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Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles based on a Harvard Business School working paper by Karen Mills that analyzes the current state of availability of bank capital for small business.
During the 2008 financial crisis, small businesses were hampered in securing bank credit because of a perfect storm of their falling sales and weakened collateral, and growing risk aversion among lenders. Those days are not over. While lingering cyclical factors from the crisis may still be constraining access to bank credit, there are also structural barriers that seem to be preventing banks, both large and small, from ever fully returning to the small business market.
Cyclical Factors Linger from the Recession
In the recent recession small-business sales were hit hard and may still be soft, undermining their demand for loan capital. Income of the typical household headed by a self-employed person declined 19 percent in real terms between 2007 and 2010, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances. And a survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) noted that small businesses reported sales as their number one problem for four straight years during the crisis and subsequent recovery.
In addition, collateral owned by small businesses lost value during the financial crisis, potentially making small business borrowers less creditworthy today—in fact, small business credit scores are lower now than before the Great Recession. The Federal Reserve's 2003 Survey of Small Business Finances indicated that the average PAYDEX score of those surveyed was 53.4. By contrast, the 2011 NFIB Annual Small Business Finance Survey indicated that the average small company surveyed had a PAYDEX score of 44.7. Moreover, the values of both commercial and residential real estate, which represent two-thirds of the assets of small-business owners and are often used as collateral for small-business loans, were decimated during the financial crisis.
On the supply side, banks remain more risk averse in the recovery then they were prior to the recession. Measures of tightening on loan terms, including the Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Survey, for small businesses increased at double-digit rates during the recession and recovery, and have eased at just single-digit rates over the past several quarters. Loosening has been much slower and more tentative for small firms than for large firms.
Regarding points of access to capital, community banks have long been crucial to small business lending. But community bank failures have been high and few new ones have started up. Troubled and failed banks reached levels not seen since the Great Depression during the financial crisis of 2008, with the failures consisting mostly of community banks. This environment—where troubled local banks appear unable to meet re-emerging small firm credit needs—would be an ideal market for new banks, but new charters are down to a trickle. In fact, a year recently went by with no new bank charters issued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the first time that happened in the agency's 80-year history.
Perhaps the most compelling cyclical factor tightening the loan spigot is the concern that increased regulatory requirements may be hurting small-business lending. Banks have been raising their capital reserves to comply with new standards initiated by risk-averse bank examiners and other regulators post-crisis. They are also hoarding deposits, which undermines their ability to underwrite small-business loans.
Federal Reserve economists have recently modeled that increasing regulatory burdens are forcing banks to hire additional full-time employees focused on oversight and enforcement, which can hurt the return on assets of some community banks by as much as 40 basis points. Other studies have found that an elevated level of supervisory stringency during the most recent recession is likely to have a statistically significant impact on total loans and loan capacity for several years—approximately 20 quarters—after the onset of the tighter supervisory standards.
Structural barriers continue to depress bank lending
Structural barriers also appear to be impeding bank lending to small businesses, including consolidation within the banking industry, high search costs, and higher transaction costs associated with small business lending.
A decades-long trend toward consolidation of banking assets into fewer institutions is eliminating a key source of capital for small firms. Community banks are being consolidated by big banks, with the number of community banks falling to less than 7,000 today, down from over 14,000 in the mid-1980s, while average bank assets continues to rise. This trend was exacerbated by the financial crisis. The top 106 banks with greater than $10 billion in assets held 80 percent of the nation's $14 trillion in financial assets in 2012, up from 116 firms with 69 percent of $13 trillion in assets in 2007.
Additionally, search costs in small-business lending are high for both borrowers and lenders. It is difficult for qualified borrowers to find willing lenders, and vice versa. Federal Reserve research finds that small-business borrowers can spend almost 25 hours on paperwork for bank loans, and often apply to multiple banks. Successful applicants wait weeks or, in some cases, a month or more for the funds to actually be approved and made available. Some banks are even refusing to lend to businesses within particular industries (for example, restaurants) or below revenue thresholds of $2 million.
Perhaps most important, small-business loans, often defined as business loans below $1 million, are considerably less profitable than large business loans for several reasons, including:
As the economy enters the final stages of the cyclical recovery from the recession, it appears unlikely that all the barriers to bank lending to small business will disappear. The structural issues of higher risk, search, and transaction costs appear to be here to stay—unless banks themselves, or more nimble new competitors, use technology to tackle these challenges.
About the author: Karen Mills is a senior fellow with the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School focused on competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation. She was a member of President Obama's Cabinet, serving as Administrator of the US Small Business Administration from 2009 to 2013.
Other articles in this series: Is a Gap in Small-Business Credit Holding Back the American Economy?


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Helping working dad's with Dove
Dove, a highly-recognized brand in North America, is at the receiving end of some feel-good news as of late. To provide American fathers with the opportunity to be present in their newborn children's lives, Dove is providing multi-thousand dollar grants for working dads who are unable to benefit from paid paternity leave. Dove created their … More Helping working dad's with Dove

subset: commoncrawl


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Gastritis and Infants
Vomiting or spitting up in infants is usually caused by reflux because of the immature structures of the digestive system. This generally resolves over time as the infant's ability to process and digest food develops. However, if your baby continues to spit up, cries a lot or is not gaining weight, he may have gastritis. This can be a serious problem that leads to dehydration or other complications, so please share your concerns with your child's pediatrician.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Infants with gastritis are irritable and may cry inconsolably during and after meals. This is because of the pain associated with the irritation in their stomach. Some babies may draw the legs up toward the stomach. They will also be poor feeders and not gain sufficient weight. Some babies will do well with feedings, but regurgitate much of what they ate. These babies will also gain weight slowly. After feedings, you may notice blood mixed in their spit up.
Gastritis is caused by irritation of the stomach lining. This is either due to excess production of stomach acid or inadequate mucus that protects the stomach from the acid that aids in digestion. An infection with the bacteria H. pylori can attacks the protective mucus layer. Babies who were born premature, are on a breathing machine and being cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit may develop stress-induced gastritis. Infants being treated with non-steroidal anti inflammatory medications and steroids are also prone to gastritis because these medications block the production of productive stomach mucus.
If a viral infection is the cause for gastritis, it will cause inflammation in the lining of the stomach as well as the intestines. Affected children will have vomiting, watery diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. Rotavirus is the most common cause in infants and children younger than 5. Adenovirus, astrovirus and norovirus can also be the cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
H. pylori gastritis is treated with antibiotics and antacid medications, which work to protect the layer of mucus in your baby's stomach and decrease the amount of gastric acid production. Stress gastritis is also treated with antacid medications. If your baby's gastritis is caused by medications, your pediatrician may stop or change medications. Parents should never do so without consulting a doctor. Viral illnesses simply have to run their course.
If your child has gastritis, it is crucial to keep the child hydrated. Special drinks for children that contain balanced electrolytes are commercially available. Viruses that cause gastritis are very contagious, so frequent hand washing and disinfecting counter tops and changing surfaces will help prevent infecting other family members. Call your pediatrician immediately if your child has sharp pains, blood in the stool or bloody vomit, advises Johns Hopkins Children's Center 3.
- Pediatric Research; Gastritis and Duodenitis in Infants with Vomiting; April 1996
- Medscape Reference; Pediatric Gastrointestinal Bleeding; March 2011.
- John Hopkins Children's Center: Helicobacter Pylori Gastritis
- Evidence Based Medicine: An Evidence Based, Systematic Approach to Acute, Unexplained Excessive Crying in Infants: Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images


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One-fifth of gardeners admit throwing snails over fence
A fifth of British gardeners have thrown snails over their neighbour's fence, according to a survey.
Some 22% of people questioned for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said they had tossed a snail into their neighbour's garden, compared with 78% who said they had not.
Londoners were the worst culprits, with 30% admitting they had done it.
Gardeners in Scotland were least likely, where 14% admitted they had thrown a snail over a garden fence.
Snails and slugs and are regarded as the most common garden pest by gardeners, according to the RHS.
'Wet weather'
The survey of more than 1,500 people found that 80% will head into their gardens this Easter to tackle spring jobs.
It found 70% of men plan to mow the garden lawn, compared with 57% of women.
Guy Barter, head of advisory at the RHS, said gardeners have enjoyed a "great start" to spring following a "challenging" start to the season last year..
He said many gardeners have been busy improving their gardens after a wet and windy winter.
"In March at the RHS we had record calls to our advisory team and answered over 6,000 gardening questions," Mr Barter said.
"Most of the questions have been about pruning trees and shrubs, particularly those damaged by winter gales, and dealing with lawns rich in moss and with sparse grass, in this case a consequence of prolonged wet weather."


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Google recently updated android studio to version 2.3, and just like most updates in the past, this came with some changes that caused a bit of confusion for developers. One of the main issues I encountered was not seeing my logs and debug messages in the debug console, especially when running my app from an emulator. This was actually an intentional change from Google but none the less caused a bit of a distress. If you are facing this issue don't panic! It's an easy fix; 1. Go to Run -> Edit Configurations 2. Select the Miscellaneous tab and select the following options; Show ...Read More »
Android Development: Styling Google Maps
Google has a reputation for making development easier and efficient for developers who use their tools and APIs with detailed documentations and well taught free courses. I recently tried implementing styling and reducing how much information is shown on a map via android. My initial approach was to figure out how to remove certain elements from the maps api instance I was using at runtime. This approach would have been quite messy, but also mainly because, I was still figuring out the API. I did some searching and found out that Google actually makes the whole process easier. To implement styling and ...Read More »
Video: Quick OnePlus One Unboxing
57,411 total views, 2 views todayRead More »
Software Review : "Dukto R6"
Have you ever experienced those moments you doubt using a PC and wonder if the Mac life is the way to go? Those awesome moments when Mac users share huge files swiftly via 'AirDrop', and you wish there was an awesome program like that for linux or windows? Well, no worries, I did some digging and even though there are a lot of such applications out there, I stumbled upon Dukto, the ultimate simple, easy and fast file sharing application, similar to the core functionality of AirDrop. Dukto R6 is a software project now in it's 6th release, with many improvements over ...Read More »


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I hate this, but for those who have not seen this, please read the news.
"Campaigners warned we are turning into a society that can no longer tolerate imperfection."
A question to ponder: If you can't tolerate imperfections, then why not change yourself first? Are you telling me that you are perfect? If not, then why do you kill the innocent when you cannot remove your own imperfections?
The teaching of the Church (CCC) regarding abortion:
2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
2272 Formal co-operation in an abortion constitues a grave offence. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae, by the very commission of the offence, and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole society.
2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.
Please say no to abortion!


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Just because you can do something, does it mean you should?
That question may come to mind when considering the Internet of Things — the idea that one day, products of virtually all kinds will be connected to the Internet and integrated.
Many of us now take for granted simple things that Internet-connected devices can do, like starting a car from inside the house, turning off air-conditioning with a smartphone app and automatically sending our blood pressure readings to our doctors.
Device makers are now expanding their imaginations. It remains to be seen whether these devices, and the myriad others coming our way, will become commonplace or simply represent a passing fancy.
PicoBrew Zymatic, $2,000
The PicoBrew — a 50-pound brewing unit and separate metal keg — largely automates the beer-making process.
To use the unit, you first connect it to the Internet, either with a wire or wirelessly, and then choose one of the more than 100 recipes available to download. You load the unit with the amounts of barley, hops and water called for in the recipe. From there, the PicoBrew's technology takes over, choosing the proper brewing time and temperature.
You can monitor the temperature of the brew and of the unit on the company's website. You can also come up with your own recipe and share it with others through the system — bringing a new social aspect to having a beer.
Sengled Boost, $50 to $60
Wi-Fi signals are often annoyingly weak, unable to reach where you most want them. The signal can be amplified by adding a range extender. But those extenders are typically in an ugly box.
Sengled offers another option, combining a Wi-Fi range extender with an LED light bulb. The three options for the light are one that looks like a standard incandescent bulb similar in brightness to a 40-watt bulb ($50), a recessed lamp with the brightness of about 60 watts ($60), and a larger model that is similar in brightness to a 75-watt recessed lamp ($60).
You can control the lights — dimming them, for example, or turning them on or off — with the Sengled smartphone app. The Wi-Fi extender part of the device will stay on even if you turn the lamp off, but only if you do so from the app. The extender can deliver quite an upgrade of service. In a recent test, the Sengled Boost increased the Wi-Fi download signal speed in a home office from a paltry 2.4 megabits per second, or Mbps, to over 5 Mbps.
Sengled also makes other LED lamp combination products. Its Pulse line of lamps (starting at $60) combines lighting with a JBL Bluetooth speaker, allowing you to stream the music on a smartphone or tablet through the lamp.
Oral-B Pro 5000 Rechargeable Toothbrush, about $100
This Oral-B toothbrush sends information to a smartphone app to help you brush for the recommended length of time, and in all the right ways.
The device is connected to the app with Bluetooth. The app points out the best ways to brush, provides checklists and reminders to brush your tongue and floss, and allows dentists to enter additional brushing routines in case certain areas of the mouth need more attention.
Oral-B says that the average brushing time for those who use the app is almost 2.5 minutes, compared with 45 to 60 seconds for those who brush without it. (The company downloads some data from the app.)
To remind you to keep the digital brush in action, a timer on the app starts up automatically when you turn the brush on, and counts down the seconds. And to keep users from getting bored, the app displays news, weather and brushing tips.
You don't need to keep your smartphone next to your toothbrush at all times. The brush has enough memory to store up to 30 brushing episodes and can upload them to the app the next time the two are within Bluetooth range, the brush is on and the app is open.
Withings Home, $200
Many home monitoring systems upload video to the Internet. But Withings, the maker of Internet-connected health care products such as scales and blood pressure cuffs, has come up with a multi-feature approach.
In addition to standard video surveillance, Home also detects motion, sounds, air quality and, eventually, it can recognize babies' cries and faces. If chemicals emitted from things like presswood furniture, cleaning products and nail polish remover reach a dangerous level, the app sends out an alert to open the window. The Home can also be used as a baby monitor, both for camera surveillance and playing lullabies through the speaker.
Home records the last 48 hours of movement in time-lapse mode at no extra cost. Motion and other activity alerts as well as video playback are accessible via its app. Extra cloud storage for video is also available; a week's worth of full-motion or time-lapse video can be kept for $8 a month. A 30-day storage package is available for $20 a month.
Quirky + GE Aros Smart Window Air-Conditioner, $200
The Aros connects via Wi-Fi to Wink, an app that controls other connected home products from companies like General Electric, Philips, Lutron and Nest, among others.
Using GPS, the Aros knows when you're home and when you're away, turning the unit on and off to save energy and get your room comfortable before you arrive.
Set your monthly electricity budget on the app, and it will suggest temperature and power-on times to fit. The app takes into account your energy costs as well as the weather forecast. The app also tracks energy use over time, so you can adjust the air-conditioner's temperature to save money.


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Or this:
We had a nice Easter dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Jackson's house on Easter Sunday. Lucy got into the Easter Egg hunt in the backyard once we showed her the ropes and she caught on. Her big surprise was waiting for her at the top of the stairs (in the backyard)...but she was more interested in the swing than the actual stuffed bunny and bag of candy. Hey, if she goes for fun and exercise over candy and toys, that's a good thing. It was great to hang with Peggy, go on a walk, and enjoy our own Easter baskets created by Marleney. Thanks a million!
Lucy enjoyed a non-traditional Easter Egg hung Saturday morning with Nana and Poppa Bice at the West Jordan Aquatic Center. She got to "dive" for her eggs in the pool and she loved it! She's become quite the swimmer. We had an absolute ball swimming together for about 2 hours. Now that she knows what a mermaid is (thanks to the mermaids in Peter Pan) she loves to pretend to be one (especially in the bath). We think this helped her get over some of her fears in the pool. She was being quite the "mermaid" and jumping into the pool, going down the water slide with Mommy, and riding on daddy's back around the lazy river. Cousins Bailey and Jayda were there as well and she loved looking at the baby and splashing around with Bailey. Poppa Bice needs to email us the photos so we can post them! Nana made a DELICIOUS prime rib dinner with her garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. To die for.
After dinner, we headed downtown so Vic could get a haircut. Lucy slept soundly in the car all the while. We weren't ready to head back to the snow in Park City, so we took a nice Saturday afternoon drive through the Avenues. We would love to live in that neighborhood. We'll figure out what we're going to do with our housing situation eventually! Anyway, we enjoyed the views and the fresh Spring air while we drove and eventually ended up in the cemetery where Pres. Hinkley is buried. We found it quite appropriate to be in a cemetery on Easter weekend and enjoyed a discussion about the Resurrection.
When Lucy awoke we headed to Liberty Park to feed the ducks and go on a walk. It was too nippy and windy to walk, but we enjoyed throwing bread at the "quack quacks" and watching the hundreds of seagulls fly around like lunatics. It was a great Saturday.
I sang in the branch on Sunday (two verses in Spanish, two in English)."I Know That my Redeemer Lives". I think it went OK.
I am going in reverse order here, but I must mention that we had another Easter celebration with the Spanish Branch on Friday night. Vic and I were in charge of the games and activities. We had an egg dyeing contest, played relay games, and got a sugar high from all the candy. Lucy was in heaven.
It's a whopping 52 degrees right now and maybe we'll see grass within the next three weeks!
Happy Easter and bring on the Spring!


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Awhile back I was having a podcast conversation with a couple of very smart, well-read, theologically-aware clergymen of different backgrounds, about books that have inspired us (Seriously, click the link and listen — it's really good!). While they tossed around Jurgen Motlmann and Richard Rohr, I sustained that the writers whose work most sustained me are women writers — mostly fairly liberal Christian women, not theologians but memoirists and essayists, who are able to bring self-deprecating humour and wry honesty to their discussion of the spiritual life. Anne Lamott, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rachel Held Evans, Sara Miles — these are my gurus. For a lot of Christian women, Jet Hatmaker would also be on that list. I've enjoyed her online presence for awhile, but this is the first book of hers I've read.
Hatmaker writes like a nice Southern preacher's wife who knows she doesn't quite fit the mold of nice southern preacher's wife. She writes about faith, family, church, our messy lives and the "moxie" it takes to rise above the mess (or at least live amidst it). For some reason, I like her better as. a speaker than as a writer, but I can understand why her written voice in her books appeals so strongly to say many women readers, especially those who have felt trapped by the mythology of the good Christian wife/mother/woman. In the sometimes cloying air of "women's ministry," scented by porpourri and expectations, Hatmaker throws open the windows and lets in a breath of fresh air.


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Barium Sulfate: A Protocol for Determining Higher Site-Specific Barium Cleanup Levels
Although different barium compounds are known to exhibit vastly different toxicities, cleanup standards for barium in soil or sediment at environmental corrective action sites are typically based on total barium concentration without regard for the specific barium compounds present. However, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has recently agreed that the insoluble barium compound barium sulfate (i.e., barite) is not a compound of concern with regard to human health, thereby eliminating the need for cleanup standards or site remediation for this compound. The TCEQ still requires that their barium cleanup standards be applied to any soluble barium compounds that may be present at a site. To allow the application of barium cleanup standards to soluble barium compounds while excluding barium sulfate, we have developed a protocol to measure the concentration of soluble barium in soil or sediment samples that may contain both barium sulfate and soluble barium compounds. In this paper, we present (1) a review of the toxicity and regulation of soluble barium compounds and insoluble barium sulfate, and (2) a description of our protocol to measure the concentration of soluble barium compounds in soil and sediment samples and the validation of this protocol.
Barite, the mineral form of barium sulfate, has been used for years throughout the oil and gas industry as a weighing agent during drilling. Barite, which has a density more than four times that of water, is mixed with water, mineral oil, or diesel oil, and other materials to form drilling mud, a fluid solution used to control downhole pressures while drilling. In addition to its high density, barite is insoluble and thus provides stability for the drilling mud. Other uses of barium sulfate include filler material in products such golf balls and automotive interiors and as a whitener for paints. Barium sulfate is also used in medical testing procedures.
Oil services companies that sell and store barite along with drilling mud and additives at their facilities often have areas of the facility where barite may have been spilled or released into the environment. Typical site assessments at these facilities conducted under a state voluntary cleanup program will show elevated levels of barium in the soil, which may require response actions. We have developed a protocol to identify barium sulfate in the environment and to differentiate it from other barium compounds with specific laboratory methods.
Toxicity and Regulation of Barium Compounds
Toxicity of Barium Compounds
The key physical and chemical properties of barium compounds are summarized in Table 1. Barium toxicity is mediated through the free barium ion.1 Exposure to insoluble barium sulfate does not cause significant toxicity because barium sulfate does not release free barium ions that can be absorbed into the lungs or intestine. The available human and animal data2-4 indicate that barium sulfate is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract with an absorption efficiency of 10-4 to 10-6. This compares to an absorption efficiency for soluble barium compounds of 0.03 to 0.95. This difference in absorption efficiency provides a clear mechanistic explanation for the observed difference in toxicity between barium sulfate and soluble barium compounds. For example, barium sulfate is a radio-opaque agent that is administered orally as a medical diagnostic at doses of >200 g to increase contrast during x-rays of the digestive system. Although this dose is approximately 100 times the acutely lethal dose of soluble barium, diagnostic barium sulfate typically causes only minor side effects of constipation or diarrhea. In addition, occupational exposure to high levels of barium sulfate dust can result in benign pneumoconiosis (baritosis) that usually resolves following termination of exposure. In contrast to barium sulfate, soluble barium compounds dissociate in water, releasing barium ions and corresponding anions. As a result, soluble barium compounds are readily absorbed by the lungs or intestines and have a much higher toxicity than barium sulfate. Soluble barium doses of 0.2 to 0.5 grams have been found to cause acute toxic effects in humans; in the absence of treatment, the lethal dose of soluble barium for adults is 3 to 5 grams.
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is voor herhaling vatbaar .zeer tevrede
Frau Gabriele Patzner목요일, 21 2월 2019, 15:07
I am very happy with the way Brugse Boekhandel handled my order. A hard-to-come-by folder was explicitly searched for while I was kept up-to-date in a very friendly and professional matter. A price change in my favour even led to a reimbursement. The whole order then was delivered quickly and well packed. I will definitely buy there again whenever I find something in their stock that appeals to me.
Mevr. Marina Dofin수요일, 30 1월 2019, 11:46
correcte afhandeling van mijn bestelling. Veilige verpakking en Bpost daar kan je op rekenen. Ik heb hier goede ervaringen mee. Proficiat!
Webshop Directory


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Gig Buddies Newsletter April – May 2016
18 April 2016
Read the latest Gig Buddies Newsletter April – May 2016
This is the Gig Buddies newsletter April – May 2016. In it you'll find news of:
- Our gigs of the month listings for Eastbourne, Lewes, Hastings and Worthing.
- List of free events at the Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe.
- Review of our Gig Buddies 3rd Birthday Party in Brighton.
- Our yoga meet-up.
- Summer festival at Forgotten Fields.
- Read 2 new gig buddies review of The Wave Pictures at De La Warr Pavillion.
- And find out how you can get involved in the Storm and Thunder Team.
Why not write a review for a gig you have been to here
If you've got an article you'd like to write, or an idea for an article that you'd like to write please get in touch.
Check out our events listings
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- Be the first to comment or leave a message.


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Jennifer Smith: Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self
This article is written by Jennifer Smith (@1_uswnt) for the inaugural American Soccer United Women's Soccer Month #WoSoMonth.
Birmingham, Alabama. — The greatest eight years of your life are headed your way. Nothing about it will be easy – supporting women's soccer never is, but it's rewarding. It's satisfying, fulfilling. It's worth it.
You're probably on your way home from a basketball tournament right now, but just hear me out.
What if I told you that'd be the last time you ever played basketball – the last time you ever called that sport your favorite? What if I told you you're about to become the most passionate soccer fan your town has ever seen? What if I said supporting the United States Women's National Team will become the greatest decision of your life?
Crazy, right?
If you don't believe me now, just wait. You will.
Seriously, Jen, stop focusing on how to pronounce the word "Algarve" and follow the stupid Match Tracker – it's 2009; were you expecting the game to be on a hi-def channel? Come on, now.
Look at you. Match Tracker on one side of your screen and "Google soccer terms" on the other.
I'm proud of you.
I know you think it's embarrassing having to look up what "offside" means. But it's not. I know you're tempted to turn your laptop off because you don't understand what's happening during the game. But don't.
Don't quit, Jen.
You're not supposed to know these terms, yet. You're not supposed to know what's happening during these games because it's the first time in your life you've ever been exposed to it.
It's okay. Trust me.
Just keep learning – keep teaching yourself the game. You'll be surprised at how quickly you catch on.
I must warn you, though, that there's going to be moments throughout your journey as a USWNT supporter when your emotions will overpower you.
It's okay. Accept it and let it happen.
Embrace the emotions you will feel in a couple of years when we face Brazil and Japan. Give into them a year later when we face Canada. Let them completely dominate and control you a few years after that when we face Japan again. Accept them when we face Sweden a few months later.
I'm not going to tell you why. You don't need to know that, yet.
All you need to know is that it's okay, Jen.
Whatever the time, wherever you are, whatever the score – let it out.
I know you're scared, confused. I know you thought it was always going to be basketball.
But, there's a reason you started following soccer, Jen. There's a reason you'll get emotionally attached to the USWNT, and there's a reason you'll become a lifelong supporter of them.
It's not going to be easy – it never is with this team, but it's worth it.


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Will VMware SRM lose the 'R' and become Site Manager?
VMware SRM will add new features, which may alter how customers use the disaster recovery tool. Mike Laverick previews future VMware SRM features and what they mean for users.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) automates disaster recovery for VMware infrastructure, and future versions of VMware SRM are in development.
Mike Laverick got an exclusive look at future VMware SRM features, and he discusses them in this series. Part one explains the possible addition of host-based replication. This section covers future SRM features -- such as planned migration and virtual machine (VM) start-up groups -- and how these capabilities may change the way customers use VMware SRM.
Planned migration in VMware SRM
When you have forewarning of a disruptive event, such as electrical grid maintenance, VMware SRM can execute a planned failover. But there is an interesting and subtle change in the recovery-plan dialog box: VMware will now refer to a planned failover as "planned migration."
Figure 1
(Click image for an enlarged view.)
You could argue that this change is a question of semantics. But I see it as further evidence that VMware has big plans for SRM beyond disaster recovery automation. I think the long-term plan is that the "R" in SRM will be dropped, so it becomes more of an overall site-management tool.
A company might want to move VMs among various sites for various reasons. If a building lease is up, for example, an organization could consolidate data centers at other sites rather than renew the lease there. Additionally, many mergers and acquisitions result in the consolidation of facilitates, as businesses eliminate unnecessary staff and operational resources.
Reprotect Mode in VMware SRM
When VMware SRM was first released, failback was possible, but it required several steps.
For some time, Site Recovery Manager customers have wanted automated failback , and future versions of SRM will likely ship with a new failback process that VMware calls Reprotect Mode.
Figure 2
(Click image for an enlarged view.)
Prior to the Reprotect Mode, administrators had to clear stale objects in the vCenter inventory and recreate objects, such as Protection Groups and Recovery Plans.
The new Reprotect Mode speeds up the failback process, and between this feature and planned migrations, you can see that VMware is making VMs more portable. Most VMware customers are used to moving VMs between physical servers with vMotion, and many users would like to extend this portability across sites.
Doing so is already possible with long-distance live-migration technologies from EMC and NetApp, but they are limited to top-end customers. The tools require specialized technologies, and they are limited to certain distances and use a ton of bandwidth.
With an effective planned migration and reprotect process, however, customers could move VMs from site to site much more easily.
VM start-up groups
Currently, the lack of a VM grouping mechanism is an annoyance of Site Recovery Manager. Protected VMs are added to a list, and each one needs to be moved by hand to a series of categories (i.e., high, low and normal). There isn't a way to create objects that show the relationships between VMs or groupings.
A new grouping feature will allow customers to more effectively show the dependencies among VMs from a service perspective.
Figure 3
(Click image for an enlarged view.)
IP settings in VMware SRM
Another area of improvement is in the management of IP addresses. In most cases, \two sites will have different IP subnet ranges. According to VMware research, nearly 40% of SRM customers are forced to reassign IP addresses to VMs.
Sadly, a minority of customers have a stretched VLAN configuration, in which both sites believe they are on the same continuous network, despite being in different geographic areas.
One way to make sure that VMs with a 10.x.y.z address function in a 192.168.1.x network is through network address translation technologies, which keeps VMs from having to change IP addresses.
VMware SRM has always offered a way to change the IP addresses of Windows and Linux guests through vCenter's Guest Customization feature. Guest Customization is normally used in the deployment of new VMs to ensure that they have unique host names and IP addresses when cloned from a template.
In Site Recovery Manager, vCenter's Guest Customization merely changes the IP address of a VM. Early in VMware SRM, a command-line utility dr-ip-exporter allowed administrators to create many guest customizations, with a CSV file to store the specific IP details. But it was difficult to see the original IP address in relation to the recovery IP address.
When SRM carried out a failback process, the VMs needed their IP addresses changed back to the original address. For Windows guests, Microsoft Sysprep triggered the IP reassigning process, and it was particularly slow.
With future releases of SRM, we will see a better method of handling the reassigning IP address to VMs. It will be neater and quicker, with the parameters held in a single dialog box.
Figure 4
(Click image for an enlarged view.)
Join the usability group
We can expect a lot of good things from VMware SRM. I've only scratched the surface, and I can't wait for the beta program.
The VMware UE Team is recruiting SRM administrators for one-hour interviews. VMware wants to know how administrators use VMware SRM, and it wants feedback on future SRM user-interface designs. Also, the UE Team is recruiting SRM administrators and vSphere administrators for Site Recovery Manager usability testing.
If you're interested, email email@example.com.
About the author
Mike Laverick (VCP) has been involved with the VMware community since 2003. Laverick is a VMware forum moderator and member of the London VMware User Group Steering Committee. Laverick is the owner and author of the virtualization website and blog RTFM Education, where he publishes free guides and utilities aimed at VMware ESX/VirtualCenter users, and has recently joined SearchVMware.com as an Editor at Large. In 2009, Laverick received the VMware vExpert award and helped found the Irish and Scottish VMware user groups. Laverick has had books published on VMware Virtual Infrastructure 3, VMware vSphere4 and VMware Site Recovery Manager.


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An abandoned pastoral station near Port Augusta is returning to its former glory, thanks to Bungala and our pastoral program. Located 15km outside of Port Augusta, Emeroo Station has been un-used for more than three years, but through our Work for the Dole scheme it's now got the old infrastructure back and is ready to be used again. Locals have been trained to build fences and sheds and, once sheep are returned to the station, skills such as shearing and animal husbandry will be taught.
In times of a difficult employment climate in Port Augusta, projects like this offer great opportunities for Indigenous workers to find jobs, training and ongoing support. Read the full story on the ABC News website http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-24/emeroo-station-stockmen-bungala-corporation/8054766 or watch the video here http://www.msn.com/en-au/video/watch/a-pastoral-station-just-out-of-port-augusta-in-the-south-australias-north-is-being-returned-to-productive-land-with-the-help-of-the-local-indigenous-community/vp-AAkJ4D3


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I'm reading a book called Interview with an Exorcist by Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea. It is clear, easy to read and understand. I think he also beautifully sums up why we as Catholics love Mary, the saints, angels, and our moms.
On page 68 he is answering the question of how we can protect ourselves from demonic attack. Here is one of his paragraphs which not only reminds us of the role of angels, saints and Mary, but a duty and privilege of all mothers:
"Of course, before performing any work or facing a specific danger relating to the demonic field, the invocation of St. Michael the Archangel is highly effective. He always comes to our aid and protects us if we call on him with faith. Even though St. Michael has received a special charge from God with respect to demons, one can also call upon his or her own guardian angel, another saint, or God directly for protection. Fortunately, there are mothers and grandmothers who pray to God every day for the spiritual protection of their children and grandchildren. As the mission of the Mother of God is to pray for the whole Church, so the mission of these faithful women is to pray for their families."
One of the things I struggled with when it came to praying to anyone but God was the idea that somehow praying to anyone but God was to take from Him the honor due to Him alone. Somewhere along the way it was pointed out to me the difference between honor and worship as well as a challenge to consider the generosity of God.
God is not stingy. He's not insulted when one of His creatures is honored because they have fulfilled or demonstrated His mercy and grace in their lives. Remember in the Narnia series when only Lucy could see Aslan at times? Not everyone could handle meeting Aslan directly. Sometimes it was a test for the person, but sometimes they simply weren't ready. (And some, like the dwarves in the last book, perhaps never were.) God wants to touch our lives, but since we cannot handle a "direct" touch He often uses His creation and creatures to draw us to Himself. My personal opinion is that any mother who dies with young children still at home is most likely given the task of watching over them personally from Heaven. Same with dads. We don't go to Heaven to sit on a cloud and strum a harp. We go to worship and love God and work with Him to bring the world to salvation. God is generous in using His saints to help bring others to Himself. To call upon them does not lessen His glory (impossible anyway), but to demonstrate His outrageous goodness, mercy and generosity.
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the earth seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


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1001 Jigsaw World Tour: American Puzzle is an exciting puzzle game and a fantastic tour guide. Put together 500 quality jigsaw puzzles and study the history, traditions and sights of the United States of America. Now you can solve your favorite jigsaw puzzles and travel the world without leaving the comforts of home! See the skyscrapers of New York and Chicago, the sunny beaches and Hollywood boulevard of California, the repercussions of the Gold Rush, inimitable Texas and ever-wakeful Las Vegas. See Washington D.C., the keeper of American glory and history, then move on to the tropical Hawaiian Islands. It's an epic journey through all 50 states!
Category: Jigsaw
Sliders and Other Square Jigsaw Puzzles
Your favorite minigames from Clutter in their own game! Hours and hours of fun as you play Sliders, Stretches and Square Jigsaws, in ways you've never seen before. Over 200 pictures that you can use in any of the Sliders or Square Jigsaw Puzzles.
Jigsaw World Tour 4
Vacation time is approaching, and who doesn't want to visit exciting countries and cities? But there are so many choices… How do you choose where to go? Jigsaw World Tour can help you find the best place for a vacation!
Enjoy high quality images, convenient controls and help, and heaps of clues and tools to help you configure the game to your liking. Special tasks and trophies make the game even more entertaining.
Play and learn new things! Complete a virtual journey around 7 famous and completely unique cities. Admire the majestic architecture of Berlin and Vienna, breakfast on Toronto's famous maple syrup pancakes, shop in one of the capitals of global fashion – Madrid, enjoy the spirit of Scotland in Edinburgh, dance the hula in Hawaii and get acquainted with the city of Moscow, both ancient and modern. All this and more awaits you in Jigsaw World Tour 4!
Holiday Jigsaw Thanksgiving Day 2
A Thanksgiving gift for all fans of classical puzzles – it's a new holiday puzzle! Holiday Jigsaw Thanksgiving Day 2 has 500 high-quality images of the harvest holiday, the fall and relaxing leisure among family and friends.
The time has come to decorate the house, pick out a turkey and make traditional dishes. Hundreds of ideas for decor, treats and gifts await you in Holiday Jigsaw Thanksgiving Day 2! It will help you amaze your loved ones and have a great Thanksgiving Day!
Holiday Jigsaw Thanksgiving Day
We want to thank all those who love the Holiday Jigsaw series, and we've made this sweet and upbeat game especially for them. For our new players, we say: join us, and celebrate every new holiday with our Holiday Jigsaws!
Enjoy the warmth of a cozy hearth, a family holiday dinner, children's laughter and cute pets. All of this can be found in the new Holiday Jigsaw Thanksgiving Day with 500 vibrant and festive photographs!
Holiday Jigsaw Easter 2
Spring is here and we have a new Holiday Jigsaw or you! Immerse yourself in the Spring-like atmosphere of blooming flowers and Easter celebrations! Assemble beautifully themed images that celebrate the return of Spring, flowering glades, home-cooked food and the Easter holiday. Drive away the boredom and fatigue left over from the long winter months.
Christmas Patchwork. Frozen
The most magical night of the year is coming… today! Feel the atmosphere of an unforgettable Christmas night and start your exciting adventure with Frozen Patchwork!
Journey through a Frozen Christmas world and complete all the puzzles. Earn as many keys as you can and unlock new worlds! Can the great Queen of the Frozen Kingdom restore the magical amulet? Will the magic have time to work before Christmas arrives or will the cold heart remain forever frozen?
Holiday Jigsaw Valentine's Day 2
Holiday Jigsaw Valentine's Day 2 will give you the inspiration for a truly romantic gift! With 500 images of Valentine's magic, show your partner the love they deserve and spend an unforgettable evening together. Assemble pictures of incredible landscapes, views of the most romantic cities in the world, and romantic retro postcards full of tenderness. Play Holiday Jigsaw Valentine's Day 2 now!
Holiday Jigsaw Christmas 2
Who says Christmas miracles don't exist? Checkout 500 new high-quality photos in the new Holiday Jigsaw!
It's cold outside. Holiday Jigsaw Christmas 2 will put you in a perfect holiday mood with an atmosphere of fireside comfort, fun winter games, a wonderful Christmas night, gifts and good feelings… You'll find all of this in our jigsaws. Have a fun and relaxing time assembling them on your own, with your kids, or even with your whole family!
Enjoy high quality holiday themed images, convenient controls and help, and heaps of clues and tools to help you configure the game to your liking. Special tasks and trophies make the game even more entertaining.
Find ideas for party food, decorations and presents for the Christmas Holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Fantasy Mosaics 4: Art of Color
Experience a world of multi-color mosaics puzzles in the latest installment of Fantasy Mosaics! This exciting innovation opens up a whole new dimension of fun and challenge. Discover beautiful and vivid images cleverly hidden in the pattern of numbers and colors. Embrace our latest mosaics challenge and take a journey across the new fantasy landscape to help our penguin find his soul mate.
1001 Jigsaw Earth Chronicles 2
What do you need to study our Earth? Textbooks? Scientific journals? Long journeys around the entire world? Study our incredible planet in the comfort of your own home! 1001 unique photos and a new jigsaw game to help you on your way! Animals from all corners of the Earth, the exotic botanical world, and the unseen depths of the ocean… What could be more exciting than seeing life on the planet Earth in all its variety? Continue your unbelievable journey to study our world in 1001 Jigsaw Earth Chronicles 2!
Fantasy Mosaics 3: Distant Worlds
Solve a variety of mosaics puzzles to help restore a beautiful garden destroyed by a dark wizard that came from a distant alien world. Take a journey across the universe and restore the garden to its former glory!


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I finally received my July Sephora Play and IPSY bags and wanted to share with you what I received.
In the Sephora Play bag this month I got….
1. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser.
2. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer.
3. Ouai Wave Spray.
4. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer in Medium/Deep.
5.Nest Citrine Eau De Parfum.
6. Blotterazzi by Beautyblender.
In my IPSY bag this month I got….
1. Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in No Filter.
2. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate Multi Function Moisturizer.
3. the Balm Meet Matt(e) Trimony in Matt Moskowitz Eye Shadow.
4. Vasanti Eyeshadow Brush.
5. J.Cat Perfect Duo Brow Pencil in Dark Brown.
So that's it.
I think both bags were pretty good this month, but Sephora Play wins again in my book.
If you subscribe what did you get in your bags this month?
Which bag do you prefer?
Post contains affiliate links.


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HOCKENHEIM, Germany, July 22 (UPI) -- Pole-sitter Fernando Alonso turned in a dominating performance Sunday, extending his Formula One standings lead with a win at the German Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Alonso surrendered the advantage only briefly at the Hockenheim circuit, outpacing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Jenson Button down the stretch to win by 3.7 seconds.
It was the third victory of the season for two-time world champion and the 30th of his Formula One career. Alonso improved his points total to 154 for the season, 34 ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Vettel, who initially came in second, was handed a 20-second time penalty by the race stewards for leaving the track to pass Button during the closing stages of the race.
The penalty demoted him to fifth in the results, handing second place to Button.
Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen moved up into third and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi took fourth under the revised finish.


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Accra, Sept. 10, GNA – An expert in renewable energy has urged the youth to make meaningful use of the numerous opportunities in the renewable energy sector as the country explore the rise in its use.
Mr Lovans Owusu Takyi, the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions (ISEES), who gave the advice, said the sector provides a lot of potentials for the youth.
He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the Global Climate Action Summit held in Accra at the weekend, to garner support and assist Ghana to achieve her target of increasing the use of renewable energy to up to 10 per cent.
The Global Climate Action Summit, is in line with the Governor of California, Jerry Brown's goal to demonstrate an unstoppable wave of climate action from non-state actors – and to catalyse participants to step up ambition.
The Ghana Reducing Our Carbon (G-ROC), is a formal network of youth-based grassroots movements affiliated to 350.org, formed with the aim of mobilising and empowering young people, in partnership with key stakeholders, to actively champion the need to reduce carbon emissions and promote renewable energy systems as a key effort in combating climate change in Ghana.
Enumerating the opportunities in the sector, Mr Owusu Takyi said, the youth could develop business modules around building integrated solar panel for households, where individuals pay in instalment to reduce the burden of having to pay one time huge cost.
He added that young people could also venture into research in the sector to identify other innovative ways of achieving the 10 per cent renewable energy mix that government was determined to achieve.
He said the opportunities are available because the country's energy resources base is strong, adding that « we have good solar radiation for solar energy through solar panels ».
Mr Owusu Takyi said young people, when made aware of the opportunities within the renewable energy industry, could begin designing African-made renewable energy solution, because most renewable energy solutions used in the country were imported.
He said the ISEES in partnership with Energy Solutions commenced the 'African Energy Generation Prise' to train young people in renewable energy, solar energy, bio-energy and waste management entrepreneurships.
He said the 'African Energy Generation Prise' was initiated to enable desiring young people to develop and use design system approach to engineer solutions that could address the energy challenge in Ghana.
Mr Owusu Takyi said the youth needs skills training, in both technical and entrepreneurship, adding that « We have different types of solar solutions such as solar irons for ironing clothes, solar chargers, and solar generators for powering our televisions, fans and fridges. »
He noted that young people could visit the ISEES website to access the 'African Energy Generation Prise' and get themselves trained in some income earning skills.
He said young people could also venture into the marketing of renewable energy technology, in the area of bringing solar and clean cooking technologies to the doorsteps of people who need it most.
« They can also go into the actual development of the technologies using clay, mud and bricks to build cook stoves for people in the rural areas, that are more energy efficient and which uses less firewood, » he said.
Mr Owusu Takyi said, « By deploying these technologies of cook stoves, you are improving the health of women and children (who use the kitchen in most cases) » adding that, a report by the World Health Organisation estimated that about 17,000 people die out of smoke emissions, through cooking.
He said, government and relevant stakeholders ought to consider developing innovative challenges or competitions that would help to train young people in design systems, and be able to come out with solutions within the energy, climate and waste industries, which provides numerous potentials and opportunities for young people to become innovative.


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Needless to say, everything - including cooking, photo yoga-ing and even thinking - has been painfully difficult for the past week, hence the lack of new posts. Fortunately I'm starting to slowly recuperate and I have a couple new things to share with you this weekend.
Before I do that, though, here are some fun shots of summertime noshings throughout Sacramento...
|Fresh cocteles de fruta at my favorite Sunday tamale cart...
|Nothing better than an icy cold MexiCoke! (Secret to tasting to awesome? No HFCS!)
|Sweet summer cherries!
|MiniBurger madness! Clockwise from left: The Ninja (aka OMGthisisthebestburgerever), The OG and The Cowbell.
|This dude was too cool not to photograph! (At the Sacramento Food Truck Alliance gathering at Tognotti's)
That's it for now! New recipe coming up later this weekend (I promise! I have to eat at some point, lol). Happy Friday, everyone!


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Page One
Press Release: Dr. Ami Bera Comments on New Misleading Chamber of Commerce Ads
Editor's Note: Many Berkeley residents are supporting Democrat Dr. Ami Bera's campaign for Congress against Republican Dan Lungren in the Sacramento area.
ELK GROVE, CA - Today, the Chamber of Commerce started airing $484,000 worth of misleading ads on behalf of Congressman Dan Lungren. The ads make the same lies about Medicare and the Affordable Care Act that Congressman Lungren and Republicans nationwide have repeated all year.
Dr. Ami Bera offered the following comment:
"While I'm not surprised that out-of-state special interest groups have come in to aid Dan Lungren with fictitious ads, I didn't expect the absurd irony of blaming national economic uncertainty on a local doctor, instead of on Washington insiders like Dan Lungren, who got us into this mess in the first place. Attacking me for the Medicare savings that Congressman Lungren voted for twice, and for the uncertain tax situation that Lungren helped create, reveals their desperation to hide Lungren's votes to privatize Medicare and devastate the middle class."
The ad is deliberately misleading:
1. 1. Congressman Lungren voted for the Washington deals that created the year-end uncertainty of the 'fiscal cliff' [HR 4843, Vote #467, 12/17/10; S 465, Vote #960, 8/1/11; CRS, 8/19/11; Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta's Remarks on Major Budget Decisions, 1/26/12; Los Angeles Times, 11/21/11]
2. Dr. Bera has always made it clear that the health care law doesn't do enough to control costs and that addressing healthcare costs is an absolute priority. In Tuesday's debate with Lungren, Dr. Bera said: "There is no way for us to get our economy going until we've addressed the cost of healthcare."
3. Both Republicans and Democrats supported the same Medicare savings, the difference is Lungren voted for the Ryan budget that turns Medicare into a voucher system. [SacBee, 8/21/12; Bloomberg, 8/13/12].
Dr. Bera's jobs and small business plan includes:
• expanding access to capital for small businesses that are trying to create jobs • incentivizing businesses to keep jobs here, rather than ship them overseas • investing in vital infrastructure projects, like our local levees, to create jobs immediately and attract and keep businesses in the district • reducing health care costs, not by passing them on to our seniors, but by negotiating drug and healthcare costs, investing in prevention, and spending less money on bureaucracy
Dr. Bera is a lifelong Californian. He and his wife Janine and their daughter reside in Elk Grove. According to the Wall Street Journal and other major publications, his campaign is "seen by political experts as one of the nation's most competitive." For more information about Dr. Bera, or the Bera for Congress campaign, please visit www.BeraforCongress.com


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Manu Ginobili is old as hell but still capable of dope basketball moments, and this no-look dime from last night's game against the Magic has me all fucked up.
I've watched this clip many times, and I still can't figure out how exactly Ginobili knew Kawhi Leonard was trailing him. It doesn't seem like he ever looks far enough over his shoulder to see Leonard. Maybe Leonard was calling for the pass all the way down the court? Whatever, I'm choosing to believe that Ginobili is a wizard.


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Rydberg atoms
Rydberg atoms are neutral atoms (e.g. rubidium, caesium) with a highly excited outer electron (typically n=30 to 100). They show a state dependent pairwise interaction that can be twelve orders of magnitude higher for two excited atoms than for ground state atoms.
In terms of quantum control by exciting the atoms with time-dependent lasers one can turn on and off the interaction between atoms and create entanglement between atoms.
Experimental achievements among others have been entanglement creation, realization of a 2 qubit gate and a single photon source. This makes Rydberg atoms a promising global approach to quantum communication and quantum computation at room temperature.
A main part of our work in this context is to shape the exciting pulses by means of optimal control in a way to make best use of these effects in the framework of quantum computation and communication applications and thus shift its limits. This includes optimization of 2-qubit gates, also in the context of non-local control schemes for optically trapped rubidium atoms and the analysis and optimization of a single photon source consisting of a hot rubidium vapor via matrix product state time simulation.


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Janne Stark
Label: Grooveyard Records (http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/)
Country: USA
Year: 2011
I've been writing and reviewing for magazines like FUZZ Magazine, Backstage, Hard Roxx, Sweden Rock Magazine, Metal Zone etc. I'm still occationally reviewing and blogging for www.metalcentral.net. As Metalcovenant is in Swedish, you'll find some of my reviews translated here. Have you released a CD you'd like me to review? Send me a copy! Mail me for an address: stark(at)starkmusic(dot)net Cheers! Janne Stark
Holy crap!! I've been a fan of John Waite ever since I heard The Babys and "Looking For Love" on Swedish radio back in the seventies! I've enjoyed most of his solo stuff, too, especially the rockier stuff like "Ignition" and "Rovers Return". I also had the great pleasure of seeing Mr Waite live in Augsburg, Germany not that long ago and man, he still rocked! Great backing band, too! So, how's he doing on record? Well, his new album starts off with one nice firecracker of a song, the title track. My first impression is I love the naked, rough, rocking sound. A guitar, a bass, a set of drums, some occasional keyboards and the great voice of Mr W. No unnecessary overdubs, no annoying over-Americanized reverb. This sounds like a pure melodic rock album made with love and honesty. "Shadows Of Love" is another melodic rocker that takes us back to Waite in his best form.
Don't be fooled by the title of the next track - "Evil". It's not the old seventies song and it's no detuned heavy rocker. Here's a cool melodic rocker, maybe not as hard hitting as the openers, but still very enjoyable indeed. What really makes it work is that John Waite still possesses THE voice! Next up is a classic Waite-sounding ballad, ornamented with some acoustic guitar and piano. It's of course hard to exceed tracks like "Missing You" or "In Dreams", but he does try and this one goes a long way. This time John is using the guitar talents of Luis Maldonado and Kyle Cook (Matchbox Twenty). The latter also co-wrote a bunch of the tracks. "Skyward" is another semi-ballad following in the same vein as the stuff Waite produced on albums like "Temple Bar".
The cover of Tina Turner's "Sweet Rhode Island Red" opens up sounding like mid 90s ZZ Top with dirty finger-picking phat guitars and some shuffle-style snare drumming making this an outstanding full throttle bluesy shuffle rocker. Waite sings his heart out, as usual, no holds barred! "Love's Going Out Of Style" is a mid-pace semi-soft track with almost reggaeish guitars and a cool Nashville sounding chorus. Great bluesy solo from Kyle. There's even some saxophones in the chorus, but very much in the background. I hate sax, but for some reason they do work well here. "Better Off Gone" kicks off with a nice guitar riff and continues in a melodic upper mid-tempo mode with the classic Waite tone all over it. It has a cool car driving mode to it, made for a top down ride, full on sunshine and sunglasses on! Next up is "Further The Sky" which is a really cool bluesy ballad with some great guitar playing from Shayne Fontayne. Again I have to praise the earthy, unpolished production giving you the feeling of the band being in the same room as yourself. I truly love that!
"Peace Of Mind " is a track that sticks out a bit with its spoken verse. Not bad, but not really at par with the other tracks. On the other hand I truly LOVE John's new version of one of my old favourites "Mr. Wonderful" from the "Ignition" album. Luis Maldonado does a great work on guitar giving it a dirty, bluesy live-feel. This version really rocks! Sometimes you shouldn't mess with old classics, but this time I won't complain, at all! Love this version! The second bonus track, "Hanging Tree", is a previously unreleased track recorded for the sound track of the movie "Me And Will". A great soft acoustic ballad with John singing as soulful as only he can do. There is no doubt, John Waite has again exceeded himself! I'm prepared to rate this album as one of his best releases ever, and for me "Ignition" is way up there!
Janne Stark
Year: 2010
Country: UK/USA
Label: Frontiers
Transubstans Records have a nice tendency of picking up all the great retro bands of our small but fruitful country. Mangrove made their debut in 2009 with "Endless Skies", a great debut indeed. The follow-up does not disappoint, on the contrary. "A Distant Dream If Tomorrow" continues where the debut left off. Heavy riffs, great melodic vocals, great musicians and a more classic seventies hard rock sound than stoner. The dead heavy riff in "Never Again" reminds me a bit of bands like vintage Sabbath with a touch of Sir Lord Baltimore. They even have the Black Sabbathian simultaneous dual guitar solo, one in each channel. You don't hear that too much these days. In the true Sabbath/Zeppelin manner they also mix it up with some nice mid tempo balladry in tracks like "I've Been Seen Upon The Sun". I think I said this in my review of the debut, but I'll say it again, singer Kataja reminds me quite a lot of Magnus Ekwall of The Quill, which is top notch in my book. They do turn a bit more stoner in some tracks, such as "Mean Woman Blues", but they still keep their high standard. I also really like the earthy, analogue sounding mix of the album. It's an album where it actually does happen something when you turn it up! It hasn't been deviously destroyed in some malicious mastering process where compressors and limiters make everything sound louder than everything else. I hear dynamics, something that unfortunately a lot of albums of today lack. This is a great sounding power trio with all individuals making a serious musical imprint in each and every song. Great stuff indeed!
Janne Stark
Label: Transubstans
Year: 2010
Country: Sweden
Talk about a CD with postponed release date, almost competing with Guns 'N Roses "Chinese Democracy"! The big difference is however that this one was really worth waiting for! When I did a gear-interview with John, at the time the new Europe album was released, he revealed his new solo album would be of the "bluesier kind". His last solo album "Optimus" was more in the same vein as Europe's reunion-platter with detuned riffs and a more modern approach, an album that didn't fully hit home with me.
Ok, John, all is now forgiven; "Play Yard Blues" is the album we (at least I) have been longing for. Here he shows his love for the seventies, both in his own songs and in his interpretations of Frank Marino's "Ditch Queen", Mountain's "Travellin' In The Dark" and Thin Lizzy's outstanding "It's Only Money". If we start with the cover songs, he hasn't strayed away too much from the original versions. For example in "Ditch Queen" he sounds very much like Frank both in his vocals approach and in his lead guitar playing. The influences really shine through. The opening track of the album, "Let It Shine", also could have been penned by said Marino with its heavy and slightly funky verse riff. If John had to hold back on his solos on the Europe album, he's really compensated it here. I'm not saying he's over-playing, but where there's place for a nice lick, he sure doesn't rob us of the moment. In "Red Light Green High" he also shows a slightly cooler side, which made me think of bassist Tomas Torberg's ordinary band Plankton. Norum also sings really laid back and nice on this one, something he also does in "Over And Done", which stylewise made me think of some of Glenn Hughe's better solo albums.
A singer John has used on some of his earlier recordings is Leif Sundin, a sadly rarely heard killer vocalist these days. Here he puts his vocal flair on the classic hard rocker "Got My Eyes On You" and the CD's heaviest and most modern sounding track "Born Again", the only track with detuned guitars. It however doesn't stick out in a negative way, but more completes a great collection of tracks. The album ends with the title track that, as the title may suggest, is a play yard for guitarist, an instrumental improvisation number in the sign of blues with Europe colleague Mic Michaeli adding some nice Hammond organ to the brew. I'd also like to give some praise to John's tasty rhythm boys, the outstandingly groovy Tomas Broman on drums and the aforementioned Plankton bassist Torberg, not forgetting percussionist Peer Stappe. These guys really put the swagger in On-mode in this killer retro-journey. Hats off to a first-rate craft and an album that has found its way nicely into my car stereo and will surely stay there for a long time ahead.
Janne Stark
Genre: Seventies hard rock
Year: 2010
Label: Mascot Reacords


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Being Seen is Part of the Plan
Achieving "critical mass" on the internet should be part of every business plan. This can be accelerated by getting your company listed on free directories. Google will give you the most credit if you link with words that describe your service. For example we promote ourselves on Thumbtack with this link – The BEST Graphic and Advertising Design.
Make it a part of your plan to spend 15 minutes a week identifying good places to list your business in directories that offer a reciprocal link to your website. This will help to assure that your business shows up on the first page of any search that is relevant to the services / product you provide.
Ewing Creative is located in Port Orchard and Gig Harbor Washington. We also serve clients in Tacoma, Seattle, Bremerton and nation wide.
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We aim to create an inspirational community of learning rooted in Christian values, providing outstanding educational opportunities and experiences for all students regardless of age, ethnicity, ability and background. We combine our ambitions for students' outstanding academic attainment with an emphasis upon their personal growth as individuals, citizens and active learners.
What makes Wren Academy distinctive?
We have clear and high expectations for the personal development of our students and aspire for all to achieve the following:
- have a keen understanding of moral issues and recognise the difference between right and wrong. Wren students will be supported in speaking up for what they believe to be right.
- be aware of their own spirituality and the importance of spirituality to personal happiness and fulfilment.
- feel valued, confident and secure as members of the Academy community.
- feel that their individual gifts are recognised and celebrated.
- to succeed in whatever areas they possess talent and a desire to achieve.
- make as much academic progress as they are capable of and achieve as highly as they can.
- be unique individuals, willing to express themselves and articulate in doing so.
- have a broad cultural, scientific and historical awareness.
- be active, constructive and resourceful young citizens.
- be creative thinkers, capable of taking risks in their learning and of studying independently.
- be responsible, considerate towards others and always behave impeccably.
- be socially adept and confident in conversation.
- be environmentally aware and knowledgeable global citizens.
- have a commitment to equality and inclusivity and to embrace diversity.
- appreciate and learn from the experience of belonging to an active and celebratory Christian community.
Some other key attributes of the Academy:
- Wren is an Academy (an independent school funded by the government), with two sponsors, the London Diocesan Board for Schools and Berkhamsted School.
- Wren is co-educational, but the core subjects of English, maths and science are taught in single-sex classes.
- Wren's specialism, design and the built environment, permeates the curriculum and wider Academy life.
- Wren bases its approach to teaching and learning around the Building Learning Power philosophy. This means that we seek to give students the skills and learning dispositions which will serve them well throughout their school careers and then their lives beyond school.
- A longer school day accommodates enrichment activities such as sports, art or performance classes, community service or academic extension work.
- At Wren, everything that students do is seen as part of their wider learning experience. We believe that learning does not just happen in lessons.
Our ethos
The daily life of the Academy presents opportunities for students to learn about Christian beliefs and engage in acts of worship, under the guidance of staff. There is a chapel for prayer, services and quiet reflection. We have a close relationship with local clergy. All students, be they Christian, of other faiths or none, will be expected to attend events which celebrate our Christian ethos.
The values and vision which grow from our Christian ethos have helped Wren create a positive and inclusive atmosphere, in which students and their families are welcomed. We find that having many different faiths in a school, and taking faith issues seriously, generates understanding, tolerance and mutual respect in young people.
Wren Academy is a place in which all young people develop moral and spiritual values which will help them become active, thoughtful and considerate citizens.


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I know me and just like I said, I'm getting bored with simply eating unmixed food. It feels like I'm snacking all the time, or eating off of a really healthy hors d'oeuvres tray. So, I'm going to make my first dish, outside of making a salad today.
It got this recipe from an Ani Pho raw food cookbook, who is highly regarded as a top-notch, world-class raw food chef with several great books in print. This recipe is for Avocado Cups. So, here's how we do it…
- 1 Avocado
- 1/4-1/2 a Cucumber
- 1 Tomato (or you can slice up a cherry or grape tomatoes… I like them sweet and this is what I added to the recipe)
- 1-8-1/4 Red Onion (depends on if you have someone to kiss at night… added this too)
- 2 Tbsp of Chives (fresh or dried)
- 1 Tbsp of Braggs Amino Acids
- 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp of Crushed Garlic
- 1/4-1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- Pit and dice the avocado into squares and place into a bowl. (Don't discard the avocado shells)
- Shave the cucumber and dice the shaved part into squares and add to the avocados
- Dice the tomato and onions add to the tomatoes and cucumber
- Chop the chives up (if need be) and add to the mixture.
- Take the mixture and spoon them into the avocado shells
- Next, mix the last 4 ingredients in a bowl well, and pour the topping over the avocado mixture.
- Eat up!


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With a synthetic turf field, pre-sports warm up area, and 560-meter running track, Empire Fields is the best around. Today, for the youngsters, there's a junior bicycle path, Playland for those under five, slide hill, a recreation room, volleyball and soccer, basketball and ball hockey, and a skate park. If that's not enough, a BMX pump track and a yoga area are available to round it out. It's definitely a place for all ages to stay fit.
The Century Plaza Hotel Spa and the Executive Suites Hotel & Conference Centre Burnaby are moderately priced. The Atrium Inn Vancouver and the Moda Hotel are inexpensive, while one of the cheapest places to stay is the Hotel at the Waldorf.
If all ages take part in a sporting venue at Empire Fields, I'd say that's a big plus. Staying in a nearby Vancouver hotel puts you in the middle of where health and fitness merge but it may be filled with fitness enthusiasts who sometimes hog the field or the equipment. However, if you're a history buff you'd be happy to know this is the place where Roger Bannister and John Landry broke the four-minute mile, appropriately called, Miracle Mile.
The fields are open to all ages free of charge. The transformation of the two fields is part of a 10.5 million dollar facelift to the area.
© 2020 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.
© 2020 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.


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Nephew #2 Arrived SafelyOctober 7th, 2013 at 02:40 pm
Nephew #2 is here and I am so happy. They are such nice intelligent young men. We took them to our favorite Mexican restaurante for carne asada and he loved it. I love seeing where I live through new eyes. He thinks the desert is beautiful, and was excited seeing palm trees.
We stocked up on groceries, and I purchased 2 folding chairs and a laundry basket (we were running out of chairs).
So far, I haven't destroyed this month's budget either. We are eating healthy foods and Nephew #1 is a better cook than I am. He made pizza from scratch and it was wonderful.
Nephew #2 is the one who made me very proud financially. He called me when he got his first job and asked how much he should save, like 20%. I told him, if you are living at home, after you give your Mom and Dad money to help out, you stick 90% in the bank and save $10K and then put it in a safe long term investment fund. You will have started to save for retirement and you will have learned to save. That this may be his biggest opportunity to get started on good finances, when he's still at home and doesn't have a house and car to pay for.
And he did just that - he saved $10,000. I am so proud of him. Today he is checking out banks in the area.
It is exciting to hear both of them talking and laughing. And the dogs like him alot. They barked initially, but follow him around and jump on his lap and demand scritches.


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Vanishing Voices of World War II
Q-TV has captured World War II veterans' compelling accounts of wartime service from a number of men and women, representing many ranks, jobs, branches of service, and theaters of war. Their stories, told in their own words, can teach us, amuse us, and inspire us.
They also sometimes sadden us with tales of lost lives, lost time, and lost innocence, all in service to our country. They will all touch on aspects of America's war experiences at home and abroad from the routine to the extraordinary, from enlistment to discharge.


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|Live Support Software , Free !
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In addition, Chat4Support allows you to easily use a hyperlink as chat button codes, so that you don't need to use HTML codes to set up your live support button for your website.
If you need a business livesupport solution with more features, please try Chat4Support, which lets you add live chat to your website.
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No matter you are a webmaster, online store owner, e-business manager, customer support person, or online sales representative,you would like to add chat for your website to talk with your visitor real-time. A cost-effective or free chat help solution will be very useful for you to have a live support chat with website visitors. Free support chat solution is a necessary for your online business. If you are a website designer looking for chat button scripts for your clients, ChatSupport offers you a free invitation chat button script for free. Chat4Support is one of the best online help webmaster tools to build a interactive web site.
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In fact, there are many live support solutions appearing all over the world, such as: liveperson, boldchat, livehelper, whoson, websitealive, PHP live support, livechatnow, etc. But they are not inexpensive at all, or the online support features are not the best ones you need. Some cheap live support software products cannot meet your needs of your on line store. You want to get the best live support program, and ideally, it is a free or the cheapest live support application. Our livesupport product - Chat4Support is an indeed free online support service. It is only only a html chat software, but also works for php, php or jsp web sites. Please try our free live website chat software. They are not open source live support mdules, but the live chat service is really free.
Why choose Chat4 Support instead of live person, live helper, bold chat, who's on, phplive,live chat now and other live support software products ? Not only because Chat4Support is a really livechat free support software product, but also it has some other features in its Professional edition, which differentiate it from other live support solutions. This web help solution can bring many benefits for your online business. Add a live chat for your website. Please download live support software from our site.
Are you looking for not only the best live chat software, but also a website visitor monitoring software ? Among other live support suppliers, Chat4Support is the cheapest chat software with visitor tracking features. Try this online chat support software.
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If you can live help clients with chatsoftware, you will get a lot of benefits through the live help chat. Please add a free live support for your website.
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In other systems operator normally engaged with one task. While in the web site, operator can perform more than one task at a time. Do you know? Each of your operators can build up more than one chats with your customers or visitors at a time. If they find that the contents of chats are not consistent with their own jobs, they can transfer the chats to others who are in charge of, to offer live support to customers or visitors instantly. Also, operators can reply emails or pick up the phone calls while chatting with their clients. This function of course can increase your operators' efficiency of doing business on the web site.
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In the business with online service, customers or visitors always want to get the quick responses for their help. Some time they require very small clarification to be resolved, but for small things waiting for hours or maybe day is quite uncomfortable. The typical response time to customer inquiries via e-mail is over 24 hours, and many go completely unanswered. Personal interaction is the best way to solve these problems. If you supply live help to your customers or visitors, they will have more confidence on your product and services. Chat4Support indeed can personalize the relationship between you and your customers or visitors. Through the software, give live support and chat with your customers or visitors, you can build up and reinforce the confidence and loyalty of your customers or visitors.
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How to make my own live support? As a web master, please choose free live support software, Chat4Support !


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A bicycle is a vehicle.
A bicycle rider is a "driver."
A bicyclist has all the rights to the road that a motor vehicle driver has.
A bicyclist on a sidewalk or crosswalk has the rights and duties of a pedestrians, but pedestrians have right of way and you have to warn of your approach.
If you break a traffic law for bicycles (Section 316.2065) you can get a penalty.
Ride with the traffic — you're a car, believe it or not.
Cars can't cross sidewalks out of parking lots without giving the people (and bikes) on the sidewalk right of way.
You got to follow the traffic laws.
Awwww man, no MP3 player? Nope.
I want to look at my date's bathing suit while I ride, can I ride next to him or her? Sure, as long as you are not impeding traffic. If that's the case, (and it usually always is) Single file only.
Man that is a cool fixed gear bike… But it still needs a brake.
Tell them to watch out when they open the doors!


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We are excited to share that we now offer financing options for our customers looking to remodel their homes. We understand that your home is one of the largest investments you will make and finding a reputable remodeling company is equally as important as finding a financial institution that will help make the process simpler.
We now offer multiple financing options through our financing partner, Wells Fargo. Please contact us for more information.


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Right is right and left is left, and never the two shall meet. A young girl in Maryland has been and is going to be raised as if she were a boy. At the age of two, the family said they noted the young girl displayed more boyish qualities. At the age of four, the parents decided to "change" the sex their child was, and raise her to identify as being a male. The parents continue to defend their position, even referring to their girl in the male form:
If Tyler wants to be Kathryn again, that's fine. But right now, this works. He's happy. I just want my child to be happy
Now the problem here is not so much the child- children, after all, haven't fully matured, and rely on parents to guide them. The problem is the parents' refusal to proclaim what their child is- a girl. Even if Kathryn wants to be a boy, she can never be one. The parents should explain this to her. Instead, they act as if this is a good thing, and actively reinforce this outlandish and unnatural idea. One wonders if this was even begun by the child herself, or implanted by the parents.
How will this child function in life? Will she use the male's bathroom? Will she sit in male's classrooms? Will she swim topless? How will she go about as a girl in the role of a boy at such a young age? Not only will this have physiological effects on the child, but the parents are even considering physically changing her:
When Tyler begins to show the first signs of puberty, his parents will have to decide whether to begin giving him puberty blockers to stop his woman's body developing.
This is not the first time "sex-change" methods have been used on the young and impressionable. One "specialist" stated his nefarious methods:
I bet I could go to any fourth or fifth-grade class, cut the hair of the boys, put earrings on various kids, change their clothing, and we could send all those kids off to the opposite-gender bathrooms and nobody would say boo. We can do wonders if we can get them early
Some even consider plastic surgery to remove the evidence of their sex. One Doctor, Paul McHugh, pointed out the faults of this line of thought:
We psychiatrists, I thought, would do better to concentrate on trying to fix their minds and not their genitalia
One Californian, Sarah Yang, said that she believed herself a boy when she was a child, also:
If anyone could claim that they were 'born this way,' it was me," said Yang, who now says she is happily married to a man. "I thought I had no choice but to either get surgery or continue dating women as a man trapped in a girl's body. "I became suicidal not because of societal pressures or lack of understanding or acceptance from others, but because I personally didn't want to live this way, because it was a detrimental and painful lifestyle and no one offered me any other choice or option but to be this way.
According to studies, almost half of persons who identify as belonging to the opposite sex between the age of 18 and 24 will attempt suicide.
Liberals have a great disdain for Christianity , they profess, because it is illogical and lacks evidence. But they seem to have no problem calling a girl a boy, even though all evidence in the world supports the girl as being an unchangeable girl. When will the madness all end?