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New Statesman: How can comics be better at race?
An issue that has been at the forefront of comics criticism this year despite the larger websites and indeed publishers themselves ignoring it: racism in comics, and the lack of diversity both on and behind the page.
The Marvel hip-hop variant scheme and Boom! Studios' Strange Fruit have attracted particular attention from critics, but will anything really change?
Adding insult to injury is the at times woeful reporting of these stories – plain disregard from many of the same mainstream news sites that happily broadcast headline-making press releases, and inflammatory coverage within the comics press itself. Dismissive outrage over perceived issues of "political correctness" and "social justice" makes for more clicks and ultimately more money.
New Statesman: Howard Hardiman on "The Lengths"
A long-form interview with the lovely Howard Hardiman, creator of the recently collected The Lengths - a controversial and important comic about male escorts, told with canine characters.
Howard's answers were simply far too interesting for me to worry about distracting from, so I went with a Q&A format for maximum ease of reading. A very fascinating interview, and a book that I highly recommend reading.
"One of the funniest responses to reading it came from someone working in the sex industry, who said "you let straight people read this?" because he'd become so used to secrecy.
"Other than that, though, the response has been reassuringly positive. I waited almost five years between the interviews and making the book because I needed to have a distance from telling too much that could have identified people, especially given that I'd been told a lot of things that could have resulted in them having trouble with the police or the inland revenue!"
Read the full interview at the New Statesman!
New Statesman: "The Art of the People" – How Comics Got Political
A series of interviews with guests at the Stripped Festival, including Stephen Collins, Paul Cornell and Grant Morrison, looking at the politics both present and absent in their work.
"One of the historical roots of modern comics is of course the political cartooning of the early newspapers; the mechanical reproduction of images finally allowing art to be consumed by the masses rather than the privileged few, with cartoonists leaping at the chance to communicate complex political situations via their deceptively simple form.
"The idea of comics as a political tool is not without its controversies, from grumbles amongst novelists to riots over religious icon portrayals. Any fan of superhero comics can tell you that comics don't have to be overtly political, but the recent insistence by creator Todd McFarlane that historically no comic book that has worked has been "trying to get across a message" was largely met by the rolling of eyes."
I've been delighted with the feedback on this long-form piece, and the discussions that it has provoked. You can read the full article at the New Statesman.
New Statesman: Capitalist Heroes
An issue that had been weighing heavily on my mind, that of the constant tension between our superheroes who seek to represent all that is good in the world, while generating profit for large corporations as their creators often retire into poverty.
"Superman, defender of truth, justice and the American way is an icon not only of hope, but of despair and shattered dreams. Our superheroes, built to help the helpless and downtrodden and bring joy to our world became tools of their corporate owners whose only interest lies in helping themselves. While our heroes can transcend their shackles and still bring us pinpoints of timely optimism, not to mention a great deal of entertainment and joy, their dark shadow of forgotten and poverty-ridden creators weighs upon them greatly."
Read the full article at the New Statesman.
New Statesman: Interviews with David Lloyd, David Mack, David Hine, and Tim Seeley
My four interviews in one piece is up at the New Statesman, and I've had very lovely feedback all round - which is always a Good Thing! All four creators will be at the upcoming London Super Comic Con, and all are especially lovely.
Here they are talking about working in creator owned comics and all that that entails. Enjoy!
Beyond Superheroes: How Creators Can Own Comics
New Statesman: Interview with Mike Carey
You can read my latest interview with the lovely Mike Carey, writer of The Unwritten, Lucifer, X-Men and more, over at the New Statesman. Carey is one of my favourite writers - Lucifer one of my favourite series - and we chat about Vertigo past and future, The Unwritten and upcoming plans, creator rights and women in comics, internet trolls and his Felix Castor novels. And more!
Stay tuned for more upcoming interview with David Lloyd, David Mack, Tim Seeley, David Hine, and the one and only Neal Adams as I count down to the London Super Comic Con next month.
Mike Carey: "I'm not a fan of the way comics have been ghettoised"


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Ghana and Qatar are seeking ways to boost multi-faceted bilateral cooperation between the two countries, with Ghana seeking to leverage on Qatar's expertise in the oil and gas sector to enhance its energy infrastructure. This was the outcome of discussions when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Thursday, called on the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as part of his three-day official visit to that country.
The deliberations between both leaders centered on energy, infrastructural development, railways and roads, and, also on the need to co-operate strategically for the mutual benefit of the two countries and their respective populations. The Qatari leader expressed his eagerness to have Ghanaian companies invest in his country, and was desirous of meeting the Ghanaian business community during his official three-day state visit to Ghana scheduled for December 27, 2017.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani indicated that Qatar was desirous of forging strong partnerships and relations with countries such as Ghana, countries that are governed in accordance with the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability. The Emir stressed the need to rekindle the ancient ties between Africa and the Gulf Region, which has weakened in the course of the last 60 to 70 years.
President Akufo-Addo was grateful for the warm reception and hospitality accorded him and his delegation since his arrival to Qatar. He noted that Ghana, considering the significant gas resources available to her, was willing to learn from Qatar on how the country has exploited its gas resources for the development of the country and the progress of its people. The President was hopeful that Ghana would establish an Embassy in Qatar before the Emir's visit to the country.
Source: GNA.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Now that Election Day 2012 is done and Obama has won a second term, those that voted for Mitt Romney have had time to mourn their candidate's failed attempt to become president and get back to business as usual. Whatever business as usual may mean, it is become obvious that many do not want that and have had enough of how the government is handling things. This has become clear on the White House website as many states across the country have filed petitions to secede from the union in order to form new state governments.
Most of the states that wanted to formally withdraw from the union were supporters for Mitt Romney's election bid; however, a few swing states as well as some deep blue Northeast states have representation. Alabama, one of the states seeking to secede, filed their petition saying, "We petition the Obama Administration to peacefully grant the State of Alabama to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own new government." Texas sent in their petition, which it suggests to the current administration, "Texans neither want or need you," says: "We petition the Obama Administration to peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.
The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government."
While Alabama and Texas may have used different wording in their secede petitions, the following text is consistent in most of the states filed so far: As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." "…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…"
According to the "We the People" program that appears on the White House website, 25,000 signatures must be present in order for a petition to be reviewed. Obama's administration explains that, "If a petition meets the signature threshold, it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response." With that said, Texas Secession Petition has over 90,025 and Louisiana has over 27,000 signatures. In looking at the petitions filed so far, it is unclear if this is a nod to dissatisfaction that some conservatives think the totals will soon match proportions of the Civil War, or not. One thing that is clear is the utter contempt that many obviously feel towards the Obama administration with this petition drive, which looks like it is on its' way to reach all fifty states.
All the states that have petitioned and the number of signatures they have obtained, at this time, are:
1. West Virginia 282
2. Nebraska 933
3. Pennsylvania 1,449; Pennsylvania 6,881
4. Alaska 1,963 Kansas 1,928
5. South Dakota 755
6. Oklahoma 2,721; Oklahoma 10,135
7. Utah 3,358
8. Wyoming 3.345
9. California 4,666
10. Ohio 4,471, Ohio 770
11. New York 3,497; New York 10,672
12. Delaware 4,034
13. Nevada 5,372
14. Arizona 10,449
15. Arkansas 13,329
16. South Carolina 14,001
17. Georgia 18,008
18. Missouri 11,347 Missouri 9,604
19. Tennessee 17,522
20. Michigan 12,119
21. South Carolina 10,433
22. Colorado 13,248
23. Oregon 9,741
24. New Jersey 9,157
25. North Dakota 8,309
26. Montana 9,253
27. Indiana 12,051
28. Mississippi 11,597
29. Georgia 9,019
30. Kentucky 11,589
31. Florida 19,183
32. North Carolina 16,845
33. Texas 90,025
34. Louisiana 27,067
U.S. Secession Petitions Now Collecting Signatures in 34 States
The sting of President Obama's re-election has driven some of most disillusioned to the White House's We the People petition forum with a steep demand: That their state be allowed to secede from the union. And the mini movement is now going national.
Disgruntled voters in 34 states have filed the petitions, mainly in states Obama lost but also in several he won, including Florida and Nevada.
But it's the petition from Texas that has garnered the most attention: With 60,000 names attached, it's well past the 25,000-signature threshold that usually warrants an official response from the Obama administration. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has weighed in, saying he doesn't support the petition, even though he erroneously suggested in 2009 that Texas can leave the union if it chooses.
Not to be outdone, Obama supporters filed a counter petition with We the People, calling for secession supporters to be exiled from the United States.


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Little Black Jewish Boy
A little black Jewish boy says to his daddy, "Dad am I more black or Jewish?"
"Why do you ask?", says the Dad.
The boy says, "Well a guy at school has a bike for sale for $150 and I can't decide if I want to haggle him down to $100 or just steal it."
Q: What did the boy with no hands get for Christmas?
A: GLOVES! Nah, just kidding… He still hasn't unwrapped his present.
Bulgarian Train Driver
He loved his job. Driving a train had been his dream ever since he was a child. He loved to make the train go as fast as possible. Unfortunately, one day he was a little too reckless and caused a crash. He made it out, but a single person died. Well, needless to say, he went to court over this incident. He was found guilty, and was sentenced to death by electrocution. When the day of the execution came, he requested a single banana as his last meal. After eating the banana, he was strapped into the electric chair. The switch was flown, sparks flew, and smoke filled the air – but nothing happened. The man was perfectly fine.
Well, at the time, there was an old Bulgarian law that said a failed execution was a sign of divine intervention, so the man was allowed to go free. Somehow, he managed to get his old job back driving the train. Having not learned his lesson at all, he went right back to driving the train with reckless abandon. Once again, he caused a train to crash, this time killing two people. The trial went much the same as the first, resulting in a sentence of execution. For his final meal, the man requested two bananas. After eating the bananas, he was strapped into the electric chair. The switch was thrown, sparks flew, smoke filled the room – and the man was once again unharmed.
Well, this of course meant that he was free to go. And once again, he somehow managed to get his old job back. To what should have been the surprise of no one, he crashed yet another train and killed three people. And so he once again found himself being sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, he requested his final meal: three bananas.
"You know what? No," said the executioner. "I've had it with you and your stupid bananas and walking out of here unharmed. I'm not giving you a thing to eat; we're strapping you in and doing this now." Well, it was against protocol, but the man was strapped in to the electric chair without a last meal. The switch was pulled, sparks flew, smoke filled the room – and the man was still unharmed. The executioner was speechless.
The man looked at the executioner and said, "Oh, the bananas had nothing to do with it. I'm just a bad conductor."
Morman And An Irishman
A Mormon was seated next to an Irishman on a flight from London to the US.
After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken. The Irishman asked for a whiskey, which was promptly brought and placed before him.
The flight attendant then asked the Mormon if he would like a drink. He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by a dozen whores than let liquor touch my lips."
The Irishman then handed his drink back to the attendant and said, "Me, too, I didn't know we had a choice."
Romanian, Jew, and Somali
A Romanian, a Jew and a Somali under a tree.
A caterpillar gets on the Romanian's shoulder. The Romanian throws the caterpillar at the Jew, the Jew throws the caterpillar at the Somali, the Somali picks up the caterpillar and eats it.
Another caterpillar gets on the Romanian, the Romanian throws it at the Jew, the Jew picks it up, and asks the Somali: "Do you want to buy a caterpillar?"
Q: What happens when a Jew with an erection runs into a wall?
A: He breaks his nose.
Q: Whats a Jews worst dilemma?
A: Free ham.
Inter-Species Encounters
Two hippies take a hike up to the mountains. They reach the top, and as they look across the beauty of the land, they notice that nearby there are two aliens. Shocked, the couple didn't know how to respond. The aliens alerted to the intruders, looked directly at them, and signaled they had no intentions of harming the couple.
After some discussion, the aliens, and the hippies decided to swap partners to find out what sex would be like. The female hippie walks off with the male alien, and the male alien drops his pants. She looks down and sees the smallest penis she had ever seen in her life. She burst out laughing in his face, until the male alien explained. "Punch me in the face to make it as long as you can handle, and pull my ears to make it wider." So she punches him a few times, then yanks his ears a couple of times. After all that foreplay, she discovers that was the best sex she has ever had in her life.
They go back to meet up with the male hippie, and the female alien, and the male hippie looks worn out.
"So how was it for you?" He asks. Hesitant to speak the truth, she responds: " It wasn't so bad, how about for you?"
"I have the worst fucking headache of my life, and my ears are on fire, can we just go home already?!"
"Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. "Yes" is the answer."
"We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public."


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Teachers to strike in March
Schools in England and Wales will take part in strike action over pay, pensions and conditions, the National Union of Teachers has announced.
The NUT has confirmed that members would walk out on March 26 as part of a long-running row over pay, pensions and working conditions.
Leaders of the National Union of Teachers called the action after accusing Education Secretary, Michael Gove, of "persistent refusals" to address their complaints.
The strike threatens to close or partially shut every state schools in England Wales if the NASUWT joins the action, because the two unions collectively represent some nine-in-10 teachers.
The dispute centres on the introduction of a new performance-related pay structure and tougher pension package.
In a statement, NUT General Secretary Christine Blower said: "The NUT and NASUWT met with government officials in October - now over 17 weeks ago.
"Reassurances were given that Michael Gove would talk about a wide range of matters on implementation of pay and pensions and the direction of travel and implementation on conditions.
"Subsequently, the education secretary has put obstacle after obstacle in the way of talks, showing no serious attempt to resolve - or even to discuss - the matters in dispute.
"We on the other hand have made every effort. We cancelled the strike planned for November and postponed action in February. We have indicated we will meet with Michael Gove anywhere, any time to seek to resolve the disputes in the interest of the education service."
A Department for Education spokesman said: "Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is pressing ahead with strikes over the government's measures to let heads pay good teachers more.
"They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and those talks will begin shortly.
"Despite this constructive engagement with their concerns, the NUT is nevertheless taking strike action that will disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession."
- i-wigt - what is good teaching?
- wigl – what is good leadership?
- project-based learning resources
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- vulnerable children
- digital learning
- leadership briefing
- manager's briefcase
- school business


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Continue around until you are finished.
Always press away from the center square.
Almost done.
Finally, a 12 1/2 inch Courthouse Steps block
This pattern can be used for personal use only and can not be used commercially without the owner's permission. No copies may be made without the owner's permission. This includes the patterns as well as any graphics and/or instructions that are associated with a pattern.
Posted October 31, 2010


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St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert advises that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 32 complaints and reports the following arrests:
Jeremy W. McAdams, 33, 11034 Long Leaf Street, Collinsville, MS was arrested on April 20, 2017 at 6:05 am for disturbing the peace (intoxicated). A deputy responded to a report of an unresponsive subject lying in the parking lot of a business on Duhon Boulevard in Amelia. The deputy located the subject, attempted to communicate with him, and smelled the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and body. The deputy identified the subject as McAdams. Acadian Ambulance Services transported McAdams to Teche Regional Medical Center. According to Morgan City Police Officers, they received information that McAdams became combative towards EMT's while en route to the hospital. McAdams refused treatment and was released from the medical facility. Following the investigation, the deputy took McAdams into custody on the above listed charge. Before booking, McAdams was transported to Franklin Foundation Hospital for evaluation where he refused medical treatment a second time. McAdams was booked into the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. McAdams was released on a $1,000 bond.
John Navarre, 38, 119 Henning Road, Scott, LA was arrested on April 20, 2017 at 6:42 am for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and reckless operation. A deputy responded to a complaint of a reckless driver on US Highway 90 in the Patterson area. The deputy located the suspect vehicle that had been stopped by a Patterson Police Officer and identified the suspect driver as Naverre. The deputy spoke with multiple witnesses who gave accounts that Naverre was traveling at a high rate of speed, struck orange traffic cones in the construction area, and served off the roadway into a grassy area before re-entering the highway. While speaking with Naverre, the deputy observed several signs of impairment. Naverre was swaying back and forth, had difficulty keeping his balance, and was slurring his words as he spoke. Through investigation, the deputy found evidence that Navarre got behind the wheel of the pick-up truck after taking prescribed medication that has a label warning against driving under certain side effects of the drug. The deputy administered a standardized field sobriety test. Navarre conducted the test poorly. He was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Navarre was released on a $3,000 bond.
Victor Mendoza Galindo, 32, 13568 Goodwood Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA was arrested on April 20, 2017 at 9:05 pm for the following offenses:
A deputy observed a vehicle traveling with no working tail lights on Highway 182 in Morgan City and conducted a traffic stop. The deputy spoke with the driver and identified him as Galindo. The deputy found that he was driving the SUV without a license, insurance, or registration. Galindo was released on a summons to appear in court on July 10, 2017.
NOTE: The following arrest was made on April 19, 2017.
Ryan J. Arceneaux, 46, 219 Teurlings Drive, Lafayette, LA was arrested on April 19, 2017 at 12:50 pm on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of theft of crab traps and use of gear without a recreational gear license. During booking at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center, a correctional officer located the active warrant for Arceneaux's arrest. Arceneaux was released on a $1,000 bond.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert advises that the Narcotics Section made the following arrests:
Christopher Adams, 42, 2602 Clines Lane Lot #10, Amelia, LA was arrested on April 20, 2017 at 7:15 pm for possession of Schedule I (marijuana) and possession of Schedule II (methamphetamine). A detective with the St. Mary Parish Narcotics Section investigating suspected illegal drug activity in Amelia encountered Adams on Clines Lane. The detective smelled the odor of marijuana coming from Adams' body. While speaking with him, the detective learned that Adams had marijuana on his person. Adams turned the illegal substance over to the detective. During a search of Adams, the detective also located 2 bags containing methamphetamine. Adams was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set.
Contact Information:
Traci Landry
Detective Lieutenant
St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office
Public Information Office


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Chestnut Hill Hospital: 215-248-8200
Main Menu
Laboratory Services | Chestnut Hill Hospital | Philadelphia, PA
Home > Services > Laboratory Services
The Chestnut Hill Hospital laboratory is located on the ground floor of the hospital near outpatient registration. Park in the garage and follow the signs to outpatient registration. You will register there and be directed to the laboratory.
Hours: Monday - Friday - 7 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Saturday - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
For more information, please call: (215) 248-8480


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Action sequences are a crucial element of The Ice Star, as are car chases.
I devour Jason Bourne movies – not necessarily for the plot as, by now, they are quite logical/predictable, but for the car chase set piece that occurs at least once in each movie. The Ice Star takes the classic car chase and puts it on ice, literally.
When I lived in Greenland, I travelled on the ice in various ways – by dog sledge, on foot, by snowmobile, and in taxis. I also flew regularly over the ice in a helicopter. Naturally, each of these elements of travelling across the sea ice – preferably at speed – had to be worked into the plot. I am pleased to say that The Ice Star has its fair share of chase sequences, on the ice, including all kinds of vehicles and engines – including the furry kind.
The Ice Star is available for pre-order from Amazon at a reduced price. Spoiler(ish) alert – there's more than one chase scene in The Ice Star.


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HA NOI (VNS) — An average of more than 50 workers died a month in labour accidents across the country last year, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).
The ministry released several figures on labour accidents at a press conference in Ha Noi on Tuesday.
It said that a compilation of reports from 63 cities and provinces show 6,941 workers were involved in 6,709 labour accidents that took place in 2014. About 9 per cent of the workers, or 630 people, died in the accidents.
The highest number of labour accidents (1,462) as well as deaths (100) took place in the southern province of Dong Nai.
Ha Tat Thang, who heads MoLISA's Work Safety Bureau, said employers were mainly responsible for the workplace fatalities, failing to take adequate safety measures including the provision of protective-equipment to workers.
"Investigations into work-related deaths show that employers did not offer proper training on workplace safety to the workers or equip them with proper personal protection gear," Thang said.
The reports indicate that 72.7 per cent of work-related deaths were caused by the negligence of the employers, he added.
Meanwhile, statistics compiled by the Fire Prevention and Fighting Department show that 90 people were killed in 2,357 fires last year, and the damage was estimated at VND1.3 trillion (US$62.8 million).
The fires broke out at manufacturing facilities and business stores, and the damage was exacerbated by late alarms and the lack of prevention measures at the accident sites, the department said.
It was announced at the press conference that the 17th National Labour Safety and Fire Precaution Week will be held from March 15-21 to raise public awareness on the issue, especially among employers.
The event's opening ceremony will be held at the Dong Xuyen Industrial Park in the coastal city of Vung Tau, officials said. — VNS
High-quality education ecosystem contributes to improving the quality of human resources for Viet Nam


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Contracting gonorrhea allowed me to overcome the shame in sex
One writer recounts his experience and how it transformed him.|
I tracked my morning wood for a week and was surprised at what I learned
How's your nocturnal penile tumescence?|
I am part of rape culture.
One man realizes something very important|
What it's like to have erectile dysfunction as a teen
We need to have this conversation.|
I'm a transgender guy and sex education is failing me.
"What is it like to sit in a room and hear my anatomy referred to as 'female' seven times in a row? "|
We need to talk about sexually transmitted infections.
"Those under 25 account for more than 50% of STIs in the U.S." 😳|


text:
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Advanced Canine Reproduction and Puppy Care ebook
Availability: 98
What is it about? Myra Savant Harris, through her books, seminars, and active participation in online forums and lists, is a one woman support system for hundreds of breeders everywhere. Building upon the success of her previously published Puppy Intensive Care and Canine Reproduction and Whelping, Myra's latest book—based on her popular seminar of the same name—explores a number of additional issues and questions in her own unique style. Readers will gain new insights and learn valuable techniques based on Myra's many years of breeding and whelping puppies and more than 20 years of labour and delivery and neonatal nursing.
Learn more about
• The "Dog Room" and how it represents a milestone for the new breeder.
• How something as simple as adequate sunlight can improve your breeding results.
• Myra's perspective on why the number of C-sections are going up and how they can be avoided.
• What fetal monitoring can and can't tell you and your vet.
• Indispensable tools and products such as Fenugreek, Delee Suction Catheters and Myra's handmade puppy formula.
More about Myra- Myra is a breeder of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and author of the highly regarded Puppy Intensive Care: A Breeder's Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies book/DVD and Canine Reproduction and Whelping. Myra combines her life long interest in animals with her professional experience as a labour and delivery and neonatal care nurse to bring you this information. In addition to continuing work as an R.N, she gives seminars around the country on her methods.
When was it published? 2011
Who published it? Dogwise Publishing (USA)
Illustrations- Black and white photographs
More books by this author- Puppy Intensive Care Canine Reproduction and Whelping
Other books you might enjoy-
In my top 3 favourites for repro books.
Reviewer: Diane Richardson
This book is a recent purchase by me and it has immediately joined my other favorite two canine reproduction books, so now I have 3 favorites!
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Publication date: 05/05/2017
MDxHealth, SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR), today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences / School for Oncology and Developmental Biology (GROW) at Maastricht University to expand its existing research collaboration to develop commercial next generation (epi)genetic cancer diagnostics.
Under the terms of the multi-year R&D agreement, the collaboration will focus on developing (epi)genetic-based assays to provide better insight in the diagnosis, staging and treatment of cancer patients. For these next generation assays, the focus will be on sample in and result out based platforms. This technology would also be applied to MDxHealth's current and upcoming liquid biopsy tests including SelectMDx(TM) for Prostate Cancer.
"GROW at Maastricht University are true visionaries and we are fortunate to have such a long-standing and collaborative relationship," said Dr. Jan Groen, CEO of MDxHealth. "The development of next generation liquid biopsy diagnostics for oncology will be game-changing and help physicians manage their patients faster and more effectively."
"As a thought-leader in epigenetics, MDxHealth is the ideal partner to collaborate on next generation (epi)genetic diagnostics," said Prof. Dr. Manon van Engeland, Professor of Pathobiology of Cancer and Scientific Vice-Director of GROW. "MDxHealth's expanding portfolio of liquid biopsy tests are ideal to run on the assays we're in the process of developing."
"We are delighted that MDxHealth is joining our science business community at the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus," said Jan Cobbenhagen, CEO of the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus. "MDxHealth fits perfectly in our thriving ecosystem of startups, SMEs, multinationals and renowned knowledge institutions.''
GROW is the School for Oncology and Developmental Biology at the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), The Netherlands, and accredited by the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). GROW focuses on research and teaching of (epi)genetic and cellular concepts, as well as (micro)environmental factors underlying normal and abnormal development. With a strong emphasis on translational research, scientists and clinicians within GROW aim at implementing basic knowledge into innovative approaches for individualizing prevention, patient diagnostics and treatment of cancer. More information about GROW is available at http://www.grow-um.nl.
MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/mdxhealth.
About Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus MDxHealth
Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus brings together brilliant scientists and opportunity-driven entrepreneurs to create one of Europe's most prominent ecosystems for Life Science and Health. The campus is home to scientific and clinical institutions like the Maastricht University Medical Center, the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences of Maastricht University, and the Maastro Clinic for Radiation Therapy. Furthermore, it harbors over 70 start-up companies and SMEs, as well as renowned multinationals like Bayer Healthcare, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic. Focus areas include, amongst others, Regenerative Medicine, Precision Medicine, and Innovative Diagnostics. For more information, visit https://www.brightlands.com.


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Today is Columbus Day here in the United States as well as Thanksgiving for our Canadian neighbors. And while my northern friends are eating holiday-themed tasty treats, we Columbus Day celebrators will be eating the same-old same-old, I suppose. Although, perhaps we US folk should be eating crow today. Because so many years of history instruction missed a tiny-little detail: Columbus didn't discover an empty continent way back on October 12, 1492. He discovered a continent filled with many treasures and potential boons to the coffers of Spain's Ferdinand and Isabella. Oh, and he discovered the people who lived, worked, and called the "new world" something a bit more simple: home. And all those treasures and coffer-filling things? They belonged not to Columbus in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella. Today, we would call Columbus's expedition "trespassing" and his collection of gold and other things "stealing". How we look at history and truth has changed.
Am I saying all these years later we need to make atonement for what was done to the indigenous peoples? Well, it would be nice but it is an impossibility. However, we could stop teaching our history in such a flawed manner. Or, we could at least acknowledge that our history books show only our perspective on the matter. In other words, the preserved history is that of the winner. What the next generation learns is told through the perspective of the ones left standing long enough to tell their story. It is their version of the truth that becomes historical fact.
When I was a child I never questioned what I was taught about history. I just knew that I found it fascinating. It was still the time of encyclopedias and dictionaries filled with book dust that tickled my nose. The stack of National Geographics stored in the attic? Literally years were spent thumbing through the pictures of people from far away places, each time noticing something different. Sometimes I noticed how we were different. But sometimes I noticed how we were alike. As a farm kid with long, cold winters and a 10″ black and white television, I learned to piece together stories from those books and magazines, and in doing so I pieced together my world.
Years later I was in high school with a thought-provoking history teacher. His name was Jim Deardorff and I loved him and his brown suit coats and moments where he would interrupt his lecture to swill more Mylanta from his bottom desk drawer. On the first day of class my junior year, Mr. Deardorff handed out the US History textbook. After calling our names and noting our book numbers, he said, "You are responsible for this text book. I don't care what you do with it. You can even read it for all I care. Just be sure you turn in THAT book on the last day of class." And then he went on to lecture via miles of over-head projector film and files pulled from the 5-drawer filing cabinets that lined the walls of his classroom.
To say he made history fun for me is an understatement. However, my life changed the day he responded to one of my classmate's questioning of Mr. Deardorff's lecture.
"Truth? You want the truth? Well, you can't have it. Not in some easy little story. Finding the truth takes time and effort!" By then he was excited or agitated or frustrated by years spent trying to teach students to think for themselves. He ran over and yanked open a file drawer and pulled out several inches of file folders.
"The truth is in here!" he shouted and let the files spill across the projector. There must have been over a hundred newspaper clippings fluttering to the ground. "The New York Times, Mother Earth, The Wall Street Journal, local papers! They all have just a tiny bit of the truth!" He paused and took a deep breath while he ran his hand over his bearded face.
"If you want to know the truth, you must learn to look for it through the many eyes that saw it. No one account tells more than part of the truth."
That year I became a questioner of facts, a collector of stories, a witness of people's lenses through which they see their truth.
Years later I lived in Wales. It was 1989 and there were many "Troubles" happening around the globe and not only in the Celtic world. One night we gathered in the common room at Trinity and watched the news of the latest clash between the Protestant Unionists and the Catholic Nationalists across the Irish Sea. There had been yet another bombing in Dublin and the news was filled with burning cars and bloodied bodies. A member of the Sinn Fein was speaking to reporters and the BBC ran a translation of his prepared statement. Sitting there, one of a handful of American students in a room filled with mostly Welsh students, we read what the Sinn Fein said about the bombing. And then a voice broke out, bitter and lyrical. It was one of the Irish students who shouted, "That's not what he's saying at all!" and then he began translating for us. The BBC was not lying to the people, but it was not translating the Sinn Fein quite like how my classmate did. In other words, both parties shared their version of the truth – two sides to the same story.
When I returned home to the the US, I shared many stories including that one with my extended family. I had been attacked by a British man for being an American. While backpacking through Europe, I found no accommodations for Americans but plenty for my Vancouver BC friends. I talked about reading of the US invasion of Panama and of holding a piece of the Berlin Wall. I told stories of trying to explain what it is like to live in a nation as huge and diverse as the US; of how the actions of our government often bear no reflection of the majority's wishes. I had explained to my classmates that, no, I did not live in a home like that on the tv program, "Dallas." I spoke of not traveling to Rome because it was too dangerous for US students at the time. I told of being thankful for seeing the patchwork of US farmland below my airplane. I said it had been both the best experience of my life as well as the worst because I learned to look more clearly at myself and the world. I had learned to look past passports and languages and to see what we all have in common rather that what separates us.
One family member told me I had been "brainwashed" by living in the United Kingdom that year. That I had forgotten what it meant to be a real American and now I was brainwashed into believing all these crazy ideas.
My response? "I wasn't brainwashed. I was educated. I learned that the truth is not always what it seems."


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(CNN) – Notorious anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist said Democrats who've blamed him for the super committee's bipartisan budget gridlock are simply lying.
The president of Americans for Tax Reform encouraged Republican members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to sign a pledge that binds them to resist raising taxes as they work to find $1.2 trillion dollars in deficit-cutting measures by Wednesday, but on CNN's "American Morning," he said the pledge was between the country and its congressmen, and not with him.
Programming note: GOP presidential candidates face off at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, November 22, in the CNN Republican National Security Debate in Washington, D.C.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray called Norquist out Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" saying his name came up too often during super committee negotiations.
"As long as we have some Republican lawmakers who feel more enthralled with a pledge they took to a Republican lobbyist than they do to a pledge to the country to solve the problems, this is going to be hard to do," she said.
Norquist fired back Monday.
"The senator is not telling the truth," he argued.
"For the congressmen and senators who signed the taxpayer protection pledge, they and the American people know the pledge is from them to the voters of their district and their state."
And although he admitted, "they have tried to say I'm the reason Republicans won't raise taxes, that's not nonsense," Norquist directed blame back at Democrats saying, "The Democrats want higher taxes. That's off the table."
"It's been off the table for a year," he continued. "The Democrats are a little hard of hearing."
Defending his role in promoting the pledge, first signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, Norquist insisted again, "The pledge that congressmen and senators make is not to me despite what Reid and other Democrats pretend. When they say that, let's use the kind word. It's not true. It's a lie."
Doesn't matter. Because of Grover (does he have a nephew named Elmo Norquist), the Bush era tax cuts for everyone are gone after next year. They won't allow the cuts to remain for the poor and middle class unless the wealthy continue to get the breaks. It's fine. i'm not wild about paying higher taxes, but the country can't afford these cuts to continue. When they were enacted initially they were not funded. The same for our two wars of conquest....
Spending cuts now, whether agreed on or automatic, are going to destroy a lot of jobs and threaten national security.
$15 trillion of debt will do the same thing, except much worse and for a far greater period of time.
No matter whos behind it the people in D.C. will continue to butt heads and not agree on anything. They take risk with our lives to try and get relected. They dont care about us never have never will. If either side thinks they do the your all fools.
There should be a law, the only pledge a federal pol can take is their oath of office.
Everyone is now seeing the heart of the problem. Norquist is financed by Coal money (kochs), Pfizer, Philip Morris (tobacco), and Microsoft. Through him, corporations have direct say in who is elected and how they vote. He is a puppet of the large corporations, and he loves the power that comes with it. Even the Supreme court has given him power. He is nothing but a lobbyist out of control. A disease. Glad you Americans are catching on.
It should be a crime for a lobbiest to have this much influence on our elected leaders. Vote out the corrupt cretins in his pocket.
Liar and traitor.
Wow, almost no posters question the out of control spending by Congress and our Presidents. Raising taxes won't fix the problem. Just bringing the government spending back down to 2008 levels would be a cut of $900 Billion Dollars in the budget. That alone would almost balance the budget. Cutting spending should be a bigger priority than raising revenue.
I am a conservative who does not want to see taxes raised without very significant spending cuts. The fact is that the taxes that you liberals want on the rich will make a very small dent in our deficity. Maybe $100 billion a year against a deficity of $1.5 Trillion. Sometimes I think we should raise the taxes to get this issue off the table... and then see what the free spending party proposes to do about the remaining $1.4 trillion in annual deficits. People, it is time to start dealing with facts, not partisan fiction.
This guy needs to get out of politics. He's a lobbyist pure and simple, and our Representatives should not be listening to him over anyone else. It should be treason.
I can't believe he went with the "Liar, Liar pants on fire!" defense... What a pathetic man.
The quotes in this article make me shake my head. They are dishonest and condescending. To take your own personal views which are shared with a minority percentage of the American people and project them onto the entire population is a bold faced lie and it only hurts his cause to treat everyone with such contempt.
Hopefully the politicians can find a little backbone and relegate him to the dustbin so we can start solving our mounting problems through honesty, reason, and compromise.
Howard, you can't change everything through legislation, of course, but you can make life a bit easier, or a bit harder for the worst or best off among us through legislation.
Are there any reasonable Republicans left? Please save our country by taking your party back from these aweful money loving people who have hijaacked it. A complete failure of the republican party in 2012 elections will help the people loving and more balanced members of the party gain control of the party.
This guy is really adamant about not paying his fair share of the taxes. He probably doesn't pay any taxes, and he certainly isn't going to start. What a life of luxury and means he's lived, but then again, who hasn't?
look, the problem with congress is the corrupt influence of outsider "big money" groups who pay to get the pols elected....until that big money influence is removed, congress will never be able to act in the best interest of americans, it can only act in the best interests of the big money donors! thats really just common sense, and no honest person can disagree..
there are 3 simple (not easy) steps to return integrity to congress :
1) campaign funding reform – public financing ONLY
2) term limits – NOBODY get more than 8 years in dc, no exceptions
3) congressmen prohibited from working for lobbyists – MUST cut the corrupt ties
well, thats about it. those 3 simple steps will enable congress to work for americans once again
The American people, at mid-term elections, ousted a lot of Democratic House seats, and some in the Senate, to send a clear message to Washington that we are not satisfied with the whole of Congress' behavior in working toward a clear path to save our economy, jobs, housing, health care, what have you. I ask the American people to remember that with this upcoming Presidential election, that more Senate and Houese seats will be up for grabs. Please, please, I think we should oust those members of Congress who have been sitting in their seats for so long that they became complacent and put party first instead of the American peole's needs first. Put fresh new faces in the House and Senate because new blood brings new ideas and inspiration. Bottom line: THROW THE BUMS OUT.
THe worst part is that the vast MAJORITY of the country knows that there must be revenue increases AND that the Pols in DC have been legislating for the rich for quite some time now. Nobody voted for this Puke and the GOP needs to listen to the majority or it is going to cost them!
The Republican party has sold out the country to save a few bucks for the 1%. I always considered myself an independent but not anymore. If you are an everyday working guy the Republicans are whispering sweet nothing in your ear while they're sticking it to you.
Democrats always lie. Out of the top ten richest congressmen, 7 are democrats. So much for their empathy with the common man!
THe worst part is that the vast MAJORITY of the country knows that there must be revenue increases AND that the Pols in DC have been legislating for the rich for quite some time now. Nobody voted for this guy and the GOP needs to listen to the majority or it is going to cost them!
Obama created the most divided country in our history since the civil war. Unilateral push thru legislation his first two years as his super-majority in house/senate brought huge debt to our country. The country reacted and brought the republicans back (tea party) and now we have gridlock. No surprise. You can only blame Bush for so long. Poor poor childish leadership from the Chicago machine.
Grover Norquist is the liar. The people who will lose the most with a tax hike are the wealthiest of Americans, they are the supporters of Norquist and not the other 99% of us.
The way around Norquist is to just let the Bush tax credits expire.
I hope Obama has the guts to do that this time.
You people on here sound really stupid taking up for this jerk. How do you think these people got rich? Off the backs of the working poor and now they want to throw them under the bus. Their motto is I have mine now you need to figure out a way to get yours after they have used and abused people to line their pockets.
Grover Norquist has stated in the past that his goal is nothing short of seeing the United State's government become bankrupt. It seems he's well on his way to helping accomplish just that.


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While you were outside enjoying the beautiful springtime weather in Denver this last weekend, people from around the country were showing off their pussies.
That's right. Hundreds of cat owners and breeders gathered for the Springtime in the Rockies all-breed cat show in Denver. The two-day show, at the National Western Complex on Humboldt Street, played host to over 140 different cats, including hairless Sphynx cats that looked exactly like Mrs. Whiskerson, Rachel's naked cat in Friends, and other, hairier cats, like the Exotic breed.
For those who have never been to a cat show, the best way to imagine one is like this: picture the movie "Best in Show" -- only without the prancing around, without the dogs and without Parkey Posey's awesome braces. But with all of the nuances of a major subculture few people are aware of. At the Springtime in the Rockies cat show, the owners and breeders are just as interesting as the cats they raise and train either in their homes or at catteries, places where cats are bred for competition.
Take, for example, Joann White. White has been handling cats for over 50 years, and she spends most of her weekends traveling the country to various cat shows with the Chiang-Lee/Ranchapur & Judo Catteries. One of her cats, a two-year-old Cornish Rex named Far Out, is the second highest scoring Cornish Rex in the country.
"I try to breed or find a top quality cat, then I travel with it to the different shows," White says about her competitive process. "When I started handling cats, all it took was working with one winning cat and the rest is history."
But it's not just about the competition itself, White says. It's about the community at the different cat shows.
"You have your friends, but you come here and you know everyone from other shows," she says. "We know each other. We help each other. It's a big group of people."
Like Trekkies at a Star Trek convention, these cat trainers, breeders, owners and fans are in a league all their own, a mecca of all things feline. As an outsider, a person may not appreciate the time and effort that goes in to a competition of this magnitude. "More people need to know about cat shows," says Karen Cannon, a professional illustrator who was selling her cat art at the Springtime in the Rockies show. Cannon, whose work is available for sale at www.thatsmycat.net, creates personalized art of your cat. And who wouldn't want a large, framed painting of their pussy?
So many spectators may think that a cat show is only a matter of packing the cat's bags and traveling to the next show, or venerating a moving ball of fur. It's much more than that. The competitive cat lifestyle is not just about the day-of show or the traveling, it's about the months and months of preparation. It's about the behind-the-scenes work. It's about the love of the kitty.
And it's about the judges, who are treated like gods among men in the competitive cat arena. Besides the felines, they are the reason for the cat shows in the first place, not to mention the cat show industry at large -- they are paid up to a $1.60 per cat they judge. The Cat Fanciers' Association website puts it best:
Each show is presided over by a different judge, who presents his or her own awards independent of the decisions of other judges. Hence, a cat which is chosen Best in Show by the judge in Ring 1 may not always be given the same award by the judge in Ring 2. Every cat entered in the show is evaluated by each judge, and judged according to a written standard for its breed (with the exception of the Household Pet Class, for which there is no written standard). The standard is part blueprint because it describes the ideal specimen for the breed, and part constitution because it can be revised by the members of the breed council.
In the ten-ring format, the Springtime in the Rockies cat show has ten distinct shows in which ten judges pick their favorites. Kittens, spays, neuters and household cats -- non-pedigree cats, or cats that are mixed breed -- compete in their own categories.
For show grand champion Meow Acres Morning, aka Funny Face -- a three-year-old Sphynx cat -- a cat show is more about the individualized attention than anything else. Whether from the judges or from his handler, Funny Face loves the attention. He also loves all of the necessary pampering he receives from his handler, Kelly Thompson, before competition. For the Springtime in the Rockies show, Thompson gave Funny Face one bath per day in the four days building up to the show.
"Because grease builds up on his skin, there's a lot of grooming, bathing and cleaning, especially behind the ears," Thompson says.
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Gatherings like this are all about the cats, yes. But they aren't all about only the competition. You can enjoy the spectacle of a cat being judged or you can simply walk around to look at the different cats in their traveling cages, which end up being decorated -- some extensively -- to reflect the kitty's personality. You don't need to be a cat lover to appreciate the subculture, but you better hope you're not allergic.
Attending the Springtime in the Rockies cat show is an experience unlike any other. With a subculture unlike any other. It's no coincidence that the cat was named America's no. 1 pet in 2011, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Parker Posey, eat your heart out.
Photos by Cory Lamz


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Finlay MacDonald, former editor of the New Zealand Listener, uses his Sunday Star Times column to cast a few stones at carbon trading. He's sceptical about business "going green
Category: Climate politics
Polar opposites
Interesting reading: on the one hand, Christopher, Lord Monckton, Britain's most famous climate crank, is exposed as, well, something of a crank in a profile in The Observer, while James Lovelock comes on a bit strong in the Times Online.
'Well,' he says, breezily, 'for a few years, the temperature will continue to rise, but nowhere near as fast as the alarmists would wish it to rise. Then solar physicists suggest that in the next solar cycle but one, and a solar cycle is about 10.6 years, there will be a considerable cooling of the Sun. And the panic will disappear.' Hey presto.
If you want to get some idea of what much of the Earth might look like in 50 years' time then, says James Lovelock, get hold of a powerful telescope or log onto Nasa's Mars website. That arid, empty, lifeless landscape is, he believes, how most of Earth's equatorial lands will be looking by 2050. A few decades later and that same uninhabitable desert will have extended into Spain, Italy, Australia and much of the southern United States. "We are on the edge of the greatest die-off humanity has ever seen,� said Lovelock. "We will be lucky if 20% of us survive what is coming. We should be scared stiff.�
Meanwhile, Vanity Fair's now annual Green Issue includes an excellent profile of Myron Ebell, the man behind the Competitive Enterprise Institute's sceptical effluvia. Worth reading if only for the phrase:
Many of the skeptics are curmudgeons: old, bald, and bitter. But not Myron Ebell.
Old, bald and bitter. Who can they mean…?
NZ emissions increase
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.8% to 77.2m tonnes CO2e in 2005, mainly due to an increase in the proportion of thermal power generation in a dry year for hydro, according to the Ministry For The Environment. Details here, and NZ Herald story here.
The Herald points out the obvious:
In 2005 emissions were 24.7 per cent above the levels of 1990, and Treasury has estimated that at the end of February New Zealand's liability under Kyoto was $567 million. The National Party claims the figure is actually closer to $1.8 billion.
The figures don't (yet) include any information on how our carbon sinks performed, or any projection for the 2008-2012 Kyoto commitment period, when we either meet our target (100 percent of 1990 emissions) or buy credits. The government estimated in 2005 that we'll overshoot our target by 36.2m tonnes over the five years. With the current EU trading price at about $37 per tonne, the cost of covering those emissions would be $1.34bn. Not quite what National (and the Greens, to be fair) were suggesting, but still a lot more than the government is admitting to.
Landcorp lambasted
According to the NZ Herald, Landcorp, the country's biggest farmer and a state owned enterprise, has done nothing to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions and has not even begun considering how the problem might be addressed. [Link]
Reviewing the company's performance, Parliament's primary produce subcommittee were surprised to discover that the company had taken no steps to establish its own carbon footprint, or consider how it might go about reducing emissions. Landcorp has been enthusiastically felling trees in the central North Island – 25,000 ha of forest is planned for dairy and pastoral conversion over the next 20 years – turning carbon sinks into methane emitters. It apparently believes that the drive for any change has to come from its customers and consumers, but the shareholders have a say too. If Michael Cullen and Trevor Mallard (the shareholding ministers) are going to pay more than lip service to making NZ carbon neutral, they might want to have a word with their old friend and Landcorp chairman-designate, Jim Sutton. Perhaps they could send him the summary for policymakers from the IPCC's mitigation report when it comes out at the end of this week.


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The Best Guide to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort Switzerland
It is difficult not to be impressed with the picturesque Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort Switzerland and you can see why both royalty and some of the worlds elite choose to come here for their winter holidays. It contains luxurious 5-star hotels that look like palaces, hosts some of the most prestigious events as well as world-class skiing on over 350kms of ski slopes and an array of non-ski activities.
Table of Contents
- 1 The Best Guide to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort Switzerland
- 2 Visit the Olympia Bobsled & Cresta Run
- 3 Take a Tour and Whisky Tasting at Devil's Place
- 4 Resort Location & How to get there
- 5 Accommodation
- 6 Top Tips for the St Moritz Ski Resort
It is hard to believe that it has been 150 years since winter tourism was initiated in Engadin St Moritz Switzerland and it is still considered to be one of the worlds best all-round Ski resorts. As I got off the snow train from Davos I knew straight away that it was in a resort like no other, especially as my transfer was a BMW Sports car and another transfer vehicle at the train station was a Rolls Royce!
However, there was so much more to this beautiful winter resort and I could not wait to explore during my 4 days here.
About Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort
Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort is a fabulous place for both skiers and non-skiers with an endless list of activities and events during the winter period. From being a spectator at the ice cricket with some of the worlds best cricketers, watching the horse-racing on lake St Moritz or taking a Toboggan on Muottas Muragl mountain, you are really spoilt for choice.
Most of the skiing in Engadin St Moritz is divided across two main mountains with 4 Main Ski Areas and 5 other smaller areas that cover over 350kms of piste runs. Some of these areas are connected via lifts, while others you can get to via the local bus. It really depends on the area that you want to be in and what you are doing.[amazon_link asins='B077YGQ4G3,B00OCPT6AY,B078684D45,B00ICPHYCM' template='ProductCarousel' store='melbtravel-21′ marketplace='UK' link_id='09ae7794-0feb-11e8-85dd-45fbce5db574′]
I was supposed to do a Snow Safari with my guide John Webster, unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions the chairlifts and cable cars were closed down and my skiing was limited. We did, however, start off in the Corvatsch ski area until it was shut down due to the wind, then we headed over to the Corviglia mountain where both the St.Moritz Dorf-Chantarella & Chantarella-Corviglia trains were open.
Ski Runs & Pass
Engadin St Moritz Ski passes are really flexible, you can get a lift pass for the individual areas, as well as Full-day, half-day, morning / and afternoon passes. There are 4 Main Ski Areas Corvatsch / Diavolezza (Lagalb)/ Corviglia (Piz Nair) / Zuoz and 5 other smaller areas, Samedan / Pontresina (Languard)/ Maloja / La Punt / S-chanf
It really depends on your experience, comfort, budget or the activity that you may be doing.
Top Tip
- Children under the age of 6 years can travel free of charge when accompanied by an adult, depending on the area.
Overview of the St Moritz Ski Area
- 4 Main Ski Areas – Corvatsch / Diavolezza (Lagalb)/ Corviglia (Piz Nair) / Zuoz
- 5 other small special areas ( Samedan / Pontresina (Languard)/ Maloja / La Punt / S-chanf
- 57 lifts
- 82 ski slopes
- 350km (217 miles)
- Toboggan on Muottas Muragl Mountain
- 3 SnowParks – Geschlossen / Offen x 2
Visit the Olympia Bobsled & Cresta Run
It is not a trip to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort without visiting the world famous Olympic Bobsled track (or Cresta Run) that has staged events for two Olympic Winter Games. It is the oldest bobsleigh track in the world and the last remaining natural ice track in existence. The Cresta is the original and infamously men-only home of the skeleton. Women have not been allowed to compete on the Cresta course since 1929.
With speeds of up to 130km/h (80mph) and the centrifugal force of 4.5 G this looked like the ultimate adventure ride. If you are game enough and up for a 75-second adrenalin rush then you can take a guest ride on St. Moritz's bob track. You will go down the track in a four-man bob and sit in the middle with a professional pilot in front and brakeman at the back.
6 Top Tips for Saving Money for a Ski Weekend
I would have loved to have tried this but the Chinese women's team was training for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics at the time. I was in awe watching these ladies and impressed at how fast they went flying down the track. It must take a lot of courage to go head first down that track.
Additional Information
- Cost – CHF 250- per person
- Track Walks: – CHF 200.- (10-15 people) approx. 1 hour
- Free to watch from the start of the course
- Season: – Starts Mid December – Ends early March
- The minimum Age: – 18
Take a Tour and Whisky Tasting at Devil's Place
My tastes have definitely changed and refined as I have gotten older and one such thing I enjoy now is a good glass of whisky on ice. If you are a Whisky lover then Devil's Place, at the Waldhaus is the place you want to visit. With over 2,500 different kinds of whisky, it is the largest selection in the world and has gained a place in the 'Guinness Book of World Records'.
The hotel Waldhaus has recently built a new whisky display area too, so you can admire most of the collection while you enjoy a drink. If you are up for it, Devils Place also offers a variety of whisky tasting depending on your budget and tastes. They even have a 22,000 CHF bottle of Whisky on display.
Waldhaus Tasting
- Small (x4) 45 CHF
- Large (x5) 65 CHF
- Deluxe (x6) 90 CHF
Top Tip:
- See if you are able to go down to the whisky cellar which also houses some of this impressive collection
Resort Location & How to get there
The closest international airport to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort is Zurich International Airport, which is roughly around a 3-hour drive in good weather conditions.
There is a smaller airport Samedan Engadin Airport only 10 minutes drive to St Moritz. But it is only for private jets and helicopter transfers.
Top Tip
- Check with the airline that you are travelling with because some of them allow you to check your skis on the plane for free.
There are numerous ways of getting to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort like trains, private transfer, shared transfer or hire a car . But the best and most cost-effective way to get is via train. This should take you around 3 and half hours from the Zurich Aiport.
The standard Train as follows:
- Zurich Airport → Zurich Central Station → Chur (You change onto the Snowtrain)→ St Moritz
If you have ever caught a train in Switzerland you know that they are always on time and are efficient. And also, I personally think one of the prettiest train rides.
Top Tip
- You can keep track of the trains and platforms using the SBS train app
There is no question that Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort has some of the most prestigious luxury hotels in the world like Badrutts Palace Hotel and the famous Kulm Hotel. However, there is also a large variety of other types of accommodation that are available from chalets, apartments and even hostels. There is definitely something for everyone with any type of budget.
Hotel Nira Alpina
I stayed at the Hotel Nira Alpina a stunning ski-in and ski-out contemporary hotel, located at the foot of the Corvatsch mountain and adjacent to the Corvatsch cable car. With views of the Engadin Mountains, some would say it is in one of the best skiing locations in the Engadin.
I had a luxury modern room with floor-to-ceiling window that opened onto private corner balcony, I loved waking up in the morning and having the mountains as my backdrop. The hotel also had a spa that includes a sauna, a well-equipped gym, a bakery and 3 restaurants as well as a rooftop bar.
Their service was really great too and I loved coming back in the afternoon and having a relaxing drink at the rooftop bar with panoramic view over Lake Sivaplana and mountains. Whether you are skiing or enjoying a summer holiday hiking in the mountains, Hotel Nira Alpina Switzerland is a great place to stay.
Top Tip
- Children are only allowed in the spa area up to 5.30pm and then it is adults only.
- The hotel provides a kids club for children over 3 years
- Guests staying 2 nights or more get reduced ski passes directly at the hotel during the winter season.
Top Tips for the St Moritz Ski Resort
- You can take a train from Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort to Davos Ski Resort, which is only 1hr and 28minutes. If you wanted to spend a few days in each resort and basically having the best of both worlds. Skiing in two amazing Ski resorts.
- Check with your hotel to see if they are doing any deals with ski passes, as sometimes you can get a ski pass for half the price than if you buy it on the day.
- Have fondue at The hotel Waldhaus and take in the stunning views of Lake St Moritz
- A free shuttle bus provides links between Silvaplana, Surlej and Corvatsch. The Corvatsch ski area is linked to St. Moritz's Corviglia by a 2.5 miles ski run.
- Beware when booking a hotel, as the resort is divided into three separate villages which are spread out.
Thank you for reading this article 'The Best Guide to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort Switzerland', I hope it helped you to decide where to go for your next Ski Trip. Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort is truly a beautiful Swiss ski resort.
If you are interested in discovering other Swiss Ski Resorts then I also recommend Davos Ski Resort and Champery Ski Resort
Have you been to Engadin St Moritz Ski Resort before? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below.
Feeling adventurous, here are some of the other amazing activities you can book in St Moritz Ski Resort
Disclaimer: Even though I was working with the Switzerland Tourism UK and Engadin St Moritz Tourism office All views are my own and based on my own experience.
Check out some of my highlights in Engadin St Moritz ski resort, Switzerland


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The Tea Party is hardly original in American history. Over the decades, we've had all sorts of idealistic individuals and groups enter the fray like invading armies full of loyal soldiers ready to do battle with the enemy, armed with their ideas.
Ideals have a value in stating a vision or purpose, but when they're taken too seriously, they become rigid criteria used to measure the loyalty of one's followers, creating a deathly conformity in the movement. I would expect this to eventually happen to the Tea Party just as it happened in Communist Russia, although hopefully without the violence of Stalin's purges.
Another problem with ideals is that they raise false hopes. Obama is sort of an amateur at this; he had more of a slogan than a set of ideals and let the American electorate fill in the many blanks. The worst example is Woodrow Wilson with his ridiculously naive Fourteen Points, the same principles he repeatedly violated during the Versailles Peace Conference. "Open covenants openly arrived at" is one of the silliest suggestions ever made by a leader, but as Wilson was a fairly devious sort, I don't think he really meant it—he liked the sound of grand words. The evil of the statement lies in the hope that it bred in millions for fair dealing between nations, currently an impossibility even today, given our competitive nation-state system.
The most basic problem with ideals are that they are abstractions that never hold up when faced with real human problems and the complexity of our interactions with each other. People than use ideals to judge the actions and the worth of others, which in turn corrupts the ideal, dousing the original light it held at creation.
From Ulysses: I fear those big words, Stephen said, which make us so unhappy. I do, too. I would much rather reason together with others and come up with something workable for real human beings.
"What good are ideas unless you make use of them?" asked JFK.
I wish I could believe that someone in Congress was reading this, but that would be naive idealism on my part.


text: No birthday cake is complete without birthday candles and the candles from Knot and Bow are the perfect addition to any celebration. Choose from rainbow or natural colored candles made from 100% pure beeswax. This set of twelve candles comes in a lovely vintage glass jar. Charming in their straight forward approach to packaging, craft, office, and party supplies, Knot and Bow make beautifully colorful, often handmade, products that are design to delight and not overwhelm.


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"The FireWire audio I/O devices market is rapidly expanding," states Athan Billias, Director of Marketing for Technology Products at Yamaha. "With the GO46, Yamaha partners with Steinberg to include the strongest software bundle in the market, providing a complete hardware and software system solution for the musician looking to record at home or on the go."
Compact and ready to go in a moments notice, the GO46 is big on features; some never before seen at this price point. Two front mounted combo inputs feature independently selectable phantom power and gain controls allowing connection of a powered source and a non-powered source simultaneously, which means the GO46 can record a vocal using a condenser microphone and guitar input at the same time. Two inserts for adding outboard gear such as compressors, EQ, or effects, and a headphone out with independent level control add to the unit's versatility.
The GO46 has a total of 4 in and 6 out with recording resolution up to 24 bit, 192 kHz and is bus-powered for mobility. It comes with a complete cross-platform PC/Mac software suite including Cubase LE, Groove Agent SE, HALion SE, Sample Tank SE, Sonic Synth 2 SE, Amplitube LE and T- Racks EQ as well as an ASIO 2.0 driver for ultra-low latency.
Add to all this DTS and Dolby AC3 playback compatibility for those working in surround and you have an incredibly powerful and flexible interface at a very low price point.
Key Features
The GO46 will be available in July, 2006 for $439 US MSRP.
For more information, visit their web site at www.yamaha.comCome on the FREE COURSE TOUR
Great home recording starts with a great home recording studio. It doesn't need to be expensive if you know how to select the right equipment for your needs.


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Name: additional module from wall MA75403020AL shopStandard equipment: n° 1 additional module for shelvingProduct features: additional module for shelving wall shop consisting of:-n° 1 H cm upright. slotted front 200 cm step. 4.5-n° 1 basic plan ''. 75 x 40-n° 3 floors with height adjustable shelves. 75 x 30-n° 1 finishing socket dust cover-n° 1 center pin-n° 1 back prepared for slats attack of blister-n° 1 wall fixing grappa-capacity per floor to uniformly distributed load: 55 kg-epoxy powder coating with embossed thickness 60/80 micron average-cm section upright. 4, 5 x 4 obtained from cold forming of thick steel 18/10 of mm.Dimensions (WxDxH): cm. overall, 77 5x46x201; 75x40x200 sizesColour, uprights and base feet: aluminium RAL 9006
Plans and back Color: aluminium RAL 9006Installation: in kit form with instructions; easy and quick Assembly thanks to interlocking systemCompliance: ISO 9001-ISO 14001 OHSAS 18001 –; approvals and certificates as PDF attachmentProduction time: entrusted to the carrier in 5-10 working days aboutDelivery time: 2-5 working days/7 working days for IslandsIntended use: inside, warehouse, OfficeUseful information: fully ACCESSORIZED with associated products at the bottom of the page, as additional plans, blister – holder hooks, datastrips for, tilted positioning of the plan and moreAdditional details or requests must be submitted in the order notes or send to [email protected]
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TORONTO - Ontario's human rights tribunal will weigh a challenge to Toronto's zoning rules that experts say could affect how municipalities across the country integrate housing for people with mental illness or disabilities.
City lawyers had asked the tribunal to throw out a complaint against rules that restrict the number and location of group homes, residential care facilities and other types of supportive housing.
The complaint was filed two years ago by a housing advocacy group called The Dream Team, which said the city's bylaws discriminate against people with disabilities by limiting the areas in which they can live.
In a decision released earlier this month, the tribunal refused to dismiss the case and called for a hearing to determine whether the rules contravene the province's human rights code.
The case could have widespread repercussions, since many municipalities have similar regulations, said Michael Shapcott, housing director for the Wellesley Institute, a policy think tank in Toronto.
"Almost certainly, what happens in Toronto will have an impact on every other municipality not only in Ontario but across Canada," he said.
"So this is a legal case that a lot of municipalities are looking at very closely."
Provincial human rights codes across the country prohibit discrimination based on a number of protected grounds, including disability.
Yet only recently have human rights concerns been raised in opposing bylaws that limit supportive housing, said Barbara Hall, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The commission is intervening in the Toronto case.
Last year, the Ontario Municipal Board struck down a zoning bylaw in Kitchener that restricted supportive housing in a neighbourhood, citing human rights concerns.
Meanwhile, the Ontario communities of Sarnia and Smiths Falls have pledged to review their bylaws to ensure they don't violate human rights laws.
Hall said most municipalities don't want to discriminate, but simply don't realize the full impact of their regulations.
"You may have a situation where a certain number of people ... with disabilities are unable to find housing in a particular community" because there aren't enough group homes or other facilities available, she said.
Sometimes the restrictions are put in place following pressure from community groups who want to keep "certain kinds of housing" out of the area, she said.
"It's very much a response to 'We don't want those people in our neighbourhood,'" she said.
The commission plans to publish a guide next month to help municipalities navigate human rights issues related to zoning.
Among the issues it will tackle are the minimum separation requirements at the heart of the Toronto challenge.
Municipalities adopted the regulations en masse after the province shuttered several psychiatric hospitals in the 1960s and 70s, said Kenneth Hale, legal director of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.
Communities were convinced to allow group homes in residential neighbourhoods, but tried to reassure residents by ensuring they would be spaced out, Hale said.
Toronto's bylaws impose a minimum distance of 250 metres between group homes, residential care facilities and other types of supportive housing.
The Dream Team alleges the rules "have a fundamental and negative impact on their dignity, treatment and ability to participate as members of the community," according to the decision.
The group has members who say they face mental health issues and may need supportive housing now or in the future.
City lawyers have argued there is no proof the group's members have suffered discrimination as a result of the regulations.
In their submissions, they also say the tribunal has no jurisdiction over zoning bylaws.
Antonella Ceddia, who represents the city, said she and her team are reviewing the tribunal's decision.
A hearing date has not been set.


text: Yesterday was the first day of Estuary Week for the GTM's 4-6 and 7-9 year-old campers and it was a blast! The minnow group went out to the shore and participated in a mini seining using small nets! They put their nets into the water and brought up all sorts of local sea life. The group also enjoyed a scavenger hunt in the Environmental Education Center. The 7-9 year-old campers learned about emergent vegetation using a drone! Emergent vegetation are plants partially submerged into water while the flowers or leaves sit above water. Although the plant is exposed to the air, it is also exposed to wind and the insects that help the plant during its pollination stage. We're looking forward to next Monday to see what we will learn next!


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Instead of showing you the definition of PMF, I will show you HOW to define PMF.
[To satisfy everyone] Here are the three standard definitions of PMF:
- To have PMF, you need to have both a good product, and a good market – both in terms of size and affinity to your product. In other words, neither a loose affinity in a huge market nor a lot of affinity in a very very tiny unviable market for a business to succeed in will do.
- Creation of a minimum viable product that addresses and solves a problem or need that exists.
- You have PMF when you have your first 10 customers outside of your network.
**I'd like to preface with – I am a product-first marketer. I do not believe in putting a single step (business plan, launch strategy, financials, hiring…) before your product development, both in time and resource allocation. Therefore, these strategies are meant to be the easy/cheap first steps to take so you do not sink time/capital into forcing your square product into a round hole.
First, here are 7 Ways to help you prove viability of your idea (pre-PMF) before you have a final product:
Way #1
Create Quora ads on discussions about the pain point, and use a call to action similar to: "What if there was a solution to _____ in the form of _____?" Then describe your product in the description. The KPI for this is click-through-rate. The high CTR for your ad will be closer to 5% (yes, you can get high CTRs on Quora ads). Test out a few different value propositions (product description) below the headline. The winner is a good indication of the most valuable benefit or product description.
Way #2
Setup demo's with the market leaders offering a similar solution to yours in the market and ask them why they do not add/offer the feature/benefit your product is going to include. You can find out price points for your competitors on these calls as well. Depending on your industry, you may want to continue the dialogue deep into the sale to get as much information as possible about their pricing and customer-base. Your PMF will be determined by (a) the lack of direct-competition to your main feature/benefit, and (b) the variation in pricing from those who do offer your core benefit, and (c) their answers to case studies related to customers in your target audience.
Way #4
Create a landing page with an offer to be included in the beta for your future product. Explain the product and it's benefits very clearly (use an explainer video for best results) and embed a form with name + email + the question "How much time or money will this product save you?" Then drive some targeted traffic to it and if you can capture an email between $5-$10, and the messages are all pretty similar (how they would benefit), then you can feel confident you're on the right track.
Way #5
Load an open-sourced version to GitHub and Hacker News – This is a strategy that has worked well for a lot of software/saas/apps. The goal is to gain feedback on you app/tool from fellow engineers and potential future customers. If your library gains a lot of interest on those channels, you have something. This step can be very strategic for recruiting purposes as well.
Way #6
Direct cold email to your target users. Don't try to sell them. Make the email request solely about appreciating their feedback with a quick back-story to your product. This is an often overlooked path to user feedback, but cold emailing your potential users can be the best and most honest feedback you will get. This is because you are not welcome in their inbox, so if your product does not 'wow' them, they will replay with destain. And if it does make them both surprised/happy, they will give you some great feedback. The KPI for this test is total number of positive replies to total replies (obviously above 50% is your goal).
Way # 7
Use http://www.fiverr.com or User Experience Research Platform to order reviews of your mission/vision/product mockups – anything you've got. Put your plan onto a few pages of a website, then order multiple user-testing/feedback gigs on fiverr, or post the project to User Experience Research Platform for group feedback in recorded video and testimonial format from a target audience of your choice. The latter is the cheapest, but both will produce valuable feedback.
Creating your PMF processes you can then use for better hiring decisions and marketing strategy
At a SaaS company I work with, I created a strategy to define PMF which was then used to execute launch strategy into each new market. Here it is:
Step 1: Scraping – Find URLs on directories or social site searches where your customers profiles exist. Either order a scrape for that URL, or hire VA's to match their profiles with emails (use Linkedin + FindThatLead).
Step 2: Content creation – You are going to need something to keep these people engaged and convert traffic to demonstration requests, beta signups, early adopters etc… The way you build trust early on is through alignments and content. A great strategy is team up with others in your market (non-competitors) and produce webinars, ebooks, data-driven white papers… to build trust in your cold traffic, get click from your emails, and use as lead captures on your landing pages.
Step 3: Create a hook – Search Quora for top questions related to your pain point. Then do a search for your target audiences top needs related to "worksheets", "templates" or any other type of content that is both valuable and timely-enough to be used as an email capture hook. Then, search keywords you would like to rank for, find authors /bloggers who rank, and start combining and spinning their content to make it more valuable for the readers. Finally, link to their posts in your content.
Step 4: Press and influencer outreach – Start by reaching out to those blogs you linked your content to and offer their admin's a chance to (a) take that post for their blog in return for backlinks, and (b) collaborate on another post for their blog and/or yours. Then, begin press outreach to anyone who's mentioned the pain point your product solves to the market you're entering.
Step 5: Lead funnels – Using your new content hooks, and forms for product demo's or webinars, create landing pages and capture interested buyer contact info.
Step 6: Cold emailing – Begin cold-emailing the scraped emails links to yrou lead capture landing pages. *Important: don't email them from your primary domain, use a .co or another extension so your domain doesn't get picked up by any spam filters.
Step 7: Retargeting Ads – Finally, create retargeting ads on Linkedin, Adroll, Facebook and/or Adwords (depending on your target audience) to get the last touch on these customers to get enough interest to push them through your funnel.
7 steps to testing your PMF using paid ads:
- Define the "Markets" – Use Quora/Linked/Adwords/Facebook audience targeting to narrow some focused-but large audiences for you to target.
- Roll out multiple variations of copy/creatives for this market – Create a few variations of headlines/descriptions for these audiences to see what offer works best with which segment.
- Create a conversion – For this direct-response test, you will need a conversion step. This can be content upgrade, a demo request, a beta involvement form, an ebook, a webinar registration… it doesn't matter. Just make it valuable, and get their email.
- Build your landing page – Use Unbounce, your CRM, WordPress landing pages, or other lead page provider to create something your audience will respect.
- Create a conversion page – This is a very important step for tracking – make sure you have a unique URL to use as a "thank you" page for your campaign.
- Run traffic – Use the copy/creatives as ads on Facebook/Instagram/Linkedin/Quora/Reddit/Adwords to see which sticks on which audience.
- Repeat on next audience…
I hope this helps. For some precise tips, please schedule a call with me here.


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Were you looking for something different?
I have a couple of other websites, the main ones being:
- RoseNewell.co.uk – You're in the IT industry? Then this site is the one for you. Here you'll learn how you can profit from my expertise in IT and marketing.
- English Rose Berlin (German) – Exactly the same EnglishRoseBerlin.com, just in German.
- Lingocode, a.k.a. The Translator's Teacup – A popular and award-winning blog for freelance translators, providing advice and a space for discussion on language, business, marketing, and other translation-related matters.