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Here is my latest piece for CounterPunch. Think of it as a Viet Nam-related sociopolitical fantasy. A guy can dream, can't he?
Here is my latest piece for CounterPunch. Think of it as a Viet Nam-related sociopolitical fantasy. A guy can dream, can't he?
I'm very happy to see this development. It's yet another indication that Viet Nam is coming of age as a full-fledged member of the global community of nations because it reflects the government's confidence in itself and its country.
In the past, the Peace Corps was viewed with official suspicion. (This is not without cause, based on past experience. In 2008, for example, it was revealed that in Bolivia, Peace Corps volunteers and a Fulbright scholar were asked by a U.S. Embassy official to provide details on Cubans and Venezuelans in that country.)
While the Peace Corps is very much a part of US soft power strategy, it represents another step forward in the bilateral relationship. The English teachers supplied by the program will help improve the English proficiency of many Vietnamese, both teachers and students. Note that the program is initially limited to English teachers, which makes sense, given past concerns.
Welcome to the newest kid on the US higher education fair block, which has expanded considerably in the past 10 years. I'm pleased to see that the US Embassy has its very own higher education fair along the lines of the Institute of International Education-Vietnam fairs of yesteryear. In a sense and in this particular area, strategic partners have become friendly competitors.
Below is a description of the first-ever EducationUSA higher education fair, which took place on 30 January in Hanoi.
Did you know that over 16,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the United States right now?
Do you want to join them?
If so, please come to Hanoi's First-Ever US Embassy sponsored Education Fair
It's FREE.
U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius will make opening remarks! (In my opinion, Ted Osius, who arrived in late December, has the potential of becoming one of the better US ambassadors to Vietnam, perhaps in the same league as the ambassador he served during his first tour in Vietnam, Pete Peterson.)
You can meet more than 40 representatives from U.S. universities and colleges!
You can learn about the application process!
You can find out more about educational exchange programs!
You can learn about visas and hear from students who have been to America!
Here's a link to the fair agenda and the list of 44 participating colleges and universities.
This is yet another example of US Mission Vietnam offering a service that it used to outsource to IIE, a process that begin in earnest in the fall of 2009, when the US Embassy and Consulate General took over the EducationUSA advising centers in both cities. This issue was discussed in a 10.1.10 diplomatic cable, entitled Education Reform In Vietnam: Everyone Being Left Behind, officially penned by then Ambassador Michael Michalak, the self-proclaimed Education Ambassador:
EdUSA Student Advising Centers, which have been operated by IIE under a grant from ECA to promote study in the U.S., will soon be housed within the Embassy's and Consulate's Public Affairs Sections (PAS), which will give the USG greater control over the Centers' activities and ensure that they continue to provide objective and comprehensive advice to students interested in studying in the U.S. free of charge. The move from IIE to PAS will reduce annual operating expenses from $400,000 to $160,000. (Note: This process, the result of political and financial considerations, occurred in other countries, too. The backstory to this official about-face warrants a post or article of its own, in the opinion of a former quasi-insider.)
The only surprise is that it didn't happen sooner. It was an opportunity waiting to be exploited, yet another way for the USG to exercise soft power in a vitally important area related to young people, education. US Mission Vietnam can control the message and cover its costs at the same time. That's the best of both worlds from an official standpoint.
Below is a description of a new tour organized by EducationUSA, US Embassy, Hanoi. Its purpose is to reach out to talented and gifted students in five (5) provinces in northern Vietnam. Eligible t0ur participants include those who wish to "engage with Vietnam's top students who are prime candidates for U.S. institutions looking to diversity their pool of full scholarship recipients" and, naturally, who are able to provide "full scholarships (tuition, room, board) to top international students."
The potential benefits to the participating colleges and universities, in addition to diversifying their pool of full scholarship recipients and, possibly, its student population, are: 1) global service through outreach to rural areas; 2) favorable PR, should they decide to place any stories about accepted and funded students in the Vietnamese media; and 3) the possibility that they might find a student in one of these high schools whose parents have the ability to pay. (Not all of the nation's wealth is in its cities.)
While I'm pleased to see a tour to places other than Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – I organized the first US higher education fair in Danang back in the day – it's worth acknowledging a political reason for this activity related to the exercise of soft power beyond the confines of Hanoi and HCMC, i.e., to demonstrate to State/DC that the US Mission is making the attempt – with the assistance of US college and university reps, to inform rural students about opportunities to study in the USA, even though most cannot afford it. (This reminds me of a former deputy principal officer in the US Embassy, the #2 person, who once went rogue, rhetorically speaking, at a reception for visiting US higher education colleagues, possibly after a few too many glasses of wine, when he voiced the opinion that the US Mission should focus all of its education-related outreach efforts on wealthy Vietnamese.)
If possible, I'll check in with the participants and report back later this fall.
Spend one week visiting northern Vietnam's best gifted and talented high schools that are "off the beaten track" of most U.S. recruiters. Engage with Vietnam's top students who are prime candidates for U.S. institutions looking to diversity their pool of full scholarship recipients.
PARTICIPANTS: Accredited degree granting U.S. institutions providing full scholarships (tuition, room, board) to top international students. *Capacity is limited to 8 reps.
COST: *No registration fees
DATES & SCHEDULE: Five provinces in northern Vietnam will be visited from September 28 to October 3 (Sunday to Friday). Following is the schedule for the tour:
Sunday, September 28: Morning departure from Hanoi to Lao Cai
Monday, September 29: Lào Cai Province
Tuesday, September 30: Yên Bái Province
Wednesday, October 1: Nam Định Province
Thursday, October 2: Thanh Hóa Province
Friday, October 3: Nghệ An Province
*All transportation is by van provided by U.S. Embassy
QUESTIONS? Email HanoiEducationUSA[AT]gmail.com
On July 31st and August 1st, US Consul General, Rena Bitter, hosted a conference on Vietnamese higher education. The star-studded list of guests included Dr. Ngo Bao Chau, the first Vietnamese to receive the prestigious Fields Medal, known as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics, Dr. Nguyen Quan, Minister of Science and Technology, and Professor Bui Van Ga, Vice Minister, Ministry of Education and Training. About 150 people attended the conference. You can find the agenda here, along with a number of presentations in the form of PDF downloads.
My two cents:
The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in friendship and peace.
– Senator J. William Fulbright in the Foreword to "The Fulbright Program: A History, 1965"
Here's an item that's been in the news recently and that encompasses the three Is of this venerable blog, Information, Insights & Intrigue: a proposed cut of 13% or $30.5 million – from $234.7 to $204.2 million – to the US government's "flagship international educational exchange program", namely, the Fulbright Program. (I have always considered this to be one of the US government's most noble initiatives.)
To put this expenditure in perspective the cost of a MQ-9 Reaper Drone is $16.9 million, according to its manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. This means that the current worldwide Fulbright budget equals the cost of about 14 MQ-9 Reaper Drones, one indication of just how much official USA loves its military hardware.
As Ann Jones, the author of They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return From America's Wars — The Untold Story and a Fulbrighter herself (Norway 2012), points out in her recent piece, Washington's Pivot to Ignorance, it's also a sign of how much Washington "has come to rely on the 'forward projection' of military force to maintain its global position… the Fulbright Program may be the last vestige of an earlier, more democratic, equitable, and generous America that enjoyed a certain moral and intellectual standing in the world." That, of course, was one of Senator J. William Fulbright's goals in creating the program that bears his name. (Speaking of the "forward projection" of military power, the current defense budget is $640 billion.)
There is additional funding for several new programs, including $20 million for the Young African Leaders Initiative and $10 million for the Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), both examples of the use of soft power as a tool/weapon to influence young leaders in strategically important countries, including Vietnam. This statement appears on the YSEALI website: Young people in Southeast Asia are working to make tomorrow a brighter day and the United States is here to help. When I read this, one my favorite idioms came to mind: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. (How nice of the US to want to help but, rest assured, there are always strings attached!)
American Fulbright University in Vietnam
Tucked away in Ann Jones' article is this paragraph, which refers to the creation of the American Fulbright University in Vietnam, which was discussed during President Sang's meeting with President Obama last summer in Washington, D.C.
The ECA also plans to spend $2.5 million next year in Vietnam on what seems to be a consolation prize: a new American Fulbright University, named in honor of Senator J. William Fulbright who created the flagship program that bears his name and ushered it through Congress back in 1946. Fulbright, an Arkansas Democrat, was then a first-term senator whose experience as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford had fostered his international perspective. He went on to spend 30 years in the Senate, becoming the longest serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the twentieth century's most influential senators. Yet if the State Department has its way, the proposed university to be named in his honor will be paid for by money cut from the international exchange program he considered his most important achievement.
My question, dear reader, is this: What will a paltry $2.5 million buy, given the exorbitant cost of establishing a new university or, in this case, building on the foundation of an existing program, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP) in Ho Chi Minh City? They would need at least tens of millions of dollars to get things moving. Why not forgo a few MQ-9 Reaper Drones for the sake of higher education and international educational exchange? State says that the $2.5 million is earmarked to support "academic freedom and autonomy in developing new curricula", whatever that means. Stay tuned…
Bonus: Yussi Pick, a Fulbright alumnus from Austria who was a German teaching assistant at the College of Wooster, in Ohio, created the SaveFulbright.org website and petition, which has generated over 26,000 signatures as of today.
MAA (ardent admirer of J. William Fulbright, eloquent and outspoken Vietnam War opponent, author of The Arrogance of Power, etc.; one-time Fulbright adviser for US students/faculty; and the first Fulbright Senior Specialist to Vietnam, 2003)
Note: If you're an employee of the US State Department, do not pass go, do not collect $200, close this tab immediately. This post contains a "sensitive" Wikileaks cable that originated in the US Embassy-Hanoi and commentary on the same. If you read it, you are breaking the law, not to mention disobeying Madam Secretary.
Please pardon the use of this nasty wartime slogan but it is so apropos. This post and the Wikileaks diplomatic cable on which it's based are about the US Mission's charm offensive and the use of educational outreach activities designed to "win the hearts and minds" of young people here. Ultimate goal? To become the most popular kid on the block and to maximize American influence on Vietnam's educational system and thus on the future shape of Vietnamese society.
The cable below is worth reprinting in its entirety. The date: Three years ago today. The scene: the American Center in the Rose Garden Annex of the US Embassy in Hanoi. The context: a "wide-ranging discussion" following the airing of the Secretary's speech on internet freedom. The underlying assumption of this type of interaction between Embassy officials and young Vietnamese – with the requisite rhetorical questions and predetermined outcomes – is that the American Way is the Best Way. On a micro-level it's yet another example of do as we say, not as we do.
It's also a crystal clear example of an American Center event as an exercise in soft power and is completely consistent with other outreach activities of the US Mission in Vietnam, albeit more explicitly political. At many of these events you can be sure that a US Mission staff member is assiduously taking notes, some of which find their way into cables to other missions and Foggy Bottom (i.e., the State Department in Washington, D.C.).
The American Center
What is the American Center? It's a "free information center providing specialized, accurate and authoritative information and programming on the United States for the Vietnamese public." Well, not exactly "authoritative information." It is, after all, a component of the USG's public diplomacy mission – whose goal is to ensure that Vietnamese (and other foreigners) see mainly the good, not the bad and ugly, of America. (There's also an American Center in the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.)
It's not exactly what Sen. J. William Fulbright had in mind when he proposed the creation of what has become the U.S. government's flagship scholarship program. Fulbright once said about the objectives of educational exchange: "Its purpose is to acquaint Americans with the world as it is and to acquaint students and scholars from many lands with America as it is–not as we wish it were or as we might wish foreigners to see it, but exactly as it is — which by my reckoning is an 'image' of which no American need be ashamed." (From the foreword to The Fulbright Program: A History)
Do As We Say, Not as We Do (aka A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?)
Given the US government's many human rights violations in the post-World War II era, including the years since 9/11 (think torture, extraordinary rendition aka "torture by proxy," the murder of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, ad nauseum), I find it ironic that a "Human Rights Officer" led the discussion. It reminds me of the expression "those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." A lot of glass was broken that January afternoon back in 2010. As a friend put it. "Where's America's moral ground regarding human rights? Our President has assumed the right to murder anyone anywhere in the world at his whim. And he's done it, leaked to the press the 'kill list' he keeps in the White House, brags about it."
Only If We Agree With What They Say
Or, as Peter Van Buren, the State Department whistleblower (and, coincidentally, former head of the Educational information Branch and director of Education USA at the U.S. Department of State) who worked for a year at a forward operating base in Iraq and wrote a book about his experience, put it: "Better, so the message goes, to sip the Kool Aid and keep one's head down, while praising the courage of Chinese dissidents and Egyptian bloggers. The State Department is all about wanting its words, not its actions, to speak loudest." Hy·poc·ri·sy (noun) \hi-ˈpä-krə-sē also hī-\: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not.
Mr. Van Buren's price for becoming a whistleblower? As he wrote in Left Behind: What We Lost in Iraq and Washington, 2009-2012 "My case also illustrates the crude use of 'national security' as a tool within government to silence dissent. State's Diplomatic Security office, its internal Stasi, monitored my home email and web usage for months, used computer forensics to spelunk for something naughty in my online world, placed me on a Secret Service Threat Watch list, examined my finances, and used hacker tools to vacuum up my droppings around the web — all, by the way, at an unknown cost to the taxpayers. Diplomatic Security even sent an agent around to interview my neighbors, fishing for something to use against me in a full-spectrum deep dive into my life, using the new tools and power available to government not to stop terrorists, but to stop me."
Or, as Glenn Greenwald put it in a recent article about the detention of Imran Khan, the most popular politician in Pakistan, a vocal critic of US drone strikes and possibly that country's next prime minister, with party's supporters "What makes this most ironic is that the US loves to sermonize to the world about the need for open ideas and political debate. In April, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lectured the planet on how 'those societies that believe they can be closed to change, to ideas, cultures, and beliefs that are different from theirs, will find quickly that in our internet world they will be left behind.'"
But I digress – sort of. And now for the main event, the 2010 Wikileaks cable entitled Many Vietnamese Youth Trust Big Brother to Monitor the Internet. As with many diplomatic cables, this one received wide distribution, including the US Embassy in Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Rangoon, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Vientiane, as well as the US Consulate General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, and Shenyang, in addition to the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C.
Stay tuned for more commentary and analysis about education-related Wikileaks cables from the US Embassy-Hanoi and Consulate General-HCMC in Vietnam. There aren't many but they sure are interesting and revealing.
P.S.: Speaking of free speech, American-style, can you guess, dear reader, how long a link to Peter Van Buren's blog would last on any US Mission-Vietnam Facebook page? Or whether his book We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People has found an honored place on the shelves of either American Center library? I thought so… The "open society" has its limits.
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Hanoi
¶1. (SBU) Summary: During a wide-ranging discussion at the American Center in Hanoi following the airing of the Secretary's speech on internet freedom (Ref A) several participants parroted the Party line that the internet could be used to spread information that is harmful to Vietnamese society and should therefore be blocked.
Others, however, offered a contrary view, complaining that there is no true freedom of speech in Vietnam. A similar range of views were expressed on the broader topic of the media, with some participants supporting some degree of government censorship in the name of social order and others voicing frustration at the lack of press freedom. Most participants agreed that censorship of social networking and foreign news sites is wrong and expressed disbelief that the government would read their private e-mail orrespondence.
"The line between freedom and censorship is always moving in Vietnam," one participant noted. Most participants said they had access to high-speed internet at home and spend an average of 3-5 hours a day online. End Summary.
¶2. (SBU) On Friday January 22, approximately 40 Vietnamese young people (ranging between the ages 20-30) gathered at the American Center in Hanoi to watch clips from the Secretary's speech on Internet Freedom and discuss how the topic related specifically to Vietnam. After showing about 30 minutes of the speech, including a number of segments critical of Vietnam, the Embassy's Human Rights Officer led a discussion about the role of the internet in the lives of Vietnamese youth and what involvement — if any — the government should have in monitoring and censoring its content.
¶3. (SBU) Expecting the audience to be reserved and hesitant to comment on such a sensitive topic, Poloff began with a series of questions relating to internet access and common web activities. Most of the audience said that they have high-speed ADSL connections in their homes. Those who don't rely on internet cafes and their college campuses to go online. The majority of the audience said they have g-mail or yahoo e-mail addresses and spend an average of three to five hours a day online chatting with friends, e-mailing, gaming, catching up on pop culture, and blogging.
¶3. (SBU) Participants offered various opinions as to why Facebook remained blocked in Vietnam (Ref B). Some blamed "technical difficulties," while others acknowledged that the government was likely the source of the problem. All participants expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, and noted that they use work-arounds to maintain their Facebook pages. The participants were nearly unanimous that they would not to convert from Facebook to locally hosted social networking tools like zing.com; many laughed at the prospect. (Note: At the start of the event, there was a small celebration to commemorate the American Center's Facebook page exceeding the mark of 1,000 fans in just over a month's time. The speed of reaching 1,000 fans is notable given that the Facebook homepage has remained blocked in Vietnam throughout this time period. End Note.)
¶4. (SBU) There was a long pause when Poloff asked what type of content should be allowed on the internet. Eventually a young man asserted that politically sensitive content and pornography should be censored, arguing that it is permissible to oppose GVN policies but not specific policymakers. Another participant added that the GVN does not have hard and fast rules on internet censorship, but that every citizen should recognize the impact their online comments could have and should therefore be "constructive."
¶5. (SBU) Another young man offered a dissenting opinion, however, arguing that because the government controls all forms of media, Vietnam's citizens don't have the chance to raise their voices. "I am very frustrated," he continued, lamenting that "We are all missing out on good opportunities." He specifically asked what the U.S. Embassy could do to "improve the situation." Poloff noted the Department organizes public discussion sessions and also works behind the scenes in meetings such as the annual Human Rights Dialogue with Vietnam to raise its concerns related to free speech.
A third young participant countered that most Vietnamese are easy going and very satisfied with life as provided by the government, which ranks as one of the highest in the world. Vietnam's government, he insisted — becoming less laid back — does not limit the voice of its people; rather, some people "abuse their rights" and are threats to the government that the government is correct to suppress. Still another participant cautioned that "chaos" would ensue if people were allowed to openly criticize the government. "Change should happen slowly," he averred, adding that freedom of speech should be "restricted sometimes." Another individual commented that the line between censorship and internet freedom is not fixed, insisting with disapproval that it is "OK in the U.S. to slander another person and post pornography on the internet."
¶6. (SBU) Poloff pushed the participants on this point, asking whether it was permissible to voice opposition to GVN economic policies and whether the government should be allowed to read personal e-mail or text messages. Most bristled at the idea of the Government blocking news sites and blogs that do not comment on political news and reading their private messages. Many expressed shock when Poloff said that the Government of China routinely blocks internet sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the New York Times. Most participants said that Vietnam should not follow China's example. Poloff shared the story of leading dissident Dr. Pham Hong Son, who was jailed from 2002 – 2006 for translating and posting online a State Department pamphlet entitled "What is Democracy" from the Embassy's homepage. Most participants said they had not heard of Dr. Son, and expressed disbelief that he would imprisoned for such an activity.
¶7. (SBU) Comment: The fact that such a wide-ranging discussion occurred, following the airing of a speech at times critical of the GVN's actions, is notable in itself. While participants articulated a variety of opinions, all said that they depend on the internet to remain in touch with the larger world. While several vocal participants proclaimed that they had no problem with the government censoring political content, most expressed apprehension when confronted with more specific questions about the government's role in censoring news media and personal blogging and rejected as illegitimate the notion that security services could be reading their own e-mails. Most participants acknowledged the importance of a free media in fighting corruption and environmental degradation. Of the quarter of the participants that offered views, the group appeared evenly divided between those who supported the Secretary's message and those that argued in defense of Vietnam's position. To conclude the event, PAS Officer noted that the attendees had just participated in the exercise of free speech and hoped that they would see the benefit of this type of open exchange.


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Ok, so most everyone agrees that 2016 was pretty bad… 2017 has to be better, right? I mean, we can only go up from here. Perhaps we need a failsafe though. So, I'm bringing back my yearly What Do You Want To Disappear? Hey guys, what must disappear in 2017?
What do you want to disappear in 2017?
Imagine for a moment that when the clock strikes midnight on Saturday night that we can make one thing (or a person or place) disappear. What would you choose? Take the poll below to let the world know what you want to go away. You can even anonymously add to the poll if you want (this could be dangerous). So go on, tell the world what you want to go away in 2017. Want some ideas? Scroll down below the poll to see some of the things people have said in previous years.
I've been asking people this question for years. Here is a quick sampling of what people have wanted to go away:
- ladies that wear too much perfume
- collection agencies
- Kardashians
- Republicans
- Fox News
- circus clowns
- hashtags
- debt
- knee fat
- self doubt
- Megan Fox
- bullies
- rats
- My mortgage
- catty gays
- garlic breath
- gravity
- tobacco
- skinny jeans
- Bluetooth headsets
- muffin tops
- Comic Sans
- career politicians
- hangovers
- Lindsay Lohan's herpes
- glitter
- drug laws

subset: commoncrawl


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Leadwell Boring Bar Holder discounted best prices.
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Did you know Sarasota County will be holding an election next month? Educate yourself on education funding and why we will be voting on a school referendum March 25th. Attend LWV Hot Topics luncheon and hear Sarasota County School Board Chair Jane Goodwin explain the issue!
DEADLINE TO RESERVE Thursday February 20
Hot Topics
February 24
Jane Goodwin
Chair, Sarasota County School Board
School Tax Referendum
11:45 Social Noon Lunch $15.00
Community Foundation Sarasota County
2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota
Reservations are required by February 20
Call 925-2970 OR Email email@example.com


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The Kennedy Center Autism SpectRUN ○ Team Trumbull
Amy Dingwall
September 16, 2018 - September 17, 2018
My Personal Fundraising Page
Hello! This year I'm participating in the 4th Annual Autism SpectRUN and raising money for The Kennedy Center Autism Project.
The Autism Project provides comprehensive program services that empower, support and educate local children with autism, while giving them confidence, community and connections.
These program services include:
- 30 ongoing social activity groups for children and young adults, teaching age- appropriate social, communication and life skills.
- Family programs for respite and parent/caregiver & sibling support.
- Recreation and Enrichment programs, including programs in the arts, science, cooking, and new this summer, Healing Water's Swimming Lessons.
- Workshops on topics such as behavior management, health issues, daily living skills, education advocacy, sitter training and financial planning. Assistance with information on services and resources for both families and professionals.
- Other needed programs and services, such as in-home behavioral services, after-school, summer and transition programs, and professional trainings.
- The Cindy Dworken Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to low-income families.
Together, we can make a difference for children and teens with autism.
of your goal reached
My Supporters
- Catherine Sbriglio Go Ryan! September 2018 $250.00
- Michele Dingwall Go Team Trumbull! September 2018 $25.00
- View More Recent Supporters
- Catherine Sbriglio Go Ryan! September 2018 $250.00
- Michele Dingwall Go Team Trumbull! September 2018 $25.00
- View More Top Donors
My Teammates
- Leah Soderholm $312.50
- Amy Dingwall Team Captain $305.00
- Michele Dingwall $50.00
- Amanda Hallworth
- Octavia Catana
- Mihai Catana
- Florin Catana
- Tracy LaReau
- Scott Dingwall
- Ryan Dingwall
- Amanda Dingwall
- Aaron Lugo
- Spencer Soderholm
- Justin Dingwall
View All Team Members


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The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world! So, when they crash Sunday school and demand parts in the Christmas pageant, the whole town panics. There's not supposed to be fighting or cigar-smoking in Bethlehem, and while these kids have never even heard the Christmas story, they definitely have rewrites! Soon everyone from the terrified pint-sized shepherds to the furious church ladies are calling for first-time director Grace to cancel the whole thing. But it's up to her and the Reverend to help their community see the Christmas story and the Herdman kids through new eyes in this buoyant adaptation of the funny and touching holiday classic. Silent night? Not a chance. But sometimes a little joyful noise is just right for Christmas!
Friday, December 13th at 7:30, Saturday & Sunday, December 14th and 15th at 2:30


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Rotterdam Gate LNG Terminal Expansion Started
Dutch gas network operator Gasunie and tank storage service provider Vopak said on Monday that the expansion of their Gate liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Rotterdam has begun.
The new infrastructure is expected to aid the use of LNG as a transport fuel and is expected to be operational towards the end of the first half of 2016.
Gate receives, stores, regasifies and delivers LNG into northwest Europe's grid.
Gate terminal will have break-bulk infrastructure and services added, which will help split up large LNG shipments into smaller quantities.
Shell is the launching customer for the expansion and has committed to buy capacity from Gate terminal.
Reporting by Sarah McFarlane


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Senior Software Developer at Ducandu GmbH
Senior Software Developer, founder and CEO at Ducandu GmbH, Sven Mika got a PhD in Computational Biology.
He wrote many articles about Machine Learning and is an active contributor to TensorForce, a python-based reinforcement learning library.
Towards Smarter NPCs with Deep Reinforcement-Learning
Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is a subfield of machine learning that tries to solve generic problems following a learning-by-doing approach. The main technology behind DRL are so called deep neural networks, mathematical models, that can be trained fully automatically to become intelligently acting entities controlling an NPC in a game. The talk starts by quickly explaining the concepts of reinforcement learning and then introduces "MaRLEnE", a prototype of a cloud-based reinforcement learning system for the UnrealEngine4, with which game developers will be able to smarten their NPCs overnight without the need for scripted, more classic game-AI methods such as behavior trees or utility functions.
06/05/2018, from 12 am to 13 pm
Track 2


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Companies soliciting foreign investments or selling business lines to foreign entities must caution against overlooking U.S. national security considerations amongst the array of concerns present in such transactions.
Recent actions by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), at times unexpected, illustrate the need to prioritize national security considerations when dealing with foreign investment.
In December 2016, President Obama issued an Executive Order blocking the acquisition of a German semiconductor manufacturer by another German manufacturer with partial Chinese ownership.
The order demonstrated the reach of the president's authority. Although both companies were foreign, the target company had U.S. business operations which enabled CFIUS to examine the deal.
In a separate deal, a China-based insurance group sought to purchase a series of resorts and hotels in the U.S., including a hotel in Coronado, California. Because Coronado is home to several U.S. military installations, CFIUS objected to the deal. The deal ultimately proceeded without the Coronado hotel as part of it.
When considering foreign investment and M&A, an important first step is determining whether CFIUS and the U.S. president have jurisdiction over the deal. Following that determination, a preliminary analysis should be made of the business and purchaser to identify apparent national security risks or threats.
Dealmakers often overlook areas not central to the business rationale of the deal and are surprised when CFIUS focuses on such areas.
For foreign investors acquiring another foreign business, considerations include: Is there a U.S. business component to the foreign target?, Does the target deal in critical technologies or supply the U.S. government with products or services?, and Does the target operate in a high-profile industry critical to national security?
Whether the foreign purchaser is a state-owned enterprise should also be evaluated.
Once a preliminary assessment has been made, parties can make an informed decision regarding further diligence or if a voluntary notification to CFIUS should be made.
The majority of transactions submitted for CFIUS review do not pose problems, and the ones that do can typically be approved with conditions that mitigate the perceived security risk.
Acquiring companies should consider clauses that condition the acquisition on a successful CFIUS resolution. Companies should also be prepared for CFIUS-requested conditions that might alter planned acquisition strategies.


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I know people are looking for love where they can. That is partly the problem, people are looking for love in all of the wrong ways, with all of the wrong people, and in all of the wrong places.
I realize online dating works for many people, but you MUST use common sense when online dating. People truly show you who they are whether it's behind a computer screen or face to face. The main reason people miss the signs and cues is because they are allowing their hearts to lead. They are being led by feelings and emotions. They look past all of the imminent signs present, because of what they are feeling. They are consumed by what they perceive is love and it's all they see.
Online dating isn't the problem. The problem is the people who are partaking in the online dating. If you are led by what you're feeling, you're being led by the flesh. This means you're led by your feelings, emotions, desires, and wants. If you thought about what you truly needed you would think twice about your situation.
No matter how many people have lost their lives or been affected in some way through online dating, people still are doing it. I'm not saying online dating is all together bad. It works for some people. What I'm saying is use common sense and caution. If you go in with your eyes wide shut, you will be consumed by your feelings and emotions. You will have to deal with the consequences!
Anybody who has been dating a person for months and years without ever seeing the individual this is a red flag! If every time you want to meet up with them, skype, Face Time, Facebook messenger, or see them in some way in person and they're always unavailable, this is a red flag. There are many ways to see a person through different apps if not in person. If you decide to meet up and they don't want to in a public area, this is red flag. Never invite someone to your home nor give them the address.
If you're having to send them money, this is a red flag. A lot of scammers ask you for money right away. They always claims deaths or accidents. I don't care what excuse they give, you should have common sense not to send a stranger money. It's a scam. They know you're vulnerable and they are playing on your emotions. They know, because many of you tell your life history and all they're doing is building a solid case to deceive you with the ammunition you freely provided to him or her.
If you google their name and someone else pops up, this is a red flag. If you're going to use social media online dating, there are many ways to see if you're dealing with who you think you are. You have to put in the time to research. You can google images, accounts, and other things to see if something fishy is going on.
If you never get to talk to them it's a red flag. Sometimes it could be an indication it's someone you know or they simply don't want you hear their voice for some reason. Sometimes people are foreigners and they know you will hear the accent.
If they are telling you they love you and whispering all the sweet nothings to you right away, this is a red flag. They are telling you what they know you want to hear. They are giving you exactly what you told them you wanted. They give back to you in a very deceitful way what you freely provided to them. They use it against you to manipulate you into believing they really care for you to get out of you what they want.
If they want information from you about personal things, yet never provide you with any, this is a red flag. They are fishing to find out as much about you as they can to play their game right.
I've always said and written, when an individual love his or herself, they will be very careful who they allow into their lives. They aren't eager or desperate for love. They aren't controlled by their feeling or emotions. They see things for what they are and they have the sense to get away from a relationship that has red flags!
Unfortunately many miss the signs because they are caught up by their feelings and emotions. Being led by feelings and emotions put many in dire situations, they shouldn't of ever been in. If people do not open their eyes to the truth they will continue to be victims of the Catfish scheme!


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Date of Award
Spring 1994
Document Type
Legacy Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Political Science
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
First Advisor
Richard O. Collin
Hong Kong, a British colony of six million people, will be transferred to Chinese control in 1997. To understand this event it is necessary to look at the history of British and Chinese relations. In the mid to late 1800's Britain, through greater military strength forced China to grant economic concessions. These included treaties ceeding Hong Kong Island and Kowloon to Britain and then renting the New Territories for 99 years. China never considered these treaties fair and the Communist regime did not even consider them valid. Yet, Hong Kong remained under British control partly because of its prosperity under British rule. Although China might not have considered the "unequal treaties" valid Britain did, so in the early 1980's Britain approached China about extending or renegotiating the lease on the New Territories. China decided at this time to regain sovereignty over Hong Kong. They wanted to incorporate it into China as a Special Administrative Region which would have a large degree of autonomy. While China has guaranteed the colony that it will have all the same freedoms as in the past and that the economic structure of Hong Kong will not be changed, not many people completely trust China. Recent events such as the Tianamen Massacre in China have caused escalating tensions in the area. As 1997 approaches Britain is trying to institute more democratic reforms in Hong Kong, but this is over the strong protests of China. Only time will tell the fate of Hong Kong.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Carle, Nancy A., "Hong Kong in 1997" (1994). Honors Theses. 179.


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Equipment for New and Expanded Industry Exempt from Sales and Use Tax
In German Cuisine, LLC v. Finance and Administration Cabinet, File No. K-07-R-03 (KBTA Feb. 5, 2009), the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals ("Board") held that equipment purchased by German Cuisine, LLC ("German Cuisine") was sufficiently separate from its earlier operation to be exempt under KRS 139.480 [Property Exempt from Sales and Use Tax].
German Cuisine produced and sold authentic German meats and sausages in a retail deli store. In 2002, German Cuisine's business expanded to supply Hofbrauhaus Newport, LLC ("Hofbrauhaus"), a large, German style restaurant, with all of its meats. In doing so, German Cuisine purchased new equipment, including a Cyclone Bowl Cutter, stuffer, smokehouse and walk-in refrigerator. The new equipment was installed at a location next to its retail store and did not replace the old machinery used in its retail store.
The Department of Revenue determined that the new equipment purchased by German Cuisine to satisfy the Hofbrauhaus contract was not used in a "separate plant facility" and was therefore taxable.
The Board disagreed and held that such equipment was used directly in the manufacturing process to make sausage and process meats for the first time in Kentucky and was not purchased to replace machinery in the deli operation. Accordingly, the equipment was held to be exempt from sales and use tax as machinery for "new and expanded industry."
If you have questions about this topic or any other legal issue, please contact any member of the firm's State and Local Tax Team.


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Bulawayo born and South African based gospel musician, Irene Chimuriwo says gospel music is a powerful vehicle that can be used to promote peace, tolerance and give hope to those in despair.
Speaking to the ZBC News in Harare, Chimuriwo said gospel music plays an important role in healing nations and fostering peace.
The musician recently released her dvd album titled: 'Zviudze Jesu,' which carries six tracks among them Zviripasi Peropa, Ida Hama Yako and Chiiko.
The songs were taken off her first and second albums Nguva Yapera and Zviudze Jesu.
Chimuriwo said she was inspired by Rebecca Malope, Benjamin Dube, Mai Olivia Charamba and Bethani Pasinawako Ngolomi.
Her music is receiving a lot of airplay in the UK, USA, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and she believes the sky is the limit for her.


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Posted: Apr 14, 2019
DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — Franklin & Marshall shaved off 23 strokes to make a strong push on the final day and finished second at the Rosemont Invitation hosted on Saturday and Sunday. F&M ended at 603 (313-290), while Gettysburg took the team title at 584. The Bullet's Danny Harcourt won medalist honors with an eight-under 136.
Top Finishes
- Jared Berlin shaved six strokes off his round one 75 and carded a four-under 69 on day two for an even 144 and a second place finish. Berlin had three birdies on Saturday and added another five on Sunday for his fifth top-3 finish of the year.
- Seiichiro Nakai also bettered his score by six, with a 76 in the first round and a two-under 70 today to finish third in the field of 100 golfers. He had just two birdies yesterday but came on strong today with seven in the final round.
- Jordan Hubal was playing as an individual and finished 20th after recording rounds of 79 and 75 for a 154 on the par-72, 6,642-yard course.
- Justin Lankler was 25th with an 81 in round one, and he took off six strokes today with 75 for a 156.
- Tyler Wassell turned in an 84 on Saturday, before coming in at 76 today for a 159 and a 41st place finish.
- Steve Nicholas was 57th after carding rounds of 81 and 82 for a 163.
Up Next
F&M returns to action on April 26h at the three-day, 54-hole Centennial Conference Championship hosted by Muhlenberg at the Brookside Country Club.


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Mariah Carey's Mario Buatta–designed apartment in ny includes a costly dressing room that resembles an airy boutique. the entire songstress's outfits are on display and arranged by way of colour and kind, while an adjoining shoe room incorporates a whole lot of her signature stilettos. (November 2001)
picture: Scott Frances See the whole gallery right here
learn Article: The Closets of Mariah Carey, Elton John, Brooke Shields, and different Celebrities : Architectural Digest.


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How is it already summer?
I'm still not sure how summer snuck up on me! I swear it was just last week I was in my hoodie sitting by the fireplace. Now there is sunshine, and birds chirping really early in the morning. Don't they know I'm working?
I was so proud of myself that I was way ahead of my due dates for a number of books and then the powers that be through a wrench in them. Luckily it wasn't me tossing the tools, so I still got my words in and my books finished.
Being half way through the year, I had hoped to have at least three or four books published. Technically I'm calling it two and a half books published, with Runaway Bride releasing at the end of December. The great news is even though I don't have a book releasing in July, (I will be running some sales), I have three books releasing in August!
That doesn't mean I'm done for the year, not by a long shot. I have another book in the works for later this year. A group project I'm really excited about. I will also be writing the third installment of Seven Brides for Seven Bears, Unexpected Bride.
Goals aside, I have lots of books coming, my aim is to minimize my sunburns while doing so. Cover Reveals coming soon for Milly Taiden's PDA world!
With Valentine's Day just a few weeks away, I like to take this time to not think about how lucky I am to have my soul mate, and believe me I do and I'm lucky as hell. I adore my man and I know he adores me. But before I met him I was recovering from a divorce. I had reached the point post relationship where I had to make a decision. Do I keep looking for someone to love me, or do I put the effort into loving myself first. See, I hadn't done that in a very long time. After a breakup, there are times you just can't wrap your head around how everything went so spectacularly wrong.
It took some time, but I found my happy again. I learned to not only like myself, but to love myself. I made my life plan based on being by myself and living my life to the fullest. That's when love found me.
So while not everyone has a permanent Valentine's date, I thought I could offer some advice on how to be your own Valentine. This may seem simple, but it's harder to give yourself the love you need sometimes.
This Valentines, what are you going to do for you?
1. Take a bath, light the candles, play the music.
2. Open a bottle of wine, find your favorite television show and binge.
3. Invite your single friends over for a besties party.
4. Volunteer - spread the love.
5. Plan a family dinner.
6. Paint your nails and curl your hair, get gussied up even if you're staying at home.
7. Write a love letter to yourself. Remind your heart that you are an amazing person.
I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day. We all have love to give, no matter what.
Well that went fast.
A new Year
So technically it's not the new year yet, but I'm ready for this one to shuffle off. It has been a great year for me as an author. I am humbled and amazed daily about how great my readers are. Thank you all for supporting me and continuing to read my stories.
Looking forward, I'm excited to keep writing. I have a number of ideas planned and want to focus on getting new books out in the different series. Some of my time will be dedicated to helping other authors get their books published. I'm so proud of my friend Kate Ryan in publishing her first two novels. Check them out over on lastpagepublishing.com.
I will also be looking at any possible reader events I may be able to attend. I will of course post as soon as I know I'll be attending.
The beginning of the year will be busy. Misty and I will be working on getting all of the books in paperback. Also I'm hoping that the first three Rochon Brothers books will be out in Audible next year.
So thank you all again for being my awesome readers.
Spring Finally!
April showers brings May flowers. Actually around here in the Pacific Northwest, showers bring puddles and flooding but the hope of better days. I look forward to those sunny days that help shake off the gloom of a long gray winter.
It may seem like I have been a little quiet lately, but that is only in anticipation of a number of things coming up for me. I have a project that I'm working on that I can't divulge too much about yet, but is very exciting. I'll be able to update on that hopefully next month.
The first book in the P.N.W. series, Bearly Cooking is in print through Createspace on Amazon. I'm working hard to not only get the rest of the books up in print, but also bundle the Cougar series and the Rochon Cousins series on Kindle.
I've also received the completed recording of Bearly Healed, which is being narrated by the amazing Angela Dawe. I'm so excited to have this book in audio and will be working with Angela to get the rest of the P.N.W. series all on audio.
Looking forward, I have three new books planned for the Bear series. A number of readers have been asking about the younger siblings of the Rochon clan. I can't wait for you all to meet three friends that are growing up under the formidable shadow of the Rochon brothers and cousins. Their mates will be nothing like they were expecting or this soon in their young lives. I don't have a release date yet for the first book but it is in work.
Finally, I've been looking for ways to connect with my readers that is more real time. I often don't get online to check Facebook, twitter, the website, and other places regularly to get back to people. So I am going to start broadcasting Periscope chats with anyone that is interested. You can download the Periscope app on your phone and link it to your Twitter account. It will alert you when I am online and you can ask me questions or just chat it up. I'm going to drag Misty Stark in on some too so you can see the hilarity of us together.
I hope everyone is shaking off the cobwebs of winter and looking forward to a beautiful spring and summer.
<3 Moxie
Year In Review, Looking ahead.
2015 - what a year. Now, I'm not one that usually looks over my previous year and evaluates and reassesses my choices. January 1st is just another day to me, normally. Since I believe every day is an opportunity start over, begin anew, and change who you are, I don't think you need to wait until the new year. But this year, I pondered.
Some of you may not know, but I started out writing erotica. Short stories that were fun to write but didn't get very many readers. I wanted to expand my stories, tell more of the tale. Luckily readers liked my stories of love. I have gone from a casual part-time writer, to writing full time. Not a job that I ever thought I would be able to do. I'm so grateful to be able to do this for a living.
2016 - I'm looking forward to providing my readers with hopefully more books and characters they will love. I can't thank everyone enough for all of your support this past year. The Rochon and Hayes families have been like my own family this year. I plan on spending more time with them in 2016.
That being said, 2016 is going to have some changes. Please bear with me as I grow and hopefully produce more books for you.
My business partner, Misty Stark, who has been with me this past year, is going to be moving more to the forefront. She's always been supporting me and shaking me loose during long bouts of writer's block, many funny bits come from her. You'll be seeing much more of her in the coming year. Tiffany is stepping back as her family obligations are going to be taking more time. I created a generic email firstname.lastname@example.com, Misty will be answering those emails including ARC emails when I'm not available. Hopefully it won't be too confusing.
Going forward for the year, I have plans for six more PNW Bear books. They will be spread out through the year. I also have plans for a new series that will take place in an alternate world. Still lots of love stories, strong alpha males, just with a unique twist I hope you will enjoy.
In between, there is a project that has been swirling in my brain for a while. The more I think about what I want to write, the more I thought it might not fit in the world I've built for my shifters. It's a little darker, a little more…explicit.
For that reason I'll be releasing these new books under another pen name. Imagine Moxie North with little devil horns, a twisted sense of humor, and a taste for rougher sexier alpha males. As soon as I am ready to release those new stories I will post through my Facebook and give links to a new name. I will also be re-releasing my BBW on Fire series under that new pen name. I feel that the upcoming stories will fit better with those shorter erotic romances.
Yes still me, just keeping my worlds separated by a fairly thin veil. If you aren't interested in what the new author (yes me) writes, then my shifter world will always be there. Big burly bears and their feisty mates.
I hope 2016 will be even better than 2015. More books, more contests, and many more hours of fun with all of you.
I wish for all my readers to have a happy and prosperous new year. Love, laughter, and Happily Ever Afters.
Happy Holidays!
This is hands down my favorite time of year. I love the holidays. I love the smell of fresh trees and snow. And anyone who knows me, knows my love of anything sparkly at Christmas. If it glitters I'm all over it.
I have had so much fun expanding the Rochon world recently. I have more stories for the family coming up, but also have some new and exciting things planned for next year.
Having lots of stories in your head is a blessing and a curse. Where to start? What to work on next? So until I have a firm plan on what's next I'll have to keep you guessing for a bit.
My next book will be another Rochon cousin. I'm having giggling fits writing this one. I hope you will too.
I hope everyone has time to enjoy their family and friends this holiday season. Don't forget your book families either. Having our favorite characters to spend the holiday with is awesome too.
Busy lady!
So let me see if I can get caught up here. Released Cougar's Gift, the last of the Hayes brothers books. Released the novella about how the Rochon parents met. Christmas novella Jingle Bears is out, and finally Pacific Northwest Bears, Bearly Healed, Book 4 is due out next week!
In between writing, editing, and publishing, some friends and me got together and started up our own Facebook Group. Book Dolls was born! We wanted a place where we could review books, let everyone know about new and awesome releases and contests. Deni, Misty, and I are all avid readers and we have such a wide range of tastes, we thought there has to be more weirdos like us!
So if you like to read a little bit of everything, then Book Dolls will have your back. I'll be posting occasionally, as my schedule allows. But will also be letting you know anytime they are giving away awesome things, or have a killer review for a new book.
Next up for the writing schedule is two more Bear books planned. I'm hoping to have both out by the end of the year. With the holidays, that's always an ambitious claim. Alas, I will do my best and bring you more great Rochon cousin stories.
After that, I'm feeling a change coming on. I have plans to branch out a bit. Still with paranormal shifters, but would like to start on a larger project that I'll keep secret just for a while.
Here's to an amazing holiday season. Wishing you the very best.
So what's next for 2015?
After setting up a writing schedule with my team, (yes I have a team!), I'm going to offer up the rest of the years Team Reads to them. They have been devouring books at an amazing pace! So many authors, so little time :)
I did want to let everyone know what I have on deck for the rest of the year. I hope you have been able to enjoy the first two cougar books. Cougar's Victory and Cougar's Luck. I'm working hard on Cougar's Gift and will keep everyone updated on when to expect that one.
But after Stryker's story, what next? Well, I wanted to give all of my readers a peek into the past and find out how our beloved PNW bears parents met. After that, I just can't resist, I wanted to show you how the bears do Christmas.
Both of these novellas will be out and free for a few days! I will make sure all my Facebook friends and newsletter subscribers have lots of notice so they can scoop those up for free.
After the novellas, I really want to head back to our bears in the Pacific Northwest. I want to tell you all about Cash (who helped out Dax and Effie) and the rest of the bear cousins that work so hard in the lumber mills. My goal is to have these out before the end of the year. Yes, you read that right, end of the year.
So I'm still soaking up some vacation time while I work on Stryker's story. Then as soon as I get home and get it edited I'll push the novella's for release. Then you can look forward to THREE new bear books.
I want to thank all my readers again for being so amazing and encouraging me to keep writing. The ARC team did a great job and I look forward to being able to offer up more books for review. If you have any questions about the ARC team you can contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Happy Reading!
Why short stories?
So I've been asked, "do you write novels?" The short answer is no. At least I don't think I do. I write short stories for the most part. Being a reader myself, I can tell you that I write what I read. And currently, I read a lot of shorter stories. Now I love me a long, detailed story sometimes. 400+ pages of a world that you can sink your teeth into. But honestly, I rarely have the time to invest in those very often. I tend to reserve those for my favorite long time authors.
I used to be able to devour those size books in a weekend. Heck, If I was really determined, I could do it in 24 hours. But, like a lot of people, my life has gotten busy. Family and work obligations don't always leave time for me to indulge in my choice of relaxation, reading. And nothing drives me more bonkers than getting into a fantastic novel and then having to put it down and not being able to get back to it for days, possibly weeks.
So short stories is not only something I like to read, but something I think readers are looking for. I know there are rare moments I can pencil in a few hours of me time. Whether it's sitting in my car waiting between appointments, or those blessed few hours before bed. Short stories allow me the enjoyment of reading through a love story, read some hot sexy scenes and finish the book without losing it in the shuffle of my crazy life.
I'll continue to write my short stories. I don't know if there is a full length novel in the future. I have a few ideas floating around that I think would do great as a novel or a serial. For now, short, sweet, and sassy are going to be my goal.
Writer by day, Netflix junky by night. Fueled by Red Vines and Coke Zero. Distracted by social media when I'm supposed to be working.
November 2019


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Hello all,
I'm looking for a Richline pop rivet gun. Does anyone have one that they would be willing to sell or know when I can get one?
Thanks so much!
Hello all,
No, they are not made anymore.
Try ebay, they may have used ones.
I had already tried ebay and found one. But I'm looking for a few more. I wanted to see if anyone has one lying around that they're not using that they would be willing to part with.
Why Richline? Is there a substitute?
Unfortunately, there isn't a substitute. I'm looking for them for someone at work who has used that rivet gun for years and prefers it to others. The one he has now is getting worn out so I'm looking for a replacement.
Thanks! I had found that also but never got a response back from the seller. It looks like this is a tough find!
I have a Richline professional rivet gun kit Model 702K.
It is in it's original metal case with parts diagram and list. It has been working good for the few times I have used it in the past 30 yrs. Just 2 days ago I used it and I took it apart to clean and oil it. Just so happens I dropped one of the small jaws on my garage floor and as yet have not found it. It was working perfectly. I cannot find any parts for it on line or anywhere. If you are interested, let me know. Maybe someone has another one to get some parts.
adge613 wrote:
Hello all,
I'm looking for a Richline pop rivet gun. Does anyone have one that they would be willing to sell or know when I can get one?
Thanks so much!
I have a Richline 404 hand riveter in the plastic case with instructions, which was my Fathers. The 1/8" nosepiece is intact, but the 3/16 is broken. It is located in Petaluma, California. I can forward pictures, are you still interested?
Just stumbled on to this post. You mentioned that you have a Cherry-Richline 404 Pop-Riveter, and it did not appear that anyone was interested in it.
Do you still have it?
If so, please contact me if you want to part with it.
Thank you very much,


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The winery is only 10 minutes from Sunny Beach, between the towns of Aheloi and Kableshkovo, and commands a marvellous view of the Black Sea. The vineyards cover the east-southern slopes of the nearby hills, enjoying constant sunshine, hot summer and mild, long autumn.
Special selection: The top class wines by DiVes Estate, Special Selection and Grand Reserve, have won a number of gold medals and awards from prestigious expos in the UK, France, Germany, Austria.
Red wines: The winery's Merlot and Cabernet sauvignon vintages are an excellent combination of classic qualities and modern methods, resulting in charming, harmonious wines.
White wines: The white wines by DiVes Estate are distinguished for their elegant freshness and harmony, aroma and taste.
Rosé: DiVes Estate also makes labels that are fresh and attractive, and belong to the classical type of the new Provencal rosé wine.


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- Presentation
- HAL publications
- Activity reports
SELECT Research team
Model selection in statistical learning
- Leader : Pascal Massart
- Research center(s) : CRI Saclay - Île-de-France
- Field : Applied Mathematics, Computation and Simulation
- Theme : Optimization, machine learning and statistical methods
- Partner(s) : Université Paris-Sud (Paris 11),CNRS
- Collaborator(s) : U. PARIS 11 (P.-SUD)
Team presentation
SELECT is a project-team involved in statistical modelling. It is essentially concerned with model selection problems in statistical learning. SELECT is interested in hidden structure models, statistical pattern recognition, and most generally in statistical decision problems. Its application areas are Reliability, Microarray data analysis and Philogeny.
Research themes
SELECT is aiming to propose tools in models and variables selection. Those tools are based on penalized likelihood criteria essentially designed from a non asymptotic point of view using concentration inequalities or from a Bayesian point of view taking profit of the modelling purpose. The research is oriented towards applications for supervised classification models and detection of abrupt changes in signal processing.
International and industrial relations
SELECT has regular collaborations with the Rearch Departement of EDF. Mambers of SELECT are in the European Network of Excellence PASCAL project (FP6).
Keywords: Hidden structure models Supervised classification Reliability Microarray data analysis
The team SELECT
is stopped since 12/31/2018
Team leader
Pascal Massart


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Mad Max looks even better than we could have imagined. It seems as if it is getting itself in shape for a running shot at being one of the best games to be released in 2015. It's too early to tell if the experience it promises will hold up after the game's launch, but what we have seen so far is enough to get our mouth watering.
In the game, players take on the role of the titular Max, a man who has lost everything: his car, family, life; absolutely everything has been taken away from him. The first thing you have to do is build a new car using parts from scrap throughout the world as you go through your journey across the wasteland. The game features vehicular combat, so you will probably be spending the majority of your time blowing up other cars, taking their scrap for parts and swapping those parts to upgrade and customize your personalized vehicle.
It was smart for Warner Bros. to release the gameplay trailer when they did with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road coming up in just a few weeks, as it benefits them with getting the information out and benefits us as the consumers to understand that this isn't going to be a carbon copy of Fury Road or any other previous Mad Max film title that has previously been released. This is, in fact, nothing more than a Mad Max game that encompasses everything a fan of the franchise could possibly want out of a video game based off the film franchise.
Lets start off with talking about the look of the game which gives the impression that it is playing off of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's concept and approach to an open world game. Developer Avalance Studios have created a look and feel that simply put is just swapping out the high seas and boat customization of Black Flag for a vast desert wasteland with an intuitive car customization in place of a pirate ship. This is in no way a bad thing as it seems there will be enough customization elements both with your car, personal armor and weapons that it could be a completely different experience from that of Black Flag.
It wouldn't be a surprise though if the car combat was similar to those of Black Flag's navel combat and we were to see car boss battles similar to Black Flags Legendary Ship Battles. Although it seems as though when we see Max-ramming convoys it doesn't feel like a setup of a rail action sequence, but more of raw gameplay that gives players more of a choice on how the to approach the situation.
Black Flag isn't the only game Mad Max seems to be drawing inspiration from, as the hand-to-hand combat system also looks to be built off of the famous Batman games and looks quite similar to Warner Bros.' last game, Middle-earth Shadows of Mordor. The Shadows of Mordor comparisons don't stop at the combat system, though; the sneak peak at the cutscenes we will be seeing in the game was brief but just enough to provide us with the same look and feel Shadows of Mordor had. The only alarm this sets off is the fear that the game will be a copy of the Shadows of Mordor with a Mad Max skin over it.
Mad Max offers players more with an enormous open world where they can scavenge and build cars, while enjoying a Batman-esque combat system during confrontations with enemies of the wasteland. There hasn't been a movie-licensed game that has had built up as much anticipation as this since perhaps LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, which launched a few months before Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Mad Max: Fury Road hits theaters May 15 and the Video Game hits store shelves September 1st.


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The town will contribute $2,400 to Main Street Inc. to help pay the costs associated with drawing up blueprints for renovating the downtown area.
The $65,000 Pelican Square Project will upgrade the intersection at Commercial Boulevard and El Mar Drive by installing pedestrian brick crosswalks, decorative lampposts, benches, new trash receptacles and landscaping.
Funding for the project will be raised by selling engraved bricks and asking businesses to sponsor benches and lampposts.
Manors ranked No. 1 for state park grant
WILTON MANORS - The city has been ranked first among small cities to receive a $34,000 state grant to buy a parcel of land to help create more park space.
The Legislature must give final approval during its spring session. City officials asked for $50,000 to buy the privately-owned Jenada Pool property in the 700 block of Northwest 29th Street.
It is unknown if the property owners will accept the lower amount.
Neighborhoods can apply for national recognition
FORT LAUDERDALE - Recognizing the strength of its many neighborhoods, the city is encouraging neighborhood leaders to apply for a national award.
The awards are given out by Neighborhoods USA, a national, nonprofit organization. The group recognizes beautification and social revitalization in a single neighborhood and multi-neighborhood project partnerships.
Four Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods _ Middle River Terrace, Riverside Park, Sailboat Bend and Victoria Park _ have each won awards.
To be considered, a neighborhood must have completed an improvement project in 1996.
For information, call the city's Neighborhood Services Division at 954-468-1526.


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Corrina is a Partner in KPMG's Management Consulting Practice with a focus on Government Advisory. She has 17 years' experience in providing strategic advice to public sector clients to underpin evidence based public policy development; organisational strategy, design and governance arrangements; program evaluation and review; and business case development. Her key areas of policy expertise include education, skills, innovation, economic and regional development. Corrina is KPMG's lead Partner for our relationship with the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
Corrina supported LaunchVic and local councils across Victoria to develop an integrated framework and tool kit to support the emerging start-up community and to encourage entrepreneurship. KPMG developed a framework and key tools to equip local Economic Development Managers (EDM's), including representatives from small, metropolitan and regional councils, with an increased capacity to support start-up activities within their local constituency. To support the framework development, KPMG engaged broadly with key stakeholders groups, and the EDM's across the State of Victoria to gain a system level understanding of the differing needs, factors and enablers that drive local start-up activity. The framework has been released by the Minister for Innovation and KPMG's recommendation for a targeted funding round to support Councils developing their stat up ecosystem has been announced, with applications currently being considered.
Corrina holds a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne and Bachelors of Commerce (Economics) and Arts (Politics) from Monash University.


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How to Get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta
The Blue lagoon in Malta is indisputably the most popular attraction. Everybody wants to go there and visit this magnificent place, where the water is warm and therapeutic, and the landscapes are spectacular. So when you visit Malta, it makes perfect sense you should check out how to get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta.
Distances to Blue Lagoon in Malta
First of all, you need to keep in mind the fact that the Blue Lagoon is 33 kilometers from Malta International Airport and takes about 120 minutes to get there. From Valletta the distance is a bit less; 20 kilometers and 50 minutes to get from Valletta to the Blue Lagoon. As you can imagine, there are many different ways as to how to get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta.
Getting Blue Lagoon in Malta
One of the most frequently used options on how to get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta is through the scheduled transfers. You can find boats and yachts departing from the major points of interest in Malta. This includes Valletta, Sliema and St. Pauls Bay. In such cases, it is great that you combine the transportation fee along with the admission.
Another option is for you to schedule a private transfer. You can check with the hotel concierge and organize a tour there. This is a marvelous way to visit the Blue Lagoon in Malta, provided that you can afford it. Such an option allows you to travel alone or with the company of your liking. You do not need to wait in line, and you fully customize the transfer.
Last but not least, you should not underestimate the other alternative. If you are looking for a fully independent way on how to get to the Blue Lagoon in Malta, then you can drive there on your own. This is going to offer you amazing flexibility and the opportunity to combine your visit with other attractions. You just rent a vehicle and get your map to study. Then, you set out on a thrilling adventure and enjoy the opportunity to discover Iceland on the road.
Book trip in Blue Lagoon Ahead
Of course, you need to be cautious and book ahead. Whatever you choose to use as transportation option, you must be careful and book in advance. Especially if you choose to visit Blue Lagoon in Malta during high season, you might be discouraged by the number of people who have the same thought as you.
If you make your bookings early enough, though, you do not need to worry about not getting a ticket or not being there at the time of your choosing.
Choosing the Right Way to Get to the Blue Lagoon
Feel free to compare these travel options to the Blue Lagoon in Malta and see which one meets your criteria the most. As a result, you will be able to make the most of your journey to Iceland. The Blue Lagoon in Malta is definitely a highlight, and you had better embrace this experience. However, you should first come up with the best way to get there and then start making plans.


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Accredited Online Schools – Why They're Your Best Choice
There's a good reason for you to wonder if accredited online schools are your best choice or not. Typically because they've gone through the trouble to be up to par on accreditation standards they have spent more money to put those standards in place. They therefore may cost more than a school that is not accredited. But why pay more?
Let me give you a little story about how accreditation can affect you. I was listening to the radio one night. It was a talk radio show. I don't often listen to it because of the late hour in which it is aired, but every now and then I find myself up late and am curious to hear the topic at hand. The guest on the show that night was author and lecturer John Gray. He spoke about his regular Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus kind of stuff, but this time it was about how hormones contribute to the common difference between men & women. I was fascinated and stayed up till 2 in the morning listening to the show and then the rebroadcast until 4. I was captivated at how he detailed the patterns in behavior between men & women and he even mentioned how hormones can play a key role in moods and how a common mineral has shown to all but eliminate depression in many people.
So, that's the background. I then shared with a friend who I've kept in contact with over the years a link to the audio of the show. I was excited because she's struggled with depression for a long time and has felt much like a guinea pig getting one drug after another that doesn't seem to be helping.
Now my point here isn't to reveal the answer to clinical depression, but rather to demonstrate her reaction to what I sent her. It was after she listened for a while and looked him up that she completely discredited a potential cure to the pains she's struggled with over the years. She told me that he went to an unaccredited university and that was the end of that. All it took was a little bit of slander and misinformation about the accreditation of John's school for someone to pass by the knowledge that was presented.
Another situation involves my own biases along the same lines. I was sitting with a friend, struggling with my own stuff. I was telling her about it and she shared with me a book that offered some potential solutions to the struggles I was going though. I was quick to look at the back cover and read about the author. I read that she was self-taught, an author and lecturer. It was enough for me to discredit her book before even reading it.
So, if you are going to spend the time to get educated at an institution, it may be in your best interest to consider an accredited online school. There's already enough skepticism out there for new ideas, may as well stand on as sound a footing as possible.


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GETTING READY FOR THE NEW "WEDDING" YEAR The new year is upon us, meaning new trends for the upcoming 2014 wedding season. We have some great wedding trends for you to consider that will make your wedding designs original and beautiful. This 2014 wedding year is looking like a great time to say "I do".
Julie Hanan Design © 2011 | All Rights Reserved


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Dr. Deepti Bhandari
Master of Science/M.S. (Psychotherapy & Counselling), Ph.D.Neuropsychology, BA, Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology )
Psychologist - Specializes in Sex Addiction CounsellingFirst Floor, House No. 8, Road No. 3, Mahavir Nagar, Behind T.N. Hostel ( Road Opp SBI branch Sec 4 ) Hiran Magri Sector 4 Hiran Margi, Udaipur
Recently consulted for: Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment, Anxiety
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MD - Psychiatry
Psychiatrist - Specializes in Sex Addiction Counselling1st floor ,Satyam Plaza, Opposite to Ashoka palace ,100ft. Road, Shobhagpura, Shobhagpura, Udaipur
Recently consulted for: Mood Disorder Treatment, Anxiety, Depression
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MD - Psychiatry, MIPS, MBBS, CIP, Ranchi
Psychiatrist - Specializes in Sex Addiction CounsellingNear Mangalam Arts, Sukhadia Circle Fatehpura, Udaipur
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MD - Psychiatry
Psychiatrist - Specializes in Sex Addiction CounsellingBapna House, Opposite RNT Medical College, Hospital Road Udaipur Full Address


text: Chinese fans of Transformers has decided to contribute to growing with each passing day the number of replicas of Megatron. True, he did it in its original form - now Megatron appeared before us in the form of a tank. At length, this model reaches 4,5 meters and a maximum width - 3,2 meters, the total weight of the replica is about 5 tons.