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It's a good job I don't treat my make up like I treat my men, otherwise the current Mr Candy would've been replaced 10 times over by now.
Go and grab some Pj's and ice cream, cos I want to talk brand crushes with you (again)…
As long as I've liked make up I've had brand crushes. On one hand I probably have something from most brands you can name, but I also go through phases of being utterly obsessed with just one brand and as a result, I end up buy 20 things from the brand [Lust phase] and then get a bit bored [It's not you, it's me].
Notable brand crushes for me include:
She Uemura
Started early 20s. Collected the eyeshadows one by one until I had 100. They gave my first every lash revelation moment – truly curly, gorgeous lashes thanks to their eyelash curler and one very talented make up artist. I still love their lip products but I find to buy anything else because I don't have a clue what I own from them any more!
Once again because of a talented make up artist I got into this brand (see the importance of good MUAs!) and collected all the blushers, eyeshadows, lipsticks. Still a very special brand to me now but I tend to look out for LE items (I have a Nars drawer!).
Then I got interested in Japanese make up…
The first brand that made me crush on Japanese brands in general was Lavshuca (a Kanebo brand). The packaging was spot on, princessy but functional, the price point was great and the earlier lip and eyeshadows were just amazing.
I think Lavshuca might just do the most beautiful eyeshadow quad I own.
On the downside, Lavshuca have lost it a bit since late, the palettes have been less interesting and I've been disappointed with the lip products.
At the moment I am crushing on and buying up:
Heroine Make (from Kiss Me Japan)
Perfect waterproof mascara and eyeliners. The lip gloss is divine. So gorgeous. Will talk about them more soon.
Baviphat (from Korea)
Trying some of their skincare and also cosmetics – their range is visually gorgeous, has that retro Benefit feel about it.
The Face Shop (from Korea)
No relation to The Body Shop, I have one of their concealers and it's BRILLIANT. So I am not obsessed with this brand – they make sleek cosmetics that aren't too expensive.
Downside is at the moment everything is from Asia thus I have to wait for it all.
Other brands I always check out and have a soft spot for are; Chanel, Dior, Trish McEvoy, Armani, Bobbi Brown, Bourjois, Urban Decay, RMK, Lunasol, MAQUillage, KATE. I seem to have an awful lorra make up crushes, hmmm.
Come on, do share – do you have make up crushes?
If so, do you have some past and present crushes to share?


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It's been 5 years since the day Lani and Lexi left...
Those three little words..64357247
- by Tarrrrford
- Rating:
- Published: 11 Aug 2013
- Updated: 21 Aug 2013
- Status: In Progress
When Alana's best friend introduces her to her boyfriends band mates, she had no idea se was about to fall head over heels in love with one of them, and how those three little words could totally change the way she felt about him. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eChJkcHIAbo
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We thank you for your online visit and hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about us through this website.
Here you will be able to read about our history, meet our artists, purchase our music or contact us to request a performance at your church, conference or other special event.
We thank you for your support and hope to see you at a concert real soon.
God Bless,


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The goal of the project is the development of an overall strategy for reduction of turbidity/TSS, with sets of sediment reduction initiatives and actions for various sources, to address the Minnesota River Turbidity TMDL and the South Metro Mississippi River TSS TMDL.
This project targets retrofit stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) on public land to assist partnering Local Government Units (LGUs) achieve water quality goals identified in local stormwater plans. The Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) provides technical assistance and distributes Clean Water Funding (CWF) to leverage local funding through its time-proven Stormwater Retrofit Partnership (Partnership) cost share program.
This project is a continuation of the Dakota County Community Initiative, which has received Clean Water Funds in 2012 and 2013. It will provide cost share funding to organizations and associations who voluntarily construct medium sized water quality best management practices (BMPs) in Dakota County.
This project will use the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District's existing Conservation Initiative Funding program to provide technical assistance and monetary incentives for targeted, medium-sized projects such as raingardens, bioinfiltration, biofiltration, bioswales, shoreline stabilizations, and other best management practices (BMPs). Project proposals will be solicited from faith based organizations, homeowner associations, school organizations, lake associations, and others that own or manage large areas of land.
The Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) is currently being developed for the Minnesota River-Headwaters. Part of the WRAPS and subsequent implementation addresses targeting locations for specific projects (e.g., conservation practices) which are expected to results in measurable water quality benefits for impaired lakes and rivers. Protection strategies are also developed to maintain water quality.
The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, in partnership with the City of Burnsville, is planning an overall improvement in the Alimagnet Lake subwatershed that consists retrofit two existing stormwater ponds that drain to Alimagnet Lake, a nutrient impaired water, with iron-enhanced sand filter benches. It is estimated that a significant amount of phosphorus reduction will be achieved by implementing this project, bringing Alimagnet Lake closer to state water quality standards.
As part of the Dakota County Transportation Department's highway 78 road reconstruction project, the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization is partnering with Dakota County to install a nitrate treatment practice on a tributary to the South Branch Vermillion River adjacent to the road. The South Branch Vermillion River subwatershed is the highest nitrate loading subwatershed in the Vermillion River Watershed and is a significant contributor to contaminated drinking water in the eastern portion of the watershed.
South Creek is a tributary to the Vermillion River and a DNR-designated trout stream. Currently, the creek is not meeting state water quality standards for sediment, temperature and dissolved oxygen The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization and the City of Lakeville propose to retrofit an existing stormwater pipe with a hydrodynamic separator to reduce the sediment load reaching South Creek and the Vermillion River. One hydrodynamic separator will be installed and is estimated to reduce sediment loads to South Creek and the Vermillion River by 4 tons per year.
The Vermillion River Watershed JPO is partnering with Dakota County and the City of Lakeville to enhance stormwater management along County Road 50. A treatment train approach with an iron-enhanced sand filter at the tail end to remove dissolved phosphorus will be implemented to treat a drainage area including a portion of the upstream neighborhoods that currently receive little to no stormwater treatment. The practice is anticipated to reduce 20 pounds of phosphorus annually from reaching Lake Marion, a water resource with high recreational value targeted for protection.
South Creek, a tributary to the Vermillion River and a DNR-designated trout stream. Currently, the creek is not meeting state water quality standards for sediment, temperature and dissolved oxygen and it flows through a large stormwater basin in the City of Lakeville. The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, in partnership with the city, propose to create a new channel for the creek in order to separate it from the pond. The result would be significantly cooler temperatures, increased dissolved oxygen, and less sediment-laden water in South Creek.
The AgBMP Loan Program provides needed funding for local implementation of clean water practices at an extremely low cost, is unique in its structure and is not duplicated by any other source of funding.The AgBMP loan program provides 3% loans through local lenders to farmers, rural landowners, and agriculture supply businesses.
Peer Engineering, Inc. (Peer) will evaluate and recommend to MPCA groundwater monitoring staff prospective sites/locations for the installation of groundwater monitoring wells to evaluate contaminant/pollutant concentrations from various sources. Peer will oversee the installation of monitoring wells by retaining a state drilling contractor or preparing bid documents to retain well driller through the Department of Administration. Superfund staff will assist in the project by providing oversight of contractual requirements and provide technical assistance as needed.
With over 500 public water lakes in Becker County, we are blessed with abundant and diverse lake resources that, like those of much of lake country, are at risk of degradation due to increasing development pressures, redevelopment of non-conforming lots, rising stormwater runoff and land use changes within their watersheds.
Currently, over 235 miles of open ditch are under the jurisdiction of the Brown County Ditch Authority. A majority of Brown County public ditches drain into large, impaired rivers including the Minnesota River (Turbidity), Cottonwood River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform), Little Cottonwood River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform) and Watonwan River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform). Thus far the Brown County Drainage Authority has been inventorying ditches as requested for repair by residents in the ditch system.
Once thought to have an essentially inexhaustible groundwater supply, Minnesotans are now realizing our rates of use are regionally unsustainable. Recent advanced modeling by the MN DNR and Metropolitan Council of aquifer supplies, in conjunction with predicted demand, indicate the major metropolitan area aquifers are currently subject to extraction rates that exceed recharge. Simply stated, we are mining our groundwater.
The City of Inver Grove Heights will remove PAH contaminated sediment from the 79th Street Pond. Approximately 2,300 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged and disposed of at the Pine Bend Landfill located in the City of Inver Grove Heights.
The City of Waconia will implement its 2012-13 Storm Pond Cleaning Project and 2012 Improvement Project which includes removal and disposal of more than 2,200 cubic yards of PAH contaminated sediment from 3 stormwater ponds. The contaminated sediment will be disposed of in the Waste Management industrial landfill located in Burnsville, MN.
This project will provide the assessment of the chemical, physical, biological, and bacteriological integrity of surface waters.
The St. Cloud Waste Water Treatment Facility (SCWWTF) is currently conducting long term planning for future biosolids management. The most likely path forward includes dewatering of the digested biosolids, which will produce a supernatant stream with significant phosphorus and ammonia loads that would be returned to the liquids treatment portion of the WWTF. Returning these nutrient loads to the liquids train would result in increases to effluent concentrations, increases in power consumption, or both.
The Cottonwood River watershed is one of the last remaining watersheds to complete Cycle I of the Watershed Restoration & Protections Strategies (WRAPS) process. The scope of this project upon completion is have two reports developed; a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies report and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the entire watershed.
This project will establish a framework with County, Soil and Water Conservation District and watershed staff that will outline their involvement throughout the development of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) for the Cottonwood River and Redwood River watersheds.
This project will support a civic engagement cohort that will be offered in southwest Minnesota to foster partnering and build capacity of local government, organizations, and residents for effective civic engagement in water protection and restoration. This project will also build networks and the skill set of local resource professionals to do effective civic engagement work for water restoration and protection. The cohort will be administered through the Minnesota River Board (MRB), established in 1995 with a goal of focusing water management efforts on the local level.
This project will consist of identifying the candidate causes of biological stress and to develop and implement a public and stakeholder participation process that encourages local ownership of water quality problems and solutions. The Stressor ID process will be done using existing data, identifying data gaps, gathering new data, developing load duration curves, and refinement of the candidate causes. The civic engagement work will include compiling and reviewing existing data on community capacity and assessing that information.
This project will build network and the skill set of local resource professionals to do effective civic engagement work for water restoration and protection in Southeast Minnesota. The cohort will be administered through the Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board (SE MN WRB) which is an area wide Joint Powers Board (JPB) established to help improve and protect the water resources of the area through coordinating local water planning efforts. This JPB has successfully administered water quality grants in the past that have positively impacted the water resources of this region.
This project will complete spatial and temporal revisions , recalibration and validation of 7 watershed HSPF models. These fully functioning calibrated validated executable models will simulate hydrology, sediment (sand, silt, and clay), temperature, phosphorus, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and algae at the 12-digit HUC subbasin scale (or finer).
The MPCA, in partnership with the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, contracted with Wenck Associates, Inc., to develop the Stressor Identification (SID) Report; and develop the necessary models for the Vermillion River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) as part of Phase I. The final Vermillion River Watershed SID report discusses all of the analysis that was done in the watershed to identify the primary stressors causing the fish and macroinvertebrate impairments in the watershed.
This project will continue the offering of low-interest loans to citizens, some of whom may not be able to acquire funding otherwise, for upgrading 50 septic systems to ensure compliance with state rules. Grant funds will be used to administer the low-interest loan program.
This project provides information to better understand nitrogen fertilizer management and the potential impacts to local groundwater.
The Discovery Farms program is a farmer-led effort to gather field-scale water quality information on different types of farms across Minnesota. The three pillars of the program are farmer leadership, credible research, and communicating results.
The Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) program identifies environmental contaminants for which current health-based standards currently do not exist or need to be updated, investigate the potential for human exposure to these chemicals, and develop guidance values for drinking water. Contaminants evaluated by CEC staff include contaminants that have been released or detected in Minnesota waters (surface water and groundwater) or that have the potential to migrate to or be detected in Minnesota waters.
The overall goal of this project is to perform water quality monitoring and load calculation duties to accomplish Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) monitoring efforts at the seven sites within the Redwood and Cottonwood River watersheds as well as the Minnesota River site near Morton. To accomplish this goal the requested funds will provide for technician's time, mileage, lab costs, supplies, as well as equipment calibration and upkeep.
This monitoring effort will focus on collecting chemistry and field data information from six sample locations on Hay Creek, Wells Creek, Bullard Creek and Gilbert Creek in Goodhue County and Miller Creek in Wabasha County within the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin Watershed (MRLP). These streams are typically cold water streams which outlet directly to the Mississippi River or Lake Pepin. This monitoring effort is to assist with the 10-year watershed-monitoring schedule that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has placed on major watersheds across the State.
The goal of this project is to construct, calibrate, and validate two (2) watershed models using Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF).
This project will complete spatial and temporal revisions of 6 Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) models, the recalibration and validation of 7 watershed HSPF models, and the revision of the drainage network and point source representation of the Pomme de Terre HSPF model.
The purpose of this project is to identify effective irrigation and nutrient management best management practices and technologies and the barriers that prevent irrigators, producers, and other agricultural partners from adopting them in Otter Tail County. The primary goal is to reduce nitrate in areas where groundwater is susceptible to contamination as mapped by The Minnesota Department of Health by identifying effective BMPs and addressing the barriers to their adoption.
Pasture and hayland account for 62% of the agricultural land use in Clearwater County. In 2012, it was the 12th largest producer of beef cattle in Minnesota. In a county where 22% of pasture/hayland acres are within 300 feet of riparian areas, management practices need to be introduced that enhance rather than restrict the farm operations that use these zones for their livelihood. Clearwater County's Silver Creek and Ruffy Brook are currently listed as impaired by fecal coliform.
The Minnesota River Basin Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) models simulate sediment erosion and transport, however these models periodically need to be adjusted to be consistent with the most recent sources of information regarding sediment distribution and loading rates. The goal of this project is to refine the sediment source partitioning and simulation in the Minnesota River basin using all relevant available sources of information.


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Staff Papers Vol 46 No 2 (June 1999)
- Are Currency Crises Predictable? A Test
- East Asian Growth Before and After the Crisis
- Financial Market Contagion in the Asian Crisis
- Interest Spreads in Banking in Colombia, 1974–96
- Policy Responses to External Imbalances in Emerging Market Economies: Further Empirical Results
- Countries' Repayment Performance Vis-àVis the IMF
- Countries' Repayment Performance Vis-à-Vis the IMF
- IMF Working Papers
- Policy Discussion Papers
Financial Market Contagion in the Asian Crisis
- International Monetary Fund. Research Dept.
- Published Date:
- January 1999
Show Summary Details
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Update your everyday wardrobe with our cutting-edge selection of plus size jeans at Beme. We have all the latest trends in the denim department in stock, from plus size ripped jeans for rock 'n' roll-inspired chic to plus size high waisted jeans for trying out this season's ubiquitous 90s-style fashion. Read More
Our jeans for curvy women are perfectly tailored to skim your figure for the most flattering look while still allowing you to take inspiration from the latest on the world's runways. We're also still loving plus size skinny jeans this season – which continue to be wardrobe staples – for their ability to give you an elongated look, especially if you choose a high-waisted pair.
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With our women's plus size jeans you can have it all this season: comfort and style.
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Connecticut State Police presented awards Tuesday to more than 300 state and local police officers who responded to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012.
Commissioner Dora B. Schriro and State Police Col. Brian Meraviglia led the ceremony at Rentschler Field in East Hartford at 11:30 a.m. and gave medals to the first responders.
It was a solemn ceremony, and a year and a half after the tragedy, the air was still heavy with heartache.
"It's important that we recognize the professionalism and the good work that was done by many, many people," said State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman were scheduled to address the award recipients at the event.
"In the midst of disaster and despair, so many in Connecticut rose to the occasion," Malloy said.
Family members of Sandy Hook victims were also in attendance.
"It will always be in our minds," Vance said. "Our hearts will always be broken."


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Our Full Ladder Back Metal Bar Stool offers superior quality at an exceptional value for your establishment.
Item Number: TCB-W-606BS-BLK-TAN
Height: 42�
Width: 17.75"
Depth: 19.5"
Wood Seat Height: 28.5"
Vinyl Seat Height: 30.5"
Seat Width: 17.5"
Seat Depth: 17"
Weight: 20 pounds
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty on steel frame, only.
Click on the image above to view the complete specification sheet.
Learn how to attach a vinyl or wood seat in the video below.
"We got the bar stools and they look great. And the unloading was not bad at all. Thank you guys for your great service and good quality products. We will recommend you to our friends for sure." -Dina, NJ
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Morattico Waterfront Museum – History in the Northern Neck
MORATTICO – The Morattico Waterfront Museum is situated in the heart of the watermen's village on the north shore of the Rappahannock River with commanding views of the river, Lancaster Creek, and Mulberry Bay. The village takes its name from the Moraughtacund Indians of the Algonquin Nation encountered in the area by Captain John Smith in 1608.
By 1889, construction of the Morattico Wharf at the south end of what is now Morattico Road brought steamboat commerce to an already thriving village center for agriculture, fishing, crabbing, and oystering. The wharf, one of the longest on the Rappahannock River, ceased operation with the end of steamboat trade shortly before the great storm of 1933.
Residents established the all-volunteer, non-profit museum in 2003 to preserve the cultural history of the village and maintain a community center. It is housed in the 1901 Morattico General Store building, in continuous operation as a country store serving the community through a succession of nine owners until 2002. The building and property are a gift to the museum and community from the Weston F. Conley, Jr. family. Conley's parents operated the store from 1935 until 1953.
Establishment of the museum and community center in 2003 has had a dramatic effect on the village, bringing together lifelong residents and new property owners in a common effort to preserve the unique identity of the village and its tradition of neighbor helping neighbor.
Artifacts, photos, and documents related to activities in a working watermen's settlement and the function of the general store are being preserved to honor the past and educate new generations.
Exhibits on display include: General Store memorabilia, Native American artifacts, early Morattico families, general Morattico history, crab and oyster rooms and farming.
The museum is located at 6584 Morattico Road, Morattico. For more information, visit www.morattico.org


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Women's Safety Work Shoes
In the Diadora women's safety shoes sections you'll find various styles of smaller size shoes designed to ensure safety and comfort throughout the working day. The lightweight women's safety shoes are strong, ergonomic and long-lasting, and they comply with current standards and certifications. Whether you work in crafts, logistics, industry, system installation or gardening, with Diadora you'll be sure of always wearing lightweight, attractive and comfortable footwear. Our range of women's safety shoes is not only made to meet the requirements of professional work, but are also made with particular regard for design and colour. Browse our online catalogue and pick the right style for you. And if you want to complete your range of work clothing, go to the Utility section where you'll find many different fleece tops, overalls and jackets.


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Check out the multiplayer trailer too
Pretty sure I'm the only person in this industry that's talking up Enemy Front. Is it going to be a mindblowing revolutionary first-person shooter? No, not really. Is it going to be pretty fun? Yeah, I think so at least.
But it's understandable people aren't paying attention here at all. It's another FPS set in World War II. It doesn't help that this game is coming out on June 10 either, you know, E3 week. But hey, if you've been missing out on the WWII settings and are looking for a game that's not just another Call of Duty clone in the genre, you won't go wrong with Enemy Front.
Plus there's multiplayer! I have no idea how that aspect feels, but I wouldn't be surprised if it'll become impossible to find matches online with anyone after a month. Well the console versions anyway.
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text: Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I was wondering how I could change the font of the console to a custom font made by me. I'm pretty new to java. I want to use it to create some interesting visuals to a classic problem. If someone could give me a few hints on where to look that would be great.


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Amgen Tour of California Jersey Design Contest Winner Revealed
Published on Apr 2, 2013
Northern Californian Matt Orendorff Creates 2013 Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey
LOS ANGELES (April 2, 2013) – Martinez, California resident Matt Orendoff has been selected as the winning designer of the 2013 Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey. It was announced by Kristin Bachochin, Race Director of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California professional road cycling race and Vice President of AEG Sports, presenters of the annual international cycling event. This special and traditional jersey is awarded after each of the race's eight stages to the professional cyclist who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer – courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination, and perseverance.
Earlier this year, AEG sponsored a design contest for the 2013 Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey. Orendorff's artwork prominently features the Breakaway from Cancer logo and a clean, sharp race-inspired design. It was chosen from a pool of submissions and determined by the following criteria: creativity (50 percent), use of colors and elements (25 percent), and choice of theme (25 percent). Official jersey supplier Champion System will produce this specially designed jersey, and CREATE.IT, a crowdsourced talent discovery platform, is the online promotional partner that hosted the contest. A Chico State graduate with a bachelor's degree in English, Orendorff began his career in publishing before transitioning into print and graphic design. He works mainly on bicycling-related jobs for local bike shops and racing clubs. "As a lifelong cyclist, aspiring designer, and the son of a cancer survivor, I am very proud and excited that my design was chosen as the winner of the Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous jersey contest," said Orendorff. "I hope that the professionals who wear it, the fans along the race route and anyone whose life has been touched by cancer are all inspired by my design to race harder, cheer louder and find the courage to beat cancer."
The prize package includes a trip for Orendorff and one guest to one stage of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, including round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, VIP Hospitality passes to the respective stage of the race, an Amgen Tour of California merchandise package, and the opportunity to meet the Most Courageous Rider winner of the stage following the awards ceremony. "Amgen's goal with Breakaway from Cancer is to raise awareness of the resources available for those touched by cancer – from prevention through survivorship," said Bob Azelby, vice president and general manager, Amgen Oncology. "Amgen is committed to helping those with cancer, and the Most Courageous Rider Jersey contest is another way to reach into the community and connect with those impacted by the disease. Matt created a relevant and interesting design and we look forward to seeing which cyclists earn the jersey during the race this May."
The 2013 Amgen Tour of California is set to cover approximately 750 miles from southern to northern California May 12 – 19, and will feature United Cycling International (UCI) Pro, Pro Continental and Continental squads. The 16 world-class teams chosen to participate in the eighth annual race will include Olympic medalists, Tour de France competitors and the reigning world champion. Fans can purchase the Amgen Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider jersey exclusively at http://amgentourofcaliforniastore.com/.
About the Amgen Tour of California
The largest cycling event in America, the 2013 Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race, created and presented by AEG, that challenges the world's top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course from May 12-19, 2013.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and vital medicines, visit http://www.amgen.com. Follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About Breakaway from Cancer®
Founded in 2005 by Amgen, Breakaway from Cancer® is a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer – from prevention through survivorship. Breakaway from Cancer is a collaboration between Amgen and four nonprofit partner organizations: Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation, and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. These organizations offer a broad range of support services complementing those provided by a patient's team of healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/breakawaycancer.
About Champion System
Champion System, a worldwide leader in custom technical apparel, was founded in 2005 and has quickly earned the reputation as a company offering the finest quality handmade garments for a wide range of sports and activities. Strong customer relationships and close collaboration with the world's top athletes has been the key to Champion System's success. Our distinctive and stylish garments are worn by Olympians, National and World Champions, and recreational athletes of all levels. Our goal is to allow the customer to be their own brand and we are known far and wide for our solid commitment to pioneering innovative, race-proven garments that can be customized with virtually any design. Along the way we have revolutionized sublimation printing, redefined garment construction and simplified the custom ordering process. With offices in 20 countries Champion System continues to set the standard in the custom apparel industry.
About AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Sprint Center, The O2, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Best Buy Theater Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), two Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Bay to Breakers foot race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG Live, the organization's live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production. For more information, visit AEG today atwww.aegworldwide.com.
About CREATE.IT
www.CREATE.IT is a talent identification platform
To brands, CREATE.IT is an earned media engine for discovering influencers
To talent, CREATE.IT is a place to express creativity & develop influence
Media Contacts:
Breakaway from Cancer
Alison Colarossi, 916-600-2743, email@example.com
Amgen Tour of California
Steven Bram, 213-438-8818, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Previous Lecture
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Ionic 4 + Firebase Master Course
Course Resources - What are we Building? (2:23)
What is Ionic? (2:56)
Migrating from Ionic 3 (1:45)
Initial Setup for Ionic (3:16)
Initial Setup for Firebase Native (2:19)
Initial Setup for AngularFire (1:22)
Initial Setup for Android and iOS (1:56)
Capacitor vs Cordova (1:00)
Ionic 4 Fundamentals
Organizing your Code for Developer Happiness (4:23)
Components - Let's Start with an Ion Menu (3:00)
Using Component APIs (1:47)
Navigation with the Angular Router (2:00)
Manage App State with Ionic Storage (1:57)
CSS and Themes (2:10)
Angular Router Guards (2:09)
User Auth
Primer - User Auth with Custom Firestore Data (1:05)
Simple Anonymous Auth (2:18)
Build a Reactive User Profile (2:56)
Web Google OAuth (3:03)
Native Google OAuth (2:17)
Current User as a Promise + Auth Guard (2:21)
Fix for Bug with Google Services on Android (0:51)
Firestore - Realtime Todo List
Firestore Primer (1:30)
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Query Firestore for Relational Data (3:10)
Loop Over Observables (2:04)
Update Data with an ion-checkbox (1:46)
Custom Events on an ion-segment (1:21)
Filtering Data with a BehaviorSubject (1:41)
Pass Data to an Ionic Modal (1:54)
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Firestore Security Rules (2:35)
Firebase Cloud Messaging Push Notifications
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Ilex sample 4 Quiz Answer
Arif Irfanullah, CFA
Posted on 20-06-19 at 5:26 pm
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Houndstooth Monogrammed Bag Tag
Monogrammed Bag Tags add personal flair to any bag or luggage. Tags can be personalized with your choice of color, pattern, style ( the area behind your name or initials), name or intials. Easily identify your bag with your own personalized bag tag.
Size: Approximately 4 x 2 3/4
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The pinner says: "i froze menstrual blood into an icecube, melted it in a cold bath then drained the water." Pinned to photography etc, curated from Snaggle Tooth
Oh, shut the hell up. Pinned to Erotic, curated from observando, source uknown
File under, "Things that should not be photographed". Pinned to Chronic Sinusitis, curated from MedicineNet
What time is it? Time to cut your toenails. Pinned to I can make this!, original source unknown.
Do you think the person who ate from the bowl section had a shit-eating grin on their face? Pinned to All another cakes, curated from Creative Cakes By Pam
Red is definitely not her color. Pinned to horrorshow! , curated from pulse stock
For anyone afraid of clowns, this is nightmare-inducing. Pinned to Funnies, curated from Funny Junk
The Pinner says: "The amazing stand up turd from san Francisco's tenderloin. No Photoshop or molding here folks, just pure amazing human shit!! Nasty like Janet, Jackson that is."
Pinned to george walters, curated from tumblr, source unknown
But where are her fuzzy slippers? Pinned to Story Prompts, curated from Daily Fun Dose
Why is this pinned? Why? Why? Why? Pinned to Foot Pain visuals, curated from Our Health Network


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Reminiscing About Robin: A Look Back in Wonder
Robin #183Launched in 1993, the Robin ongoing series totaled one hundred ninety-two issues including seven annuals and was preceded by three miniseries totaling fifteen issues. During that time, Tim Drake grew from novice sidekick to a confident and capable hero while undergoing a series of tragedies that would have psychologically and emotionally crippled virtually anyone else.
The majority of the issues of Robin were written by Chuck Dixon, but substantial contributions were also made by Jon Lewis, Bill Willingham, Adam Beechen, and Fabian Nicieza. Dixon authored the original mini-series and the first one hundred issues of the ongoing series. To many fans, Dixon is the definitive writer for Tim Drake. During this period of his life, Tim overcame the challenges of facing new the typical Batman villains for the first time as well as developing a rogues gallery of his own.
Just prior to donning the Robin costume, Tim's parents were poisoned, and while his dad survived in a coma, his mom passed on. Bruce Wayne took up the role of legal guardian while Tim waited for his dad, Jack, to wake. During this time, Tim took on the mantle of Robin and began training; primarily with his physical and combat skills as his detective and computer skills were already well beyond his age.
Within months of the launch of Robin, Tim was dealing with the fallout of Bane breaking Bruce Wayne's back and Jean Paul Valley, Azrael, taking over has Batman. The partnership between Batman and Robin dissolved as Valley escalates the level of violence perpetrated as Batman. Distrust from Gotham police for the dynamic duo grows until Dick Grayson, Nightwing and a former Robin, took over the Batman costume while Bruce, healed from his broken back, regained his physical capabilities.
Eventually, Jack Drake came out of his coma and began rehabilitation. Returning to live with his father provided new obstacles for Tim in order to continue to fulfill the role of Robin. As the father and son relationship was strained as Tim struggled to balance his home life with the responsibility he felt as Robin, Dana Winters began working with Jack as a physical therapist. The two fell in love and were married.
Following in Dixon's deep shadow, Jon Lewis came on the series and expanded the relationship between Tim and his occasional girlfriend and fellow crime fighter known as the Spoiler, Stephanie Brown and put Tim through a test of character and perseverance. Tim's next major hurdle was a test derived by Bruce wherein an Alfred from the future sends a message to Tim that someone close to Batman will become corrupt. As a result, Tim began to question all of his friends and colleagues within the Bat-family, trying to discover who might turn evil. Eventually Tim uncovered the ruse and rails against Bruce for his deception, but even with this manipulation by Bruce, Tim is unable to give up the role of Robin.
This pretty much ends the smooth part of Tim's life.
The book was then passed to writer Bill Willingham, who explored Tim's relationship with his father, Jack, Stephanie, and Bruce. During this period, Jack discovered that Tim was Robin and forbid him from continuing. This allowed Stephanie to assume the role of a new, female Robin. Stephanie and Robin had been dating, but Stephanie was unaware of Robin's identity. Tim stepping down as Robin seemingly created a rift between him and Bruce, and the rift is only expanded when Bruce revealed Tim's true identity to Stephanie without ever revealing his own alter-ego. For Tim, who had managed to keep his identity even more of a secret than Bruce and Dick, this was a major blow to his trust for Bruce.
Stephanie, however, could not live up to Bruce's expectations for Robin and Batman decides to end Stephanie's tenure as Robin. In an effort to prove herself, Stephanie triggered one of Batman's plans to deal with an out-of-control mob war and inadvertently launches an all-out turf war among all of Gotham City's gangs. With Gotham in turmoil, Tim's father relents and blesses his son's return to the role of Robin. Jack Drake, however, is murdered by Captain Boomerang shortly thereafter. By the end of the street war, the Black Mask has tortured Stephanie Brown with a power drill and apparently left her for dead.
With so much grief caused by Gotham, Tim moved to Blüdhaven to oversee the psychiatric treatment of his stepmother who is suffering from debilitating grief. Bruce offers to adopt Tim, but Tim isn't interested and creates a fictitious uncle Eddie, a hired actor, to gain custody. Tragedy follows Robin as Blüdhaven is destroyed by Chemo, and while Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl survive, Robin's stepmother is not heard from again.
During Infinite Crisis, Robin lost his best friend, Superboy. After Alexander Luthor's plans were foiled, Tim, Bruce, and Dick journeyed the world to allow Bruce to do some soul searching as chronicled in 52. Following their return, Tim allows Bruce to adopt him and he moves into the Wayne mansion.
Picking up the story in DC's One Year Later event, Adam Beechen took on the reins of writing Robin, kicking things off with his controversial depiction of Cassandra Cain, though his depiction of Robin was typically in character. In Gotham, Tim learns that Cassandra Cain, Batgirl, had taken up as a leader of the League of Assassins and is attempting to recruit him to join her cause. He declines and stops her plan to wreck destruction on Gotham, but Batgirl escapes. Beechen did provide a new cast of friends for Robin and depicted the adoption of Tim by Bruce.
As Final Crisis approached, Tim loses another good friend as Bart Allen is killed by the Rogues.
In a brief return to the title, Chuck Dixon returned Ives to the supporting cast as Tim learned his friend had cancer and brought Stephanie Brown back from the grave and back into Tim's life.
Fabian Nicieza penned the final nine issues pof Robin and received favorable comparisons to Dixon for his understanding of Tim. During Nicieza's run, Robin has further tried to control his environment and step up into even more responsibility as Batman is lost during the "Batman R.I.P." storyline. With Batman gone, Tim ramps up his effort to protect Gotham and begins to push the line on his ethics as he realizes that his attempts to limit the crime in Gotham will have to be different from Bruce's approach. As Tim becomes more cutthroat in his planning and more manipulative of both allies and criminals, he maintains belief that Bruce is alive somewhere.
While far more artists touched this series than writers, artists with extended stays working on the character of Tim Drake include Tom Lyle, Tom Grummett, Mike Wieringo, Staz Johnson, Pete Woods, Damion Scott, Scott McDaniel, and Freddie E. Williams II. Tom Lyle helped launch the character with his work on the three miniseries while Tom Grummett left a signature style in his work on the first fifteen issues. Though only providing pencils for a few issues, Mike Wieringo stuck around longer as the cover artist. Staz Johnson and Pete Woods both had very long runs on the title that provided a strong artistic presence. Damion Scott's run provided a style that provided a more anime feel that provided a visual contrast that corresponded to Stephanie's tenure as Robin. Scott McDaniel stepped in and brought his unique style that had launched the Nightwing series years earlier. Coming on board with One Year Later, Freddie E. Williams II has made Robin one of the best comics on the market in terms of artwork. He has quickly become the definitive artist for Robin, providing a new red, black, and yellow costume.
Throughout all of these runs, the character of Robin has been captured consistently, showing him to step up to greater and greater challenges. Robin is a character who shows initiative and is driven to do what he views as right. He knows he is living up to a legacy left by Dick Grayson and strives to not disappoint Bruce Wayne, Batman. Tim is a more natural detective than previous Robins and is talented with computers, which allows him to stand in his own unique spotlight. Unlike his predecessors, Tim is not the most proficient combatant and has had to really work on his fighting technique, taking up the bo staff to give him an edge that Batman doesn't need. Tim almost always seeks to analyze a problem and to outthink his opponent but has shown the ability to win a fight when necessary.
Overall, Robin has been one of the most consistently enjoyable series on the market for the past nineteen years. Many of Tim Drake's later adventures have been collected in trade paperback.
Fabian Nicieza (Trinity, Gotham Gazette, Azrael: Death's Dark Knight) was kind enough to answer a few questions about Tim Drake and Robin as the series comes to a close with issue #183.
Newsarama: In a single sentence – if you can - summarize Tim Drake's journey from amateur detective discovering Batman's identity to his role as a potential successor to Batman in Battle for the Cowl.
Fabian Nicieza: Tim Drake's journey from adolescence to young adulthood has shown the evolution of an individual who has gone from wanting to do the right with his life to an individual who is living his life in order to do the right thing.
Now, I could say a million things that build on that sentence, but you do have your rules and I must respect them.
NRAMA: Most members of the Bat-family have some area where they excel beyond the abilities of their allies (Barbara Gordon's technical savvy, Dick Grayson's natural leadership, etc.). Is there any characteristic for which Tim Drake is more talented than Batman or his close allies?
FN: Well, I'm sure some readers and previous writers might disagree, but taking into account everything that has happened to Tim since he became Robin, and the fact I had the opportunity to write a Tim Drake who had to take all those things into account, I would say what sets him quite apart from the others now is his increased understanding of the need to manipulate events to achieve the desired results, combined with the savvy of knowing how to manipulate them.
Tim knows he can't out-punch the majority of his opponents just as he knows he can't out-punch crime in Gotham (much less the world). So... I see him now as someone who begrudgingly accepts the need to be a little Machiavellian in his approach.
NRAMA: Bruce and Dick lost their families at the hand of common criminals and turned to crime-fighting to seek justice. In contrast, Tim's father died at the hands of a super-villain after Tim had donned the costume of Robin. How does this difference affect Tim's drive to be a superhero in comparison to Bruce and Dick?
FN: Tim's initial desire to become involved in the Bat-verse was never motivated by a need to balance the scales of his own life, it was to help balance the scales in someone else's life, namely Batman.
Though his mother died soon after his journey began, even then, his motivation was never really about balancing those scales and certainly not about revenge.
Tim was simply interested in doing the right thing, making a difference and righting wrongs. I also feel there was a little bit of cocky ego involved too, just a teeny bit, considering here's a kid who figured out Batman and Robin's identities. He never really overtly displayed that ego, which shows what an incredibly cool cat he is, but I do think it's there. The fun part as a reader, and now as a writer, is balancing that intelligence and ego with the normal social stupidities committed by adolescents throughout the world.
NRAMA: Tim Drake's character was introduced with the premise that Batman needs Robin. After more than a decade of Tim filling that role, does Batman still need Robin?
FN: In my opinion, yes. Others will argue against the point, but I think the role of Batman, as depicted since the post-TV show era of the late 60's, requires a temperance for the character's obsession, or he would drive himself nuts. That doesn't mean that Robin needs to be in every Batman story, just that the character, the concept, needs to be a presence in Bruce Wayne's life. Robin provides a light to Batman's dark, along with a need to teach and parent. This helps humanize Bruce, which to me, makes for a far more interesting Batman than the obsessive gravelly voiced guy who hides in his cave until it's time to beat someone up.
NRAMA: How is Robin important to the DC Universe, or rather, ow is Tim Drake important to the DC Universe?
FN: I think we talk about the "trinity" all the time with DC, heck, working with Kurt Busiek on Trinity for the last year we've talked about Superman-Batman-Wonder Woman plenty, but we also know that the Robin concept is just as vital to the foundation of the DC Universe and has been a bedrock of the mythology since its inception.
The concept of Robin defines the nature of the legacy in the DCU and with that, implies hope for the future, stability coming from the next generation of hero, and on a societal level, it harkens to the need for proper parenting, education and stimulation to help guide the next generation to fruition.
I think Tim Drake is important to the DC Universe, depending of course on how his future is handled, because to his generation of characters (just like Dick Grayson was for his generation), Tim stands as a symbol of the ability -- even the responsibility -- to triumph over adversity, of embracing intelligence and careful thought over rash, impulsive behavior and, perhaps most importantly, of being smart enough to know the short green panties and the pixie boots had to go.


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A black tire swings from the branch of a palm tree as fiveyear-old elephant Sujee tugs on it with her trunk. Sujee is one of two elephants that reside at The Elephant Freedom Project in rural Sri Lanka. Kyle Spiteri, a 24-year-old volunteer from Australia, is busy developing new ways to entertain his two elephant charges - Sujee and two-year-old Washtu.
"We have set up a whole range of toys," says Spiteri. "Big barrels and cardboard boxes with small holes cut out so the elephant has to roll them to get the treats out, we use tires wrapped in rope, dirt mounds with food scattered throughout, and elephant balls which are simple hard plastic Swiss balls that you find in any gym. The ideas we've come up with are simple, but incredibly effective and fun."
Founded in 2013 by Ananda, Nick Good, and brothers Tim and J.R. Beltman, the Elephant Freedom Project was born out of a belief that captive elephants in Sri Lanka needed a place where they could find peace and be treated with respect. Tim Beltman and Good originally travelled to Sri Lanka in 2012 with a volunteer company that set them up at an elephant riding place where they were to help care for the elephants and guide volunteers.
"People don't realize the suffering these animals endure whilst training for elephant rides," explains Spiteri.
"At the tourist riding places, often misnamed sanctuaries and orphanages, elephants are not allowed to play. They have to work seven days a week, don't have access to drinking water when they desire it; when they aren't working they are chained to a tree with little to no space to move and may suffer severe abuse."
YouTube is full of disturbing videos that support Spiteri's claims of mistreatment and it's a shocking reality for travellers who might not have thought about the repercussions of the elephant-riding tourism trade. Tim reached out to others in the community and that's when things started to come together.
"We started thinking, what if we could create a place where the elephants don't have to work?" says Tim. "What if we could start a project where the elephants are free from their chains forever? What if we can have a place where they are happy, walk around freely, drink when they want, can play, get excellent care and all the love we can give?" So that's exactly what they did. In Sri Lanka you need a licence to own an elephant and these often end up in the hands of the wealthy. Elephant owners make good money by renting them out to tourist riding outfits or wood logging camps. This is where Sujee and Washtu could have ended up, but instead they are being "rented" by The Elephant Freedom Project and have a fenced in 2,500-square-metre enclosure to roam around in with volunteers whose tasks include walking, feeding, bathing and playing with the elephants - but this comes at a price.
"The Elephant Freedom Project solely depends on donations and volunteers to keep the project running," explains Tim. "It's a major expense to rent an elephant, pay for its food and a dedicated keeper. It comes to around $2,000 per month, per elephant. Unfortunately, at this time, we don't have the funds to buy the elephants outright, but that's the dream." The Elephant Freedom Project runs throughout the year and the "fee" for volunteers goes straight into keeping it up and running. The project cost $449 for a week, which includes shared accommodation, meals, airport transfers and an on-site English speaking co-ordinator.
To find out about how you can volunteer visit govoluntouring.com/node/2425


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David Fink expands his luxury portfolio
Carmel's David Fink builds portfolio of luxurious spots
It's the little things. Like a chilled glass of rose-infused watermelon juice placed in your hand when you check in. A delicate coconut gelato made by a machine that costs more than most cars. Or discovering a gift of bath salts discreetly placed in the car by the valet.
Carmel hotelier and restaurateur David Fink has built his portfolio by focusing his attention on the details.
"Sometimes people don't find the bath salts until they get home, but the surprise, and fragrance which is tied to memories, is what lasts," Fink said.
Since opening his first restaurant - Bouchée - in Carmel in 2002, Fink has expanded his inventory of luxury hotels and restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula and in Sonoma County.
His showpiece is L'Auberge Carmel, a luxury inn within the Relais & Chateaux empire - a collection of hundreds of the world's most acclaimed independent resorts and restaurants, including the French Laundry and Gary Danko.
When Fink opened L'Auberge in 2004, it included Aubergine, where top-flight chefs prepare each dish from scratch using local produce, meats and seafood.
"We filled a niche," said Fink. "There was no luxury hotel in Carmel that also had fine dining. You had to leave your hotel to get a world-class meal."
Zagat, Gourmet magazine and Gayot have praised Aubergine as one of the best restaurants in America.
Fink's management company, Mirabel Hotel & Restaurant Group, in 2006 opened Cantinetta Luca (named after his 17-year-old son), an Italian restaurant in Carmel with a wood-fired oven and an open kitchen so diners can watch the chefs.
"We like a show," Fink said. "We put the wine rack on a wall of the dining room so the sommelier is near the tables all night getting bottles out. We wanted it engaging, like an Italian kitchen."
Hotel Luca, a luxury spa and resort in Yountville, was next, in 2009. Fink then partnered with wine estate owner William Foley in 2010 to buy Hotel Les Mars, another Relais & Chateaux member, in Healdsburg. (After a legal battle, Cyrus restaurant will leave Hotel Les Mars this fall.)
Last year Fink opened an Italian deli next door to Cantinetta Luca. The Salumeria offers homemade mozzarella, salumi and gelato.
And although some Carmel residents considered him McEnemy No. 1, Fink opened a gourmet burger joint this year, prevailing over those who said fast food would ruin Carmel's iconoclastic charm.
"I've since seen a lot of those naysayers eating in here," Fink said recently, over a burger lunch at 400 Degrees. His menu includes a Kobe beef burger cooked on a custom-made cast iron griddle, and topped with pickled onions, smoked cheddar and potato chips.
"To give it texture," he said.
Fink grew up in a 19th century former plantation home in Virginia, raised by a mother who liked to collect antiques and a father who was a senior buyer for Marshall Fields and Macy's.
Hospitality is in his blood, he said, because of his Southern upbringing and his mother's love of home decor with a history.
While at Roanoke College in Virginia, he took a job as a waiter at a steak house, not to learn about food but to earn money so he could take girls on dates. But he quickly discovered he loved talking to diners, and strived to take care of his customers. He decided to learn everything he could about the restaurant business.
Wine revelation
After graduating, he went to the family summer home in San Diego. He was hired to bus tables at the best French restaurant in town, where current La Folie owner Roland Passot was the sous chef. It was there that Fink had his first sip of fine wine, a 1959 Chateau Lafite.
"That was my lightbulb, my aha moment," he said. "The best thing I'd ever tasted. I've been chasing after that ever since."
He left soon after for Europe to study the wine and food of Italy, France, Germany and Greece. Among his best meals was one on the Greek island of Corfu, where the chef picked lettuce from his garden and mixed it with homemade olive oil and feta.
"Everything tasted like the place it was grown. It had depth, and story."
By the time Fink was done exploring, he got a call from a former co-worker at the San Diego restaurant, sous chef Claude Poissonniez, asking him to take over the restaurant at the Highlands Inn in Carmel. Fink stayed there 14 years, rising to the general manager position by age 32, and co-founding what became a worldwide culinary event at Highlands, the Masters of Food and Wine.
One of the first chefs he hired for the event was Wolfgang Puck - and just 10 people bought tickets to his cooking demonstration in 1987. Two years later, Alain Ducasse was highlighting the program.
Fink's career later took him to leadership positions at hotels in Seattle, the Orchard Hotel in San Francisco and the Lodge at Pebble Beach.
When it was time to open his own restaurant, he chose Carmel because it had all the right elements: It was a destination for wealthy vacationers, it had a food culture and beautiful weather, and its small-town feel was great for raising three children. He bought a home in Carmel Valley and planted a vineyard, naming his Les Jumelles Pinot Noir after his 14-year-old twins, Natalie and Sophia.
Walking Carmel
When Fink isn't traveling to Europe to attend board meetings of Relais & Chateaux or studying restaurants and hotels for new ideas, one of his favorite things to do is to walk the streets of Carmel. He likes the black-and-white prints at the Weston Gallery, stopping in City Hall to check out the historical maps of town, or dropping in to see his old friend, clothier Robert Talbott, to pick up another shirt.
The last stop on his walk is the kitchen at Aubergine, where chef de cuisine Justin Cogley is slicing salmon caught that morning, and executive pastry chef Ron Mendoza is getting ready to make bread with local seaweed.
"We plan the menu around whatever Justin is preparing that day, so all the dishes work in harmony," Mendoza said.
Fink nods his approval of the dinner plans and thanks the team. Then it's back to his office to work on what's next for Mirabel.
"There's plenty of room for another luxury inn in Carmel," he said. "Sure I could go to a larger market like San Francisco, with a lot more competition. Here, if I run out of cream I can run across the street and chef Jean at Le St. Tropez will help me out. I like that."
Meredith May is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com


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Documentation for SliderShock jQuery Plugin
Documentation for SliderShock WordPress Plugin
You can easily add thumbnails on any of the sides of the slider ( top, bottom, left, right ) allowing users to navigate easily between slides.
jQuery Slider Shock supports not only images but also allows you to show Videos from YouTube playlists, RSS Feeds, Twitter Feeds, Flickr and Instagram images from an account.
You can create an slider from each of the following sources: Custom Slides, Posts (WordPress), Custom Post Types (WP), Taxonomies (WP), External RSS, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and Instagram.
Add videos from YouTube, Vimeo or Hulu.
Create a unique slider adding not only videos or only images, but they both between slides.
Thanks to the shortcode the slider generates, you can add it anywhere inside your pages, posts or widgets. (for WP) or via JS code for non WP environments.
You can have as many sliders as you want in the a single page.
Add a flat color or a pattern based background the captions in the slides.
You can add text or html based captions, including title and description, for WP, caption can also include author and date.
You can adjust both the position and width of the slider captions.
You can also include external URL images. By doing that, you can add completely different background patterns to your slider.
Choose if your images or videos are shown slow or fast defining the delay time.
You can choose a fixed width for your images, or adjust them to the 100% of its parent width.
Adjust image to where you need them to be using margin values.
Add image descriptions within the thumbnail labels and display them on top, bottom, left or right side of your slider.
Like the images, the labels can have their own background.
Text formating for title and content. Color, size, bold, cursive and family available for them to be set and changed.
Show as many slides as you want.
Since the slider is fully responsive, you won't need to worry about your slider stop working on small screen devices.
You can adjust both the position and width of your captions.
Pick one from 31 available effects or let them be random.
Responsiveness can be deactivated, allowing your slider to remain the same disregarding the screen size.
You choose the skin that fits on your site the best from 39 skins.
Give your slider a completely different appearance just changing the look of the arrows.


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In the name of all that is crackling and oat bran, are these real-life breakfast cereal mascots by Guillermo Fajardo extremely unsettling.
For his "Breakfast Time" series, Fajardo has rendered the Trix Rabbit human and spastic, hooked Tony the Tiger on steroids, doused Count Chocula in hemoglobin, and transformed Captain Crunch into a bellowing sea dog.
Absolutely nothing about this is okay, and the only thing that could make it any worse is a shrieking pile of sentient Grape Nuts, disgusted by its own fiber-rich cognizance. [Via Deep Sea News]


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Whether there's an immigration reform bill or not depends to a large degree on how House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) chooses to run the House. But if there is going to be an immigration reform bill, it won't be Boehner's show alone.
As Boehner effectively acknowledged Thursday, passing legislation that could conceivably become consensus comprehensive immigration reform will require both Democratic and Republican votes. And that means Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will have tremendous sway over what the House produces.
But for now Pelosi's being cautious with that power. Though she's urged Republicans to pass a single, bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill, and to move with deliberate haste, she's stopped short of nixing the process the GOP has chosen to move immigration legislation and is even tolerant of the rhetorical games Republicans are playing as they try to cobble together a majority for provisions dealing with the 11 million immigrants currently in the country illegally.
And she won't go anywhere close — yet — to introducing what's known as a "discharge petition" — which, with 218 signatures, would force a House vote on the Senate's comprehensive bill."I fully subscribe to the idea that we should have a House bill … we shouldn't have to just accept the Senate bill," Pelosi told TPM in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday. "However, there is a Senate bill. And that gives leverage to those who say 'now pass something in the House. Pass something and go to conference.' If you don't, there will be strong public sentiment, to take up, give us a vote, on the Senate bill."
If we reach that point in the weeks and months ahead, Pelosi will probably step up the pressure and take procedural steps to secure — or attempt to secure — a vote on the Senate bill. But we're not there yet. There's political value in allowing the GOP to try to sort this out among themselves. Furthermore, skipping steps and going straight to hardball probably diminishes the chances her actions would be successful. And so Pelosi won't even entertain hypothetical scenarios about the consequences if the House GOP can't ultimately pass anything.
"I'm more optimistic than you are about this," she added. "I really do believe that we shouldn't be saying if you don't do this we're going to be doing that."
But she does acknowledge that Boehner will run into problems moving piecemeal immigration bills if he adheres to the criterion that immigration reform legislation must have the support of more than half of his conference.
"I don't even know if they can pass those on the floor though," Pelosi added. "I don't even know if they can pass those bills though. So at some point they're going to have to have a bipartisan vote on whatever they send forward."
Pelosi is similarly sanguine about a different congressional imperative — replacing Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court struck down last month.
"We had meetings immediately after the Supreme Court decision," she said. "People have been tasked to do different things in a bipartisan way. The Judiciary Committee will have a hearing next week. … It's about timing. We really have to do it this year. We can have hearings. We can do this, we can do that. But it should be done in a way that accomplishes all of it this year, because you see states are already using this interim period to make mischief."
You'd think that urgency might prompt her to tout the procedural and messaging power of a discharge petition. But as with immigration reform, there are political reasons to let the GOP try to get its act together on its own first.
"[Voting Rights Act reauthorization] was very strongly bipartisan," Pelosi said. "So it wasn't as if it eked its way through and now they're going to get even. It was very bipartisan. We believe it will continue to be."


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Find us on:
Learn why the pituitary gland is so important to your health.
Review Date: Monday, July 14, 2014
Pituitary Network Association
Learn about hormone replacement therapy, surgery and radiation as treatment options for pituitary disorders.
Review Date: Monday, December 01, 2014
Hormone Health Network
This directory lists physicians who provide services related to pituitary tumors and disorders.
Review Date: Thursday, May 22, 2014
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Agriculture safe option to strengthen Afghan economy: FAO
Agriculture safe option to strengthen Afghan economy: FAO
KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says investment in Afghanistan's agriculture 'is the better and low risk option for strengthening the country's economy and for finding jobs, but unfortunately little attention has been paid to the sector.'
Ilhom Muhomediev, FAO International Procurement Officer in Afghanistan, in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News said currently there were many opportunities for investment in the country's agriculture sector.
"Existence of million hectares of arable lands that are not being cultivated due to lack of essential infrastructure is another opportunity of investment in the country".
Muhomediev stressed the need for increased water management in Afghanistan and said if the Afghan government managed the water resources, it would change Afghanistan into agriculture products exporting country.
He further said Afghanistan's annual water quantity reached up to 57 billion m3 besides 18 billion m3 underground water, but only 30 percent of this was utilized.
"Existence of suitable climate, plenty of water and 21 million hectares of arable lands can attract billions of dollars of investment in agriculture, but government spends only four percent of development budget on the sector."
He asked the Afghan government to increase spending on agriculture sector, improve quality and quantity of products and services and find international selling market for local products.
Muhomediev backed the construction of 21 small and medium water dams, as decided by the government. Preliminary surveys of the dams have been concluded and will be constructed in the next seven years. The dams will bring under irrigation 500,000 hectares of land will cost $2.1 billion
"For strengthening national economy and investment in agriculture in Afghanistan, the government should prioritize the sector and try to attract national and international investors' attention."
Muhomediev said UNFOA organized a day-long workshop in Kabul a few weeks ago, with 54 people from 45 companies in attendance, to draw the government's attention to the private sector's investment in agriculture.
He said the participants were mainly heads or executives of Afghanistan based companies already registered with FAO Afghanistan. But the companies were not registered with the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM).
Muhomediev added the event in Kabul was attended by heads of companies or executives from provinces including Kabul, Kandahar, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Nangarhar, Bamyan, Paktia, Balkh and Badghis.
The FAO official said only one female attended the workshop in Kabul and but FAO would focus more on women's participation in doing business.
According to Muhomediev, through the workshop, 45 local companies will be able to do business in more effective way and believed they will improve their capacities to better operate and serve clients from other countries.
"The purpose of this workshop was to draw attention of national and international investors to invest in agriculture sector."
Related Article
Download "Pajhwok" mobile App, on your smartphone to read and access latest news, features, interviews, videos and photos about Afghanistan.


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Here's one look at what should be the most likely top 10 picks in this year's NBA draft.
But there is little consensus once you get past center/forward Anthony Davis, who is expected to go No. 1 to New Orleans.
In fact, things are so uncertain that Charlotte, which owns the second pick, is believed to be looking at ways to get out of that spot and trade down.
In whatever order they are selected, here are the top 10 prospects:


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TV Guide has composed a new list of the 15 Canceled Shows You Want to Bring Back. Moonlight made the top ten! Yay! We took the #8 spot on their countdown, which also included Deadwood, Ringer, Jericho, Pushing Daisies, V, Ghost Whisperer, CSI Miami, Veronica Mars & Terra Nova. The top five shows are Heroes, Chuck, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Leverage and Firefly, at #1.
"Forbidden romance, a crime procedural, vampires — Moonlight had it all! Perhaps that's why so many of our users are still mourning its departure, especially with that cliff-hanger ending! Since it went off the air in 2008, fans haven't stopped hypothesizing about how Talbot's discovery of Mick's true nature would affect his future (and more importantly, his budding relationship with Beth!). Plus, any excuse to bring Jason Dohring back on TV is fine by us."
You can follow this link to leave your comments, hopes for our show and thoughts. http://www.tvguide.com/special/winter-preview/PhotoGallery/Shows-Bring-Back-1061152/1061160
Photograph ~ Mick St John (Alex O'Loughlin) in Moonlight's Love Lasts Forever episode (#01x11)


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A modification is an alteration to a game. Grand Theft Auto modifications are created by fans after the game's release, and are not authorized or endorsed by Rockstar Games. Modifications can be obtained from many Grand Theft Auto websites and fansites.
Almost all modifications are entirely free, and may be downloaded and used by anybody. However, there are restrictions on editing and distributing the modification, so always ask permission from the author.
Modifications are mainly only used on PC versions of Grand Theft Auto games. There are methods of modifying console versions, but these are complex and usually break the license agreement of the game and the game console.
Modifications in special websites usually are distributed on several categories, depend on aspect of game they changes:
Maps - modifications of this type add buildings, islands, towns and other objects to an existent landscape of the GTA game. They consist of the added model description with corresponding textures and collision data. Examples are Pleasure Island mod for GTA Vice City and WTC Modification for GTA San Andreas.
Missions - modifications of this type alter or replace the mission script (main.scm in all of the GTA III Era games) of GTA game. These could alter details of missions or even add entirely new missions. The mission script file is responsible for what-happens-when, so modifying it can achieve almost any effect.
Patches (fixes) - modifications of this type do not change anything appreciable but only correct errors present in the original GTA game, like DFT30 missing rear wheel in GTA San Andreas and wrong placed Cuban Outfit in GTA Vice City. Some of modifications attempt to restore hidden features in game: Ghost Town in GTA III, scenes for adults in GTA San Andreas.
Player (clothing) - modifications of this type change protagonist model in game, add or replace available clothing items, sometimes also offer new animation or voice data for the player. Creation of modifications of the given type began after release of the GTA III, the first GTA game contained appreciable protagonist model. Pedestrians modifications also often appoint to the given category.
Vehicles - modifications of this type add a new cars, boats, planes & helicopters to a GTA game, or change existent vehicles colors and handling, sometimes even replace certain cars with new hi-poly modeled and textured version of them. This is a most popular kind of modifications (as also the lungs for realization), often united in large thematic packages.
Weapons - modifications of this type alter weapons models and data, like accuracy or rate of fire, and sound of shooting. They also usually provided as thematic packages.
Some modifications encompass many of these features at once - these are known as Total Conversions (TCs). TCs generally change everything in that GTA game, including the map, vehicles, pedestrians, players and missions. A few TC mods been made, and there have been many more planned that have never reached a release. Most of TCs made for the GTA San Andreas, that is explainable by the time of occurrence of ready tools for development in all aspects and growth of a community. Examples are notorious Grand Theft Auto: Great Britain, Grand Theft Auto: Criminal Russia and GTASA: Liberty City, all are still in development for the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Gameplay - Sometimes known as Script mods,this kind of mod changes the way player plays the game.This mod usually have their own custom script but didn't interfere with the main script.scm.The mod is also sometimes known as "for fun" mods because it often used to spawn the so-called "myths" in certain places,giving players special weapons,control weather,and what ever. To date,the only Gameplay mod known today are CLEO Library for GTA San Andreas. Script mods usually start the player off with maxed-out muscle, a wad of cash, all cities/bridges unlocked and sometimes with an entire arsenal of weapons to use.
Some third-party programs wrongly count as modifications. The basic criterion for modification is changing the original game 'content' files, and these programs actually do not touch that files.
Trainers - are programs that runs alongside the GTA game and manipulates the game's data stored in memory. These programs can change many different things, ranging from the player's health, armor, weapons, skill and even location; to being able to spawn vehicles, modify the current vehicle (e.g. color, damage etc) and edit vehicles stored in garages; to modifying the time, game speed and weather.
Multiplayer - As all PC versions of the GTA III Era games lacks multiplayer capabilities, gamer community start creation of unofficial multiplayer clients & servers. These programs allow to play online with other players on public servers, or offer 'head-to-head' competitions between directly connected players. Types of gameplay provided may differ between different realizations, but usually are versions of FPS-like deathmatch/CTF or rally/street races. Examples are Multi Theft Auto, Vice City Multiplayer and San Andreas Multiplayer.
Enhancers - are additional programs/libraries which remove or increase certain GTA game engine limits and restrictions, like maximum draw distance and number of objects in scene. Display of these restrictions are well known drops of road texture, delays of LOD textures on buildings when moving fast and traffic unification with current protagonist car driven. Some of enhancers also apply modern shader post-processing effects to game graphics. Noted enhancers are SA Limit Adjuster and ENBSeries tweakers.
Some things, like car colors and handling, weapons characteristics, ped relations, can be changed easily because all the data necessary stored in plain-text files, with basic guidelines for their usage from game developers in file headers. However, creating more advanced modifications (such as entire buildings or cars) are trickier, and usually requires some advance experience in creating models for games. Google SketchUp is a good program for creating building models. 3DS Max, Lightwave and Zmodeller are also used. Textures creation is also not so simple; textures must match with specific game engine limitations and should be organized by special order into TXD files.
The mission modifications are even harder to produce. First, mission script for a game must be presented in compiled form, which require use of special compiler/decompiler tools for any changes. Second, script language is not officially documented, and worse, each script editor has their own interpretation of it. Finally, many script features depend on hardcoded functions in the game executable, which can lead to unexpected troubles with different usage approaches, game region versions, official patches and even depends on end-user hardware. These results with mission modifications are usually simple gameplay missions. The most often used mission script editor is Mission Builder by Barton Waterduck and its derivative, Sanny Builder.
For Total Conversions, there are even more specific tools needed, like ped & traffic paths editor, GXT (texts) editor, interface (menu) editor and so on. It is strongly advised that you do not attempt to do more than you are capable of. Do not expect to be able to recreate your favorite car in a few hours, many modifications take months.
Vice City Mod Manager or VCMM, is a tool for modifying objects in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. VCMM uses its own file format VCM, and mods can be downloaded in this format from many different websites.
There is another mod manager for GTA: San Andreas. It does the same thing as the Vice City Mod Manager.
Vehicles, player and weapons modifications are usually constructed on replacement of already present game objects, because there are limits to number of objects of such kind in game engine, often already filled up by developers, and addition of the new model will require a lot of 'precision' editing in many game files. Therefore, a new car, weapon or clothes will replace the existing one and all installation is reduced to work with IMG archives and little editing of one or two game files in text editor. Always do backup of files touched before any changes occurs.
Installation of larger modifications, such as maps, depends on a method chosen by the developer of mod. Some mods are made as file replacements, mod comes in form of archive which you must unpack to original game`s directory. This simplified installation cost large files to download. Other mods come with special installers (mod installers), which automates work with IMG archives and text-files editing. Both methods usually uncompatible with other mods present, so you must install them over special fresh installation of the original game.
Some gamers consider modifications to spoil the integrity and theme of the game - for example, they don't think a 2005 Lamborghini belongs in a fictitious 1990s world, although you can make your own decisions on these matters.
Most modifications do not alter the status of your game. However, if you install a modification that edits or replaces the mission script file, you will have to begin a new game (except in rare cases), or use a provided savegame created for that specific modification. The game will crash immediately if tried to load an old savegame file.
Modifications that were badly coded (mainly missions) or contain many hi-quality textures and models may results with game performance degradation, jerky framerate and various graphical glitches, especially on old hardware.
Many players on the online community of GTA IV on Xbox360 often complain about a player shooting missiles out of his/her weapon. It is a mod made by the creation of an illegal copied disk of GTA IV. This mod will give the player the ability to shoot missiles out of their primary weapon, it lets the player drive a vehicle at any speed. It also makes single player cars (with an array of unofficial paintjobs) and story mode characters to spawn around the modified player. Many people feel angry and annoyed to see a modder in a game, killing them unfairly. Often times a modder would be kicked out of the game or trash-talked to. It is unknown if these players are brought to justice by the xbox live complaint system. Despite the modding being relatively annoying to some, others find modding fun and use it as a way to obtain various abilities or vehicles for their own personal enjoyment or for the players in the current multiplayer game.
You modify your game at your own risk. There is no guarantee that all modifications you download will work, or whether the instructions will be complete. You should make yourself familiar with simple well-known modifications (such as cars) before attempting to install larger and more complex models.
Always read the instructions thoroughly, and always backup files before you edit
San Andreas Hot Coffee Mod
San Andreas lengendary BigFoot Mod
Get CJ High and Drunk Mod
San Andreas €urope Mod
San Andreas ultimate nitro Mod
Protagonist Mod/Ghost Town Mod
San Andreas All4Free Mod
San Andreas BMW Z4 Mod
Coke Zero Vending Mod
A Maverick, With Modded Design, in GTA: San Andreas
San Andreas Sega Genesis Mod
|IMG | DFF | TXD | IDE | GXT | Handling | Carcols
|Hot Coffee
|IMG Tool | GGMM | VCMM
|Multi Theft Auto, Vice City Multiplayer, San Andreas Multiplayer