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So I'm pretty sure I've been boring you all to big fat Kim Kardashian tears with my love for all things Christmas lately. And that's probably because I've been shoving it down your throats these past couple weeks with my Festive Friday trend. The only little problem is that I don't really plan on stopping. That is until there's reindeer wrapping paper littering the floors and we're on to worrying about about whether or not we can get away with wearing dresses made entirely out of silver sequins for New Years.
The answer to that questions is yes, by the way.
But I am going to back off ever so slightly today and provide you with something that doesn't scream "I saw Erin kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe last night". Because this morning we're making hot chocolate...frozen style! You're welcome. So turn up your heat, put on your fuzzy slippers and whip out your blenders because it's time for cooking with Two Thirds Hazel. Except for we're not cooking a single thing. So there's that.
Here's what you're going to need in order to make it happen:
6 cups of ice cubes - ones from your rubber Christmas Tree shaped ice cube tray are strongly encouraged but certainly not required.
1 cup of hot cocoa powder mix - I go with the traditional Swiss Miss packets but the Hershey's chocolate raspberry kind is to. die. for. and might be a nice switcharoo to your average cup of
joe cocoa.
3 cups of milk - whole will make it smoother and creamier (and just simply better) but skim will work just fine if you're trying to keep your gut in tact this holiday season. I probably should've used straight water…
3 tablespoons of sugar - I have nothing to elaborate here other than you probably don't even need to add this seeing as how your hot cocoa mix is straight sugar already but, hey, the more the merrier right?
Pour all of the above ingredients into your blender (after you've googled instructions on how to put said blender together). Turn that sucker on the "ice chop" function and watch your frozen hot chocolate come alive right before your very eyes. Once everything has developed a consistency to your liking you'll need to pour everything unto a glass. Le duh. As you can see from the above pictures, I was feeling rather fancy this morning and went straight for the wine glass. That is after I washed the leftover Riesling remnants from the brim. True sign of
alcoholism a good time right there. After that it'll be time for your last two ingredients.
1 dash of cinnamon - or just swirl a cinnamon stick or two around in there like I did since it makes you feel a whole lot more like a chef than simply sprinkling on the McCormick.
1 billion marshmallows - I'm not sure if you have a measuring cup labeled "1 Billion" or not but if you don't you should probably put it on your Christmas list for Santa to bring you. It honestly is the only amount acceptable for this concoction. If you're unfortunate enough to find yourself without the precise measurement then "a handful" will also do the trick. I guess.
And there you have it my fellow holiday elves. Your very own frozen hot chocolate. Now throw yourself a Christmas party, add some Bailey's onto your ingredient list and have yourselves one banger of a good time. Just be sure to invite me. Or else. Cheers!


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When a mother says that she is "always with" her children, it is literally true: Scientists recently found that a small number of maternal cells can persist in a woman's offspring for decades or longer. Although researchers have suspected that maternal cells might play a role in provoking immunologic problems, this study found that in individuals with type 1 diabetes, at least, those cells might actually be lending a helping hand.
Maternal cells, which cross the placenta during pregnancy, can set up residence anywhere in the fetus, including the bloodstream, heart, liver, and thymus gland. The phenomenon, called microchimerism, is thought to contribute to a number of autoimmune disorders, like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The idea is that the cells elicit an immune response that spirals out of control, attacking the child's own tissue.
The cells may be more beneficent in type 1 diabetes, a relatively rare autoimmune form of the disease that usually affects children and young adults. Immunologist J. Lee Nelson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle took blood cells from 94 diabetes patients, their healthy siblings, and two dozen unrelated adults. More than half the diabetics had maternal DNA in their blood, but only about a third of their siblings and less than 20 percent of the unrelated adults did. While that might seem to implicate the mother cells in the disease, Nelson and her colleagues learned otherwise when they looked at the pancreases, removed during autopsy, of four individuals, including one diabetic. They found maternal beta cells—cells that pump out insulin—in all of them. Microchimerism is, therefore, present in even normal pancreases. Of the beta cells in the diabetic pancreas, however, almost twice as many were maternal cells, which means Mama's cells may in fact be helping to repair the pancreas. Harnessing the effect could lead to new treatments for the disease. For instance, maternal cells might be transplanted into a diabetic to repair the pancreas. "The hope is that it could potentially stave off the disease," Nelson says.
Discover Magazine

subset: commoncrawl


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Liam Bailey
Top SongsSee All
Blind Faith (feat. Liam Bailey)Chase & Status 2011
On My MindDefinitely NOW 2014
Blind Faith (feat. Liam Bailey)Chase & Status 2011
AlbumsSee All
Music VideosSee All
Singles & EPsSee All
Appears OnSee All
About Liam Bailey
Singer/songwriter Liam Bailey may have discovered Amy Winehouse, but his soulful delivery and highly individual songs stand on their own. Born in Nottingham in 1983 to an English mother and Jamaican father, Bailey grew up listening to his parents' Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and Jimi Hendrix records. As a member of hip-hop collective 1st Blood, who were briefly signed to Tricky's now defunct Brownpunk label, he appeared on the album Eat Defeat by Bloodleech and recorded an LP, There Were Wolves, as one quarter of short-lived folk outfit the Accidental in 2008. After moving to London to carve out a solo career, his emotive and heartfelt brand of acoustic guitar-driven soul soon attracted the attention of Winehouse, who tracked him down after hearing one of his tracks through a mutual friend. In addition to teen singer Dionne Bromfield, Bailey became the second artist to sign to her Lioness Records imprint and released two EPs through the label, 2AM Rough Tracks and So Down, Cold, in 2010. While working with her producer Salaam Remi on his debut album, he supported Ellie Goulding on her U.K. tour and provided vocals for Chase & Status' Loleatta Holloway-sampling number four hit "Blind Faith." After signing to Polydor Records, he released his debut single, "You Better Love Me," and its parent album, Out of the Shadows, was scheduled to follow later in 2011 but it was pulled at the last minute. Bailey spent the next few years in record label limbo, but he re-emerged in 2014 on Flying Buddha/Sony with his long-delayed debut album, Definitely Now. ~ Jon O'Brien
- Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Engl
- Pop
- 11 Mar 1983


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CS Monitor's Godfrey 'Budge' Sperling dies
Godfrey "Budge" Sperling, legendary journalist and long-time host of CS Monitor's breakfasts, died this morning two weeks shy of his 98th birthday.
Sperling was with the Monitor for 59 years, starting out right out of World War II where he was an Army Air Corps Major. He rose up the ranks from selling subscriptions door-to-door to chief of the Monitor's Chicago, New York, and Washington news bureaus.
Sperling was best known for his Monitor breakfasts, started in 1966 as a place where Washington reporters would gather to interview a public figure in an on the record and "civilized" way. According to CS Monitor staff writer David Cook, Sperling hosted 3,241 of the gatherings over a 35-year span with guests such as Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton along with five vice presidents and countless cabinet and congressional officials.
"Sperling brought to the sometimes-daunting task of lining up high-level breakfast guests the same relentless, highly competitive approach that characterized his reporting. While not the Monitor's most elegant writer, no one in the bureau out-hustled Budge," Cook writes.
The family is planning a public memorial service on Thursday, October 10, at Knollwood Memorial Chapel, 6200 Oregon Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. A private burial will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.


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Yeah, yeah, Weird Al, Word Crimes. I know you've already seen it shared a million times. But this blog post isn't about Weird Al, or about his supposed split infinitive error (don't get me started). It's about you.
As Weird Al so rightly points out, if you can't spell or punctuate, people are going to have trouble taking you seriously. A poor grasp of the intricacies of English can rob your voice of credibility, alienate readers, and damage your image, so it's important to get things right. You might think there's an element of snobbery to it, and maybe there is, but that doesn't change the fact that if you get something wrong, people can and will judge you.
Whatever you put out there: emails, blog posts, social media updates, CVs or carrier pigeon messages, if your prose doesn't look the part, neither will you. But don't just take my word for it.
How you write is who you are
Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit and founder of Dozuki says:
And fair enough. Wiens works in a detail-orientated industry; being sloppy about spelling implies a lack of care and attention — something a good coder should have — and Wiens isn't alone. A blog post by Coburg Banks, a West Midlands recruitment agency, lists spelling and grammar as the number two reason your CV will be immediately consigned to the trash can, with formatting coming in at a close five.
If you're reading this with the sick sense that you've let a few clangers slip through, don't feel bad. A study by Personal Career Management (PCM) in 2009 found that 94% of job hunters, in a sample of 450, made grammatical, spelling or presentation errors in their CVs, so it's not as if you're short on company. On the other hand, these figures should also tell you that it isn't too hard to stand out from the punctuationally puzzled with just a little effort.
In terms of online sales, the data is just as alarming. Charles Duncombe, an online entrepreneur, found that correcting a spelling mistake on one of his sites caused a 50% jump in revenue. In a world of innumerable competitors, and even more scammers and fake sites, content riddled with errors looks unprofessional, untrustworthy and unattractive and will hurt your conversion rate.
If it can't be read, it can't be searched
Keep in mind that it's not just people that will judge you either — search engines will as well. In February this year, Duane Forrester, Senior Product Manager at Bing, confirmed that his company included spelling and grammar errors in its site ranking calculations, asking:
While Google has been a tad cagier on the subject, way back in 2011, Google spokesperson, Matt Cutts, said spelling and grammar are reasonable considerations for search rankings. In 2013, when asked if misspellings in WordPress comment threads affect overall quality ratings, Cutts said that while the spelling in comments isn't important, in the actual content, it certainly is.
Be your own grammar police
So what can be done? Nobody is perfect, but it's increasingly difficult to get away with even the smallest mistakes. It may be my training as an editor speaking, but I've never found a better tool than another pair of eyes; having a colleague, mentor, trusted friend or even a professional check over your writing is an easy way to identify errors you might have glossed over when proofreading yourself.
If you can't find a second reader, don't stress. Take a break for a few hours and come back with fresh eyes — you'll likely notice something glaring that has been staring you in the face the whole time. If you struggle to focus on a screen, try proofing on paper; I always find that I can read a printed document much more closely and carefully. Also, don't be ashamed to look things up. Few editors can get away without, at least occasionally, referring to a style manual or dictionary. There's no shame in not being sure, but there could be embarrassing consequences if you get something wrong.
What's your least favourite Word Crime?
Is there a spelling, punctuation or grammar error that really gets your goat? A mistake that makes you shudder with rage? Write to us in the comments box below and let us know!
Banner image: A Postrophe Rules by William Murphy is licenced under CC BY 2.0


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Daith Piercing -- an ear piercing that passes through the ear's innermost cartilage fold -- as a migraine treatment is taking social media by storm. Indeed, the question I'm most frequently asked is "Does daith piercing work?" Since there is very little research money devoted to migraine to begin with, you can safely assume that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on daith piercing is not likely to happen anytime soon. But how do you know whether it is worth a try, especially when you feel desperate for a solution? Should you just figure you have nothing to lose? But what if there are physical or emotional negative consequences of getting your daith pierced?
We decided to ask The Daily Migraine community for stories of how their daith piercings have worked and create a resulting "anecdotal" study. Reading what others' actual experiences are may help you to make a more thoughtful decision about treatment, especially given the dearth of any sort of data on the piercing itself.
So here it is. From those of you who have tried daith piercing to those of you who are considering it, here are 40 real-life stories:
I went and got my daith pierced after reading an article on it and it has helped me tremendously. I can go a week or two without a migraine. But I'm in school and work full time so something will eventually stress me out to cause one. I recommend it. But it has to go farther in your ear to reach the pressure point it's supposed to hit. At least that's my opinion. -- Anonymous (September 2015)
The thought behind the daith piercing is that it has a similar effect to acupuncture. I had acupuncture for about 6 months about 18 months ago and it did help, but was expensive to keep up with privately. Not only did I have fine needles all over the body, my acupuncturist used 5 gold "stud" like needles which she "punched" into different points in my ear. This instantly relieved the pain in my head. As acupuncture was a success for me, I decided to try this piercing. Two weeks in, so far so good. If anyone is unsure, I'd give acupuncture a go first. People may say it's ridiculous but when you suffer with migraines as severely as some of us do, we will give anything a try! -- B. Clarke (September 2015)
I tried a daith piercing with the desperate hope it'd help. First off, let me say the piercing hurt. And when I say hurt, I mean REALLY HURT. It did not help my headaches/migraines. However, I found it really cute so I decided to leave it in, until it got infected and I had to take it out. So, if you do get one, good luck! Regardless, I don't regret getting it one bit! -- B. Brennan (September 2015)
I had mine pierced for 10 years and it had no effect on my migraine whatsoever. It did not help it. I actually took it out because they thought the metal in my ear was causing me problems. So that's when I took out all my piercings when the doctor said that I had an allergy to the metals in my body. By the way the piercing...hurts for a while after you get it done. -- A. Beyer (September 2015)
Interesting. My daith is pierced but I still get migraines. 😔 -- @bombshell_81 (September 2015)
I actually got it in February since there was a special deal going on. I'm not on migraine meds just on vitamins. Between the daith and vitamins it's helping. It did hurt like any piercing. Putting ear buds in was a pain in the beginning, now it's okay. I have six piercings. -- @jess_london_31 (September 2015)
I've had my daith pierced for a while now. I find that I don't get many headaches like I did. They are few and far between. And how bad it hurts all depends on how high your pain tolerance is. Along with my daith I have 15 other ear piercings ... so it didn't hurt me. It also is not a very common spot to have pierced so it does look cool and is different. -- E Biyli (September 2015)
I had mine done back in May and although it seemed like it was helping reduce the frequency, I'm back to my normal 9-15 per month. I do love the piercing though. -- M. Boyer (September 2015)
In total, my ears sport 17 piercings, which includes a daith, tragus and a conch piercing. No relief for me though. -- R. Harris (September 2015)
I had my daith pierced 9 days ago so far I have had no migraines. I haven't had to take my medicine which before I was taking every day twice a day with ibuprofen in between and still wasn't getting relief. I have had a slight headache but that could be because the day of there was an abundant amount of stress surrounding me but I was able to take 400 mg of ibuprofen and it was gone in half an hour. So with that being said I'm a believer in this piercing will be getting the other ear done as soon as I can. -- L. Eastep (November 2015)
Had both sides done Dec 30th. No migraine since, even with my period. I was averaging 15 headaches/migraines a month. -- @amyanderson1971 (January 2016)
I had mine done in October and my migraines have come back, but they are not as intense and can be helped at home and with keeping my daily medicine. -- @nikesandmessyhair (Jan 2016)
I have had mine since November, both ears. I had 3-4 migraines per week. Since getting the piercing I have only had 2 migraines. And when I feel one coming on I get this throbbing feeling where the piercing is but it is a calming, soothing throbbing feeling, and I feel like it is preventing migraines. I feel they have made a huge difference for me. After having 3-4 migraines weekly, 2 in 3 months is such a relief! -- C. Carol (January 2016)
I got mine November 11th. The migraines have slowed down drastically, but haven't stopped completely. What is nice though, is that they are manageable now, whereas before, they were out of control. I'd do it again...and plan to hit up the other side as soon as the first piercing is done healing. -- B. Nordtröm (January 2016)
Got mine done the second week of October, and I have had only 2 migraines since then. I averaged 3 or more a week. My migraines were predominately on the right side, so that is where I got my piercing. -- @ennielynn (January 2016)
Four weeks, no improvements, if anything much worse. Was told by the piercer that there's no actual scientific or medical proof in favour of it and that apparently any pressure point for your head would not be in the daith. More of a placebo effect, unfortunately still didn't work -- D. Heal (January 2016)
My son had his done in March 2015. He still gets headaches, but much less often and much less severe. When his head starts to ache, he squeezes the piercing and can usually control it before the pain gets high. He is very glad he had it done. -- D. Smith (January 2016)
I had mine for about 3 weeks and haven't noticed a change in frequency or pain level unfortunately. It is a cute piercing though but it did hurt. It was worth a shot though, I'd try almost anything at this point. Migraines daily. Severe migraines 3-4 times a week. -- C. Dumont (January 2016)
Yes it worked for me! It has been a Godsend!!! I used to wake up every morning with a migraine behind my left eye and have to take medication. It has been 2 months without a migraine. I wake up without headaches. I get an occasional headache in the middle of my head now, but not migraine. It's worth a shot for anyone dealing with severe, crippling migraines. $40 well spent! -- T. Health (February 2016)
I am 32 and have suffered with migraines since I was 8 I have been on medicine after medicine after medicine and nothing has worked in all of those 24 years.... 10 days ago I went and got my Daith pierced and I have not had a single migraine since. I highly, highly recommend it. I would get a migraine almost EVERYDAY! Best $43 I ever spent and well worth it -- M. Howell (February 2016)
It hasn't worked for me...but I only have one so I might get my other ear done to see if it helps. Worth a shot! -- S. Seiver (February 2016)
I had both mine done 1-16-16 and it does work! Definitely not a placebo because I had a migraine when I got them pierced, and I know that is why the piercing hurt so much "during." After just my ears were hot and I went after to lunch with my mother and both my kids realizing the migraine was gone! I was more than happy to enjoy lunch for the first time in years! -- M. Dawn (February 2016)
Got mine done almost a month ago. It has helped me tremendously. I was in the middle of a 3 day migraine when I got it done and almost instantly it was gone. The gentleman that did mine said that the piercing has to be far enough back to hit the nerve bundle, if not it won't do you any good. I've had chronic migraines for 40 years ... this was the best $50 I've ever spent. My guy was extremely knowledgeable and very good. I thought for sure it would be painful while healing, but I actually forget it's there. I still have the barbell in and will keep that for at least another 6 weeks. I hope this truly helps anyone thinking of doing this. -- L. Hayes (February 2016)
I had it done at a tattoo parlor at Christmas and it hurt like hell, and I still have headaches and migraines and it still hasn't healed completely. -- @tomma143 (February 2016)
Got it done...it's not too bad! Umm to curb the migraines....I'm still out on that. It takes a lot of time to heal and you have to wash it everyday. But I think it may help a little and if anything it looks cool!! I got it done about 4 months ago -- @nanatracil (February 2016)
About a year and a half ago!!!! I finally feel like I have control over the migraines instead of them controlling me!!! I used to pray I would wake up with a headache, I tried all the tests all the trigger finders, adjusted sleep, eating, tried all the tricks to make the migraine break, numerous of different medications ..... and putting a hole in my head was the trick best 80$ I ever spent -- B. Stewart (February 2016)
I've had mine for 3 months and it's amazing. I've had little headaches, but if I press down on my piercing they automatically go away. Thus is a huge deal since I usually have 5-7 migraines a month and a headache every day for over 25 years. Love, love, love both of my piercings. -- C. Lynd (February 2016)
I had mine done in January, had it for a week and got an infection in the cartridge and ended up in hospital on IV antibiotics for 3 days. I'm tempted to try again in the other ear, 40 years of migraines is something I'm keen to try to resolve. Feeling a little nervous about it though -- R. Fellows (February 2016)
I got my daiths pierced 4 weeks ago and have had only 1 migraine since then. That is so huge for me as a usual month brings me 16-20 migraine days. I am hopeful it will work long term! -- J. Lynn (February 2016)
Pretty confident that it has been a huge success for my 16 year old daughter. Was experiencing 3+ migraines per month with numb hands, loss of vision, vomiting and splitting headache. Needed meds and 3 hours sleep to reduce symptoms. It's been about 4 months and she's only had one bad headache without the other symptoms. A few "normal" headaches over that time. -- D. Blackwood (February 2016)
Hasn't helped me yet. I had both ears done a little over a week ago. -- @cat_ladyj (February 2016)
It hasn't helped me any. I got it done around Christmas as well and hurt so bad, and the healing has been terrible. -- @hollydoll83 (February 2016)
I had mine done about a month and a half ago, it works! My migraines sometimes still come behind my eye when I'm in the sunlight or loud places for awhile, but they go away with Tylenol, before they wouldn't go away for anything! After having them everyday for years, I highly recommend it! -- C. Anderson (February 2016)
I've had mine for almost 3 weeks now. It has made a huge difference. No more severe migraines...aka eyegraines.. for me everyday. I've had a couple "eyegraines" since then but nowhere near as intense and usually goes away with meds within a couple hours not days. Definitely worth the $50 for both sides. Praying as it continues to heal, the results will stay positive. -- S. Kosmatin (February 2016)
I got my daith pierced about 2 years ago and I have had NO decrease in migraines. About a year before that, 'studies' said that getting your tragus pierced would relieve migraines so I got that pierced. I had no relief from that piercing either. I won't get anything else pierced for the sake of migraine relief! It doesn't work. -- @tashasue13 (February 2016)
Did both sides 21 weeks ago...only have had 1 migraine since (it was 16.5 weeks after piercing tho when it finally hit). I'm very happy with results. I had full blown migraine when I went in to get it done (almost cancelled & didn't do it) BUT as soon as 1st side was done most of it went away, then did other side & was completely pain free!! I did mine at a tattoo shop with a very trusted piercer. -- R. White (February 2016)
It worked for me!! I had it done in October 2015, and I haven't had a cluster bomb on my right side since. Getting the left side done soon. Hopefully it will take these migraines down even more. -- S. Boyter (February 2016)
No improvement, got mine a few months ago! I'm already having trouble using stethoscopes at work with one in! -- L. Simmons (February 2016)
Yes it did!!!! About 2 months ago and no migraines. I get a few headaches, but NO migraines. I had nothing to lose. It's a small piercing. If it didn't work at least I had tried. -- C. Fell (February 2016)
Three months ago and no migraines!!!! Hardly any headaches either!!! Used to have chronic daily headaches and episodic migraines at least once a week. Between going gluten free and the piercing, I've never been better. Even starting to reduce all my meds!!! -- A. Oliphant (February 2016)
Lisa Jacobson -- Founder, The Daily Migraine
(Research by Dylan Todtfeld)
Facebook (The Daily Migraine)
Twitter (@thedailymigrain)
Instagram (@thedailymigraine)
Website (thedailymigraine.com)
This article was not written or monitored by medical professionals, and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.


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When I first talked to people involved with the CU triathlon team this August, they mentioned the Oktoberfest draft legal race, and I was keenly interested. It is not often you can travel 30 minutes to a draft legal race with decent competition and then be back home for lunch!
In my second race for CU, I lined up with 25 or so other guys ranging from others that have raced on the ITU circuit from junior to elite level (Robbie Deckard, Sean Daugherty, Alex Wilimovsky, Dillon Nobbs, Jack Toland, Timmy Winslow and others) to guys racing their first draft legal race.
The course was pretty straight forward, rectangular 750 m swim, 1 loop 12.9 mile bike, and out and back 5k with a solid hill in the middle that you go over and down the back side before turning back home. The swim got out more aggressively than I expected, which was good practice. I got to the first bouy in 4th or so, and moved into 2nd during the straight away from 300-400 meters. I comfortably sat on Wlimovsky's feet for the remainder of the swim after seeing we had a small 5- man breakaway. We exited between 9:01 and 9:07.
Onto the bike, I managed to catch my shoe on the ground and broke the sole of my bike shoe in half within the first 500 meters. The rest of the bike was mostly the group taking short 4-5 second pulls and moving over. Retrospectively, we should have taken some longer ones to recover, but we still got off the bike with a 30 second or so lead on the chasers. I will note, I really enjoyed not being in that chase pack (as has been the case in many ITU races!) That is good motivation to keep up swimming.
I got out 4th of our group on the run, but passed everyone by 1k. I tried to stay relaxed up the 400m hill, but I heard Dillon Nobbs closing during the climb. I accelerated once I hit the top, and put time into him. I know going hard on a hill while racing at altitude throws you well into the red zone, and I did not want to be 2.5km in with the dead legs and copper taste in my mouth that I have become accustomed to during hard efforts at altitude. I ended up splitting 16:15, which was slower than many were guessing I ran, but given the 400 m hill, the run being all dirt and sand roads, and the race being at 5100 feet, it isn't a bad run split. I felt like I could keep going at that pace fairly comfortably.


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Ryan Jewell v. Drake & Russell
A Soundesign Recording
First of all Ryan Jewell is basically becoming a foley artist of noise. The sounds on this recording sound almost like he is just using things around the house to create and interesting noise soundscape. As it goes on it gets a little more processed and loud but the first few minutes are really interesting electro-acoustical sounding pieces. As it get more intense it actually gains a lot of momentum and starts to sound as if Ryan is starting to pull the walls down of the room he is recording in. It gets a little long in the tooth as it goes on but it's pretty impressive. Drake & Russel have a really interesting experiment in depth going on here. There is a juxtaposition of room sounds almost. Some of the sounds are like gravel being poured slowly on your head while other sounds are loops of distant tape manipulations. Other times you hear bells and dishes clanging next to your head and around your room. I really recommend checking this out with headphones on. It's a whole new world of disorientation. Impressive cassette all the way around.


text: Is PHAS3 for me if I don't want to be an MMA Fighter? PHAS3 Martial arts is a mixed martial arts / MMA school in Santa Rosa, CA (Sonoma County) offering training in multiple disciplines including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / BJJ, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Karate, Jujitsu, Judo, Wresting, and Boxing. Comment


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If you want to build trust with small businesses, it's important that you have a professional email address that uses your domain name. Scams are becoming increasingly more troublesome, which is why...
2Talk vs Rebtel
Compare 2Talk vs Rebtel. Find out whether 2Talk or Rebtel is better for your VoIP business or home needs. The experts at VoipReview have analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of 2Talk and Rebtel and detailed analysis of the comparison can be found below.
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Rebtel is starting a revolution.
A venture capital-funded start-up, Rebtel began in 2006 with the goal of 'taking the phony out of mobile telephony.' If Rebtel hasn't succeeded at that goal, Rebtel has taken high prices...
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Horrible service and support. West Coast office and if you are on the east coast don't hold your breath on getting any support before 11:00am-12:00pm EST. Nothing but trouble since the system was put in. Do your self a favor and spent the extra money on Ring Central or some other provider that does it all.
Rebtel has no customer service. When you need help there is no help or support on line. I am currently unable to make calls or use the money in my account. I have run out of local numbers meanwhile i have credit in my account. I tried the help line and there was no help or answers to my questions Why would Rebtel not accept questions from customers? especially customers you charge for calls? there service is not free? so why is there no customer service? When the calls are not going through, Rebtel has no medium or means to inform their customers
I've been using Rebtel to call my Family & friends in the Philippines since 2008 and I would say, for the past few years, I am a happy and satisfied customer. Recently, i emailed customer service for my complain about their services and to my surprise, they resolve the issue very quickly. Thank you, Rebtel, I am hoping for consistent and quality services from you guys as usual and for mishap and undesirable circumstances, thanks for pleasing us,your customer by your quick response in our email. Best of luck to all of us.


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Elsewhere No. 01 - The Launch Party in Berlin/
Last Wednesday we held a launch party for Elsewhere No.01 at Cafe Tasso on Frankfurter Allee. This is the extension of Karl-Marx-Allee, the grandiose socialist boulevard that was originally named for Stalin and which was supposed to be the showcase of the new (East) Berlin emerging from the rubble of the Second World War. Cafe Tasso is a lovely cafe with a second hand bookshop attached, both upstairs and in the basement, and they were wonderful hosts.
We were so excited by the number of people who turned out to welcome Elsewhere to the world on a Wednesday evening. It was standing room only for the short readings from editors Paul Scraton and Tim Woods (who read from Julian Hoffman's essay in the first edition), and Eve Richens, contributor to the first edition who also spoke a little on the subject of memory, writing, and where the truth lies in writing about place. Elsewhere Creative Director Julia Stone was also there, as was contributor Nicky Gardner and many, many people who supported us via the crowdfunding campaign. It was a great evening, and we hope to do it again sometime.
All photos are by the extremely talented Patricia Haas (email@example.com)


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Foundational Drum Beats Sample Pack
I'm always thinking of ways to streamline my workflow. The equation is simple: The fewer hiccups and the less setting up, the more music I make. Since I recently moved to a new house and set up a new studio, efficiency has been on my mind. I expect to delve into this quite a bit on upcoming episodes of The Music Production Podcast.
I always think of having inspiration like holding water in my hands. I can keep it there for a few moments, but if I don't drink it, it will slip through my fingers.
For today, I have a tool that should dramatically speed up all of our workflows and help us act on our inspiration as quickly as possible..
How Drum Programming is a Flow Interruption
Just about every time I start a new track, I lay out some basic beats. It could be a simple backbeat, a four-to-the-floor, or just something to keep time so I can play other instruments accurately. I've noticed that this is a huge time-suck for me. It starts with choosing a drum kit. I have about 9,000,000 kits and samples. I lose time and creative energy trying to choose the most appropriate ones. After I finally decide, I lose a few more precious moments programming simple beats that I've programmed thousands of times before. By now, plenty of that metaphorical water has slipped through my hands and I haven't even started making the music I was inspired to create. I decided that this part of my process is one I could streamline...
Introducing the Foundational Drum Beats Sample Pack
In order to cut out this part of my workflow, I've created the Foundational Drum Beats Sample Pack. It's 275 acoustic drum loops, organized by BPM and whether the beats have open high hats, closed high hats, ride cymbals, or crash cymbals. I can quickly pick a loop that matches the energy I want to create, drop it on a track in my DAW and start making music.
The beats were all recorded on my acoustic drum kit and simply feature a kick, snare, and cymbal. They are simple foundational beats that so much music is based on. There are plenty of variations to choose from, but all are designed to keep time and set up a groove. When I play with real drummers, I often wish he/she would just hold down a solid beat. But drummers tend to get bored and start adding variations and fills, which can throw off the feel of what I'm working on. I can proudly say that these beats have no drum fills, no fancy embellishments, and no unpredictable changes. They are just straight solid beats that are perfect for building ideas upon.
Foundational Drum Beats
Sample Pack
275 simple and straight-forward drum loops recorded on an acoustic drum kit. Designed to be placed on a track so you can start making music quickly without the burden of sorting through thousands of kits and samples. Save time and make more music!
Programming drums can be a lot of fun and inspiring in of itself. But sometimes you just want to grab a beat to get started on a song or to fill out a track. That's where this collection will save you tons of time. Of course you are free to chop up and resample these loops to create something new. I especially enjoy layering these beats with electronic kits for really full and diverse drum tracks.
Each loop was performed on my acoustic drum kit, which features a vintage 1960's Pearl kick drum and a 1960's Ludwig snare. I ran each loop into the Elektron Analog Heat for some warm saturation and compression.
I'm finding that these samples yield great results utilizing Ableton Live's Convert Drums to MIDI feature. This allows you to quickly take any of these 275 loops and convert them to any sound you want.
The possibilities are only as limited as our imaginations. But one thing is for sure: This collection will save us valuable time and allow us to tap into as much of that precious inspiration as possible before it slips through our fingers!


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With the launch of BlogScape, it looks like respected search engine optimization experts SEOMoz are entering the competitive world of social media monitoring (SEOMoz.org was one of my "Blogs That You Should Be Reading But Probably Aren't).
While it isn't exactly a stand alone product, as the cost of paying for it would also include a whole bunch of other SEOMoz products and services, it still looks like an incredibly strong offering in terms of its ability to analyze traffic.
Where I think it lacks is in its reach - from the description, it appears to be only monitoring 10 million RSS feeds from what they term "the fast-moving web." Compare this to Technorati who, according to their last "State of the Blogosphere," tracks 133 million blogs.
The good news is that Blogscape assigns a "Blogrank" to the blogs it tracks. From the description, it sounds like this will act similarly to Technorati's Authority number, and will be an interesting way to evaluate the importance and relevance of a particular blog.
One of the main faces of SEOMoz, Rand Fishkin, chimes in on the comments section of the post saying that he "honestly think this is as good and in some ways better than GG Blogsearch, Technorati, etc. and the graphing is clearly way more advanced."
That's quite a bold statement. However, the tools he is comparing it to are free tools. Unless I'm mistaken, SEOMoz's Blogscape is only available to PRO members of their site, and membership ranges between $79-$229 a month.
I'd still be interested in checking it out. Maybe I'll ask for an SEOMoz PRO member ship for my birthday or something.


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Personal Banking
Small Business Banking
Commercial Banking
Private Client Group
Personal Financial Services
For the quickest answer, search previously asked questions below. Chances are, others have asked a similar question and there's already an answer waiting for you. If you can't find a match, ask a new question and our team members will answer.
Are there any TD banks or ATM's in southern Florida
Maureen, Venice
April 29, 2015 08:04:32 AM
1 Response
In reply to Maureen, Venice
Good morning, Maureen and thank you for choosing TD for your banking needs.
Currently, TD Bank has Store locations along the east coast from Maine to Florida. Please follow this link: http://bit.ly/TDStores and keep checking to find out our current and future Stores and TD ATMs near you.
As you're a Cross Border Banking Customer, we invite you to speak with a Representative from our TD Cross Border Banking Support Line 24/7 at 877-700-2913. They'll be more than glad to answer any questions you may have about Cross Border Banking. For more information about our Cross-Border Banking, please check out this link: http://bit.ly/1871StK. For Cross-Border Banking Frequently Asked Questions, please visit here: http://bit.ly/1uNf9W5.
We hope this helps to make banking on both sides of the border convenient.
LiShu R, Mount Laurel
April 29, 2015 08:06:12 AM


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Equipment Rental
We maintain a dedicated fleet of specialist rental equipment including booms and attachments for rental in UK, Europe and rest of the world
Delivery to customer site via palletline, truck or container and set up visit by one of our service engineers if required
Sensible hire rates, long term hire discounts and the option to buy at any point – packages tailored to customers requirements
Actual equipment available varies as units are sold and replaced, but usually we can provide what you need
Contact us to discuss your rental requirements in detail
Available Equipment
Below is a selection of our current hire fleet.
Rock breakers
XR Xcentric Rippers
XR15 – fits 8t – 15t base machine
XR20 – fits 15t – 20t base machine
XR40 – fits 35t – 45t base machine
XR50 – fits 45t – 60t base machine
Surestrike Breaker
Surestrike 4000 – fits 45t + base machine dipper mounted
Surestrike 4000 – fits 30t + base machine boom mounted
Vibro Ripper
SEKO 3600 – fits 18t – 26t base machine
Telescopic Dippers (attachment only)
FSE2538 c/w 1500 ltr Clamshell – 25m max working depth, fits 35t + base machine
FSE2550 c/w 2200 ltr Clamshell – 25m max working depth, fits 45t + base machine
FSE3055 c/w 1500 ltr Clamshell – 30m max working depth, fits 55t + base machine
FSE3065 c/w 2200 ltr Clamshell – 30m max working depth, fits 65t + base machine
Telescopic Dipper & Excavator (complete package)
Doosan Solar 330 c/w 21m telescopic dipper & 800 ltr clamshell
Liebherr 954 c/w 32m telescopic dipper & 2200 ltr clamshell
Stick Extensions
13t & 20t, 3m long stick extensions, extra bucket cylinder included allows much more universal use of the stick,
Base excavator does require 2 way aux hydraulic lines to function the 2nd bucket linkage, (if not on the base machine we can supply change over kits, electro hydraulic or manual to switch between bucket cylinder 1 and bucket cylinder 2)
99% universal head bracket (adjusting shims) allows fitment on a wide range of machines,
Comes with relevant size ditching bucket.
All hire items do not include operators or fuel.
Full copy of insurance must be presented before any agreements are drawn up.
Availability may vary due to change in demand.
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Diocesan Church Camp Fall Session
The weekend of November 7th and 8th, online children of the diocese met at East Bay Camp in Hudson, drugs IL for our first ever fall session of Church camp. Church Camp annually meets for a one week period at the end of June/beginning of July.
The fall edition included inviting adults who are interested in joining the Church Camp family. The adults who attended stayed separately from the children and attended discussions on the importance of the ministry and what it means to be a counselor. 8 adults were a part of the camp.
22 children, mostly first time campers, attended the weekend and saw what we do. Saturday included a scavenger hunt, fall game night with the adults included and indoor swimming. Both adults and children attended mass and were surrounded by the love of Jesus Christ and the fellowship that is a part of camp.
If you are interested in attending, sending children or supporting this ministry, please contact Deacon Jason Bowden for more information. Also, look forward to seeing more articles on fundraising and activities that extend from Church Camp.
In His Name,
Father Deacon Jason Bowden
Trinity Church Rock Island


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Hot pink roses and pink roses in general are very romantic and soft. Baby pink roses such as the 'Bonica' roses
are just adorable, and look lovely in vases combined with blue pansies or blue delphiniums. I have selected
pictures of pink roses, an image of pink roses, that are very easy to grow and are very popular with gardeners.
There are deep pink roses and delicate pink roses as well as fragrant pink rose flowers. A pink colored rose looks especially beautiful with blue and purple companion flowers, so be sure to plant some of those in your flower beds with the pink roses.
The Double Delight rose is the most popular rose of the last 30 years. It's vigorous with beautiful foilage.
The flowers requires sun to develop int full pink red roses. The fragrance is spicy and quite strong. It is
prone to mildew in areas where mildew is a problem. Zones 6-10. Picture and information about Double Delight Rose
Carefree Delight rose is winner of AARS awards in 1996. The slightly fragrant flowers have single petals
with bright white eyes. This is a self-cleaning rose bush so there is no need to deadhead in order to
have repeat blooms. The bush grows to about 2-3 feet high and spreding. It's winter hardy and disease
free, it really lives up to its name.
For a picture of this rose and growing information, click on this link
Ambridge rose is an Englisg rose by David Austin. One of the finest of the pale pink orange roses
with double large blooms that are very fragrant. A medium bushy plant, that grows to about 3-4 feet
in height. The best uses for this rose are flower borders, low hedges, bedding roses, and for
cuttings. Zones 4-9.
The Knockout rose variety's virtual immunity to black spot has set a new standard for landscape roses.
Zones 4-11. For lots more information
and lots of pictures of Knockout roses in several colors, click on this link


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The list of vehicle components to be checked during a vehicle inspection varies by state, but always includes safety items, such as brakes, seat belts, lights, electrical systems and wheel assembly. A vehicle inspection check also inspects a vehicle's exhaust, fuel and emission systems. Most states also check the vehicle's documentation, including proof of liability insurance and registration certificate.
Most states, including New York and Texas, conduct a yearly vehicle inspection check to ensure that motor vehicles driven on roadways and public streets are in safe operating condition. Some states, such as New Jersey, only conduct re-inspection every two years.
A separate inspection is required if the vehicle becomes registered in a different name. A certified motor vehicle inspector inspects motor vehicles in a licensed inspection station. A vehicle that fails the mandatory vehicle check may be repaired at the inspection station with the owner's permission. The owner may do replace safety items, such as lights, tail lamps and seat belts, as long as the replacement items and installation meet the standards of the inspection station. Failed emission checks, however, should be corrected by a registered emission repair facility.
Depending on a state's vehicle check requirement, a vehicle that failed the inspection may seek a retest within a specified period of days. While it is illegal to operate a failed vehicle, some states provide a waiver or a temporary registration tag applicable while the car is being repaired and retested.


text: iBrandox: Growing Digital Marketing Agency in Gurgaon Digital marketing services are vital for establishing a strong web presence and unique brand identity. Additionally, dedicated and professional digital marketing services can help organizations devise potent online marketing strategies for achieving their business goals with ease. Therefore, if you desire high-quality and focused digital marketing services, then make sure you approach a reputed and experienced digital marketing agency. Here, find out why iBrandox is considered as the growing digital marketing agency in Gurgaon.1. Digital Marketing Knowledge and Experience: Their digital marketing experts are fully aware of the latest digital technologies, software, techniques and tools, which further allows them to offer high-quality digital marketing services. Their team of digital marketers uses their extensive knowledge and experience to design, run and manage a website and brand, allowing you to compete with others in the same industry as yours.2. In-House Specialization: The agency can provide you with the services of highly qualified and knowledgeable digital marketers including, two senior web developers, two web designers, one graphic designer, two SEO experts and one content writer. Thus, organizations that are looking to create brand hype and awareness can safely rely on the digital marketing agency and acquire a highly acclaimed, attractive, unique and easy to navigate site in no time.3. Affordable Pricing: Another reason why iBrandox is growing leaps and bounds as a digital marketing agency is because it is capable of offering affordable digital marketing services to companies of all scales and sizes. Whether you have a huge budget or even if your finances are limited, the agency can provide you with the best of the digital marketing services that complements your budget and allows you to create a strong web presence.4. Branding and Delivering Your Message: This is one of the biggest reasons why the agency has been growing with every passing day. Their digital marketing professionals focus on uplifting your brand and taking your company to the next level. Right from developing an insight into the requirements of your company to helping you create a website, which caters to the needs of your customers, the agency will highlight your core values, strengths and message clearly. They will help you develop a strong brand image and identity, allowing you to better connect with your target audience.5. Expert Implementation: The agency is renowned for implementing expert digital marketing services, which is yet another reason why it is gaining so much prominence in Gurgaon and nearby areas. Their team of digital marketing professionals will help you create a list of keywords, offer search engine optimization services, focus on lead generation and provide content creation and social media integration services to help your website excel at all levels and stages.To sum up, if you are planning to develop a fresh and innovative website or even if you simply wish to enhance your existing site's visibility, thereby improving your brand's awareness and identity, then iBrandox digital marketing agency should be your first choice. The agency will not only help you position your brand and website higher on various search engines but will also design effective brand and website management strategies to help you achieve higher sales and revenues with ease. Posted Date: 25 May 2015 Share on whatsapp


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Journalism 400 Hour Advanced Certificate Course
Ask a question
Journalism 400 Hour Advanced Certificate Course
Advanced Certificate in Applied Journalism course online. Learn the practical skills you need in your journalism career.! A journalism course that also develops your understanding of editing, publishing, and image manipulation! The skills and knowledge developed in this course can help you start a career as a freelance writer, editor or publisher or you can gain full credit towards our Diploma in Journalism while building your career.
Course Structure: Advanced Certificate In Applied Journalism AWR090
Choose four (4) modules from the list below:
- Gain practical journalism experience. Develop your ability to write articles to specification and submit those articles for publication in a periodical (ie. Newspaper, Magazine or Ezine). By the end of this course, you will actually have something published. More....
- Expand your practical journalism opportunities. Like Journalism Practice 1, this module gives you valuable experience in writing for a student publication, which will greatly enhance your resume. Publishers are more likely to employ writers who have already been published. More....
- If you love writing and want to improve your skills, network with other writers, and get personal guidance, then, this course is for you. Tutors are exceptionally well qualified, with university degrees and more than five years experience in writing and publishing. More....
- Learn the basics of editing Editors work for publications both in house, and outside, as contractors. A good editor is always in demand; and with the internet, today's editors can often work from virtually anywhere in the world. Alone, this course does not make you into a professional editor, but it can lead to valuable career opportunities when combined with other courses that develop your knowledge and skills in journalism. More....
Develop your editing skills. This course is designed for self-editors, aspiring professional editors and desktop publishers. Its aim is to develop the students understanding of the editing processes and acquire the capacity to edit a broad range of publishing material including both print and electronic media, text and graphics, commercial and non commercial material. More....
- Learn to write effectively. This course is particularly useful for people who wish to brush up on their writing skills, or to obtain basic skills which they should have, but did not develop properly while at school. It aims to provide an understanding of how to write clearly and efficiently, and to communicate thoughts in the minimum number of words, and without any ambiguity. More....
- Understand how to write as a freelancer and how publishers buy from freelance writers. Learn everything from good grammar, to planning and writing newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, books and more. Emphasis is placed on things which are important to publishers who might buy your work. Tutors concentrate on your ability to properly structure an article, and to be both concise and clear in your use of words. More....
- Enhance your freelance writing skills! This is a course for people who already have skills in freelance writing, who have perhaps had some minor work published, but need to improve their overall technique and develop a more "efficient" approach to their work. More....
- A biography is neither a diary nor a journal. It's more than a collection of 'she did this' and 'he did that'. Although biographies are writing about life, it's more useful to think of them as a collection of writings about life events. i.e. What are the key events in your subject's life? How do these tie around a central theme or purpose? More....
- Learn to write successfully in your specialist area. Develop skills to write technical information for a variety of different purposes. Students taking this course should have a basic understanding of technical writing including referencing procedures. If the subject is totally new, you may need to undertake some additional reading before progressing beyond the first lesson. More....
Note: that each module in this Advanced Certificate is a Certificate in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Guardian Newspaper Editorial on Journalism: Read More....
|Course Info
|How Do Our Tuition Fees Compare?
|Full time classroom based Further Education Courses - Approx. £5,000 per year - Part-time classroom based Adult Education Courses - Approx. £7.00 per hour - N.B. classroom tuition means you learn at the pace of the class. One-to-one private tuition - from £15.00 per hour - ADL one-to-one tution fees - From £340 per 100 Hour Course = Average of £3.40 per hour - N.B. one-to-one tuition is tailored to your own individual learning availability and pace.
|Course Start
|Begin your learning at any time.
|Course Prerequisite
|None - Our course levels are an indication of the depth of learning you should receive. They do not describe the level of difficulty.
|Course Qualification (Study Option A)
|Endorsed Qualification from TQUK - Training Qualifications UK, an Ofqual Approved Awarding Organisation - Completed written assignments and final evaluation per course/module to be taken.
|Course Qualification (Study Option B)
|Certificate of Attainment from ADL - Completed written assignments only - no final evaluation.
|Comparative Credits Information
|UK Course Credits: 40 - U.S. Credit Hours: 12 - when compared to regulated courses.
|Course Duration and Deadlines
|Course hours given are a guide only. You will be encouraged to work at your own pace to learn as much as you can, with no assignment deadlines or end date by which you must complete your course by. You are in control!
|Study Support
|Personal tutor/mentor support from industry relevant professionals throughout your whole course. Mentors are contactable by e-mail, telephone and through the Moodle online classroom. They provide assistance with your course material, plus discuss, explain and give advice when needed. They will also mark and grade your assignments, plus provide constructive and helpful feedback vital to your success.
|Suitability for Self Employment and Small Businesses
|Our courses are ideal for sole traders and small business owners and their staff. Customer confidence in what you can do will determine how successful you are in getting clients. Doing the job right using the correct knowledge and skills, leads to repeat business and referrals to friends, family and work colleagues. Completing one or more of our courses for the service you have to offer, will give you the tools to achieve this and grow your business.
|Recognition of Your Course By Employers
|We aim to achieve the correct balance between your qualification being recognised and providing you with the in-depth learning, to empower you to succeed. If you can demonstrate that you have the level of knowledge and transferable skills necessary to an employer, you should stand out from someone who has only received a superficial understanding of what's required - Select study option A when enrolling, so an employer can check the status of the awarding organisation for your qualification on the Ofqual Register.
|Recognition of Your Course By Universities
|As you will see on our Testimonials page, previous students have used their qualification from us to get into university. However each one will have its own entrance criteria and acceptance may also depend on your other qualifications and experience. We can approach up to three universities on your behalf with details of our course before you enrol, so you will know whether it will be accepted as part of their application process. Please complete our contact form and we will begin the process.
|Designing Your Own Qualification
|Bundle up your choice of related courses to form your own qualification. Our Advanced Certificates (4 courses), Diplomas (6 courses), Advanced Diplomas (8 courses) and Higher Advanced Diplomas (12 courses), are used to differentiate between the in-depth knowledge and skills you will acquire in your chosen area of study. e.g. Advanced Certificate in Turf Care Management, which includes individual courses: Turf Care, Sports Turf Care, Turf Repair and Renovation and Turf Grasses.
|How Can I Enrol?
|Online by selecting your study option, learning materials, plus payment option and then clicking the Enrol Now button - By contacting us for an application form - By telephoning us on 01227 789 649 (International: 0044 1227 789 649). Lines open 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays and between Christmas and New Year.
|How Can I Get a Pro-forma Invoice for my Employer?
|Contact us with details and we will email your employer an invoice. We will need: employer's name, address, telephone number, email address and contact name. We will also require your name, telephone number, email address, date of birth and the course and code you wish to enrol for.
Previous Customer Experiences with our Courses
"Fantastic Teacher. Well organised modules. Assignments force me to learn and research more so I can prepare well for exams. I really enjoyed studying via ADL. I can now continue study at Ulster University which accept my certificate from ADL". Level 4, Advanced Certificate in Applied Science, VSC001, Stanislawa, Poland.
Its with great pleasure I am announcing you my new job as 'Park Manager' for a 5 star hotel in Reunion Island. Its definitely my courses with ADL (Botany, Agronomy and Trees for Rehabilitation) which were decisive for my nomination. Accordingly, my sincere thanks goes to all the ADL team.
"The course was a valuable learning experience as it provided me with the knowledge and understanding for me as a Careers Advisor. The feedback was very good from my tutor, and allowed me to build upon my assignments that were marked. The comments were very informative and very useful. Well written course material." Andrew W, Careers Counselling, UKMore Reviews....
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Small Business
Learning the Contours of franchising
The treadmill is the staple of gyms worldwide but for Contours, the second-largest express workout gym in Australia, there's not one in sight. But the lack of treadmills isn't Contours' only point of difference. Justin Wilshaw, CEO of Contours Australia, says a commitment to customer service and an intimate knowledge of franchise systems helps keep the business in great health and an attraction to the gym-weary.
"We've been so successful because often members of ours have gone to a Fitness First or a full-service gym," Wilshaw explains. "They get really intimidated because they walk in and there's all this equipments, they have no idea how to use any of it!"
Where other gyms lump all the equipment into one large space, Contours works on a 30-minute circuit "with an instructor showing them all the way through how to use the equipment and provide feedback and advice on technique".
"It's a lot more personalised than just joining the gym, going onto the gym floor and then being left to your own devices," says Wilshaw.
Entry into the market
While there are others in the express workout niche, with 140 studios across Australia, Contours has certainly taken a fat piece of market share (with results that show no fat about them).
"Our guiding philosophy … is to be the market leader in women's fitness so we are an express workout – we're not a full-service gym," says Wilshaw.
Brought to Australia by parent company Exto Partners six years ago, Contours has since focused on a commitment to customer service.
"We recognised that there was a need in the marketplace for what we would call an unconditioned lady to have a place where they could workout where they're supported and can achieve their results," says Wilshaw.
In fact, the entire studio concept is tailored to cater to this target market.
"Our customers generally don't like going to your Fitness First where it's very open and the very fit, young people are working out and it's very intimidating. They prefer to come to a place where they get one-on-one support from a trainer, to a place where there's no mirrors and it's a very supportive environment, as opposed to a place where there's competition," he explains.
And, while the company only caters to the fairer sex, Wilshaw says focusing on women's health has boosted, not restricted, their business offering.
"Females and males have vastly different needs as well as wants when it comes to fitness," he says. "It allows us to make sure that our franchisees are very focused on delivering just for what those traditionally time-poor women want in our studios. So we don't think it's restrictive – I think it allows us to be very focused on our target market."
Maintaining a competitive edge
From their major competitor Curves to new 24-hour gyms, Wilshaw recognised increasing saturation in the industry so, 18 months ago, decided to draft a five-year strategic plan to strengthen (and tone) Contours' competitive edge. The changes to the business, inspired by what competitors weren't doing rather than what they were, only furthered their differentiation in the industry.
It was "less about the one-on-one interaction", he says of the competition, "So our competitive advantage has been our service, the service that our people provide in the studios".
The first step in this was to train and develop staff across the board.
"We also took the step 18 months ago of mandating that all of our trainers in our studios have to have Certificate III qualifications in fitness as a minimum. No other express workout chain in Australia requires that of any of their trainers, that they're actually qualified to instruct people in fitness.
"Because we did that we were able to gain membership to Fitness Australia, which is the industry body which represents industry professionals," says Wilshaw. "Again, we're the only express gym in the country that has all of its clubs as Fitness Australia members."
The business also focuses on evolving its offering suit trends at the time.
"We want to make sure that as a brand we stay at the leading edge of women's fitness," says Wilshaw. "We introduced into our fitness offering in the past 12 months group fitness sessions, things like Pilates, yoga and Zumba, and we want to make sure that we stay current and relevant."
Franchising know-how
When it comes to building the franchise's network, Wilshaw is no stranger to franchise management, with 15 years' experience in food franchising before being brought on as CEO of Contours in 2008.
"I remember when I first met my franchisees, I said, 'My past 15 years was in food franchising so I spent 15 years making people fat and now I'm doing my penance!'" he laughs.
"Contours had gone through massive growth – we'd gone from zero to 100 in the space of around three years," says Wilshaw. "I was brought into Contours with the aim of making sure we had the support systems and the structure necessary to grow the business in the future."
Since the expansion, Wilshaw says it has been essential to integrate certain systems into business' franchise model.
"When you've got 140 franchises around the country, you want to make sure your support structures are able to communicate with your franchisees … that your support structures can get feedback on a regular basis and … make sure those same structures are able to train all those franchisees," he says.
Measures such as consistent scorecards to review franchisee performance, monthly cluster meetings and a national marketing fund across all franchisees have helped the business maintain a consistent brand.
The structure of head office is also crucial to maintaining a healthy franchise.
"We put in place a departmentalised head office so that everybody in the office looks after their specific areas of responsibility," he says. "When you have a growing franchise network, in the early years, everybody is sort of a jack-of-all-trades because you are so busy. After a certain period of time, you need to put in place a very clear structure with your support team so that you deliver on your training strategies or operation strategies."
And, with plans to extend the network to 300 studios nationwide, focusing first in Queensland, Wilshaw has a lot to consider in keeping franchisees consistent across the board.
"It's always a very hard thing to do when you're spread so wide around the country," he says. "We conduct regular alignment visits with franchisees to make sure they're attaining to what we call our minimum standard.
"We also conduct with them an annual business review where we review their operations."
Regardless of the industry in which a franchise operates, Wilshaw says there are key points of due diligence to execute to ensure the franchise is a fit and fighting business.
"The first is that your franchise should be a member of the Franchise Council of Australia … because that does let you know that they're serious about being a franchise and a good franchisor," he says.
"Second is to read your disclosure document. It's a critical piece of information that the franchisor in Australia is required by law to give to your franchise and it outlines every single cost that you're likely to incur in the business and who your franchisor is and what the state of their finances is."
"The third thing is to get independent legal and financial advice. I've seen a lot in the past in franchising where people skip that step. They sort of go in there and they do their own due diligence but they don't engage a lawyer and they don't engage an accountant and for the sake of saving two or three thousand dollars, it can really bring them unstuck.
"They're probably the three key things if you're coming into any franchise, regardless of whether it's a gym or a mowing franchise or whatever franchise, it doesn't matter."
With the Contours' brand a well-oiled machine, Wilshaw's commitment to a strong business foundation ensures the franchise is ready for a long run of success.
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How to Manage Pests
UC Pest Management Guidelines
Garden Symphylans
Scientific name: Scutigerella immaculata
(Reviewed 12/13, updated 12/13)
In this Guideline:
Description of the Pests
Garden symphylans, also called garden centipedes, are slender, white arthropods, closely related to insects, about 0.33 inch (8 mm long), with 10 to 12 prolegs and distinct antennae. These fast-moving arthropods live in soil and move up and down in the soil profile in relation to the moisture gradient. After an irrigation they are near the soil surface. As the soil dries, they move deeper. They hide when exposed to light. They occur mainly in soil with high organic matter and especially in organic farms that fertilize with manures.
Garden symphylans may damage seedlings before or after emergence and may slow the growth of larger plants. Damage usually is concentrated in relatively small areas and recurs every season; infestations spread slowly. In recent years symphylans have become serious pests of young, transplanted processing tomatoes in areas of the San Joaquin Valley and lower Sacramento Valley.
This pest usually occurs in relatively small areas and in soils with a high organic matter. Reduce organic matter input and monitor known trouble spots to determine the need for spot treatments.
Cultural Control
Organically Acceptable Methods
Cultural control is an organically acceptable management tool. Limited research has shown no significant control by organic soil amendments or essential oils.
Monitoring and Treatment Decisions
Research from other areas of the country indicates that symphylans can be detected with bait trapping. Either carrots or potatoes can be used as bait. Cut the bait in half longitudinally and scratch the cut surface just before placing it on the soil to ensure that the surface is moist. Place the bait at a depth where the soil is moist, and cover it with a plastic cup to exclude light and prevent the soil from drying. Use at least a dozen bait traps in the field. After 2 to 5 days, examine the cut surface and the soil upon which it was resting for evidence of symphylans. If they are detected, consider applying a pesticide.
Infested soil can be treated with an insecticide, but its effect is limited because of the symphylan's ability to migrate deep into the soil. Insecticides may help in giving the plants a chance to establish their roots in a protected zone. Treat for symphylans just before planting. Spot treatments may be adequate.
UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Tomato
Insects and Mites
E. T. Natwick, UC Cooperative Extension, Imperial County


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Feng Shui, Cohasset, MA
To indulge in a Chinese Buffet
In Cohasset, south of Boston, you find Feng Shui, serving a range of different chinese meals, and a good Chinese lunch buffet. We went there, and left very content, at a price of only $20.
Location: BB
The location, in a small mall, outside Cohasset, may make it difficult to find for others than the locals. For those of you, that want to eat in a more beautiful setting, you are adviced to seek out a restaurant in the charming towns of Cohasset, Hingham, or Scituate.
Atmosphere: BBB
You do not visit the Feng Shui to expect to enjoy your food in an authentic Chinese atmosphere. In style, it is clean and simple, with just a few chinese decorative pieces around. No fancy table settings, different plates, forks and knives. This might be charming, but here it was not.
Service: BBB
The service is was in general good, but I and my cousin had some problems to understand what the waiter said. When arriving, at 12.15 PM, the buffet was not ready, so we had to wait for the food to arrive. We were, in a period, left in some confusion, by the staff, when we would be allowed to start to eat.
Food: BBBBB
I love these buffets, as you are allowed to pick from so many different Chinese and Japanese dishes. There are dumplings, deep fried meats with batter, noodle dishes, woked vegetables and also sushi and sashimi. And it all tastes great!!It is a pity, really, that you do not have more room. When you come to Feng Shui, you come here for the food!! And do as I do, order a cold Chinese beer - Tsingtao, with it.
Price: BBBBB
$20 a piece - very inexpensive for such a good meal!!
Feng Shui - overall score: BBBB- (3,6)
Adress: 380 Chief Justice Cushin
Cohasset, MA
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Feng Shui, Cohasset, MA
Posted by Tor Johnsen at 2:49 PM
Labels: bars and restaurants


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Bharti Airtel09.23.09, 07:00 PM EDT
World's fifth-biggest cell phone company extends its Fab 50 streak to three years.
|Previous: Bharat Heavy Electricals
|Next: BHP Billiton
Industry: Technology--telecom svcs
Country: India
Country: India
|Market Value
|Forward P/E
|5 yr avg ROC1
|Price to Sales
|EPS Growth Est2
|Dividend Yield
World's fifth-biggest cell phone company extends its Fab 50 streak to three years. Net operating income has grown at a 61%-a-year pace for five years. And it can boast that it's likely the world's lowest-cost producer of voice minutes, an advantage that scares off new competitors. With its network now covering 82% of the country, the company is expected to cut back its massive capital expenditures and set off a gusher of free cash flow. Some of that cash is earmarked for its contentious $14 billion bid for 49% of South Africa's MTN Group; MTN would in turn buy 36% of Bharti for $10.5 billion. Founder and Chairman Sunil Mittal was worth $7.7 billion as of February.
|Previous: Bharat Heavy Electricals
|Next: BHP Billiton
|Sort List By:
Company | Country | Market Value | Sales | Industry
All figures are in U.S. dollars. Market value as of Sept. 15.
1 - Annualized
2 - Annualized; projected over next three to five years.
3 - Combined market value for BHP Billiton Ltd. and BHP Billiton Plc. (a dual-listed company with headquarters in Australia and the U.K.) Price to sales, estimated P/E and yield are for BHP Billiton Ltd.
4 - Three-year figure.
NA - Not available
NM - Not Meaningful
Sources: Interactive Data, LionShares, Thomson IBES and Worldscope via FactSet Research Systems;.
Intelligent Investing | Data | Knowledge | Insight | Wisdom


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If you haven't been in hibernation over the last few years, you ought to be well aware of the incredible changes the world has undergone. How we work, operate, live and even think has been transformed by the power of a constantly connected mobile and "social" world. These changes have affected nearly every discipline and the ways in which they operate and interact, from designers to product managers, marketers and leadership alike.
Traditional Marketing Communications Theory holds a hierarchy of effects that illustrates the consumer progressing along the following logical path and resulting in full product immersion for the consumer: 1. Awareness. 2. Interest. 3. Evaluation. 4. Trial. 5. Adoption. 6. Reinforcement. 7. Advocacy.
How has the increased focus on technology and the ever-faster evolution and affordances of the consumer impacted this traditional approach? The truth is that in the past you would see an advertisement (a poster or a TV commercial once TV's came around). You would become interested in the product so you would go to the store or call a number, at which point you would be confronted with an actual person who would bring home the sale. After making your purchase, whether you had an enjoyable or a negative experience, you would pass on this information to anyone you met, be they a family member or friend, to a next door neighbor or even a stranger buying a similar product. In this way it is clear that word of mouth has always been a primary marketing tool, but the difference today is that the medium is now instantaneous and much more far-reaching, traversing time zones and oceans in a split second. No sooner are you unhappy with a product or service than everyone will know about it with the simple click of a "thumbs down" or a post of an image.
Given this reality, there are a couple of core considerations that should affect your marketing approach today, as there is an increase in the amount of factors to think about, as well as the interaction and balance between them. The golden rule to help you achieve success is to always keep in mind the reach and accessibility of all that you say and do.
Consumers are Moving more Rapidly to Trial
With "computing everywhere", people are always connected. It is always possible to download that latest application or to find out the "truth" about a company, product or service you might be interested in. This has led to a trend where consumers are moving rapidly to trial - the first three traditional stages are completed in much less time than your carefully planned focus would have preferred before. This doesn't mean that you do not need to plan for awareness and interest - more that you need to understand how quickly a consumer will now want to and expect to trial your product. These dynamics have even spilled over to Enterprise. Before, we would all submit an RFP and some lucky contestant would get selected. Now, customers expect to be able to try-before-they-buy - they expect to be able to see and interact with an experience before making their decision. Proof of concepts and cost-free demos are no longer just for the latest start-up application; they have become an expectation - even on established contracts and Enterprise accounts.
With a new speed to trial, instant gratification is a must. Your consumers will need to emotionally connect and recognize the value in your product or service very quickly. In a departure from the traditional hierarchy, extraneous variables mean that these early stages can no longer be "controlled" by the offering agent. Now, consumers will need to experience that value for themselves.
Advocacy has Bumped up the Chain
Advocacy, once the end of the chain and the sign of true success, can now easily occur at almost any stage in the marketing process. After a customer becomes aware of your product, they could share their awareness instantly, along with whichever slant they see fit, with a simple update to their social media. The Marketer today needs to understand how the evolving Marketing Mix can be used for various outcomes. They need to know exactly how to maximize interest and engagement through newer digital and physical mediums, as well more traditional approaches.


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Agridorn was a planet in the Agridorn system of the Colonies region. During the latter days of the Galactic Republic, Agridorn was represented in the Senate by Rhya Taloon, who pledge her world's support to the Republic at the start of the Clone Wars. When the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, Senator Taloon fled into the depth of Coruscant to avoid assassination. Despite her efforts she was discovered to be a member of the Erased and was executed by stormtroopers.
- The Last of the Jedi: Underworld (First mentioned)
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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The paralegal profession is made up of people with all types of legal experience and educational backgrounds. There are many different ways to become a paralegal, which makes it possible for many people to pursue a career as a paralegal. Just as the people within the profession vary widely, so too do the options for paralegal schools. According to the American Bar Association, there are over 1,000 institutions across the United States which offer paralegal educational programs. Paralegal programs are offered by community and junior colleges, four-year colleges and universities, online schools, and business schools. The wide variety of paralegal schools available gives the potential paralegal student a lot of options to choose from. It also increases gives you added convenience and flexibility in your efforts to obtain a degree.
Choosing Your Paralegal School
Once decided that attending paralegal school is your next step, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the amount of choices you have for schooling. When weighing one school against another, there are many important things to consider. The list below includes some of the factors you may wish to consider.
- Admission requirements: some schools require a high school diploma, minimum GPA, or prerequisite courses.
- Type of degree offered: Different paralegal schools offer different degrees including certificates, associates, bachelor's, or master's degrees
- Length of Program: The time it takes to complete a program will depend upon the school and program type
- Online or In-Person: Some schools offer classes solely online while other require in-person attendance
- ABA Approval: Paralegal schools can voluntarily seek approval of the American Bar Association, while not necessary, it does provide assurance that the school will provide a quality relevant paralegal education
- Graduation Requirements: These vary between programs, but it may be helpful to consider the types of courses required. Some schools also require students to complete an internship before graduation
- Graduation Rate and Job Placement Statistics: While these statistics do not guarantee you a diploma or a job, it can help to attend a program with a high student success rate
With over 1,000 options available for paralegal education, it is important to identify which factors are most important to you so that you can find the best program that will help you succeed as a student.
Paralegal Schools Online
One of the most convenient and more affordable ways to pursue a paralegal degree is through an online paralegal school. Taking classes online can be especially helpful for the working professional who is pursuing a paralegal degree, as he or she can continue working during the day and take classes online during evenings and weekends. There are online programs available for paralegal certificates, paralegal associates degrees, and paralegal bachelor's degrees.
There are different types of online courses. Some courses are faculty led, meaning that the pace is set by the instructor. These courses will have specific deadlines for exams and assignments. They may also include some live discussions or lectures, and may be a bit less flexible than self-paced courses. In a self-paced course, the material is available to you at your own pace. You watch lectures, complete, assignments, and take tests as you are able, and complete the course within your own timeline. Some paralegal schools offer both types of classes. It is important to discuss what will be expected of you with a representative from an online school before you enroll. If you are unable to participate in online discussions at certain times in the day, a school with more self-paced courses may be right for you. On the other hand, if you have trouble keeping yourself motivated to do your schoolwork, faculty-led courses may be more beneficial.
The convenience of online paralegal school is a very important factor. If you have a computer and reliable internet access, you have the tools you need to pursue an online paralegal degree. Online schools are especially useful if you have full-time commitments during the day such as work or family care and are unable to attend on-campus classes. Online paralegal schools all have differing application and enrollment requirements, so it is important to look carefully into what is required for your school of choice before making a final decision.
For more information about online paralegal schools and certification please visit "Online Paralegal Certificate."
Types of paralegal degrees
Unlike attorneys, paralegals are not required to obtain a certain degree or pass a standardized test in order to work. Paralegals are able to obtain differing levels of education and several different types of degrees. Paralegal educational programs can take as little as 9 months (for paralegal certification) to as long as 4 or more years (for bachelor's and master's programs).
Certificate: The quickest paralegal education program to complete is usually the paralegal certification program. These programs are geared towards individuals who have completed a two or four year degree in the past in any field. They are designed to quickly provide the basics of a paralegal education in order to help someone gain the necessary education to begin the journey towards a career as a paralegal. They can be obtained through online education as well as through some community and junior colleges or business schools.
Associates Degree: Another possible option for paralegal school is an associates degree. These degrees are traditionally set up for a two year time-frame until complete. These are a good option if you do not have any prior college education and would like to finish more quickly than the typical four years. Assocaites degrees are offered online and on campus at many different schools.
Bachelor's Degree: A Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies or Legal Studies is a good degree to obtain if you are interested in becoming a paralegal and also have the time and resources to complete your four-year degree. A Bachelor's degree can offer more in-depth study into various legal fields and also provides opportunity to take a wide variety of classes.
Master's Degree: For students who have already completed an undergraduate degree in any field and who are interested in gaining more advanced paralegal knowledge, a Master's Degree in Paralegal Studies, Legal Studies, or Legal Administration may be of interest. A master's degree can provide the opportunity for more specialization in a particular legal field and can also give you a more competitive edge in the job market.
For more in-depth discussion of the different types of paralegal degrees available please refer to "Paralegal Studies".
How long is paralegal school?
As mentioned above, the length that it takes you to complete your paralegal schooling program depends on many different factors. For instance, a paralegal certificate can be obtained in as little as 9 months. If you decided to obtain your bachelor's degree and then continue on to get a master's degree, it could take as long as a combined 6 years. The length of time will also vary depending on how much time you have to devote to schoolwork. It will go more quickly if you are doing full-time school while part-time programs will take longer. In the end, it depends on your resources, how much time you have available, whether you are schooling online or on-campus, and what type of degree you are working towards.
What is ABA Approval?
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary professional organization made up of lawyers, law students, and other legal professionals. The ABA has established its own set of guidelines for paralegal programs to "promote high standards of quality for the education of paralegals." ABA approval is voluntary and not required in order for a school to offer paralegal instruction. Paralegal schools may seek ABA approval as a way to distinguish themselves from other schools and as a way to show that they offer a quality educational program. Just because a program does not have ABA approval does not make it a program of lesser quality because seeking ABA approval is completely voluntary on the part of the institutions which do so.
Paralegal Certificate vs. Certified Paralegals
One of the more common confusions when describing a paralegal's status and education is confusing the difference between a certified paralegal and a paralegal certificate. A paralegal certificate verifies that a student has completed a particular paralegal education program. A certified paralegal is someone who has taken and passed a specific paralegal certification exam offered by several different paralegal associations around the country. Taking this is exam is completely voluntary and is not required to be a paralegal; it is simply a secondary validation of a paralegal's knowledge and education.


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Dial A Dump Industries (DADI) is one of the leading waste management service providers in New South Wales.
Over the last 10 to 15 years, the availability of recycled aggregates has become wide spread throughout Sydney. Apart from cost savings, the recycled version also provides excellent environmental benefits.
Conveniently located just beyond were the M4 meets the M7 the Genesis Landfill is one of the largest in Sydney. The Genesis Facility as well as housing Australia's most sophisticated C&D recycling Plant the integrated recycling it also is one of the largest Landfills in Sydney.
Our world class recycling centre and landfill in Eastern Creek NSW is easy to get to via the M4 and M7 motorways
We are located at:
GENESIS RECYCLING and LANDFILL
Honeycomb Drive via
Wonderland Drive and Wallgrove Road
Get Directions:


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When you are in an unhappy or loveless marriage, you have two ways to deal with the situation: attempt to save it or let go of the relationship. While the former seems ideal for many couples, this is not the best choice in most situations. Sometimes, choosing divorce is better for both parties, as it stops ongoing emotional harm.
The thing with troubled marriages is that it encourages a masquerade from both sides. You may want to look okay in front your kids and others, even though you are angry or hurting inside. Divorce attorneys in Long Island, NY note that this requires maintaining a substantial amount of energy, which can lead to exhaustion, sadness, hopelessness, as well as physical and mental stress.
No Love at Home
Lonely relationships are also toxic, as the absence of love fills the home with enough tension. The kids may not fully understand what is going on now, but they will eventually found out the mom and dad are not on good terms. Also, if you and your spouse tell kids that everything is fine, even though it is apparently not, they may stop trusting you.
The Children Suffer
Staying in a bad marriage may also cause children to fear commitment when they get older. There is also a high possibility that they'll enter short-term relationships and avoid long-term ones or settling down. Children with unhappy parents or family may also feel sad often and engage in risky behaviors. This is especially true when they see mom and dad fighting all the time.
You Know Better than Others
For some family and friends, divorce may seem a shortsighted decision. Others may even convince you to do everything you can to fix the marriage. While their intentions are good, you know better than they do. Trying to put up with an unhappy or soul-killing marriage can only lead to lower levels of health and happiness. Some even experience high levels of psychological distress.
Ending a marriage is sad and heartbreaking. If you honestly believe that your relationship is not worth saving, contact a reliable divorce attorney. This is to help you with the process of marriage dissolution and protect your rights and of your children.


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dominique young unique - "hot girl (mike busse remix)" (download)
Check out 17-year old Florida rapper Dominique Young Unique. She's been recording since she was 12, starting off with fellow Floridians Yo Majesty. Check out this awesome remix by Mike Busse of Brothers Backword, and while you're at it, pick up the Hot Girl EP via the link below.