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Topic Page: International business
International business (IB) is a generic term that describes any form of business transaction, whether undertaken by individuals or organizations, involving parties from more than one country. It includes trade in raw materials and finished goods, in services, investment and financial transactions, collaborations and joint ventures, and relocation of business units to capitalize on lower costs of doing business. Contemporary IB involves activities in the field of e-business: buying, selling, communicating, and cooperating using the Internet.
International business has been conducted since national boundaries were formed, from the days of the Phoenician Empire to the present. Czinkota, Ronkainen, and Moffett point out how, throughout history, IB has been used as a tool of governmental policy; either as an enabler, or as a form of coercion and control. Though IB has a long history, its economic, social, and political importance has increased with phenomena such as industrialization, transportation, globalization, and the growth of multinational enterprises (MNEs). As Buckley outlines, contemporary theory of IB embraces elements of applied economics, finance, business policy and corporate strategy, organization theory, and of applied management fields such as marketing.
Early theories of IB assumed imbalanced power relationships between nations in relation to financial and physical resources. Mercantilists believed that the prosperity of a nation was dependent on its reserves of precious metals, which in turn would be increased through generating high exports and reducing imports. In the mercantile system, the state fulfilled an active protectionist role, through the application of selective tariffs to promote exports and minimize imports. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, protectionism was one of the key factors underpinning European imperialism and many European wars.
The 18th-century economist Adam Smith opposed the mercantilists' restrictive and regulated system and, in his book The Wealth of Nations, he argued that free trade, competition, and choice spur economic development, reduce poverty, and stimulate social and moral improvement. Using examples from across the world, Smith provided a new understanding of the wealth-creating process and paved the way for an era of free trade and economic expansion in the 19th century. Adam Smith's arguments were based on the concept of absolute advantage, whereby each nation should export goods that it can produce more efficiently than any other, and should import those for which another country holds absolute advantage.
It is possible for two countries to engage in exchange even where one holds absolute advantage over the other in relation to the production of all goods. This is explained by the theory of comparative advantage, which places emphasis on the relative efficiency of the utilization of resources both within and between countries. Robert Torrens first described the concept in 1815, but it became widely known following David Ricardo's explanation in his 1817 book, The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation.
Early theories of IB were concerned with the competitiveness of countries rather than companies, and with trade in products rather than services, seeking to explain how countries could achieve and maintain a positive balance of trade, and why particular countries offered suitable targets for exports within the global supply chain. In addition to a shift in the focus of exchange from products to services, the second half of the 20th century saw the growth of MNEs: those companies owning separate operations in more than one country, accompanied by a move away from country-based theories to development of firm-based theories and consideration of industries and products.
Key firm-based theories include country similarity theory. Developed by Swedish economist Steffen Linder, this theory suggests that trade in manufactured products should take place between countries with similar per capita incomes and be related primarily to differentiated goods: those for which brand names and reputation play a crucial marketing role. Raymond Vernon's product life cycle theory describes the three stages of the cycle: from new product development, through maturing, into standardization. Associated with these three stages are parallel developments of domestic production, export, and net import by the innovating firm's home country. From looking more closely at interorganizational competition, Paul Krugman and Kelvin Lancaster developed global strategic rivalry theory, which outlines the numerous ways in which MNEs can seek to gain competitive advantage over their rivals. These include the ownership of intellectual property rights, strong investment in research and development (R&D), achievement of global economies of scale or scope, and the successful exploitation of the experience curve, relating high-value new product innovation to reducing unit costs over time.
Finally, Michael Porter offers the theory of national competitive advantage and outlines four major components from the point of view of a potential investor: (1) factor conditions, the appropriateness of the factors of production and their continuous development; (2) demand conditions, and the health and competitiveness of the company's home market; (3) related and supporting industries and supply-chain relationships; and (4) firm strategy, structure and rivalry, and the supporting or constraining conditions of the home environment. In addition, he highlights the mediating roles of government and chance factors.
Though trade is the most obvious form of IB, international investment also plays a key role, through cross-border supply of capital. International investment takes the form of either portfolio investment, passive investment without active control or management, and foreign direct investment (FDI), where the intention is acquisition of assets with the purpose of control. There are several key theories of international investment. Ownership advantage theory states that ownership of a key asset that creates advantage in the home market can be used to penetrate foreign markets through FDI. Internalization theory considers why organizations employ FDI, where the transaction costs and associated risks of contracting exceed those of ownership. John Dunning's eclectic theory sees successful FDI as being based upon three conditions: (1) ownership advantage, of a brand or technology, for example; (2) location advantage, in terms of costs and tariffs; and (3) internalization advantage, where direct control offers benefits over contracting.
A number of supranational agencies play key roles in the field of IB, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank, and the G-8 group of nations. The IMF serves to promote international monetary harmony, to monitor exchange rates and policies, and to provide support to economies in difficulty. The key functions of the WTO include the administration of trade agreements, acting as a forum for negotiation, addressing disputes between members, and monitoring the national policies of members. The World Bank is an agency of the United Nations, and its purpose is to fund development projects around the world. Finally, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States comprise the G-8. Its purpose is to review economic developments within the member states and across the global economy and to initiate international economic and financial policies.
Related to IB is the concept of economic integration, a process aimed at reducing barriers to trade between national markets. The extent of integration is usually classified under six stages that involve establishing: a preferential trade area, free trade area, customs union, common market, economic and monetary union, and complete economic integration. A number of trade blocs exist, with different degrees of integration; e.g., the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Union (EU), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and MERCOSUR, the group of South American countries.
Early theories of IB related primarily to consideration of products, whereas in the 21st-century IB is to a large extent grounded in cross-border facilitation of services and investment and increasingly relies upon use of Internet and telecommunications technologies. Contemporary literature on IB presents a range of viewpoints on whether the activities of MNEs, the policies of governments, and the actions of supranational agencies are seen to be supportive of economic growth and development for all, or contributing to an ever-greater socioeconomic divide between a super-rich global elite and an impoverished multitude. Central to the discussion is the concept of globalization and separate consideration of the respective impacts of the globalization of markets and of production. The former implies a convergence of markets, and of consumer buying power and buying behavior, while the latter depends on differences in factors of production between countries to enable economies of scale from lowering the costs of doing business through country selection.
Creating advantage in the field of services requires consideration of labor skills and access to capital, and countries like China, India, and Mexico seek to combine high levels of technological capability with lower costs of labor than in the developed world. In relation to products, particularly those with low technical specifications, advantage is dependent primarily on low labor costs, and these are the subject of critical debate in terms of how and why they are maintained. A number of viewpoints exist in the literature. Mainstream IB textbooks aver to issues of environmental impact, slave labor, and political corruption, but the predominant discourse is one of guidance and information on how best to engage in international business, with an implicit assumption that the growth and development of IB are both necessary and inevitable. Likewise, the idea of economic integration is underpinned by the notion that free trade is good. The concept of free trade has been criticized on several grounds, and alternatives have been proposed, including Tobin Tax, fair trade, balanced trade, and international barter. There is a body of writings that challenge the fundamental principles of growth and development. George Ritzer critiques the process of global homogenization, most famously in his McDonaldization thesis. His arguments are, however, developed across a broader range of issues of consumption and its dematerialization.
Naomi Klein considers the inherent tensions between the unifying effects of global markets and the social fragmentation of global production as problematic, due to their different impacts on socioeconomic structures. For others, globalization offers the only solution to the problems of social and economic exclusion and impoverishment. Philippe Legrain considers that, subject to supranational constraints to eliminate the excesses of corporate and individual greed and exploitation, a totally free market is the only course for future development. For Klein, however, fundamental problems of inequality cannot be addressed by the free market approach.
Despite the range of views and opinions on the benefits and problems of IB, it is apparent that there will be ongoing growth and development in the use of the Internet and of e-commerce. Individuals and organizations undertake transactions at a global level in real time, with increasingly open communications and transparency of pricing and costing structures. This has led to the development of new forms of interorganizational collaborations and networks and to novel ways of doing business, such as the reverse auction, whereby an organization seeks the lowest price for the supply of a particular product or service from bidders across the globe. The future potential of such developments will be linked to concerns of global social, political, and economic stability and turmoil; to the outcome of issues of security and attack, both physically and digitally; and to the extent and impact of climate change.
See also
Capital Movement, Migration, and Maquiladoras; E-Commerce; Globalization; International Management; Multinational Enterprises
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New Look 6948 The girls at school made a lot of these two years ago – they used up a shelf of tee shirt fabric from my cupboard. I made one too, in my usual size, and was mad to find it too tight. I rediscovered the pattern last week and decided to have another go in a) a larger size and b) a much stretchier piece of fabric. It's a very swingy silky knit I found at Savemart and thankfully there were no dramas when I sewed it. I added 15cm to the length and cut the back out on the fold. A nice new tunic for school. In very parochial colors too.
Something cute I couldn't resist. The idea came from a webpage with 50 ideas for using up scraps. I had this particular scrap of embroidered cloth leftover from a bag project, just enough for two hexagons and the red wool was an undamaged corner of a holey blanket. Quick and easy. Perfect to hang off that button I hardly use on the sewing machine.

subset: commoncrawl


text: You cannot add a cousin directly. You would have to define the cousins parent as a brother or sister to your parent. Once defined, than you can add that person as a cousin. When you view the chart, you'll see all the cousins as children of their parents who are all brothers and sisters. You would have to fine their common parents as well.


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This is not a comprehensive guide. This is meant to be a snapshot of the provisions that will affect you directly. There is still more to learn about Obamacare and more that will be revealed with time. So we'll keep you abreast about the provisions that will affect you as events unfold.
What it means for You
Insurance companies can't deny coverage to anyone for pre-existing conditions.
Young adults can stay on their parents' plans until age 26
There is a Penalty Tax of Health Savings Account withdrawals not used for health care expenses that doubled from 10% to 20%
If you participate in a healthcare flexible spending account at work, your contributions will be capped at $2,500/year, with no contributions for over-the counter medications
What it means for your Business
Small businesses with up to 25 employees, each earning $50,000/year or less, qualified for a new tax credit of up to 35% of the cost of providing health benefits to their employees.
To qualify for the credit, you have to pay at least 50% of the "employee-only" premium amount for your employees' coverage. You can't have more than 24 "full-time equivalent" employees, or FTEs. Your average wage can't be more than $50,000 per year. Oh, and you can't claim the credit for any premium you pay on your own behalf.
Employers with 250 or more employees must report the aggregate value of the health coverage they provide their employees on Form W2. This reporting is for informational purposes only and does not add anything to anyone's taxable income
Still to come
Starting in 2014, the maximum credit goes up to 50% of premiums paid. If the credit is more than the business owes, you can carry it back against previous taxes you paid, or carry it forward to offset future taxes
Employers with more than 50 employees must offer health benefits or pay a penalty of up to $2,000 per employee. If they offer coverage that doesn't meet minimum standards, the penalty could jump to $3,000. (The Obama administration has since postponed this requirement to 2015.)
What it means for your Taxes
If your earned income is above $200,000 – or $250,000 if you file jointly – you'll pay an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on earned income above those amounts. Given the new marginal tax rates in 2013 "fiscal cliff" legislation, that extra Medicare tax could help push your actual marginal rate well above 40%.
Finally, you'll pay a 3.8% "Unearned Income Medicare Contribution" on investment income if your AGI is above those same thresholds. "Investment income" is defined as interest, dividends, capital gains, rents, royalties, and annuities. This is the first time investment income has ever been subject to Medicare Tax.
Medical and Dental expenses must exceed 10% of your AGI, unless you or your spouse are 65 or older and not subject to AMT, in which case it stays at 7.5% of AGI until 2016.
Still to come:
2014 brings the most controversial changes. Specifically, this is the year when the "individual mandate" and "employer mandate" were both scheduled to begin:
Most individuals who aren't covered through their employer will have to maintain "minimum essential coverage" or pay individual penalties. This is the so-called "individual mandate" you've heard so much about.
The law says that by 2014, all Americans have to maintain "minimum essential coverage" or face a penalty.
The penalty starts at $95 per adult or $47.50 per child, up to a maximum of $285 per family or 1% of income in 2014. It rises to $695 per adult or $347.50 per child, up to a maximum of $2,085 per family or 2.5% of income in 2016. After 2016, those dollar amounts are indexed for inflation. That's it.
Now, there are lots of ways you can get that essential coverage.
You can get it from your employer. You can get it from your spouse's employer. You can buy it on your own in the individual marketplace or on your state's exchange. You can get it through Medicare, Medicaid, or your state's Children's Health Insurance program (CHIP). You can get it through Tricare (active-duty military personnel and veterans). The law doesn't really care where your coverage comes from as long as you have it.
Every year, your Insurance Company will send you and the IRS a form confirming you have coverage. You'll have to attach your copy of the form to your Income-Tax Return.


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Former WWE Superstar Eva Marie recently spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider to talk about her elimination from the Big Brother reality TV show this past Friday. Eva revealed recent talks with WWE about a possible return, but she said she was not approached for the women's Royal Rumble match in late January.
"There has been emails and talk and exchanges back and forth," Eva revealed. "But no, I was not approached about being a part of the Royal Rumble. I can tell you that. Other things, there has definitely been talks for sure."
Eva was asked if she feels motivation to return to WWE based on the success that stars like Becky Lynch and RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey are having. She said she would like to come back to shake things up because she feels like she can always bring the heat.
"Sure. I'm always going to have that itch. I absolutely love wrestling. You never know. It's one of those things where things have totally taken off for the women of WWE," Eva said. "They are killing it right now. I think it's so amazing. Of course, if the opportunity arises and the timing is how it's supposed to be, I definitely would come back to shake things up because I can always bring the heat. That's for sure."
Eva also talked about being forced to disconnect from social media while filming the TV show. She called it truly amazing.
"It was amazing. A lot of my work is definitely social media based. Even though being in the house is highly stressful. We're doing a lot with the competitions, figuring out who to trust and all of these other things. But being able to not have your phone and have actual conversations with people, really be still with yourself, it was truly amazing," Eva said. "I've only been out of the house for 12 hours or so now, but I'm going to definitely going to try to apply that into daily life now and not be so connected with my phone. I don't know if there is a correlation between the phone usage or because I'm happy doing this experience and feeling good from that. I'm really proud of myself for being mentally tough through it all. Not really having breakdowns or anything like that. I hope I can now use my phone at certain times. Hope I can have longer conversations with friends or my husband or read a book instead of spending so much time on it."


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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tim O'Brien says My Lai massacre too important to forget
Words have power. Sometimes more power than the writer anticipates. Tim O'Brien realized that one day as a line of fans snaked before him waiting for him to personally autograph a book. A mid-twenties man in line seemed to sway nervously. O'Brien figured the man was another would-be writer with an unpublished manuscript seeking advice from the master. But as the man approached the table, he said something that sent O'Brien back to Vietnam: "I think you knew my Dad."
The resemblance was uncanny and unmistakable. This was the son of Mad Mark, an assassin Green Beret whom O'Brien did indeed know in the trenches of Vietnam. Mad Mark carried an enemy's nose in his pocket. He was a true believer. He did his job and O'Brien's nonfiction war account, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, listed him by his first name only. Wasn't that enough to hide his true identity? Who would read this book by a then-unknown writer anyway?
The son was but an infant when Mad Mark came home and worked for a while as a short-order cook. Then Mark blew his own head off, and the son grew up and started searching for his father in any way he could. He joined the Army, learned to use a weapon just like the old man. But he never found his father until he turned the pages of O'Brien's book. Because words have power. Sometimes they float around like a bottle in the murky sea until the right person opens them. That's when a writer may have regrets.
"I regret hurting people, and I realized I should have disguised him better. I'm not talking about pulling punches," O'Brien said Wednesday to a few hundred people--most students grudgingly attracted through promised extra credit—gathered in the Southwestern Writers Collection at the school that shall forever be known as Southwest Texas State University (some call it Texas State). "My job here today is to make you uncomfortable."
O'Brien teaches a class or so every two years in the MFA creative writing program there. (I'm a grad of the program but O'Brien came after my time and I'd never met him until this day.) Part of his contract as holder of the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing is to give a few readings for the campus. It's easy stuff: stand in front of a lectern and read your own words. He could do it in his sleep.
But the ghosts wouldn't let him. He'd spoken to an undergraduate class and realized how little they knew about the Vietnam War, his main subject matter, his obsession, his demon. The students had read "The Things They Carried," the short story from his book of the same name, but they didn't know the first thing about My Lai. O'Brien's mission this day was to make it real for them. "That's like living in Texas and never having heard of the Alamo," O'Brien said of the students' ignorance of the event.
My Lai was what the American troops called the Vietnamese area in Pinkville (another made-up troop name for the pink area on the map that identified it as an all-out, anything-goes war zone). On March 16, 1968, 105 American troops massacred anywhere from 200 to just more than 500 mostly women and children in the area. For four hours they shot the Vietnamese in the heads, slit their throats, scalped them, threw hand grenades at them. They took breaks to smoke cigarettes, eat candy bars, tell stories. Not one enemy bullet came at them the entire time.
O'Brien's novel In the Lake of the Woods alludes to the massacre and a man's repressed memories of being a part of it. O'Brien read briefly from that work, but he gave just as much time to reading the transcripts of court martial hearings for the soldiers, most famously William Calley, the only man among them to be convicted. "What were you firing at?" one soldier was asked in the trial. "At the enemy, sir. They weren't human beings."
One young man with a military-style haircut and wearing fatigue shorts walked out early on when O'Brien's talk started getting brutal. Another Iraq War vet said he was trying to get his own stories down on paper. O'Brien was in My Lai one year after the massacre and saw a combination of fear and utter hatred in the eyes of villagers. It was a look he didn't understand until My Lai became a headline, a source of shame. "It was as if a black curtain had come up," he said of the revelation.
I (the guy writing this post) was a child when this was going on. Vietnam was white noise on the television in the background as I played with my toys. And I get O'Brien's point here about the power of words. "The abstraction dulls the senses," he told the students. "Atrocity is a numbing word. We lose a moral compass when we hear the word."
Why was his lecture this day something different? Because his fiction comes from a place of truth, and that's what it's all about. "I do not believe in the erasure of history—a nation's history or a person's history," he said and went on to quote from another of his Vietnam stories in The Things They Carried: "Every sin here is fresh and original."
Sounding like the repentant Minnesota-born Methodist he is, O'Brien asked the crowd, "What do you know about yourselves? I did participate in evil."
But despite the brutality of much of his talk, O'Brien reasserted his belief in humanity. He said he'd recently encountered during his 20th anniversary tour for the book the real-life model for the young girl whose photograph sustains a soldier in "The Things They Carried."
"She doesn't look the same as in her college yearbook photo, but her eyes were the same," he said. "The human spirit does have the ability to sustain."
Posted by Joe M. O'Connell at 8:15 PM
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Reef Television, Channel 4
Veteran dealer Mark Franks provides expert advice
Three Brits compete to find the best vintage pieces and retro collectibles they think will make the biggest profit back home
When they return to the UK, they have one day to upcycle and renovate their purchases; after that, they all join up again in a British town where they must sell everything for as much money as possible. The person who makes the most profit wins everyone's earnings. Along the way, there's tips galore about the tricks of buying and selling and how to spruce up everything from furniture to figurines.
French Collection combines the beautiful brocante markets unique to France, with buying and upcycling vintage and retro collectibles in order to make money. It's a real-life cross-Channel challenge spanning three days: one to buy, one to upcycle and one to sell for maximum profit. Whoever makes the most goes home with everyone's winnings.
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"…and they shall be one flesh."
Genesis 2:24
Dear saints,
At the morning of Creation, the Lord of heaven and earth planted three permanent pillars of society. These pillars of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3), Work (Genesis 2:15), and Marriage (Genesis 2:18-25) continue to frame a whole, healthy social order. As we have seen in our modern society, these three tend to stand or fall together. When these three stand erect, people enjoy stability and peace, which is what the Creator intended.
This past Lord's Day evening, we looked at Jesus' teaching on marriage from Mark 10:1-12. In this passage, Jesus short-circuits the Pharisees' search for loopholes in the marriage commitment. He does so by quoting from Genesis 1:27, "male and female he created them," and Genesis 2:24, "they shall be one flesh." In other words, God puts one man and one woman together for a life-long, one flesh union. And it is beautiful. In a culture of ugliness, this divine institution is a monument to grace and beauty. For what purpose does God put people together in this life long union? If you are married, why did the Lord of history place you with your husband or wife? If you are unmarried, but long for this joining with another soul, what should you look for in a potential union? What is the purpose of the two becoming one flesh?
To begin, God joins souls together for friendship. God prepared Adam for marriage by stirring a hunger for friendship. Adam needed a companion, and that companion could not be found in the animal kingdom. The human soul aches for close communion and fellowship. In God's design, marriage between a man and a woman fills that void. You truly become "best friends."
Furthermore, God joins souls together for the purpose of delight. The Bible's vision is that you "rejoice with the wife of your youth," that you be "ravished always with her love." (Proverbs 5:18-19) The God who created beauty fashioned the man and woman for each other's delight. Is this not why the first recorded human words were poetry? "And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.'" (Genesis 2:23) You embrace one another in a life-long, one flesh union, and thus enjoy the poetry of pleasures God intended.
In addition, God joins souls together for the purpose of godliness. Marriage is a sanctifier. Together, you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You learn together. You pursue Christ together. You pray for and with one another. Oh, that all of our marriages could echo the description of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:6—"And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
We can also say that God joins souls together for the purpose of godly offspring. One of the prayers of a godly couple is for "godly seed." (Malachi 2:15) The Lord's Church grows over the centuries largely through the conversion of believers' children. We want to fill our homes with the unobtrusive, joyful, pleasant celebration of Christ and His love. Though there will be tragic exceptions, the Lord loves to honor His Word "to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (Genesis 17:7)
To carry this forward, the Lord of glory joins souls together for the purpose of service. Priscilla and Aquila were Paul's "helpers in Christ Jesus" who had a church "in their house." (Romans 16:3-4) How can your marriage be an opportunity to advance the mission of the Church? How can you be of service to your neighbors? God orchestrated your union to be a blessing to others. Yours is a union of service and ministry.
Finally, our Heavenly Father places souls together to be a picture of Christ's union with His Church. The Apostle Paul uses this extended metaphor in Ephesians 5:22-33. Husbands, how does your love for your wife echo Christ's love for His Bride, the Church? What a vision! You have the sacred task of humbly, selflessly, perseveringly loving the woman God gave you. How does Jesus love the Church? He pours His love and grace on her. He upholds her. He commends her. She is publicly praised and privately respected. (Read Song of Solomon, not only as a description of human love, but also as a mirror of Christ and His Church.) Gentlemen, show her counter-cultural chivalry. In your own way, court her with accents of tenderness. Be the knightly husband she needs to defend and praise her.
"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:31-32)
May the Spirit of the Lord give us a vision for marriage could be, and stir our hunger to pursue that vision of beauty with abandon.
Yours in Christ,


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Why go overseas? From time to time, my wife and I engage in a debate on where we should travel in the future, if we get the chance.
Her standpoint is she would like to go to Europe to places like Paris or Rome or Athens or into the Caribbean. My counter is that the United States is so big, so vast, that I'd much rather just stay in here and see what our country is like.
Her contention is that she's been to places like Boston, New York, New Orleans, Orlando and Las Vegas. I've not been that far west of the Mississippi River except for our honeymoon in Lake Tahoe or our last family vacation to the Black Hills in South Dakota.
A counter argument I give her is that Americans are thought of so poorly around the world, that it makes little sense to invite being treated poorly, or worse. Outside of the locals turning up their nose to a country bumpkin like me, those countries just don't seem as safe as the United States. Maybe the only other country I would feel as safe is our neighbors to the north, Canada.
I've never been to Boston or New York or Los Angeles. We were in San Francisco for half of a day, but that was it.
I used to be able to say I had only been across the Mississippi River only a handful times in my life, but we moved into western Wisconsin, so a day trip into Minnesota changed that – many times.
I want to get out and explore my country. When my kids were smaller, we'd take a drive to places like Duluth, or Taylors Falls, or Red Wing, or Wabasha, just because. Gas prices hadn't been astronomical at that point. Now that the gas prices are more manageable, they only help get me to my work and my kids to their events like hockey. We aren't taking recreational drives (and, add in that medical bills are just killing our budget overall).
I've longed to go down old Route 66. I'd like to get to places like Pittsburgh or St. Louis or Kansas City. I want to take the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle just to see the country in that fashion. Denver would be kind of neat.
For me, it's not even the cities. I don't need the city life. Give me the smaller towns with small town baseball and diners and downtowns that are more than offices and eateries but have needs for the locals to get.
When we drove from western Wisconsin to South Dakota, I had fun just seeing the sights. The same thing happened when I had to go to Cincinnati to get my kids and I passed through some places in Illinois and Indiana I never went through before. I definitely will not forget the times I rode from southeast Michigan and South Carolina's Golden Corner.
I just would like to get to other places, like New England, the Plains and the Southwest.
As my children continue to grow up, I'd like to believe that I may be able to get out and travel around the country, via car or train, and see anything from national parks to national landmarks to just the small towns and life from around this country.


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Imagine if you had a tool that is simple for fast turning Your site or social media station into an online shop, while at exactly the same time sharing your products in search of articles like yours with a network of consumers?
That tool could be Sellfy, and upon first Glance, it's a bit of a Kickstarter sense to its interface (minus the crowdfunding,) in which it is possible to create your own storefront on the Sellfy platform, peddle your goods to the thousands in the network, while also having the chance to post Sell buttons on your own site.
Although this service does cut out the Money or time you'll spend on making your site, it can produce the ecommerce process a little simpler. That's pretty enticing to us, so join us as we take a deeper look into what Sellfy has to offer.
Sellfy Service
The area Sellfy site is the FAQ section. It helps out for questions, but that is about it.
This really is a simple tool the Sellfy documentation Only consists of approximately 30 or so things. It's simple to search, and also you don't need to worry about becoming overwhelmed.
The only way to get the support team Is through an email form. No phone service, however, you can get pushed into the front of the line with a program that is paid.
With Facebook, a blog, and Twitter accounts, Reach out to the support staff and You truly have quite a few places to learn about the system. Sell Digital Products Ebay
Sellfy Review: Features
For this review, we figured it would Be Smart to test Out selling an electronic product that we're knowledgeable about. Thus, we gave the Sellfy comes with a challenging look by uploading and posting Ecommerce Platform's Guide to Developing a Successful Online Shop.
It is worth mentioning that Sellfy caters To sellers of:
Design assets
Video and films
Audio documents
Any other digital items you've got
Now, onto the features…
Email Marketing and SEO
Here's another reason Sellfy is better than simply Placing a PayPal button on your site. Rather than managing a different MailChimp accounts, Sellfy provides you custom buy emails that ship out.
You will also find that marketing Is a Lot easier with The built-in SEO and product detection configurations.
Discounts and Analytics
Okay, a few of the features come into play if You're contemplating a simple PayPal button on your website. Essentially, discount codes can be generated by you for all of your products directly in the Sellfy dashboard.
Offering goods that are free is a choice, and you can Even create social discount codes to give out when people discuss your webpage.
Click here to sign up to Sellfy!
A Complete Storefront on Sellfy
I see the benefit of going with Sellfy since the Fact which you can find a tiny storefront up and running within seconds. You don't have to worry about designing your own site, and you are able to upload 2GB per file and use bandwidth. Simply speaking, it is possible to forget about hosting.
The product pages provide media Previews to the storefront, along with your products seems beautiful without a lot of need for layout. Sellfy also supplies a great deal of flexibility as you can use it or just sell on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or any other social media station. And with their WYSIWYG editor, sellers feel to match that of the current brand and are now able to finetune the design of their store. Sell Digital Products Ebay
All of the storefronts are optimized for the cellular World, and it lets you take execute them on your own site and Buy widgets and buttons.
And being a Massive proponent of accomplishing as many As you can processes, I loved Zapier. Sellfy streamlines the process that is selling through automation and also has a Zapier integration today.
Two Payment Options with Quite a Couple of Customization Modules
PayPal and Stripe are the choices you have when selling on Sellfy. They cut out some people that aren't permitted to utilize these options, although these are often the two most common payment processors. The integration works but we'd love to view more offerings.
Aside from that, Sellfy allows for Instant payouts, EU VAT reports , global taxes and monies, multiple currencies and client invoices. They also offer webhooks that allow users to add customized functionalities.
Sellfy Pricing
The Sellfy pricing is a double-edged sword. On one You're given a beautiful method for selling your digital resources. The pricing tiers solely vary in 1 aspect- the transaction fees. All attributes are the exact same for all the programs
Basic — Pay $9 per month for many attributes. You can use PayPal/Stripe with a 5 percent transaction fee.
Guru — Pay $29 per month for many attributes + a 2% transaction fees.
Pro Plus — Pay $99 a month for all features without any transaction fees.
There possess a free 14-day day trial. I Personally prefer to not need to cover transaction fees, but beginners can get started for cheap with the Basic plan. However, I wonder if the majority of people may be better off using a solution.
We recommend Sellfy for Men and Women who are Selling over five products. The free trial is much more than enough to test the waters, however in the event you plan to proceed, the 5 percent transaction fee (along with PayPal fees) could significantly cut into your margins. Sell Digital Products Ebay
Sellfy appears to work best for sellers with large Libraries who need the added tools for discounting, PDF stamping and analytics. Additionally, you increase the amount Through the Sellfy network.
Click here to sign up to Sellfy!


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Weaving Mark of the application is very broad, for the purchase of clothing for consumers, weaving Mark cloth standard true and false, the quality of the quality of their clothes directly reflect the quality of good or bad, because the brand clothes are focused on weaving Mark quality and workmanship, and Poor clothes, or counterfeit clothes are not pay attention to the quality of weaving Mark, because they did not mind the time and money spent on the useless brand. Therefore, for consumers, weaving Mark is one of their credentials to reflect the correct or not.
Compared to the main collar inside the collar, reflected in the clothes outside the weaving Mark products is even more important, such as jeans for the leather card, weaving Mark quality determines the quality of the jeans is good or bad, weaving Mark Quality directly affect the quality of clothing brand publicity is good or bad, so the role of woven Mark is still very wide, choose the quality of weaving Mark manufacturers is very important.


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Social Media Marketing In Hamilton
Grow Your Brand, Connect With Your Community, Free Your Time.
Social media is imperative for promoting your business online.
Not only does it give you a marketing platform, but allows you to converse with a wider audience, provide exceptional customer service and demonstrate that you are a forward thinking business – in touch with what is trending.
Our highly experienced team creates detailed, monthly social content calendars for you to review and approve. This schedule outlines what we are planning to post and when, you you are always in the loop of what is being published on you social channels. Each post is fully optimized with hashtags, links, images and your unique branding to leave a lasting brand impression. We also research your industry, after all it wouldn't make sense for us to post generic content that isn't relevant to your target audience. Our program is all about helping you grow your audience and get people talking about your brand.
Social Platforms
It's important that we focus on the right social channel for you. We understand that business' have budgets. But were here to help, we've helped companies grow within their community on a number of platforms. Whether you start with just a single platform, or multiple we're here to guide you through the process. We specialize in the following social channels:
Content That Engages Your Audience
The key to harnessing the full potential of social media is to provide your audience with useful information. Spamming your channels with self-promotional or pushy sales posts is a huge negative. It's like that situation in person where someone constantly talks about themselves, annoying. Our social content calendars focus on delivering information that your audience can actually engage with. We split content between the brand, local community and soft selling of your products and services. This leaves a distinct impression so when it's time to buy what you are selling, they know where to look.


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Filed under: music, TMWL Shows | Tags: brixton windmill, folk, istartedthefire, jim lockey and the solemn sun, joe summers, midnight mile, ruth bewsey
Another better-late-than-never post and the type I find a bit odd to write with it being my own show and all so I shall do something a little different and instead of a normal write up, I've made videos with the live audio and photos from the night. Sadly, the images seem to have lost a lot of the quality though..
Anyway, this show had been planned for a little while in order to bring the whole gang from the Cheltenham based record label istartedthefire down to London for one big night. This was all to take place at the fantastic little South London venue of the Brixton Windmill which may not be the best venue on first glance but once the music (and beer) is flowing, it's a brilliant place to be.
Filed under: music, TMWL Shows | Tags: brixton windmill, folk, istartedthefire, jim lockey, live music, the solemn sun
A bit of a mouthful of a title but it's another TMWL show!
Following on from the successful show at the Betsey Trotwood, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun manage to squeeze in a show at the Brixton Windmill inbetween sets at 2000 Trees and Y-Not Festivals and the show comes hot on the heels of the release of their Album, 'Atlases'
"Could Jim Lockey and The Solemn Sun be the British Bright Eyes?"
– Is This Music magazine
"Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun might just be the current, relevant band we were looking for"
– BBC Gloucestershire
High praise indeed! On the night, the boys will be joined by artists from their record label istartedthefire including;
"Cheltenham Soul-Folk duo MM, lead their unsuspecting audiences into a myriad of Ryan Admas influcenced guitar licks and beautiful vocal harmony"
"Walsall's answer to Johnny Flynn's blistering folk, combining the lyrical attributes of his heroes Dylan and Adams to create arresting songs of heartfelt intimacy."
"This Guildford songstress blends summery acoustic stylings with an angelic vocal sweetness that will leave you lovestruck and enchanted"
Tuesday, 20th of July
Doors will be at 7.30 with the music all kicking off at 8pm
How Much
Advance tickets available for £3
Tickets available on the door;
£3 – advance and earlybird tickets (before 9pm)
£4 – after 9pm
Come along! Bring a friend. Bring another friend.


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Not every design concept becomes a donor wall. Therefore, we have plenty of donor wall ideas to give you some inspiration on your donor recognition program. Below are some donor wall ideas we love that did not make it into production (all designs are owned by DonorSigns). When you work with us, you will receive a design concept like the ones below with a detailed description of materials and how it and how it should be maintained and updated
Rail System with Acrylic Name Plates
Donor names are etched into 1/2″ thick tinted acrylic plaques held in place with a permanently mounted rail. Names are placed randomly with giving levels indicated by the size of the plaque. The variations on greens and blues with painted rails creates a dynamic and strong presence.
Hospital Accumlative Donor Wall
A major regional hospital hired our firm to provide donor wall design concepts. This version features three large interactive digital monitors with major donors recognized with plaques on each side.
Healthcare Donor Wall Ideas
This is one of three donor wall design concepts provided for the initial presentation. This design uses conservative materials in a very fresh contemporary shape.
Leading Edge Donor Wall Design
This donor wall idea features an eight foot tall interactive recognition element that involves the viewers body motions for interaction. On each side is an elegant wood wall with a series of shadow boxes. High level donor ease are etched in glass and placed in the shadow box.
Interactive & Glass Donor Wall
This design incorporates interactive digital monitors but with more emphasis placed on the physical donor names. The back wall is a series of illuminated sculpted glass panels, the donor names are on glass panels suspended by a wire system in front of the lit glass wall.
FOCUS HOPE: Fun Design Concept
The campaign theme was based on circles so we proposed each donor name be place on a disc that would be added to the wall. The background was large image printed on vinyl wall covering. The disc color indicates the giving level.
Detroit River Walk: Exterior Donor Sculpture
Donor names are silk screened on up-dateable stainless steel panels. The overall design concept is like a series of overlapping waves which works well with the river located next to this sculpture.
Elegant Wood & Metal Donor Wall Ideas
This is a timeless sophisticated donor wall using two contrasting wood species, etched metal donor plaques, and an etched glass introductory panel.
Low Cost, High Value Museum Donor Wall
The Motown Museum was looking for an inexpensive way to recognize donors and allow for growth. We proposed using large format prints mounted to Gatorboard and held in place with a simple metal bracket attached to the wall at the top and bottom. When it comes to donor wall ideas, this is one of our budget-friendly favorites.
Contemporary Economical Donor Wall
This very efficient economical donor wall is based on one of our standard donor wall systems. The addition of a simple wave pattern creates a unique look at very little additional cost.
Exterior Rustic Donor Recognition
A colonial era museum needed donor recognition for an exterior amphitheater. We proposed a carved wood panel with engraved donor names attached to a wood post.
Easy Frame Floral Motif Donor Wall
This donor wall uses our standard Easy Frame system with a series of large format floral prints. The design drawing shows how the donor wall would appear the first year, and how it would look as more panels are added in subsequent years. This is a low cost donor wall solution and inexpensive to update.
Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center
We created a very elegant design that fits perfectly with the brass interior fixtures and the round decorative motif used in Lincoln Center. Higher level donors are engraved into their own thin marble panels while middle level donors are grouped together on larger panels.
Budget Donor Wall
This donor wall is for a swim club focused on high level competition. We came up with the idea of using plaques that looked like gold, silver and bronze medals. Because they only buy "medals" when they need them this is a very economical donor wall solution.
Donor Wall Based on Brand Logo
A local Habitat for Humanity group wanted a donor wall solution that was based on their logo and their brand colors. We created shapes that mimic the "roof" structure in the logo and featured their green and blue colors.
Children's Museum Donor Wall
This wall was designed for donors that gave $1mil or more. Donors are grouped together inside illuminated light boxes. Five boxes that currently have children's faces are available for growth.
Donor Recognition Monument and Fountain
The center element is a large granite obelisk with the image of a very significant donor. Other donors are represented on glass panels surrounding the granite. Water runs down the surface of the granite into a fountain.
Flexible Changeable Donor Wall
This is an economical good value donor wall that's easy to update. Donor names are printed on film and held between sheets of acrylic.
Modular Donor Wall
Names are grouped together on colored modular panels. The color differentiates giving levels. The highest level donors are in the center circle.
Historical Donor Wall Ideas
Opulent sophisticated historical wall designed to coordinate with a hospital donor recognition program.
High Giving Level Donor Wall
Donor names etched in to translucent tinted acrylic panels. A LED lit panel is behind the wall illuminating the panels.
If you're interested in seeing some of our donor wall ideas that made it to life, please view Recent Donor Programs. Here you will find successful donor wall programs for many organizations from healthcare, nonprofits, religious, and more.
Turn Your Donor Wall Ideas Into A Reality
We can answer any question you may have concerning donor recognition. Fill out a form and we will get back to you within 24 hours.


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Chris Jones Opens His Creative Floodgates
"I was feeling kind of complacent about what I was doing," Jones confides. "I could've easily made another bluegrass record, but I felt like I was putting an awful lot creatively into what I was doing, and I wasn't getting what I wanted out of the other end. I've always had a pretty wide field of vision musically, so I decided to blend honky tonk, country, blues, and folk styles with my bluegrass background."
Helping him broaden his horizons is Grammy winning producer and guitarist Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, k.d. lang, Michelle Shocked, and others), who also signed Jones to his own Burbank, California-based Little Dog Records.
"I'd done this TV interview, and then I got an e-mail from someone named Pete Anderson saying, 'I really like your stuff. Give me a call sometime.'" Jones explains. "I had self-produced some of my stuff, and I knew I didn't have the right kind of knowledge from the production end to do something like 'Too Far' all by myself. Our working relationship became an ideal pairing, because Pete is very creatively engaged. He wanted to take some of the elements of what I'd been doing in bluegrass, and then build on them."
While many big-name artists have taken a different turn musically, for a guy like Jones there is a far greater risk that his fan base could crumble, leaving him with an artistic endeavor, and no one to hear it.
"I haven't had anybody say, 'Oh, man. What a shame,'" he says. "There are certainly some fans who are only marginally interested, and I'm prepared for that. It's a risk I'm willing to take. I think most people do understand the need for me to do other things after I've released five straight bluegrass albums."
Innovation usually results from someone taking a risk. Growing yourself and your music can be a shaky proposition—one that has resulted in more than a few stalled or extinguished careers. But not following your heart and your creative vision may ultimately cost far more in the long run. While it's fairly simple to understand how an artist can reach a point where he or she would like to explore new territories—or even totally reinvent themselves—it's a little more complicated getting at how an artist actually decides to take the leap and do it.
"Part of being ready to do something like this is getting used to stepping away from your comfort zone," says Jones. "I felt like I was getting into a rut, and that's never good for anybody—whether it's me or the audience. I was ready to either stop making records for a while, or figure out how to make something different happen."


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Israel Must Choose: Enforce the Law or Lose the Negev?
Arab MKs, left-wing NGOs, and local Bedouin leadership have decided to resist state attempts to regulate the hundreds of illegal Bedouin settlements in the Negev. This will be difficult to counter, as radical Arab nationalists and the Islamic Movement are infiltrating and co-opting the Bedouin conflict as a tool against the state. Israel should continue to enforce the law and negotiate with Bedouin families while remaining realistic about the endeavor's long-term goals. Failure to do so will consign the Negev to lawlessness.


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I didn't give much thought to flying to Las Vegas on 9/11 for this year's HR Technology Conference and Expo.
Oh, I knew what day it was. And when there was no wait to check bags or pass through security at Midway Airport on Tuesday morning it occurred to me that there there's a residual hesitancy to fly on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Completely understandable.
I don't think it really struck me until we neared McCarran Airport in Las Vegas and I was watching an ESPN special presentation on the healing role sports played in the aftermath of the attacks.
It became eerie as memories came rushing back. As we landed I recalled that I was supposed to pick up my mother from the Vegas airport the week after the attacks. Naturally she was grounded until flights resumed. When she finally landed, the airport was a ghost town. Fast-forward 17 years and the mood was definitely subdued.
If you've ever taken a taxi from McCarran you know about the infinitely lengthy waits. Not on Tuesday. Like Midway, no waiting. Same at the hotel registration.
So perhaps that's why the opening evening welcome party in the Sands exhibit hall at HR Tech felt more subdued. I mean, we're talking Vegas here, where there's normally a roulette wheel or Elvis impersonator at every fifth vendor booth. It seemed like there was more coffee than booze, despite the pub crawl through the hall.
Maybe I'm mistaking subdued for getting down to business. Because it seemed like there was more talk and less action.
I know I got my gab on. I joined in Entelo's "Hiring on All Cylinders" podcast to talk recruiting with Entelo Chief Marketing Officer Mike Trigg and host Sean Simerly. The podcast could have easily veered to Bears-Packers rivalry talk, given my pre-podcast chat with Trigg. But we stayed on topic, took a stroll down recruiting's memory lane and made a few bold predictions to the future. It was a fun chat and if you get a chance, check out Trigg's quick-read book, "Recruiting Automation for Dummies."
Two Cool CEOs: My experience with CEOs, and a lot of people from the C-suite for that matter, is the air that they put on. Pretentious is putting it mildly.
That's why it was so refreshing to spend time with two CEOs who were genuinely nice people. I only got to spend 15-20 minutes with ADP's CEO Carlos Rodriguez, but it was an incredibly engaging and wide-ranging chat.
Rodriguez, who joined ADP in 1999 after his company was acquired and became CEO in 2011, admitted that being the face of an organization can be a challenge. We touched on how he's reshaping ADP's evolution as a legacy HR company to a more tech-centric organization. We also came to the conclusion that we are both introverts, but talking to people is part and parcel to what we do. And he's pretty good at it.
Fun fact about Rodriguez: He once spent time as a magazine publisher.
While Monster CEO Scott Gutz doesn't have a background publishing — I don't think — but he has a deep background in travel and tourism technology. Gutz said he's doing a lot of listening and observation as he settles into his new gig as Monster's boss. Gutz and Chief Product Officer Chris Cho also spelled out how Monster is incorporating video capabilities for employers to visually tell their story.
Companies have been touting video as part of the recruiting process for at least a decade with little success. With 99 percent of companies lacking a video presence perhaps they've found a way to succeed where others have failed.
Quote of the conference: It came from iCIMS CMO Susan Vitale in a panel discussion moderated by Workforce columnist Kris Dunn. Toward the end of "Two Decades (and two years) Later — Why Is Recruiting Still So Hard?" that also featured Monster's Cho and Jobvite's Matt Singer, a question that invariably pops up at every conference surfaced again. Despite all the high-level conversation around technology, and AI, and machine learning, there are those in the workforce who are still struggling to find a way to modernize their paper-based recruiting.
A woman in the public sector in Kansas admitted they are a decade behind times and wants to convert their recruiting for the court system from manual to electronic. "How do we begin when want to invite a diverse group of candidates into organization?" She continued, asking if there is AI or other software to help eliminate bias they now deal with because of the "human factor" in their current recruiting process.
"Technology won't fix bias," Vitale responded. "Don't ever let anyone try to sell you that."
Great catching up: One of my favorite things of conference is renewing the relationships developed over the years.
The people at Bridge are fast becoming some of my favorite people on the conference trail. Their after-show reception was a great opportunity to talk all things L&D, conferences and … running. I enjoyed spending time with Senior Director of Product Marketing David Williams, while Director of Marketing Eric Fairbanks not only detailed his attempt to run the Wasatch 100 – that's 100 miles at 9,000 feet elevation – but showed me how to lace my shoes to cope with running downhill. So THAT's what that eyelet is for. It was also good to see Matt Bingham, who was still recovering from a previous day's flight from Australia.
And I want to give a shout-out to the guys at Workspend who were in the booth next us at Human Capital Media. Dominic Furina, we still need to wrap up our conference observations chat.
About the conversations I had regarding our HR influencer story: Nahhhh, I'm not gonna go there. Even though I should.
Rick Bell is Workforce's editorial director. Comment below or email email@example.com.


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It has taken nature millions of years to produce the beautiful and wonderful varieties of animals which we are so rapidly exterminating. Unless we can create a sentiment which will check this slaughter, and devise laws for those who do not respect sentiment, the bones of our now common types will soon be as rare as those of the dodo and the great auk; and man will be practically the sole survivor of a great world of life.
Let us hope that this destruction can be checked by the spread of an intelligent love of nature and its products. And nowhere is it more important to inculcate these ideas than in the cities, which are the centers of the most influential press, periodical and book literature. The destruction of animal life is removing from city dwellers, farther and farther, the possibility of knowing the lower animals through contact with them in the field. To the average city-bred man, woman or young person, fauna is merely a vague and indefinite thing…
-First annual report of the New York Zoological Society, 1896
Warnings regarding the consequences of what we are doing to biodiversity are nothing new. How much have we changed in the last 120 years?
Cover image: The last seen thylacine died in 1936 in captivity. Nowadays it is an iconic example of human-triggered extinction.
From Wikimedia Commons
– New York Zoological Society. (1896). Annual report of the New York Zoological Society 1: 1-82. New York :New York Zoological Society. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/66903


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Oil and gas firms' operating in the country borrowed about N3.443 trillion from banks in Nigeria in a two- year period between 2011 and 2012.
According to data obtained from the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, of the N15.424 trillion facilities given out by the banks to operators in the economy during the period in review, the oil and gas sector received the highest portion, accounting for 22.32 per cent of the total.
The NDIC, in its annual reports and accounts, disclosed that as at the end of 2012, the exposure of oil and gas firms to banks in the country stood at N1.913 trillion, while the oil firms borrowed N1.53 trillion from the banks in 2011.
The amount borrowed in 2012 is 24.84 per cent improvement above the N1.53 trillion borrowed by the oil firms in 2011.
In 2012, the exposure of oil firms to the banks, according to the NDIC, represents 23.47 per cent of the total loans extended to key sectors of the economy, while in 2011; it amounts to 21.03 per cent of the total credit extended.
Compared to the oil and gas sector, the banks gave out loans totaling N1.185 trillion, representing 14.55 per cent of the total, to the manufacturing sector; N977 billion (11.99 per cent) to the General sector; N813.4 billion (9.98 per cent) to the General Commerce sector, while the information and communication sector got N722.87 billion (8.87 per cent).
Others are Governments
— N640.06 billion (7.85 per cent); Real Estate sector
— N376.58 billion (4.62 per cent); Agricultural, Forestry and Fishing N293.09 (3.60 per cent), while other unlisted sectors got N1.228 trillion (15.07 per cent).
In 2011, the Manufacturing sector was exposed to banks to the tune of N1.108 trillion, representing 15.24 per cent of the total credit to the economy; General sector got N854.1 billion, representing 11.74 per cent of the total; General Commerce sector
— N809.2 billion (11.12 per cent); Information and Communication sector
— N628.14 billion (8.64 per cent) and Governments
— N542.93 billion (7.46 per cent).
Others are: Real estate
—N377.33 billion, representing 5.19 per cent of the total; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
—N226.13 billion, representing 3.11 per cent, while other unlisted sectors received N1.197 trillion, representing 16.47 per cent.
Giving a breakdown of activities in the oil sector in 2012, the NDIC said Nigeria's crude oil output succumbed to the impact of natural disaster, oil theft and oil pipelines sabotage, as production which stood at 2.48 million barrels per day as at August 2012, declined to 1.98 million barrels per day as at the end of 2012.
The NDIC further stated that the flood which ravaged the oil rich Niger Delta compelled Royal Dutch Shell and Total, to shut down part of their production plants.
It said, "The flood reduced oil production drastically by about 500,000 or 0.17 per cent by the end of 2012. Thus, as at the end of the period under review, production averaged 1.98 million barrels per day (mbpd) as against 2.39 million barrels per day recorded in 2011.
"In line with government's commitment to a tighter fiscal stance, the benchmark price of oil remained at US $ 75 per barrel in the third quarter of the year.
"However, the average spot price of Nigeria's reference crude, the Bonny Light, at the International market rose marginally from US $113.12 in October 2011 to US $113.76 as at the end of August 2012.
"The gross external reserves stood at US$44.178 billion as at end of December 2012, representing an increase of US$11.193 billion or 33.93 per cent over the level of US$32.985 billion attained in January, 2012 and an increase of US$11.263 billion or 34.22 per cent over the December 2011 figure of US$32.915 billion.
"The increase in the reserve level was driven mainly by proceeds from crude oil and gas exports and crude-oil related taxes as well as reduced funding of the WDAS."
Information from Vanguard was used in this report.


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Somalia: President Hassan wants PM out of office
MOGADISHU, Somalia Sept 24, 2014 (Garowe Online)-Federal Government of Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who has locked horns with Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed over the sacking of Intelligence Boss is campaigning for a new motion according to independent sources in Mogadishu, Garowe Online reports.
Ahead of Mohamud's departure for the United Nations General Assembly, 75 MPs are said to have voiced support for Mohamud's decision in a bid to oust the second head of government in a parliamentary no-confidence vote over the course of Mohamud's tenure of office.
Speaking to Garowe Online on condition of anonymity, officials said President Mohamud more recently discussed the impeachment of Mohamed with Parliament Speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari but Speaker Jawari showed extreme reluctance, refusing to take a leading role in the move.
Though the political infighting between the two has been dragging on for a month, Somalia President was angered by the sacking of his close aide and former National Intelligence and Security Agency Chief Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbaloshe).
The often fickle 275-seat-chamber of parliament impeached Mohamed's predecessor in no-confidence motion on December 2, 2013.
Mogadishu-based Federal Government has yet to exert credible authority over vast territories, mainly rural areas in southern and central Somalia.


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SORRENTO Releases Debut Funk-Fuelled Single ' Look Up'
'Look Up' is a feel-good jam, which channels 70s funk, fused with modern synth pop and uplifting choruses, reminiscent of Parliament and Earth Wind & Fire.
New Zealand act SORRENTO has just released her debut single, the funk-fuelled 'Look Up' featuring Troy Kingi. Stream/download on iTunes / Apple Music / Spotify
The video for 'Look Up' premiered on RNZ. Watch here.
Although SORRENTO has seemingly sprung from nowhere, if you listen again and pay particular attention to the bassline, you'll hear an unmistakable groove that's been in your eardrums and peripheral vision without you even knowing it.
It is the work of one of New Zealand's most renowned musicians - a bass-playing sorceress, who is stepping out of the shadows with her own project of collaborations. She is SORRENTO.
"I grew up on old school funk and I love so many aspects of that style, the melodic and syncopated bass lines, the organic tones, the brave and quirky musicianship, the harmony, the importance of bvs" says SORRENTO.
"'Look Up' is meant to sound like a party, full of energy, improvised and imperfect. Most of all, it's meant to make you move."
Recorded live and improvised, 'Look Up' features the soulful voice and presence of Troy Kingi. One of New Zealand's most notable artists, Kingi picked up awards for 'Best Soul/R&B Artist' and 'Best Māori Artist' at the 2018 VNZMZs and was shortlisted in the prestigious Silver Scrolls for his song 'Aztechknowledgy'.
Kingi helps bring to life lyrics, which convey a message about the importance of engaging in real life to fight off the black cloud, in a lighthearted way - think The NeverEnding Story for the Instagram age.
The track was mixed by Andy Lovegrove (Breaks Co-op), who also lends his angelic vocals to BVs. And while the drums, engineered by Lord Echo, are the driving force, it is without question the bass which lies at the beating heart of 'Look Up'.
The musician behind the SORRENTO moniker has been a critical part of the New Zealand music community for many years. Her sound has been blasted across festival fields; spun on vinyl late into the night and hidden on your favourite Spotify playlists. She has loaned her extraordinary bass-playing talents to some of the country's most-loved and well-respected artists, from Hollie Smith, Teeks, Troy Kingi and Nathan Haines to Theia, Homebrew, Sons of Zion, Deva Mahal, Louis Baker, Alae, Moana & The Tribe and Estere. She has also played on some of the biggest stages in the world, including Glastonbury, Sziget and Bluesfest, as well as every New Zealand festival you've ever been to.
Now with all that compounded experience, SORRENTO prepares to deliver her own #timeless tunes, made with an all-star line-up and merging old school production values with modern sounds.
SORRENTO is all about classic feels, analogue sounds and good vibes. Understated and cool; unspoken steez - you need to stay alert to hear what SORRENTO's about to put down!
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Differential diagnosis includes tuberculosis of the lungs, pulmonary abscess, chronic bronchitis, melioidosis, lung carcinoma and lung metastases.
11.6 Trematodes: lung flukes – Paragonimus sp.
11.6.1 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., summary
- Transmission via eating infected crabs and crayfish
- Symptoms resembling pulmonary tuberculosis or chronic bronchitis
- Rarely located ectopically
- Diagnosis via detection of eggs in sputum
11.6.2 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., general
The parasite occurs in Southeast Asia and the Far East, in Central and West Africa. In America its distribution is limited to Central America and the north of South America. Usually P. westermani is reported, but there are a number of other species which can cause infection in humans (Paragonimus africanus, P. bangkokensis, P. heterotremus, P. hueitungensis, P. kellicotti, P. mexicanus, P. miyazakii, P. ohirae, P. philippinensis, P. sadoensis, P. skrjabini, P. uterobilateralis).
Paragonimus westermani egg in sputum. Such eggs can also be found in the faeces if the patient swallowed his/her sputum. Copyright ITM
Adult Paragonimus westermani. Photo ITM
Paragonimus westermani, life cycle. Courtesy of CDC, Division of Parasitic Diseases.
Paragonimus westermani eggs in sputum. Such eggs can also be found in the faeces if the patient swallowed his/her sputum. Copyright ITM
11.6.3 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., life cycle
Adult worms live in the lungs. Eggs pass to the outside with the sputum. If sputum is swallowed, eggs may also be found in faeces. Once in the outside world and in water, miracidia (first-stage larvae) emerge from the eggs. They penetrate snails, where they undergo a transformation. After 3 to 5 months cercariae (second-stage larvae) leave the snail and penetrate crabs. Here the cercariae develop into metacercariae (third-stage larvae). It is this form which is infectious for the definitive host. Paragonomiasis is a zoonosis of carnivorous animals. Humans are only an exceptional host. They become infected by eating raw fresh-water crabs and river crayfish which contain infectious metacercariae. Excystation occurs in the duodenum. The larvae bore through the intestinal wall and migrate via the abdominal cavity to the lungs. There they develop into adult worms. The worms form a cavity 1 to 4 cm in diameter. Egg-laying begins 8 to 10 weeks after infection. The worms rarely migrate to ectopic sites.
11.6.4 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., symptoms
Mild infections are asymptomatic. In the acute stage (invasion and migration of the larvae) there may be diarrhoea, abdominal pain, urticaria and eosinophilia. This is followed by fever, thoracic pain, cough, dyspnoea and malaise. The chronic illness resembles chronic bronchitis and TB. There is spasmodic cough (especially after exertion) with expectoration of blood stained sputum, as well as dyspnoea sometimes with wheezing and pleural pain. When the parasite is located in an ectopic site (brain, subcutis, etc.) the symptoms depend on the place where the worms are.
11.6.5 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., diagnosis
Diagnosis is by detecting the eggs. The eggs often need to be concentrated (e.g. mix sputum + water + potassium hydroxide, then centrifuge and examine the sediment). Differential diagnosis includes tuberculosis of the lungs, pulmonary abscess, chronic bronchitis, melioidosis, lung carcinoma and lung metastases. If sputum is swallowed, eggs may also be found in the faeces.
11.6.6 Trematodes: Paragonimus sp., treatment
Praziquantel 75 mg/day for 3 days is very effective. In cases of cerebral localisation higher doses must be given but only under the protection of steroids due to the risk of epileptic fits secondary to perilesional oedema.


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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Taylor Swift performing at Today Show Rockerfeller Center in NYC. Thx Lilli
& Sophia. Pix performances under. Myspace blog: Hi. I'm nocturnal. Help. So.. This is not smart. This. Being awake at 2:47 AM. You know why? Because my wake up call is at 5:00 AM. I'm playing on the Today show tomorrow/in a few hours, and I'm very excited about it. So excited, in fact,
That I haven't really gotten around to sleeping. I've found my attention being drawn to so many different things that I can't possibly sleep. For example: My hotel room has motion censor lighting. So when I stand up or anything moves on the floor, little lights come on at your feet to show you where you're going.
No light switches needed. In my delirious state, I've been making jokes with myself. Every time something triggers the censor lighting, I say 'Witchcraft!' or 'EVIL!'. Then I laugh hysterically. Then I sit there for a few seconds absorbing how lame I sound/look/am at this very moment in time. At 2:47 AM. Talking
to the motion censor lighting.
My dad is along the ride for this trip, hanging out and talking to every person he comes in contact with. He's a social butterfly, and loves being on tour. He loves it so much, he thinks it's absolutely hilarious to mess with me and try to..
..embarrass me as much as possible. For example: Liz and I are walking into the hotel lobby after returning from dinner. It's a quiet, serene, beautiful hotel lobby and we're walking in when..Screaming voice from out of nowhere: HEY! THAT'S TAYLOR SWIFT!! Me: Dad. Please stop doing that.
It's pretty priceless having my dad out here with me. Tonight I went shopping at Top Shop in New York with the band. I got purple shoes. I'm really excited about the purple shoes, and I just needed to tell someone. I got purple shoes. Ok.
That's done. Tomorrow, after the performance on the Today show, I'll fly back
to Nashville and record a lot of new songs I've written in the last few weeks. I'm really excited about that. I want to get back to the tour though. Bad. I miss it every time I'm gone for a day. I've never had more fun doing anything in my life than I have on the Fearless tour. Thank you so much to everyone who has come to see the show. I can't even tell you how unreal it is for me, being up there..
..looking at those crowds. I just never thought I'd luck out like this. I'm really excited because Dateline NBC has been following me around for the last three months, video taping me planning this tour. They've put together a one-hour special about my tour, and it's airing some time within the next two weeks.
I'll keep you posted on the exact date.
I'd love for you to see the months of work leading up to me getting to put on
this show. Also, I learned how to make a smoothie. It's very ground-breaking footage, I'm telling you. Keep checking back here, and on twitter. By the way, again, I'm taylorswift13 on twitter. There are a bunch of fake twitters that are apparently mine, and while they are amusing and creative, they're not real. :)
Well, I have some more important nonsense to get to. I'm going to go play with the light switches or the air conditioning control panel in my hotel room. Then I'm going to play the Today Show! I love you, thanks to everyone who's been voting for the CMT awards at CMT.com! Stay excellent. I adore you.
lovelovelove -T-


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The race to be crowned the world's fastest woman will feature a relatively open field in what should be a highly fascinating final.
The warm favourite for glory will be Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, following victory in Torun and Glasgow.
The 29-year-old world outdoor 100m and 200m silver medalist has been in consistent fine form all winter and sped to a 7.07 season's best in Scotland last weekend.
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson - the Olympic 100m and 200m champion - is not in the shape which saw her record a swift 6.98 last indoor season but with a 7.12 2018 best to place third in Glasgow, she should still be capable of improving on her bronze medal-winning performance in the 2016 edition.
The winner in Berlin and Karlsruhe this season, Tatjana Pinto registered a superb 7.06 world lead to take the German national title recently, and the 25-year-old Olympic and world 4x100m relay fourth placer is expected to challenge for a piece of silverware.
Also fighting for the top European spot will be Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands - the two-time world outdoor 200m champion took the silver medal two years ago but will need to perform better than her 7.22 for fifth position in Glasgow if she is to replicate that medal-winning form.
The Olympic 200m silver medalist and world 100m bronze medalist has a 7.09 season's best so if she can improve her recent lacklustre start, she will stand an equally strong chance of glory.
Others set to impress include Ta Lou's compatriot, Murielle Ahoure - the four-time world sprint silver medalist indoors and out who won in New York and has run 7.07 this season - and Mujinja Kambundji, the European 100m bronze medalist who recorded 7.03 to win the Swiss title.
Additional stand-out performers could be the USA's Javianne Oliver, who leads the world rankings with 7.02 set at altitude, South Africa's Carina Horn who has registered a 7.09 national record this year and Asha Philip of Great Britain - the European indoor champion, who - with a 7.12 best this campaign - will be hoping the home support can spur her to improve upon her 2014 fourth and 2016 fifth place finishes.
Nicola Sutton for the IAAF


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Well, let's take a quick look at the variables:
1. Wood ashes will raise soil pH because the largest component of wood ash (about 25 percent) is calcium carbonate, a common liming material that increases soil alkalinity. So generally use them only if your soil pH is under 7.0 based on a soil test.
2. The safe rate of wood ash application to lawn or gardens is 15 to 20 lbs. (7 to 9 kg) per 1000 square feet (93 square meters) per year, which is approximately a 5 gallon (19 l) pail.
3. Remember, a little wood ash is beneficial, but a lot is not because increasing the alkalinity of the soil does affect plant nutrition. Nutrients are most readily available to plants when the soil is slightly acidic. As soil alkalinity increases and the pH rises above 7.0, nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, boron, manganese, copper, zinc and potassium become chemically tied to the soil and less available for plant use.
4. Wood ash does have some fertilizer value, the amount varying somewhat with the species of wood being used. Generally, wood ash contains less than 10 percent potash, 1 percent phosphate and trace amounts of micro-nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc.
5. Trace amounts of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium also may be present. Wood ash does not contain nitrogen.
6. Applying small amounts of wood ash to most soils will not adversely affect your garden crops, and the ash does help replenish some nutrients. But because wood ash increases soil pH, adding large amounts can do more harm than good.
7. Crop tolerance to alkaline soil also should be considered. Some plants, such as asparagus and juniper, are more tolerant of slightly alkaline conditions than "acid-loving" plants, such as potatoes, rhododendrons and blueberries. Wood ash should never be used on acid-loving plants.
8. The best thing with wood ash is to use it sparingly, and test your soil pH regularly to make sure you are not causing any problems.
For more Gardening Tips and Gardening Advice visit our main gardening website at Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine – www.weekendgardener.net
Have great week!


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MEDICARE+CHOICE: Scripps Clinic Halts Enrollment
Beginning Nov. 1, San Diego-based Scripps Clinic will no longer accept new Medicare HMO members, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. "There's a question about the viability of Medicare HMOs," Scripps Clinic Health Plan Services President Marc Reynolds said. Calling the decision "a financial issue," Reynolds said that physician groups such as Scripps will not be able to negotiate better rates until the government raises its reimbursements. The clinic currently has 19,000 members enrolled in a Medicare HMO and 27,000 members in fee-for-service Medicare; but, the new decision will not affect those members already receiving care at the clinic. The Union-Tribune reports that it is "unusual" for a provider such as Scripps Clinic to halt enrollment because physician groups receive "comparatively high Medicare rates." Although rates for Medicare HMO members are four times higher than commercial rates, Reynolds indicated that "higher utilization of health care services among Medicare recipients eat up any additional profits." Representatives from Health Net and PacifiCare Health Systems Secure Horizons, two Medicare HMOs that contract with by the clinic, said they are "continuing to negotiate with Scripps Clinic" and hope to "reverse its decision." Aetna, the clinic's third health plan, did not comment on the issue. Reynolds said that the clinic's decision is "final and not up for negotiations" (Fong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9/26).
A Money-Losing Policy?
Starting Jan. 1, more than half of the one million seniors enrolled in PacifiCare, the nation's largest operator of Medicare+Choice programs, will have to pay monthly premiums ranging from $19 to $99, the Los Angeles Times reports. However, industry analysts predicted Monday that the insurer could lose money next year if the higher premiums cause healthy customers to drop coverage. The company's stock has fallen 25% since it announced the premium hikes earlier this month. PacifiCare has dropped out of the Medicare HMO market in several states, but decided to stay in California, where the insurer has 600,000 members in its Secure Horizons plan. To remain in the state's Medicare business, the company is raising prices in several counties (Bloomberg News/Los Angeles Times, 9/26).


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Home health agencies are managing a complex web of employees, payers, clients, and more. But by choosing the right EVV solution, you'll find you can do so much more than meet minimum EVV requirements.
Go beyond simple proof-of-visit compliance and implement a solution that will not only help your caregivers accurately document visits, but will also improve your agency's quality of care and client outcomes.


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We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?
Latitude: 51.0901 / 51°5'24"N
Longitude: -2.5129 / 2°30'46"W
OS Eastings: 364176
OS Northings: 132439
OS Grid: ST641324
Mapcode National: GBR MV.CM4J
Mapcode Global: FRA 56M7.NTJ
Entry Name: The Old Bakehouse, and Front Boundary Railings
Listing Date: 18 March 1986
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1056251
English Heritage Legacy ID: 262009
Location: Castle Cary, South Somerset, Somerset, BA7
County: Somerset
District: South Somerset
Civil Parish: Castle Cary
Built-Up Area: Castle Cary
Traditional County: Somerset
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Somerset
CASTLE CARY CP HIGH STREET (North side)
6/76 The Old Bakehouse, and front
boundary railings
House and shop in row. Mid C19 probably. Cary stone rubble; Welsh slate roof between abutments; brick chimney stack.
Two storeys, 2 bays. Paired plain sash windows above, under timber lintols; below, flat roofed angled bay windows
flanking a 4-panelled door with rectangular fanlight in plain opening, above which is a hanging sign on wrot-iron
bracket. About 600 mm in front of building wrot-iron railings about 900mm high with rail supported by alternate
uprights and 'S'scrolls, with returns to ends and doorway. Interior not seen. Included primarily for group and
streetscape value.
Listing NGR: ST6417632439
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
Other nearby listed buildings


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CD: Elbow - Little Fictions | reviews, news & interviews
CD: Elbow - Little Fictions
CD: Elbow - Little Fictions
Garvey and co serve up some winter warmth
Elbow fans will remember how 2014's The Take Off and Landing of Everything took the band's existing sound and twisted it a fraction. The result was a piece of work that, above all, felt powerfully uneasy. Not simply because of the personal heartache it expressed but also the impression of an entire world out of kilter. How interesting then that, now half the world feels unsettled, Elbow return with an uplifting album full of heart.
Little Fictions was written around the time of Guy Garvey's marriage, and it's this sense of personal contentment that dominates the album. "You read me like you wrote this book," he sings on "Head for Supplies", and over the sparse piano of "Trust the Sun" he declares, "You're my reason for breathing." Yet, it never sounds soppy. The songs are too subtle and too well constructed; a testament to the band's advanced sense of craftsmanship.
The album's rhythms, in particular, deserve scrutiny. Drummer Richard Jupp left just before recording began, ending his 25 years with the band. He hasn't yet been replaced but on the album Alex Reeves creates drum textures that are hypnotic and often almost electronic, with hints of hip hop. The effect on songs like "Gentle Storm" is to make them feel almost as chill-out as they are warm.
At the other end of the scale is the unashamedly huge opening number, "Magnificent". Here, sweeping strings give way to an anthemic chorus reminiscent of "One Day Like This". A similar trick is pulled off by "All Disco". Both are great songs. The album's finest moments, though, lie elsewhere. "K2" tackles the subject of Brexit with an electronic vibe and wry lyrics. It's the album's closing song, though, that's the most enduring – "Kindling" is prayer-like and, surely, one of the prettiest tracks they've yet penned. As for the rest of the album, it's hard to say quite where it fits into the Elbow canon. What is certain is that Little Fictions confirms the band as one of rock's most consistent performers
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Five's the limit for fruit and vegetable health benefits
Five portions of fruit and vegetables may help you live longer, but it seems that more than that doesn't make any difference.
A team of researchers in China and the US, trying to get to the bottom of conflicting reports on the health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables, analysed the results of 16 studies involving a total of 833,234 participants and 56,423 deaths.
They showed that eating more fruit and vegetables was significantly associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, particularly from cardiovascular diseases. In fact the average risk of death from all causes was reduced by 5% for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables, and risk of cardiovascular death was reduced by 4% for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables. But only up to five servings. After that the risk of death did not reduce further.
The research is published in the BMJ.
- http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.g4490


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The Drone Data X Conference is taking place in San Francisco on June 3rd, 2016. This is an event where some of the best minds in UAV technology can meet and share ideas, and learn about the merging of big data and drone technology.
The highlight of the event will be a day-long conference in the 120,000 sq ft Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, where delegates will be exploring future opportunities associated with design, testing, manufacturing and construction of UAVs.
The focus for this conference will be on 'Drones and Data'. Many of the leading firms in big data and UAVs from around the world will be present. Companies like Movidius, the leader in sense and avoid chips, are already on board, as they have been a supporter of the events for the past several years. Drone Deploy, who has been leading the autonomous programming of drones will be speaking at the event.
Leading the event organisation is Managing Director of Voxpro USA, Philip McNamara. Speaking at the launch, Philip said "I see huge potential in the development of Drone Technology, and in 20 years we'll really see what drones are all about – the future of personal transportation. We'll have some of the best minds in drone technology here in San Francisco."
Some of the leading companies from Silicon Valley will be taking part:
- Movidius are the leaders in 'Sense and Avoid' chips. Their CEO, Remi El-Ouzanne will be there.
- Joby Aviation wants to rid us of traffic by building a battery powered VTOL plane. Founder Joeben Beverit will be present.
- Skycatch is developing drone robots that can automatically land, re-energize and take high altitude photos for logging companies and construction companies to track progress. Christian Sanz, their CEO will be there.
- DJI is a company that produces the world's most popular drone, the Phantom. DJI will be demonstrating some of their new technology.
- Drone Deploy. This company helps people to make sense of the huge amounts of data that is generated by drones.
The event is followed by a VIP weekend where founders, VPs, CEOs and Investors get together to discuss idea and do deals. Guided activities such as Kitesurfing, Mountain Biking, and Surfing in beautiful Santa Cruz, California are included.
Unlike a traditional conference, the speakers, investors and CEOs will enjoy a weekend together to discuss strategy, learn from each other and build relationships.
- Handmade Drone Ornament - July 15, 2019
- Data Visualization and Analytics: Q&A with Jan Wouter Kruyt of Propeller Aero - November 7, 2018
- End-to-End Drone Mapping Solutions – Q&A on eBee X and ANAFI Work - October 29, 2018
- 3D Sensing Solutions – Q&A with Cepton Technologies - October 26, 2018
- Would You Rather: Race a Car or Race a Drone - July 18, 2018


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Decentralize power and give it to citizens
Cape Cod Times | April 17, 2018
Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, the Inventor of Email, was featured in an article on Cape Cod Times on February 17, 2018. The article was entitled "Decentralize power and give it to citizens".
Below is an image of the article as it appeared. Click on the image to read the full article on the original site or in a PDF format.
Click to View Article on Original SiteClick to Download as PDF


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My wife & I recently took Bill Fay's 12 week course;
"Share Jesus Without Fear".
This class was given by one of our Decons and his wife for whom I have the utmost respect, who made the course so personal, and easy for us to understand. Thank you Brother Charles & Mrs. Charlotte!
The entire course is based on the following verse;
"Therefore and make disciples of all the nations."
~Matthew 28:19~
I know that the statement is true;"You get out of anything what you put into it."
Brother Bill Fay is a true example of what the Lord can do! I encourage everyone, to go hear Bill Fay speak if you are presented with the opportunity, our better yet, step up and speak with your Pastor,and present the idea of having Brother Bill speak at your church, and have this class thought by either your Pastor or well informed Deacons.
The class is awesome, and if you have never shared Jesus "one on one", you will be jumping to be first out the door to find someone to share with! The best way I can explain the class is; "It's like a classroom Revival!"
Here is the link to Bill Fay's website:
There is a great 11 volume audio set on the website, but also links for your church to purchase the workbooks, and companion DVD set for the class.
If anyone has any questions I can assist you with, whether to do with this class itself, or your salvation please do not hesitate to call on me anytime, as I am trying harder everyday to live up to our church's motto;
"Seek God, Serve Others"
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
~Acts 1:8~ KJV