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A tribute to Lark Galloway-Gilliam by Monte Roulier, a founding board member of Community Commons
Lark Galloway-Gilliam, Executive Director of the Los Angeles-based Community Health Council, passed away late last week. Lark was a long-standing and influential champion and advocate for underserved and under resourced communities of LA—expanding access to healthcare, boosting access to nutritious food, and growing healthy and safe neighborhood environments.
Her legacy and impact, however, are in no way confined to the LA area. Lark chaired the National REACH Coalition and helped shape the way we think about and the ways we act to advance healthy, inclusive and equitable communities.
Lark was also an early champion of the Community Commons platform and had recently joined the board of IP3, which stewards the Commons. Despite her many commitments and her battle with a long-term illness, she always found time to contribute generously.
We were privileged to have Lark join us for a Google Hangout last spring on the subject of the Healthy Communities Movement. Hear her inspiring response to the question, "What's on the horizon for the movement?"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."
Lark seemed to embody these insights on love and power by organizing community voices, by challenging the status quo as a fiercely independent thinker, and by helping to humanize situations with her keen sense of humor. She was a social innovator who took risks with aplomb and steadiness of nerve.
All of us on the IP3 Board and Community Commons Team mourn the loss of a dear colleague, while also celebrating the legacy of this well-lived life. Lark Galloway-Gillam had the rare gift of truly seeing the dignity inherent in all human beings. She will be greatly missed.
To see the full Google Hangout with all of Lark's comments, please visit here.


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(Lightning image by Bidgee, Some rights reserved)
Mortal Kombat's master of ice Sub-Zero and the living-dead fire breathing Scorpion are major archenemies. As the story goes, Sub-Zero and his clan of assassin ninjas slaughtered their rival clan, which Scorpion and his family were members of. Scorpion's hatred made him rise from the Netherrealm to avenge his family's death and kill Sub-Zero in the great tournament.
Back in the Big Data realm, (code) ninjas from two rival clans are bashing it out - Hadoop on-premise vs. Hadoop-as-a-Service (HaaS). With more and more companies leaving the former and joining the latter, is it really the ultimate method to process Big Data? Let's get in the ring and see.
Whether on-premise or as a service, Hadoop scales horizontally by adding more machines to the cluster.
It's a tie
Elasticity means adapting to the workload in real-time by adding or removing resources as needed. Unfortunately, on-premise Hadoop is not elastic at all - clusters can't grow or contract quickly in the case of changing demands. Even if extra machines are kept on the side for peak hours, they are not utilized the rest of the time which means plenty of money goes down the drain.
On the other hand, Hadoop-as-a-Service is extremely elastic with the ability to initialize or stop cloud instances on demand. Even the entire cluster can be used and completely discarded once a job is finished.
Another win for HaaS
According to a Hadoop study by Accenture, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Hadoop on the cloud is much lower than on-premise. Plenty of money is saved on staff, technical support, and by not having to keep a data center. This leaves more cash to buy resources - for the same monthly budget of over $21,000 (USD), more than five times as much money can be spent on virtual machines on the cloud than bare-metal servers on-premise (over $15,000 instead of $3,000). The elasticity of Hadoop-as-a-Service also helps saving money since the exact amount of resources are used and paid for.
HaaS takes the round
There is a common assumption that Apache Hadoop runs slowly on virtual environments due to intensive I/O operations. However, according to the same study by Accenture, cloud based setups with the same TCO as a bare-metal setup have better performance running Hadoop with real-world applications.
The TCO based comparison definitely makes HaaS a winner, but a one-on-one review with the same hardware, though more costly, would probably make on-premise the winner considering faster network access and data locality. Also, in Accenture's previous study where Amazon Elastic Map Reduce was used, there were a few cases in which bare-metal Hadoop outperformed Hadoop on the cloud (see pages 10-12). We also did some of our own tests, though both in the cloud, where local HDFS outperformed Amazon S3 with twice as fast writing data and almost three times as fast reading data. One can expect numbers to be a lot better on real servers with 6-12 sata3 disks, the best practice for Hadoop.
Tie - HaaS based on a TCO comparison, on-premise for a one on one hardware comparison
(Image by antaean, Some rights reserved)
Ease of Use
Deploying Hadoop on-premise is difficult. It requires hiring Hadoop experts or sending sysadmins to training. Even so, provisioning, configuring, and maintaining Hadoop aren't easy tasks. Once that's taken care of, programming and executing Hadoop jobs requires knowledge in MapReduce and high level languages like Pig which means more hiring or training.
Hadoop-as-a-Service makes Hadoop a lot simpler. It provides easy to use tools to provision and configure clusters while maintenance is taken care of. Also, Hadoop-as-a-Service may include a user interface that allows running MapReduce jobs without any coding at all.
HaaS wins
Availability for on-premise Hadoop really depends on the quality of hardware and manpower available. There are no guarantees. High Availability for the NameNode server depends on whether Hadoop YARN is used where such features are available, or workarounds have been prepared for older versions.
Hadoop-as-a-Service is based on the cloud, so availability depends on which provider is used and their service level agreement. Amazon promises at least 99.95% availability for EC2 while Google promises 99.9% availability for Cloud Storage & BigQuery. High availability depends on the service provider's implementation, so it may be available or not. But even if the cluster isn't working, for whatever reason that may be, it's always possible to add more machines or load a new cluster on the cloud, what simply isn't possible on-premise.
HaaS wins
On-premise durability depends on HDFS. According to a statistical model for HDFS data durability, the probability of losing a block of data (64MB by default) on a large 4,000 node cluster (16 PB total storage, 250,736,598 block replicas) is 5.7x10-7 in the next 24 hours and 2.1x10-4 in the next 365 days. However, for most clusters, which contain only a few dozen instances, the probability of losing data can be much higher.
Hadoop-as-a-Service durability depends on the way the data is stored. If using HDFS, then it's not much different than on-premise. However, using other ways such as S3 may tip the scale - S3 provides a durability of 99.999999999% of objects per year, meaning that a single object could be lost per 10,000 objects once every 10,000,000 years (see the S3 FAQ). That's pretty durable.
HaaS has the advantage
Deploying Hadoop securely on-premise means utilizing Hadoop features such as kerberos authentication and setting the right file permissions. Either way, it is the sysadmin's responsibility.
With Hadoop-as-a-Service, it depends on the service provider's implementation, so it's really important to check their security policy. Amazon Web Services does provide security features such as virtual private clouds, encryption, security groups, and more, so HaaS can definitely be secure if implemented correctly.
It's a tie - depends on implementation
Any Hadoop distribution or Hadoop related project can be used on-premise and any MapReduce code can be executed.
Since Hadoop-as-a-Service is managed, it may arrive with certain limitations on which distribution or Hadoop project is available and whether or not custom code can be written.
Finally, a round for on-premise
Clearly Hadoop-as-a-Service beats on-premise with elasticity, ease of use, and so forth. Running Hadoop on-premise may be the right choice only for large organizations that use their Hadoop 24/7, need to customize it, and have the right budget and manpower. Even so, a middle way of running Hadoop on the cloud rather than as a service, like Netflix does, could be the right choice.

subset: commoncrawl


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This outfit is perfect for a casual day of standing in lines for Black Friday deals or decorating your home for Christmas while eating turkey leftovers! Melissa McCarthy has a great new line with Seven7 that I used a couple pieces from in this outfit.
Here are the apparel and accessory items that I used to create this chic look and you can click here to see all of the Plus Size Outfits of the Day.
- Melissa McCarthy Seven7 Hoodie — $79.00
- Melissa McCarthy Seven7 Jeans — $98.00
- TOMS Classic Canvas Shoes — $47.95
- Halogen Tasseled Leather Bag — $98.00
- Noonday Cubed Stud Earrings — $38.00


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Estranged couple Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt issued a statement on Monday, January 9 expressing their plans to work together for the privacy of their children amid their controversial divorce.
In their joint statement, Pitt and Jolie said, "The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues." This is the first joint statement that Pitt and Jolie released since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt back in September 2016 "for the health of the family."
Authorities conducted an investigation into claims that Pitt was abusive towards his 15-year-old son Maddox Chivan during a private flight from France to the United States in September. The FBI cleared Pitt of any wrongdoing. Pitt and Jolie were married for two years after being a couple for a decade.
At The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC, we understand the problems you and your family are taking on are heartbreaking, and we promise to be discreet, compassionate, and expedient. Speak with a qualified member of our legal team by calling our Fort Worth offices today at (817) 335-9600.
Texas State Representative Matt Krause, a Republican from Fort Worth, filed a bill that seeks to do away with the no fault option when filing for divorce.
This option enables people in Texas and other states to conclude a marriage without having to undergo a long legal process so divorcing couples can simply split their assets and move on with their lives. Krause, who is married with five children, said the easy process of no fault divorce makes it too easy to destroy the family unit. He noted, "I think we've done a terrible job, sometimes in our own lives and own quarters, of making sure we do what we can to strengthen the family. I think this can go some way in reversing that trend."
Krause said another advantage of the elimination of no fault divorce will be to allow "due process" to the spouse who does not want to have a divorce in the first place. Categories of an at fault divorce include adultery, abandonment, cruelty, and a felony conviction, among others.
Our experienced and dedicated team of Fort Worth divorce lawyers at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC help individuals work through family legal issues. Speak with a qualified member of our legal team by calling our offices today at (817) 335-9600.
No couple wants their marriage to end in divorce. Undergoing a divorce is a pretty tricky undertaking, especially once the separating couple tackles the issue of property division – a matter that can vary from state to state.
For instance, Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, New Mexico, Washington, Wisconsin, Nevada, Texas, and Alaska are community property states. This setup means the state considers all properties and assets acquired during the years of marriage as joint property. Assets excluded from this provision are those given as gifts or inherited, or separate property owned before the marriage. As for the other 41 states, assets are awarded "fairly" at a judge's discretion.
To protect one's assets against either case of property classification, a couple may opt to sign a prenuptial agreement, wherein the wife and the husband lay down rules and terms regarding the division of assets if and when a divorce arises.
If you are experiencing a family legal issue in Fort Worth or another area in Texas, you may want our attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC to sort out your case for you. Call our offices today at (817) 335-9600 to learn more about the legal services we offer.
The wife of 29-year-old Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders, Gabriella Waheed—who gave birth on Tuesday, December 13—recently filed divorce documents as their third-year wedding anniversary approached, according to TMZ Sports.
According to the divorce papers, "the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of interest", but does not specify the exact reason as to the breakup of the marriage.
The judge that handled the case allowed the temporary restraining order that Waheed filed against Sanders, to keep him away from her and their Texas home until further notice. On the other hand, the same judge allowed Sanders visitation rights to his two-year-old son and daughter, Zoie.
Family legal matters can have wide-reaching effects on one's own family and financial situation; because of this, if you are considering securing the legal representation a family law attorney in Texas, do not hesitate to hire our attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC by calling our Fort Worth offices today at (817) 335-9600.
New data from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio showed that divorce rates in the United States have dipped at a 35-year low.
Marriage experts said that this occurrence might have something to do with the fact that most Americans are choosing not to get married, either by staying single by choice or having long-standing relationships with their partners without ever saying marriage vows.
While Utah boasts the highest marriage rate in the country, its divorce rate is higher than in 40% of the other states in contrast to this.
Other factors may include the fact that the majority of the U.S. population is nearing the golden years, becoming less likely to make such a drastic life change. In the younger generations, gender roles have been changing and same-sex relationships sometimes contribute to lower levels of marriage in the states.
Choosing to end a marriage can be a complex and emotionally-sensitive personal matter. If you are currently dealing with a family law case, such as divorce, and you live in Fort Worth or other areas in Texas, do not hesitate to enlist the legal help of our attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC by calling our offices today at (817) 335-9600.
State Representative Richard Pena Raymond of Laredo said when the legislative session begins in January 2017 the Texas legislature will seek to address the issue of aiding foster children in their struggles to get college degrees. Pena is the chairman of the Texas House of Representatives Health and Human Services committee, which oversees Child Protective Services.
Elaborating on how the system of education works, Raymond said, "We've come to recognize that if we have students interested in free tuition, it's another thing to deal with the whole situation of how you're gonna get there, how you're gonna live, how you'll pay for books. People forget that." Texas is one of the 28 states that provides free college tuition to former foster children, along with other individuals who are eligible for the program. However, many individuals are unaware when they are eligible for the program.
At The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC, we know how hard a family law dispute can be for you and your family, and we promise to aid in making this ordeal as smooth for you as possible. Get in touch with a qualified member of our legal team today by calling our Fort Worth offices at (817) 335-9600.
Fifty-two-year-old actor and producer Brad Pitt filed his response on Friday, November 4 to 41-year-old actress, film maker, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie-Pitt's divorce filing back on September 19, which sought for sole custody of their six children. The children named in this filing are 15-year-old Maddox Chivan, 12-year-old Pax Thien, 11-year-old Zahara Marley, 10-year-old Shiloh Nouvel, and eight-year-old twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon.
Pitt filed for joint custody of the children and cited irreconcilable differences as a reason for their divorce.
Jolie allegedly filed for divorce from Pitt, after more than 10 years of being in a relationship, when he got into an alleged physical confrontation with their eldest, Maddox, during a trip in a private plane from France to the United States in September.
We at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC are committed to helping you move forward with your life as fast and as painless as possible after a family legal debacle. Speak with a qualified member of our legal team if you need help with a family law case in Fort Worth or other areas in Texas by calling our offices today at (817) 335-9600.
Heather Marie Lanier, 38, was taken into custody by the Lubbock Police Department on charges of criminal conspiracy, causing her three children to enter into the custody of the state.
Three arrests aside from Heather Lanier's happened on Thursday, October 27 after the United States Drug Enforcement Agency raided two houses with evidence of the powerful narcotic Fentanyl. 36-year-old Sidney Caleb Lanier, 28-year-old Jessica Christina Holl, and 32-year-old Jamie Marie Robertson were arrested as well because the three "did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and with persons known and unknown to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance," according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Paperwork filed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services showed that three children were taken into Child Protective Services custody from the Lanier residence. Heather Lanier admitted she knew her husband "was making his own pain medications."
The mission of our attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC is to protect the welfare of families who live in Fort Worth and other areas in Texas by resolving any issues that may arise from familial legal matters such as child custody, child support, property division, alimony, and adoption, among others.
Following the split of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, another Hollywood couple's marriage is supposedly on the rocks.
Thirty-five-year-old singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake and 34-year-old actress Jessica Biel are reportedly breaking up due to Timberlake's extra-marital affairs. Rumors are also circulating that the two are in the middle of a custody battle.
According to Headline & Global News, Timberlake was seen flirting with Anna Kendrick, his co-star in his newest film Trolls. Other reporters claimed to have seen Timberlake and Biel not speaking to each other at a charity event.
Ending a marriage can be a difficult process, whether it occurs via divorce or mediation. Call the attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC today at (817) 335-9600 to set up a consultation.
A judge in Galveston, Texas recently made a decision regarding the $400 million divorce of Winnie and Isa Alwazzan due to allegations that Winnie and her attorneys engaged in shady dealings while arguing the merits of the divorce. The couple is originally from the Kingdom of Bahrain.
This decision means that Winnie and Isa, whose divorce was granted in 2014, are once again married in the eyes of the law. Because the divorce is such a high-stakes case, Winnie's legal counsel promised they would attempt filing for divorce again.
Scott Downing, a Dallas attorney not related to this case, said muti-million dollar cases are not rare but "What's incredibly rare to me is the fact that it's become public." Downing noted that when a high-stakes divorce case such as this one goes mainstream, it is because the people involved in the case are usually after more than just money.
Deciding to end a marriage can be a heartbreaking and emotionally charged experience. To make matters easier for both spouses, choose a family law attorney who will prioritize the needs of the family and craft a marriage agreement that will coincide with the wishes of both parties. Call our attorneys at The Maynard Law Firm, PLLC in Fort Worth at (817) 335-9600 to schedule an initial appointment with our competent legal advisers.


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Aaron McKee
As an associate broker of Riley & Associates Realtors, Aaron is dedicated to serving each of his clients with the highest level of excellence possible. Originally from Maryland, he currently lives in southern York county, PA with his wife, Erika, and three amazing/crazy kids! As a well seasoned professional, he specializes in the sale of residential homes, farms and land in both MD and PA. Aaron attained his broker's license in 2008 after only 5 years in the business and has experience in many facets of the industry including sales, management and broker/ownership of a successful real estate office from 2005 – 2011. He now devotes most of his creativity and energy into his clients, helping take the stress out of the buying and selling process. (as much as possible!) Contact him today so that he can help make your next real estate transaction an enjoyable one!


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Which one is you?
When you walk into a networking event, do you feel fired up and ready to tell people about the great services you offer? Or are you wracked with nerves and wanting to hide away in the corner? When people ask you about your business, can you clearly describe what you do in a way that makes people want to find out more? Or do you just mumble the first thing you can think of and hope it sounds good?
If it's the first scenario then congratulations – you sound like you're rocking it when it comes to bringing in clients. If it's the latter then read on or watch the video below, because I'm going to share with you may be stopping yourself from attracting clients to your business – and how you can overcome it.
Now if you're a solo entrepreneur then you ARE the business and how you come across to people will determine whether they want to work with you or not. So if you lack self-confidence or self-belief, that will come across to prospective clients and will make them doubt whether you have the skills to help them.
When I first started up in business, I didn't have a lot of belief in myself as an entrepreneur. Networking events were the worst where I had to start a conversation with complete strangers. I didn't know what to say, and ended up stumbling over my words and hoping the floor would swallow me up!
Read my previous blog – How to Create a 60 Second Pitch That Will Make People Want to Work with You
This lack of confidence is very common amongst newbies, but even established entrepreneurs can get nervous about networking or pitching to prospective clients.
I've found that there are 3 key beliefs that can stop you from attracting clients to your business. And in this blog, I'm going to take you through the first one and how you can overcome it.
The first key belief that can stop you getting clients is:
"I'm not good enough."
This is a common belief amongst start-up entrepreneurs. I know that I negatively compared myself to others when I first set up my business. They had more social media followers than me, they got more comments on their blogs or videos, they had more experience as an entrepreneur. All of this would make me question why someone would want to hire me, read my blogs or download my online course, when there's this person who's been doing it for years and comes across as highly successful!
Don't forget that everyone starts somewhere. That person you admire? They were a beginner once. They may have 20k followers on Twitter now, but they started off with zero and worried about their follower count. They may be a key speaker at major industry events, but I bet they started out nervous about speaking in public. They may have loads of people on their subscriber list, but they started off with nothing and worried if anyone would download their free report.
So if you're negatively comparing yourself to others who are more successful than you, then remember that you're just at a different part of the journey than them. But it doesn't mean that you can't achieve similar results if that's what you want.
Here's a quick and easy exercise that can help you to overcome feelings of doubt and insecurity and get you back on track.
First of all, find somewhere quiet to sit for 20 minutes without any distractions. Now use your imagination to create a visualisation of what success looks like to you. That could be you giving a talk to a room full of people and getting a standing ovation; a list of glowing comments on your blogs and social media posts from people that love what you do; or a growing list of subscribers who can't wait to get your next email and buy what you're selling. Really go deep into this visualisation – use all your senses to experience it fully. Then once you've completed it, write down what you can do now to start making it a reality. It could be something as simple as writing your next blog post.
Using your imagination in this way is extremely powerful. Remember that the mind can't tell the difference between a real or imagined event. So you're shifting yourself away from self-doubt and fear into one of confidence and action. And this positive motivational energy will help you to take the action needed to attract the right people to your business. And if you keep doing this then before long, you'll be that person that others admire.
So don't hide behind doubt and fear, get out there and strut your stuff!
Watch out for the next blog where I'll be talking about the second key mindset that can stop people wanting to hire you.
For more tips to help you attract clients to your business, download our free report – The 7 Reasons Why Service Businesses Fail to Attract Clients Online
- 3 Key Beliefs That Stop You From Attracting Clients to Your Business – Part 2 - 28th February 2018
- 3 Key Beliefs That Stop You From Attracting Clients to Your Business – Part 1 - 28th February 2018
- How to Find Your Ideal Client - 4th October 2017
- How to Admit That You're Not an Expert and Still Get People to Hire you - 13th September 2017
- Not Getting Clients Through Your Website? It Could Be the Story You're Telling - 2nd August 2017
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Adventures in the Northlands
Vertebrate Mountain Shorts
- £1.99
- £1.99
Publisher Description
Lightning hit the cliff high above us, sending a dumper-load of rocks thrumming like jagged cannonballs out of the clouds to explode around us. Bill took a direct hit on his helmet, which was smashed. He hung limply and silently on the rope. His face, which was streaming with blood from a gash in his head, was a ghastly shade of white. For a horrible moment, we thought he was dead, but he came round slowly. We suggested bivouacking until he recovered but Bill, who always thrived in adversity, was having none of it. Having bandaged his head and reversed his helmet so that the hole in it wasn't over the hole in his head, and at his insistence bunged a f*g in his mouth to keep him happy, we continued into the storm up the last 300 metres of the snow covered cliff. We emerged triumphantly over the cornice into the blizzard and whiteout, another first ascent in the bag.' Adventures in the Northlands is a collection of short stories written by British adventurer and mountaineer Tony Howard. From a life spent in the mountains and wilderness, Tony recalls epic tales of climbing, kayaking and adventure from Greenland, the kon and, his home-from-home, Norway. Journey with Tony into some of the most incredible wild places on earth. Vertebrate Mountain Shorts are collections of mountaineering, climbing, adventure and wilderness writing, published as ebooks and intended to be read in one go. Written by some of the world's leading outdoor adventure authors, they include rare, previously out of print and exciting new works. Vertebrate Mountain Shorts will always be inspirational, direct and to the point.


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Chromium carbide films with different phase contents were deposited at 126±26 °C by industrial high rate reactivemagnetron sputtering, using both direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high power impulsemagnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). Film structure and properties were studied by SEM, XRD, TEM, XPS, NRA, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, unlubricated reciprocating sliding experiments, and a laboratory setup to measure electrical contact resistance. The films consisted of amorphous a-CrCy, a nanocrystalline minority phase of metastable cubic nc-CrCx, and a hydrogenated graphite-like amorphous carbon matrix (a-C:H). The DCMS and HiPIMS processes yielded films with similar phase contents and microstructures, as well as similar functional properties. Low elastic modulus, down to 66 GPa, indicated good wear properties via a hardness/elastic modulus (H/E) ratio of 0.087. Unlubricated steady-state friction coefficients down to 0.13 were obtained for films with 69 at.% carbon, while the electrical contact resistance could be reduced by two orders of magnitude by addition of a-C:H phase to purely carbidic films. The present films are promising candidates for sliding electrical contact applications.
Today's electronic society relies on the functionality of electrical contacts. To achieve good contact properties, surface coatings are normally applied. Such coatings should ideally fulfill a combination of different properties, like high electrical conductivity, high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance and low cost. A common coating strategy is to use noble metals since these do not form insulating surface oxides. However, such coatings are expensive, have poor wear resistance and they are often applied by electroplating, which poses environmental and human health hazards.
In this thesis, nanocomposite carbide-based coatings were studied and the aim was to evaluate if they could exhibit properties that were suitable for electrical contacts. Coatings in the Cr-C, Cr-C-Ag and Nb-C systems were deposited by magnetron sputtering using research-based equipment as well as industrial-based equipment designed for high-volume production. To achieve the aim, the microstructure and composition of the coatings were characterized, whereas mechanical, tribological, electrical, electrochemical and optical properties were evaluated. A method to optically measure the amount of carbon was developed.
In the Cr-C system, a variety of deposition conditions were explored and amorphous carbide/amorphous carbon (a-C) nanocomposite coatings could be obtained at substrate temperatures up to 500 °C. The amount of a-C was highly dependent on the total carbon content. By co-sputtering with Ag, coatings comprising an amorphous carbide/carbon matrix, with embedded Ag nanoclusters, were obtained. Large numbers of Ag nanoparticles were also found on the surfaces. In the Nb-C system, nanocrystalline carbide/a-C coatings could be deposited. It was found that the nanocomposite coatings formed very thin passive films, consisting of both oxide and a-C.
The Cr-C coatings exhibited low hardness and low-friction properties. In electrochemical experiments, the Cr-C coatings exhibited high oxidation resistance. For the Cr-C-Ag coatings, the Ag nanoparticles oxidized at much lower potentials than bulk Ag. Overall, electrical contact resistances for optimized samples were close to noble metal references at low contact load. Thus, the studied coatings were found to have properties that make them suitable for electrical contact applications.


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Most of us have been unwilling (and unconscious) participants in a popular dialogue. "I'm a mom! I don't have time!" We just buy into it and assume its the truth, right? And then we get to the newborn stage and think my life will never be the same again. It's like deer in headlights stuff. What just happened?
Tell someone you have two babies: "wow, you must be busy!" or you tell them you are working and have two young kids – they shake their heads in disbelief and mutter under their breath "have fun with that." Then you wonder if you are making a massive mistake, if it's truly possible.
Before I even had kids people would hush their voices, grab my hands and whisper, as if disclosing a deep dark secret. "your life is over." (Okay maybe not that dramatic but their tone conveyed this hidden message.)
I came into motherhood literally bracing for a vortex. A giant black hole into which my time, my previous life, and my identity would get sucked into. Oh my, it was scary. I was bracing.
To be sure, the "fourth trimester" – the first three months of babykins' life – are this endless loop of feedings, naps, diaper changes and cooing over a miracle, and googling like you've never googled before. And crying. Lots of crying But… BUT…once you get your groove, slowly, ever so slowly you begin to do little things again.
Stand in the kitchen and sip a coffee. Watch netflix. Read a book. Go out for a quick date with your husband. Paint your toenails (oh yes, believe it! Those 7 layers of crusty sparkly stuff from your pre-baby life will be removed – it happens!) Laundry. You get to this stage where you sit down at the end of the day, feet aching, bracing yourself for the night shift, yet you think "shit, I am more productive than I HAVE EVER BEEN BEFORE." You, my lady, are a machine.
The argument I am going to make here, is that HAVING CHILDREN IS THE BEST THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN TO YOUR TIME.
A pretty absurd statement isn't it? I am sitting here on my laptop, struggling to stay awake at 9:54 pm, but I am telling you that how you use your time will be transformed, and you will use it ore effectively than you ever have before.
Is this shocking? When you are hurriedly showering hoping your little humans don't destroy something (or themselves) in the living room upstairs? Or while they are howling downstairs in the bathroom from their car seat / swing / whatever restraint device? I hope it does feel a bit shocking.
But hear me out mama. I speak from two mat leaves, and the future.
I'll tell you a quick story.
I work with olympic athletes. If you think you are busy, let's talk about olympic athletes who are studying at University. Swimmers. Swimmers are some of the craziest of that lot. 5am swims. Quick breakfasts. a full day of university classes. Back in the pool early afternoon. Another session early evening, if not dryland training. Somewhere in between there, eating and recovery activities such as massage (don't think this is relaxing massage, it's terrible, I've use an olympic team masseuse and it redefines torture) – and rehabilitation if they are injured. I didn't even mention part time jobs in here.
Yet, when I work with these people, they are the people who have the best attitude about time. This group, who have almost NO downtime, can tell me without hesitation how they enjoyed their downtime, and are quite dialled in on their time management! It comes down to the age old phrase of "quality over quantity."
Olympic athletes are not that much different from us new mamas. Limited downtime. A physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting job that goes from the crack of dawn to well past sundown. They have maybe an hour of downtime in their days. I know this, because I literally map out their schedules with them as part of my coaching profession. I also map out schedules with new mamas as a professional coach, and the short bursts of free time are not all that different.
What we can learn is when we have just one precious hour, one delicious break where we sit down with a sigh, feet aching, we are that much more mindful of the beautiful but short break we have. More so than we have ever been before.
Remember the days spent on a couch, 10 hours passing by with only our hunger telling us to get up and go to the kitchen? There's no time to waste time away anymore. I don't ever hear a mom say "just killin time." NOPE. If there is an hour of free time, the mums I know are strategically planning out the best use of that. Maybe it's laundry. Maybe it's making a meal. Maybe it's some kind of critical budgeting or administrative activity. Maybe it's (equally important) sitting down or having a nap. No drop of time is wasted. It is planned and used with intention. And that occasional glorious break? A glass of wine? A magazine? We remember those moments.
I challenge you to remember one moment drinking a glass of wine in your house ten years ago, versus one moment doing it now (probably chugged because you're not sure when the baby will wake up, haha.) We savour that which is sacred. So much more.
And this, is why I think children are the best thing to happen to our free time.
We are so much more conscious and intentional with it.
I was chatting with a friend the other day about my instagram feed. I do enjoy social media and it is part of my wake up in the morning routine. I get my housecoat on, sneak into the lounge before anyone is awake, sip coffee and wake up.
I know I only have 30 minutes to do this. I want to make sure I use those 30 minutes well, and a few months ago I thought "wait, why am I wasting this amazing break on useless shit on instagram that doesn't help me?" so I've pared down my social media to 25% of the accounts that I followed previously. Most of the accounts I follow now are connected to a greater meaning.
They either give me ideas or inspire me to work towards the vision I have for my life, the lifestyle I am working toward, the goals I aspire to, or remind me of the values I hold.
I'm sorry random online business hustler taking selfies with hot women – I'm not giving you a few minutes of my attention. My time is too precious.
That which is limited, we value even more.
Think about anything in your life that you love. If it becomes limited, you appreciate it even more. It's true. Try drinking just one coffee a day and then come back and tell me how much you appreciate that one cup of coffee. 🙂
When the quantity decreases, the quality increases.
Your downtime may have literally decreased, but figuratively you have gained so much more.
Will you take advantage of that? Or continue to pine for that which was in the past?


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Soak up insights from two of the Guardian's most prolific journalists.
Join two of the Guardian's best-known journalists for this entertaining and informative masterclass. You'll learn how to develop original and engaging angles for stories, and express your personality in your writing.
Whether you're new to writing or want to improve your craft, this is the ultimate primer for anyone who wants to learn how to present a strong argument with confidence. Book your place now and spend your evening soaking up insights and advice at the Guardian headquarters.
- Guardian Weekend magazine columnist Tim Dowling on how to use your own life experiences in your writing
- Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee on how to write a column and raise important issues through your writing
Tutor profiles
Polly Toynbee is a columnist for the Guardian and former BBC social affairs editor. She won the Orwell prize for journalism in 1998, and was named columnist of the year at the British Press Awards in 2007. She has written and co-authored many books. Her latest book is Dismembered: How the Attack on the State Harms Us All, co-written with David Walker. Read Polly's Guardian articles here.
Tim Dowling is a journalist for the Guardian. He writes a weekly column for Weekend magazine and is the author of several books, including How to Be a Husband. Read Tim's Guardian articles here.
All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com if you have any queries or concerns.


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Is the breakaway hit of this weekend, quickly making it to the coveted number one position on the Top Free listing of the App Store. Called a "Kitchen Nightmare Escape," the game is a side-scrolling endless runner at which you must direct a sausage run a succession of obstacles. Avoid slicing knives, smashing tenderizers, searing grills, and spinning blades to gather coins, powerups and points. If you are too quick or too slow, too high or too low, your little sausage will satisfy its damn demise.
As a high-score chaser, the sport is indeed simple, but it shines here by crafting the crucial gameplay elements. Movement, graphics, and soundtrack all contribute to a addictive treat of a sport that is surprisingly beautiful. The default action is a slow stroll, which you may accelerate and then return to because you pass through barriers, giving you a real sense of control on your progress. This is also quite effective in creating a meaningful sense of inertia because you guide the runner forward. Each little sausage or bacon pops backwards as it works, leading to a sense of weight and forwards movement.
The art style features a retro vibe on this and I coudn't help but feel about those marching concession-stand hot dogs encouraging one to "go into the reception" at the beginning of older movies. Power-ups are enjoyable and charmingly idiosyncratic since you learn to proceed optimally while they are active. Ongoing advancement will unlock funny new outfits that you can buy with coins you get through passing barriers and collecting during the level. Alas, the various outfits don't seem to be anything more than superficial; I actually wanted my toaster sausage to be faster and more agile, but it appeared to possess exactly the same skills as the ordinary sausage.
I often play games without the audio on, unless it's imperative for the adventure, but Run Sausage Run! Requires a nod to the great soundtrack. I challenge any player to not smile when hearing the music… that is, until the exact loud ads disrupt your game play. However, on its own, the audio is a wonderful addition to this game.
One-thumb game play, portrait orientation, quick sessions, and also the capability to return to a paused game will make this a fun choice for commuters. Fans of of this cult hit Tank Trouble will probably delight in the goofy goriness. The game is absolutely free to play, but advertisements become more competitive with time launch automatically in the middle of a session. If you're enjoying the game, there's gratefully an IAP to remove ads which radically improves the experience (and ceases interrupting that good audio). Is well worth the free downloading simply to experience that inevitable slice. It's an enjoyable, silly snack of a game which will test your timing abilities and tolerance for blood splatter.
Run Sausage Run! Tips, Cheats, and Strategies
Quirky small sausages are facing a few hazardous slicing and dicing from the new unlimited runner Run Sausage Run! Which we recently reviewed. If you are seeking to unlock outfits, gather power-ups, and find the highest score possible, below are some Gamezebo's tips, tricks, and strategies for Run Sausage Run!
Know Your Enemy
Each obstacle acts as a different kind of enemy and takes a different approach to make it through without breaking up down your bacon.
For your blade that slices up and down, then you can progress slowly and immediately progress on it to lean back and clear the elevation once the blade is at the top. For the blade that pieces side, you'll want to advance on it quickly to stay bent over non for its whole length. For your tenderizer, falling gride blade, and fiery grill, then you can take your time and walk around people slowly, allow them do their thing and then speed through. For the dual blades that move up and down, you will need to progress on them quickly to acquire low and move through as fast as you can. The windmill blade requires upkeep and precise timing; do not try and accelerate through. Carefully move forward, cease to avoid running to the next blade, then proceed again.
Know Your Own Power-Ups
The Snowflake will activate "frozen challenges" that will prevent everything from moving. However, remember that while the blades are not moving, they will still kill you if you crash into them.
The Down Arrow can force you to shrink, making you somewhat quicker, briefer and a little bouncier as you lean back in the run place. You can go pretty far, fairly fast once you've shrunk.
Note that the Up Arrow is not a beneficial power-up. It'll activate "enlarged" which makes you taller, fatter, and more thinner. Attempt and avoid it if possible, but it usually adheres to a location where it is unavoidable. It often seems to appear directly before the windmill blades that are design, which makes it quite difficult to match underneath them ; make certain you've got a fast running start after you activate Enlarge.
The Protection Bun will give you invincibility for a short period of time, so in the event that you score you, run as fast as the little bratfeet will take you.
Just Run
Never mind the slow rhythmic and cautious progression, I actually made It to my highest rating of 135 in one fast run just by holding down and not stopping. I was only able to do so after, with subsequent efforts resulting in pretty quick deaths, however if you are feeling lucky it's absolutely worth a shot on a primary run; we do not recommend risking it on a continuing run, however.
Prioritize Your Goals
Do you need to unlock all of the outfits or do you want to get a Massively high score? If the former, then you will have to concentrate on collecting coins to buy unlocks, or consistent gameplay to make unlocks without purchasing. If you're more interested in getting a high score, then you will need to focus on making it through as many hurdles as possible, and don't be concerned about risking your neck to grab a coin or two.
Eliminate The Ads
If You're really committed to sausage excellence, consider that for A nominal IAP, it is possible to eliminate all the advertisements. This will immediately Enhance your gameplay stream and prevent unnecessary interruptions that Will probably lead to your premature demise.


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Responsible Consumption
"We want to convey a message of moderation, so that the consumption of wines and spirits continues to be something that people enjoy, in the same way they enjoy holidays, moments of convivialité or simply relaxing."
Patrick Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard from 1978 to 2012
Through our tagline, "Creators of Convivialité", we encourage responsible consumption of our products. There is nothing convivial about excess. That's our commitment.
Pernod Ricard's commitments
To ensure that consuming our products continues to be an enjoyable experience that poses no health risk, we encourage consumption in moderation and combat inappropriate forms of consumption. This educational outreach is based on campaigns that we conduct alone or, whenever possible, in partnership with other industry members, non-profit organisations and public authorities.
In addition, we maintain strict internal criteria for this responsible marketing, through standards contained in our Code for Commercial Communications.
To reach populations at risk and address hazardous behaviour more effectively, Pernod Ricard has defined five priority commitments:
1. promote consumption in moderation,
2. combat drink-driving,
3. raise awareness among young people about the potential risks posed by alcohol abuse and inappropriate consumption,
4. discourage the use of alcohol by pregnant women,
5. encourage a responsible attitude among Group employees.
These five priorities reflect the five commitments that each member of our industry must uphold in order to combat inappropriate consumption of our products.
The industry's five commitments
During the conference of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD; formerly the International Center for Alcohol Policies) held in October 2012, Pierre Pringuet – at that time Vice Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard – announced five commitments by producers of beer, wine and spirits to reduce excessive or inappropriate alcohol consumption:
• combat underage drinking,
• strengthen and expand codes of best practices in marketing,
• inform consumers and develop responsible product innovations,
• reduce drinking and driving,
• enlist the support of retailers.
The companies set a target date of 2017 to address these five issues. In the meantime, evaluations have been conducted by an independent third party, with the results shared annually.
Responsib'All Day: a day when the Group stops work
Since 2011, our entire workforce of 18,500 employees in our affiliates worldwide has stopped work one day a year to devote all its efforts to promoting responsible consumption. This event reflects the spirit of convivialité at Pernod Ricard: employees share their best practices and provide a renewed boost to projects that have been developed throughout the year.
For the sixth edition, employees took part in activities to benefit local communities around the world, touching on all our areas of CSR engagement.
On 5 June 2015, Pernod Ricard celebrated the fifth edition of Responsib'ALL Day. For the occasion, 5,500 sales staff throughout the world distributed 500,000 leaflets to their main customers (cafés, hotels, restaurants) and major retailers. These leaflets highlighted the eight key principles required for the responsible distribution of alcoholic beverages, serving as a reference on matters such as the volume of alcohol contained in a standard-sized glass.
The fourth edition of Responsib'ALL Day, held on the 22 May 2014, coincided with the launch of the free mobile application, Wise Drinking. Available in 37 languages, the app lets users calculate their alcohol consumption in real time, and is the first global digital application to promote responsible drinking.
The third edition of the Responsib'ALL Day took place on the 5 June 2013. This occasion provided an opportunity to reaffirm the five key commitments made by the Beer, Wine and Spirits Industry at the 2012 ICAP Conference.
No alcohol for minors, and only responsible drinking for young adults. This was the message put forward during the second Responsib'ALL Day, held on the 7 June 2012 and delivered by Pernod Ricard employees across all continents, from Sydney to São Paulo, by way of Shanghai, New Delhi, Tokyo, Sofia and Johannesburg!
The first Responsib'ALL Day was devoted to combating drinking and driving, and coincided with the launch of the United Nation's first decade of road safety measures.


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As the Cowboys continue their quest to fill out their coaching staff, former Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt reportedly met with the team this week concerning a potential role here in Dallas in 2013.
Nutt, who has no NFL experience, coached the Razorbacks from 1998-2007. He moved on to Ole Miss from 2008-2011 before spending last season out of football.
As of yet, it's completely unclear what sort of role he would have with the Cowboys. As ESPN Dallas's Todd Archer points out, the only current vacancy on the offensive side of the ball is at running backs coach--the recently departed Skip Peete's old spot--though this could soon change. Tight ends coach and passing game coordinator John Garrett applied this week for the head coaching gig at the University of Delaware.
Seeing as how owner and Jerry Jones is a proud Arkansas alum, the connection between Nutt and the Cowboys is more than a little apparent. At the very least, we'd imagine the two had plenty to talk about at their meeting.
Stay on top of the latest Dallas Cowboys news with NBCDFW.com. Follow NBC DFW on Facebook or have breaking Cowboys news sent directly to your phone with Blue Star SMS alerts. Text "bluestar" to 622339 (NBCDFW) to subscribe, text HELP for more info, and text STOP to end the subscription. Message and data rates may apply.Read more about it here.


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We are the product of our people, our location and our history.
Our whisky, like our island home, is shaped by a wild climate and stormy seas, and by the Vikings who settled here over 1,000 years ago, leaving their mark on our people and our culture.
There are people, near and far, whose passion and skill ensures that they – and our whisky – stand apart.
Warehouse Team Leader, boatbuilder and oarsman
Keith describes his job as a juggling of manpower and paperwork. With over 100,000 casks to look after, it's perhaps a salutary lesson in self-deprecation. Away from the distillery, Keith – like his Viking ancestors before him – is most at home on the water. A builder of boats and an expert oarsman, he's the driving force behind the Orkney Rowing Club, masterminding their charity race in 2016 and circumnavigating the 100 mile coastline around Orkney's mainland in 24 hours.
Designer, artist & entrepreneur
A designer and artist of international renown, Jim considers himself the last Viking in Denmark. His 36th great grandfather was Ragnvald Eysteinsson, the first Earl of the Orkney Islands and Jim can trace his own bloodline all the way back to the 8th century. Such is his passion and pride in his Viking heritage that he built, and now lives in his own spectacular Viking Castle in the Danish village of Faaborg. Jim is the creative genius behind the packaging design for our special edition, Valkyrie, part of the Viking Legends Series.
Distillery Manager, musician and whisky pioneer
Marie is a true Viking Chieftain, with a brave and pioneering spirit, a sense of adventure and a dedicated work ethic. She relishes taking Highland Park to new places and helping our tribe to grow. And Marie applies a typically Viking determination and love of creativity to life outside the distillery too. Not only does she play four instruments (fiddle, flute, viola and organ!) but here on Orkney, where fierce winds mean no trees survive, she's actually managed to coax a palm tree to life in her sheltered back garden!
Warehouseman and master craftsman
A talented craftsman with superb carpentry skills, Robbie joined the warehouse team in 2003, bringing his excellent understanding of wood to the care of our valuable casks. In 2005, with the same attention to detail and respect for raw materials that he brings to work, Robbie began building Orkney Chairs, inspired by their honest and timeless design. It's fair to say he's now perfected his craft. Each chair takes up to 100 hours and Robbie has completed around 30, most of which he auctions for charity, raising between £800 and £1,000 apiece.
Photographer and visual storyteller
Internationally renowned for his striking portraits of musicians (think Oasis, Björk, Arcade Fire and REM) Danish-born Søren cites "using locations to create a stage where people can play and express themselves" as a critical aspect of his image making. In 2016, he joined us on Orkney, photographing our distillery team at work and capturing the whisky making traditions we've followed for over 220 years. With his signature use of dramatic lighting, he recorded the harsh environment and stark beauty of the Orcadian landscape too, providing a perfect visual documentation of what makes Highland Park stand apart – Location, People and Whisky.
Warehouseman and Kirkwall Ba' champion
In a tradition predating known records, the Kirkwall Ba' Game is played twice a year (Christmas Day and New Year's Day) between the Uppies and the Doonies. Playing for the Uppies, Ronnie is one of very few Orcadians to have won the final Ba' as man and boy - in 2007 and back in 1985, with his twin brother Jack. A true team player, Ronnie brings the same enthusiastic commitment and sense of team spirit to our small band of workers at the distillery as he does when he joins half of Kirkwall's men in a bid to win the Ba' Game.
Our Viking ancestors were famed for their love of exploration. Why not set off on your own voyage of discovery and navigate your way around our range of award-winning whiskies...
A tribute to the enduring influence of our Viking ancestors and the value they placed on skilled craftsmanship and a steadfast work ethic...
The heart and soul of Highland Park - a perfect harmony of aromatic smoky peat, sweet heather honey and rich fruit cake...


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A few weeks ago, I blogged about a project I helped work on at my friend Debbie's house. Remember the armoire we transformed?
Well, she sent me home with one of her table lamps that day, and I've been thinking about how to change it for her ever since.
She told me she received it as a wedding gift 28 years ago, but that she really didn't care for the brass or the shade anymore.
I, on the other hand, kind of liked the brass (and embossed floral pattern), so I couldn't bring myself to do anything super-permanent to it. I did spray the top of it with some oil rubbed bronze spray paint…
…but, like I said, I was pretty determined to figure out a way to not damage that middle section. (Ya know, just in case Debbie changes her mind about it someday!) 😉
I played around with several ideas before finally settling on slipcovers.
Yep. When I saw these fabrics at Joann's, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do!
Aren't they pretty? I found the gray floral in the upholstery fabric section, and the navy ikat in the outdoor fabric section. I picked up some light khaki colored trim to go with them, too:
Long story short, I measured the area in the middle, and cut a piece of the ikat and a piece of the gray floral to fit it. Next, I used fabric glue to attach the trim. Last but not least, I ran some Velcro up the inside of the seam in back so that Debbie can change out the slipcovers if she wants to:
(The lamp shade is from Target.)
It was a fun little project, and I'm reeeeally hoping Debbie likes her "new" lamp(s). If not, I guess we'll just head back to the fabric store together this time! 😀


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While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Mark Hamill revealed he's currently in talks to reprise the role of Luke Skywalker in the new "Star Wars" trilogy.
"George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested. He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts - they would write us out," Hamill told ET. "... I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts. We're in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed -- on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am."
Here's the extended promo for next week's "Arrow" entitled "Dead to Rights."
"Arrow" newcomer Colton Haynes, who plays Roy Harper, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about joining the cast of the CW drama.
"Roy is still a bad-ass like he was in the comics, but the Arrow producers have given him a heart," Haynes told THR. "He's definitely the bad boy that piques Thea's interest, but he's doing the things he has to do to live the life he's been given in the ghetto of [Starling City's] the Glades."
Finally, TV Guide spoke with Emily Bett Rickards, who was recently announced as a recurring character, about her portrayal of Felicity Smoak and how she factors in to Oliver Queen's covert operations.
"It creates a certain dynamic that was different from what Olivier and Diggle had because she's the polar opposite of Diggle in a sense that she hasn't seen anyone die and this isn't actually her regular day job," Rickards told TV Guide. "Her role now is to help them solve different crimes in Starling City as well as creating a different balance to the group that the audience, and Olivier and Diggle, will enjoy as well. She's got that awkward, quirky spunk. As much as she's socially inadequate, she's always so gung-ho to hack into something. She's really smart. I find her emotional depth and her emotional capacity interesting because she's so socially awkward."
Airs Wednesdays on the CW
io9 has posted new photos from this weekend's episode of "The Walking Dead," "I Ain't No Judas."
Airs Sundays on AMC
The official "The Wolverine" Facebook page posted this new look at Hugh Jackman as Logan with the caption, "The past is always behind you, but the memories still remain."
Director James Mangold posted a behind-the-scenes photo to Twitter of film editor Mike McCusker working on editing the movie.
Late night on @thewolverine. Here is my POV from a couch behind editor Mike McCusker. Last reel. twitter.com/mang0ld/status...
— James Mangold (@mang0ld) February 20, 2013
Opens July 26
Bryan Singer continues his Twitter teases, this time with a photo of the hallway leading to Cerebro, still in progress, for "X-Men: Days of Future Past."
How many days until @comic_con? #XMen #DaysofFuturePast #SDCC twitter.com/BryanSinger/st...
— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) February 20, 2013
Opens July 18, 2014
The Film Stage has posted a new still from "Ender's Game" revealing Hailee Steinfeld as Petra eating lunch with Asa Butterfield as Ender.
Opens November 1
DC Entertainment has released two new stills from "Superman: Unbound" of Supergirl and Lois Lane.
The release also confirmed the next DC Animated film based on Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert's "Flashpoint" miniseries, which led to the creation of the New 52, entitled "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox."
Releases May 7 on DVD/Blu-ray
According to MTV, "9" director Shane Acker is onboard to adapt a CG animated feature of "Beasts of Burden," based on Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson's Dark Horse Comics of the same name. "Beasts of Burden" focuses on five dogs and one cat that solve supernatural mysteries.
Got any rampant rumors or weird comic book stuff? Be sure to drop us an email or sling us a webline on Twitter!


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The Minnesota Twins ended the Los Angeles Angels' eight-game winning streak with a 10-1 victory on Sunday, powered by Justin Morneau's two home runs.
Morneau, the Twins' designated hitter, belted a two-run homer in the first inning and gave Minnesota an 8-1 lead with a solo homer in the seventh.
"As Morneau goes, we go," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters. "When he is swinging like that we go pretty good."
The win ended a four-game losing streak for Minnesota.
Denard Span drove in four more runs with a two-run single in a four-run, fourth inning and a two-run homer in the eighth, and Nick Punto had three runs batted in.
The Twins had 12 hits against the American League West-leading Angels, rocking Los Angeles starter Ervin Santana (3-6) for six runs and six hits in three-and-two-thirds innings.
Minnesota's Anthony Swarzak (3-3) got the win by holding the hosts to four hits and one run over six-and-two-thirds innings.
"We haven't seen him before," Angels leadoff batter Chone Figgins said of Swarzak. "He made his pitches. He kept throwing strikes, kept the ball out of the middle of the plate. We took some good rips against him. We just couldn't get some hits and get guys on base."
The Angels' lone run came on a solo homer by Kendry Morales in the fourth.
"The Angels beat up on us pretty good for three days and it was nice to go out there and get the win," the Twins' Punto said. "It was one of those road trips where a lot of things didn't go our way, but I feel like we picked ourselves up."
At New York, Derek Jeter hit a go-ahead single and Mariano Rivera earned a four-out save as New York capped a stellar homestand in which they grabbed the AL East.
Robinson Cano had an early three-run double and the Yankees got a strong effort from the bullpen, as they wrapped up a 9-1 start to the second half. After winning for the 22nd time in 28 games, the Yankees hit the road for 19 of their next 26.
Phil Hughes provided more spotless relief, Phil Coke (2-3) go the win even though he gave up a go-ahead homer to Mark Ellis, and Brian Bruney got the ball to Rivera to close out the game.
At Kansas City, Missouri, Dustin Nippert allowed one hit in a stellar job of relief pitching as Texas scored seven times off the Kansas City bullpen.
Nippert was forced into action when Rangers starter Kevin Millwood left after two innings with tightness in his left gluteus.
He gave up a run in the seventh on Alex Gordon's single, the only hit he allowed. Nippert (3-0) walked two, hit a batter and struck out one in four-and-two-thirds innings.
Ron Mahay (1-1), the first of four relievers, faced two batters and gave up two hits to take the loss for the Royals. They've lost 11 of 12 overall.
In other AL play, it was:
• Orioles 6, Red Sox 2
• Blue Jays 5, Rays 1
• Indians 12, Mariners 3
• White Sox 5, Tigers 1
Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez all hit two-run home runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-2 win over the St Louis Cardinals in the National League on Sunday.
Joe Blanton (7-4) had another effective outing, allowing two runs and he struck out six over eight innings. Blanton has allowed two runs or less and pitched at least seven innings in five of his last six starts for the NL East leaders.


text: Is the equivalent of a doctorate "docteur ès philosophie"? Or should I write "docteur en philosophie". I always thought it was the former, but I'm told now that "ès" is only used for plural sciences (i.e "docteur ès lettres", "docteur ès sciences"). What is the best way to express a general doctorate, i.e the equivalent to an American PhD?


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Experienced Oregon Medical Malpractice Attorney Robert Miller
National breast cancer statistics being what they are, doctors across Oregon and the U.S. should be screening patients and properly diagnosing this disease as never before.
Unfortunately, medical negligence continues in the practice of breast cancer diagnosis. I am the lawyer to speak with if your Oregon physician's failure to detect breast cancer has put your life at risk. I am Robert Miller, founder and trial attorney for the Law Office of Robert A. Miller in Eugene.
For more than 35 years of successful practice in Eugene and Greater Portland, I have aggressively and successfully represented the rights of individuals and families whose lives have been altered by medical errors, doctor mistakes or hospital negligence.
When a hospital patient's injury occurs or illness worsens, I conduct an in-depth investigation into what happened, determine if the standard of care was breached - utilizing my extensive knowledge of anatomy, medical care and medical jargon - and conclude whether that breach was the ultimate cause of your injury.
Doctors have a responsibility to follow certain treatment protocols for evaluation of symptoms, conducting of mammograms and elimination of other possible causes of breast problems. When a physician fails to request testing or read CAT scans and mammograms accurately, my law firm coordinates efforts with a network of medical experts, radiologists and other specialists to expose departures from protocol and acts of negligence.
More Than 35 Years Of Experience Protecting What Matters Most - You
If a patient has a family history of breast cancer, failure to test for a gene mutation may amount to medical negligence. Risk factors could be present which make additional investigation and testing essential to a proper diagnosis.
Even if a patient lacks a genetic pre-disposition toward breast cancer, certain environmental factors and endocrinal disorders could come into play. If a woman has taken oral contraceptives for a long period of time or was exposed to toxic materials at a young age, she could be considered as having an increased risk for breast cancer. Failure on the part of a physician to inquire and investigate could contribute to a late diagnosis of breast cancer.
Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be brought, a preliminary finding of negligence against a doctor must be established in a report that describes failings or lapses on a doctor's part. If a preliminary finding of negligence is reached, I can begin preparing your case for negotiations with insurers or for trial.
Your initial consultation with the Law Office of Robert A. Miller is free of charge. To discuss your case, contact us in Eugene at 541-359-4331 or send an e-mail. We handle all medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis - you owe no attorney fee unless we win your case.


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Previous results prompted us to follow the demand to produce wine from this region. It has mineral enriched soil. This particular location benefits from both the sun and a breeze. Consequently, at VILLA VINEA we focus on innovation, sophistication, craftsmanship and passion.
We are targeting markets outside Romania in order to reacquaint people with Romania's longstanding wine culture. Romania has a four thousand year old wine tradition and stands with Georgia as one of the birthplaces of wine. Transylvania is historically a white wine region. Here, there is a longstanding tradition of primarily indigenous types such as Feteasca Alba and Feteasca Regala.
The white wine from VILLA VINEA was instantly a great success. At the most important Romanian wine tasting event in Bucharest in 2012, VILLA VINEA was immediately awarded a total of 24 gold medals. Thus, the VILLA VINEA vineyard is one of the most decorated Romanian wine cellars.
In addition, the newly founded vineyard is the first producer in the region to bring to the Market a range of extremely interesting red wines including Feteasca Neagra. This wine has been enthusiastically received by all.


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A quick post to show off some on the pretty personalised things you can buy from us for Christmas. I think it's about time to say the C word now right?
You can comment on here if you are interested, email me at polkadotteapotdesigns@gmail or message me at www.facebook.com/polkadotteapotdesigns
To look at a full collection of work just visit the facebook page!
For a watercolour fashion illustration, prices start at £10.00 for A4 size and vary depending on size, detail etc. I can do any theme of these and can even do them personalised to resemble you! If you have a friend who is super into fashion a personalised one of these would make a great unique gift!
I also offer lots of different prints of my illustrations, and of pretty edits to my illustrations. For example this fashion timeline. Price is depended on the type and size of print.


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George & Bell Perspectives.
You are viewing articles under the category "Investment":
George & Bell Sponsoring PRI event in Vancouver
George & Bell Consulting is pleased to be a sponsor of the upcoming Western North American PRI Network Event on May 9th and 10th in Vancouver at the Segal Graduate School of Business. Read full entry
Career Opportunity
We are currently seeking to fill the position of a full-time Investment Analyst, providing investment consulting services to our clients with foundations, endowments, First Nations trusts, and pension and benefit plans. Read full entry
Exciting News for George & Bell
George & Bell Consulting (G&B) is pleased to announce a working relationship with John Gilfoyle and David Lee of Strategic Income Security Services (SISS). Read full entry


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Mini Leather Title Bag with Pocket Detail
Kč29,900.00 Kč29,900.00
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- A small crossbody bag in supple leather and lambskin, defined with a polished top bar and triple-stud closure.
- 19 x 5 x 15cm/7.5 x 2 x 5.9in
- Min. shoulder strap drop: 47cm/18.5in
- Max. shoulder strap drop: 53cm/20.9in
- Outer: 100% calf leather
- Trim: 100% calf leather
- Lining: 100% lambskin
- Adjustable crossbody strap
- Two interior compartments
- Foldover top with magnetic closure
- Hand-painted edges
- Polished metal hardware
- Embossed Burberry lettering at front
- Made in Italy
Item 80145791
Wear this with
Button-down Collar Collage Scarf Print Silk Shirt
Kč13,450.00 Kč26,900.00
Pleat Detail Wool Tailored Trousers
Kč7,600.00 Kč15,200.00
D-ring Detail Suede Ankle Boots
Kč10,450.00 Kč20,900.00
Crystal Ruthenium-plated Hoof Open-hoop Earrings
Kč6,750.00 Kč13,500.00
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On Saturday, November 4th, Second Harvest Food Bank participated in a Fall Food Festival at Kaley Square in Orlando. It was the third food distribution event through Table Sixty, a collaborative effort created to make sure that seniors in Orange County don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
Thousands of pounds of beautiful, fresh produce, bakery items and non-perishables were distributed to more than 120 households. In addition to the food distribution, blood pressure screenings, community resources, healthy recipes and nutrition information were also provided at the adjoining resource fair.
Second Harvest Food Bank's own Chef Terah served a delicious nutrient-packed fruit salad highlighting the seasonal fruit available that day. Several attendees took advantage of Terah's expertise to talk in detail about their health conditions and how adjusting their diets could help with conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
A mother and her son visited with Terah to talk about how to pack more vegetables into their diets. The son lives with his mother part-time and was concerned about what she eats when he isn't home. Terah was able to offer simple suggestions that both the mother and son felt were easy to implement.
A huge thanks to the many generous volunteers from the community, including AARP, UCF, Rollins and Heart of Florida United Way, who created a welcoming and beautifully executed event, and to Demetrius Summerville, Executive Dir ector of Kaley Square, for his outstanding leadership.


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S: Happy 60th Birthday Jan 2012
FC: Happy 60th Birthday, Dad! January 11, 2012
3: When I think of my little brother Bill, I think of someone who has been there for me my entire life. Although our early years were filled with cries from me to Mom that "Bill hit me", and by the time I was 2 yrs old and he was 1 we were the same size, and from then on out he was always bigger than me. Bill, the practical jokester spent a good deal of our childhood torturing me and loving every minute of it. This included leaving me on a little island for hours during one of our camping trips with Dad, putting salamanders under my bedroom door, constant dunking at the pool, tying me up with Dad's good ties, sitting on me, etc. I remember Mom pacing by my bed, looking out the back window waiting for Bill to come home, late as usual; worrying he was in some sort of accident, while he was just out having a good old time partying with his friends. But when things got tough Bill was (and still is) always there to be the rock, the quiet protector, the one who can always make you laugh, the one you can always count on, the big teddy bear with the big heart. He has a lot of "Beans" in him, and I don't mean the dog, as we all know he is a wonderful father and now grandfather. I know our Mom and Dad were very proud of the man that Bill has become, and so are his sisters and brothers, even though as children we had our doubts. Happy 60th Birthday to my little brother! -- Anne
10: Mary Kate Danaher: What manner of man is it that I have married? Hugh Forbes: A better one, I think, than you know, Mary Kate. - The Quiet Man
12: "I love Bill because there's damn few left" - Peg
13: July 24, 1976 "Your Dad is a good husband, a good father, and an okay soulmate." -- Peg
14: "Look at that JUGhead" -- Kathy O'Leary
15: "A father's love warms the heart of his children forever."
16: "Hey, Dad! Something fell off your bike! I'll pick it up!" -- Julie.....
17: Beans
21: The one story that sticks out in my mind is when we went camping at Picerel Point, Promise Land and the girls kept getting their lines stuck in the trees. Dad and Richie gave up on them but patient Bill would walk in the lake and untie the lines from the tree. The girls kept on saying, "Uncle Bear, my line is caught again." Happy 60th Birthday Bill (Uncle Bear)!! Love, Brian, Margie, Colin and Nora
22: Surprise Party 2007
23: "Your dad is a good man, a good friend, and an okay golfer." -- Ken Rodini
26: "She IS 'Your Mother' !" | "Dad's eatin' SCRAPS!"
28: "Look at that Silver Fox! " -- MaryJo Fite
29: "I'm the King of this house." | "Your mother is the Queen." | "Go ask your mother."
31: Why I love Uncle Bill.....because he is always happy to see you and always welcomes you with a huge bear hug when you see him... I don't have any quotes really other than the ones that would make me look bad (Derby times) so I'll leave them out..... -Lorrie Logan
32: "You ready to go Irish?" "Your mother looks HOT in black." "Here's to us and those like us......"
34: "Anything for you, Coll." "I love you. Drive careful, cutie!" | "Your mother went to kaz." (Kohl's) "Hey!!! It's GoddamnBeth! Well goddamn, how ya doin"? -to Beth
35: "Don't throw pillows, that's how wars start." | "Driving that car is like driving a loaded GUN."
36: " I love Dad for all the things he has taught me in my life.... how to drive "defensively", how to change a tire, how to negotiate a sale, how to be insanely stubborn, how to love, how to shoot a gun, and how to make an omelet. " -- Julie | I love that St. Patty's Day Parades have become a tradition. -- Julie
37: "Two, man. Two." | "Hurry up and wait."
38: July 8, 2006
39: May 14, 2011
40: "I love Old Bill because he's my grandpa and he likes to play waterguns and he is funny and looks funny in his glasses." -- Kendra (age 6)
41: "Old Bill"
45: "I love ya. Always have, Always will." -- Peg


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Brent JonesPhone:205-342-2800Grade/Subject:9-12 TheatreHello!I am happy to be at Hillcrest for my second year, after teaching theatre for twenty plus years with Tuscaloosa City Schools. We had a very successful and fun year in 2014-15 with HHS Theatre, with two full-scale productions; "The 25th Annual Putnam Co. Spelling Bee" (musical), and "To Kill a Mockingbird."The students did an AMAZING job with these two shows, and we look forward to more productions this year.In November, we will produce two one act plays:1.) "This is a Test" a hilarious comedy about the stress of test-taking at the high school level2.) "Check, Please" a comedy about the hazards and difficulties of all the strange people you meet in the world of blind dates.In February, our big spring musical will be the Broadway hit, "Shrek,the Musical!" We are very excited about producing the story of everybody's favorite ogre, and bringing all the beloved characters to life on the HHS stage. We plan on including students from the feeder schools in the system as some of the cast members and bring them in for special performances as well!In our theatre one classes, we learn about the world of theatre through a fun variety of activities, including improvisation, voice and diction, monologues, scenes, pantomimes, etc.It is going to be another great year for HHS Theatre!Go Pats!Brent JonesTheatre Teacher.Click Here to access my InformationNow page for grades and assignments.
Subjects TaughtTheatre 1Theatre 2 Education
B.A. in Elementary Education, University of Alabama-1992Secondary Language Arts Certificate, University of Alabama-2004Experience1992-2003 Central Elementary, Tuscaloosa City Schools (4th-5th Grade, Drama)2003-2014 Paul W. Bryant High, Tuscaloosa City Schools (Theatre, Journalism, Speech, Yearbook, Tennis Coach)2014-Current Hillcrest High, Tuscaloosa County Schools (Theatre)