text:
This web site is made up of various web pages that are owned and operated by Ravana LLC (collectively, "The Website"). The following Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your use of The Website. Read these terms carefully before you ("You") accept these Terms by: (a) placing an order through The Website or (b) otherwise using The Website. Your use of The Website constitutes Your Agreement to the Terms of this agreement.
The Terms are entered into by and between EmpireStores.Co and You. The products offered for sale or rent and other on-line resources accessible via The Website, are provided to You, subject to these Terms. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the Terms will govern Your use of any new features that augment or enhance The Website.
The Website, and any third-party providers of content to The Website, may make improvements and/or changes to The Website including the products, programs, services and prices that are offered or described on The Website, at any time, without prior notice. In addition, The Website does not warrant that the products offered on The Website are available to be shipped to all customers or that product descriptions or other content of The Website is accurate, complete, reliable, current or error-free. If a product offered on The Website is not as described, Your sole remedy is to return the product in unused condition.
You acknowledge that The Website contains sexually oriented adult material intended for individuals 18 years of age or older and of legal age to view sexually explicit material as determined by the local and national laws of the region in which You reside. You agree not to enter The Website if you are not 18 years of age or older, if sexually oriented adult material offends you, or if you are accessing The Website from any community or country where adult material is specifically prohibited by law.
The Website reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and, any additional terms, codes of conduct or guidelines, without prior notice. You are responsible for regularly reviewing these Terms and Your continued use of The Website constitutes Your agreement as to all such updated or modified terms.
Unless otherwise indicated, all information, images, text, messages, illustrations, graphics, logos, designs, icons, photographs, programs, data, software, music, sound, video, or other materials that are part of The Website (collectively, the "Content") are protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, publicity rights, or other proprietary rights and laws owned, controlled or licensed by The Website or by third parties (the "Third Party Providers") who have provided materials to The Website, and these rights are valid and protected in all forms, media and technologies, existing now or hereinafter developed. All Content is copyrighted as a collective work under the U.S. copyright laws, and The Website owns a copyright in the selection, coordination, arrangement, and enhancement of such Content.
Except as set forth herein, none of the Content may be copied, reproduced, framed, modified, removed, sold, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted, transmitted, or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior express written permission of The Website or the Third Party Provider. No part of The Website may be reproduced or retransmitted in any way, or by any means, without the express written permission of The Website. You also may not, without The Website's prior express written permission, "mirror" any of the Content contained on The Website on any other server.
The Website is committed to respecting others' intellectual property rights, and we ask our users to do the same. The Website may, at its sole discretion, terminate the accounts or access rights of users who infringe or otherwise violate others' intellectual property rights. If You believe that Your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement on The Website, please contact our copyright agent as described in our Copyright Policy.
Nothing on The Website shall be construed as conferring any license under any of The Website's or any Third Party Provider's intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication, or otherwise. You acknowledge sole responsibility for obtaining any such licenses.
Permission is granted to display, copy, distribute and download The Website's Content on The Website for Your personal, non-commercial use only, provided You do not modify the materials and that You retain all copyright notices, trademark legends, and other proprietary rights notices contained in the materials. This permission terminates automatically if You breach any of these Terms. Upon termination, You must immediately destroy any downloaded and printed materials.
The Content on The Website may be used only as a shopping or rental resource. The Content may not be redistributed to any , to any person who may find the Content personally offensive, or to any person who resides in any community or country where adult material is specifically prohibited by law. Any unauthorized use of any Content contained on The Website may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity, and communications regulations and statutes.
The Website has not independently authenticated content provided by Third Party Providers in whole or in part. The Website does not provide, sell, license, rent or lease any of the Content other than those specifically identified as being provided by The Website.
You agree to use The Website only for lawful purposes. You are prohibited from posting on or transmitting through The Website any Content that violates or infringes anyone's intellectual property rights (including copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents, publicity rights or, to the extent protectable, confidential ideas) or that is obscene, obscene as to minors, child XXXgraphy, defamatory, racist, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise deemed by The Website to be harmful or objectionable, or that intentionally or unintentionally violates any applicable local, state, national or international law, or any regulations having the of law.
All comments, communications, ideas, and other content disclosed, submitted or offered to The Website on or by The Website or otherwise disclosed, submitted or offered in connection with Your use of The Website (collectively, the "Comments") shall be and remain EmpireStore.Co's property. Such disclosure, submission or offer of any Comments shall constitute an assignment to The Website of all worldwide rights, titles and interests in all copyrights and other intellectual properties in the Comments. Thus, The Website will own exclusively all such rights, titles and interests and shall not be limited in any way in its use, commercial or otherwise, of any Comments. The Website is and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any Comments in confidence; (2) to pay user any compensation for any Comments; or (3) to respond to any user Comments. You agree that no Comments submitted by You to The Website will violate any rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary right(s). You further agree that no Comments submitted by You to The Website will be or contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, abusive or obscene material. You are and shall remain solely responsible for the content of any Comments you make.
The Website may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other Internet sites or resources. Because The Website has no control over such sites and resources, You acknowledge and agree that The Website is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. The Website will not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such site or resource.
The Website may be linked to other websites that are not under the control of and are not maintained by The Website. The Website is not responsible for the content of those sites. The Website is providing these links to You only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link to such sites does not imply endorsement by The Website of those sites.
You agree to indemnify and hold The Website, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, co-branders, or other partners, and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of the use of The Website.
YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE WEBSITE IS PROVIDED BY The Website ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPLICITLY STATED, THE CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS," AND IS FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. The Website DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS, AND WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. The Website MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR GUARANTIES AS TO THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, TRUTH, ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY OF THE CONTENT CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE. The Website MAY MAKE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB SITES CONTENT AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING THAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED BY THIRD-PARTY USERS OF THE WEB SITE. ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CONTENT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PROVIDERS OF SUCH CONTENT. IN NO EVENT WILL The Website OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENT OR INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITE.
The Website MAKES NO WARRANTY OR CONDITION THAT: (i) THE WEBSITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (ii) THE WEBSITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (iii) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE WEBSITE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, (iv) THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL PURCHASED OR OBTAINED BY YOU THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS, OR THAT (v) ANY ERRORS IN THE WEBSITE SOFTWARE WILL BE CORRECTED.
NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM The Website OR THROUGH OR FROM THE WEBSITE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY OR CONDITION NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THE TERMS. The Website'S EMPLOYEES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO VARY THESE TERMS.
TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, The Website IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, GOODWILL, USE, DATA, ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED ORDERS, OR OTHER ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE (EVEN IF The Website HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT (INCLUDING FUNDAMENTAL BREACH), TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO: (i) THE USE OF OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE; (ii) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS, DATA, INFORMATION OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO THROUGH OR FROM THE WEBSITE; (iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iv) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE WEBSITE; OR (v) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICES, INCLUDING CONTENT YOU MAY DOWNLOAD, USE, MODIFY OR DISTRIBUTE FROM THE WEBSITE.
YOU HAVE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADEQUATE PROTECTION AND BACKUP OF DATA AND/OR EQUIPMENT USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITE AND WILL NOT MAKE A CLAIM AGAINST The Website FOR LOST DATA, RE-RUN TIME, INACCURATE OUTPUT, WORK DELAYS OR LOST PROFITS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE CONTENT.
YOU AGREE TO HOLD The Website HARMLESS FROM, AND YOU COVENANT NOT TO SUE The Website FOR, ANY CLAIMS BASED ON USING THE WEBSITE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT (INCLUDING FUNDAMENTAL BREACH), TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to You.
The Website respects Your desire for privacy. See The Website's Privacy Policy for more information. By using The Website, You are consenting to the processing of Your data by The Website and consenting to the terms of our Privacy Policy. If we decide to make any significant change to that policy, we will post the revised policy prominently on The Website or otherwise bring it to Your attention, so that You are always aware of what we do with Your information.
You are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of The Website, including, without limitation, (a) accessing data not intended for such user or logging onto a server or an account which You are not authorized to access; (b) attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization; (c) attempting to interfere with service to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, via means of submitting a virus to The Website, overloading, "flooding," "spamming," "mailbombing" or "crashing;" (d) sending unsolicited email, including promotions and/or advertising of products or services; or (e) forging any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any email or newsgroup posting. Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. The Website will investigate occurrences that may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting users who are involved in such violations. You agree not to use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of The Website or any activity being conducted on The Website. You agree, further, not to use or attempt to use any engine, software, tool, agent or other device or mechanism (including without limitation browsers, spiders, robots, avatars or intelligent agents) to navigate or search The Website other than the search engine and search agents available from EmpireStore.Co on The Website and other than generally available third party web browsers (e.g., Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer).
The Website, in its sole discretion, may terminate Your password, Your account, Your use of any of the on-line resources available on The Website, and remove and discard any Content on The Website, for any reason, including, without limitation, for lack of use or if The Website believes that You have violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of the Terms. Any termination of Your access to The Website under any provision of the Terms may be effected without prior notice, and The Website may immediately de-activate or delete Your account and all related information and files in Your account and/or bar any further access to such files or to The Website. Further, The Website will not be liable to You or any third-party for any termination or suspension of Your Account or Your access to The Website.
The Terms constitute the entire agreement between You and The Website and govern Your use of The Website, superseding any prior agreements between You and The Website (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms). You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when You use other The Website services, third-party content or third-party software. You must not assign or otherwise transfer either the Terms or any right granted hereunder.
Any breach of the Terms will result in irreparable harm to The Website for which damages would be an inadequate remedy and, therefore, in addition to its rights and remedies otherwise available at law, The Website will be entitled to equitable relief, including both a preliminary and permanent injunction, if such a breach occurs. You waive any requirement for the posting of a bond or other security if The Website seeks such an injunction.
Pennsylvania law and controlling U.S. federal law govern any action related to the Terms. No choice of law rules of any jurisdiction apply. You and The Website agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the county of Allegheny, Pennsylvania.
The Website controls and operates The Website from its headquarters in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States of America, and makes no representation that this Content is appropriate or available for use in other locations. If You use The Website from other locations, You are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws including but not limited to the export and import regulations of other countries.
The U.S. export control laws regulate the export and re-export of technology originating in the United States. This includes the electronic transmission of information and software to foreign countries and to certain foreign nationals. You agree to abide by these laws and their regulations including, but not limited to, the Export Administration Act and the Arms Export Control Act and not to transfer, by electronic transmission or otherwise, any Content derived from The Website to either a foreign national or a foreign destination in violation of such laws.
The failure of The Website to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of the Terms to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Terms remain in full and effect. REGARDLESS OF ANY STATUTE OR LAW TO THE CONTRARY, ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO USE OF THE SERVICES OR THE TERMS MUST BE FILED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER SUCH CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION AROSE OR BE FOREVER BARRED. The section titles in the Terms are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.
These Terms represent the entire understanding relating to the use of The Website and prevail over any prior or contemporaneous, conflicting, or additional, communications.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Terms of Use


text:
At the four-semester coursework stage, you will attend a total of four courses. Added to this, there are the integration courses.
We distinguish between basic courses, specialist courses and integration courses. You can select specialist courses and basic courses according to your requirements. The two integration courses are compulsory if you do not hold an equivalent degree (HSG degree).
- Basic courses demonstrate the development of a research area in social, cultural and organizational sciences with the help of examples. These courses also serve to introduce doctoral students to interdisciplinary research contexts: as a cultural scientist, you will become acquainted with the social sciences' approach to reality; as an economist, you will learn how to interpret a symbolic aspect. The courses are consecutive and last two semesters.
- Specialist courses present for discussion areas that are currently being researched by the Chairs and researchers involved in the DOK. Unless you write your thesis within a specialist research area yourself, these courses will provide you with an opportunity to advance your interdisciplinary education.
- Integration courses familiarise you with core components of the HSG management knowledge. It is not only if you work in the private or public sector that you will increasingly be confronted with issues of management and financial organization; this will also happen if you opt for an academic career. The integration courses will provide you with the requisite know-how.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NVIDIA at G-STAR 2013
Aside from all the great products, one of the biggest events during G-STAR was held at NVIDIA booth. On Saturday, a five-to-five League of Legends(LOL) gaming match attracted a huge crowd as the LOL Season 3 World Champion winning team SKT T1 visited to participate. The competing teams were made up of two SKT T1 members and three amateur gamers, arousing curiosities among the audience which team will win. And the SKT T1 autograph event after the match just added more fun.
During the exhibition, G-SYNC was set up on ASUS monitors for side by side comparison with a standard display. Gamers were clearly impressed by the smoother lag and tear free performance.
SHIELD was another technology that received much attention. NVIDIA offered a chance for the audience to first-hand explore the SHIELD device itself while enjoying the various entertainments SHIELD can offer. The 'SHIELD Ranking Match' was successfully held every day for four days at the Gaming Zone inside NVIDIA booth. Many fans were disappointed when they learned that SHIELD will not be introduced in Korea this year. However, they highly complimented the SHIELD gaming experience through GameStream, the new PC streaming technology, as the future of the gaming industry.
Tegra Note 7 (HP Slate 7 Extreme)
The audiences were able to experience all the features of a PC through the light-weighted and large screen HP Slate 7 Extreme tablets. Many people enjoyed smoother gaming experience through this Tegra-base tablet's high performance graphics processing abilities.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780Ti
Among all the great technologies and products, GeForce GTX 780 Ti was definitely the one that the audience showed the most interest in during G-STAR 2013. This new graphics card was also featured in the products introduced by NVIDIA partners, Gigabyte and Zotac, at the Blizzard booth. This is NVIDIA's fastest gaming graphics card so far with even more power than a the vaunted GTX Titan.
To find out more about the GTX 780 Ti, click here.


text:
This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Front / Rear - Vented cast iron Rotors, 298 mm diameter
Cast aluminum
Front - 17 x 7 J
Rear - 18 x 9.5 J
Kenda SS-799
Front - 205 / 50R17
Rear - 265 / 35R18
Overall - 77.2 in. (1,960 mm)
Track - 69.1 in. (1,755 mm)
Carbon fiber reinforced belt, 36 mm x 147 T
Ratio - 1.590:1
Bevel Ratio - 2.312:1
Headlight - Projector H9 65W
Auxiliary light - Projector H3 55W
LED tail / brake light
LED turn signals
LED license plate light
LED speedometer
LED indicator lights
Peak - 173 hp @ 6,200 rpm
Rev Limit - 7,200 rmp
1st - 3.753:1
2nd - 2.258:1
3rd - 1.512:1
4th - 1.000:1
5th - 0.729:1
Reverse - 3.672:1
Gear Shift Pattern - H
9.77 gal. (37.1 l)
Fuel - 91 octane or higher
Actuation - Rack-and-pinion steering
Assist - Polaris EPAS, Speed Sensitive
Steering Turns, lock-to-lock - 3.2
ESC (Electronic Stability Control)
Traction Control
Price, if shown and unless otherwise noted, represents the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) or dealer unit price and does not include government fees, taxes, dealer vehicle freight/preparation, dealer document preparation charges, labor, installation, or any finance charges (if applicable). MSRP and/or final sales price will vary depending on options or accessories selected; contact dealer for more details.
Images, where available, are presented as reasonable facsimiles of the offered unit and/or manufacturer stock images. Non-standard options or features may be represented. No guarantee of availability or inclusion of displayed options should be inferred; contact dealer for more details.


text:
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
1. Find the right investment platform for you
2. Choose the right type of account to invest with
3. Find
on the platform and buy their shares!
An investment platform is a place to buy and sell stocks and shares (and other types of investments). They're also known as stock brokers, online stock brokers, investment apps, trading platforms, trading apps – to name a few!
eToro is a hugely popular trading platform. Not just because of it's awesome trading features and being low cost, but because you can join a community of traders from all over the world, to trade, chat and learn together.
It's also got the largest range of assets to trade, including stocks, ETFs, crypto, CFDs, currencies and commodities (such as gold).
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
Trading 212 is a platform built for everyone in mind, it's great for beginners to get started, and perfect for experienced investors too with a huge range of investment options.
It's also the cheapest platform out there, completely commission free, and the lowest fees when buying foreign stocks.
Get a free share up to £100 - use code NUTS.
Interactive Investor is a popular investment platform with a flat fee, making it a cheap option if you have over £30,000 of investments. There's a huge range to choose from, their website and apps are great and their customer service is excellent.
One of the cheapest traditional brokers out there, with a good reputation and established history. The customer service is great and there's a huge range of investment options.
We've reviewed investing platforms extensively – if you'd like more options, here's the full range of investment platforms (including options where experts will handle everything for you).
To determine the best investment platform we've reviewed the following criteria:
If you're doing your own research, this criteria is a good guide. Fees and range of investments are super important when it comes to picking the best investment platform for you.
If you're not quite sure what a stock broker actually is, and why you need one, here's a quick run through.
In the olden days, you needed an actual real person to buy investments for you on the stock market, which you'd call up or meet face-to-face, and they'd go off and buy the investments for you, as you need a licence to buy investments. Although they do still exist, now they are more of a financial advisor who can provide the right investment advice for you too.
These days, stock brokers are all online (and so is the stock market). They're websites (platforms) and apps which you can use to easily buy stocks and shares yourself. All you need is some money and an internet connection.
And because they're online, they are much cheaper – in fact often commission free (so no fees to buy or sell at all). Which has given rise to the retail investor! – Everyday people able to make investments for themselves and grow their wealth just like the rich.
After you've chosen your new investment platform (online broker), it's time to decide which account you want to invest in. And you have quite a few options, although not every platform will have every option.
This is your standard investing account, which you'll get with every investment platform. It can also be called a share dealing account, trading account or brokerage account.
There's no tax-free benefits, so everything you buy will technically be liable for tax (you might have to pay tax on it) when you sell, or if a stock generates an income (called a dividend), or an investment pays interest.
The 3 types of taxes are Capital Gains Tax, Income Tax and Dividend Tax (more on those below).
However, you might not actually pay any tax as you get some nice tax-free allowances first. We'll cover tax below.
You can have as many General Investment Accounts as you like too, so you can open an account with any platform or online stock broker you like to check them out first, before committing to a Stocks & Shares ISA. Which brings us on to…
With a Stocks and Shares ISA (Individual Savings Account), everything you make within your account is completely tax free! There's no tax to pay whatsoever, forever. How great is that?
You can invest as much as £20,000 per tax year (April 6th to April 5th the following year). Which is your ISA allowance.
However, you can only pay into one Stocks and Shares ISA each year, but you can keep any older ones open (just not pay into them).
This is a type of private pension, so a pension in your name, that you manage, and you decide what to do with it (rather than a workplace pension which is set up and managed by your employer).
And with these, you can buy investments, just like any other investment account, except you benefit from the massive benefits of a pension too.
So any money you pay in, you'll get a 25% bonus from the government (which is a refund of any tax you've technically paid on your income).
And if you're a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer you can claim back tax you've paid at those rates too (40% and 45%). You'll do this on a Self Assessment tax return.
You can have as many personal pensions as you like too. However you can only contribute as much as your total income each year, or up to £60,000, whichever is lower.
A regular personal pension (rather than a self-investment personal pension) is often managed by experts rather than yourself – find these with our best personal pensions. We highly recommend considering this, it is your retirement income after all!
And not every investment platform offers self-invested personal pensions.
Interactive Investor¹ is one the best for an SIPP (here's our Interactive Investor review). You can also find the full range with our best self-investment personal pensions.
A Lifetime ISA (LISA) is a great option for saving for your first home. You get a massive 25% bonus on everything you put in!
However you can only use this for your first home. Or you'll have to wait until you're 60 to access the cash (without paying hefty fees). And there's a limit of what you can put in – £4,000 per year.
Note: this is not a replacement to a pension. Personal pensions are much better. Here's why: Lifetime ISA vs pension.
All that's left to do is buy, buy, buy! But obviously don't over stretch yourself!
When you buy shares, you'll normally be shown the total cost of the transaction, which includes the cost of buying the shares and any fees if you're not using a commission free broker. Also, any Stamp Duty or additional charges, such as a currency conversion fee (foreign exchange fee). We cover fees in detail below.
Here's a run down of all the fees you might expect when buying shares.
Some stock brokers will charge a fee per transaction. Which is often called a share dealing fee, share trading fee, or simply commission. This can range from £0 (commission free), to as high as £11.95 per deal (with more traditional brokers like Hargreaves Lansdown).
Some brokers will charge an account fee, which can either be a percentage of how much you have invested with them every year, or a flat monthly fee for an account. Some brokers don't charge a fee at all either! (Such as all our recommended platforms above.)
When you buy stocks in a foreign currency, for instance buying US stocks in Dollars, you'll have to convert your Pounds to Dollars first to buy the shares. This is often all handled automatically when you go to purchase the stock, and you'll be shown the fee.
This can range quite a bit, from 0.15% all the way to 1.5% per transaction depending on which broker you use. Some of the lowest fees are with our recommended brokers above. There's a reason why we recommend them! eToro¹ and Trading 212¹ (free share up to £100 - use code NUTS) come in the cheapest with foreign exchanges fees too.
When you buy shares in the UK and these shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange's main market, you'll have to pay Stamp Duty (although not on the smaller market called AIM). Stamp Duty is 0.5% of the purchase price. It's technically called Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (SDRT).
You won't pay Stamp Duty on transactions on foreign stocks (such as American stocks). It's just UK companies.
If you trade with eToro, they'll actually pay this for you! That's one of the reasons they're super popular. Here's our eToro review to learn more.
With the most popular trading platforms, again such as eToro¹, you can actually invest as little as you like! Even less than the actual share price.
That's thanks to a fairly new invention called fractional shares. This is where you can simply buy a portion of a share instead (a fraction).
Let's look at an example. Imagine Netflix cost $600 a share but you only want to invest $100 in Netflix (it's a US stock), you can invest $100 and get ⅙ of a share in return. Pretty great right?
This means you can add higher priced shares to your portfolio without having to commit to more money than might be realistic and safe for a well managed portfolio. (A portfolio is the total amount of investments you have.)
They'll hold the shares for you, you don't need to do anything! Just log back in when you want to sell them.
However, you should consider buying shares as part of a well-rounded investment strategy, rather than simply buying the share because you like the company or brand.
Is it a good business? Do you think the share price will increase in value in the future? Questions like this are called fundamental analysis, and it's about finding out if the company is in a good position to be a good long term investment.
You can find analysis on the better investment platforms after you sign up. Along with key stock ratios to help with your research, such as earnings per share (EPS). More on those below.
Note: there's also technical analysis, which is analysis of the price and its historic performance (so other traders investing behaviour), rather than the company performance itself.
You could consider trading CFDs (Contract For Differences). This is where you aren't actually buying the stock directly itself, you are entering into a contract with the broker (trading platform) about the price of the company (share price) in the future, and you will settle the difference (in price), between when you bought it and when you sell.
This gives you the opportunity to leverage trade, which is trading with more money than you actually have, for instance, if you want to invest £50, you could trade with 5x leverage and effectively buy £250 worth of shares.
If the stock price then went up 10%, you'd make 10% of £250 rather than 10% of £50, which is a profit of £25 rather than £5. Quite a difference! It's a return of 50% on your initial capital (money).
However if the stock ended up going down 10%, you'd lose £25 instead. Which is 50% of your capital. Not great!
It's high risk, but can be a good addition to your trading strategy. We only recommend this for more experienced investors and day traders. And not for long-term investing. Please be careful! Most retail traders lose money when trading CFDs.
CFDs also allow you to trade the price going down too (called going short, or shorting). So you could effectively bet the price will be lower in the future and profit from it. You cannot do this when you just buy the stock itself with an online broker.
With all advanced trading platforms, they also offer trading tools to help you trade better. These include stop-loss orders (setting a price at which you will automatically sell the stock if the trade goes against you), and limit orders (setting the price you want to buy at). Plus lots more day trading tools – even help with position size and risk management.
The best platforms for CFD trading is eToro¹, Trading 212¹ (free share up to £100 - use code NUTS) and IG¹.
If you are investing within an ISA you won't have to worry about any taxes, but if you're using a General Investment Account you might have to pay the following taxes:
Note: investing with a self-invested personal pension is tax-free, however you may have to pay Income Tax when you withdraw. Here's where to learn more about personal pensions.
If you make a profit on your investments, you might have to pay Capital Gains Tax. A profit is defined as the difference between the price you bought an investment for and the price you sell it for, and you'll only pay tax on the actual profit amount.
However, you'll only pay this if your total profits within a tax year is above £6,000.
The rate you'll pay is 10% if you're a basic rate taxpayer (have a total income of less than £50,270 per year), or 20% if you're a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer (earn more than £50,270 per year).
If your investments pay an income, such as interest payments, then you'll pay Income Tax.
You'll pay this just the same as with any other income you have, for instance your salary (it will show up in your pay cheque). So the rate you'll pay is:
Dividends are when the company pays out its profits to its owners (the shareholders – people who own shares). And can happen fairly regularly if the company is very successful and makes a lot of profit. It can happen every quarter (3 months), or sometimes 6 months and sometimes once per year.
Your stock broker or trading app / platform will collect these for you and they should automatically appear in your account when the company pays the dividend.
You get a £1,000 allowance per year, after that, you'll pay tax and the rate you'll pay depends on your income too. Here's what you'll pay:
Earnings per share is a measure for an investor to quickly work out how profitable a company is. You take the net profit of the company (how much it makes after all its expenses), and divide it by the total number of shares (called shares outstanding).
For instance, if there are 100 shares outstanding (the total number of shares), and the net profit is £100, then the EPS is £100. Which means the company makes £1 in earnings for each share there is (£100 divided by 100 shares = £1).
It's a great way to compare similar companies, or companies in the same industry, to see which are more profitable, and therefore potentially better investments.
This is used to value a company by measuring the current share price vs its earnings per share (EPS), as described above. And another way to compare similar companies, or the same company over time, and to determine if a company is overvalued or undervalued.
It is essentially working out how much you would need to invest to earn £1 (or $1) of the company's earnings.
You work it out by taking the current share price, and dividing it by the EPS.
So if the current share price is £10, and its EPS is £2, you would divide £10 by £2, to get 5 (or 5x) as the P/E ratio (price earnings ratio). This means you would be paying 5x the earnings per share by investing at the current share price.
It's sometimes called the price multiple, as the share price is a multiple of the earnings per share.
The lower the P/E, generally the better for investors and the business itself – you don't need to invest as much to get a good return in earnings, and so the company might be undervalued. A high price earnings ratio means a company might be overvalued, or investors are expecting big things in future (they are happy to pay a higher price for the earnings per share).
This is the total amount of shares a company has. For instance, Apple has 16 billion shares outstanding, it's a pretty big and popular company!
Shares outstanding is used as a base number to measure a lot of things such as EPS (above).
However it's not a permanent number, a company can issue new shares and this number will of course increase, and therefore reduce the value of each share that already exists. This could be in the form of a 'stock split' where it issues more shares for every existing share, often to reduce the share price so more investors can purchase shares.
A company can also 'buy back' shares and effectively destroy them (remove them from circulation), and this would increase the value on all remaining shares.
The market cap is used to understand how much a company is worth in relation to its share price. You simply add all the shares outstanding (the total number of shares), and multiply it by the share price.
For instance, if a company has 100,000 shares outstanding, and the share price is £1, it's market capitalisation is £100,000. And you could say that is the value of the business. Although there are other ways to value a company.
There are different categories when it comes to the market cap.
The larger the business is, the more safer the investment is seen, as they're typically hugely profitable and very established. Smaller companies are seen as more risky investments, as they are still growing, and won't generate as much profit (in the short-term anyway).
Pound cost averaging is where you drip feed your money into an investment, such as shares, rather than buying them all at once as a lump sum purchase.
Drip feeding your investment is a great way of reducing the potential effects of market volatility (change in share price) and reduce risk, in case the share price falls after you purchase. You buy with regular amounts over time whatever the price might be.
This means you can actually benefit if the share price falls (as it reduces your average price of your investment in the company). Although if share prices rise, you'll lose out. There's no best way to invest a lump sum – it's up to you and your risk tolerance.
However, it is often seen as a good idea to invest regularly, for instance monthly payments from your salary.
Although we don't recommend investing in a single stock like this, if it's your only investment – it's often good to diversify.
We recommend regularly investing with experts – using an expert managed investment platform, sometimes called a ready made portfolio.
They'll handle all the investing for you, and aim to grow your money in a safe and sensible way over the long term. Here's where to find the best expert managed investment platforms.
A shareholder is simply someone who owns shares in a company. This can also be known as a stockholder.
A stock exchange is a place to buy and sell shares (also called a stock market). There is a major stock exchange in almost every country in the world, and sometimes a few!
In the UK there is the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and in the US, they have the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations), plus a few more. In Japan, it's the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO).
You can also trade other assets too, such as investment funds, which are groups of investments combined together into a single investment.
A stock broker will interact with the stock exchange, and make the investments for you.
The Alternative Investment Market is part of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), but a smaller exchange dedicated to small and medium sized companies that are growing. They can often be great companies and great investment opportunities, but seen as higher risk as they're smaller.
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are groups of investments (such as shares) combined together into one single investment that is also tradeable (can be bought or sold) on a stock exchange. They often represent a theme, such as clean energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence companies etc.
They can also represent a stock exchange itself, which can represent the economy of a country. For instance, you could buy an ETF that contains the top 100 companies in the UK (FTSE 100). This is also called an index fund. Here's how to invest in index funds.
ETFs are super popular, as they make investing a lot simpler and cheaper – you only have to buy the ETF rather than all the individual shares to build up your portfolio of investments.
Buying a range of shares in various companies to build up your portfolio is seen as a good investment strategy, as it increases diversification (the range of investments you have) – which reduces potential risk. if one share drops in value you will only see a small drop in your investments.
Buying shares in only one (or a few individual companies) is higher risk, as your money is only linked to that company – which could underperform, or things happen like changes in government regulations. Although the opposite is also true and you could benefit more (but that's the risk).
When buying foreign shares listed in the US (so trade on a US stock exchange), you'll have to also fill out a W-8BEN form beforehand. Which is simply to declare you are a non-US resident for tax purposes. It's all online via the investment platform and super quick.
When it comes to investing, the things you buy (the investments) are also called assets – so the stock itself, bonds, a property, and even bitcoin and crypto. All the different types of assets are called asset classes.
There's no best asset class, it's up to your personal investment strategy as to which asset class is best to invest in. Although stocks and shares (and share based investments) are of course the most popular.
Although bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are gaining popularity fast – if that interests you, here's how to buy bitcoin and how to buy ethereum.
It's a great idea to diversify your investments across a range of asset classes too. That way, you reduce risk if one type of asset, such as shares (equities) all perform badly (such as a stock market crash).
We hope everything is super clear and you are ready to buy
Cano Health
If so, here's a reminder of the best investment platforms to use:
All the best investing!
Check out eToro, it's low cost and easy to use.
Buy shares¹eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.


text:
An apology to my healthy and/or vegetarian friends..... I go a little crazy this time of year for holiday gluttony. Of course, I still crave veg, fresh fruit, and simple soups, but every December I totally let loose cooking and gobbling up sweet treats, buttery polentas, creamy pastas, and beefy stews. I really can't help myself.
I've been itching to experiment with Bacon Candy ever since I saw a recipe in Canal House No. 1 and another one from Adrianna, who serves her candied bacon crumbled on top of ice cream - hell ya. I mean how can you go wrong serving up sweet, salty, crunchy bacon!
Want to have friends over for cocktails and a tasty nibble? This bacon could be your hero. I imagine it would also make an awesome addition to a weekend brunch. It's outrageous. Don't you think you might just have to try bacon candy for yourself?
INGREDIENTS inspired by Canal House and Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen
{printable recipe}
- 8 ounces sliced bacon (GF folks: check packaging to make sure there isn't any sneaky gluten in there. Any decent bacon will be GF.)
- 1/2 -3/4 packed cup brown sugar ( GF folks: confirm your label here as well.)
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stick a rack on top. Set aside.
Scoop brown sugar into a long shallow baking dish (long enough to accommodate the bacon). Pat strips of bacon dry with paper towels, then dredge bacon in brown sugar. Transfer sugary bacon strips onto rack nestled over your parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop bacon into the cold oven. Turn the heat to 350 degrees.
Flip bacon strips after 15 minutes in the oven. At this point, you'll want to check on the bacon every couple of minutes - it can quickly go from cooked to burned. If the caramel drippings on your parchment are getting too smokey, toss the paper out and put bacon back into the oven until it's done. I've found that my thin-cut bacon is done after 20-22 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon - a thicker bacon should take an extra 5 minutes. When it's done, you want the bacon to be glistening with the sugar glaze. Let it cool on a rack and it will crisp up. Tear strips in half or thirds. Serve and enjoy!
I have to give a holiday shout out to my buddies at Blackcreek Merchantile. They just gave me a stunning hand-made cherry wood board (that beauty in the first photo). When the box arrived, I felt as though Christmas had come early at my house - thank you Josh and Kelly! I bought a Blackcreek cutting board for my mom last year, and a few quirky kitchen tools for my friends. If you want something beautiful and practical for your kitchen that will last long enough to pass down to your kids, something that's handcrafted by really nice people in the good old USA, think about one of Josh's creations. Bay Area folks, you can find a huge array of Josh's work at March in SF (a dangerously enticing shop). Otherwise, peek at Josh and Kelly's website. You won't be disappointed. xxxooo E


text:
This is one of my favorite times of the year. The farmers market is filled with so many goodies that it is hard to choose with to pick up. This weekend I made out pretty good. I picked up a basket full of red peppers, several baskets of tomatoes and a nice big bunch of basil. I made some pesto with the basil and I spent most of the weekend roasting the red peppers and slow roasting the tomatoes to freeze for coming months of winter. Despite the fact that it has cooled down a bit outside, having the oven on all weekend turned my place into a sauna and I was looking for a quick light meal. I had not had parmesan chicken in a while and it sounded like it would fit the bill perfectly. Parmesan chicken is simply fried chicken that is coated in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. I really like the warm crispy chicken and the parmesan cheese adds both an amazing aroma and a lot of flavour. Serving it with a simple salad makes for a nice light meal on a warm day.
Parmesan Chicken with Salad
- 2 chicken breasts (pounded thin)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 flour
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano
- 1 handful romaine lettuce
- 1 handful tomatoes, sliced
- 1 handful chickpeas
- 1 handful feta (crumbled)
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 dash oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour.
- Dip the chicken into the egg.
- Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumbs and parmigiano reggiano.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Cook the chicken in the oil until golden brown on both sides, about 4-7 minutes per side.
- Assemble salad.


text: Every once in a while, something comes along so powerful in concept, so revolutionary in its design, it redefines generations. America, get ready for the one and only FIAT 500. Born over fifty years ago on July 4, 1957, it was more than just a car. It made history. It gave people the ability to move freely and with confidence. A liberating form of self-expression, the FIAT 500 was built to satisfy people's insatiable love for each day. For FIAT, a company founded in 1899, this was a rebirth. The start of a legend. A modern symbol for Italian design. At FIAT of Manhattan in New York, NY we're excited to put you in the driver's seat to begin the next chapter of our celebrated legacy. Allow us to demonstrate our commitment to exceptional customer service!


text:
Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) — A permit to hunt an endangered African black rhino sold for $350,000 at a Dallas auction held to raise money for conservation efforts but criticized by wildlife advocates.
Steve Wagner, a spokesman for the Dallas Safari Club, which sponsored the closed-door event Saturday night, confirmed the sale of the permit for a hunt in the African nation of Namibia. He declined to name the buyer.
The Safari Club's executive director, Ben Carter, has defended the auction, saying all money raised will go toward protecting the species. He also said the rhino that the winner will be allowed to hunt is old, male and nonbreeding — and that the animal was likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife.
But the auction drew howls from critics, including wildlife and animal rights groups, and the FBI said it was investigating death threats against members of the club.
Officials from the Humane Society and the International Fund for Animal Welfare have said that while culling can be appropriate in abundant animal populations, all black rhinos should be protected, given their endangered status.
An estimated 4,000 black rhinos remain in the wild, down from 70,000 in the 1960s. Nearly 1,800 are in Namibia, according to the Safari Club.
Critics have also said any hunting of a rhino sends a bad message to the public.
"This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species," Jeffrey Flocken, North American regional director of the Massachusetts-based IFAW, said this past week. "This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species."
The auction took place in downtown Dallas under tight security. Organizers hoped to at least break the previous high bid for one of the permits in Namibia, which was $223,000, and had said the amount could be as high as $1 million. The nation offers five permits each year, and the one auctioned Saturday was the first to be made available for purchase outside of Namibia.
The winning bidder could have come from anywhere in the world, and at least some bidders were expected to enter by phone.
About 40 protesters gathered early Saturday evening outside the convention center where the auction and a pre-auction dinner were to take place. They held signs and chanted. Most dispersed by just after 6 p.m. CST.
Jim and Lauren Ries traveled with their children from Atlanta to protest the auction of the rare black rhino hunting permit in Dallas. Jim Ries said it was his son Carter, 12, and daughter Olivia, 11, who pushed for them to go and participate.
"We heard what the Dallas Safari Club was doing and we thought it was just wrong that they were auctioning off to kill a black rhino and we really got upset that they were thinking this," Carter Ries said.
Jim Ries said his children are passionate about animal conservation and were working to help adopt cheetahs in Africa. The family started a nonprofit called One More Generation, dedicated to saving endangered species.
"There's less than 5,000 black rhinos left on the planet," the father said, "and if our kids ever want to see a rhino left in the wild, we can't be pulling the trigger on every one we say is too old to breed."
Poachers long have targeted all species of rhino, primarily for its horn, which is valuable on the international black market. Made of the protein keratin, the chief component in fingernails and hooves, the horn has been used in carvings and for medicinal purposes, mostly in Asia. The near-extinction of the species also has been attributed to habitat loss.
Associated Press video journalist John Mone contributed to this report. Graczyk reported from Houston.


text:
Fenian Brotherhood
Summary: | This collection contains materials related to the Fenian Brotherhood, a secret society founded in New York in 1857 by Irish refugees, and their unsuccessful attempts to spark revolution in Ireland by the invasion of Canada from Buffalo, New York at the close of the United States Civil War. The Fenian Brotherhood not only had an army but also a "Navy" consisting of a tugboat carrying a gun that steamed up and down the Niagara River between Buffalo and Fort Erie. After 1870, the Brotherhood was gradually absorbed by the Clan-na-Gael. This collection contains correspondence, minutes, and other materials related to the invasion. Much of the correspondence are letters received and sent by Frank B. Gallagher, a senior member the Brotherhood. These materials are owned by the American Catholic Historical Society and maintained at the Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHRC) 6740 Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia , PA 19149. For more information please see: http://www.chrc-phila.org/ |


text:
I feel there are multiple descriptions of what Shikantaza is. I'm confused which one is accurate
Description 1:
Don't manipulate or control your awareness (attention) or any objects of awareness (breath, posture, mantra, present moment, emptiness etc...) in anyway. Let your awareness do whatever it needs to do. If your awareness/attention is caught up in thought, then that is where it needs to be at that moment. There is nothing wrong with it. Of course this doesn't mean we continue to think when we "realize we are caught up" (in other words, "the return happens"). If we continue to think, that will not be non-doing anymore. When the return happens, we just continue to sit. The important thing to remember here is that there is no preference given to "return" (or to being in the current moment) over getting lost in thoughts. It is complete no-preference sitting and trusting that awareness goes and does where it needs to go or what it needs to do. No manipulating or directing awareness. As Genpo Roshi says this essential non-doing and utter freedom of Shikantaza wears down the mind.
Description 2:
Sit and aim at returning to the present moment or posture. When you realize the present moment is not being attended to, then get back to the present moment or posture briefly and then continue to sit. We don't focus or try to stay on the posture or present moment. When "the return happens" we just briefly check the posture or attend to the current moment and then continue to sit silently. Zazen is not staying in the moment or with the posture but this returning again and again is itself Zazen.
Which one is the correct description and why do you think so?


text:
Medical Library
Loading...Please Wait
Stress Fractures
These fractures result from repetitive submaximal loads applied to the foot, ankle, leg; they are usually the result of overuse (in athletes, over-training). They are common in long distance runners and female athletes.
Common stress fracture sites include the lower leg (in runners), calcaneus, talus, metatarsals in distance runners, and the big toe.
Pain and point tenderness, often relieved by rest, is typical. X-rays do not always show the fracture. Bone scans and MRI may be useful.
Most heal with rest, immobilization and cross training. Avoid high-impact workouts, and wear good shoes.
Possible Treatments
Possible Treatment Goals
- Decrease Risk of Reoccurrence
- Improve Function
- Improve Muscle Strength and Power
- Increase Oxygen to Tissues
- Self-care of Symptoms
- Improve Safety
- Improve Tolerance for Prolonged Activities
Additional Resources
The information in this medical library is intended for informational and educational purposes only and in no way should be taken to be the provision or practice of physical therapy, medical, or professional healthcare advice or services. The information should not be considered complete or exhaustive and should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes without first consulting with your physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician or other healthcare provider. The owners of this website accept no responsibility for the misuse of information contained within this website.


text:
Powdered Strawberry And Vanilla Bean Macarons
I think I have quite possibly turned this site into an ode to strawberries just by looking at my latest posts. Hmmm…Hope you'll still tune in for one more next week and then I might tempt you with the lovely wild blackberries I see appearing on the edges of the yard. Gosh I love Spring! It would be a shame not to take advantage of what is at my fingertips and right now the fridge is about to burst with local strawberries and lemons.
It seems like I have a magic fridge these days. Just when I think I am reaching the bottom of the bowl of strawberries there is another one appearing from the other side. I did find out from B. that his mom dropped off some, as did a neighbor because "{I} would know what to do with them." I did ponder that thought while I was slicing strawberries for a tart. What to do with all these ugly little end pieces that I was not going to use? That's when the idea of dried strawberries popped into my head again and how to incorporate that into another dessert, a macaron especially.
One of the trickiest thing to do with macarons is to flavor the shells without messing up the texture. Adding liquid to the batter is to me like jumping off a plane wishing your parachute is going to work properly. In that regard, I stick to things I know are not going to interfere with the final result like citrus zest, dried and fresh herbs, etc…
And here I was staring at my sheet pan of dried strawberry slices, my sudden urge to make some macarons and well you can pretty much guess how the rest went…
I ran the dried strawberries through a coffee grinder I use only for spices and seeds. I then added that powder to the almonds and powdered sugar before running those through the food processor. That extra grinding step makes the powder super fine and smooth to fold into the macaron batter. The fragrance was wonderful but the color was a little bland so I added just a touch of cherry pink coloring, to bring out the specks from the strawberry powder. For the filling I used some leftover vanilla bean buttercream from a previous batch that I had kept in the freezer and just let it thaw at room temperature before filling the macarons.
I did want to make something special to introduce you to my new adoptee, Anja from Deelish Dish. For the past 3 years, Kristen from Dine And Dish has been the Master mind behind "Adopt A Blogger" in which she pairs novice bloggers with more seasoned ones. I mentored the first year, totally spazzed on the second and got lucky to catch up with her on the night she was making the pairs and volunteered my help again.
When Anja sent me an email to introduce herself I could not but catch her enthusiasm and joie de vivre. Her food, well, let's just say that right now she has me at Banoffe Pie and Chocolate Gingerbread Bars. If you must have dessert last, then why not start with her Spinach and Ricotta Pastries? Et voila, I am hungry again…
So here's to you Anja, a virtual batch of Powdered Strawberry and Vanilla Bean Macarons. Let's hope I don't fall short as a mentor.
One year ago: Lemon Yogurt Scones
Two years ago: Chocolate Ice Cream Pops
Powdered Strawberry Macarons and Vanilla Bean Buttercream Recipe:
For the strawberries:
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
For the macaron shells:
90 gr egg whites (about 3) preferably aged 3-5 days in the fridge
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds
powdered strawberries
powdered pink food coloring
Prepare the strawberries: preheat your oven to 250F and position a rack in the center. Place the strawberry slices in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let them dry in the oven for about one hour. Let them cool completely. Process until extremely fine. Reserve.
Prepare the macarons: in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the almonds, powdered sugar, reserved powdered strawberries and food coloring in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets.
Preheat the oven to 280F and position a rack in the center. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon of butterceam in the center of one shell and top with another one.
Vanilla Buttercream:
see recipe here but ommit the violet.


text: Internet Law or Cyber Law is a term that encapsulates the legal issues related to use of communicative, transactional, and distributive aspects of networked information devices and technologies. It is a domain covering many areas of law and regulation. Some leading topics include intellectual property, privacy, freedom of expression, and jurisdiction. Internet attorneys may represent individuals and business in legal transactions and disputes involving software development and licensing; online retail business and auctions (e-commerce); internet security and spyware protection; and online privacy.


text:
In January, the Alexandria Times reported on an incident in which a woman was forced to shoot her dog to save her boyfriend from being mauled. I was just settling into the workday on the morning it was published when I saw the shocking headline: "Alexandria woman shoots, kills her dog to save boyfriend from mauling."
I read the title twice, maybe three times, before I was physically capable of clicking the link to take on the full story.
My heart was pounding and soon my head was spinning. The sequence of events was mind-blowing. The story was bizarre, mostly because maulings aren't an everyday occurrence. I could not wrap my head around any of it.
According to reports, the dog mauled his owner's boyfriend after the man pushed one of his toys with his foot. The dog was so out of control that the boyfriend instructed the woman to shoot the dog while he pinned him down. The woman shot the dog in the head and the dog was dead by the time the cops arrived.
The story goes on to state, "The dog had a history of aggression, including multiple biting incidents and 'resource guarding' that went unreported by its owners, according to animal control officers who investigated the matter."
Not all dogs are social butterflies. Even dogs that have been well socialized can be skittish around people and/or other dogs. Some dogs are territorial, some are bullies, and some are simply insecure and, similarly to an insecure human, call attention to themselves in all the wrong ways. Additionally, dynamics are constantly changing and we can't exactly be sure what a dog is thinking or feeling in certain situations, which is why we must be proactive.
As their owners, it is our responsibility to set pets up for success. I don't even like to use the word "owner" to describe a human's relationship with his or her pet. Our pets are living, breathing creatures. We don't own them like we do our cars, homes, and designer handbags. We care for them. We are responsible for their wellbeing. And, we should be committed to raising them properly by ensuring that they are well-adjusted, well-behaved members of the community.
Nobody wants to admit that his or her pet is aggressive. We want to believe that aggression we observe is an isolated incident. We hope that the problem will go away. Unfortunately, as proven by this horrific story, unaddressed aggression can intensify and it is our responsibility as pet owners or rather "pet parents," to identify it and deal with it.
What should the couple have done after witnessing their beloved pet's initial display of aggressive behavior? What should you do if your pet shows signs of aggression?
The answer, my friends, is everything. You do everything possible to prevent future incidents. You work with an animal behaviorist to address the trigger and subsequent reaction, you commit to consistent and gentle training, you avoid triggers until your pet is able to properly respond to them and you work tirelessly to teach your pet how to behave to avoid repeat occurrences.
This is not rocket-science, folks. Animals are triggered just like humans, except they don't have laws to prevent them from attacking their perceived aggressors or policy manuals keeping them from injuring a potential threat. They don't fully understand the world in which they live, let alone the rules that we demand they follow.
Our pets depend on us for guidance and all too often we don't properly lead and reassure them. Instead, we set them up to fail, in this case by ignoring the first signs of agression. The dog in this story didn't deserve to die. He deserved a chance to be rehabilitated. His owner should have been his advocate, not his killer.
Alexandria resident Isabel Alvarez owns The Wag Pack, a professional pet services company. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters recently named the Wag Pack its business of the year.