in long sleeves and long pants, and properly applying mosquito repellent.
Eastern Equine EncephalitisEastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is transmitted to horses and humans by mosquitoes. Like West Nile virus, there is a EEE vaccine available for horses, but not for humans. Fortunately, human cases of EEE in Delaware are rare. The last recorded human case of EEE in Delaware occurred in 1979.
Heartworm DiseaseCanine heartworm, a disease fatal to dogs, is circulated within the dog population by mosquitoes. The Delaware Mosquito Control Section does not monitor heartworm levels in the mosquito population. Dog owners are encouraged to protect their pets from heartworm by administering preventative medications year-round.
Additional ResourcesThe American Mosquito Control Association has created short, educational videos about mosquito-borne diseases and how these diseases have affected the US population. Click on the links below to view the videos.


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Russia's sent 2 of its musical masterminds, Michael Filimonov and Vyacheslav Romashkin, to get the world to dance. Abstract Vision and Elite Electronic unite on the electrifying sounds of 'Kinetic' and 'Blossom'.
'Kinetic' and 'Blossom' were already given a warm welcome by Armin van Buuren, who featured the tracks on his 'A State of Trance 2012' album. With the energy high up and the bass hitting in hard, 'Kinetic' is the type of tune that can make a ten-thousand strong crowd go wild. A trancy core, techy outlines and a warm melody weaved in, make this one an absolute winner.
'Blossom' is the big sister and B-side to this strong E.P.. Its emotionally loaded break and strong melody will make this a tune you'd have stuck on replay before you know it.


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Tom's Farm in Rossville is offering the opportunity to have fun and help those in need at a fall festival of thanks and giving.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 N. Main
Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Sat., Nov. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 22, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
When I first saw this name of this production I thought it was an invite to a family reunion. Much to my surprise—we all do love our nutty families, don't we?—this event is actually a union of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and New Ballet Ensemble & School. Featuring a cast of 145 young dancers who bring the traditional Nutcracker into the 21st century, this modern day ballet is set on Beale Street where a hip hop battle erupts, resolving peacefully as snow descends on a festive Memphis evening. Just as unique as the performance is the surprising weave of music performed by The Memphis Symphony as they play the first ever live Tchaikovsky Hip Hop Battle, scored by Memphis artist, Sam Shoup, original Flamenco, and adapted Irish music by Roy Brewer and Booker T's Green Onions. Perhaps this could be a new holiday tradition celebrating the diversity of Memphis. Some other fine performances this weekend include Peter Pan, The Magic Flute, The Beggar's Opera, Doubt, and Pippin. And don't forget that this is the weekend for Nutcracker Sweet Children's Ball benefiting Children's Ballet Theater on Sunday.
Flip The Switch Graceland Holiday Lighting
Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley
Fri., Nov. 20, 6 p.m.
Last year John Stamos "flipped the switch," turning on the lights at Graceland. This year Trisha Yearwood illuminates the holiday season at Graceland—with a little help from Le Bonheur Children's Hospital patients. Yearwood will also perform a song for those who love the holiday season as much as Elvis did. Elvis loved Christmas so much that it takes three weeks to decorate. From the blue lights along the driveway to the interior decorations, they are all the original decorations displayed by Elvis and the Presley family. Channeling his inner Elvis, Santa and his red jumpsuit-inspired suit will arrive by limousine and police escort. Santa will be available for pictures with the kids following the lighting ceremony. And in the generous spirit of Elvis, this event is open to the public and absolutely free. Though you can buy the Christmas at Graceland package if you would like. It's pretty cool and you can check it out here. Zoo Lights and Starry Nights, two highly anticipated annual traditions, open this weekend as well. It's going to be a de-light-ful weekend.
Spillit Story Grand Slam 2015: M.E.M.P.H.I.S.
Amurica World Headquarters, 410 Cleveland
Fri., Nov. 20, 7-9 p.m.
Winners from the past year of storytelling now compete for the title of Grand Master Storyteller of Memphis 2015. And since not everyone celebrates a traditional holiday season—or wants to celebrate this early, I will offer some other event suggestions without a holiday theme. British Arrows Awards are always a fun time featuring the best of the UK's advertising ingenuity. Memphis Comic and Fantasy Con and KissCon Memphis are also being held this weekend. You can Deal Cancer Out or go on a Dine01 Food Tour. Take a Bacon+Bourbon Class or visit Sara Foster who will sign her book, Foster's Market Favorites: 25th Anniversary Collection. There you go.
Give Back Give Thanks Family Fest
Tom's Farm, 1665 Murrell, Rossville
Sat., Nov. 21, 2-5 p.m.
Share the things you are thankful for this season with others. Tom is going to help you. Head out to his farm in Rossville. Enjoy hay rides, a corn maze, and bonfires with roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. And bring items for those in need. Tom will get them where they need to go. Another way to express thanks might be to participate in this year's Cranksgiving with Urban Bicycle Food Ministries. If you would like to give back by helping the animals, consider "Run for the Claws" 2015 Meowathon 5K & Silent Auction. However you express gratefulness, I hope the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday brings you a cornucopia of blessings.
The Memphis Potters' Guild: Annual Holiday Show & Sale
Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry
Fri., Nov. 20, 5-8 p.m., Sat., Nov. 21, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
In February 1976, local artists Cissy Jones and Patti Lechman met in a pottery class at Memphis College of Art. They decided to join together and open their own studio space at Summer and Hollywood where they offered classes to the general public. By 1978 the duo received a charter and formed the Memphis Potters' Guild. Some of the guild members represented in this 2015 holiday show and sale were there in the humble beginnings almost 40 years ago. When you purchase their art for yourself or as a gift for someone else you are preserving the integrity and well being of this wonderful organization, creativity, and independent artisans. Another gift idea might be from authors James H. Smith and Jerry Lee Smith who will be at the Women's Exchange Tea Room this weekend reading and signing Snowball: A Christmas Story. For more holiday markets and events check out Shepherd's Haven Christmas Program, Open House & Holiday Mixer at Village Art Gallery, artist reception for "Xmas: 10 Years of Christmas in Pencils,"and Holiday Store Opening and Ornament Unveiling at the Metal Museum.
For a full list of what's happening this weekend in and around Memphis, check out our calendar of events. Also, be sure to tag your favorite Instagram photos of Memphis while you are out and about with the #memphisflyer hashtag. I hope you have a great weekend.


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From Warren Buffett's 1996 Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa) shareholder letter:
I was recently studying the 1896 report of Coke (and you think that you are behind in your reading!). At that time Coke, though it was already the leading soft drink, had been around for only a decade. But its blueprint for the next 100 years was already drawn. Reporting sales of $148,000 that year, Asa Candler, the company's president, said: "We have not lagged in our efforts to go into all the world teaching that Coca-Cola is the article, par excellence, for the health and good feeling of all people." Though "health" may have been a reach, I love the fact that Coke still relies on Candler's basic theme today - a century later. Candler went on to say, just as Roberto could now, "No article of like character has ever so firmly entrenched itself in public favor." Sales of syrup that year, incidentally, were 116,492 gallons versus about 3.2 billion in 1996.
I can't resist one more Candler quote: "Beginning this year about March 1st . . . we employed ten traveling salesmen by means of which, with systematic correspondence from the office, we covered almost the territory of the Union." That's my kind of sales force.
Companies such as Coca-Cola and Gillette might well be labeled "The Inevitables." Forecasters may differ a bit in their predictions of exactly how much soft drink or shaving-equipment business these companies will be doing in ten or twenty years. Nor is our talk of inevitability meant to play down the vital work that these companies must continue to carry out, in such areas as manufacturing, distribution, packaging and product innovation. In the end, however, no sensible observer - not even these companies' most vigorous competitors, assuming they are assessing the matter honestly - questions that Coke and Gillette will dominate their fields worldwide for an investment lifetime. Indeed, their dominance will probably strengthen. Both companies have significantly expanded their already huge shares of market during the past ten years, and all signs point to their repeating that performance in the next decade.
In the letter, Buffett mentions that the stock prices of businesses like Coca-Cola (KO) and Gillette (now part of Procter & Gamble: PG) end up out of line with value. He also says that even outstanding businesses have historically been susceptible to management that become distracted and unfocused from time to time.
You can, of course, pay too much for even the best of businesses. The overpayment risk surfaces periodically and, in our opinion, may now be quite high for the purchasers of virtually all stocks, The Inevitables included. Investors making purchases in an overheated market need to recognize that it may often take an extended period for the value of even an outstanding company to catch up with the price they paid.
A far more serious problem occurs when the management of a great company gets sidetracked and neglects its wonderful base business while purchasing other businesses that are so-so or worse. When that happens, the suffering of investors is often prolonged. Unfortunately, that is precisely what transpired years ago at both Coke and Gillette. (Would you believe that a few decades back they were growing shrimp at Coke and exploring for oil at Gillette?) Loss of focus is what most worries Charlie and me when we contemplate investing in businesses that in general look outstanding. All too often, we've seen value stagnate in the presence of hubris or of boredom that caused the attention of managers to wander.
Around the time that letter was written, stocks like Coca-Cola were beginning to sell at multiples of earnings that made little sense. Even an outstanding business like Coca-Cola, if bought at 40-50x earnings, almost guarantees the investor a stagnant or worse decade ahead (in terms of stock performance) as the intrinsic value* of the business catches up to market price (or market price falls more in line with current value).
These are value creating machines but paying too much in anticipation of future worth will naturally damage investor returns.
Many stocks, of course, would go on to get even more expensive after he wrote that letter and it certainly was not just the tech stocks.
These days, Wal-Mart (WMT) is often cited as a stock that has gone nowhere in the past decade. The listless performance has more to do with the price paid by market participants for Wal-Mart's stock, especially in the 1st half of the past decade, not business performance over that time.
The business itself did just fine.
Over that time the Wal-Mart's business more than tripled its earning power. Not a bad decade of work especially for a company that size.
A decade ago market participants were willing to pay around forty dollars for every dollar of Wal-Mart's earnings. Now, investors are paying less than 12 dollars for every dollar of earnings.
Unless something material is going to happen to Wal-Mart's moat, at current market price the next decade should be a much different story as far as that stock goes.
Long all stocks mentioned
* From the Berkshire Hathaway owner's manual:
"Intrinsic value is an all-important concept that offers the only logical approach to evaluating the relative attractiveness of investments and businesses. Intrinsic value can be defined simply: It is the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life.
The calculation of intrinsic value, though, is not so simple. As our definition suggests, intrinsic value is an estimate rather than a precise figure, and it is additionally an estimate that must be changed if interest rates move or forecasts of future cash flows are 5 revised. Two people looking at the same set of facts, moreover – and this would apply even to Charlie and me – will almost inevitably come up with at least slightly different intrinsic value figures."
This site does not provide investing recommendations as that comes down to individual circumstances. Instead, it is for generalized informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. Visitors should always do their own research and consult, as needed, with a financial adviser that's familiar with the individual circumstances before making any investment decisions. Bottom line: The opinions found here should never be considered specific individualized investment advice and are never a recommendation to buy or sell anything.


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We're back among the San Franciscans to enjoy the weather and food Social Gaming Summit this Friday. The summit is "a one day conference focused on the intersection of gaming, immersive worlds, and social networking." something very close to our hearts. We are hanging around after the event to check out perspective office space… yup, you heard it here first, the CC is moving to CA to become part of an ever growing community of casual game developers!
We will be flying back home on the 19th, so if anyone would like to meet up you can find us at the Summit or contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com
Right, now that's been posted, we're off to go find a nice place to have some dinner and eat our way through this jet lag (it's 2am back home now) TTFN.


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Where better to start than the new poster boy of the Thoroughbred racing world – the unscrupulous Hall-of-Famer Steve Asmussen – Public Enemy number one according to Andrew Beyer.
"He has shamed thoroughbred racing so badly that the chairman of the Jockey Club, Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps, declared that there is "a dark cloud hovering over our sport" and that Asmussen ought to stay away from the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks." [1]
While the indiscriminate use of therapeutics and performance-enhancing drugs in the horse racing industry is not really news, the undercover recordings made by a PETA investigator at Asmussen's barn are. For decades these activities have taken place, clandestinely if you will, hidden from public scrutiny by the code of silence.
Exactly what everyone assumed is now out there for public scrutiny.
Over time Asmussen has run up a history of racing violations as have many of the top ranking trainers in the industry.
Probably the most serious violation was a 6-month suspension he served for a filly named No End in Sight who tested positive for mepivacaine, an illegal nerve-blocking agent that suppresses pain and permits horses to run on injured legs.
Despite the fact the No End in Sight tested 750 times over the legal limit, Asmussen claimed he hadn't a clue as to how the drug got into her system. In fact he suggested that the veterinarians had mistakenly given the horse mepivicaine, a lame excuse by any measure (pardon the pun). Interestingly enough, at the same time, he admitted to using two other illegal drugs on race day – one to increase endurance and the other to reduce bleeding in the lungs (on top of the Lasix shot).
"The vets said this would be impossible. Mepivacaine was injected directly into the joint. The other illegal drugs, which they insisted they hadn't given, were shot into the jugular. If mepivacaine were injected into the jugular it would bring a horse to its knees." [3]
Given the horse's history together with the fact that he had ordered cortisone shot a week prior to the race for knee problems, speculation has it that the administration of the drug was intentional. If so this is exceptionally reckless behavior as it not only jeopardizes the horse but also those on the racetrack – jockeys and horses alike.
Asmussen had used this tired excuse on several earlier occasions to explain away positive tests for illegal drugs on race day – once for ketorolac a powerful anti-inflammatory and twice for clenbuterol. The ubiquitous clenbuterol — a widely abused bronchodilator medication in the racing industry for respiratory problems regularly used to build muscle by mimicking anabolic steroids even when administered in therapeutic doses.
And that's not all; there were positives for acepromazine, a powerful sedative and the anesthetic lidocaine among others.
Yet in spite of all these infractions over the years his devoted assistant, now terminated after the PETA scandal, assumed responsibility of Asmussen's stables so that no horses missed a race – in fact not a penalty at all – business as usual.
As a prime example, when Asmussen was suspended for the mepivacaine in 2006, Blasi assumed the responsibility of "trainer" and Asmussen walked away with over 14 million dollars in earnings. [4]
Criminal – simply criminal.
Moving on to Bob Baffert.
To start, in 2013 Bob Baffert was number three on the list of top trainers by earnings with the most medication violations – a total of 20 violations resulting in 545 starts per medication violation. [5]
This list itself changes from year-to-year however Baffert always manages to make it into one of the top positions.
For example in 2010 Baffert (465 starts per violation) maintained that bronze medal position just edging out John Sadler (478 starts per violation) who had to settle for fourth that year. [6] Both consistent repeat offenders near the top of the list.
The most recent scandal associated with Baffert is the rash of mysterious "sudden deaths" due to cardiovascular/pulmonary failures of seven race horses over the course of several months (November 4, 2011 through March 14, 2013). [7]
What is particularly disturbing about these deaths is that by all accounts sudden death failures are a relatively rare occurrence, together with the fact that of the total number of "sudden deaths" over the same time period roughly 20% were stabled with Baffert.
As expected, Baffert was cleared in the sudden deaths of the seven horses by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). An extensive investigation concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing yet the CHRB could find no specific reason for the abnormal number of deaths in one stable – inconclusive at best – Dr. Rick Arthur to the rescue of course.
The question remains as to whether the results were inconclusive or intentionally covered up? One will never know, however it is well recognized that the CHRB and the members of the TOC (Thoroughbred Owners of California) are chronically corrupt – no one it seems has the power to enforce rules and disband the manipulators even after all these years of lies and deceit.
There are several theories of what may have gone wrong in the sudden deaths of Baffert's horses. One is linked to the finding of a rodenticide in one of the horses, an anti-coagulant that thins the blood. But why would anyone administer an anticoagulant to a horse, particularly since it is a highly toxic compound in EPA Toxicity Class I?
EPO has been widely used as a performance-enhancing drug despite being an illicit drug in horse racing. EPO increases the number of red cells circulating in the blood which increases its viscosity but also increasing its oxygen carrying capacity and hence endurance. From a doping perspective the administration of an anticoagulant such as Diphacinone will counterbalance the effect of thicken blood. Conjecture, well yes but . . .
Then there is the administration of Thyro-L (levothyroxine) to "all" of his horses regardless of their thyroid function wherein Baffert was using it as a supplement rather than medication.
Thyro-L is a thyroid hormone (T4) used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition where the body fails to produce a sufficient amount of thyroxine which revs up the metabolism. In doing so Baffert was clearly doping.
The fact that a drug is administered when there is no apparent underlying condition present is simply seeking to achieve a surrogate benefit; in this case enhanced performance (speed) due to weight loss. Of course Baffert (and Asmussen) gave it to all of his horses. He was legally cheating to win.
Don't forget Baffert's past either and the disappointing decision made by the CHRB.
Initially the CHRB suspended Baffert for 60 days after the horse Nautical Look tested positive for morphine after finishing first in the 7th race at Hollywood Park on May 3, 2000.
Baffert however appealed the decision using the pretext that the morphine positive was pharmacologically insignificant and likely resulted from environmental contamination – from poppy seed bagels consumed by stable employees (poppy seeds contain opium alkaloids one of which is morphine).
If administering morphine to enhance a horse's performance isn't bad enough, Baffert had the audacity to coerce a groom in his employ to lie to investigators. Baffert testified that the positive finding was a result of "unintentional contamination" from a food source containing poppy seeds (poppy seeds contain opiate alkaloids one of which is morphine).
While it is true that poppy seeds can generate false positive drug tests, Baffert went a step further. When notified of the positive result he repeatedly contacted his groom and encouraged him to admit to eating bakery products while in close proximity to the horse Nautical Look.
If that doesn't reek of guilt, what does?
In any case, the CHRB dismissed the case after 5 years despite the fact that there was lax security in the barn the evening before with no night watchman. Moreover Baffert's attorney argued that Nautical Look's blood sample was part of a batch randomly discarded as a cost-cutting measure so there was no blood to test to support the results of the urine sample. What wasn't mentioned is that a separate split sample was available for 45 days following the race yet Baffert did not request a test of that sample. [8]
You be the judge.
Keep in mind that Baffert hails from California and has close ties to all those instrumental in running the CHRB – all the important people like Chuck Winner, Bo Derek, Dr. Rick Arthur for example, and other prominent influencers such as Zayat Racing Stables. Rumor has it that Zayat is under investigation for placing large bets allegedly manipulating the outcome of races in conjunction with Baffert.
Asmussen and Baffert are not alone when it comes to a past tainted with drug violations.
Todd Pletcher, the leading graded stakes trainer, has his share of dirty laundry as well.
Probably one of the saddest stories to come out of Pletcher's drug cabinet was that of Coronado Heights.
One need only recall the fate of this 4-year-old thoroughbred who received a diagnosis of early degenerative joint disease. In the week prior to a race at Aqueduct, ten different drugs were administered, often in multiple doses, to quell his unsoundness, the only reason being that his ethically challenged owner and trainer – Todd Pletcher – could not bear the thought of losing out on the prospect of winning. Sadly Coronado Heights broke down and was euthanized on the track.
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/as-kentucky-derby-approaches-racing-industrys-portrayal-of-steve-asmussen-as-a-rogue-trainer-ignores-widespread-issues/2014/04/27/5f33f444-ce0d-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html
[2] http://goo.gl/kFupOG
[3] http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-06-28/news/dark-horse/full/
[5] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/sports/industrys-drug-issue-is-one-that-trainers-can-address-instead-of-avoiding.html?_r=0
[6] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/sports/04racing.html
[7] https://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/deadly-to-horses-the-baffert-effect-part-1/ andhttps://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/deadly-to-horses-the-baffert-effect-part-2/
[8] http://espn.go.com/horse/news/2001/0621/1217145.html
Part 1: Introduction | Part 2: Cheaters, Liars and Dopers | Part 3: Drugs, Suffering and Death


text: Congratulations to Prof. Santosh Nagarakatte, who has just received an unrestricted research gift from Intel Corporation. The gift, for an amount of $75000, funds his research in the area of "Pragmatic abstractions, techniques, and tools for LLVM verification". Prof. Nagarakatte's research group is designing lightweight formal tools that enable compiler writers to develop correct peephole optimizations for LLVM, a widely used mainstream compiler. This award supports further enhancements to the Alive-NJ prototype to reason about the correctness of floating point optimizations, to assist compiler writers when optimizations are not correct, and to extend the class of optimizations handled by Alive-NJ.


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The movie centers on two brothers who live under the stress of an abusive father and their only escape is their passion for sports and a newfound friend group. They learn to rely on each other and their friends to get the feeling of belonging and companionship they need to get through troubling times.
Actors: Keidrich Sellati, Maxwell Apple, James DiGiacomo,
Directors: John J. Budion
Country: United States
Duration: 90 min
Release: 2017
IMDb: 7


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What is there to do in Waterland?
The whole region located directly north of Amsterdam is known for its open countryside and wetlands. It's a unique area where the wide meadows are interspersed with historic villages and towns, such as Monnickendam, Marken and Broek in Waterland. Enjoy the charming old communities with over 391 officially listed historic buildings. Many of these tell the stories and secrets of past times.
Holidaymakers look out!
This Dutch landscape is so unique that is has been nominated as National Landscape by the Dutch Government. Waterland is for the most part peat moorland and this makes it perfect for cyclists and walkers. But because the rest of the region is water, there is also a great variety of water sports on offer. You can sail on the Markermeer or the Ijsselmeer, or explore the canals with a electric motor boat, or an open motor sloop, a rowing boat or a canoe, or just enjoy the views from one of the many waterside terraces in the picturesque villages.
Tourist attractions
As well as this you have tourist centres such as the village of Volendam
and the city of Edam very close by and the great world city of
Amsterdam lures all devotees of art and fine dining, brown cafes, into
unique streets, small courtyards and very contemporary shops.
There is so much to do in Waterland! Take care that you either know what you want to do, or give yourself enough time to find out what you want to do during your vacation! Otherwise you will run out of time!
If you want to get to know the area by bicycle, and can't bring your own? You can rent one from us. Ask about the possibilities.


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Groin grabbingly good! - Ben
To continue the celebration of my Bro's birthday weekend, we headed to Gills Diner last Saturday night with a few of his friends. The quote above is from our pal, Ben, who requested that I post it on my blog sometime. He is a very articulate man indeed.
Gills Diner is a warehousish space which has been described as part school room. I got the school vibe while there, probably due to the wooden chairs, wooden tables, and school style heaters. Unlike school however, Gills is hippity, hip, hip.
The menu is on a large blackboard on the back wall. It's cooler and funkier than having a paper menu, but a bit problematic if you have bad eyes (like me). We were seated just far away for it to become difficult to read after a glass (or two or three) of wine.
We were advised not to order a main and a starter each, so we got four starters to share between the nine of us.
The first one was the farmhouse terrine with chutney ($15). It was delicious, but I'm glad that we were sharing. It was a rather large slice!
We also had a plate of antipasto ($22). On the plate was little fried fish (anchovies? whitebait?), pickled vegetables, bread with pate, slices of a rolled up chicken thing with stuff in the middle, and fried cheese. Crumbed, deep fried cheese! Crispy but gooey, it was the best thing on the plate just due to the fact that it was fried cheese.
And we got two plates of one of the specials - chorizo and calamari. It was pretty simple, but good.
Bro had the roasted quail with saffron gnocchi ($25). All those peas looked a bit scary but it was a good dish.
Alastair had the rabbit saddle, prosciutto rolled and stuffed with walnuts and dates on chickpea stew ($33).
And I had the risotto with porcini and forest mushrooms and tallegio ($23). Oh, yum. I tried four other mains (we rotated our plates so we could have a taste of what everyone was eating!) and I thought that I had ordered the best dish. I was happy when it made its way back to me! The mushrooms gave the risotto an earthy flavour, and the rice had the right amount of "bite". The buttery tallegio was delicious, particularly where it had melted into the risotto.
And finally, Lisa and I had to have dessert. We had been eyeing up the churros with chocolate ($10) the whole night. Unfortunately, for me, it turned out to be a disappointment. There was no mention of it on the menu, but the chocolate was flavoured with orange. Ew!! Personally, I think that chocolate and orange should stay as far away from each other as possible. Down to chocolate and orange! I couldn't even eat the churros on their own, because they didn't taste right without chocolate on them. Boo. Fortunately, Alastair doesn't have choc/orange issues, so he happily finished off the churros, despite being "too full for dessert".
Even though I had my issue with the churros and chocolate, we had a really good night. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere and would happily go back. Maybe no churros next time though!
Gills Diner
Gills Alley (rear of 360 Little Collins St)
Phone: (03) 9670 7214


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Nebraska to wear 1997 tribute uniforms vs. Wisconsin
Can you spot the differences in Nebraska's 20th anniversary uniforms?
The Huskers will wear special uniforms vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 7 honoring the 1997 Nebraska team that went 13-0. They don't look too different than what the Huskers currently wear; the most noticeable thing is the faux mesh on the numbers.
From Adidas:
Centered around a one-to-one recreation of the mesh jerseys worn during the 1990's, adidas designers were able to recreate the visual aesthetic and texture of the traditional numbers by utilizing a new framis screen-printing technique that also allows for flexibility and movement. Additional detailing for the retro look includes the classic white pants and the traditional white Cornhuskers helmet that features a classic red "N" logo on the sides and accented with player numbers featured in red the back of the helmet.
It's fun to see the Big Ten logo on the jerseys as Nebraska was a member of the Big 12 in 1997. The Huskers beat Texas A&M — another team no longer in the conference — 54-15 in the conference title game.
What do you think about the uniforms?
More college football on Yahoo Sports:
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter!


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The U.S. Tax Court today released a "reviewed opinion" in which the court—noting that a nonresident of the U.S. Virgin Islands having both U.S. and Virgin Island income must file a return with the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue (VIBIR) and also with the IRS to satisfy the requirement to file a return under the Internal Revenue Code—concluded that the VIBIR's sharing of information with the IRS amounts to the filing of a return.
The case is: Hulett v. Commissioner, 150 T.C. No. 4 (January 29, 2018). Read the Tax Court's 76-page opinion [PDF 977 KB] that includes concurring and dissenting opinions
The Tax Court summarized the case, as follows:
The Tax Court majority found:
The KPMG logo and name are trademarks of KPMG International. KPMG International is a Swiss cooperative that serves as a coordinating entity for a network of independent member firms. KPMG International provides no audit or other client services. Such services are provided solely by member firms in their respective geographic areas. KPMG International and its member firms are legally distinct and separate entities. They are not and nothing contained herein shall be construed to place these entities in the relationship of parents, subsidiaries, agents, partners, or joint venturers. No member firm has any authority (actual, apparent, implied or otherwise) to obligate or bind KPMG International or any member firm in any manner whatsoever. The information contained in herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation. For more information, contact KPMG's Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services Group at: + 1 202 533 4366, 1801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.
Request for proposal


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Commercial pot business ban before BOCC
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — A public hearing today before the Garfield Board of County Commissioners will invite comments on a proposed ban of all recreational marijuana business operations in unincorporated areas of the county.
Commissioners are weighing whether to exercise the county's right under Colorado's Amendment 64 to ban commercial activities related to retail sales, cultivation, marijuana-infused products manufacturing and product testing facilities.
The required hearing to consider the ordinance is scheduled during the morning session of today's regular Garfield BOCC meeting, which begins at 8 a.m. at the county administration building, 108 Eighth St., in Glenwood Springs.
Last fall, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, which makes it legal for anyone age 21 and older in the state to grow and possess limited amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes. The measure passed statewide with more than 55 percent of the vote. In Garfield County, 57 percent of voters approved it.
The county's proposed ordinance would not prohibit an individual's right to grow and possess marijuana for personal recreational use, within the limits of the new law.
But the measure also opened the door for commercial operations to begin growing, selling, manufacturing and testing marijuana products starting in January 2014.
State regulators are still working to finalize rules and licensing procedures for recreational marijuana businesses. Those rules are expected to be in place sometime this fall.
Municipalities and counties now have until Oct. 1 to come up with their own local regulations governing the recreational marijuana trade, including where and how businesses may operate. Local entities can also opt out by passing ordinances prohibiting such businesses within their boundaries.
Several municipalities in Garfield County, including Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, New Castle and Rifle, are working on regulations to allow the trade of recreational marijuana, in addition to the medical marijuana dispensaries and growing operations already in business.
Amendment 64 allows existing medical marijuana dispensaries to become the first to be licensed for recreational sales between January and October of 2014, before new businesses can apply for licensing.
One question that is likely to come up regarding the proposed Garfield County ban on recreational marijuana activities is whether it should extend to existing cultivation operations in rural parts of the county that supply medical marijuana operations.
Rural county voters, in 2010, were asked whether various types of medical marijuana businesses should be allowed in areas outside city and town limits from Carbondale to Parachute.
Voters agreed to prohibit retail dispensaries and products manufacturing in unincorporated areas, but by a narrow margin approved cultivation.
Several marijuana growing operations now exist within the county's jurisdiction, although many are considered non-conforming uses since they were established before official land-use regulations were written to govern the industry.
The proposed county ordinance banning recreational marijuana businesses notes that while Colorado and a handful of other states have approved marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes, or both, it remains illegal under federal law.
"The board finds that the operation of marijuana establishments provided for in Amendment 64 presents an immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare by making marijuana more readily available in the community and facilitating its recreational use," the proposed ordinance states.
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