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Internet of Things based Services India
IoT services with modern implementations to change the way you look at business
Of late, Infomaze has been getting a lot of requests for solutions that clients need to be built with the application of IoT. To do this, there was a thorough research from the relevant team here, for a dedicated duration. Infomaze was then confident enough to build it's first and highly appreciated solution. Now, Infomaze pioneers in IoT-based apps.
Having gained its name in the year 1999, Internet of Things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices – for e.g., machines, vehicles, buildings and so on. It is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines.
Basically, any device with a sensor on it will be able to communicate with other similar devices or 'things.' This communication is termed as IoT. The connected devices are handled via IoT, which acts as the central place. IoT connects the worlds of physical and digital objects.
Some fields for which Infomaze has built solutions utilizing the IoT technology are as follows:
- Healthcare – Heart monitoring implants.
- Energy – Detect problems in power plants.
- Transportation – Automobiles with built-in sensors.
- Clothing industries – Smart clothing – such as those that include LED lighting, also known as wearables.
- Technology – Fitness/Activity trackers.
- Home Appliances – Automation of lighting, heating.
Wearable Devices
These are one of the major examples of IoT applications.
- 'Wearable Devices' are widely known as 'tech togs.'
- Other renowned names are – wearable technology, fashionable technology, fashionable electronics, wearable devices or just wearables.
- The sensor technologies could be embedded into devices such as watches, glasses, textiles, smart fabrics or even jewelry.
- Fitness bands track the activity the owner does while wearing it. The calculations found could be number of miles jogged, GPS, calories burnt, a heart-rate monitor, etc.
- These tech togs are a major part of IoT.
- They work on in-built sensors/embedded software enabling the objects the connectivity with other connected devices or a manufacturer/operator.
The objects in the picture do not require human interaction or command to complete a given task. IoT turns regular devices into intelligent ones that can function by themselves. Contact us here to know more.


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That's my mood today. My kid is yapping at me and it's just…yeah…sure…why not…uh huh…
I may have just agreed to buy her a wood chipper I am so dazed at the moment.
This is a life hangover day. I was out in the dish five straight days. Functioning. Interacting. Trying desperately to be something I'm not: social. Others thrive on social interaction. It devours my soul and leaves me feeling embalmed and emotionally bankrupt.
It's not so much that the people I have daily contact with are demanding or mean or anything of the sort.
This is just me. I have limited resources on a social level. I am so happy in my own little cocoon of solitude and living in my own head that having to step outside of it is a draining experience. To do it daily for five straight days, especially after my cat dying and my car basically dying…I haven't really had a crash and burn and I desperately need one.
For me, sinking into a low mood with tears and misery is like a reboot for a computer. I need to purge it all then sleep then wake up and start over again.
And because my brain is a lot like Windows ME (migraine edition) running more than two or three programs simultaneously results in constant messages about system resources running low.
And there's also a partition in my brain running Vista, which is incompatible with, well, life.
Uh huh. Sure. Why not. I guess so.
I am on auto pilot.
Most people fight having some sort of mental meltdown. I crave one.
Because mine usually don't last long, it truly is just like rebooting a computer. Except instead of clicking on "restart" I have a crying jag, sleep it off, and start with a clean slate.
It's often amazing how a simple reboot can make a computer function so much better. And my brain is the same way. As numb as I am today, as spaced out as I am…My brain is still on overload, running too many programs that it's memory can't handle.
(For some reason I have the voice of a Dalek in my head shouting REBOOT REBOOT REBOOT)
Hopefully this three day weekend will give me the much needed reboot I need.
I think I need to explain to a 5 year old that she really can't have a tree chipper, mommy was just joking.
Archive for August, 2014
Yeah…Sure…Why not…Uh huh…Posted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, mental health on August 30, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
That's my mood today. My kid is yapping at me and it's just…yeah…sure…why not…uh huh…
If moods were part of the color spectrumPosted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, hypomania, if moods were color, mood swings, panic attacks, seasonal affect disorder on August 29, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
I got to thinking earlier…It's difficult to explain moods to those who don't experience the severe ups and downs of bipolar disorder. Maybe if it could be simplified by colors it would be better understood. (I'm a dreamer, I know.)
Rainbow colors- the euphoria of a full blown manic episode
Neon pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange- the hyperfocused energetic productive hypomanic state
Sky blue- subdued and calm
Dark blue- calm before a mood storm
Baby pink- mellow and loving and affectionate
Hot pink- hypersexuality caused by mania
Orange- hypomanic chattiness
Green- apathetic
Tye dye- high mood with lack of focus or productivity
Olive green- depressed mood with no reason
White- spaced out and blank
Yellow- genuinely cheerful and up with no mania
Crimson red- sudden mood shift into anger without any particular trigger
Purple- mood not high or low, nerves calm
Gray- that in between place after a manic high and prior to a crippling months long depression
BLACK- the color of the depressive abyss where everything is hopeless, awful, and you are hateful, sad, pissed off, and want to die…but you don't know why
Brown- the point where the black has permeated you so completely you entertain notions of ceasing to exist…and it makes you feel giddy
I don't know how to explain it any better than that.
I'd say tonight I am in the purple zone.
I'll take it. Much like rainbows being elusive, so are the colors of the mood spectrum in how long they stick around.
BatcavingPosted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, seasonal affect disorder on August 29, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
Batcaving: Kwee and Bex speak for retiring to individual bedrooms for the evening.
I'm getting a little nervous because I am batcaving earlier and earlier and more and more.
I wanna think it's because I like using my desktop and it's in my bedroom. And overstimulation does wear me down so space and alone time are necessity.
But it feels a lot like A.) seasonal affect disorder driving me "underground" and making me retreat into myself.
B.) my anxiety from dealing with the petri dish has me so shaken I feel the need for the protective cocoon of my room.
Neither are good signs.
And I am sick of being told that my fears are simple pessimism. After 30 years of seasonal affect…i know the signs well. And i think even if I am fighting it with all my might…it's gonna happen anyway. My fear is justified. And I am surrounded by idiots.
I'm hanging tough but I feel the earth starting to tremble beneath me. And after last year's 8 month depression from hell…I am scared to death.
Fractures In The FoundationPosted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, stress on August 27, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
I found my beloved cat of 5 years, Belladonna, dead under my bed Monday night.We have no idea what happened. She wasn't that old but she was pregnant, after having had a litter just six months ago, and it was 94 degrees and still sweltering in here even with air so…Many possibilities.
I am shattered by the loss. Initially, I felt panic then the tears started. I'm pretty sure my outburst freaked Becca out but I've bawled like a baby over every pet I've had to bury. It's who I am. My pets become family, like little fur children. And Bella had a special place in my heart because she was just so sweet natured and beautiful and smart. Her loss will be felt for a long time to come. It feels so wrong without her here, I keep looking around thinking I'm going to see her.
I made the wrong move while having my tearfest because I mistakenly thought my dad would give a fuck about Bella since it was he who gave her to me. He screamed, "What the fuck you want me to do about it, bury the cat and be done with it!" Yeah, he's a fuckhead. I yelled back for him to put the stepmonster on, at least she has empathy. In hindsight, I shouldn't have called in such a state of emotional uproar. It was my own idiocy thinking I'd get anything but bitched at by him. Most people can seek comfort from their families. I just get more psychological scars from mine.
In addition to my beloved cat passing on, I've learned my car's transmission has conked out. I have NO money to replace it. Or fix it. I'm still driving my mom's car and since she gave that to my nephew, even though he can't drive til he turns 18 in 2 years, I am sure the bitching will start soon about me taking his car away. Makes no sense for it to sit there rusting for two years. I need it. He can have it back when he gets his license. Oh, but no, I'm dealing with my insane family so logic won't apply.
My mom is in agony. She's got a scratched cornea. Least that made her less venomous toward me.
All in all, aside from stress inducing anxiety attacks left and right…My mood has been sad with just cause but none of the wacko bipolar swings or crashes have happened. Which kind of blows the shrink's theory that my moods are tied to bad things happening to me. Dead cat, fucked car, and I am still puttering along and trying to roll with the punches.
When I can manage so well with this shit yet come to pieces during a seasonal depression because it snowed…
I just don't buy the shrink's theories anymore. She knows fuck all about me. And she's basically turned me into a trained seal balancing a ball on my nose by making me feel obligated to give glowing mental health reports. Because me not doing well is "upsetting" to her whereas me doing well "makes her day". No fucking pressure there.
Aside from extreme heat making everyone miserable and cranky, it's been okay at home. Though the other day I had one of my old patented hostile mood swings and started having thoughts that were completely opposite of what I'd thought just hours before. I used to run with it and worry about the fallout later. And oh there was uber fall out. People really don't like being snapped and yelled at for seemingly no reason even if you're not in your right mind.
To my credit, I didn't spout off this time. I forced it down like rising bile and let it fester and burn in my mind all the while wondering why I was suddenly feeling so venomous over things I really don't feel that way about. Just like a fever comes over me and my mind starts boiling with the infection of irrational thought. Thankfully, it's a pattern I've identified and am trying to rectify or at least manage. Not one of my finer moments but for that block of time…My mind becomes utterly convinced by whatever negative seed that has planted itself.
Hate it. Wish people understood. But they never do, they just dismiss me as a bitch. I wish it were that simple.
I think this is the calm before the storm, honestly. The only way for me to properly reboot from stress is to have a mini meltdown of tears and a few days of "fuck this, everything is awful, I wish I'd die." Then I come back up and move along. Maybe it won't happen this time.
EdgyPosted in anxiety disorders with tags anxiety disorder, mood swings, paranoia on August 25, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
It's 94 degrees and I am pretty sure we are dead and this is hell. My sweat is sweating. Hell, my bone marrow is sweating. And now that I've gotten the obligatory midwest "bitch about the abysmal weather" part out of the way…
Today has been uneventful. My mood's held steady, unlike yesterday when it just went into rapid freefall without a trigger.
No, today, the anxiety has been at play with my brain. Creating paranoia and tension, stirring up suspicion and fear, wreaking havoc on my mental state.
My car is in day three of being broken down. Fine, I have my mom's car so I'm not afoot. But it cost fifty bucks for a tow, which my dad paid, and will no doubt hold over my head for all eternity.
Then I have to rely on R to get the parts and fix it, which will cost me my soul or what's left of it.
I am grateful I have people who care enough to help out, I really am.
But I despise being indebted to anyone because people simply cannot be trusted to take an inch when owed an inch. Nooo, they want a mile or more. You bought me cigarettes so I owe you a kidney? Um…no. You bought me a car part so I must be at your beck and call the next three years?
I don't think so, Tim.
The storm is brewing and the anxiety is amplifying everything, telling me nothing is free, people don't help for no reason, they want something I'm not going to be willing or able to give.
My dad already screamed at me this morning, "Don't fucking panic on me!"
Um..panic disorder, duh.
I've not heard a word from R and I figured I'd at least hear him complaining about fixing the car. This sets off panic receptors and makes me dig through my mental recesses for something I did that may have pissed him off. Because it could never be something benign in my fucked up head, like he's busy or it's too hot to work outdoors. Nooo, I must have done something to bring the silence on.
I hate my brain.
Perception counts, and if faulty wiring makes you perceive things incorrectly…You're running on wrong information and heading for disaster.
Unfortunately, they don't sell "lucid thought" at Wal-Mart.
PrecipicePosted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, mood swings on August 24, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
It's cooooming….
I am on that precipice, looking down, feeling my feet wobble and my knees tremble. The slightest breeze will push me over the edge and then it will be free fall until I go splat.
Every. fucking. year. I won't go fully down the rabbit hole til Octoberish but it's starting. I've learned to recognize the signs. No matter how hard I try to fight it…I get my ass kicked. I keep trying because submission is not in my nature. Depression doesn't care, it just keeps beating you down until you don't even realize the descent has started.
I am becoming hypersensitive, taking everything as some sort of insult or personal attack. I feel the suspicion boiling up, telling me no one gives a damn, they just tolerate me.
On one hand, I generally don't care what others think.
On the other hand,I do care what I think and the shifting chemicals as summer draws closer to the end are sparking up the epic bucket of crazy.
How can something not bother me on Monday but my mood shifts and by Thursday the emotional shrapnel starts flying for no reason?
Example: When I was 17 and hanging with some male friends, they told me I was just one of the guys. I was flattered to be seen as more than my gender and some body parts to sexualize.
The other day, Kenny told me I'm just one of the guys and it kinda stung.
Another example: My friend Jason (RIP, dude) used to call me emasculator of men. I found it funny and not far from the truth when men did things worthy of being emasculated.
Kenny calls me a man hater because I have no problem declaring the belching and farting and sexism most men display asshole male traits. And it makes my two and a half feelings hurt a bit.
WTF is wrong with me? How can I take a simple statement and assume someone is insulting me or complaining about me? What makes me so apathetic or amused one day yet so defensive and fragile the next?
The only thing I can come up with is the yearly fall from grace. The change of the seasons that serve as prelude to the seasonal depression.
I had a good run of stability and thinking correctly.
Now it's abandoning me all over again.
I'm hanging off the cliff, digging my fingernails into cling to the rock and not fall…
But someone is standing there, crushing each finger under their boot until I can no longer grasp and go flailing into the abyss that is mental illness.
My own mind is my worst enemy.
The high price of high functionalityPosted in biolar disorder with tags anxiety, bipolar disorder, mood crash on August 24, 2014 by morgueticiaatoms
I was lethargic pretty much all day. It was 93 and even with air and fans, we were marinating in sweat and the humidity made it hard to breathe.
I did get a bit functional before it got so warm and that was good.
Then WHAM. My mood slid downward and I could barely keep my eyes open, but I slept last night so it was wtf.
But I know what it is.
Five days of functioning highly has left me mentally overdrawn. People fail to understand that while yes, mentally ill people can function highly at times…It takes one hell of a toll. You hit the wall and feel drained and emotionally bankrupt.
I can feel myself straining to maintain this high level of functioning and it feels like a repeat of last summer. I drove myself hard right into the ground and slowly started slipping, becoming less functional, more down, and processing stress poorly. (Emotional shrapnel was flying.)
This scares me. I try to roll with the high functioning cycles but I think I am pushing myself way too hard. But it's what's expected of me. No rest for the wicked or mentally wonky.
The time is coming where I am going to have to put my foot down and make my own well being take precedence. Many will not like it, but that's their problem.
I hate it. It turns me into this fragile psyche weakling. I am not anything like that when at my best. Unfortunately, I spend more time at my worst than at my best. I don't think the shrink has a clue that as much as my medi go round and cycling frustrate her, this is my life, every single damned day. I'm tapped out, frustrated, stressed out, and pissed off that it has to be this way.
O, well, Tomorrow is a new day, let's see what the wheel of moodmisfortune has to bring me.

subset: commoncrawl


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|DJ Yearbook (1970-1980)
|Sunday, 30 March 2008 00:00
Ben Manilla (1976-1984) - I began producing The News Blimp in 1975 - a daily staple of the WLIR diet. I was on the air there from 1976 through 1984 and Production Director during much of that time.
Bob Waugh (197?-1985) - As I write this it is the eve of the 24th anniversary of John Lennon's death. While there are many amazing memories for me at "The Radio Station", none is as vivid as THAT night. I had just started doing airshifts at WLIR. Program Director Denis McNamara asked if I could fill in for Ben Manilla- who had called in sick- on the 10-2 AM shift.
Denis McNamera (197? - 1991) - Mr. McNamera should be credited as the true sound innovator of what has come to be known as 92.7 new music sound. Long Island Music Hall of Fame presented this Long Island native and noted on-air personality, and influential radio format developer Denis McNamara with its prestigious Long Island Sound Award (LISA) for his contributions to the radio and music industries. McNamara is unanimously credited with almost single-handedly creating the New Wave and alternative radio formats that defined a generation and swept the nation. McNamara's LISA award presentation was one of the highlights of a recent "Party Out of Bounds: Malibu Sue's Radio Reunion" gig at Posh Nightclub in the Garden City Hotel, in 2006.
Upon recently speaking with him last month, he confirmed he now sits on the board of directors to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHOF) and is involved with many side projects which look to welcome the future of today's new music format.
He also revealed to the Archive that "his current faves are MGMT and Vampyre Weekend. My fave album of fairly recent vintage has to be Arcade Fire, though the new Radiohead is very impressive also. I'm still a huge U-2 fan as well as REM, the Cure, Depeche and New Order. The Editors are another more recent band I appreciate. I'm also big on both Travis and Oasis."
Way-to-go Denis and many thanks for your support with this online resource!
Ray White (1979-1982) - Ray White of KKSF in San Francisco has a similar profile to most of his listeners. He appreciates Smooth Jazz but also knows good old fashioned Rock'n Roll, it's planted firmly in his history. The difference of course is Ray White was a music fan working from the inside. Long time before his Smooth Jazz days White was introducing New Yorkers to the Clash and U2 so it was no surprise to us that we would chat about everything leading up to Smooth Jazz and then some.
Commenting about WLIR, he states... "It really was. I was doing Pat Metheny interviews and the next day Ozzy Osbourne was coming in two days after he bit the head of the bat. (laughing) The Grateful Dead were always welcome so it was an open door and we love music. Eventually we got kind of beat up by a number of rock stations so we knew we had to make a change. So we decided to go punk and alternative and we ended up going new wave. I remember Billy Joel used to listen to us and he called because we helped break him. His new album was "52nd Street" and Billy thought there were some up-tempo songs that would work but Denis McNamara, our Program Director at the time said, "Billy, it's you, you're Billy Joel, that's what these are anti Billy Joel ." So Billy was so pissed off at us. It was a great time Joe Jackson did club dates with us. U2 and the Police did club dates with us. We were one of the first stations to play U2."
[bio brief courtesy of SmoothJazzNow.com - see this link for the full interview with John Beaudin].
John Debella (197? - 198?) - John Debella got his first start in the music business by earning his communications degree at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island.
After succeeding at his morning radio show creation at WLIR during the late 70s and early 80s, he went on to become a radio DJ in Philadelphia. He became famous in Philadelphia as part of WMMR's Morning Zoo along with "Mark the Shark.". He was number one in the morning ratings through most of the 1980's and was a popular figure in the city of Philadelphia. Every year he would host the "DeBella DeBall" and was very popular with rock music fans. DeBella's favorite musician was Peter Gabriel and he enjoyed discussing Gabriel's many hits on the air.
|Last Updated ( Sunday, 30 March 2008 21:45 )


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3. Leave the defaults as they are and click the "Submit" button
(Screenshot: http://screencast.com/t/n3EyA8Qc4x)
5. Note where you are saving the file on your computer, and click the Save button.
If you make changes to the values in the spreadsheet, you may upload it back to the Blackboard Grade Center as well. See Uploading Grades to the Grade Center from a File.


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List Price:
Item Price : $24.50-$24.99 Check Price
Item ASIN: B00EMIY3WC
Top Feature :
Inflatable Floating Ice Box-Drink & Snack Holder – (Measures 25″ Round)
Item Description:
M-Spa inflatable ice box/drink or snack holder features five cups/drink holders around the side and one large space in the center that you can put ice to chill your drinks or simply treat it as a snack box. The ice box also has two handy carry straps on each side. Size: 64cm (25 Inch).


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Focusrite Announces RedNet Control 2.0
Major update includes features for control of larger systems
Focusrite, international leader in audio interface design, has announced a major update to its RedNet Control software system that provides remote control for products in the company's RedNet range of Dante-based audio-over-IP systems. RedNet users the world over are employing and planning ever-larger RedNet systems, and RedNet Control 2.0 was developed in response to this trend.
Based around a web-browser-like tabbed graphical interface, RedNet Control 2.0 is designed to handle the largest RedNet system, with the ability to control up to 600 RedNet devices in total, representing up to 9600 Dante audio channels. Available units in the system can be dragged and dropped from a sidebar list into a grid on a tab. Each tab can display up to 12 devices, and up to 50 tabs can be defined. Devices can be grouped logically and intuitively on each page: a multi-location system may now be rolled out with a tab representing each area of a facility, for example. For systems employed in education, post production, live entertainment or sports broadcasting, RedNet systems incorporating hundreds or thousands of signals are now much easier to manage.
Individual devices in the Device List sidebar are displayed in italic when they have been assigned to a tab; right-clicking a device enables it to be identified and renamed. The device list can be filtered to display only devices that meet certain criteria - such as sample rate, devices that are not currently in a tab, and other criteria. The device list is also searchable.
Tabs in the main screen area can contain either 12 or six devices depending on the level of detail required. New devices can be added to a tab by dragging from the device sidebar and dropping, and when released they can either replace the existing device in the tab or move everything to the right. Alternatively, the system can populate tabs automatically with devices in the device list. Tab contents can be managed easily with a drop-down menu.
Individual devices are shown graphically, and RedNet Control 2.0 allows for improved device monitoring, metering and control of the vast majority of device parameters as well as allowing devices to be locked or unlocked for access control.
RedNet Control 2.0 will be shown at AES Los Angeles and available as a free upgrade for all RedNet users from December 2016.
About Focusrite
The Focusrite brand was established in 1985 and the founding principles of the company were to develop products that sounded more musical, in addition to just measuring well – today, we still carry these founding principles forward in our class-leading and award-winning designs. We measure our success by the success of you, our clients, and you will find Focusrite product prominent in professional and project studios throughout the world. Based just outside of London, we work with the best design talent throughout the world to bring you the tools to enhance the way you work. Our product is made with pride and principle in a highly automated ISO 9002 factory with significant level of test by engineers who themselves are musicians and understand the part our product plays in your process.


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Sunny Multi Deck Chiller
For the display of chilled products, the design of the Sunny Multi Deck Chiller is unrivalled. The generous five-tier display and the low front of this unit provides ample height on each shelf. With this, you get even more flexibility in the selection of products that you are able to showcase.
The curved corners adds to the sleek design of the Sunny Multi Deck Chiller, while it also comes with a soft open night blind. This is a feature that will save energy when your retail outlet isn't open. Meanwhile, other features include fan assisted cooling to deliver even cooling across the entire display area.
For sandwiches, drinks, milk and other dairy products, the Sunny Multi Deck Chiller excels. It's suitable for fast-paced, grab-and-go settings and can be fully branded too. To learn more about the full potential of this multi deck unit, get in touch with our sales team without delay.


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Laura KinseySenior Specialist Dietitian for Gastroenterology
BSc (Hons) Public Health Nutrition, PgD Nutrition and Dietetics, MSc Nutrition and Dietetics
Special Interests:
Nutrition support; Enteral tube feeding and Parenteral Nutrition, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel syndrome/Function Bowel disease – including being fully trained on the low FODMAP diet for both one-to-one consultations and Group sessions, Gastric Dysmotility, Coeliac Disease
Laura is the clinical lead dietitian for the gastroenterology team which provides a service to the gastroenterology wards. The dietetic team also provides a gastroenterology outpatient service which includes the treatment of functional bowel disorders such as Irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease and other gastrointestinal diseases. This includes a group sessions to deliver advice on the low FODMAP diet for people with functional bowel disorders. Laura runs a dietetic led coeliac clinic which offers yearly follow up for patients with coeliac disease. Laura carried out research into the 'nutritional adequacy of the gluten free diet in adult patients with coeliac disease' which was published in 2008 and presented at the 8th International coeliac symposium in 2007. Laura has also published articles in the nutritional management of gastroparesis and Perioperative nutrition interventions for women with ovarian cancer. She is awaiting the publication of articles on; patient views of food and nutrition in patients with Inflammatory Bowel disease and a case review on primary intestinal lymphangiectasia.


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Mayor Coleman announces public budget talks
Strategic investments and closing the projected $9.6 million budget gap focus of community engagement
SAINT PAUL – Mayor Chris Coleman today announced his budget address will be held on August 13, 2014, at the newly renovated Schmidt Brewery site. In the lead-up to final budget decisions, the Mayor will host four public meetings across the city during July and August, while also encouraging online participation through Twitter and the City's website, www.stpaul.gov. "As the city faces a projected $9.6 million budget gap, it is critically important that we make it as easy as possible for Saint Paul residents to participate in discussions about our investment priorities," said Mayor Chris Coleman. "We recognize that while in-person meetings are ideal for some, we need to make it easy for people to provide ideas and input through online channels." The Mayor began budget discussions with city departments in June. He outlined the projected $9.6 million budget gap and instructed each department to identify ways to innovate as a way to reduce costs without compromising city services. "The city continues to face a significant budget gap, largely due to the Local Government Aid reductions made in 2003 that, despite recent and welcomed increases, have not been fully restored," said Mayor Coleman. "I am looking forward to engaging in constructive conversations with community members about our priorities and the city's future." Options for engaging online Residents interested in sharing their ideas about funding priorities online are encouraged to do so via Twitter, using the hashtag #stpaulbudget, or via the City's website www.stpaul.gov. Planned public meetings The following four meetings in Saint Paul are free, open to the public and easily accessible via Metro Transit bus or light rail service. When: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Where: Wellstone Center, Neighborhood House, 179 Robie Street East (West Side Room) When: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Where: Golden Thyme Coffee and Café, 921 Selby Avenue (Back Room) When: Saturday, July 26, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Where: J & S Bean Factory, 1518 Randolph Avenue (Main Room) When: Friday, August 1, 2014 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Where: Hmong Village, 1001 Johnson Parkway (Community Room) Mayor's budget address details When: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. Where: Newly renovated Schmidt Brewery site, 882 W. Seventh Street


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Despite the unusually soggy Las Vegas weather and my aversion to handing over my hard-earned money to casinos, I was able to enjoy the Las Vegas location for Club Industry this year. The change of pace from our usual Chicago event will be short-lived, however, as the Club Industry show is returning to Chicago next year, going back to McCormick Place Oct. 23-25. So, save the date on your calendars now.
But back to Vegas: The opening night reception at FIRST Food and Bar (sponsored by Ab Coaster) was packed, and I ran into several old and new friends from the industry, including Joe Cirulli and his large group from Gainesville Health and Fitness, Jeff Skeen with Titan Fitness Holdings, Laurie Cingle with Akron General, Christine Thalwitz (who had just renewed her wedding vows with her husband) with ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers, Casey Conrad with Communication Consultants, Randy Ivey with iGo Figure, Linda Mitchell and Amanda Konigsberg with Newtown Athletic Club (winners of the Best New Member Sales Program in our Best of the Best contest), Tina Nibbe with Octane Fitness, Rob Engstrom and Peter Ashworth with Ashworth and Co., and Loren Thomas with Loren Thomas Fitness, who happened to be the winner of our free airfare to Vegas giveaway at our Chicago appreciation event in August.
I also saw several of our judges for the Best of the Best vendor award contest. These judges took a tremendous amount of their precious time while at the show to judge their categories. Many thanks to: Ken Baldwin, assistant professor at State University of New York, and executive director for the National Posture Institute; Scott Chovanec, president of Scott Chovanec and Associates; Ellie Ciolfi, owner of Fitness Rx Personal Training; Percy Reynolds with Gold's Gym, Donna Krech, owner of Victory Management Inc.; Mark Miller with Merritt Athletic Clubs, Anthony Slayen, vice president of operations and innovation, Valley of the Sun JCC; and Kevin Steele, chairman of the Medical/Scientific Board at Performance Health Systems and principal at Communication Consultants Inc.
I have to add two special names to all this name dropping. At almost every industry trade show, I run into one of my favorite couples: Bruce and Johanna Carter of Optimal Fitness Design Systems. (Bruce is one of our Smart Design columnists.) This year, I ran into them three times. First, they visited with me prior to my presentation Friday morning. Then, Stuart Goldman, our managing editor, and I spoke with them at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. And as Stuart and I wandered through the Las Vegas airport looking for food prior to our flight home, I joked to him that it would be funny if we ran into the Carters again. So, as the waitress sat us at our table at Chili's Too, who did we find sitting a few tables over? You guessed it! The Carters.
In addition to running into and working with all these fabulous people, I had the pleasure of getting to know some more of the CEOs in the industry through our CEO Summit, which was held on Thursday. The group of 30 CEOs included Mark Mastrov of New Evolution Ventures, Chuck Runyon of Anytime Fitness, David Patchell-Evans of GoodLife Clubs, Gale Landers of Fitness Formula Clubs, Joe Cirulli of Gainesville Health and Fitness, Jim Snow of Gold's Gym, Angel Banos of Gold's Gym-Los Angeles, Lynne and Victor Brick of Brick Bodies, Mark Stevens of The Houstonian, Keith Worts of Crunch, Rodney Steven of Genesis and more. I can't share what was said during the day (as we promised it would be off the record), but I can say that the feedback was positive, especially for the luncheon speaker, John DiJulius of The DiJulius Group, who also was the general session keynoter.
Meeting new people or catching up with old friends is what makes going to industry trade shows so special. Social media is quick and easy, but it will never replace that face-to-face time that you get at trade shows.
And, of course, trade shows also offer the opportunity to try out new equipment. We were so pleased to see so many of the large equipment manufacturers at the show, including Life Fitness, Precor, Technogym, Star Trac, Octane Fitness and many of the software vendors and other vendors.
My schedule was rather full, but I did have a chance to talk with Ken Carpenter, director of sales with SportsArt Fitness. He shared with me information about SportsArt's Green System, which is a group of fitness products attached to an inverter that harnesses human-generated power from exercisers. The system produces electricity and feeds it back into the power grid as useable energy.
I saw the system in 2011 when it debuted behind closed doors at the IHRSA show. The system now offers the ECOFIT Networking System and Display, which shows exercisers how much electricity they are producing on in-club digital media displays. The program includes a rewards system in which exercisers can accumulate points for the energy they create. Points are redeemable at the fitness facility or another partner of the facility's choice.
This was just one of the many products on display at the show. We will be featuring more in additional blogs and in the November issue of Club Industry magazine.


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There's a fine line between a platform vehicle and straight-up badge engineering.
Badge-engineering is awful. Two words: Cadillac Cimarron. (Whippersnappers: That was a piece-of-shit Chevy Cavalier tarted up in Cadillac clothing.) Platform vehicles, on the other hand, offer the ability to create diverse products from a common, centralized core, the success of which is almost always measured by the platform's flexibility at fulfilling different roles. Enter the BMW Heritage line, based on the R nineT.
I rode the R nineT Scrambler in October of last year. I liked it. I'm a sucker for all things pancake, though. I'm not the intended audience for that bike, but I was a fan of the build quality, most aspects of the ride, and the styling. After getting on the new Pure and the Racer and spending some time with them last week, I was intrigued at how different the three bikes feel. They were a reminder that "platform" doesn't have to be a dirty term.
Before we get too far, in case you haven't been keeping up with BMW: The R nineT, the flagship, is the most expensive bike in the Heritage line, (mostly) because it wears an aluminum fuel tank, Ohlins suspenders, radial-mount Brembo monobloc calipers and spoked wheels. The other models in the family are more value-oriented, substituting steel fuel tanks, cast wheels, and lower-spec suspension and brakes.
Riding the Pure
I rode the Pure for about 15 miles. (In fairness to BMW, the event was designed to be a ride-away affair. I tried to convince Lance to let me take four days to come home from Long Beach, California, on a bike, but he wasn't buying what I was selling.) That 15 miles was enough to convince me that the Pure is a fine bike. I cut my teeth on UJMs and nakeds; I love them. I enjoy spirited street riding in an upright riding position. Fifteen miles wasn't much, but it was enough to get a feel.
The engine fired up with a growl. I have to say, up until this point, the Triumph Street Twin has had my vote for nicest sounding bike as delivered from the factory, but the BMW has usurped it. I twisted the wick and got a hefty dose of sideways roll at each twirl of my right wrist. With 110 horsepower on tap, an 8,500 rpm redline, and fat, meaty torque available through most of the range, the BMW's powerplant satisfies. It's got enough power to put a smile on the face of most any rider who is riding on the street, I would think.
With the way it wants to lay over to the right if you blip the throttle at a stop light, the noisy boxer exhaust "honk" and the ragged buzzing at certain rpms, this BMW engine is unmistakably Bavarian. It is a very solid performer without being sterile. That's odd, too, because BMW has become BMW by building bikes that are almost relentlessly improved in ways that don't always make sense to riders of other makes. Still, the older air-and-oil-cooled lump BMW uses in this bike has been repurposed perfectly: Retro bike shoppers want a bike with some flavor, but that does not mean they want to become mechanics.
Which brings me to my next point: The Pure is marketed as being a retro bike. I don't think of this as a retro at all. In my world, this bike is a straight standard motorcycle. I'm not going to argue with BMW about what the bike is, but I see little of yesteryear in this machine. The styling is so subdued compared with every other retro on the market. Metric "standards" now have more face plastic than Joan Rivers. The Pure deviates from that: It is styled not as a retro so much as it is simply left unadorned. BMW USA Product Manager Brian Carey made it fairly clear he expected the Pure to be the bike snapped up by the rider who wants to customize heavily, given that it's one of the cheapest routes into owning a new boxer. Thusly, a prospective owner wouldn't be paying top-dollar for parts that would get binned anyway.
That may be true, but I also think there will be another class of purchasers like me who buy it because it's just a basic stripped-down bike with some lineage and history — people who want a bike that's a little less overtly "retro." Think Ducati Monster, not Yamaha XSR900.
Riding the Racer
Oh, how I lusted for this machine. I was drooling. I wanted to put my money in a dealer's hand. After my brief stint on the Pure, I swapped for a Racer, and had that for quite a few more miles. I like the way this bike looks. It's pretentious to some degree, and I don't particularly care. I want to bring it into my garage, crack a beer and slide my old folding chair over to it, and just look at it.
The engine is the same as the Pure. Loved it. Same lovely exhaust note. The riding position is aggressive. Hands down, that is the biggest change I felt sliding onto the bike. The rearsets are high and slid way back, and the clip-ons aren't a joke: This baby puts you damn near into a full race tuck. It's fun to bomb the bike around this way. Even though the motorcycle feels similar to the Scrambler and the Pure in the way the powerplant behaves, controlling it and throwing it into the corners is very different, just due to the radical redistribution of rider weight.
The bike we had probably could have used (at minimum) more preload on the rear shock, and probably heavier fork springs up front for my use. Those are easy and cheap fixes that are expected when you're built like a bread truck. The suspension is definitely an area where BMW kept the price down, but I'd argue that for someone who plans to do a bit of wrenching and experimenting, a right-side-up fork is very easy to work with. I am sure it will soon have a truckload of aftermarket bits. A well sorted right-side-up fork will beat out an upside-down unit that's not. The Racer's power level and intended riding mean this is a trivial matter for me, and probably most other people considering the bike.
Back when Spurgie was reviewing the Scrambler R nineT, the brakes were an item we both agreed on: They're pretty good. Yeah, I know, the standard R nineT has the monobloc radial-mount blah blah blah. These "downgraded" bikes still sport four-pot Brembos with stainless lines. These have plenty of clamping power for Joe Average doing 110-horsepower-bike stuff.
And the handling? The Scrambler I rode could be described charitably as "a pig." The Scrambler has more rake and trail than all the other Heritage bikes, and it shows. The larger front wheel and semi-knobby tires make the fork feel like it's filled with Novocaine in one tube and lead in the other. I am pleased to say the Racer shared no such heaviness, nor did the Pure. The Pure goes where you point it, and the Racer goes where you lean with no fanfare. At 480 pounds (give or take, by model), the bikes feel friendlier and more playful than their demeanor and price tag would belie.
I dug the Racer. A lot. Ultimately, though, Practical Lem would forego one for the Pure. I lovelovelove the Racer's whole vibe, but I'd ride three times as many miles on a Pure if I had them parked side-by-side in the shop. That does not mean if I see one of our readers on one that I won't be irrationally jelly af.
I don't normally recommend OEMs overhaul their structure and pricing based on my whim, but I have some ideas for the Heritage line. Let's talk structure first. Sean MacDonald (He writes for Cycle World. He used to write for Common Tread, and I tell everyone he worked for me.) pitched me on the idea that the Racer should be top dog in the Heritage family. At first I didn't like that idea, then I realized I came to a similar idea by a different path.
Let's say the Heritage line had two street variants and two "offroad" ones instead of the five models BMW has. Nix the R nineT and have the Racer and Pure for the street, with the Racer being the hot-rod model with all the upgrades now on the R nineT. Let the Pure be the down-spec model, or just add an R variant that is effectively an R nineT. Lather, rinse, and repeat on the offroad side of the house: The yet-to-be-introduced-but-oh-so-sexy Urban GS can be the top dog, with spoked wheels and the better inverted fork, and the Scrambler can be the "entry-level" model.
While we are making changes, all the street bikes should have cast wheels. (Why does the R nineT use spokes with such low-profile tires? What a pain.) All the off-road models would have spokes. Standard spokes could go on the Scrambler, and the Urban GS should get edge-spoked wheels, as it would be the upmarket bike. There you go, BMW, I just sorted out your Heritage line and didn't even send a bill for consulting fees.
Time for me to complain some more. First, cast wheels are supposed to cost more than spokes, not vice versa. Second, the Pure ($11,995) has a two-up seat and subframe and passenger pegs, yet it is cheaper than the Racer ($13,295), which gets a tach and a Dunstall-style fairing, but has no provisions for the cutie at the bar you're sure to impress. BMW was quick to point out that the passenger setup can be purchased for the Racer, but the subframe alone (forget the seat and pegs and such) runs $915.97. That is absurd.
I get that the Racer is the "cool" bike, but in no way can I picture someone shelling out $1,300 more for a solo bike. Maybe my practicality is showing — or maybe I know that I won't be the only one who realizes that buying a Pure, mounting a real Dunstall fairing and getting it sprayed to match colors ain't gonna cost as much as it would to make a Racer into a two-up machine.
And the price? I give BMW a pass like I give Harley a pass, because I think they're cool and I pay more for stuff I like. But the market isn't made up of sentimental idiots like me. This family has some really stiff competition — the whole Triumph Modern Classic series, the Yamaha XSR900, the Ducati Monsters and Scramblers come to mind immediately. Will buyers fork over the extra few bones for the BMW? I'm not sure. I think older ones might. BMW says current R nineT owners are equal to BMW K 1600 GT/GTL (BMW's flagship touring machine) owners in terms of household income, and the average buyer age is 49! I imagine these offerings will drag those numbers south, which is likely the intended goal, but BMW may have a tough row to hoe. These babies still ain't cheap.
When the bikes were released, I was excited about the looks — especially the Racer's, and critical of what the price would come in at. I'd personally think long and hard about a Pure, knowing the XSR900 exists, and I'd have an equally hard time selecting a Racer over something like a BMW S 1000 R. Just sayin'. The Pure for $12,000 seems like a pretty square deal to me, but the Racer is harder for me to swallow.
Others may jump in and say that I don't understand; that these bikes are simply a basis for customization. I'd agree: R nineTs I've seen in the wild are like Sportsters. Every damn one has been modified and personalized within an inch of its life. If one's goal is making a bike that's different from the one on the showroom floor while riding it the whole time, the R nineTs are wonderful. They boast an easily removable rear subframe, a separate body and engine wiring harness to ease electrical woes, and a powertrain and chassis that are well suited to a variety of riding tasks. They seem very, very adaptable. So alike, yet, as BMW has shown, so different.
Platform indeed!


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Cera reeling from Rihanna's slap
Michael Cera has revealed that getting slapped by Rihanna was "great", but joked that it didn't bring them closer together.
The Arrested Development star, who appears in apocalyptic comedy This Is The End alongside Seth Rogen and James Franco, finds himself on the receiving end of the chart-topping superstar's hand.
"It was great. It was a nice way to get to know Rihanna, although I don't feel like I really got to know her at all," he admitted.
Michael - who plays himself in the ensemble movie - admitted that she was lovely to work with.
"She's wonderful. A wonderful amalgamation of a lady," he said.
Emma Watson, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd also co-star in This Is The End, which opens in cinemas on June 28.
Michael next reprises his role as George Michael Bluth, alongside Jason Bateman, Alia Shawkat and Tony Hale in the fourth series of Arrested Development, which begins on Netflix on May 26.
PA Media


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Dog T shirts and Tank Tops are a good way to protect your pet from the hot summer sun or from too much air conditioning. Purchase hip Dog-Ts, preppy Ts and girly girl styles. Check out our Texting T shirts for Trendy Terriers, toys and teacups. Several of our doggie Ts can be personalized with your dog's name!
A Pet's World is UpFront


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Heading to Thailand? Follow these tips to make the most of this dream destination, and avoid these common health misadventures that befall tourists.
I'm Camille, from the French travel blog L'Oiseau Rose. I've travelled the world for several years now, and Thailand is one of my favourite countries. In between working as an intern and vacationing, I've spent a total of six months in this magnificent country. Today, I'm sharing my Thai experience to warn you of the main dangers tourists encounter in Thailand, especially in the islands.
Scooter accidents
Almost everyone rents scooters in Thailand. They're practical, cheap, and the sense of freedom you get from their little engines is pretty great too. This said, scooters are dangerous! Remember to mind the rules of the road: always wear a helmet, control your speed, and don't drink and drive.
Many tourists in Thailand disregard these three essential rules, and accidents ensue. The island of Koh Phangan is a perfect example of how accidents can happen in paradise. Known for its outrageous parties (like the Full Moon Party), this island attracts millions of young tourists in search of unforgettable experiences every year. For some, however, the dream turns into a nightmare when an accident occurs.
My advice to you: always wear your helmet (even in the Thai heat) and never drive your scooter back to your hotel if you've been drinking. Before your trip, make sure you get good travel insurance too; it will cover a potentially humongous cost in the event of any mishaps. Know in advance, however, that if your injury or sickness is a direct result of intoxication, most travel insurance providers won't cover your claim.
Burns from playing with fire
Many bars along Thai beaches offer nightly fire shows. They're a captivating spectacle and create a festive ambience. It may look easy, but like all true professionals, these fire jugglers train regularly! You'll never be as good as a professional Thai fire thrower, so don't even try to imitate them.
Many fire shows ask for audience participation. Some even offer prizes if tourists agree to jump through a flaming hoop or jump over a flaming rope. Sadly, it's not as easy as it looks to keep your balance; every night, many participants end up with burns. I bet that most haven't even thought of insuring themselves adequately before their trip! Accidents can happen fast. Whether you're travelling covered or not, I recommend you avoid flame throwing altogether; you'll definitely regret it if you end up with a burn on your trip.
Cuts from coral while snorkelling
Want to snorkel? Most Thai islands are perfect destinations for both! Make sure to heed safety precautions if you're exploring sea life. While I was on Koh Tao, I saw a lot of tourists injured by coral. They might seem like small scrapes and cuts at first, but nicks and scratches can quickly become infected if not adequately treated. This is why I always suggest getting travel insurance before you leave home. Treatment can be costly; those travelling on a budget might actually avoid going to the doctor, even when it's necessary. This is one less choice you need to make if you have travel medical insurance: a trip to the clinic or the hospital is covered. There's less chance a small cut will become infected if you avoid unnecessary complications, which always cost more than you think!
The heat and humidity of Thailand's tropical climate makes it difficult for cuts to heal. It's extremely important to carefully disinfect any wound, big or small. Also, never go snorkelling alone; even in areas where the current is small, you could get a cramp or suddenly feel faint and weak.
Sun or heat stroke
It goes without saying that it's beyond hot on Thai islands! It's especially hot if you're visiting between December and April. Always protect yourself from the sun. Wear sunblock if you're going to the beach, but also if you're walking around town. If you have to travel long distances in full sun, I highly recommend wearing a hat and drinking a lot of water.
Many tourists fall victim to heatstroke in Thailand. With heat stroke or sun stroke, your body is unable to regulate its temperature; you get a headache, become red in the face, and may even feel nauseated. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop all physical activity, seek shade immediately, and hydrate abundantly. Heat or sunstroke generally doesn't appear without warning signs, so learn how to listen to your body, and don't take them lightly. Heat and sun stroke can provoke neurological damage, or affect the heart or kidneys. Heat and sun stroke are covered by travel insurance, but it's better to avoid them altogether rather than end up in a clinic or hospital. So, even if you are well insured, be safe in the sun! No one wants to waste precious vacation time because of too much sun.
With these tips in mind, enjoy Thailand's islands to their fullest! Before you go, contact your local insurance broker and ask for travel insurance from TuGo.
Happy travels,
Camille – L'Oiseau Rose
Hi, I'm Camille, a traveller and travel blogger. If you read French, you can check out my blog, "L'Oiseau Rose", where I share my tips to prepare your next trip and my experiences travelling the world on a budget. You can also see my photos in my travel diaries (carnets de voyage), or connect with me on Google+


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CleanTeQ Sunrise Project
Pritchard Francis was engaged by SNC-Lavalin to undertake the civil design and documentation associated with the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the CleanTeQ Sunrise in New South Wales.
The CleanTeQ Sunrise is one of the highest grade and largest nickel and cobalt deposits outside of Africa and one of the largest and highest grade scandium deposits in the world.
The scope of works included bulk earthworks, access roads, drainage swales, drainage basins, civil modelling and coordination with the processing infrastructure, ROM walls, raw water storage basins, generation of DFS drawings, commodity material take off's, associated calculations and basis of design reporting.
Several iterations of the design were undertaken to ensure a cut to fill site was achieved to minimise the export/import of materials from the site boundaries.
The engineering and design services were undertaken on a tight time frame to the client's satisfaction. The team's ability to be responsive to the client's requirements has enabled Pritchard Francis to subsequently be engaged on another project led by SNC-Lavalin.


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Into The West
There were surprises both personal and non-personal in my visit to Perth. Among the non-personal surprises was my accessing of the forbidden parts of Masonic culture. Okay - some background: Ever since a wonderful New Year's Eve party held in the Oakleigh Masonic Hall I have been fascinated by the locked meeting area upstairs. The rehearsal venue however - Nedlands Hall - was a former Masonic hall and so we could go into its meeting room hidden behind a huge fake wardrobe and sit in the throne-like chairs inside!
The culture of choristers however was of much more interest to me than that of Freemasons and I fell right back into it. I noticed some fascinating effects this human setting had on me as I have at past IVs. For one thing I lost some of my independence as I grew accustomed to falling in with what the group did. For another I noticed my pattern-recognition for fellow choristers go into overdrive. On returning home I was regularly mistaking strangers for choristers whom I knew full-well live interstate.
And another thing I noticed was that my desire for tactile contact grew. On my return to Melbourne I watched videos with some non-huggy friends and found I had to actively resist giving them huge enveloping hugs. I have a hunch that the vibe of IVs taps into very ancient ways of living for humans involving extended yet intimate groups.
I try to attend IVs with an open mind but I will admit I had expectations and they were met. I must be getting better at anticipating things. I mingled with friends from home and far away... had old friendships renewed and new ones made... got closure for some aspects of my life and affirmation of some facets of who I am.
And communication! So much in so many forms. And I think this is hardly surprising if one remembers that music is a form of communication. Yes I only got to witness the end result of rehearsals but there is always singing among choristers, from the old standards sung at the post-concert party, to overhearing a friend singing in the shower, to singing-along to the radio during a lift back to the airport. And the message of all this communication? A reminder that life is rich and full and interesting. Thanks so much IV!
Update: I have indexed my seven IVs as of 2013 in this post.
Labels: Images, Life Experiences


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Flat Pack Containers for sale or hire
Are you looking for Flat Pack containers in the United Kingdom? Then Gap Containers can help you! We have a variety of flat pack containers for sale and hire at our UK container depots and can delivery to your premises or you can arrange collection if that is your preferred option. Flat pack containers have so many benefits and advantages that standard shipping containers primarily because of their size and ability to fold and unfold many that they are much easier to transport and can fit more onto one load. One of the great aspects of flat pack containers is that when they are not needed you can simply fold the container(s) back down and stack them on top of each other; this saves a tremendous amount of space. Can you imagine the amount of space you would save if you had 4 X flat pack containers opposed to 4 X 40ft shipping containers. That is what makes these ideal containers unique.
Flat Pack Container Enquiry Form
Submit your review


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Committees & Boards
A variety of committees and boards offer input and advice to City Council on the issues that touch on their respective mandates. In addition, the City of Kingston is represented by Council members on a number of external agencies, often along with their counterparts from neighbouring municipalities.
The City encourages and enjoys committee participation by interested and informed citizens.
About closed meetings:
From time-to-time – and in accordance with rules defined in Ontario's Municipal Act – Council and certain municipal boards or committees are required to have closed meetings to receive information or give direction on specific topics
Questions about closed meetings can be directed to the City Clerk.


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THE BUDDY COLE MONOLOGUES starring SCOTT THOMPSON
A CONVERSATION with THE ONION moderated by TOM SCHARPLING
Lounge lizard Buddy Cole from Kids in the Hall makes a return to the limelight in an evening of humorous monologues from the period the show went off the air in 1995 to the present day.
Well known to fans as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, Scott Thompson is anything but your average comedic talent. After Lorne Michaels discovered them in the late eighties, The Kids in the Hall created a groundbreaking television series which ran from 1989 to 1995 on CBC in Canada and on HBO and CBS in the United States. After the Kids left television in 1995, Scott and the boys went on to write and star in their own feature film, the cult favorite Brain Candy. Thompson appeared as a regular for three years on Garry Shandling's revolutionary comedy series The Larry Sanders Show as Brian, the assistant to Hank Kingsley. In this period and afterwards, he made numerous guest appearances on various talk shows such as Politically Incorrect, The Late Show with David Letterman and was a regular fixture on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Thompson along with Paul Bellini, is the author of Buddy Babylon: The Autobiography of Buddy Cole, a hilarious memoir of one of Thompson's most famous characters, bon vivant Buddy Cole. He has appeared in such feature films as Ron Ronnie Run, The Pacifier and Mickey Blue Eyes and such television series as Hannibal, Reno 911!, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Carpoolers, The Odd Squad, Man Seeking Woman, Touched by an Angel and Degrassi High. He has also worked on various animation projects, as the titular character in the popular children's television series Roboroach, and in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Simpsons and American Dad.
A collaboration between Night Vale Presents, the Mountain Goats, and Merge Records, I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats is a podcast about what it means to be an artist, what it means to be a fan, and what it means to be, as many people are, both at once.
The show finds Joseph Fink, creator of Welcome to Night Valeand Alice Isn't Dead, in conversation with one of his artistic heroes, John Darnielle, singer and songwriter of the Mountain Goats. Season One explores the stories behind the Mountain Goats' album All Hail West Texas, one song at a time.
In each episode, John, Joseph, and special guests discuss songwriting, storytelling, current events, and the art and artists that inspire them. Each episode will also premiere a brand new cover version of the song discussed that week, recorded just for the podcast by artists like Amanda Palmer, Andrew Bird, and Dessa.
Since its founding in 1988, The Onion has attracted millions of loyal fans drawn to its fearless reporting and scathing commentary on world events, human behavior, and journalistic convention. In a rare peek behind the scenes of America's Finest News Source, current and former staff from The Onion will gather to celebrate and discuss thirty years as the world's most popular satirical news outlet with Tom Scharpling from the comedy duo Scharpling & Wurster and host of The Best Show. We will also make some time to field questions from any of the slobbering dopes in attendance.
The wildly popular Earwolf podcast, Hollywood Handbook makes their Chicago debut during The Onion Comedy & Arts Festival this year! An insider's guide to achieving your showbiz dreams from two A-List it-boys who are living theirs. Hayes and Sean provide an exclusive VIP backstage pass into Tinseltown politics, answer questions from unsuccessful listeners, and bring in famous guests to discuss their craft and how they became what they are (famous).
Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) and Danielle Schneider (The Hotwives of Orlando) bring you a live version of their hilarious podcast Bitch Sesh. They'll deep dive into all things Real Housewives, unpack pertinent pop culture goings on and continue to process and hopefully come to accept Julia Roberts wig in "Mother's Day." One day at a time. Join them for dramatic reenactments, audience questions, clips and more. You won't want to miss this very important, nay – life altering, evening.
Emmy Award winner and Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screens both big and small. Named one of the Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time by Comedy Central, Cross last toured the world with "Make America Great Again!," which took him across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The tour spawned a Netflix special which premiered in August 2016, and a Grammy-nominated CD of the same name. The set, which discussed then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump, gun control laws, and religion, was the comedian's first standup tour in nearly six years. He had last toured in 2009 with a solo stand-up show in support of his New York Times Bestseller, I Drink for a Reason. That hugely successful comedy show was filmed at Boston's Wilbur Theater for a special, entitled "Bigger and Blackerer," which premiered on EPIX in April 2010 before being released on CD and DVD by Sub Pop. His previous comedy special, "David Cross: The Pride is Back," aired on HBO in 1999, and was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by ROLLING STONE in July 2015. Cross has released two other comedy albums – the Grammy Award- nominated, "Shut Up You Fucking Baby" and "It's Not Funny." In 2003 he released the DVD, "Let America Laugh," a documentary film of his groundbreaking stand up tour of alternative, indie rock clubs.
The Comedy Resistance comes to Chicago! Join Bob Odenkirk and special guests for an amazing night of laughs and activism. You never know who will show up!
All proceeds from the event will go towards The Comedy Resistance's mission of to create a comedy platform that transforms a passive political audience to activate voters and activists for a wave of electoral change in 2018 and beyond.
Have you ever seen a movie so bad that it's good? Paul Scheer (The League & Veep), Jason Mantzoukas (The League & The House) and June Diane Raphael (Grace & Frankie, New Girl) are experts in the best of the worst of cinema. On each episode of their Award Winning podcast, HOW DID THIS GET MADE? they gather with their funniest friends and subject themselves to a cinematic nightmare and report back to you with the results.
With over 160 episodes, past guests have included Adam Scott, Amy Schumer, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Whitney Cummings, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Gillian Jacobs, Vanilla Ice, Chris Hardwick, Chelsea Peretti, Pete Davidson, Kumail Nanjiani, Scott Aukerman and many more.
Every episode features the deconstruction and mockery of one particular film such as 'Surf Ninjas', 'XXX: Return of Xander Cage', 'The Room', and the entire 'Fast and Furious' franchise.
With sold out shows across the country, each live episode is truly unique as the audience gets to play a part in the show by asking questions of the hosts and coming up with impromptu songs for segments of the show and seeing one of a kind clips.
HOW DID THIS GET MADE? has been voted "The Best Comedy Podcast" by LA Weekly, one of Vogue's 'Best Podcasts to Listen to Now', one of TIME Magazine's '50 Best Podcasts', one of Entertainment Weekly's '15 Podcasts That Will Give You A Break From Reality', one of Vulture's 'Funny and Fascinating Podcasts", one of Backstage's 'Podcasts to Inspire and Entertain You', as well as being listed as one of the Top Film podcast's in The Washington Post and is also consistently one of the Top 10 most downloaded comedy podcasts.
PAUL SCHEER is most known as a star of the FX series 'The League' and also as the co-creator and one of the stars of the cult MTV sketch series, Human Giant as well as the Adult Swim action-comedy series NTSF:SD:SUV::. He has regularly been seen on the HBO comedy, 'Veep', the ABC sitcom, 'Fresh Off The Boat', Netflix's 'Wet Hot American Summer' and 'Lady Dynamite.' He'll next appear in the James Franco directed film, 'The Disaster Artist' and alongside Chance the Rapper in 'Slice.'
JASON MANTZOUKAS is best known for his starring role in the Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler film THE HOUSE as well as his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series 'The League'. You can also see him in 'Brooklyn 99', 'Transparent', 'I'm Sorry', and the upcoming independent film, THE LONG DUMB ROAD, co-starring Tony Revolori. Mantzoukas has also appeared in such films as THE DICTATOR, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, THEY CAME TOGETHER, and HOW TO BE SINGLE.
JUNE DIANE RAPHAEL is best known for starring in comedy programs such as Burning Love, Adult Swim's NTSF:SD:SUV:: and is currently in the Netflix series 'Grace and Frankie'. You can also see her in 'New Girl', 'Lady Dynamite' and 'American Dad'. Notable film work includes supporting roles in YEAR ONE and ZODIAC, as well as her 2013 Sundance film ASS BACKWARDS, which she co-wrote and starred in with her creative partner Casey Wilson. She is also co-authoring a book to help women get into politics titled "The Badass Woman's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World," which will be released in 2019.
JO FIRESTONE is a New York-based comedian, actress, and writer. She has been hailed as one of the most unique voices in American comedy, hosting over 40 different formats of live performances including her popular PUNDERDOME 3000, NYC's INNER BEAUTY PAGEANT, and her touring show FRIENDS OF SINGLE PEOPLE. A current writer on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON and a former writer for THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW, JO can be seen in HBO's HIGH MAINTENANCE and was featured in the JAKE AND AMIR pilot for TBS. Her half-hour special COMEDY CENTRAL STAND-UP PRESENTS: JO FIRESTONE premiered this September 2017.
JO was named one of the New Faces of Comedy at the 2016 JFL Comedy Festival, and was one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch for 2015 and Rolling Stone's Comedians You Should Know in Summer 2017. In June 2016, JO's long-running NY live show PUNDERDOME 3000 was made into a card game published by Random House, and quickly became the #1 bestselling card game Amazon. Over the past year, JO has performed at Riot LA, The New York Comedy Festival, and Outside Lands and will be seen at this year's Bonnaroo Festival and Colossal Clusterfest.
Comedy Central Presents: Jo Firestone
The Tonight Show as Betsy Davos | Womanhood | Staten Island Fairy
Comedy Central Comics to Watch | CGS Rejected Sketch Ideas
Helltrap Nightmare hosted by Sarah Sherman is a night of comedy horror and noise music terror that has garnered a cult following as well as critical acclaim for its unique(ly debased) format that allows experimental musicians and alt stand-up comics to share the stage in order to perform their wildest and most radical material.
JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN and BAILIFF JESSE THORN are riding the circuit to bring LIVE JUSTICE to a stage near you.
Direct from JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN PODCAST (named FIFTEENTH in Rolling Stone's top 20 comedy podcasts!), Judge Hodgman and Bailiff Thorn are bringing their mix of non-swearing comedy, pop culture obsession, and sheer, unadulterated FAKE LEGAL WISDOM to the stage.
Along with surprises, special guests, and live justice lightning rounds, each show will feature a number of live hearings between people in YOUR TOWN. Judge Hodgman will listen to both sides and then tell them WHO IS RIGHT and WHO IS WRONG.
Previous disputes have included:
-is a hot dog a sandwich?
-when is it may someone else's Chinese food be legally considered abandoned property?
-is it OK to rifle through the trash for prize coupons in a Canadian pizza parlor?
-will you order my mom to buy me a motorcycle and a vape pen?
If you have a long-simmering fight with a friend or loved one that you'd finally like resolved, submit your case to maximumfun.org/jjho and specify that you wish to be heard LIVE ON STAGE and tell us where you live. If we pick your case, YOU GET IN FREE.
Or, just shut your pie hole and come and enjoy this very rare live tour of JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN: LIVE JUSTICE.
John and Jesse will be meeting and greeting you all after the show.
Chris Gethard is the host and star of Funny or Die's "The Chris Gethard Show" on TruTV and the host of
the popular Earwolf podcast "Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People."
Chris recently starred in the Mike Birbiglia film, "Don't Think Twice" and can be seen as 'Todd' on
Comedy Central's "Broad City." Other credits include Comedy Central's "Inside Amy Schumer," NBC's
"Parks and Recreation," "The Office" and the film "The Heat." Chris is the author of the book "A Bad Idea I'm About to Do" and his first stand-up album ("My Comedy Album") debuted at # 2 on Billboard's
Heatseekers chart in 2014.
Chris's one man show, "Career Suicide" (produced by Judd Apatow) just premiered on HBO after
completing a successful off-broadway run at The Lynn Redgrave Theatre in NYC.
Late Late Breakfast is a fast-paced, energetic stand- up comedy show hosted by comedians Tyler Jackson & Danny Maupin. Each show features top comedians delivering their polished material while going up against a bevy of unique games and challenges designed to keep both them and the audience on their toes, providing an experience that can't be missed. Pie fights, laser tag, polygraph tests- you never know! Expect anything and everything out of the ordinary, all of it held together by solid, hilarious standup comedy.
Late Late Breakfast is produced by Liz Maupin and runs quarterly at The Hideout in Chicago, The Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, and The Creek & The Cave in New York City. It has been featured on TBS's New York Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, TruTV's High Plains Comedy Festival, The Comedy Exposition, Orlando Indie Comedy Fest, and many more!
This will be Late Late Breakfast's 5th Year Anniversary Bash!


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For All Points-Of-The-View.
Added by Charles E. Campbell on April 30, 2012 at 1:17am — No Comments
On the quiet evening of July 07, 1896, the monsoon was rolling to an end in British India. Rolling over a projector, at the banquet hall of the Watson Hotel, in Bombay, were the first frames in Indian cinema history. The Lumerie Brothers Company was screening movies for the first time in India; six short silent ones. It took three years more, for the first two Indian films to appear in the same Indian city.
The first indigenous feature film, Harishchandra, produced by Dadasaheb…Continue
Added by Prabin Francis on April 29, 2012 at 7:02am — No Comments
Eclectically Black News for Eclectic Black People VIP
Views . Interests . Perspectives
Added by Gloria Dulan-Wilson on April 28, 2012 at 8:29am — No Comments
Added by sonu yadav on April 28, 2012 at 5:18am — No Comments
Home to world's old civilization and incredible attractions Egypt is undoubtedly one of the most sought after tourist destination gathers great number of visitors from across the world throughout the year.
Every year tourist in great number visits this country to…Continue
Added by Hariom Arya on April 28, 2012 at 3:31am — No Comments
After completing the huge pomp of marriage ceremony an auspicious occasion of honeymoon comes into newly-wed couple's life and it always required a beautiful destination. Well if planning for honeymoon and looking for a place where you can take your beloved and spend some romantic time together then look no further than…Continue
Added by Rupesh Kumar on April 27, 2012 at 7:42am — No Comments
Have you ever dreamt any destination where there is no dearth of attractions and enjoyment any more and the place which is not less than paradise to its visitors, if yes then, its time to make it come true in the stunning Mauritius, a world-renowned destination in the Indian Ocean. Well if you get married and looking for an exotic romantic destination where…Continue
Added by Rama Shankar on April 27, 2012 at 5:04am — No Comments
Call it a paradise on earth or a land of scenic wonderments, this tiny emerald green tropical paradise hovering along the charming and fascinating Arabian Sea, entice thousands of hundreds of tourists from all over the world. It is one such tourism destination where one can soak in the splendour of the nature, can go for adventure tours as well as can go for a leisure family vacation in the charming lap of the Mother Nature. Kerala is truly a place where one can enjoy to the maximum with…Continue
Added by mahi manral on April 27, 2012 at 4:50am — No Comments
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Added by SendMeYourNews on April 26, 2012 at 8:32pm — No Comments
Jammu (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir government nowadays expected the government systems concerned to create sure time restricted arrangements for smooth execute of Amarnath yatra, which will begin from May 7th. "Ensure time restricted arrangements for smooth execute of the nearing Amarnath yatra," Journey and pleasurable and Way of life reverend Nawang Rigzin Jora said here at a meeting to assessment the place of action taken on the recommendations of dynamic section on…Continue
Added by Sachin Gupta on April 25, 2012 at 7:04am — No Comments
Nepal the land of Himalayas is one of the most sought after adventure as well as holidaying destination in Southern Asia.
It is enigmatically gifted by the nature and more importantly it is home to 8 highest peaks out of 10 thus attractions thousands and…Continue
Added by Hariom Arya on April 25, 2012 at 5:59am — No Comments
Moving from one place to another is not only stressful and time consuming but also can be an expensive business. It can hurt your pocket and even break your bank account. You will have to pay high cost for professional moving service. But with wise decisions you many make the situation under you affordable budget. There are many ways by which you can save money on your move and make the situation affordable. Here are some money-saving tips which are revealed by professional Gurgaon packers…Continue
Added by Hitesh kumar on April 24, 2012 at 7:31am — 1 Comment
Mauritius is one of lot of admirable countries in South East Asia. It is an Island destinations that is a lot of acclaimed for its animated Island and serene beaches which are the hot atom for vacation. It is as well acclaimed for its affluent ability and traditions, alluring tourism attractions and absorbing attractions that never fails to affect the…Continue
Added by Rama Shankar on April 24, 2012 at 1:15am — No Comments
For Cornel and Tavis
Marvin X is the poorest famous person I ever met.--Toya Carter
Stay poor, Marvin, it will keep you honest and truthful.--Dr. Nathan Hare
We are poor people
kidnapped dispossessed
we are poor people
chattel slaves
wage slaves no slave (job)
we are poor people
we survive on love
Added by Marvin X on April 23, 2012 at 8:22pm — No Comments
Science Meets the Bible: The Garden of Eden Discovered in East Africa by Gert Muller, Pomegranate Publishers, 2011
A new ebook available at http://www.amazon.com/Science-Meets-The-Bible-ebook/dp/B0063I5WEM/
Science teaches that anatomically modern humans arose in East Africa and spread from there to the rest of the world. The Bible teaches that humans arose in Eden and spread from there to the rest…Continue
Added by Fari Supiya on April 23, 2012 at 11:00am — No Comments
Popularly called green paradise and often referred to as 'Land of Ayurveda', Kerala is one of the most sought after tourist destination located at south-western part of India. Home to the natural-virgin attractions and delightful ambiance, it is an ideal holidaying destination for them who wish to communicate with nature or prefer to spend some quality time in the lap of mother-nature. It offers every stunning colour of nature to the visitors in the form of invigorating hill stations set on…Continue
Added by mahi manral on April 23, 2012 at 7:39am — No Comments
The vast and diverse country of India has many popular destinations which are renowned for offering great tourism experience and mesmerizing holidaying experience. Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Chennai, Bangalore, Kovalam, Kochi, Trivandrum, etc are some of the most popular tourist sites in the country which are offer awesome tourism experience. But tourism in these places can be also very expensive experience and can break your bank account. But it doest not means you cannot afford the cost of…Continue
Added by india travel on April 23, 2012 at 7:18am — No Comments
Added by sonu yadav on April 23, 2012 at 6:57am — No Comments
Egypt, or the Arab Republic of Egypt, is the most sought after destinations in the entire world. It is amid in Africa and is apparently best accepted for its age-old Egyptian acculturation that larboard abaft its hieroglyphs, mummies and a lot of amazing of all, its ample pyramids.…
Added by Hariom Arya on April 23, 2012 at 2:33am — No Comments
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Web Page Monitoring is Key to Successful BusinessPosted by vinod.mohan Mar 28, 2013
For the majority of us, online shopping has become the norm. A recent Cisco research study found that 78% of all U.S. shoppers use the Internet to research to purchase products and services.
Cisco's study also includes a cool infographic that shows the growing ways in which consumers use the Internet to shop. As this digital trend continues, retailers will require higher availability of Web applications that facilitate and encourage online shopping. This trend also means that there will be a growing need to monitor these Web applications, especially with concerns over hacking and cyber-security on the rise.
Let's quickly look at a couple of advantages of website monitoring:
- It identifies and isolates the cause of latency in online purchasing transactions.
- It helps ensure the security of online transactions.
A good Website performance monitoring solution should be able to test a site's Web applications and security on a regular basis from different locations, to ensure site visitors have an engaging experience. This will reduce potential downtime for the site, which otherwise would annoy site visitors and ultimately lose business and profits.
The ideal Web page performance monitoring solution will allow you to:
- Continuously monitor your end-users' experience
- Monitor any Web application, whether internal (behind the firewall), external (customer-facing), or cloud-based
- Monitor each Web page in a transaction
- See the historical availability for each page in the transaction
- Quickly identify all pages with problems
- Receive alerts & notifications on incomplete or slow transactions & pages
- Receive notifications in many different ways, including email & text
- Drill down to determine why pages are slow by viewing page load times in a waterfall chart
Measure the latency of each Web page in a transaction to accelerate troubleshooting
Set custom thresholds for transactions and discrete steps
Your Web applications are critical to your business. Downtime could lead to loss in productivity, dissatisfied customers, lost revenue, and other disastrous results. By proactively monitoring Web applications from the end user's point-of-view, you'll always be able to maintain secure transactions and website uptime.


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30 minute dinners are my saviour after a long day at university. I love getting home knowing that I can whip up a delicious meal in no time at all without having to faff around looking for something to munch on. I definitely have my staples that I cook pretty much every week without fail and turkey meatballs is one of them, they are so easy, tasty and packed full of protein.
Ingredients: Serves 2-3
- 250g Turkey Mince
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 1 Red Chilli
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 medium Cauliflower
- Handle of Basil
- 100g Broccoli
- Start by finely dicing the onion and chilli before adding the mince into a bowl and mix together.
- Shape into ball shapes and fry in a pan with 1Tbsp oil.
- Brown on every side before adding the minced garlic and chopped tomatoes.
- Leave to simmer for 15 mins – seasoning the salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, grate the cauliflower florets with a box grater.
- When the meatballs are cooked through boil the broccoli until tender.
- Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp oil and fry the cauliflower and chopped basil for about 3-4 mins until warm and starting to brown.
- Season the rice with salt and pepper.
- Once the rice is cooked and the broccoli is drained serve everything together and enjoy.


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Logistics Collaboration Solutions to enable logistics provider and shippers to improve communication and workflow across their network sharing real-time information
Globalization and stretched value chains have placed a much higher premium on collaborative relationships between carriers and logistics providers, and their customers than existed just a few decades ago. Where a cross-state phone call to a supplier might once have fixed a problem, today virtually the entire globe relies on the inter-connective power of the Internet just to conduct routine business transactions.
Freightgate's Logistics Collaboration Solutions leverage the Internet's power to enable you, your suppliers, channel partners, and customers to collaborate to mutual advantage across the entire value chain. These solutions can come in the form of:
- Better visibility and scheduling
- Reduced cycle times
- Lower cost per unit
- Improved S&OP
- Higher inventory turns
- Lower labor cost
- Better equipment utilization
- Carrier capacity improvements
Freightgate's I-Trek! was the first end to end Logistics Cloud visibility solution to hit the market. It remains the most comprehensive collaboration and performance management tool available today. I-Trek! enables logistics providers and shippers to:
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators specific to each party
- Escalate issues to the appropriate parties before they become problems
- Free human resources to think, plan and respond, rather than manually monitor
- Prioritize and communicate opportunities
- Hold all value chain stakeholders accountable – both external and internal
- Monitor fulfillment performance
- Drive out unplanned costs such as demurrage and detention
Freightgate has designed it's Logistics Solutions based on the vision of a collaboration Logistics Management (TMS) platform, that embraces flexibility, visibility and connectivity to serve both Shippers, Exporters, Importers, Beneficial Cargo Owners as well as Air, Ocean & Truck Carriers, 3PLs, NVOCCs, VOCCs. Freightgate's Logistics Cloud Platform provides full End-to-End Logistics Collaboration & Visibility; TMS – Transportation Management System, Global Tender RFP Bid Management; Least Cost Routing, Service Contract and Quote Management; Regulatory Compliance CBP and FMC; Automated eInvoice Audit and Payment; innovative What-If-Scenario Analysis tool; interactive online Sailing Schedule; BFN (Built for NetSuite) approved SuiteApps. Freightgate is ISO 9001:2008 certified.
The Freightgate Team excels at finding innovative solutions to Logistics Collaboration Problems with our vast arsenal of flexible cloud technology tools – take a logistics cloud demo for better logistics collaboration and experience the difference yourself first hand. Share with us your toughest Logistics Collaboration challenge and allow us to come up with a creative, potentially out of the box solution.


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Motley Rice Donates to Support Youth Entrepreneurship
Thanks to the generosity of Motley Rice LLC, each entrepreneurship class in the tri-county taught by a YEScarolina trained teacher will be eligible for $500 for an in-class business plan competition. This is the third year Motley Rice has donated to sponsor our Class & County Business Plan Competitions. It starts off with students taking entrepreneurship as a class in their high school and it culminates with an in-class business plan competition. First, second, and third place win seed money in the amounts of $250, $150, & $100 respectively. Then the first place winner advances to the Motley Rice County Business Plan competition held at the College of Charleston business school. This year the competition will be on May 6th. There are two rounds of competition that day, semi-finals and finals. During the final competition, competitors present in front of a crowd and panel of judges for a chance to win the top prize of $1,000. Second place wins $500 and third place takes home $250. Every student that competes on May 6th will receive seed money thanks to Motley Rice. We simply could not do it without their support. Thank you Motley Rice for having a huge heart and understanding the importance of entrepreneurship education!


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In case we needed a reminder that Katy Perry is a member of the Illuminati, her "Dark Horse" video will do so. Set "a crazy long time ago," somewhere in a historically inaccurate Egypt, Perry's visual tells the tale of some greedy queen lookin' for love in Barbie's Dream
House Egyptian Palace.
Watch as Queen P orders sneaker-wearing Smurf-people around and rule over
cat kitty-headed ladies. She dissolves men to sand, eats fiery-hot Cheetos, and banishes a wannabe-Boo pup out of the kingdom. There's no dark horse in "Dark Horse," but there is an expanding pyramid, which, as we all know, is a key Illuminati symbol. Oh, Perry also uses a guy with the biggest diamond known to man for a bejeweled grill. (Somewhere, a rabid Super Bowl XLVI Madonna is greedily plotting a heist.) Where Perry acquired these special powers is beyond us. But, hey, at least Juicy J keeps it real.


text: RVE Technologies is a global training services company. Started its training activity in the year 2000. The last Ten years have been fruitful results of our hard work where, we see our self grow from a one-center operation in Bangalore, to 4 centers across the southern part of India. Our training focus has been on offering long-term career programs, and short-term courses in high-end topics in IT and Non IT.


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August 12th, 2010 5:10 PM by Lehel S.
Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration have performed better than expected so far this fiscal year, though the improvements could be overturned if home prices sink, according to a report the agency submitted to Congress this week.
The report analyzed the FHA's loan portfolio from October through June and compared the results to the projections in an independent audit released late last year.
That audit found that as the FHA's loan volume expanded, its default rate rose and the excess cash it set aside to deal with unexpected losses eroded to dangerously low levels as of Sept. 30. The auditors concluded taxpayers would be on the hook for losses if worst-case scenarios played out -- a first for the agency, which has always used fees it charges borrowers to pay lenders for losses.
In its report to Congress this week, the FHA updated lawmakers on the performance of its loans since the audit's release. The agency said it collected more money than it disbursed in the nine months ended June 30, for a net increase of $446 million. It concluded that FHA loans are holding up better than the audit had predicted on many fronts, in part because the agency has attracted more creditworthy borrowers and rooted out fraudulent lenders.
But the report did not update the excess cash reserves calculated in last year's audit. Those were about $3.6 billion as of Sept. 30. That represented about 0.53 percent of all outstanding single-family home loans insured by the agency -- well below the 2 percent required by law. A new audit is due later this year.
The FHA's report to Congress said that from October through June, the FHA had 19,310 fewer insurance claims on loans gone bad and paid $3.7 billion less than projected by the audit.
Some states are experiencing a backlog in processing foreclosures, which may help explain the lower-than-expected claims, the report said. But aggressive foreclosure prevention efforts and stabilizing home prices also contributed to the better results.
When home values drop and borrowers end up owing more than their homes are worth, they are vulnerable to foreclosure because they can't sell their properties or refinance if they face a financial setback.
But just as better-than-predicted home prices have helped the FHA so far this fiscal year, a sustained drop in prices could severely damage its finances going forward.
"That's the overarching caution," said Bob Ryan, the agency's chief risk officer. "We have to think about what loan performance will look like based on what houses' prices will be doing going forward."
The most at-risk loans are the ones made in 2007 and 2008, the report said. FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens has told Congress that "rogue players" migrated to FHA lending in those years and used aggressive tactics to attract poor-quality borrowers to the FHA.
Those loans are now maturing into their worst years because failures most often occur two to three years after a mortgage is made. As the loans go bad and clear off the FHA's books, the agency expects its losses to taper off. The 2009 and 2010 loans -- which now make up 60 percent of its outstanding dollar balances -- are of better quality, which is why the delinquency rates on those loans are low, the report said.
In the quarter ended June 30, only 0.42 percent of the FHA purchase loans were at least 90 days late within their first six months. By contrast, 2.6 percent of the mortgages in the comparable quarter of 2007 and 1.5 percent of the loans in the same portion of 2008 were seriously late.
The report also said that the FHA has endorsed more than 1.3 million single-family loans in the first three quarters of the fiscal year as of June, and it's on pace to ensure 1.7 million by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Home purchase mortgages alone may surpass the one million mark for the first time since 1987. But refinance activity has slowed dramatically since its peak in late 2009.


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5 July 2017
NIGERIA: E-mail option for submission of temporary work permit
Effective immediately, applications for temporary work permits can be submitted via e-mail.
How does this affect the client?
The temporary work permits allow foreign nationals to enter Nigeria for purposes of completing a specific job over a set period of time. The Nigerian immigration authorities announced on June 20 that applications would be accepted via e-mail.


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Joshua and Jaime,
I wanted to let you guys know that Stryker has been doing great and is really active! His potty training has been going well, you gave him a great head start. He's a totally awesome pup and I couldn't be happier with him. He's been having a blast running around the house chewing on everything and anything in sight!
I can't thank you guys enough for everything, this has really brought a lot of happiness into my life!
I will keep in touch with updates and everything etc… Have a great evening!
Troy Ryks
Palmer, Alaska


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Services Offered
Karen Young specializes in speaking events that cater to anyone that may find themselves in a position to take over the responsibilities of an HR role within a company. Karen is a regular speaker for the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. She is available for public speaking engagements. She speaks at the 2015 Accidental HR® breakfast series, a seminar series presented by HR Resolutions.
Karen's seminars are ideal if you are a small business owner, a staff member with "accidental HR" responsibilities or challenges, or a manager or supervisor interested in staying up-to-date on the latest HR issues. If you know a group that could benefit from one of Karen's informative key-note presentations, contact us at email@example.com
Hire Karen Today!
Karen is also available for private consultations. Fill out the form below to get in touch with Karen.


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Selling products online is an important part of running a business. Some businesses are entirely online, allowing for business owners to operate from anywhere at any time. To nobody's surprise, ecommerce accounts for more and more purchases every year and is only expected to grow in the coming years.
Because of the complexity of selling products online, we feel like it's our responsibility to our customers to take every step we can to eliminate the barrier of entry for businesses who want to start selling their products and services online. Newtek's full suite of business services puts us in a unique position in which we can offer almost every component of an online store, from the shopping cart software all the way to the merchant processing needed to accept payments, and all of the security and registrations necessary to keep the site up and running.
Our newest Ecommerce plans takes out all of the guesswork of building an online store and offers everything you need at an unbeatable price. For $89/year you can set up a fully functional store using the intuitive NewtekCart, register a domain name, and have an SSL certificate installed to encrypt user information and keep your site secure. Sites are SmartPhone ready so you can confidently share links through social media, text message, and email knowing people will have a great experience on mobile and desktop browsers.
Check out the full feature list below:
- SmartPhone Ready Store
- 24/7 Support
- Credit Card Processing Online and In Person
- Fraud Analysis
- PCI Compliance Support
- Custom Domain Name *included
- Enterprise Email Addresses @ your domain name
- SSL security certificate for your domain name *included Warranty: $10,000
- SSL Site Seal
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Unlimited Categories
- Unlimited Products
- Unlimited Manufacturers
- Multi-Language
- Multi-Currency
- Product Reviews
- Product Ratings
- Downloadable Products
- Automatic Image upload and formatting
- Multiple Tax Rates
- Related Product marketing
- Unlimited Information Pages
- Shipping Weight Calculation
- Discount Coupon System
- Printable Invoices
- Sales Reports
Newtek's ecommerce bundle is competitively priced, costing annually what similar services cost monthly. Paired with Newtek's unbeatable customer service, this ecommerce solution is an unbeatable value. It is available to order now here, and our business service specialists are available to answer any questions at 1-877-323-4678.


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Compose a visual poem (a poem that looks like the thing being described), using words to draw the object in question.
Length: one page
Visualizing the object at hand will help you gain more insight into the natural "shape" of a poem. Poetry should be memorable, so start by imprinting a solid visual into the mind of the reader.