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DAILA ESPEUT-JONES First Sergeant, US Army Retired
First Sergeant was born and raised in Jamaica until the age of 15 years old. In 1979, she migrated to Boston, Massachusetts and later joined the Army in 1982 and served on active duty for 22 years. First Sergeant retired on 30 April 2004.
During her military tenure, she served in many positions which include Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Training Non-Commissioned Officer, Customs Supervisor, Area Support Team Leader, Korean Linguist, First Sergeant and Acting Division Sergeant Major.
Her duty assignments include Fort Eustis – VA, Seoul – Korea, Fort Bragg- NC, Haiti, Honduras, Albania, Bosnia, Hanau-Germany, Orlando-Florida and South West Asia.
Her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal, (w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Parachute Badge, and the German Marksmanship Badge.
First Sergeant currently serves as the Executive Vice President for Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Sunshine Chapter and is also the Director of Programs for Women in Defense (WID) Central Florida. She is an active member of Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc., Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Orlando, National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), Orange County Mayor's Veterans Advisory Council, Orlando Mayor's Veterans Advisory Council, Semper Fidelis of America, Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 4287, Orange County Veterans Court Mentorship Program and a mentor at Jones High School JROTC.
First Sergeant is one of Orlando's 2015 Veterans of Influence.
In addition to her numerous organizational affiliations, she represents the Orlando community by being a veteran advocate and volunteering over 40 hours per weeks assisting other veterans and members in the community. She frequently participates in local television and radio shows advocating on behalf of veterans.
Veteran of Influence
Veterans Day 2015
Highlight from 4 Dec 2015:
USO Orlando
Bridging the Gap
Veterans Serving Orlando


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Sorry gents, Jo is unable to see you in person at this time. Please request a distance healing session if you wish.
The colours of the chakras change as your vibration raises through the 5th 6th and 7th dimensions. Come along to lightbuilding session to find out how!
Stellar Gateway
Situated about 12 -18 inches above your head this is the direct link to your divine self and to Source.
Soul Star
Locate 6-12 inches above the head this chakra is your connection to your soul and then ultimately to your monad.
The causal chakra can be found about 4 inches behind your head on the same level as your third eye and is your antenna for receiving divine guidance.
The top of your head. This is the key to opening your mind to a larger consciousness and connection to spirit.
Third Eye
At Brow level. The view screen through which we see clairvoyantly and understand intuition.
Literally this sits at our throat or the base of your neck and from here we communicate and co-create with source.
The centre of our chest where we find balance of intellect with emotion. This is the point of feeling.
Solar Plexus
Situated at the base of the ribcage we hold our seat of personal power here.
Located just above the tummy button in the golden are this is our social centre and links to the incarnational star which is our point of origin.
When using lower chakras this encompasses both the Naval and the Sacral which only splits to create two separate chakras when we reach a 5th dimensional state. the sacral sits about 3 or 4 fingers width bellow our tummy button and is where we link sexuality with compassion and empathy.
Level with the base of the spine our base or root chakra is our power house for our physical vessel and manages our survival instincts and energy levels.
Earth Star
This is located about 6 inches below our feet connecting us to Mother Earth and is where we ground our blueprint for this lifetime, turning spirit into matter.
This energy therapy works by channelling the Angelic Golden Ray (also known as the Christ Ray) down from Source through the heart centre and out through the palms into the recipients aura. Unlike Reiki though, it is directed straight into the body's energy centres known as Chakras.
You may already be aware of the seven main chakras within the body, when performing this kind of healing though, energy is channelled into the 12 higher chakras, whether activated or not, in order to give a fuller experience and greater wellbeing.
An experienced Angelic Healer should be able to give you verbal feedback as to the condition of each chakra as well as to heal and energise it during the process. This means that you may get what appears at first glance to be a full psychic reading.
Each of your chakras tells a story of your current health and well being and so advice may be given for ways to support your body's energetic systems during this sitting.
Golden Ray Healing with Jo costs
£65 for an initial session
£55 for follow up sessions*
(*depending on the intensity of treatment. Stubborn blockages and traumas including major illness may require more intense healing and Jo will advise if there is any price difference fo this).
Angelic Golden Ray Healing is not intended to be a substitute for medical care and should be used to compliment and support traditional care. If you are suffering from any physical, mental or emotional illness then we always recommend that you consult your GP/Physician.
If you are not local to South Yorkshire, UK, where Jo is based and you cannot make it to any of her events for healing then you might like her to add you to her remote healing list.
Jo allows time to channel angelic energy every Thursday evening between 17:30 and 18:00 UK Time before she runs her lightbuilding and meditation classes, if you would like her to personally dedicate some of that golden ray energy to you whether it be for physical or emotional healing, then please do send her a quick email to email@example.com with your name, general location and a quick note on what you need healing.
Perhaps you might even like to dedicate it to someone else? (In which case their name and location is needed).
Group remote healing is completely FREE of charge.
If you would prefer a dedicated distance healing session, Jo will conduct a 30 minute channelled healing session on your behalf at an agreed time when you can be in a quiet relaxed state to gain maximum benefit. Prior to the session Jo will email you with some questions regarding your condition and what it is you would like healing for and then will email you a couple of days after the healing session with some feedback.
Angelic Golden-Ray Healing is highly effective regardless of where or how far away its intended target, however as it requires proximity to gain full psychic feedback from your chakras, the impressions Jo reports back from the session may be less specific than in person.
The healing session including email feedback is just £55 GBP
To book your personal distance healing session simply hit the Buy Now button below and shortly after completion of purchase you will be contacted to arrange a time for your session. (Please take into account timezone differences).

subset: commoncrawl


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Mad Mark's Creamery & Good Eat's Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Salted Sumatra and Half-Baked Madagascar. Very, very good.
Ramen X's Yoshi's Ramen. Ramen fever is certainly not yet over. A lot of restaurants that have ramen as their specialty are still popping up. Got to try Ramen X late last year after visiting a bazaar in Eton Centris. It's got that fast food vibe. No Old Japan interiors or anything. Serving was really, really big. I never got to see the bottom of the bowl. Hahaha. Tastes good but not exceptional.
Yabu's Rosu Tonkatsu Set. When the day comes that I can pig out again, I would go straight to Yabu and eat this... for a week. Hahaha. Okay, for 3 days. Okay, 2!
Cheesecakes by Guy's Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. I got to sample this delicious dessert by winning a contest by Pepper.ph last year. I thought the last minute that I should've picked another flavor thinking it would be too sweet because it's a dulce de leche-flavored cheesecake but this sure proved me wrong. It had the right sweetness to it, it was rich and smooth. Loved it to bits!
Ba Noi's' Goi Cuon. I wish I lived in Pasig so I can eat this everyday. It's healthy, tastes and looks fresh (shrimp!!!) and when you dip it in the peanut sauce and take a bite, your problems will temporarily go away. Well, don't take my word for it, you have to try it. Hahaha. Soooo good. Easily one of my favorite finds last year.
Epic Coffee Roastery's Rainbow Cake. We learned about Epic through our friend, Bell, and the first thing she recommended was the coffee that kept her up all day even though she could feel her body was dead tired. Haha. We went there a few weeks ago but we didn't order any coffee (too afraid to be strung-out with caffeine). Hahaha. I had the Rainbow Cheesecake and Ian had a red velvet cupcake. I like rainbows and I love the edible kind. Cream cheese party!
GIGI Coffee and Cupcakes' Blueberry, Red Velvet and Raspberry cupcakes. Finally was able to try GIGI cupcakes when we went to their Shangri-la East Wing branch. GIGI cupcakes are surprisingly affordable (I can't remember if it was PhP 40 or PhP 50 when we went there last year) but I'm not a big fan of it. I always like my cupcakes fluffy but GIGI's was on the dense side. I also found the cream cheese frosting a bit too sweet for me.


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Frequently Asked Questions about Boating Holidays
I've never been on a boat before. Are they easy to control?
Our Norfolk hire boats are simplicity themselves. A single lever gives you forward or reverse thrust and a steering wheel is used for direction. You'll be given expert guidance before you set off and so long as you take things easy, you'll find navigating and mooring a doddle. Simply take things easy, slow down your reactions and enjoy.
Do I need a licence to drive the boat?
No. Anyone competent can pilot a river cruiser and you will be given a hands-on demonstration before you leave the marina. Children under eight years are not permitted to helm the boat.
Can I bring my dogs?
Sure. We welcome dogs onto most of our boats. There are many open spaces for them to run around and plenty of walks for you all to enjoy.
Can I smoke?
Sorry, all our Norfolk Broads holiday boats are strictly no smoking.
What time can I collect my boat?
We aim to have boats available for boarding from 4pm for holidays of a week or more and 2pm for short breaks. During the winter months when darkness falls early, we endeavour to get you out on the river as soon as possible. Please discuss this when you book.
What time do I need to return the boat?
Please have the boat back at the marina by 9am on the morning of vacation in a clean and tidy condition. We reserve the right to charge for extra cleaning if needed and there's a late charge of £50 per hour or part if the boat is returned after 9am without permission.
Can I bring a bicycle?
The potential for injury and damage from a cycle is high within in the confined space of a boat and for these reasons, we do not permit cycles upon our vessels.
How far can I travel?
If you average about four hours cruising a day, you can travel over 80 miles in a week. Putting that into perspective, it gives you the opportunity of exploring most, if not all, of the Northern Norfolk Broads during a week's holiday.
Can I fish?
Sure. Fishing is a very popular pastime for boat hirers and being able to move from place to place allows you to try different waters. Remember though that the Norfolk Broads are subject to the standard fishing season (16th June - 14th March). Fishing the Norfolk Broads outside of these dates is illegal. There's a tackle shop at Ludham Marina and you can buy your rod license from the local village Post Office.
Can my children drive the boat?
Local Broads Authority Bylaws permit only children of eight years and over to be at the helm of a motorised vessel and then only under supervision.
How fast can I go?
It's not a question of how fast, but how slow. A Norfolk Broads holiday cruiser is about slowing down. Remember, it's the most relaxing adventure holiday you're likely to have. River speeds are between 3 and 6 mph. Excessive speed causes river erosion and may damage other craft. There's also a maximum £1000 fine, so please stick to the speed limits.
Where can I moor?
So long as there aren't any specific notices indicating that you can't moor (private land or because of dangerous banks, etc.) you can moor almost anywhere. If you want to be secluded amongst the trees, pull up carefully and tie up. If you prefer to be around others, there are plenty of designated public moorings with solid quay headings and mooring posts/rings. You can even drop your mud weight in the middle of a broad (though please stay out of the traffic channels). You can also moor in any boat yard that is a member of the Broads Hire Boat Federation. Watch out for the logo.
What about bridges?
There are only a few bridges on the Broads that pose a problem for cruisers. Both Potter Heigham & Wroxham bridges have a pilot to take you through and some boats are simply too large to make it. Others will only-just make it at low tide. Most other bridges are easily passable, though you should always take the canopy down to ensure you don't collide with the structure. Many of our boats will pass under Potter Heigham Bridge at suitable tides.
Can I charge my phone?
All our boats feature a standard car-style cigarette lighter connection for connecting 12volt applicances like mobile phone chargers - though you must supply your own charger.
Can I use my hair dryer?
Some boats have full 240volt mains power systems capable of the considerable power requirements of modern hair dryers, but many don't. We do have some 12volt hair dryers available for hire with your holiday and, whilst some people would argue that these are better than nothing, don't expect a "Nicky Clarke" blow-dry experience.


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Leonardo DiCaprio has won his first Academy Award, claiming best actor for his performance in the survival epic The Revenant. The 41-year-old had previously been nominated five times for acting's highest honour, dating back to his 1993 role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
But the much-coveted award eluded him until Sunday night's 88th Academy Awards, held at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre.
"Spotlight" is basking in the golden glow of Oscar as the best picture of the year.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" may have won more honors at the 88th Academy Awards, leading all films with six. "The Revenant" won some major prizes, including the first Oscar for actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
But when the last award of the evening was read, it was the little film about Boston Globe investigative reporters digging into a sex abuse scandal involving Catholic priests that was left standing.
"This film gave a voice to survivors," producer Michael Sugar said. "And this film amplifies that voice, which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican."
It was one of just two awards "Spotlight" took home. The film also won for Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer's original screenplay.
But until that moment, it looked like "Revenant," about a vengeful trapper in the 1820s, was going to go all the way.
The list of winners at the 2016 Oscars:
Best Picture: Spotlight
Actor in a Lead Role: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Actress in a Lead Role: Brie Larson, Room
Directing: Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Original Score: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Original Song: "Writings on the Wall," Spectre, Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
Best Foreign Language Film: Hungary, Son of Saul
Live Action Short Film: Stutterer, Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
Documentary Feature: Amy, Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
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Actor in a Supporting Role: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Animated Feature Film: Inside Out, Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Animated Short Film: Bear Story, Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Visual Effects: Ex Machina, Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Mangini and David White
Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Cinematography: The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road, Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Original Screenplay: Spotlight, Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Debbie Reynolds
Honorary Oscar: Spike Lee
Honorary Oscar: Gena Rowlands
.: news.sky.com, eonline.com
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Skiibo - Free Dating & Chat App DOWNLOAD SKIIBO APP


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Record Store Day
We wish that we had time to visit a few record stores in every major city to better honour the always awesome Record Store Day. But in this instance, we're going to have to narrow it down to a more managable five picks, since we'd like to keep our day jobs. So here you go, music aficionados – here are three of our very favourite real-life record store locales, plus two more from The Land of Fiction. We hope you'll enjoy these virtual visits – and even more so, we hope you'll use Record Store Day as a great excuse to go support the local music stores in your own town.
BLEECKER STREET RECORDS | 188 W 4th St | New York, NY
Located in the more gentrified side of the Village – ie West, not East – Bleecker Street Records offers a wide range of wax, including an entire section of rare and collectible releases (including mismarks/misprintings, which are always interesting to sort through.) They were recently bumped out of their Bleecker Street location by, uh, progress (coughcoughstarbucks), but they're still going strong in their new locale. The speakers overhead can be heard spinning everything from old No Doubt cuts to obscure South American tunes, and the bins echo that diversity of selection. Speaking of which, if you're looking for a CD or vinyl you haven't been able to find anywhere else, this is likely the place you'll find it, although you'll probably have to do so yourself – Bleecker Street's staff have perfected the indifferent-hipster-working-in-a-record-store stereotype to a T, but, eh, that only adds to the ambiance. The posters and t-shirts available downstairs are also great extras to snag while you're here – and did we mention that they have two rather giant, selectively-friendly, lazy cats? Pets are always a bonus in any record store, and this asphalt-colored duo are particularly suited to the faux-grunge Bleecker Street locale.
AMOEBA MUSIC | 6400 Sunset Boulevard | Los Angeles CA
A Hollywood landmark and one of the biggest independent record stores in the world, Amoeba is a king among the indies – so big that it's actually a playable venue in the Guitar Hero: World Tour videogame – but also still personable enough that it's got the feel of a much smaller neighborhood shop. As far as being a venue, recent in-store performances at Amoeba have featured the likes of Elvis Costello, The Raconteurs, Danger Mouse, Supergrass, William Shatner, The Drums, and the cast of Doctor Who (!), perfectly complementing their equally eclectic music selection. Whether you're looking for current chart hits, import albums, difficult-to-find concert DVDs, avant-garde tracks, golden oldies, opera, or trance music, chances are Amoeba has it – and trust us, you'll have loads of fun trying to find it in their city-block-sized store (we kid you not) stuffed with record racks, CD shelves, and assorted posters and music memorabilia.
ROUGH TRADE WEST | 130 Talbot Road | London England
There's more than one Rough Trade in London now, but the Talbot Road location is the real (original) deal. Opened in 1983, it's still independent and still looks it (some of the employees have even been working there since 1983), with loads of vintage rock posters and vinyl sleeve art stapled to the walls. While you're certain to find plenty of music here, from post-punk to country junk, there's another cool element to Rough Trade, that being that they've also got their very own record label that's helped along just a few bands you may have heard of – The Libertines, Mazzy Star, The Sundays, Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire, and The Smiths among them. Snag one of Rough Trade's own custom compilation albums while you're there, too – they've been releasing those since 2003, and if you collect them all to date you'll end up with super mix collections of 9 different music genres.
CHAMPIONSHIP VINYL (High Fidelity) | 1500 North Milwaukee Avenue | Chicago IL*
Championship Vinyl is what every old-school record store should be, brought to life through the writing of Nick Hornby and the interpretation of John Cusack and crew in the 2000 Stephen Frears book-adaptation film High Fidelity. Owner Rob Gordon (aka Cusack) plops a record on the turntable (in one particularly distinctive case, The Beta Band's under-the-radar The Three EPs) and knows that doing so will cause most of the customers in the store to rush to buy it. "Temporary" store employee Barry (aka Jack Black) – who now seems to have taken up permanent residence at CV – spends most of his time hurling cynical insults at less-than-cool customers who blithely wander in looking for Top 40 hits. And whatever you want on vinyl – as long as it's actually good – Rob and crew will find it for you. (Just don't ask Rob to break into his own vinyl collection, as he finally (again) has them perfectly organised.)
TRAX (Pretty in Pink) | 1460 Third Street | Santa Monica CA*
Oh, Trax. Where a movie version of Chicago's Chinatown suburb awaits just outside its nightclub-flyer-papered doors, where Iona tests out new "volcanic" fashion ensembles as she reigns supreme behind the counter, where skateboard-toting punks try to shoplift the latest singles, where Duckie mimes one of the most amazingly nerdy yet energetic renditions of "Try a Little Tenderness" that we've ever seen. Where sometimes Trax employee Andie meets the oh-so-elusive, dreamy Blane over his purchase of a Steve Lawrence (Steve Lawrence…?) album. And where The Psychedelic Furs albums in the bins hold promise of the uber-catchy Pretty in Pink movie theme song yet to be. Trax is a bit grungy, a lot new-wave, and, as presided over by the big-sisterly Iona, is also as much of a hangout or second home as it is a record store. And isn't that what the best record stores are supposed to be anyway? – Kristi Kates
*exterior filming locations only – don't go there looking for the real Championship Vinyl or Trax, as they don't exist. We know, we're sad too.
What's your favourite record store? Tell us about it in the comments!


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Next time you go into the supermarket to buy dog food, stop and read the ingredients label. You'd be surprised at what goes into making the foods we willingly feed to our pets.
Before we get to the list of dog foods to stay away from, read about 9 ingredients that could be harmful to your pets:
- Propylene glycol
- Ethoxyquin
- Corn
- Wheat
- Gluten
- Dye
- Animal by-products
Most of the ingredients are chemicals that the average person can't pronounce. If you can't say it, it's a synthetic compound or chemical that shouldn't be put inside your dog's body.
With a celebrity chef like Rachael Ray, you'd think this would be good for your pets. Think again, it contains corn and gluten—two major allergens for dogs.
Corn is the first ingredient. As you well know, ingredients that appear at the beginning of the list are more than ingredients at the end of the list. In other words, there is more corn in Iams than anything else. If you've ever offered your dog fresh corn, you may have noticed kernels in the poop. That's because dogs are incapable of digesting it. It is also one of the main allergens that affect dogs.
Another big no no. Packaging looks attractive with the blue ribbon, but corn and wheat are in the ingredients as well as BHA. While working in the animal shelter, it was easy to tell when the dogs had eaten Pedigree—the kennels were swamped in diarrhea. Because of this, I do not recommend Pedigree for any dogs. Period.
Ol' Roy
Again with wheat, corn, and BHA. This one is chock full of grains. It also has food dyes to make the food look attractive to humans. As a professional pooper scooper, I have observed large grainy red stools in dogs who have eaten this brand of dog food. This is because carbohydrates like wheat and corn produce larger stools. The food dye produces the red color of the stool. As far as nutrition goes, this food just doesn't cut it.
The best food I found at Wal-Mart is Pure Balance. It is free of wheat, corn, and gluten and has the best list of ingredients when compared with other store-bought brands.
While this is not a comprehensive list, it is a simple checklist you can use when shopping at your local market. If you want manufacturers to produce better dog foods, the best way you can vote is with your wallet. Stop buying foods that result in health problems like diarrhea and allergic reactions and start buying foods that improve the quality of life of your dogs.
For more tips on selecting a quality dog food, check out my post How to Select the Right Kind of Food for your Dog or Cat in 3 Simple Steps.


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UK Dance Music in the Early to Mid 90s
Categories: DJ Articles
A lot of the electronic house music was produced in Chicago over in the USA during the mid 1980's. Producers and DJ's introduced the genre in bars and clubs all over the UK and the rest of Europe by the mid and late 1980's. The UK took house music, Acid house, Electronic Body Music (formed in ...Read more →


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Union Hotel
by Jim Fleming
James Kessey's Union Hotel, Corner of Mertin and Sturt Streets, Bourke, NSW, circa 1919
This photograph was owned by Peg Rice and, on her death, went to her daughter Janet Rice. The sign on the corner of the veranda reads "(Ja)mes Kessey Union Hotel". Janet Rice is James Kessey's great-granddaughter, and was interested to know more about the photograph, particularly: where was it taken?
Janet contacted her mother Peg's cousin, Carmel Hull for assistance. Carmel knew that I had done research on the Kessey family, so she passed the photograph on to me for further research. I am James Kessey's great-grandson (and Janet's second cousin).
We knew that grandfather Kessey had owned pubs in Brewongle, Mount David (before WWI) and Bourke (after 1918). But which one is pictured in the photograph?
We ruled out Mount David straight away, because we have a photograph of that hotel (taken in the late 20th Century) and it is quite a different construction to the hotel in this photograph.
I started out by establishing where grandfather lived at various times during his life.
We knew that he was born at Burnt Flat (near Bathurst NSW) in 1858 and died at Bourke NSW in 1944. We knew that he had run the hotel at Mount David before WWI and that he had also run hotels at Brewongle and Bourke at some stage. There is also information that he owned butcher shops in Orange after he left Mount David and before he moved to Bourke. Finally the family lore is that Grandfather Kessey moved his family to Bourke at the height of the influenza pandemic at the end of WWI because his local doctor told him to "go to the hottest place you can find".
So I started with NSW census records, NSW records of births and marriages, Sands Directory records for NSW and records of the Spanish 'flu' pandemic that swept the globe in 1918-1919. In time I will supplement this with information from NSW land title records and publican records.
James Kessey was the eldest child born to John Casey and Mary Ann nee Hanrahan. Both of his grandfathers were convicts, but while Mary Ann Hanrahan's father (Patrick) was the scion of a successful farming dynasty, John Casey's father (Thomas) was less successful. Three of his sons were to be convicted of serious property crimes over the latter half of the nineteenth century. James Kessey's father John was convicted of stealing livestock and served time in Bathurst gaol on three occaisions. His brothers James and Thomas were convicted of highway robbery under arms and sentenced to 10 years in Darlinghurst gaol and on Cockatoo Island.
Presumably the Hanrahan family was aware of the Casey's criminal activities, because in 1857 they forced the Casey family into agreeing to a humiliating pre-nuptial agreement about Mary Ann's dowry: a block of farming land. Perhaps this was the reason why the extended Casey family adopted the Kessey surname from that date on – in order to break with the convict and criminal past.
James Kessey was born at Burnt Flat, near Bathurst, on 18 June 1858. He came from farming families and naturally went into that business as a young man. At the age of 23 he bought land at Black Springs for grazing. He worked this land until his marriage eight years later.
He married Mary Jane Press at nearby Rockley on 22 April 1890, aged 31. She also had a very strong farming background on both sides of her family, the Press and the Baker families.
A year later, on census night 4 April 1891, James was living at Brewongle with two other males in his household. Mary Jane was not present. Perhaps she was residing elsewhere due to the birth of her first child, Mary Grace Kessey (Peg Rice's mother-to-be). Perhaps the two males were guests or employees at a hotel run by James Kessey at Brewongle.
James and Mary Jane's first son, James (to be known as Harold) was born at Bathurst in 1893. He was followed by Beatrice, born at Wattle Flat in 1895; Emily Bernadette, born at Oberon in 1896; and Philomena, born at Sunny Corner in 1898. It seems that the family changed residence several times during the first decade of the marriage.
The births of all of the remaining children were registered at Rockley: Joseph Aloysius (1900); John Horace (1902); Halvar Roy (1905); Jean Alice Columbia (1907); and Hilton David (1909). The family did not live at Rockley however. They lived at nearby Mount David, where James Kessey and his wife ran the local hotel.
James Kessey was recorded in the NSW census on 31 March 1901 at Mount David, with 5 other males and 6 females in the household. His family would account for all but 3 males and 1 female, who must have been guests or employees of the hotel.
The Sands Directories record James Kessey at Mount David in 1903 and through until 1913.
The events of 1914 led to James' and Mary Jane's divorce. They remarried each other in Dubbo in 1923, but they had reconciled before that. Family lore is that they re-married on the way to Bourke after the influenza pandemic struck Orange, where they were living. While the official re-marriage did not occur until later, it is likely that the reconciliation occurred at the time of the pandemic, or even a little earlier.
The 1918-1919 pandemic ranks among the worst in recorded history, rivalling the Black Death of the 14th century in mortality and social and economic effects. It killed between 50 and 100 million people around the world in a few short months.
The effect of the pandemic in Australia was not as dramatic due to the advanced notice of its arrival. Europe had been devastated in 1918 and New Zealand was very badly hit in October 1918 but the first wave in NSW did not occur until mid March to late May 1919. The authorities were well prepared with quarantine and inoculation measures that moderated the impact of the virus. Nevertheless, during the peak of the pandemic in NSW, the influenza accounted for nearly a third of all deaths.
Over a six month period in 1919 more than 15,000 Australians died from influenza. Unlike other influenza strains, most of the victims of this strain (called the Spanish Flu) were in the prime of their life (aged 18 to 40). The young and the old were less at risk. This fact, and the fact that victims could die within hours of the onset of symptoms, added to the hysteria that surrounded the pandemic.
The pandemic was manifested in two waves in NSW. The first wave, in March and April 1919 killed up to 300 people per week before moderating to less than 100 per week in late May. But then there was a second wave where the death rate went as high as 800 per week during June and into July.
It was in this context that James Kessey visited his local doctor for advice on how to protect his family from the disease. Family lore is that he was advised to move to "the hottest and driest place you can find". The family moved to Bourke by train within hours of that advice.
James Kessey was cashed up when he arrived in Bourke. Following the events of 1914 he had sold the hotel at Mount David. Since this was, at the time, a very prosperous mining village, the hotel would have fetched a good price. Perhaps he had sold other properties at this time too.
In addition, he had sued Walter Martin, the co-respondent in the divorce trial. The court awarded him a very large sum in damages against Walter Martin.
As an experience Hotel-keeper, it made sense for James Kessey to buy a hotel when he got to Bourke. Not only would it provide him with income, but it would provide employment for his extended family members who also had experience in the hotel business. Official records show that he took over the license of the Union Hotel in 1919 and held it until at least 1921. Family lore is that he also owned several houses in Bourke. His son Halvar was recorded on the 1930 census as living at the Oxford Hotel; so presumably James Kessey also owned that hotel by then.
The Union Hotel was built by Barney Dignan on the corner of Mertin and Sturt Streets in 1884. Harold Smith was the first licensee. Ten years later the licensee was George Edward Drew who transferred the license to Thomas Ralph from Gongolgon. William Dwyer was licensee for a year in 1894 before James Tobin held the lease from 1895 through to 1913 (with short breaks for Arthur James Hobson in 1900 and Richard Maxwell in 1910). Tobin used the Hotel's Hall as a cinema in 1913 but this outbuilding was destroyed by a cyclone in 1916 when James Bye was the licensee. The licensee immediately prior to James Kessey was David Greeves in 1917.
Soon after James Kessey took over the lease an accident occurred that was reported in the local newspaper (The Western Herald). On 17 September 1919 the veranda of the hotel collapsed when three posts were hit by the wheel of a runaway cart.
Since the veranda is intact in the photograph, it is very likely that it was taken before the runway cart wreaked its havoc. And since James Kessey did not move to Bourke until the influenza epidemic struck, it must have been taken after March 1919 at the earliest. This means that it is highly likely that the photograph was taken in the winter of 1919, between April and September.
If we accept this dating evidence for the photograph, we may be able to identify some of the people in it.
The people standing closest to the door appear to form a family group. It would make sense for James Kessey to pose his family outside his business premises in a new town. The family group appears to consist of a man holding a toddler, a teenage boy, a teenage girl, a man and a primary-school-aged child holding a baby. So it may be that the children are James Kessey's teenage boy Halvar (aged 14 in 1919); his daughter Jean (aged 12) and his son Hilty (aged 10). The toddler and the baby could be James Kessey's grandchildren (Grace's or Beatrice's children). The other man in the family group could be an older son (Harold, Joe or Horace) or even a son-in-law.
Perhaps the other figures in the photograph are also family members. Or they could be customers, waiting for the bar to open!
Judging by the length and direction of the shadows it seems likely that the photograph was taken at about noon during winter or autumn. Judging by the clothing worn by the people, it may have been taken on a Sunday, after Mass.
It is interesting that Mary Jane Kessey is not in the photograph. Perhaps she was behind the camera. Or perhaps her daughter Grace was the photographer. After all, the photograph was passed down to Grace's daughter and granddaughter.
It appears that the Kessey family disposed of the Union Hotel about 1921. By 1930 the family was running the Oxford hotel. James Kessey also owned a number of rental houses in the town. He bought an old bond store and turned it into a short-lived picture theatre. He bought the house that still stands at 13 Sturt Street and the family lived there for over 60 years. He stood for the local Council in 1925 and by the next year he was Mayor. Read about the "Bricks at dead of night" incident elsewhere on this site.
James Kessey and his wife travelled to Ireland for a holiday in 1932.
By 1942 his son Halvar was Mayor of Bourke. James Kessey died in 1944.
Sands Directories, 1903 – 1932.
NSW census 1891, 1901
Electoral Rolls 1930, 1936, 1937, 1943.
History of Bourke, volumes 1 to 13.
Various birth certificates.


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Outside Pedestrian is returning to The Drum Lab in Laguna Hills! We will be reprising our clinic and workshop from last year. From 4-5pm, Outside Pedestrian will be presenting a clinic in which they will perform and discuss several of their compositions and from 5pm-7pm, workshop participants will have the opportunity to perform a selected standard with the band and receive feedback.
Reservations with Deposit Recommended – Contact The Drum Lab (949) 460-0054 for more information. For highlights from last year's clinic, click here.


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Julius Baer at a glance
Big enough to matter yet small enough to care
Welcome to Julius Baer in Luxembourg – Swiss values and global expertise for our clients
Julius Baer's origins date back to 1890. And from that time, up until today, the renowned Swiss private banking group has been dedicated to serving and advising sophisticated private clients, family offices and intermediaries from around the world – going on 125 years now. Our client relationships are built on partnership, continuity and mutual trust.
Today, Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group, with Bank Julius Baer, & Co. Ltd. being its principal operating company.
Who Julius Baer is:
- We passionately live pure private banking – for our clients locally and worldwide
- We are independent – remaining true to our Swiss family heritage
- We give objective advice – leveraging our expertise via the Julius Baer open product platform
- We are entrepreneurial and innovative – setting the pace in the industry
Global presence
Julius Baer is present in all major financial centres. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo. Welcome to the private banking world of Julius Baer. Welcome to the private banking world of Julius Baer.


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I've been through my troubles with A2Hosting. Back in the day, I quit them completely. But I came back when an executive offered to give me 6-months of free hosting on their new "lightning fast" servers using SSD drives. And most has been right with the world since coming back to the mid-tier hosting provider. But am I getting dinged yet again, by having too much traffic. Or is it WordPress? Or some configuration problems on my end (plugins – bad or inefficient css templates) or something on their "shared server" setup for my specific account? I don't know.
Today however, I was again frustrated by my daily resource overload notice from my "super-fast" and supposedly state-of-the-art hosting service.
That's what it looks like to my visitors when my hosting service tanks under the load. Sure, I've got a few Twitter followers, and I suppose they are active users, but I should not be able to overload my server at will. And besides, it's the antithesis of success. A great tweet or great post kills the opportunity for 50% of the potential visitors. How many of you would wait a few seconds and hit reload? How many of you would say, "NEXT"?
I'm guessing the problem is not going to get better. I'm working the web pretty hard. And I have three sites on A2, all of which, are business-critical for me. And more importantly, I'm dependant on a steady flow of traffic to these sites and am working to gain momentum and audience for all three of them. When my site says to the new visitor "temporarily unable to service your request" I'm thinking that's a FAIL. And not a minor fail. An uber-fail.
A fail that looks bad to my new visitors. And get this, I do this stuff for a living, I hold out my shingle saying I can get YOUR web done right, and guess what? Even with premium hosting, I can't get my own web done right. Would you be excited to click the little affiliate banner for "Lighting Fast Hosting" at the bottom right of my blog? Um, I think A2 and I have some consulting to do together.
This morning I sent them this tweet.
And their response was immediate.
And over the next few minutes we conversed on Twitter. (See My Twitter War Grip Post)
And after a few back and forth discussions about what was happening, I got this email.
So, this is customer service and Twitter done right. We exchanged some info via my customer complaint on Twitter. And A2 responded both with Twitter and by opening a support ticket. That's customer service in the cloud.
Now let's see what we come up with for a solution. I'll let you know how things go.
And if you'd like to move your site to A2, I highly recommend them. If you're burning less than 3,000 page views a day, I'm sure you'll be fine. And the SSD is amazingly fast. It makes working within WordPress manageable again. My Affiliate Link for A2 Hosting.
The story continues, stay tuned.
First uh oh, update (ten-minutes later): Surely this was a blip. Maybe they are moving me to my own SSD drive, or something else. All is back up now. (grin)
@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)


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Australia's commerce regulator has told eBay to table a plan that would limit transactions within its online marketplace to cash-on-pickup or PayPal, which eBay owns.
In response, eBay announced it would delay implementation of its new payment policy until July 15. The PayPal-only policy was originally set to take effect June 17.
In a draft notice issued June 12, proposing to revoke eBay's request for immunity from Australia's fair trade practices law, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was concerned that, in practice, the policy would give eBay too much power and stifle competition in the online payment marketplace.
ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel acknowledged that having PayPal as the only payment provider could be beneficial to buyers in certain cases but said the benefits of increased buyer protections would not outweigh the anti-competitive effects.
"[The] ACCC believes that consumers are in the best position to decide which payment method is most suitable for them," he said. "The notified conduct denies them that choice."
Starting on May 21, 2008, eBay began requiring Australian sellers to offer PayPal as one of their accepted payment methods. That aspect of the payment policy remains in effect. Responding to the ACCC notice, eBay said it will still provide up to $20,000 in PayPal Buyer Protection starting June 17, as originally planned.
In a statement on eBay Australia's general announcement board, a message attributed to "the eBay team" said that eBay "is disappointed that the ACCC's current view delays the opportunity to provide consumers a more secure way to shop on eBay.com.au with confidence.
"eBay intends to work with the ACCC and hopes to achieve a final outcome which has the safety and security of eBay's members as its paramount objective. eBay will delay the removal of other payment methods from the site until Tuesday 15 July," the statement read.
The ACCC said it will consider further submissions from eBay and other interested parties in response to the draft notice before issuing a final decision.
Read the full ACCC draft notice here.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.


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Mizraim Cordero Joins the Rangeview Library District Board
Mizraim Cordero, intergovernmental relations manager for the City of Commerce City, was recently appointed to the Rangeview Library District Board of Trustees. His term expires Feb. 11, 2016.
"I am thrilled and humbled by the appointment to the Rangeview Library District Board of Trustees and am also grateful to the Adams County Commissioners for entrusting me in this capacity," says Cordero. "Finally, I am filled with excitement to work with a group of committed board members and the greatest librarians in the world to make an already extraordinary library even better."
In February 2008, Mizraim relocated his family to Colorado. He was administrator of Adams County Head Start under the Community & Economic Opportunity Department. Beginning January 2010, Mizraim began serving as the intergovernmental relations manager for the City of Commerce City. There he provides leadership and vision to Commerce City by developing, administering, reviewing and monitoring community relations procedures and programs; coordinating federal and state legislative issues and supervising the efforts to secure alternative funding through grants.
Cordero migrated with his parents to New York City in June of 1989 from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Mizraim obtained his bachelor's degree from Lehman College of the City University of New York with a concentration in social work and a minor in sociology. In May 1999, he graduated from NYU's School of Social Work with a master's degree in clinical social work as an advanced standing student.


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If you look on the web, there are a number of various places that inform you how to get rid of snakes, with a lot of various objects for sale to assist you on that quest. Snakes don't consume on set days in the wild so use irratic feeding patterns from time to time giving them time to digest. The Florida Everglades already have an apex predator, the alligator, and the enormous influx of invasive pythons is potentially hugely damaging for neighborhood species. Most breeders will not offer a refund after the sale this is commonplace when dealing with animals. Many of the internet sites that offer you pet snakes for sale will also give care details for that certain species. The king in their name refers to the truth that king snakes like to eat other snakes especially rattle snakes. Of course, it is a poisonous snake and there is a excellent possibility that an individual could be vulnerable to this snakes bite.
Fortunately the vast majority of the appropriate snakes one particular may well choose to hold, such as corn snakes, king snakes or milk snakes, call for quite tiny specific remedy and quickly turn into really low maintenace captives. Historically they had been hunted in fantastic numbers for their skins, and there is nevertheless a marketplace for young snakes for the exotic pet trade and numerous parts of their bodies are used in conventional medicine. Low cost vacations to Fiji or Papua New Guinea could be filled with poisonous snakes and venomous spiders. Child cottonmouth normally is for sale that maybe due to the fact of its lovely type and ofcours cute and small like yet another stunning snakes for sale. Most people such as myself recommend feeding snakes on killed prey if at all possible. All through this article you will find verify lists of reptiles, amphibians and snakes. Frogs and toads living in Florida lay eggs in water which develop into tadpoles.
Either individuals who purchase Burmese pythons are not conscious of how big they can grow, or perhaps the concept of possessing a 'way cool big snake' is exciting but the reality is not but several of these snakes are abandoned by their owners when they get too large for their properties and pockets. Quiet, properly-behaved, not requiring regular walks and practically scent-totally free while becoming unusual and fascinating, snakes can be an ideal pet for today's ever-busy lifestyle. The reason of their recognition is that these animals are not very frequently offered for sale. Newly acquired snakes need to be quarantined for at least 3 months if this is feasible for the breeder. Exotic pets for sale are from rare species like some kinds of skunks and foxes.
I would like to get updates, specific provides, system communications and other information from Petco. As I study lizards and skinks on the internet I'm obtaining out that many skink young have blue tails. I guess if the Coral snake has an even higher reputation for becoming shy than the Timber rattlesnake, I do not have much of a opportunity of operating across one here in Florida either. In fact, some of the best snakes will come from devoted hobbyists, usually only obtaining a pair of a specific species. Never box them in or try to catch them unless you actually know what type of snake it is. Snakes are not all that effortless to identify in the wild if you're not familiar with them. The Red-bellied Turtle is found in the Florida peninsula and Apalachicola location of the panhandle.
As a breeder myself, please be conscious that with hundreds of snakes to care for, plus performing numerous issues in your personal life, time can be a virtue. If your going to be maintaining a king snake or possibly even many king snakes you ought to understand every little thing you can about the king snake species. The brown anole is native to Cuba and the Bahamas, and it was 1st observed in the Florida Keys in 1887. Australian Green Tree frog (Pachymedusa dacnicolor)- Introduced to two regions in Florida which is assumed to come from the pet trade.


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Richmond Community High School P.E. teacher Linwood Hardy pleaded to his principal to give more money to his department since he started his job in education. Building the program from scratch 20 years ago, he was less than optimistic about how much longer it would last without the proper equipment.
After two decades of being unable to fulfill Hardy's financial request, a solution came on principal J. Austin Brown's desk. He received a flyer and an email about a video contest that would award the winners new athletic equipment.
For a shot at $25,000 worth of apparel, footwear and other necessities, Brown and Hardy turned to a group of sophomores that formed a video club for their financial solution.
"Those young people had done such a great job of making videos of issues that were student's concerns during the course of the school year," Brown said. "Their videos were really very, very good. I decided that I would give them a chance to produce this video because they had such a good job on the previous videos."
Having just started the club a year ago, the group of 10th graders managed to tackle a number of videos that were presented to them. When Brown approached the club about entering the Redskins' video contest, he told them that they had a week to complete the project in addition to making it one minute or less.
The students put together a video that showed how their school loved to participate in athletics, but did not have the funds to perform at their best. In the submission, the video's main point of purpose was showing that their equipment needed an upgrade by filming soccer goals breaking down and students playing with basketballs not having enough air in them.
After Brown watched the ultimate version, he was blown away and thought the school had a chance to claim one of the smaller prizes. He was amazed when he found out his school had won the entire contest.
"When I saw the final product, I said 'man, this is great. You guys really exceeded my expectations,'" Brown said. "I thought we had a chance we had to win something. I didn't know that would be the grand prize."
PHOTOS: Redskins Charitable Foundation And Good Sports Donate Equipment To Richmond Community High School
The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Good Sports donated sports equipment to Richmond Community High School on Friday, August 3rd, 2018.
With the new equipment, Hardy plans on continuing to push the "lesser" sports so his students can look forward to coming to class. This challenge was difficult without new equipment because things would constantly get broken and the school did not have the budget to replace them right away, with electives taking a "backburner" to the other classes.
Having $25,000 worth of new items for his classes, Hardy hopes that it will allow the school to start an after school intramural club as well as the kids having more enjoyment.
"This is going to be a fun year," Hardy said. "I got so many choices to choose from now. The thing with P.E., a lot of kids get bored with P.E. because they do the same thing over and over again. Now, here, it'll be different because now they're not going to know what to expect when they come to the gym and that's going to make it exciting for them."
Going into the fourth year of the partnership between the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Good Sports, they have distributed over $182,000 and served more than 27,000 kids in the Richmond area. The "Show Us How You Move" video contest resulted in five schools and youth sports programs from the Richmond area receiving a combined total of $57,000 in equipment that impacted more than 6,000 kids.
The organizations conducted a ceremony on Friday at the high school, where the equipment was revealed and a special appearance was made by players Kapri Bibbs, Dustin Hopkins, Anthony Lanier II, and Colt McCoy. Kids in attendance got to test out the new equipment, participating in fitness stations as well as playing gym games with the athletes.
"To see the Redskins give back to schools like this is amazing," Bibbs said. "This is what the world's all about. This is what getting a blessing is all about...I think the Redskins do a great job of always doing that, always giving back to the community, always giving us opportunities, ample opportunities, to come back and give to the community as well and that's real important. This is what we do we do. This is what we out here for."


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How to Calculate Severance Pay?
- Qualified employee shall be paid a severance pay equal to last 30 days' gross wages for each full year of employment.
- For a portion of a year, pro rata payment should be made.
- In calculation of the last 30 days' wage, the wage paid and the some contractual and statutory benefits in kind provided by employer shall be taken into account. Also periodical (annually, quarterly etc.) payments such as premium and bonuses will be added in monthly basis.
- Unused annual leave periods should be paid as wage.
- There is a cap for severance pay and it is 4.426,13 TL/Year for the first half of 2017. However, this limit may be increased by provisions of employment contracts.
- However, there is no cap amount for severance pay for press employees. They will be paid a severance pay equal to last 30 days' gross wages for each full year of employment.
- Severance payment is subject to stamp tax only, no income tax is applied.


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Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Saxagliptin Added to Insulin Monotherapy or to Insulin Combined With Metformin in Chinese Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Inadequate Glycaemic Control
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02104804
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : April 4, 2014
Results First Posted : October 2, 2017
Last Update Posted : October 2, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
|Drug: Saxagliptin 5mg Drug: Placebo for Saxagliptin
|Phase 3
Study Design: Randomized, prospective, double-blind, two-arm, parallel group, multi-center trial.
Target Subject Population: Subjects aged ≥18 who have type 2 diabetes (HbA1c of ≥7.5% and ≤11.0% and FPG<270 mg/dL (15 mmol/L)) on stable baseline therapy (insulin alone or insulin combined with metformin, with insulin at doses of ≥20 and ≤150 units per day total) for at least eight weeks at the time of screening. Insulin may be long-acting, intermediate-acting, or pre-mixed. 444 patients are planned to be randomized.
Investigational Product, Dosage and Mode of administration: Active treatment will comprise Saxagliptin 5 mg tablets once daily.
Comparator, Dosage and Mode of administration: Matching placebo tablets will be used as comparator.
Duration of Treatment: The study is divided to a single blind placebo lead in period of 8 weeks and a double-blind treatment phase of 24 weeks. Patients will be rescued based on high FPG values.
Statistical Methods: The analysis of the primary endpoint of change from baseline to week 24 of treatment in HbA1c will consist of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model with treatment group and metformin use at enrolment as fixed effects and baseline HbA1c value as a covariate. The analysis will be performed on the Full analysis Set (FAS) consisting of randomised subjects who received at least 1 randomised investigational product dose and had at least 1 non-missing baseline and 1 post-baseline efficacy assessment. Within the framework of the ANCOVA model, point estimates and two-sided 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the mean change within each treatment group as well as for the difference in mean change between treatment groups will be calculated.
The Per Protocol (PP) analysis set is a subset of the full analysis set and will consist of subjects who do not deviate from the terms of the protocol which may affect the study outcome significantly as specified in the pre-defined protocol deviation list prior to unblinding the study. All decisions to exclude subjects from the primary data set will be made prior to the unblinding of the study. The primary efficacy endpoint of change from baseline in HbA1c, demographics, and baseline diabetes related characteristics and all secondary efficacy endpoints are to be analyzed using the PP Data Set. The analyses of PPG AUC, 120 minute PPG, FPG and mean total daily dose of insulin will also be done on the FAS and use a similar ANCOVA model as described above. Subjects achieving a therapeutic glycaemic response (A1C <7%) will be analyzed using a Fisher's exact test and will include exact 95% confidence intervals. The FPG analyses will utilize the mean of the latest two FPG values prior to randomization as the baseline value. The endpoint for the FPG analysis will be the mean of the week 20 and week 24 FPG values. All analyses (except the analysis of mean total daily dose of insulin) will utilize only observations at visits prior to rescue or where the subject's mean total daily dose of insulin has not increased by >10% from baseline. If an observation at week 24 is missing or does not meet these criteria, the latest post-baseline value that does will be carried forward (LOCF). The analysis of mean total daily dose of insulin will utilize the latest, non-missing, post-baseline value regardless of rescue. Multiplicity for the primary and secondary endpoints will be controlled via a hierarchical testing procedure that utilizes the full alpha (0.05) for each test. The sequence of testing will be: 1. Change from baseline in HbA1c at Week 24. 2. Change from baseline in PPG AUC at Week 24.3. Change from baseline in 120 minute PPG at Week 24. 4. Proportion of subjects achieving HbA1c <7.0% at Week 24. 5. Change from baseline in FPG to the mean at Week 20 and Week 24. 6. Change from baseline in MTDDI at Week 24.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|953 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase 3b Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Saxagliptin Added to Insulin Monotherapy or to Insulin in Combination With Metformin in Chinese Subjects in China With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Inadequate Glycaemic Control on Insulin Alone or on Insulin in Combination With Metformin
|Actual Study Start Date :
|May 7, 2014
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|February 26, 2016
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|February 26, 2016
Experimental: Saxagliptin 5mg
Saxagliptin 5mg, administered to subjects with Type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with insulin alone or with insulin plus metformin
Drug: Saxagliptin 5mg
Saxagliptin 5mg (plus stable insulin dose), given orally once daily (24 weeks); subjects stratified by use of stable metformin dose; flexible insulin dose (as needed for rescue).
Other Names:
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo administered to subjects with Type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with insulin alone or with insulin plus metformin
Drug: Placebo for Saxagliptin
Placebo tablets (plus stable insulin dose), given orally once daily (24 weeks); subjects stratified by use of stable metformin dose; flexible insulin dose (as needed for rescue).
Other Names:
- Change in HbA1c From Baseline to Week 24 [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 weeks ]
- Change in Postprandial Glucose AUC From Baseline to Week 24 During a Meal Tolerance Test [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 weeks ]
- Analysis of Change in 120-minute PPG From Baseline to Week 24 During a Meal Tolerance Test [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 weeks ]
- Percentage of Patients Achieving a Therapeutic Glycaemic Response of HbA1c <7% [ Time Frame: At Week 24 ]
- The Analysis of Change in Fasting Plasma Glucose From Baseline to Week 24 (This Was the Average of Weeks 20 and 24) [ Time Frame: Baseline to Average of Weeks 20 and 24 ]
- Analysis of Change in Mean Total Daily Dose of Insulin From Baseline to Week 24 [ Time Frame: Baseline to 24 weeks ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 100 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Provision of informed consent before participating in the study.
- Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
- Inadequate glycemic control (screening: HbA1c ≥7.5% and ≤11.0% and FPG<270 mg/dL (15mmol/L). At Day -4 visit, HbA1c ≥7.5% and ≤10.5%. and FPG<270 mg/dL (15mmol/L)).
- On a stable dose of insulin for 8 weeks or longer prior to screening.
- If taking metformin, subjects should have been taking the same daily dose for 8 weeks or longer prior to screening.
- Insulin type should be intermediate-acting or long-acting (basal) or premixed (premixed formulation may include short- or rapid-acting insulin as one component).
- Body mass index ≤45 kg/m^2.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Women of childbearing potential unable or unwilling to use acceptable birth control.
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Symptoms of poorly controlled diabetes. including but not limited to, marked polyuria and polydipsia with greater than 10% weight loss during the last three months prior to screening or other signs and symptoms.
- Significant cardiovascular history defined as: myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty or bypass graft, valvular disease or repair, unstable clinical significant arrhythmia, unstable angina pectoris, transient ischemic attack, or cerebrovascular accident.
- Congestive heart failure
- Chronic or repeated intermittent corticosteroid treatment (subjects receiving stable doses of replacement corticosteroid (except dexamethasone) therapy may be enrolled).
- History of unstable or rapidly progressing renal disease.
- History of alcohol or drug abuse within the previous year.
- Unstable major psychiatric disorders.
- History of hemoglobinopathies
- Immunocompromised status
- Severe liver disease.
- In subjects treated with insulin alone a calculated creatinine clearance <50 ml/min. In patients treated with insulin in combination with metformin a calculated creatinine clearance <60 ml/min or serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL in males or > 1.4mg/dL in females.
- Anemia
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02104804
|Research Site
|Beijing, China
|Research Site
|Changchun, China
|Research Site
|Fuzhou, China
|Research Site
|Guangzhou, China
|Research Site
|Ha'er bing, China
|Research Site
|Hefei, China
|Research Site
|Nanchang, China
|Research Site
|Nanjing, China
|Research Site
|Shanghai, China
|Research Site
|ShiJiazhuang, China
|Research Site
|Shiyan, China
|Principal Investigator:
|Linong Ji, Professor
|People's Hospital of Peking Universty
Publications of Results:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT02104804 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
2014L00001 ( Other Identifier: China: State Food and Drug Administration )
|First Posted:
|April 4, 2014 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|October 2, 2017
|Last Update Posted:
|October 2, 2017
|Last Verified:
|April 2017
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin, Dipeptidyl-Peptidase 4 Inhibitors, Metformin,saxagliptin,Endocrine System Diseases
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Glucose Metabolism Disorders
Metabolic Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Insulin, Globin Zinc
Insulin, Short-Acting
Hypoglycemic Agents
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors
Protease Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action


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DOW Resin Price increase for October 2013
Please note Dow's price increase announcement effective 10-1-13. This is in addition to the announced 9-1-13 increase. The industry has not experienced the announced 9-1-13 increase at this point. Note this is NOT AEP's price increase announcement but rather providing information as to what's happening in the resin market. We will keep you posted on any developments.


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In the blog, the readers will comprehend the elementary aspects of Small cell in 5G communication mechanism, in a way it is enhanced 4G-LTE. The article will be significant to the scholars, learners, researcher and City RF Planner who are aware with 4G, 3G or 2G also be worthwhile for those who are innovative to this technology.
Now days, 5G new radio (NR) is becoming more popular because of its high data rate, reduced latency, energy saving, cost reduction, higher system capacity, and massive device connectivity. The first phase of 5G specifications in Release-15 will be completed by March 2019 to accommodate the early commercial deployment.
LTE subscriber base now accounts for 44% of all mobile subscriptions worldwide and is expected to keep growing until 2022. Based on the latest GSA data, there were 3.74B LTE connections globally at the end of September 2018 in comparison to 2.77B connections a year earlier. LTE subscriptions are expected to reach 5.96B by 2022 end.
In last few years, Internet of Things (IoT) standards have evolved considerably to provide seamless convergence of the digital and the physical world. IoT allows applications, machines connected to the network to communicate among them or with servers without human intervention.
The explosive growth of data-driven service has been the main driver for 3GPP evolutions in recent years. 5G is expected to provide considerably more flexibility for customization compared to earlier generations. New deployments are expected to serve huge amounts of mobile data traffic, thus requiring very efficient user plane path management.
India is known to have the second largest population in the world at 1.3 billion but it also has the second largest number of mobile subscriptions in the world.
LTE subscriptions now make one-third of global mobile subscriptions. A recent GSA report puts the total subscriptions to 2.54 billion, 32.4% of all mobile subscriptions globally. It took 3 years to reach the half-billion mark for LTE subscriptions but in last 3 years, LTE has shown tremendous growth with ~2B subscription additions.
With 5G, network functions virtualisation is making in-roads in Radio Access Networks as well as the Core Network. Telecom operators will have newer flexible deployment options with virtualised RAN offering additional ways to increase network capacity, coverage and user experience while reducing time to market for new services.
ITU & 3GPP driven 5G has huge potential in utilising Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) to enhance radio access and core network elements. Many operators and equipment manufacturers have already invested heavily to reap the benefits of this technology.
Singapore has best 4G LTE experience with a 46.64Mbps average download speed among 77 nations according to a recent OpenSignal report. South Korea is not far behind with an average of 45.85Mbps speed. European countries Norway & Hungary too have LTE average speed greater than 40Mbps. By contrast, the US has very low average 13.98Mbps.
Last week, ITU-R Workshop on IMT-2020 terrestrial radio interfaces was held in Munich, Germany with main objective to outline the process of submission/reception of the Radio Interface Technology (RIT)/set of RIT (SRIT) proposals and acknowledgment of receipt.
Last week Apple announced a new generation of iPhones: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. The new iPhone features A11 Bionic chip, Retina HD displays and wireless charging, just to name a few.
5G New Radio (NR) development is part of continuous mobile broadband evolution process to meet the requirements of 5G as outlined by IMT-2020, similar to earlier evolution of 3G & 4G wireless networks.
In an Interview with LteWorld, Navin Vohra, Vice President, Wireless Sales, Asia Pacific, CommScope, explained CommScope's role and offerings in LTE technology domain. Here's what he had to say on LTE technologies and trends in APAC:
TeleGeography's GlobalComms Forecast Service new data reveals that global LTE subscribers are projected to grow 35% compounded annually over the next five years, from 516 million to 2.3 billion. To date, LTE adoption has been strongest in South Korea, where the 4G technology accounted for 63% of wireless subscribers in 2014.
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Called the funniest farce ever written, NOISES OFF presents a manic menagerie, featuring a cast of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called NOTHING'S ON. Doors slamming, on- and backstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.
"The most dexterously realized comedy ever about putting on a comedy. A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce. This dizzy, well-known romp is festival of delirium."-The New York Times
Recommended for mature audiences due to language and adult themes.


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Summer Bass Fishing: Boat Docks and Cover
Posted by detroitsportsandmore on August 1, 2009
I went to a large private lake not far from my home in South East Michigan. The lake is clear and sandy over most of it's bottom. It has significant weedy flats and strong weed lines in many sections. The size of the lake gives it a lot of variety although the sand and moderate weed cover dominates the underwater landscapes.
I set out in my small 14 ft. row boat and made my way to a small weed line near a drop off to start my mid-morning fishing(read: catching) trip. It was approximately 6-9 ft. in that location. I had a texas rigged Zoom finesse worm in watermelon red on a 4/0 eagle claw wide gap worm hook with a 1/4 oz. tungsten weight in green pumpkin. I was running 20 lb. Power Pro braid on the rod/reel I had on me.
I also had another reel in my bag spooled with 30 lb. Power Pro braid but I did not need it. The lake has only a handful of spots where the heavier braid would come in handy and I did not plan on visiting them this trip.
I was not having much success to start out and the wind was creating some problems. I decided to make a big move, well big for a row boat, and I oared my way directly into the wind that was blowing steadily out of the South West.
There is a sunken island out towards the middle of the eastern half of the lake so I went there. I switched my presentation to a screw-in style football head jig. It was a 3/0 standard hook with no other dressings, just the jig head, hook, and a spot to screw your bait on. It was brown with red eyes and 1/2 oz. in weight. The wind made the weight necessary.
I made several casts across the top of the sunken island, trying to hit holes in the weeds. After several casts I decided another move was in order. I headed across a small saddle to a point that extends from the south shore out towards the sunken island. I could not fish the saddle as it sits underneath a ski course. It is typically a nice sandy spot to find a few small mouth bass. This lake has both large and small mouth bass along with rock bass.
I worked the point and missed on a hookup. Bites were tough to judge with the constant waves from the boat traffic and the persistent winds of about 10-15 mph. Gusts near 20 mph were the main problem though.
After fighting mother nature I decided the best place to fish was the south shore, where I could tuck into the shallows away from the worst of the wind. Two bays on the south shore provided lots of room to fish away from most of the wind. I slowly oared my boat into position in between two docks.
The shore line on the south shore often has dark patches of bottom with moderate weed cover, including the occasional lily pad patch. Old tree stumps are located through the shallows as well. They do not hold fish but are used as cover for fish that are on the move. The occasional meal found by these structures cause bass to check them out regularly. The cloud cover became a little thicker around this time, approximately 11 a.m. I switched back to a texas rig with the same 4/0 wide gap worm hook and 1/4 oz. tungsten weight. This time I employed a Zoom Brush Hog in green pumpkin.
With the sun still showing strong the dull color looks realistic still. A little color or flash can turn fish off in high visibility situations.
I made my first cast over a lily pad patch. Instead of letting the bait fall I quickly popped it p to the surface of the lily pads. I twitched it along the surface of the pads and up onto one. You want to do this as quick as needed when you have weight on there. The pad patch was only 6 or 7 feet across and 9 feet wide. I stopped near the edge closer to me and twitched the Hog on top of the pad trying to draw attention. I then pulled it back through the remaining lily pads. Just as it reached the edge a big explosion occurred.
No hookup.
So I repeated the same sequence a few feet left. Same explosion, same result. Time to switch it up. I casted further left, just off to the side of the lily pads and brought the Hog up next to the far corner of the patch. I let it sit, motionless for about 15 seconds. I gave it a slight pop, just enough to get it up and out of the weeds, and let it settle back down. I watched as a bass came out from the lily pads and stopped right next to my bait. I gave it a subtle twitch. The bass began to swim slowly back into the lily pads as I drove the hook in.
Like a race horse out of the blocks, he exploded out of the lily pads and gave a picture perfect head shake. I dropped the rod and worked him to my right. The braid was more than enough to bring the 19 inch bucket mouth to the boat. I lipped him, admired him, then let him go back to his patch.
I continued down the bank in much the same fashion. Checking spots on the spot. I would fish small spots like the lily patch, focusing on corners or structure within weed patches or shady overhangs. I pulled another bass from under a raft, only about a 14 inch large mouth. Moving on I found another small weed patch next to some lily pads. I dropped my Hog on the back corner and let it sit. One twitch and Boom! Another nice fish, this one about 18 inch put on a good show before I let him go.
Further down the bank I came across a large oak tree that lost a limb into the water. It was still attached and was covered in green leaves. I swung my rod tip low as I casted. I was off to the right side, moving right to left down the shore. I skipped my lure under the back side of the tree and gave it a few mild twitches. This time nothing happened. I thought for sure I would catch one there.
I began to retrieve my lure through the open water about 5 feet from the tree when something caught my eye off to the right. I stopped reeling and let my lure fall to the bottom. Right across the open water I saw a nice bass swimming towards my lure. I waited, he must ave seen it fall and went to inspect it. I waited until he acted like he may turn around and I gave the Hog a quick solid twitch.
It was like the fish was made of lightning. He covered about 4 feet of water in a flash and began to swim back the way he came. I drove the hook in hard and the fish used that same lightning speed to drive towards the weeds. He was pulling considerable drag, despite my aggressive setting, until he turned towards the boat and made a bee line for it. He took a lap and a half around the boat and then performed some water acrobatics about 4 feet from the side of the boat. He was getting some serious air too.
I had enough of that and went to landing him. I quickly pulled him up into the boat with my rod and lipped him to take the hook out. A small mouth, which would explain the fight and show. He had a minor injury to his eye but was still as beautiful as ever. He was a healthy fish other than that and measured about 17 inch, maybe slightly more.
What a treat. Small mouth bass have become a big favorite of mine of the years.
Next I continued down the shore and began to get back into the wind. I had to use my anchor to keep my boat in place long enough to cast and make a decent presentation.
I was almost out of Zoom Brush Hogs and switched to a comparable 4 inch Berkley Tube in green pumpkin color. It is a little darker and has less character than the creature bait. I flipped the shallows and caught a few large mouth bass in the 11-14 inch range. I even caught two rock bass. You have to admire a 7 inch fish that eats a 4 inch bait.
I decided to go back to the Brush Hog when I came across a nice area with multiple types of cover. I threw a few casts and wasn't catching anything. I casted to small section of dock under an oak overhang and had a bite, but missed a hookup.
I ripped a low cast under the tree, there was approximately 5 feet of clearance under the tree that extended over 20 feet out from shore. I landed my Hog about 3 feet past a large section of dock that was laying flat on the bottom in about 3 feet of water. I popped the lure up onto the dock and paused. It was far away but my instincts told me something had moved up there. I twitched my lure and felt a very slight pressure. Acting on instinct I slammed the hook home.
My reel began screaming, as if to tell me to chill out or something. A big bass began diving into the weeds. Despite the tight drag, the bass took the line he wanted and tried to dive into pieces of cover as I pulled him towards the boat. After several attempts to bury himself, the big boy ran under and circled the boat. I followed him around and guided him back to the side of the boat. Perhaps finally wearing down he relaxed for a brief second. I quickly dropped down and lipped him.
The biggest bass of the day was a 21 inch beauty. The large mouth had a solid body and held good weight. I estimated him to be a shade over 4 pounds.
I continued on with my Brush Hog and Berkley Tube and caught several more fish as I made my way back. In one spot I skipped the Hog up under a double wide dock. About 6 feet under the end of the dock a nice 19 inch fish hooked up and came to see me. 20 feet down the side of the dock and 4 feet under, another nice bass, about 17 inches, took the offering. A nearby weed patch produced a 16 inch and 15 inch bass.
In the heavy waves also took advantage of a small break along a sea wall to catch another nice 18 inch fish.
I finally gave into the wind and let it push me back towards my dock. Along the way I tested some weed patches across some large flats, catching one decent 16 inch bass and two smaller fish, 11 inches and 12 inches respectively, before I left.
All in all it was a very successful trip. The standard summer pattern of boat dock and cover fishing near shore proved to be the right pattern for the day.
I hope I can return one more time before the summer ends to try another section of shore.
If you want more detailed information about cover and dock fishing in shallow water, leave me a comment here and I WILL GET BACK TO YOU.
Remember to share your passion for fishing with others and take someone fishing if you get the privilege to do so.


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User guidance SOS RescueWhen you download SOS Rescue Me, this image will
appear on your iPhone. The first thing you need to do,
is to specify the phone numbers to those you want to
receive a message in case of distress, and who you
want to be alerted on Facebook to enable them to monitor
your whereabouts. Also enter your local emergency phone
number to alert the police, the firedept, or paramedics / ambulance. Enter the "Settings" button down to the right.
Then this image will appear. Enter your contacts,
emergency phone numbers, alter the standardized
SOS message text if you want, and finally enable the alarm, Facebook, and the app's ability to immediately publish on Facebook photo's taken showing your whereabouts.
When in distress, press the red alarm button.
(See photo above). A message will be sent to your
contacts along with a map showing your whereabouts.
The message will be published by Pop-Up on Facebook
visible for your contacts. SOS Rescue Me will send
your coordinates showing your movements allowing
your contacts to know your exact moves and whereabouts.
When the message is sent, a map showing your exact
whereabouts will appear both on senders and receivers
phone by link, as well as on Facebook. A signal will be sent
frequently to Facebook updating your moves so one can
tell exactly where you are at all times. In serious cases
where you need to be found this function is crucial.
Witness Function. Press the second button from the right,
and a camera will appear on your screen. Press the screen
(not the usual button on top), and a photo is immediately
taken and simultaneously uploaded to Facebook. Useful if
you are in distress yourself and manage to take a photo
of your perpetrator, or if you are an actual witness to an
incident. Can also be used just for immediate uploading of
photos to Facebook showing where you are right now.
Nice function on holiday. Or lost / injured in the wilderness.
If you are stalked, fake an incoming call by pressing
the center button "Fake call". Just set the time (once), -press
"Fake an incoming call in..." and start talking when
the phone rings. This may scare of potential assailants
What you without a doubt will realize when you have
familiarized yourself with the SOS Rescue Me app,
is that this app can help you in many situations.
Both in serious situations where you actually need help
or need to be found, or in harmless situations like just
finding out where you are if you are lost, or just immediate
uploading of photos to Facebook showing your location.
This app can be lifesaving in given situations.
Keep your friends and family safe as well telling them
about this app. Even tell people you don't know yourself
about this app. Maybe your contribution may help avoiding
a serious situation for someone else?
Help spreading the word. Make your contribution to a safer world.
Use below QR-code to download the SOS Rescue Me app to your iPhone if you haven't done so already.


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26 March 2014
Ulster Wildlife Trust has a vision of 'Living Seas'. Within 'Living Seas', marine wildlife thrives, from the depths of the ocean to the coastal shallows.
Last year Ulster Wildlife Trust ran a photographic competition with a 'Living Seas' theme.
The public were asked to submit photographs capturing this them against different categories such as 'Plant Life, 'The Sea and Me', 'Underwater' and 'Animal Portrait'.
The entries of the category winners, overall runner up and overal winner are now being exhibited at different locations around Northern Ireland and Loughs Agency are delighted to have the exhibition at our headquarters in Prehen for 4 weeks (26th Mar – 24th Apr).
The local images showcase the beautiful and inspring marine wildlife we have on, above and below the surface of the seas around Northern Ireland.
Winner of 'Plant Life' Rob Spray said 'some divers don't appreciate the beauty of the kelp forest but it is a spectacular place, the bright end of many dives and home to a huge biodviersity of animals and algae living on and under the canopy'.
Brian McCready photograph 'Colours of the Coast' was taken on the rocks between the beaches of Tyrella and Ballykilner as the sun broke through the clouds and brought the colours of the coast to life.
Ulster Wildlife Trust are currently running their 2014 competition which closes at the end of July. Click here for more information.
Visitors are encouraged to come a view exhibition at Loughs Agency. Open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Tel: 02871 342100 for more information.


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An inspector investigates the music-related disappearance of a young girl in Maestro: Music of Death
Along with Big Fish Game Studios, ERS Games has become one of the most highly-regarded purveyors of hidden object adventures. Known for its spooky storylines and exemplary graphics, ERS has gained a reputation for making hauntingly beautiful games; unfortunately, as the new solid-but-not-overly-innovative hidden object adventure, Maestro: Notes of Life demonstrates, the developer is in serious danger of becoming the proverbial one trick pony.
Maestro: Notes of Life continues where its predecessor, Maestro: Music of Death, left off. Where the previous game had you investigating mysterious deaths in Paris, thought to be the work of magical music, this one has you looking into the disappearance of a young girl thought to be kidnapped by magical music. In this case, the music in question comes from a creepy old broad named Eva Kruger whose goal is to use the talents of a disturbing young music prodigy to achieve eternal life. While she and her bushy-haired sidekick are a somewhat uniquely villainous duo, their twisted expressions, grandiose plans, and compulsive need to fling taunts and then vanish make them more similar to, than different from, other adventure game villains we've seen a hundred times.
The game exhibits other, even more obvious similarities to previously-seen game titles through its color palette, graphics, and art direction. Maestro: Notes of Life is characterized visually by moody, candle-lit scenes filled with crumbling structures, overgrown gardens and strange machinery—just like every other ERS game. And although the game's art style is indeed impeccable, there's nothing to differentiate it from any other game released by the studio. Fans of the ERS style will no doubt appreciate this consistency, but others may see it as an indication that when it comes to innovation, ERS isn't interested and when it comes to presentation, ERS is phoning things in. This same feeling extends to the game's puzzles, hidden object scenes and sound design which again, are solid but ultimately forgettable.
Here and there, the developer slips in an interesting visual take on a well-worn puzzle but for the most part, puzzles are not only too familiar, but solving them requires little to no thought. Further, hidden object scenes fall victim to two of my biggest peeves—item repetition and randomness. No matter where you go or what kind of environment you're in, you'll be sifting through the same jumble of corn cobs, corkscrews, doll heads and axes. The specificity of the locale isn't fully exploited and the re-use of art assets is fairly obvious. In fact, the only note-worthy thing about the game's hidden object scenes is the way they seem to intentionally baffle you with nonsensical item match-ups. Some items require you to move something or put two items together but these pairings often fall into"what the heck?" territory. For example, who would think to give an apple to a squirrel in order to find a ribbon? There's some interesting logic at work there.
In addition to some so-so puzzles and lackluster hidden object scenes, the best that can be said about the game's sound design is that it's "fine." Not exactly a ringing endorsement. You'd think a music-themed game would make more creative use of sounds but aside from the obviously competent implementation of sound effects and the occasional nod to orchestral themes, Maestro: Notes of Life really doesn't. And in terms of the actual musical score, I get the feeling I've heard it before. Is it possible ERS is reusing musical tracks? If not, then their composer is stuck in a serious rut.
Some of you might think I'm being extremely hard on the game and on ERS and in some ways I guess I am. It's only because having played some of ERS's first (and best) hidden object adventures, I've come to the point where I expect more from them. Yes, they tell good spooky stories. Yes, they make great art. And yes, they have the hidden object adventure/item search/puzzle formula down pat. It just seems that having all that experience and skill under their collective belts, at this stage of the game the studio might be interested in showing us something we haven't seen before.
In conclusion, I admit my disappointment in Maestro: Notes of Life, but I also admit that my disappointment is informed by having played most of ERS's other titles. Players new to the ERS adventures are likely to enjoy this game, which is undoubtedly a professional effort. I'll give you that. My question for you though is, does ERS have the ability—or more importantly, the will—to stop resting on its laurels and bring us the next evolutionary step in casual adventure games?


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Martial arts goes beyond learning how to punch, kick, and block correctly. It is an art and a way of life. A black belt is not easy! It takes a lot of hard work. Working to advance in belt rankings teaches you to always strive to be better and understand that everyone must put in effort to progress.
A great leader helps others to develop while developing themselves. Martial Arts requires you to mentor another individual so others can advance as well. Whether you're learning martial arts online or at a dojo, your learns will offer insight to many who have not had the same experiences you have had. Martial Arts incorporates supporting another in order to advance.
A correct martial arts form, combo, or even a punch cannot be executed correctly without focus. Martial Arts teaches you to zone out the distractions and immerse yourself in what is happening now. As you practices day in and day out, it becomes second nature, allowing you to apply it to other aspects of life like working or studying.
About InternetMartialArts.com:
We promote physical wellness and mental wellbeing with the benefits of martial arts via our innovative e-learning system. InternetMartialArts.com integrates a comprehensive study program including an extensive library of videos, access to a mentor/sensei for feedback, and an online belt testing program. We aim to help our users to develop confidence, respect, and discipline through martial arts.
Book a free online tour today to learn about InternetMartialArts.com:
Eugene Cho


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Well, Mike ran in to problems getting ldjam.com working properly with about 12 hours left in the Compo, so this is the backup plan.
Termite Warsby eflosten - Jam Entry
Who are you?
We are a team of two, we worked at WhootGames (released Random Fighters on android and Castles on Steam/Ps4/XBoxOne), now we are freelancing and trying to create our own studio, Evil Worm Games. This is our first ludum dare, so please be nice!
Oh, we also have an Early Access game on Android called Furry Pirates, go check it out! :)
What's this game about?
Well, the theme for this Ludum Dare is "One Room". So we were thinking...what is there in a room? Furniture! And what kind of game can we create about a room and furniture... Then BOOM! Mind explode! A game about becoming the boss of the stance, the master of the furniture, the king of termites! So...
This game is a fast paced "kind-of-RTS" about becoming the last survival termite clan of the room. You fight with other AI termite clans, consume your wooden nests to create more troops and invade every piece of furniture on the room.
Are there bugs in this game?
Of course there are, it's a game about termites! Nah, seriously, yes, you may encounter a couple bugs. We apologize for it, but hey, if you like the game we may finish it (bug free!) and publish it on itch.io or another site!
So... How do I play this game?
Simple! Left click to select furniture, you can drop units or garrison on another nest. Click & drag to select units, and right click to tell them to go somewhere. If it's a piece of furniture you own, they will garrison. If it belongs to your enemies, they'll attack it. You have a little tutorial ingame too.
All art & visual assets were created by @arkaitzprz
All the bugs (the ones in the code too!) were created by @eflosten
Music is from the album 8-bit Run 'n Pun from Ozzed.net. Check out his music, it's great!
We hope you enjoy the game, have fun!
Downloads and Links
Really funny fast paced RTS game with cute voxel graphics :)
Fun game ! But I think there is a bug : when you play the tutorial, you can not click in your next game.
I think the game can be awesome in multiplayer !
Thought this was a pretty interesting iteration of the mechanics in "Galcon". The space between nodes is wider so there's a wider range of strategies.
I also liked your take on the theme.
It's polished, fun and a really cool entry :-)
Good graphics!
Fun game, but I found it very difficult. I don't really play much RTS, though.
Love the music and the idea.
As already mentioned, if you do the tutorial, the game doesn't work later.
Cool concept and frantic action, it'd be a blast in multiplayer.
You must sign in to comment.


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Fox Sports Captures The Live Emotions of Real Football Fans in Dutch Ad
Network Cast True-Life Fans in Place of Actors
Published On
Jul 28, 2014
Editor's Pick
Rather than hire actors to star in its latest film, which promotes its new season of live football, Fox Sports Netherlands cast real-life fans and filmed their reactions as they watched a series of games. The resulting 60 second ad, by Anomaly Amsterdam, captures the emotional roller-coasters experienced by real fans watching live sports (helped by an operatic soundtrack, and some cinematic-style direction by Victor D Ponten.) Dutch viewers might also recognize a few local sporting celebrities among the fans, including John van Zweden, an Ado Den Haag supporter and part-owner of Premier League club Swansea City, and Dries Jans, former PEC Zwolle player..
- Date
- Jul 28, 2014
- Agency:
- Anomaly-Amsterdam
- Brand:
- Fox Sports Netherlands
- Client:
- Fox Sports Netherlands
- Partner, Global Executive Creative Director:
- Richard Mulder
- President/Partner:
- Hazelle Klonhammer
- Partner, Head of Planning:
- Amanda Feve
- Creative Director:
- Zack McDonald
- Creative:
- Daan van Dam
- Head of Production:
- Ezra Xenos
- Studio Artist:
- Andy McAlpine
- Business Director:
- Tracey McIntosh
- Production Company:
- Habbekrats Amsterdam
- Director:
- Victor D. Ponten
- Executive Producer:
- Julius Ponten
- Executive Producer:
- Philip Harthoorn
- Line Producer:
- Frank Coenen
- Director, Photography:
- Gabor Deak
- Director, Photography:
- Lennari Verstegen
- Editor:
- Govert Janse
- Music:
- Sizzer Amsterdam
- Post Production:
- Captcha!
- Colorist:
- Barry Clarke
- Retoucher:
- Titus Cliff
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors


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Judgment is a way that we use to try and create connections. Most people feel that there is safety in sameness and seek others that are similar to themselves. Most of what we call connection is actually based on judgment.
People who are different are often judged as being wrong or bad.
When we judge someone, that creates separation. Your judgment doesn't make you right about your beliefs, they are just different. When we drop the judgment, we can observe a person more impartially. When you don't make them wrong or bad, you don't create that separation and can observe without trying to make them change. Even if they are being an ass-hat, you are able to remain curious and see their orientation to life and observe how they behave in the world. You don't feel the need to try and change them when you don't have judgment, you have allowance for who they are. Allowance is the lube to change and the antidote to judgment.
Do you ask for judgment?
When you are constantly seeking validation from others, you are not trusting yourself to know what is right for you. If you trust yourself, you aren't as invested in what others are being or doing. and you aren't trying to change yourself or change what others do. You aren't trying to validate your self worth by asking for external judgment.
If you try to buy into someone else's version of how to be or what to do in your life, you aren't living in your aliveness.
Our relationship with aliveness is based a lot on our orientation to life and if you're oriented toward judgment, you're creating a reality of right and wrong, good and bad; a reality of separation. Say no to judgment and say yes to aliveness. You will be happy that you did.
This post has been infused with the energy of Seducing Aliveness, where two inspiring hosts reveal some controversial ideas.