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We're proud to announce the release of LightSpeed 3.0, the latest version of our high-productivity, high-performance domain modelling framework and object-relational mapper, available for download today. LightSpeed 3 is packed with new features and we'll be diving into them in more detail over the coming weeks, but here's a quick overview of what's new.
Querying enhancements
LightSpeed 3.0 offers a massively extended querying engine, with support for joins, grouping and subqueries. LINQ to LightSpeed makes it easy to take advantage of these new features, allowing you to write a whole range of queries that were previously impossible.
LightSpeed 3.0 introduces a new migrations framework, enabling you to capture and customise your database change scripts. You can capture the changes you make to your model using the LightSpeed designer, customise them if required, and put them under version control so they can later be run in other environments such as your test or production servers. You can build migrations into your own program, generate SQL scripts for your DBA to run, or execute the migrations directly from within Visual Studio or the command line.
This should massively help improve developer effectiveness by doing away with the need to create SQL schema migration scripts manually. Helping developers deliver solutions faster and more reliably is at the very heart of what we are trying to deliver with LightSpeed 3.0.
Designer enhancements
For many users the designer is key to LightSpeed's productivity, and we've made a whole load of improvements here to support your working methods and to make your life easier! There's too many to list here, but among the key features are:
To read about many of the existing LightSpeed designer capabilities, check out our LightSpeed Designer page. The designer is included with all versions of LightSpeed.
Improved legacy database support
Sometimes you're working with an existing database or environment that doesn't work with the LightSpeed conventions and where it's just not practical to change things to accord with modern practices. Common issues are the use of composite keys and the requirement for all data access to go via stored procedures, and LightSpeed now supports both those scenarios.
Testability improvements
Mocks and fakes are important techniques for unit testing, enabling you to run tests quickly without having to reset or talk to a database. LightSpeed 3's TestUnitOfWork and EntityFactory provide a simple way of defining and injecting test data into a LightSpeed-based solution.
Change tracking
Many users want to be able to track the changes that have been made to an item since it was loaded, for example for audit or logging purposes. LightSpeed 3 builds this facility into the core entity class so you can easily determine what fields have changed and what the original value was.
New database providers
The new SQL Server 2008 provider makes it easy to work with spatial data in a LightSpeed application, opening up all sorts of exciting possibilities for geographical information systems and spatial querying and visualisation.
We've also added support for IBM DB2 and for VistaDB 4.0.
New samples
We've added samples showing how to use LightSpeed in rich client and Web service environments, and beefed up our Web samples with a detailed and comprehensive example for the increasingly popular ASP.NET MVC framework.
New simplified licensing
We mentioned earlier today that we've simplified licensing for LightSpeed 3.0 into a per-developer model to avoid the confusion of our existing pricing model. We have also incorporated volume discounts into the online store to ensure that LightSpeed 3.0 is one of the most cost effective solutions to improving developer productivity you will find!
LightSpeed 3 is a huge release and we'll have a lot more to say about it in future posts. For the time being, download the free Express edition and give it a try!
Mindscape LightSpeed 3.0 Released!…
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[…] you're interested in the features, you can read the official blog post with highlights or check out the more detailed change log (which incidentally is the same size as all our previous […]


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Floral maxi dresses are taking over Hollywood! Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez love them.
-PJ Gach
Floral maxis are all over the streets of Hollywood. Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, and Rumor Willis are just a few celebs spotted wearing them. And why not? They've got a romantic, vintage vibe, can be worn just about anywhere and are fun.
I've rounded up 10 great maxi dresses, including the ones that the stars are wearing now.
1. Cabana Blue Blooming Bouquet ruffle maxi dress, $176, Hale Bob . The tiered ruffles give it an extra oomph of romance.
2. Katori maxi dress, $264, Gypsy 05. Here's Rumor's pastel pretty maxi.
3. Maya large rose print knot back maxi dress, $50, Boo Hoo. Demure in front, the low back give these maxi more sex appeal.
4. Somedays Lovin' Day Dream maxi, $102, ShopWasteland. This dress has mesh detail and slits in the front.
5. Cambridge floral print maxi dress, $264, Gypsy 05. Yup, this sheer maxi is what Vanessa wore to get her shop on.
6. To the Max green border print maxi, $40, Unique Vintage. Love flowers, but don't want to be overwhelmed? This 70s style maxi with its floral border print fits is your answer.
7. FP One criss cross floral maxi dress, $128, Free People. Here's Selena's.
Covergirl Cosmetics + The Hunger Games: Catching Fire!
8. Purple Tropics dress, $33.50, Shop Sosie. Combining neon, sheer and floral trends, this maxi keeps you cool while you look hawt.
9. Green multi tropical print maxi dress, $34.99, AMI Clubwear. Show off your shoulders!
10. Hawaiian print chiffon dress, $79, Arden B. The blouson waist makes any figure look amazeballs.

subset: commoncrawl


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« Recipes Home
Crabtown Crab Cakes
This recipe was the Second Place Winner in the 1975 National Hard Crab Derby in Crisfield, MD.
Credited to Mrs. Becky Blizzard of Crisfield, MD.
Mix all ingredients well. Drop by tablespoonful onto well-greased cookie sheet. Put slivers of butter on top of each cake. Place under broiler for 3 minutes, then slide in bottom of oven for 15 minutes to brown well.
The cakes will look like macaroons and are deliciously moist inside.


text: SHERIFF GORE AIMS TO ISSUE MORE CONCEALED GUN PERMITS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY San Diego Sheriff Bill Goreconcealed weaponsNewsCrime Beat By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association. November 23, 2017 (San Diego) - Sheriff Bill Gore recalls sitting at work this summer, listening to Carl DeMaio on his KOGO radio talk show. Even though the former San Diego City Council member was an early endorser of Gore for sheriff in 2010, DeMaio "really blasted me" over permits to carry a concealed weapon, Gore told a Republican women's club this week. Read more about SHERIFF GORE AIMS TO ISSUE MORE CONCEALED GUN PERMITS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTYLog in or register to post comments


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Frappr 12 Dec, 2005
Everywhere you look, 'bloggers attending Lotusphere 2006 urge you to sling a "shoutout" up on to the Lotusphere 2006 Frappr page. Well, I tried just that. And it doesn't work at all. Just because Google maps knows where yer city is, doesn't mean Frappr does. Bah.


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You are invited to join us for our special Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion on Saturday, December 24th in the chapel (Room 206). Drop by anytime between 5pm and 7pm for a brief time of worship, communion, and prayer with your pastors.
This isn't like a regular Sunday Service! It's an intimate, candlelight experience where you come, listen and sing to a few songs, and when you are ready, pray and take communion with one of the pastors.


text: Berks County Personal Session | Akina July 31, 2016 Tonight, just because I felt moved to do so, I asked Akina to grab her violin and hop in the car with me. We drove down the road and I stopped as soon as the light felt right. We got out, got my camera ready, and she played her violin for me for a few minutes. Here are some photos.


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Change is good, so why not switch up? So many people get stuck in a rut of doing things the same way their whole life! They feel comfortable with their choices and are afraid of choosing something different for fear of being disappointed. Fear, that is what has been holding people back from making changes.
Think of an example. Fast food restaurants. How many items on their menu have you eaten before? Have you tried every burger, every side, and every drink they offer? Most people haven't. Their whole life they choose the same burger, meals and drinks – every time. They feel comfortable with their choice and never switch up!
A similar example is when someone will live in the same town for all their life. They are afraid of change. They might travel, but the won't move outside of their town or state.
Clothing, food, transport, perfume, hobbies, TV shows and so much more are just the same things again and again.
Why don't people switch up? What's so scary about change?
Something that may help you is this: Every time you repeat a choice, you are losing an opportunity to experience something new. One or two times might not seem like much, but can you imagine the variety that will be added to your life and experience if you were to choose something different every time?
Another benefit that switching up gives you is Perspective. This will help with decisions and choices in life, and will give you valued lessons regardless of whether they are positive or negative experiences.
So why all this discussion about change? This website 'Switchups.com.au' is all about helping you make choices to change. There will be articles about home, gardens, travel, food, technology – just about anything you can think of.
So why not be daring and give life a chance? Live the colourful life you deserve. Life is too short to be stuck in a rut.
Start reading. Start doing. Start living.


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An investigation has been launched into claims that cheeky police are said to have left a fridge-magnet calling card after smashing into the wrong house. Officers hunting a criminal recalled to prison for breaching his release conditions broke into the home of a couple in Oldham.
The family came home to find a hole in their back door, police in the yard, and fridge magnets rearranged to spell "OLDHAM TASK FORCE CALLED".
Aaron West, his partner Leeanne Baker, and their two-year-old son Leighton had only moved into the rented house in Letham Street, Hathershaw, 11 days earlier.
Mr West, 20, said: "It's pathetic and childish. I want a written apology. We came back from shopping to find the back door smashed in and on the kitchen work top. The police here didn't tell us much, so I went to the station to ask why. But when I told the desk sergeant I didn't know who they were looking for, they just weren't interested.
"When I came home I noticed the fridge magnets had been rearranged and said: `OLDHAM TASK FORCE CALLED'. "These are for children, they're not for the police to leave a message they've raided your house."
Police bosses have launched an investigation.
From here.
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3425016-1");


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The only other significant musical thing this year for me was after seeing Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Bolt Thrower (alas not on the same bill) I finally got to settle the question my teenage mind of many a year ago could not firmly decide upon: Jo Bench or Lydia Lunch?
It's that time of year when every pratt with a blog (like this guy) wants to share with you their top ten of the year and lo and behold doesn't everyone just love the same Isis/ Torche/ Deathspell Omega/ Mastodon/ Liturgy records?
Personally I've always been more of the "I can see a Kakerlak tape underneath a dog chew toy, there's a Nuclear Hammer CD in the mail that I know I'll dig and I listened to Nazi Dust on my iPod this morning on the way to work" school of top tens.
Definitive top tens aren't worth the effort; the best record of 1996 is not the one I thought it was in 1997 after all (it's probably Duh, The Big City by Hammer Head, but I could change my mind at any second).
My top ten of this decade goes something like:
Infest - No Mans Slave
Iron Lung - Sexless/ No Sex
Grunt - Seer of Decay
And then I start looking at Werewolf Jerusalem CDRs and thinking "fuck it, this one was pretty good" and the list turns to shit.
I used to write reviews for Short Fast and Loud magazine then had to stop for a number of reasons.
One of my reasons was that when it comes to music and art borne from a specific culture (punk, black metal, whatever) I no longer believe you can review the object in and of itself. You have to look at the other aspects of the culture that produced it or its relationships with other objects produced by the culture.
A Mayhem record as an isolated artefact is not 'black metal', it's an object created by a larger current known as black metal that Mayhem happen to be a part of. Mayhem records do not contain the defining essence of black metal.
And if you want to look at neo-power violence you can't just take Eric Wood's word on the subject or look at your local sloppy blast beat and weak screaming about pizza and circle pits band. You have to look at Iron Lung, Hatred Surge and Mind Eraser, three very different bands with very different forces that created them that when looked at together give a clearer idea of the culture they belong to.
Over the last few years I've pretty much come to despise the cult of the individual. Every single person knows exactly what's wrong with the world and how to fix it. I know the world would be a better place if people could understand their utter insignificance in the scheme of things and could accept that measuring time in minutes and seconds is inherently flawed. And my grandfather knew that conscripting young men into the armed forces would solve the world's problems.
Everyone knows everything, so fucking what.
Anyway, all this nonsense just informs my attitude to music; I don't want quirky stand out gimmick bands thinking they've reinvented the wheel. I like and demand bands that have a good sense of tradition in their approach and a sense of internal consistencies. I like bands that strengthen their genre, not those that try and rise above it. Fuck off all post-hardcore or avant-garde shoegaze black metal.
With that in mind these are the two releases that I can honestly hand on heart say are the two full lengths of this year that I can fully stand behind:
Hatred Surge, Deconstruct. Can we stop with the Despise You 2.0 idiocy now? It makes almost as little sense as the haircut in Providence that told me Blockade sounded exactly like a cross between Cryptopsy and Isis. Hatred Surge: "it got girl vocals like Depsise U!"
Clearly there's no great surprise that a guy from The Endless Blockade would pick this as one of his best records of the year, but it's fucking bad ass. Hatred Surge is finally a full band and if anything it's focused the approach even more.
And I'm jealous Alex wrote Infinity before I did.
And the other utterly predictable entry is Slogun's Bloody Roots CD. I've already mentioned it briefly before. The whole disc is perfect and we managed to get John on the Unearthly Trance split doing some vocals.
I like his smart guy approach to death and violence; reading interviews on his site shows he's clearly not the dumb power electronics serial killer fan boy it would be lazy to peg him as.
Music to put on when you're in a foul mood and scream "FUCK LIFE" to the world.
Two other acts i have to mention are Bastard Noise and Magrudergrind.
Bastard Noise for challenging their audience in significant ways. In this micro information era of Tweeting and instant downloads who the fuck releases a five disc full length? Let alone mere months after the truly inspirational Rogue Astronaut CD. Well, Bastard Noise did it and it and Our Earth's Blood IV is an incredible piece of work, all five discs of it.
Bastard Noise released more exceptional music in 2009 than i've been able to manage in the last fifteen years of playing in active bands. Perhaps that's not saying much?
Anyway, two stunning albums, one of which is five CDs long. Fuck, that's committal to the cause.
Magrudergrind for proving me wrong. Hmm, how to start? Fuck it, bluntness: Magrudergrind to me were the benchmark for circle pits and pizza party. In a word they were as lowest common denominator as it can get; the Labbatts Blue of Grindcore. Anyway, this year I finally said yes to Avi's annual request to play shows with them. Their newest LP is very good indeed (I also love the totally incongruous cover art) and live they were a blast and great guys to tour with.
Anyone who knows me knows this is probably the highest praise I can give someone, to publically state that something i formerly thought was terrible is now actually really good. I still haven't heard the previous LP but i'm sticking to my opinion that their earlier recorded output just wasn't worth much.
Anyway, Magrudergrind 2009, no longer the embarrassing little kids you'd run across all over the continent.
I doubt many of these were published in 2009 but of everything I read this year these are the books I enjoyed the most:
James Ellroy - Blood's a Rover
David Peace - 1974
Samuel Beckett - Stories and Texts for Nothing
GK Chesterton - The Man who was Thursday
Will Self - The Book of Dave
Howard Bloom - Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century
Nicholas Schreck - The Satanic Screen: An Illustrated Guide to the Devil in Cinema
Gary Lachman - Politics and the Occult: The left, the Right and the Radically Unseen
Dan Falk - In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension
Mark Sedgwick - Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the 20th Century
Charles Freeman - AD 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Christian State
Joseph Campbell - The Power of Myth


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A few thoughts while basking in the deliciousness of a 7-11 donut...
*Love him or hate him, Bobby Petrino's offense is a thing of beauty. He's up there with Sean Payton when it comes to using pre-snap motion to get blocking advantages and coverage mismatches. The Razorbacks are absolutely killing Georgia with wheel routes.
*Per John Hoover of the Tulsa World, Bryce Easley, Jimmy Stevens and Michael Hunnicutt are all out practicing field goals as the Sooners warm up for the Air Force game. Last week's kicker, Patrick O'Hara, is supposedly on the sidelines in sweats. I do declare – Bob Stoops goes through kickers like Rex Ryan tears through bags of M&Ms.
*Air Force running backs Jared Tew and Asher Clark will play today, according to our man Frank Schwab.
*Watched the Entourage season finale last night. If they handed out Emmy Awards to writers for contrived plot lines, that show would be vying for the most celebrated in television history.
*Kendall Hunter is very good. However, for my money, no Big 12 running back beats Daniel Thomas. Kansas State's star senior single-handedly beat Iowa State today. Still think KSU has a say in the Big 12 North when all is said and done.
*Mark Richt is so even-keeled during games that he makes Garrison Keiller look like Richard Simmons.
*Watched games all day so far with sound off. So much better when you don't spend half the game getting agitated by what the broadcast team is saying. Still really disorienting, though.
*OK, OU game is about to start. Will be on Twitter all throughout the game.


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Free Delivery on all orders over £20.00.
Visonic Powermax Express E Kit (0-103017)
Ultra-compact Wireless Security with Internal Communications Options
PowerMax®Express is a wireless home security solution that includes all the reliability and features that homeowners and professional installers require. Packing outstanding functionality into an exceptionally small, wireless control panel, the PowerMaxExpress provides the ideal combination of functionality and affordability, and gives installers the versatility to offer a home security solution that meets the needs and budgets of the broadest range of customers.
Unique among its size class, this small, self-contained panel has a standard built-in PSTN communicator and offers the flexibility to add internal GSM/GPRS and Broadband* communications modules. The solution can be further extended with a wide range of accessories to provide a comprehensive home security solution that offers a high level of safety and home control.
With its compact and streamlined design, the PowerMaxExpress control panel is nearly invisible on the wall and fits into any modern décor. In addition, operation, enrolment and programming are intuitive with an easy-view LCD display and icon-based keypad.
PowerMaxExpress is compliant with most international standards and offers maximum reliability and performance. Advanced security features include PCB board protection from accidents or sabotage, output protection from short circuits and current surges, and a two-way communication system with a diversity antenna to facilitate highly-reliable radio transmissions.
PowerMaxExpress Features:
All optional communication modules need to be purchased separately.
Contents of Home Alarm Kit:
3 x Wireless Pet Tolerant Digital PIR's (K9-85 MCW)
2 x Miniature Keyfob Transmitters (MCT-234)
1 x NEW Wireless Siren (MCS-740)


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Minded Systems
PHP: JustinTV Object Class
Recently, video streaming services such as Justin.tv and Ustream have had noticeably higher volumes of traffic. The ever-changing landscape of the world of television is slowly finding its home(s) on the net. With this increased use of these specialized services, specialized software solutions will be needed to ensure successful integration into existing systems. Using both the ShoutCast object class and the IceCast object class as building models, a simple PHP object class has been built for basic data collection.
Since the information provided for any given JustinTV channel is limited (due to the nature of the service), the available functions for obtaining the retrieved data are limited accordingly. This limitation makes the object an analytics data collection tool primarily.
Once the PHP class file has been included, the JustinTV() function can be used to build a new JustinTV object. Here's some example code of how to make use of the object class:
$j = new JustinTV(); $j->usernm = 'justintv-channel-id'; if($j->openstats()) { if($j->getStreamStatus()) { //stream is online and information loaded } else { //stream is offline } } else { //server could not be connected to or is offline }
As indicated, built on previous objects of similar nature, the JustinTV object class is reliable, simple, and easy to use. A full function list will be added to this post soon.
I'm working on trying to adapt this object to be able to pull UStream channel statistics as well.
Trackback URL


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WPC 2012: my personal summary (and slides)
I recently had the chance to participate to the latest WPC 2012 (local Windows Professional Conference) in Milano, Italy.
It was a terrific event: 27 Microsoft MVPs as speakers, an Ask The Expert Booth with +12 MVPs (+ a lot of friends and other Influencers) covering different technologies, together with the Microsoft Technical Support. Hundreds of technical sessions, giving full coverage of almost all the Microsoft Products and Technologies.
It was a great success in terms of Reach, Awareness and Support. Reach: almost 400 attendees, from ITPros to Developers to Consumers. More than 300 tweets around the Conference (#wpcit12).
In terms of awareness, the Microsoft MVP Award was highly valued during the conference: some minutes spent during the Keynote talking about it, the #Branding was everywhere, and MVPs often were wearing t-shirts with the MVP Logo on it. Recognition was another big part of it.
Just FYI, during the ATE the MVPs had around 250 technical discussions with the attendees. Divided per technology each day, attendees had the chance to interact not only with the speakers @ the Booth, but also with the other MVPs who voluntarily agreed to be part of the Conference supporting the attendees.
So now you know the MVP Award was a big part of it. But what about the rest of it?
Well, I also delivered a session on #SocialMedia called "Social Media in the IT World" and I have to say it was really interesting for the attendees. It was Different, not the kind of presentation you normally expect during a technical event. It was Relevant, according to the numbers of feedback and questions I gathered after my session. And for me it was fun too!
Understanding that many people still don't understand the Power of the Social Media, the World of Mouth, the "Unmarketing" concept, Crowdsourcing, Personal #Branding and many others was kind of unexpected. So that is probably why my session was really valuable for the attendees.
I share my slides here, in a pure community spirit (as the MVPs taught me ), hoping that someone else will benefit from that:
I did not have the chance to show how I use my Windows Phone to "unleash" the Power of the Communities, but I'm sure I'll have time to do that in my next talk.
And, by the way, we also had the chance to have some fun (in a pure community spirit ):
I need to thank a lot of people for a very successful event:
First and foremost, Barbara Palumbo, the "Puppet Master", for his energy, proactive approach, driving the #wpcit12 team to Excellence. Claudio Salano, "The Boss" for having me @ the Conference. Nino Crudele, "Grinch" and #BizTalk Expert, for his tremendous valuable tips & tricks. And all others, all the MVPs, the Influencers, all the People I had the pleasure to meet for the first time, etc.
THANK YOU everyone for this wonderful experience !
07/12/2012 at 00:28
Yet another blog to book mark, ill end up being tracking this.
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Learning together at the OU
The Open University has used technology in innovative ways to inspire learners. It has posted out microscopes, enabled students to look at art and geology close up using their own computers and built online structures which help students to learn together. Using clips from television to illuminate their perspectives Daniel Weinbren (author of 'The Open University. A history') and John Richardson (who has been involved in the evaluation of OU courses and programmes for over 20 years) will offer ideas on how we've learnt and how we've taught over the last 40+ years.


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Monday, October 27, 2008
Smudge Sings
Way back in June I clip of Nikki Dee humming as she ate her lunch. At the time I reasoned that I should capture it before she stopped. Well, she hasn't stopped: still hums through her meals. When she stops humming, you can be pretty sure that she will soon stop eating. If it's early in the meal, you know that she doesn't prefer the dish of the day. However, that happens seldom; she's a pretty good eater. (Here's the whole blog, and just the clip is here if you want to see it.)
Apart from mealtimes, however, she does hum on occasion. Quite some time ago, she attempted to hum along with me as we danced while I also hummed the tune. She has continued to hum along every now and then although not frequently enough that we expect it.
Therefore, we were delighted when Daddy started to sing the Elmo song to her, and she made the attempt to join in. I think she did a pretty good job. And we were there with the camera.
9 comments:
- Simply Coll said...
A star is born!! :-)
- 10:49 am
- Janet said...
Too too cute. I loved it when both of mine started singing. Of course, it was "Big Bad Wolf" and Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" but one can't afford to be choosy.
- 12:39 pm
- Lorna said...
Way too cute for a Monday post. How can I hold on to this snit I brought home?
- 5:21 pm
- Kila said...
You guys have way too much fun with her :)
- 11:21 pm
- Mary said...
A precious memory. She's darling and I could hear giggles and a deep chuckle in the background. Kids brighten our days and bring joy to our hearts. Thanks so much for sharing. It was a brights spot in a rather hum drum day.
- 11:37 am
- Freya said...
That's adorable!
My dog Mable was sniffing the screen and wagging her tail...she enjoyed the performance too!! Hope you are all healthy and well there!
- 6:12 pm
- Freya said...
That's adorable!
My dog Mable was sniffing the screen and wagging her tail...she enjoyed the performance too!! Hope you are all healthy and well there!
- 6:12 pm
- dabrah said...
That's so cute. And the look on her face at the end was so lovely.
My daughters used to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as a never ending song, and they also sang Show me the way to go home, but they would say 'a drink of water' instead of 'a little drink', which was quite funny because we never told them to say that.
- 7:41 am
- womaninawindow said...
Cute kid. MUCH cuter than Elmo. Elmo's a sham. A fake. Now Grover, there's a real man.
- 6:58 pm


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SHEBOYGAN, WI - The Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan (SEAS) and The Sheboygan Yacht Club are happy to announce Victoria Rietbrock, of Sheboygan, has won the Sisters Under Sail Scholarship. A consolation prize, donated by the Sheboygan Youth Sailing Club, of two books and free sailing course has been awarded to Jordyn Schipper, of Oostburg.
SEAS and the Sheboygan Yacht Club would like to thank all the wonderful young women who applied as well as those who helped support this scholarship opportunity. The candidates have shown just how many amazing young women we have in our community who work hard not only to achieve their own dreams but also help others along the way.
We hope to provide this opportunity again in 2016!


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Three Style Tips for Women in the Workplace
First, she says it's ideal to find clothes that fit you - and find those that are appropriate. It's imperative that people notice the most in the office is your brain, not your cleavage.
Watch the video above to hear Nicole's tips on how to dress for success!


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One of my favorite creatures God created is the ferret.
These feisty mustelids have a special place in my heart and since a small child I have been fascinated with the highly endangered black-footed ferret. It was one of the first endangered species I became aware of and when I learned they formerly roamed my home state of Texas, it gave me a little extra interest in them.
Here is some fascinating and exclusive Kingdom Zoo news.
I sent a few questions about ferret restoration to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department wildlife division biologist Calvin Richardson and got the following reply.
Source: Kingdom Zoo


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The New Angle On After-sale Assistance Simply Released
Now when folks ask why I don't drive, I am straightforward and say that I do not have to because I have found many advantages to being a pedestrian. After-sales assistance could be thought to belong to a corporation's total advertising and marketing technique. Great after-sales support might likewise cause positive word-of-mouth for a firm.
Characteristics of After-sale Support
Not particular precisely what you think is newfangled concerning the designer store. Store established is simple The procedure for setting up an OpenCart e-commerce store is straightforward. Localizing each store for different nations is feasible. One thing I do is go to the shop early in the early hrs, especially if I am most likely to be acquiring meat. You've got to walk to the very rear of the shop and also hunt for somebody to locate the item that you purchased.
Just What Regarding After-sale Support?
Know what features you are interested in getting the system to implement. To guarantee you apply a system that's proper for your method, you have to do your homework, study each of the alternatives and get the answer to critical questions like the ones we have provided. Before you buy any system, established the amount of loan that you are prepared to earn investments. To be able to bring bookkeeping at home, you'll need to acquire a great system. A great system can not assure your success if you do not take the critical activities. So get in touch with the carrier making specific that the program can be updated when required. Choosing the appropriate e-commerce software can be amongst the most questionable decisions you make.
The Battle Over After-sale Support and also How to Win It
The comprehensive collection of the CMS systems you could find on the subsequent page. If your crucial page is littered with web links, banners and advertisements, it can also be complicated for a visitor to exercise why they should stay. The site is incredibly comfortable and too tidy, with the typical online forums and blog sites. You can go to the website of the magazine you have an interest in and look for where you can discover the authors standard. So make sure whatever works with your site! Be sure the initial page on your site specifies a compelling factor behind the visitor to check out further. You additionally run a website named Sweetbearies Art Workshop.
The Secret to Successful After-sale Support
Therefore, business ought to be positive in reaching out to clients after a purchase was created to earn sure their experience resembles it can be. Experience If an organization isn't experienced sufficient, it won't be in a position to aid you to obtain what you would certainly such as especially if you are looking for excellent options. If you are in need of a fundamental service, it's okay to give it to a new firm yet ought to you desire a business-critical solution, you may not want to run the risk of outsourcing it to an unskilled company. Contrasting shopping organizing companies are occasionally a tedious endeavor, since there is an overwhelming amount of functions and also advantages to thinking about when making a comparison of services. In case the shopping holding company claims to obtain live support 24 Hr each day for seven days weekly, after that test their insurance claim beforehand. It is crucial to ask the shopping organizing firm the manner in which it handles excess data transfer use to be able to avoid the possibility of complications later. It is necessary for services to select the first e-commerce holding company so that their website will undoubtedly be in a placement to grow as the business does, plus deal quickly and reliable solutions so customers don't interfere when looking for to gain a buy or collect more information about items.
If you supply a service then service site visitors from the start! With the growth of online consumerism, its crucial to discover a variety of the differences and also why an expanding range of consumers are changing their consumer should consist of online stores and remedies. All you will need is an exceptional product which fixes the specific problem of the marketplace. Because without a site, you could advertise front end remedies.
After-sale Assistance - the Tale
If you require aid, the feedback is exceptionally rapid. Comprehending your wants and also getting your makers back online as promptly as possible is our purpose! You merely gave up consuming as soon as you feel it's enough. After that, you have reached also consider the other significant advantage-the cost-saving. Constantly effort to acquire in the best condition you could spend. At precisely the very same time, you could use several features and also consist of a large number of devices as well as capabilities right into the store you establish.
Looking into all their bargains as well as offers may be an actual difficulty for those customers. It's feasible to complete. However, it's, even more, help much less loan. The cost of every system varies because of its functions. If it's an uncommon portable you could not have the ability to discover once again as well as the rate is appropriate, I will do it. Everyone else is enduring, because they're buying reduced quantities at high prices, and should handle intense rivals that are rate gouging the current market and being difficult to take on.


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Easy and inexpensive heat out fo thin air
Stiebel Eltron's premium quality heat pumps utilises free natural energy from the air around us to create hot water for your hydronic heating and hot water. They provide an energy-efficient, environmentally responsible solution for year-round generation of hot water using minimal energy.
Why choose a heat pump for your hydronic heating and not a conventional gas boiler?
In short: we can all generate our own electricity but we can't drill for our own gas.
Yes, the initial outlay is around $10k higher but the running cost are about half. The heat pump has an efficiency of 400-500% (1kWh of electricity in = 4-5kWh of heat out). A very efficient gas boiler has an efficiency of around 90% (1kWh of gas in = 0.9kWh of heat out). Gas is currently about half the cost of electricity.
Gas @ 10 cents/kWh = 10 / 0.9 = 11.1 cents/kWh of heat
Electricity @ 25 cents/kWh = 25 / 4.5 = 5.5 cents/kWh of heat
Combined with a solar system on your roof the savings will be even more as in autumn & spring a big part of the needed electricity during the day is provided by the solar. Depending on the solar system size in winter parts of the energy will still come directly from your roof.
Cosy warmth from the air in Australian homes
The WPL air source hydronic heat pumps are a great hydronic heating solution to assist with the transition to an all-electric household. With a COP of around 5.0 you will notice the savings on your power bills straight away. The operating sound level of these heat pumps are the quietest on the market. It is ideally suited for under floor heating but radiators with up to 65ºC flow temperature are possible too. The energy efficient inverter technology enable such temperatures even on cold winter days. The units are Smart Grid ready for connection to solar photovoltaic and energy management systems as well as have an ISG unit fitted for remote after sales care.
The product range of Stiebel Eltron allows the system to be customised to suit every situation.
From doing just one thing at a time:
- Domestic hot water
- Hydronic heating
- Pool heating
Or any kind of combination of the above.
Every hydronic heat pump solution consist of two components. The heat pump outside and usually a buffer tank & control equipment inside.
The HSBC 200 is a combination tank for domestic hydronic heating and hot water. It has got all the essential components inside which makes it a very compact size and neat installation.


text: Welcome to our kids BJJ program! Our program is very unique within the martial arts community for kids. We remain traditional in teaching kids discipline, honor, respect, and courage as well as teaching them leadership skills and life skills. Where we really differ, is how we teach kids to utilize Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Our program is a system that utilizes BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to teach kids how to avoid or control bullying without ever throwing a punch or kick. We help kids learn how to protect themselves against possible attackers, child abductors, etc, all while teaching them Jiu-jitsu (otherwise known as the Gentle Art) for sport, self defense, and physical and mental well being. Our kid's learn a solid set of skills for everyday use and make many friends along the way. There is no better way to get your child active, in shape, and safe than to enroll them in our BJJ program. Contact us for information on a free trial for your child or to simply come watch a class and see what we are all about. You will be amazed at the Physical and Mental changes you witness in your child, as they grow to become the adult you want them to be.


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TOKYO (Reuters) - The president of Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp (6425.T) said the company's founder Kazuo Okada is "unfit" to be the director of a public company, in a private letter to a shareholder seen by Reuters.
The June 21 letter was written by Jun Fujimoto ahead of an annual meeting of Universal shareholders on Thursday at which Okada lost his position as board chairman. Shareholders approved a slate of directors that did not include Okada, a company spokesman confirmed. The meeting was not open to the media.
The board shake-up comes three weeks after Universal announced that it had established an internal investigative panel to probe Okada's use of company money. Universal said it had found three cases in which Okada misappropriated a total of $20 million in funds.
Okada addressed those allegations for the first time on Thursday on the sidelines of the meeting in a Tokyo hotel. Okada made the comments after being told he could not attend the meeting because his stake in Universal is held indirectly by a holding company.
"I've done nothing wrong," Okada told reporters. "I've been barred from the meeting in the name of this investigative panel and allegations that are a bunch of nonsense."
Universal said it could not comment on letters to or from Fujimoto as an individual and declined to make him available for an interview.
Peppered with criticism of Okada, the letter offers a glimpse into the mindset of Fujimoto, 59, as he pushes ahead with an attempt to sideline Okada, 74, in a rare Japanese boardroom coup.
"I think Chairman Okada is unfit to be in management of a public company," Fujimoto said in the letter, which was written in Japanese. "I'm confident that I can prove that with irrefutable physical evidence." He did not say what that evidence was.
The approved slate of directors included Okada's wife, Takako. Universal also brought back a former finance executive and added an external director to the board.
Those changes were made possible by the resignation of Okada in May as director of Okada Holdings Ltd, a company based in Hong Kong that owns 69 percent of Universal's stock and therefore holds sway over appointments to Universal's board.
Okada stepped down as the result of a rift with family members, who control a majority of Okada Holdings' stock, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Fujimoto was responding to a letter from shareholder Tsuyoshi Hosoba, who had unsuccessfully sued Universal directors in 2015 alleging they breached their fiduciary duties on a series of matters, including in relation to $40 million in payments from affiliates of Universal in 2010 to a Philippine consultant, who was working on the company's $2.4 billion casino on Manila Bay.
Okada, Fujimoto and Universal have denied any wrongdoing related to the payments, which have been the subject of regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and the Philippines.
Hosoba declined to comment. In his letter, Hosoba said he wanted to work with Fujimoto to "clean up" the company and offered to cease further legal action if Fujimoto "told the truth" about the payments and took steps to bolster corporate governance.
In response, Fujimoto rejected Hosoba's request to cooperate but urged him to consider the steps he was taking to improve the company's compliance and the risks directors and executives were taking in investigating the "extremely powerful" Okada. Fujimoto criticized Hosoba's threat of legal action as misguided.
In the letter, Fujimoto said the investigation into Okada would look at transactions going back five years. That means the review would not include the $40 million paid to the Manila-based consultant in 2010.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has been probing the $40 million to determine if it was aimed at helping Universal gain tax and ownership concessions for its casino in the Philippines, according to the people with knowledge of the probe.
Universal and Okada filed a defamation lawsuit against Reuters in 2012 for its reporting on the payments. The Tokyo District Court ruled in 2015 that Universal's case was without merit. Last year the Tokyo High Court upheld that ruling, dismissing Universal's appeal. Universal has appealed to the Supreme Court of Japan.
Editing by Bill Rigby and Lincoln Feast


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Hot Wheels is well-known as one of the toy industry's biggest, baddest die-cast toy car brands, and its Monster Jam sponsorship has only empowered its market power. Appearing in Sunrise, FL August 7 through August 8, Monster Jam's live events, performances, booths and products will return, operated by Felt Entertainment and jump-started by the Hot Wheels team.
The Event
The Monster Jam series is sanctioned beneath the United States Hot Rod Association and is an American-favorite race event. While the event's individual components vary upon intermission entertainment, Monster Jam, as a whole, is a priceless industry attraction. Focusing on freestyle competitions, racing and everything vehicles, Monster Jam is always a prime location for brand visibility, promotion and outreach.
Monster Jam shows appear throughout the year, spanning across both summer and winter months. Featured in both the U.S and Canada, Monster Jam's appearance is anything but common. It hosts one of the world's biggest monster truck collections, spanning multiple locations with two types of competition. Both the above-mentioned events—freestyle and racing—are conducted through several, smaller shows. Wheelie competitions, a donut contest and alternative trick events pack the fest with excitement, playing upon the monster truck's massive size and ability to coordinate nearly impossible circumstances.
The Pit Party, Media and Hot Wheels
Any brand lucky enough to sponsor the world's largest monster truck event harnesses massive marketability and consumer outreach. Hot Wheels merchandise is directly available throughout each contest, as well as the event's Pit Party. The Pit Party features up-close looks at the world's sharpest vehicles, bravest drivers and best products. Signatures, pictures and interviews are welcome, as are in-depth question-and-answer sessions about the industry.
Visitors holding a Pit Pass are immediately engaged with event sponsors, enhancing the brand's connection with racing enthusiasts. Fox Sports 1, the Universal Technical Institute and BKT, too, sponsor the event, ensuring maximum media exposure and a dedication to the industry's ever-growing education. Up-close driver discussions are shared through the Monster Jam website, Facebook and other online sources, enriching the remote community with personal discussions, traditional racing features and adrenaline-pumping tricks.
Continuation to Las Vegas
Hot Wheels experiences a unique marketing advantage in terms of location progression. Each year, Monster Jam roams the country before reaching its final destination: Las Vegas. Here, the Monster Jam World Finals take place, hosting the Double Down trophy as a prize. Hot Wheels continuously sponsors and hosts events until the season's finale, covering freestyle nights, stunt competitions and truck tricks. Each freestyle competition grants drivers 90 seconds and a 30-second bonus period within each location's open floor area.
As skills are shown, each event gains influence. Each freestyle event outcome is determined by three judges—each granting scores up to 10. Each event's two winners continue to the world finals, where the Double Down activities commence. The Monster Jam World Finals are hosted across a variety of media sources, making it one of the most beloved events on television. For many, Monster Jam is more than a custom—it's an entire way of life. For Hot Wheels, direct brand-to-event connection is much, much more.


text: Kristin had her heart broken in college and swore she'd never love again, then she met Shawn. They met at work and a casual friendship turned into so much more. As Kristin's sister mentioned in her toast, "he taught her how to love again, they are perfect for one another." Kristin and Shawn were married at the Park Avenue Mansion, a very simple, small and intimate wedding in front of immediate family and a few close friends. Kristin and Shawn thank you for allowing me to share the evening with you! - A :)


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This allows you to easily create flavorful foods and beverages, that may help support better digestion, improved immunity, better metabolic health, sustained energy, and more.
These all-natural, ready to eat, seasoning are gluten free, vegan, kosher, and non-GMO. Moreover, it contains no additives, no MSG, and low or no sodium so that you can enjoy delicious meals guilt free.
The Ganeden BC30 found inside this all-natural seasoning is a safe, yet powerful strain of Bacillus Coagulans. Over 17 clinical studies have proven that the extremely safe and shelf stable Ganeden BC30 delivers active cultures more effectively than probiotic yogurt and improves immune and digestive health.
Some of the planet's most powerful health-promoting compounds come from nature.
At the core of Naturalin, is Ellagic Acid, which is a naturally occurring compound found in pomegranates. Naturalin combines this phytonutrient with water molecules and other vital FDA GRAS nutrients to provide rapid and delayed absorption, improving support to your overall health and wellness. As part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, Naturalin may help support your plan to lose weight, fight free radicals known to cause cellular damage, provide sustained energy.
Naturalin is a profound discovery brought together by science, nature and years of research conducted at Dell Pediatric Research Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, among others. Naturalin is patent(s) pending.
Ready to Eat, Simply Shake it on Your Food Best of all, just 1 tsp. per day may provide your health boosting prebiotics, probiotics and phytonutrients for the whole day.


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Right on time for World AIDS Day JBC announced the second part of their charity collection 'DAA by JBC': a collection of T-shirts for men and women, featuring prints designed by wellknown Belgian musicians and artists such as Mauro Pawlowski (dEUS), Stijn Meuris, DJ Buscemi, Tatiana Silva and cartoonist Pad'r. The T-shirts are in all JBC stores now and retail for 14,95€ for a short sleeved model and 17,95 € for a shirt with long sleeves- 25% of all sales benefit DAA, as does the collection of homewear (including delish cashmere/cotton sweaters with Breton stripes for just 29,95€) and underwear, that's still available too. Pictured is Mauro and we'll publish the other designs -showcased by their designers- next Monday. Shopping for charity has never been such fun! Happy weekend and thank you for your support.DJ Buscemi wearing his tee designed for DAAbyJBCStijn Meuris wearing his tee designed for DAAbyJBCMauro Pawlowski wearing his tee designed for DAAbyJBC
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For so long now, advertising agencies' solution to selling brands has been to create a one sided communication with a heavy media spend behind it and expect that a customer will buy into the brand. But according to the results of the Havas's 2017 meaningful brand report, over half of the world's brands aren't trusted and customers claim they wouldn't care if 74% of their brands disappeared completely. Scary right?
But don't panic just yet. Our evaluation is, you need to lead with purpose. Yes, I'm sure it's not the first time you've heard that buzzword being throw about but the truth is to stay relevant and trusted in today's world brands need to start walking the walk as well as talking the talk.
Brands need to find a way to live and breathe their values and integrate that into their both internal culture and through their customer journey. Every touch point you have with your audience should be an opportunity to communicate why your existence matters and enable them to actively participate with your brand. Brands that fail to do so run the risk of falling behind or worse still burning out.
The Cultural Shift
Brands are failing to emotionally engage: The statistics from the Havas report highlight just how disposable brands are becoming and with the combination of businesses not having a clear mission or fulfilling their promises there's no surprise we're seeing such alarming results. In the Drum's brand engagement research last year they found that 78% of people feel brands never emotionally connect with them. It appears to rush to create quantity over quality content, has led to brands failing to focus on their true values which has consequently led to failure to connect. And with Facebook and Google now changing their algorithms to favour "valuable content" there has never been a more important a time to communicate why your brand is irreplaceable.
We're living through a movement era: Whether it was down to Trump, leaving the EU or the rise in sexual harassment complaints, the consumer mindset has never been so passionate about change. In fact, Fast Company released research that showed for 61% of millennials, it's their goal to make change in the world. Change of course doesn't have to be socially or politically driven, brands that provide an opportunity for customers to participate in something bigger than themselves will be the brands that form long standing communities.
It's not just external purpose, it's internal too: It doesn't stop with customers, employment expectations continue to show that your staff want more than money, they want a purpose. According to Kin&Co's latest report How to avoid fucking up purpose their research showed that over two-thirds of workers said having a purpose that was properly embedded into their culture would have a positive impact on their work; including being more productive, more efficient and more likely to contribute to the company culture. And unsurprisingly 72% said they'd be more likely to stay at their company if they were more emotionally connected to their work. So not only is there a want for businesses to reflect the values of their staff, but there are results to show it does actually improve work place productivity. As Simon Sinek states, businesses who live and breathe their vision will be the ones that don't just give employees something to work on but something to work towards.
The early adopters
It's started with 'Think Different….'
Don't worry, I'm not going to create a case study article about the success of Apple because lets face it you'd have to be hidden under a rock to have missed that empire evolve. But the one thing we will highlight is there has never been a minute of doubt of what they stand for. Their consistent reinforcement of 'Think Different' has always been apparent in everything they do, making it both unavoidable and a definitive staple of Apple's brand. From their emotive TV communications right through to their in-store Apple geeks, their beliefs have remained true throughout their evolution and is a case study to purpose led brand success.
Brands that we see echoing this are Dove with their Real Beauty mission, AirBnB's Belong Everywhere and newer brands like Toms and Karma Cola who integrate their purpose into all areas of the business. Take the Toms 'One for One' movement, their mission to help people in need didn't just depend on customer purchasing and barefoot selfies, it was embedded in their internal culture too. As part of their Tomorrows Project program, every month employees are invited to submit ideas for a charitable project that inspires them. The company then votes and the person with the winning idea receives $10,000 and two days off work to make it happen. Pretty amazing right? The program encapsulates both what the brand stands for and what they are working towards.
And it's not just B2C brands that have establishing discovered their purpose leads business success, B2B brands like E&Y have put a strong focus on "building a better working world" by providing industry leading research, thought leadership events and tailored training to improve workplace performances. Whilst instant messaging software Slack is a testament that when you define your brand as an enabler to bringing a workforce together, you can turn a tool that has been available for years and that sits in a heavily saturated market into a multi-billion pound company and an everyday essential to all industries.
All examples have very different agendas but their passion for achieving their vision is consistent and more importantly accessible. Creating a strong product is key to all of these brands, but the difference in components these days, is providing an opportunity for people to take part in the brand passed purchase. The ability to identify and tap into the values and beliefs of an unformed movement is where brands will see the biggest opportunities in the future.
Late bloomers
Even legacy brands with years of heritage need to find a way to stay relevant in today's world. Take Hellmanns for example, despite being a market leader and having 100 years under their belt, their concern of being considered as the fatty condiment in the cupboard is what drove them to rediscover their purpose. Recognising their magic formula was real, simple ingredients they begun their "Real Food" movement - Hellmann's commitment to helping Canadians discover the pleasure that comes from eating real food with simple ingredients. To do this, they created an Urban Gardens program to give Canadians a place to grow their own real food, developed the Real Food Grants program that helped fund over 40 real food initiatives across the country and used influencers to foster Hellmann's brand advocacy inside the real food conversation. Through a mixture of education and interactive experiences the brand continues to champion real food initiatives across the country and change a longstanding perception of the brand.
Proof it works
Does it work I hear you ask? Of course it does. According to Unilever, purpose driven brands are the driving force behind it's success, reporting that its Sustainable Living brands grew over 50% faster than the rest of the business. And when Hellmann's reviewed the success of its purpose-driven efforts, in addition to shifting consumer perception around mayonnaise, they saw a substantial and direct impact on sales of Hellmann's in Canada.
With research confirming that meaningful brands are outperforming the stock market by 206% over a ten-year period, it's no surprise we're seeing industry leaders like McVities and Cadbury reassessing their current positioning for a more purpose led perspective to re-engage with its audience in new times.
The time is now for brands to find what they truly stand for and focus more on how they can involve the customer along the way.
What's next?
The most important thing to remember is purpose is more than a statement. It's something you genuinely believe in, identify with and action upon.
So what do you need to do next? First things first, you go back to the drawing board and remind yourself, why you started. When you've identified this internally, you need to ensure that your purpose is going to resonate with your new or existing customers, there's nothing worse than getting it terribly wrong (cue that Pepsi ad). Then, and arguably the most important part to the process you need plan the best way to communicate your vision to be relevant and authentic.
And don't just take our word for it we're hosting our "Build a Brand Movement" event on the 7th of March at Camden Work.Life where we will be hearing first hand from Bacardi Global Brand Director Zeenah Vilcassim, Virgin Money Creative Director Tim Arthur and Founder of MyFreda Affi Parvizi-Wayne who are building brands with purpose. Book your free ticket here.
Stefanie Sword Williams, Senior Content Producer at Mattr.Media.


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IGN is looking for a hard-working, detail-oriented person to join our FAQs team. The perfect candidate will have a passion for gaming, possess great communication skills, and be dedicated to growing a quality game help site. Basic design and html skills are necessary, and experience with Adobe InDesign and Acrobat is preferred.
Once hired, the editor will work in the IGN offices south of San Francisco. The ideal applicant will have no aversion to strange people and unexplained phenomena.
If you're interested, please send a resume to Chris Carle, Editor in Chief-- IGN Guides, Codes and FAQs.


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Phytophthora kernoviae
A new Phytophthora species was isolated from diseased rhododendrons and European beech in Cornwall, UK in 2003. Initially called 'Phytophthora taxon C' or 'P. kernovii', it was later named P. kernoviae (etymology: 'Kernow', the old name for Cornwall). It causes stem lesions on members of Fagaceae, and leaf lesions and dieback on plants in several families. Hosts include Rhododendron ponticum, an understory species on which it sporulates. It is believed to be an introduced pathogen in the UK. In 2006, P. kernoviae was reported from an abandoned orchard in the Northland region of New Zealand on rotting fruit of custard apple Annona cherimola (Braithwaite et al, 2007). It appears to match earlier soil isolates recovered in New Zealand from a native kauri forest and a radiata pine plantation
In the UK, P. kernoviae has been found mainly on rhododendron in woodlands of southwest England with a few sites in northern England, Wales and Scotland. Between 2002 and 2008, 66 outbreaks occurred in managed and unmanaged land, and 5 outbreaks occurred in nurseries and garden centers in England and Wales (Walters et al. 2010). The pathogen produces abundant sporangia on leaves of Rhododendron ponticum that serve as primary inoculum for tree infections, so management efforts have focused on removal of this invasive species. Recent findings indicate that P. kernoviae can persist as oospores in rhododendron roots, complicating this management strategy (Fichtner et al. 2011). In 2009, P. kernoviae was reported on Vaccinium myrtilllus in three heathland locations in Cornwall (Beales et al. 2009) and later on the Isle of Arran (Scotland). The pathogen sporulates profusely on leaves. It is postulated that long distance disease spread may occur when coastal winds carry infected, abscised leaves. Local spread may occur via infected roots and rhizomes (Fichtner et al. 2010). Other heathland species including Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Arctostaphylos uva-ursi appear to be highly susceptible in artificial inoculation tests, suggesting that this valuable botanical resource could be endangered (Beales et al. 2009).
In the UK, P. kernoviae causes a serious disease on European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Most of the infestations are associated with the invasive understory plant, Rhododendron ponticum, widely distributed in woodlands and gardens. The pathogen's host range includes Chilean hazelnut, tulip tree, Gevuina avellana, winters bark, Magnolia spp., Pieris spp., Michelia dolsopa, Holm oak, English oak, cherry laurel, ivy, and variegated holly. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is an important heathland species has become infected under natural conditions (Beales et al. 2009). Nursery infestations have occurred rarely and were eradicated. Like P. ramorum, P. kernoviae causes bleeding stem cankers on members of the Fagaceae and foliar blight and shoot dieback on other hosts.
In New Zealand, the pathogen was associated with diseased leaves, shoots, and fruits of cherimoya trees that were near native shrublands and forest in Northland (Braithwaite et al. 2007). Previous isolates from soil in kauri forests 50 km away were not associated with disease, nor were isolates from near Tokoroa, 400 km to the south, from Pinus radiata plantations (Ramsfield et al. 2009). P. kernoviae seems to have been first observed by Newhook in New Zealand in 1953 (Ramsfield et al. 2009).
|Host Latin Name
|Host Common Name
|Annona cherimola
|Custard apple
|Dieback, Fruit rot
|Agricultural setting
|New Zealand - Northland
|Drimys winteri
|Winter's bark
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Fagus sylvatica
|European Beech
|Forest, Gardens, Parklands
|England, England - Cornwall, Wales
|Gevuina avellana
|Chilean hazel
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Hedera helix
|Common ivy
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Host unknown
|None, found in streams or soil
|None, found in streams or soil
|Forest, Plantations
|New Zealand - Northland, New Zealand - Tokoroa
|Ilex aquilfolium
|English holly
|Decline, Leaf necrosis
|Liriodendron tulipifera
|Tulip tree
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Magnolia spp.
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Michelia doltsopa
|Sweet michelia
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Pieris formosa
|Chinese pieris
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Prunus laurocerasus
|Cherry laurel
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Quercus ilex
|Holm oak, Oak
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Quercus robur
|English oak, Oak
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|Rhododendron ponticum
|Pontic rhododendron
|Blight, Decline, Wilting
|Forest, Gardens, Parklands
|England, England - Cornwall, Scotland, Wales
|Vaccinium myrtillus
|Dieback, Leaf necrosis
|England - Cornwall, Scotland - Isle of Arran


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Injury/Condition: Severe congenital spinal stenosis with nerve damage
Hobbies/Interests/Passions: Family, Baseball (obsessed with the NY Mets), Cooking, Baking, Canning, and now working out at C.O.R.E..
How has/does C.O.R.E. affect your life: How do I begin to explain about the people & place that I truly believe has saved my life and given me the quality of living that everyone deserves. I started C.O.R.E. on my birthday (literally) 2 years ago and have not looked back. The inspiration, support from everyone that is there, in such a unique environment is AMAZING. Before C.O.R.E. I was in such discomfort (due to my back) that everything was a chore and painful. I had one back surgery done, then Taylor showed me that diligence and dedication is the real solution to life. With my weight loss and almost daily workouts he has changed my life and I look forward to everyday. Laquita is always so welcoming and encouraging. Britney Doug, Christy, and Robert are there for me whenever I have questions, to step up my workout, or need encouragement. C.O.R.E. is a 2nd family that wants the best for you at all times.
It's too bad that the uniqueness and specialness of C.O.R.E. can't be bottled and given to everyone in need. There sure are a lot of people in need of such gifted people.


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Big Companies, Big Renewable Investments
24 global companies on the Fortune 100 list are realizing the many benefits of renewable energy. They are saving big money while building reputations for fighting climate change and supporting environmental sustainability.
Tech companies like Apple and Google are leading the way, but firms in traditional fields are also stepping up to the challenge: Walmart to Whole Foods, Hilton to Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson to Sprint – big firms are implementing big plans for wind energy, solar power, energy efficiency.
Walmart-owned Sam's Club was the first retailer in the U.S. to mount wind turbines on parking lot light poles to support the energy needs of its store (pictured above, in Palmdale, California in 2010).
(READ more from Renewable Energy World)


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Chapter 1: An Unlikely Message
It's been a few days after the near death experience that occurred on Trenzalore. The Doctor barely escaped with his bare wits as he carried Clara out of his time stream and journeyed back to his TARDIS.
After dropping off Strax, Jenny, and Madame Vastra back to their home timeline in Victorian London, the TARDIS took off again, but this time to remain in the Time Vortex. The Doctor and Clara took this time rest, to heal, to lick their wounds and to reflect what just happened. The Doctor finally remembers how Clara came to his life and the shared lives they have together for the past hundreds of years during the Doctor's travels. For now, it's a good time take a break from all that running down corridors and chasing monsters.
During these past few days of respite, the Doctor had Clara resting on top of a bed in Clara's own personal quarters whereas the Doctor took his time in his own personal room to relax his nerves. Every so and again the Doctor would pay a visit to Clara to check up on her and make sure she's okay and healed up. The Doctor remembered that Clara was limping towards him during the rescue, presuming that Clara fell onto the floor of the Doctor's time-scar world where Clara saw all 11th faces of the doctor, except one, the Doctor's secret incarnation, the one who broke the promise.
The Doctor calls himself as the Doctor as a promise in his namesake to be a healer and great wise man and what he did in his prior incarnation is when that promise was broken. That was during the Time War between the Daleks and his people, the Time Lords, which he time locked them both in a temporal-state of eternal burning.
During the last day of rest, the Doctor finally enters Clara's personal room, carrying a small table of tea cups, tea pot, tea and jammie dodgers. Clara was already up on her bed, looking naturally gorgeous already in her nighty.
"Hello, Doctor, how sweet of you to come by with some morning tea and dodgers," said Clara.
"It's the best I could do at this moment, Clara and it's good thing you are getting all rested, how's your left leg? Are you able to walk without limping?" asked the Doctor, coming over to take a look at the bandaged knee.
"It's all getting better now, thanks to you, Doctor since it's not only your name it's what you do," said Clara as she sat up with her arms crossed and resting on top her knees bended upward to hold them there.
"That's right Clara and you are the impossible girl, it's not your name, but it's your calling. You have this way to always achieve the impossible like a...a magician," the Doctor made a silly magician impersonation with his hand, acting like some puff of smoke is coming out into thin air.
Clara laughed at the Doctor's silliness since Clara got used to see Doctor for being weird, mad, but most of all, a brilliant friend who needs help time and time again. However, deep inside Clara's own one heart is this mixed feeling of falling in love with this strange alien who looks more remarkably human with the exception of course is that the Doctor is Gallifreyan, a humanoid with two hearts.
"Clara, I don't know how I can say this enough, but I want to thank you for what you did back at Trenzalore. We all nearly perished. I even tried to convince you to not jump into my time-stream, but you did. Because of that, thanks to you, Jenny, Strax, Madame Vastra and I are properly restored," said the Doctor as he sits down to his chair and pour some tea for Clara to drink.
Clara immediately responded back, "It's no big deal, chin boy. I did what I had to do for I was the only one who could pull it off. I am the impossible girl after all. Other than that, you've seen me done it before. You know those events that are already a...fixed point in time. I had to throw myself into the Time-stream to be at every point in your life to make sure you are alive. It's like you said, I was that girl who died in the Dalek Asylum and at Victorian London, saving you from that not-so-nice Great Intelligence and his...what you call those...those creepy "whisper men."
Doctor is amazed by Clara's ability to remember those prior lives esp. the time when she was a Time Lady on Gallifrey. Due to Clara's many travels with the Doctor and time she spent back on Gallifrey as one of her echo-selves, Clara showed to have a mastery of the Time-lord's vocabulary in explaining time traveling concepts like fixed points in time.
"Yes, that's what they are Clara. Not so whispery when you nailed that Doctor Simeon right where he deserves. I can't really thank you enough, love. I wish there is any way I could repay you."
"Don't worry too much about it. Spending each moment with you throughout your history is just enough in getting to know you better. Including the first time I saw your first face back on Gallifrey."
"Yes, you were. Back on Gallifrey, my home. The very birthplace of the Time Lords and you my dear were a Time Lady or a Gallifreyan to be more exact. Can you still remember those days back on Gallifrey?"
"Yes, I can. It's really interesting that I was an alien in another planet. All I remember from Gallifrey were just bits and pieces of my time being there. The orange burnt sky; the snow across the desolate mountains, including Mt. Petition; the silver trees and oh yes...The Glass Dome that housed the main capital of the Time Lord society and..."
"What you were doing over there while I was traveling away with my granddaughter, Susan?"
"I remembered I was working as a mechanic in the TARDIS shop, fixing up the old ones, building the newer versions I think up to version 102. I even nicknamed my favorite called the Soufflé, just for the hell of it. It was a Type 40 TARDIS that I helped repair. It was already a museum piece that needs restoration. It was funny that the other mechanics hated the idea of naming a TARDIS a type of food back since the TARDISES are not food, but more like living companions that you traveled with."
"So, did you repaired a TARDIS with a kitchen in it and try to bake a Soufflé? Oh wait, we don't have something to what you called eggs and milk back on Earth. So, did you bake a "Gallifreyan-style" soufflé or "Wannabe-Earth-style" Soufflé that nobody even cares about? Did it get burnt this time?"
Doctor was of course joking on about it this time, but it made Clara slightly annoyed. She immediately slapped the Doctor's Face, the same way River did to Madame Vastra back at the conference call.
"Ouch, I was only kidding," the Doctor replied as he straightens out his jaw to ease the pain on his face. The Doctor thought to himself that man, Clara really slaps harder than his dead wife, River Song.
"Oh shut it, chin boy. I am going to have your chin to poke your eye out, next time. You're pushing it way too far, clever boy. But, anyways, of course, I tried to make one back on Gallifrey, but I have to hide it away without causing suspicions to the other Time Lords about this recipe. You know...cannot alter the elements of space-time continuum. It's like my mother said, soufflé is not the soufflé, it's in the recipe that makes it, sort of like time, yes?"
"Yes, that's right. But, it's good thinking that you did that. What else did you do back on Gallifrey?" asked the Doctor who is even more amazed and touch of how little by little her Clara, her perfect companion is becoming more like a Time Lord not an average human companion from before.
Clara held back for one second, and pondered a little further about her time back on Gallifrey. "Later on, I went around traveling and exploring the beautiful places of Gallifrey and got a chance to see much of the bickering politics of the High Council, which to me is quite boring."
"Yes, the Time Lord lifestyle is quite tedious and quite boring at times. It's a good thing you occupied with Time lord engineering. I remember telling my companions in my second incarnation as the Doctor where I was short, stocky, wearing a cave-man jacket and..."
"Wait your second incarnation...when you were that short guy wearing that caveman outfit?"
"Yea, yea, yea, yea, yeah that's the one, but as I was saying..."
"Oh my god, Doctor, you look like a hobo! A space hobo!" Clara laugh as she remembered chasing after the Doctor's second incarnation.
"Well...hey hey...at least that's also when I started to wear a bowtie. The same bowtie that I am still wearing right now."
"Right Doctor, you and your boyish obsession with bowties."
"Hey, bowties are cool! Respect the bowtie!"
Doctor and Clara both laugh very hard at the mention of the Doctor's bowtie. The Doctor continues to finish off his previous conversation, by channeling the mannerisms of his second incarnation as the Doctor. "As I was saying, Time Lord politics is quite boring. It's so boring that that's why I left. I remember telling my companions, Zoe and Jamie that you see the Time Lords has all this great power and great technologies in the Universe. We could do so much more with it. I mean explore the freaking universe, different planets, and different civilizations across different points in time. But no, we just stay there and just watch, observe, gather knowledge, and never to interfere."
"So that's why you started running, because you were bored? Wow...Doctor, next time as the Boss, if you offend me, I would order to take your TARDIS to somewhere where we just do just that...watch, observe, gather knowledge and not interfere with the locals."
"Oh shut it , Clara. This is still my TARDIS. She's a great ship in the whole universe and I can take it anywhere as I please and "somewhere awesome."
"Right, Doctor. Take your little snog box anywhere in the Universe and pick up some damsel companion in distress, so you can snog them left and right."
"For the last time, Clara, the TARDIS is not a snog box!"
"Well, at least to me, it is, so I could do this."
Clara ran up to the Doctor quickly grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. The Doctor was caught off surprised when she did that, but this time gave in and in return give back that same affection to Clara, knowing this time they're both equals. One cannot live without the other.
Their kissing quickly dissipated as the TARDIS console rang a loud, telephone-like call.
"Oh what is it this time," said the Doctor as he quickly ran back to the TARDIS console room with Clara trailing behind.
"What the poor girl want?" The Doctor looks at the computer screen and saw that the TARDIS got re-materialized into Outer space.
"Doctor, what's going on?" asked Clara as she looked at the computer screen, noticing that they're no longer in Time Vortex.
"We just got re-materialized into Outer Space. We're no longer in the Time Vortex," then the Doctor hit several controls and trying to understand what's going on. "Why the Buccaneer? Did you screw your circuits again? I just fixed you like weeks ago."
Then some flashy bright light went across left and right in front of the TARDIS's main door windows.
"Doctor, there's something outside the door," said Clara as she tapped the Doctor's shoulder and point to door.
"What in the name of Gallifrey?" reacted the Doctor. The Doctor pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver, turned the settings into X-ray mode to see what's outside the door. The sonic screwdriver reveals nothing hostile.
The Doctor went to the main two doors of the TARDIS, opened it, and saw a familiar white box. The Doctor grabbed the white box, realizing that the only entity that would used these things is another Time Lord or a possible trap.
"I've got mail, again?...What is it this time? Hopefully, this is not some kind of trap set out by that evil House from that alternative universe. Oh no no. I won't fall for that trick again if that thing is still alive out there somehow."
"What is that Doctor? Is that a message cube used by Time Lords to send messages to each other across space and time?" asked Clara as she is being fascinated by such beautiful object.
"That's right Clara. Wow, you really know about these things. You really were a Time Lady back on Gallifrey."
"Thank you. What's the message?"
"Well, let's find out and see. By the looks of it, I don't see any crests or symbols, belonging to any Time Lord I may know of."
The Doctor opened the box and a beam light flashed out and hit towards the computer screen, listing the date, time, and location where the message is coming from. On the computer screen, it shows that message is from May 25th, 2013. Location: Tibet.
"Whoa, that's something new every day. It appears that that this is psychic message coming from someone or something in Tibet on May 25th, 2013, just a week after our trip to Trenzalore." The Doctor pressed a button to activate the message and the computer screen shows a static image of a Tibetan monk.
"Doctor, can you hear me? This is the Great Abbot K'anpo Rinpoche. There's not much time. You must return quickly to Tibet for you have a message waiting for you."
"Rinpoche, who is he, Doctor?" asked Clara in bewilderment that out of all the places that the Doctor and Clara been through, they need to go to Tibet.
"Uhhh...long story. Let's just go there, shall we?" The Doctor replied and set the coordinates to meet up with an old friend on May 25th, 2013, Tibet.


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Back in the studio working on her sixth album, singer/actress Brandy says "I'm reinventing myself and I feel fearless". On her upcoming album Brandy is pulling out all the stops, working with producers Rico Love, Timabland, Jim Jonsin, Danja and Rodney Jerkins. Brandy is also collaborating with R&B artist Chris Brown and Hip-Hop artist Drake, as well as working with singer-songwriter Frank Ocean and more notably, Monica with their new song "It All Belongs to Me". Brandy says "I haven't done R&B in a very long time. This album is rooted in R&B. The sound is different, it's about love. It's mature, it's gritty, it's edgy." Brandy's newest album titled 2-Eleven will be available in June 2012.
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Susquehanna Health Athletic Trainers Pleased with New PA Licensure
Whether they work regularly with an athlete on the field or rehabilitate a joint replacement patient in the Sports Medicine Center, 23 Susquehanna Health (SH) athletic trainers are pleased with the recent State of Pennsylvania legislation that now recognizes them as licensed healthcare professionals.
Williamsport, PA (PRWEB) March 06, 2012
Whether they work regularly with an athlete on the field or rehabilitate a joint replacement patient in the Sports Medicine Center, 23 Susquehanna Health (SH) athletic trainers are pleased with the recent State of Pennsylvania legislation that now recognizes them as licensed healthcare professionals. The athletic training licensure bills (Senate Bills 957 and 967) were signed as Acts 123 and 124 by Governor Tom Corbett in December and became law February 20. Until then, athletic trainers were the only group of recognized healthcare providers in the state that were certified rather than licensed. The announcement of this new legislation came slightly more than a week before national Athletic Training Month is recognized in March.
"Being licensed puts us on par with other healthcare professionals in the eyes of the state," explains SH Outreach Athletic Trainer Jason Erlandson. "Athletic training has come a long way in the past 50 years―from team managers or coaches who learned how to tape ankles and became the "trainer" by default, to a highly regulated healthcare professional guided by scientific research."
The title athletic trainer is in effect a misnomer, as these healthcare providers are not exclusive to athletes nor are they focused on training athletes for their sport. Instead, athletic trainers are experienced in preventing, recognizing and treating injuries to the musculoskeletal system (comprised of bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments) that can occur on the field, in the home or backyard or in the workplace. Athletic trainers work under the supervision of a licensed physician, possess at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited athletic training program, are required to pass a national board of certification exam to hold the ATC credential and must adhere to a national standard of practice and code of ethics. From now on, in order to practice in Pennsylvania, athletic trainers will also be required to apply for a license from the state's Board of Medicine or Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
Because the athletic trainers working in the Sports Medicine Center at Divine Providence Hospital or at one of 16 schools in Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Northumberland, Sullivan and Tioga counties are already certified by the state's Board of Medicine, they won't need to take any new action for licensure beyond renewing their license every two years. "The new law protects the public by making the penalties more severe for practicing athletic training within the state without the proper credential," explains Erlandson. "Under certification, an individual could perform duties of an athletic trainer as long as they are not referring to themselves as such."
All of Susquehanna Health's full-time athletic trainers are members of the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers' Society (PATS), the largest state organization of certified athletic trainers in the nation. According to Erlandson, who serves as the PATS North Central Regional Representative, "the need for licensure was one of the reasons that PATS was formed in 1976. In the five years that I have been involved with the organization, significant developments have occurred. The result of 35 years of hard work by numerous individuals is that athletic trainers have gained licensure in Pennsylvania." For more information about Susquehanna Health Sports Medicine, please call 800-321-2WIN or visit SusquehannaHealth.org.
About Susquehanna Health
Susquehanna Health is a three-hospital integrated health system including Divine Providence Hospital, Muncy Valley Hospital and Williamsport Regional Medical Center located in northcentral Pennsylvania. Serving patients from an 11-county region, Susquehanna Health is a healthcare leader and has been recognized at the national and state levels for quality of care. Susquehanna Health offers a wide array of services that include cancer treatment, heart and vascular care/heart surgery, neurosciences including neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, OB/GYN, gastrointestinal services, behavioral health, physical rehabilitation, home care, long term care, assisted living and paramedic/ambulance services.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9258173.htm


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Every year, SwitchUp collects and analyzes thousands of reviews from alumni and current students to bring you the top-rated bootcamps by subject, location, and learning environment. With over 15,000 reviews across 387 schools, SwitchUp has been an industry leader for technology bootcamp rankings since 2014.
Below, you'll find comprehensive rankings of the best schools in coding, data science, cyber security, and web design, as well as the best online bootcamps. You'll also find rankings lists for over 50 locations worldwide. Take a look at SwitchUp's methodology to learn more about our rankings and process.
Overall — Online — By Subject — By Location
The "best coding bootcamp" can mean something different for each individual. To help you find the best fit, we have awarded the merit badges above to schools that stand out in key areas. As you browse SwitchUp's rankings lists, the merit badges will help to narrow your search for the best bootcamp for you.
SwitchUp's rankings are based on over 9,000 reviews from verified students and alumni, across over 300 schools in operation. Both the total review score and review count were weighted, and an internal algorithm was used to determine the ranking order. Because student and alumni feedback are indicative of bootcamp quality, review score was assigned a higher weight than review count.
To be considered for the 2019 rankings, all bootcamps must help students land jobs in tech through excellent instructor support, curriculum, and career resources. Both part-time and immersive bootcamps are included on this list.
All schools listed were required to have at least a 4/5 star rating at the time of publication. They also needed to meet the following requirements:
To be considered for one of our locations rankings, the school must either:
Match with the
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Not sure where to start? Tell us about yourself and we'll help.


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The "AXA PPP Group" for this purpose is AXA PPP healthcare Group Limited, its holding company and all subsidiaries of its holding company including (but not limited to) AXA PPP healthcare Limited, AXA ICAS Limited, AXA ICAS Occupational Health Services Limited, Health on Line Company UK Limited and AXA PPP healthcare Administration Services Limited.
What was once a friendly and organised gym has turned into a miserable experience since pure gym too...k over from soho gym in Lewisham. They released nearly all the instructors, some of whom had been working there for 20+ years and had built up a loyal clientele. No notice, no suitable replacements and now most classes are taken by PTs who have had little or no training. It's a joke and dangerous to train with instructors who do not appear to be qualified to teach group classes. The entire atmosphere has changed and loyal gym members have left in their droves. The low prices are not an incentive to stay. I'd rather pay more and have the excellent Les Mills classes taught by proper Les Mills instuctors thanks... just as they were before. See More


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This is shamelessly borrowed from "Realms of the Haunting" which was an *awesome* game in its time! Put my own twists into it but for the most part it is identical to what was encountered in the computer game.
Dead end in the dungeon with a hole above them. Have wood in one room they have already passed and have hammer and nails amid tons of other tools in another unrelated room. Make everything they try to do to get up there fail. Too slippery, grappling hook won�t catch, tower they make keeps overbalancing when trying to get into the room (shock of seeing it or something), or let them be more creative. Fun to see if anybody figures out to make a darn ladder.
Once they are in the room:
Enter a circular room with 7 doors not including hole they entered going around the wall with a empty space that looks as if a door should be there but isn�t. The flooring is a confusing array of different colored wood put in irregular angles making a mind numbing pattern. My make them save periodically or stand mesmorized.
Near the center of the room is a small pedestal with a Pan Pipe resting on it. Under it is a note of music paper.
a) Musical Door——Has a Harp carved on it.
Go to the door and use the Pan Pipes and play the music on the paper to get in. Somebody needs to have a music skill. :-) Room full of musical notes and paper. Can find any music to any tune if they want to search. On the desk is a pair of spectacles and what appears to be flask of oil next to a pen. Might look like a flask of ink and be ignored?
Get the Spectacles and the Flask of Oil. Go to:
e) Library Door——Has a carved open book on it.
Door will not budge. Close inspection will show that the hinges are totally rusted (PERCEPTION). The oil from the Music room will immediately get rid of the rust allowing the door to easily open. Room is a huge library. The spectacles will allow to see invisible. Invisible wards on many of the floor stones going throughout the room. The wards are all along the walls of the room not allowing you to get close to the shelves of books without stepping on them.
On the desk at the end of the room is a parchment that is magical. Has magical writing and is obviously something important, or partially hidden depending on how good your players are at finding something useful. Spirit Parchment. Has commune with dead spell on it.
Retrace your steps to:
b) Skeleton Door——Door carved with a skull on it.
Wake up the Skeleton face with the commune with dead spell. Simply ask it to open the door. In the center of the room is a large tower of bones precariously balanced. On the top is a small tray with a small warm red flask on it. Touching the bones with more force than a light kick will collapse the stack. It takes a very tall person with a long reach on tip toes to get to it. Might allow them to get the flask at the same time as collapsing them; take some heavy damage from all the shrapnel. Could be as easy or hard as you want it but they should be able to get the flask and get some damage to show the level of danger that could be involved.
Carefully get the Warm Flask and go to:
d) Ice Room——Door carved with mountain scene with a perfectly flat lake.
Door opens at any time. Floor is covered with a thin sheet of ice and room is cold (see your breath) Other side of room is a mound of ice with something in it. If they notice ceiling, full of large pointy icicles. Walking on the ice initially you see cracks form but is utterly silent. The amulet being in the ice silenced all the ice around it. See it is a blue amulet on a gold chain. If they force it out without using the warm flask, once it is free of the ice the sound of the cracking ice is deafening. The sound waves cause the icicles to start falling causing good damage each time noise is made to make them fall. Again, might be fun to make them use all the flask on the floor and have them have to beat the amulet out anyway and releasing it then making some noise causing the falling ice.
Use the Warm Flask on the floor to melt all the ice within moments, cross and get the Armulet of Silence
then to:
c) Siren Room—-Half naked woman carved on door.
Door opens at any time. See windows on either side all along to the other room where there is a small figure floating. Walking in the room there would be mass screaming that causes major damage plus save vs. Insanity to stay on feet. Fail, fall to ground holding hands to ears and gaining more damage until a save is made or they are rescued. After a couple of moments the windows burst inwards causing glass damage on anybody in there. Could even do the glass damage anyway if they where the amulet of silence to give them a little scare.
Wear the Amulet of Silence, go in and grab on the floating Siren which is an illusion to get the Silver Key, go to:
f) The Chapel——Silver Symbol carved on the door.
Use the Silver Key to open the door. Large worship area with stained glass around the room on the windows depicting worshippers praying. There is a seven pointed star in the center of the floor with each point a different color and a PERCEPTION will notice that the small jewels are missing from each of the tips. The window on the left of the altar has 6 gems on it. Violet, green, orange, blue, black, and yellow. The missing red gem is on the other windowsill on the other side of the altar. Look down at the 7 pointed star and place the correct gem on the corresponding point in the correct order of the rainbow. The Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet and ones are easy. The black one must be place last. Once put in place a rainbow colored gem appears hovering in the air in a light and only one of that faith can reach through the light to grab it. Basically there needs to be a good priest in the bunch. Once taken out the gem constantly shines out rainbow colors lighting the room in brilliance. It only takes a small light to cause the effect. Take the Rainbow out into the room again:
g) Door with three wavy lines on it——
This is sort of a freebie I added because I needed to get them more weapons. Opening it up shows a river with a small bridge right at the door going to a hilly grassy area. PERCEPTION see the weapon of choice on the small hill. I put the favored weapon on the hill of whoever is looking through the door. They may argue about what they see on the hill and may think it is an illusion when each sees something different. If they go they find a hill with the impression of their weapon in it. If they place their weapon in it the hill sucks it up and spits it back out with a +. They can do it however many times they are cocky enough to do it. For each time they put it in there the weapon strength is reduced like 5 or 10%. So basically they can get away with it a couple times but if they get greedy it will be destroyed the first time they use it.
BLANK WALL—- On the blank wall appears a door when the light from the Rainbow gem goes onto it. The door has a bow and arrow on it. When the door opens the bow turns into a real bow. A strength bow �3 to strike. And an arrow is provided from the door for as long as they need them. Only one can be removed at a time and the door only replaces it once the one removed is shot.
Room has no floor and no door on the other side. There is NO way for them to cross the bottomless room, and nowhere to go even if they do get over there. The only thing is a small black square on the other side the size of a child�s fist.
Arrow must hit perfectly and it then drops a floor and causes a door to appear. The provided arrow must be shot from the provided bow for it to work. Missing it causes the arrow to immediately return to the shooter causing damage. I had only a natural 19 or 20 allowing them to dodge the arrow otherwise they ate damage. Could have them have to hit the target however many times you want it to. The arrows could be funky too if you have an excellent archer in your group. Make the negatives big enough to make it a challenge.
Once they get through that they are wherever you want them to be.
Just a fun room to challenge the players mentally as well as frustrate their skills a little bit.


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It's been nearly five years since our friends at Howler burst onto the scene, delivering one of the most badass magazine covers of all time and proving that there's still plenty of room in our hearts for thoughtful print media in the age of 140-characters-a-pop journalism.
As the publication prepares to celebrate their bar mitzvah issue this fall, they're offering fans - well, one fan, if the narrator is to be believed - a chance to own a phone straight out of late-80s Sports Illustrated... in a parallel universe where SI cared about football at the time.
In addition to USMNT legend and current Fox Sports commentator Alexi Lalas, the clip features star turns by Will Arnett, Jack Black, Paul Downs, Adam Pally, Sarah Silverman, and Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, who last week did his best to block Neymar's rooftop golazo.
The video was produced in collaboration with marketing agency Kovert Creative, who have announced a strategic investment in Howler Media. The support will surely give founder George Quraishi and his team even more resources to deliver their beautiful take on the beautiful game.
We could insert a pithy comment about how this is a backdoor teaser for the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster Tenacious D Go To the World Cup, or come up with a joke about Sarah Silverman and her ex Jimmy Kimmel ripping flares behind the goal at NYCFC matches, but it turns out that they and their co-stars in the clip are all Kovert clients, which makes sense but reduces the serendipity just a bit.
Still, that's a sweet-looking phone.
(if you actually receive the Soccer Ball Phone and would like your achievement to be immortalized in IBWM until the end of time, do not hesitate to contact us)