text:
Group Builds Homes for Wounded Troops
By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 - Building or remodeling homes to accommodate the needs of severely wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is the way Kirt Rebello and everyone else involved with "Homes for Our Troops" have chosen to thank servicemembers for their sacrifice.
"A wounded servicemember's life is forever changed," Rebello -- vice president and projects director for Homes for Our Troops ? said during an interview on "ASY Live," a program on BlogTalkRadio.com that's part of the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
America Supports You connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"The typical house in America today is not readily accessible to someone who is left in a wheelchair or with a combination of injuries that makes mobility difficult," Rebello said. Homes for Our Troops provides assistance to families of severely injured servicemembers who need to remodel their homes to accommodate new challenges associated with their injuries.
"We widen doors, install roll-in showers [and otherwise provide] some of the things we really take for granted that are significant obstacles to someone who is severely injured," he explained. "Additionally, as technology progresses, we are finding a number of special adaptations that are available, like motion-sensored activation and voice activation."
The group was started in 2004, after the founder, John Gonsalves, saw a news special about a soldier who became a paraplegic after his convoy hit a roadside bomb. Gonsalves, who has spent more than 20 years in the construction industry, looked into starting the nonprofit group after he was unable to locate an organization that already worked to adapt homes for the wounded.
Using his knowledge of the construction industry, Gonsalves was able to get local builders to volunteer to assist by donating goods and services to the projects. "Nothing motivates people more than wanting to help a severely injured serviceperson," Rebello said.
The organization caters its services specifically to troops who are double amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic, have severe post-traumatic stress disorder, or are severely burned.
"These individuals are generally immobilized to a point where [they] cannot get along on [their] own," Rebello said, "and all of our houses are specifically adapted to meet the needs of that particular veteran. The veterans we serve are the most severely injured, and the houses are provided at no cost to them."
In many cases, the group will build a new home, if necessary, instead of simply remodeling the existing one.
"One of the things that people don't always think about is that a lot of injured servicemen and women are young, with good-sized families," Rebello said. "We had a young serviceman who was a quadriplegic with his wife and their two kids living in one room of his parent's house. That's sometimes a challenge that goes unnoticed, and it's happening across the country."
Rebello said the family seemed to belie the hardships they were going through. "Despite everything, these were the most upbeat people I have ever met," he said. "We were able to get a house built for them and they were just unbelievably grateful."
Homes for Our Troops relies on the assistance of the community where the veteran lives or wants to live to help fund the projects, and for the most part, their efforts have been a great success.
"They are all donated materials and services," Rebello said. "We help mobilize the community to help build these houses. It's the local carpenters, plumbers, electricians, that really make the difference."
Rebello acknowledged that the rough housing market makes locating contractors and tradesmen who are willing to offer support an additional challenge.
"For every house that is built, there are hundreds of individuals involved," he said. "One of the key ingredients to our business is a contractor or large builder that is willing to coordinate all the activities that are occurring on the ground around our event."
The result, however, is a heartwarming example of how the nation's citizens band together to help an individual in need, Rebello said.
"The more we think about people with those needs, the more it makes sense to reach out and help them," he said.
(Jamie Findlater, host of "ASY Live," works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)
*Related Sites:*
Homes for Our Troops [ http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer ]
Group Builds Homes for Wounded Troops [ http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50079 ]


text:
Kinky Machine Going Out With God. I thought about this record for the first time in a light year today because I was thinking of a time I saw, my beloved, Manic Street Preachers on 15 October 1992 at Leeds Polytechnic. The support band were a young group I had never heard of called Kinky Machine, so as I used to in those days, I bought their latest single, 12″ in this case, to see what they were like.
Going Out With God looked the part, the circuit board and composite bike/head/strange device* cover. Indeed live the band looked the part too, all skinny mod-ish and lairy, the skinny singer wore a track suit top and was a bit shouty. They weren't very good, their songs with a couple minor variations were all a bit samey for me and were just your normal pop/rock songs overlaid with some aggressive mod overtones. Unfortunately, I'm left with exactly the same impression tonight after playing the 12″, nothing at all memorable I'm afraid. One of the B-sides, 'Counting Down To Zero' is probably the best track here, a bit slower and more cocksure.
I do want to add my usual caveat here, that this is a far better record than any I'll ever release and hey, they got up there and did it and I didn't. I'm the loser.
Now it may come as a bit of a surprise to y'all but I used to keep a diary of gigs I went to, who/when/where and a single line review, here's theirs from that night :
The other thing I remember from that night over 23 years ago? the singer kept staring at a hot ginger chick who was standing front and centre against the barrier wearing a mesh top and cut-off jean shorts with black tights and a Jack Daniels belt, I mean really staring. Ironically, she was already 'Going Out With God' by then anyway … it was the first gig we ever went to together in fact, (the future) Mrs 1537 and I.
606 Down.
PS – The Manic Street Preachers were just spot-on incredible that night, but you probably guessed that bit already.
PPS – Thanks Geoff for making me think of them again.
*from almost long-gone distant memories of my friend's dad's bongo mags I think the device in question was called a butterfly(?) and was designed to stimulate a lady's nether parts, and thus her, into paroxysms of ecstatic lust – personally I always thought it just looked a bit medical at worst and that it would chafe like hell at best – but what do I know? I'm only a man. (I'd just like to point out that thanks to the parental lock I put on my PC (and forgot the password of) I can't Google this, if you do, don't tell me, I don't need to know.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
You can find information about how to support our current campaign to rename Colston Hall here.
We're an active network of concerned Bristol residents who think it's unacceptable that some of Bristol's most prominent institutions, buildings and roads still celebrate a slave trader.
We organise events, lobby decision makers, talk about Colston in the media and write articles to bring an end to the practice of celebrating Colston in Bristol. We want more passionate people to get involved – email us if you're interested.
Email: email@example.com
Follow us on twitter: @CounterColston
Like our page on facebook.


text:
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington
IU Bloomington
Receive email notifications on new books and special sales.
After discovering the autobiography of the Austrian communist and writer Hugo Huppert (1902–1982), historian George Huppert became absorbed in the life and work of this man, a Jew, perhaps a relative, who was born a few months after George's father and grew up just miles away. Hugo seemed to embody a distinctly central European experience of his time, of people trapped between Hitler and Stalin. Using the unvarnished account found in Hugo's notebooks, George Huppert takes the reader on a tour of the writer's life from his provincial youth to his education and radicalization in Vienna; to Moscow where he meets Mayakovski and where he is imprisoned during Stalin's purges; through the difficult war years and return to Vienna; to his further struggles with the communist party and his blossoming as a writer in the 1950s. Through all the twists and turns of this story, George remains a faithful presence, guiding the way and placing Hugo's remarkable life in context. Comrade Huppert is a story of displacement and exile, the price of party loyalty, and the toll of war and terror on the mind of this emblematic figure.
George Huppert is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of several books, including The Idea of Perfect History: Historical Erudition and Historical Philosophy in Renaissance France; The Style of Paris: Renaissance Origins of the French Enlightenment (IUP, 1999); After the Black Death: A Social History of Early Modern Europe (IUP, 1986); and Les Bourgeois Gentilshommes: An Essay on the Definition of Elites in Renaissance France.
"What a story! Right from the beginning this elegantly written book captures the reader's attention with fascinating characters, colorful and intelligent observations on life in central/eastern Europe in the first half of the 20th century, and a vivid portrait of the revolutionary atmosphere of the time."
— Mirjam Zadoff, Indiana University-Bloomington
"Comrade Huppert is a very interesting and complicated figure--and that is why this little book is such a fascinating read. Known in Germany and Austria as the translator of Mayakovski and as a specialist in Russian expressionist literature, Huppert is representative of those intellectuals who joined the communist movement after World War I and became involved in party history and conflicts during the Stalin era, before finishing on this or that side of the line after World War II. . . . A study of a true believer, caught between his Austrian-Jewish origins and his communist world view, his acquired Russian identity and his literary ambitions, his illusions and the world he encountered."
— Peter Schöttler, Free University Berlin
"A historian details the life and work of Austrian communist and writer Hugo Huppert, a Jew, perhaps a relative, who embodies a distinctly central European experience of his time, of people trapped between Hitler and Stalin. Huppert tells a story of displacement and exile, the price of party loyalty, and the toll of war and terror on the mind of this emblematic figure."
"Of interest to scholars of Austrian literature and history. . ."
— Kirkus Reviews
"Deftly tracing Hugo Huppert's improbable path from Jewish Galicia to Soviet Moscow to postwar Vienna, George Huppert . . . anchors this account in his own experience. . ."
— Choice
"The addition of illuminating historical context to Hugo's narrative is George's most significant contribution."
— On the Seawall
Fulfilling the Promise
Privacy Notice | Accessibility Help
Copyright © 2017
The Trustees of Indiana University,
Copyright Complaints


text:
Here are a couple of pithy ones from Aristotle's teacher, the star pupil of Socrates and the originator of the Atlantis myth as written in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias.
The first quote I find especially relevant to those who reject the metaphorical light of science and knowledge, those who fear facts and wish to discredit the fact-finders and remain in the darkness of ignorance, and who often try to get others to fear as do they, by duress or by trickery.
The second concerns the reason that we skeptics have such a problem with letting charlatanry and false claims go without exposure and criticism, though I take the use of the word 'soul' to mean a person, rather than a metaphysical spiritual essence that survives death the way many religionists often use the term. Uncritical acceptance of false claims has serious consequences to those who hold them as revealed, unchanging Fact.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.


text:
Winter is finally over.
In the United States, we were very lucky to have such a mild winter. I am very excited to watch the spring and summer racing seasons unfold.
On-the-water racing began yesterday in Philadelphia. Colleges and universities start officially racing over the next few weeks. Olympic hopefuls begin their quest at the 2016 US Rowing Olympic Trials in Sarasota, FL over a month from now.
With the massive shift from ergometer and land training to on-the-water training, there should also bring a focus on athletes learning to move a boat together.
"Rowing is the ultimate team sport…"
Not so much.
It has become apparent from our rowing society and even the World Rowing Federation, FISA, with their recent proposal to eliminate boat classes (and add more small boats) from the 2020 Olympics Games, that rowing is shifting away from the ultimate team sport.
Isn't that what we rowers pride ourselves on?
Nine individuals (coxswain included) attempt to get into a boat and pull as hard and as straight as they can to win. Each athlete focuses on what he or she can do to make the boat go faster. However, when the boat fails, athletes and coach look for the individual or individuals that are to blame.
In the United States, we only celebrate the team aspect of sports after a team wins a major championship like the Super Bowl or the Women's World Cup. Most of the media focus is still on the individual and their own personal journey.
"What is your role?"
I do encourage my athletes to use their own personal journeys as a foundation for motivation. I am realizing more that in order to have success in a team sport, the focus must shift to how my athletes can contribute and support the team.
"What is your role on the team?"
Athletes may describe the position they play, and their how their focus must be on the jobs that position is responsible for. They are a pitcher; they focus on balls, strikes, and pitch count. They are a wide receiver; they focus on running routes, getting open, and moving the chains. They are a power forward; they focus on rebounding, posting up, and playing defense.
Rowing should be very simple because athletes are repeating the same task over and over again. Yet, it becomes complicated because athletes and coaches seem to approach this simple task differently.
"What is your role on the team?"
Many rowers have difficulty answering this question. The usual response is, "Pull as hard as I can." When I ask why they have to focus on pulling hard, their response is, "So I can keep my seat in the boat."
"Boat line-ups are never final until…"
Coaches spend an enormous amount of their time, effort, and energy on pitting athletes against each other during winter training.
"You need this erg score to compete at the varsity level…"
Therefore, high school athletes and their parents end up obsessing over their status on the team, and stressing over erg scores because of college recruiting. Collegiate athletes are tested weekly, even daily, to the point that "keeping their seat" is more important than studying.
Boat line-ups might not be set until the final championship regatta. By that time, the athletes do not trust each other anymore. Half the athletes do not believe their teammates should even be in the boat. The other half wish they were in a better boat.
George Pocock said that rowing is a "symphony of motion."
I understand that internal competition teaches athletes to be competitive. It makes them tougher. It helps them understand they have to work hard to get what they want in life. However, it doesn't teach them to "play nice" together.
"United we stand; Divided we fall"
I can be critical. I have first-hand experience.
As an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania, I forgot to teach my freshmen lightweights how to row well with one another. The goal should have been preparing them to compete at the varsity level, instead of seat racing them week after week to find the "best" line up.
I should have allowed my novice rowers to stay together and learn to row, because novice year is a special time that will either make you a rower for life or make you quit. I was too focused on making a great impression as a first year collegiate coach.
Before that, my failure in training for Beijing in 2008 was not developing real relationships with any of my training teammates. We were united in our quest to make the US National Team, but our coach was only focused on making the fastest line up. Competing against each other made us lose sight of why we were at Penn AC Rowing Association in the first place.
The legend of Penn AC was born from Coach Ted Nash's ability to bring "rejected" athletes together for a common cause. That was the brilliance of the "Killer B's", the United States Men's Four without Coxswain, at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Four different men who were taught by one legendary coach to trust each other just enough.
"Building Trust"
How do we build trust?
It is much easier to attract and convince athletes to trust in a new training program, winning results, or cutting edge technology and facilities. It is one of the main reasons coaches attend the US Rowing Convention every year. We flock to seminars that promise to reveal "secrets" of how top rowing programs are making their boats go faster.
There are no seminars teaching coaches to inspire and communicate better. If you happened to attend a seminar on building team culture, it eventually morphs into a round table on how athletes today are "entitled, disrespectful, and do not know how to work hard… and their parents are worse…"
Not all US Rowing coaches are like this. Cornell Lightweight Head Coach, Chris Kerber is one coach that gets it.
I know he does. I sat next to him last summer and observed and listened to how he coaches athletes. Rowing News writer, Jen Whiting, wrote an article about him as "The Innovator." Much of the article focuses mostly his individual accolades as an athlete and his success as a coach. But you can read between the lines. Kerber emphasizes team and athlete accountability. There is no mention of individual effort.
Moral of the Story
Why has the team aspect of rowing in the United States begun to fade?
Even if a coach can create a team culture of "athlete accountability", it still requires all the athletes to believe in that culture. As an athlete, I can hold myself accountable. I can also hold my teammates accountable. It doesn't mean that I am going to overextend myself and help my teammates achieve their own personal goals.
This type of "team" culture can still fail.
I read rowing websites and rowing message boards, and everything covered still focuses on the individual – their achievements, their stories, their rowing "secrets". Individuals are judged based on their ability to perform or their failure to step up to the plate.
The athletes need to believe in the team culture, AND they need to believe in each other. They need to appreciate each others' strengths and weaknesses and support each others' efforts.
Trust is the missing component for boats that fail to cross the finish line first. This includes coxswains. This includes Masters athletes. This includes Olympic hopefuls. Talent, ability, and desire only takes us so far.
Until rowing coaches begin teaching athletes how to trust one another, rowing may no longer be a "team" sport in 2020.
So much for the symphony…
For more information on Strength and Conditioning for rowing, rowing technique, Kettlebells, Clubbells, AthleteDISC, and the Process Communication Model® follow my blog or like me on Facebook at RUFO OPTIMAL WORKOUTS.
This week, I launched my "Balance" Page. In order for athletes to learn balance they need to understand themselves. Understanding themselves and trusting themselves allows them to trust others and their teammates. For teams that wish to learn more about themselves, and find that edge, click on "Balance".


text:
Migrating email and archives to Microsoft platforms can be a daunting task — though, there are obvious, and significant, benefits. This opens your organization up to the vast benefits of Microsoft's cloud-based platforms, including Office 365. But, you have to get there first.
When considering this move, you have to decide:
- How will you use the new capabilities?
- What else is IT currently working on?
- How will you manage your users' experience?
- How do you get to the new platforms?
In this white paper, put together by Osterman Research, Osterman reviews the results of a recent survey of decision makers and influencers whose organizations have completed a migration to Office 365 or SharePoint, or that plan to do so by May 2019. Explore why organizations are making this move and what steps they're taking — or plan to take — to get there.


text:
January 16, 2017 - We kicked ass at CES this year, simple as that. Klipsch raised the bar in every category. There was no competition. Nobody brought more passion and determination than our team.
Side Note: We are not sorry for all the booths we pissed off during our time at CES. We take pride in being the LOUDEST & PROUDEST
Below is a showcase of our kick ass booth and some my favorite products we featured at CES.
Klipsch Booth:
The Fifteens:
Floorstanding Speakers
The Forte III:
Floorstanding Sp... (Read More)
January 15, 2016 - At CES 2016, Klipsch showed off more new products than it has before in its 70 years of history. With all of the new wireless speakers, powered monitors multi-room systems headphones, limited edition ... (Read More)
January 12, 2016 - CES 2016 is done and over with, but there's still so much more to tell you. After all, we have never shown this many new products before at one show.
We will be recapping all of those products along ... (Read More)
January 09, 2016 - The final day of the Consumer Electronics Show is open to the public, which means that we were able to show off our latest and greatest headphones and speakers directly with the masses.
Before this p... (Read More)
January 08, 2016 - Everyone loves Klipsch sound. That's pretty much a straight-up fact. You want it anywhere and everywhere you go.
We have continued to add more and more unique solutions that allow you to enjoy legend... (Read More)
January 07, 2016 - As you may already know, Klipsch is celebrating its 70th Anniversary at CES 2016. In honor of this milestone, we are introducing a pair of unique finishes for select Heritage speakers as well as a who... (Read More)
January 06, 2016 - Here. We. Go.
Day one of the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show is always a whirlwind with no one knowing quite knowing what to expect besides bright lights, loud music and thousands of people.
Of cours... (Read More)
January 04, 2016 - The Consumer Electronics Show is upon us once again! North America's biggest trade show takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 6-9, 2016. Klipsch will be demonstrating all sorts of amazing audi... (Read More)
December 31, 2015 - Without question, someone around you is going remark about how quickly the year by. It may be cliché, but it sure as heck went by fast for all of us here at Klipsch.
In 2015, we launched several prod... (Read More)
January 09, 2015 - It's over.
This year's edition of the Consumer Electronics Show is in the books and what a trip it has been!
We hyped CES 2015 as one of our biggest launch in years and we feel like we have delivere... (Read More)
0 products selected to compare.


text:
Thank You For Downloading Komodo Edit
Try Komodo IDE for Free
Create an account on the ActiveState Platform and get Komodo IDE free for a limited time. Enjoy professional features such as debugging, unit testing, code refactoring and more.
Sign Up for Our Emails
Not sure if you're ready to commit to us yet? No problem! Sign up for our emails and keep updated on the cool stuff we're working on.
You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, consult our Privacy Policy.


text:
The Council Chamber holds up to 60 people and is equipped with screen and projector.
The cost of hiring the Council Chamber at the Town Hall is:
£15.00 per hour room hire only
£20.00 per hour, including refreshments
£25.00 per hour should you wish to use our laptop, screen and projector, with refreshments.
Disabled access is available, as is a stair lift to the first floor.


text:
Cottages in the North
Portugal is quite a small country, but the regions vary enormously. In the North you will discover the most untouched part of the country, with the beautiful city of Porto. And the famous drink with the same name comes from this region... Many holiday homes in Portugal are situated near vineyards and port cellars.
In the heart of Portugal
The heart of Portugal, the Berias, are the transition between the green North and the arid South. Here you will see the Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain, where you can experience fabulous walks. At the estuary of the Tag you can visit the magnificent Lisbon. Experience the true city life from your own holiday home in the city!
Holiday homes in the Algarve
The Alentejo and Algarve are located in Southern Portugal. The Alentejo is characterised by its quiet and space, by holiday homes in picturesque white villages and sun drenched meadows and olive orchards. In the Algarve the beautiful beaches and the heavenly climate attract visitors all year round.
Truly relax in a holiday home in Portugal
Portugal is a fabulous holiday destination, with the great climate, the rich cultural history, the scrumptious food and the friendly people. The country of port and fado music has lots to offer.
- Share:


text:
If I would like to rent an apartment with a roommate, does each person have to fill out an application?
Pet policy varies by building. Home61 includes options to filter homes that are pet friendly in your searches.
Communicating specifics about your pet, such as weight and breed, to your broker or prospective landlord will also help you to find the buildings that best fit your (and your pet's) needs.


text: The inside of the door of the XV-15 tilt rotor aircraft has the signitures of all the pilots that flew it. The plane took its place in what could be called "aviation's hall of fame," when NASA and the U.S. Army transferred the vehicle to the National Air and Space Museum's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport in Herndon, Virginia on September 16, 2003. Tilt rotors are a unique type of aircraft that possess the take-off, hover and landing capabilities of a conventional helicopter with the range and speed of a turboprop aircraft. Tilt rotor flight research began in the 1950s with the Bell XV-3 convertiplane. NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., in partnership with the U.S. Army, developed design specifications for a new aircraft to demonstrate the viability of the tilt rotor concept. After extensive ground, wind tunnel and simulator tests at Ames, the first of two XV-15s, built by Bell Helicopter Textron, took its maiden flight on May 3, 1977. The success of the XV-15 has led to the development of the V-22 Osprey and the world's first civil tilt rotor, the nine-passenger Bell Agusta 609, now under development and scheduled for deliveries in 2007. The National Air and Space Museum, comprised of the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is scheduled to open to the public on December 15, 2003, and the museum's building on the National Mall, .will be the largest air-and-space-museum complex in the world. .Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP


text:
Health & Drug Coverage
B.C's publicly-funded health care system ensures that all eligible B.C. residents have access to medically necessary health care services through the Medical Services Plan and to eligible prescription medications, medical supplies, and pharmacy services through the PharmaCare program.
Medical Services Plan
PharmaCare for B.C. Residents
BC PharmaCare helps B.C. residents with the cost of eligible prescription drugs, certain medical supplies, and pharmacy services. It provides assistance through several drug plans. The largest is the income-based Fair PharmaCare plan.


text:
Lake Atitlan is nestled along the ancient volcanic rim of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan. This rim jets out into the lake with enormous rocks which offer magnificient views. It's a haven for birds and some wildlife. And is still recognized as ancient ceremonial grounds by mayan elders.
Pathways that lead out to the point vistas and down to the lake are gardens of exotic old foliage, rare and tropical.The west side is an old organic coffee plantation that uses the sun dried method of long ago.Contact Us
Lake Atitlán with its surface of 130 sq. km is the third largest freshwater lake in Guatemala. It is situated in the district of Sololá in the western highlands of Guatemala. The lake is approx. 18 km wide and 10 km long and lies at an altitude of 1,562 m. It is surrounded by three volcanoes: Atitlán (3,537 m), Tolimán (3,158 m) and San Pedro (2,995 m), which compose an imposing panorama around the highland lake.View Gallery


text: What's the Difference Between Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6? Oct 02, 2019 The enhanced efficiency and capacity of Wi-Fi 6 compared to Wi-Fi 5 promises to support the growing needs of wireless network users. What's the Difference Between OCXOs and TCXOs? Apr 26, 2018 Oven-controlled and temperature-compensated crystal oscillators seem to be similar heat-related devices, but... What's the Difference between MIMO and MMICs? Oct 21, 2016 These abbreviations stand for two completely different things—antennas and semiconductors—although surprisingly... New 5G Bootcamp The 5G Bootcamp features content on design tools, methodologies and techniques for delivering 5G products. Register now to access webinars, technical articles, videos, and more! REGISTER NOW Sign up for the Microwaves and RF Today newsletter. AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo (Brazzaville)Congo (Kinshasa)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong Kong S.A.R., ChinaHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacao S.A.R., ChinaMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorth KoreaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian TerritoryPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVaticanVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe Sign Up Enter your email above to receive messages about offerings by Informa, its brands, affiliates and/or third-party partners, consistent with Informa's Privacy Statement. List Leave this field blank What's the Difference Between Microstrip and Stripline? Aug 22, 2016 The two most popular RF/microwave transmission-line formats—microstrip and stripline—have distinguishing characteristics that designers need to know. Selecting Electromechanical and Solid-State RF Switches Jul 29, 2016 Due to differences in key characteristics between electromechanical and solid-state RF/microwave switches, designers must choose wisely to meet application demands. What's the Difference Between GaN and GaAs? Jul 07, 2016 GaN has emerged as the leading semiconductor material for high-power microwave switches and amplifiers, although GaAs is still the material of choice for low noise. What are the Differences Between Coaxial Connectors?, Part 2 May 20, 2016 A wide array of coaxial connectors is available from a large number of suppliers to satisfy high-frequency requirements. What are the Differences Between Coaxial Connectors?, Part 1 May 02, 2016 In this first of a two-part series, we'll delve into the basics of the often overlooked—but vitally important—coaxial connector. The Differences Between Receiver Types, Part 2 Mar 24, 2016 As designers consider the performance tradeoffs between direct-conversion and superheterodyne implementations, a newer direct... The Differences Between Receiver Types, Part 1 Feb 23, 2016 This article, the first in a two-part series, examines various receiver implementations along with the characteristics that... What are the Filtering Differences Between SAWs and BAWs? Feb 11, 2016 Components based on SAW and BAW technology both employ acoustic waves but in different ways and with different performance levels, especially at higher frequencies. What's the Difference Between Modular and Rack-Mount Instruments? Oct 29, 2015 A growing number of PXI/PXIe modular RF/microwave test instruments provide the measurement capabilities and performance levels once possible only with benchtop instruments. What's the Difference Between IEEE 802.11af and 802.11ah? Apr 24, 2015 Although IEEE 802.11af and 802.11ah are both sub-1-GHz standards, they are designed to fill different niches in upcoming IoT and wireless-backhaul applications. Load More 1 2 next last Load More


text:
So, the weather has been getting colder here in Kamloops lately, which is cool because we have these nifty outfits for David. Yes, it is Baby Long-underwear!!! We have this set on loan from friends, but I think we are going to have to make sure he has a few pairs of his own, because he is incredibly cute in them. He looks like he passed out after a hard day of skiing or something, which I hope you are trying to imagine seeing in your head right now, because my mental image of it is pretty funny. (Since he can only hold his head up for a few minutes at a time, not even getting into the fact that he can't stand up and has, to my knowledge, never seen a pair of skis) All the same, he is really cute and we thought we would share the sight with whoever actually reads this blog.
P.S. He is getting so big, if you look on our flikr pics from when he was first born to now, it's crazy. (for those who are interested, as of our last check up from a week ago, he had grown 3 and a half inches already, and gained about 4 pounds)


text:
Q: Everyone has been losing money in the stock market and in mutual funds. I have lost more than $15,000 in my 401(k) the past year. I have been putting the maximum into my 401(k) but I wonder if, instead of pouring money down a hole, it wouldn't make more sense to limit my contribution to the minimum amount that can be invested to get the employer match. Then I could use the extra money and put it into an individual retirement account, which would pay interest instead of losing money.
A: I've been surprised by how many of you have made similar comments. In essence you are saying that you'll lose money if you contribute to your 401(k), but will make money in an IRA.
But have you looked at all your investment choices within your 401(k)? Under voluntary guidelines set up by the U.S. Department of Labor -- and followed by the vast majority of employers -- 401(k) participants must be offered at least three distinctly different investment choices. Typically they are a stock fund, a bond fund and a stable money market fund or guaranteed investment contract that pays a set yield or rate of interest without fluctuation of principal.
Many employers offer additional choices, including company stock and balanced funds that invest in both stocks and bonds. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Investment Company Institute, about 53 percent of all the money in 401(k)s is invested in stock funds, 19 percent in company stock, 10 percent in guaranteed investment contracts, 7 percent in balanced funds, 5 percent in bond funds, 4 percent in money market funds and 1 percent in other stable value funds.
In other words, contributing to a 401(k) doesn't necessarily mean investing in stocks or stock mutual funds.
If the choices in your 401(k) plan are limited or not satisfactory, however, contributing just enough to get the employer match may be the right thing to do. You could put any additional money, up to the maximum $2,000 a year this year, in an IRA offering more choices.
A self-directed IRA allows you to invest in just about anything, including money market mutual funds, bank certificates of deposit, U.S. Treasury securities, government agency and corporate bonds, and stocks and stock mutual funds.
Q: I am becoming concerned about the lack of consideration many companies show toward their shareholders. They talk about increasing shareholder value, but seem more interested in increasing management salaries and benefits. They cut dividends to "invest in the company," buy back stock, etc.
It seems that this is done primarily to increase the value of management's stock options. Large salaries, bonuses and buyouts are examples of taking money that should go to the shareholders.
My own criteria for investing is to select companies that pay a reasonable dividend and have a pattern of increasing that dividend. This way I can benefit from the company's success, and if it does well the stock price will also increase.
A: You make some valid points, and investing in companies with a history of increasing dividends has been a successful long-term strategy. But not all companies that pay little or no dividends are bad companies.
In response to your letter, I asked for a comment by Vita Nelson, editor of The Moneypaper newsletter, long-time advocate of dividend reinvestment plans and manager of the MP 63 Fund (877-676-3386), which invests in 63 companies that offer those plans.
"The writer of the letter is correct, of course, about management that heaps excess rewards upon itself, in effect plundering the corporate treasury, often with the assistance of the board of directors," Nelson said. "Ultimately, investors must vote with their feet and abandon companies that are heading down such a destructive road. But it's also important to avoid lumping greedy management in with companies that pay small dividends, since the connection may only be coincidental."
While Nelson's newsletter and fund favor companies that pay and regularly increase dividends, she notes that when Congress lowered the long-term capital gains tax rate to a maximum 20 percent in 1997, it also increased the advantage of capital-gain income over dividend income. Dividends are taxed at "ordinary income" rates, as high as 39.1 percent and always higher than rates for long-term capital gains.
Corporations also are aware of the "double taxation" of dividends -- the company first pays income tax on its profits and shareholders are then taxed on the portion paid out in the form of dividends -- and may try to provide returns more efficiently, Nelson said.
"Since other companies are limiting their payouts, there is less pressure to raise dividends in order to attract investors," she said. "The recent trend toward lower yields also tends to affirm management's judgment that higher dividend payouts may not be the best way to reward shareholders."
Shareholders also need to consider the relationship between stock price and payout, Nelson said. Right after a company issues a dividend, the stock price tends to drop by a similar amount. That's because new investors -- who are not entitled to the dividend -- are not willing to pay as much for the stock as those investors who bought before the dividend was paid.
Companies also are realizing that share buybacks are a good way to increase shareholder value, Nelson said.
Humberto Cruz can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60611. Personal replies are not possible.


text:
In case you haven't been psychically following my internal monologuing, here's a bit of what we've been up to!
In the spirit of getting my blogging groove back, I am linking up with two weekly link ups that I look forward to every week!
A few weeks ago we began our study of Colorado with state symbols. A nice easy, peasy way to jump into social studies, but let's be honest, potentially boring!
Our cure to the doldrums?
I learned about thinglink from Richard Byrne last spring on his amazing blog Free Technology for Teachers. He has a great video tutorial in his post, so I won't repeat a tutorial here.
Basically, thinglink is an interactive presentation tool which you upload an image and then add tags. Tags can contain descriptive information, audio or video, or website links. We focused on adding descriptive information and facts to our tags, but one of my techies got ambitious and added a link to a website in one of the tags.
Using our social studies text and several websites, students worked in groups to research their assigned symbol. To help guide their research, classmates posted questions that they had about each symbol on our classroom discussion boards.
After they completed their research, they set out to find an image of their symbol and saved it to their drive space. We had lots of opportunities to practice and refine our budding tech skills.
I created accounts for each of them using their school email and passwords, we created a quick one together to learn how to navigate thinglink and they were ready to begin creating their first thinglink. This was a perfect presentation tool for symbols!
I am embedding a few samples below. If you hover over the tags (target symbols) the information appears.
The kids loved creating thinglinks, and they did a great job presenting their symbols using our smart projector and pen. It was a truly interactive project, and the possibilities are endless! I am thinking about trying it out as an alternative to webquests. I hope you'll check out thinglink, and if you're already familiar with it, I'd love to hear how you use it in your classroom!


text:
A shocking amount of people still have yet to consider creating a YouTube channel for their business or website.
Considering that it is said to be the world's second largest search engine after Google and is owned by Google (whose attention we all so desperately sought after), it seems crazy to me that there are still those who neglect the world's largest video sharing website, leaving the market still largely untapped.
Why should you be on YouTube?
Video creation doesn't have to be hugely time consuming, depending on the level of production you want to invest into it, you could set aside half an hour to produce a video and release maybe one or two a week.
There are those who dismiss YouTube, proclaiming that they feel that they cannot contribute anything to (or gain anything from) the internet via the video medium.
If you can produce something informative and/or entertaining, then you have something to contribute to YouTube.
If you have a business or brand, then you have everything to gain from YouTube.
At the very least you can increase your brand's web presence and SERP (Search Engine Results Page) visibility, with Google now displaying YouTube videos relevant to the search query on their search results page.
Some businesses feel limited on what kind of content they can actually upload to YouTube that will actually benefit their business and make a quick return on their investment.
These guys tend to be those who place too much focus on promoting their products on their channel and these guys are the ones losing out.
Let me ask you this: who do you know that watches TV primarily for the ads and commercials? No one.
Don't focus so much on product promotion, but brand promotion!
You can utilise product placement in your videos or find a creative way of relating the video back to your product, but don't let it play like a TV commercial.
So now that you're on YouTube….
YouTube is a social network. So treat it like a social network.
You may think you have social media down, you may have even doubled your Facebook likes and Twitter followers in the past 12 months, but how about your YouTube subscribers?
Like your social media followers, your YouTube subscribers are also endorsing your brand and the more you have the better you look.
But they're not going to just subscribe without getting something back; you have to earn their subscription to you. Give them an incentive to subscribe.
A highly effective strategy for gaining any kind of social media exposure is by hosting competitions and giveaways.
Have applicants follow you on all the social media platforms or Tweet or share whatever you want for "raffle tickets", or create videos to enter in a competition.
For example, if you're in the marshmallow selling business, challenge viewers to video themselves seeing how many they can fit in their mouth – not only will they be out there buying your product, they'll be promoting your product to the internet and doing the hard work for you!
People will almost do anything for you for a chance to get something for free.
You could even encourage the competition winners to upload product reviews of their prize to their own channel, linking back to you.
Octoly's recent study of 286 brands across YouTube claims that UGC (User Generated Content) videos on YouTube are more popular than official brand content. So what are you going to do about it?
Make videos people will want to share.
People are sharing YouTube videos all the time, whether it's on their blogs or Facebook.
You may want to read :
Unleash the Power of Social Media Marketing–Pure Gold and Useful Resources Mentioned Here
By making sharable videos, not only are you potentially able to gain more videos and subscribers but, if you discover any external blogs or websites embedding or sharing your videos you can reach out to them and politely ask if they could credit you with a link back to your website.
And if people aren't sharing your videos, share them yourselves on your social profiles or by offering solution videos to Q&A forums.
Market your brand and website to related communities.
I mentioned before that YouTube is a social network, an indispensable one I'm sure you're coming to realise now, so you have to reach out to your audience.
You have to engage with other users, make friends and socialise.
Much like commenting on blogs, you have to comment on related videos and subscribe.
Collaborate with relevant channels to produce videos together, thereby sharing viewers with each other and gaining more exposure for the both of you.
Think of it like guest blogging!
You can check out my first YouTube Video effort for the Silkstream blog "How to Add Social Widgets to a Blogger Blog" here. Which, at the time of writing, ranks #1 in Google UK.
Image courtesy of winnond at FreeDigitalPhotos.net


text:
- Description
Bring 100 years of technical know-how to your diesel generator needs with this rugged, heavy duty engine. Delivering efficient, cost-effective power, this four-cycle industrial generator - with its perfect mix of reliability and versatility - is perfect for stationary standby and prime power use.
Though available with optional PMG (permanent magnet generator) to enhance motor starting, the base model still boasts a PowerCommand® electronic control system providing auto remote start/stop, status and alarm display. There is also the option of adding a sound attenuating canopy, 25dB(A) or 30/35dB(A) silencers for open sets.
This generator is easy to integrate, designed to operate at ambient temperatures of up to 50 degrees and the integral, set-mounted radiator system simplifies facility design requirements for rejected heat.
- Specification
Manufacturer Cummins Cooling Method Water-cooled Phase N/A Dimensions (L x W x H) 4254 x 1424 x 2215 (mm) Engine Manufacturer Cummins Engine Model QSL9 G5 Max. Engine Speed (rpm) 1500.00 Warranty 1 Year Alternator Type HC4D Continuous Power (kVA) 300.00 Frequency (Hz) 50.00 Max. Power Output (kVA) 330.00 Max. Power (kW) 264.00 Prime Power (kW) 240.00 Standby Power (kW) 264.00 Noise (dB @ 7m) 69dbA Fueled/Driven by Diesel Maximum Run Time (hr) 11 @ 75% load
- Delivery
We provide FREE SHIPPING to mainland UK. Pricing for extended shipping areas like Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and outlying Islands (Outer Hebrides, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Scilly Isles, etc) can be found on the map below.
For full shipping and delivery terms and conditions, please click here.NB. Carriage is also chargeable on all parts and items under £100 in value, and our sales team may contact you for after a sales order has been made if additional carriage surcharges need to be applied.
- Reviews
Write Your Own Review
- FAQs
Do You Have Any Questions?
* required fields


text:
With this bitter election campaign dragging along to its conclusion, we thought we would try to sweeten the experience of the final couple of weeks before November 8th by reminding our readers of an earlier post of ours: Election Cake. We're moved to do this partly because of a recent post about Election Cake on the NPR website, brought to our attention by Tony Stavely: A History of Election Cake.
This NPR "history" of the famous cake is unfortunately Read More


text:
The CyTRAP BlogRank Engagement Score (you are here) is a comment-analysis algorithm that assigns a numerical weighting to how people intereact / engage with a blog's content.
The Engagement/Social Interaction Score ranges from 0 (worst) through 100 (best). In this context, social interaction / engagement describes the level of being able to evoke a response, feedback, engagement, reaction from the readers of one's blog.
The CyTRAP Engagement or Social Interaction Score is part of what makes up the CyTRAP BlogRank.
The CyTRAP BlogRank is calculated by using SIX indices: Headline Score, Text Complexity Score, First Impressions Score, Knowledge Transfer Score, Online Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMMA) made up of the Ripple Score (Google+, Twitter AND Facebook) and the Engagement/Social Interaction Score (you are here).
In short, we calculate the z-score for each of the indicators explained below BEFORe we calculate the indes. Thereafter these numbers (i.e. z-scores) are then used in the following way: Sum[(A) + (B) + (C) + (D) + (E)]/5 = Engagement Score that ranges from about -2 to + 2 (PS. A negative z–score means that the original score was below the mean).
This score is then re-scaled in order to rank your blog compared to the others (1 through 100 for the best).
The CyTRAP BlogRank Engagement Score we can then use to rank your blog compared to others. We calculate these numbers over a 90 days – 3 months period for each blog and chart the performance.
A – Adjusted Engagement Score (new)
Avinash Kaushik wrote Blog Metrics: Six Recommendations For Measuring Your Success where he suggested as one of the six measures the following:
Comment Ratio = Number of Comments from visitors / # of Posts during period (e.g., over 3 months or about 90 days)
Here visitor comments exclude the author's replies.
Fact: Ideally we have a number above 1.0 that means more comments than blog posts in the period. Those that have comments disabled get a 0 for adjusted engagement score
Bonus system
As part of the adjusted engagement score, people that have comments enabled on their blog get ten points added to their score under point A.
B – Conversational Engagement Score
Avinash Kaushik's measure can be refined further by putting visitor comments in relationship to author replies. Reason being that commenters want replies and a conversation does not happen if nobody seems to be listening and replying or at least acknowledging your thoughts. Hence, we use:
Conversational Engagement = SUM [(Number of Author Replies / Number of Comments from Visitors) for each blog post] during period (e.g., over 3 months or about 90 days).
Here we hope to get a ratio of upwards to one. In practice this means that the author tries to reply to each comment left by a visitor. Of course this is not always needed nor feasible. Generally, 1 is the top score here (i.e. author replies to each commenter's entry).
Sometimes the score here may go higher than 1 if the author puts in one or two replies to a comment. For instance, she discovers more information later and adds another comment with a chart to the previous reply – thus having replied twice to the same comment.
Example: 12 replies by author and 13 visitor comments = Conversation Ratio 0.923
Bonus system
As part of B – conversational engagement score – authors that reply to readers comments (i.e. to 50 or more percent of these) get five points added to their score under point B.
C – Activating Engagement Score
This measures how people tend to reply and comment about blog posts during the period assessed (3 months).
Activating Engagement = SUM [ Number of words in all comments for all blog posts during this period – # of all comments x 25 words / # of words blogged in the blog post during period (Minimum used here is 400 words per blog post) (e.g., over 3 months or about 90 days) ] .
If a blog comment is less than 25 words, engagement is questionable. Even if somebody feels a blog post is great, he or she should explain why. Most importantly, it takes a few words to add something insightful with a comment. Such type of comments are almost always more than 100 words. Just try yourself and keep score how many words you need to write a comment that adds value to the blog post.
All else considered held constant, many comments should result in a higher score since those add up to many words. One would hope that the score is 1 or higher. Of course, longer blog posts tend to have fewer comments simply because it takes more effort including time to add a substantive comment to a blog post of high quality (see also examples below from Napier's blog as well as Mashable.
Example: 5950 words in comments (visitors and author's) divided by 6600 words blogged by author during period (e.g., 90 days) = Activating Engagement Score = 0.915
D – Expanding Engagement Score
Here the focus is on depth. If an idea resonates with me I will put in some effort to write a comment. For instance, disagreeing with a blog post also requires one to fine-tune one's argument and spend 15 to 30 minutes to formulate a well crafted reply. In short, writing a thoughtful and useful abstract of 100 words is tougher than just saying: "thanks I agree, great post."
Sometimes there might be hundreds of comments from readers for a blog post. Unfortunately, they mean nothing as most of them are one or two words with a link back to the commentator's blog.
The above type of comments mean little if anything in terms of influence. They are a simple reflection of a blog's amount of traffic. However, if we look at the comments on some blogs, the can be mini essays. Accordingly, this mini-essays though fewer in number, are worth far more.
Expanding Engagement = SUM [ Total # of words in all comments for all blog posts during the period (e.g., over 3 months or about 90 days) – (# of all comments during period x 25 words) ] / # of comments during period (e.g., over 3 months or about 90 days).
Example: 1000 words of comments for all blog posts during the period – 750 [ for each comment (30 in total for all blog posts during this period) x 25 words ] / 10 comments for that blog entry gives us a Expanding Engagement Score of 25.00 for this blog entry. This is done for all blog entries during this period and summed up as shown above.
Fact: Comments below 25 words rarely add beef to the discussion, such as:
Comment on Carla Napier's blog (depending on counting between 7 to 10 words): "Nice blog Carla…keep going girl!!! www.daybydayfitfashion.com"
Generally, when comments are above 25 words, they start adding insights to the blog post they refer to, such as:
1st paragraph of a comment (more than 75 words) on Mashable = 31 words: "Spamming has become a business which is only expanding with time. Recently I had received tweets about getting 1000s of followers or Facebook likes. This kind of marketing is really bad."
How do we calculate the final score
In short, we first calculate the raw score for the above four indicators. If a blog has comments disabled (i.e. you cannot leave a comment), you get a zero for the Engagement Score (see equation below).
Using the raw scores we calculate the z-score for each of the above indicators. Thereafter these numbers (i.e. z-scores) are then used in the following way: Sum[(A) + (B) + (C) + (D)]/4 = Engagement Score that ranges from about -2 to + 2 (PS. A negative z–score means that the original score was below the mean).
Based on statistical logic, for a composite standardised (z) score, individual variables (that comprise this composite) must be transformed before forming the composite.
The z-scores for the above indicators are added up to get an overall z-score. This information is calculated into an overall score. Click here to find out how we process the raw data.
The actual CyTRAP BlogRank Engagement number is used in the CyTRAP BlogRank algorithm to help determine the CyTRAP BlogRank of the blog, website or other social media effort being benchmarked.
At this point, the overall scores are compared and rescaled using 100 as the top score.
Pingback: Are Google and Yahoo failures? » Social sharing drives 1 out of every 4 online shoppers to purchase, major feature updates, drive higher engagement, ComMetrics Footprint, ComMetrics Footprint, Ripple Score, get access to most of these features, but only
Pingback: Die 10 besten Karriereblogs der Schweiz » » Dr KPI: ROI, Efficiency, KMU, Kennzahlen, Strategien
Pingback: Top 50 UK fashion blogs » Update 2013-09-03, atlantic-pacificblogspotcom , February March 2014, Who are the top fashion bloggers, criteria do fashion magazines use, How does a fashion brand decide, Keywords, Top 50 US fashion blogs » ComMetrics | measu
Pingback: Top 50 US fashion blogs » February March 2014, Who are the top fashion bloggers, criteria do fashion magazines use, How does a fashion brand decide, Keywords, Top 50 US fashion blogs you are here, Top 50 UK fashion blogs, Top 50 Modeblogs in Österreich
Pingback: Top 50: Modeblogs in Österreich » » Dr KPI: ROI, Efficiency, KMU, Kennzahlen, Strategien


text:
purple diary
Well frockwriter has been musing this very possibility over the course of the past month, as the co-founder and editor of French art/fashion bible PURPLE FASHION magazine has chronicled his, and his high profile fashion cohorts', FW0910 adventures on the new Purple Diary blog. (One social shot from which, FYI, features Melbourne expat and apparently Stefano Pilati intimate, Louise Neri, the New York-based art critic/Gagosian Gallery director, who interviewed Pilati for the September issue of Interview). The above shot is captioned, "Olivier Zahm forced to wear Milla Jovovich's Roberto Cavalli dress of at the Principe di Savoia Hotel bar, Milan". Warning: NSFW
purple diary
First up, there is Zahm's rather uncanny resemblance to the late INXS frontman.
Secondly, as has occurred to frockwriter since July really, with the airing of the first Cobrasnake shots of Oz teenager Tallulah Morton out and about on the Paris party circuit – shots in which Zahm was often seen to be lurking – Zahm does seem to share Hutchence's playboy penchant for glamorous women. And notably models.
Furthermore, Zahm appears to have more than a passing interest in sexual experimentation.
To wit, a series of shots shared via his blog which were scanned from the 1975 book, Extases (Tchou/Vertigo, Paris), by Ron Raffaelli and Nicole Avril, apparently a gift to Zahm from designer Vincent Darré:
ron raffaelli/nicole avril via purple
Zahm does seem more than a little preoccupied with sex, in his magazine and moreover, his photo diary.
purple fashion magazine via this is the first floor
Here is a photo of Zahm grabbing a woman's ass - a shot he originally proudly displayed at the top of Purple's MySpace page. Although now removed from that page, the shot has since been immortalised elsewhere on the net:
the fashion spot
Just a quick word on one of Zahm's MySpace mates - "Gallermic T Mabuse" - who appears to have even more exotic tastes.
These include a photo of what by anyone's definition would be a naked pre-pubescent child with their legs spread before the camera, as posted to Purple's MySpace page. Together with the caption:
"Vice may be learnt, even without a teacher"
And apparently left there since May 2008 without so much as a peep from anyone.
Ooh la la, those saucy French.
No idea if Zahm is gifted with any musical talent. But we do look forward to his next postings.
And we'll take one bet that when it comes to young, inexperienced women desperate to get their faces - or asses - in some high profile French fashion editorial, just what you have to do to swing a bit of coverage in PURPLE FASHION magazine.


text:
3 Topics for Your Health Care Advance Directive
Copyright © 2014 AARP. All rights reserved.
Of all the difficult topics to discuss in planning for the long term, what you want to happen if you or your parent is seriously ill or has an accident is the one most avoided. Other touchy subjects, such as driving problems and money mismanagement, surface on their own.
But all too often the discussion of what to do if you become seriously ill or incapacitated and cannot speak for yourself only happens in a crisis — the worst time for thoughtful and well-informed conversations.
Nothing will make these profound discussions easy. But you can lay the groundwork in ways that increase your family's chances of being prepared when decisions about treatment and level of care must be made. Here are three ways to organize your thinking, create legal documents, and understand care options.
Adding do not resuscitate (DNR) orders
Do not resuscitate orders are a special kind of advance directive. They tell doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, and others that a person has decided not to undergo CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if his heart stops beating or he stops breathing.
A doctor must sign the DNR order for it to be active. In a hospital or other healthcare facility, staff will start CPR if there is no DNR in the medical record.
Why would anyone not want CPR if it could restore a heartbeat? Certainly this decision is weighty. Success rates for CPR vary, but much depends on the person's overall medical condition. CPR may not be effective for older people with serious chronic conditions. And unlike the portrayals of CPR on television, these interventions can be quite brutal, leading to broken ribs and other injuries, especially for an older person.
Most state laws authorize a doctor to enter a special DNR order that will be honored outside the hospital. This is important because when emergency medical technicians respond to a 911 call at home, they are legally required to start CPR unless there is an out-of-hospital DNR order.
Even with the proper documentation, in the panic of the moment, sometimes DNR orders are ignored. At home the DNR order should be easy to find, not something that has to be hunted down in a crisis. You can post the DNR order on the refrigerator door, for example, or on an easy-to-see bulletin board.
Since a DNR is a doctor's order, you will need to ask your doctor to fill out the form. If he is reluctant to do so, ask why. It may be a good way to start an important conversation about your wishes.
Keeping your advance directive accessible
A carefully completed advance directive is useless if no one knows where it is when you are seriously ill or in an accident. A safe deposit box is great for precious jewelry; for advance directives, not so much.
Discuss your advance directive with your doctor(s), and tell them the name and contact information for the person you have selected as a healthcare proxy. You should provide a copy of the document, which can then go into your medical record.
In a hospital, your regular doctor may not be in charge of your care, so it is essential to have the advance directive as part of your hospital record. When you are admitted to a hospital or other healthcare facility, you will be asked (it's a federal requirement) if you have an advance directive. If this is a planned admission, be sure to bring the document with you.
Your healthcare proxy should have a copy of your advance directive as well as any supporting material that documents your wishes. You should review the advance directive every few years, or more often if your health condition changes. The document should have a relatively recent date. A document created 15 years ago is likely to cause someone to ask, "But what if he or she changed his or her mind?"
You can register your advance directive online at U.S. Living Will Registry. It will then be available to all providers. Be sure to update the registry if you change the document.
Choosing Physician' Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
A recent development in advance directives is the Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). POLST started in Oregon but has spread to many states. In New York, it is called MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), and in Iowa, IPOST (Iowa Physicians Orders for Scope of Treatment).
Programs in other states have their own names. See POLST for a state-by-state listing of POLST Paradigm programs.
Although the forms vary by state, the basic idea is that legally completed advance directives, living wills, Five Wishes, even having a healthcare proxy are insufficient to guarantee that your wishes will be followed. You need a medical order signed by a physician. Even though an advance directive is legal, hospitals and nursing homes and clinical staff may be wary of following anything but a physician's order.
POLST is intended for people with serious advanced illness who may be expected to face major treatment decisions within a foreseeable time. The POLST form (with variations) lists medical interventions ranging from comfort care to full treatment, artificially administered nutrition (tube feeding), and a place for additional orders.
The patient (if able) must sign, as must the legally recognized decision maker (if there is one). Obviously, the physician's signature is essential.
The POLST form is intended to be sent with the person whenever he or she is transferred or from one healthcare facility to another. For instance, if a person is transferred from hospital to nursing home, the POLST form describes to the nursing-home staff the treatment plan that should be in place. An EMT can follow a POLST directive if 911 is called.
Although the POLST program addresses a common problem of medical staff failing to follow a person's wishes even when documented in an advance directive, it does not take into account the fuller range of choices recognized in, for example, a living will or Five Wishes. In the most common situations in which POLST is used, the discussion preceding the physician's signing of the order is brief and limited to the items on the checklist.
And hospital staff may not have training or experience in discussing the options with the patient, healthcare proxy, and family. POLST addresses a serious shortcoming in medical practice, but it is not intended to take the place of more traditional advance directives.


text:
Follow us down Spain way for today's FREE TIP. Its Teucro Caixanova vs BM Sinfin in the Spanish pro handball league. Get your free tip from Kristian Nordquist:
"I noticed that I don't have a lot of success when I give two opinions about the game, the first one usually becomes won, and the other – lost. But, I simply need to follow my instinct there. I'm aware that this can go on 70+goals, but my first opinion here was under 61.5 goals. It is true that these two teams play superfast, but 61.5 is a sky high margin and I think it should be around 58.5. But, regarding the latest results of these teams, I must back the guests. Also, they are a team that prefers little slower play (57 goals per game, compared with 61.5 of Teucro). So, I think that game is going to finish under, but that should happen if Adelma plays well. It is more probable for me to see result like, for example, 32-32 than 31-26."


text:
Seriously look at the teams in this division. Not one sticks out as a threat in the NFC and right now the Rams and Seahawks are sitting ugly at the top of the division at 5-6. That's right a losing record. And to think whoever wins tonight's showdown between Arizona and San Fran will be only a game out at 4-7. Obviously that leaves the loser at 3-8, but I don't think you could count them out either. Honestly this division might be the worse in NFL history and will most likely produce a playoff team with a losing record. The Niners are probably the most talented team in the division and if they win tonight it could make them the favors to clinch this bad boy. But who knows, as anyone of these teams could realistically win this thing. With that said, who do ya got?
The NFC West is just BAD!
1 The NFC West is just BAD! on Mon Nov 29 2010, 12:06
2 Re: The NFC West is just BAD! on Mon Nov 29 2010, 15:49
The Rams and Hawks are bad but their getting better. The Rams have pulled a 180 with Bradford and the Seahawks have a great coach and I can see them having a good year next year after the draft
3 Re: The NFC West is just BAD! on Mon Nov 29 2010, 15:52
DJ Hero
yea i have th rams winning. when they drafted Bradford i thought he was going to be a bust but thats not going to happen. he is having a good season with a bad team. they rams are a team to watch for in years to come.
-props to Jgoldiscool (creator of the sig from a different forum)
4 Re: The NFC West is just BAD! on Mon Nov 29 2010, 16:35
the rams aren't really that bad they have a top 10 rb and they have a good Wr that nobody recognizes I think hes working with an okay team but not a bad one.
Sponsored content
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum


text:
At 15 hrs/week
Get access to classroom immediately on enrollment
Hide details
Here is a list of prerequisites and recommendations to help prepare you for the program curriculum.See detailed requirements.
Learn about our quadrotor test platform, work in our custom simulator, and build your first project—getting a quadrotor to take-off and fly around a backyard!Backyard Flyer
Optimize 2D solutions using waypoints, then scale solutions to 3D problems. Apply these skills by autonomously navigating your drone through a dense urban environment.3D Motion Planning
Moving a flying vehicle requires determining appropriate low-level motor controls. Here, you'll build a nonlinear cascaded controller for your drone system.Building a Controller
Utilize sensor fusion and filtering. Design an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to estimate attitude and position from IMU and GPS data of a flying robot.Estimation
Learn the dynamics of fixed-wing flight and apply what you've learned by writing code to control a fixed-wing aircraft in simulation.Fixed-Wing Control
Real-world projects from industry experts
1-on-1 technical mentor
Personal career coach and career services
Flexible learning program
Nicholas Roy is a Professor in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, at MIT. He also founded Project Wing at X.
Angela is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), and an Associate Director of the Center for Aerial Robotics Research and Education (CARRE) at the University of Toronto.
As the founder and president of Udacity, Sebastian's mission is to democratize education. He is also the founder of Google X, where he led projects including the Self-Driving Car, Google Glass, and more.
Raffaello is a Professor of Dynamic Systems and Control at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He is also the founder of Verity Studios, and a co-founder of Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics).
Sergei has a PhD in MechE from ETH Zurich and a BS in ECE from Cornell. He brings experience from projects such as industrial drones, self-driving cars and controls testbeds. He is a TED Fellow and founder of Fotokite.
Product Lead
Jake is a PhD Candidate in AI at Stanford University focused on robotics, perception, and human-centered design. Prior to serving as Product Lead at Udacity, he founded an early-stage food-technology startup and consulted on flying cars.
Curriculum Lead
Andy has a bachelor's degree in physics from MIT, and taught himself to program after college (mostly with Udacity courses). He has been helping Udacity make incredible educational experiences since the early days of the company.
I apreciate this program. It combines theoritical notions with practical exercices to dive slowly in the domain of autonomous flying systems. My problem is that I can't find enough time to study and the program require much of individual work.
So far so good, we aren't really into the meat of the course yet but the intro was nice and easy to follow to get a student up and running.
It exceeded my imagination. I acquired really advanced and immediately practical knowledge.
Numbers don't lie. See what difference it makes in career searches.*
Career-seeking and job-ready graduates found a new, better job within six months of graduation.
Average salary increase for graduates who found a new, better job within six months of graduation.
The emerging generation of flying car engineers will reimagine how we move and transform how we live. The Flying Car Nanodegree program will prepare you to be at the forefront of this technological and societal revolution.
In this program, you'll learn from world-class experts, work with cutting-edge tools, and tackle real-world challenges. You'll master techniques in planning, controls, and estimation. Most importantly, you will learn by doing, writing aircraft-ready code that you can run on your own drones.
If you're interested in flying cars, drones, autonomous systems, and/or the future of smart transportation, this Nanodegree program is for you!
As a graduate of the world's first flying car engineering program, you will be prepared for positions pertaining to aerial robotics, autonomy and mobility. Job titles in this industry vary, but include: Unmanned Aircraft Software Engineer, Software and Controls Engineer, Guidance Navigation and Controls (GNC) Engineer, Aerial Roboticist, and more.
With experience architecting sophisticated yet safe autonomous systems, you will also be prepared for jobs far beyond aerial systems, including: Autonomous Driving Engineer, Autopilot Engineer, Robotics Software Engineer, IoT Engineer, and more.
This Nanodegree program is an advanced specialized program in aerial vehicles—transformational technologies that are reshaping our future and driving amazing new innovations. If you are interested in developing the skills to build an autonomous aircraft system, and excited by the opportunity to port your code to real drones, this is the perfect way to get started.
The Flying Car Nanodegree program is a specialized program for aerial vehicles. The focus will be on developing the skills to build an autonomous aircraft system, with a focus on quadrotors. This means a unique emphasis on planning and autonomy for three-dimensional mobility, involving hands-on projects in simulation, with the opportunity to port your code to real drones.
The Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program provides an introduction to software and artificial intelligence as applied to robotics. The areas we focus on are perception, localization, path planning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and control. These are taught using the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework. All of the techniques required to complete the projects in the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program (including machine learning) are taught as part of the program.
The Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program focuses entirely on a specialized application of robotics—it uses robotics concepts and applies them to a self-driving car. If your primary interest is in the application of robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to self-driving cars, then this is the program for you. However, if you want a broader and more comprehensive robotics curriculum, with an emphasis on software engineering, then the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program is your best option.
There is no application. This Nanodegree program accepts everyone, regardless of experience and specific background.
Students should have prior experience with the following:
We have a number of Nanodegree programs and free courses that can help you prepare, including:
The Flying Car Nanodegree program is comprised of content and curriculum to support five (5) projects. We estimate that students can complete the program in four (4) months working 10 hours per week.
Each project will be reviewed by the Udacity reviewer network. Feedback will be provided and if you do not pass the project, you will be asked to resubmit the project until it passes.
Access to this Nanodegree program runs for the length of time specified in the payment card above. If you do not graduate within that time period, you will continue learning with month to month payments. See the Terms of Use and FAQs for other policies regarding the terms of access to our Nanodegree programs.
Please see the Udacity Nanodegree program FAQs for policies on enrollment in our programs.
Once you have completed the Flying Car Nanodegree program, the Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program and the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree program are ideal for continuing your learning.
For the Flying Car Nanodegree Program, the minimum computational requirements are
We also recommend that you obtain Bitcraze's Crazyflie STEM drone bundle which you can port your code to, but it is not required.


text:
- Showing 1 Products
- Showing 1 Products
Natural Slate is a wonderful material to construct water features and other ornamentation due to its lovely colour and texture, not to mention its durability, Slate comes in a range of colours, not just black, and this can be shown to very successfully in garden ornamentation.
As water cascades over the slates, it seems to bring out the different hues, as well as reflecting the natural sunlight to create a remarkably attractive effect. With such delightful qualities allied to sound and movement, it is no wonder that natural slate water features are much in demand.


text: All the weeks chaos dissipates the moment I unroll my mat and take a position on the floor , ready for the class. I particularly love Sunday afternoon session. It's a perfect wind down from the past week and the perfect energizer for the coming week . I always leave totally relaxed and wonderfully stretched... thanks to all the caring yoga instructors at Racecourse Rd studio.... xxx


text:
NingBo Advantec Plastic And Metal Manufacturing Factory (Advantec Industries) has developed into a comprehensive entity with all necessary equipment and technical capabilities by means of our astonishing spirit and unrem ...
Advantec Plastic And Metal Manufacturing
Xianglong Road, Henghe Industrial Zone, Cixi, Ning
Not a Member?
Already a member? Sign In


text:
S: Shades of Grey
FC: The elegance of black and white expressed through various mediums | Joe Tennison Art 1030 Amee Patel
2: dry point - engraving with a simple twist, in dry point, a needle is dragged across the surface and a metal burr, or rough edge, is left in it's wake to one side of the furrow.
3: photography - the creation of images by exposure of a photosensitive surface to light.
4: Optical - The portrayal of objects as they are seen in the moment, especially the depiction of light on a surface
5: Etching - In printmaking, and intaglio process in which the matrix is first covered with an acid-resistant ground. the ground is removed from certain areas with a needle, and the matrix is dipped in acid, which eats away at the areas exposed by the needle. These areas become grooves that are inked and printed
6: crosshatching - an extension of hatching, which uses is the use of fine parallel lines drawn closely together, to create the illusion of shade or texture in a drawing.
7: Layout - A way of organizing design elements in printed material, such as a magazine or book page.
8: Film - A thin sheet of cellulose material coated with a photosensitive substance | Composition - The organization of the visual elements in a work of art
9: Light - A segment of the spectrum of electromagnetic energy that stimulates the eyes and produces visual sensations. | Idealism - The representation of forms according to the concept of perfection.
10: Bibliography - 1http://www.lukechueh.com/paintings/black-in-white.html 2 Fang Lijun No. 3 3 Chen xuhai Golden Autumn pg 138 4 Rembrandt Van Rijin Christ crucified between two thieves pg 140 5 Margaret Bourke-white The living Dead of Buchenwald pg 158 6 Ingmar Bergman The seventh seal pg 171 7 Francisco Goya Y Lucientes pg 523 8 http://morgaineart.blogspot.com/p/black-white-paintings.html 9 http://www.rugandart.biz/Paintings/Wide/Data.php?Paris%20in%20Black%20and%20White 10 http://paulrodecker.blogspot.com/2009/01/drawing-of-day-cross-hatch.html 11 http://oneclimbs.com/2011/11/21/restoring-the-pentagram-to-its-proper-place/


text:
As I write this, Amanda and I STILL do not have electricity at our house. We have been, like so many across the South Carolina LowCountry, POWERLESS over the last few days. Now, before you begin asking yourself, I will answer the obvious question…"How can you be writing an email and sending it without power?" Well, we have "moved" into the Church Prophet's Chamber since yesterday morning… Thankfully, the Church has power, and I have a place to take my family when we faced these difficult circumstances and storms. It has had me thinking alot about how addicted we all are to these conveniences and luxuries of life. God has truly blessed us and I would never discount His blessings, but the greatest blessings are NOT those that are plugged in, charged up, or operated by the flick of a switch. I guess it dawned on me with intensity two nights ago, when I sat down to eat supper by unintended candlelight. Amanda had cooked grits and scrambled eggs on our Coleman campstove, we boiled water and made tea, and sitting around the table were the GREATEST BLESSINGS OF MY LIFE!!! The laughter was contagious, the food was GREAT, and the candlelight revealed countenances that were aglow with JOY in spite of the storm and our powerless situation. We are currently STILL without power, but we're OK. We came to the Prophet's Chamber about 10:30 yesterday morning and have worked in and around the school as a family. We saw different church members throughout the day, and slept comfortably (after being lulled to sleep by the whispers and giggles of kids who's lives are supposed to be miserably inconvenienced.)
As I have reflected upon the physical events of the last few days, I realize some deeper spiritual lessons that we have learned…
1. We are NOT in control, so there is NO need to get all bent out of shape during a unavoidable and unchangeable storm
2. When there is NO POWER at your house, there is STILL POWER at God's House!
3. Get your family to the Church as quickly as possible to avoid any further danger or damage done by the "storms" in your life!
4. The storm itself may be over, but the damage and inconveniences caused by the storm may last awhile longer…so STAY at the Church!
5. Don't get in any hurry to leave the Church…there's STILL Power at the House of God!!!
6. God may not be through teaching me "Life Lessons", so don't panic or fret about today either
7. The SAME Power I have enjoyed at the House of God, will soon be at MY house as well, I just have to be patient and let God use the men who are hard at work restoring the "light" to my house
(I sure hope you're getting this…)
8. This too shall pass, and with it ALL the "Life Lessons" I did NOT learn, so learn EVERYTHING you can through this unavoidable and unchangeable "storm"
Serving Jesus with a RENEWED Joy,
Pastor Tony Jones
P.S. – The Valentine Banquet has been cancelled for tonight. If it can be rescheduled, I will announce a new date and time.
For now, enjoy…REALLY ENJOY the TRUE BLESSINGS in your life and have the Happiest Valentine's Day EVER!!!
If you are out in town, stop by the House of God…it's where I have "moved" my family, and we're having the time of our lives!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!


text:
This 4 star hotel is newly constructed and offers a high level of service. Located in the centre of barcelona, close to central station and with easy access to all forms of public transportation. All 96 cosy rooms are fully equipped with every comfort to ensure a pleasant stay. The "Itaca" Restaurant offers the possibility of enjoying mediterranean cuisine and house specialities, as well as an excellent selection of home-made pastries for breakfast. The lobby bar is open from noon to midnight. The h10 chain are known for their welcome cava drink on arrival and their h10 club each afternoon.
Club Travel Destinations


text:
The Design of TerraDir
Bhattacharjee, Bobby
Keleher, Pete
Silaghi, Bujor
MetadataShow full item record
We present the design and initial evaluation of TerraDir: an approach for implementing customizable, distributed, peer-to-peer directories over which a broad range of wide-area resource discovery applications can be implemented. TerraDir's structure is two-tiered, consisting of a base protocol for providing arbitrary application-layer connectivity, and dynamic view materializations that efficiently realize different user-specified views of application-layer resources. TerraDir is specifically designed for data that can be arranged in a rooted hierarchy, and provides very efficient and robust lookups over such data while still being able to allow efficient searching. (Also referenced as UMIACS-TR-2001-4299)


text:
A couple pieces I have been working on as of late; My little pooch, Pablo. This little guy is very special to me, and I am so pleased I have managed to at least slightly capture a resemblance to him. The past week, I will admit, he has been playing up like crazy – to…
Tag: acrylic painting
Thursday, 28th: Fraud
Lovely little package today, beautiful white feathers. Swan feathers are surprisingly difficult to get a hold of so, I got these instead. Also something surprisingly difficult is painting white. This piece took just under 5 hours.
Tuesday, 19th
Here is a little crop that I used an 'auto adjust' edit on. I quite like the purple tones this has miraculously found within the painting (maybe room for growth).
Friday, 15th
Solidarity, acrylic on canvas, 60cm diameter
Thursday, 14th
Pug deliveries. I am so impressed that my canvas arrived less than 24 hours after I had ordered it. Sometimes I believe I am on the corner of the earth in absolute solitude so far away from everything and everyone and then I get a little surprise like this. My work in progress piece from…
Tuesday, 12th
Being told to do what you like is a backhanded token of approval. Sort of – "do what you like but don't say I didn't warn you". This is how it feels sometimes, but in a way if the same idea is persisting and won't go away quietly, or any time soon, then perhaps it…
Sunday, 13th
Growing pains. These are an uncomfortable sensation that we all experience at some point in our lives, some more than others. I am only a little 5 foot 3 lady who had the same blazer throughout secondary school so my physical growth was not that extreme in comparison to others, but how about our emotional…


text:
This year has been a "tumultuous" one for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which tested the regional body's resolve, CARICOM Chairman Freundel Stuart has said.
However, Stuart, the Prime Minster of Barbados, said there were some noteworthy achievements which demonstrated "in no uncertain terms" the value of the integration movement to the people of the Caribbean and the influence it can exert on the international scene when it acts as a united force.
"The year 2015 tested our resolve, but this Community has shown time and again that it has the wherewithal not only to withstand challenges but also to provide solutions to whatever problems arise. The basis of its strength is its collective force and it is that which we must use as we continue the efforts to build a secure, principled, viable and sustainable Community for all of our citizens," Stuart said in an end of year message.
"We are now at the end of a tumultuous year, 2015, and stand on the threshold of 2016, with all that it promises," he added.
The CARICOM Chairman did not elaborate on what tested the institution's resolve, but its member countries continued to face economic hardships, while several faced natural disasters, among them Dominica which was ravaged by Tropical Storm Erika, something the Prime Minister noted. In addition, the Community's flagship programme, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), has failed to gain momentum and regional leaders were divided over a candidate for Commonwealth Secretary General, an issue over which Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda wrote Stuart a stinging letter in early July challenging the Barbadian Prime Minister's assertion that the leaders, at their annual summit in Barbados, had agreed to allow the Bureau to handle the matter.
Baroness Patricia Scotland, the candidate nominated by Dominica and supported by Barbados, was elected to the post, an achievement which Stuart referred to in his message.
"In November, as the year came to a close, we celebrated the election of the second CARICOM national and first woman to be elected as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. The election of Patricia Scotland of Dominica promises a new era for the Commonwealth and for the Caribbean Community within that organization," he observed.
In his message, a review of the institution's achievements throughout the year, Stuart touched on efforts to improve the operations of the CSME, "which remains the best option to promote growth and bring prosperity" to the people of the region; the search for options to stimulate growth and reduce "the crushing debt burden" which member countries faced and the establishment of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
However, at the top of the list was the role the region played in the recent climate change agreement reached in Paris recently by 195 countries.
He said it demonstrated the important role the region can play in the global community when it adopts common positions and present them as one body.
"This past year has demonstrated in no uncertain terms the value of the Caribbean regional integration project to our Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the influence that our united front can wield in the international arena.
"The importance of this unity was never more apparent than when the world grappled with issues of critical importance to the Community and other Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS). The outcome of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), the Paris Agreement, has given us hope that we can confront this existential challenge. Our Region was united on this issue and we can be proud of what we achieved in Paris for SIDS [Small Island Developing States]," he stressed.


text:
Dear Fauchon,
I don't know what's compelling me to document what follows below, but if you were ever curious about our habits in general, I'm leaving no stone unturned.
Your mom and I take showers together, but it's very asexual. There is some element of intimacy perhaps in that we are doing something personal together in close quarters, but we get our business done. Typically, I'll hang just my towel on the single hook next to the shower as we both jump in. I'll soap myself in the left corner where your mother hates to stand because she feels trapped/claustrophobic there. By the time I've shampooed and soaped, your mother's just about done rinsing her hair in preparation for the shampoo. Sometimes I'll try and hang around a little longer because your mom's convinced my showers are too quick for anyone to properly clean oneself.
After I exit and dry myself, I'll grab your mother's towel from the towel rail across the bathroom (the architects who designed the layout of the bathroom were really practical…) and hang it on the hook for her. She'll usually be conditioning her hair at this point or washing off the soap. About five minutes later, after I'm dressed and ready for whatever, that's when your mom turns off the shower. She prefers to crack open the door just enough so she can grab her towel and then yank it back into the shower stall where she'll dry off. "It's warmer," she says.
She'll occasionally forget to spray the shower doors with soap-scum solution, and I'm always more than happy to venture back in to perform the chore. Who says chivalry is dead?
And that, Fauchon, is our shower routine.


text:
I'm having a super productive day! I can't tell you all about it right now because I need to go make dinner (cornbread pizza!), but two quick things:
I made this lovely new apron while G napped…
I'll post a tutorial some time this week, in case you want to make one. The London themed fabric is by Amy King, one of my favorite designers, and is available here.
And this morning (after gardening, more pictures later), I picked up a pillow form to go in the beautiful cushion cover I received in the Covert Robin swap. It is already being happily snuggled with.