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Centreville's Pleasant Valley/Braddock Road intersection at rush hour is a giant pain. So VDOT's considering installing a roundabout there.
And Tuesday night, VDOT Area Engineer Laura Hegler gave a video presentation while telling the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee how it would operate.
"We feel it's the best fit for the intersection," she said. "It would be something with a center island that accommodates a school bus and has about 16 feet of driving width."
There'd be no left turns at that intersection; every vehicle would turn right to enter the circle. Coming from Virginia Run on Pleasant Valley Road, drivers would encounter a triangular island to slow traffic, with a raised circle in the middle, about 100 feet in diameter.
Hegler said peak-hour traffic volume justifies it at that spot and a roundabout "really improves safety and operates [more] efficiently" than the four-way stop currently there. She said approaching motorists would yield to whoever's already in the roundabout. Then, once traffic passes, other drivers could enter to the right.
Yet citizens and WFCCA members had serious concerns whether a roundabout would be beneficial there and, if it was, who would it really help? Would it mainly enable Loudoun County residents to travel through there easier, at the expense of local, Fairfax County residents forced to wait in line until Loudoun drivers were out of the circle?
"I live a couple hundred yards from that intersection, and it's very difficult to make a right turn out of our neighborhood now because it's the back door to the Westfields business community," said WFCCA's Chris Terpak-Malm. "[With a roundabout], we're afraid we'll never be able to get out of our neighborhood in the morning rush hour."
Hegler replied that "we can control those entry points so that there'd be enough gap [to allow drivers] to enter the roundabout, so they'd be forced to slow down to let you in." But, said Terpak-Malm, "If you're pushing traffic through, my concern is that you won't then be concerned about the 45 homes in the neighborhoods that can't get out of their driveways." Answered Hegler: "That is a valid concern."
WFCCA's Dorothy Steranka noted that Hegler's presentation was based on 1,600 vehicles per hour going through that intersection in 2003. But, she said, "The counts have increased so much because of all the building." Agreeing, Hegler said VDOT would conduct new traffic counts this fall.
WFCCA's Dawn Williams asked if the counts would factor in all the new homes to be built in Loudoun, and Hegler said she'd check. With both Loudoun and Fairfax County homes and the Fairfax County Park Authority developing 10 soccer fields on the nearby Stevens property, added Terpak-Malm, "A mom will drop off her child there and won't be able to make a left turn to get out."
Hegler responded that, "Even if we do this [roundabout], it may not be forever. It may be interim to a traffic signal in the future." At-Large Planning Commissioner Jim Hart worried VDOT might assume there'll be equal growth in all directions when, in fact, "north, south and east are pretty stable."
But, he warned, "The Loudoun side is a very different dynamic. Besides all the homes in South Riding, there'll be many more thousands of homes going west on Braddock. There's one application in now for 1,800 units right on the line — more than the existing [Fairfax County] homes there now."
"Does the roundabout over-favor cars — which will be from Loudoun — already in the traffic circle?" asked Hart. "Is there ever a break to let us in?" Hegler said VDOT's current software can't answer that question, and Hart said a break is "essential."
Also wondering about capacity, he asked if there's a "tipping point" of number of vehicles "where this couldn't handle the volume and something else would be needed. Even if it kinda worked now, would the new homes in Loudoun overwhelm it?"
If that happened, said Hegler, she'd then recommend a traffic signal. Stephen Vandivere of Cabell's Mill couldn't envision a roundabout working "if the traffic volume was much larger on one street than on the other." And, admitted Hegler, "During rush hour at this intersection, traffic will still be bad, even with a roundabout."
Pleasant Valley's Cynthia Shang and Eric Cox of Cox Farms favored it over a traffic signal. But, said Bull Run Estates' Mark McConn, "You make it more efficient for Loudoun County [residents] to drive through, and more of them will. The volume from Loudoun will overtake this even before it's built."

subset: commoncrawl


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One of the most important documents you can come across in the world of trading is the nonfarm payroll report. Essentially, it is a report on the state of the US economy issued by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This information affects all types of trading on a global scale, so keeping track of it and knowing how to react when it comes out is of outmost importance for every trader. In this article, we will show you the significance of this document and how it can help you trade binary options. Read on and discover an important tool in your quest for profit!
Nonfarm Payroll | What is it?
Like we said earlier, nonfarm payroll is issued by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is done every first Friday of the month, so you can expect increased volatility of the market on these days. This is because nonfarm payroll shows how many new jobs were created during the last month, which sectors of the US economy were the most active ones in this respect and what's the situation with the unemployment rate. Based on this, predictions can be made regarding the government's future moves and decisions and the way the US economy is going to develop in the following month. Because the US economy is the largest and most influential economy in the world, every nonfarm payroll is an extremely important Market Event. So how do you need to trade when it comes out? That's in our next paragraph.
Nonfarm Payroll | How to trade?
As mentioned earlier, increased market volatility is the hallmark of every first Friday in the month, thanks to the nonfarm payroll report. Because of that, long-term options are preferable. Simply, it is extremely difficult to correctly predict movement immediately after the report is issued, so stepping back and waiting for things to calm down is the smartest thing to do. You can get a general idea of where the economy is heading from the data in the report, but the market needs some Time to adjust and incorporate new information. On top of that, many traders believe that the first move the price makes after a nonfarm payroll is published is usually not the right thing to put your money on. This may not be true all the time, but it gives you a pretty good idea of how hectic things get in these circumstances.
Nonfarm Payroll | Conclusion
As you can see, every nonfarm payroll has a huge effect on the market, so knowing how to behave and trade when it comes out is of outmost importance. These are some of the basic principles you need to know, but if you want to know more, we suggest you closely examine the data in every report. That way you can see the nuances and how the market reacts to them. As always, careful analysis is the key to success. However, if you want to educate yourself some more, we suggest you take a look at our other articles. There is much more to learn.


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Food Menu
We are committed to working with local farmers, serving locally-made products, and seeking out the highest-quality products to serve, so we are very excited and honored that you'll be able to find the following items in the shop and hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do:
- Maplehofe Dairy Milk ~ We serve all espresso drinks and stock the condiment bar with the extremely sweet, creamy milk from this small, local dairy of grass-fed cows; no hormones here, please.
- Four Worlds Bakery ~ Hands-down the most amazing croissants and the best baguettes in the city, and now bagels too! Everything is baked fresh every single morning (usually still warm when we pick up the order). Our favorite: Almond Creme Croissant with hand-made almond paste surrounded by buttery goodness.
- The above-mentioned bagels (plain, sesame, or everything) are available with heavenly Green Meadow Farm butter, Apple Tree Goat Dairy chevre, fig spread, and/or thick Peach Butter (also through Green Meadow Farm)…or good ole Philadelphia cream cheese.
- Betty's Speakeasy ~ From this local and sustainable-minded kitchen, we are lucky to have sweet and savory buttery scones (the best we've tasted in Philadelphia), fruit crumble bars made with whatever fruit is in season and available (favorites include blueberry and peach-sour cherry), award-winning cupcakes (various versions of chocolate, carrot cake, coconut, etc.), and lemon pound cake.
- {coco love} ~ Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth whoopie pies, chocolate chip and double chocolate cookies, and refreshing, beautiful little shortcake cookies with the most delicate of flavors. If you have not tried any of these beauties, you are truly missing out – they are locally-made with the best ingredients, and are very reasonably priced.
- Michele's Granola out of Baltimore + Pequea Valley Farm's thick, creamy yogurt may be one of the best combinations ever. Available with local, organic fruit when it's in season (currently we have loads of peaches and raspberries!).
We are happy to announce that in addition to the amazing pastries and breakfast goodies we are serving in the morning (the yogurt & granola has been referred to as positively addictive by more than one), you can also get sandwiches when you stop into Ultimo Coffee.
We are serving vegetarian sandwiches with local, organic ingredients — all prepared on Four Worlds Bakery bread. Ingredients will change as seasons change, but here is what we have available for now:
Chevre + Peaches + Honey ~ Apple Tree Goat Dairy goat cheese spread on a Four Worlds baguette topped with slices of sweet yellow peaches from Kauffman's Fruit Farm in Lancaster County and drizzled with raw wildflower honey.
Tomato + Mozarella + Basil ~ Hand-made mozzarella from Claudio's, Lancaster County tomatoes and basil, and sea salt on Four Worlds baguette – a classic taste of the Summer's Best.
Chevre + Roasted Red Pepper Spread + Baby Arugula ~ Apple Tree Goat Dairy goat cheese spread on a Four Worlds baguette with roasted red pepper spread and baby greens from Lancaster County.
Chevre + Black Olive Tapenade + Baby Arugula ~ Apple Tree Goat Dairy goat cheese spread on a Four Worlds baguette with kalamata olive tapenade and baby greens from Lancaster County.
Creamy Hummus + Baby Arugula ~ Generous portions of Chef Scott's hummus (from the South Philly Taproom) and organic baby arugula on thick slices of Four Worlds multi-grain.
Come and enjoy!


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Who is Tanmay?
Who is Rohan?
Melbourne Escapades
About Us
Tanmay Bhat is one of India's youngest, brightest and most upcoming entertainers and stand up comedians. A comic genius, a TEDEx speaker & a social whiz kid, Tanmay has managed to accumulate huge following on & off social platforms. A member of the awesome All India Bakchod, Tanmay is also an avid traveler and loves to merge his comic genius with travel anecdotes to create unique content with rib tickling humor!


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Happy 30th X, Debian Reinstates GLIBC, and Linux Poetry
t was an exciting day here in Linuxville. First up, big Happy Birthday to X as X.Org celebrates the window system's 30th birthday. A big shocker out the Debian camp has users scratching heads and chins. Libby Clark reports on an kernel hacker who converts Linux to poetry. Those are just a few of the interesting stories today in Linux news.
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Nvidia Is Preparing An Unexpected Surprise For Linux Users In 2020
Each year Nvidia hosts the GPU Technology Conference, a global gathering of AI developers, data scientists, graphic artists, and pretty much anyone in the technology industry working with GPUs in their chosen fields. The event packs in keynotes with roadmaps and reveals, face-time with Nvidia engineers, and hundreds of sessions to participate in. GTC 2020, though, looks to include a special surprise for Linux users and open source enthusiasts. Supporting Nouveau eh? That's the open source Linux driver used to drive Nvidia graphics cards (Nvidia also supplies a proprietary driver for Linux), and Nvidia's historical lack of contributions is what led Linus Torvalds to famously flip Nvidia the bird and utter words I can't print here. (I can link to them though. . .) The community of developers working on the Nouveau driver have experienced several roadblocks throughout the years. Paramount among them is the inability to achieve normal GPU clock speeds due to Nvidia's locked down firmware on many models of graphics cards. This leads to undesirable performance and a multitude of potential video display issues across many Linux distributions.
Android Leftovers
Pekwm: A lightweight Linux desktop
Let's say you want a lightweight desktop environment, with just enough to get graphics on the screen, move some windows around, and not much else. You find traditional desktops get in your way, with their notifications and taskbars and system trays. You want to live your life primarily from a terminal, but you also want the luxury of launching graphical applications. If that sounds like you, then Pekwm may be what you've been looking for all along. Pekwm is, presumably, inspired by the likes of Window Maker and Fluxbox. It provides an application menu, window decoration, and not a whole lot more. It's ideal for minimalists—users who want to conserve resources and users who prefer to work from a terminal.
What motivates people to contribute to open source?
Knowing what motivates people is a smart way to recruit contributors to an open source project—and to keep them contributing once they've joined. For his book How Open Source Ate Software, Red Hat's Gordon Haff did a lot of research on the topic of motivation, and he shared some of it in his Lightning Talk at All Things Open 2019, "Why do we contribute to open source?" Watch Gordon's Lightning Talk to learn about the three main types of motivation—extrinsic, intrinsic, and internalized extrinsic—what they are, and how they relate to open source communities.


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- Sita's Agnipariksha in Ramayan
- Prophet in Hindu Scriptures – Bhavishya Puran (Part 2)
- Prophet in Hindu Scriptures – Vedas (Part 3)
- Prophet in Hindu Scriptures – An analysis (Part 1)
- Polygamy in Hinduism
- 'Concept of God in Hinduism'
- Introduction to Hinduism (edited with comments)
- FAQ on Hinduism – IITian thrashes Zakir Naik
A relatively new propaganda seems to be on rage these days – that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been prophesised in Hindu Scriptures. This seems to be a great hit in major anti-India radical websites over last few years.
First, it is proved that the Kalki Avatar mentioned in Bhavishya Puran is none other than Prophet Muhammad. Second, it is also demonstrated that Vedas, the final authority in Hinduism, themselves sang praise of Prophet Muhammad.
In this series, we shall critically analyze the claims of this propaganda and bring truth to the fore.
The most popular promoter of this hoax is none other than the stage-performer Dr Zakir Naik who can recite page number, chapter number and verse number for any book on earth. His style is so hypnotic and entertaining that the audience no more has the space to check relevance of his references. The same style is evident in his writing as well, which form the basis of his memorized speeches.
And now, the confused youth has found a new passion that confirms their seat in Paradise. They would simply copy-paste from his articles and spread the good word around on internet forums, blogs and social networking sites. The print outs are circulated in colleges and schools. This is often very effective against certain less-well-versed Hindus who fall under the ploy.
I hope this article will at least serve as a ready reference for answering this propaganda through a similar copy-paste if nothing more. However if this induces an attitude of questioning among the readers to seek the truth, and at least reject the obvious falsehoods that come in this journey, I would consider my efforts to be fruitful.
This series is based on the original article written by Dr Zakir Naik and published on Islamic Research Foundation website. You can review the same here: http://www.irf.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201&Itemid=131
Before we get into a more detailed analysis, let us argue a few more points:
Muslims have been in India for around 1000 years now. And for majority of the time, they were ruling this country. Why is it that Muslims could not discover this obvious fact in so many years? In fact, study of Vedas and Purans were more popular in those times than it is today! Why is it that no commentary on Vedas written by anyone since Vedas were first authored (they are considered the oldest books) could ever discover such an important fact which is to decide the fate of the world?
After all, as per Dr Naik, the only way to book a ticket to Paradise is by believing in Prophet Muhammad to be the last Prophet and his message being the only authoritative message of God! Thus no message of Vedas can be more important than this message, if it is indeed a true fiction!
If indeed Vedas could prophesise coming of Prophet Muhammad, why not consider Vedas to be work of another Prophet? Is it not a miracle that the oldest book on earth could predict arrival of the last Prophet! So, why not accept Vedas as book of God?
The usual answer to this perplexing question is that Vedas may have been the first book, but Quran is last and hence only Quran has to be followed. Now my counter-question is that is God perfect or not?
If yes, which is what Quran wants us to believe, then why could not God give his first book as final edition? If God knows everything, what made him change his own theories? This means that God is imperfect.Here, when trapped, the proponents weakly argue that God's knowledge is same but the application changes from time to time.
If that be so, should not a new Quran come now when the world order has completely changed from barbaric middle ages when Quran had to accept evils like slavery, polygamy and gender discrimination?
Further, Vedas talk of rebirth. They talk of monogamy. They talk of Law of Karma and refuse belief in Heaven or Hell. They believe that nature, God and soul are beginning-less and endless. Creation and Destruction happen in continuous cycles.
These are completely opposite to Quranic view of polygamy, one birth, permanent Heaven or Hell and this being the first and last creation of God that happened in few days a few thousand years ago.
I can agree to some extent to future plans being modified by God as part of some grand strategy, but how can even God change the history of universe that had already happened even before Vedas came in Quran, his revised edition of message? Is God so forgetful of what he has already done?
If that be so, what is the guarantee that he will not realize some more mistakes and send another edition of his message? Secondly, if indeed Vedas could predict about Prophet Muhammad, and Dr Zakir Naik sincerely believes so, should he not consider Vedas also as a book by Prophets?
If not last, at least the first one? This is where Dr Naik's corrupt tricks get exposed. He fears that any admission of any other books apart from those followed by believers (Jews, Christians and Muslims) being given by God may put him in Hell forever, as per instructions in Quran. So in another article of his, he flatly refuses to admit that Vedas are indeed books of revelation.
He conveniently forgets that he himself has proved that Vedas gave the biggest prophecy of all times – the advent of Prophet Muhammad and claims that
" There is no text in the Qur'an or Sahih Hadith mentioning the name of the revelation that was sent to India. Since the names of the Vedas or other Hindu scriptures are no where to be found in Qur'an and Sahih Hadith, one cannot say for sure that they were the revelations of God. They may be the revelation of God or may not be the revelation of God."
You can check it out on his FAQ on Hinduism in his IRF site (www.irf.net)
We should also scrutinize what qualifications Dr Zakir Naik possesses to interpret Vedas? Is he a Sanskrit scholar or a Vedic Pandit? Or has he referred to works of any scholar? No! He simply lists names of some commentators on Vedas in his articles whom he has referred to.
Most of these are either western indologists who are considered authentic in first place, or some others whom only Dr Naik knows.
Further he does not provide exact translation by any of the scholars and only writes out the commentary that suits his pre-drawn conclusion. Even the western indologists did not hint on even remotest reference to Muhammad!
Thus all Dr Naik has done is following the old art of marketing, "That a lie shouted thousand times becomes a truth!"
And most importantly, by making claim of Prophet in Hindu Scriptures, this person and his gang have made greatest insult of the revered Prophet. They have denigrated the founder of Islam by their cheap gimmicks. Because, as we shall see in analysis, the verses cited by this gang to prove Prophet in Hindu Scriptures are actually talking about a demon and a mass murderer. For us, we have greatest respect for all religions and their founders. Thus we respect personal faith of each individual and are committed to stand against such insult against the sentiments of millions of Muslim brothers & sisters across the globe.
In next parts of the series, we will analyze the prophecy of Prophet in Bhavishya Puran and Vedas respectively. And we shall demonstrate how his agenda is to gravely insult both the noble Prophet as well as Hinduism.
Liked the post? Make a contribution and help revive Dharma.
Disclaimer: We believe in "Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam" (entire humanity is my own family). "Love all, hate none" is one of our slogans. Striving for world peace is one of our objectives. For us, entire humanity is one single family without any artificial discrimination on basis of caste, gender, region and religion. By Quran and Hadiths, we do not refer to their original meanings. We only refer to interpretations made by fanatics and terrorists to justify their kill and rape. We highly respect the original Quran, Hadiths and their creators. We also respect Muslim heroes like APJ Abdul Kalam who are our role models. Our fight is against those who misinterpret them and malign Islam by associating it with terrorism. For example, Mughals, ISIS, Al Qaeda, and every other person who justifies sex-slavery, rape of daughter-in-law and other heinous acts. Please read Full Disclaimer.


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Drivers are warned of disruption due to roadworks taking place in Filey.
North Yorkshire County Council is due to start resurfacing works on Scarborough Road in Filey on Monday May 8.
The works are due to take place in the evening between 6pm and 2am to minimise disruption on this main road in and out of Filey.
The works are expected to last three days, weather-dependent.
Letters of notification have been sent to residents and advance warning and diversionary routes signposted.
It is envisaged that access to all estate roads either side of Scarborough Road will be via Scarborough Road roundabout
Access for pedestrians will be permitted when safe to do so. Site operatives will be on hand to assist anybody with particular access requirements.
The County Council and its highways contractors will make every effort to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum for the duration of the works.


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I love Blog Hops! Thank you so much for joining me on this tour of free Easter printables! I always a feel a little insecure being grouped with these amazing ladies! Thank you to Kristen from Ella Claire Inspired for including me in this round up!
I hate winter so when it finally starts warming up, it's happy dance time over here. I'm beyond excited that Easter is only a few weeks away! Who doesn't like watching their kids hunt for eggs and stuffing their face with giant chocolate bunnies, right?!
I also love how peaceful Easter is. I don't know how else to explain it. It always feels like a new beginning.
As usual, I spent nearly a half hour in the Target dollar spot trying to decide how many things I could get away with buying. Their Easter stuff is so cute this year! I had to have that little "happy easter" banner.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Please stop in again soon!
You can print my free printable HERE
Watercolor Bunny Ears Cake by Ella Claire | By His Wounds We are Healed Cherished Bliss |
Watercolor Bunny by Finding Silver Pennies | Vintage Easter Printable Town and Country Living
Carrot Glass Toppers by Just Destiny | Easter Word Search Julie Blanner |
Happy Easter Tag by Clean and Scentsible | Happy Easter Bunny Lolly Jane
Baby Chick by A Burst of Beautiful | I know that my Redeemer Lives by Bless'er House |
Watercolor Happy Easter Banner by The Happy Housie | He is Risen by My Someday in May
He is Risen by Farmhouse on Boone | Happy Easter Bunny by So Much Better With Age |
Happy Easter Banner by Happy Happy Nester | Boho Spring by Jennifer Rizzo
Floral Bunny Banner by Finding Home Farms | Easter Treat Bags by My Fabuless Life |
Easter Watercolor Bunny by Nina Hendrick Design Co. | Speckled Eggs by Craftberry Bush
The Story of Easter by Nest of Posies | He is Risen Watercolor by Life on Virginia Street |
Easter Journaling Cards by Live Laugh Rowe | Watercolor Easter Eggs by Zevy Joy
Vintage Easter Printables by Paint Me Pink | Adult Easter Basket by My Sweet Savannah |
Happy Easter by Bunny Print by Refresh Restyle | He is Risen Egg Filler Tidbits
Black and White Easter Bunny by Design Dining and Diapers


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The effect of rotation on legibility of dot-matrix characters
MetadataShow full item record
When dot-matrix characters are rotated, as might be the case in a moving map display, their dot-matrix patterns are distorted and their legibility is thus affected. In this experiment, 16 subjects performed a random search task, in which they were asked to look for a target in a random character pattern. The independent variables were the direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) and the angle of stimulus image rotation, and the target character's distance from the center of screen, which was also the center of rotation; the dependent variables were response time and response correctness.
Significant effects were found in the angle of rotation, the target character's distance from the center, and the target character. The results indicate that (1) no angle-dependent mechanism is involved in performing this task and the angle of rotation influences recognition mainly through the distortion of dot-matrix patterns, (2) the target character's (radial) distance from the center of screen is the determining factor for search time, while the x and y coordinates of the target contributed to dot-matrix pattern distortion, and (3) the target characters interacted differently with the angle and distance factors to determine the extent of distortion and their legibility.
Means to quantify the extent of distortion were discussed and the direction for future research is offered.
- Masters Theses [19412]


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Published at Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 - 08:47:13 AM. Bedding. By Simon Doisneau.
Air beds use a mattress that is air-inflated. In many cases they also have a small electric air pump that allows one to change the firmness of the mattress. This type is not to be mistaken for the well known portable air mattress which is used as a travel bed or to sleep temporary guests in a house.
While choosing a comforter, consider 100 percent down type. Such comforter easily fits inside the down duvet. Also, try to pair it with a high thread-count bed sheet.
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Wipaire, Inc. Welcomes Andrew San Giacomo
Wipaire, Inc.® has welcomed Andrew San Giacomo as Director of Aircraft Services with oversight of Wipaire's wide range of services. Andrew will lead and manage teams in Minnesota specializing in aircraft maintenance, avionics repair and installation, paint refinishing, and custom interiors. His responsibilities will include ensuring Wipaire's high standards for safety and quality are met, along with maintaining compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and all other applicable regulatory agencies.
"Wipaire has a strong, nearly 60-year history of delivering quality, innovative products with a reputation for reliability," Tim Hendrickson, Wipaire's Chief Operating Officer, commented. "Our services are an integral component of this delivery process, and are key to continuing to deliver excellent experiences to our customers. Andrew's strong background in leadership, customer service, and quality make him a great asset to us and our customers."
"Building on Wipaire's history of quality and innovation and further enhancing our customer experience is something I look forward to," Andrew added. "I'm passionate about the aviation industry and am excited to work on developing our talented employee base while refining our processes and procedures to deliver a great experience in addition to a great product."
Andrew previously held positions at companies such as Chart Industries, Cirrus Aircraft, and the QC Group, where he managed diverse teams and complex projects across multiple states and countries. He holds a bachelor of aerospace engineering and mechanics degree from the University of Minnesota.


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MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – No. 5 Franklin & Marshall came away with a 19-7 victory over Illinois Wesleyan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats will take on host No. 3 Middlebury tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
F&M will look to advance to the program's third Final Four appearance, heading into tomorrow with a 17-4 mark while the Titans' season ended at 18-3.
Nancy Taylor evened the score early in the game, tallying the free-position goal from the top of the fan at the 23:16 mark. Illinois Wesleyan responded less than a minute later, but Caroline Kolva was able to strike with just over 20 minutes in the half, crashing down the middle to even the score at 2-2. Megan Jackson delivered the riser goal at the 18:49 mark off the dish from Jane Cote, sparking the Diplomats on an 8-1 run that included three-straight goals from Grace Norley over a four-minute span to take an 11-3 edge into the break.
The Diplomats opened the second half with four goals in the opening 10 minutes including back-to-back goals from Ally Marino to increase the deficit to 12. Marissa McGarrey and Maisie O'Shea got in on the action with a three-goal run over four minutes to bring the score to 18-4.
Norley, Maddie Hughes, and McGarrey each registered three goals each while Cote finished the day with six assists. O'Shea, Taylor, and Marino followed with two apiece.
Emily Kitchin (11-1) stood tall in the net with nine saves. Anya Chopoorian paced the defense with three groundballs while Blair Atkins led with three draw controls.


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Kissimmee Hotels near Kissimmee Airport
Super 8 Motel
Most economical and Closest To SunState
Kissimmee hotels for less!
The Super 8 Motel Orlando Kissimmee Suites is a newly renovated hotel located near the Walt Disney World Resort Area. Close to dining, shopping and entertainment, the Super 8 Motel offers spacious accommodations designed with your comfort and convenience in mind. Stay at the Super 8 Motel for an affordable vacation to remember!
Double rooms are just $39.95
King rooms are $49.95.
Two Bedroom Suites (like small apartments) are just $69.95 per room/night.
Luxury Resort Comfort and Amenities
Ramada at Kissimmee Downtown is located on Highway 192 near the Florida Turnpike. Our hotel near Rodeo Park and Osceola Park offers a convenient location with easy access to downtown Kissimmee and Orlando. Visit our restaurant, Olives Restaurant and Sports Bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for a hearty meal. Relax by our sunny outdoor pool and Jacuzzi or in your comfortable room with free Wi-Fi Internet access. Work out in our fitness center or stay connected to work with our business center. We offer free parking, free shuttle to Disney Parks and Universal Studios and a convenience store. Handicapped-accessible rooms are available, and kids 17 and under stay free with an adult.


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Folk-punk 7" vinyl
Dead Tank (2007, DTR-20)
I paid $4.98 for this record.
Buy locally
I have not reviewed my copy of this record yet.
1: Ohio Defiance, Ohio
2: Collecting Complaints Defiance, Ohio
3: Cows Environmental Youth Crunch
4: Fortunate Son Environmental Youth Crunch
Last updated: 12/18/2011
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[3/2/2014] Rakuten Eagles, Softbank Hawks, Orix Buffaloes, Nippon Ham Fighters
by Gen on Mar.02, 2014 @ 11:55 pm, under NPB
Tags: NHFSpring, Nippon Ham Fighters, OBSpring, Orix Buffaloes, Rakuten Eagles, RESpring, SHSpring, Softbank Hawks
Rakuten Eagles
- Kazuya Fujita was scratched from Sunday's exhibition game against Softbank at the last minute because of pain in his lower abdomen. He started feeling the pain during pre-game practices. He was penciled in to get the start at second. Source: Sports Hochi 3/2/2014
- 1st round draft pick Yuki Matsui's next outing could come on either the 7th or 8th. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014
Softbank Hawks
- Yusuke Masago joined the Ichi-gun team on Sunday for a one-day workout. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014
- Dae-Ho Lee complained of tightness that extended from his neck to back during fielding practice on Sunday. He did not take batting practice and did not play in the exhibition game against Rakuten. He is expected to play in the next exhibition game on March 4 against Hanshin. Source: Sports Hochi 3/2/2014
- Toru Hosokawa hurt his left shoulder during Saturday's exhibition game against Rakuten and did not participate in pre-game practices on Sunday. He will not travel with the team when it heads to the Kanto region on the 6th and will instead continue his rehab. Source: Sponichi 3/2/2014
- Kenichi Nakata's next outing will come on March 7 against Yokohama. He will probably throw about sixty pitches. Source: Tokyo Sports 3/2/2014 ... Or somewhere around eighty pitches, according to Nikkan Sports. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014
Orix Buffaloes
- 5th round draft pick Yuto Yoshida attended his high school graduation on Saturday. Source: Sports Hochi 3/2/2014
Nippon Ham Fighters
|Mitsuo Yoshikawa
|Sanspo 3/2/2014
|Yuki Saito
|Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014
- Shohei Otani will likely make his next start on six days of rest on March 8 vs Hanshin at Koshien. Source: Daily Sports 3/2/2014, Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014
- Michel Abreu arrived in Japan eight kilograms overweight. He also complained of lower back pain. He just recently resumed batting practice. Source: Tokyo Sports 3/2/2014
- Yuya Taniguchi was pulled on defense in the 3rd inning of Saturday's game as a precaution after he developed a cramp in his right calf. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/2/2014


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Stockton, CA
Sam R. Azevedo
Sept. 27, 1925 - Oct. 19, 2010
Sam Azevedo passed away at the age of 85 yrs. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 yrs, Dolores T. Azevedo who passed away in 1997. He was a loving Dad who is survived by his children Arleen Skopen (Don),
Angelina Gutierrez (Michael), Albert Azevedo (Michele), Cynthia Black (Jeff); two brothers (Louie and Danny; three sisters (Gloria,
Pauline & Esther). He was blessed with 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, 6 great great-grandchildren and companion & traveling partner Evon Ybarra.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Heart Association in the name of Sam Azevedo.
Memorial will be held on Fri., Oct. 29 at 2:00 pm, French Camp, CA.


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Brush 2018
It shall be the responsibility of any person referred to in § 50.02 to cut and place any brush neatly between the sidewalk and the street, with nothing extending over the road or sidewalk, with the cut end facing the road. Brush may be placed in the right-of-way no earlier than the Friday preceding pickup. Brush may not exceed five inches in diameter or eight feet in length. There shall be no garden waste, leaves, lumber, roots, concrete, stones, or poison ivy mixed with the brush. Thorny bushes and vines must be cut into four-foot lengths and tied in small bundles with string (no rope, twine, or wire).
The D.P.W. will be implementing a new year-round brush pickup. Pickup will be done one day during the weeks depending on weather. Have your brush out by Monday at 7:00 a.m. to ensure pickup.
October 1
November 5
December 3
Leaf pickup will be done one day during the week depending on weather. Have your leaves out to the street by Monday at 7:00 a.m. to ensure pickup. Once the truck has gone by your house, it will not pick up again until the next scheduled pickup day.
Oct 8
Oct 15
Nov 5
Nov 12
Nov 19
Nov 26
We will try our best to adhere to this schedule but sometimes unforeseen circumstances or weather may not allow it.


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Certified Organic & Locally Grown Vegetables - Tomatoes - Herbs - Flowers
BC SPCA Wild ARC
Guy Dauncey, Editor
395 Conway Road, Victoria, BC
Tel (250) 881-1304
Executive director
The Solutions Project
It is extremely disturbing to know that we are living on The Titanic, and that the iceberg lies somewhere ahead.
It seems there is no-one on the bridge, or if there is they are either drunk, or too busy worrying about their re-election prospects or their next bonus to see the signals, which are flashing emergency red in the Iceberg Ahead section of the controls:
WARNING: Your temperature is rising steadily due to the fossil fuels you're burning, the forests you're destroying, the cattle you're raising and the methane you're producing. On current trends your planet will be 3-4°C warmer in 88 years. PS: The last time your temperature was 3°C warmer, your sea level was 25 metres higher.
WARNING: Your Arctic ice is melting rapidly, releasing methane, which is pouring into your atmosphere.
WARNING: Your Amazon rainforest is in danger from drought and fire, caused by the warming. On your current track it will be dead in 88 years. PS: It is 100 million years old.
WARNING: The topsoil that you depend on for your food is being steadily lost to soil erosion, due to your deforestation and bad farming practices. PS: Many civilizations collapsed because they didn't protect their topsoil.
WARNING: More than 70% of your fisheries are fully exploited, over-exploited or significantly depleted. 90% of your large fish such as tuna, swordfish, marlin and cod are gone.
WARNING: One of your largest nations has lost its ability to govern due to the systemic corruption of its governing class by big business.
WARNING: The top 1% of your people are accumulating far too much of your planet's wealth, and stashing it away in private tax havens.
WARNING: Observations reveal a rise in fear and pessimism instead of the hope and determination you will need to persuade people to change course and avoid the iceberg.
It is also disturbing to see how easily we can be distracted by the latest entertainment, scandal on the dance floor, or the simple goings on in our personal lives, while the ship we are sailing on heads for destruction.
The Occupy movement created a bit of a disturbance last fall, but they never got anywhere near the bridge, so life goes on, with bigger bonuses for the captains and officers.
How are we going to get the ship to change direction, before it is all too late? I'm ignoring those who say it's already too late; they are part of the problem, since they contribute nothing of any value and undermine the motivation to do anything.
The passengers need to change the captain and crew, and take control. That much is obvious. But how?
That's the question, especially since many passengers don't accept that there's a problem and are still enjoying the sumptuous buffet. Look – swordfish and shark fin soup on the menu!
So, we have a three-fold task:
The first is to continue to raise the alarm bells, to warn everyone about the emergency of the looming iceberg.
The second is to be absolutely confident that we can chart a new course that will lead to a prosperous, green sustainable world, instead of to disaster. If our fellow passengers see no hope, we'll never be able to motivate them to help us change course.
This means we must be very well schooled in how we can feed ourselves, and obtain the energy and resources we need for a sustainable civilization, while doing so in a way that is in harmony with Nature and in cooperation with all our other passengers, instead of doing so selfishly and aggressively at their expense, which is what got us here.
So now we know the problem, we know where we need to be going, and we are confident that we can get there. These are the preconditions for leadership.
Our third task must be to organize ourselves so that everyone has a task, and a team we are attached to which is working on part of the solution. Some are working to protect the rainforests; some to make all the world's farms organic; some to build a new economy and a new system of banking.
So far, I doubt that even a handful of passengers have found themselves such a place. In World War II, the last time we mobilized on this scale, almost everyone found a way to contribute.
So maybe our real challenge is still to instill the confidence that success is possible, that we can build a green, sustainable world in which we can raise their children safely and find meaningful work, not just for some but for all. When people see that clearly, there'll be no shortage of volunteers. When people see only disaster and no solution it's natural to want a lifeboat, whether it's a survivalist retreat or a self-sufficient transition community.
Helen Keller, the Alabama girl born in 1880 who lost her sight and speech before she was two and who went on to become such an incredible speaker, author and activist for change wrote that,
That's the kind of spirit we need – a resolute belief that we can take control of our ship and set a new course away from the iceberg, towards a far better future.
- Guy Dauncey
It's all happening on the big Earthday weekend, April 20th – 22nd, so best mark your diary now. It starts on Friday night with the kick-off of the new Creatively United For The Planet Festival, with a great evening party.
On Saturday, the celebratory Earth Walk goes the Leg to Centennial Square for an afternoon of science, poetry and activism. That ends in time to head over to Fairfield for Creatively United for the Planet's big afternoon with Canada's treasure Ann Mortifee, flutist Paul Horn, a multimedia presentation by photo-activist Garth Lenz and music by Holly Arntzen and the Gettin' Higher Choir. Then you've a choice between staying for a Funky eco-Fashion Show or heading up to Sidney where Elizabeth May MP, Robert Bateman, Arthur Black and others are celebrating an Oil-Free Coast for Earthday at the Mary Winspear Centre.
And the fun's not over yet. On the Sunday afternoon, after the Saanich Cycling Festival, Creatively United returns with a keynote by Robert Bateman and a John Lennon Tribute Concert. Give Earth a chance!
The Arctic Methane Emergency Group is ringing all the alarm bells. The ice-melt is accelerating, and there's a possibility that the entire Arctic could be ice-free as early as September 2013.
The cause for alarm is a recent catastrophic release of methane into the atmosphere. Last fall, a researcher witnessed escaping plumes from ocean-bed methane hydrates up to a kilometre across, far greater than any previous estimates. Over 20-years, methane traps over 100 times more heat than carbon dioxide, so there's every reason to be ringing the emergency bells.
Intervention on a large scale is needed to avert the ultimate catastrophe of runaway global warming. No amount of adaptation or insulation could make that survivable. The scientists want governments to take urgent rapid measures to reduce short-lived climate forcers such as methane and black carbon (soot); soot on the ice speeds the melting, since it has very low albedo and absorbs heat instead of reflecting it back into space.
If as little as 1% of the methane hydrates escape, it would increase the atmospheric methane burden by 3-4 times. If there's anything you can do to ring the emergency bells, please do. You can find more details at www.ameg.me.
"Emergency intervention to stabilize Arctic sea ice and thereby Arctic methane is today a matter of our survival." - Arctic Methane Emergency Group
26°C in Winnipeg, and no winter snow in Toronto. Just weird weather, right? Well, no. Not when Ham Weather reports no fewer than 6,895 records in one week in March America – some towns being 30 to 45 degrees F warmer than average; " off-the-scale, freakishly warm". Since Mar 1st there have been 13,393 daily heat records - 16 times more than daily cold records.
So what is Canada doing, faced with the looming climate catastrophe? Bring on the tar sands, and the Enbridge Pipeline to deliver oil to China, since oil producers can get a higher price there. I have just watched an incredible documentary called On the Line made by two people who biked, hiked, rafted and kayaked the entire 2,400 km length of the proposed pipeline, talking to people along the way. (That's one in a river crossing).
It really brings it into focus to see the lie of the land where the oil would travel, and the treacherous waters that would be traversed by two massive supertankers every week. When a map of the oil pollution caused by the Exxon Valdez pipeline is transplanted onto the BC coast, it shows oil pollution reaching from the tip of Vancouver Island all the way to the Alaska panhandle.
I urge you to watch it. It's $25 from www.onthelinemovie.com, and if you invite your friends to a showing you can follow it with letter writing to the Review Panel or phone calls to the Prime Minister's office. Moved to stop the pipeline, a group of young people is organizing a big Rise Up Against Enbridge Rally in Victoria on Sunday April 15th, followed by workshops. See Green Diary. I'll be there. See www.riseupriseupagainstenbridge.blogspot.ca
It is essential that we spend more time talking about solutions, and not just go on about how bad everything is.
If we didn't need the oil, we wouldn't need the pipeline. It's as simple as that. In the March EcoNews, I pointed you to Transportation without Oil, an illustrated presentation I have created at www.Slideshare.net/GuyDauncey.
This month I want to point you to an interview with Hans-Josef Fell, the German Green politician who is one of the architects of the Feed-In Tariff, which has lifted Germany's renewable electricity use to 20%.
Hans-Josef is now saying they can get to 50% by 2020 and 100% by 2030, using maybe 40-50% wind, 30-40% solar and a mixture of other sources. One of the arguments against renewable energy has always been its lack of base-load power to keep things going when the wind's not blowing. He argues that we need to abandon the concept of peaking and base-load power and move to a model of flexible and inflexible energy sources using a smart grid with storage in batteries, hydro pumps and maybe green hydrogen, switching off the base-load suppliers of coal, gas and nuclear.
What would it cost? To continue with conventional fossil and nuclear fuels would cost the world $200 trillion by 2030. To change to renewables would cost $100 trillion. There would be a short-time price increase, but in the long-term the price would fall, since solar and wind are becoming cheaper, while fossil fuels and nuclear can only get more expensive.
See http://bit.ly/baseload. 100% by 2030. Let's remind ourselves and everyone we talk to that it's possible.
It is important to know the enemy, and to be under no illusions as to how they work. In the US, there is huge anger brewing about the murder of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager who was shot by a vigilante in Florida. The police refused to bring any charges, since under Florida's Stand Your Ground law it is considered legal to shoot someone you consider to be threatening.
So how did Florida come to have such a crazy law? Here is where the story gets interesting, for laws of this kind are being pushed by big corporations in an organized drive to bring right-wing legislation to America. The Florida legislators were sent the template for the law the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC, www.alec.org), which is funded by Exxon, the notorious coal industry Koch brothers, and so on.
ALEC's goal is to provide fully-drafted bills to state legislators pursuing conservative goals such as union-busting, undermining environmental protection, creating tax breaks for corporations, and promoting bills that make it hard for the poor and ethnic minorities to vote.
You think I am making this up? ALEC is also close with the National Rifle Association, which has a vested interested in making it legal for gun-owners to kill people without being prosecuted. Are Canadian politicians on ALEC's books? No word of it yet. To learn more, see www.alecexposed.org
If you're a cyclist, plan on going to Salt Spring on June 21st – 23rd when the island will be bicycle heaven in the run-up to the global cycling conference in Vancouver on June 26-29th. Salt Spring's Velo-Village is an official pre-conference event. http://velovillage.ca
The Occupy Movement is putting down roots, supported by 40 key movement leaders. In the week of April 9-15 "we will gather across America, 100,000 strong, in homes, places of worship, campuses and the streets to train ourselves in non-violent action and join together in the work of reclaiming our country." It's not happening in Canada as far as I can see, but there's still time if an organization is willing to organize a training. See www.the99spring.com
On Saturday May 5th 350.org is organizing a Climate Impacts Day to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather. All around the world, people will be holding rallies and events, holding up a huge dot on a white banner, so that globally, we can connect the dots. Can you organize an event? See www.climatedots.org
The Conservatives aim to gut one of the strongest environmental laws in the country by weakening the habitat protections in Section 35 of the Fisheries Act.
Why? To fast track approval of the Enbridge Pipeline, ramming the change through in the budget omnibus bill.
Fin Donnelly, MP, who is Official Opposition Critic for Fisheries & Oceans, has created a petition you can sign, and when you've done you'll get a link to download a paper petition that your friends can sign, which Fin can then present in the House of Commons.
(1)Sign the petition at www.findonnelly.ca/node/425
(2) Sign the petition from West Coast Environmental Law and many others urging the federal government to stop weakening the environmental laws that keep communities safe from toxic chemicals, and that safeguard our air, water, land and species at risk. Sign at www.envirolawsmatter.ca
Some noteworthy sites that have passed my way
To buy ad space in the next EcoNews, or to submit your event to next month's Green Diary, please contact:
Guy Dauncey,
395 Conway Road, Victoria, BC
Tel (250) 881-1304
Deadline for May issue April 24th
Please feel encouraged to repost.
EcoNews provides this electronic version of the
newsletter without charge even though it costs around $1,100 CDN
to produce each month.
If you can help by making a donation, whether
$5 or $100, that would be most welcome. Please send it to: EcoNews,
395 Conway Rd, Victoria, B.C. V9E 2B9, Canada. Thanks ! (Not tax-deductible;
if you want a receipt, please send a stamped addressed envelope).
Donations can also be sent via PayPal:


text:
- Description
Impldoll Cyril with 26cm Baby Boy body.
Doll is pictured in Real Skin.
Basic Doll, (nude doll blank, with face-up, or with Face-up + Body Blushing), includes the following:
-Animal Legs (Hooves)
-Human Legs/Feet
-Eyes (Random, dolls with face-up only)
Please Note - If you want your doll's animal & fantasy parts painted then you will need to order a doll with Face-up + Body Blushing. If you order a doll with a Face-up only, then only the face/head will be painted.
Doll Measurements:
-Height: 26cm
-Head: 16cm
-Eyes: 14mm
-Neck: 6.2cm
-Shoulder Width: 6.6cm
-Arm Length: 7cm
-Chest: 13.2cm
-Waist: 12cm
-Hips: 14.5cm
-Leg Length: 10cm
-Foot Length: 3.9cm
This doll is not kept in stock here in the UK at the moment, unless stated above, but another order being placed on the date shown on the home page to re-stock the site, if you want to purchase it you can buy through this site and when payment is received I will add it to this next order and you will receive it once production is complete
Thanks for looking
- Reviews


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840 Summer Hill Road,
Farmhouse On 7 Acres - 3 Bedrooms - Updated BathMany
Modern Amenities - Beautiful Views - Enjoy Nature
Situated in beautiful Wayne Township on
over 7 acres, this nicely updated farmhouse offers many
modern conveniences. The first floor consists of an eat in
kitchen and dining area with exposed beam ceilings, laundry
room, and a large living room with a cathedral, wood beamed
ceiling. The master bedroom with a balcony is on the second
floor along with 2 additional bedrooms and modern bathroom.
The home has been updated with new windows, siding, decks,
and a very efficient wood/oil furnace in 2012. Most of the 7
acres of the property are wooded and ideal for many
recreational activities such as hunting and hiking.
Experience the ever changing tapestry of colors and seasons
from almost every window of this updated home.
Price: $190,000
Gary L. Coles or Jonathan Coles at 570-386-5000 for color brochure with many
more photos.
Gary Lloyd Coles, CRS, GRI.
Jonathan David Coles, BS, GRI, e-PRO
New Pennsylvania Realty, Inc.
103 Mush Dahl Road
Copyright © 2014 New Pennsylvania Realty, Inc.
All rights reserved.


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Designed to Fit Snugly with a Comfy Elastic Waistband and Ergonomically Positioned Flatlock Seams to Reduce Chafing and Increase Comfort
Made with 1.5mm Neoprene Embedded with Bio-Ceramic Material that is Effective with Cellulite Reduction, Water & Toxin Reduction. Proven Effective
High Tech Fabric Works to Break Down Cellulite Cells, Improve Circulation and Revitalize Tissue
Increased Heat and Molecular Stimulation Enhances Effectiveness of Exercise, Increases Blood Flow, and Accelerates Metabolism to Burn More Calories!
Use Capris as Part of Your Daily Exercise Routine. Look for the Shorts, Tankinis and Other Offerings from Delfin Spa
Imported from USA
Delfin Spa's exercise capris are designed with ergonomically positioned flatlock seams to reduce chafing and increase
comfort. Bio Ceramic capris feature 1.5mm neoprene with soft nylon/lycra lining and soft elastic waistband, iPhone/phone
pocket on the side and leg opening with adjustable Velcro hook and loop closure for greater comfort/fit. The capris are
contoured to fit snuggly and contain an anti-microbial additive to reduce bacteria build-up. Since these capris fit
close to the body, they can also be worn for everyday use to help contour your body while helping cellulite reduction.
Use the leggings as part of your daily exercise routine and are great for post-pregnancy. The Bio Ceramic material in
these shorts both generates Far Infrared Rays (FIR) and reflects your body's own FAR infrared rays. "FAR" relates to the
size of the wavelength and Infrared is the part of the light spectrum that generates heat. The primary benefit of these
rays is to help to break down cellulite cells, improve circulation and revitalize tissue. Increased heat and molecular
stimulation enhances the effectiveness of exercise, increases blood flow, and accelerates metabolism to burn more
calories. Bio Ceramic capris also improve the effectiveness of anti-cellulite cream by assisting its penetration deep
into the skin and cellulite. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 1) What's up with the funny smell? This is common and expected
from neoprene. We air the material prior to sewing; however, the smell can build up once the package is sealed. Any odor
will quickly dissipate with use and from its initial washing. 2) Should I wear anything underneath the capris? Yes.
Wearing underwear beneath the capris will not negatively impact the capris' performance. 3) How do I care for the
leggings? Hand wash in cool to warm water with mild detergent and line dry. Using a washing machine should not be the
standard practice (once in a while is OK) and never machine dry.


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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Wee Scapes is evolving with new product for art, craft, educational, kids &
model. There were nineteen new items introduced in early 2012.There are
more trees, flowers, hedges, longer grass mats and innovative
meadow designs.
NAMTA 2012 introduces three additional designs and a floor spinner display.
Please visit Booth 355 at NAMTA, Orlando to review this exciting product
New! Store Locator Map!
We've just added a store locator, so you should check out which local stores have our products!


text: Black rice, which often turns dark purple once cooked, has a mild, nutty taste similar to brown rice. Also referred to as "forbidden rice," it's a great source of iron, vitamins and antioxidants. One of our favorite recipes showcasing black rice is this striking risotto, served with a golden butternut squash puree and creamy burrata—it's a flavorful meal that tastes even better than it looks. You can use black rice anywhere you'd use white rice—as a simple side dish, in stir-fry and even in a rice pudding for dessert. Whether you want to expand your side dish repertoire or are looking for an impressive entrée, F&W's guide to black rice has a recipe for every occasion.


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NEW YORK—"Oh man!" That statement made by Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III as he entered the Madison Square Garden press room most aptly summarizes the probable feelings of many Hilltop faithful after watching the back-and-forth overtime affair… Read More
It was a statement game, in the strictest sense of the phrase. When the Georgetown men's basketball team took the Verizon Center floor Wednesday night for pregame warm-ups wearing "I Can't Breathe" shirts, they became the first team… Read More
Although the circus prevented the Georgetown men's basketball team (18-14, 8-10 Big East) from playing their NIT 1st Round game at Verizon Center, that did not stifle the Hoyas and their fans from putting on their own show… Read More
Sports editor Chris Almeida and assistant sports editors Brendan Crowley and Joe Pollicino discuss the disappointment and general sadness surrounding this year's basketball season, specifically the DePaul game that eliminated the Hoyas' hopes of competing in the NCAA tournament. On the bright side, however,… Read More
The Georgetown men's basketball team (17-14, 8-10 Big East) may have disappointed many on the Hilltop this season by failing to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. If Hoya… Read More
NEW YORK—Entering their first round matchup with DePaul (12-20, 3-15 Big East), the Georgetown men's basketball team (17-14, 8-10 Big East) had defeated the Blue Demons in 14 consecutive meetings, including twice this season, dating all the way… Read More
PHILADELPHIA—The NCAA Tournament bubble might have just burst for the Georgetown men's basketball team (17-13, 8-10 Big East) in their regular season finale, as they let a prime résumé-building opportunity go to waste against No. 6 Villanova (28-3,… Read More
Propelled by the strong backcourt play of senior guard Markel Starks and sophomore guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the Georgetown men's basketball team will live to fight another day in their quest for an NCAA Tournament berth, as they defeated… Read More
Only 36 hours removed from their disheartening road loss Thursday night to Seton Hall, the Georgetown men's basketball team (16-11, 7-8 Big East) regained their form Saturday at Verizon Center, as they cruised to a 74-52 blowout win… Read More
Over the years, Georgetown has sent quite a few athletes to go for the gold and represent the good ol' USA in the Olympics. Here's a brief look at a few of these Hoyas. Check out a more… Read More


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Today in our series of stories from Basques in the United States, adapted from volume 1, we meet Esteban "Steve" Astigarraga, the Basque scammer; "a fellow," as Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe notes in his translator's introduction to the same volume, who "had the police busy from the Mexican border to Canada."
Astigarraga was born in Abadiño, Bizkaia, on Aug. 3, 1886, and arrived in New York City on Nov. 1, 1909. He went initially to Rock Springs, CA, and in 1920 was working as a sheepherder in Price, Carbon Co., UT. By 1930, however, he was living in Domingo Muguira's ostatu (hotel) on Aliso Street, Los Angeles: a remnant of the city's once thriving "Basque town" at the intersection of Alameda and Aliso Streets (once a major route into and out of downtown LA, Aliso Street morphed into the 101 Freeway in the 1950s; see some old pictures of this historic LA district and a report on its Basque community here). Interestingly, at this time "Steve" still appears to have been working as a sheepherder, while resident in LA, and soon after, some time in the early 30s, he married an Italian named Lucille.
In Dec. 1936 the California press reported on a mysterious 50-year-old "Basque-Italian" who had been arrested in Colusa and who police suspected to be a clever forger. During the arrest, the authorities found "equipment of a peculiar nature" in his De Soto sedan, namely the necessary equipment for counterfeiting. The "thing" must have been important because leading experts in the field, both the state police and the FBI, arrived quickly on the scene (Woodland Daily Democrat, Dec. 12, 1936). And when the LA County Sheriff's Office learned that the Basque had been detained in Colusa, he asked that Steve not be released until the sheriff arrived.
Under the headline "Man Held in Extortion Plot," the Colusa correspondent for the Woodland Daily Democrat reported that Astigarraga was suspected of a "clever impersonation and extortion scheme" by which, "posing as a Federal officer … he is said to have preyed upon fellow Basque sheepherders and illiterate Italians, some of whom he threatened with death if they did not give him liberally of their earnings," with a trail of victims from the border of Mexico to Canada. Police officers remarked on his unique extortion method: "he tells victims he can make them rich. He gives them a crisp new $20 bill, saying that any bank will cash it. The victim is so surprised when the bank accepts the bill, that he becomes interested in Astigarraga's scheme and parts with his money when Astigarraga displays his money-making equipment, saying 'there is more where that came from'." Then he would show them the counterfeiting machine (which, apparently, he never actually used) and asked them to hand over a large sum so that he could manufacture and then deliver them a huge amount of bills. Police officers found a 50-page notebook in his possession filled with the names and addresses of who they suspected to be his victims (Woodland Daily Democrat, Dec. 15, 1936).
Then his victims began to show up. In the book there were more than 375 names, mostly Basques and other foreigners who worked throughout the West, but primarily in Fresno Co. One of the first to show up was Pedro "Pete" Recondo, a Dixon, CA sheepherder whom Astigarraga had bilked for $5,000 (his entire life savings deposited in a San Francisco bank) in 1935. Recondo hadn't reported Astigarraga at the time, it seems, because that would have implicated him as well in the (non-existent) money-making scam. Ultimately, though, the FBI had to withdraw from the case because they had found no counterfeit money in Astigarraga's possession. What's more, because Astigarraga did not speak English, or even Spanish, very well, and continued maintaining his innocence, the police had to wait for an interpreter from Fresno who spoke Basque. Meanwhile, the LA police gave way to their Fresno colleagues because that was where the scammer's activities were mostly concentrated (Woodland Daily Democrat, Dec. 16, 1936). Fresno officers then arrived with a Basque interpreter (a hotel owner) and another of the victims, a Polish sheepherder who had lost his $1,300 bonus money. The Pole could not identify Astigarraga, but he did recognize the machine! (Woodland Daily Democrat, Dec. 17, 1936).
Eventually, on the instructions of the FBI, Astigarraga was returned to LA (where he lived with his wife Lucille) to be delivered to the City Police, who were the first to claim him. We know little of what happened thereafter but he died in LA on Jul. 2, 1962.


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The State House and Senate have each passed their own $3.2 billion budget bills with a few minor differences, according to Representative Rosie Berger.
Monday the House of Representatives passed House Bill 1 (the budget bill) on third reading with about 40 amendments. She explains how one of the big areas where the bills differ might interest some in Sheridan.
She said the compromise on the funding allocation could come down to the other difference between the House and Senate; the Senate appropriated $3.2 million in an amendment for developmental disability waivers in the state health department budget while the House did not. She says if the House accepts that Senate proposal there could possibly be a $4 million agreement for community colleges in conference committee later this week.
Finally, Berger tells us where funding for local governments sits.
Stay tuned for plenty more from the legislature as the week progresses.


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Published on - 8/4/2008
THE REMARKS made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Concluding Session of the 15th SAARC Summit at the BMICH, Colombo yesterday.
I believe that as the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo draws to a close, all of us who have participated in the deliberations can draw satisfaction from a most productive and fruitful outcome.
In the final analysis, all regional cooperation efforts including in South Asia, have as their objective, prosperity and equitable development. Our deliberations have therefore had a strong focus, on economic and commercial cooperation.
The Summit has had to grapple with two issues that have in recent times come to pose strong challenges throughout the globe, as well as in our region.
The first is the situation of reduced food availability; that is leading to a worldwide rise in food prices.
The other is the increasing cost of energy. Both of them, if unchecked, can have the potential of undoing the hard won developmental gains that the peoples of South Asia and their Governments have achieved.
Given the seriousness of the subject of food security, we, the Heads of State or Government have felt that it deserves to be addressed through a Special Statement, released along with the Declaration.
In this Statement, we affirm our resolve to make South Asia, once again a major granary of the world, through a series of specific regional collaborative projects. Towards this end, we will shortly be convening an Extraordinary Meeting of our Agriculture Ministers.
At the same time, to ensure continued nutritional security, we have directed that the SAARC Food Bank which will store stocks for distribution in case of a particular scarcity within the South Asian region, should be immediately operationalised.
In the field of energy, we have decided that our approach will be built on several pillars. Firstly, we shall try to develop and conserve conventional sources of energy. Secondly, there will be a strong focus on alternative and renewable energy sources, including hydro-power, solar, wind and bio.
The third pillar complementing the other two, would consist of progressing energy reforms, increasing energy efficiency, transferring technology and trading in energy. The Energy Ministers of the SAARC countries are due to meet in Colombo next year, and they will maintain the political momentum in this regard.
During the Summit, there was clear recognition that terrorism has become a great menace throughout the world, including in our region. South Asia cannot progress, unless there is stability and security throughout the region.
It is in recognition of this reality, that we have ensured the signature at this Summit of the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
We have condemned all forms of terrorist violence and emphasized that our States should firmly cooperate, especially through the exchange of information, against terrorism and organized crime.
There is unanimity amongst us that the South Asian Free Trade Agreement or SAFTA, as it is more popularly known, must be implemented in both letter and in spirit.
We, the Heads of State or Government have also directed that the implementation of SAFTA must be accompanied by the expeditious resolution of the problem of non-tariff barriers within the region, that come in the way of realizing the full benefit of lowering customs duties.
In the social sector, we have directed that the South Asian University based in New Delhi should begin its first session in 2010.
The University is perhaps one of the most far-sighted SAARC projects, for, by bringing together the best of our youth in a centre of academic excellence, it will over the years cement even further the bonds of friendship among the peoples of South Asia.
The Summit has also moved to strengthen the links of SAARC with the world outside. There are now eight countries and one regional association that have Observer status.
This growth in the ranks of the Observers shows that there is an increasing enthusiasm for engagement with South Asia, perhaps because our part of the world is expanding both economically as well as in terms of human resources.
We have been able during the Summit to reciprocate this enthusiasm, by adopting guidelines that will facilitate SAARC to henceforth embark on practical and mutually beneficial projects of cooperation with those Observers, who are interested in doing so.
The positive outcomes that we have reached to further the cause of SAARC would not have been possible if not for your great wisdom and the valuable cooperation, extended to me as the Chair.
The success of the Summit affords an auspicious start to Sri Lanka's stewardship of the Association. My Government and I pledge our utmost to faithfully carry out the high responsibilities assigned to us. I have no doubt Excellencies, that in our effort to do so we will have your firm support and goodwill.
Let me bring this Session to a conclusion by thanking all of you for your gracious participation.
It has indeed been an honour for the Government and people of Sri Lanka to have received you in our country. I wish you a pleasant return back to your Capitals and continued success in the service of your peoples.†(Courtesy: Daily News)


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So you can imagine my reaction when I walked into the Les Halles Boulangerie and Patisserie at Epcot a few weeks ago and discovered that they have a new CHRISTMAS DESSERT - a Buche de Noel au Chocolat to be precise!
Doesn't that look DELISH?? But wait - I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we have to set the scene:
We're strolling towards the France pavilion, with the Eiffel Tower outlined against one of those Epcot evening skies that just blow your mind...
Even the peppermints on the bridge look prettier against the sunset! And there are more holiday decorations once you enter the pavilion...
Epcot decorations. SO PRETTY. There's a post coming soon with loads of photos of the festive decor in World Showcase, but I loved these Parisienne scenes set in oversized ornaments. I don't recall them from previous years, but they're adorable! And they have one dedicated to the CHRISTMAS BUCHE:
My family loves the buche de noel. It's CHOCOLATE and CHRISTMAS wrapped up in a log of deliciousness - what's not to love? We've sampled them in Montreal and in France and tried making our own at home, so I was excited to see that included in the decorations. It made me wonder if there might be something special up in the patisserie...and of course there was!
Look - it even has a special sign! And unfortunately a special price as well at $5.75. But actually for the Patisserie that's pretty standard - even the ordinary options there can be pricey.
LOOK - there it is!! I know...it's not technically shaped like a log. I guess it's a modern interpretation of the classic buche?? But don't worry - it tasted just as good as the classic. And look at the cute pink sprinkles! And the dramatic swoosh of chocolate! And the cocoa powder!
I also spotted a box of brightly colored macarons, which did look tempting - but they cost something like $15 - suddenly the buche sounded cheap!
I also spotted this loaf of bread wishing the world a JOYEAUX NOEL - but I think it was just for display and not for sale! ;)
I saved the buche to eat later in the evening, and it will probably not surprise you to learn that it did not travel super well. Ah well - it's still pretty! Just look at that layer of silky chocolate mousse. YUM. It literally melted in your mouth - and combined with the frothy white chocolate mousse on top and the layer of chocolate cake on the bottom, it was magnifique.
And the little hoop and slap of chocolate were the perfect finishing touch!
Are you a fan of the buche de noel? Do you have any special plans for Christmas treats this year? We're just TWO DAYS away!!


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Project funded by:
Financial education for Youth – Exchange of experience between Central and Eastern Europe
Building civil society capacity in the region
Project Phase: September 2015 – September 2016
The project is implemented by CYFI with 9 project partners, supported by International Visegrad Fund.
Supported by the V4EaP Program of International Visegrad Fund, the project "Transfer of Visegrad Group countries' experience and building capacity of civil society organizations in Eastern Europe in the field of youth financial education" is aimed at building institutional capacity of civil society and public institutions in the countries of Visegrad Eastern Partnership Region (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan) in the area of financial literacy and economic citizenship education for youth, using extensive experience of V4 countries – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - and CYFI network expertise. The project was coordinated by CYFI between September 2015 and October 2016 and iinvolved a kick-off meeting, a Master Training and a series of workshops and seminars for building technical expertise of participating organizations and local stakeholders in the topic, as well as the production of training materials, publications and guides on the topic.
Over the course of just over one year, a variety of activities have been undertaken within the project, with many stakeholders from diverse sectors involved. collaborative approach to identifying the key needs of each participating country in the field of development of youth financial education – each partner organization, in collaboration with CYFI, other local civil society and public institutions and advice from V4 and international experts, has determined the focus of the dissemination activity in accordance to local needs. For instance, Slovak experience in creating a national standard for financial literacy was presented and engaged deep interest in Belarus; while discussing the experience of Polish private and civil society sectors in teaching money-matters in schools served as one of the great examples and basis for the seminar in Ukraine.
During the the Kick-off Meeting of the project, that took place in October 2015 in Bratislava, hosted by the Institute of Banking Education of the National Bank of Slovakia, the best practices and the current state of affairs in V4 and EaP countries were presented and the main direction for the Master Training were chosen. In April 2016 the Master Training took place at the Youth and Children Palace in Tbilisi, with involvement of the project's V4 experts, as well as international consultants. Connected to this event, the national stakeholders meeting took place in Georgia as well. In the period May-August 2016 dissemination seminars and events took place in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan. You can find out more about the events and activities of the project in the Project Report.
Thanks to the support of Visegrad Fund, a variety of materials were translated from English into Russian during the project, as well as relevant publications and training materials have been produced. A full description and purpose of these materials can be found in the Project Report.
Moreover, a Best Practices Guide on financial education programs in Visegrad countries was produced during the course of the project.
Project partners:
Microfinance Center – Poland , Institute of Banking Education of the National Bank of Slovakia , The Foundation for Improvement of Financial Culture (Alapítvány a Pénzügyi Kultúra Fejlesztéséért) – Hungary, European Financial Planning Association – Czech Republic, LEPL National Youth and Children Palace of Georgia , Banking University – Ukraine, Institute of Educational Sciences – Republic of Moldova, Youth Entrepreneurship Support and Development Center – Belarus, Reliable Youth Future NGO – Azerbaijan
Kick-off meeting – Bratislava, Slovakia
Master Training – Tbilisi, Georgia
Curriculum integration workshop & teacher training – Minsk, Belarus
Financial inclusion and education for youth training – Kiev, Ukraine
Active learning and teacher training – Chisinau, Moldova
Active learning methods and product development workshop - Baku, Azerbaijan


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Job Description
Valiant Construction LLC is recruiting personnel to perform tasks involving physical labor, demolition, concrete work, touch-up painting, drywall patching, and hand excavating (including repetitive lifting and moving of 80 pound objects). Candidate will possess knowledge of materials, methods, and tools involved in construction. Candidate will be responsible for maintaining a clean work site and personal safety as well as the safety of team members.
High School diploma or equivalent is preferred along with 3 or more years prior experience in
construction industry.
Must be physically capable of performing work requirements asked of them. Candidate must be
willing to listen, learn and communicate with Project Manager, Superintendent, Foreman or other General Laborers to complete tasks and overall job successfully.
Hourly Wage
Prevailing wage minimum. Actual starting rate is dependent upon experience.
Candidates may be required to consent to a pre-employment drug screen and consent to a criminal background investigation. Candidates must complete and pass a 10 HR OSHA Certification class, and have transportation available to and from job site.
Tools needed: Hard Hat, Gloves, Steel Toe Boots, Protective Eyewear, and Acceptable Clothing
Demonstrate informative and professional assistance when working with vendors, customers and co-workers.
Act independently and originate new procedures and approaches to problems.
Display excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Maintain initiative to preserve the flow of work.
Work under stress and with commitment to deadlines.
Sustain interpersonal relationships which encourage openness, candor and trust, both internally and outside of Valiant.
Complete projects and/or reports in accurate and timely manner
Maintain Company information in a confidential manner.
Ability to work as a team member.
Display professional appearance, warm demeanor, and positive attitude.
Be a motivated self-starter.
Work independently and to be accurate, efficient and organized.
Manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Work under pressure with time constraints in a changing environment.


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Trust Your Nose When it Comes to Wine
August 23, 2016
I want to share a story. One of my earliest wine memories is when I worked for an Italian-themed coffeeshop in my twenties, a place that served wine in addition to coffee. The bosses had a training for us to learn about the wine, and poured us each a tiny bit of Barbaresco, an Italian … More Trust Your Nose When it Comes to Wine


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When plowing day came Farmer Wayne was as excited as a kid on Christmas. It was cool but sunny on Wednesday when the Zeb and Farmer Marieanne came to the Blacksmith shop with the Stone Boat to pick up the plow.
They brought the Stone Boat through the village to Peleg Field's Blacksmith Shop to retrieve the repaired 1830's plow.
The Stone Boat was used to carry the plow down to the garden patch outside of the Lippitt Farmhouse.
Next the plow was unloaded and attached to the Singletree attached to Zeb's harness. Farmer Marieanne Coursen is the Teamster holding the lines. Farmer Wayne Coursen is the Ploughman guiding the plow. Here they are turning a furrow. This 1830's plow is newly repaired, and has turned a furrow in a lifetime.
The plow needed a few small adjustments to reach the proper depth. The Depth Gauge wheel helps guide the plow to the desired depth.
Zeb our Percheron is an old hand at plowing. His knowledge and Marieanne's handling of the lines allowed the Ploughman to end the furrow, turn the plow, and start a new furrow going the other direction. It is an exciting ballet to see a 1,700lb horse make his turn while the Teamster is at the other end of 20 foot lines!
They are plowing a garden plot outside the Lippitt Farmhouse. Vegetables are grown and stored in the root cellar to be used in our traditional hearth cooking. The Farmers and Zeb plow the furrows back and forth.
Farmer Wayne, Farmer Marieanne, and I are happy to see the plow working so well. It took over a year to research and perform the repairs on the plow. Here's to a good day's work!


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Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction usually try their best to hide it from their spouses. Some men can carry on this way for a long time, but all it does is instill a sese of insecurity in the other person. Many relationships fail because of this. So what if you are a man suffering from ED whose spouse has left you? Are you thinking of getting involved with someone else? Well men who suffer from ED find this hard, because the problem still persists. If the old spouse left, how is it going to work out with someone new?
You need to resolve your ED problems to the best of your ability and one way this can be done is to use Tadalis SX. It's quite effective and many men have used it successfully. In the below text you'll find basic information in order to help you decide if this drug is right for you.
What's Tadalis SX used for?
The drug is made to help men who have certain degrees of erectile dysfunction problems or impotence. This is the inability to get or keep an erection during sexual activity, because of bad blood flow to the penis.
How does Tadalis SX work?
These contain the active ingredient Tadalafil. The active ingredients act on the erectile tissue in the male member in order to increase blood flow. When this happens an erection is the result.
How long can a man expect the drug to last?
You shouldn't take more than one pill per day. It can be onsumed between 30 minutes and as much as 36 hours before sex is intended.
Common side effects:
dizziness or light-headedness
nasal congestion
dyspepsia (heartburn)
Rare side effects:
visual disturbance
increased tear formation causing watery eyes
changes in blood pressure (hypo and hypertension)
dyspnoea (shortness of breath)
pain (in the back joints, abdomen)
Don't take Tadalis SX if any of the following apply to you:
Your allergic to tadalafil or any ingredient in Tadalis tablets 20mg
You take nitrate medication, such as nitroglycerin for angina
You have liver or kidney disease
You have cardiovascular or heart problems
Have abnormally high or low blood pressure
Have eye disease like non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION)
You drink large amounts of alcohol or grapefruit juice
You are taking medication that may interact with Tadalis
Use antibiotics like erythromycin and rifampicin, verapamil or diltiazem
Take ritonavir or saquinavir (for HIV), antifungals like itraconazole or ketaconazole,
Use non-selective alpha-blockers like doxazosin for high blood pressure,
Use tamsulosin and prazosin for enlarged prostate,
Take nitrates such as glyceryl trinitrate for angina and other heart conditions
What to do if you miss a dose
The drug is not meant to be used as a regular medication. You should take only one pill per day though.
How should Tadalis SX be stored?
Keep the medication in its original packaging and store it in a cool, dry area. Make sure the temperature remains below 30°C.
If you've lost your previous spouse because you refused to deal with your ED problems, then don't let the same thing happen again. You can get help and not only start feeling better about approaching someone new, but confident about your ability to carry on sexually with them. Tadalis SX is great for this.


text: While the thought of navigating the drugstore for pretty beauty buys can seem somewhat exhilarating, unless you have done your research, the process is downright torture. With so many options, colors and types available, purchasing cheap beauty products without having the option to try on can turn into a disastrous experience. Which is where we come in: your guide to the newest and best cheap beauty products out now. At under $10 each, we expect you to give every single one a try.


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Today marks the first time I have started to write a post with tears streaming down my face, but there they are littering my office desk at 6:00 o'clock in the morning – and this time I know exactly why they're there. It's never easy to think, let alone talk, about our shortcomings, our mistakes, our regrets, particularly when you're intent on being honest with yourself about them, which I am, at last, this morning. I suppose knowing that I'm a very different (more attentive and empathetic, less judgmental) person today and that, because I am, the events of 20+ years ago are unlikely to repeat themselves, makes this very public "confession" a little easier, but not much, because this regret involves a dear friend, who has long since passed away (too young), and a missed opportunity to be there when she needed me most. Those regrets, in my mind, are the toughest ones to live with.
We first met as law clerks in the summer of my second year of law school. At the time, both of us were vying for what likely would be fewer permanent positions than there were clerks, a fact that necessarily meant we were "competitors" on some level, but it never felt that way. Instead, there was an almost immediate connection between us, a sense that we were meant to be friends and it didn't take long for that friendship to take root, even though we were very different people. She was a fun-loving, outgoing, free spirit and, yours truly, was ultra-conservative, introverted, idealistic, "most all parts business" and "very few parts fun". I suppose, in some respects, I was "curiously different" from the rest of our rather hard-partying clerkship class, which may have served, paradoxically, to fuel our friendship. I never asked her about that, though I often wish I would have.
By summer's end, we had both earned a position with the firm and we returned from our respective law schools after graduation and were reunited as young associates the following Spring. True to form, I took the first part of the summer "off" and went into "hiding" for months in a small guest house cramming for and "stressing" out about the Bar exam. She, on the other hand, worked full time at the firm and may have put in an hour or two of study in the evenings and on weekends. She passed literally on the number. I did a little better. Through it all and for the next 6 ½ years our friendship grew. Both of us began having children, which, in her case, meant juggling the demands of an increasingly active trial practice and motherhood. Her first marriage fell apart (and her second one wasn't doing much better). And then one day, my wife and I decided to leave Miami and move to Dallas.
Several weeks later, she "conspired" with her new firm and biggest client to arrange a trip to Dallas. She called a day or two before, making it sound as if she would simply be in town to take another of the hundreds of depositions she was taking all over the country by that time. Her career had taken off. "I'm really busy," I remember telling her, "scrambling to get acclimated to the demands of my new firm, life in a new city, etc., but I could probably squeeze in a dinner." And so, even though l would only later learn that she needed much more from our friendship that trip than I was "prepared to realize" at the time, we met at a local restaurant for a few hours and talked – mostly, regrettably, only about the busyness of our lives. And then, with our customary hug and a simple kiss, we were off – back to the treadmills that had become our lives.
The following morning, our receptionist told me that there was a letter waiting for me that a young woman had dropped off early that morning. It read, in part, as follows:
Dear Don,
We must find a way to spend more than 2 hours together every 12 months. Although I'm happy that I was able to see you yesterday, I really need more time alone with you to talk, to reflect on our "life choices" over the past few years – to project what our futures may have in store for us. Somehow, I doubt that opportunity will arise. I will be sure to return to Dallas when the next trial is set. Maybe we can spend some time together then? I would like that . . .
When I was at the old firm last week, I was seized with so much nostalgia that I knew I must see you immediately. I can't explain it, but during the deposition I was attending there, I felt that I had been taken back to 1982, to our crazy summer clerkship, to the beginning of our friendship. That's how real my sense of your spirit being there with me was. Your spirit walks the halls of those offices. I know, because I felt it.
Do you have any idea how deeply I value our friendship? I think not. You are so exacting – I won't say judgmental, although I could – in your measure of how things should be, how true friends should behave, that I often feel utterly inadequate. I am so very imperfect, but you must not doubt that from my place of imperfection, you hold a very special place in my heart and always will. The fact that I may be terrible about exhibiting my emotions and concern for you does not detract from the depth of my feelings (as I feel them). Just know that.
I'm feeling pulled in countless directions . . . by so many others and my often overwhelming sense of responsibility . . . that I've lost my sense of "me" – and I've lost my time for friends. I apologize for my neglect and I want to reconcile with you. I will write and call you soon. Please do me a favor and try and act a little less apathetic about things! I won't ask for a true emotional reaction when I call – you can fake it – okay?!? In the meantime, my wisdom from being older is – go for it in Dallas. You can always doubt your decisions later if you want to . . .
. . . And doubt/regret them I still do, 25 years after our dinner, 9 years after her death. Not the decision to move to Dallas, of course. Rather, my "decision" to set aside so little time that evening, when a friend, a dear friend, desperately needed so much more – someone to pay attention, to set aside their "own stuff" for more than a few hours and be fully present, someone to listen, to provide comfort and reassurance, someone to care. I had every opportunity to be that friend. She flew half way across the country to provide me with that opportunity – and I just can't for the life of me believe I missed it or seem to forgive myself for it. But I have learned from it. I promise.