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Discover the wonders of south Iceland Glaciers and Volcanoes, Icebergs and Geysers.
Iceland is geologically a hot spot, a young and one of the most active volcanic areas in the world.
This tour Fire and ice gives you an excellent opportunity to discover the magic of these natural wonders, and the spectacular natural landscape that surrounds them. This tour covers the major attractions of the south including the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Glaciers, Hot Springs and Waterfalls as well as the beautiful Westman Islands.
This tour is a great opportunity to experince the diversity and contrasts of Icelandic nature !
• All departures are guaranteed with minimum of 6 participants
• Maximum group size of 20 participants
• Visit the main attractions of South Iceland
FIRE AND ICE - Hiking Tour South Iceland
Day 1. The Golden Circle .
The national park Thingvellir, where the world´s oldest still existing parliament was established in 930 AD, is not only a very historical place and an UNESCO world heritage site but also geologically very interesting as the Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between the Eurasian and the North-American earth plates lies through the area. After a hike in Thingvellir then we continue to the Geysir thermal area where the active geyser Strokkur is located, another highlight of the day is a hike near the Gullfoss waterfall (The Golden Waterfall)
Accommodation: South Iceland
Day 2 .Highlands-Landmannalaugar
Today are we heading in to the highlands, we will pass the famous volcano Mt. Hekla and drive through lavafields and barran landscape on our way to the nature reserve Landmannalaugar which is known for colourful rhyloite mountains and semi precious stones. After an unforgettable hike then it is possible to relax in a warm spring before we continue through excotic volcanic landscape to our accommodation near Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Acco: Near Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Day 3. The Vatnajökull Nationalpark and the Glacierlagoon.
The landscape in Skaftafell is rich of contrasts, black sand deserts, hills rich of vegetation and majestic glacier fronts, all this at the same place ! After a hike to the Svartifoss waterfall we will continue to the Jökulsárlón (Glacier lagoon), where we will sail in between the icebergs on an amphibian vehicle. Icebergs of all sizes and forms are drifting with the currents, and often it is possible to sea seals swimming in the lagoon. There is no wonder that this scenery has attracted many film producers.
Acco: near Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Day 4: The South Coast
The scenery at the south coast is amazing, at the black sandbeach near Vík are very spectacular basalt columns , we will hike to cap Dyrhólaey which is known for it´s big colony of puffins. There are two beautiful waterfalls to be seen, the Skógafoss and the Seljalandsfoss (which is possible to walk behind).
Another highlight of this day is a visit to the Skógar folk museum which brings the history and culture of Iceland closer to the visitor, and also a visit to the Eyjafjallajökull visitor centre where you will see a film (20 minutes) about the eruption 2010 and how it effected the people in the area.
Accommodation: South Iceland
Day 5. The Westman Islands
A visit to the Westman Islands is really an experience. It takes only 40 minutes to sail with the ferry to Heimaey which is the only inhabited island of the archipelago. Heimaey is sometimes referred to as the "Pompei of the North" because of the volcanic eruption which to place there in 1973. We will visit the Eldheimar interactive exhibition which brings these events close to us before we will hike up to the new volcano from which there is still steam rising up to the air.
Accommodation: South Icleland
Day 6. The Reykjanes Peninsula and the Blue Lagoon.
The Reykjanes Peninsula is known for it´s lunar landscape and thermal areas with fumaroles (mud pots) . We will hike to the fumaroles in Krísuvík and Gunnuhver and visit the bird cliffs at the tip of the peninsula. Finally it´s possible to end the day by relaxing in the warm water of the Blue Lagoon before we will return back to Reykjavík.
Accommodation: Reykjavík
date and price
Valid June 15-22. 2018 other departures upon request.
Price per person in EUR min. 6. persons
Double room 2280,—
Single supplement 370,—-
Included in the tour price :
• 7 nights accommodations in double room with private facilities
• 6 x breakfast buffet
• 5 x dinner (3 courses)
• Bus and guide as per itenearary from day 1 to day 6
• entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon (visitors fee)
• entrance fee to Folk museum Skógar
• Entrance fee to Eyjafjallajökull visitor center
• Boat tour at the Glacial Lagoon Jökulsárlón
• Ferry to and from Westman Islands
• Entrance fee to the Volcano museum in Westman Islands
• Hot drinks at lunch stops
Searching Availability...
Searching Availability...


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What an amazing crazy year its been! So much travel! So many new friends! So many pictures! And I couldn't do any of it without my blog and my readers. Thanks so much for sticking around through this with me. I've loved every minute.
So this is a quick summary of some of things I got up to this year, some outfits I wore, some bloggers I shot… and below are links to the original posts. All photography by me xx
1/ Ellery Show at Aussie FW 2/ Me in Florence 3/ My Tokyo Grunge Editorial 4/My shoot with model and blogger, Tine – in Antwerp 5/ My shoot with beautiful Carolina, FashionSquad 6/ Me in Florence again 7/ Columbine Smile in Stockholm 8/ Sara (Harper & Harley) in Ellery 9/Streetstyle @ Pitti Uomo in Florence 10/Blogger from Amaliethea at Copenhagen FW 11/ My gorgeous friend Andy from StyleScrapbook in Holland 12/ Me in Thailand 13/ More Pitti Uomo Streetstyle action 14/ At Firenze 4 Ever in Florence wearing Stella McCartney 15/Bec & Bridge show at Aussie FW 16/ Me in Copenhagen 17/ Me in Amsterdam 18/ My shoot for Gstar in Amsterdam 19/ My stunning sister from another mister and travel buddy, Jess Stein of Tuula in Florence 20/ My RMK campaign starring Anya K 21/ My Stylestalker campaign, Bunny's Day Off 22/ Margaret in Thailand with her ballet/butterfly skills 23/ Me in Stockholm 24/ My editorial for FashionGoneRogue, The Age of Innocence 25/ My self portrait accessories feature for Midcity 26/ My editorial with Andy (StyleScrapbook) in Amsterdam 27/ My shoot with Nicole (Gary Pepper) in Sydney's Chinese Gardens 28/ My editorial featuring Models1 New Faces, London 29/ First editorial exclusive for Fellt, Monday's Child

subset: commoncrawl


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Healthy eating does not have to be a chore; there is little need to believe that altering your entire lifestyle is necessary. On the contrary, it is easy to take on a healthy diet. With the tips located below as your guide, you can make a change for the better.
1. Avoid Complicated Recipes
There are a sizeable number of cookbooks out there that deal with healthy foods; however, you may not have time to prepare most of the dishes in them. Some people do not attempt to develop a healthy eating habit because they do not want to spend hours making dinner. When you simplify recipes, you introduce something workable to the family. Find something that does not require a lot of time for preparation. If you have trouble locating something new that suits your tastes, alter something that already appeals to you. If the need arises, ask friends and family members for help.
2. Take Food Outside Of the Home
Some people struggle with the idea of healthy eating because they do not carry healthy food around with them; you can stop this problem by taking something with you. Whether you are leaving the house to go to work or run errands, pack a snack that is appropriate for your body. When you do this, you are less tempted to go to a vending machine and invest in junk food. You may also wish to eat before you leave your home if you will be away for more than a few hours.
3. Do Not Try To Be Perfect
Few individuals are able to be wholly successful with their healthy food regiments; if you slip and eat a piece of cake for lunch, do not spend time feeling terrible. If you should attempt to be flawless in your healthy eating experiment, you may give up and go back to your old habits. The main thing is that you do the best that you can. If you need to do so, ask somebody that you trust for support. He or she can keep the project going even when a difficult event comes into the picture.
4. Do Not Eat More Than You Can Handle
If you leave something on your plate, do not force yourself to eat it. When you choose to finish your meal entirely, you force your body to take in more than it can handle. This is not to suggest that you eat miniscule meals; on the contrary, you should simply use caution when preparing your portions. Do not eat what remains on your plate if you do not wish to do so. When you are careful, you can leave room for healthier foods.


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The Warrawee Lecture is an annual event proudly brought to you by Warrawee Anglican Church providing a marvellous opportunity for believers from all church backgrounds in Northern Sydney to benefit from the expertise of an eminent scholar on a particular aspect of our Christian faith.
In 2017 we welcome Rev. Dr Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney, and until 2015, Senior Minister of St James, Turramurra. Dr Stead will speak on the topic "What kind of 'secular' country is Australia? Freedom for Religion or from Religion?"
This event is free. Please register here for a seat:
Please click here to listen to Warrawee Lectures from previous years.


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Life insurance is a crucial step in planning for your future and your family's future. It can fulfill promises and obligations to your family if you are no longer living.
The death benefit is income-tax free and can be used to cover funeral expenses, repay debt, provide education, pay estate taxes or any other expenses your survivors may incur.
Life insurance may also be used to help ensure that a family business will pass to your intended survivor. There are also benefits to certain types of life insurance plans during your lifetime.
Contact us today for more information about Life Insurance or fill out our online quote form.
Visit or contact us:
|AssuredPartners Northeast, LLC100 Baylis Road, Suite 300Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (631) 465-4000Fax: (631) 465-4005
MRW Insurance Services is now operating as AssuredPartners Northeast. Our full-service independent insurance agency offering a multitude of insurance products from top-rated companies to fulfill all your insurance needs. Our objective is to provide superior customer service and quality insurance solutions to all our customers. We are dedicated to getting you the best insurance products and services available today to protect you, your family and your business.
We have access to rates with more than 45 insurance companies to get you the best coverage at the lowest cost.
Our dedicated, professional staff members are ready to give you the personal attention you deserve.
Click here for a free quote on your insurance!


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Wed, 15 April 2009
I just added Jessica Chobot's blog to my side panel. She's a cool and beautiful young lady who, in addition to loving games and writing and doing videos for IGN (which you can view on XBOX Live), is an avid manga and anime fan. Some of her most recent blog entries are about her visit to the recent Sakura Festival in Japan. She has plenty of pictures and entertaining blog entries, so be sure to visit her site. Here is her Modlife blog which is very visual and flashy (just click on the picture):
You can also check out her more traditional style blog at IGN:
Category:News -- posted at: 7:50pm CST


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Apr 20, 2017
Support the show, support yourself = win/win!
Get coached by me, get the support you need and the step-by-step
strategy you need to succeed in all your goals and dreams www.josephclough.info/mindmastery
By #1 Bestselling Author Joseph Clough. (Over 200 hours of free audio, downloaded 200,000 downloads a month).
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Restaurants, Bar Charming restaurant in unique 19th Century milieu. Lunch of the day and á la carte. The kitchen serves traditional Brunkulla fare. In the summer we pride ourselves on having the... Read more
Restaurants, Bar Located in a old garage you will find Jazzkökets bar Lagerbaren. As the only bar in Östersund, Lagerbaren was recently recommended by White Guide as one of 65 top cocktailbars i... Read more
Bar Welcome to Magazinet Bar - here you can enjoy nice wines and cocktails. Read more
Bar, Restaurants Popular restaurant and bar. Terrace with a magical view overlooking Östersund's harbor. Late at night, when the kitchen is closed, the party starts. Table reservation available ... Read more
Bar, Restaurants Östersund's hottest playground where you follow exciting sports, eat good food and meet lovely people. Read more
Restaurants, Bar A stone's throw from the square lies this gem of restaurants in Östersund! Inspiration, innovation and carefully selected high quality ingredients char Food, cocktails, lounge... Read more
Bar, Restaurants, Other food Don't miss the best outdoor dining in town. Combine good food and drinks on our oasis in the middle of town. DJ with lovely music. Read more


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New Year's Resolution - Fight Spots
We're all for embracing your freckles but when you have spots that don't fade after summer, it's time to take action. Generally, brown spots are indicative of cumulative sun damage and tend to develop first in areas typically exposed to the sun - face, décolletage, your hands. However, our spots are not always caused by the sun. We can hyper-pigment from any kind of stress on the body, especially when that stress is caused by a hormonal fluctuation or imbalance. Fortunately, there are ways to combat spots.
What to avoid: Hydroquinone
Many US dermatologists consider this skin lightener the gold standard for fading spots. However, it is much less common outside of the United States because so many countries have banned its use. The reason? Serious risks, including cancer and organ toxicity.
Your solutions:
DNA Repair ~ Zinc Finger Technology normalizes melanin but does not shut it down. In other words, it allows the rest of your skin to protect itself and stay healthy while healing the melanocytes. To try: Catalyst
Repair Protein Damage ~ Extract of Sweet Wormwood has the ability to calm inflammation and promote wound healing at the dermal-epidermal junction. Once healed, it allows the melanocyte to produce normal amounts of protective melanin. To try: Restore
Lightening Agents ~ While hydroquinone is often used, based on the risks involved, it is not ideal for skin health. Look for lighteners with natural ingredients that function effectively without toxic ingredients, exfoliating or adding inflammation and only use as needed. To try: Enlighten.
Sun Protection ~ Always top off with sun protection to protect against further damage. To Try: Shade


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What storage virtualization brings to the enterprise
Storage virtualization can achieve a balance of performance, management efficiency and flexibility. Ever wonder what else it can do?
The benefits of virtualization don't end with consolidation. Storage virtualization offers the advantage of aggregation, too, which allows disparate or isolated storage resources to be pooled, provisioned and allocated regardless of their physical location within the enterprise. Storage can be virtualized in a variety of ways to achieve a balance of performance, management efficiency and flexibility.
Virtualization directly affects storage efficiency. As storage needs increase and storage systems proliferate across an enterprise, unused storage resources can be "orphaned" through overprovisioning or neglect. This waste often leads organizations to invest in additional storage sooner than necessary, resulting in higher costs.
Overprovisioning is the act of assigning more storage space to an application than necessary. The practice is meant to prevent the provisioned volume from running out of space, which would force administrators to provision new space and migrate the exhausted volume to a larger space. If the overprovisioned space goes unused, this practice can be extremely wasteful and is therefore discouraged.
Virtualizing storage combines disparate sources, which reduces waste, improves utilization rates and forestalls the costs of additional disk investments. For example, nonvirtualized storage use often peaks around 50%, while virtual storage utilization can frequently exceed 80%.
Virtualization can also improve storage management. Without virtualization, each heterogeneous storage system must be managed through a console that's unique to that particular storage system or manufacturer. Because management differences can exist between products from the same vendor, each new storage platform could introduce more management overhead.
"When you move to storage virtualization, that becomes the central point of storage administration and management," said Ray Lucchesi, president and founder of Silverton Consulting Inc., an independent technology consulting firm headquartered in Broomfield, Colo. "Performance reports, configuring LUNs … it's all done through the storage virtualization console."
Storage flexibility, also called storage agility, is another important benefit. Storage virtualization allows data to be migrated or copied nondisruptively across storage systems. Data can also move offsite across a WAN. For example, data files and complete virtual machines (VMs) can be moved from one storage system to another within the data center. This may make sense when one storage system needs to be maintained or upgraded. Similarly, virtualized storage volumes can be moved to -- or retrieved from -- offsite storage at a disaster recovery (DR) site.
"Once we start to take data from multiple systems, or even data on one server, we get it onto our SAN and we open up quite a bit of opportunities to push that data or stream it to an offsite storage facility as well," said Scott Gorcester, president of Moose Logic, an IT services firm headquartered in Bothell, Wash.
Downsides of storage virtualization
One issue with storage virtualization is that the abstraction layer introduces complexity. Just as the hypervisor in server virtualization obscures the relationship between physical servers and the VMs that run on them, storage virtualization obfuscates the relationship between pooled storage and underlying disks or storage subsystems. Virtual LUNs do not necessarily correlate to physical storage. This can complicate troubleshooting and problem resolution, especially as LUNs are migrated and copied between storage systems.
This type of abstraction can also prove problematic when storage virtualization is used temporarily. While most organizations approach storage virtualization as a permanent technology, it's also possible to use virtualization to assist with storage migration between physical systems.
"Depending on how the storage behind a virtualization engine is used, there may be some [manual] migration activity required to isolate the storage," said Lucchesi. Organizations that choose to remove a virtual storage infrastructure may encounter problems re-establishing relationships between applications and stored data.
Experts like Gorcester do, however, question reliability. Using multiple diverse storage systems carries some amount of natural redundancy -- a failure in one storage system may not affect availability of other applications, data or VMs. By aggregating storage through virtualization, a problem with one storage system can affect several other virtual LUNs.
"If it [a storage system] were not designed properly, we could get to a scenario where there's just not enough resiliency to the infrastructure," Gorcester said. "We really need to build in a high level of availability, resiliency and geographic distribution."
Finally, organizations must be sensitive to vendor lock-in. Interoperability between storage virtualization products is often acceptable, but not necessarily universal. Organizations that are evaluating or selecting a storage virtualization platform should consider its interoperability across all of their storage systems, as well as its compatibility with other virtualization products in place.
"If a lock-in impedes your business, costs you financially, costs you functionally, costs you extra complexity, then lock-in could be bad," said Greg Schulz, founder and senior analyst at Stillwater, Minn.-based StorageIO Group, an IT infrastructure technology analyst and consulting firm. "If that vendor lock-in enables you to be more agile or introduces new technology in a cost-effective manner, then lock-in is not a bad thing."


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Can you learn to forget?
Sam is plagued by nightmares she can't understand with dark visions of a past she suspects may be her own. When she moves into a new co-ed house, she is drawn to the handsome but aloof Nathan. The housemates welcome in Sam but all withhold their own secrets from her which she knows she needs to unravel to truly understand Nathan. But her past is destined to torment her, can she find the strength to face her fear?
Purchase Link :
3.5 Stars!
Sam, haunted and tormented by nightmares of her past, Nathan, dealing with his guilt….
There's the instant attraction, avoidance and inevitable, love… a romance with a twist.
Sam wants to know the truth about her nightmares, to finally live and be happy.
Nathan is a player… but he is completely drawn to Sam and he wants to be there for her and help her… but he is also dealing with guilt from the past…
This is a short read, you will feel sad for Sam… you will fall in love with Nathan.
The suspense part is predictable though.
It's about second chances and letting go.
Written on both POV.
It was alright for me.
By Casperfitz.


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Prominent Iranian cleric warned against British Shiaism: "Five principles of British Shiaism"
Grand Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, Secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of thought, in an interview with Mehr News Agency warned against strategies of the arrogant powers to hurt Islam saying that one of the ways through which world arrogant powers especially UK, US and the Zionists use to damage Islam is to divide Muslims and worsen their differences, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).
He was asked on a previous remark on British Shiaism to which the cleric said," This is a suspicious and isolated group with several signs of affiliation with foreign governments."
"Making up of new fake denominations or invention of new deviate schools of thought among followers of a religion has been an old strategy of the British politicians." The cleric noted and added," Creation and support of Wahhabi groups have been other measures taken by the UK politicians in line with damaging Islam."
Ayatollah Araki said that the support of the Wahhabi groups for deviate fake Islamic groups is to the point that they have recently been backing a group led by Ahmad Al Hassan al Yamani in Iraq who is claimant of Mahdism.
He said there are several evidences that British politicians and intelligent services including CIA and Mossad are quite active in this line but the cradle for these activities lies in British intelligent services because on the one hand they are experienced and on the other hand they have a wide net of mercenaries who are influential too.
Iranian scholar warned that leaders of British Shiaism are sparing no effort to penetrate into Islamic communities and unfortunately the organized active movement in the world of Shia is the very British Shiaism.
Grand Ayatollah Araki also touched upon the extremist groups among Shia and Sunni Muslims and also their efforts for the benefit of the foreign countries as two major issues of the Muslim world.
He said the British and American organizations have been quite successful and the hidden support of the American, English and Israeli intelligent services from ISIL terrorist group is the best proof for that.
Iranian cleric noted," The reason that ISIL has turned into a threat is its exact organization otherwise there are other extremist groups among Sunni community."
Counting the three reasons what increases the threat of ISIL he said," The first one is the foreign-backed media kingdom provided for the terrorist group." And added," This is while some American authorities clearly announced that their strategy is to back extremist religious groups within Shia societies."
He referred to the evidences that even Saudi Arabia is contributing financial support for extremist Shia movements saying," High amounts of financial support, being organized, and its media organization are the factors that have turned the small group into a big threat."
Ayatollah Araki said," We are certain that once the younger generation and the religious movements awaken and seclude this deviate group then they can foil the influence of the struggles and financial supports contributed to this group."


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Review: The Gyro Bowl
Look, let's not muddle up the main point with facts: the Löopa Gyro Bowl isn't perfect. Yes, it's dishwasher-safe. It's BPA-free. It's (according to their website) "virtually indestructible." That means, as far as I know, that you can't destroy it in virtual reality worlds like Second Life. The Gyro Bowl is a whole lot of great things, I guess. But unfortunately, it also looks like a toy and a challenge for kids. The minute some punk kid (read: your kid) sees that the inner-bowl rotates 360 degrees in every direction, the kid is most-definitely going to try to spill whatever's in the bowl. Adults, believe it or not, will try to spill whatever's in the bowl too. And more often than not, if a kid (or an adult) puts his mind to it, they're going to succeed. But with a little conditioning and some play-time while the bowl is empty, you too can benefit from owning the Gyro Bowl. For awhile, at least. In my experience with the Gyro Bowl, which has been not-much so far, I've had Cheerios all over my rug multiple times. But there's a bright side. The best place I've seen the Gyro Bowl successfully not-spilling things has been on my couch. Because the couch cushions generally have more slight, un-catestrophic movements, the Gyro Bowl is actually pretty successful at maintaining itself. And to be fair, most of the time, I can give my kid a Gyro Bowl full of Cheerios and he'll grab it by the handles and bring it to the couch without spilling. But he also does that with normal bowls too. And sometimes, if my kid's feeling crazy, he decides he's going to spin the Gyro Bowl's inner bowl, and then, we've got Cheerios everywhere.
The Gyro Bowl does come with a convenient snap-on lid. Because even the creators doubted their product and knew you needed a failsafe. It seems like this bowl does best with kids that are already old enough to be behaving with normal bowls. Babies will just knock it over, negating the rotating inner-bowl. Toddlers will find it a game to spill the contents. Older kids, frankly, know better. So who's this bowl aimed at?! The answer, of course, is "who cares!" Everyone will buy the Gyro Bowl because of its gimmick, and when snacks get lodged between the inner and outer bowls and stop it from rotating, we'll all forget what we paid for it. By the way, the Gyro Bowl should be docked a point for their website. It employs one of the cheapest, smarmiest tactics on the internet – when you try to close the site or go elsewhere, a window pops up, asking if you're SURE that you'd like to leave their site. It's the internet's version of "But wait – there's more!" It's deceptive, it's misleading, and it's bad web design. I should be docking a point for that crap, but I won't since you can get the product in places other than their website. So, you win THIS round, Gyro Bowl. Your score is still barely over meh. Yes, that's a technical term. I did, however, give this a stellar kid-approval of 5 baby wieners up because kids of every age will have fun playing with this bowl. It's just that when you get it in your head that this thing is supposed to be a utility and not a toy that the disappointment comes rolling in. My wife loves the Gyro Bowl. I don't. She can go make her own website.


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Recent elevator issues that caused the closure of the Washington Monument have drawn the ire of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
"Elevator outages during the peak tourist season render the Washington Monument off limits," Norton said in a statement Tuesday. "[The National Park Service] has told me that the problem is suspected to have been caused by numerous shutdowns of the elevator due to power outages, but this newly refurbished elevator began to malfunction almost as soon as the Monument reopened a year ago." On Monday, NPS announced the Washington Monument will be closed "at least" until Thursday "to repair a mechanical alignment issue with the elevator." NPS noted that the alignment issue could be a symptom of the multiple elevator shutdowns last week.
Norton, who noted that the monument hosts more than 2,400 visitors a day, said she will meet with NPS officials after the elevator is fixed to discuss the "long-term condition of the elevator" as well as any steps that are being taken to prevent future breakdowns.
The monument was closed last week due to a loss of power in the elevator on May 27. It reopened at noon on May 29. NPS spokesman Mike Litterst wrote an email announcing the reopening: "Electricians and elevator technicians have completed testing of the elevator's electrical system and determined it is not subject to a repeat of the power failure that occurred Wednesday evening."
But the elevator lost power again Sunday evening, prompting the most recent closure. Litterst said in a phone interview Tuesday that NPS technicians are still working to determine the cause of the recent electrical issues. He said when the power went out last week, the system did not indicate what was causing the failure. He said typically if a circuit breaks or a fuse blows, then electricians know what to fix. But without a reading, they could not determine the cause.
"Without having anything to fix last week we weren't able to determine the specific cause," Litterst said. He noted electricians were now going through a "fairly lengthy checklist" to determine possible causes.
In her statement Tuesday, Norton said the elevator outages could point to broader problems with the elevator, noting that the elevator malfunctioned when it reopened in April 2014. "I am asking NPS officials to look beyond the power outages, an obvious troubling factor, and propose solutions for preventing further elevator malfunctions," she said.
But Litterst said there is no indication that recent outages are related to prior issues, which also included a power outage for the entire site in December. "What we're experiencing now is no way related to the previous issues," he said.
Litterst explained the glitches when the monument reopened last year were related to the fact that the elevator had not been used in more than two years as crews repaired the cracks caused by the August 2011 earthquake. The December issue was related to an outage at the entire site, not just the elevator.
He noted that NPS would respond to Norton's request for a meeting and would address her concerns.
"Right now we're focused on the immediate issues at hand," Litterst said. "And again, until we're able to determine the cause, that will let us know whether we've got a systemic problem that needs to be addressed."
Related: Washington Monument Closed for Elevator Glitch NPS Examining Repeat Problems With Washington Monument Elevator Washington Monument Elevator Breakdown: Norton Raises Alarm Washington Monument Reopens (Video) The 114th: CQ Roll Call's Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.


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Watching over the pipes ... and other wonkish digital-policy-based musings
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Gas Leak Gridlock in Farnham
Thanks to a tip from my twitter spies @knockbuckle @EmmaBandey @JHHYPNOTHERAPY and @AbigailH I went on a quick reconnaissance mission. The worst affected routes are heading into Farnham town centre from the west along West Street, from the east along East Street (yes, the town does have imaginatively named streets) and there are also very long queues coming into town from the north down --- Castle Street.
The problem is not being helped by cars attempting (and executing rather badly) 3-point turns in the bottom half of South Street in the coned area pictured, holding up traffic who want to get to the bypass. The official diversion takes drivers onto the bypass, down to the Coxbridge roundabout and back to South Street, so it's little wonder drivers want to avoid a 2.2 mile diversion.
The south of Farnham is relatively unaffected, with the normal queues but traffic moving relatively freely on the bypass. The area around the station is no busier than usual at this hour - if anything it's a bit quieter.
Posted by Unknown at 09:03
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Sir Richard Branson has described plans for a referendum on whether Britain should be a member of the European Union "ridiculous" and that leaving the economic bloc would badly damage UK businesses.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Atlantic, who says he now spends 90pc of his time working for philanthropic causes, also defended himself against suggestions he has left the country for tax reasons.
"My income from speeches is about £6-8m, 100pc of which I give to charity, so whether I lived [in Britain or elsewhere] it would be tax-free anyway," Sir Richard said.
"And then I make a smallish salary, which I give to charity as well. I work bloody hard. I travel the world for six months of the year working my balls off, it's pretty well all not for profit.
"I've made enormous amounts of money while I've lived in England [which has all been taxed and] which I can live off for the rest of my life and my children could live off for the rest of their lives."
While saying he understood why, politically, David Cameron had to promise a referendum on Europe, Sir Richard said: "We've already made up our mind to be part of Europe.
"It's ridiculous to have to go through a whole process again, [an] unsettled process. Our European partners are pretty exasperated with Britain anyway.
"And there's always a danger the referendum could go against Great Britain, which would be devastating for the economy."
If Britain starts having to pay tax for exporting goods to Europe, Sir Richard said, it would be a disaster.
"My generation is the first that hasn't been to war in Europe and people forget that," he said.
"We're never going to go to war with each other as part of a European Union where people get married together, where people can live and work in each other's countries.
"There's always little niggles, there are going to be laws that people are not going to like, but Britain should be part of trying to improve [these]."
Sir Richard, 63, lives on the Caribbean island of Necker which he bought when he was 28. He recently had to endure headlines claiming he was a tax exile.
Asked whether he now felt like a citizen of Britain or a man of the world, he replied that he saw himself as the latter. He said living in Necker made no difference "whatsoever" from an income point of view and that he has chosen to live on the island because he thinks it is "the most beautiful place in the world".
When asked whether he missed Britain, he replied, "I just love the British Virgin Islands. When I'm there I'm active till nine at night — it doesn't get dark until then — and in Britain I know I'd be watching some television in the evenings in winter. You know, it's just a different way of life."
Sir Richard declared himself optimistic about the British, American and European economies, saying they had turned the corner, but claimed that Britain was being harmed because of weak government decision-making in the aviation sector. "There hasn't been another runway [at Heathrow] since 1945 or 1946 and Great Britain has been held back as a result," he said.
Despite the resistance to a third runway at Heathrow, he called for a fourth and backed two new runways at Gatwick if Britain is to compete with Europe generally.
"We need all parties to be brave and do what's right for [the country] and not what's right for short-term political expedience," Sir Richard said.
"It's sad for Great Britain that that investment is not taking place and the damage that's been done to the UK is massive. China — all those planes are pouring into Europe, they're not coming to the UK."
The entrepreneur said he broadly backed the fast rail link from London to Birmingham, High Speed 2, but called on the Government to consult more with the rail industry on the plans.


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IT IS the news all Wakefield Trinity fans have been waiting for – giant forward David Fifita is staying at the club.
The Australia-born Tongan international prop has signed a new three-year contract which will keep him at Trinity until the end of 2022. That ends fears he could leave Wakefield when his previous deal expired this autumn.
Fifita, 29, joined Trinity from Cronulla Sharks midway through 2016 and has become a cult hero among Wakefield supporters.
The current leader in the Steve Prescott Man of Steel voting, Fifita said: "It's great to be here for another three years.
"I just couldn't leave Wakefield. For what they've given me and what the fans have given me, I just want to give something back to them. My goal now is to bring a trophy to this club."
He added: "The bond between the players is something I've never had with any other club. Everyone comes into one and we're all one group. Whenever we get a new signing everyone just embraces the culture.
"It's what I love about this club and I just can't wait for the journey ahead."
Trinity chief executive Michael Carter was equally delighted, describing Fifita's new deal as "fantastic news for the club".
He said: "It's a real statement of intent of where we want to be. I'd say this is one of the biggest deals in the club's history. Dave has been fantastic for us over the last few years."


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Cream Lace Top, Dark Jeggings and Leopard Heels
I love a top that can flow through every season. I guess this one is technically a summer top but add a little darker jewelry and leopard heels and voila!
The top is years old and from Old Navy. The shark bite hem works well with the jeggings because it covers the backside area. The pants are Hue Denim Jeggings. The fit is awesome. I would own more but they are a little pricey…$38.
A nice pair of leopard heels will serve you well. As you know, leopard is super trendy this fall. Block heels are also in and are more stable than spike heels. I've had these heels from Nine West for a couple of years so even though I love the block heel, I probably won't be buying another pair anytime soon.
Lace Top//similar//similar//similar
Hue Jeggings//exact
Leopard Heels//exact//similar
Chain Necklace//similar
Tory Burch Sunglasses//similar
Like Leopard? Check out other outfit options here and here.


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Eats with Sinners: Loving Like Jesus by Arron Chambers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you want to follow
Jesus on the incredible journey of sharing Him while sharing life with
others, it's time to eat with sinners--people just like you . . . and
As long as people have been sharing their faith, there have
been critics. Even Jesus dealt with naysayers as He spread His gospel:
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:2, NIV).
Sometimes we worry about our reputation when we spend time with
non-Christians. But more than that, we worry about the time we spend
with non-Christians: Will we understand each other? Will I offend them?
Will they offend me? How long will it take before this relationship
falls apart?
Every meal Jesus ate, He ate with sinners. And over
food and drink, through stories and insights and observations and
conversations, people let their guards down, and sinners came to know
the love of God and the hope of salvation. Now revised and updated, Eats with Sinners helps you to let your guard down so the love of God can get out across the table to your non-Christian friends.
I received a copy from the publisher for review on my blog. This does not effect my review.
I needed this reminder. So often, we go thought life, and end up sinking into comfortable routines. That's not the life Christ called us to, while there is nothing wrong with schedules and routines, we need to do more than life our lives. We need to help others learn what it means to live for Christ, and to encourage our brothers and sisters when they stumble in their walk with Christ. This book is great, because I know I struggle with this, and I'm sure many others do. I'm either afraid of rejection or I don't have the words to talk about Christ with someone who had walked away, or has never accepted the Grace offered to each of us. This book helps encourage us to push past the excuses, and to really reach out and love one another in the way the Christ lived, and lives in us.


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Season One
The first season of Makers tells the remarkable story of the most sweeping social revolution in American history, as women have asserted their rights to a full and fair share of political power, economic opportunity, and personal autonomy. It's a revolution that has unfolded in public and private, in courts and Congress, in the boardroom and the bedroom, changing not only what the world expects from women, but what women expect from themselves. The story is brought to life with priceless archival treasures and poignant, often funny interviews with those who led the fight, those who opposed it, and those first generations to benefit from its success.
Season One Episodes
Part One: The Awakening
The story of the birth of the modern Women's Movement.
Part Two: Changing the World
In the 1970s, feminism reshaped the relationships between men and women.
Part Three: Charting a New Course
A focused look at the workplace, where women crashed through the glass ceiling.


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The mischievous Climbing Gnome doesn't know the saying 'when in a hole, don't dig', as he is always trying to climb out of trouble. Produced from weather-resistant polystone and painted by hand using UV resistant acrylics, this little guy is a great complementary piece to any miniature or fairy garden and can be used indoors in terrariums as well as container plants.
Measures: 2.25" x 2.5" x 2.25"


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Gun Applications Soar in Maryland Ahead of Gun Ban
Gun Applications Soar in Maryland Ahead of Gun Ban
This year, Maryland passed strict gun-control legislation. In response, residents have flooded the state police with applications to purchase weapons, before the new law takes effect. Through August, more than 85,000 residents have made new requests to purchase firearms. This is almost double the amount who sought buy guns in all of 2011.
The Maryland law, pushed through by Democrat Gov. Martin O'Malley and a Democrat legislature, bans 45 types of "assault weapons" and limits ammunition magazines to a maximum of ten rounds. Possessing these weapons and magazines would be legal, however, if purchased before the law's October 1 effective date. Residents in Maryland have responded to this incentive by stock-piling guns.
Consider this a Democrat stimulus plan for gun dealers.
"Because of the gun ban, business has been booming," said Al Koch, store manager at Bart's Sports World, a Glen Burnie-based gun shop. "It's been busy like crazy with people making last-minute decisions."
The state police have had to increase staff to handle the flood of new gun purchases. Last year, 38 employees were processing the criminal background checks required for gun purchases. This year, the department has 73 full-time employees and 60 temporary, part-time workers handling the backlog.
It seems gun control is the only policy Democrats have to create jobs.


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We are the best protector of your valuables because we believe in strength, security & safety.
We are one of the leading manufacturers of physical security product in India. Our products are used by government
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We are pleased to announce that we will be available for Skype consultations. Whilst it is almost always essential to have a face-to-face consultation for anyone undergoing any significant procedure, many consultations offering advice, follow-up or suitability can be conducted using Skype. The Government are looking at this as a way of improving access to healthcare in the NHS although in practice very few medical services are being offered this option at the moment. We believe that there will be an increased demand for this form of medical support and it has many advantages particularly for clients who may be saved long journeys and disruptions to their work timetables who may be able to have their needs addressed with a Skype consultation.
We look forward to developing this service and to hearing of feedback from patients. In order to book a Skype consultation simply call the practice as normal and a time will be scheduled.
If you require more information on any surgical or cosmetic procedure, please call us in London on 020 7636 4073.
For further information, or to book a consultation please call
+44 20 7636 4073
© Copyright The Aesthetic Surgeons | All rights reserved | Privacy Policy
Brand | Web | Film | Animation: AdvantageDesign.London


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Online entertainment conglomerate Netflix, paid heed to requests from its loyal subscribers for offline viewing, and finally announced this week the addition of a download option.
Now, Netflix users can download all their favourite movies and TV series to binge-watch at any time without the need of Internet. Netflix has a released a software update with this new feature to all the eligible devices.
Here's how you can the download the TV series and movies on Netflix:
To download titles from Netflix on your mobile device, your device needs to have the following:
- iOS 8.0 or later version on Apple devices
- Android 4.4.2 or later on Google device
- An Internet connection
- The latest version of the Netflix iOS or Netflix Android app
Here's how to download a title on Netflix:
To find the title with download option, select Available for Download from the Netflix menu. Once you have found a title, follow the steps below.
1. Select the title you would like to download.
2. On the description page, tap the download icon (downward arrow on top of underscore symbol) , besides the play button.
- For TV shows, the icon will appear next to each available episode.
3. Once the title has completely been downloaded, you can access it from the My Downloads section of the app.
[Note: *Downloaded titles are stored in the same location where you have installed the Netflix app. If you use an Android device with a SD card, installing the Netflix app to the SD card will also cause titles you download to be stored there. If the Netflix app is installed on your device's internal storage, downloaded titles will be stored there.]
Here's how to select download video quality:
You can select the download video quality that best fits your needs. Standard quality is a slightly lower video quality that requires less storage space and takes less time to download. Higher quality requires more storage space and takes more time to download.
1. From the Netflix app, tap the Menu icon .
2. Scroll down and tap App Settings.
3. Under the Downloads heading, tap Video Quality.
4. Select either Standard or Higher video quality.
How to watch the downloaded title:
1. To access titles you've already downloaded on your device, tap the Menu icon .
2. Choose My Downloads.
3. Tap the Play icon on the title you would like to watch.
- For TV shows, you must first select the show, then tap the Play icon on the episode you would like to watch.


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Threatening Emails Don't Phase Me
As some of you may have heard, I have become the International Representative of Work With No Pants. It's a great honor and a huge responsibility and I couldn't be happier that I got the position.
Part of the benefits of being the International Representative of Work With No Pants was that I received a free Work With No Pants t-shirt and an all-access account at Xclusion, the employee networking site of Ty Coin INC. (of which Work With No Pants is a subsidiary). My free t-shirt came in the mail on Tuesday, and when I opened up the package, I noticed there was something else hidden away – an origami tiger with the Latin phrase "inimicus animo" or "enemy of the spirit" written on the back.
This was rather strange, especially since the tiger had as its head a photo of Ty Cohen, Jr. – the CEO and President of Ty Coin INC. I posted about the origami tiger a few times on Xclusion and linked my photos in the hopes that someone could explain what was going on.
Imagine my surprise when I received this message in Xclusion from Ty Cohen, Jr.
That paper tiger is my private property. You are instructed to hereby burn it. Do not open it. Do not post any more images. It was all a big prank that got out of control. Nothing that concerns you. Is that clear?
And I suggest you follow my instructions, if you value your job, my fine "International Representative", because I am this close to shutting Jud's whole operation down over this latest fiasco.
Now, I'm not one to just let someone in a position of 'authority' walk all over me like that. As you can see, I responded that I would not post any more images of the paper tiger to Xclusion.net. And I won't. However, this is my own private website and I will post whatever I damn well please, including a scan of the inside of the paper tiger.
I apologize for the clarity. The paper is rather stiff and hard to get flat enough on the scanner to get a really clear image. Even putting a heavy book on top of it didn't really do much it seems. From what I can make out, it appears to be a series of surveillance photos of a guy in a white sweatshirt with a dark baseball cap. I can't tell if it's Ty Cohen Jr or not (all of the creases don't help). The two most interesting photos to me are the ones in the alley with the dragon painted on the wall. It appears white sweatshirt guy meeting/conducting business with dark sweatshirt man. Is this what Ty didn't want to us see?
What's really odd is why Ty is so insistent that I not show any more photos of this. You can barely make out what's going on. So why all the demands for silence? Who made the tiger in the first place? Ty? Someone who is trying to blackmail Ty? Does this possibly have anything to do with Ty Cohen, Sr. recently dying? I don't know, but I think I want to find out.


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'The Greater Journey' by David McCullough
The Greater Journey
Americans in Paris
By David McCullough
(Simon & Schuster; 558 pages; $37.50)
Riding atop the ranks of popular historians, David McCullough has produced Pulitzer-winning biographies ("Truman," "John Adams"), chronicled catastrophe ("The Johnstown Flood") and told the stories behind the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge. McCullough's soothing voice even narrated Ken Burns' PBS series "The Civil War." So are readers ready to hear this American institution try on a French accent?
McCullough's "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" is not just another chronicle of the usual expats in the City of Light. Here you will find no trace of Hemingway, Fitzgerald or Gertrude Stein. Instead, McCullough's journey takes readers back to the 19th century, when Americans in Paris were not so much a Lost Generation as an adventurous one. "Not all pioneers went west," McCullough notes in his opening chapter, then sets out to prove it.
From a dazzling beginning that captures the thrill of arriving in Paris in 1830 to the dawn of the 20th century, McCullough chronicles the generations that came, saw and were conquered by Paris. Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller put them into three groups: the servile Americans who came to shop, the conceited Americans who came to strut, and the thinking Americans who came to soak up the opera, art and architecture. All of them, even Mark Twain, seemed to agree with one Boston Brahmin: "Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris."
The good Americans who made McCullough's greater journey represented a cross section of the nation's 19th century elite. They included novelists James Fenimore Cooper, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, painters John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt, and Henry Adams, Samuel F.B. Morse and Oliver Wendell Holmes. And then there were the now-forgotten Americans, including artist George Healy, ambassador Elihu Washburne, and on and on.
With his finely honed eloquence and eye for human interest, McCullough weaves them all into a narrative that is by turns charming, rambling and meticulously detailed. Blending brief biography with historic events, he portrays Paris in its time of troubles. And what troubles! Revolution! Siege! The Paris Commune! The scandals of Impressionism! The soaring of the Eiffel Tower! All are witnessed by Americans, with McCullough as their faithful amanuensis plowing through prodigious piles of diaries, journals and letters.
Though the City of Light has lost little of its charm, its light shone brighter in the heyday of Victor Hugo. And like a good Impressionist, McCullough is a master at capturing light. He takes readers down the Champs-Élysées, where the Arc de Triomphe was nearing completion, and into the Latin Quarter, where the word "bohemian" was earning its modern meaning. And he deftly describes the odd blend of passion and nonchalance, aristocrats and artistes that will make 19th century Paris recognizable to recent visitors.
Given its dramatic setting and curious characters, why then is "The Greater Journey" less compelling than McCullough's other works? Perhaps it's because the book has no plot. One American, whom we've read about, meets another American whom we then learn about, who meets another we've read about, who ... Collective biographies are always problematic, but when the subjects are witnesses rather than makers of history, the story becomes a gilded frame rather than a work of art. Who would read a history of Manhattan told through the eyes of French expats who happened to live there?
Still, this is Paris, and its wonders give "The Greater Journey" intermittent surprises. McCullough's account of Paris' pioneering medical schools, with all their ambient horrors, is chilling. His re-enactment of the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War reads like a good war novel. And his love for the city comes through on every page.
McCullough is at his best, however, when detailing the fun and frustration of living abroad. Long before the Internet abolished cultural isolation, to live overseas was to be stranded on an island where no one spoke English, local custom was often alarming and news from home came months after the fact. Returning again and again to his favorite expats, McCullough shows how they made Paris their symbol for enlightenment, for longing, for love.
"At last I have come into a dreamland," Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote upon arrival in 1853. A generation later, Henry James described becoming "Parisianized." And at the turn of the new century, Augustus Saint-Gaudens noted how his many journeys to Paris had taught him "how much of an American I am."
While perhaps too discursive for the casual reader of history, "The Greater Journey" will satisfy McCullough's legion of loyal fans. And by going beyond the usual Americans in Paris, it will entice a whole new generation of Francophiles, armchair travelers and those Americans lucky enough to go to Paris before they die.
Bruce Watson's most recent book is "Freedom Summer: The Savage Season of 1964 That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy." E-mail comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The Kite app generates lay-flat product mockups, which you are free to use as you see fit (including outside of Shopify).
If you'd prefer to use a different style, you'll need to source an alternative mockup generator (or generate them yourself), and manually replace the images in your Shopify dashboard.
If you're looking for mockups featuring real people, PlaceIt has a great selection of photography and has recently started offering video.


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youtube valentine's day card video
Forget flowers and chocolates -- music is the best medium to show that special someone you care about them on Valentine s Day explore melissa carpenter s board valentine s day ideas on pinterest, the world s catalog of ideas. Chances are pretty high that either in valentine s day songs for children children s music for celebrating valentine s day valentine s day is celebrated on february 14 david bowie s official music video for valentine s day. Valentine s Day videos for kids click to listen to david bowie on spotify: as featured on. Learn about the origins of Valentine s Day bruce springsteen - valentine s day (solo acoustic 31-7-05) only mp3 with a pic of bruce on the highway. Celebrate Valentine s Day with your favorite television characters express your love with handmade valentine s crafts and decorations. Send the ones you love Valentine s Day eCards with a personal touch from American Greetings! Whether you love it or hate it, there's no escaping the fact that Valentine's Day is here valentine's day treats are much sweeter in pairs. To celebrate, YouTube has released a list of the top 10 martha stewart living omnimedia, inc. Happy Valentine s Day PBS KIDS browse all valentines church videos from the skit guys. Watch Valentine s Day episodes starting February 10th on PBS KIDS! Check it out! Fun activities for your family and friends! Valentine s Day is a great day to catch up on a romantic movie the skit guys. Unfortunately the movie that shares its namesake sucks great video for valentine's day or services focusing on relationships. Catch up on the best V-Day movies pintastic love Explore Melissa Carpenter s board valentine s day ideas on Pinterest, the world s catalog of ideas


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The short answer is no. FanDraft does not require an internet connection during the draft.
However, the are a few things to consider:
If you have an owner that will be drafting remotely and will be using the FanDraft WEB application to make his picks, then YES you will need an internet connection.
Also, before you attend your draft, we encourage you to do a couple of things that will require an internet connection:
- Purchase Register the FanDraft license beforehand:
You do need the internet to activate your FanDraft license (which makes it the FULL version rather than LITE), so make sure to purchase and activate the license where you have the internet.
- Make sure you are using the most up-to-date version of FanDraft:
On the opening launch screen of FanDraft click the "Check for software updates" button. If there is a newer version available, download and install that before your draft.
- Make sure you have an updated player database:
Go to "Reports / Import-Export > Update Player Database" and download the latest player information before your draft.


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Google has appointed VMware co-founder and industry veteran Diane Greene to run its cloud business.
The company also today said it would buy Greene's startup Bebop, a development platform that helps build and maintain enterprise applications.
Greene and the Bebop team will join Google after the transaction closes this year.
"We think this will help many more businesses find great applications, and reap the benefits of cloud computing," Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote.
"Bebop and its stellar team will help us provide integrated cloud products at every level: end-user platforms like Android and Chromebooks, infrastructure and services in Google Cloud Platform, developer frameworks for mobile and enterprise users, and end-user applications like Gmail and Docs."
Pichai has said selling cloud storage space to enterprises was a growing priority for the company. The business now contributes only a miniscule part of parent company Alphabet's revenue.
Greene, who has been on Google's board for three years, will lead a new team combining all its cloud businesses, including Google for Work, Cloud Platform, and Google Apps.
"This new business will bring together product, engineering, marketing and sales and allow us to operate in a much more integrated, coordinated fashion," Pichai wrote.
"Cloud computing is revolutionising the way people live and work, and there is no better person to lead this important area."
Greene resigned as VMware CEO in 2008.
She will continue to serve on Google's board as a non-independent director, the company said.


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International success driven by consistency and continuity
International success driven by consistency and continuity
As one of the few in the office furniture industry, Wilkhahn is world-wide known as a manufacturer of genuine German design. Due to its high-end conference furniture and seating, Wilkhahn is widely recognized. Their rich heritage dates back to 1907 when Wilkhahn was first found as a chair manufacturer. Partly due to this fact, Wilkhahn and Ahrend share the same values which are completely in line with "Design is a tradition, not a trend"; design and quality combined with sustainability.
Complementary to the product portfolio of Ahrend, Wilkhahn offers a wide variety of high-end seating furniture, like:
Just like Ahrend, Wilkhahn has sustainability written down as one of its prime values. The fact that Wilkhahn won the "German Environmental Prize" has proven this once more. Another concrete example is their intensive collaboration with architects Frei Otto and Thomas Herzog. They were well known due to their social and environmental awareness.
Aside from that, Wilkhahn has already been taking its responsibility for the environment for over 20 years with regard to the design and production of office furniture. This resulted in many more international awards, including the Federal Ecodesign Award.


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Whenever I travel somewhere, near or far, I like to take lots of photos / videos of my trip. I love having memories stored of my experiences. I thought I would share our latest weekend away to London with a vlog (video blog)!
We headed down on the train from Manchester to London at lunchtime on Friday. We checked into our Airbnb (a cute 1 bed apartment) in Wimbeldon before we went to watch Matthew Perry's new West End play 'The End of Longing' at The Playhouse Theatre – despite mixed reviews we really enjoyed it! We were on the front row and laughed out loud throughout. I loved seeing Chandler from 'Friends' up close and personal, since I am a huge fan of the show! It was more of a funny rom com than deep / cryptic play, which I liked as it was easy watching (I don't like confusing plays). It was a little rude in parts so not really one for the under 18s, they called it 'Friends for adults' ha.
The next morning we went to Harrods with my sister Jen and we had a look around / did some shopping (I hit the MAC & Charlotte Tilbury stands obviously) before heading to Hyde Park to sit out and have some lunch by the lake. We then headed to the Natural History Museum (which was free to get in, but we had to queue for 15 mins) before heading back to get ready to go out for dinner.
The four of us (Jen & her boyfriend Adam, Dave & I) went to a funky Italian called Bunga Bunga which had quite a party nightlife. We booked it because it had gluten free pizzas on the menu, for my sister and I. However when we got there they said they had run out of gluten free bases (WHAT?! At 7:30pm on a Saturday night!? Was my reaction) as we had warned them we were gluten free beforehand, so they did apologise and agreed to make us one from scratch, as there was little else in terms of options on the menu – they also gave us a free bottle of prosecco which helped! There was karaoke, people dancing on tables and music long into the night, they also have a Brazilian nightclub upstairs. I liked the fact we didn't have to move around all night, we had everything we needed in one place! Us girls also ended up going home wearing 'Bunga Bunga' branded baseball caps. Ha. Despite the slight mishap with the food which was quickly rectified, I would recommend going here if you are in the party mood.
The morning after we were all a little tired! So headed to Wimbeldon Park. the weather was gorgeous so we sat out overlooking the lake and watched the world go by (when I say world, it was mainly ducks, geese and swans). It was very relaxing. I also met a very sweet Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppy, so that was me entertained for a good half hour. We then wandered to grab a coffee and played mini golf in the park. Although I am awful at golf (as the video will show). After that, we jumped back on the train late Sunday afternoon and made it back home just in time for a take away and a film in front of the fire!!
Hopefully you can see everything as I take you around in the vlog, but thought I would jot down some extra detail / links for those who are interested! We are planning to head down again when the weather gets warmer, so I am sure this won't be the last London blog / vlog I do.
I hope you enjoy this post and hopefully it can give you some ideas / inspiration if you are visiting London anytime soon!


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Costa Rica Resorts in the Press
Stay in Costa Rica and Los Suenos Resort have been featured in several TV Shows, Newspapers and Magazines. Below are just a few. Click Here to see the comments of clients that already stayed with us.
Check out our feature press release articles
By Jeff Gremillion. Published on August 2010.
Tico Times News Paper – Que Mara-Villas
Article Published 8/3/07 Written Sorrel Downer from Conde Nast Traveler
Sales of Vacation Homes Fall During Recession
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY 2007 (Feature Story on front page of the Money Section)
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Write To Play Belgrade Partnership with Graeae Announced
Write to Play is an exciting new initiative from Graeae Theatre Company to cultivate and promote Deaf and disabled writers.
Following three successful years of the pioneering programme created by Graeae, applications open for writers based in the Midlands open on Mon 5 Sept 2016. We're delighted that the Belgrade have been chosen to partner with Graeae for this exciting new project in addition to Curve Leicester and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
We are very pleased to be helping to redress the balance in terms of representation of Deaf and disabled writers, and are particularly happy to be working with Graeae, a company that puts this at the centre of all of the work they do and works to overcome any obstacles that Deaf and disabled writers face when creating theatre.
The programme itself is an innovative and well-developed scheme to help writers make the most of their time on the course.
It consists of:
- A five day course exploring approaches to writing for performance
- Six half-day classes from some of the best practitioners working in the industry
- The opportunity to work with actors on two short pieces
- A showcase of the work that has been developed over the course of the year
- A two week placement at one of the partner organisations
- Each writer will be placed with a mentor who, throughout the year, will offer guidance and dramaturgical support
Writers on the programme are encouraged to write about anything they wish; it doesn't have to be about their experience as a Deaf or disabled person and we welcome applications from writers and theatre makers whose first language is not English and who may work in different languages, such as BSL.
Write to Play is a paid opportunity, and each writer will get a fee of £1800 (paid in instalments) for their participation on the programme. Expenses related to participation, such as travel and accommodation, are also covered by the programme.
All access requirements will be met, including sign language interpreters and access support workers, and the programme structure and content can be adapted for access purposes if required.
Graeae are also offering a free taster session for interested applicants to find out more about the programme at the Belgrade on Thursday 15 September from 2pm – 5pm, undertake some sample exercises and ask any questions they may have. For BSL users, the workshop will also look at approaches to writing in BSL.
To book your place at a taster session, email email@example.com and indicate clearly which session you would like to attend. The deadline for signing up to a taster session is 12noon on Wednesday 31 August 2016.


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Watching people react to politics over the last couple of years has shown me time and again that if thrown a bone of contention and a packet of facts, people will jump at the bone of contention every time. Facts are always rejected outright. They are unusual and as such, the familiar realm of emotional and uninformed opinion remains the ineffective norm in our political system.
I don't think this is an example of 9-11 Truth being undermined by outsiders. It seems to be nothing more than normal stupid human behavior that prefers a juicy argument, some dirty laundry and some rapid mud flinging (which goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing), over solid data that would bring all that mad activity to a screeching halt. It explains why political pundits never seem to get to the real issues and are happily engaged in endlessly arguing positions of values and opinions instead of the actual point at the base of such things. They argue the symptoms instead of pinpointing the problem and demanding solutions to them. It ensures the circus will go on indefinitely and anyone who wants to join will find room.
Stem cell research is an example of missing the point. The real point is why should the American people fund this research when we get nothing back for that investment? What happened to all that privatization all of a sudden? It appears that when it comes to cutting checks to major corporations, george is hot to trot. But when it comes to big science footing their own bill for research that will bring in billions in profits down the road, all of a sudden george plays the "values" game and pretends to "give in" by allowing us to fund it. Let them fund their own research. We have never profited from the endless research and development we've paid for. It's always turned over to private business after we pay for the development of whatever it is, technology, science or medicine, you name it. We should all be millionaires getting money back on those investments, just like the big players do. But that's the game that big money plays. Step one is always getting someone else to pay for it.
With real investors, at least dividends get paid back. But with stupid taxpayers it's a free ride to profit land. That's the issue they don't want us to realize. "Right or Wrong" is not a concern of this government or science or industry or business. These are people who spend trillions on making war, polluting the earth, and letting Katrina victims suffer without help. Trust me, "right or wrong" aren't on their daily to do lists. They just want our money again. Stem cell research will happen without any public discourse, it is proceeding and right or wrong has nothing to do with it from their perspective. Religious beliefs or otherwise, our input is restricted to footing the research bill for big business. Wake up and let private business pay their own way for a change. If you really want to stop this, try coming at it with demands that all this genetic tampering needs to be suboordinated to the people's desires on the subject. We'll see how far that legitimate demand gets you. At least you'd get millions on board with you.
The "values" people are a curse on this country. They are without a doubt the most perfected missers-of-the-point that could exist. Always obsessed with symptoms over substance, they cry out for things framed in ways and on terms that are impossible to legislate. Values and morality are not up to the government. The government has no interest in or involvement with values or value systems and it never will, it can't. That's not what it's there for. Government is about shoveling as much of our money away from us as they can get away with. Are these folks confusing Congress with one of those great big mega-churches in the south? Values are not a legal issue. Values are individual ideas that ostensibly are lived by those who believe them; they are not legislated and never will be as long as the supreme law of the land has any connection to the constitution. Can you values folks please snap into reality?
It's a waste of time, to say nothing of being flat stupid, if the candidates folks vote for are people campaigning on moral issues or values platforms. They can't do anything for you on those things, and they know that. That's what your church is for. Try to get that simple but really important point. Try voting for people who engage in straight talk about the problems that affect all of us for a change.
It never occurs to millions of people that the government is not in the business of legislating "values". And heaven knows, the government is the last place anyone should go looking for examples of high virtue. Good grief. But the feelings of self righteous indignation that flutter through our simple hearts and minds are so intoxicating on those so called wedge issues, they become irresistible. If we ever refused to fall for that nonsense and addressed the core issues underlying all those symptoms of a greater problem, these pointless nonsense debates would end tomorrow and all the fun would be over. It leads me to wonder why there is greater satisfaction in the struggle than in a solution.
It could be that leaders of emotionally based political movements know very well that their cash cows and political power would end if these things were addressed with reason and with the goal of seeking solutions. They have little motivation to clarify the issues or remove the emotional debris that keeps the basic issue from being clearly visible and comprehended. And the opposition is utterly delighted to engage in the same emotion based displays of position holding and dissent. They rarely, if ever, proceed on a sober platform that sweeps nonsense aside and comes to the real point at hand. They also enjoy the activity and uproar in doing battle with their matched opposites. Both are easily motivated by panic and fear and both present emotion based arguments to legislators who can't do anything about turning belief systems into laws.
And "Values" people, whether you believe it or not, the big boys of religion who brunch with heads of state, take money to manipulate their trusting flocks into desired political positions. It's a fact, do your homework. It's the truth no matter how ugly it is. You need to check your leaders out, both political and religious and not expect them to be what they say they are. What big fat lying crook is going to come out and admit he's a slime wad? They tend not to do that until they're caught red handed, or get busted by the police in acts of perversion, drug use, pedophelia, and all manner of corruption. Then come the tearful confessions that put it right in your faces. They're liars, hypocrites and worse. If you'd stop forgiving them immediately and stop denying reality, stop claiming they were framed or it just isn't true, maybe we could get rid of these dirty politicians and phony baloney preachers before they did damage for a change. What exactly would it take to get you into your critical thinking capacity enough to see what's right in front of your faces?
It is not hard to understand why there is so much disdain inside upper level government for the intellect of the general public, nor is it a stretch to understand why elected officials have turned their positions to profit mongering and routes to access bigger and better inroads for their personal careers. Even in the aftermath of the orgies of republican corruption and the democrats pouting agreement with all of it, the public is not sufficiently aroused to be able to rise up the couple of required notches to gain actual perspective and get a bead on the REAL problems. They are still thinking only in terms of immediate wins for their "side", which is a clear statement of a team mentality. It's become two opposing sides going for the gold. The trouble is we're all on the same team.
Maybe it's this penchant for selfish, short sighted back biting that allows the government to continue it's centuries long track record of failure to address, much less fix, what's really ailing this nation, at enormous cost to us. They're like burglars who toss hamburger meat to guard dogs to distract them while they break in and get the cash. They spike it with sleeping powder too to ensure they can get out safely and the dogs are none the wiser. It's really that easy to provoke the American people into distraction with proven non-issues that create foaming spittle faced enraged, divided masses, too busy arguing over who's right, to notice they're getting soaked and spun, again.
It certainly is lucrative for the elected officials and there is little fear of the public "catching on". If we haven't caught on by now, I doubt we ever will. It does make me wonder what they're doing and spending all their time and our money on, if they aren't taking care of what we think is important. When have they ever devoted so much as a single year to focusing on the condition the country is in, and the quality of our lives? When have they ever said, "We can be so much more than we are, let's go for it"? I'm not aware of any such time.
It's become somewhat of a tried and true system of fleecing the people for the benefit of major corporations and private institutions of all kinds. It gets them endless cash for funding wars and war contractors, cash for intelligence entities and secret twisted military RandD, and cash for pulling off very underhanded, questionable political mafia style foreign policy schemes. They've been at it for decades and we can still be depended on to never look the truth in the face and ask them what the hell they think they're doing. We still insist that they are good and that they must have a reason and gee we should just trust them. They invade Granada or Columbia, kill civilians in a blood bath, and come back home to tell us they've just hand delivered democracy and freedom, and we all cheer hoorah for the good guys. It's so bad that now anyone who asks the most basic questions or calls it for what it is gets pounced on by rabid hate mongerers that accuse them of everything from being mentally ill, to being morally corrupt, to being liars trying to use political trickery to make their guy look bad. If this isn't the definition of national self-deluded slow suicide I don't know what is.
The bottom line is, we are way worse off than we were fifty years ago, the coffers are empty and we are in two wars with a third on the horizon; and with a military that is threadbare, exhausted and insultingly sold out to private contractors who are doing everything our military used to do for itself, better and cheaper. We are paying war profiteers the highest imaginable prices for the worst quality and ethics in history while acting like our military can't do it all better at no extra cost beyond parts. Is that progress or are we morons? We're bankrupt, getting our asses kicked, being soaked for more cash, and can't even get our veterans health care or feed them properly. Why on earth are we paying contractors to scrub army toilets when recruits have been doing that with toothbrushes for decades? At no extra cost. Recruits have peeled millions of potatoes and army cooks used to lay out a hearty, healthy spread with personal pride. Now contractors are sloughing off nasty food and contaminated water to soldiers who must wait hours in long lines in active war zones to be fed. How is that better for our country?
And what about all these private armies george is hiring? Foreigners, people with no loyalty to the country, who are taking money to kill whoever they're hired to kill. What part of that seems like a good idea? Paid mercenaries on our streets are hardly reassuring and if you don't smell tyranny, then you need some serious nasal spray. We are being taken down.
Why is asking these questions seen as a threat to anyone who isn't responsible for these things? Wouldn't the most reasonable response be to want answers instead of making excuses while our children die?
Apparently not.
Perhaps we can only see it as a game anymore. It's always been a game in our lifetimes and we're deeply conditioned to see it all as a battle of opposing teams and philosophies instead of what it's supposed to be. A nation of individuals with common interests, investing in a government who is supposed to work those common interests into the best possible results. Everyone is supposed to win. You wouldn't even guess that to be the point of all this today if you just showed up and observed the process. Nobody wants to get real and those who attempt it are severely punished. We beat each other to death so that some may win and everyone else loses. Are you so sure that's freedom and democracy or are you enabling psychopaths? You should decide while there's still time.
The abortion issue is another red herring but have we figured that out yet? No. It's too substantial and real and therefore won't be broached. Is this about the states right to determine our reproductive rights or is it about making Jesus frown? If it's politics, Jesus isn't here. But the "Values" crowd keep trying to drag him in, by the hair. They are determined to make Congress into a cathedral that determines our morality. It seems all too obvious a distraction to me. One of those "Do not look at the man behind the curtain!" things. We just can't seem to look beyond the given framework they hand us. If they say it's about morality, then that's the boundary. Even when so many lives are at stake we seldom seek anything "off the menu" in political terms and continue to seek solutions only by addressing symptoms as given us by them. If they say they aren't criminally insane psychopaths and it's rude to say so, then we take their word for it, apologize and walk over the bodies, relieved.
Our country is deeply conditioned to be helpless and leave the thinking and problem solving to "officials" whom many deem should be trusted, don't ask me why. If you ask people why they think it makes sense to trust the government they don't know. The fact that the government doesn't know them personally, doesn't even know "they" exist, never hears from them and certainly isn't involving itself in matters that affect their personal lives in a positive way, all seems to be irrelevant. We need only to ignore the ever growing reams of historical and current evidence and facts to the contrary of this emotionally biased idealism to maintain this position, and we do a damned fine job of it.
As profoundly bizarre as it is to me that there is such a thing as a pro-war movement, it is even stranger to be arrogantly lectured by one of these intellectual pinheads. They've used terms like "peace freaks", suggesting that desiring peace is in some way a symptom of mental illness. How strange. What is wrong with peace? And when questioning the official "story" of 9-11 I've often been on the receiving end of rants that go something like this. "If you believe that 9-11 is an inside job then you're crazy. It's impossible! Do you really think the government would hurt it's own people?" Well Sparky, yes I do think that. Not because it's an emotional need, but because it's a fact that can easily be verified, if you ever learned how to read.
The standard response is of course, "Conspiracy Theorist!" We need to settle this once and for all. The fact is there is so much conspiracy based crime on record that not knowing about it means you're just not paying attention.
You do not have an informed opinion if the thought of conspiracy seems like nonsense to you. Conspiracy is real. It happens every day. It's on trial today in courtrooms all over the country. Government conspiracy. Judges, policemen, officials, bankers, high ranking elected representatives. They get a game plan and they do terrible things to people. It's not even slightly farfetched. It's what's been going on for decades. It's been published in the mainstream papers year in and year out in steady streams of disgusting, criminal behavior, exposed, indicted and proven. Admitted. Repeatedly. Frankly, the same sleazy individuals that pulled off scams like Watergate and Iran/Contra are still doing it. Because even though they're caught time and time again, and even though they get let off by rigged conspiratorial hearings, you can't navigate the reality part of all this into your brain where it would be most helpful.
The same crony men and their families have long standing criminal records and are getting richer by the day, by lying, cheating and stealing from decent ordinary people who can't defend themselves against these powermeisters, and they are making a mockery of justice, freedom and democracy while destroying lives left and right. Many are household names and have been for thirty or more years, with felony convictions and a trail of unbelievable pardons by discredited presidents, and they're still connected to or are flat out in the government today. If you don't know about any of it, that doesn't make me crazy, it makes you ignorant. Conspiracy is real. It requires effort to get informed, but few are willing to go that route. It is much easier after all to attack anyone who does get informed than it is to face your own lazy ignorance. Even if it does mean watching the country swirl the bowl.
I'm sorry folks, but we cannot be patient with these people anymore. Too much is at stake.
I resent their arrogant refusal to get themselves informed; especially now in the face of the most serious threats to our country that I ever dreamed I'd see. Those who cling to staying uninformed as if getting the facts and studying them for themselves were somehow a defeat for their side, are people I neither understand or respect. Theirs is a losing position by any measure. We must stop engaging their mindless twaddle and insults and work in spite of them. They are bringing nothing of value or substance to the table, which means they aren't helping. They're not even interested in doing the real work of fighting for everyone's freedom and sustaining a real democracy. In fact they are undermining the democratic process completely. They WANT to be controlled. I don't and I never will.
These people may see themselves as die hard patriots but they are not. Be it hypocrisy, self satisfying team based attack, or just plain ignorance, they do not have the power or the right to expect our process to come to a crashing halt in order to avoid upsetting their tender sensibilities. They can take their small minded nonsense and shove it. With them or without them, those who know the truth and can find the real target must be the ones to push for justice and make the government subordinate to the people. Whether they like it or not or ever appreciate it, we're charged with looking out for their own good as they're obviously incapable of doing it for themselves. That's what got us into this mess in the first place. Giving consideration to twits with a "Values" agenda is a distraction that we cannot afford.
If that sounds cold, it isn't. There are churches in every town and city across America, millions of them. They're everywhere. These folks have their own special buildings just to get together and do all of this 'Values" business. That's where it belongs. Their ludicrous shrieks about their religion being undermined by the state are a contrivance to terrify their followers and turn them into a force for political aims. The fact of the matter is that no one can take your beliefs away. Even if it became illegal to believe in religion, who could stop it? It's a totally asinine argument and shouldn't be given the time of day.
There is a big difference between personal things and public things, and never the twain should meet. Especially not in government which is there for everyone to do business that affects all of us in the public realm. We all use roads but we don't all go to church. We all pay for bridges and army tanks, but we don't all give a crap about the Ten Commandments. If you think abortion is wrong, then don't get one. But choke yourself before spouting off about me getting one. One body one choice. It's none of your business what my choice is. That's how this works, everyone gets their needs met. And you don't NEED to concern yourself with MY decisions on this or any other personal subject. Why is that so hard for these people?
It is better to be respected than liked and those who do earn respect are fair people who are respectful of others yet not inclined to suffer nonsense from anyone. We cannot allow ourselves to be taken over by childishness on any grounds. It serves no one. The current adversarial climate in politics reveals many people who are incapable of being respectful of others and frankly some even seem determined to obliterate everyone of unlike mind. This is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. If you want to talk about feeling offended, this offends me.
Recognize nonsense when typical arguments essentially boil down to, "If you don't see things exactly like I do, you're not American." Theirs is a peculiar interpretation of the first amendment. It's bait that generally seeks to inflame and detract the genuine political involvement of the people, and keep them from gaining ground and power. Try to resist the urge to get in and wallow, it only amuses them and effectively stops you from doing what you really need to be doing. They have not changed their minds after thousands of hours of exposure to reason and evidence. You'll be wasting your time.
Unless we begin to push back hard at unacceptable, childish people trying to fuse politics and religion, I'm afraid we are eons away from something as simple as living in harmony on the same continent and agreeing to disagree without needing to kill everyone who is not your ideological clone. And we really need to get there. The "Values" crowd are not special, and religion has no place in government, period. They know that and count on us to allow them to take precious time and energy away from the real business we need to be paying attention to. It will happen faster by setting the example of not tolerating idiocy or it's tactics and sticking to business. Roll your eyes and walk away and all the power walks away with you. This is the fastest way to disarm these folks, don't give them the time of day if they don't deserve it. If they want to come to the table with something legitimate, they are more than welcome. But "Values" ain't it. Determining what's best for our country is.
Personally, after years of raging resentment, I'm finally so weary of these single brain-celled amoebas, that I just cannot waste my time trying to assist them any longer. At least I don't have to fight the urge to slap them upside the head anymore. They just honestly bore me. It's not possible to have a debate with a hysterical twit who can't utilize simple facts, show common respect or exchange ideas with the aim of coming to reasonable solutions, and then go out to lunch. Anyone who wants to send an equally taxpaying citizen abroad because they don't like what they think is as far from American principles as it gets. The real irony is, we really all want the same things.
I suppose chasing off the opposition with whatever means one can get away with is about the only way that emotion based warriors can feel they have an unobstructed chance at getting virtuous laws passed. The opposition must feel pretty pesky to them, when it comes at them with facts and figures and all they can operate in is the realm of repeating state and religious dogma in a roiling cacophony of emotion, ignorance and arrogance. But the rest of us are not going away and frankly I'm sick of hearing them suggest it as a solution. It doesn't get much more offensive than that. To some there is no such thing as having a different opinion from them, only a wrong one. This would be due to their erroneous belief that they are imbued with perfection and I would have no problem with that, if they could just prove it.
The existence of religiosity in government is something many are tired of. These vocal warriors of twithood need to be put back in their padded cages. They can see Poseidon and Athena as mythological characters, but their own mythological characters are absolutely real. Belief is not enough though as those icons must be forcibly imposed on everyone on earth by armies of true believers. One would expect that having such strong determination to have their beliefs respected would make them more respectful of other people's rights to their own beliefs. But no. Their reactions to other belief systems verges on hysteria, or perhaps it jumps right into it. Brave souls like Wiccans who desire to open public business with a witch's prayer instead of a Christian one risk their lives and are immediately black listed as demonic beings. And for those who don't subscribe to believing in any cloud beings, being forced to watch any of this is truly scary. It would be laughable if the religious fascists weren't so dead serious about it. That aside, anyone who's pushing the development of a factional army of God to fight the rest of us is working in direct opposition to the constitution and everything it stands for. It's a flaming neon sign. It doesn't deserve to be tolerated.
I have to say I really resent the government and any institution that bows to the heat and pressure of true believers. But I know from first hand experience that these people cannot grasp that they are not the end all and be all of righteousness or that in fact, no one is obligated to follow their religious ideas. Everyone on the opposite side of their religious fence is blacklisted and literally feared. Gentle non-believers are attacked and vilified, and considered soulless. It's quite ridiculous. Imagine if the human spirit were not an inherent part of humanity and indeed could only become a part of a person after hearing a speech or reading a book. That's just down right wacky.
I would also like to point out that the vast majority of violent criminals in this country are Christian, as are 100% of the child molesting, lying, embezzling criminals in government. Instead of seeing this glaring reality as a valid point, they quickly forgive their Christian dirt bags, and still point to non-believers as the root of all evil. What can you do when they are so determined to exercise their right to remain childish and obtuse?
They have every right to live their beliefs, but will you please join me in helping to remind them that it doesn't include a right to get in my underwear and tell me how to live my life? That would be my job. If they could just grasp that one little principle there would be hope. In lieu of that, there's no other choice than to just be rude and tell them to shut up and go away. Maybe if they hear it often enough, they will.
In the meantime our heads of state and the entire elected body plays the same game, poking emotion based arguments that cannot be agreed on with sharp sticks and then watching the fallout. Citizens rally and take political swings at each other and are hell bent to emerge victorious on the non issues and wrong issues of American politics. We're as addicted to evading reality and solving real problems as we are to the junk food that's killing us. Until we can switch our preferences to truth over games, our political health will continue to fail. It can't go on forever.
To stave off the death of this nation requires taking in ALL incoming data and using discernment to filter out the nonsense and emotional tripe. It requires having a genuine respect and desire for truth. It requires acknowledging that truth is more important than clinging to personal beliefs, no matter how strongly we feel them. And above all it requires working together to reach common goals and understanding that what we don't hold in common is very likely NOT a political issue. It's not too tricky for any of us, but in this current atmosphere of self adoration and internal war it's not very likely either. That's bad for everyone no matter what position they think is so important that some must win and others must lose. The goal must be that everyone wins or we're not pursuing the great American ideals we claim to be, and no one will win in the end.


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International Biometric Conference (IBC) Manual
This manual gives an overview of what is involved in organising a successful IBC, and sets out the key financial requirements. It is not an exhaustive nor prescriptive manual; detailed development of IBC is a collaborative process involving a range of groups from the society. Detailed arrangements will inevitably vary from conference to conference.
Conference Annexes
Consult the Conference Annexes for detailed descriptions of specific areas of conference organization and timelines.
Annex A - a basic timeline for the IBC
Annex B - typical programme outline
Annex C - outline budget spreadsheet
Annex D - relevant financial policies
Annex E - details the awards and prizes typically presented at the IBC.
Annex F - past conference venues and registration numbers
List of MCI Conference Management Local Offices