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To boost your natural human growth levels in a natural way is difficult, if your pituitary glands are not functioning properly. Therefore, there are many ways in which you can stimulate the pituitary glands to produce HGH naturally. There are many supplements to help the natural production of HGH, but some of the supplements have the tendency to break down easily. Therefore, it is very essential to know about the product before using it. In this case, Sytropin HGH review of Sytropin is very much positive and everyone who has used it has noticed they have achieved what they wanted.
The main thing you will find the HGH review of Sytropin is that the method of taking the supplement is very easy (as it has to be taken orally) and effective compared to other supplements. As many of the HGH supplements come in the form of pill/tablet or injection, Sytropin is easy to use as it has to be sprayed in your mouth.
In many of the boosters, the amino acids that helps to elevate our HGH levels need to be in the fullest form and when you intake them in oral ways in the form of tablet or pill, your stomach acids break down and most of the amino acids as well as its nutrients become less effective, but can have little benefit and generally the results cannot be what you expected. In case of Sytropin, it works very differently as claimed in many HGH review. When you use the oral spray in your mouth, the nutrients are soaked up by your gums and allow them to absorb by your body in their purest form. As told in many HGH review, Sytropin uses natural ingredients, like, herbals and minerals that helps HGH to produce the visible results in the overall health and skin texture. This is the reason of HGH review of Sytropin being positive and success of this product compared to other boosters.
Sytropin is considered as a HGH supplement that can be used by all kinds of people, like people of different health conditions can also use Sytropin. Even normal person, athlete, celebrities or even body builders can take them to boost their muscle mass. HGH review therefore for Sytropin is positive and has a proved result.
One of the advantages about Sytropin, is that is uses all types of natural substances, such as amino acids. According to HGH review and the manufacturer Sytropin is made of the highest grade ingredients in FDA approved labs. As Sytropin contains all the natural ingredients, there are fewer side effects compared to other supplements, unless you are allergic to natural ingredients.
Therefore, Sytropin provides the advantages of doctor prescribed human growth hormone injections in an orally active spray. So, there are no needles, no prescription, and the results are also effective as of injectable human growth hormone that is available to you at a high cost.
So, according the HGH review, Sytropin is safe to use as it contains 12 most importance ingredients that is needed for boosting the HGH and is recommended for anybody who wants to look young and energetic.


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I have some thoughts on this, insofar as it looks like the most boring prestige piece that could be made about Turing's life. I have a deep resentment over the fact that it looks like it's been made for the express purpose of winning lots of Oscars. I hate the crying and the screaming. I hate the overwrought music. I hate the focus on WWII. I hate the fact that they'll most likely turn him into some sort of tragic queer character who will barely kiss or hold hands with a dude in the movie.
It always surprises me to hear people say that Alan Turing is some sort of figure that's been lost to history. I know that this is from a very particular (computer scientist) perspective, but he's got his name over pretty much all of computer science. Oh, Turing machines? That's him. Oh, Turing completeness? That's him, too. Oh, the Turing test? Him again. We haven't forgotten him. I don't think we ever really will.
His contributions to computer science are huge, and they're important, and it's not the sort of thing that plays nicely on the big screen. Looking at this movie, all I can see is the ways in which they can overstate and fail to capture what really makes his work so impressive. His contributions are pretty much pure math, not engineering. I'm not sure how much they'll acknowledge this.
It makes me sad that we're going to get A Beautiful Mind II: Now With More Code. Look at this Great Man Nerd who does Nerd Things! Look at how he defeats the Nazis! Look at him invent the computer! Look at him die so tragically! Now will you give us all the awards? Please?
Sigh. Let me know when the Ada Lovelace or Grace Hopper get their own movies, though.
This entry was originally posted at http://thedeadparrot.dreamwidth.org/556486.html. You can comment there using OpenID or you can comment here if you prefer. :) comments there

subset: commoncrawl


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ACE Day, 4 December 2015
On 4 December 2015, a thematic day on climate change education (CCE) took place at COP 21/ CMP11. Education is crucial to promote changes in lifestyles, attitudes and behavior needed to foster sustainable development and to address climate change. The objective of the day was to showcase good practices and lessons learned on climate change education. Events on CCE were held in the "blue zone" and the future generations space. Furthermore, Ministers of Education from different countries participated in the Ministerial Event on Climate Change Education and Sustainable Development organized by the French Government.
Ministerial Event on Climate Change Education and Sustainable Development
The Ministerial event started with a panel discussion by the French Ministers of Education and Environment, followed by a presentation of good practices to integrate climate action and environment issues in the educational systems. Delegates shared lessons learned. A Ministerial Declaration on climate change education concluded the event. The Ministerial event took place from 9:00 to 13:00 in the future generations space.
UN Side Event on Formal Climate Change Education
The main objective of the UN side event was to motivate exchange of knowledge among Governments, IGOs, civil society, academia and youth. Furthermore, the event aimed to highlight partnerships and opportunities for scaling up climate change education and to identify innovative ways of enhancing climate action with a focus on formal education. This side event took place from 13:15 to 14:45 in the "blue zone". More >>
UN Alliance Side Event on Non-Formal Climate Change Education
There is an urgent need to scale up action and investment in climate change education, training and awareness-raising. The UN Alliance side event showcased innovative ways to promote non-formal education with a special focus on alternative approaches for climate change learning, such as music, social media and video games. The event took place from 18:30 to 20:00 in the "blue zone". More >>


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A leading tile, stone, carpet and hardwood contractor serving Northern
Nevada, Lake Tahoe and Northern California. The company specializes in
Estate Homes, Custom Home remodels, and partnering with quality commercial
Basil and Therese Kehoe are leaders in the region's tile and stone market
since 1992. They found the perfect business relationship with Sherman Loehr,
a leading California contractor, as they sought to bring their customers
additional finish products, and services. Along with Tile and Slab
Fabrication, Sherman Loehr-Kehoe Design now offers carpet and hardwood
flooring. Kehoe Design focuses on providing strong design support, the
finest product offerings, and premier installations, with superior project
management from plans, to finish.
Bringing solutions and service to every aspect of the tile, stone, hardwood,
and carpet design/installation process.
Licensed in both Nevada (with license limits up to $2,000,000) and California.
Huge Selection of Granite Countertops. Serving Northern Nevada, Reno, Sparks, Lake Tahoe NV & CA


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Academic Calendar
At the University, the academic year starts on September 1st and concludes on August 31st, including holidays.
The academic year is divided into semesters and holidays. Typically, an academic year comprises two semesters: autumn and spring. If necessary, a summer semester can be scheduled.
The calendar duration of a semester of full-time studies is 20 weeks.
Full-time studies include Christmas and Easter holidays and a break after the autumn end-of-semester exams. In the summer time, the students are granted at least one-month continuous leave.
The academic calendar is drawn up for an academic year and it is published on the University website at the beginning of the calendar year.


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We asked this question over two years ago in a weekend poll, and now we're asking again: is your primary Android device rooted? We all probably have a vague idea what rooting is even if we don't root our phones or tablets, but those of you more familiar with customization probably have pretty specific reasons for doing it, and experience with the rooting process over the years.
Both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, Google's latest phone and tablet, have already been rooted by Chainfire, and the process isn't especially difficult - in fact, you can do it automatically with a simple script.Read More


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Air Force: Full Leather Jacket (American Notes)
Full Leather Jacket
Crime: A Holiday Killing Spree (American Notes)
A Holiday Killing Spree
Fugitives: Back from The Dead (American Notes)
Back from The Dead
Science: And the Winner Is . . . (American Notes)
And the Winner Is . . .
Transportation: Gimme a Break! (American Notes)
Gimme a Break!
Can You Spare a Dime - for Bail?
Seattle joins in a crackdown on pushy panhandlers
1968 Like a knife blade, the year severed past from future
Putting The Pedal to the Metal
Congress sneaks through an expansion of the 65-m.p.h. limit
Still Grounded: Another setback for the shuttle
Another setback for the shuttle
The Teflon Twins of 1988
Why no one wants to roughhouse with Jackson and Robertson
Toward A Nerve-Gas Arms Race
The U.S. takes up a chemical "deterrent"
Afghanistan Fighting for the Road to Khost
Rebel and government forces wage their fiercest battle in years
Japan In the Land of Mickey-San
Celebrating the New Year in a different kind of shrine
Middle East Trials and Errors
Israeli justice imposes an uneasy calm
Northern Ireland Days of Fear and Hope
Ulster has little choice but to watch and wait
The Gulf Arrows To Our Chests
As Iran blusters, the Arabs discuss defense
Art: Signed by A. Hitler (World Notes)
Signed by A. Hitler
Britain: 3,164 Days and Counting (World Notes)
3,164 Days and Counting
Colombia: A Drug Kingpin Goes Free (World Notes)
A Drug Kingpin Goes Free
East Africa: Back from The Brink (World Notes)
Back from The Brink
South Africa: Sic Transkei Gloria (World Notes)
Sic Transkei Gloria
Health: Dark Days, Darker Spirits (Health)
Get the blahs every winter? You may be a SAD victim
Medicine: When Guinea Pigs Become Patients (Medicine)
Ailing animals now rate treatments developed for their masters
Living: Martini Redux Yuppies take up a classic (Living)
Yuppies take up a classic
Press: Newswatch: A Little Longer in the Limelight
A Little Longer in the Limelight
Religion: Poland's New Building Boom
After a long ban, churches enjoy an unmatched expansion
Technology: When In Doubt, Check It Out
Brave new spying devices make the world safer for arms control
Time Magazine Contents Page January 11, 1988 (Table of Contents)
Vol. 131 No. 2
All The Fun Is Getting There (Economy & Business)
The cruise industry rides a new wave of success
HOLLYWOOD: The Downfall Of Dino (Economy & Business)
The Downfall Of Dino
IMPORTS: Shoot-Out over Recycled Rifles (Economy & Business)
Shoot-Out over Recycled Rifles
MEXICO: A Debtor's Swap Meet (Economy & Business)
A Debtor's Swap Meet
RAILROADS: New Coupling On the Rails (Economy & Business)
New Coupling On the Rails
Out with The Old, In with the Blue (Economy & Business)
Financial markets gyrate as anxieties over the economy rise
Outlawing A Three-Wheeler (Economy & Business)
So What If It's Bankrupt? (Economy & Business)
France's Sanofi wins Robins with a $3 billion bid
Education: Wanted: Fresh, Homegrown Talent
Foreigners are swamping graduate science schools
Law: Gavel on The Go
Law: Is Texas Justice for Sale?
The state's top judge resigns to fight for reform
Bookends: Jan. 11, 1988 (Books)
Books: Connoisseurs Of Lost Causes THE TENANTS OF TIME (Books)
by Thomas Flanagan; Dutton; 824 pages; $21.95
Books: Invisible Army C (Books)
by Anthony Cave Brown Macmillan; 830 pages; $25
Music: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (Music)
An economic and spiritual crisis besets U.S. orchestras and opera companies
Cinema: The Return of Comedy as King (Cinema)
Baby mirth and bawdy Murphy strike box-office gold
John Madden: I'M Just a Guy (Profile)
Don't let JOHN MADDEN kid you. This self-described "big, fat, redheaded" guy is making millions as a professor, giving weekly lectures on America's most bewildering game


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Free starter pack of block salt with this softener
Special offer £795.00
(Normal RRP £1095.00)
Compact size: H 470mm, W 490mm, D 460mm
This Twin Tank water softener differs in a number of ways from the traditional single tank units. All water softeners need to perform a regeneration process which effectively cleanses the resin, allowing the continued soft water production. A single tank will perform this action in the early hours of the morning but the disadvantages are that the softener may be doing this before it has used up its full capacity or worse, still running out if you use more water than the machine thinks you will.
Because the Delta Morava has two tanks it can regenerate at any time of the day or night as only one tank is in service at any one time. When capacity is reached, it performs a regeneration on one tank whilst the other continues to supply you with soft water.
All EMWC water softeners have a 5-year guarantee - at no extra cost! Because of its proven reliability, your EMWC water softener will have a five-year parts and 3 years labour guarantee (Valid on purchases made after May 2014). This, alongside our proven track record for producing highly reliable equipment, has established us as one of the UK's most popular water softener companies.
Solvent free - food grade resin.
There's something very special about an EMWC water softener, something that is unique and gives both incomparable performance and specification. The secret is in the resin that determines the quality of your soft water. All EMWC water softeners incorporate a resin that has been specially purified for household use. It is both food grade and free from chlorinated solvents (solvent free). Not all manufacturers can offer you this level of specification. So whether you bathe in it, shower in it, wash your hair in it, wash your clothes, or simply brush your teeth with it, the water from your EMWC water softener will not only be lovely and soft, but solvent free.
With more and more heating systems using either a combination boiler or a pressurised system, the need for a water softener with the available flow rate is of paramount importance. All of our water softeners have an unrivalled flow rate of up to 50 litres per minute, making them ideal for even the most demanding system.
Installing your softener could not be easier. Every softener comes complete with fitting instructions, a hardness test kit, waste & overflow hoses and an option of a full installation kit, allowing for installation by a plumber or DIY enthusiast.
Easy installation - no electricity supply required
Compact size: H 470mm, W 490mm, D 460mm
Valve type: duplex
Runs entirely on water pressure
3/4" connection with bypass
Water consumption per regeneration: 18 litres (x2)
Flow rate: 1 bar (max 2600 litres per hour)
Working pressure: 1-8 bar
Temperature max: 40 degrees C
Softener capacity: 500 litres at 300ppm
Regeneration time: 15 minutes (x 2)
Salt for regeneration: 0.3gr (x2)
Special Winter Offer £21.96
Water Softener Tablet Salt Suitable for all softeners
3 x 10 kg bags


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|» Products
|» Kids See Saw
Kids See Saw
We are an important manufacturer, supplier & exporter of a beautiful range of Kids See Saw. It offers a reliable as well as safe solution for children's recreational activities. These items are designed to give maximum comfort and child's complete safety. Our Kids See Saws are offered in attractive colors, styles and designs. These feature durable construction, smooth surface finish and excellent functionality. Also, they have no rough edges and are easy for installation. The range is suitable for toddlers as well as preschoolers.
Salient Features:


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: Emily Graham302 18 May 2011
Having used DDE to write Java and used various incarnations of Visual Studio, I really miss some of the refactoring tools when I come back to writing LotusScript in DDE.
I would particularly like to see the 'Extract Method' function become available. This is where a section of your code is moved out to it's own function and the IDE automatically creates the paramaters which will be required, and replace the code in it's original location with a call to your new function.


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Some highlights of the findings overall:
- * Wealthier Americans are not the most generous. Those who earn under $100,000 a year give a substantially higher proportion of their earnings (7.6%) to charity than those earning more (4.2%).
* Red states give more than blue states - but only if religious giving is included. In secular giving, California leads the pack, with New York second. The Chronicle doesn't specify, but we suspect that arts giving falls under secular giving.
* Tax incentives make a big difference - the 13 states that offer incentives to charitable giving show a significant impact.
* Zip code 10021 on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York gave the most in the nation: over $450 million/year.
Next we would love to see arts giving specified in the interactive map!
Listen to an informative NPR piece on the report: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=158947667&m=159308726


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Pistachio Thumbprints
Total TimePrep: 45 min. Bake: 10 min./batch
Makesabout 4 dozen
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
- 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
- 2 cups finely chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons shortening
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and dry pudding mix; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in nuts. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets; make a thumbprint in center of cookie. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- For filling, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Spoon into center of cooled cookies.
- For glaze, if desired, melt chocolate chips and shortening; drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.
Nutrition Facts2 each: 163 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated fat), 18mg cholesterol, 84mg sodium, 17g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.
Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Recommended Video
Dec 30, 2018
These were a hit - I mixed the pecans into the mixture. This is definitely a keeper recipe.
Dec 4, 2017
These cookies were amazing! I, too, rolled them in finely-chopped pistachios instead of pecans. I'll definitely be making these again. One thing to note though... The top of this recipe says it makes 26 cookies, which is pretty spot-on. However, the last step lists the yield as 7 dozen, which is obviously an error.
Jan 6, 2016
I've made these ever since the recipe was published in 1998 - .the grandkids request them often. I omit the "thumbprint" part - form the dough into 1" balls (I use the small Pampered Chef scoop) and flatten slightly. Nuts are good, but not necessary. Bake as directed then drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate. The unbaked cookies freeze well and I can pull out a few to bake in the toaster oven whenever the mood strikes. Don't over bake these cookies - the bottoms should be barely browned. Ten minutes is usually just right in my oven.
Nov 7, 2014
I did not use the chocolate chips and used pistachios instead of pecans. First there is a crunch and then it just melts in your mouth. Delicious.
Nov 26, 2013
These are one of my all-time favorite cookies. My husband can't have nuts so I roll these cookies in coconut instead. They are such a pretty touch of color on a Christmas cookie tray! I've also subbed out different pudding flavors for the pistachio to change up the color and flavor for different seasons. When I take these anywhere, I'm always asked for the recipe :)
Jul 4, 2011
Loved this "shortbread-type" cookie with sweet icing. I might try rolling them in pistachio nuts next time for more pistachio flavor, or at Christmas shaping them into "logs" and striping them with icing tinted red. They were delicious.
Dec 1, 2010
This is the only cookie that we MUST have for Christmas. A little labor intense, but worth every minute. Making them tomorrow to send to my daughter living in Germany since she can't make it home for the holidays this year. The little ones really like them, too.
Dec 5, 2009
By far, my most requested Christmas cookie! I chop nuts VERY fine and always drizzle the tops with chocolate. Dough is great to work with and I have never had any problems. You really gotta try this one folks!


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Freedom of the Press
You are here
Home »
2010 Scores
Press Status
Partly Free
Press Freedom Score (0 = best, 100 = worst)
Legal Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
Political Environment(0 = best, 40 = worst)
Economic Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
- The constitution explicitly upholds press freedom and forbids censorship except in the case of war. In practice, widespread poverty, a corrupt judiciary, violence, intimidation, and a tradition of excessively biased media coverage mean that journalists have had to operate in extremely difficult conditions. However, the situation has slowly and steadily improved over the past few years, and there have been efforts to address the murder of journalists and related problems with impunity.
- The Independent Commission to Support the Investigations of Assassinations of Journalists was launched in 2008 by the president and the local press freedom group S.O.S. Journalistes to assist in the investigation and prosecution of the murderers of journalists in recent years.
- In April 2009, Judge Fritzner Fils-Aime, who was in charge of the investigation of the 2000 murder of radio journalist Jean Dominique, was suspended for "serious acts of corruption." Two other justice officials involved in the case were also suspended for similar reasons. Fils-Aime was the sixth judge to have led the Dominique murder investigation.
- Defamation remains a criminal offense. In December 2008, a Port-au-Prince court sentenced journalist and press freedom advocate Joseph Guyler Delva to one month in prison for defaming a former senator by stating that he had failed to testify about the Dominique case. Delva announced that he would appeal the court's decision, but the legal process stalled in 2009, and the authorities had taken no action by year's end.
- In January 2009, Justice Minister Jean-Joseph Exume threatened and attempted to intimidate a Radio Vision 2000 journalist, Valery Numa, during a radio interview. The interview concerned the alleged theft by judicial officials and police officers of a large sum of money during a November raid on a house belonging to a relative of an alleged drug trafficker near the northern town of Port-de-Paix. When Numa asked the justice minister a series of searching questions regarding his ministry's handling of the affair, Exume responded by accusing the journalist himself of receiving some of the stolen money and suggesting that he could be arrested. Following protests by media freedom advocates, the minister offered a public apology.
- The private radio station Ideale FM was closed in April after it failed to name the sources for a story about a suspected drug trafficker in Florida. The station was reopened several days later by the justice minister.
- While most Haitian journalists have historically avoided investigative journalism, news coverage continued to grow less partisan and more informative in 2009, reflecting the authorities' efforts to provide the media with more details and fuller explanations of government actions and policies.
- No journalists were killed or forced to flee the country during the year, and there was a further improvement in the security situation, making it easier for local and foreign journalists to cover the news. However, violence against journalists continued to occur. Supporters of Wilot Joseph, a member of the National Assembly, harassed, intimidated, and physically attacked Sainlus Augustin, a journalist with Voice of the Americas and Radio Kiskeya, during elections for the Haitian Senate in April 2009. Augustin subsequently went into hiding due to continued threats on his life. In July, Augustin's residence in Hinche was shot at by unknown gunmen. Augustin held Joseph responsible for the incident, as he had earlier expressed his displeasure regarding Augustin's reporting on election irregularities.
- In December, journalist Edwige Joseph Watson was physically assaulted by police officers while attempting to cover a student protest in Port-au-Prince.
- With more than 300 stations, radio is by far the most popular news medium, and some 90 percent of the population has access to broadcasts. There are four weeklies and two newspapers that publish more than once a week, all privately owned. Television Nationale d'Haiti is government owned, and there are several private television stations. However, Haiti's television audience is small due to lack of electricity and resources.
- The concentration of wealth among a small number of Haitians negatively affects media outlets' ability to obtain advertising revenue and sustain themselves financially. Journalists also struggle with low salaries.
- There are no government restrictions on internet access, but the usage rate remained low at just under 10 percent of the population in 2009.


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Oh, Joy of little faith.
On the June 22 episode of "The View," co-host Joy Behar criticized prayer, saying it "takes the place of logical thinking, then I think that's dangerous."
Behar's attack on prayer came as she defended comedian Janeane Garofalo, who during a June 16 appearance on Behar's Headline News show called prayer "anti-intellectual" in criticizing President Obama's reference to prayer during his speech about the Gulf oil spill. Behar said Garofalo should have said prayer was "un-intellectual," not "anti-intellectual."
"Faith is something that you feel," Behar said. "Thinking is something that you do with your brain. It's different."
Behar's criticism of prayer riled co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who challenged the attack.
BEHAR: When prayer takes the place of logical thinking, then I think it's dangerous.
HASSELBECK: Prayer's not illogical.
BEHAR: No. But it takes the place of thinking.
HASSELBECK: No it doesn't. That's a complete bigoted statement to say that when I'm praying, I'm not thinking.
BEHAR: How dare you say that to me! Excuse me!
After Behar clarified her statement by saying that intellectual people can pray, she called for people to pray preemptively for regulation.
Behar has a history of criticizing prayer. Behar never challenged Garofalo when she ridiculed people who pray on her own show; she only clarified the statement almost a week after the interview. Last April during a discussion with Phil Donahue on "The Joy Behar Show," she made an outlandish comparison of President Bush's prayers to God with a terrorist's prayers to Allah.
Behar has also claimed that prayer hinders medical and scientific advances, calling it a "distraction."


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Another suspected suicide bombing struck the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday, killing at least 14 people and further highlighting Russia's security challenges as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in less than six weeks. The explosion hit a trolleybus near a busy market during the morning rush hour, a day after a blast at Volgograd's main train station killed 17 people and wounded at least 35. [CNN]
THE HORRENDOUS anti-gay policies of President Putin began the troubles of the Sochi Olympics, but the terrorism that has struck Russia now highlight a very real security problem for the games. I'm also wondering, is anyone rooting for Russia?
Volgograd is a major rail hub in southern Russia and a main transit point for people traveling by train to Sochi on the Black Sea, just over 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the southwest. Each day, thousands of passengers use the station in the city once called Stalingrad.
As a long-time fan of our U.S.A. Olympic teams, having enjoyed the Olympics when Los Angeles hosted them, a time when L.A. was home, you have to feel for the athletes. So much work and they deserve to get their due.
There's not much good will going Putin's way and he has only himself to blame.
I'll be watching the Sochi Olympics, but the opening ceremonies and much of the coverage just won't be something I'm very interested in this time around. Putin's anti-gay bigotry just isn't something I want to support in any way.


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Pest Control Services and Companies That Are Right For You
It is natural for homeowners to find ways to keep their homes safe and clean. Nevertheless, no matter how much you try to keep your home clean, there would still be instances wherein pests such as rodents and cockroaches become present in your home. Eliminating those pests should be your primary concern. It is not advisable for home owner to try using products that may harm the people living inside the house even if the product is intended for pest control. Homeowners who choose to control the pests in their homes on their own would soon find it ineffective in the long run. After some time, you will realize that getting professional help should have been your first option in exterminating pests in the home.
Because there are a lot of pest control companies today, choosing the right one should be something that you must be concerned with. There is a need for you to find a company who is willing to provide a permanent solution to your problem. The following are some of the things that you have to keep in mind when searching for a reliable pest control service provider.
Firstly, the type of pests you have in your home should be known to you.
Pests that live in a house can come in different types. Some of the common pests in the home are ants, cockroaches, termites, and rodents. Almost all pest control companies can provide a solution to all these pests. It is important to note, however, that they vary in how they control the pests in your home.
Second, the company's certification and insurance list.
If you are planning to get the services of a not-so-popular pest control service provider, you must check on these things first. The company should have a business permit and the staff that handles the pest control services should be licensed professionals. You will know if a pest control company is efficient or not once they could secure all the necessary things needed to operate.
Also check on the insurance policy of the pest control service provider. This will help you in settling any concerns with possible damages that might happen during the pest control company's operation. They should accept liability for those things because the safety of their clients should be their primary concern.
The third thing that you should always consider is the product or chemical the pest control service provider will use in controlling the pests in your home.
Many pest control companies use extreme chemicals when exterminating pests. Very strong chemical solutions to be used as pesticides may cause harmful ailments and allergies to the members of the home. Children with asthma are advised to be out in the house while the extermination is taking place.
More information: webpage


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Welcome to the Largest New & Used Office Furniture Dealer in Monroe!
We have a large inventory of new & used furniture that changes regularly. Save money setting up your office by purchasing used. We carry a broad selection of products, anything you need for your home or business office. We are an authorized dealer of many brand names: ALERA, Best Ergonomics, HON, GLOBAL, BUSH, BASYX & many more… We also feature and carry full line products of DMI Furniture, JASPER Desks and SAUDER. Check out our on-line catalogs below for new items. PLEASE REMEMBER… the prices you see in the on-line catalogs is the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for reference only. Please e-mail or call us with questions regarding pricing.


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Field Crew Laborer- Railroad
Omaha Track, Inc. is seeking Field Crew Laborers to join our growing Field Operations department. We are looking for dependable, motivated workers who are dedicated to safety, teamwork, and professionalism. We pride ourselves on being an innovative leader in the rail services industry, and seek to add only the best to our growing team.
The Field Crew Laborer is responsible for performing all assigned tasks to support their field crew and railroad assignments.
- When supporting the steel division, this includes safely and efficiently preparing rail for pick-up.
- When supporting the tie division, this includes picking up pieces of railroad ties which are too small to handle with specialized equipment and loading them safely and efficiently as directed.
- When working with track construction, this includes safely and efficiently helping to build new railroad track.
Entry-level average total annual compensation ranges from $50,000-$55,000.
This position will require up to 24 consecutive days of travel per month. Your travel, lodging, and tax free daily per diem ($30) allowance will be paid by the company while on job assignment. Omaha Track will not require you to relocate for this remote position.
Interested in learning more and joining our team? Check out the full job description by clicking here. We look forward to receiving your application!
** Please note applicants with a class A or class B CDL are strongly preferred and will be given priority. **


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Cows and other ruminant livestock (sheep, goats, etc.) burp–a lot. The methane emitted from an individual cow burp isn't enough to contribute to climate change, but add up all the methane burps from the 1.2 billion large ruminants on the planet and livestock are responsible for 28% of all methane emissions from human-related activity, according to the EPA, because methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Oddly enough, wireless technology could help combat the problem.
Researchers from CSIRO's Sustainable Agriculture Flagship have developed what New Scientist calls "a gas-sniffing submarine" for cow stomachs that uses infrared sensors to keep track of methane emissions. The wirelessly connected device, intended to be used on large groups of cows, has a pair of wings that opens up in the cow stomach to prevent it from moving past the rumen (where gas is produced).
If all goes well, the devices should allow farmers to keep track of cow gassiness in real time, allowing them to adjust animal feed to keep methane emissions low. That folds into CSIRO's other research into understanding how diet affects emissions–something that scientists don't entirely understand. CSIRO is currently examining the chemistry of anti-methanogenic plants (plants that reduce methane emissions) to see how they work.


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A recent piece in Barron's profiles the Fidelity International Capital Appreciation Fund (FIVFX). This $2.2 billion no-load foreign large-cap growth fund has a 1.14% expense ratio and 167% turnover. According to the article
[the fund] has returned an average of 11.3% annually over the past five years, better than 90% of its peers.
The current manager took over the fund in January 2008. Therefore, all of the following analyses will that month.
The prospectus benchmark for the fund is the MSCI All Country World Ex-US Index. (This benchmark is not perfect, as the fund currently has about 13% of assets in domestic equities.) One of the accessible implementations of this index is the SPDR® MSCI ACWI ex-US ETF (CWI). Alpholio™ calculations indicate that through September 2017, the fund returned more than the ETF in 99% of all rolling 36-month periods, 96% of 24-month periods and 80% of 12-month periods. The median cumulative (not annualized) outperformance over a 36-month period was 17.4%.
A rolling returns comparison does not account for the fund's exposures or volatility. This is where Alpholio™'s patented methodology can provide additional insights. The simplest variant of this methodology constructs a reference portfolio with fixed ETF membership and weights, which most closely tracks periodic returns of the analyzed fund.
To facilitate an easy substitution, the number of ETFs in the reference portfolio was limited to three in this analysis. Here is the resulting chart with related statistics of the cumulative RealAlpha™ for the Fidelity International Capital Appreciation (to learn more about this and other performance measures, please visit our FAQ):
The fund cumulatively returned 8.6% less than the reference portfolio and did so with a higher volatility, measured as the standard deviation of monthly returns.
The following chart with associated statistics depicts the constant composition of the reference ETF portfolio for the fund:
The fund had equivalent positions in the iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (EFG), iShares International Developed Property ETF (WPS), and First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN). These ETFs constituted average exposures of the fund over the evaluation interval.
The following chart with statistics demonstrates the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) of the fund with respect to the dominant ETF in the reference portfolio:
After adjustment for risk, the fund produced a substantial positive alpha. Although this alpha was economically significant (t-statistic of 1.44), it was not statistically significant (t-statistic below two). While this simple model implies a good fit between the fund and the ETF (high R-squared), it only employs a single explanatory variable.
The final chart with statistics shows the traditional measures of performance of the fund and its reference ETFs:
The high-growth equivalent position in FDN counter-balanced the lower-growth positions in EFG and WPS to produce a reference portfolio closely resembling the fund.
In sum, under current management the Fidelity International Capital Appreciation Fund could be effectively replaced by a fixed-weight portfolio of just three ETFs. (A larger number of ETFs in the reference portfolio would produce an even closer substitute, albeit at the expense of higher complexity.) The relatively high turnover of the fund was likely responsible for considerable capital gain distributions in three out of the last four years, which made the fund less suitable for taxable accounts.
To learn more about the Fidelity International Capital Appreciation and other mutual funds, please register on our website.


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The flu season isn't letting up.
Denton County said the number of cases is up almost 36 percent for the week ending Dec., 28, with 265 cases of the flu reported.
That same week, 13 people in Denton County spent time in the hospital because of the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the flu is now widespread in Texas and 24 other states and the Texas Department of Health Services said influenza activity throughout the state is high.
Dallas County is also seeing an increase in flu cases.
"Dallas County is still seeing an uptick in flu cases, definitely people going to hospital emergency rooms with flu like illnesses," said Zachary Thompson, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. "So that's going to be a concern going forward, especially next week as school begins, to start back from the winter break. Our concern is we want to make sure all children are getting their flu shots."
Dallas County's Immunization Clinic has been busy all week with parents bringing in their children for flu shots before they head back to school.
"We've seen a steady pace and an increasing pace because we definitely want to get those kids vaccinated for the flu for this influenza season," said the clinic's Tammara Scroggins.
The number of flu cases is expected to peak sometime over the next two months.
Flu Cases Continue to Climb in Dallas, Denton Counties
The flu season isn't letting up.


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Sue had used pattern paper on this page and had stuck in the envelope pattern. I added the rusty scissors, the dolls head, the gruesome blood and the skull faces on the 1950's housewives.
I used a stamp of a dressmakers dummy that I had made a while ago and added the dolls heads to the top (Sue loves doll heads!) I also added the words which I printed on the computer and the quote on the back of the ruler (which Sue sent me) which I attached with tape measure washi tape.
On this page I added the castle, the cloud and moon and the bat
This was one of my pages and Sue added some brown paint. This time round I added some more words using letter stickers and the stars, using a stencil.
Sue sent these beautiful wings so I used them with a piece I cut from a magazine and some red tissue paper. I printed words onto masking tape using my printer. On the right hand side i painted with acrylics then added postage stamps that Sue had put in the little envelope on the page and then I added some prints I had done with my Gelli arts plate.
I used washi tape to attach them on one side only so that they can be lifted up.
I added 'cracks' over the dolls head that Sue had stuck down. I then found some 'creepy' doll pictures to add to the right hand side. I added some rub ons and the flyer from an event I went to in October called 'park of the dead'. Sues theme for her journal is 'Alphabetical' so I decided to just write about the event to fill the rest of the page.
Sue had added the ravens to this page so I added a piece of poetry by Edgar Allen Poe printed onto tissue paper and three black feathers.
Sue sent some fab skull serviettes so I used one of them on the left hand side, stuck down with gel medium. The starts were from a stencil. I stamped little skeletons onto tickets for the right hand side and added a rub on and thickers for the wording.
On the left hand page I stuck down some remnants from some Gelli art prints and added the backing from some alphabet stickers. The image of the woman in the test tube I cut from a magazine and the rain drops are the little left over bits from the letter stickers. I added some little bird rub ons to Sue's page on the right.
Sue's journal is full now so we have agreed to finish this project. It has been great working on someone else's pages and seeing someone else's work 'in the flesh' as it were. I was really scared to add anything to Sue's pages to start with but once I got into it I really enjoyed it and it has been a great learning curve. I thoroughly recommend taking part in one of these pair journal collaborations!
Sami x


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I'm 25 and I am still struggling to find my way in life.
I know right. What a stereotype I am. I'm not sure if my parents didn't push me hard enough when I was younger, I mean that would be a convenient excuse. Am I lazy, unfocused, lacking ambition. Probably. Or is this just what everyone else goes through in life?
Whatever the answer to the above question, I have an ambition that over the coming months, I will change my direction and head towards a future that I am happy with.
I currently work in retail, which is actually OK. I mean, the hours are crap and at its worst, it is a monotonous existence, but somehow over the past two years I have overall, enjoyed what I do. I work with great people, and I'm interested in the products that I have to sell. But, let's not kid ourselves, the work is neither life changing nor fulfilling.
This blog is testament to the enjoyment I find in writing. It's annoying at times, and I wish I sounded more intelligent than how I perceive I come across.
Nonetheless. I enjoy expressing my opinion on pretty much anything. Yet I've struggled to find justification to pursue this interest further. I thought about journalism a long time ago, and persuaded myself that it wasn't worth pursuing, purely due to my perception that the competition within the industry would be so fierce, my status as a hobbyist did not make it worthwhile.
I'm at a stage now where I'm really pissed off at my younger self for not pursuing my interest sooner, and with even an ounce of determination. But, this is why we grow, and mature, and learn to find our way. 21 year old Jonny was a bit of a wimp, and to my credit, 25 year old Jonny still is. But what I have chosen is to not let that define me any longer.
In the coming days and weeks I will be applying to train with the Press Association to be a journalist. Luckily, the PA run a course in partnership with one of my local newspapers, so I have the good fortune to be able to study in my home town.
There are no guarantees, but I am going to try my damned hardest to get all I can out of this experience.
Stay posted, I'll let you know how it goes.


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My first career goal was pig farmer. I remember showing up to career day during elementary school in overalls, hair up in curly blonde pig tails, toting my expansive pigs-only stuffed animal collection. Bless my poor mother's soul; I'm sure she received a few strange looks from the other mama's whose children were dressed much more sensibly as nurses and firefighters. Curiously, I had no interest in raising pork (I frankly had no real concept of people eating pigs), I just wanted to live like a barefoot hippie on a farm surrounded with pigs as my profession.
Soon, though, I realized that pig farming the way I wanted to do it didn't really exist, so I set my sights on the next logical career: architecture. I consumed Frank Lloyd Wright books as a fourth grader and spent hours filling notebooks with floor plans for houses and stores and, because God loves a little bit of foreshadowing, schools. I jumped to pediatric pulmonologist when I realized how much math was involved in architecture and then I floundered during my early high school years when I discovered that anything remotely medical makes me vomit.
Teaching was an accident. I never had a magical "this is why I'm going to be a teacher" moment, no sudden epiphany or life-changing conversation with a mentor or touching experience with a child. I just felt this slow, steady tug towards teaching. I fought it HARD. I wanted more, I wanted different; teaching was too boring for someone like me (I laugh now at the ignorance of High School Sarah because teaching is the most exciting job there is). And besides, I had no teachers in my family tree. My college major orientation class made it apparent that ALL teachers go into teaching because their moms and grandmas and great-grandmas were all teachers. It's a legacy thing, and teaching just isn't really in my DNA.
Except it is.
As luck would have it, I come from a line of accidental educators.
My grandfather, Pawpaw, was a farm boy from Iowa. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and the 77th Special Forces in the late 1950's, loved motorcycles, and working on cars. But he had an itch for something more. My mom tells me that education always mattered to him; he felt the weight of it and worked hard to pass that importance on to his children. Pawpaw practiced what he preached and, after years of working as a chemist in various industries, he got his master's in science education to become a chemistry professor. He was rough and hands-on and sharp as a tack. He lit the spark.
My mom never thought she'd be a teacher, and I'm sure if you asked her today, she would be quick to assert that she isn't one even now. But, let me assure you, she is. After high school, she set her mind on completing two degrees (accounting and computer science) in three and half years. The chaos of life swirled and, about a decade ago, she landed at a high school working as the treasurer. But on a boarding school campus, one must wear a multitude of hats, and that's where the educator fire started to burn. Over her years at GCA, she's taught classes, led youth leadership groups, and chaperoned trips all over the country. She's tough; ask any one of the students she has mentored. But her students will also tell you she has the biggest heart, the biggest passion to educate as many kids as possible.
And then there's me. I didn't have to make a big career change to find my soul's purpose. But teaching still feels very much like the happy accident it was for my grandfather and my mother. I've always felt offbeat, a little too much and still not enough, just different. And somehow, teaching affirms all of those uncertainties. The spark in my grandfather, the fire in my mother, has turned into a full-on inferno in me. And, as that passion for education burns within me, I can finally see it now. My DNA is indeed wired to teach; hands made to scribble on the board, voice made to shake with excitement, arms made to comfort playground tumbles, feet made to pace the classroom. Like my mother and grandfather before me, God created my heart to beat for the quest for more. Giving in to that calling was the best decision I have ever made.
And I can always retire on a pig farm.


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Prices of hybrid cars lower as fuel costs soar
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : If you are one of those who think fuel prices are going way too high, the growing trend of hybrid cars may be one to watch.
These are cars which use a combination of petrol and electric power to drive the car.
The take-up rate for hybrid cars in Singapore has been slow.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), there are now close to 90 hybrid cars on the roads, including one driven by the Environment and Water Resources Minister himself, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.
But prices of such cars are coming down by at least $20,000 for leading models like the Toyota Prius in the past few years while green tax rebates have doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent from the beginning of this year.
These are facts to bear in mind the next time you get behind the wheel of a conventional car.
As Chairman of NEA Assoc Prof Simon Tay says, such conventional cars lose 80 percent of their fuel as heat, and only 20 percent is used to turn the wheels.
And of that 20 percent, 95 percent is used to move the car.
- CNA /ls


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Surrounded by greenery, one step from Torre dell'Orso, one of the most beautiful tourist destinations of Salento, in Puglia, Italy, in an oasis of peace and relaxation, stands Masseria Lama, a tourist complex of about 6 hectares, with 22 apartments including 14 two-room apartments, 5 studios and 3 three-room apartments and a well-equipped motorhome area. Here begins the dream holiday, a holiday that hardly many tourists forget, for their hospitality, food, art, culture, festivals, parties. Welcome to Salento, lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu.Read more
The Apartments of Masseria Lama, are completely surrounded by walnut trees, oaks and flowering plants, all with beautiful verandas overlooking the lush garden. The dry stone walls frame the boundary beyond which the Salento countryside extends with hectares of olive trees, the beating heart of Salento. You can choose between Studio, Two and Three rooms according to your needs, we will be happy to accommodate you to offer you an unforgettable holiday of relaxation.Read more
What's more beautiful than total relaxation surrounded by nature and the sea, in full freedom aboard your own camper. Masseria Lama has 20 shaded pitches of load and electricity (3Kw) on each pitch, as well as a well for draining black and gray water. Campers from all over Italy and not only meet at Masseria Lama, one of the most popular Camper welcome areas.Read more


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SHEIKH MISKEEN, Syria, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Government forces captured a strategically important town in southern Syria on Tuesday, according to activists and state news.
The town of Sheikh Miskeen fell to forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad after nearly a month of fighting.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-Assad forces, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Iranian officers, began efforts to take the town from rebel groups, including al-Qaida's Nusra Front, on Dec. 28. Russian airstrikes played a prominent part in the operation.
The town lies in between Daraa in the south and Damascus in the north. It was also the link between rebel forces to the east and west of Daraa province, according to SOHR.
Syrian state news reported government forces advanced on Sheikh Miskeen from all sides Monday, killing several militants, destroying rebel equipment and disarming multiple explosive devices and landmines. Pro-Assad troops reportedly seized roads leading to other towns in the Daraa countryside.
The capture of Sheikh Miskeen follows a series of recent gains by the Syrian government in Latakia, a province in the northwest. Earlier this month pro-Assad forces captured the town of Salma, which commands a view over the surrounding Jabal al-Akrad mountains, and on Sunday seized control of Rabiaa.
The Syrian military had been pushed into the country's western coastal provinces prior to the beginning of Moscow's air campaign against Assad's opponents on Sept. 30.
The BBC quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying Moscow's intervention has "really helped to turn around the situation in the country."
The rebel's loss of Sheikh Miskeen comes ahead of United Nations-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending Syria's five-year civil war. The negotiations are scheduled for Friday in Geneva.


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memories of turkey
This time two years ago, Cory and I were in Turkey. I never got around to writing about the trip in depth here, and I can't quite do that now. Faces are now blurred and names have been forgotten, but there are still some things fresh in my mind: endless baskets of bread, kaymak (similar to clotted cream, and devoured with copious amounts of honey and bread), the winding streets of Cihangir, showering every street cat ever with love, using locals as shields when crossing busy streets (sorry guys), and stopping at juice stands at least twice a day for fresh pomegranate juice.
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to look through my mom's photos, which she kept in a bag in the closet. I'd take it out every few months, dump the photos on the floor, and spend at least an hour looking at every one of them. I was endlessly fascinated by my parents' lives before me a – my mom the babe, my dad's facial hair, unfortunate perms, their early life together traveling across the country (they were carnies and left when I was about 2), faces of friends and relatives I never got to meet or didn't remember.
I still do this with my own photos, but with hard drives and memory cards instead of a bag of photos tucked in the closet. I decided to not share the same ol' photos of the Sultanahmet Mosque and Hagia Sophia, but to mix things up a bit with a series of photos of people holding/carrying things. Fascinating, right?!
Simit (bread rings with sesame seeds).
The tram on Istiklal street carrying a gaggle of boys.
Bread. And a man wearing a confederate flag t-shirt.
Ok, let's mix things up a bit with some non-carrying things photos. Approaching Galata tower.
The derpy Hagia Sophia cat, who I later discovered has her own Tumblr.
Ephesus, once home to 250,000 people. Now home to just about as many cats.
I loved the Saturday market in Selcuk. I still have some paprika, chili pepper, and sumac left from our visit.
Morning breakfasts at our cave hotel in Göreme…
… were enjoyed with this view.
While we don't have any international trips planned in the near future, I'm really itching to take a day trip to Seattle in the next month or two. I've never been and welcome any suggestions!


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Master By Ear
Not By Algorithm™
Talk To Us!
Our Favourite Question!
What is mastering?
Music Mastering is the final stages in the music production process. It is the step where we make any last adjustments and refine the overall sound to get it's full potential from every system it might be played on. It's important to remember mastering is different to mixing and vice versa. At 123 Mastering, we ensure your track leaves us sounding clear, powerful and professional!
What should you expect from mastering?
You can expect subtle but important differences in your overall sound from the song. If your bass frequencies were too low then we might of brought them up to suit the style of music, or alternatively we may have done the opposite if they were uncontrolled and loud. Our mastering engineers have had years of training to ensure that our changes do not compromise your song, but instead allow it reach it's full potential. In the end, the result you will have is greatly improved sound quality and clarity. You will have a finished audio file presented in a manner that is ready for distribution.
What are your rates?
Our rates may seem low but we believe in offering professional mastering to producers on a budget. For more information on prices, visit our pricing page here.
When will my songs be ready?
We pride ourselves on turnaround times! You should receive your file back within 1-4 business days. We can offer rush* jobs if you specifically require them.
*There may be a small charge incurred if you request a rush job.
What type of file should I submit?
We recommend you only send us stereo wave files (WAV.).
What quality of file should I send?
Firstly, as we previously mentioned, it's recommended that you submit your music as a WAV. File. We also recommend sending your file in the highest sample rate and bit depth you have your file in. Our ideal format is:
– 96kHz
– 24 Bit
WARNING – This does not mean if all your production, recording and mixing sessions have been in 44.1kHz then you should convert it to 96kHz! NO! If the highest you have worked on your file is 44.1kHz, please send us 44.1kHz. This also applies with bit depth. If you convert your music up in sample rate or bit depth you will only be making your file quality less!
123 Mastering is an online mastering service offering studio quality at bedroom prices. We are as passionate about mastering as you are with your music!


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Magaluf is known for its incredible nightlife and crazy party atmosphere. It's up there with the likes of Malia, Zante and Ayia Napa for its after dark antics. So if you love to dance and let your hair down, it could be the holiday destination for you. With a mix of clubs, bars and pubs around every corner, there are more watering holes than you could possibly want to visit, and your only worry will be deciding which place to try next. Well to help you choose, here are some names to look out for.
At the Piano Bar you'll be poured huge measures of spirits and virtually overflowing cocktails. In the early evening you can show off your vocals on the karaoke then the fun atmosphere is amplified when the DJs take the podium. Tell them your favourite tunes and they'll blast them out as you dance with your friends.
Ranked as the most popular club in Magaluf, BCM Planet Dance always has an event and themed night on. Come along for the foam parties, UV dancing or circus parades. Big name DJs like Calvin Harris frequent this club and, along with the music, you can watch the exceptional male and female dancers on the large stage. The entrance fee includes a free drink or two for throughout the evening.
This bar is open almost 24-hours a day and in the evening is packed with tourists wanting to watch sport on one of the nine big screen TVs. A resident rock band plays live music and tributes from popular bands – they even take requests.
DJs play current, upbeat dance music at this popular bar. Stereo Bar Magaluf is always packed, which could be because of the ridiculously low drink prices – from their extensive cocktail menu to the bubbly champagnes. With friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere it's a great place to start your night.
Mambo's knows how to have a good time. With a fantastic party atmosphere and epic DJs spinning house tracks, you can let loose on the dance floor until the sun comes up. Mambo's is a great laugh with their resident DJ's hilarious banter and a bucking bronco for those who are up to the challenge.
If you're itching to watch the latest matches, head over to Molligan's sports bar where there is always something playing. Just ask the staff and they'll be happy to put on the game you want to watch. Molligan's serves large pitchers of your favourite drink and many local and imported beers all at great prices.
Arrive early at Morgan's Club and you can join in with the crowds eating from the delicious bar menu. Shortly after, the live music and karaoke starts and you can order from their long list of cheap drinks like lagers and beers, spirits, wine and cocktails.
This popular Irish bar plays live music from 9pm to midnight every evening, along with serving up delicious, authentic pub food. For an evening of good fun, never-ending Guinness, friendly service and Irish hospitality, Finnegan's Live Music Bar and Restaurant is where it's at.
You'll feel like you're actually in the film of the same name as you watch the staff dance on the bar tops in between serving drinks at Coyote Ugly. This bar always has the hottest DJs playing the most current dance music to get you in the mood to party. You may even be lucky enough to snag a freebie cocktail with your shots.
If you're danced-out from the night before at a crazy club, come to Lennon's Bar and have a drink on their patio. One of the busiest bars on the strip, Lennon's has a great range of drinks and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere so you can watch the world go by as you rest your aching dancing feet.


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Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Eligibility & Application Instructions
The Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program at the University of Minnesota participates in the National Resident Match Program and will accept applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
We appreciate your interest in the University of Minnesota's Neonatal Fellowship Program and look forward to reviewing your application. Please feel free to contact the program director, Dr. Catherine Bendel (firstname.lastname@example.com), if you have any questions not answered here on the webpage. We generally match for 2 candidates each year.
The University of Minnesota demonstrates a commitment to leveraging the transformative power of equity and diversity to advance excellence in teaching, learning and community engagement. Applications from individuals who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups are particularly welcome.
Please Note:
- Applicants must have completed an ACGME accredited residency program by the fellowship start date.
- We accept only applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders), or those who have a J-1 Visa.
- 3 letters of recommendation are required, preferably to include one from a neonatologist and one from the residency program director.


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Resources by county Wexford
dúchas.ie - National Folklore Collection of Ireland
dúchas.ie is a project to digitize the National Folklore Collection of Ireland, one of the largest folklore collections in the world. The Schools' Collection is the first collection … more
The Delany Archive - Photos on Flickr
This collection currently has 994 images. The photos and document images relate to the four collections held by the Delany Archive. These include:• Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare & … more
Genealogy Resources for Wexford County
This site has a very extensive set of links for family history research in County Wexford. The sites are arranged in categories on one long page. The categories are not hyper-linked so be sure to … more
The Delany Archive - Carlow, Ireland
The Delany Archive cares for four main archival collections: • The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin - The collection includes Papers of the Bishops of the Diocese, 1726-1967. … more
Everafter - Online Burial Record Site
Everafter is an Antrim based online burial site. It is free to search. If you want to view a record you need to register for a free account. There are thousands of graveyard records … more
RootsIreland.ie - Wexford Genealogy
RootsIreland.ie is the database run by the non-profit Irish Family History Foundation, coordinators of the county genealogy centres network. It offers access to 20+ million Irish records held by … more
Wexford County Council - County Wexford Oral History Programme Podcasts
This project has interviewed 130 people about their lives and stories since 2008. The recordings are available on this site as podcasts. They are arranged by area Enniscorthy Gorey, New Ross … more
GENUKI - UK and Ireland Genealogy - County Wexford
This page has detailed, categorised information and relevant links for researching your family from this area. more
The Irish Manuscripts Commission - Digital books
The Commission has digitised many of their out of print publications and made them freely available online, all fully keyword searchable. A small example of what is available includes: • … more
Ireland Genealogical Project - County Wexford
This site offers information, resources and links. more
Ireland Genealogy Project Archive - Wexford Records
The contributed files can be searched and viewed online. You can also contribute resources using the online submission form. more
IrelandGenWeb - County Wexford
This site has information, resources and links. more
This newspaper archives offers access to 80 national and regional newspaper titles, 1733 to current. The regional titles cover the counties of Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Derry (Londonderry), Donegal, … more


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The neoplasmskin s are the most common in the species canine and feline, these may be benign or malignant in origin, the neoplasmmalignant s called skin cancer, may have its origin in the cells Epithelial mesenchymal, linfohistiociticas and cells bear or rarely be metastasis of neoplasms from other locations.
As general characteristics we can highlight that appear more frequently in animals over 6 years and there are certain breeds particularly predisposed as the Boxer, Golden retriever, Scottish Terrier, Bull Mastiff, Basset Hound, and others.
Skin cancer is a disease in which cellare cancerous (malignant) s in the outer layers of the skin.
The skin protects the body against heat, light, infection and injury. Also stores water, fat and vitamin D.
The skin consists of two main layers and various kinds of cells. The outer layer of the skin is called epidermis. It contains three kinds of cells: cells flat in the form of scales on the surface called cellsquamous s; cellround s called cellbasal s and a few cells called melanocytes, which give color to the skin.
The inner layer of the skin is called the dermis. This layer is thicker and contains blood vessels, nerves and glandsweat s, cells immune lymphocytes and mast cells.
Hair (hair) of the skin also grows in the dermis, in a tiny bag called follicles. The dermis produces sweat, which helps cool the body, and oilwhich prevent the skin from drying out.
There are several types of cancer originating in the skin. The most common are the Mastocytoma and s squamous cellcancer.
These types of skin cancer are referred to as cancers of the skin, not melanomas. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that originates in melanocytes.
Eye!. There are a variety of non-neoplastic skin tumor lesions (cysts, skin, nevi, Xanthomas, calcinosis cutis) must consider in the diagnostic differential.
To take into account in the neoplasmmalignant s!:
The appearance of the skin cancer may vary. Example a nodule cutaneous solitary or multiple presentation of cutaneous or subcutaneous location, very variable size, multiple forms and external features very different depending on type of cancer , the most common of the skin cancer sign is a change in the appearance of the skin, such as growth or a wound that does not heal (see etiology).
Some neoplasiaskin s adopt ulcerativascomo forms a sore or ulcer (cats, linfosarcoma cutaneous Mastocytoma and s squamous cellcarcinoma,…).
Presence of lameness, inflammation and digital pain in dogs of black layer, should make us suspicious of carcinoma of the Subungual bed although the presence of a skin nodule is not obvious.
Many times there is diseaseis or symptoms associated as intense itching (pruritus), skin infections (Pyoderma), areas without hair (alopecia), increased size (Lymphadenopathy) and Seborrhea nodes may be associated with some neoplasmskin s.
S vomiting, diarrheas and coagulopathy occasionally in the mastocitomas. Signs related to metastasis in some cases of neoplasmmalignant s.
How is the diagnosis:
If the riene mascot a stain or lump in the skin the veterinarian can remove it to analyze the tissue under the microscope. This procedure is known as biopsy.
The diagnosis is direct and is based on the results of aspiration cytology or biopsy and histopathology.
Treatments options:
Treatment for cancer of the skin and of the neoplasm, benign s depends on the type and stage of the disease, the age of your pet and your general State of health. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy; some standard treatments may have too many side effects.
Three kinds of treatment are generally used:
Surgery is the most common treatment for skin cancer. The veterinarian can extract the cancer using one of the methods as it is simple division (operation that extracts the skin cancer along with part of the tissue healthy located around this).
Mohs surgery: (operation in which the cancer is removed and the fewest possible normal tissue during this surgery, the doctor removed the cancer and then used a microscope to analyze the cancerous area and make sure that it is not any cancer cell )
Therapy of laser beams (This procedure uses a highly focused beam of light that destroys only the cellcancerous s). Radiotherapy is the use of x-rays to eliminate cellcancer s and reduce tumors. Radiotherapy for cancer of the skin is applied by a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy )).
L to chemotherapy consists of the use of drugs to delete cellcancer s.
In the treatment of skin cancer, chemotherapy can be administered in the form:
Topical cream or lotion is applied on the skin to eliminate the cellcancerous s (topicalchemotherapy ) systemic chemotherapy (indicated in cases of systemic disease when surgery alone does not reach the cure, consists of an injectable of this way is introduced into the bloodstream, travels through the body and destroys the cellcancerous s away from the skin.)
Biological therapy (the use of the immune system of the body to fight the cancer) He is being evaluated in clinical trials.
Biological therapy aims to treat the body itself to fight and destroy the cancer. Substances produced by the body itself or manufactured in a laboratory to increase, direct or restore the natural defences of the body against the disease are used in biological therapy.
Biologic therapy is also known as the (BRM for its acronym in English) biological response modifier therapy or immunotherapy.
The prognosis is excellent in the neoplasmbenign s if excision (removal of the tumor surgery) is complete.
Prognosis of carcinoma cellsquamous s: tendency to local recurrence but little tendency to metastasis.
The prognosis of the fibrosarcoma has tendency to local recurrence and low incidence of metastases.
The prognosis of Mastocytoma: recur approximately 50% of cases despite good surgical technique. The prognosis depends on the degree of cell differentiation, the stage, and chemotherapy adjuvant used.
The prognosis of the skin linfosarcoma is fatal.
The prognosis of melanoma is highly variable and is not related, sometimes with the histological appearance.


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Sebi declares illegal money pooling as 'fraudulent'
Mumbai: To curb rising instances of public getting defrauded by money pooling schemes, capital market regulator Sebi on Monday decided to declare illegal mobilisation of funds as a "fraudulent and unfair trade practice".
Besides, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has clarified that the existing list of activities coming under fraudulent and unfair trade practices can be further expanded whenever the need arises.
The decisions were taken by the Sebi board during its meeting here Monday.
Following this decision, all activities of money mobilisation through unauthorised Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) would face stronger penalties prescribed under the revised Sebi (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations.
The board has approved the "proposal to declare illegal mobilisation of funds without obtaining a certificate under the Sebi (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999 as a fraudulent and unfair trade practice," according to an official release.
"This amendment has been made to impose deterrent adjudication penalties on unregistered CIS entities mobilising money," the release said.
The latest move comes against the backdrop of rising instances of fraudulent money pooling activities, including by a number of West Bengal-based groups such as Saradha, Rosevalley and Sumangal.
There have been also many innovative but illegal fund-raising schemes in the name of emu farming, goat rearing, cattle and butter, and holiday memberships.
Sebi has already got stronger powers to deal with all kinds of money pooling activities, including by unlisted companies, involving Rs 100 crore or more.


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Views: 1619
With apologies for my late response, I want to say that Immanuel's contributions here are very positive.
At first blush, one wonders how 'acquiescence' can be seen as a positive thing, especially since its usage in the English language today is almost always in the negative. Yet still, the first step toward solving any problem is knowing what the problem is. Acquiescence is only seen as negative because it is seen to imply doing nothing about the problem. Yet in reality, when one 'quiets' one's self, one is much less likely to participate in any involuted or structural violence.
And it particularly denotes and implies the disinclination to participate in *verbal* violence.
I would like to stimulate further discussion on Immanuel's reference "Conflict and violence are taken almost as something synonymous to each other. It is the understanding of many that conflicts invariably involve violence."
I believe they are *popularly* taken as synonymous, but that this is incorrect. Though poorly phrased, I go along with Varte's sentiment "all conflicts doesn't always involve violence". In fact, conflict and violence are two separate things. Violence is the chief inappropriate response to conflict. And I concur with the Nordstrom quote of "intent to harm" as an important element in the definition of violence, yet it can be questioned whether one's unconscious participation in structural violence implies any sort of assent, volition, or intention. For me it is helpful to realize that 'violence' and 'violation' are alike in meaning, not different (as commonly found in their colloquial meanings and usage).
Conflict is endemic in life. The truly human (humane) response to conflict is Active Peace. All else falls short of this new, transcendent rubric measuring what it is to be truly human.
Here is a link (and the text, below it) to my latest paper, 'Justice as Active Peace' ... frankly I think that most people, in my country anyway, when they use the term 'justice' don't know what they're talking about! Please let me know your thoughts by taking part in this discussion. Thank you!
Justice as Active Peace Originally published in
by John Wilmerding Contemporary Justice Review
Former Secretary the Journal of the Justice Studies Association
UN Working Party on Restorative Justice Volume 15, Issue 2 -- June 2012
Dennis Sullivan's treatise 'Rambling Through the Fields of Justice' is a satisfying read, in and of itself. In writing it, Dennis has demonstrated that he knows what justice really is. However, more service can be done to justice's description and definition. I thought I would try to do so by attempting to re-frame justice itself, taking the restorative justice perspective as a point of departure.
We know, of course, of restorative justice as a titular movement for change, for reform of western cultures' punishment-based systems. That is what the term means in the conventional contemporary context. Yet few stop to think that in the original cultures from whom the west borrowed many of the methods we now call restorative justice, all those who first used those methods were trying to do was achieve something fairly simple … justice itself.
The western concept of justice hearkens back to an ancient people -- the Hebrews. The 3000-year-old tablets found in el-Amarna, Egypt tell us that proto-Semitic peoples of the Palestine region once worshipped a goddess whose name (approximated) was, in their mode of writing (without vowels), S-L-M. From this ancient name, many others and concepts have sprung, to wit; Salem, Salome, Shalom, Shlomo, Islam, Salaam, Muslim, etc. In Hebrew, as studied by rabbis, this name is still known as holy writ, effectively one of the names of G-d.
That is not to say that the Jews originated the concept of justice, mind you. On the contrary, it appears that justice is as old as the phenomenon of human beings sitting in a circle and talking things out. It just happens that the tribal traditions of the Jews gave us in the West our primary reference for justice, as the conceptual vocabulary we use to describe it (and many other things) was passed down to us through Hebraic writings, especially through the Bible. Never forget that among the seven articles of the postdiluvian Noachide Covenant, the last one -- and the only one articulated as a positive, affirmative instruction -- was 'Thou shalt establish systems of justice'.
So today, when we talk about restorative justice as, say, the peacemaking circles of Native American peoples, or the Gacaca of the Rwandans, or the Family Group Conferences passed on to us by the Maori, perhaps we are merely talking about a process, outcome, or thing that is universal, as second nature to humanity as sitting in a circle, perhaps around a fire, maybe sharing a meal, etc. Certainly, we are talking about methods that generate vastly superior participant satisfaction than, say, judicial punishments. Maybe human beings are genetically hard-wired for peace and justice, and maybe, just maybe, the triumph of evil is only possible when our true inner human nature is interfered with epigenetically by violence and oppression in our lives and cultures.
Classical knowledge is sophisticated enough to give us a statuary representation of Lady Justice (akin perhaps to Lady Liberty). Ms. Justice, if you will, is depicted blindfolded, holding a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other. The scales are often lopsided, as if there were an unequal weighing of two things, with Ms. Justice blind to the fact of this inequality. Perhaps the point is that in the real world, and especially in terms of justice, true equality is very rare.
I believe, however, that the statuary representation of the scales is testimony to the fact that while justice can almost never embody true equality, particularly in its outcomes, and can, of course, never really return participants to status quo ante, justice can assess equity … the state of affairs where outcomes are as nearly equitable as possible. In other words, whether harms have been reduced or ameliorated as much as possible, with no new harm being done. This is why, in answering the perennial questions in matters of restorative justice, 'What is restored, to whom, and how?', we ultimately come to the realization that it is the community, via its human relationships, that is restored, though this restoration is all too seldom seamless. Scars from harms and injuries may remain, and indeed, even the most forgiving and charitable of people can be heard to say that while they forgive, they shall not forget.
So, while it is a handy nom de guerre for a handful of methods that are being used by scholars, researchers, practitioners, teachers, and activists to wrench modern so-called justice methods back to the origins and precepts of true justice, restorative justice may actually be said to factually and truthfully represent nothing more nor less than justice itself.
[If you have noticed the reference to an ancient proto-Semitic goddess, and the allusion to justice as a classical statue of a woman, you may also wish to infer that justice -- the postdiluvian version -- is also essentially feminist. I make these references deliberately, and would be inclined to agree.]
Much of what Sullivan has written is in the character of a lament. Why is justice not taught in schools? Why do so few people understand what justice really is? The answer, in broad strokes, is that tribal teachings are, by and large, still only passed on in the tribal context. But also that, for today's 'modern' world, the tribal context, by and large, simply no longer exists. Most of us no longer live in, or migrate among, our hunting grounds. We have settled, beginning with agriculture, and begun to produce more than what we need to sustain ourselves. And since we began to produce more than what we needed, our populations commenced to grow far beyond what the old tribal ways would, or could, have supported. We have found ways to produce geometrically more and more. With this questionable outcome also came feast and famine, hardship and prosperity, giving rise to wars over resources, beginning of course with food and water, and progressing through lebensraum to the current trans-global struggles for energy resources and access to rare technologically-useful minerals.
Yet still, in addition to tribal ones, a few modern-age societies have realized en corpus that western ways have gone 'beyond the pale', and have forgotten cardinal virtues such as justice. The Amish in the USA are a good example. While, at first blush, their plain clothing, primary educational system, and refusal to adopt higher technologies seem to be a knee-jerk reaction to western advancements, when studied closer, one finds in the Amish a very valid final arbiter to their policies -- family and community relationships. From television, to automobiles, to profligate telephones and computers, the Amish refuse to adopt anything that would take them away from one another; that is, from family and community into their own little individual worlds. You can perhaps recognize part of the sentiment behind this when you reflect on the last time you spoke in person with a teenager as they started texting someone else in the middle of your conversation. Are Amish concerns valid? Obviously by their standards, the answer is in the affirmative. Do they take things too far? Many would say so. However, the 2006 incident at Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania taught the world a lesson in forgiveness, and is still widely remarked upon as an example of true, 'pure' justice.
In a world rife with injustice and inequality, how is it possible to teach justice, particularly in the academic setting?
In western societies, justice-making is, by and large, relegated to gowned and decorous judges, sitting in staid and ornate courtrooms, who are appointed largely because they have demonstrated their support for, and non-threatening stance toward, the hierarchical and economically inequitable systems in which they live. Our only gesture toward 'justice-keeping', if you will, is the guns and other weapons we place in the hands of our uniformed service members, mostly the police and armed forces, along with the pronouncement or tacit premise that the state has a monopoly on violence.
From a whole host of observations, I have come to the conclusion that justice is a function of true community, along with the corollary belief that the state is pretty much incompetent to foster justice. Hence in Vermont, from whence I write, restorative justice has become, at least in name, the law of the land, as a new institution – the community justice center -- has sprung up in our 12 largest cities and towns to practice mediation, family group conferencing, and a Vermont hybrid method called Reparative Probation. Since these centers also benefit from State funding, the mission of justice cannot reasonably be said to have fully been taken back from the state by our communities. But at least a large plurality of our residents have come to realize that this would be acceptable, even desirable.
So what is restored, to whom, and how? For me, the answer is equity, best understood as the equitable fabric of relationships which constitute true community. What is restored, in effect, is 'the peace'.
In that proto-Semitic concept of Shalom, one finds a triad of component virtues: justice, peace, and a third virtue variously referred to as integrity, wholeness, salvation, healing, etc. Thus, no true measure and estimation of what justice really is can be articulated without reference to those other component and inseparable parts – stitched together as a whole, what is known in Hebrew as Shalom.
The Campaign for Equity-Restorative Justice (CERJ) was founded in 1997 with the goal of making restorative justice a household concept. Perhaps we did not exactly succeed, but the Campaign helped to spark and inspire many new initiatives. In 2004, for its last major project, CERJ organized and sponsored a series of workshops in the maximum-security US prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Based upon the Alternatives to Violence Project model and curriculum, these workshops also included an advanced restorative justice module, plus a third module based on traditional Navajo (Dineh) peacemaking, which was led by Philmer Bluehouse, an itinerant traditional Navajo peacemaker, and by Robert Yazzie, who had just retired as Chief Justice of the Navajo nation. In this way, we carefully considered our 'audience': USP Leavenworth has many First Nations men as inmates, including, at the time of our workshop, the renowned political prisoner Leonard Peltier.
Later in 2004, realizing that our mission was essentially educational, we, the members of the CERJ network and coalition, resolved to reconstitute ourselves as an unconventional educational institution known as John Woolman College of Active Peace, naming ourselves after a colonial American Quaker minister who, in the late 1700s, campaigned among his fellow Quakers to release their slaves. Woolman was thus widely credited with giving Quakers the post-colonial moral authority to confront slave-holders (and consumers) of other religious traditions for the purpose of ending slavery altogether.
In our lifetimes, many of us have borne witness to, and perhaps even experienced, genocide, civil war, proxy war, world war, and every other kind of war one could possibly imagine -- probably even a few that one could not. Von Clausewitz famously said "War is the continuance of diplomacy by other means." Yet the very concept of diplomacy already presupposes some estrangement. How odd it is, at the end of the day, that most people only understand peace as the absence of warlike fighting. Where we once had 'Pax Romana', we now have the 'Pax Americana', or more properly the 500 years of wars and conquest sparked by the European Renaissance, particularly its technological innovations, which permitted and abetted world conquest. Today we bear witness, and are subject, to a continuance of trends in international relations that began with Greece and Rome, and before them Alexander, the Hittites, and other peoples who created empires, and which perhaps found their classical European articulation beginning with Clovis of the Franks, the first European king who professed Christianity, and his violent and dramatic demonstrations of what we now think of as Christian Exceptionalism.
Suppose we were to teach and understand peace from a different theoretical basis; something simple and memorable? Suppose we postulate a tri-partite concept of our own, Active Peace (including justice, of course), composed of three components, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding?
Peacebuilding, a term now in vogue but often misconstrued, is the fostering of right relationships through principled development -- the creation of food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities of life … the spreading of a minimal standard of prosperity to all. Many, if not most, vocations, professions, crafts, and arts could be understood as peacebuilding, a concept destined to encompass most of what we all cherish and hold dear about our homes, our communities, our lands, and our peoples.
Where violence and inequitable circumstances occur or persist, peacekeeping is understood, at its most basic, as nonviolent resistance -- nonviolent accompaniment of the vulnerable and oppressed -- and speaking out for those who have little or no voice. One of the purest peacekeeping missions today is the Nonviolent Peaceforce, a group with ties to Friends Peace Teams and Christian Peacemaker Teams. Peacekeeping often requires a broader or more specialized educational preparation, and must be exercised and articulated with a different order of wisdom than, say, the artisan whose dedication is to quietly pursue a trade in the community context. Yet, both are obviously part of Active Peace.
Peacemaking, finally, is any of several types of applied exercises in intervention, or constructive social group processes. Restorative justice, in particular, is comprised of a number of distinct peacemaking methods. These methods have as their result, and their raison d'etre, the transformation of conflict, having left behind the erroneous notion that conflict can be resolved.
There is conflict in all facets of human life, and the full measure of our humanity lies in how we respond to it. When the objectives of the restorative justice movement are fulfilled, justice will be known as inseparable from peace. There will be no more state-sponsored murders, assassinations, official retaliations, or summary "justice" as practiced increasingly today. Punishment will come to be seen for what it really is: the continuation of cycles of violence.
And today, we have, in the west, several great institutional orders based on the continuation of cycles of violence. We have military-industrial complexes and prison-industrial complexes. We have great industries and investment houses, now more successful and grand than ever before, largely because of the worldwide popularity of violence (and the concomitant financial profits). We have whole systems, including perhaps the nation-state system itself, whose primary competency is the promulgation of violence. And so much of it is done in the name of freedom and democracy. Go figure!
When will we understand that we are prey to, and/or subject to the influence of, over 3000 years of conquest cultures and power elites? Has it always been in others' pecuniary interest to cloud and obscure the true nature of justice and peace? Will they always take power away from the people, where it belongs, and arrogate it into the hands of the few? The 1% and the 99% -- the allusion is clear.
Are we waking up? Do we dare to even begin to believe that we can wake up enough to foster equitable human systems of peace, justice, and prosperity?
I believe that it is high time for the rebirth of the wholistic teaching of the true nature of justice, peace, and human integrity. These are inseparable concepts, and must be taught in conjunction with one another. Our judges and lawyers must become facilitators and mediators. Our police and armies must become nonviolent accompaniers. We must embrace the vision of our tradespeople, craftspeople, artisans, and those of every other constructive and necessary endeavor as true, conscious agents of Active Peace.
There is one concept around which justice, peace, and integrity can rally -- healing. When all is said and done, all that is done in the name of true justice is also, inescapably, done in aid of healing. Those in crisis are brought into circumstances where their healing and recovery can be promoted. Those who are victims of violence (or their survivors) are understood to need grief work, which often cannot be rushed, but which can sometimes see dramatic transformations with the application of specific peacemaking methods. Victims' perennial questions, 'Why?' and 'Why Me?', can indeed have appropriate answers once restorative justice is understood to be a victims' right.
And cycles of violence can finally be broken once victims understand that neither their rights, nor 'just deserts', include seeing violence done to their own violators. The interests of society in breaking cycles of violence far transcend the drastic, though sometimes understandable, wishes of any victim for retaliation. Only in this manner can justice – true, healing justice -- justice as active peace -- be served.


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I've just returned from my very first writing conference – the RWA Nationals in New York City – what a blast! Over 2000 romance authors and industry professionals get together once a year for a week to network, share their craft and marketing strategies, and most of all – make new friends! I've been to quite a few medical conferences in my career and I have to say there are some very subtle but noticeable differences.
First off – the prep. There was a lot of prep for a writing conference. We were given a link to a video showing how and what to pack (colour coordination and rolling all your clothes is key), on how to use the elevator at the hotel (no buttons inside the elevator – you had to punch your floor in the box before you got on AND wait for it – remember which elevator you were assigned – because you know, no buttons in the elevator) and were given advice for socializing for introverts (say hi, ask where they're from and what they write. Yes, we were given icebreaker question suggestions – these are my people). We were told to set goals and plan – but no worries we were also given an app for that! I think if doctors were told they had to plan this much for a conference, they would give up. Writers are a hardy lot.
Second off – the parking. Here in Kingston, at the conference centre, we park outdoors on a paved lot. Occasionally if it's really busy, there might be overflow onto the adjacent grass. THIS is what the parking looked like in NYC. It's like a vending machine for cars. I'll take F5 – a new black Porsche. (And maybe if I bang on the machine, 2 cars might fall out?)
Third – the workshops. No signing up, feel free to change your mind, the presenters don't mind if you walk out, workshops. Golden. This isn't very common at medical conferences. We tend to stay put – physically anyway. I've plotted some very interesting novels at medical conferences 🙂
Fourth – the pitch sessions. What a great idea! At the Nationals, authors have a chance to pitch their ideas to editors and agents to see if they're interested in publishing the story or representing the author to the publishing houses. I think this could really catch on in the medical world. One big room filled with scientists and those people who have the grant money. It'd be like speed dating. Before the researcher spends countless hours preparing a cumbersome proposal, they could take 10 minutes to pitch their ideas and see if there is any interest. Wouldn't that be such a time saver? Writers know what they're doing.
Despite the differences, I did notice one very striking similarity. The coffee consumption! 🙂 Stay tuned – I met some awesome Soul Mate authors and I'll share the pics!


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DJ GarGar's unconventional San Diego band samples
The Beautiful State draws from No Knife, Buck-O-Nine and others
Jay Allen Sanford 2 p.m., Dec. 5
Matt Curreri: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals
Genre: Rock
RIYL: The Exfriends, Bartenders Bible
No shows scheduled | Post a show | View show history
Influences: Bartenders Bible, the Clash, R.E.M., Nirvana, Leadbelly, Thelonius Monk, the Who, Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Manu Chao, Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, the Pogues
Matt Curreri is the songwriter at the center of the Exfriends. Born in Los Angeles, raised in Virginia, schooled in Indiana, Curreri ended up in San Diego by way of New York City.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Matt spent three years in New York City, writing and recording songs in a damp Chinatown basement. He then became reacquainted with fellow Notre Dame graduate Joanie Mendenhall, a classical piano player who talked Matt into taking her home to California and co-founding the Exfriends. Their Get Along full-length is a horn-heavy rock and funk record.
In 2013, Curreri relocated to Charlottesville and formed a new, more rock-centered version of Matt Curreri & the Exfriends.