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"Big C's a Commune"
Caleb John Clark, Aug. 03.
Every wedding has an outsider,
In this case the bride's dope provider.
Ranting between riches and jail,
Beautiful "Big C" did flail.
Dealing herself short,
Wading in money she cannot report.
Late twenties svelte,
Dark skin and a naked tan,
Expensive Gypsy dress,
(No bra and no clues of underwear,
Which provided extra brain fare.)
Hard natural messy hair,
That the other girls would not dare.
Guys flocked to this colorful female peacock,
While their gray wives,
Waddle bye byes.
On my groomsmen's arm I escort her into the ballroom for dinner,
And I feel thinner.
At her table I bid adieu,
To tender expressions of appreciation for the escort.
I depart, amazed again at respectful chivalry's report.
As the drink (and ?) kicks in she issues sweeping generalities with constitutional force.
Talk of drowned black fathers, magic, love, signs, kids, birds, weddings and divorce.
Big C's delivery is half gang homeboy.
Half surfer girl boy toy.
All this is verbally wrapped around herself,
Chainword armor on an alien elf.
This goes on throughout the night, over music via loud barks,
Or in whispers on the edge of a dark golf course amid dope and cigarette sparks.
When the bouquet is thrown it goes too far and lands under a microphone.
Big C, she dives for it and carries it all night as we roam,
To my surprise I listen and do not rant along,
I'm interested, my weakness and sometimes a crumb trail to wrong.
(There was also an interesting 86-year-old grandfather in multi-colored velvet pants who looked 66 from tennis playing that he only started when he was 36, but he went to bed not long after 6.)
She's fighting a fight I've been trying to let depart.
One most of the guests haven't seen since their screaming start.
Every so often during the night she makes 4 (of the 44 we're informed) knighting gale birdcalls.
She's got balls.
Even when left a true gap of silence such as, "Tell me something I don't know my soul mate Caleb." I have no time to build the space I'd need, to find my own fight and get it right.
I'm swamped.
I'm vamped.
Perhaps if I was born a female hottie, I'd have evolved like this?
Crazy armor for the world's bars, beaches, slums, and mansions,
Full of guys who want you and are pissed.
I see flashes of deep intelligence and wisdom,
Of brilliant writer insights,
And of management and finance protocols,
Right out of MBA halls.
But with little skill to put it in the relaxing package,
For those who of the workaday life,
A place that avoids dirty strife,
And focuses on the snapshots,
Amid endless little communication breakdowns, spats and other pastimes of those that prefer to get on with life, quality or not, depends on your lot, god bless.
Late at night she balances down the hotel hall,
On her stiletto balls,
Deftly clutching glasses of water and wine (and only letting the water fall.)
She spies the $6 water and $4 nuts on the dresser,
And leaves behind a twenty.
After lighting up some free samples of her wear,
I start to beware.
Her pain is deep.
Dark nights with no sleep.
I'm attracted to trouble,
That threatens my bubble.
And yet I cannot deny that I want to help her (me?) find peace and the path,
Between society and its wrath.
Post-wedding band she branches off further from the pack,
Irritating friends and others,
Who are winding down with their brothers.
By talking still
(Or is it just with men? Is that quiet small talk I see with a woman?)
She wants a call, she feels a connection and because I was a hippie kid on the San Francisco cross street.
It is important that we soon meet.
A weekend in Mexico at a friend's resort?
Her boyfriend won't mind, is her quick retort.
But I saw the communes disintegrate into confusions,
Due to drug illusions.
And while I've partied like a pro.
Now I usually just say no.
So I can get real things done,
And have more reality-based fun.
The cab comes.
I see her to the door.
The cabbie is young and looks her up and down slow.
"Oh shit," she says to me "here we go."
Fixing her hard gaze she says, "Listen up dude. Let me see the fucking meter. OK, don't even think of starting that thing until my ass hits the seat."
Driving home I devise how she can launder her cash,
Use college to validate her stash.
Top a place where getting drunk at weddings doesn't bring out the fight,
Because it is spent during work, where she shines bright.
The IRS would see a student eating rice and beans,
But the IRS doesn't know your discretionary means.
She'd live well on her cash,
She'd have parties for sport
Until she graduated and feared no court.
At parties the comments like "is she on something?" and "I had to bolt, too intense and hard to understand." Would fade,
Replaced by a magic elf in a peaceful glade,
Dispensing wisdom and humor in pithy quips,
To children and those asking for tips.
Big C's a commune.
Somewhere between concrete,
And perfume.
Dealing herself short,
Wading in money she cannot report.


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Amy loves drawing, and loves books... here are a few of her fave books that she got to do the drawings for!
PENGUINPIG is the highly-acclaimed story about a little girl who reads of an exciting creature known as a penguinpig on the Internet. Filled with delight and intrigue, she decides that she must go and find one.
However, her parents are far too busy to take her and so she decides that she will sneak out and find the adorable penguinpig all on her own. Carefully, she follows the instructions from the website - but does she find her delightful penguinpig?
In 'Monkeycow', the same little girl, now slightly older, discovers the importance of keeping passwords safe. She bakes the most de-licious chocolate cake for the summer fair and cleverly hides it in a top-secret underground place, with a password for the door, not forgetting a mighty security guard too!
However, whilst out and about, she accidentally shares the password with some of the locals from her town and . . . Oh dear! It doesn't take long for disaster to strike.
Let your little ones find out what happens next and pick up a valuable lesson about password safety.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Choose Shannon Family Automotive as your Honda Auto Repair Shop in Folsom, CA. We provide a wide range of automotive repair services designed to keep you vehicle running in tip top shape. Ensure that your investment stays in good working order to avoid making costly repairs by taking your Honda in for periodic maintenance. We are Folsom's best keep secret! Make an appointment or request a quote at shannonfamilyautomotive.com today!


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Second Opinion
Do you need an expert opinion of a candidate or already have an employee that you would like to have a second opinion on for a new position within the company?
With our second opinion service Level can help you with this.
Sometimes a second opinion can give a new perspective on the relevant candidates' skills, experience and personal aspects. You can use this service both with new hires as well as reorganization and promotions. Within Level's Second opinion the following parts are included:
Analysis of the position
The recruitment consultant will make an analysis of the specific position together with the hiring manager to be able to get an understanding of the criteria and skill set required for the role.
Personal interview
We will conduct a personal interview with the candidate, evaluating the CV, personal skills, experience and personality during a situation-based interview.
Test or reference
OPQ is a frequently used personality test. It works very well as a complement in regards to positions with staffing experience. Alternately you can select reference instead to get a natural view of the candidate.
Feedback will be oral or written to you together with a summary of the interview.


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Great stops/ Fair Ship
7 Night Western Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail Date: October 01, 2014
Ship: Norwegian Epic
Cabin Type: Suite
Traveled As: Couple
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review Summary
Our cruise was 7 days land and the 7 days on the Epic. Land tour with Gate One Travel (starting in Venice) through Norwegian was a good experience. Fantastic tour guide, hotels and itinerary. we cruise Norwegian all the time however this is my least favorite ship. I didn't care at all for the ship configuration. Everything including bars, restaurants, casino were all open and ran into each other. The theater where the shows were smelled like you were in a smoking room. I missed regular shows as I did not at all care for the Blue Man Group. The stops on the tour especially the Italy ones were my favorite and if you go to Florence (we saw the city in the land part of our tour) try not to miss Cinque Terre. Beautiful beautiful beautiful is all I can say. What made the ship bearable was our room. It was the Haven. Again tours were wonderful, stops were fine, ship I would rate only a 3 and again that was because of our room. Hopefully they won't have a ship with that design again.


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There are many places from which to obtain Ayruveda supplies. One of the best places to find them are in an ethnic Indian grocery store in your city. If you don't have any of these stores or can't find any of these stores, then a search for an online store should get you lots of hits. An online store for body art quality henna and indigo is Mehandi. Another good place to find powders and oils is Amazon.
Mehandi: Specializing in henna and indigo, Mehandi offers henna and indigo that is safe for use on hair and body (body art quality henna). It is a veritable superstore for those of us who like to incorporate henna into our Ayurveda practices.
If you have any other sites, tips or comments about where to get Ayurveda, please feel free to share.


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How I can help you
Essex Wire Co., the Dayton Walther Corp., the Aro Corp., Ingersoll Rand and Bowmar Technologies.
Started a total of 4 businesses either alone or with partners. 3 were long term successes and one not so much. The last 12 years a small retail furniture business owner in Fort Wayne and retired near the end of 2013.
Areas of Expertise
- Business Finance & Accounting
- Business Strategy & Planning
- Business Operations
- Human Resources & Internal Communications
- Sales, Marketing & Public Relations
Industry Experience
- Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
- Transportation & Warehousing
- Professional & Business Services
- Retail & Wholesale Trade
Business & Finance Degree from International Business College in Fort Wayne.


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Shinsplints—those nagging aches on the inside or outside of the lower leg—are a classic symptom of running too much too soon. Runners most commonly feel pain on the inside, about three inches above the ankle, where the tibialis posterior muscle and surrounding tendon become irritated. But the outside muscles can feel tender, too. This strengthening exercise helps both areas.
Pole Pulls: Set up a pulley or resistance band about waist-high. Stand barefoot on one foot next to the band, with a slight bend in your knee and your core muscles tight. Pull the band so that your hands are in front of your belly button and the band is parallel with the floor. Move the band slowly side to side, in and out, or in small circles. If you're on the outside foot (away from the pole), the tibialis posterior muscle along the inside of your shin works, balancing you against the upper-body resistance. To strengthen the peroneal muscles on the outside of the shin, switch feet and stand on the inside leg.
Daniel Bannink, S.P.T., is a runner, cyclist, and certified personal trainer in Lake Orion, Michigan.


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Achievement Award Badge Holders
Bronze Award Winners (25 points)
|16th June 2017
Mya Sherwood 7AR
|26th May 2017
Rhiana Brett 7AMC
Abbie Dunn 7AMC
Louis Yool 7AMC
Erin Hearn 7AR
Ellis Jones 7SC
Mollie Lucock 7SC
Harry Clements 7VL
Terri Sumner 7VL
Hannah Guy 8LJ
Max Gillies 9JF
Hannah Chorley 9PJ
12th May 2017
Cara Tamburro 7JC
Matthew Blackburn 7SC
Andre Boyd 7VL
Alexandra Broadhurst 7AMC
Riley Doran 7SC
Jessica Jones 7AR
Amelia Kelly 7JC
Bobbie Speers 7GW
Georgia Bennett 7AR
Jack Williams 7SC
Jamie Bennett 7AR
May Burgomaster 7VL
Matthew McKenna 7SC
Isabelle Humphreys 7AR
Sam Poynor 7JC
Harry Blevin 7GW
Alexander Coffey 7VL
Kate Crist 7VL
Samantha Devitt 7JC
Caitlin Dooley 7GW
Grace Travers 7VL
Sophie Clarke 7AMC
Ritchie James 7AR
Katie Buckley 7AMC
Katie Delaney 7GW
Daisy Kiernan 7VL
Kevin Madden 7JC
Charlotte Russell 7JC
Hannah Sharpe 8GB
Millie Whittaker 8GB
Natasha Taylor 8EP
Thomas Bailey 8NK
Joshua Taylor 8LM
10th March 2017
Lilymae Maiden 7AR
Olivia Doran 7AR
|10th February 2017
Charlotte Jackson 7SC
Charlotte became our first Achievement Award badge holder. She gained her bronze badge for collecting 25 achievement points across a variety of subject lessons. She was very proud to gain her badge from Mr Symes and is determined to now achieve her silver badge. We are sure she will wear it with pride in school and look forward to seeing many others gain theirs!


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Newborns And Diaper Rash
A new member was added to your family this fall. The bundle of joy has indeed made a great difference in both of your and your spouse's life, yet each time you touch his bottom, he forgets to give that brilliant smile and bursts out into a fitful wail! Of course you want your baby to be happy, and are determined to find out what's causing him discomfort.
You need to take the proper precautions simply because wet pads and loaded diapers can create a rash in a day's time. They might make your child irritated and spoil their playful moods. Then you might be at loss to invent new ways to keep them entertained. Make sure you buy the right kind of diaper pads to nullify such occurrences that can spoil your child's bright days.
Skin rashes should be battled off in the nick of the time. These are simple skin irritations, though not fatal, yet perfect mood spoilers. You need to switch to the best quality diaper alternative. You better get a good idea of your child's skin type, and then go diaper shopping. Your pediatrician can help give you the required information.
Skin rashes should be dealt with as soon as possible. You simply cannot allow them to snatch off quality baby naps from your child's daily routine. Baby rashes are not fatal, but nevertheless they are quite displeasing for a newborn to deal with. Use diaper pads that allow proper air circulation reduces the change of baby skin rashes to erupt. Make sure that you are purchasing the right size, and check the diaper quality. It is better to know whether your child has got an exceptionally sensitive skin type to advert unlikely occurrences of baby rashes.
Pamper diapers keep you child happy all day long. The diaper pads are known to lock fluid within and keep the baby skin dry and aerated. Pamper diapers have diapers specifically designed for the age group of newborn babies; you can even shop for them through the size related categories. Keep your baby protected from too many rashes and use the best diaper on the market to keep them comfortable.
Want to find out more about discounts on baby products and Pampers, then visit Gosublogger to find the best printable coupons for your baby's needs.


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Wow, we had a busy week last week. Linux Support, Sale, New MV Tools.
So busy we didn't get a good chance to even look at the first MV Tool, SAKAN -Tileset Builder-
SAKAN is an easy way for you to organize and build tiles for your game, right from the RPG Maker MV editor. Have a tile from one tileset that you need in another tileset for your map?
It's as easy as grabbing the tiles you need, and plopping them into the other tileset.
Need to build a custom tile from component parts? SAKAN comes with a bunch of pieces to build from. I mean, do you know what is better than a teddy bear? A teddy bear with a bow!
And it only took a few seconds to make. There are a huge amount of component parts that come with SAKAN, allowing you to build all kinds of fun tiles really fast. I could have given him a hat… or an evil summoning circle. Because all teddy bears need evil summoning circles right?
But can you make edits to tiles? Can you just cut things together from component parts, or can you make things from scratch? You can do that too.
See, now he has a monocle! (Look, pretend I'm not a terrible artist.) Don't all Teddy Bears need monocles! And Summoning Circles! And cute bows and hats.
SAKAN can help you create what you need for your game, so pick it up today, with a launch discount of 15%, and explore all the ways SAKAN can make your life easier!
What MV Tools would you like to see? How do you think MV Tools could be enhanced? Tell us in the comments below.


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... tem Nelsinho!
Where's lap has Nelson!
Hi there Nelson, that looks like such a good nap and what a comfy spot. All of you have a great day.ResponderExcluir
A comfy Nelson is a happy Nelson!ResponderExcluir
Looking very comfy Nelson :)ResponderExcluir
such a sweetieResponderExcluir
Looking comfy Nelson!ResponderExcluir
Nelson a good lap is hard to find hang on to it
Madi your bfff
Nelson , you are so sweet !
Have a lovely day
Hehehehehe.......nós também amamos um colinho !!!!!!Hehehe....
Um miau do Bilbo e da Sofia
Who has Nelson? What a cutie he is!ResponderExcluir


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Three card reading for Monday, November 14, 2016 is from the Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti, 2005-2015 – companion book by Lee Bursten, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 2015.
Page of Wands – Page of Coins – Two of Swords
"Perspective gives us the ability to accurately contrast the large with the small, and the important with the less important. Without it we are lost in a world where all ideas, news, and information look the same. We cannot differentiate, we cannot prioritize, and we cannot make good choices." ~John Sununu
Pages are all about learning, experiencing, incoming messages, having a child-like mind set, and the Page of Wands does all she does with a flair of drama. She is our protagonist in today's reading as she teases and stirs the pot. If this happens to turn out to be news you receive today, at the least it will be interesting, but it may be dressed up more than necessary just for effect. The true message is likely hidden in a cloak of drama and gossip.
The Page of Coins is more level headed and serious. She is also about learning and gaining new experiences. Her approach is more practical, but no less curious. Her down-to-earth energy will help you get to the heart of the message/news you will receive. The Page of Coins suggests that a material endeavor or finances will play a part in your message.
The Two of Swords appears to be in conflict, struggling with an issue and unable to see a clear picture. "Taking a new idea and comparing and contrasting it with other ideas or contexts in order to determine it validity. Over-analyzing or over-intellectualizing a situation. Blinding oneself to that which is truly important." pg. 83 Swords help you see through the fog and get a more clear picture of the circumstances. So don't get lost in the drama, look for the bottom line and the silver lining.


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Taste of Local Daily Life
Prague, Czech Republic
From USD 73.41
Office phone number: +420 608 107 108
Taste of Local Daily Life
Prague, Czech Republic
Culture shock rating
Worried we're going to shock your senses? Relax! We believe part of the fun of travel is immersing yourself in the destination and its culture, meeting the people, and learning what makes the place tick. We've got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The cultural shock rating ranks how different the experience is from most Western cultures. But no matter the level, don't worry, you'll have a local, in-the-know guide with you every step of the way.
Consider these tours your 101 intro to a place. Transportation might be private or a very comfortable public option, and the activities are usually visits to iconic sites and locations that are familiar to most Western cultures – but that will still give you fantastic insight into a destination.
Expect to rough it for parts of this tour, whether that's on a packed public bus or in a local market off the tourist trail. There might be a few language barriers or unfamiliar cultural customs, and you'll get an experience different from what you're used to at home.
You're out there in the global community! We're going to take you down streets you'd rarely explore on your own, introduce you to local customs and languages, and take you for a ride in whatever transport is available. Get ready to take it as it comes, whatever comes. There might be a shock, but oh man, it's worth it.
Physical rating
Worried our tours are too tough? Relax! From leisurely strolls to muscle-burning treks, we've got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The physical grading gives you an idea of how much huffing and puffing you can expect on the tour.
Slow and steady is all you need here. These tours have very limited physical activity, such as walking relatively flat streets, sites, or markets, and climbing in and out of the transport provided.
Not too hard, not too soft, these tours are just right! You can expect a bit of physical activity, but nothing overly challenging – perhaps walking up and down hills, riding a bike for up to 30 kilometers along mostly flat terrain, or jumping in a kayak for a gentle paddle on flat water.
Get ready for a workout! These tours are our most challenging and involve intense walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, or bike riding. You could be making steep climbs by foot or pedal, or working your core in the water. We recommend you have a good level of fitness to join this tour.
We had the most wonderful time with Will/Guillaume. He has great knowledge of history, food and so much more. He also had a number of really great tips for us on what and where to eat. We gave it a try and it was just marvelous. Thanks a lot Will, for such a good time!
Mark was such a fun and entertaining guide. He offered us some great insights into the history of Bohemian Prague and I can definitely recommend him and this tour to anyone who wants to get off the beaten tourist path whilst visiting this beautiful city!
The guide (Kaca) was excellent. She gave us a good feel for what life was like pre and post the EU. She took us to areas of Prague that we would not have seen had it not been for her guide. She was personable, took the time to get to know all of us and was very enthusiastic. She even sent us recipes, book and movie suggestions to get to know Czech culture even better. It was really nice spending the time with her and listening to her experience on Prague life.
Tour snapshot
Bohemia is a Czech state with one of the most distinct cultures in Europe - extravagant, political, passionate, and fueled with Czech Water. Join this Prague tour that takes you to all the city's boho spots, sampling beer as well as traditional and modern Czech snacks along the way.
- Learn the story of Bohemia and how it has been shaped in an unconventional way
- Eat and drink your way through three different stops, with Bohemian specialities, local pancakes, and beer included!
- Explore Prague's central square and alternative neighbourhoods
- See local art and hear the stories of Bohemian artists from Prague's past
Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour:
- All the bars, restaurants and stores we visit are 100% owned and run by locals
- Visit a café that supports local people with mental health issues; for every traveller on this tour we donate 0,5 EUR to their cause.
- You will pick up some responsible travel tips from your guide, such as where to find fresh water when you need to fill up your bottle, along with recommendations for environmentally friendly restaurants and sustainable shops.
Schedule details
- Duration: 4 hours
- Meeting point:
In front of the statue of the Czech patron saint Wenceslas on top of Wenceslas Square, Prague 1
- Find the exact meeting point with what3words:
- Starting time: 12.00 PM
- Ending point:
Tram stop at Narodni Divadlo, Old Town, Prague 1
Language: English
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide; public transportation during the tour; savory pastry and a local drink; Czech lunch with a beer, wine or water; local dessert with a coffee, tea, wine or beer.
Exclusions: Additional food or drinks during the tour, tips/gratuities for your guide, items of a personal nature.
While Prague's city centre can be called magical, the rest of the city evades any proper definition. Each district and neighbourhood has its own aura, and we'll be here to roam with you through areas that are underappreciated by travellers.
There is no better place to learn about the Velvet Revolution than the stage on which it occurred: Wenceslas Square. We'll dive into the stories that marked this turbulent period, spearheaded by students and a chain-smoking Bohemian, who led the country into nationhood.
Afterwards, we'll quickly shy away from the big streets and find our way into a passage filled with beauty, history, and provocative art before we stop for our first snack, officially kicking off the tasting aspect of the tour with a speciality in a typical Czech bistro.
Now things begin to get even more interesting; hopping on the metro or tram, we'll leave the centre and begin to explore other neighbourhoods, learning about Prague's less trodden parts and sampling some of the best of what they have to offer. We'll find our way to a microbrewery to sample some of the best beer around and an incredible local dish that should be on your must-eat list.
Then we set off again, learning about some authors who have enthralled the nation and activists who have changed this landscape forever. Bohemianism and art go hand in hand, so we'll meander off towards the third neighbourhood of Vršovice. This is an alternative area that we'll get to know as we stop at a unique café for some traditional dessert. After a short hike to the tram stop, we'll catch a ride back into the city centre to see a large piece of art from a local artist who has made a name for himself, for better or worse.
Additional information
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide; public transportation during the tour; savory pastry and a local drink; Czech lunch with a beer, wine or water; local dessert with a coffee, tea, wine or beer.
Exclusions: Additional food or drinks during the tour, tips/gratuities for your guide, items of a personal nature.
Your Trip: For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We'll see you at the start point. Get in touch if you have any concerns or require more information via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.
Child Policy: Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed above. Please select 'child' above when booking. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this tour.
Local contact
Office phone number: +420 608 107 108
Email address: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Queensland Transport Pram Warnings
Speeding continues to be one of the major killers on Queensland roads, contributing to 268 fatalities and 1983 hospitalizations in Queensland over the past five years (between 2000 and 2004). Speed-related crashes cost the community approximately $A180 million per year in hospital and health care costs, lost productivity in the workplace and the use of emergency services. Queensland Transport's anti-speeding public education campaign includes a range of billboards and television commercials. The campaign is designed to position speeding as socially unacceptable behaviour.
"Pram" (rated M) features a man driving his son to refill a gas bottle for the barbecue. The man and his son are running late so he ups his speed and passes another vehicle. A woman sets out on the footpath with her baby in a pram. The man passes a 70 km sign but increases his speed to 80 km/h. All of a sudden he's in slow traffic. He loses control and veers off the road, hitting the pram-pushing woman. He rushes over to pick up a distraught baby and sees her mother lying lifeless. "No accident". The boy in the car calls out to his dad, clearly distressed. "Every k over is a killer".
Queensland Transport are currently featuring the 'Pram' spot on their advertising campaign on speed page, with still photographs, a 39 mb avi copy. A 14.3 mb AVI version of the ad provides two scenarios: one in which the driver keeps his speed down and manages to stop in time, the other in which his car leaves the road with fatal consequences.
The ad was made for Queensland Transport by BCM Partnership Queensland, creative director Greville Patterson, writer Jeff Smith, art director John Summerville, production company The Roly Roly Picture Company, director Dick Marks, post production Cutting Edge.
Also included on the Queensland Transport road safety campaign page on speeding:
Blood on the streets (724 kb .mov)
Slow Motion (4 mb .mov)
Excuses (4 mb .mov)
Negatives (1.2 mb .mov)
Stopping Distances (537 kb)
Catherine (1.3 mb)
Filed under: Commercials, Queensland Transport, Road safety
Tagged: BCM, Cutting Edge, Roly Poly Picture Company
Location: Australia


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Utah Same-Day Local Florist Delivery
Send Flowers, Plants & Gift Baskets to Utah!
Have you heard the latest buzz? 1-800-FLOWERS.COM can send thoughtful flowers, growing plants and gift baskets to every city within the Utah state lines! From Salt Lake City to the towns of Central and St. George, you can help to celebrate every one of life's moments and occasions with a caring gift. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and funerals in Utah can easily be marked with a breathtaking flower arrangement or other gift delivery from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. This year it's time to celebrate every day on the calendar!
State Flower: Sego Lily
Capital & Largest City: Salt Lake City
State Nickname: "The Beehive State"
State Abbreviation: UT
Number of Counties: 29
Top Landmarks: Liberty Park, Discovery Gateway, Temple Square
Neighbors: Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado & Arizona
Noteworthy Bodies of Water: Mississippi River, Tennessee River, Kentucky Lake
Popular Foods: Fry Sauce, Jello, Leprechaun Pie
Name of Residents: Utahans
Utah became the 45th U.S. state on January 4, 1896.
Kanab is dubbed "Little Hollywood" due to its many appearances in western films.


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Possible Duplicate:
Should moderators be able to see who flags an item?
I'm a moderator over at Math.SE and I've been getting some annoying flags.
For example, a month or so ago, someone flagged several of my questions with what appears to be out of malice. There have been other cases where a user constantly flags content that I don't see the point of deleting. I would like to know who these users are so I can tell them to cut it out. But rude/offensive and some other categories of flags are anonymous (as far as I can tell) so I can't even identify them.
Why are these flags anonymous, even when I am a moderator of the site?


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The unicorn is a mythical beast, part horse, part... I don't know, narwhal? rhino? Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe '84 Chevy Van adds to the lore, but does its price myth the mark?
Yesterday's 1974 Datsun 260Z had doors that open in the way the Atlanta Braves' fans used to root for their team. And, while South Park may have made merry with scissoring being a point of passion for lesbians, you all reviled the car for its portal pandemonium, a fact reflected in its 75% Crack pipe loss.
Before we get into today's candidate, I'd just like to say that there is nothing funny about child abuse. The innocent do not deserve to be made the objects of anyone's amusement at their expense. About that there can be no argument. Sorry about that, but for some odd reason I felt it necessary to make that point before discussing today's . . . oooh look, a unicorn!
Sometimes with NPOCP you wonder about the vehicle, other times you puzzle over the ad itself. In the case of this 1984 Chevy Panel Van, it's a little bit from column A and a slathering from column how can that B?! Let's do the van first. It's an '84 which means it misses A-Team immortality by a single year, but is potentially more desirable than that due to its jaw-dropping unicorn defecating a rainbow mural. It also sports what look like 5-slot mags and a heart-shaped opera window in the back-most panel, making it easily something that would engender an appreciative nod from Sammy Johns.
The third generation Chevy Van ran, with minor changes, all the way from 1971 through the mid-'90s, when it was finally thoroughly refreshed and gained the Express moniker. Like every iteration it focused primarily on the commercial market, however window versions provided Kate Plus Eight levels of carrying capacity, rivaled back in the day only by the Suburban. The seller - Paul - claims that this Van's fuel economy is not as awesome as is its mural, and admits to having already switched driving duties with some sort of hybrid. He doesn't go into detail as to the mechanicals, but engine choices in '84 ranged from a 4.1-litre V6 all the way up to a 7.4 litre gas V8, with a couple of diesels thrown in for good measure. Let's assume this one has the 190-bhp 5.7 and TH400 automatic, a common fitment. It also appears to have the double swinging rather than sliding side door, a feature introduced this year, and there doesn't seem to be light streaming through it so perhaps rust isn't an issue. However, its overall condition? Mileage? Who knows. Still, unicorn. . .
And now let's talk about the ad.
There is so much in-yer-end-o in this ad that it's obviously been written as some sort of pedo joke, or is the perv-bait of a very awkward FBI sting. Seriously, This van has treated me good throughout the years. . . I just feel I have possibly outgrown this vehicle. . . I love the environment almost as much as I love unicorns. . . Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but having to scan this ad is like being forced to french kiss your sister. I mean ick! You know? Ick! The link was sent to me by BigDaddyBuddha and I don't even want to know what kind of Craigslist dice he was rolling that resulted in the discovery of this.
You know, there are two possible kinds of people who would potentially own this Van and write an ad like that - the first being Rubenesque earth mothers who participate in Renaissance Pleasure Faires, and who are really way past the age when they should be wearing their hair in pigtails. The other, of course, is men who have lost puppies or suffer from an overabundance of free candy. Seriously, who else?
That may be an issue for this seller in their attempt to move the metal, while another factor might be its price. Art is frequently subjective - Gelett Burgess famously being quoted as saying I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like. - and the mural on this Chevy Van makes its $1,200 asking price an obvious point of subjectivity. Discounting the creepiness inherent in the ad, do you think that a picture of a magical unicorn with explosive rainbow diarrhea warrants such a price? Or, are you just here for the candy?
You decide!
St Louis Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears
H/T to BigDaddyBuddha for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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He's been *somewhat* of a running joke on my blog since I've reported about him time and time again, but this last mention takes the cake.
Yup, the rumor that I helped circulate last summer has come true. Billy Mays, the man whose voice makes you change the channel yet whose straight oblivious bearliciousness makes me weak in the knees, has his own reality show!
Oh Billy, congrats!
The show is called Pitchmen and follows Mr. Mays as he does what he does best: make infomercials about cleaning supplies.


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Topic : Free event planning form template.
Author : Seth Hale.
Published : Wed, Oct 02nd 2019 19:17 PM.
Format : jpg/jpeg.
Without proper planning it is impossible to succeed no matter how much capital you have. On the other hand, if you have a fool-proof plan you can make a lot of money in a very short amount of time. This article will guide you through the planning process so that you can improve your chances of success.
There are many firms that can help you make a business plan template. These companies charge around $300 to $100 for a well-written plan. If you are on a tight budget then you should take the services of an internet-based company. This solution is much cheaper than the one mentioned above. Keep in mind that the exact cost depends on the amount of details you need. No matter which method you choose, make sure you provide enough information to your planners. Communication is very important.
A great resource when starting up a new business is using a free business plan template. While professional business planning is available, it is much less expensive to use a prepared template. The biggest challenge when starting a new business is creating a business plan. You will need your plan to gain funding, to plan your management and to generally get your business started.


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The link on this hotel Dubai online bookings webpage will help you to be more informed before you book hotel accommodation in Dubai. The Dubai hotel you choose will depend on your budget, type of travel such as beach holiday hotel booking or business travel hotel booking.
Photo of Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Photos of hotels near Dubai CBD
Hotels Near Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Online Bookings for
Hotels in Dubai


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Goa Packages from Indore
Book Online Indore to Goa Packages for your favorite operator, send today your Indore Goa tour schedule: Book NOW
Book Online Indore to Goa Packages for your favorite operator, send today your Indore Goa tour schedule: Book NOW
Package price per couple
|4 Nights / 5 Days
|Pickup and Drop
|Goa International Airport (GOI), Dabolim
|Flight Cost
|₹ 4,000/person
|Hotel Price
|₹ 3,000/Night (Per person on twin sharing basis)
|Sightseeing Cost
|₹ 8,000
|Service Charge
|₹ 1,000
|Tour Package Starting Price
|₹ 27,900/- (Inclusive of all taxes)
It is not by chance but it by reality that people opt for Goa as their tour destination. The ever chanting Goa is a home to some of the best clubs, casinos, pubs but the North Goa is party capital of India. You can get peace and tranquility, clean beaches and natural prettiness at its best. You will get decent hotels and resorts from boutique to five star properties. These are available on the beautiful site of beaches and in heart of cities.
If you want to stay in rural areas? People of there can arrange accommodation and other facilities for the tourists. Entire land of Goa state is worthy for the purpose of tourism. People of the state are very hospitable. The languages spoken by the people are Hindi, English, Marathi, Portuguese, Konkani and other some local dialects. Dancing, singing, fashions, drinking, are common in the culture of Goa state. You may get some beautiful properties of hotels and resorts in the mid of rice plantations and the architecture is inspired by traditional state design. Tourist may find courtyards, steeply pitched roofs and verandas there. Lap pools, open air hot tubs and luxury suits will welcome you there.
You can start your Goa tour from Indore and this city is situated in MP. This city is the city of temples and mosques. People of Hindu and Muslim communities are living there in peace and harmony. You may cover other places of this state. The history of Madhya Pradesh is very charming. Tourist can visit several forts and historical places including the other religious places worthy to see. Lord Ganesha Temple is worthy to visit in this city. It is presumed that prayers of devotees come in reality in people lives.
Tourists may have the all types of means of transportation to reach at Goa from Indore. It will be a nice tour of your life.
Day 1: Arrival at Goa
After your arrival in Goa, you'll be met by a tour representative who assists while you take a transfer to the hotel/resort. On completing the check-in formalities, take some rest for the day. In the evening, you can go to enjoy a stroll around nearby places. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Day 2: North Goa Tour
This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you'll head out for a day of sightseeing of North Goa. North Goa beaches are famous to be the center of activity and fun. Go for a visit to Candolim Beach, Anjuna Beach, Baga Beach, Panaji, Aguda Fort and Arambol Beach etc. Post lunch, head to Baga Beach, which is one the most popular, happening and beautiful beaches of Goa. Enjoy water sports and then you can go for some shopping at the Tibetan market. North Goa is home to a number of historical tourist places like Fort Aguada, Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral, and can also visit Archaeological Museum. Evening visit to the local market or enjoy the nightlife at Goa beaches, where the dancing and revelry continue well into the early hours of the morning. Drop back to hotel and overnight at the Hotel.
Day 3: South Goa Tour
After Breakfast, check out from the Hotel and proceed on a drive to South Goa. Check in to the Hotel and go for a visit to Old Goa, the most important Temples, Cathedrals, Churches and Museum and Historical place. South Goa beaches like Bogmalo, Colva, Benaulim , Loutulim, Palolem beach, Natural Beauty, Wildlife Sanctuary, Waterfalls and explores the historical forts, adventure sports etc. Drop back to hotel and stay at hotel.
Day 4: Historic Panjim City and Old Goa
After breakfast at the hotel you'll head out for a day of sightseeing in the Historic Panjim City and Old Goa. Panaji, the capital of Goa, is the ideal place for visiting. Pick up your souvenirs here, go to local markets, buy the famous cashew seeds, and possibly grab a glass of the local Vinicola wine. Much of the real Goa is seen inside its buildings and in the hinterland, away from the coastal area. In the morning you'll visit the Panjim City. The oldest monument in Panjim is the Adil Shah's Palace, and enjoy panoramic views of Panjim. The afternoon's tour takes you to Miramar Beach and on to Dona Paula. The Dona Paula Bay overlooks Marmagoa, the largest natural harbor in India, and the Arabian Sea. On the return you'll drive down through Fountainhes to Old Goa, the heartland of ancient Christianity. See the bustling city of Mapusa, noted for its colorful Friday market. In the evening drop back to hotel and overnight at the Hotel.
Day 5: Depart Goa
After breakfast, check-out approx 12:00 PM from the hotel and transfer to the airport or railway station or bus stands for your onward journey.
What our
I had the time of my life in GOA. Everything was organized and so much fun. Perfect combination of activities and well resort. Thank you for organising so well our transfers and trips.
Arrived in goa after a delightful stay in mumbai. The trip was everything promised and even more. IN wonderful beachland goa I enjoyed every minute of it. It's worth taking more than once. Again, such a great trip and thank you so much for all the planning.
I give goatripsindia 5 stars for being the very best travel agent in the state of GOA…I have tried others and this definitely the best travel agent out there! 🙂 They really gets to know her customers and pays attention to details. Keep up the great work!
Who does not love the beach? I love to sharing the beach holidays with you. To go out with the setting sun on an empty beach is to truly embrace your solitude.
If you're looking for a highly pro team of GOA experts that can provide accurate and honest info for travel packages, GOATRIPSINDIA is your solution. They're more than happy and willing to provide you honest info for free! No Complaints At All!
One of my favorite vacation places is Goa, because of the people, the water and the beach – of course – and the architecture on Goa Beach is so wonderful.
I enjoy a Goa vacation. I'm just having a wonderful time. A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. A Goa vacation spot out of season always has a very special magic.
I love to be outdoors, so I love Goa; I miss it so much in every summers. I miss the beach, the peace it brings you. I love the sound and smell of the sea. I love to be bike and go to the beach.
I love the beach, and I love sunshine. There're not many places in the world where one can get to the beach in 1 hour, the desert in 2 hours and snowboarding or skiing in 3 hours. You can do all that in GOA.
It has been an incredible experience. Unforgettable New Year trip, loved everything, I had such a great time and all my new experiences were wonderful. I Highly recommend goatripsindia for your next NEW YEAR EVE.
North GOA is unbelievable. This is absolutely the best region of the goa I have ever been on in my life. I love the beaches, people, the food and, well, of course the fabrics. I never want to leave.
I had such a lovely time on the GOA (April 2016), thank you so much for all of your help with my questions, I appreciate to you. I saw many of the usual travel site but the thing that made honeymoon trip unforgettable was the incredible attention to detail and the opportunity to see Goa through the eyes of someone who sees beyond the surface. I highly recommend this place to people who love clean rooms/beaches, great food, and excellent customer service!
And head to some of the amazing beaches of Goa with Goatripsindia.com.


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Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the questions below to reveal the answers.
- First, the charities that receive funds from Federated Health are health-related charities—the United Way funds social-service agencies. The 17 Federated Health member charities are not agencies of the United Way;
- Second, Federated Health's campaign only takes place inside the Ontario Public Service. Unlike the United Way, the campaign is not conducted in the general public;
- Third, in addition to raising money, Federated Health is also a workplace health awareness campaign dedicated to helping members of the OPS live healthier lives.
These area offices receive funding from the Ontario offices of the charities so they can provide local services. A large portion of the money raised by Federated Health goes to medical research.
The charities award research grants to scientists they believe to be doing the most promising work towards treatments and cures. Those scientists are located throughout Canada. It is important to remember that a scientist's work benefits everyone, not just those in the city in which the work actually takes place.
Unfortunately, people affected by these 17 health conditions have needs that range far beyond government's ability to meet them. That's why they depend on Federated Health's charities for services government doesn't supply—emotional support, telephone hotlines, practical assistance, education programmes, counselling—along with a substantial investment in the search for treatments and cures.
- they must operate province-wide, fund medical research, support health education and awareness, and offer client and patient services;
- they must address a health condition not currently represented in the federation;
- they cannot receive funding from the United Way.
When the campaign grows enough to support the addition of a new charity, organizations recommended by our donors, and other charities, are invited to apply.
If you give by cash, cheque, or credit card the Federated Health office will mail a tax receipt to your home address. (Canada Revenue Agency requires that your home address appear on the receipt.) You should receive that receipt by mid fall.
This information is kept in a strictly confidential manner and is never traded, rented, sold or otherwise revealed to any organization in whole or in part—including the charities that benefit from the campaign.
All of the 17 Federated Health charities conduct campaigns in the general public, so it's possible that some of those programs may reach your home.
You can simply choose simply to ignore those requests, or to contact the charity and ask it to not send requests because you prefer to give through the OPS Health Charities Campaign.
The family, or the individual, will be told which charity (or group of charities) was designated to receive the donation (though not the amount of the donation).
These donations can be made at any time throughout the year through the Federated Health Charities Office at 647-278-9861.
Did You Know?
Federated Health Charities began in 1983, when members of the OPS created their own campaign to allow them to contribute to health charities in the same way they were able to contribute to social service agencies through the United Way campaign – chiefly through payroll deduction, but also by cash, cheque, Visa or MasterCard, as well as through participation in special events. Since the United Way campaign ran in the fall, Federated Health became a spring campaign, currently running from the beginning of April to the end of June.


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Category — My Toolbox
My Toolbox — Oscilloscope
Why do I have an oscilloscope? The real answer is that scopes are cool, and many years ago, I couldn't resist when Fry's had Fluke Scopemeters on sale — at 50% off! So I own a 100MHz dual trace Fluke 196 Scopemeter. Later I bought the yellow the Pelican case for it; the two are a great combination.
Since software ties everything together, I'm also the "systems" guy, and thus I should be able to troubleshoot the entire machine. I do use my multi-meter much more than my scope, but the oscilloscope is essential when troubleshooting encoders, hall sensors, and the occasional electrical glitch which won't show up on a DMM.
I've used other scopes, such as the Tek THS720 handheld, the Tek TDS 210 desktop, Tek analog scopes, and a Heathkit analog scope. Recently, I participated in a hands-on demo of the new Rhode and Schwartz RTO1014 1GHZ oscilloscope. It's quite impressive, even intimidating at first, with all the buttons and things it can do. Fortunately, such high powered scopes aren't needed for typical factory troubleshooting; a dual channel, 20-100MHz real time digital does fine most of the time.
There is uncommon feature that's really handy: isolated channels (each channel's ground is isolated from the others). With a typical dual channel scope such as the TDS 210, I can only view one differential encoder signal (channel 1 probe on A+ signal, channel 2 on A- signal, display mode set to combine channels). But with a dual isolated channels, I can view two differential signals (channel 1 probe on A+, channel 1 ground on A-, channel 2 probe on B+, channel 2 ground on B-).
Hand-held scopes, such as the Fluke 196 and Tek THS 720, typically have isolated channels, along with ruggedness, battery power, small size, and a hefty price tag. However, a 4 channel desktop scope is often cheaper than a 2 channel isolated channel scope.
I once spent a lot of extra time because I was too enamored with isolated channels. The system had a servo motor with the differential encoder output split, with one set of signals going to a motion controller and the other set going to a custom board. The motion controller was counting correctly, but the custom board wasn't.
I set up my Fluke 196 to look at the differential signals. The B+/B- signal did look smaller (less voltage swing) than the A+/A- signal, but it had to be OK because the motion controller was picking it up. So I started swapping out components — and kept getting the same problem.
I figured it out when I looked at each signal (A+, A-, B+, B-) individually; the B- signal was dead (because of a broken wire in the cable from the motor). The motion controller worked because it was less sensitive, managing to count the smaller transitions. My lesson learned: check everything, and don't make unsupported assumptions.
May 10, 2011 3 Comments
My Toolbox — Software
What software do I like on my service laptop?
- All my development software. I never know when I might need a particular software package.
- However, licensing can be an issue; nobody wants to pay extra money for a license that sits mostly unused on a laptop. Some software allows for multiple installations.
- If the software only allows for one installation, I prefer using a dongle to a software key, because it's easy to move the dongle around — and way too easy to "lose" the software key (I've seen it happen every time with software keys, which why I hate software keys).
- Software licensing based on the MAC address or such, that can be moved around easily (e.g. return key via internet, then check it out on another computer) is better, but is still a hassle.
- Of course, the best vendors say: "You can copy the software; just don't tell us" (said to me by a saleswomen for a large German automation vendor).
- Electrical Schematic viewer
- I don't always have a paper schematics with me, so it's important to be able to view schematics on my laptop.
- Since our schematics are in DWG files, I use eDrawings as a convenient DWG file viewer. You can also use a full AutoCAD clone; DoubleCAD XT (Windows only) and DraftSight (Windows, Mac, Linux) are both high quality, free AutoCAD clones.
- Merge software with directory comparisons
- I've found file comparison software to be a life-saver. Version control is great, but a machine in the field might be in a different state. I can use the directory comparison to quickly see what files have changed, and then zero in on the changes using file comparison, and then merge between the two versions if needed. Some software handles three-way merges.
- I just did this kind of directory comparison recently when upgrading two almost-but-not-quite-identical machines.
- I've been using Araxis Merge for a long time, and have no regrets about spending my money on it. I've used some free options (such as TortoiseMerge with TortoiseSvn), but I feel Araxis works better for some file comparisons.  TortoiseMerge doesn't do directory comparisons.
- I've found file comparison software to be a life-saver. Version control is great, but a machine in the field might be in a different state. I can use the directory comparison to quickly see what files have changed, and then zero in on the changes using file comparison, and then merge between the two versions if needed. Some software handles three-way merges.
- If you use a personal laptop for work, consider using a Virtual Machine (VM) to keep your private and professional lives separate. With USB pass through features, you should be able to access USB, serial (via USB to serial converters), and networked equipment from within the VM.
- In the future, I might look at taking my version control system with me; since I'm currently running Subversion and Trac in a Virtual Machine, I could do it easily by copying the VM to my laptop.
April 18, 2011 2 Comments
My Toolbox: Laptop
My Toolbox series is about my tools for working on machines, including some stories. I'm going to talk about my tools; your toolbox will be different, but hopefully I'll give some useful ideas.
Yeah, I'm a software guy, but as the automation software guy, I have the privilege of understanding the whole machine and making sure it is all working right. That's why I have a toolbox filled with mechanical tools and electrical test equipment, but I'll start with service laptops.
Service Laptop
- I'm using Win7 64-bit on my own laptop, but Win7 32-bit is probably the best choice for a field service laptop, since you should not need >3G RAM, and many device drivers are still not available for 64-bit Windows.
- Since almost all automation software is Windows only, you really have to use Windows.
- Siemen's SoftComfort Logo! development environment is a notable exception (it's written in Java).
- However, if you can talk to all your equipment via USB (including USB to serial converters) and Ethernet, you could use Linux or Mac OS X as your host OS and run the Windows software in a VM (Virtual Machine) with networking and USB pass through for outside access. Or you can dual boot.
- I'm partial to Lenovo Thinkpads because of their excellent keyboards and overall quality. Besides, most Thinkpads support using a FDE (full disk encryption) hard drive, which is a good idea when venturing out with gigabytes of proprietary information.
- Not all Thinkpads come with with FDE drives, but it's an affordable do-it-yourself upgrade.
- Thinkpads are more affordable at the Lenovo Outlet, and you still get a 1 year warranty. If an older Thinkpad is good enough, and a shorter warranty is OK, then TigerDirect often has great deals (<$400) on off-lease Thinkpads.
- Of course there are plenty of other good possibilities. My advice is always get a business class laptop; I've seen way too many problems with consumer laptops.
Don't forget the cables
- I typically bring along an extra RJ-45 cable, a standard DB9M/F serial cable, USB extension cable, USB A to micro-B cable, Panasonic FP0 serial cable, and USB to serial port converter (since my laptop doesn't have a serial port).
- I normally don't bring along all the special serial stuff, like null modem (laplink) cables, DB9/DB25 cables, and assorted gender changes. I've only needed something weird once in the past 5 years.
Other Computer Hardware
- A 4G or larger USB memory stick.
- I frequently have to transfer files without using a network.
- If you work with really old computer systems, a USB floppy drive would be useful.
- Don't forget the memory stick! Always remember to put it back in your bag or pocket.
- 3G/4G wireless is a nice option, so you can access the internet to research problems, download files you forget to do earlier, and such without needing access to the customer's network.
- On the other hand, 3G is another monthly fee (typically $40-$80/month in the US) for a service that's typically not often needed. If AT&T does complete its acquisition of T-Mobile, expect prices to go up.
- Pre-paid (from Virgin Mobile and others) gives the option of paying only when needed, but pre-paid is more expensive for heavy data use. Walmart probably has the best pre-paid deal: $20 for 1G for 1 month.
- Another option is tethering (via USB cable, Bluetooth, or WiFi) to a cell phone with 3G/4G. However, tethering usually adds another monthly charge (often about $15) on top of the data fee.
March 31, 2011 No Comments


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DOROT is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to alleviate social isolation and provide concrete services to older adults. For more than four decades, DOROT has been an innovative leader in the fields of aging services and volunteerism. DOROT's diverse set of programs, as well as our focus on providing intergenerational connections to seniors, has ensured that DOROT's clients have access to the resources they need to age with dignity, independence, and grace. Vision DOROT will be an innovative leader in mobilizing volunteers of all ages to improve the lives and health of the elderly, addressing the challenges of an aging society. Mission DOROT alleviates social isolation among the elderly and provides services to help them live independently as valued members of the community. We serve the Jewish and wider community, bringing the generations together in a mutually beneficial partnership of elders, volunteers and professionals. Our work provides an effective model for others. Values 1.Jewish Communal Responsibility Affirming our commitment to honor the older members of the community, by bringing the generations together 2.Commitment to Excellence Upholding the highest of standards in all that we do 3.Compassion Connecting personally with sensitivity and concern to provide exceptional care 4.Making a Difference Having a demonstrable impact in the lives of the people we serve 5.Integrity Being worthy of the trust of all our constituents 6.Innovation Being dedicated


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Where are you from originally, Aleks?
The name is Serbian. My grandparents came over in 1943 as so many Yugoslavs did, fleeing World War Two. My Grandma and Grandad ended up being settled in Leicester, and my dad was born in Leicester. I was born in a town called Harpenden.
And you studied at Oxford?
I did, and it was great fun – didn't work hard enough. I did okay; but it was great. Its interesting though, that you ask me where I'm from because a lot of readers and people I connect with on social clock that I'm not English, and I have to say 'I know that the name doesn't sound it, but there is a reason I have that name and there's another reason why I sound like this'.
But that seems to be the way of the world these days, doesn't it? My daughter's name is Odessa, which is a great name; suits her, but she's brought up in London with a Scottish background.
So, when you were young, presumably you weren't going out getting tailor-made garments and bespoke shirts. When did it start?
I got in to clothes quite young, though; It's quite a convoluted story so forgive me. It comes from a love of Jazz music, originally. One of my earliest memories is listening to my dad's Hi-Fi – he's a big vinyl lover, which is a love I've inherited as well. I remember as a child, barely being able to stand, it must be a very early memory, and listening to Dean Martin sing 'aint that a kick in the head?' on vinyl, so I have a very long love of old easy listening and jazz.
When I was 13, my folks took me to see the show that's on at the moment, the Rat Pack live. One of the famous concerts that they re-create. it didn't matter that it wasn't the real thing, I was completely and utterly hooked, and I'd also just got in to youth theatre at that point. To watch these three famous performers, or, you know, representations of them have such a blast on the stage with a great big band, backing singers; it just really stuck with me. The thing I loved as well was how slick the performances were but also just how sharp they looked up there on stage. There was a real sense of put-togetherness that I really identified with. Through that, and this is weird, I've not thought of this before, but my first ever part in a youth production was as a journalist, from the 1930s. I bought, for the part (because it gave me the excuse) a black and white thick chalk stripe double breasted demob suit. It was a very big, boxy jacket with claret viscose lining and really thick stripes. I was 13 and that was my first suit, and I loved it so much I found any excuse I could to wear it.
That started a love of clothing. In 6th form of course, we got to wear suits every day and I remember queuing outside Next at 5am on a boxing day, this must have been about eight years ago. They used to do Alfred Brown three piece suits and they did a really good worsted cloth suit with big peak lapels with a purple lining which I wore for 6th form.
I can see a pattern developing here…
It was something I wouldn't touch these days but at the time I loved it, and that's really where it all started. 2 years of wearing s suit every day for 6th form, and by the end of 2 years I'd kind of done enough experimenting to know what I liked and what I didn't like. Then, when I got to uni, I started blogging and started actually bugging Jermyn Street and Savile Row bands, and that's how that all began. First it was music, then it was the style behind the music.
You've more or less covered all of my questions in that one answer!
How about that?
I was going to ask, as you were growing up, were there any interests that shaped he person you have become?
I suppose I'm a bit of an obsessive personality too. We have an unfortunate overkill our family for that. My dad loves watches – a big car, Hi-Fi and watch nut, and I got the clothes side of things. There's a joke in our family that nobody can ever have just one of something, whether it's cake or a suit. I've always been interested in engineering and how things are made. That initially came about as I think it does with a lot of young boys, for a love of the railway and those sorts of charming fantasies that you have about driving trains.
When a subject grips me, it's there and I can't get away from it.
But that's also something which leads in to tailoring. The structure and construction. People who like bespoke are often in to the construction behind them and the techniques used in their construction.
Exactly, and you know that the kind of brands that get me fired up are craft led brands, and I would hope to never lose that. I think there's not enough luxury journalism today that's about things of quality and how things are made; about handwork and the value of doing something by hand. You don't always get to tell those kinds of stories, but when I do, those are the ones I really love. So, again, you're right, it does feed in.
When I was blogging, and looking back at this now, he thing that really seemed to help the blog to take off was how deep down I went in to the details of different house styles. How tailors were padding shoulders, or padding lapels or how they cut their belly, or if there was a little dart somewhere you wouldn't expect to find a dart. I used to write paragraphs on that kind of thing and I loved it.
You'd imagine it would be incredibly boring, but fortunately the audience then got it, or wanted to read about it.
There are a few connections I have which go way back to the blog which is now 5 or 6 years old; guys that have followed me from very early on who often ask where that level of detail has gone? Why aren't you writing in the Jackal, you know 500 words on a specific shirt collar?
I suppose, ultimately, that's the freedom if you like, of the blogosphere. It can be very obsessive, very niche because there's not that editorial control you'd have to adhere to.
Precisely; which I think is both a blessing and curse sometimes. I remember when I started at The Rake, I had quite a few connections from my time as a blogger who were keen on leveraging coverage – and you can never cover a brand just because you know it – there always has to be reason to a tell a story, something compelling and objective.
For that reason, the blog had to go – I don't think you can be both a blogger and an in-house journalist – a freelancer by all means, but not a full-time magazine staffer. It's tricky to keep that balance.


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Few years back, blogs are created, seen and categorized as an online journal or diary of an individual person. It is something like a personal diary gone digital because of the newest technology. But today, things have changed. Blogs are now created and being used more than that "personal purpose"
I can bravely say that blogs are taking the World Wide Web by storm. It's now replacing the traditional web pages or static HTML websites that used to be the norm of the internet. The ease of use and creation, dependability, maintenance and overall functionality of blogs over the traditional static websites are what putting them into the top.
Businesses, politicians, big brands, celebrities, musicians and whoever wants to set up their name around the internet uses blogs to communicate and update their fans, supporters or followers. Even activists use this online platform to send out their message across their nation. We've seen it being fully utilized with success at some countries around the globe. Teachers and educators, on the other hand uses this powerful system to speed up the process of their teaching and relaying information among their students.
As you can see, blogs do serve different purposes depending on who uses it. But one thing is for sure, its pretty powerful and efficient tool to reach out to large number or group of people and speed up the process of relaying information and news.
Speaking of being a powerful and efficient tool, it doesn't mean that when you put up a blog, readers will flock in to your domain to read and view the stuff you wrote. It doesn't work like that. You have to put up some work on your content, your promotion and build credibility and trust for it and even at your name as the owner and writer of your platform. Unless you are a household name or authority blogger or writer, you won't need much of that promotion because your name is already a powerful one to drive visits and traffic to your blog.
You might ask what it takes to become a powerful blogger or writer. For me, it all boils down your background, the years of experience you have in the field and of course the stuff and information you dishes out freely at your domain. If you are looking for authority and powerful bloggers or blogs, you can check out the following top 10 lists of the most powerful blogs (I ranked and choose them randomly according to my own judgment or preference). They can serve as your model or inspiration to become the kind of writer or blogger you ever dreamed of.
1 – HuffingtonPost
At every hot term or issue you will search online or via Google, I am quite sure HuffingtonPost will be in front of you. The domain itself is all over the web at almost each and every issue or news item known to mankind. With its huge following and subscribers, they are making a huge impact at the World Wide Web. HuffingtonPost do have almost 1 million likes on Facebook, 3 million followers on Twitter and have an Alexa traffic rank of 95 around the globe.
In terms of celebrity issues, may it be a gossip or with a hard evidence or proof, TMZ is the blog for you. Major news sites around the globe do pickup some of the latest news around the Hollywood or at the music industry by reading and subscribing at the said blog. They got this power and authority to deliver celebrity centered news and spread it virally in few minutes or so. TMZ now have almost 1.2 million likes of Facebook, 1.7 million followers on Twitter and Alexa global traffic rank of 584.
3 – PerezHilton
Because of his name, Perez Hilton's blog is receiving great hits all over the globe. Just like TMZ, this is a celebrity focused and centered news or gossip site. This is also one of those blogs who publish hot news item and issues that you can't probably find at any blog. PerezHilton.Com has 275k likes on Facebook, 6 million followers on Twitter and Alexa global rank of 1,301 as of this writing.
4 – Engadget
Engadget, being one of the many AOL properties manage by Arianna Huffington (owner of HuffingtonPost) is pretty influential and powerful in terms of newest technology and gadget that emerge. Although Engadget looks so simple and basic in terms of design, its one of those blogs that is a trusted and dependable source of any gadget related news and item. The blog have 600k Twitter followers, 230k Facebook likes and 441 Alexa traffic rank.
5 – Gizmodo
If you want to talk about a simply awesome tech blog, Gizmodo is one of the top ones. Its so simple, fast loading and the post they got are pretty influential for many tech enthusiasts. For sure their 516k Twitter followers and 500k Facebook fans are enjoying each and every bit of article they are posting at their blog. They got an Alexa traffic rank of 755.
6 – Mashable
I am quite sure you already know what Mashable posts are all about. Mashable is a household name in terms of making stuff go viral around the World Wide Web and the social media. With their new blog design, it became more interactive and really a good blog to visit from time to time. Mashable now have 1.1M Facebook likes, 3.2M Twitter followers and 326 traffic rank according to Alexa.
7 – Techcrunch
Want more tech and gadget news, Techcrunch is the one for you. With the blog's major influence in terms of newest technology and news stuff, it's one of the most trusted one by tech and gadget fans. Their 590 Facebook fans and 2.7M Twitter followers can't go wrong with this site. The domain got a 532 Alexa traffic rank.
8 – Gawker
If you are looking for a blog in terms of straightforward news with a bit of oddity sometimes, Gawker is the domain name you can trust. Although they sometimes include some stuff that is fetched from one of the above listed blogs, they also make sure that they have their original ones. Gawker got 260 Facebook likes, 262K Twitter followers and 1,078 Alexa rank.
9 – Lifehacker
I am one of the major fans of this blog. It features how to guides, top lists and awesome information that you can apply and use at your daily life. The domain name itself describes the blog better. It hacks your life and gives you simple tips and advice that can make a big difference. Lifehacker got 560K Facebook likes, 670K Twitter followers and 575 Alexa traffic rank.
10 – FailBlog
We all need fun and laughter from time to time. FailBlog is one of the best blog to get that entertainment from. You know they are quite influential when the post they got will make you like, tweet and share it among with your friends and followers. That's how and why their 520K Facebook fans and 55K Twitter followers got hooked up. By the way, this blog is now ranked 728 based on Alexa global traffic count.
I hope you enjoyed my 10 list of influential blogs. For sure you can pick up something with them in terms of making your blog an authority, powerful and influential one.
Contact us or email us with your questions, comments or tips. Read more trending news here at HenSpark!


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A signature of ZEISS lenses, the Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS features T* coating on its optical surfaces which minimizes flare and ghosting and boosts contrast, clarity and depth with landscape shots and strongly backlit scenes. It also has a constant F4 maximum aperture, allowing photographers to achieve beautiful background defocus effects with a shallow depth of field at all focal lengths. The lens is equipped with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization and is dust and moisture resistant, allowing it to perform well in tough shooting environments.
1 Year Sony Canada Warranty


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The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a report that supply outside OPEC would decline by 380,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016, as output falls in regions such as the United States and former Soviet Union.
Last month, OPEC predicted a drop of 130,000 bpd.
OPEC's report follows its acrimonious meeting on Dec 4, where it rolled over a policy of pumping crude without restraint.
A year ago, Saudi Arabia pushed though an OPEC decision to defend market share instead of cutting output, hoping to slow growth in rival supplies.
The report also said OPEC members pumped more oil in November, adding to a supply glut, and forecast global oil demand growth would slow next year.
OPEC production, which has surged since the policy shift of November 2014 led by record Saudi Arabian and Iraqi output, rose by 230,000 bpd in November to 31.70 million bpd, the report said, citing secondary sources.


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The Best Free Advice on How to Quickly Close a SaleMonika Jansen
HubSpot recently published a SlideShare presentation created by Doug Kessler that blew me away. Blew. Me. Away.
The premise was so simple: How do you make someone you have slowly nurtured through the sales funnel stop hemming and hawing and just buy already?
The answer, of course, is not what you think. Here's what I learned, aka, the best free advice on how to quickly close a sale:
People are scared of change
People hesitate to buy because buying means change and people are scared of change (even if they have a high tolerance for risk). They are scared it won't work, they'll get fired, they'll lose sales – you name it.
People need to be convinced there is no other way
You kind of have to scare even more them by convincing them "the world has changed in a real, undeniable, significant, and relevant way." You have to help them realize there is no other choice but to change.
You need to provide evidence that change is real and undeniable...
Provide evidence in the form of data/statistics, third-party support (media, analystis, current customers), and a driver (what is causing the change?).
... and significant and relevant
Now you have to introduce the logic of the change. Show that change is inevitable and explain the consequence of not changing. Show them how the change will "rock their world" and show that the "impact is imminent."
Do you know what you just did? You showed them that not doing anything is far riskier than taking action and buying. You just convinced them there is no other way.
Create content that does all of the above
Your content has to:
- be direct and assertive
- start with what potential customers already know about the situation
- build your argument in a straightforward, linear fashion
- be supported by data
- ask for the sale
- make right now seem like the best time to act (highlight the cost of delaying
This is simple, beautiful advice. Go use it, and come back and let me know how it worked by leaving a comment in the box below.
Image courtesy of iStockPhoto
Author information
Monika Jansen
Monika Jansen is a freelance copywriter and editor who helps with companies of all shapes on sizes kick their content up to the next level. You can find her online at www.jansencomm.com.


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The US is confident that Taiwan can be a leader in helping solve pressing global and regional challenges, a senior Washington official said on Wednesday.
"Taiwan has a lot to offer in the way of capacity, expertise and resources and that is why we continue with our efforts to elevate Taiwan's international profile and dignity," US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Tong told a roundtable discussion on the Taiwan-US Global Cooperation Training Framework (GCTF) agreement at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University.
That Tong was sitting alongside Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達) added to the meeting's importance. Under the complex diplomatic protocols that rule US-Taiwan relations, senior officials rarely meet face to face this way.
"Today is unique, an unprecedented setup," Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office representative Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said.
The GCTF agreement involves Taiwan and the US working together to train other regional nations on a wide variety of issues.
It was signed in June last year, and Linghu was in Washington for a US Department of State meeting to discuss future projects.
Shen said that the agreement marked the beginning of a new era and was a milestone in US-Taiwan cooperation.
He said it showed that the bilateral relationship could be upgraded and expanded.
"We can easily work together because we all believe in democracy, human rights, freedom and individual rights, peace and stability," Linghu said.
He said the US-Taiwan relationship was "very close, very robust" and that GCTF was "another important token" of the partnership.
Tong said the foundation of the US-Taiwan partnership was shared values — a commitment to democracy, civil liberties and human rights.
"The people in Taiwan have built a prosperous, free, orderly society with strong institutions worthy of emulation. Taiwan is a model for others," he said.
Tong said that Taiwan was a responsible global citizen and the US supported Taiwan's membership in international organizations where statehood was not a requirement, and promoted Taiwan's meaningful participation in organizations where membership was not possible.
"We all stand to benefit when Taiwan is included in the international arena," he said.
Tong said the GCTF idea was "quite simple" and resulted in the US and Taiwan conducting training programs for nations throughout the region to assist them in building their own capacities, with topics ranging from women's rights, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and democratization to global health and energy security.
"Yesterday representatives from the two sides met and discussed the next set of priorities for the GCTF including exploring pressing regional issues and brainstorming how Taiwan and the US can best cooperate together and with others to combat future challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond," Tong said.
He said women's empowerment had been discussed at length and that Taiwan has recently elected its first-ever female president, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), whom he said the US looks forward to working with and knowing better in the future.
Tong also said that the ratio of Taiwanese women elected to the legislature is the highest in Asia at 38 percent, which is nearly double the figure in the US.


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Journal of Laws 2001 No. 16 Item 168
LAW of February 3, 2001 on the protection of the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin
Article 1.
- The works of Fryderyk Chopin and objects connected with him are nation-wide values subject to special protection. The name of Fryderyk Chopin and his image, respectively, are protected under the rules concerning personal interests.
- The values specified in section 1 are supervised by the minister competent for culture and protection of national heritage, hereinafter referred to as the "Minister".
- In particular, the Minister is entitled to seek protection of the values referred to in section 1, if such values are used in a prejudicial manner.
- The amounts awarded as compensation or satisfaction for the infringement of the values referred to in section 1 shall be transferred for the benefit of the institute referred to in Article 4.
- The Minister may commission the institute referred to in Article 4 to perform duties mentioned in sections 1-3 and in Article 3, within the scope indicated by the Minister.
Article 2.
The place of birth of Fryderyk Chopin - the Manor House in Żelazowa Wola with an antique park surrounding it, is considered national cultural value, which is subject to protection provided for in this Law.
Article 3.
The protection of the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin includes, in particular:
- Cultivation of knowledge and memory of Fryderyk Chopin,
- Research and cooperation in the development of the knowledge about the output and the person of Fryderyk Chopin,
- Popularization of his works, including in particular through:
- Undertaking or co-financing the publication of records, music and other publications,
- Organizing or co-financing concerts,
- Undertaking or providing financial support for competitions or other initiatives with the purpose of presentation of works and popularization of the knowledge about Fryderyk Chopin,
- Cooperation in the support and development of the performance of the works of Fryderyk Chopin in Poland and abroad,
- Gaining, gathering, protecting and making available the objects and places connected with his life and production,
- Protection of personal interests specified in Article 1 section 1 and actions aiming at the maintenance of the integrity of Fryderyk Chopin's works.
Article 4.
- The Fryderyk Chopin Institute is hereby established, hereinafter referred to as the "Institute".
- The Institute is a state culture institution within the meaning of the provisions of the Law of October 25, 1991 on organizing and conducting of cultural activities (Journal of Laws 1997, No. 110, Item 721 and No. 141, Item 943, of 1998 No. 106, Item 668, of 1999 No. 101, Item 1178 and of 2000 No. 12, Item 136).
- The Institute has legal personality.
- The authorities of the Institute are as follows:
- Director of the Institute,
- Programming Board of the Institute.
- The organizer of the Institute is the minister competent for culture and protection of national heritage.
Article 5.
The tasks of the Institute are as follows:
- Protection of the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin,
- Individual or based on agreement - through third parties - management of real property and other things connected with Fryderyk Chopin, being the ownership of the State Treasury or possessed by state organizational units,
- Cooperation with state and self-governed units, organizations and natural persons in activities aiming at the protection of the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin.
Article 6.
- Natural persons and organizational units distinguished in the protection of the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin shall be granted an award of honor "Person of Merit for the Protection of the Heritage of Fryderyk Chopin".
- The award of honor "Person of Merit for the Protection of the Heritage of Fryderyk Chopin" shall be granted by the Minister.
- The Minister shall specify, by regulation, the procedure and rules of the granting of the award referred to in section 1, its model and manner of wearing it.
Article 7.
- The Law does not infringe the provisions of the Law of February 4, 1994 on copyrights and neighboring rights (Journal of Laws 2000 No. 80, Item 904).
- The claims provided for in the Law referred to in section 1 for relatives of the author shall be performed in relation to the works of Fryderyk Chopin by the Minister. The provisions of Article 1 section 1 shall apply respectively.
Article 8.
In matters not regulated in this Law, the provisions of the Law referred to in Article 4 section 2 hereof shall apply.
Article 9.
The establishment of the Institute may take place not later than within 6 months of the effective date of the Law.
Article 10.
- The Law comes into force after the lapse of 14 days of the date of its promulgation.
- With reference to the registered trademarks using the name or image of Fryderyk Chopin, the Law shall come into force after the lapse of 6 months of the date of its promulgation and shall refer also to the trademarks used on its effective date.


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A search for a missing diver has been suspended after he failed to surface this morning.
Canterbury police said a group of experienced divers went for a dive, about 7.5 nautical miles north of Motunau Beach, at 10.40am.
However, one of the three divers did not surface at 11am.
"Nearby vessels assisted with a search for the man before police were called and initiated a search at midday," police said.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter also completed an air search and the Coastguard co-ordinated a water search.
Police say the search has now been suspended until tomorrow, when the Police National Dive Squad will begin to search the area.
The man's immediate next of kin have been notified by police.


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Aspects of Floral Development
Proceedings of the double symposium "Floral development: evolutionary aspects and special topics", held at the XIV International Botanical Congress, Berlin (West, Germany, July 24 to August 1, 1987)
Peter K. Endress, Claudia Erbar, Peter Leins, Shirley C. Tucker
The study of how a flower develops can be considered floral morphology in its fullest sense. Floral morphology should include, not only the mature floral structure, but also the succession of morphological changes which can be seen during ontogeny. Developmental studies have been revolutionized in the last 15 years by the availability of SEM (scanning electron microscopy). Comparative floral development is now being used as an approach to understanding the relationship between structure, systematics, and phylogeny. It also serves as a bridge between functional morphology and physiology of the flower. This volume contains contributions dealing with the morphological, systematic, and phylogenetic aspects of floral development. The chapters are presentations which were included in a double symposium, "Floral development: Evolutionary aspects and special topics", held on 29 July 1987 in Berlin as part of the XIV International Botanical Congress.


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No ideas, indeed.
Somehow, I am always afraid of going back to the university.
Bad results will ruin my future if I am not doing well in the examinations.
I really hate that very much.
But, this is what so called life and we can only accept it.
Sometimes, it helps to shape a perfect life too.
It depends.
Hope that I can enjoy myself entirely and have a good life for this semester.
Last but not least, I want to know more friends.
Thus, I will not keeping myself always in the room again like what I did last semester..
Its time to make changes.


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Why We Still Haven't Won the War on CancerAuthor Clifton Leaf discusses his new book "The Truth in Small Doses" and why so many people continue to be diagnosed with and die from cancer.
Four decades after "war" was declared on cancer and hundreds of billions of dollars later, a cure continues to elude researchers. This year alone, more than 1.6 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and close to 600,000 will die, according to the American Cancer Society.
In the book "The Truth in Small Doses," published last week by Simon & Schuster, author Clifton Leaf addresses questions researchers, doctors, and patients have been struggling with: Why aren't we closer to a cure? Why are cancer drugs so expensive and often ineffective? Why are breakthroughs so rare?
A former executive editor at the Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney magazine and Fortune, Leaf interviewed more than 1,000 oncologists, researchers, patients, and drug company executives, among others. He knows first-hand how devastating cancer can be: He lost his mother to cancer, his father is currently battling the disease, and Leaf fought and beat advanced Hodgkin's disease when he was 15.
In an interview, Leaf discussed how a dysfunctional "cancer culture" is to blame for the limited progress in fighting the disease and how the war can still be won.
This book's origin is a 2004 cover story you wrote for Fortune. Did you know then that a book would follow?
I felt like I had done what I set out to do. It wasn't a big deal to get a couple of emails from agents saying, "Hey, you should write a book on this." But this one agent named Tracy [Brown] sent me an e-mail, and I found it particularly engaging. He said, "What was the one question you really want to ask?" The question I wanted to understand was, "How did we get here?" When you're writing a book you think you're going to spend two years on it, so you'd better be in love with it, you'd better be in love with the question. In my case, I spent nine years on it.
How did you reconcile the various perspectives from doctors and researchers?
It was very much like looking at an elephant, where someone points to the trunk and says this is the elephant and someone else points to the tail and says this is the elephant. Having to figure out who was right or what points of view had the most credibility was a real challenge.
As a reporter, I'm willing to ask dumb questions and not feel like I'm embarrassing myself by asking them. There's a freedom that comes from being willing to say, "I don't understand that; can you explain it?" When they would talk about Gleevec [a new drug that targets abnormal proteins to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and a rare form of stomach cancer], for example, it would be clear 40 minutes into the conversation, that this would be a good model for very few cancers because of the complexities and differences between cancers.
Was writing this book very different from your previous business reporting?
I had been a Wall Street reporter, and I ran Fortune's investing coverage for a while. I was used to [the idea that] when something didn't work, it was often because some greedy person misled people. But when I wrote about cancer, everybody involved in this fight was trying to do good. That was extraordinary. Here was this mess of a problem, but everybody in it was focused on trying to save lives and trying to make progress against this horrible disease. [It's] a system that absolutely doesn't work, in which the failures are patently obvious in many cases and people are frustrated by them…but the people within the system all would give their right arm to cure cancer or reduce the burden of the disease?
Did doctors accept your general thesis that there's something wrong with the cancer research system?
For the first five minutes of the conversation, most doctors and scientists were somewhat protective, not defensive, of the work that they had done. Then after time, when you talk to them specifically about issues, they were much more candid about the system's shortcomings.
What did patients and their loved ones have to say about the state of cancer treatment?
Patient and their families in the midst of a crisis like this are hopeful – they have to be hopeful, they have to be trusting. That's the challenge for patients. I've been a patient. My mom died of cancer, and my dad is struggling with it right now. I've been a caregiver. I know the initial response to cancer is, "I need to surround myself with people I trust and believe there is a way out of this." And I hope for everyone that answer is yes, there is a way out.
I don't think that most of the people I talked to were quite aware of what happened behind the scenes, and why it was taking so long. To some extent, we in the media help perpetuate the notion that we are making more progress. You hear this great new development, it seems incredibly sophisticated, and so you report it as best you can. There is an initial excitement about so many of these new discoveries...and they should be reported. But if you take this reporting en masse, it conveys the sense that "wow, we're really doing great!" It's very hard to step back and say, 'Wait a minute. Let's look at it compared with something else like heart disease or stroke or any other public health issue."
To the extent that people can take preventive measures – do you think enough is being done?
Part of the challenge of prevention is that it's very hard to do. The bigger issue is we have to focus on pre-emption rather than prevention. It's a subtle distinction, but that's where the science needs to go. We may recognize things early, through mammography, for instance, [but] what happens after that is a very aggressive system. You end up creating more burdens for people in a lot of cases because some of those spots might not be cancers or not grow. Our challenge is to figure out the technology that will enable us to distinguish between early lesions that will grow and advance and be aggressive and those that will resolve themselves. Trying to make that distinction between the progressors and non-progressors, that's where we have to focus our attention.
How did your personal experiences with cancer influence the book?
I never thought my experiences had anything to do with the piece when I started. I was looking at this as a Fortune reporter, as if I was looking at the financial statements of any failed enterprise. I would say, let's look at the number of people getting the disease and the number of people dying, what are we spending on research, how's the progress in terms of raw numbers of people getting and dying of the disease compared with other diseases. So my own personal experience I had somewhat buried.
As any good editor would, my boss was like, "You have to mention yourself." After the article came out, folks wanted to know about my experiences as a patient as well. The more I began to accept that I was part of the story and collective experience, the more it did form my point of view.
There's been a weird sense of not wanting to come across as an ingrate. Medical science did save my life. The system that I'm criticizing did save my life. I'm here because of it.
You talk a lot about young scientists being restricted in what they're able to research because it's so difficult to get grants.
There are two emotions at war internally for most young scientists and doctors. On the one hand, they're frustrated by the day-to-day rules. I've got to get this published to get this grant. I've got play by all these rules, and it's frustrating. But there is also that sense of excitement over the work they're doing, and the feeling that they can somehow break through and make a difference. The whole point is to help people and expand the base of knowledge. What could be better than that?
Most of the people I talked to who made some great discoveries are quite successful and recognized now, but back then they all felt the pressure. Some people take careers in these protective government areas like the NCI [National Cancer Institute] where they have a career where they don't have to go through the grant and publication system. They still have to do well and make a difference, but it's a little different for people whose bread and butter is getting a research project grant. You see amazingly brilliant people who play within the system, and then there are people who struggle and they have great ideas that we'll never hear about because they're at a small institution or they got frustrated early on.
I did an interview with someone about a study that identified the number of potential chemical compounds out there that might have anti-cancer properties. The number was 10 to the 18th power, yet we haven't even remotely scratched the surface because we're spending so much time aiming for things that for the most part we know won't work – we usually know early on in testing if something works or not.
What do you think it will take to change how the system works?
I hope we can broaden the group of what I call citizen warriors; people who are willing to take on these very sclerotic systems. I hope we can get people who are actually quite successful within the system to recognize its failures and to try to change some things. There are people who are actively making their criticisms known. Over the last 10 years, there has been more self-recognition from leaders that things have to change.
Erinn Connor is a staff writer for Health Matters With Dr. Sanjay Gupta