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The Voyce asked the Question on the Message Board....... Who is going to win it all this year? Got me thinking that it was waaaaaaay too early to tell. Then it dawned on me that because of the success of the FBU Tryouts, the team selections, and the Chesapeake Bowl Selections, we have gotten one heckuva head start on identifying talent. I know for a fact that there are tons of kids that we missed becuase they didn't come to a tryout, but boy did we find some superstars. I figured I may as well respond to The Voyce and make some pre-season analysis based on what we know will already be in the league. The exciting part will be to find out WHO ELSE is out there that we don't know about and how it will impact the 2013 GYFL season, which is shaping up to be one for the ages!
As far as who will win this year it is just too early to tell. Here is a quick synopsis from what I can gather so far by region. GYFL Supporters, I do my best to remember names off the top of my head, but there is no way I can remember every kid, so if I miss somebody, feel free to jump in and add the names to the mix! That is what the message board is for. Lastly, if you are a baller and your name is not on this list, prove me wrong and make me know your name. Our motto is Train.....Compete.....Get Noticed. We have the forums and platforms for you to Train, we have created the league for you to Compete, and if you handle your business you will Get Noticed!!! Weigh in folks:
Anne Arundel County Wildcats: Based on the reasoning above I think they will be competitive. QB Sam Brown will be electric, as will FBU Starting FB Arik Smith. LB/FB Nick Vermillion is one of the best in the business and if they can get FBU WR DJ Pratt, WR/DB Tyree Beale and TE/LB Josh Pascal to play, AA County will be tough to beat. Who knows, we may even get a Beau English sighting. 7th Grade RB/DB Jason Labbe from the National Championship team should contribute heavily as well. Having Danny Burns from GORC as the GM, with support from Calvin Montgomery from Brooklyn Park and Larry Brown from Old Mill, Joe Parker and Richie Petitbon from PAL, Phil Slye from South River High School and Rick Peacock from Pallotti High School you can almost guarantee that AA County will represent.
Baltimore Metro Stallions: Played in the Championship Game 2 out of 3 years. Always talented. Can never be counted out of the mix. I expect them to be right there again. Not sure if Kasim Hill will come back. I think he is ready for high school to compete for a starting spot as a freshman. Look for the Hamilton studs to play this year and be devastating. FBU LB Freddy Cooper, DT Jemal Shearin, and FBU DB/RB Davon Williams will be special. Too much talent from Baltimore to name it all. Word is 7th Grade National Championship RB/LB Keith Felton may make the trip down to Charles County. If FBU DB Jonathan Donnelly and FBU DE B'Hamad Miller come down from Delaware, put on your seat belts. Bmore will be in the mix. Bringing Mike Clay over into the President role for the organization will free Coach Tyrone Johnson up to do what he does best, which is coach. With the support of Bernie Cooper as the Team Director, the Stallions should be something special this year.
Charles County Heat: Coach Byrd has amazed me with his ability and after him leading Team MD to a National Championship at the 7th Grade level, I can assure you he will have some good 7th graders at least! If they can get National Championship QB Dejuan Ellis to play the league better hold it's breath! FBU Champion DE/WR Noah Taylor may play for Charles County as well. FBU Champions Devin Petrillo and Austin Fontaine provide talent on the OL. As long as the Westlake Bulldogs are the anchor organization, I can promise you they will be loaded. With the Southern MD team being in hiatus for one year, they should get everything good from Calvert and St. Mary's County as well. Expect them to be in the mix. The Westlake staff is special with Coach Emmett Clark and the fellas holding it down. Expect them to make magic happen.
DC Warriors: Not sure what to expect from them, other than the fact that they will always have talent. They played in the first two Championship Games and won the 2011 Trophy. Too much pride not to come back strong after going 4 - 4 last year. FBU and GYFL Alum Delante Hellams should be devastating as a WR. FBU LB Swaid Belt would be a big boost for DC if he doesn't stay home and play for PG. I have heard Marshall Heights is loaded with talent and coach Dante said we can expect to see some of them out there this year. Austin "The Hammer" Chandler should play big for the Warriors. I expect them to be right there at the end. Rodney Cephas from Beacon House and Big Lody from Watkins battle like Warriors in the Fall, but it is a beautiful thing to see them bury the hatchett in the Spring for the sake of the kids and make magic together. If we can lock in Marshall Heights and get a strong committment from the kids, put on your seat belts.
Fairfax County Colts: We found some talent on the FBU Nova Team. FBU OL/DL Chris Veatch will be a big time player for the Colts. FBU OL/DL John Allerton is a force as well and I like the FBU QB Tyrone Crabb a lot. That NOVA team was so spread out that I am not sure which ones are from Fairfax and Prince William, but since we have no boundaries kids can pick and choose. Rick Hairston does such a good job of coaching that I expect them to make the most of whatever they have and I wouldn't be shocked to see some of the MD kids go across the bridge in search of more playing time. Don't count them out too early.
Howard County (HC) Stars: Most of the reigning Champs don't live in Howard County, but we already had a PG Region and they are close enough. We saw what they did in year 1. Head Coach T. White is special and his staff is the real deal. T. White was the D. coordinator for the FBU 8th Grade team so I know he was doing some recruiting. GYFL alum and FBU TB Adrian Platt will be back to electrify the Grassroots fans. GYFL Champ and FBU DT Cameron Goode will be special. Not sure he else T. White is sitting on because most of the Stars were 8th Graders last year. But, he was the only team with a JV last year so I guarantee they have been developing. Word is FBU LB/DE Brayden Pierce from Montgomery Village may be considering the Stars. Big get for them if they can pull that off. OMG....How could I forget. Sean "Cowboy" McCutcheon ladies and gentlemen will be locking down the middle. He should have his National Championship ring on one finger, with the GYFL Championship ring on the other. Expect to see the Stars in the playoffs.
Loudoun County Eagles: Coach Rusty was not happy with the results from last year and I can promise he will have his kids ready. He had a number of elite 7th Graders last year who will just be dominant this year. FBU OL/DL Johnny Jordan and Danial Renaud will literally manhandle kids their age this year. GYFL Alum Kevin Burke will be special at the WR position, along with QB Damani Neal, as will 6th grader Taron Vincent. FBU WR Mason Gryniuk, DL Tyler Draddy,and QB Kadin Kightlinger should be very good. I don't know what else they have but Rusty will make the most out of it. Should at least be much more competitive than they were last year. Could at best rise back up to the perch they sat at during year 1 and 2. I know that Robert Jackson and Brian Burke have been in the lab cooking up some concoctions and Robert, who is one of THE BEST TRAINERS in the DMV, is personally doing the conditioning clinics in Loudoun, so if nothing more, the kids will be in peak shape.
Montgomery County Bearcats: Andy Stefanelli's team had the first undefeated regular season in GYFL history last year and were surprisingly bumped out of the playoffs. They will be bloodthirsty. They will be LOADED. Just as in Charles County with Westlake, the Montgomery Village program rules the nest and they had 8 kids on the FBU Team who could all play and I expect most of them to be on the roster. GYFL alum and FBU LB Jalen Lea leads a talented group of Chiefs into the mix, along with Grassroots alums RB/LB Darius Golston and Malik Davis. FBU QB Travis Nannen will have an opportunity to shine. Massive OL/DL and FBU favorite "Big Mike" Joseph will be suiting up, which will give them a lift. GYFL Alum Marvin Beander will be back at TB along with amazing QB 7th Grade QB Doc Bonner who led the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season as a 6th Grader. He also lead the 7th Grade GYFL team to the Chesapeake Bowl Championship. The QB competition in practice between Nannen and Bonner should be worth the price of admission. FBU DB and GYFL Stud DB Carlton Taylor will roam the secondary giving WR's fits like he always done. Definite playoff team. Bringing in Benji Maldanodo to be the President and handle the business side of things will free up Andy to focus even more on coaching. That is scary for the league.
Prince George's County Swarm: The most interesting team in the league this year will be the Swarm. Head Coach Lamont Jordan and I agreed to have him focus more on his Operation Running Back Skills Training Company and FBU camps this spring because we have more of a need for him there. Coaching takes up too much time and we haven't been able to take the company to the level it needs to be yet. We have not named the new coach yet, but whoever it is will have an opportunity of a lifetime because PG is loaded with FBU All Stars. RB Anthony McFarland is simply breathtaking. Legit 10.9 100 meters with true RB skills. Reminds me of a young Eric Metcalf. FBU RB Tyree Randolph is simply magnificent. Will remind you of Penn State commit Mark Allen from DeMatha. He may be short but he can do it all. PG has enormous linemen this year in FBU standouts Marcus Minor, Victor Olawatimi, Lawtez Rogers, Naasir Watkins, and Brian Lassiter. Not sure where DB TJ Hawkins will play, but he will be a factor. Too many talented players from PG on the FBU team to name, not to mention all of the nice ones that weren't on the team. QB Garrison Burnett made the FBU team, but had to sit out due to illness. He should be a factor. The key will be whether the new coach will be able to keep the kids in the county or not because there will be some recruiting from the South and the West believe me. 7th Grade National Champion Raymond Boone for example, will be wild card. If we get the right coach and he can keep the PG kids home and coach them up, they will be in the mix. With Legendary Marlboro Coach Charles Owens taking over the President duties this year, while Metro AYF President and Riverdale Baptist JV Coach Jaison Young gets back out onto the field as a coach, I have a feeling they will be able to keep many of the elite kids in PG County so they can represent where they are from.
Prince William County Lions: The Lions had one of the most interesting seasons in the whole league last year. They started out 0 - 5, but looked so impressive in the last 4 games, 3 of which they won, that it appeared they could almost beat anybody down the stretch. They didn't have a ton of 7th graders returning, but two that they do have are the real deal. GYFL Alum and FBU RB/DE Keith Evans is a man child, as is DL/OL Jonte "Big Baby" Craig. FBU QB Jayden Riley, who missed last season as he recovered from knee surgery is healthy and ready to play. GYFL Alum and FBU LB Zion Johnson should be lights out for the Lions. Too early to tell what to expect from these guys, but Asst. GM Stan Riley has been and will continue to pound the pavement to spread the GYFL word to the masses and it gets no better than GM and Head Coach Eric Levenberry. We are getting a number of calls from kids in Stafford County that may come up and bolster the squad so watch out for the Lions. Can't put in the playoffs yet, but I wouldn't be shocked if they shocked some people.


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Growing up, we remember looking forward to our annual St Jude Bike-A-Thon, where we would raise money to help children fighting cancer and other diseases. Each year, it brought in huge crowds and lots of donations, not to mention how much it warmed all of our hearts knowing that we helped. After all these years, we still want to do what we can to help the children and their families.
Over the years, we have had the wonderful opportunity to travel overseas to perform for the US Troops so we understand how hard it can be to be away from their families. With this in mind, we have also decided to support the men and women who gave of themselves to ensure our freedom and wish them all the best in the future by giving back to this wonderful organization.
As musicians, we have been given special talents to entertain you and bring a smile to all of your faces. This makes us feel blessed and we want to allow our talents to do even more to share love and happiness. With this in mind, we have decided to set aside a portion of our annual earnings to donate to St Jude's & Disabled American Veterans. A portion of monies earned from each performance, merchandise sales, etc. will be donated. Help us share the love…
To make a donation now, use the links below.
St Judes Children's Research Hospital Disabled American Veterans

subset: commoncrawl


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Gavriel Goldfeder, MIT
Gavriel Goldfeder is a JLF educator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gavriel Goldfeder has been working at MIT Hillel for four years as Senior Jewish Educator. Before that, he spend 10 years in Boulder Colorado as a pulpit rabbi, and before that, he spent six years in Israel learning at the Bat Ayin Yeshiva, where he was ordained. In his free time (of which he has surprisingly little) he is raising three kids with his wife Ketriellah, and with the few scant minutes of free time that are available beyond that, he likes to read, play music, see movies, and eat.


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So, climbing Hua Mountain was probably one of the most physically difficult things I have ever done – and we only climbed two peaks! Some people actually make it to all five peaks. However, it took us about four hours to complete the arduous task.
Hua Mountain is known for its extremely dangerous and difficult routes. Some trails are located precariously close to steep rock faces. Others require you to use chains to drag yourself up nearly vertical staircases. The most deadly paths were closed to the public.
There's me in the above picture! We started getting really high up…
I stopped taking many pictures because I was so tired and was only concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. My legs were really getting sore and stiff. I look exhausted in this picture, don't I?
We finally arrived at the West Peak, 2,082 meters above sea level! It is only the third highest peak out of the five.
This probably wasn't too safe, but I didn't fall!
Then we had to hike all the way back to our original point because that was the only cable car station. I was inspired to keep going and not just sit down for a few hours by some of the people I saw. There was a fellow mountain climber whose arms ended at his elbows. How he managed those steep staircases, I can only imagine. Also, there were many poor peasants whose daily job consisted of lugging heavy cases of water bottles and souvenirs up the mountain to sell to tourists. I don't know how they accomplish this but it is an amazingly laborious task. We spoke with a poor man who said it was his fifth day on the job and he had already run out of money to buy drinking water. People like him make me feel like I live a very spoiled life.
For example, each hotel we stayed at had a delicious, complete breakfast buffet.
At this five-star hotel, there was kimchi, rice porridge, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and roasted radish.
This breakfast feast included 3 types of bread, steamed eggs, two mini (quail?) eggs, and veggies.
At this hotel, offerings included hardboiled eggs, pork buns, and cabbage.
Here we have a bowl of steamed eggs, a bowl of fried rice, steamed squash, and roasted cauliflower. You can bet I had seconds and thirds of that delectable squash!
I definitely will miss these breakfast foods when I'm back in the states!


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Volkswagen Repair in Milwaukee, WI
Modern Volkswagen Repair Procedures
The Volkswagen name has stood for decades as a symbol of German automotive practicality. The entire line of Volkswagen vehicles has proved both reliable and appealing. While each VW model is unique, one fact holds true for all of them— every Volkswagen will require regular service, maintenance and repairs as time goes by, no matter how well treated and safely driven it might be. That said, you'll want to know ahead of time where to turn. If you're in the Milwaukee area with a Jetta, Beetle or Golf in need of professional attention, Greitens Auto Service is your one-stop Volkswagen repair solution.
Thanks to our extensive experience with the most modern Volkswagen repair procedures, we'll take complete care of your Volkswagen, demonstrating our abilities as your reliable and trusted team for any Volkswagen repairs you'll ever need. Together we'll work efficiently, with our personal touch, putting you back behind the wheel in good time.
Classic Volkswagen Repair Service
Greitens Auto Service has been serving drivers throughout Milwaukee since 1973. Kevin Burke started working at Greitens Auto Service in 1976, and in 2007 he and his wife Terri purchased the business. All along, the entire team has worked hard to uphold the shop's longstanding and well-deserved reputation for classic Volkswagen repair service. Greitens is proud to handle the entire VW model line, newer and older. From the A/C on a Tiguan, to the brakes on a Passat, to the steering on a EuroVan, our ASE-Certified technicians utilize state-of-the-art equipment for all Volkswagen repairs.
All of us at Greitens Auto Service are dedicated to your complete satisfaction, mindful of the fact that Volkswagen repairs might not be enjoyable for you. Considering our in-house and nationwide warranty protection, along with our reasonable rates, we hope you'll find us to be your affordable alternative to any dealership.
Modern Repairs, Classic Service: Visit Greitens Auto Service in Milwaukee, WI for the best in Volkswagen repair.


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Delaware Etsy Shades of Purple
Happy Birthday August
Sunshine and Shadows
Cutie Pie
August's Birth Stone
Back to School Old School Style
Taste The Rainbow
All Things Olivia
The Scent of a Woman
Persian Treasures
Hole in One
Wedding at the Lake
Woodland Fantasy
All That Glitters is Gold
in a mood. . .
Copper and Brass
Etsy Promo Team
Click the dragon below to promote
your links in the current Treasury Tuesday Linky.


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Administrative Staff
Church Secretary: Judy Boyles
Ms. Judy Boyles has recently joined the Northside Baptist Church administration team. We are excited to have her on board, and look forward to many years of service and Christian fellowship.
Admin. Volunteer: Louise Brewer
Louise volunteers in our church office as a receptionist. Her professional attitude, knowledge and attention to detail makes her a vital part of the ministry of Northside Baptist Church.
Senior Adult Min. Dir/Volunteer Coordinator: Judy Champion
As our Senior Adult Ministries Director, Judy is tasked with finding ways to involve our seniors in the ministry of Northside Baptist Church. She also serves as our volunteer coordinator. Judy provides areas of opportunity for seniors to provide needed administrative services to our church and community. We are very grateful for her contributions.
Grief Share Director: Beulah Rackley
Beulah serves our church as our Grief Share coordinator. Beulah will be a great comfort to those participating in the Grief Share groups. We are blessed to have her on our ministry team.
Admin. Volunteer - Edith Varnadore
Edith is a faithful Christian who loves working in all aspects of the church mission. Presently, she serves as a volunteer Receptionist. We are grateful that God has placed her in our midst.


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This page contains resources and presentations from the Institute of Public Policy.
|Related file
|Privatisation.pptx ()
|The Economic and Social Role of Public Spending
|Domestic-Violence-Auckland.pptx ()
|Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop. Pacific and Family Based Violence: Aligning the Stars.
Marilyn Waring honoured by human rights award
Tireless human rights work has seen AUT's Professor Marilyn Waring receive the Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ Human Rights Defender Award for 2013.
IPP submission expresses concerns over proposed changes to local government bill
The Local Government Centre within IPP has expressed concerns over proposed changes to the the Local Government Amendment Bill.


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Seas the day in an automatic campervan rental – Part 3Posted on: August 7, 2017
This week we look at more brilliant beaches to inspire you to plan your own summer holiday. Our destination in the automatic campervan rental today is Kintyre, home to some of the most remote and stunning beaches on mainland Scotland.
Kintyre-Southend Beach in an automatic campervan rental
Southend Beach in Kintyre is steeped in natural beauty and history. Whether you prefer sunbathing or surfing, there is something for every taste at Southend's beautiful beaches, all without the crowds you might find at other spots. From the comfort of your luxury automatic campervan rental, you can spot oyster catchers, dolphins and the resident seal colony from Keil shore and explore Neolithic caves. Or, for the more adventurous, choose to hike on the nearby Kintyre Way, which has its terminus here. Dunaverty Castle overlooks Southend, and several important historical sites are nearby, including the ruins of Keil School and St. Ciaran's Cave, which is said to hold relics of the Irish saint. Be sure to get a taste of the local seafood, served pier to plate- it doesn't get any fresher! Look for 'St Columba's Footsteps' etched in rock centuries ago to show where Christianity was first brought from Ireland to Scotland.
From Oban on the A83, pick up the A83 in Lochgilphead all the way down to Southend on the tip of Kintyre.
Automatic campervan rental and Kintyre- Carradale Beach
Located south of the charming wee village of the same name, Carradale Beach boasts one of the most delightful harbours in Scotland. On Carradale Bay, the broad sandy beach faces south, making it a lovely spot to paddle, sunbathe or beachcomb. From your campervan rental, you will enjoy the panoramic views across the Sound of Arran, and look for the wild goats that inhabit a Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve on the east side of the beach on Carradale Point. Torrisdale Castle overlooks the bay, and while it is run as a private lodge, there is the organic Tannery and Craft Shop on site. Paul McCartney found inspiration from Kintyre's gorgeous coastal scenery- it's where the 'Long and Winding Road' is, and you will too when you visit Carradale Beach in an automatic campervan rental.
From Lochgilphead on the A83, five miles south of Tarbert take the B842 to Carradale. Or go by ferry from Adrossan to Arran, then drive to Lochranza for the Claonaig ferry to Kintyre and down the B842 to Carradale.
Get in touch today and book your 5 star holiday with an automatic campervan rental from Roseisle Luxury Campervans!


text: Here is a listing of the hotels we have in Ambleside. In all, there are 50 hotels listed here that are in the city of Ambleside In this section you will find Ambleside hotel reviews, ratings, pictures and descriptions of each hotel. Please leave reviews of hotels you have stayed in before to help others who are trying to find that perfect hotel!


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Whenever I'm asked to bring an appetizer or dessert to a grown-up, no kids party my immediate reaction is "Of course I'd love too! I can think of so many things to bring!"
25 minutes later and a quick glance at the daily schedules leading up to said events my reaction is, "Ugh. I have no idea what to make and when I'm going to make it and how its going to in any way look like I tried."
The morning of said event my reaction is, "How many minutes do I have between work/and or soccer/gymnastics etc to go buy something to bring that needs little or no assembly?"
I know you're all just like me. (Well there may be a percentage of overachievers amongst you but please don't out yourselves. I'll just feel more inadequate). Well, this one time I was determined to make something for a change. Something that was not a dip or cookie. No matter what appointments, or needy little children got in my way.
Growing up when my parents would entertain or throw a party, I loved watching them prep the day of. My mom moving around the furniture to make space, my dad running out to the liquor store to get beer, mixers and ice (and apple cider donuts for me and my brother) and the sweet and savory smells of whatever was going to be on he menu. PS- I'm totally romanticizing this. I mean I'm sure the day was interrupted by my brother and I fighting over some lego/barbie situation and I'm sure my mom on more than one occasion said, "I can't understand why your father waits till the last-minute to do what he needs to do." Nevertheless, It's how I remember it.
Later on when things were just about ready, my mom would still be setting up, starting to put the appetizers on the 6′ table with a fancy cloth in the family room while dressed in her silk blouse and fancy slacks and heels (this was the early 80's think Meredith Baxter-Bernie in Family Ties x-mas episode style, or even Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women…) it's funny what we remember and how the images are ingrained in our heads isn't it 😉
The night would then begin with the guests arriving. My brother and I would be allowed to stay downstairs to say hello for a few minutes and then we got to spend the evening in my parents room watching movies (mostly Star Wars and Goonies) and eating snacks. We would always sneak halfway down the stairs though to listen in on the grown up's fun and laughter only to race back upstairs when we heard someone turning the corner so they didn't see us.
They usually threw a big bash on St. Patty's Day as I recall, and my mom always had sweet and sour meatballs on the menu. In fact I can't remember a party or family get together without them.
Fast forward 30ish years later… I still haven't attempted to make them even though she hand wrote the recipe on one of those index cards for me like 13 years ago when I got married; WAY before Pinterest. So this weekend after working all week, a multi-family bonfire/hayride friday night, a funeral and picking up the kids Saturday afternoon with just 2 hours left to make or buy something for a party that evening … I decided to go for it.
What follows is a pictorial ode to my version of the meatballs. I say my version because my husband bought the hot chile sauce instead of regular so in the end they became not sweet and sour but sweet and very spicy and sometimes sour.
My mom ALWAYS took her rings off while mixing the meat. So I oblige.
Mix 2lbs. ground meat (I used 85/15 because meatballs need some fat people come on…my nana taught me that) with 2 beaten eggs, a minced (or roughly chopped because I don't own a mincer) onion, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup crushed corn flakes in a bowl and set aside.
In a pan, combine 12oz bottle of chile sauce (without those hot pepper flakes you see pictured…or with if you want my version), 6oz of grape jelly (but because of the hot sauce, I added a bit more), and the juice of a lemon. simmer for 5 mins or so.
You know what? They were super spicy but I got a lot of compliments and no one knew they weren't supposed to be until I said something. Plus it made for more consumption of the homemade Sangria that the hostess made. Win. Win.
While the sauce is simmering, roll those meatballs one by one and plop them on in. My mom's recipe says it makes 65 BUT I only got 35ish. I think I made them a tad too large. Again, whatever.
So simmer the meatballs for about an hour. try not to let your husband or whoever eat too many before the party because then you're SOL and will have to run out for a package of frozen dumplings. You can refrigerate these puppies for 2-3 days or freeze them. you can totally make 2 batches and freeze one for the next gathering. defrost and go. Genius.
Yes. Wine was involved in the making of this recipe. So was the Otis Redding Pandora station. It's really all about the experience anyway right?
Thanks Mom. xo


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Do you lack of freight bill audit and payment visibility?
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Freightgate's Audit & Payment Solution streamlines freight invoice audit and pay process by incorporating an advanced contract/rate management system. Our freight invoice audit and payment module streamlines the in-house freight payment process. Eliminates manual paper-based processes. Missed mistakes can cost shippers thousands of dollars in erroneous rates and accessorial charges.
Why Freight Invoice Audit?
Though the problem varies from mode to mode, Freight invoices have a long-standing reputation for being inaccurate and inconsistent. As a general rule, billing errors increase as service or price complexity goes up. Conversely, errors tend to drop as IT sophistication increases. Therefore, it is not surprising that ocean freight invoices present a much greater improvement opportunity than air invoices. While ocean carriers are working hard to achieve IT parity with other modes, their penchant for introducing new surcharges with dynamic effective dates and situational applicability ensures that billing will be more art than science into the foreseeable future.
Shippers are impacted multiple ways — on the income statement as well as the balance sheet. The most obvious problem is inflated transportation spend compared to what was budgeted and procured. This occurs when there is no audit and charge-back process of any kind. This added operations cost filters to the bottom line and erodes yields.
On the balance sheet side of the equation, the problem is cash flow. When a shipper overpays a freight invoice and only catches the error via post audit, there is a negative cash hit on the balance sheet. The cash to cash cycle is impacted by inventory levels, accounts payable and accounts receivable. The overpay and charge back process increases accounts receivable and the shipper gets nothing in return for the cost of the money.
Typical Freight Invoice Issues
The goal of freight invoice audit and payment is to reconcile the service/price agreed to in procurement with the service/price presented on the invoice. This is challenging even when the service procured matches the service invoiced. When the services vary, the difficulty multiplies.
But before digging into the specifics of a billing error, the error must be caught or flagged in the first place. An automated solution is required to cost effectively catch these problems in a pre-audit environment. The solution must be able to check for duplicates as well as wrong charges. The duplicates can be tricky, especially in international commerce governed by INCO-Terms. The same charge is sometimes presented to both the origin and the destination party. Simply looking for duplicate invoice numbers will not catch these instances.
Service performance can also be difficult to verify. For example, if a charge is contingent upon meeting a specific transit time, the freight invoice audit and payment solution must be able to check actual transit time before dispositioning the invoice.
Freight Invoice Pre-Audit Solution
As daunting as the above sounds, a properly designed cloud-based solution can perform effective pre-audits of ocean freight invoices. But in order to do so, it must have some specific capabilities, for example:
- Integration with a comprehensive and reliable rate data-base against which to audit, as well as the rating and routing logic to properly rate the invoice according to the INCO-Terms and rules that were in place at the time of shipment.
- Facility to receive and open electronic invoices, as well as map them properly to the charge categories in the rate database.
- Smart logic to flag duplicate invoices with different invoice numbers by comparing multiple parameters in combination — e.g. ship date, invoice amount, origin/destination, commodity, etc.
- Integration with a shipment tracking and tracing system (or systems) in order to verify service performance.
- Flexible business rules that can process the same type of error in different ways according to the specific agreement in place with each carrier.
- On-line work flow functionality to ease approval of new charges and management of exceptions.
In order to reap the expected freight invoice audit and payment benefits that emerged from the procurement process, it is imperative to pre-audit transportation invoices — particularly for ocean freight. A cloud-based solution with the proper integration and back-end functionality can perform this task admirably — protecting both profitability and cash flow. Though there are costs associated with implementing, the financial benefits quickly negate them and provide a substantial return on investment.
- Lower transportation spend by eliminating overcharges.
- Improve cash-to-cash cycle by catching errors in pre-audit rather than trying to recover cash through post-audit.
- Enhance competition and accountability by making invoice accuracy a PKI in carrier evaluation and selection.
- Eliminate the cost of outsourced post-auditing.
- Reduce data entry and manual look-ups through integration with Tariff-Trek! and Web service enabled communication with external systems.
- Reduce phone calls and e-mails by giving suppliers role appropriate Web access to their invoice information.
- Eliminate fax costs with the built-in Document Management Engine (DME).
- Reduce document storage and archive retrieval cost with the DME and electronic archiving.
- Dynamic Rules Engine – ensures invoices are rated based on the rates, surcharges, accessorials and other charges that applied at the time of shipment origination.
- Duplicate Invoice Logic – Identifies virtually all duplicate invoices based on a variety of business rules, events and parameter combinations.
- Data Integration and EDI – Can receive electronic invoices and communicate with customer accounting systems via any means available in the market today – including standard EDI, flat files, XML and SOAP.
- Data Uploader – Streamlines paper invoice processing.
- Payment Plan – Provides summary and detail information on invoices that have been approved for payment.
- Exception Management Interface – Provides a clearing house for customers to view and disposition invoices that require intervention.
- Approval Work Flow – Part of the Exception Management process, enables authorized personnel to quickly approve/reject charges that are not in the rate database.
The Freightgate Team excels at finding innovative solutions to improve Freight Invoice Audit and Payment with our vast arsenal of flexible cloud technology tools – take a logistics cloud demo of our Freight Invoice Audit solutions and experience the difference yourself first hand. Share with us your toughest Freight Invoice Audit and Payment challenge and allow us to come up with a creative, potentially out of the box solution.


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I just wanted to advise you of the great customer service provided today by the team at the Tweed Heads store.
I was unable to drop the car in due to work, so my wife took the car in with our new baby.
The guys went out of the way to assist my wife and young child whilst repairing the car, drop them off in town and even calling to offer to pick them up. They even packed the pram back into the car!
Its great to know that outstanding customer service still exists in this day and age.
Well done JAX fit Tweed Head, its much appreciated.
Name: Starsky Lino


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Here's the first of my democracy road trips, which I'll be taking in the coming months to volunteer for Democratic candidates in swing (flippable) districts.
This first trip is to support the campaign of Lisa Brown, who is running to unseat Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in Washington's 5th Congressional district.
As Jason Kander says, "the #BlueWave is not a weather event" We need to get out there and make it happen. I'm going to make it happen by making these videos and taking these trips.
I hope you will too.
SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/channel/UCcmuEC4PKJeSdLGz_8cXsVA?
JOIN: facebook.com/groups/UnstoppablesWelcome
FOLLOW: twitter.com/GoUnstoppables
What topic should I cover next? Tell me in the comments.


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(0362) 20-89-52
(050) 662 74 62
All tours, individual tours, and will remain in your memory. Treat yourself to a relaxing vacation. Tour operators and travel agencies are trying to give people the fullestunderstanding of the sciences, forming a mass and individual tours, extreme tours, etc..Tourism as an art - it spravzhniypodarunok for every lover of discovery. Call us for details.
Rivne is a small, cozy town that attracts the eyes of the green streets, a large number of flowering flowerbeds and interesting places to relax. Everyone will be able to find exactly the place that you want to return to repeatedly. For those who are the first time in the city and want to get acquainted with him, we advise you to visit the following places:
- Rivne Taras Shevchenko Culture and Recreation Park is a park-monument of landscape architecture of national importance in Ukraine. It is located in the center of the city of Rivne. Here you will find a variety of sculptures, clean paths with benches, a playground, amusement rides.
- Youth Park. This is an official name, which is extremely rare among residents, so do not be surprised if you hear the name "Swan". This territory once was the estate of the princes Lubomirski, here still still dominated by the romantic spirit of history. And though the palace and park have not been there for a long time, visitors will pleasantly impress the well-equipped lake with a couple of swans (where the name came from), avenue with interesting and quite philosophical forged sculptures, a playground, bike-karting.
- Rivne Zoo - zoological park of national importance in the city of Rivne. Rivne Zoo is one of the youngest in Ukraine. It began to be created in 1982 and is being built almost daily. Today it is a great place for both adults and children to relax. The territory is beautifully decorated and well-kept, all expositions are grouped, have signs, throughout the territory there are interesting posters with various information about the world of animals.
- Rivne Regional Museum of Local Lore - regional museum of local lore in the city of Rivne; The educational and cultural center of the city and region, the main collection of materials and objects of material and spiritual culture of the Rivne region. Here you will find interesting information about the city at all stages of its development, you will be able to see the models of the princely castles that have not survived to this day and it is just useful to spend time.
If you are not limited in time and want to explore more, pay attention to the following interesting places near Rivne:
- Reserve "Basalt pillars" - a geological reserve in the center of the Rivne region, a unique "architectural" creation of nature. Dense rows of polygon columns are striking monumental and geometric perfection. Some quarries are flooded, and in conjunction with the calm waterfall of the water, the basalt walls look particularly beautiful. And in the middle of one of these quarries formed a small island called "Island of Love".
- The Love Tunnel is a popular holiday destination located near the village of Kleven. This is a botanical phenomenon - a green tunnel in the forest, formed by thickets of trees, bushes, which interconnected and created a wonderful dense corridor of precise arched form. A great place for all lovers has its own tradition - planting flowers as a symbol of feelings.
- Castle Ostrozky princes in Ostrog. This castle is the only one-and-one-half residential castle in Ukraine and Eastern Europe that has survived to this day. Ostroh Castle is one of the pillars of the current Ukrainian identity, so visiting it will be interesting to all tourists.
- Cockroach Fort near Tarakanov. The architectural monument of the 19th century is located in a picturesque area over the Ikva River. The fort was built on the Russian-Austrian border in 1890 on the orders of Tsar Alexander III. The unique design and location of a defensive structure in Ukraine is abandoned and gradually collapsing.
- Nadlslachan Regional Landscape Park. The park stretches in the pool of the Sluch river from the village of Ustya to the village of Bystrychi. Here there will be a place for lovers of active tourism (hiking, rafting, rock-climbing), and for those who are closer to cognitive excursions. The park's area is also great for a relaxing lunch with outdoor activities and auxiliary crafts in the form of picking berries, mushrooms, and fishing.
- Koretsky Trinity Monastery - an ancient monastery, leading its history from the XI century. Here is the most famous Orthodox shrine of the Rivne region - the Koretska Icon of the Mother of God "The Sacrifice of Sinners"
- The museum of the first pages of the Peresopnytsia - is devoted to the creation of the first printed Peresopnytsia Gospel.


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We are able to provide a printing service for Bridge Clubs to enable each club to have its own style of stationery, with their own name/logo and contact numbers etc. Just design something you like and let us know.
Delivery is normally within two weeks of your acceptance of the sample artwork.
Scorecards are stored in boxes of 2,000; the minimum print run is 10,000. Usually, clubs purchase 12,000 each time as we can strap 2 x 2000 together as one parcel. A one-off cost of £25.00 is charged for a print plate - this lasts a very long time, and the cost is the per 1,000 price of standard scorecards with no additional discounts.
Travellers are stored in boxes of 10,000 and the minimum print run is 20,000 and we can strap these as one parcel. Once again, a one-off plate cost £25.00 applies, and the cost is the per 1000 price of standard Travellers, with no additional discounts.
01689 891122


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Eighty Proof Tick Blood
by Nolan Devine
I was pulling little brown ticks off my dog's rib-thin belly when its woofity-woofs became garbled and soon registered in my ears as human speak. She lay her mid-sized body across my lap as I used one hand to pick, the other to wheel myself back and forth with a cluttered mind and nervous energy. The wall paint had worn away from where my toes endlessly bumped it, their nerves forever failing to register the sensation.
Sloopy rolled her upward eye to align with my face. A spotted tongue unfurled through her jaw's vacant gap where teeth once grew like stalagmites. Many things can now slip in and out of there with ease.
"Azrael, what's bad?" Her words rattled off in the voice of a shrunk down old woman, which I liked.
She rolled from her side onto her back. A little pink belly contrasted against matted, yellowing fur. I searched the pink's eight nozzles for crawly food. I'd had this furry pet plaything since puberty yet she hadn't used speech 'til now. She knew my commands and always responded by doing as I pleased, her only vocalizations being the occasional yip.
"Am I hearing you because I licked a dog mint?" I'd been drunk and couldn't find Binaca.
She told me no and told me why. I'd been eating ticks off her nipples for days. Our bloods mixed, causing some interspecies, intergalactic shit. It made enough sense. I swallowed down perhaps a few too many of the wiggly little blood bugs. The tiny brown ones were my preference but I didn't discriminate against newcomers of different breeds. I enjoyed the crunch of all. Those whose shells escaped my porcelain teeth floated about the ample negative space of a tummy, waiting to latch to lining for a walkabout.
I held dominion over even those not chewed. Little bugs lost in my squeezing tummy. There was no one else like me, except perhaps one, who gained from ticks instead of lost. Absorbing every drop the creature drank. Those who latched to my outer skin were simply recycled back into the master. I could forever feel bunches crawling through me. Engorged but not for long. I'd ring them dry then spit 'em free. Back to the world to collect for me.
Sloopy asked why I'd been so quiet the past few weeks. I banged my chair around lightly, letting her question dissipate into the landscape of the recent past. It was a world once full of hope that slowly became unlivable.
I picked a fat green tick off Sloopy's pisser and squeezed until it bled. Slowly rubbed its stolen blood back into my dog's belly with a fingertip. I only commanded a few greens but this felt important. Her stomach transformed into a screen which flickered images of my pudgy little uncle. His resolution was too great. I wiped the red away, leaving a distorted smear of the man. "What's happening?"
"Tell me why you no feel good." She snuggled against my tummy cushion, wagging her floppy tail. "Tell me why you won't play our games since you been home from the fix 'em up place." She nuzzled at my crotch.
She was right. Our games had been spoiled by those played with another. It seemed okay to confess to fur so mindless it couldn't self-preserve against suckling predators. I began to let loose my story.
My uncle, Larry Lamb, liked that I was a wheelchair epileptic who always wore a protective helmet. My body often spasms on its own, but him and I had our own special dance. We shared a love of ticks and games. Many games. He sometimes plucked a nickel sized green tick off his genitals and placed it on my tongue, teasing me with a taste before taking the creature back and placing it in his dirty under hole. He said that my family did not pass our stories orally, but instead anally.
"But you're telling me an oral story," Sloopy quipped.
She was right. I held her upside down, hind legs on my shoulders, and placed my lips to her stretched, warm anus. I let a few little ticks crawl off my tongue so they could feed from the animal's cave. My muffled voice carried on as her front legs dug into my two dead limbs.
Larry liked to tell stories and play games. I was sixteen when it began. The hour hand on the clock face tracking my years advanced four times before it ended. The sporting season lasted all through the hot summer months as I helped out at my uncle's goat farm. I grew too thin there for my own tastes. But my parents thought I could use a touch of nature and fresh experience.
I was to strap on all terrain tires and herd the animals. So I lived with my uncle for months at a time. Sometimes he left me stuck in muddy pastures for days. I passed time by watching the goats mount one another. By thinking of more pleasurable moments ahead. Of when I could get back home to my doggy toy.
My uncle once offered to massage my head when I complained about my brain throbbing. It sometimes did if I forgot to eat my pills. Larry's elderly wife had just passed after being trampled by goats when he called the females to come for milking. Her ultra thin body shit itself beneath the pressure of their hooves and my chair's errant maneuvering My uncle collected this mess from her panties and used it to fertilize a small rose garden.
He didn't throw the body away. The green ticks, latched to auntie for years at uncle's behest, abandoned their food upon her drying out. Though I saw plenty, to them there was nothing left. They gathered on master Larry and he made promises to feed their hungry tummies. But his wife was only a bloodless husk. This husk often sat propped beside her roses as useless potato bugs crawled in and out the holes they chewed through her fallow skin.
"I remember eating flowers from that garden," Sloopy said. Her anal opening quivered in vibration with the words. My sated ticks crawled back into my wet jaw.
I too recalled the flower eating. It was my first day back and Sloopy had come with me to sniff the blooming plants as they thrived in their second season. We placed a few in my aunt's leathery, folded hands. A few more were flattened by my chair. My furry little woof woof machine swallowed them down with my permission. Later on my uncle kicked Sloopy in the ribs when she yakked up a goo blob of petals at his feet. He cried over what the dog had done. By afternoon my parents came to collect her. She wasn't ever allowed back on the farm. It seemed a lonely place to be.
With my face buried deeper in Sloopy's wet asshole I thought back to that time my brain burned. The first summer of play. Uncle Larry removed my helmet and started to massage my head with an ice cube. Its coolness was calming. He licked a trail of melted water off the ridge of my forehead crease. Before leaving the room he pulled a few green ticks off himself and said they could be mine. I don't think he knew I could manipulate the suck bugs too. To him I was just a blood bag to appease his unruly pets.
We didn't have physical contact again that season except when he helped me into bed or the bathroom. My uncle seemed to grow more gentle when he saw his fattened green ticks crawling on my face. Never noticed the dead goat in his pasture. But some of the bugs' gorged state was from me. Neither I nor my browns quite knew how to master these greens beyond getting them to sometimes feed on animals. They left sickly bumps on my skin and too often skittered back to Larry, wet with my blood. And so uncle was happy with my presence. He even let me lasso a goat and drag it behind my chair as auntie rode on my lap. I liked the way her bum vibrated against my special limb.
The next summer more things happened. It was that day Sloopy puked flowers. After waving my parents goodbye, Larry came into my bedroom with his wife's corpse in a tin wheelbarrow. He wore a pair of shit stained panties on his head, fixed so their crotch lining passed from forehead to chin, his eyes uncovered. His facial features molded to the stretchy material. I could see his tongue wag.
He positioned auntie's naked body so that its mushy legs were splayed and hanging out the front of the cart, almost as if they were to take steps on their own. I had a direct shot at her dried up genitals, the first I'd seen beside my own. Her skin glimmered and she smelled of gasoline. Perhaps it was being used as a preservative or druggy perfume. Perhaps lubricant. The fumes made me dizzy. I asked why she wasn't buried. He only told me that we'd get along. That she too liked to travel on wheels. That he wanted her to be filled with as much life as possible. He kept repeating variations on that last part. Each word he spoke caused the panties on his face to wrinkle.
Larry said his wife had the urge to milk more goats but they'd given their all for the night. I felt bad and asked if I could help. He told me her hands would milk just about anything. That seeing her in action would help him forget her passing, an event he'd agonized over for a year. He presented me with a rose from the garden she helped to grow. As I sniffed he manipulated her leathery gas hands to take down my pajama bottoms. My body tensed and I didn't know if it was from fear or anticipation.
"It's her hand, Azrael. Not mine. That means we aren't faggots." Pantie Face told me it was okay to fuck this woman. That she was only a relation by marriage. That she was practically a stranger since we barely knew each other when she was still a breather. I was scared but felt excited at the prospect of a female liking me and my crippled up body.
With her shriveled skin hand he began to work my genitals as I stared at the bumps on the ceiling. The gas was no longer dizzying but instead induced a weightless pleasure. I floated through the room in ecstasy. With my aunt's touch I grew stiff. My vine sprouted from a patch of pink pubic hair. An elephant's nose in search of peanuts. Her salty knuckles were my feed. He giggled when she got her milk.
My upside down dog licked my upper thigh and told me it was alright. She nuzzled her face against my living limb but I was still too racked with confusion for it to respond. I flicked my tongue deep inside her moist, rank cavern as I found more words for my story.
I sometimes felt confused and shameful over gaining pleasure from the games my aunt and I played. Wondered if my broken body meant this would be my only opportunity in life for sexual contact with another human. A rotted out, dead incest pussy my only cum hole. But I started to permanently dislike it after a few years of progressing games. After my uncle became so bloated he nearly choked on the panties each time he drew labored breath to give his commands.
Larry, now crawling in plump ticks at all times, sewed a goat's penis to her corpse. His stitchwork impressed me. He seemed to think his fat ass powerful yet almost all his goats were dead. His status as master was perhaps not as concrete as when the games first began. Uncle swatted away my brown ticks most times I sent them to crawl his body, but a few hid away in his hair beneath the pantie hat. My skin was no longer dotted with swollen, red bites. My browns often drained greens that'd strayed off from their pack or convinced them to come live with me. But I was still thinning, albeit at a slower rate than before.
One night he yanked me from my chair and carried me over his shoulder to the cold outside dirt. With my face squished into his wife's flower garden he placed the big smelly sewed on animal thing at my rear opening. The rest of auntie's slick body weighed my torso down. Plant thorns poked my neck. He crouched to enter her anally. His violent pumping caused her hips to thrust back and forth, her goat penis breaching my hole. It went in crooked because it was bent like a broken finger. But it still made perfect contact with my prostate. We played this game many times. I fed the garden my milk by the gallon.
In my fourth and final summer there, when her asshole fully collapsed from his years of plunder, Larry began using auntie's pink nail polish to paint my dirty opening. For hours he stared at it crying, talking to my hole as if it were his wife. As if she were to be found at the deep end of this echo chamber. He never let me fuck her anymore. I wasn't even allowed to knowingly get high off the fumes, which it turned out were used for all three reasons I outlined earlier. He tried to bring her back to life by placing big ticks on my belly for hours, then letting them crawl down her throat, ready to pop. It was all to no avail. He often propped her up beside us. Spoke into my hole and then looked to her mouth, waiting for response. The words of love he hoped for never came.
This was too much. There was no more pleasure for my little limb or those ambiguous but heartfelt desires that stirred in my lonely brain. I'd let myself slowly grow accustomed to our playtime over the years until even the freakish became normalized. His constant wearing of the messy panties on his face didn't even make me wonder anymore. His attempted communion with tick blood almost surpassed even my own dalliance with its powers. But the paint crusted on my asshole jolted me back to an objective viewpoint.
I don't know why that was what brought me to my senses. Perhaps because I now felt I was being used with no compensation for my giving. Perhaps it was because I barely got to touch auntie anymore. Either way, I grew to feel our games were no longer right for me. I couldn't let him do this, no matter how much I craved human touch.
During our painting sessions I laid back and went eeennnhhhhh as I pretended to seizure. I hoped this would cause him take pause and stop. It never did. He beat my useless legs with an electric cattle prod until I ceased the shaking. He'd always hated my disease, and since his wife died, the entire idea of my autonomy. I was merely another piece on his game board.
I thought I could make him quit if I desecrated the corpse. When he set me atop her in the wheelbarrow to move us to the pasture I bit off a dead ear and spit the chewed pieces at his cock. Ripped open her stomach and asked why no baby after all this cum. The goo slopped out the barrow. He began to gasp through the panties in deep, pain filled breaths. Amidst a wet exhalation he struck my helmet with the prod. It sent me into seizure. His cock looked down at my bent, flopping body. He screamed for his wife as he fished her polish from a pocket. He painted as best he could across the seizing, foam spewing canvass.
He sobbed into the shaky hole. "Come back to me. Please. I feel cold without you." He looked to his wife. His words brought about nothing.
When my parents saw me in the hospital bed I'd been reluctantly brought to they said sorry but I was too fragile for the farm now. They felt so bad that I wasn't to herd another goat for Uncle Lamb. I would never play games with auntie again. From the bed I watched a commercial where an old woman died in the tub. The ad didn't show enough skin. No matter. This hag would have to age gracefully in death if she expected me to fuck her.
I wanted to tell my parents all I'd seen and done but got dizzy when the words tried to come alive. It was as if my aunt's gasoline fumes were back in my brain. This time I wasn't floating high but instead locked down in another hospital bed. I felt trapped in my body once again. And no one could ever know. I was the only one besides Larry who knew about the body. I couldn't risk further imprisonment if they found my cripple cum in her.
I hated that my uncle was getting away with this more so than I was relieved that the bad parts of it were over. For weeks after the seizure I still felt its shakes within me at all times. He'd latched onto my hopes and emotions, now sucking at them every day. The fat man forever feeding.
I disconnected my mouth from Sloopy's history hole. With her back on my lap she had me crack another couple ticks over her belly and rub them in. I mixed together the bloods of a green and brown. Again, Larry appeared. This time the surface also acted as a mirror. I began to scream into the apparition waters. "You're a pervert. A sick fucking rapist!" Using that word for the first time felt freeing, an acknowledgement that until then I hadn't been able to make.
I dropped a couple brown ticks down onto Larry. My uncle's shit stained face looked up through the fur. He was tending to flowers with the wheelbarrow at his side, occasionally using the hanging dead feet to pat soil. He swatted at the now shrunk-down ticks crawling on his skin, cursing the little bugs that weren't his greens. They stayed latched on. He shouted to the heavens. "Who is there?"
He couldn't see me. My voice boomed in the sky over him like God.
"You hurt your nephew." I tried to think on my words but soon let impulse grab hold. "But you could be forgiven if you let him cum in auntie." As I made my demands I noticed that he stood in the reflection of my open mouth.
He looked to the sky and laughed. "He won't have her. But I regret not fucking Wheels with my own skin." He went back to weeding flowers.
I felt my stomach twisting up. It was as if a thousand winged suck bugs were trying to flutter through and lift my crippled corporeality to the sky, preparing to drop their cargo at the apex of flight. Ready to skitter away to their new master in his garden. I was about to go splat when Sloopy spoke up in her haggish voice.
"The blood. Lick the blood."
Acting fast I held her to my mouth and laid my tongue in the puddle. The scenery of the stomach projection became distorted and my uncle was lifted to red, viscous waters. I sucked and sucked as he tossed through bloody waves. I felt him pass from the screen into my mouth. A tiny version of my plump uncle now danced in fright atop my fat tongue. He looked up and saw it was me, too shocked to react with any sense of coherency. He searched his body for green ticks to throw but they all skittered from his plucking fingers. With blood dripping at my lips I swallowed. His desperate shouts echoed up my throat, emitting as if my own voice. "Fuck it."
Sloopy licked at my hand. I tried to thank her the only way I knew how but she only yipped in painful reply. I felt my uncle crawling in my stomach. His few remaining bugs abandoned him quick. I sensed an aimless wander. He was unable to walk his way to my cum chambers or slide out my pee hole. I found a rose I'd taken from his farm and ate it whole. Larry Lamb was now forever reunited with the love of his life.
I felt my ticks, old and new, latch onto him for the final drink. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. My stomach rumbled as he screamed. The engorged ticks exploded from feeding on this fat man's life's supply of stolen blood. I began to absorb his fluids. His powers. They warmed my pudgy tummy.
I rubbed my doggy's sickly thin belly. Threw a toy for her to fetch and laughed when she bounded after it as if a slave. At least one of us had legs. Seeing her move caused a tingle in my waist. I really had no thanks to give her except perhaps one idea from the old play bag.
Sloopy jumped on me. I hacked up an insect popped apart. I couldn't tell its color. Using my tongue I spit it away like the shell of a popcorn kernel whose buttery white fluff was already swallowed down. No need to fetch that one, girl. I'm plenty drunk on tick blood. I felt ready to play our games again so reached for her genitals with one hand while stroking my living limb with the other. It grew fatter and fatter.
I can be reached via commenting below.
This story is the spiritual successor to another thing I wrote:
On the name Azrael that I thought was interesting:
"In one of his forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively."
Also, I just became public enemy number one of the downtown Minneapolis library:


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Medical Malpractice is Notoriously Difficult to Prove in Illinois
Data gathered over the last decade has allowed us to debunk many of the claims made by the media and insurance companies in regards to the efficacy and success rate of malpractice claims. Roughly three out of ten cases that reach trial end in judgment in favor of the plaintiff, which means the defendant wins 70% of the time. There has been a longstanding misconception that having your case tried in Cook County will increase your chances of success, but over the last ten years, there has only been a 2% variance in the number of cases tried in Cook County compared to all others.
The reason for this low rate of success is that the law favors doctors and medical professionals for the purpose of discouraging frivolous lawsuits. Proving that the doctor violated his duty of care is the most difficult aspect of medical negligence case because it requires convincing testimony and evidence that assert beyond any doubt that the doctor acted unreasonably. Regardless of whether an attorney moves a case to what is perceived as a more favorable venue, this burden of proof always needs to be overcome.
Insurance Companies Take Advantage of Low Malpractice Success Rates
Surgeons, physicians and hospitals are all insured so that they may be able to provide compensation in the event they harm one of their patients or a staff member acts negligently. The insurance companies often try to settle matters outside of court if they feel it would be more expedient and less expensive to settle than to allow the case to proceed before a jury. Unfortunately, they consistently offer settlements that are not in the plaintiffs' interests and those settlements limit the ability of those who accept them to any further legal recourse.
Over a five-year study, it was found that settlement offers in Illinois were rarely sufficient to provide victims with adequate compensation beyond their court costs and less than 10% of settlement offers exceeded $500,000. During this time frame, 500 cases were studied and 43 received offers of $500,000 or higher out of 140 settlement offers in total. Remarkably, of 140 cases in which an offer was made and the plaintiff chose to proceed to trial, only six resulted in a verdict less valuable than the offers. If you are offered an out of court settlement, it is extremely important to go over the fine print with an Illinois medical malpractice attorney to determine whether it is in your best interest to accept the offer.
How to Maximize your Chances When Filing a Malpractice Claim
It is understandable to be frustrated and to constantly question whether you are making the proper legal decisions when you are pursuing litigation due to a medical error or injury. You may feel that passing on an offer is not in your best interest due to the low rate of successful malpractice claims and you might be (rightfully) wary of settlement offers that don't seem to have your interests at heart. This is where having an experienced medical malpractice law firm with a proven track record of success becomes invaluable.
The Illinois medical malpractice attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC use a layered approach to improve the chances of successfully recovering compensation on our clients' behalf. The first step we take is to evaluate your case and perform an investigation which will allow us to understand exactly what happened and how it contributed to your injuries. We rely on experts in relevant schools of medicine to allow us to gather an accurate assessment of whether your surgeon or physician violated the duty of care. Those same medical experts can then be called upon to provide testimony in your favor and to help counter any claims by the defense that the defendant acted completely as any of his or her colleagues would have.
Our team also has access to experts who can properly value your claim by assessing the upfront cost of paying for the medical treatment required to make you whole again while figuring in out of pocket costs, long term care or rehabilitative therapy and other factors such as the loss of income and diminished earning potential in addition to the value of your pain and suffering throughout your ordeal. It is a combination of all this compelling testimony and our extensive knowledge of medical tort law that make us the leading firm in Illinois when it comes to successfully prosecuting medical negligence matters.
Contact us today to arrange a free consultation with one of our Illinois medical malpractice attorneys to review your case and go over the legal options available. We will answer your questions and concerns and let you know the true chances your case has of success and how best to proceed. Medical malpractice cases are no sure thing and we understand that many victims of medical malpractice are already facing large financial burdens. Therefore, if we are unable to secure compensation on your behalf, you can be assured that our services will come completely free of charge.


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Brilliance Floral Cluster Rhinestone Button
from $4.98
Unit of Measure for this product is Piece(s)
This beautiful Brilliance Floral Cluster Rhinestone Button gives off the ideal amount of sparkle for any occasion. This button features one large stone centered in the middle with five large rhinestone "petals" around it, and smaller rhinestones in between which creates a blossoming flower shape. This button can be made into hair pins or clips, added to a dress for drama, or sewn onto a blazer. This is a shank-style button and it's available in four colors and three sizes.
Item number
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Can Dogs Eat Yolk?
Can Dogs Eat Yolk?
Yes, you can totally give your dog an egg yolk. Egg yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg. It is full of proteins and very easily digestible.
Egg yolks contain high amount of vitamins and nutrients which make them an idle ingredient to include in your dog's food. Most of the pet food manufacturers already include the egg yolks in their canine formulations. Protein, as well as fat, is essential for pets as protein build muscle and fat encourages energy. Egg yolks contain very high protein and also easily digestible. Moreover, egg yolks contain Vitamin A, D, E, and K.
Egg yolks have very high biological value. It indicates how easily protein and its amino acids can be absorbed by the body to support the bodily functions. Your pet needs 10 amino acids in his diet and the body of the pet cannot produce on its own. Egg yolks contain that proportion of the amino acids that your pup needs. Yolks are more digestible than the meat or meat byproducts.
Nutritional Value of the Yolks
Egg yolks contain a Vitamin A, D, E and K. It also contains Vitamin B12, biotin, folate, riboflavin, iron and healthy fatty acids. Deficiency of biotin may result in skin and coat issues. And, egg yolks are rich in biotin that keep the skin of your dog moisturized. One large yolk contains 2.7g of protein, 55 calories, 4.51g of fat and 270mg cholesterol.
Cook or Not to Cook
Because of the possibility of contamination with salmonella and other bacteria, the controversy regarding the safety of feeding raw eggs exists. Raw egg yolk contains the more nutrients than the cooked. But the difference is not much so it is good to give the cooked yolk to the pet.
Benefits of Egg Yolk
Egg yolk fats are very beneficial to canine skin and fur. Cholesterol in the yolk is good for the dog's skin and coat. It doesn't affect the dogs in the way as it does people. Vitamins of the yolk provide a nutritional boost for pets. Vitamin D helps to absorb the calcium which is crucial for the bone health. Vitamin A is great for the eyes of the dog and it keeps the mucous membranes of the body moist. Vitamin C found in egg yolk is essential to protect the tissues of the body. It also encourages healthy red blood cell formation. Vitamin K is important to the blood clotting mechanism of the body. So, all of these vitamins are important for the well-being of canine and it must be provided in the food of the dog.
Egg yolk ingredients are very essential for the dog but the fat content of the yolk can be problematic. Feeding the more fat to dogs is not good for their health. They can covert some amount of fat into energy and the excess fat gets converted into body fat which leads to obesity. So just avoid feeding multiple egg yolks per day, feed few egg yolks to your pet. Dogs can be fed cooked or raw egg yolks as a treat in addition to their regular food. But there is a risk of salmonella if you feed raw egg. Although, salmonella is not that much harmful to dogs as it is to humans. Moreover, the stomach chemistry of pets is different than of humans. So, salmonella doesn't affect them much.
Cooked or Raw Eggs for Dogs
You can give both cooked as well as raw eggs to your dogs as they can eat both. Moreover, you can consult your veterinarian about this as some dogs have medical conditions that can be worsened after eating egg.
Cooked eggs for dogs – If your dog has a compromised immune system, then you should boil and peel eggs before feeding them to your pet. But keep in mind while cooking to not use any spices, oils or additives as these can be very harmful to canines. For a calcium supplement, you can grind the shells of the eggs and sprinkle them on the food of the dog. If you cook the eggshell then all moisture disappears from the eggshells and it can cause digestive distress.
Raw Eggs for Dogs – You can feed raw eggs to your pet several times a week. You can crush the shells and sprinkle them over the dog's food for the calcium boost. But in case you notice stomach upset then feed less. Raw eggs have more protein than the cooked.
How Many Eggs Can You Feed Your Dog?
Eating anything in excess is not good. Eggs have the very high amount of Vitamins and minerals, so moderation is the key.
- If your dog is small then you can feed 1 or 2 eggs per week. Also, adjust meal portions to accommodate extra calories.
- If your dog is large, then you can feed 2 to 3 eggs per week. Again, adjust their total calorie intake.
Egg allergies are rare but these do exist. If after eating egg yolk there are signs of an allergic reaction like itching on the nose and paws, lethargy, hives and trouble breathing, then you must seek veterinary care immediately. Few dogs develop an upset stomach when their diet is changed. This is common. In case your dog exhibits loose, runny stool for more than 24 hours or vomiting persists for more than 24 hours, then consult a veterinary.
A healthy diet includes eggs as its main component and you can feed the eggs to your dogs. It is absolutely safe. Every part of the egg contains beneficial nutrients for dogs and like any other food, eggs should be given in moderation. Some veterinarians say that eggs should be fed after cooking them and other veterinarians say that you can feed the raw eggs to your dogs. If you have any doubt then you can consult with your veterinarian about how to properly serve eggs to your dog.


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The past month has been incredibly busy on your floor. Between blood draws, intubations, skin biopsies, and discharges, you barely had time to use the restroom—let alone eat lunch, or take your breaks. However, you lived through it, your patients were all well cared for, and the missed lunches and breaks should give you some extra money in overtime.
This week's check should be the first to have the overtime, and it should have already been deposited into your account. So, you excitedly check your statement to see how much extra money you now have to play with. You're at a complete loss for words. Not only is the check less than you hoped, but it didn't include any overtime whatsoever. How can that be? You should have at least four hours of time and a half, but instead—you have zero.
Does working through your lunch and breaks not count toward overtime?
Common Overtime Tasks That Are Overlooked for OT Pay
Overtime (OT) is defined by the United Stated Department of Labor as any time worked past 40 hours within one week. Therefore, if you're scheduled and work eight hours a day, five days a week—not including the lunch periods in which you clock out—any additional time spent completing tasks, or participating in work-related activities, should be considered overtime.
Unfortunately for many nurses, OT isn't recognized as often as it should be within their pay. These inaccuracies can be attributed to many different factors, but they generally occur in relation to one of these five commonly under or unpaid tasks:
- Work lunches and breaks. When working an eight-hour shift, nurses are entitled to a 30 minute unpaid lunch, and two 10-minute breaks. However, within the medical field, it is a common occurrence for emergencies and unforeseen situations to pop up without notice, keeping nurses from having the time to take their breaks. This means that if you work through your lunch, you'll essentially be working eight and a half hours, in which 30 minutes of that should be considered overtime. Unfortunately, some employers disregard that 30 minutes and assume that you took your break anyway—completely disregarding the potential overtime.
- Home tasks. Many nurses—especially clinical staff—take work home with them to study, re-work, organize or create schedules. However, since they're not "clocked-in," even though they're working, they're not getting paid the rightful overtime in which they're due.
- Overnight nurses. Working overnights or what is affectionately known as the "graveyard shift," can be truly grueling at times, which is why most hospitals will provide an additional overnight premium. However, since the graveyard shifts are inherently less preferable, understaffing can be a problem. This means that overnight nurses must do more work in the same amount of time. Depending on the workload, sometimes this works out fine, while other times, the overnight nurses must stay well beyond their scheduled times in order to finish up their duties. Unfortunately, this extra time is ignored or misplaced when it comes to OT pay, since the work could have been finished if there were more staff.
- Charting. The majority of nurses leave charting for the end of their shifts, just in case their patients require something before they leave. Unfortunately, this means that many nurses are charting once they've clocked-out of their shifts, and are therefore, charting for free instead of getting the OT they deserve.
- Meetings. Since nursing shifts are staggered throughout the day, and patients need continuous care, it can be difficult to schedule staff meetings. Therefore, when a meeting is scheduled, most likely unscheduled nurses will either have to come in early before their shifts, stay late after their shifts, or drive in specifically for the meeting. Since the meeting is work related, is using time outside their scheduled work hours, and causes them inconvenience, these nurses deserve the OT. Unfortunately, unless specifically put in for—this OT is often overlooked.
Getting Paid for Everything You Do
You shouldn't have to be forced to fight for your rightful pay. When you take the extra effort and time to care for your patients, create an efficient workplace, or attend meetings on your days off, you deserve to get paid.
If you believe that your pay checks are consistently lacking your overtime pay, or your employer is refusing to recognize your overtime work, contact us immediately. We'll help you understand your OT rights, give you the peace of mind you need, and the pay you deserve. Call now!
Know someone who is having a rough time receiving her overtime pay, and doesn't know what to do about it? Please, feel free to share this page with her via email, Facebook or Twitter, and recommend it to your friends on Google Plus. No one should have to be forced to work for free—let us help.
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The round (2 pitch) roof was based on a 16 side polygon and how they usually construct it anyway though usually 8 sides. The flat top (name?) was created using 2 pitches and then adding a third 0 slope roof as similar to what I describe here. The Pizza hut roof is done using the double slope roof (check the properties pallete) as can the Mansard roof if the pitching is on all 4 sides (not 2 like I've shown).
The Dormer is simply another roof (object) sat above the main roof. The trick here is to create a 5 side roof shape, with the back planted end having 2 (triangular) sides with no overhang and the slope set to 90. UPDATE - see technique for dormer roofs and other holes. The roof object cannot have holes so yes there will be roof in the middle of dormer and won't work for sections thru' here. For a schematic section you could use a masking object or simply edit the section and delete the lines. That may even possibly get you thru' a construction drawing as well.
The floating or planted Gable is again another simple roof object with 5 sides. The trick here is the 2 sides with slope are too small to be seen so it appears to be a triangle. The VisionRez roof can do this slope without a length being required which is very smo
The Gablet or Dutch Gable (Gablet-uk) along with the Mansard, Half Hip and derivatives can be created using the technique describe in part 2. via editing edges.
The Skillion roof is the most simple but not obvious with the roof object. It would appear to be native to a slab. But aecSlabs behave differently (displayReps) and so I will use the RO instead.
Trick is to create a 90 slope roof to start with and only add a slope to the one side edge. It can also turn corners and wrap around a house, even completely around. To get a verandah roof all around a house (with a hole in the middle for the house) create one roof up to the hip and then another to complete. Connecting at the hip end will disguise the use of two objects and there will be no unwanted lines in plan, elevation & model. (UPDATE: If you create a full square roof and add a second pitch at 0 to one edge at a height between the pitch line and ridge, you will get a hole. This is demonstrated in my file posted at AUGI and Adesk NG.
Hopefully you can see that the roof object has some versitility. You may well need to revert to slabs to do a complex roof but the RO can certainly go further than what may be immediately obvious. I seriously believe that with a little tweaking by the Autodesk team, the roof object could be a great tool for residential roof's. As it is - it's almost there! I don't care for edge styles as I am happy using a wall style for that But it does need ;
- Ability to add/remove vertices (critical) UPDATE - it's there but hidden.
- Ability to cut holes (ok not so critical) UPDATE - reasonable workaround.
- Styles (ok not so critical but would be nice)
Next I want to look at when a roof needs to overlap itself and the simple cut out section.


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An idea to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS which started in Carlisle has been hailed a national success.
Carlisle parkrun led a national celebration of the 70th birthday of the NHS last Saturday (9 June).
More than 85,000 people were expected to take part across the UK, but on the day there were more than 146,000 people taking part in special events. The idea was supported and promoted by Dame Kelly Holmes.
More than 360 parkruns took part – including Penrith, Workington and Millom – and saw people running in fancy dress, sharing their NHS stories and messages of thanks.
The idea came from Nicola Jackson and Kathryn Holliday who work for NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group. They worked with NHS England and parkrun UK to develop the event.
Nicola, a children's commissioner, said: "It really was the most amazing experience. We had 381 runners at Carlisle parkrun, a record for our event. We celebrated the NHS and staying active, as well as sharing messages of thanks.
"It was really very emotional reading some of the messages that were posted during our celebration. It was unbelievable seeing the impact across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland across social media as people shared their experiences. It will live me for a long time."
Messages posted at Carlisle parkrun included:
"Thank you for saving my dad's life"
"Thank you to Dr Davies, Wigton Hospital, the OTs and physios, the oncology team and Eden Valley Hospice for looking after Lawrence x"
"Thank you to the breast care doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants. You truly are a credit to your profession. Long live the NHS xx"
"The NHS has saved my life numerous times, but Carlisle parkrun has made it worth living."
A film from the day is available here https://youtu.be/Gsxtz5kpB-E|
Please see the official update from parkrun UK below:
parkrun/NHS celebration day proves to be a hit
More than 146,000 people got involved in parkrun events around the UK on Saturday 9 June as parkrun and the NHS joined forces to celebrate 70 years of the health service.
135,318 walkers and runners completed a parkrun, 8,942 of those were completing their first-ever parkrun, thanks to the support of 11,188 volunteers.
The aim of 'parkrun for the NHS' was to recognise the contribution of the NHS to the nation and to encourage more people to get involved in physical activity and volunteering.
Staff from all parts of the NHS, from doctors to domestics and paramedics to porters, joined the runners, walkers and volunteers at hundreds of parkruns around the country. Thousands of participants chose to attend in fancy dress or wore signs declaring why they are proud of, and thankful to, the NHS.
When comparing the parkrun participation figures with the same weekend in previous years and how they compared to attendances in the previous four weeks, parkrun for the NHS saw an increased attendance of +14%, when in previous years that weekend has seen a reduction in participation of 9%, suggesting that more than 16,000 additional walkers and runners participated nationally on 9 June.
The figures also demonstrate an increase of +14% when it comes to people taking part who identified as being inactive at the point of registration, which means that 981 additional previously inactive people took part on 9 June.
There also appears to have been a positive impact on first-time participants. The second Saturday in June has historically seen 15% fewer first time runners/walkers than the previous four weeks. However, parkrun for the NHS saw an increase of +37%, suggesting 2,462 additional first-timers participated nationally.
parkrun UK's Head of Health and Wellbeing Chrissie Wellington said: "After months of preparation it was absolutely fantastic to see the success of the parkrun for the NHS initiative and I would like to personally thank everyone who took part. The participation figures alone give cause for celebration, however they only really tell half the story.
"As important is the genuine and successful joint working between parkrun and the NHS at national and local levels, the awareness raising about parkrun beyond our traditional audience, and the inspirational personal stories of those whose lives have been impacted so positively by the NHS and by parkrun. We want to build on this initiative to ensure a long-lasting benefit to the public health sector and to parkrun of engaging people in free, weekly physical activity and volunteering that is accessible to all."
Ian Dodge, National Director – Strategy and Innovation, NHS England, said: "We are delighted with the number of people who took part in parkrun for the NHS, whether as runners, walkers or volunteers. As the NHS turns 70, the event sent a powerful message to NHS staff about the strength of feeling for them and the service. The NHS's birthday is also an opportunity to remind people about the importance of being active and events such as parkrun are an easy way for them to do that."
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Ireland to gain flexibility on VAT rates as EC tackles fraud
Ireland could benefit from increased flexibility and discretion around the VAT rates it can apply as the European Commission bids to crack down on VAT fraud.
As part of a new action plan for VAT reform the Commission is looking to reboot the existing system, which was implemented as a transitional measure in 1993.
The Commission said the current system needs to be modernised to deal with today's global mobile economy. Economic affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici said it is time to close the "VAT Gap".
That's a reference to the difference between the amount of VAT actually collected and the amount that is supposed to be raised.
"VAT is a major source of tax revenue for EU member states, yet we face a staggering fiscal gap," he said.
"The VAT revenues collected are €170bn short of what they should be. This is a huge waste of money that could be invested on growth and jobs." The increased power that could be granted to the State could be used to reduce the VAT rate on housebuilding, according to Grant Thornton tax partner Jarlath O'Keefe.
"Currently the rate of VAT on building houses is charged at 13.5pc and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) would look for the lower 9pc rate that is being charged in the hospitality sector.
"The real reason that hasn't been introduced is that it would be difficult to get over the hurdle of EU legislation," However, Mr O'Keefe said that if the VAT action plan is brought in the newly acquired discretionary power could be used to bring the rate down.
It is estimated that around €50bn is lost each year to VAT fraud across the EU. The Commission says €40bn of this can be cut out by the plan, with all proposals on reform due to be presented to the European Parliament by the end of 2017.
Carousel fraud, which involves regaining VAT from newly imported goods within the EU, is one of the most prominent forms of VAT fraud in the EU.
Another element of the new plan will look to reduce the amount of paperwork that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will have to complete on their tax returns.
The Commission is looking to simplify VAT rules for e-commerce in order to make life easier for SMEs.
"The administrative burden for small businesses is high and technical innovation poses new challenges for VAT collection," said the Commission's vice president for Euro dialogue, Valdis Dombrovskis.
Support being offered to SMEs in terms of reform is being used to level the playing field with non-EU firms.
The Commission said EU companies are at a "competitive disadvantage" because non-EU traders can import VAT-free goods to the Union.
Jarlath O'Keefe believes the new plan will be met with little to no opposition as it is granting extra autonomy to governments as VAT is gradually moved to a model of charging in the region of consumption, as opposed to country of origin.
"The ultimate aim is that if you were buying products or services that the same VAT rules would apply, I guess you might have differences in terms of rates," Mr O'Keefe said.
The new plan was created after prompting from both the European Council and the Parliament. It has been touted for introduction in 2017, however previous plans around financial services have tended to suffer delays.
Article Source: http://tinyurl.com/kbwqb42


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'Oh, yeah, we're going to have tryouts for a travel team that will fly up to Grand Forks [British Columbia], Canada, over the Labor Day weekend."
Speaking is Mickey Deutschman, 69, 16 years as scout for the Atlanta Braves, 10 years as hitting coach for Grossmont College, and owner/field manager of the San Diego–Barona Stars, a semipro baseball club since 1984. The tournament he's referring to is the Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament (GFI), now in its 32nd year. National teams, teams that have competed in the Olympics when baseball was an Olympic sport, have regularly played in the GIF. It's billed as one of the largest invitational tournaments in North America. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum is an alumnus, as is World Series MVP and current Boston Red Sox pitcher Brendan Ryan.
Deutschman says, "We've come in second four or five times and made the money round all but a couple times. Tough tournament. We've played Cuba's national team, the one with all the big guys. We played Japan four times. We played Taiwan. We played Korea. We played Australia. We play Team Canada this year."
I'm on the phone with Deutschman because his San Diego–Barona Stars are holding tryouts this Sunday and the following Saturday. Anyone can tryout, and if you're ridiculously good, play ball in an international tournament one week later.
Deutschman says, "Before independent baseball — "
I break in, "When you say 'independent ball,' are you talking about the Newark Bears and — "
"Like the San Diego [Surf Dawgs], in the Golden Baseball League. Those guys were pros, just weren't affiliated with major league teams. Before independent ball, all these guys were playing in leagues like ours — semipro leagues [made up of] guys who have been in the big leagues and still wanted to play. Guys were released, played for us, and got re-signed to major league ball clubs. Danny Boone, our left-handed pitcher from the Padres, played with me and re-signed with Baltimore. Jacque Jones was playing for the Cubs. Eddie Williams went with the Padres. We got a pretty good history."
I ask, "Who do you expect to show up on Sunday?"
"I expect some of the guys who got released, or maybe some independent players whose season ended and they still want a little exposure. That tournament up there gets scouted.
"Some of the guys — maybe college seniors, four-year guys that never got signed, or three-year guys that never got signed — would like to go with us, but they may have to go to school. Labor Day weekend and school might interfere with our high-caliber selected college guys."
I say, "It seems you have at least two teams. One team goes through the regular season and at its end everybody goes back to college, and then you put together another team for the GIF."
"That's exactly right. The regular season is an opportunity for the younger guys to figure it out, to find out what's going on. We've got veterans on the team, so I don't have to do all the kicking-them-in-the-butt-to-do-right. We play about 60 games in about 60 days. Home and away and tournaments. If we come in first or second, it pays for our summer.
"Older guys who can't put up with the regular season are the ones who come out for this one [GFI], and they're good. I get guys out of Mexico, out of independent leagues, who want to go to Canada, get looked at by an international scout."
"How many players are you taking with you?"
"I would say from 18 to 20, depends on the caliber and the amount of pitching I might need. You're only playing five days."
"And how many of those 18 to 20 do you think you'll find during tryouts?"
"At this point, 12. Our tryouts test all facets. I have pitchers throw against the guys I know can really hit. If they can take care of my hitters, they can take care of the other team's hitters. We hit ground balls to find out what a guy's got as far as arm strength, good footwork. We hit fly balls just to make sure they have good arm strength, they know how to set up under the ball. If it's teaching time, they're not going to make the club. Naturally, we have live pitching for batting practice, and we spend a lot of time on hitting."
"I assume, while you're on the road, travel, lodging, and food is taken care of?"
Deutschman laughs, "No food. All the travel and all the lodging. They buy their own food, and especially their own alcohol."
Want to play ball? Hie thee to sandiegostars.org for particulars.
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- The pinch-hitters answer questions on the Padres strike — March 16, 1995
- Padres' farm team manager Russ Nixon tells all — July 1, 1993