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8 Sept 2004
Hong Kong Jewellery Fair Update(HKTDC Jewellery, Vol 02,2004)
Vol.2 2004
Hong Kong Jewellery Fair Update
Hong Kong Jewellery Fair Update
A Dazzling Success
The Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2005 looks set to be a sure-fire winner, given the runaway success of the 2004 event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in March.
More than 1,300 exhibitors from 34 countries and regions attended the year's premier Asian jewellery show, which was jointly organised by the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Jewellers' & Goldsmiths' Association, Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association and the Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers' Association.
Buyer numbers also broke all previous records, attracting 24,912 attendees from 111 countries and regions, a turnout reflecting its global importance and appeal. Exhibitor numbers rose by 16.36% and buyer numbers increased 23.66% over 2003, further confirming the show's ever-increasing appeal to astute industry insiders worldwide.
"The response to this year's jewellery show was very gratifying and we expect an even more enthusiastic response and greater buyer and exhibitor numbers next year," says Anne Chick, senior exhibitions manager for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC).
One of the highlights of the 2004 show was the debut of Le Salon Extraordinaire, a showcase for fine jewellery meeting the very highest standards of design and craftsmanship.
Twelve jewellers from Hong Kong and the Philippines whose work met the high standards for display were featured in the salon and their exquisite work in gold, platinum, diamonds, pearls and gemstones was widely admired.
The Platinum Pavilion and the Japan Jewellery Association Pavilion featured for the first time at the event, while the Watch and Clock Pavilion that was one of the star debut attractions of the 2003 show was one of the busiest networking areas this year.
The Designer Jewellery Galleria also returned for the fifth year running, this time expanded to accommodate 32 international exhibitors including leading jewellers from France, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Hong Kong.
Other highlights included a Latin-themed cocktail event at which exhibits from Le Salon Extraordinaire and the Watch and Clock Pavilion were paraded for guests, and a well-subscribed programme of seminars packed with valuable market intelligence.
Many participants were particularly interested in a seminar on the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and the opportunities it offers Hong Kong's jewellery industry.
CEPA, which came into force on January 1 this year, provides early access to mainland markets for Hong Kong-based firms and reduces import tariffs to zero for "Made in Hong Kong" products, including several fine jewellery items.
The number of buyers from the Chinese mainland at this year's Hong Kong International Jewellery Show rose 54.79%, reflecting the increased interest in the jewellery sector following the introduction of CEPA. This was the largest increase from any geographical area, although the number of European buyers was also up 41.52% over 2003.
Both buyers and exhibitors were fulsome in their praise for the show and its organisers, in almost all cases stating an intention to return. "The success of the Hong Kong Show bodes well for the city as a destination where only the best events take place," maintains Yvonne Pong, marketing director of Wing Hang Diamond. "It also proves the importance of Hong Kong's jewellery business."
Robert Matulich, director of New Zealand wholesaler Heart of Gold Ltd and a third-time visitor, says his company buys about 20% of the jewellery it acquires annually either at the event, or as follow-on business. "I find the suppliers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland especially good here," observes Matulich, adding, "I'm after quality more than variety."
Chick concedes that the success of the 2004 show has given the organisers a hard act to follow with the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2005 at the HKCEC, from March 1-4 next year, but is confident that they will rise to the challenge of a still bigger and more varied event.
She notes that Hong Kong's jewellery exports soared 17% last year to US$2.85bn, with the biggest shipments going to the US (up 10%), the UK (up 19%), Japan (up 26%), Germany (up 26%), France (up 33%), Switzerland (up 15%), Italy (up 35%), Taiwan (up 40%), Singapore (up 9%) and the Chinese mainland (up 23%).
"Given the underlying health of the jewellery business in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and the robust confidence in the future expressed by exhibitors and visitors to this year's show, we have good reason to believe we can mount an even better event next year," she concludes.
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The Royal Canadian Mint has issued two one-kilo coins — one gold and one silver — which feature one of the Canada's most elusive and admired species of bear, the Spirit Bear. The design for the coins is a beautiful and detailed front-facing depiction of the Spirit Bear's face, with sparkling eyes enhanced with enamel.
Spirit Bears hold a prominent place in the oral traditions of the indigenous peoples of the area, and were named as the official provincial mammal of British Columbia in 2006. The bear's technical name is Kermode and was named after Francis Kermode, the former director of the Royal British Columbia Museum who researched the animal.
The lack of color in the fur of this subspecies of the North American Black Bear is due to a double recessive gene which was been recognized as unique. They are not albinos and are not related to polar bears, whose fur has no color at all. They are also not related to the "blonde" furred brown bears found on the Alaskan islands of Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof.
Nearly anywhere the North American black bear is found, there is a 1 in 1 million chance of it being born with white fur. In central and northern British Columbia, outside of the coastal islands where the subspecies is concentrated, about 1 in 40 is born with white fur. But on those coastal islands, probably because the subspecies has been so geographically isolated for millennia, one in ten black bears is born with white fur. On Gribbell Island in particular, the odds of a black bear being born with white fur may be as high as 1 in 3.
On the coast of British Columbia, where the vast waters of the Pacific meet the Coastal Mountains, the Spirit Bear dwells among thousand-year-old cedars. Many wildlife enthusiasts consider it a rare honor to see a Spirit Bear in their own environment, and while biologists continue to explore how the bear's genetic trait arose, some hypothesize that the light pelt resulted from a gene abnormality that may have been an attempt to adapt to the glacial environment during the last ice age. Fewer than 400 Kermode bears are estimated to exist in the area that stretches from Southeast Alaska southward to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, with about 120 inhabiting the large Princess and Prince Royal Island.
The Kermode's white fur is thought to offer an advantage in fishing; black-furred bears and Kermode bears catch fish at similar rates at night, but the fish are significantly less fearful of the white-furred bears than their black-furred counterparts during the day, perhaps not registering the Kermodes as predators. The trait thus gives spirit bears a slight edge in the never-ending competition for food.
The coin, designed by Canadian artist Glen Loates, features a detailed portrait of the white-furred black bear. The bear's face dominates the entire reverse field of the coin, its intense eyes taking center stage as it seems to stare directly at the observer. The bear's dark nose and mouth, dense fur, and brown eyes are given dimensional detail using various engraving and shading techniques. The eyes make an even greater impact with the application of amber-toned enamel irises and black pupils. The text "CANADA" is placed just below the bear's portrait.
The obverse side on both coins includes the effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II designed by Susanna Blunt and used on all Canadian circulation coins and many commemorative issues since 2002. The denominations of $250 (silver) or $2,500 (gold) are also seen on the obverses.
|.999 silver
|1000 grams
|102.1 mm.
|Proof & enamel
|500 pieces
|.999.9 gold
|1000 grams
|101.6 mm.
|Proof & enamel
|10 pieces
This is the third coin in the Royal Canadian Mint's sold-out annual series featuring enamel-enhanced portraits of beloved Canadian animal species. Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded custom maple wooden box. For more information on these and other coins offered by the Royal Canadian Mint, please visit their Web site. International sales will be dispatched where applicable.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sep 16, 2017 — Jan 15, 2018
This event has already occurred
In honor of the centenary of Auguste Rodin's death, the Met celebrates its historic connections with the sculptor and his work. Among the nearly 60 pieces on display in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Gallery are The Thinker, The Hand of God and The Tempest. Paintings from some of Rodin's contemporaries and friends, including Claude Monet, will complement the sculptures and some of Rodin's drawings, prints and letters will be on display in Rodin on Paper, running concurrently.
+ Read More


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We grow and cold store forest seedlings of all species and stock types for all seasons.
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Seedling, nursery, forest seedling.
Operating Region: Coastal BC


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How the FloodSax alternative sandbags work
FloodSax are transformed from being as light as a pillowcase to become better than traditional sandbags in around three minutes.
To do that, all you need to do is add water and watch them miraculously expand.
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At Trident Mortgage Group Inc., we're truly passionate about obtaining the best loan terms for our clients, period. As a result, most of our clientele are repeat or referral-based. Our mission is simple: obtain the industry best terms and delicately guide our clients' through the process… start-to-finish.
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A considerable part of budgets of businesses are dedicated to the costs of their advertising; therefore, marketing managers tend to face such questions:
Considering the audience, is your advertising campaign/plan optimized? Or can it be better-planed? How effective is your advertising campaign/plan? What are advertising strategies of your competitors in the target market?
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Pope Benedict XVI and the Essential Worldwide Mission | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | August 27, 2007
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"The Catholic Church which is in China does not have a mission to change the structure of administration of the State; rather, her mission is to proclaim Christ to men and women, as the Savior of the world, basing herself--in carrying out her proper apostolate--on the power of God."
-- Benedict XVI,
Letter to the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China
, #4. [1]
"We are given a premonitory sign that allows us a fleeting glimpse of the Kingdom of the Saints, where we too at the end of our earthly life will be able to share in Christ's glory, which will be complete, total and definitive. The whole universe will then be transfigured and the divine plan of salvation will be at last fulfilled."
-- Benedict XVI,
Angelus, Castel Gandolfo, August 5, 2007
. [2]
"The Church as such is not involved in politics--we respect secularism--but offers the condition in which a healthy political system can develop, together with the consequent solution for social problems."
-- Benedict XVI, On-Board Papal Interview Prior to Landing in Brazil, May 9, 2007. [3]
In the Holy Father's
recent trip to Brazil
, as well as in his Letter to the Chinese Catholic Church, he again indicated, as he has done previously, his understanding of what the Church is about in this world and its relation to the "Kingdom of God." In his book,
Jesus of Nazareth
, Pope Benedict XVI made clear that this "kingdom" is Christ Himself, who did, as a fact, dwell, incarnate, in this world, all the while remaining properly God, the Word. The pope is a very careful and provocative thinker. But he is also a man of action after the manner in which a pope is given to act—namely, by fostering the mission of the Church in the world, usually called "evangelization."
If political or intellectual problems with nations, religions, or scholars are encountered, Benedict XVI seeks peacefully but directly to understand and state the issue. If possible, he engages whoever is willing (and even those who are not) in an effort to clarify and improve a situation. Often this endeavor is called "dialogue," but that is not always the best word for what the pope has in mind. He looks for more than talk or exchange, though that is a beginning. He realizes that not every one with fundamental differences with Catholic teaching will enter such an endeavor When this latter is the case, he seeks grounds and approaches that will not let the necessity of resolving the issue pass without forceful public attention. In the interview on the way to Brazil, the pope realistically stated: "In every corner of the earth there are very many people who do not want to listen to what the Church says. We hope that at least they hear her; then they can also disagree, but it is important that at least they hear her in order to respond.... Moreover, we cannot forget that Our Lord did not manage to make everyone listen to him, either." These are wise, realistic words.
As I have written elsewhere, it can be said that at least some Catholics are found all over the world, in every organized nation. The fact is, however, that the Church is largely
confined geographically in modern times to the limits of the old Roman Empire, after the conquests of Islam, with Europe's colonial extensions in the Americas, Australia, and Africa. With the exception of the Philippines, Asia is only minimally Catholic.
Islam covers the vast stretch of North Africa, the Middle East, all the way to the borders of China and the Hindu part of India. The Indonesian Islands are the world's most populated Muslim areas. As it shows its own aggressive dynamism, this whole Muslim world—to which the pope pays increasing attention—is pretty much a mysteriously closed political/religious world island. Little real encounter with it occurs. Yet, there can be no doubt that Benedict has thought deeply on the steps to be taken to address each of these often closed and different worlds of Islam, China, India, and the Buddhist nations. The Roman Church is actively thinking about what its presence means on a world scale in the light of its mandate to go forth to all nations.
While he was in Brazil, the pope met with some 450 Brazilian bishops, plus the later meeting, also in Brazil, of all the Latin American and Caribbean bishops' conferences. Clearly, Latin America is the most "Catholic" of the continents. Benedict called it "the Continent of Hope." He added, to the reporters, "I am not an expert, but I am convinced that it is here (Latin America) at least in part--and a fundamental part--that the future of the Catholic Church is being decided." Latin America has a "culture" of Catholicism stretching back four hundred years. In some sense, it is a model.
On the other hand, we wonder constantly, concerning the Chinese bishops, about their freedom and independence from state interference. Much is unknown about their real lives. This issue of religious liberty and state power is a principal theme of the Letter to the Chinese Catholics. In this letter, the pope seeks to do everything that he reasonably and prudently can to stimulate at least some minimal and meaningful exchange with official China. He is willing to make many concessions provided they do not compromise the integrity of his own office and purpose.
In China, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, except for those who pre-date Marxist rule, is appointed by the Ministry of Religion. Some of these state-appointed bishops have sought and received subsequent Vatican authorization, but not all have. This system reminds us of nothing so much as the famous Gallican controversies of the French Church in early modern times over the appointment of bishops. One of the major efforts of the Church since the time of Gregory VIII, as Harold Berman has shown in his magisterial
Law and Revolution
, has been to obtain the freedom of the Church to control and define its own affairs.
This freedom of religion, which John Paul II called the most fundamental of human rights, necessarily includes the appointment of its own bishops. Of course, many concordats with the Holy See and modern states do provide for some form of state influence in the appointment of bishops, itself a distant heritage of the medieval investiture controversies. Often, the state recommends three candidates from which the Church chooses one. The justification for tolerating this procedure is usually the claim that a bishop also has influence on secular affairs, which he does. This tradition gives the pope some leeway and precedent in dealing with the current situation in China.
But in line with his Regensburg Lecture, what I want to indicate here (using Benedict's Letter to the Chinese Catholics and the addresses in Brazil) is to indicate both the transcendent and trans-political aspects of the pope's continuing effort to make Catholicism present and understood for what it is in parts of the world in which it is hampered or excluded. This world includes more and more modern political relativism and secularism. Taken together these groups constitute about four-fifths of the world's population. The Holy Father recognizes quite clearly that each religion's basic teaching needs to be understood, as well as, in the case of China, each political ideology. Further, the natural limits of political entities, as well as their purpose, need to be understood and stated.
Thus, as I cited above, Benedict clearly repeats settled Christian teaching to the Chinese, namely, that the Church's mission is not to change the "administration" of the State. This statement probably surprises the Chinese who tend only to think in terms of exclusive state hegemony over all affairs of human life, and who think everyone else does the same. The Holy Father's approach recalls the argument of Robert Kraynak in his book,
Christian Faith and Modern Democracy
. There, he rightly pointed out that often, in both the past and present, the Church has to deal with existing civil societies, many of which have less than perfect forms, but which are nonetheless viable and effective. This is little else than a careful application of Aristotle's treatise on the differing regimes and how to handle them.
Just because a political society or religion is absolutist, closed, or even totalitarian and persecuting, this has never meant, in the eyes of the Church, that the people of that society do not have a transcendent destiny. Nor does it mean that they have no need to know the teachings and means of redemption, whatever else they hold. The salvation of souls is in principle independent of political form. People are saved in the worst regimes, and lost in the best. Politics, however legitimate, is not the primary concern of the Church. When politics is the main purpose of the Church (or appears to be in any given section of the Church), we can be sure the real work of the Church is not being accomplished.
Yet, if we read many of the modern social documents of the Church, they do display a distinct tendency to affirm some form of "democracy" or "republic" as the best human political form. The Church does not claim direct competence over political things, but its own interest in reason can indicate, as Aristotle said, some forms are better than others. In the case of China, this "democratic" preference presents a dilemma. Either we have an equivocation that says that what they actually have in China is "democratic," when it clearly isn't, or we affirm that China is already a good form of rule, notwithstanding what we have heard. Whatever its theoretic form, the Chinese state is apparently here to stay. It must be dealt with as it is. Hopefully, on the basis of mutually agreed principles, it can, without losing face, grant a more reasonable relation to the Church than it has displayed in the past half century.
While he was on vacation in the Italian Alps, at Auronzo di Cadore, Benedict spent an evening with the local clergy. He invited questions, to which he gave his reflections. A priest, by the name of Father Mauro, wanted to know how priests are to do their essential tasks when they are burdened with so many diverse technical duties. The pope amusingly replied, "I am somewhat familiar with this problem." In his
response, the pope spoke of establishing priorities, of the importance of preaching. "What do we preach? We proclaim the Kingdom of God," Benedict affirmed. "But the Kingdom of God is not a distant utopia in a better world which may be achieved in 50 years time, or who knows when. The Kingdom of God is God himself.... Proclaiming the Kingdom of God means speaking of God today, making present God's words, the Gospel which is God's presence and, of course, making present the God who made himself present in the Holy Eucharist." [4]
I cite this remarkable passage in the context of what I want to say about the pope's overall thinking about making the essence of Christianity present in the whole world. The issue is not some distant this-worldly political utopia that may or may not come about in fifty years. The issue is making God present in any society, however it is configured. How to accomplish this presence is what stands behind all of the Holy Father's thinking about the nations and the religions of this world. John Paul II's
Memory & Identity
was concerned with much the same issue.
Benedict said to the Chinese, in effect, that we are
here to change your administration, even though we would like you to lighten up on us. Let us be what we are. Implicit in that approach, of course, is something the Chinese administration could not fail to notice, namely that its jurisdiction, like that of any other political organization, is intrinsically limited to its own competence. It does not extend to absolutely everything. This is but another instance of "render to Caesar what are Caesar's but to God the things that are God's," a theme the pope specifically takes up in this Letter.
The history of politics since that New Testament affirmation has been a working out in practice of what these limits might entail. Any authority that would claim a power to impose its own limits on what the Church should and could do in its own right is, of course, making a claim to be itself an all-powerful "deity." What the Holy Father affirms by contrast is that the "power of God," not humanly organized power, is the basis of his addressing himself to all the nations. And as the pope mentioned in the second introductory passage cited above, there is "a divine plan" and it is being fulfilled among existing nations and peoples.
"We Bishops have come together," Benedict told the Brazilian hierarchy, "to manifest this general truth, since we are directly bound to Christ, the Good Shepherd. The mission entrusted to us as teachers of the faith consists in recalling, in the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, that our Saviour
'desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth'
(1 Tim 2:4). This, and nothing else, is the purpose of the Church: the salvation of individual souls" (#2) [5] This purpose needs to be made manifest no matter what the temporal form of political power. It is directly concerned with a transcendent purpose, because each person has such a destiny beyond politics. No political institution can change this ultimate purpose--though it can, to some degree, hinder its effective implementation. The Church never forgets that being persecuted is also a way that God accomplishes his ultimate purpose. In this sense, leaders of the world do not stand outside of divine judgment.
Because of the positive relation between faith and reason, Benedict sees a harmony between his own primary mission and the condition of the nations. "Wherever God and his will are unknown, wherever faith in Jesus Christ and in his sacramental presence is lacking, the essential element for the solution of pressing social and political problems is also missing." As he often does, he recalls in the same remarks to the Brazilian bishops his own remark in
Deus Caritas Est
(#1): "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." We do not concoct Christianity by ourselves, nor does our opting for it make it so. It is an encounter with an actually existing Person whose very presence in the world, not of our own bidding, indicates how we should live.
Part 1 |
Part 2
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Stand-up comic, writer, producer, brain surgeon, Olympic athlete, first super model in space—Amy Schumer can do it all (some of those may or may not be false, but the point is she could do it if she put her mind to it). Let's take a look at her recent ventures. The film she wrote and starred in, Trainwreck with Judd Apatow comes out this summer. She recently hosted the MTV Movie Awards and stockpiled them with female masturbation jokes even though I'm SURE the demographic was geared towards 11 year olds. She also found time to "collapse" in front of demi-Gods, Kim and Ye at Time 100's Red Carpet. However, it's her show Inside Amy Schumer that has cemented Amy as an undoubtedly powerful cultural leader.
No, Inside Amy Schumer isn't a weekly broadcasting of Amy's routine colonoscopy. Inside Amy is part stand-up, part on the street interviews, and part sketch comedy. Now in it's third season, this Comedy Central show was recently awarded with a PEABODY (!!!)—so if you haven't watched it/ stumbled upon one clip on Youtube and thought "eh this isn't for me", then are you one of those people that think girls aren't funny? Do we need to have a sit down conversation about this? Do I need to call your mother? Or the doctor who gave birth to you so they can slap you upside the ass once again?
So in between your Game of Thrones/Mad Men/ Possible Full House binge, this is why you should be watching Inside Amy (Comedy Network, Tuesdays @ 10:30). To put it simply, it is comedy at its absolute smartest. The premises of her sketches often shot put both political and social topics into the spotlight while calling bullshit on ALL of them. With a strong underlying feminist tone, she presents these topics as applicable to everyone.
In Season 3's Episode 3 of Inside Amy, she did a 30 minute re-creation of 12 Angry Men. Instead of her innocence in a crime being debated, 12 jurors (Paul Giamatti and Jeff Goldblum among them) debate whether or not she's hot enough to be on TV. The ridiculousness of this episode posed the questions: What is she even on trial for? What's the point? Why is it any of their business? Why are they passionately arguing? Why do these men care? The answers to all of those being, YA EXACTLY HELLO DUH DING DING U GET THE POINT. Amy continually serves realness packaged as hilarity—doing what comedy should always do: reveal something you may already know, but present it in a new way that brings light to that familiarity. She's the ultimate master of creating A-HA moments.
I saw Amy perform stand-up in Toronto at the Just For Laughs Festival last September. I had the worst tickets because I'm a poor student (accepting applications for sugar daddy, my twitter is @isabellavtorch, send me a DM), and I could still see her BEAUTIFUL BOD from the back of the theatre. But those gams were secondary to the fact that Amy Schumer is brilliant, hilarious and quite possibly one of the brightest voices for this generation. She's so great, I WOULD watch Inside Amy even if it was 30 minutes of a microscopic camera traveling through her bowels. I bet those bowels are magical.


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Our work covers an array of charity and not-for profit sectors and our global experience of well founded principles and techniques help us work in partnership with all our clients, during full-time projects or part-time consultation. No two organisations are the same, but our strengths will help you to realise the full potential of your markets and identify opportunities as they arise.
We are only as good as the results we help our clients to achieve. To review our client case studies please click on the images below.


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11th Energy Storage World Forum & 5th Residential Energy Storage Forum
The 2 separate Forums will feature brand new researched topics addressed by renowned industry leaders and practitioners from Top Utilities, EPCs and International Regulators representing 22+ countries. We bring together the changemakers from around the globe to share their business insights, lessons learnt and data driven analysis to help you discover which technology is best suited to your business model and application, allowing you to achieve the highest Return on Investment.
We are Europe's 1st conference dedicated to energy storage since 2010 thus offering more insight knowledge on the business case thanks to 10 past successful Forums with over 250 Utilities attending.
· 2 full days dedicated to Residential Energy Storage
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Find out more: www.energystorageforum.com and / or download program
EDSO members benefit from 10% special discount using the promo code: EDSO18


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How to Make your Fragrance Last Longer
You've chanced upon a wonderful fragrance that perfectly suits your taste, but what tough luck the smell disappears after 2 hours, as if it has never been. But don't give up as it is quite easy to avoid if to consider our tips on how to make your fragrance last longer.
First of all, the fragrance should be applied properly. 'Properly' here means to the certain body areas, where pulsation is the most intensive. The best areas for fragrance applying are neck, inner wrist part, lower back and behind ears.
Another trick to make your fragrance last longer is to avoid mixing of various scents; therefore it is better to opt for cosmetic products of one and the same brand, only then the fragrances wouldn't mix but supplement and prolong the chosen fragrant note.
Another blunder is to apply fragrance straight before going out, as it shortens the fragrance 'workability' up to three times. Ideally the fragrance should be applied when you start dressing that is for 30-40 minutes before going out. And what's more important here is that you should apply fragrance not to your clothes, but to skin!
The unwritten rule 'the more the better' doesn't work here and even more it can absolutely spoil delicate fragrance notes. Thus you should surely know where to stop as it can seem to you that the fragrance is too weak or has disappeared at all, don't be tempted to apply a little bit more favorite fragrance as the sense is quite deceptive and the people around you for sure perceive the scent. Keep in mind that it always better to leave delicate perfume trail than irritating odor.
Well, also you should take into account that our organ of smell adapts to various fragrances very fast, so if you anyway scent your perfume, it can mean only one thing – you've applied too much fragrance!
Latest posts by Mary Rise (see all)
- Make Your Pedicure Last Longer - July 26, 2012
- Tips to Prevent Eyeshadow from Creasing - July 25, 2012
- Anne Hathaway's Catwoman Diet and Workout - July 25, 2012
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Member Listserv
Created specifically for WLA members, the new listserv is a forum for announcements and discussion of topics relevant to Wisconsin libraries. The list is intended for use by WLA members of all categories with an active membership status.
Listserv lists may also be used to inform list members about non-critical events and issues pertaining to the group. For example, messages can include:
- Changes in member contact information.
- Useful resources.
- Information about WLA-related meetings, programs and projects.
- Ideas for programs and project planning; alerts from WLA on important legislative developments or other related organizations.
- Requests for information or leads on a particular topic or for a particular purpose.
While the list is restricted to WLA members, no representation of confidentiality can or should be expected with the exchange of email or any form of electronic communication. Members are advised to be aware that their comments could be transmitted to third parties.
Login to your Memberclicks account to access the listserv subscription form.


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Puto Flan
Puto Flan is a type of steamed cake found in the Filipino cuisine where batter made out a mixture of rice flour/all-purpose flour, eggs and sugar is steamed. Traditionally is topped with either salted eggs or cheese but Filipinos start to become creative hence making variations like putong ube, strawberry puto, pandan puto and now this Puto Flan.
When you make puto you are always left with lots of egg yolks as some puto recipes calls for the use of only egg whites to maintain its pure white colour, this is the perfect solution for that so you don't throw away those yolks. This type of puto uses both, egg whites on the puto base then egg yolks on the custard top, problem solved.
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1¼ cup water
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 400g can condensed milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Combine all custard topping ingredients in a bowl, mix it well to combine.
- Prepare your steamer, bring it to a boil.
- Lightly grease puto moulds then fill it with the custard mixture up to ⅓ full. Place it on the steamer, cover with muslin cloth before putting the steamer cover then steam for 20 minutes. Remove from steamer once cooked then set it aside.
- While custard is steaming prepare your base. Sift together flour, baking powder, white sugar and salt. Set this aside.
- Beat your egg whites until it's foamy and forms into peaks, gently fold flour mixture while adding water in small amounts. Make sure it's well combined but do not over mix.
- Pour puto mixture on top of the cooked flan and fill to the brim. Place back into the steamer then steam for 15 more minutes or until firm and cooked.
- Remove from steamer, let it cool before removing it from the moulds by lightly tapping it to release.


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While there are plenty of flights on offer getting a cheap flight from Hong Kong to Beijing is no easy task. This is largely a business route and that comes with business prices. Below you'll find some insider tips on the best cheap airlines, the best times to fly and a sneaky shortcut that will get you the best value cheap flights from Hong Kong to Beijing.
How Much Is a Ticket Between Hong Kong and Beijing?
You won't be surprised to hear that it depends when you travel, but in general, you should pay between you should expect to pay between $300 on average for a return, including taxes, between Hong Kong and Beijing, with higher prices to be expected during Chinese holidays such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. You'll have swung a good deal if you bag tickets for under $200, while a $150 return will probably need you to leave midweek and travel during unsociable hours. Of course, you could always take our sneaky shortcut - find out more below.
Cheapest time to travel to Beijing
Beijing is a long way north of Hong Kong, and during the winter the temperature plummets with buckets full of snow dumped onto the city. Naturally, flights to Beijing are cheaper during the off season, which runs roughly from November to April. Remember, Chinese New Year and other traditional Chinese festivals see planes packed with Hong Kongers visiting family, and ticket prices will be considerably higher. In particular avoid the two Golden Week holidays - carriers hold tourists to ransom as thousands look to travel
The cheapest airline flying from Hong Kong to Beijing
You will most consistently find cheap flights from Hong Kong to Beijing by using Dragon Air, the cheap domestic carrier run by Cathay Pacific. They have several flights a day, competitive fares and regularly run deals on this route. Hong Kong Airlines should be your second option and their fares are often as cheap as Dragon Air. Both carriers only offer direct routes and are ideal if you want to take a short weekend break - or conceivably a day trip.
What about if I change planes?
If you're willing to change planes in some far-flung Chinese city, you can probably knock $50 off the trip. But you'll need to add in plenty of extra hours. Connections with Xiamen Air, China Southern and China Eastern are all possible, but they often connect in regional towns that add several hours onto your journey. You'll also need to navigate connections in some off the beaten track airports - this option is really only for the adventurous.
Hong Kong to Beijing flights that are 20% cheaper
Flights from Hong Kong to Beijing and China are still not wholly considered as domestic, and as a result, prices are artificially high. For a cheaper deal, take the roughly two hour train journey to Shenzhen Airport, just across the Hong Kong – China border. Here you will find plenty of connections to Beijing and flights that are usually 20% cheaper than flying from Hong Kong. You can even travel to Shenzhen airport by bonded ferry on arrival in Hong Kong without having to pass Hong Kong immigration.
Make it a weekend with Zuji.com
If you're looking for a weekend break to Beijing or other points in China, Zuji offers some the best value package deals out of Hong Kong, including flights and hotels. Typically these are two night, three-day deals, although they offer longer stays and flight only deals as well. If you want to stay in a four-star hotel or better and are staying for at least a couple of nights, these package deals will usually work out cheaper than booking the hotels and flights individually.


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XS Racing scooter for sale.
I bought this used at the beginning of the 2017 race season.
I got it from a guy in SoCal that had upgraded it to a 155CC.
Its pretty quick.
I can confirm that it has gone 70 mph across the bay bridge
It has been wrapped in the grey.
Original paint is underneath.
Decals will come off prior to selling.
It has 2006 miles on it as shown in the pic.
It is not being ridden as we have new scooters, so mileage wont go up.
A little dusty but i'll detail it before you take it home.


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Includes: High Temp Griddle Scrubbers and Professional 4" Flexible Stainless Steel Scraper.
Kit includes:
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This item qualifies for our $6.95 flat rate shipping.
Orders under $99 - All eligible flat rate shipping items will ship for $6.95.
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Each Company Needs A Website to Cultivate its Presence and Establish its Brand
Every company needs a website. It is essential to establish an online presence to bring in and connect with potential customers. Here are other reasons why you need to build a website for your business:
Reason # 1 – Gain More Customers
Today, more and more customers use the internet to search for the product or services they need. By having a website, your company will gain credibility. Without one, a potential customer might go to your competitors. For an entity that do not have an office, this is particularly beneficial since it's a home-based business and you do not have a store front to promote your products or services.
Reason # 2 – Online Brochure to Promote Services
Many companies splurge on creating, printing and distributing their brochures to the public. By having a website, you can skip that entirely, advertising can be done online. Moreover, you are able to list down all the products and services that the company offers on your website.
Reason # 3 – Business Value
A good website will increase business value. How the customer think of you affects every buying decision and reputation. In short, impressions of a customer are very crucial to business success. Having a website increase the reliability of your company.
Reason # 4 – High Competition
Your competitor that has a website is getting more customers online. Although you have less chance of building bigger skyscrapers, your website can break down the wall between you and your competitors. By creating a stunning and informative website with a solid strategy behind it, you are sure to be able to compete with your competitor.
Reason # 5 – A Medium to Showcase Your Work and Customer Reviews
No matter what type of businesses you're in, owning a website is a perfect place for you to showcase your work and positive customer reviews. By including a portfolio, testimonial page, menu or image gallery, you can demonstrate what makes your business good and unique.
Reason # 6 – Influence Your Potential Customer
Having a website will potentially allow thousands and millions of people to see it. It expands your target market, allowing you to spread your brand from all across the world. As such, your website is able to influence people's buying decision and create brand awareness.
Reason # 7 – Easily Accessible
A website is available to both your regular and potential customer 24/7/365 providing them with the convenience of reviewing your services when your office is closed. With today's busy lifestyles, having a website will increase efficiency, and will be great for your firm when you want to gain and retain the customer. For companies that target international customers, you do not have to worry about being unreachable as your website runs 24 hours a day.
So, build a website or optimize your site to bring in more customers with IT Solution services today.


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PRO+ Premium Content/E-Books
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Corporate data in the consumer cloud
Consumerization trends are having a massive effect on enterprise IT. As end users turn to easy-to use, cloud-based services such as Dropbox and Gmail, which are out of IT's control, they are putting pressure on corporate IT to provide more flexible and user-friendly applications while maintaining security. Consumer-focused apps and services can offer productivity benefits; they also pose significant challenges and risks for companies that do not have strong data policies. In this series, we delve into data loss prevention and usage polices that can lead to a solid corporate plan. We also explore some of the most popular consumer cloud applications that have entered the enterprise.
Data loss prevention strategies in the cloud era
Privacy regulations and concerns about leaks of sensitive information have raised the priority of data loss prevention as enterprises adopt cloud and mobile computing. Not only must IT craft business rules and tag critical data, but it must also involve different users and test and enforce its policies. Organizations want to limit their risk of exposure of sensitive data, so this chapter will help readers start their comprehensive planning.Download
Setting cloud service usage policies for employees
Cloud services are still a lawless frontier for many organizations. As with the consumerization of IT, companies need to first determine what is best for their purposes and then inform users of their data security policies. We also take a look at tools available for monitoring and enforcement. Users may not be aware of threats to sensitive data in the cloud, but there are ways for enterprises to retain control. Cloud-based services offer ease of use, and organizations are worried about reputational damage and regulatory compliance. As a result, securing corporate data is of high importance...Download
Buying tips: Cloud-based services for business
New cloud-based services offer serious conveniences for users and potential pluses for corporate IT. These services -- including Amazon Simple Storage Service, Box, and SkyDrive -- have entered the marketplace with simple value propositions. They offer easy-to-use, often no-cost, file-sharing services and storage. Considering the inelegant alternatives of the past, the convenience and performance of these services is a significant win for users. But cloud-based services should also give IT professionals pause. They pose issues such as data privacy and security. For IT and users to make secure, productive use of such services, companies need to have a strategy for segmenting and managing their critical and noncritical data. In this About to Buy guide on corporate data in the cloud, we explore some of the oft-used cloud-based services, their benefits and challenges for corporate IT, as well as features, pricing and other factors to consider prior to adoption.Download
Regain control with a secure file-sharing system
As users store increasing amounts of data to the cloud, enterprise IT must develop strong policies and procedures for guaranteeing access and security. Administrators can consider cloud-based, on-premises and hybrid file-sharing systems. Admins should also pay attention to factors such as security controls, mobile device management and data security. This chapter describes how to review consumer file-sharing apps and Software as a Service offerings to make sure they comply with corporate policies and regulatory requirements.Download


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Sunday, 13 September 2015
A New Way To De-Stress
6 comments:
I've been obsessed with colouring for de-stressing recently too, I have the Millie Marotta Animal Kingdom colouring postcards which are a great size too! xReplyDelete
Freya's Fashion Chapter
I love these colouring books! They look so beautiful when you get a drawing complete <3ReplyDelete
I love getting lost in art to de-stress. Colouring is great♥♥ReplyDelete
A bath is my way of distressing - I have a colouring in book that I use for traveling it makes time go by so quickly! xxReplyDelete
I really want to get a colouring book! I can only imagine how destressing that is! I just saw a Harry Potter one and as a huge HP fan I'm so intrigued to get it. What I usually do to destress is either go for a bike ride or a walk ( listening to music) or have a long relaxing bath! ♥ xxReplyDelete
I usually read to de-stress but this looks great!ReplyDelete
Tanesha x
I would love to hear your thoughts so feel free to leave a comment! You can also tweet me @HelloLinderella or send me an email.


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This article is intended to explain the main storage structures used in database systems through examples in Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database.
IntroductionThis article is intended to explain the main storage structures used in database systems through examples in Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database. Choosing the right structure is an important strategy for database developers and architects in order to access data efficiently and have good quality of service in applications such as performance and availability. Thus we're going to analyze the types of tables and indexes we may face when designing the data requirements of an enterprise solution in order to result on long-live databases.1. Tables1.1 Heap tablesHeap tables are the simplest data storage structure and also the most common creation of table through the SQL statement ''create table"; however it might change over time when you create index on it.Heap tables use a classic data structure called heap which is basically an area of space (in disk or memory) where data rows are place where they fit best. The most important characteristic is that the data rows are unordered. Data rows are grouped by pages logically inside the table thus the logical address of row in a data file is given by a row id that comprises a page number within the file and slot number identifying the row inside the page. The number of rows that will fit in a page is not fixed.A new row is inserted by appending it to the end of the pages, and it is deleted by setting up the slot it ocuppies as empty. When another new row is inserted, the empties slots are check to see if one of them fits or not then the row is appended to end of the last page. As this process goes over time, then some gaps may appear and some time these gaps may represent an amount of wasted space. Thus, a defragmentation technique must be applied to the pages in the data file.Let's demostrate the unordered behavior of heap tables using some simple sequence of SQL code which can be tested in any RDBMS such as Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server. I've tested this code in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (see Listing 1). create table tbl_heap (nid int) Messages: Command(s) completed successfully. insert into tbl_heap(nid) values(1) Messages: (1 row(s) affected). insert into tbl_heap(nid) values(2) Messages: (1 row(s) affected). insert into tbl_heap(nid) values(3) Messages: (1 row(s) affected). delete from tbl_heap where nid=2 Messages: (1 row(s) affected). insert into tbl_heap(nid) values(4) Messages: (1 row(s) affected). select nid from tbl_heapOutput: order showed is 1,4,3Listing 1. SQL sequence of code showing the unordered behavior of heap tablesIt is remarkable to say that this storage structure has an overhead associated to the number of Input/Ouput (I/O) operations required to do selections of rows because when you need to access to specific rows in the table, the database system must scan all the pages looking for the required rows.1.2 Sorted tablesBecause the drawbacks of the heap tables, you need a more sophisticated storage structure. Then if the rows are stored in an arbitrary order by sorting them based on the values of one or more attributes of the table, you have the advantage when searching rows to stop the scan process at the point which those are located and therefore the query performance increases. But we have an overhead associated to this solution and it's that when a new row is inserted, this storage structure may be changed over and over depending of the position where the row is going to reside. A solution to this problem is to leave empty spaces in each page for being used in future insertions. The fillfactor parameter refers to the percentage of space in a page which is initially filled living room for new rows. This is not a definitive solution because a new row might be inserted and it gets too large to fit in the left space by the fillfactor, therefore the database systems must set up another page to it.The implementation of sorted tables in Oracle Database is by the index organized tables (IOT) where the data s physically stored and sorted by the primary key.Let's create an IOT table using Oracle SQL (see Listing 2) create table tbl_iot(id int primary key,value int,change date)organization indexincluding changeoverflow
Listing 2. The creation of the tbl_iot index organized tableAs you can see in Listing 2, the organization index clause is required for the creation of IOT table while overflow and including clause are optional. The overflow clause specifies the database systems to set up another segment, thus making the IOT tables a multisegment object, where the rows can overflow onto when it gets too large. The including clause tells the database systems to include the specified columns on the index block and the remaining columns are stored in the overflow.The implementation of sorted tables in SQL Server is by using a clustered index on primary key of the table (see Listing 3)
Listing 3. The creation of clustered index on primary key of one table2. IndexesAn index on a table provides a mechanism for locating one or more rows without searching the entire table. The property to be located is specificied by a set of columns of the indexed table called search key or index key which is way of faster access path to data and increases the overall performance of query execution.The structure of an index consists of a set of entries together with a mechanism for locating the rows based on the search key value. The use of an index can reduce the number of data file pages retrieve, although accessing the index itself is another overhead. In the case of thousand of millions of rows using an index, it might be possible to access to a row in one or two I/O operations. It is remarkable to say that index needs maintenance and when a row is inserted or updated in the table, the index must be modified in order to be adapted from the changes.There are two type of index: clustered and unclustered. In a clustered index, the entries which are close implies proximity among the corresponding data rows. A sorted index is clustered if the index entries and data rows are sorted on the same key; otherwise the index is unclustered.In a clustered index, the leaf node of the index tree has the actual data pages itself, while in an unclustered index the leaf node contains pointers to data pages or clustered index data pages. For this reason of physical order of rows in the data according to the index, you can have only one clustered index on a given table. Clustered index concept correspond to index organized table (IOT) in Oracle Database and clustered index on a table in Microsoft SQL Server which we discussed in the last section.There are fundamentally two types of index structure implemented in most of the database systems: B*Tree and Bitmap indexes. A B*Tree index or Balance Tree index is the most commonly used index structure and default when you create an index using the create index SQL statement. B*Tree is similar in structure to binary tree. One property of B*Tree is that the tree is balanced, and it implies that despite the insertion and deletion of rows, any path from the tree root to a leaf node has the same length, and from the point of view of database systems the selection of a row has the same performance overhead independently of the searched row. Most B*Tree indexes will have a length of 2 or 3 levels even for thousands of millions of rows.A bitmap index is a sort of one or more bit which stores pointers to many rows with a single index key entry and typically we find a very small number of entries pointing to many rows. Bitmap index is mainly designed for OLAP databases to be used in data warehouse and data mining applications; and not for OLTP solutions which changes the data frequently. Bitmap index is appropiate for table attributes that can take on only a small number of values. A Bitmap index should not be selective unlike a B*Tree index that should be selective for example attributes storing boolean values. Oracle Databases only implement this type of index unlike SQL Server databases.2.1 SQL statement for the creation of an indexThe basic statement for the creation of an index is (see Listing 4)
Listing 4. SQL statement for the creation of an indexMicrosoft SQL Server and Oracle Database have their own extension to the former SQL statement as it is resumed in the following tables.
Table 1. Microsoft SQL Server extension to the creation of index
Table 2. Oracle Database extension to the creation of index2.3 Examples of index creationIn this section we are going to analyze some type of index and its underlying implementation in Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database.The creation of a simple indexIn order to create a simple index in Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database, you must use the CREATE INDEX statement (see Listing 5).
Listing 5. Generic form for creating an index using SQLThe creation of a bitmap indexTo create a bitmap index in Oracle Database based on the attribute job of the table emp, you must use the CREATE BITMAP INDEX statement (see Listing 6)
Listing 6. The creation of a bitmap index on Oracle DatabaseThe creation of a unique indexThe creation of a unique index on table in Oracle Database and in Microsoft SQL Server is similar by using the CREATE UNIQUE INDEX statement. Let's illustrate it with a generic example (see Listing 7).
Listing 7. The creation of a unique index in Oracle database.The creation of composite indexesYou can create index on one or more attributes of a table as well as setting up the order for each attribute. Let's suppose that we have a table named tbl_composite with three attributes attr1, attr2 and attr3. This table has thousands of millions of rows. We are going to query this table to display its columns and filtering some rows (see Listing 8).
Listing 8. Expensive query to the table tbl_compositeAs you can see this query is very expensive because we are using different filtering criteria. If you want to improve the overall performance, you should create a composite index on the table tbl_composite and on attributes attr1, attr2, attr3 and specify the order (see Listing 9).
Listing 9. The creation of a composite indexThere are common situation when we've found a lot of repetitive values in composite values. You can use the compress clause in Oracle Database to eliminate these repetitive values (see Listing 10).
Listing 10. A composite index with the index key's compression enableThe & 1 clause indicates to create the index using compression on just the leading columns which are the first part of the index key values and thus will have many repetitive values.Join indexes in Oracle DatabaseA join index is used to increase the performance of the join of several tables. You can think of a join index as a pre-computed join. An index is normally created on a table but a join index allows indexing a given table using the columns from another table. This index can be organized as a B*Tree or as a Bitmap. Oracle Database only implements bitmap join indexes. This type of index can be used particularly in data-warehouse environment where the main schema is star-based thus having a lot of relationships between entities. Although, it's recommended not to use this type of index in OLTP databases because of the overhead associated to its maintenance.Let's illustrate these concepts with an example. Suppose that we have a data warehouse that contains a star schema with a fact table named sales and a dimension table named product. We want to create a report (see Listing 11) to display the sales amount given a product category.
Listing 11. Report displaying sales amount by product categoryBecause the sales table might be very large as any other transaction table, the performance of this query might be not good at all. In order to eliminate some key interactions and merge work, we might define a bitmap join index to increase the response time and improve the overall application performance (see Listing 12). You can notice that in the index creation, we can refer to the clause where using the index creation syntax on sales(product.category).
Listing 12. The Oracle SQL code for the creation of join indexesFunction based indexThis type of index is used to store computed columns value and it's only implemented in Oracle Database.Let's suppose that we write a SELECT statement for a report in order to display information about a particular employee using the emp table (see Listing 13).
Listing 13. Query displaying information about the employee whose name is JOHNYou can improve this query response time creating a function based index on the string function upper (see Listing 14).
Listing 14. The creation of function based indexConclusionThis article has illustrated the main concepts about the two most important storage structures in database system such as tables and indexes. We have discussed structures used to store rows in tables as well as index mechanisms and several index types used to implement some strategies to access rows in tables in order to improve the overall performance of the application and decreasing the overhead of I/O operations. After you read this article, you are able to apply these concepts and techniques to your own business scenario.
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Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (A Woman's Life)
Natalie Dessay
Michel Legrand
Release Date: 17 November 2017
Between Yesterday And Tomorrow, the new project of Natalie Dessay and Michel Legrand is made up of a cycle of songs. It tells the story of a woman's life from birth to death, passing by all of its highlights: childhood, adolescence, first love, and motherhood. ...


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Honesty and integrity from our team is our top priority when it comes to helping you discover and remediate any mold problems that could be occurring in your home or business right now. Our trained and certified mold remediation experts will show up 24/7 with the right equipment for the job to ensure your home is certified safe and 100% clean of any potential health hazards that relate to a mold infestation through your home or business
5 Star reviews for our outstanding service each and every time!
Black Mold Removal Specialists
First, we identify the cause of the problem, to prevent any future occurrence. Then our licensed experts will completely remove and remediate all affected areas to ensure the moisture problem , and future black mold outbreaks will not return with special treatments. The decontaminated areas and air are tested by independent laboratories to sure your home & business are 100% mold free.
Now Serving NYC & Staten Island
With a larger workforce, we're proud to help give the same service you've seen in NJ to areas across NYC and Staten Island. All technicians are trained and certified by New York State with strict adherence to policy for maximum quality in our service. Our NYS license number is 00951. Speak to our friendly staff on how we can help you today. Don't trust just anyone for your mold remediation and removal job. Only work with a qualified expert who guarantees a job done right the first time with no hidden fees.
We Use Advanced, Cutting-Edge Mold Remediation Techniques & Equipment
From initial inspection and mold damage assessment, our professional mold experts will leave no space unturned to identify and eradicate any form of mold not matter how minute. Spores can be virtually invisible to the naked eye, so rest assured our ultra sensitive mold testing equipment will locate what can't be seen.
Once located, we'll establish proper mold containment procedures to stop the spread of mold and spores during the clean up processes, using HEPA vacuums will further ensure the cleanest possible remediation. Combined with both extreme sanitizing antifungal and antimicrobial cleaning treatments, we'll make sure any mold-infestations are permanently stopped and prevented in the future, along with the spread any odors.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late , Call Us Today!
Call Now (732) 769-8101
Today's Special – $80 Off Air Testing Service
100% Customer Satisfaction Every Time
- Thomas Cosenza
If I could give a ten star rating I would. Dominick and crew are very understanding and extremely professional. He was prompt and always available for any questions and was very flexible to accomodate my hectic schedule. I would absolutely recommend Dominick and the Affordable Remediation group for any remediation needs.
12/13/2018Cesar Tan
Very fast response reliable and honest service. Made an initial assessment on how the condition is and submitted for a lab test analysis. Their service cost are very reasonable and felt comfortable going with Affordable Remediation. Thank you for providing us the service professionally. I highly recommend Affordable Remediation.
- Dale Santay
We are thrilled with Affordable Remediation! This company was extremely reasonable, punctual and went above and beyond. All of this and with a positive and friendly approach, which is hard to come by. Thanks so much for making our home safe again!
9/08/2019Emily Caraballo
We just purchased our new home and needed a Mold Remediation Specialist to provide us with a certification to satisfy our township's requirements for a Certificate of Occupancy. I came across Affordable Remediation & Emergency Services shopping around for quotes. Dominick gave me a good price, was very thorough in his explanation of everything, and came out the same day! I got my air testing done that same day and he explained everything he was doing and the process from start to finish. He had the results back from the lab the very next day and provided me with a very professional certificate and documentation to provide to our township in addition to the results from the lab. Throughout the entire process Dominick was honest and transparent, he even gave me tips on the things we could do on our own to help save us some money- to see that kind of integrity these days in business owners is rare. I would highly recommend these guys and won't hesitate to use them again if the need arises!
- angela alfonso-kearney
After receiving a report and bid from a competitor that seemed distorted, I contacted Dominic. He contacted me back immediately, reviewed my report and visited the site. He was honest, knowledgeable and helpful, despite it not being to his benefit. I highly recommend contacting Affordable as your only call if you are in the Manalapan area.
12/11/2017Mark H
From the moment I reached out to Dominick, through the results of the remediation test (done by an outside lab), I couldn't be more satisfied with the work done by Dominick & his team. Words that describe Affordable Remediation & Dominick include: knowledgeable, professional, reliable, responsible, thorough, fair & HONEST. If anyone has any issue with mold, you would be insane not to use this company. 100% satisfied/HIGHLY recommended!!!
Amazing job by Dominick and his experts! Very clean job with reliability and precision throughout. Attic looks like it can be a beautiful bedroom!
10/23/2019jennifer drucker
Dominick was very thorough and did not try to push unnecessary tests. His price was reasonable, and his honesty and integrity were obvious. I highly recommend this company.
- Kristen Raymond
Thorough, knowledgeable and most of all, honest! All I wanted was an air test and a few spots looked at in my home and he was nice enough to do exactly what I asked/needed without selling services or being pushy. On time, responsive and professional. I highly recommend Affordable Remediation & Emergency Services!
7/21/2017D Collucci
Excellent work. Got the job done fast. I would definitely recommend!
- Rosemarie Santora
Work was done on time in a very professional manner. Dom and his team did a great job!
11/28/2018Jeff and Ellie Krall
Dominick came the same day I called regarding the issues we were having in our home. After his assessment, he explained everything to us what was happening and what they needed to do to rectify the problems. He was even able to schedule the job around our working schedule. Dominick was empathetic to our situation, provided us with solutions without initially going overboard and racking up costs, and directed us accordingly. He is a genuine person who truly "wants" to help people with their situation keeping the cost down as best he can. That is why I gave him and his company 5 stars!
- Robert Miller
I was referred to Affordable Remediation by a contractor I had previously used a few years back. I subsequently called Affordable Remediation and spoke with Dominick, who was knowledgeable, professional and courteous. He came my house, analyzed the situation and provided me with a couple of possible scenarios/estimates. Dominick and his employees not only did an excellent job, but the work was done with quality and integrity. It turned out that only the least expensive scenario was necessary. Accordingly, I was very happy and impressed with their honesty and highly recommend Affordable Remediation to anyone requiring their remediation!
9/25/2018Cara Allen
Found mold in my house and was so nervous. A friend referred me to Dominic from affordable remediation. He took the time on the phone to speak to me and came out very quickly. He was extremely professional, sincere and knowledgeable. Would absolutely use him again and would recommend him to anyone
- Ivan Nieves
I requested Affordable Remediation & Emergency Services to come out and review my Mold Air quality test report to estimate cost for Mold Remediation. Dominick, came out and review the report and said level are a bit high but, they are not high enough to be of concern. I want to thank him for being honest and not over charging me for work that isn't needed.
12/13/2018Michele Welch
I would highly recommend this company in the future! The owner Dominick was really wonderful to work with, very punctual, and neat. He finished the work actually earlier than anticipated and will such little disturbance as possible to our lives. Hire him!!!!
- Jason Sweger
Dom and his guys are great! We had to have some work done on our floor joists which could've been a real headache. Dom worked is magic which limited the number of nights we had to be out of our home. He and his team are extremely friendly and did an amazing job. This is the first review I've ever written but felt it necessary because of the outstanding work they did. Thank you for all your efforts, and for those looking for their type of services, stop looking and call them!
4/06/2018Claudette Hall
Dominick and his crew was excellent. As you can see from previous reviews, I don't give 5 stars unless the service is exceptional. Dom price was very reasonable and he was punctual, pleasant and efficient. There was unforseen issues and he was able to handle it. I am really happy I went with his company. Highly recommend.
- Yaso Sivaganesh
Excellent job, very professional and obliging. We were very happy we made the right decision to go with them . Will recommend them to anyone .
4/19/2018Ian Haas
Dominick was a pleasure. Timely. Professional. An absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you again.


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Greenland offers a wide range of premium quality products of White Cheese, Processed Cheese, Mozzarella, Ghee, Milk, Juice and Fresh Dairy Products.
Today, our premium quality products are on the shelves in more than 30 countries over the world; testifying our constant strives for world-class standard and exceptional customer satisfaction.
At Greenland farms we feed our cows only with natural ingredients and we collect the fresh milk day by day and from that fresh milk to deliver products with superior quality and value.
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ELITE, London Stock Exchange Group's private company ecosystem and growth platform.
Since 2012, ELITE has supported over 750 companies across thirty countries on their scale up journeys. ELITE is designed to help the most ambitious companies structure for the next stages of development and access growth capital. It provides companies with an ecosystem of support designed to boost growth and help them achieve their specific objectives.
Graeme Malcolm, CEO of ELITE company M Squared Lasers who won last year's NBA Samsung Innovation Award said: "The programme has increased our awareness of the different forms of funding and what needs to be done to prepare for each. It allows us to think about how we can keep scaling up."
Umerah Akram, Head of ELITE UK said: "We are committed to supporting the fastest growing companies realise their full growth potential. ELITE gives companies and management teams unique access to a combination of like minded business leaders, investors and industry experts."


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–verb (used without object)
1. to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, esp. without a fixed course or purpose; ramble.
2. to wander; roam.
3. to go astray; deviate, as from a moral, religious, or philosophical course.
4. to digress or become distracted.
5. a domestic animal found wandering at large or without an owner.
6. any homeless or friendless person or animal.
7. a person or animal that strays.
8. strays, Radio. static
9. straying or having strayed, as a domestic animal.
10.found or occurring apart from others or as an isolated or casual instance; incidental or occasional.
11.Radio. undesired
Only you would:
Light the world
Look into the corners for any stray darkness
Look into a mirror for any stray darkness
Look into your heart for any stray darkness
Move the light to a better place
27th January 2020
15 hours ago


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How to Choose the Right Data Replication Software for Your Business
Data replication—the copying of large amounts of data from one location to another—is a vital requirement for all IT organizations,Read more
Data replication—the copying of large amounts of data from one location to another—is a vital requirement for all IT organizations,Read more
If you want your employees to perform well for your business, you will want to understand what they really careRead more
When it comes to the way we use energy in our lives, there is nothing more concerning than having aRead more
As an entrepreneur, your startup's success largely depends on your vision, abilities and persistence, but it does not depend onRead more
With the rising popularity and success of E-commerce, many new business owners are starting up their business ventures online. ThisRead more
With the introduction of clean desk policies, and the increasing concern over security and data protection, there's never been aRead more
The trucking industry is typically thought of as a male-dominated business. But even though traditional roles remain in the industry,Read more
Part of efficient warehouse management is making it safe for people to find what they are looking for. Warehouses compriseRead more
Rockfall refers to the mass movement of rocks travelling in a downward motion by either rolling, bouncing or falling afterRead more
If you want to ensure that your employees are always motivated and productive during their time at work, you needRead more
In much the same way that you want to keep things fresh by changing your menu on a regular basis,Read more
Manufacturing companies don't have it easy. Not only do they have to cover the same admin bases as other firms,Read more
As health and safety have become more crucial task in the UK. Hence, all the school or nursery playgrounds thereRead more


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Today the spotlight shines on..................................................................David King
Robert Liparulo has splashed into the YA fiction market with his highly successful Dreamhouse Kings series which launched with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. His latest instalment, Gatekeepers, finds Xander and David desperately searching for their mum while the evil Taksidian thwarts their every move!
Thanks, Bob, for giving us a special insight into the tenacious and impetuous, David King!
Brief physical description
David is a pretty typical 12-year-old. He's shed the baby fat and hasn't quite reached that lanky teenage state. He eats whatever he wants, but his youthful metabolism (oh, how I long for those days) and time practicing soccer keeps him fit. He has dark hair, straight and a little long. Hazel eyes, like his mom.
Your inspiration for the character
I didn't realize it until I finished House of Dark Shadows, but David is exactly who I was at that age: inquisitive and fairly adventurous; afraid of dangers, but willing to try new and wild things anyway. He knows himself and is comfortable in his own skin. At the same time, he's caught between the innocence of his nine-year-old sister and the rebelliousness of his 15-year-old brother, so he exhibits a bit of both. It was actually my mother who pointed out how similar David's behavior is to the way mine was. She was surprised when I told her I hadn't consciously written myself into the story in the character of David.
My eleven-year-old son, Anthony, is very similar to David, as well. He's strong willed, very caring about people, highly adventurous. But I try not to model my characters after family members. Most of the main characters in my books—certainly these books—go through terribly tough situations. They're put in grave danger and are often roughed up quite a bit. I grow so attached to them, my heart sometimes aches while I'm writing these scenes, and for a long time afterward. I mean, it really hurts. If I built my family members into these characters, I'd be even more attached and protective; I don't think I'd be able to write those frightening, painful scenes at all.
Actor who might resemble David
When I wrote the first two books, I didn't have anybody in mind. Then an actor friend—Slade Pearce, who starred in Air Buddies, Yours Mine and Ours, and the TV series October Road—said , "Hey, I want to play David!" Since then, whenever I'm writing about David, it's hard not to think of Slade. He just turned thirteen, and I keep telling him that at Hollywood's snail pace, he's going to be too old for David—if the Dreamhouse Kings ever gets made into a movie. I'm trying to convince him that he'd really fit the role of Xander, the older brother. I just hope Slade's not old enough to play Dad before the cameras roll.
Strengths and weaknesses
David is a go-getter. Once he sets his mind on something, he's tenacious about accomplishing it. The family comes to rely on his bold optimism and finds strength in his catchphrase, "Let's do it!"
His age and temperament lets him understand his parents' point of view, as well as his brother's, so he's often the mediator between them. However, too often he'll let Xander, whom he idolizes, convince him to do something his conscience tells him not to do. Also, his adventurous spirit sometimes gets the best of him, and he leaps without looking (or thinking). In House of Dark Shadows, for instance, he wants to experience time travel, the way Xander did—even though his brother's going back to the Roman Colosseum almost ended tragically. So he jumps through one of the portals, smack into the middle of three hungry tigers.
The most endearing aspect of David, which is both a strength and a potential weakness, is his heart. He truly loves people. He cares about them, even people he doesn't know. As Toria says in Gatekeepers, "He's sad when people get hurt on TV." It drives him to help people, when he can, as he did in Watcher, risking his own life to save the little girl from a German tank. But it also makes him emotional, which he sometimes acts on, when logic favors prudence. As the story progresses, we learn that David's sensitivity is crucial to fulfilling their purpose in the house.
Quirk (if any)
I'm not sure if it falls under the category of quirkiness, but David likes to talk to his brother
at night, after they've been in bed a while and should be sleeping. It's his way of processing the events of the day (which, for him in that house, are usually chaotic and stressful) and prepare for the next day. He'll even wake Xander to get his nighttime-chat fix. It's something I used to do with my older brother.
More quirky is what he does when he's stressed. His father had once said that getting the family together for dinner was a sort of tether to the important things in life, especially in turbulent times. It was like "backstroking through the day's travails." When David had asked what that meant, Dad had said, "It means staying calm when troubles hit." Since then, David sometimes rotates his arms as though he were backstroking to remind himself not to get too freaked out. He finds it's a little more difficult to do with the broken arm he sustains in Watcher, but he still does it.
Background to the story
The King family moves to a small town in northern California, so Dad could take a job as principal of the local middle and high school. They move into a run-down Victorian home, where they find a hidden hallway of doors.
Each door leads to a portal to a different time in history. Trouble is, not only can they go from the house to the past, people from the past can come through into their house. Someone does—and kidnaps Mom, taking her into some unknown place in the past. The Kings—primarily David and Xander—begin a quest for Mom, which takes them to many dangerous and incredible places throughout time. We slowly learn that the family is in the house for a very specific purpose and they must do much more than "simply" find their mother.
Fantastic, Bob ~ thanks so much for revealing more about David - what a great character.
Bob will be spotlighting another of his characters at Relz Reviewz to coincide with the next DHK book, Timescape, when it releases in July, 2009 and my readers get to choose which character it will be!
Who would you like spotlighted? Vote on Xander, Toria, Dad,Taksidian, Jess, Keal, Mom or Nana by posting a comment here and enter the monster giveaway at the same time!
Monster Giveaway ~ exclusive to Relz Reviewz
Thanks to Bob's generosity we have cooked up an amazing giveaway that you don't want to miss! Tell your friends and family about this one and go for it!
Firstly, the prize:~
- A set of all three DHK books ~ signed and personalised by Bob
- DHK T-Shirt
- A set of Bob's adult thrillers, Comes A Horseman, Germ & Deadfall ~ signed and personalised by Bob
- Aussie Gift Pack from me ~ 2009 Australian Wildlife Calendar, Aussie Tea Towel & Aussie Cap
Secondly, how to enter. Gain one entry for doing each of the following, on or before Sunday 15th February:~
So if you do all four, you have four chances to win!
- Post a comment here telling me which DHK character you would like spotlighted when Timescape releases in July, 09
- Answer one of Bob's trivia questions, found here, mentioning Relz Reviewz
- Post a comment on any of Bob's blog posts, mentioning Relz Reviewz
- Send Bob a "Dream the Scene" scene, details here, and yep, you guessed it, mention Relz Reviewz!
Relz Reviewz Extras
Review of Gatekeepers by my nephew and teen, Tim
Exclusive interview with Bob
Visit Bob's website and blog
Buy Bob's books at Amazon or Koorong


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A member of the American Association of Orthodontists, Dr. Aaron Rondon has been providing orthodontic care to his patients since 2002. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Pacific Union College and attended Loma Linda University for his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree and Master of Science in Orthodontics degree.
Dr. Rondon strives to stay abreast of the latest advancements in the field of orthodontics and maintains memberships with numerous prestigious organizations including the American Dental Association, American Association of Orthodontists, California Dental Association, California Association of Orthodontists, San Joaquin Dental Society, Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics . He also offers lectures and is a published author.
Dr. Rondon was born in Stockton, CA and is married with two boys. He volunteers his services with the Students for International Missionary Organization during their dental mission trips to Ecuador, El Salvador. He deeply appreciates all athletic events and enjoys discussing them with patients. He also enjoys poker and considers it a sport!


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Dallas, Texas - U.S. Soccer announced its 2004 Chevy Athlete of the Year Awards for Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Young Male Athlete of the Year and Young Female Athlete of the Year. FC Dallas forward Eddie Johnson was named the U.S. Soccer 2004 Young Male Athlete of the Year.
Johnson, 20, earned the Young Male honor after a breakout year for both FC Dallas and the U.S. National Team. In his first year playing for the U.S. Men's National Team (MNT), he scored an incredible five goals across 61 minutes in his first three MNT caps, becoming just the second player in MNT history to accomplish such a feat. His hat trick in a 21-minute span of a 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Panama on Oct. 13 marked the first by a sub in MNT history. A star at every level of the U.S. Youth National Team system, he also appeared in four matches for the U-23 MNT in CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying.
At the professional level with FC Dallas, Johnson tied for the MLS lead in goals with 12, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to either have or share the leading goal total. Among other MLS players, Johnson also ranked first in the league in game-winning goals (7), tied for first in multi-goal matches (3), tied for second in shots (75), tied for fifth in points (27) and tied for sixth in shots on goal (32).
Past U.S. Soccer Young Male Athletes of the Year include Freddy Adu (2003), Bobby Convey (2002), DaMarcus Beasley (2001), Landon Donovan (2000), Ben Olsen (1999) and Josh Wolff (1998).
U.S. Soccer named U.S. Men's National Team forward Landon Donovan as the 2004 Chevy Male Athlete of the Year and U.S. Women's National Team forward Abby Wambach as the 2004 Chevy Female Athlete of the Year. North Carolina forward Heather O'Reilly was named the Young Female Athlete of the Year.


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Hot Topic: Should Scotland Be an Independent Nation?
Scottish voters go to the polls today to decide whether their country should break its 300-year union with Great Britain and declare itself an independent nation.
Is this the end of the UK as we know it? Polls show the yes/no question too close to call. Speculation is rampant. Will newly enfranchised 16 and 17 year olds tip the vote in favor of independence? There is evidence that younger voters strongly favor Scotland going it alone. How much of the lukewarm unionist sentiment will turn into votes for maintaining the status quo? There is evidence that some "no" voters feel intimidated by the pro-independence forces who have become more strident and emotional over the last few days.
But the real uncertainty lies in what happens if independence wins? The possibilities run the gamut from minor changes to economic Armageddon.
So what happens if things go awry? Rehman imagined a worst-case scenario: "They get their independence, oil revenues are not as large and long lasting as they thought, and boom! They get into trouble. Who bails them out?" With Scotland a part of the U.K., the Scottish economy can lean on the Bank of England as a lender of last resort. If Scotland's on its own, there's no one to catch it when it falls. "The Bank of England has made it very clear that it will not" play that role, says Michelle Egan, a professor at American University's School of International Service.
In the end, Scotland's economic situation comes down to a whole lot of uncertainty, and uncertainty can wreak havoc on an economy. Kerley says it's already having an impact, driving down the value of the pound.
An independent Scotland would be kicked out of the European Union -- and its lack of tariffs and trade barriers -- and be forced to reapply as an independent country. Any of the EU's 28 member nations could veto their admittance -- including Spain, which doesn't want to encourage its own separatists in Catalonia.
It may even encourage Great Britain to dump the EU, which might destroy the organization entirely.
You've read what the pundits and commentators have had to say. Now it's your turn. Should Scotland be an independent country? Please leave your answer below in the comments. If you haven't registered to comment yet, please take a few seconds to do so.