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West Australian Skydiving and Parachute Training Information
There are 2 types of 1st time jumps available and it is really a matter of personal choice as to which one you choose.
2. AFF Beginners First Jump Course
Experienced Skydivers/Fun Jumpers can find Information on our Licensed Skydivers/Fun Jumpers Page.
The Tandem Jumps require very little, in the way of instruction with traditionally only a 20 minute briefing required to show you exactly what is involved and what to do. You are secured to the front of an experienced Tandem Master prior to exiting the aircraft, throughout the 200km/h freefall, the parachute ride and landing....easy, and a great gift idea. click on the Tandem button for more information.
AFF (Accelerated Freefall) beginners first jump courses are run regularly with training tailored to your requirements. Certainly more involved than the Tandem jump but the feeling of self esteem once completed makes the extra effort worthwhile. Two freefall Instructors jump with you actually holding on to you to and monitor and help out where required and once you are under parachute you simply follow them home to the landing area. See the AFF page for more Accelerated Freefall information.
What is a Static Line Jump?
Static Line jumps rely on you exiting the aircraft by yourself at low altitude, usually from only 3,500ft. As you drop away from the aircraft by yourself you depend on a line attached to the aircraft one end and to the parachute the other end, to activate your main parachute.
NB: The Academy does not offer Static Line jumps as a beginners first jump option.
Tandem weight
95kgs or below (conditions may permit up to 110kgs). An additional $5 per kg will be charged when over 95kgs.
AFF weight
Strictly 95kgs or below. No exceptions!
Minimum Age
12 years for Tandem (Exceptions can be made)
16 years for AFF
Booking and are subject to terms on the Booking Conditions page of this website.
NB: All jumps are subject to weather conditions and other factors which may affect the view, cause delays or cancellation. Delays or cancellations will be at the discretion of the Academy's Drop Zone Safety Officer (DZSO) and rescheduling will be performed when necessary.
The minimum age for a Tandem Skydive is 12 years. To do an Accelerated Freefall (AFF) jump the minimum age is 16 years. Parent/guardian consent is required for all jumpers under 18 years of age. There is NO Maximum age!
Weight/General Fitness:
The maximum weight limit for all types of jumps is 95kg. It is the responsibility of of all clients and/or their agents to ensure they meet with this criteria at the time of booking. Bookings made which are then are not able to be performed due to this provision may forfeit the booking deposit.
Under certain circumstances clients up to 110kg may be permitted to jump but will incur additional costs as detailed on the Bookings & Prices page of this website.
Height will be considered before allowing any jump to go ahead and general fitness will be assessed mainly through a health questionnaire. Known health conditions will not necessarily prevent a jump going ahead but considerations may have to be made to manage clients properly.
All Tandem clients must demonstrate their ability to lift their legs while in a seated position and sustain this position to the satisfaction of the Briefing Instructor prior to enplaning. Bookings made which are then are not able to be performed due to this provision may forfeit the booking deposit.


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'Frozen' Director Apologizes for 'Let It Go'by Ali Szubiak | PopCrush
Anyone who has been a conscious consumer of any type of media within the past year is undoubtedly aware of the immensely popular animated Disney film 'Frozen.' Even if you have yet to see the movie, it is near impossible to escape the film's most popular song, 'Let It Go.' Considering there are at least 10,000 parodies and covers of the track on the Internet, it's probably safe to assume the majority of people with working wi-fi could at least hum the melody.
Hyperbole aside, 'Frozen' has come to be the highest-grossing film in its genre, generating over $1.27 billion worldwide, a feat not lost on director Jennifer Lee. Also not lost on Jennifer is the incredible staying power of the film and its songs. Whether that's a good thing or not depends on who you're talking to.
Jennifer told the Hollywood Reporter, "A year ago, I'd meet people who, when they found out who I was, they'd say, 'Oh, we love the songs! We sing them all the time.' Now they're like, 'Yep, we're still listening to those songs.' I've gone from 'Thank you' to 'Sorry!'"
As with anything that permeates the interest of the general population, it's not much of a surprise that we're over-saturated with 'Frozen'-themed everything, but considering the movie's unique message of sisterly love and the strength of its female characters, we just can't see it as a bad thing.
Think You Know 'Frozen'? Test Your Knowledge!

subset: commoncrawl


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Rock Candy Mines-1 Fuzzy Clifftop
Star Coins[edit]
Star Coin 1 - Make sure you have Yoshi for this one, you'll see it in plain sight, right above a Fuzzy moving up and down. Have Yoshi bounce off of him and into the first Star Coin.
Star Coin 2 - Moving along you will find an area with a moving windmill platform. Below and to the left is a small area with a pipe. Have yoshi drop down and flutter kick to get you to the platform - but don't lose him! In the next area you'll see several fuzzies moving around the Star Coin. Use Yoshi to bounce off them into the Star Coin.
Star Coin 3 - Eventually you'll come to a section below some rocks where there are multiple piranha plants covering the floor and ceiling. This can be tricky. You can use yoshi to bounce off of the ones on the ground, and eat the ones on the ceiling, just watch your step! Alternatively, there is an Ice piranha to the left firing ice at you, have yoshi eat one of the ice projectiles and you can shoot it out at the top left piranha and it will cause a chain reaction getting rid of all the plants.


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A seminal figure in the development of North German organ music, Buxtehude spent the greater part of his long career in Lübeck, where he was visited by the young Handel and Bach, eager to hear his legendary performances. This sixth volume of his complete organ music includes four Praeludia, works that had a strong influence on the following generation of organ composers, and compositions based on chorale melodies, including two versions of Nun lob, mein seel, den Herrn.
Buxtehude, Dieterich
Buxtehude, Dieterich
Brown, Julia
Label: Naxos
Series: Organ Encyclopedia
Genre: Instrumental
Period: Baroque
Catalogue No:
Release Date: 09/2007


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I have joined A9. This blog continues to be my own.
holding forth
Default category. In fact, this is probably a default category for everyone. What is a blog if not holding forth?
Content assist
It looks like you are researching razors. I think you are about to go off on a yak-shaving endeavor, and I cannot let you do that, Dave.
What I would really like my DWIM
agent to do. That, and to stop calling me Dave.
Being lazy and impatient, I like an idea of an IDE. The ease of things like autocompletion, refactoring, code search, and graphical debugging with evaluation are, for the lack of a better word, are good.
I like Eclipse in particular — force of habit/finger memory; after all, neurons that pray together stay together. Just like all happy families are alike, all emacs users remember the key sequence to GTFO vi (:q!) and all vi users remember the same thing for emacs (C-x C-c n) – so they can get into their favorite editor and not have to "remember".
So, recently I thought that it would be good for a a particular DSL I am using to have an auto-completion feature (because why should I remember ). So I thought, great, I'll maybe write an Eclipse plugin for that… Because, hey, I've made one before, how bad could it be?
Well, obviously I would only be solving the problem for Eclipse users of the DSL in question. And I have a suspicion I am pretty much the only one in that group. Moreover, even I would like to use some other text editor occasionally, and get the same benefit.
It seems obvious that it should be a separation of concerns, so to speak:
- Provider-side: A language/platform may expose a service for context-based auto-completion, and
- Consumer-side: An editor or shell may have a plugin system exposed to take advantage of this.
Then a little gluing is all that is required. (OK, I don't like the "provider/consumer" terminology, but I cannot come up with anything better — I almost named them "supply-side" and "demand-side" but it evokes too much association with AdTech that it's even worse).
And indeed, there are already examples of this.
- GoClipse, uses GoCode, going with the philosophy of MelnormeEclipse:
There is a focus on an IDE paradigm of using external programs for building, code completion, and any others sorts of language semantic functionality. Most of MelnormeEclipse infrastructure is UI infrastructure, the core of a concrete IDE's engine functionality is usually driven by language-specific external programs. (This is not a requirement though — using internal tools is easily supported as well).
- Atom defines its own API
And so I thought – wouldn't it be good to standardize on some sort of interaction between the two in a more generic way?
And just as I thought this, I learned that the effort already exists: Language-server protocol by Microsoft.
I actually like it when an idea is validated and someone else is doing the hard work of making an OSS project out of it…
Of course you have an API!
The following is a dramatization of actual events.
"I need access to these reports."
"Well, here they are, in the UI."
"But I need programmatic access."
"We don't have an API yet."
"Fine, I'll scrape this… Wait… This is Flex. Wait, let me just run Charles… Flex is talking to the back-end using AMF. So what do you mean you don't have an API? Of course you do — it is AMF. A little PyAMF script will do the trick."
"Please don't show it to anyone!"
P. S. That little script was still running (in "stealth production") months, if not years, later.
Development philosophy
This is one of those posts that will continue to get updated periodically.
I've been asked to describe my software development philosophy (and variations thereof) often, so I'll just keep this here as a list.
- The right tool for the right job. A "PHP programmer", to me, is like a "screwdriver plumber" or a "hammer carpenter". First, figure out the problem you are trying to solve, then, pick the tool.
- Do not reinvent the wheel.
- It is likely that others solved a similar problem. There may be solutions out there already, in the form of libraries, SaaS, FOSS or commercial offerings, etc. Those are likely to have gone through extensive testing in real life. Use them. Your case is not unique, nor are you that smart.
- You are not that smart.
- Beware Dunning-Kruger and unknown unknowns
- Consider buying (borrowing, cloning, licensing) rather than rolling your own
- Engineering is an art of tradeoffs. Time for space, technical debt for time to market, infrastructure costs for customer acquisition, etc.
- Abstractions leak.
- The following things are hard. However, they have been solved and tested and worked for years, if not decades. Learn to use them:
- Calendars and timezones
- Character encodings, Unicode, etc.
- L10n & I18n in general
- Relational databases
- Networking (as in OSI)
- Operating systems
Resuming… Coursera…
Reporting: you're doing it wrong
I've often said that there are certain things average application programmers just do not get. And those are:
- Calendars and timezones
- Character encodings, Unicode, etc.
- L10n & I18n in general
- Relational databases
- Networking (as in OSI)
- Operating systems
And by "do not get" I do not mean "are not experts in". I mean, they don't know what they don't know. Time and time again I see evidence of this. Recently I saw one that was so bad it was good — and that, I think, necessitates a meta-like amendment to this list, in the spirit of Dunning-Kruger. As in:
You are probably not the first person to have this problem. It is very likely that smarter (yes, snowflake) people already solved this problem in some tool or library that has endured for years, if not decades. USE IT!
Here is the incident, worthy of The Daily WTF.
There is a monthly report that business runs (it doesn't really matter what kind of report — some numbers and dollars and stuff). How is the report being generated? (Leaving aside for now the question of why one would roll one own's reports, rather than using a ready-made BI/reporting solution. Using the brilliant algorithm that Donald Knuth forever regrets not including in his TAO series:
- Set current_time to the chosen start date, at midnight.
- Output the relevant data from day specified by current_time.
- If current_time is greater than the chosen end date, exit.
- Increment current_time by 86400 (because 86400 is a universal constant).
What could possibly go wrong?
Nothing. Except when you hit the "fall back" time (end of DST). Once you go past that date, the system will subtract an hour, and you end up at 11pm the previous day, not midnight of the day you wanted. And because you're stupid, you have no idea why all your business users are waiting for those reports forever.
Righteous rant
/* Sybase does an awful job of this stuff, non null ints of size 1 2 and 4 have there own codes but nullable ints are lumped into INTN sheesh! */
– From comments in tds.h from FreeTDS


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first SILive.com user to add photos or videos of Jimmy's Jewelry
I found myself in the same situation as Tony G., with a ring appraised at Gem Lab and a recommendation from Travis for a setting repair and a resizing at Jimmy'Z.Beyond the glitz and glamour...
Excellent quality goods and great prices.The staff spends time to educate the consumer on the product and on related industry news helping the consumer make the wise choice of purchasing the right product from the right company SIMON ARDEM INC....Richard Dixon
Jimmy's Jewelry can be found at W 47th St 27. The following is offered: Jewelry Repair & Service. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In New York there are 123 other Jewelry Repair & Service. An overview can be found here.
Custom Designs, Diamond Setting, Jewelry & Watch Repairs, Special Orders, Wholesale Jewelry


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Multigrain wheat beer, with hints of spice, tropical fruit and citrus notes. The use of oats and barley give a fuller body to this beer.
Ingredients and Allergen advice: Contains water, malted barley, wheat, hops, yeast
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Address:349 Fulham Palace Road,
Fulham, London, SW6 6TB
Phone: +44 20 7610 6795
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Summer Slips
The East Basin is a snug haven, perfectly protected from the wind and waves of the Sound. Every slip faces scenic views of the Mamaroneck Harbor and Harbor Island Park. Located within the inner harbor, and protected on all sides, the marina is less than one mile from the harbor entrance and the open waters of Long Island Sound.
Post Road Boatyard offers plenty of amenities and modern conveniences that you would expect to find in a first-class facility, including concrete floating docks. Boaters enjoy indoor parking in the summer and dock staff are always ready to help.
50 seasonal slips
8′ dockside depth at MLW
Approach channel well marked
Floating docks
Water at slips
115v / 30A power outlets
208v / 50A power outlets
Fuel dock: ValvTect Marine Gas & ValvTect Marine Premium Diesel


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AP Top 25 to undergo more changes after wild Saturday
The Top 25 underwent a major overhaul last week after 14 ranked teams lost, including seven of the top 10.
Saturday turned into a February version of March Madness, with six top-10 teams losing, including Nos. 2 and 3 at home to unranked teams — a first in the 69-year history of the AP poll, according to ESPN Stats.
The day opened with Iowa State knocking off No. 3 Kansas 92-89 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones' victory, made possible by a school-record 18 3-pointers, bolstered their NCAA Tournament hopes and ended the Jayhawks' home winning streak at 51 games.
"They played with house money today," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I'm sure Steve would say the same thing. They came in here with a free mind and said, 'Let's just let it go.'"
No. 2 Baylor was unable to finish off a big rally in a 56-54 loss to Kansas State in Waco. Bears star Johnathan Motley had two chances to tie in the closing seconds, but missed one and had the other blocked by D.J. Johnson.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came in the Pacific Northwest.
Not that No. 13 Oregon knocked off No. 5 Arizona. The way the Ducks did it.
Oregon jumped on the flat Wildcats early, building a 27-point lead in the first half behind a rash of 3-pointers. The Ducks hit 16 from behind the arc in the 85-58 victory, most since Mathew Knight Arena opened in 2011, and gave Arizona its worst loss under coach Sean Miller since 2009.
The win extended Oregon's nation-leading home win streak to 40 straight games, put an emphatic end to Arizona's 15-game winning streak and pulled the Ducks into a tie atop the Pac-12.
"I hope it's their best," Miller said. "If they have another level above that, that's a bad thing for every team in the country. They played great and we didn't have any answers today."
Top-ranked Gonzaga, No. 4 Villanova and No. 6 Louisville all won.
No. 8 Kentucky did not.
The Wildcats lost 88-66 to No. 24 Florida for their third loss in four games, a rare ugly stretch under coach John Calipari that may help spark a young team — or not.
"Sometimes you've got to hit bottom and maybe we have hit bottom, maybe we haven't hit bottom," Calipari said.
Oklahoma State kept the upset run going as another unranked team winning on the road, knocking off No. 7 West Virginia 82-75 in Morgantown.
Syracuse won as an unranked team, though did it at home, beating No. 9 Virginia 66-62 behind freshman Tyus Battle's 23 points.
The win was unofficially No. 1,000 for Orange coach Jim Boeheim, though the NCAA only counts it as 899 after stripping him of 101 wins in 2015 for punishment from a multiyear investigation into the school's athletic department.
No. 22 Creighton also lost to unranked Xavier — the Musketeers had been ranked most of the season — and No. 17 Maryland lost to No. 23 Purdue.
And to think, this is only the start of February. Wait until the madness of March.


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Needs HDMI Signal Extender for proper operation
Tripp Lite's 50-ft. High Speed HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) Gold Cable allows interconnection between digital display devices, such as DTV's (Digital Television), Plasma displays, LCD TV's and projectors, to Digital source devices, such as Digital Set-Top boxes, Blu-Ray players and AV receivers. Supports iPad2 Video Mirroring when used with Apple Digital AV Adapter. HDMI assures that the best audio/video signal is always sent from the source (HDTV signal, Blu-Ray Player) to the display (Projection Television, LCD, Plasma, etc.). It does this by allowing uncompressed video and multi-channel audio data to be input to the display device through a single cable. An HDMI connection allows input at high rates of speed, up to 10.2 Gbps. In most applications, a signal booster (B122-000-60) will need to be used with this cable to ensure a signal strong enough for your display.
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RCF at International Jazz Festival with Brand New Heavies & More
When pioneering acid jazz group, The Brand New Heavies, joined forces with Ruby Turner to bring the curtain down on this year's Gateshead International Jazz Festival at the Sage Gateshead, local service company Nitelites were brought in to fill the 1640-capacity main auditorium with a premier RCF TT+ line array PA system.
Having worked with the venue many times previously, Nitelites know how to maximise system coherency in an unusually high building with several tiers, and the active TTL33-A - set in two hangs of 11 elements - effortlessly provided even coverage for the stalls and both balcony areas; up to a level of 14 metres.
In addition, Nitelites ground-stacked a further three TTL33-A's left and right of the stage, to draw the image back down to the nearfield stalls area. But probably the biggest breakthrough was their deployment of a pair each of the new-generation TT1-A and TT2-A, launched this spring at Frankfurt Prolight+Sound. The former was used for under balcony fills and the latter for stage, left and right front fill.
This configuration proved a big success. The Brand New Heavies' FOH sound engineer Mike Fitzsimons, pronounced that he was "blown away" by the system SPL on his debut with the TT+. "The system was absolutely amazing - it's hard to believe it's such a compact box until you look up and see it. I'd be delighted to see it appear on the next venue spec I receive."
Nitelites director Andy Magee corroborated this. "Performance wise it maintained its coherence from area to area and much of that was due to the use of RDNet" [RCF's proprietary control and monitor network which is compatible with the TT+ range].
"It's easy to set up EQ's, delays etc because of the DSP in the loudspeaker enclosures and it will then scan all individual components and receive a visual reference should any warnings be flagged. We used RDNet to align all sources which was essential, since this was a large production with a brass section."
Magee then turned his attention to RCF's new TT1-A and TT2-A. "Their onboard networking takes the system up to the next league in terms of controllability and with the delay built into the box, the DSP allowed us to do away with expensive external processing. The purpose-designed large format 3" neodymium compression drivers sound so uniform, and incomparable to anything else I have experienced."
Having also provided RCF's 'big brother' TTL55-A for the recent Ligabue Royal Albert Hall concerts, Nitelites have now been able to thoroughly evaluate the full portfolio of RCF's front line solutions as the company gears up for bigger challenges this summer, to be announced shortly.


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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Lawmakers from Australia's ruling Liberal Party were pressing for second leadership vote as early as Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull narrowly survived a challenge from former home minister Peter Dutton, The Australian daily reported.
The newspaper said in its online edition that Dutton's supporters were circulating a petition to call for a second leadership contest. Dutton would need a majority among Liberal Party lawmakers to bring about a vote. If successful, Dutton is likely to have sufficient support to oust Turnbull.
Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore


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Brooklyn-native and longtime Bay Area resident, Michael Lazar is one of San Francisco's leading experts in spirits and cocktails. Lofty words, I know, but you won't find many other bartenders infusing rye with candy cap mushrooms, "reverse" barrel aging Manhattans, barrel aging beer in 65 gallon bourbon and rye barrels, or inventing a whole cocktail program called "Pimp My Old Fashioned."
Michael's passion for stiff drinks became a profession in 2010 while working on his book, Left Coast Libations, which profiled 50 of the West Coast's top bartenders from LA to Vancouver. Since then, he's been working hard as the bar manager at Hog & Rocks, bringing their Barrel to Bottle program as well as a pop-up bar to fruition.
In the Barrel to Bottle program H&R purchases "one-off" barrels from a variety of distilleries and continues to age the whiskey inside. Michael then bottles the barrel-strength whiskey and sells those bottles to individuals for on-site consumption. The hope is that in two years there will be a growing library of single barrel whiskies available only at H&R. Last weekend the bar just launched their new pop-up bar, SlingBar— a mobile representation of their delicious hand crafted old fashioneds with fresh cut ice and whiskey, rum, and tequila options as well a tasty bites from Chef Robin Song. Catch the pop-up at Stable Café (2128 Folsom St.) until September.
When not behind the stick at Hog & Rocks, "Mr. Manhattan" can be found drinking rye and bourbon at Prizefighter or Hotsy Totsy in the East Bay, wishing he could hit up White Castle for a six-pack of the original sliders for a late-night snack.
1. What neighborhood do you currently call home? Would you ever move or are you happy in your 'hood?
I am very happy in my North Oakland house by the Berkeley border. My house is just over 100 years old and has a great backyard. Parking is easy and the Berkeley Bowl and Rockridge shops are equidistant and walkable. I can also walk to Ashby BART – not that I ever have the leisure for using it, I'm afraid I drive in and out of the city pretty much every day of the week.
2. What is your hands-down, absolute favorite thing to eat in the East Bay?
Dim sum at Saigon in El Cerrito or a pizza from Emilia's (when I'm fast on the phone).
3. What's your perfect night on the town?
Well, actually given the chance for a night NOT at work, I'd rather invite friends over for BBQ and drinks. I'd spend the afternoon going around to all my favorite East Bay shops buying entirely too much food and then spend hours on the back deck cooking, eating, and drinking.
4. When you need a low-key afternoon, where do you go for down time?
Did I mention BBQ and drinks at home? I'm also happy to sit outside at Prizefighter and sip a few beers and chat with my bartender friends who work there. I've also been stopping by The Rare Barrel to sample their barrel-aged sours. With limited hours, that's inside information.
5. What's your favorite place to go on a day trip from Oakland?
Tennessee Valley on the Marin Headlands. There's a hiking loop there that takes you all the way to Green Gulch Farms, Muir Beach, and back. Most of the time you're by yourself, most people just hike to the beach and back. There's also some off-trail opportunities that put you right on the windy knife edge of the headlands, looking over the ocean.
6. Quick-fire round:
Burrito or Burger: Burger please!
Fenton's or Ici Ice Cream: Spare me the crowds. I'd be happier hunkered down with a container of Ciao Bella mango sorbet from the store.
Lake Merritt or Lake Temescal: Lake Merritt, though I don't appreciate the nasty geese.
The Paramount or The Fox Theater: Confession: never been to either! I do like having drinks at Flora and Dogwood, both by the Fox.
Bakesale Betty's or Brown Sugar Kitchen: Let me just shed a tear for Bakesale Betty's when it was in its heyday.
First Fridays or The Oakland Museum: Oakland Museum
Shopping on Telegraph or in Temescal: Telegraph.
7. Three words that describe your life in Oakland?
Quiet. Nutritious. Satisfying.


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11% sales increase in the merchant sector for Dunlop Adhesives
Published: 20 March, 2012
STOKE-ON-TRENT: Dunlop Adhesives has released results for the 2011 financial year, showing an 11% increase in sales to the merchant sector. The results reflect a strong year for the company, particularly in regards to the development of relationships with major builders' merchants and suppliers.
In addition to the overall sales increase in the merchant sector, Dunlop has also seen a significant increase in sales of the company's levellers range, with figures revealing a 38% increase in comparison to the 2010 financial year.
Further contributing to the 2011 figures is the continued strength of the brand's top products, which include the set fast plus floor and wall adhesive, the waterproof wall tile adhesive and the large format and natural stone adhesive
Debi Bailey, brand manager at Dunlop Adhesives, commented: "We have been fortunate in the sense that, while the figures reveal our growth over the past year, the companies that we supply with our products have also seen their customer bases expand, which is very much a positive for us. Our relationships with builders' merchants have gone from strength to strength, which is something we really want to build on throughout 2012."


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by Michelle
Rainy weekends are conducive to writing, yet somehow I managed to plough through a bunch of accounts and acquittals last night. Phew! Ciao taxman, ciao arts administrators–call me in another six months. Now I'm free for yoga, though my shoulders ached this morning. I'm free to read, play and think and…oh yes, spend a few hours editing too.
Today's launch of Antipodes, edited by Margaret Bradstock embodied blackfella, whitefella, (& brown) poetic responses to the settlement of Australia. It was a really special event, being well attended, with Anita Heiss in fine form. Great to hear poems which openly explore the traumas of invasion and settlement read by Judith Beveridge, Stephen Edgar, Lionel Fogarty, as well as younger poets: Ali Cobby Eckermann, Stuart Cooke and Benjamin Dodds.
Here's a poem by Lionel Fogarty, guerilla poet, songman, whose lyricism and language disrupts the codes of Anglo-European models, with their underlying colonial assumptions.
Love…walk with me
Love…waken with me
Love…is a black newborn
Camp fringe dwellers are my love
Love is not seen in cities
Love is my Father
Love is my Mother
Scrubs are hid in bush love
and we say
Love's mine.
Love is alive and received.
Love is a kangaroo
Love is an emu
Love is the earth
Love is the love of voice
Love is my friend.
And what about us
who has no love?
Well, love smells.
Us Murris knows
It's love in bad love.
Give us love. Give us love.
Our Dreamtiming is love.
Catch my love over a fire
Fire of love.
Culture is our love.
Culture is ourself in love.
This school don't give love
so we black power give you love
Proud and simply
love is the love
to our lands love.
Love walk with me
Love awaken with me
Now give us the true love.
(from New & Selected, Hyland House, 1995, p51)


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Gender and Pest Management in Ghana: Implications for the Introduction of an IPM Program for Tomato
Downloads: 205
Downloads: 38
Zseleczky, Laura
MetadataShow full item record
The purpose of this research is to identify gender-based constraints and opportunities to the introduction of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for tomato crops based on a case study of tomato farmers in the town of Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. The study seeks to identify the knowledge, practices, perceptions, and access to resources of men and women tomato farmers in Tuobodom, specifically with respect to pesticides and pest management. A mixed methods approach combined quantitative and qualitative methodologies including focus group discussions, household interviews, participatory mapping, field visits, key informant interviews, participant observation, and a survey. Key findings in the areas of health and safety, markets and the tomato value chain, and information and training reveal general and gender-specific issues that an IPM program should address when working with farmers to develop an effective and sustainable IPM package for tomato in this area. The results of this study also demonstrate the importance of gender analysis in identifying context-specific gender issues. For example, while this study confirmed that men's roles in tomato production place them at higher risk of exposure to pesticides, results challenge the assumption that women's reproductive roles (e.g., food preparation, caring for the sick, and washing clothes) make them more aware of the risks of pesticides.
- Masters Theses [19413]


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If you're like us, you tend to overreact when you notice anything new or strange going on with your body. A little ache in your arm? OMG, cancer! A few extra hairs in your comb? Impending baldness!
While it's good to be on guard, not every new symptom should send you racing to your doctor's office, says Rob Danoff, an osteopathic physician and director of family medicine at Philadelphia's Aria Health System.
At the same time, Danoff says some seemingly benign symptoms—stuff most of us would brush off—are worthy of close examination, especially if they stick around for more than a week or two. "I call it body talk," he says. "Your body does a good job of sending you signals or clues when something's wrong."
But sometimes those signals are supersubtle.
I – Word Understanding
Osteopathic physician – a doctor who practices in all areas of medicine
Benign symptoms – harmless symptoms
Brush off – to reject / not consider as important
Supersubtle – not obvious
II – Have Your Say
1. Have you had any symptoms that prompted you to go to the doctor?
2. What symptoms do you think need doctor's attention?
3. Here are a few of those signals you don't want to ignore.
– Your handwriting is shrinking: sign of tremor, an indicator of Parkinson's disease.
– Your skin feels different: The thickening of the skin can signify high blood pressure or kidney problems, Dry, itchy skin could be caused by an underactive thyroid, a nutritional deficiency, or even an autoimmune disorder
– Your breath smells fruity: sign of diabetes or prediabetes
– You have difficulty calculating: Early warning sign of dementia / Alzheimer's
– You struggle with stairs: could signal heart trouble or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
– You feel dizzy when you stand up(on a regular basis): could be anemia, inner ear problem or heart problem
– You're peeing all the time: sign of new onset diabetes, infection or prostate problems
592 7 Seemingly Innocent Symptoms That Could Signal a Serious Health Problem


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This cleanse includes the following juices:
Juice 1
Juice 2
Juice 3
Lemon, Ginger
Juice 4
Cayenne pepper
Juice 5
Complimentary well-being pack
Raw & Juicy provide more than just juices. With each cleanse purchased we provide you with a complimentary well-being pack to help soothe and support your body during the cleansing process. Enema kits are only necessary (and provided) for cleanses in excess of three days. Pack includes:
Complementary 40 minute life/business coaching session
(1 complementary session per person)
Mindfulness and positive affirmation Journal & Pencil
Scented Candle
Lavender Pillow Spray
Eye Mask
Bath Salts
Exfoliating Bath Mitt
Enema kit (for cleanses in excess of 4 days)
Complementary vitamins, juice shots & supplement pack
Fresh Turmeric,
Lemon & Ginger Shot
Helps to remove acidic waste from the body, boost immunity & an anti-inflammatory
Spirulina Shot
Packed with Iron,B-Vitamins, Protein & essential fatty acids
Mega Green Mix
A combination of dehydrated vegetables and herbs, packed with vitamins and minerals to help balance body pH.
Kelp Supplements
Sea kelp tablets to stimulate metabolic function, detoxification and tissue regeneration. Packed with magnesium, calcium and vitamins A, C & E.
Aloe Vera Shots
A fantastic anti-inflammatory which supports the immune system and helps with the repair and regrowth of cells.
Psyllium Husk
A spongy fibre that reduces appetite, improves digestion and helps keep the colon healthy and clear.
Herbal / Alkaline Teas
The natural herbs within the tea supports the elimination of toxins within the body and supports efficient bowel function.
Vegan Boullion
A hot, tasty savoury, nutritious treat to satisfy the taste buds
Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarbonate of soda is beneficial in reducing heartburn, indigestion, and stimulates bowel movements whilst helping to balance body pH.
Activated Charcoal
Drinking Activated Charcoal can reduce the toxin load within the body by over 60% and is also effective in the relief of diarrhoea, excessive gas, bad breath and stomach pain.
Information Pack
The information pack provided contains a suggested schedule for the juices, instructions of how to take the supplements, administer the enema and what to eat post cleanse.


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Still Getting Error Message
Hi Jason,
I tried your suggestion but it did not fix the problem. I have attached a further error message in case this might narrow it down?
Your friends over here at WebAssist! These Dreamweaver extensions will assist you in building unlimited, custom websites.
These out-of-the-box solutions provide you proven, tested applications that can be up and running now. Build a store, a gallery, or a web-based email solution.


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|Transparent Audio "The Wave" Speaker Cable and "The Link" Interconnect Review
|Friday, 24 May 2013
Page 1 of 2Transparent Audio, based in Saco, Maine, has enjoyed its position among the most respected audio cable makers for decades now. In an area with fierce competition, their power products and cables have been favored by those with state of the art systems. Their upper echelon products are amazingly expensive, in the tens of thousands. I happen to enjoy mid-tier offerings from Transparent, which serve my system very well.
Transparent also supplies cabling to high-end audio manufacturers, most notably, Wilson Audio, which uses Transparent wire internally in their speaker systems. A good number of speaker designers use Transparent speaker cables to voice their products as well. On top of that, many in the professional audio world, including some Grammy winning record producers and engineers, endorse Transparent.
Transparent cables are unique in that all of their analog cables use bandwidth-limiting technology with network boxes attached to each cable. It must be noted that network boxes have been a very controversial topic in general. Many purists and skeptics regard any passive or active device attached to a cable as a gimmick. Actually MIT (Musical Interface Technologies), one of Transparent's biggest competitors, goes one step further, allowing for "articulation poles" to "tune" the cable.
Transparent, for their part, says there are distinct advantages to their approach. They believe cables can essentially act as an antenna, so limiting bandwidth at certain frequencies is way to make sure nothing but the musical signal passes through. They also say the network adds some inductance, which helps with signal purity. Lastly, and a very important consideration, they say each cable can be calibrated so they will perform identically at any practical length. The cables are also directional, with arrows pointing the way for proper connection.
Today, we are reviewing Transparent's The Wave speaker cable and The Link interconnect. First we will look at The Wave speaker cable, which retails for $210 for an eight-foot pair terminated with spades. Bananas are available as well, and that is how my sample arrived. Just about any custom termination, length, or bi-wire configuration is available. The cable is finished in black, a recent switch over from the classic Transparent cream color.
The Wave is very nicely made, flexible, and low mass. There will be no issues with trying to integrate it into a system, like some garden hose, bulky offerings. The Wave features "five nines" ultra pure copper conductors, and high quality connectors. I used The Wave with two speakers, the Harbeth Compact 7ES3 and the recently reviewed SVS Ultra Bookshelf. A McIntosh MA6600 integrated amplifier drove both.


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Overview page. Subjects: Genetics and Genomics.
The theory, proposed by Darwin, that in some species males compete for mates and that characteristics enhancing their success in mating would have value and be perpetuated irrespective of...
Human Nature in a Nutshell
in Evolutionary Psychopathology
June 2018; p ublished online July 2018 .
Chapter. Subjects: Clinical Adult Psychology. 11861 words.
A unified approach to psychopathology requires an integrated working model of the mind and its functions. The opening chapter has two goals. The first is to present a brief overview of...
Go to » abstract


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With chronic illness, I often feel perpetually suspended between worlds, in some kind of grey area of healthy/sick. While I was still in the hospital, upon diabetes diagnosis, recalibrating everything I'd ever known about taking care of myself, I asked my mom, "Does this mean I'm sick?" She paused, then said, "Don't think of it like that."
Eleven years later, I don't really believe it "depends on how you look at it" so much as I believe that no matter how we look at it, there is both darkness and lightness there. Not alternating, but simultaneous. Not dueling, but co-existing.
I'm reading a book, The Faraway Nearby by the ever-brilliant Rebecca Solnit, in which she'd spent the better part of the previous 2 chapters talking about the ways her mother abandoned her while she was growing up.
Then, she shifted within her own story and wrote this:
Like lawyers, writers seek consistency; they make case for their point of view; they do so by leaving out some evidence, but let me mention the hundreds of sandwiches my mother made during my elementary school years, the peanut butter sandwiches. When my friends began to have babies and I came to comprehend the heroic labor it takes to keep one alive, the constant exhausting tending of a being who can do nothing and demands everything, I realized that my mother had done all these things for me before I remembered. I was fed; I was washed; I was clothed; I was taught to speak and given a thousand other things, daily, for years. She gave me everything before she gave me nothing.
I could say, yes, diabetes has felt to me at times as "a being who can do nothing and demands everything." But that is not the whole story. The truth is ever more intricate than Good vs Evil. What have thousands of days living with Type 1 diabetes brought me? So many things. So many bruised things; so many beautiful things. An awareness, a sensitivity, and a reservoir of strength that I carry with me in everything I do. I can't truly demonize something that has connected me to so many people, places, ideas, and brought me so much purpose. This thing that has brought me to my knees with its inescapability has taught me through that same inescapability everything I know about acceptance. It is teaching me, still, how to not run away. It is teaching me what is staying, what is sitting, what is being.
Diabetes is too much a part of me, intertwined in everything I do and am, to say This part of me is good and This part of me is bad. To go down that path would be to end up with a body divided. That is a dangerous place to be. I know, because I've been there. Minimizing, disassociating, demonizing, attempting to shoulder through with brute force, throwing in the towel (then promptly scooping the towel back up because my life depends on it)– I've ricocheted like a pinball through my own life, through my own bodily experience.
These days, I try to acknowledge the whole story (as much as I can while still being a human subjective in her experience) in all its multi-dimensional truth: wellness and illness, strength and fragility, sorrow and joy.
I wrote this yesterday in a different context, regarding something else entirely: because although my trip to New York was pure magic, it was also difficult, the way everything feels difficult these days. Difficult magic.
It fits here too, for what has my whole experience with diabetes been?
From my body's autoimmune attack–which would've killed me had I lived in another time, or even, grievously, in this same time but in another place, to every high blood sugar I have lowered and every low blood sugar I have raised, to the depths of despair and every sun-dappled morning:
it has all been difficult magic.


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Nicholas Fusaro charged with video voyeurism
Orange County deputies have arrested the man they said used his phone to shoot video up women's skirts at a Target store.
Officials said 28-year-old Nicholas Fusaro, a former Marine, was arrested early Thursday morning.
The incident, from Oct. 2, was caught on surveillance footage at the Target on Alafaya Trail, in the University of Central Florida area.
Authorities said security was alerted because of Fusaro's odd behavior -- rushing into the store and heading straight to the dog food, placing a bag on his shopping cart.
Loss prevention staff then tracked him and noticed him bend down behind a clothes rack and tuck his cellphone underneath the dog food.
Fusaro then pushed his cart up against the victim, investigators said.
Security workers approached him and asked him to leave the store. He complied and left on a motorcycle, his face covered with a distinctive mask.
After the surveillance video was released a tipster called and identified Fusaro.
Deputies said Fusaro also was identified in a case of video voyeurism at a Walmart store on East Colonial Drive on Wednesday night. Officials said in that incident Fusaro also placed a cellphone under a bag of dog food in his cart so he could film under women's skirts.
According to authorities, Fusaro was wearing the same clothing he had on during the incident at Walmart when he was taken into custody.
Fusaro has no arrest history in Orange County, according to court records.
Additional charges are possible.


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July 11, 2009 at the Lone Star Expo aka Conroe Convention Center 9055 FM 1484, Conroe TX 77303
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I've noticed on a few occasions that the subtitles are for a completely a different programme... here are a couple of examples which made me laugh.
Why do the subtitles get decoupled from the programme though - what's going on? Will the wrong subtitles come from the same channel type (eg would I only get BBC subtitles for a BBC programme and ITV subtitles for an ITV channel?) or is it anything to do with which channel multiplex the two programmes are on, or something else?
Haha I am watching BBC4 prog abt Television Centre but subtitles are for a smutty gameshow?! :) ow.ly/i/Dkipow.ly/i/Dkiz
— Jo Brodie (@JoBrodie) May 17, 2012
Comedy giraffes - mis-subtitled BBC David Attenborough programme from jobrodie on Vimeo.
David Attenborough's Africa featuring giraffes that are seemingly participating in a very different programme. It's me trying not to giggle in the background.


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Pantomime posters created for leading theatres
An accurate caricature is made of the star performers.
Typically, four caricatures of the stars are included within the design.
Combined with colourful and imaginative designs this creates an attractive marketing campaign.
Design for eye-catching marketing
Artwork produced for marketing ideas and services. Make your event stand out from the crowd with a unique graphic statement.


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Toll-Free: 866-60 NCCEE (62233)
8380 Six Forks Road, Suite 102 / Raleigh NC 27615
Email: info (at) nccee.org
To enhance and advance economic and financial education for the educators and students of North Carolina.
A North Carolina where all of its citizens have the knowledge, understanding and skills to make informed economic choices.
The North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE) believes economic education empowers students by helping them develop skills and knowledge they will use all their lives and helping them understand their role in the economy. We recognize that students will have to make economic and financial decisions and choices in their personal life, in the workplace, and as citizens whether they have the information and understanding to do so or not. We believe our responsibility as educators and business leaders is to ensure they not only understand the economy in which they will function, but also have the financial skills and tools they will need to make decisions on the job, in their career, and in their personal life.
Over the last few years, the state of North Carolina has placed increased emphasis on financial literacy for NC students as demonstrated by recent legislative mandates. As a non-profit, for-education organization, NCCEE is committed to leading the charge to achieve economic and financial literacy for all North Carolinians.
NCCEE is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.


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The Internet of Things has a unique protocol stack. An SD-WAN can help you integrate…
5G, the IoT and SD-WAN: Glancing Ahead at Networking's Future
Commercial 5G networks and phones are finally on the horizon, almost a decade after the first LTE deployments and smartphones. That's a relatively long time, especially from a device standpoint: Consider that the first iPhone with 4G connectivity was released in 2012, only four years after the iPhone 3G. When 5G compatibility arrives on an Apple handset, the gap will likely have been at least twice as long.
Still, the significant differences between 5G and 4G somewhat justify the wait. For starters, software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) applications and implementations should benefit substantially from the rollout of next-generation cellular technologies, which will offer more than just faster speeds, as Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) has noted.
5G and the New Cogs in the SD-WAN Machine
The 3GPP approved the first 5G specifications in December 2017, defining a broad range of spectrum frequencies including the millimeter-wave portions of the 50 GHz band. That sets the stage for faster speeds and other advancements such as:
- Reduced latency.
- Increased capacity.
- Improved machine-to-machine communications.
- Potential use in home/business Internet plans.
These 5G features are like tailor-made enhancements for Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives, which are already benefiting from the 3GPP-approved innovations like LTE-M and NB-IoT that we discussed in depth last year. Through IoT-specific protocols, nontraditional devices can overcome constraints on available bandwidth and power, not to mention challenges to their security.
As the first cellular generation designed with the IoT in mind, 5G should lend additional support to new classes of infrastructure, as well as to SD-WAN applications. Today's SD-WANs can be extended over many types of network transport – from MPLS to commodity Internet – and both 5G and the new IoT standards will be essential new cogs in an already powerful machine, providing automated decision-making, liquid bandwidth and integrated security.
The Synergistic Effects of 5G and SD-WAN
For example, remote branch offices (RBO) are much easier to support with SD-WAN solutions. The release of 5G should further streamline RBO strategy by offering superior reliability to real-time apps such as videoconferencing, a key use case highlighted by ESG and something SD-WAN platforms currently deliver, too.
Alongside artificial intelligence and machine learning, SD-WAN will be integral in getting the most value from the unique features of 5G networks. Find out more about your SD-WAN options by clicking the banner below or contacting the Talari Networks team to set up a demo.
Categories: Uncategorized


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Considering their movie is about a couple (Kathryn Hahn and How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor) who hires a stripper as a nanny (Juno Temple), we expected a fun time when the cast of writer/director Jill Soloway's Afternoon Delight packed themselves into EW's Sundance interview lounge. And thanks to costars Jane Lynch, Michaela Watkins, and Annie Mumolo, they did not disappoint.
Be sure to bookmark EW's Sundance hub for regular updates throughout the day.
Read more:
Sundance 2013: Juno Temple sets the ground-rules in 'Afternoon Delight' — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
|Complete Coverage


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Back to School: It's Your First Day of School, Annie Claire by Nancy White Carlstrom
Little Annie Claire is suffering first-day jitters on the night before her debut at preschool, and her anxiety manifests itself in a series of questions directed at her ever-patient mother. Her worries range from the trivial...
"What if at story time
I sleep and I snore,
And everyone laughs,
And I just snore some more?"
...to the deepest fears of the very young:
"What if no one will play
Or be friends with me,
And I'm all alone
Sitting up in that tree?"
But Mama warmly but firmly counters all Annie Claire's anxieties with words of reassurance. To the snoring worry she calmly predicts the teacher's reaction:
"Teacher will sayAnd to the fear of friendlessness she reminds Annie Claire that her friends will be there for her:
'Annie Claire, sleepyhead!
Remember tonight
It's early to bed!'"
"Some of your old friends
Already wait
There in the classroom.
Let's not be late!"
But the empathetic Annie is also worrying about Mama, left alone at home.
"Mama, what if you're sad
And can't eat your lunch,
'Cause you're home all alone,
And miss me a bunch?"
"We will get used to this.
We both have to try.
It will be okay."
"But why, Mama, why?"
"Because, Annie Claire,
I'll always love you.
No matter what happens
Or what you might do."
Despite the promise of new experiences, the first "first day" of school also has a bit of sadness for both parent and child, and Nancy White Carlstrom doesn't gloss over the very real emotions of that momentous day in her latest, It's Your First Day of School, Annie Claire. Carlstrom, the author of the best-selling Jesse Bear books, again brings that parent-child empathy to this new picture book, ably illustrated by Margie Moore, to help ease the transition to those first days out in the wide, wide world.


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"Children settle quickly. They form strong relationships, helping them feel emotionally secure." Ofsted
A Friendly Environment Where Your Child Can Thrive
Scalford Preschool, known formerly as Scalford Playgroup, has been running from the Methodist Chapel in New Street, Scalford, for over 40 years.
We are a friendly, community-based organisation run for the children and their parents or carers.
Learning Through Play
We want you and your child to feel at home at Scalford Preschool. We offer a safe and caring home-from-home atmosphere, where your child can thrive and develop before going on to 'big school'.
Activities include singing, dancing, construction, painting, story time, messy play and outdoor play in our secure garden… to name but a few!


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- Home
- District Services
- Conservation
- Conservation Tips
- Indoor Conservation Tips
Indoor Conservation Tips
It is possible you may be using more water than you realize inside your home or business, which leads to higher bills. Here are some tips to help you save money and conserve water.
Check For Leaks
- Check all pipes and fixtures in your home periodically for costly leaks.
- Don't forget to check faucets outside of your home!
Locate the Main Shut-Off Valve
- Locate the main shut-off valve in your home.
- Responding quickly to a broken or leaking pipe will save water, money and prevent damage to your property.
Locate Your Water Meter
- Locate your water meter and use it to monitor your usage.
- If you are unable to account for increases in usage, you may have a leak within your home.
- Water meters are generally located near the hot water heater in the garage, basement or crawlspace.
Communication & Collaboration
- Offer employee incentives for conservation efforts which save your business money.
- Post signs encouraging conservation in kitchens, bathrooms and locker rooms.
Check For Water Leaks
- Routinely check your systems for water leaks.
- Install aerators on all faucets. This will save water without sacrificing water pressure.
- Do not let water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.
In the Bathroom
- Flush toilets only when necessary. Make an effort to flush less during the week.
- Limit your showers to five minutes or less.
- Consider installing low-flow showerheads, they are inexpensive and long-term savings will pay for the upgrade.
- Don't use the toilet as a trash can; use a wastebasket instead.
In the Kitchen
- Soak pots and pans instead of using running water to scrape them clean.
- Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the faucet until it is cold.
- Defrost food in the microwave or refrigerator instead of with running water.
- Wash only full loads in the dishwasher.
In the Laundry Room
- Wash only full loads of laundry. Make an effort to run fewer loads each week.
- Match water level with the size of load.


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A woman who had a history of mental health problems flung herself 50ft from a Metro bridge, an inquest heard.
Emma Gent, 24, of Harriet Street, Byker, died from a broken skull near Byker Metro Station.
A Newcastle inquest heard Miss Gent became agitated after visiting a social worker who tried to persuade her to go to hospital for treatment. She did not think Miss Gent was at immediate risk and did not section her.
Coroner David Mitford said: "While the balance of her mind was disturbed, Emma took her own life."
Verdict: Suicide.


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Who We Are
Leah Robson and Don Gregory head up Sustainable Solar Solutions. We aim to be a trusted local renewables installer serving domestic and commercial customers with an emphasis on impartial, honest advice and high quality installations.
View our gallery for some of our recent installations.
Subscribe to our NewsletterMonthly helpful advice and information about installing and owning renewable technologies.
Latest News
- Electricity Backup for HomeOctober 17, 2017 - 3:24 pm
Electricity Backup for Home – When Extreme Weather Events Make us Take Notice Thinking about electricity backup for home settings? Electricity supply is one of those things we take for granted in the UK. Particularly in the age of smart phones and out of town shopping, most of us rely on our power supply, whether it's […]
- Will we see a Solar London?October 12, 2017 - 12:31 pm
Sustainable Solar Solutions has already demonstrated that it has the capacity to contribute to the development of solar London, you can see our gallery for some pictures of our London installations. However, as a world leading city, London's solar energy deployment is hardly world beating. In fact, as the graph below shows, it is the […]
- Avoid Overcharging Energy CompaniesAugust 16, 2017 - 10:41 am
Do you check your energy bills? The press are reporting that 1.3 million energy customers have been overcharged by £102 million on their energy bills. And that's just the customers who have checked their bills, over a quarter of customers say they don't check theirs. Don't spend lost hours scrupulously checking you energy bills to make […]
Quick Contact Details
Sustainable Solar Solutions Ltd.
8 The Island, Wraysbury,
Staines TW19 5AS
Company Reg No 6725481
Reg Number 12624. MCS Certified and Green Deal Approved for measures listed on this website


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Rain no longer needs to be regarded as bad weather. Wiper systems from Bosch ensure that drivers enjoy a clear view at all times. Bosch is the market leader for both original equipment wipers and the spare parts trade. Innovations contribute to ongoing improvement of wiping quality, noise and the weight of the entire wiper system.
High degree of safety
Software functions detect and avoid overload caused by snow or ice. This smart feature prevents damage to the wiper system.
Low weight
Smaller wiper system thanks to intelligent mechatronics and efficient cleaning systems
Improved comfort
Low-noise operation and optimized cleaning performance


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Management software / medical / for hospitals Soarian Siemens Healthcare
Soarian® Health Archive* is Siemens comprehensive archiving and document management solution for the European market. Due to its interoperability with HIS, this digital archive facilitates the document management processes of clinical, administrative and commercial documents and data, for example e-mails, office documents, financial accounting data, personnel files or contracts. Current requirements of an archiving and document management solution The IT market is subject to rapid change, including in the Healthcare sector: new versions, new formats and new storage media. Choosing an archive solution to store data securely and reliably for a period of 30 years seems an almost impossible task. It is therefore especially important to take key factors into consideration such as international standards, innovative technology, producer reliability, recognized certifications, the inclusion of administrative areas and, last but not least, capability of seamless interoperability. Soarian Health Archive is designed with the aim to address these aspects.


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About Us Home Page
In 2018, Central Florida was ranked first in the nation for job growth, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, Forbes magazine ranked the metro Orlando region No. 1 to invest in a home with an estimated 84,000 building permits issued in Orange County valued at $2.3 billion. Orange County also earned the highest AAA credit rating from Moody's Investors Service, recognizing its fiscal reliability and continued quality-of-life enhancements.
Orange Blossom Trail Local Government Neighborhood Improvement District
The most commonly used name of the special district: "Orange Blossom Trail NID"
To help develop safe neighborhoods; to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of these areas and their inhabitants, visitors, property owners, and workers; to establish, maintain, and preserve property values and preserve and foster the development of attractive neighborhood and business environments.
This is a dependent special district, and presented as a blended component unit of Orange County Government.
The safe neighborhood districts are funded by fines imposed under Florida Statute 775.083. The fine is fifty dollars ($50.00) for a felony and twenty dollars ($20.00) for any other offense. The funds collected from are accounted for in a separate Orange County fund designated as the "Crime Prevention Fund".
Vanessa Pinkney
Director, Orange Blossom Trail Development Board, Inc.
2719 S Orange Blossom Trail,
Orlando, FL 32805
Phone: (407) 855-1705


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After the Ohio legislature recently debated and passed a medical marijuana bill on its own, the group Ohioans for Medical Marijuana has decided to suspend their signature-gathering efforts; those efforts were directed at getting a measure on the statewide ballot this fall.
"Late Friday evening, after considerable discussion, the decision was made to suspend our drive to place an issue on the November 2016 Ohio ballot," OMM said in a statement.
"We make this decision with a heavy heart as we will surely disappoint our many volunteers, supporters and patient-advocates who invested considerable time and effort in our movement.
"It had become increasingly clear following the state legislature's passage of a medical marijuana law on Wednesday that our ballot issue campaign had arrived at a critical juncture.
"With several hundred thousand signatures collected thus far, one option for our movement would have been to continue to pour our resources into obtaining the additional signatures needed to put the issue before voters.
"But the reality is that raising funds for medical marijuana policy changes is incredibly difficult, especially given the improvements made to the proposed program by the Ohio General Assembly and the fact that the Governor is expected to sign the bill."
As someone who got a lot of grief online about my support of the Issue 3 ballot measure that was soundly defeated last year in Ohio, let me point out that Issue 3 was much better than the no-smokable-cannabis and no-home-growing law that patients in Ohio will likely be left with. Let us not forget that Issue 3 would have allowed any adult to grow 4 plants in their home as well as buy cannabis from one of over 1,000 retail shops for any reason.
But, you know, some people would have gotten rich from Issue 3. The irony is that not only will people be getting rich thanks to the legislature's bill, but now they can worry less about the competition of home-growing than they would have under Issue 3.


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The long best-selling Chef'N GarlicZoom Garlic Chopper is back and better than ever. Improved features include more gearing for easier rolling, bigger finger holds for safer blade removal and sturdier construction. Chopping garlic has never been this easy!
- Powerful dual gears chop easily
- Strong, durable construction
- Large touch points for safe blade removal
- Top-rack dishwasher safe
For more great Chef'N products click here.


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Meeting Planning Industry
The meeting planning market is big and getting bigger. In 2015, the meeting planning market generated in excess of $5 billion in total revenue, and what makes this market segment unique is that only 5% of that revenue is controlled by the top four industry players.* This means a large, significant market with high degrees of fragmentation and extensive market opportunity. Growth in this segment has been consistent in recent years and is expected to continue through 2020. The market is defined by specialists who focus on one particular niche of meeting planning work and target a particular customer category.
* http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/party-event-planners.html


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Social media optimization (SMO) is the process of increasing the awareness of a product, brand or event by using a number of social media outlets and communities to generate viral publicity. 360NetWire.com is Top SMO company in USA in setting up brands and promoting startup companies in USA through various social media platforms. More info:- http://www.360netwire.com
SCOPE OF SMO As we all know in present world, it's all about Branding and visibility. Word is HYPE - more often your name of business is represented more chances of business is there. SMO is the best way to attract traffic as it is the direct reach to the public. It helps mainly in getting traffic to our site, helps in building an online reputation of our product, page, website or any brand thus ultimately helps in improving rankings of our site.Because it's a free source, it proves to be a simple and good source for building credibility of your site online. 360NetWire.com is known in USA for SMO as it has made lot of names shone in the market through SMO.
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Unless you've been living in a cave on an island somewhere, you've probably gathered that Lost is starting its sixth and final season tonight. Haven't been watching? No problem: you can get caught up on the series in eight minutes, fifteen seconds with this helpful video.
And if you're anything like us, you're probably all but foaming at the mouth in excitement -- or have a bunch of friends who are. So since we've been obsessing over the past few weeks (it's been at least four weeks, eight days, fifteen hours, sixteen minutes and 23 to 42 seconds...) we thought we'd share some good Lost resources with you, just in case you overlooked anything while painting your room with an exact replica of blacklight map in the hatch.
After watching the video embedded above (which is totally worth watching even if you have watched every episode multiple times) have a look at today's list over at Topless Robot, which recounts the top five season openings and top five cliffhangers. What do you want to bet that tonight's opening blows them all away?
When you're done with that, check out the totally exhaustive, completely engrossing Lostpedia. It's basically Wikipedia, for Lost. If you want to fall down the rabbit hole, it's a great way to refresh yourself on every little detail -- down to analysis of single frames of film, in some cases. They even have pages and pages of Lost theories about almost every person, place and thing in the Lost universe. And since it's a Wiki, you can submit your own as well. Oh, and it should be obvious, but if you are a few episodes behind SPOILERS ABOUND.
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Speaking of Lost theories, there are whole sites dedicated to them. Sites like Theories on Lost. And pretty much any geek blog operating out there has a post about its theories. Even major mainstream media outlets are getting in on the act and sharing their theories.
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And fans that don't "do" theory? They obsess with things like this: a real-time video of the crash that started it all, edited together from snippets of god knows how many episodes.
And if all that is a little heavy for you, and you want to have a good laugh at yourself (or your Lost-obsessed friends, if you're no ta fan and yet somehow made it this far...) try this fine video from The Onion:
Final Season Of 'Lost' Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever
And remember, if you've somehow missed an episode (or are finally sold and want to get onboard as fast as possible) Netflix has every episode available for instant watch, or if you're one of the twelve people who don't subscribe to Netflix, Hulu has them as well, albeit with a few commercials thrown in.


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The University of Toledo Libraries are conducting a short survey to find if we are meeting the information needs of UT faculty, staff and students. We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete our 5 minute survey. We welcome your feedback!
2 thoughts on "University Libraries Spring Survey"
The people who work at the library are very friendly and helpful. But for the laptops a lot of the chords dont work and I think the upper levels should be open later because a lot of people study later in the night than the day.
i think that the library is a very nice place. The staff is really nice and tries to help whenever needed. I think that the upper level study areas need to have a time limit set because whenever people come in it is really hard to get a study area.


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like the moon
like the tide
i come and go,
i disappear for eons,
i pop back up again
as if i was never gone,
even when i seem changed
still i remain me,
facets filtered through prisms,
masks of me
shuffled like a deck of cards,
it's a crapshoot,
never knowing which me is in control,
i wonder where i have been and
i wonder what did i find, if anything,
though i knew all along
there is nothing for me,
not here, not there,
not along the trash filled streets of my own personal apocalypse,
when the tide pulls away,
i wonder,
will it take me with it,
or leave me to drown in the new normal of my orphan existence,
for now
i am alone
like the moon
the level lowers quickly,
that dark liquid magnifier,
a bottle lessens to a drop and another cracks open,
see, it's the weekend you know, and everything must go
according to a fantasy schedule, unshared and unbelievable,
easier to play along till your bones are suddenly screaming from an unintended stumble,
collision unexpected and yes, balance no longer works,
soft reasonable patient words unheard,
slurry mumbled snark, the kind where they're only kidding and
don'tcha have a sense of humor,
your sanity questions you to shake things up
and a bump grows on your eyebrow, stabby painful and nothing new
lather rinse repeat because it never goes away.
they fight for control but Jack always wins these days,
an occasional visitor who tends to overstay his welcome,
I think he sucks,
but when it's over no one remembers the demon, just the angel,
all a figment of my imagination
if i fall
would you catch me now
or take a step back
and watch me crash
splatter in bits,
bloody and worn
just the way you found me
if i stumble,
heart in my hand and
a little worse for wear
would you reach out
or pass me by,
a distorted reflection
in your rearview mirror
if I keep it all inside
messy emotions
twisted and tangled
would you pull me apart and unravel me
or would your fingers fumble
leaving me without a lifeline
as i float aimlessly
lost at sea
with no land in sight
I've been gone for too long.
Overwhelmed with life, my writer's block has been in the drivers seat while the rest of me has been immersed in my shell.
But no matter where I am, I am with me, so running away is not an option. Time to meet my devils head on and start writing again.
It's hard after being MIA for so long, unsure of myself, my writing, my everything, but it's been even harder to deny myself my only outlet, so this is a test.
Can I still write? I hope so.
Will I give up again? Possibly.
But now, at the busiest time of year, I've got to dive back in, head on and fearless.
I hope I can do it. More importantly, I hope I can earn back your trust and forgiveness.
Like I said, this is a test. I've managed to type a little over one hundred words, lets see if I can keep it up. (not in a Viagra way, more like in a writing way)
I have a near houseful of company and a brand new Siamese kitten. But there's one thing I learned long ago and managed to forget: the more you do, the more you do.
It's always loud.
Laughing talking drinking arguing bodies pressed against each other humming electric.
Sometimes they're waiting for me.
Of course I'm not stupid enough to believe it's just me, it's the whole band. And it doesn't make it easier knowing that more than half the crowd consists of far better musicians than myself.
It can be petrifying, nothing but me and a mic-stand on a stage surrounded by real musicians.
As I peek out from backstage I flash back to the day I ran out of the auditions for the high school musical because I was afraid to sing alone in front of my chorus teacher.
I see familiar faces mixed amongst strangers eyes. It's times like these I'm glad I only wear my glasses when I drive, I figure it's ok because I only have one bad eye. Don't tell my eye doctor I said that.
The faces are a blur for the most part but I can tell who's who, hell, if I squint a little I can see who's standing at the back door smoking a cigarette outside the exit.
So I try not to squint.
It's time. There's no turning back. The me that hates being the center of attention, the shy girl, she's got no say in the matter.
The me that decided it's my life? Well I'm me, deal with it or don't.
She's the me that slinks onto the stage, stares them all in the eye as I spill my blood.
Here they are now entertain them.
this is my response to the daily prompt, 'witness protection' with this description: When you do something scary or stressful — bungee jumping, public speaking, etc. — do you prefer to be surrounded by friends or by strangers? Why? It brought to mind my still-on-hiatus band, and these words…
One little photograph.
And it's not even a well taken photo, it's blurry and off-center, nothing that you'd see in a magazine or framed with a pricey tag slapped on the corner of the frame. But this picture is magical.
If you look really, and I mean really close, there is a lifetime of love captured in a microsecond with an impulsive snap of a camera phone.
My Mother, standing on the deck of the Victorian just watching over Cape May.
Standing there, on that very deck just a few steps away from the door to "our" room was a piece of Heaven to Alice Bridget Carey Best, also known as Mom to me.
Ok, sometimes, Maaaaaaaa, and don't even try to convince me you haven't used that tone at least once. A day. Probably more.
Last year, the end of March, we got one of our Mother/Daughter always-wanna-see's, snow in Cape May. It wasn't a big snowstorm, although for one magical day snowflakes fell, lot's of them, it was beautiful and perfection as we looked out the window and munched on Fish and Chips from The Pilot House (thanks to the wonderful owners of the Victorian for the recommendation!). It was perfection. Warm and cozy and together.
It's human nature to look back and think of what we should have done to have avoided a life-changing event, a catastrophe, but the truth is only the Big Man Upstairs knows that stuff. It must be terrible to know all the heartache that inevitably comes, maybe that's why we're meant to remain ignorant of the future.
I had no way of knowing that was the last time Mom and I would go to Cape May together.
Little over a week later she had a broken shoulder and she was gone in a flash, like turning off a light switch.
I can't ever find that switch, although I still find myself reaching for it, but there is one thing I can do and that thing is keep a promise.
told asked me to make sure she was cremated and make sure I took her back to Cape May, the one place in the world she loved most, the place she and I spent countless Mother/Daughter getaways.
Let's just say there were threats of haunting if I didn't at least sprinkle some of her ashes into the Atlantic Ocean, more specifically of course, Cape May.
Did you ever have to deal with a five foot two red headed blue-eyed angry Irish ghost? Me neither and I'm not about to find out thank you very much.
Hence the insanity of driving to Cape May tomorrow morning straight into a snowstorm originally meant to hit all of NJ but now, yeah, Cape May.
I hate driving in snow.
But drive I will.
So wish me luck, or better yet, how 'bout we just cancel the snow and get on with Spring.
That's me-talk for I hate driving in snow, it freaks me out and I'm kinda petrified about the snow the weather folks are scaring me with but I'm on a mission.
I think I'll pretend I'm Emma Peel and drive to my magical place, where miracles happen and I can always breathe.
A place I know my Mom will always be, watching over Cape May.
And me.
i don't always understand
how this rollercoaster operates,
the up and downs are expected yet
my heart grows heavier with each downward spiral
inevitably i find myself facedown, my heart in my gut
unsure if i'll ever get up again
although i try to keep my cool
i find it's safer to freeze,
one solid chunk of ice, never to melt
to not know the fire,
flameless and forgotten
for reasons reasonable yet mystifying
i always let myself fall when i should keep on walking
because i always know the ending, even when i'm not the author,
if i could,
i would write another ever-after,
where towers and castles combine without war
and regret does not exist
lay me down, lay me down,
lay me down for I am weary
lay me down
will you lead me to the water
will you take me down below
will you offer me some comfort
tell me, where am I to go
will you give to me some shelter
just a place to lay my head
let me sleep the sleep of children
let me sleep till I forget
lay me down, lay me down,
lay me down for I am weary
lay me down
will you fill my soul with goodness
will you show me there is light
let me count the stars in Heaven
spirits shining in the night
will you hold my hand in your hand
lay your kiss upon my brow
tell me there will be tomorrow
that we'll make it back somehow
It was the sirens that woke me up that morning 12 years ago, an otherwise beautiful day twisted into the darkest day in recent history. Nearly everyone remembers where they were September 11th, 2001, that day carved itself into my mind, a memory that won't fade away, leaving me scarred along with the rest of America.
I live in New Jersey, just close enough to New York City to see the skyline, approximately 20 miles or so as the crow flies, and the World Trade Center was always visible everywhere in this little town I live in, like a marker or a beacon standing high and proud.
We all have our own story from that day, the initial wave of shock and confusion when the first plane hit, the sinking feeling while we watched live as the second plane hit, letting us know this was indeed an intentional strike. The worry so many of us felt wondering if our loved ones were ok. Driving down to the water where crowds of strangers gathered together in disbelief, searching for comfort and feeling helpless as we watched the Towers fall. Radios blasting out of all the cars parked near the water hearing the Pentagon was attacked. Everything about that day was surreal.
I remember clearly driving in my car, every radio station filled with panic, I don't recall hearing any music, everyone was focused on getting whatever information we could get.
My band had rehearsal that night, none of us wanted to rehearse but we decided to get together anyway, I don't know, maybe just to feel alive in our collective shock.
Anyway, I wrote a song that very night, the lyrics above were written as I sat on the floor of a studio, not feeling anything but shock and mourning for an act so horrid, so many people dead, so many lives changed forever…. helpless is what I felt the most, but one thing I knew for sure, the world we knew, the America we were, was forever changed.


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[Letter from J. W. McDade to Headquarters, March 19, 1862]
Description: Letter from J. W. McDade to Headquarters concerning Private John Patterson Osterhout's detachment. The brief message stated that John was officially detached from his unit and had to report back to his company after seven days.
Date: March 19, 1862
Creator: McDade, J. W.
Partner: Austin College


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The ongoing saga of ever-rising market valuations for cryptocurrencies, has captured pages and pages of mainstream news and attracted millions of new investors. If six months ago, Chinese traders and miners dominated the market for bitcoin, today, the hype has spread globally, drawing in young hipsters from South Korea, older retail investors from Japan, scores of desperate middle-class types from Venezuela and crowds of techies from the U.S. At the same time, bitcoin and other cryptos have earned attention of armies of financial analysts and academics, all trying their hand at figuring out what exactly determines the market value of the new 'currency.' Within one month, the cryptos have moved from obscurity to Bloomberg terminals and to the futures trading on the Chicago Board of Exchange.
What's behind the cryptos?
There are five key features of the cryptocurrencies that, as their most ardent proponents allege, underpin their fundamentals:
- Decentralized and global nature of the cryptos, which in common language means their independence from the monetary and financial authorities;
- High degree of blockchain security;
- Limited supply of key cryptocurrencies, most importantly, bitcoin, which theoretically implies their ability to hedge inflation risks;
- Anonymity, or put differently, ability to hold bitcoin and/or other cryptos beyond the reach of the coercive powers of the state; and
- High degree of blockchain efficiency in transmitting and storing information – an argument that basically says that bitcoin demand is underpinned by the blockchain technology use in a range of sectors, and by the potential for using bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
The problem with these claims is that they cannot be substantiated either empirically, or theoretically. In other words, the worldview of bitcoin fans ignores the reality of modern finance.
Bitcoin decentralization
The myth of bitcoin's decentralization is based on the autonomous nature of the cryptocurrency.
The technological aspect of the public blockchain being outside the regulatory and supervisory net of the national monetary authorities is true. However, as modern financial economics shows for a range of other asset classes, the decentralized nature of the asset itself does not mean that asset valuations, prices and return properties are independent of the central authorities' decisions. Take, for example, gold – a financial asset largely unregulated directly by the financial authorities in the majority of the advanced economies, and traded globally.
Theoretically, with storage of gold available at remote locations, including safe haven jurisdictions, gold can be decentralized and act as a hedge against central banks' policies and regulatory controls. Alas, due to its financialization via a range of investment funds, regulated investment vehicles holding gold claims, options and other derivatives traded in exchanges, and due to the fact that investors trading in gold are subject to regulations, gold does not behave independently from the regulatory interventions and monetary policy decisions.
Authorities interventions that influence the broader financial markets also tend to spill over into the gold markets.
Some recent academic research already points to the fact that bitcoin price dynamics are linked to the U.S. Federal Reserve's rates decisions. Given growing concentration of bitcoin trades in Japan over recent months, the cryptocurrency is also likely to be paired with the Bank of Japan monetary policies into the future. Worse, Chinese monetary policies are clearly 'centralizing' bitcoin, both in terms of the cryptocurrency responsiveness to the Chinese money supply and capital control policies.
The key lesson from this is that in modern financial markets, multiple levels of interconnections between investors, asset classes, and monetary and regulatory policies mean that no asset class – be it purely private or directly regulated – is truly decentralized. Like gold, bitcoin is not an island in the world of traded investment instruments either.
The second part of this argument is that the markets for cryptocurrencies are truly global and, as such, have high levels of liquidity. This confuses two key aspects of investment finance: the geography of investors (which can be a potential support for arguing in favor of bitcoin's risk diversification properties) and the concept of liquidity, suggesting that cryptocurrency enthusiasts are desperately lacking the basics of financial education.
The global markets for cryptocurrency are highly concentrated. According to Bloomberg research around 1,000 individual investors currently hold about 40 percent of the entire supply of cryptocurrency. Adding to this some additional 10 percent or so held by the various investigative agencies as a part of international and domestic money laundering and criminal investigations, around half of the bitcoin supply is tightly controlled by a small number of players. The balance is predominantly held in the U.S., China, South Korea and increasingly Japan. This is a far cry from the global diversification offered by more traditional asset classes, including U.S. and European equities, bonds and major currencies, as well as gold.
Bitcoin is hardly a safe haven for liquidity risk. A recent warning issued to bitcoin investors by the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, is case in point.2
Another set of liquidity indicators flashing red is the bid-ask spread and transactions costs, both of which are not only in excess of those found in other markets, but are prohibitive in comparison to traditional payments technologies. These create meaningful barriers to trading in bitcoin.3
Beyond those considerations, there is also an added risk to bitcoin liquidity stemming from the recent cryptocurrency-based initial coin offerings (ICOs). ICO issuers hold relatively concentrated positions in BTC, used as a capital reserve currency for the fundraising start-ups. These positions support wider bid-ask spreads on the cryptocurrency, entailing higher trading costs for currency purchasers in the rising markets and currency sellers in any downward correction. In financial terms, ICOs and other concentrated positions imply amplified liquidity risks at the time of any liquidity shock. Coupled with the Coinbase warning, the global nature of bitcoin holdings, touted by the crypto supporters can turn into a large scale market panic, should a liquidity event arrive.
Imaginary security
Like other purported strengths of bitcoin, the cryptocurrency security is also a myth. While the blockchain mechanism is costly to hack, the real vulnerabilities in the system rest in exchanges and storage wallets. To date, there have been no major hacking successes with respect to larger traditional financial exchanges. This does not mean that they are not vulnerable to attacks, but it does suggest that regulatory and supervisory pressures exerted by national authorities do provide for some measures of centralized security in traditional asset markets. Also to date, there have been at least 11 documented attacks or breaches in cryptocurrencies exchanges.
In general, frequency of hacks and security breaches in cryptocurrency markets is growing in line with the bitcoin price-induced incentives to undertake such hacks and is already exceeding the comparable event frequency for major corporates listed on the main stock exchanges. As our recent research shows4, cybercriminals respond strongly to financial incentives in undertaking criminal hacking activities. As bitcoin value continues to rise, so will the attempts to crack the security codes protecting cryptocurrency investors. As the criminals continue to pick up the low hanging fruit by attacking individual wallets and exchanges, the incentives to systemically attack the blockchain will also rise. It is only a matter of time before the crypto's security holy grail falls prey to the hackers.
Limited supply of unlimited forks
The argument about the limited supply of key cryptocurrencies, most importantly, bitcoin, implies their ability to hedge inflation risks. There is no empirical evidence to support either one of these assertions.
From the very top of the argument, bitcoin supply is technically restricted to 21 million units, assuming the current technology remains unaltered. However, the supply of cryptocurrencies remains unlimited due to arrival and maturing of new cryptocurrencies, and due to ongoing bitcoin forks. The argument in favor of restricted supply of bitcoin, therefore, rests on imperfect substitutability across different crypto currencies. This imperfection today is not technologically determined, but is market driven. Largest exchanges and crypto investment platforms, such as Coinbase, are de facto Bitcoin-maximizers, offering no more than two to three alternative cryptocurrencies for investors to choose from. As this market constraint is lifted over time by growing demand for other cryptos, the substitutability between bitcoin and other currencies will improve. With this, the argument of algorithmic restriction on bitcoin supply will also be diminished. Ripple, litecoin and ethereum offer an illustration of how this process works. Based on evidence from our forthcoming study, the largest substitutes for bitcoin are already starting to dilute dynamic price properties of bitcoin.
Anonymous currency, identifiable investors
The issue of anonymity of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies holdings is similar to the issues relating to its security. While the actual holding of the currency can be anonymous, investors in these currencies are still subject to legal, taxation and regulatory controls operating in the jurisdiction of their domicile and/or jurisdiction where they intend to use these funds. More importantly, need for regulated and data-captured intermediaries required to transact in the real economy using these currencies implies that what is anonymous in holding is no longer anonymous in use, or trading.5
This ambiguity between the promise of anonymity and the requirement upon the investors to disclose their holdings to tax and legal authorities in relevant jurisdictions is an added pitfall for many retail investors who can end up with unexpected legal and tax bills, facing potential penalties and fees, simply because they assumed at the point of investment that their holdings are truly anonymous.
Bitcoin is not free from capture by the coercive action of the state.
How efficient is bitcoin?
The argument that the market valuation of bitcoin is justified by the promise of the blockchain technology in reducing transactions data verification and storage costs is hard to justify in today's markets. Current valuation of cryptocurrencies in the markets exceed US$500 billion, even though the transactions volume supported by these cryptos amounts to just a tiny fraction of one percent of the total volume of financial transactions. In contrast, Visa and Mastercard account for 55 to 60 percent of credit transactions markets and similar percentage of payments markets, with the underlying companies' capitalization tenfold below that of the cryptos.
Beyond the disconnect between price and market shares today, there is an issue of technology itself. Currently, rapid appreciation of cryptocurrencies in investment markets has resulted in severe constraints placed on blockchain systems, with processing times running into double digit minutes even for Bitcoin-based chains. This is hardly an improvement on existent legacy systems that can process transactions with less than 1 second lags. The above bottlenecks in public blockchain technologies are manifested in shrinking, not growing, volume of real economic transactions supported by bitcoin.6
In terms of future promise, private or proprietary blockchains offer the promise of greater security and efficiency than the public cryptocurrencies. This is reflected in the proliferation of private blockchain solutions across the financial and IT services platforms (think investment banks, payments providers and IT services giants like IBM, Amazon etc). Evolution of cloud technologies and a promise of edge networks beyond today's technological world constraints further puts into question the value of cryptocurrencies-linked blockchains as platforms for transactions management.
In summary, at present, there is no justification for the current valuations of bitcoin and a range of other cryptocurrencies. The market for cryptos exhibits all the hallmarks of a large scale, rapidly inflating bubble, driven solely by the irrational, behaviorally biased expectations of investors chasing speculative gains. All the arguments in favor of a fundamentals-based anchoring of bitcoin prices are nothing more than an attempt to justify buying the hype.