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What happens the person who's usually the interviewee borrows your fancy digital recorder and becomes the interviewer? What happens when your Mom goes across the country and will see someone you've been wanting to interview for, like forever? Do you say, Okay Mom, please ask these questions. Oh, and would you record it? How do you make using the recorder as simple as possible? Will it work out?
The other week, my Mom went from West Coast to East Coast to attend her 60th high school reunion. I loaned her my easiest-to-use recorder with some very basic instruction. And hoped for the best.
Background: The stories I want to hear
My gradmother worked for the General Electric Company twice—in the 1920s before her children were born, and again from 1941 until she retired in 1966. The person I've wanted to interview—a woman whose initials are NF—was mentored by my grandmother. They both worked in an industry where women professionals were A Rare Thing.
Here's something else that's important: Grandma lived on the other side of the country.
I only have a few memory snapshots of her, from a visit East when I was a pre-schooler, and from a visit Grandma took west when my younger brother was born (I was 5?).
Grandma died a few months before I turned 8. Other than those few mental snapshots, everything I know about her is second-hand.
I want to hear stories of that time. I want to know a bit more what my grandmother was like as a professional. I've wanted to interview NF forever. (Well, it seems like forever. I noted it at the beginning of 2006.)
A few days before Mom left on her trip, I learned that she and her brother would be staying at NF's house.
Wow. Say it backwards: Wow.
I called Mom, asked, "May I get my recorder to you so you can maybe interview NF when you're there?" Mom said "Yes." (I love my mother!)
Great! How will I make it so that my Mom, who's not adept in the ways of digital gadgets, can use my recorder? Although Mom grew up in a household headed by two engineers, she's not the type to tinker with gadgets. She's computer averse. (Plus, she has five children to do her digital bidding for her.)
Over the next day and some, I created a little how-to guide for her to use my Marantz PMD 620 portable recorder.
The beauty of that recorder is that it uses one-button recording. Power it up, press the Record button. Boom! You are now now recording. It's that simple. (I have lost important conversations by using recorders that require you to press the record button twice—first time to get ready to record, then again to actually START recording. No way would I put a press-twice recorder into my Mom's hands.)
Just the
facts essentials, ma'am
I pondered what is the minimum need-to-know info for using the recorder.
- How to power it on.
- How to start recording
- and stop recording.
- How to change the memory card (if you fill up the 4GB memory card inside—over 6 hours' recording capacity).
- How to use headphones to listen to the sound quality.
I illustrated everything (except headphones—I'd show her that in person). Large color photos. Very very basic text. What to do, and what results look like.
A little tripod, a little camera, a little time in Photoshop and InDesign (photo editing and page layout software), and I printed out the guide. You see my guide here—click to enlarge the photos. That's the advantage of having a daughter with a background in graphic design and instructional tech writing: Personalized production documentation for an audience of one!*
Then I wrote a letter to NF introducing myself, for Mom to take along. Also a letter to my uncle (I've owed him a letter since, well, June.) The other thing I included was a list of questions for Mom to ask.
Learning New Stuff: Show and Try
I drove an hour away to Mom's, taking the kit with the recorder and accessories, the printed guide, and the letters.
I was only able to take Mom through the first two of the three steps of Learning Something New:
- Watch someone else do it
- Do it yourself while someone coaches you
- Try it on your own
It's risky to do steps 1 and 2 only, because Mom would be doing Step 3 when it mattered the most. No opportunity for mistakes.
I knew this whole undertaking was a long shot. Many things could go wrong.
One notable moment. I said, "Mom, plug the headphones into here where it says PHONES, and listen as we're recording this test."
"Oh!" she said. Surprised.
Yes, it's a good idea to listen to the recorder to see how it works. It's a good idea to see what happens when you tap the table and handle the recorder itself, and hear it live. When you look at it from the outside, you don't know what it's picking up. But when you listen in the headphones, you get "inside" the recorder and hear what it's hearing.
Greater living through lowered expectations
I showed her my list of questions and said, "Don't feel as though you need to read questions off this piece of paper. I wrote these out so you'd know the kind of things I'm looking for."
And then, once the recorder was put in her suitcase, we went to the store and bought her a digital camera. Hooray! A digital camera. And yet, oh dear. Two brand new digital gadgets at the same time. My Mom is a very smart person, but techno-gadgets just aren't her thing. That's a steep all-at-once learning curve. Plus, when she gets there, the talking and visiting is more important.
I spent the week with fingers crossed.
A couple of days ago, I picked Mom up from the airport. While driving from the airport, she told me about her trip, the visit with her brother, with NF, with her high school classmates, with my brother, who lives on the east coast.
She told me about the wonderful time she had. She recounted an oh-so-brief story that NF told her about Grandma. Oh, excellent! I'll be able to hear it, too.
I asked her how the recording went, and she said, "Oh, it's going to be all over the place. The thing worked and then it didn't work." But she had such a good visit.
Once back at her home, I showed her how to get the photos off her camera. Uploaded them to a photo service so she could get a few prints. Listened a bit to each recording on the Marantz PMD 620—just to identify the speakers.
I've since I listened to the recording that showed such promise (in terms of megabytes). Lots of chit chat about this and that, but it just quit, mid-sentence. Just as the conversation worked its way from this-and-that to Grandmother's sisters.
Ah well.
The questions I have—I still have them. But thanks to this visit, there's a better chance that I'll be able to ask the questions and hear the stories about my grandmother.
Lessons Learned
It's not easy to transfer your own need-to-know obsession to someone else. No matter how well you prepare, your wishes and preparation probably won't take. Motive is important.
There is no substitute for practice using a new gadget before you need to use it live. Allow yourself plenty of time beforehand to do a throwaway recording session. If you rely on someone else to get things set up for you (as Mom did for me), the "Expert" needs to stay hands off, with no talking while the "Learner" tries it out. And probably struggles some.
Was it worth it for me to go to all the trouble for a less-than-stellar result? Absolutely. Abso-freaking-lutely.
UPDATE: If you are interested in this recorder, you can get it at Amazon.com [affiliate link] Marantz PMD620 Handheld SD MP3/WAV Recorder
[Disclosure: No person has paid me to write about this product. The unit I have (and loaned to Mom) was purchased by my significant other.]
*Okay, okay, while I was making this, I thought, Hey! quick eBook guide for download. Interested? Let me know in the comments.
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on September 29, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• How-To
• Personal
3 Comments • Permalink
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Wow your posts are soooooo incredibly detailed and thorough & helpful. We get these types of questions all the time for people not knowing how to start. You shold let us repost soome of these (as you) on the site so even more people can read them (seriously!) I'll do it for you if you approve. Such great info.
Antje, let's talk about this via email. Still wanna do the "whether online or local" discussion I mentioned a long time ago. Rendered all the more interesting since then by cable-access to internet (much faster) and, as of the last day, a very sick computer (which is All Backed Up). So even tho I say "let's talk" I'll make progress slowly until I figure out why my MacPro ails so.
Thank you so much for sharing this story with everyone. You explain so many things that many people who are into genealogy and oral history take for granted. Hopefully you have given many people something to think about.


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This lovely property, built in 1901 is located in the charming hamlet of Ainthorpe, adjacent to the village of Danby.
The hamlet is situated in the very heart of the North York Moors National Park with many attractions close by.
The house has been tastefully extended on the ground floor to provide spacious living, having large through lounge, bright morning room, separate dining room and a beautiful sun room. There are also utility, pantry and wc on this floor, oil fired central heating and double glazing throughout.
The first floor offers three good sized bedrooms. The master bedroom has a stylish contemporary en-suite shower room. The house bathroom has been recently refurbished too and is beautifully appointed with contemporary stylish fixtures and fittings.
On the second floor there are a further three bedrooms all having amazing rural views to the rear across stunning open countryside.
The property is entered to the front over a cattle grid onto a Yorkshire stone driveway which provides extensive off-street parking and leads to a large four car garage which would lend itself to conversion subject to all necessary permissions.
There is a stone out building, the former stable block which has been completely renovated and is currently equipped as a gym.
The whole plot extends to approximately ¾ of an acre and benefits from having delightful Yorkshire stone paths and patios together with a large pond (currently drained) with water feature and barbeque area. There are raised flower and herb beds and large lawn area to the rear all enclosed by beautiful stone walls and surrounded by well manicured common land.
This delightful property is one not to be missed and internal inspection is essential to appreciate the size, quality and location.
For more details contact Bridgfords on 01947 603433.

subset: commoncrawl


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First line: Sing to the LORD, a new song voicing
Tune name: GENEVAN 98
stanzas: 1, 2, 3
Genre: Renaissance
Source: Cantus Christi p136
Composer: Anon, harm. Claude Goudimel, 1564 PD
Author: Dewey Westra, 1931 ©
Singer: Michael E. Owens
Quality: 3
Comments: Taken from www.genevanpsalter.com. Alto and Tenor may vary


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Hay Fever
Hay fever is caused by an allergy to pollen. Common hay fever symptoms are a runny, itchy and/or blocked nose, sneezing and itchy eyes. Common treatments are an antihistamine nasal spray or medicine and/or a steroid nasal spray. Other treatments are sometimes used if these common treatments do not work so well.
What is hay fever?
Pollen is the name given to the fine powder that is produced by plants, trees or flowers to fertilise other plants, trees or flowers of the same species. Strictly speaking, hay fever is caused by an allergy to grass or hay pollens. Grass pollen is the most common cause and tends to affect people every year in the grass pollen season from about May to July (late spring to early summer). However, the term is often used when allergies are caused by other pollens such as tree pollens. Tree pollens tend to affect people from March to May (early to late spring) each year. Other people may be allergic to weed pollens (including nettles and docks). Weeds tend to pollinate from early spring to early autumn.
Symptoms are due to your immune system reacting to the pollen. Cells on the lining of the nose and eyes release chemicals (for example, histamine) when they come into contact with pollen. This causes inflammation in the nose (rhinitis) and eyes (conjunctivitis). Sometimes the sinuses and throat can also be affected.
Hay fever is also called seasonal allergic rhinitis because symptoms tend to occur at the same time, or in the same season, each year.
Who gets hay fever?
Hay fever is very common. It affects about 2 in 10 people in the UK. It often first develops in children of school age and during the teenage years. Symptoms return for a season each year. But, the condition eventually goes away or improves in many cases (often after having had symptoms each season for several years).
Hay fever tends to run in families. You are also more likely to develop hay fever if you already have asthma or eczema. Equally, if you have hay fever, you are more likely to develop eczema or asthma. The conditions asthma, eczema and hay fever are known together as atopic conditions, or atopy. A tendency to atopy can run in families.
What are the symptoms of hay fever?
The symptoms of hay fever can vary from person to person. Some people only have mild symptoms that tend to come and go. Others can be severely affected with symptoms that are present every day during the pollen season:
- Common symptoms – one or two or all of these symptoms may occur. They include:
- A runny nose or a blocked nose.
- An itchy nose. o Sneezing.
- Itchy and watery red eyes.
- An itchy throat.
- Less common symptoms – these include:
- Loss of smell.
- Face pain.
- Sweats.
- Headache.
- Asthma symptoms – such as wheeze and breathlessness, which may get worse if you already have asthma. Some people have asthma symptoms only during the hay fever season. If you have hay fever, you are more likely to develop asthma.
The symptoms may be so bad in some people that they can affect sleep. They may interfere with school and examinations, or interfere with work.
How is hay fever diagnosed?
You doctor can usually diagnose hay fever from your typical symptoms that can occur during the hay fever season. They may also ask if there is a history of hay fever, asthma or eczema in your family.
If hay fever is suspected, your doctor will usually suggest treatment for your symptoms (see below). If the symptoms respond to treatment, this can help to confirm the diagnosis. In rare cases when the diagnosis is in doubt, your doctor may suggest blood tests or skin prick testing to confirm your pollen allergy. Very occasionally, other tests may be needed. Scans or tests to check the airflow through your nostrils may be rarely used to rule out other causes of the symptoms.
Make an appointment
Call our Reception today on 020 8358 7100 to make an appointment with one of our doctors for advice on hay fever.


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6. Angelique Cabral brings something refreshing to the table.
Not only did this Hawaiian native star alongside Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis in the raunchy romantic comedy Friends With Benefits, but she also snagged roles in long-running TV shows like The Mentalist and NCIS: Los Angeles.
If you can't quite place Angelique's face, close your eyes because there's a good chance you might recognize her voice. In addition to her many talents, this beauty also happens to be an accomplished voiceover actress.
On Life In Pieces, Angelique will play Colleen, the woman who Matt Short (Thomas Sadoski) totally has the hots for. There's just one problem—Colleen is stuck in a complicated break-up with her ex-fiancé, played by the incomparable Jordan Peele.


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Holmes Report 19 Jul 2016 // 2:01PM GMT
LONDON—UK supermarket chain Tesco has hired Jane Lawrie as group communications director from 10 October 2016. She will serve on the company's executive committee.
Lawrie has more than 25 years of experience in corporate, financial, colleague and digital communications, joining from Coca Cola, where she leads European public affairs and communications. She has significant experience in trust and corporate reputation, including previous roles at Diageo and Boots the Chemist.
Tesco suffered a crisis year in 2014, when it issued profit warnings, and experienced a CEO transition, an accounting scandal, and accusations that it had mistreated suppliers and employees.
According to Dave Lewis, Tesco group chief executive, "Over the last eighteen months we've made good progress in restoring trust in our brand and our business, and Jane will help to continue this improvement. She has huge expertise and experience, as well as extremely strong values."


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So you guys remember me saying I needed to eat more seaweed in my diet? Well yesterday I went and bought some Clearspring Organic toasted nori sheets. I got a rumbling in my tummy around lunchtime today and I needed to eat – quickly. Like immediately. I was getting hangry (hungry/angry).
I rummaged around my sorry looking fridge and realised I had a stirfry rice medley leftovers from yesterday. I grabbed that, reached for my nori sheets. Then I made a beautiful marriage of leftovers and seaweed. I sloshed on some soy sauce and hot sauce. Rolled it up and BAM! Lunch was served. This was not pretty dainty food. Don't serve this if you are going on a date or trying to impress somebody. It gets real ugly and messy when you are eating these nori rolls. Don't say I didn't warn you 😛
Apologies for no post yesterday, I had a crazy busy day. I didn't even eat dinner until after midnight last night! Mental! I am planning on posting twice today to make up for it, as soon as my dinner is done cooking.
What do you guys put in your nori rolls? I need ideas! Do you make as much mess eating as I do?!
Hope y'all are amazing.
Olivia ♥


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Christina Amestoy, VDP Communications Director
Debate Bingo: Play Along as Phil Scott Brings National Republican Agenda to Vermont
Use VDP Debate Night Bingo Card to #PhilinTheBlanks while Phil Scott pushes his out-of-step agenda in final debate
November 3, 2016
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Scott is using priorities pulled straight from the pages of national Republican playbook as he peddles a plan for Vermont that leaves behind women and the middle class and puts corporations ahead of working families. Just five days from Election Day, Scott has yet to fill out his plans to combat climate change, protect women's healthcare rights, and provide quality education.
"For the election's final debate, voters can use this bingo card to follow along as Phil Scott uses recycled Republican talking points to push his out-of-step agenda in Vermont," said VDP Spokesperson Christina Amestoy. "And since Phil Scott's half-baked agenda leaves so many Vermont communities behind, viewers can #PhilinTheBlanks when Phil fails to mention plans to help hardworking Vermonters. Tonight, every debate viewer is guaranteed to get BINGO when Phil Scott trots out stale national Republican talking points."
As Scott continues to rely on canned Republican talking points to push his half-baked ideas, use this bingo card below to see all the ways that Phil Scott wants to take Vermont backwards.
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Your Custom Text Goes Here
Property partner: Grand Complex Properties / Jones Lang LeSalle.
Site: Level One, Grand Arcade, Willis Street.
Images: Fraser Crichton
A group of artists worked and presented jewellery and object-making together in Grand Arcade, Willis St, inviting the community to pop into their open studio and public workshop. Becoming a loved part of the Grand Arcade's businesses, the group has now gone on to rent another space. The UDB site, which had been vacant for some time previously, is now tenanted again thanks to the life this project brought.


text:
Suddenly MTW stopped inserting my test signatures in my email.
I use Thunderbird.
I have reinstalled MTW with no effect.
On another computer it is working fine.
I am not using any add-ons.
At the same time it DOES correctly insert text into a text editor.
Does anyone have any ideas for a solution? Thanks, Dave
Stpped inserting text in email
Frequently Asked Questions
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Re: Stpped inserting text in email
Run the MTW "as administrator". Right-click on the MTW start menu icon and pick "Run as administrator". In the new version 8.5.0, there is an option to start MTW "as administrator" on Windows startup. This option is in program settings, on "More..." button.
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1


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Increase your feline friend's "cat-mojo" with this solid nylon tunnel that encourages the 'stalking' of their hunting instinct. (Also available: a cool see-through mesh tunnel that allows them to watch the fun from a safe vantage point.)
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- 10" diameter x 35" L (25 x 89 cm)


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Nurses Arena ForumWelcome, Guest: Help / Recent Posts / Search / Login / Register
Stats: 3578 Members, 7837 topics. Date: June 18, 2019, 06:08:27 AM
Nurses Arena Forum / General Category / News / School of Midwifery Minna Rusticates 50 Students Over Poor Academic Performance (893) Views
|School of Midwifery Minna Rusticates 50 Students Over Poor Academic Performance by katty : April 15, 2018, 09:45:25 AM
The School of Midwifery in Minna, Niger, has rusticated 50 students during the 2016/2017 session as a result of academic incompetence.
The Provost of the school, Mrs Aisha Maikudi, disclosed this in an interview in Minna on Wednesday.
She said the students were withdrawn because they were not academically competent to cope with the academic and professional standard of the institution.
Maikudi however noted that the action did not go down well with some parents and guardians as they claimed that their wards finished from the best schools in the country.
"We want parents, guardians and the general public to understand that we cannot cope with incompetence in the midwifery profession as that will be catastrophic.
"Many a time they bombard us with different questions on why should we admit students and withdraw them within a short time.
"It is a situation we cannot help, it is better that we keep complaining that we do not have midwives than to have midwives that do not know their jobs.
"Some of them that were withdrawn could not even read temperature how can we keep such students, that would be against the ethics of midwifery profession and humanity will not forgive us.
"We want the general public to understand that midwifery school is a professional training institution and we are dealing with lives.
"Pregnant women can be carrying multiple pregnancies, any mistake will be multiple tragedy.
"That is why we will not compromise in our standard by keeping students that are not competent,'' she said.
The provost said that the internal screening of students by withdrawing the incompetent ones had helped the school in achieving a success rate of 98 and 100 per cent, respectively.
"As I speak with you 51 students that were presented for the external examination 50 passed, and 21 students that were also presented for the same examination all passed.
She however said that the measure they were taking to withdraw incompetent students had helped a lot in charting a better part for the students, school and the state.
According to her, mass failure at the external examination will have been catastrophic for the school and the state but for the internal screening via the internal examination.
Maikudi therefore called on parents and guardians to believe in the measure they were taking as they had to go by standard via examination to sanitise the system.
She also urged parents and guardians to encourage their children and wards not to compromise their studies, saying that their bright future lies in education. (NAN)
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On October 2016, Umar Faruk Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council
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January 05, 2018, 01:17:45 PM
by katty
#NHEA18: Prof. Omolola Irinoye Wins 2018 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Award
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Do you need to parameterize more demanding safety functions with no prior programming knowledge?
With the engineering software SIRIUS Safety ES, parameterization is easily implemented by dragging and dropping, with prefabricated and certified modules. These include, for example:
Protective door with interlock
Logic and safety applications can also be easily implemented:
The 3SK2 saves wiring compared with cascading solutions that use conventional safety relays. And once the parameters have been set, they can be duplicated any number of times and transferred to other 3SK2 Units.


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Education Planning
- Financial Planning
- Education Planning
Whether your goal is to cover the cost of college or pay for other educational expenses, advanced planning is key to ensuring you have the funds you need. Start early with a defined savings strategy to boost your savings potential and keep ahead of inflation.
529 Plans
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- Anyone can open an account for a beneficiary of their choice; they don't have to be a relative.
- Contribution maximums depend on the plan's specific limit and are subject to the gift tax.
- There are no age or income limitations on contributions or distributions.
There are two types of 529 plans: college savings plans and prepaid tuition plans.
College Savings Plans:
These let you build an education fund within an individual investment account. Money you contribute is invested in one or more specific investment portfolio(s) consisting of a mix of investments (typically mutual funds) chosen and managed by the plan's designated money manager. Navy Federal Financial Group offers college savings plans for each of the 50 states. Returns are not guaranteed.
Prepaid Tuition Plans:
These allow you to lock in today's prices, offering protection from future inflation, and are offered directly through your state. There are two types of plans: unit and contract. Unit plans allow you to purchase a percentage of units or credits and guarantees that the same percentage will be covered in the future. Contract plans (also known as guaranteed interest plans) guarantee a predetermined amount of future tuition expenses in exchange for lump sum or periodic contributions.
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Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
A Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) is a tax-advantaged savings vehicle that lets you save money for the qualified education expenses of a named beneficiary, such as a child or grandchild. These plans allow after-tax contributions of up to $2,000 per student per year for children until their 18th birthday. Contributions can be made by any person. Earnings grow tax deferred, and distributions are tax-free when withdrawn for K-12 or college education expenses prior to the beneficiary's 30th birthday.
Contributions are subject to income limits, and withdrawals are subject to taxes and penalties if the funds aren't used for qualified expenses.
Education Tax Credits
If your child is enrolled in college, your educational expenses may earn you a break when it comes to tax time. There are two education tax credits you may qualify for: the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning credit. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions against taxes owed, making them more favorable than a tax deduction, which only reduces the total income on which your tax is based.
Take advantage of our expert guidance.
Call 1-877-221-8108 or find a financial advisor near you.


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Whether they inspire dread or respect, the Red Devils dominate on their home pitch. This women's home jersey is styled after the one the Old Trafford giants wear. It mixes classic football looks with terrace-inspired details like contrast-colour cuffs.
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- This product is part of the adidas sustainable product program: Products are made in more sustainable ways to make the world a better place; Every fibre counts: Recycled polyester saves resources and decreases emissions
- Regular fit
- 100% recycled polyester interlock


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Three trophies in one year. Not a bad return for the most expensive player in the world. Pogba has answered his critics in some style. While more will still be expected of the midfielder, the French star can be proud of his first year in England. Has the United playmaker improved on his last season in Turin?Today we're asking two Red Devils to give their thoughts on his progress.
Pogba V Pogba: He has improved since last year
By "John R."
Liverpool fans in particular rejoiced at the start of the season. Pogba was only finding his feet but "flop" was shouted out on social media every bloody weekend. Three trophies and qualification to the Champions League later, those same critics are suddenly quiet.
Paul Pogba has been a revelation this season. Let's not forget that this was a team not only in recovery, but also in transition. Mourinho had to pick up the pieces after three disastrous years of mismanagement. Pogba has quite often found himself playing alongside Fellaini in midfield. While I'm actually quite a big fan of the Belgian tank, he's not exactly the most mobile. Therefore, Pogba needs to cover a lot of ground. He's not only put a shift in every week, Pogba has managed to become the focal point of the team.
A long, brutal season
54 games. Add in 10 international games and you'll see why I was so impressed with Pogba's performance against Ajax. His pass percentage completion rate has risen to 85.1% in the league this season. 8 goals and 5 assists does not paint the full picture. United have taken on a defensive shape this season. Mourinho realised that the foundations needed strengthening so made us difficult to break down. In turn, this limited our attacking intent. However, Pogba showed his mettle as well by winning 2.8 aerial battles per game, which was 1 higher than last year.
Serie A is a weaker league
Pogba played for Juventus in what is a one-team league. Roma and Napoli have improved this season, but last year's campaign was a procession for Juve. Compare this to the conditions of the Premier League. All the top sides improved considerably. Nevertheless, Pogba was an ever present in a United side that over achieved. In my opinion, that makes this season a far better one that his last in Turin.
Pogba V Pogba: His last year in Turin was better
By "Damien T"
I do believe that Pogba will become an integral member of the team for years to come. It's also fair to say that we paid too much for him. 85 million pounds is a huge amount of money even in today's game. While I'm relatively happy with his first season at Old Trafford, I do think that his last year in Juventus was even better.
The stats don't lie
In 35 Serie A games during the 2015/2016 season, Pogba scored 8 goals and had 12 assists. Eight times, he was awarded man of the match. This also helped to inflate his transfer fee. Compare those stats to this year's relatively meager offerings. In his eight Champion League outings, he had one goal and two assists to his name. That doesn't tell the full story as he won plaudits for his performances until Bayern knocked Juve out.
European Championships
7 matches in France also helped to put another few million on to his price (his agent did the rest). Pogba excelled in the Euros, dominating the midfield and helping his country to the final. They ultimately lost in brutal fashion to Portugal but Pogba had certified his position as a world star.
Brutal Honesty
I'm delighted with how the season went but I'm not getting carried away. United finished a distant sixth in the league. Ajax showed how lacking in quality the Europa League was with their performance in the final. A League Cup victory was brilliant but not something United supporters dream about. This season was all about making steps in the right direction.
While Pogba had a solid campaign, he was short of sensational. We often struggled against the sides around us and many were left waiting for a moment of inspiration from the French midfielder. It's clear that Pogba is still a work in progress. His stats this year reflect that. Therefore, while I'm content with his first year at Old Trafford, I'm not deluding myself in to thinking that his last year at an all-conquering, Juventus, was not better.
Who do you agree with? Has Pogba's first season in United been an improvement on his last year with Juventus? Let us know by voting below:
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I'm not really sure where this post will go, as it's sort of just a late night phone call to my blog. It's twenty minutes past ten at night and I'm drinking a cup of coffee against my better judgement. Or is it. I have work to do and so I've decided to try getting some of it done tonight. I'm employed at a day job several days per week and still take on the odd freelance project here and there. I'm in a "here and there" right now. Must get some work done on it. And the other couple (unpaid but valuable) projects too. And the increasing number of fiction starts I'm creating. (I'm beginning to tap into some ideas behind the fog. Yay!) I have not enough hours in the day to accommodate my intense love of sleep and get work done. Is there a job out there for a professional sleeper? Is that skill in demand? Probably not, but just in case it is, I'm seriously motivated about sleep. I don't want to brag, but I'm the best sleeper I know. Of course, it's everyone's dream to do what they love for a living isn't it… 😉
Procrastination-driven blogging aside, I'm subjecting Neil to some of my favourite tunes tonight – he is also up late working -¬†and determined to make some progress tonight. I now release you from the reading of my poorly structured, late-night, blog call. Have a nose at my Last.fm profile if you want to see what kind of rubbish I listen to. Over and out.
Technorati Tags: coffee, freelance, regularjen


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2014 Holy Ghost Festa
The 2014 Holy Ghost Festa is coming soon!
May 24th – May 31st at 7:30pm – Rosary held each evening
Friday, May 30th at 6:00pm – Noite de Fados
Saturday, May 31st at 7:00pm – Cacoila dinner, Presentation of the Queens and Dance
Sunday, June 1
- Parade procession – 9:30am
- Mass at St. Joseph's Church at 11:00am
- Sopas (1st feeding) at 11:00am
- Sopas (2nd feeding) at 1:00pm
- Auction at 2:00pm
- Sopas (3rd feeding) at 8:00pm (after auction)
- Dancing after dinner
The Elk Grove SES Hall is located at 10428 E Stockton Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95624.Read More
The Portuguese Kids Live!
The Portuguese Kids make their debut in Elk Grove! Join us for a night of comedy and culture as we highlight the funnier side of growing up Portuguese!
When: Saturday, June 9th, Doors open at 6:30pm
Where: Elk Grove SES Hall, 10427 E. Stockton Blvd
Cost: $35 for dinner & entertainment (steak or chicken)
For tickets call Adriana Melo (209-327-4339), Marlene Pacheco (209-625-6611), or Sandy Melo (209-224-7654).
18+ EVENTRead More
New Years Eve Party
Annual New Years Eve PartyRead More
Christmas Party
SES Council #76 Annual Christmas PartyRead More
Council Meeting
SES Council #76 MeetingRead More
Festa Da Contas
Festa Da Contas DinnerRead More


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Short Films
Comedy (2009) Written & Directed by Claude El Khal. Produced by Zoé Productions. Starring: Stéphane Tellier, Karim Ghorayeb. DOP: Marc Karam. Editor: Sebastien Leclercq. Music: Khaled Mouzanar
Full of enthusiasm and hope, a young Lebanese filmmaker, script in hand, knocks on the door of an "international" producer to pitch his film project.
Psychological Drama (2004) Written & Directed by Claude El Khal. Starring: Sandra Chidiac, Laya Rahman. DOP : Muriel Aboulouss. Editor : Rania Ghosn.
"The title Beau Rivage is taken from the name of the hotel that served from the late 80s and until 2005, as the Syrian intelligence headquarters in West Beirut (...) Beau Rivage offers a haunting and evocative metaphor." (from CinemaEast Film Festival New York)
Black Comedy (1998) Written & Directed by Claude El Khal. Starring: Jon Whiting, Tessa Brown, Peter Karl Burgess, Christopher Joseph John, Lawrence Belgrave, Georgia Zaris.
Georges & Junior are following a young woman carrying a suitcase. They are planning to kill her and record the murder on their camcorder. But...
I chose to only feature here this Al Arabiya campaign because I believe it to be my best work as a commercials director, and also because it was shot in Cairo during the Arab Spring. It was indeed "History in the Making". A very emotional experience.


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Startups Weekly: Will Trump ruin the unicorn IPOs of our dreams?
The government shutdown entered its 21st day on Friday, upping concerns of potentially long-lasting impacts on the U.S. stock market. Private market investors around the country applauded when Uber finally filed documents with the SEC to go public. Others were giddy to hear Lyft, Pinterest, Postmates and Slack (via a direct listing, according to the latest reports) were likely to IPO in 2019, too. Unfortunately, floats that seemed imminent may not actually surface until the second half of 2019 — that is unless President Donald Trump and other political leaders […]Read more


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Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Thursday asked mobile phone operators to adjust immediately the prices of internet packages in line with the reduced value-added tax rate.
The government in the budget for the fiscal year of 2018-2019 reduced VAT on internet to 5 per cent from 15 per cent with a view to making internet more affordable.
Mobile phone operators were supposed to implement the reduced VAT rate immediately after the issuance of statutory regulatory order by the National Board of Revenue on June 28 this year in this regard.
In line with the budget decision and subsequent SRO of the NBR, the telecom regulator on Thursday again asked the operators to adjust their internet-package prices as the operators were still collecting 15 per cent VAT from the customers on internet bills, an official of the commission told New Age.
The commission in its letter also mentioned that the commission, after the budget, asked the operators twice to adjust the internet prices but the operators refrained from implementing the BTRC instructions.
The commission in its first letter asked all the telecom operators to adjust internet prices by July 6.
In the second letter, the mobile companies were asked to adjust the prices within July 12 but the mobile phone operators took no heed to the commission's instruction.
The mobile operators, however, informed the commission that they were in talks with the NBR about whether the reduced rate would be applicable for the internet use through mobile phones.
The BTRC official also said that the commission might follow legal procedure against the telecom companies if they continued to disobey the BTRC instruction.
Meanwhile, the BTRC has also issued letters to the internet service providers instructing them to implement the reduced rate.
Following the instruction from the telecom regulator, the Internet Service Providers Association Bangladesh on Wednesday announced that the members of the association decided to adjust internet prices in line with the reduced VAT rate with effect from July 1, ISPAB general secretary Emdadul Haque told New Age.
He, however, said, 'Internet service providers will be in deep trouble if VAT waiver [previously enjoyed by the ISPs] is fully withdrawn.'
Earlier, on July 5, the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh secretary general and chief executive officer TIM Nurul Kabir at a press briefing said, 'First of all, we did not seek partial reduction of VAT on internet; rather the mobile phone operators requested the government to waive VAT fully on internet usage.'
Although the government has reduced VAT on internet usage, but it would not be possible for the operators to bring down internet prices due to an increase in cost burden on the mobile phone operators, he said.
The operators would deprive of VAT rebate under the existing taxation rules that would subsequently increase the cost of providing internet services by the mobile phone operators, Kabir said.
Under the new rules, the operators would not get the rebate on the VAT paid for purchasing inputs for providing internet services through their network, he said.
Kabir also said that they had sought clarification from the NBR whether or not the reduced VAT rate on internet uses would be applicable for the internet usage by the customers through the mobile phone operators as the NBR circular specifically mentioned 'internet organisation' under service code 12.14 and the mobile phone operators did not lie under the code and did not have internet-service providing licences.
'Due to the confusion, the mobile phone operators continue collecting usual VAT rate from their customers on internet usage,' he said.
NBR officials, however, said that the mobile phone operators would be treated as internet organisation under the definition mentioned in the statutory regulatory order issued by the revenue board.
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text: We understand that all of our organizations benefit our community. That's why we offer a checking option that earns interest and can be absolutely free. All you have to do to waive the $10 monthly service fee — and earn interest — is maintain a minimum balance of $1,000. Keep more dollars; do more good! Let's work together to build something special. Please contact us to schedule a meeting to customize the right package for you.


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Merck buying Schering-Plough for $41.1 billion
TRENTON, N.J. — Merck & Co. is buying Schering-Plough Corp. for $41.1 billion in a deal that gives Merck key new businesses, access to a promising pipeline of new products and the chance to further cut costs, including eliminating about 16,000 jobs.
Merck hopes the cash-and-stock deal helps it better compete in a drug industry facing slumping sales, tough generic competition and intense pricing pressures.
The deal announced Monday would unite the maker of asthma drug Singulair with the maker of allergy medicine Nasonex and form the world's second-largest prescription drug maker. Merck and Schering are already partners in a pair of popular cholesterol fighters, Vytorin and Zetia, although concerns about safety and effectiveness have hurt sales.
The deal comes only a few weeks after Lipitor maker Pfizer Inc. agreed to pay $68 billion for drug maker Wyeth.
Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose told The Associated Press that company anticipates eventually having 15 percent fewer employees in the combined company — about 16,000 fewer jobs.
The deal also would let Merck do the same thing Pfizer is trying to do with its acquisition: diversifying into a more broad-based health care company.


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Governor S C Jamir and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik releases two commemorative coins of Rupees 100 and Rupees 5 denomination, as part of birth centenary celebrations of former chief minister of Orissa Biju Patnaik, at a function organised by Information and Public Relation (I&PR) department at Jayadev Bhavan Bhubaneswar on 5th march, 2016. Among others Tourism and Culture minister Ashok Panda, Health minister Atanu Sabya Sachi Nayak, MP Prassana Patasani, MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, Bijay Mohany and secretary of I & PR department were also present during the programme.
Bijayananda Patnaik, popularly known as Biju Patnaik (5 March 1916 – 17 April 1997) was an politician and Chief Minister of Odisha for two terms.
He was educated at Ravenshaw College in Odisha but due to his interest in aviation he dropped out and trained as a pilot. At the start of the Second World War he joined the Royal Indian Air Force eventually becoming head of air transport command.
Biju Patnaik met with Jawaharlal Nehru during his participation in Indian freedom struggle and became one of his trusted friends. Nehru viewed the freedom struggle of the Indonesian people as parallel to that of India, and viewed Indonesia as a potential ally. When the Dutch attempted to quell Indonesian independence on 21 July 1947, President Sukarno ordered Sjahrir, the former prime minister of Indonesia, to leave the country to attend the first Inter-Asia Conference, organised by Nehru, in July 1947 and to foment international public opinion against the Dutch. Sjahrir was unable to leave as the Dutch controlled the Indonesian sea and air routes. Nehru asked Biju Patnaik, who was adventurous and an expert pilot, to rescue Sjahrir. Biju Patnaik and his wife flew to Java and brought Sultan Sjahrir out on a Dakota reaching India via Singapore on 24 July 1947. For this act of bravery, Patnaik was given honorary citizenship in Indonesia and awarded the 'Bhoomi Putra', the highest Indonesian award, rarely granted to a foreigner. In 1996, when Indonesia was celebrating its 50th Independence Day, Biju Patnaik was awarded the highest national award, the 'Bintang Jasa Utama'.
Shortly after independence Pakistani tribesman invaded Kashmir and at Nehru's request he helped airlift the first Indian soldiers into Srinagar. Biju Patnaik piloted the first plane that left Palam Airport at Delhi on 27 October 1947 at dawn and landed at Srinagar Airport in the early morning. He brought 17 soldiers of 1-Sikh regiment commanded by Lt.Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai
Patnaik's political ideals were centred in socialism and federalism. His strong advocacy for equal resources to all Indian states who needed such, made him a champion of his Oriya constituents.
In 1946 Patnaik was elected uncontested to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from North Cuttack constituency. In 1952 and 1957 he won from Jagannath Prasad and Surada, respectively. In 1961 he assumed the presidency of the state Congress. Under his leadership, the Congress Party won 82 of 140 seats and Patnaik (representing Chowdwar constituency) became the chief minister of Odisha on 23 June 1961 and remained in the position until 2 October 1963 when he resigned from the post under the Kamaraj Plan to revitalise the Congress party. He was the Chief Minister of Odisha at the age of 45.
Patnaik was close to Indira Gandhi who took over the Congress Party in 1967. However, they clashed in 1969 over the Presidential election. He left the Congress and formed a regional party; the Utkal Congress. In the 1971 assembly poll, his party did reasonably well. Patnaik then re-established contact with his old friend Jayaprakash Narayan and plunged into the JP movement as it picked up momentum in 1974. When the Emergency was declared in 1975, Biju Patnaik was one of the first to be arrested along with other opposition leaders.
He was released in 1977. Later, in the same year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Kendrapara and became Union minister for steel and mines in both the Morarji Desai and the Charan Singh governments until 1979. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha again in 1980 and 1984 from Kendrapara as Janata Party candidate despite the Congress wave in 1984 following Indira Gandhi's death. With the Congress defeat in 1989, he bounced back into the political limelight. However, after playing a key behind-the-scenes role in manoeuvring V.P.Singh to the Prime Minister's post, he again chose to go back to Odisha, and prepared for the assembly election. In 1990 state assembly election, the Janata Dal received a thumping majority (two third assembly seats) which saw Biju Patnaik being the Chief Minister of Odisha for the second time until 1995.
He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Cuttack and Aska constituencies as a Janata Dal candidate. He retained the latter until his death on 17 April 1997 of cardio-respiratory failure.
Details of coins:
Mint: India Government Mint, Kolkata (A Unit of Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd.)
Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the center with the legend Satyamev Jayate and Denomination 100/ 5 along-with Rupee Symbol below.
Portrait of Dr. Biju Patnaik with the inscription "Biju Patnaik Birth Centenary" in English and Devnagari and year 1916-2016 be inscribed below the portrait.
Denomination : Rs. 100
Metal : Quaternary Alloy (Silver 50 %, Copper 40 %, Nickel 5 % & Zinc 5 %)
Weight : 35 gms
Diameter : 44mm
Shape : Circular
Edge : Milled (200 Serration)
Denomination : Rs. 5
Metal : Nickel-Brass
Weight : 6gm
Diameter : 23mm
Shape : Circular
Edge : milled


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Budding young chefs showed off their culinary skills as the Melton Mowbray Rotary Clubs recently held their annual Young Chef Competition for local secondary schools.
Twenty aspiring young cooks, under the eagle eyes of the judges, whisked, chopped and baked enthusiastically to produce a healthy two course meal.
The judges were joined this year by Martin Furlong, head chef at Stapleford Park Country House Hotel.
The winners, Emily Dawson (Long Field Academy) and Bryony Marshall (Belvoir High School), together with the runners-up will receive a couple of sessions of fine dining coaching at the hotel and a fine dining lunch as their reward.
Emily and Bryony will also compete in the Rotary Young Chef District Final in Leicester in early 2016.


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David Shearer interviewby Fiona Rae
The new Labour leader says his party is ready for a change, but does that include confronting the union muscle within the party?
David Shearer's holiday surfing tan had barely begun to fade this week when he stood up at Ratana Pa to begin the long process of regenerating the Labour Party's relationship with Maoridom. It was his first major public appearance in a year in which he has set himself a big task: the remaking of the country's oldest political party. Labour, more than after its last electoral thrashing in 2008, seems humbler and more ready for self-examination, and Shearer says his elevation to the leadership is itself evidence that the party knows it needs to change.
"We've now been told that people want to see a Labour Party that's different, that's changing, that's got new ideas," he says. Policies are being re-examined. So is the potentially explosive issue of how much power trade unions continue to exert in the party. In his astonishing rise from the debris of Labour's election defeat, Shearer, 54, has something of the feel of an accidental leader. Wearing a pale-pink business shirt and black stovepipe trousers, he is still settling into the wood-panelled Opposition Leader's suite at Parliament, when the Listener calls.
In person, he has a pleasant self-confidence, similar to John Key's. Both men came to politics from glamour backgrounds: Key worked in high finance in London and New York; Shearer played a pivotal role with the United Nations in Iraq. Both previous roles required deep reservoirs of steeliness and composure. Both are attractive men. Key romances his wife, Bronagh, on women's magazine covers, but Shearer's record as a husband is worthy of Hollywood: in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu in 1992, he rescued his wife, Anuschka Meyer, from a gunman armed with an AK-47 – negotiating through an interpreter for half an hour with her captor.
Shearer describes Key as "the pole who holds the rest of the National Party tent up". And he says Labour won't beat Key in 2014 unless it can become the most credible party on the critical issue of the economy – something it has failed to do. "We need to be seen as a party that is able to walk straight into government and is completely trusted in our fiscal management."
He acknowledges that Labour was seen as too loose with its spending promises at the last election, which "suggests to me we need to be making sure that we are seen as fiscally responsible, put it that way". But he won't say whether Labour will be tougher on its spending promises this term, saying for now it is about laying down "broad markers". Labour's proposal for a capital gains tax and its policy of slowly raising the age of entitlement for National Superannuation to 67 are both up for review. Shearer says he found on the campaign trail that most of those against the Super policy were people in their early sixties, "who didn't actually understand that it didn't affect them".
"The people who loved it, or really liked it, were people who were 21, 22, 23. It makes you think the older people didn't get it because we didn't come out in a way that allowed them to understand it." Shearer says Labour will need to offer a positive vision of where it takes the economy, and the flourishing high-tech, IT sector is key. Unusually for an opposition leader, he has retained his policy portfolio, that of science and innovation, because of his interest in the tech sector. He also wants to make his mark on the issue of welfare, which he says, "should be about offering hope and responsibility". Yes, he says, the state will provide in times of need, but the responsibility is reciprocal.
But he won't comment on whether he will keep Labour's $2.6 billion election policy of extending the Working for Families scheme to beneficiaries. The policy, drawn up by former deputy leader Annette King, was a major victory for children's advocates because it would have slashed child-poverty numbers. But it was also a momentous backtrack for Labour, abandoning the party's long-held insistence that Working for Families was for struggling working families only.
Labour candidate Josie Pagani, in a newspaper opinion piece, publicly questioned the policy, saying that when she doorknocked in the safe National seat of Rangitikei in the week the policy was released, voters were constantly asking her, "So what's the point of working my guts out all week while someone sitting at home on the dole gets the same tax credit as me?" Now the policy is in the hands of frontbencher Jacinda Ardern, the party's social development spokeswoman. On whether the policy should stay, Shearer says: "I would like to sit down with people like Jacinda Ardern, who has been thinking about this for some time, and some of my other colleagues before we go down that track." Reviewing policy is standard for any new leader, but where things may get interesting is that this time, the party organisation, constitution and candidate selection are also under the microscope.
The loss at the election of two talented rising MPs, Stuart Nash and Kelvin Davis, has caused angst over whether Labour's process for selecting the party list gives too much weight to unions and special-interest groups such as women and the "rainbow" sector (gay, lesbian and transgender), and not enough to talent. The careful division of list slots by gender, ethnic background and sexual orientation may represent the pinnacle of identity politics, but may also go some way towards explaining why the party failed to connect with voters in the socially conservative provincial seats. There, the party vote was running at 21- 22%, compared with 27% nationally.
Left-wing commentator Chris Trotter has gone so far as to call for Labour to cut its ties with the union movement, ending the special rights of affiliated unions within the party. "What were formerly the powerhouses of working-class democracy and the generators of workers' power have become self-selecting oligarchies, against which all dissent crashes and burns," he wrote. These days only one in five workers belongs to a union.
The high list placement of union stalwarts Darien Fenton and Sue Moroney, neither of whom is a star performer, was seen by some as evidence of an excessively strong union influence. So, too, was the positioning of former Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) head Andrew Little at No 15. Eyebrows were also raised at the high placement of women such as Moana Mackey at 19 and long-serving MP Ruth Dyson at 5. Dyson vaulted up eight places from her spot at the 2008 election.
One sign that list rankings may be out of touch with voter sentiment is that MP Damien O'Connor opted off the list, presumably because of his low ranking. Yet O'Connor (famously forced to apologise to caucus last year for saying the party's list selection is run by "self-serving unionists and a gaggle of gays") proved to be arguably Labour's most successful candidate, winning back West Coast-Tasman from National in a result that ran against the blue tide. The last time the party was reviewed was in 1995, in the lead-up to the first MMP election the following year. Moira Coatsworth, the party president, has said this one will be an internal review, but Shearer is raising the stakes by signalling an outsider will be brought in to run it.
"I think it would be wise to have it some distance from the party," he explains. "You can't bring in someone who doesn't understand how the party works and expect them to do it, but at the same time you don't want it to be a completely internal report. You have to have some degree of independence." An issues paper from the review is due out by May, in time for regional conferences, and any constitutional changes are due to be considered by the party's annual conference in November. For her part, Coatsworth says criticism of the role of unions in Labour amounts to "mischief-making", and vastly overestimates their power.
Asked what sort of constitutional change she envisages could arise out of the process, she says one option is a change in the way the leader is selected. Currently the leader is selected by Labour MPs, whereas in the UK the wider party has a say. In the most recent contest, candidates for the first time toured the country, addressing party members. The packed meetings were a tonic for the party, bringing some lapsed members back. "There was a lot of member interest in leadership processes; different options for selecting leaders," says Coatsworth.
Shearer says it is a good time for a review "because we didn't do very well, so clearly people aren't fired up by Labour. It's not seen as necessarily the party of aspiration for people. Workplaces have changed and people are now self-employed, taking on different activities. What do we need to do in order to make Labour their party? I would like to see a party where we're able to have a much more open contest of ideas. Avenues where people can come and debate ideas. What often tends to happen in political parties is you end up having a meeting on a Monday night and you talk about administrative things rather than necessarily bigger ideas."
He points to the Australian Labor Party, which has online policy debate forums for members on its website. "It's moving along those lines where people can feel there's an engagement with some of the big issues that are coming up in the country."
So how much power do the six unions (the EPMU, Service and Food Workers, Rail and Maritime Transport, Dairy Workers, Meat Workers and Maritime Unions) affiliated to Labour really have within the party? The mythology is that the union card vote – which allows union delegates to vote on behalf of affiliated members who aren't present and don't take part in the Labour Party – was a founding principle for the party when it was formed in 1916. But the card vote didn't appear until 1939, when the so-called "Black Prince", union boss Fintan Patrick Walsh, won its introduction in order to drive popular rebel MP John A Lee out of the party. (Lee was a socialist who had attacked the mental capacity of dying Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage, and was expelled at the party conference in 1940 with the help of a huge union card vote.)
The strong role of unions in the Labour Party wasn't seriously questioned until the late 1960s, when a clutch of rising young Auckland Labour Party activists tried to challenge what they saw as a sclerotic union establishment who were shutting out newcomers from having a voice within the party. Jim Anderton, Roger Douglas, Michael Bassett and Guy Chapman penned a series of proposed remits for the 1967 conference in a document dubbed The Red Book, aimed at democratising the party. The booklet was mailed out to the party by the young upstarts but party bosses squashed the revolt, recalling the booklet and ordering it burnt. Anderton resigned from his paid position as secretary of the Auckland Regional Council of the Labour Party in protest.
Affiliated unions continued to have the power to dominate the floor vote at the annual party conference well into the 1970s and 1980s. A single union delegate could wield up to 50 votes in a card vote. However, a series of amendments in later years limited some of the voting power of unions, and required more delegates to be present when card votes were used. Party insiders say that unions now account for only about 20% of the vote at a conference, where they can use their vote to influence party office-holders and remits on policy. President Coatsworth says she can't put a figure on the union vote, but says it is "a minority".
Labour's six affiliate unions have some 90,000 members, of whom between 60% and 75% typically vote to affiliate. Assuming an average affiliation vote of two-thirds, that is around 60,000 union members, spread across 70 electorates, which entitles unions to heavy representation on local electorate committees. Unions can thus dominate at candidate selections in local electorates, should they wish to, and are strong players in the regional and national list committees.
If a winnable Labour seat comes up for candidate selection, it is hard to beat the union candidate if one of the affiliates sets its mind to it. Shearer found that out in 2002, when he was beaten to the Labour Waitakere candidacy by Lynne Pillay, who was backed by the EPMU. Pillay went on to hold the seat for two terms, but made little impression at Parliament, and it wasn't until 2009 that Shearer won the Mt Albert nomination for Labour. Anderton later became Labour Party President before leaving in the 1980s to found the NewLabour Party and, later, the Alliance. By the time he retired from Parliament last year, he was back in the Labour fold, although he never formally rejoined the party.
He says it is time for the union card vote to go. "It's come to the end of its time, I think. It's a time to get active membership back, and that means people who will actually help and work. The union movement is a historical part of Labour and they are free to support Labour as affiliates, but if you want to belong to the Labour Party and really have a say, you should join. So this business of having a paper membership that's affiliated should end. They can turn up to a selection meeting not having been to a meeting for three years and have a vote for a candidate." The affiliated union members are "very little use to the Labour Party", Anderton says. "These members don't turn up to branch meetings or help in the electorates. I think they should face the reality that if you want a strong Labour Party, you have to have a strong mass party."
Anderton's views on his old party still carry some weight. He is believed to have played a critical role in Labour's election campaign by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. A moribund party organisation had failed to raise the required funds, and leader Phil Goff asked Anderton to help. Donation returns from 2011 have not yet been formally declared, but the Listener understands that the union contribution – about $120,000 over the past three years – will form only about 20% of total donations.
Shearer has been a union member only once, briefly, as a teacher, and he's cagey about his personal views on the role of unions and sector groups in the selection of candidates. "What we've got to recognise is that, if we're going to win, we've got to have balance and talent, and we've got to think very carefully about making sure those two things are there," he says. Are the unions too strong within Labour? "One of the issues around that is not so much their strength, it's the lack of strength of ordinary members. We need to increase our membership, increase our financial base," says Shearer.
But surely he isn't really going to take on the unions. They're sacred. No one in Labour would dare touch them. Shearer grins broadly. "Well, I won't comment on that. We'll see what happens." A few minutes later he adds, "Don't get me wrong, the unions have always been part of our party and they will continue to play a big role in the party. I don't think that's going to change. But we also recognise there are other forces in society and society is changing as well."
Another force on Labour's list moderating committee is the sector groups, representing women, Maori, Pasifika, Labour's rainbow network and youth. Is there a risk of Labour dividing up the list on the grounds of identity politics rather than talent? "This is being looked at as part of the process of this review: how do we get to the best possible line-up of MPs to bring about a victory."
In the end, says Shearer, he wants to project a new sense of what New Zealand is and could be. He would like it be seen as "clean and green, you'd like it to be clever. It's compassionate in terms of the way that it treats its people, and it's confident about where it sits in the world." Whether he can remake Labour to project that confidence, compassion, environmentalism and cleverness will be the test of whether the accidental leader was an inspired punt or a desperate gamble.
Ruth Laugesen ("The man in the middle", February 4) and Jane Clifton (Politics, January 7) both repeat media criticism of Labour's list, blaming union affiliates for the failure to get some of Labour's talent back into Parliament.
The low party vote was the main reason some first-term Labour MPs did not get back into Parliament. At the time the List Committee met, Labour was polling around 33%, at which point Stuart Nash and Kelvin Davis would have been safe. As one of the two union-affiliate reps on the list committee with just two votes (of around 40), I can say we did support both these excellent men. We also supported high-performing women MPs who missed out, namely Carmel Sepuloni and Carol Beaumont.
Clifton mentions Josie Pagani, who was also supported by the affiliates, but she was a new Labour Party member who was not in the top rankings of the list in her own region, so could not have been expected to be as highly ranked nationally as the others mentioned above, all of whom were MPs.
Laugesen mentions Ruth Dyson and Sue Moroney. Naturally, we supported these MPs for high list placings as they have contributed to debate on important issues such as health and disability (Dyson) and early childhood education (Moroney).
It was not simply because they are women, though one would expect any political party to have women highly placed in its list in today's world where women participate in all walks of life at high levels. Are you suggesting women naturally lack talent?
The Labour list process is highly democratic. It starts with regional list ranking meetings attended by hundreds of party members.
There were 400-plus members attending the Auckland-Northland list selection, including some affiliated union members who came under their own steam because they wanted to participate. There are no card votes at these meetings. It is "one person, one vote".
The List Committee brings together all the regional rankings and has as many regional reps as sector group reps. It relies heavily on the members' rankings at the regional list conferences in coming up with a national list that represents the general population. The big problem is doing justice to all the amazingly talented people who put their hand up for Labour.
As for members of affiliated unions, they are valued members of the Labour Party who participate in local electorates, fundraising and helping with election activities – delivering leaflets, putting up hoardings, supporting candidates at local markets and street corners, and encouraging their neighbours to exercise their democratic right to vote.
Jill Ovens
Strategic industry leader, Service and Food Workers Union Nga Ringa Tota
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Earlier this week, the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez found himself on the back page of Big Apple tabloids after he led his team to a victory in the NFL playoffs (whaddaya think this is, 2011?) was called "lazy" by an anonymous teammate (or teammates). Football players lazy? YOU DON'T SAY! Yes, it's true, in a sport where the players are only on the field for half the time, and where there's roughly 5 seconds of action for every 45 seconds of standing around and making plans, laziness abounds. Be it dudes who tried to take shortcuts to success (roids!), dudes who couldn't stay away from the buffet table, or dudes who preferred smoking blunts to practice, these are the 25 Laziest Players in NFL History. There's even a couple future Hall of Famers here.
Follow @Complex_Sports for more news and commentary.
Written by Richard Boadu for 6Magazine.


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This 2-day course is required by the Virginia Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation (DOPR) for employees working on lead-based paint abatement projects. The 16 hour class covers DOPR required topics, including health effects, environmental sources of lead contamination, respiratory protection, medical monitoring, personal sampling, abatement methods, environmental controls and hazard reduction, regulatory overview, and waste disposal. The course includes classroom and hands on training. Following the completion of the training a 50 question examination is administered. Ecosystems Environmental Services, Inc. course is accredited by DOPR.
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Emergency & After Hours please contact 804-301-0005
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Geopros builds upon the strong and successful three decades of service to the mining and geotechnical communities that Geotemps, Inc. has established. As active members of multiple professional communities, both Geotemps and Geopros support career investment as a means of industry sustainability and progress. In response, professionals have provided their statements of 'support for the service that supports' them. Here are but a few:
"I have been impressed for a long time with how Geotemps supports the mining industry. It is a model for how all service companies in mining should act… My first experience was sitting at a conference lunch with Lyle. He was one of the most pleasant and knowledgeable guys I have ever met in the industry. His support of the industry was a model for me that I try to continue to this day."
Neil Eurick
Manager, Business Development
Gustavson Associates
"…Lance has been a friend in the mining industry for many years. He is very thoughtful, generous and caring as well as enjoyable company. I have always seen (him) as a man of integrity that cares to do the right thing without concern for personal gain. My sense is that this carries over to his business, Geotemps."
John Mudge
Vice President Environmental and Social Responsibility
Newmont Mining Corporation
"I received a Master's Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Mackey School of Mines… I went to the Geotemps office and temporary employment… This led to another job with a small engineering firm and contacts in the mining business. This experience led to employment with a major mining company and the beginning of a rewarding and productive career. All of this was possible due to the philosophy of Geotemps: provide an opportunity for employment. As a consultant I recently was out of work and Geotemps was able to place me with a small company. This once again led to other opportunities that were rewarding and beneficial to my career."
Stefan Beck
Process Manager
Coronet Metals
"Over the past twenty years, I have always been impressed with the professional attitude of the managers and staff of Geotemps. If an issue develops, they resolve it issue quickly and professionally. You can always tell the type of an organization is when they have a difficult problem to address. Geotemps has always strived to handle any request in the best manner possible… My time is valuable and the staff at Geotemps has never wasted any of my time, ever. They were courteous, straightforward and welcomed me to their organization."
Eric Ruud
Client Services Manager
"Nevada mining depends on highly skilled professionals to find, mine, and process the minerals on which our society depends. I recommend Geotemps for helping fulfill this essential workforce development mission."
Tim Crowley
Nevada Mining Association
"My first impression and experience with Geotemps was very pleasant as well as professional as I met candidates that were assigned here after I first started here myself, including one of which who is now one of my two senior supervisors… Geotemps, Inc. as an organization has impressed me by providing qualified candidates for as needed assignments in a timely manner."
John Powers
Laboratory Manager
McClelland Laboratories, Inc.
"Early in my career as an exploration geologist, Geotemps always had a list of clients that needed my type of expertise (even during the downturns in the industry.) Now as a client, Geotemps has always been able to quickly supply qualified personnel for our projects. Geotemps has always made hiring qualified workers easy and simple by navigating all of the regulations and insurance requirements for the client… Geotemps has always conducted business in a very professional, caring and responsive manner."
John Schaff
Senior Consulting Geologist
"… Geotemps has filled a valuable niche that helps both companies and qualified workers who do not have the fortune of permanent employment. The services they provide are invaluable to smaller companies who have minimal head office human resource staff… The group employs conscientious, hard-working and talented people who take great pains to match people to the job requirements. It also plays a leading role in promoting the industry through trade groups and supporting the education of new mining professionals."
Anthony P. Taylor, P.H.D., C.P.G.,
Selex Resources, LTD
"I have known Lois Brooks (Geopros) as a professional colleague and friend for more than 25 years… I trust her perspective on a broad range of matters, including both general business management as well as professional development… Ultimately I believe one of Lois' key (and rare) strengths is her uncompromising passion for mining and all things related to it. I hold Lois in highest regard and wholeheartedly recommend her for a role on any senior management team."
Mark A. Petersen
Vice President, Exploration
New Gold Inc.
"Angel (Markins) is dedicated to building relationships through excellent customer service while focusing on our recruitment needs. It has been refreshing to work with (Geopros) on our hard to fill positions. I don't hesitate to recommend her services."
Belinda Joiner
Senior Recruiter, North America
Kinross Gold USA, Inc.
"Sarah (Lightner) has a knack for hand selecting the right candidate for the specific task or position required… Her professionalism and dedication to finding the right candidate for the task has been a huge success for us. She is very thorough and easy to work with and I look forward to continuing to work with her as the mining/minerals industry picks back up."
John Powers
Laboratory Manager
McClelland Labs, Inc.
"During the past five years that I have been working with Jill Nelson (now with Geopros), she has successfully delivered on six high level recruiting searches for my company, New Gold Inc. The positions involved have spanned the range from an open pit mine manager, a corporate metallurgist, a senior mineral resource estimator, a mine site geologist, a senior exploration geologist and an executive assistant. All of these individuals have proven to be great hires and significant contributors to our evolving business and company culture… I believe Jill's excellent instinct for talent as well as cultural fit is what drives her to consistently deliver for her clients."
Mark A. Petersen
Vice President, Exploration
New Gold Inc.


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Next issue:
July 20, 2006
Questions? Comments?
E-mail our editor.
By Alex Bill
North Americans often take a protracted amount of time to make positive change for society. One exception is when they think their health is in danger in even the slightest way, especially because of someone else's dirty habit.
When research surfaced claiming second-hand smoke could cause cancer and other smoke-related illnesses, heads turned. Even though the 1993 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is given little credence by the medical community, its effect has helped the snowballing anti-smoking campaigns we see today.
Following this were the human interest stories; the bartender who never smoked a cigarette in her life yet now has lung cancer, or the young children in smoke-filled homes and the diseases they've acquired.
Now the anti-smoking lobby is gargantuan, with arguably more influence than the pro-smoking lobby of days gone by. Provincial anti-smoking legislation is now the norm, to the point where even liberal Quebec has stamped out smoking in public areas.
Educational institutions have also stepped into the fray. Students in the University of Alberta voted in a non-binding referendum to make all indoor and outdoor areas on campus smoke free. The student's union and board of governors are currently in the process of establishing the ban.
In Newfoundland, the Eastern School District has recently banned tobacco use on all school property. Meaning the once-filled smoking sections of local high-schools will revert back to their role as parking lots.
These bans are both very similar. They deal with outdoor smoking; where the risks of second-hand smoke are significantly reduced, and they attempt to curtail cigarette use by the market tobacco producers crave most young people.
To me however, one is much more acceptable than the other.
High schools in St. John's have often held a hypocritical stance on smoking. They eagerly partake in anti-smoking campaigns, often at a considerable expense, yet they let underage smokers inhale before class, during lunch, and after-school on their property.
In my own high-school days, you could walk out the cafeteria door, and "Ricky," or whoever was on top of the cigarette pyramid at the time, had a pack open, hand out, asking 50 cents a smoke.
High schools will face the problem of students now leaving school property to smoke, but in my eyes this is an easier predicament to handle than the 100 plus students smoking in the parking lot.
The University of Alberta ban is a different story. While students (60 percent) did vote in favour of the ban, faculty and staff weren't taken into consideration. Also, a major part of the Canadian custom of tolerance, at least in my eyes, is that the rights of minorities can't be impaired by the will of the majority.
A campus-wide outdoor ban is as much a matter of aesthetics as it is health. Some students I've talked to at Memorial would rather ban smoking across campus than put up with the smell in the entrance to the U.C. for five seconds. Forget that compromise can easily be made, just go ahead and ban it everywhere.
Smokers are going to smoke whether we want them to or not, just like any drug user. The question is how far are we going to go to protect our own health, or to suit our tastes?
The question will inevitably come up again as Memorial's student housing division pushes for a smoking ban in Burton's Pond apartments. The apartments, unlike Paton College, are firmly separated from one another, and students can often choose who they will live with.
If four students who smoke choose to move into Burton's Pond together, who are we to tell them they can't smoke in their own home? Again, 66 per cent of student voted in favour of such a ban, but only 15 per cent of Burton's Pond residents took part in the poll.
Is this about protecting student health, or about non-smokers in their quest to rid the world of smoking?
Anti-smoking groups have done a good job so far, and normally I couldn't care less about the complaints of smokers if it's a matter of health. My concern is that the lobby groups will transform this movement into a "War on Smoking," which, like the wars on drugs and terrorism, simply can't be won.
© 2005 Memorial University of Newfoundland


text: Matt, I think we can fight the "juarez" folks by making an automatic mechanism to verify uploads against the .changes file and move them into a visible area. If we want to verify the ID of the uploader we can have them PGP-sign the .changes file. I think Ian wants to be the one to move the file into the archive, but we can at least verify them and move them into a visible holding area. Thanks Bruce -- Visit the "Toy Story" Web Page! http://www.toystory.com


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When I heard about the inaugural resurrected Oakland Marathon to be held the last weekend of March, I quickly emailed inquiries about the possibility of being a pace group leader, having been unsuccessful in similar attempts at other northern California road marathons. Fortunately, they needed people. Perhaps unfortunately they especially needed faster runners to pace the faster groups, so pace group leader coordinator Len Goldman currently slotted at the 3:20 pace group, but will be another story. As part of the preparation, all pace group leaders needed to get some pacing practice in, and the either the 10k or 15k distance of the monthly runs held on the 4th Sunday of every month around Lake Merritt in Oakland were suggested as a quick and easy way to meet the requirement.
A start time of 9am allowed me to wake up well rested before my alarm, shove a couple of slices of toast in my mouth and drive up 580 to the Grand Avenue exit. They were charging $5 to park right by the lake, so I parked on the street and jogged in the 1/3 of a mile to the start. Although I was wondering who on earth was going to show up for an event they have every month when there was a chance of rain, there were plenty of runners headed the same way. I briefly talked to one woman, who just recently started running again, and wanted a real low key event before doing the Kaiser Permanente 5k being held with the Half Marathon in 2 weeks. I even saw a couple of ultrarunners I didn't recognize, talking about States.
Indeed it was low key. But well organized. Registration was a cinch, and I was waived the $5 entry fee charged non-members. No line to the bathroom, which I needed. Len showed everyone a map of the course, just in case clockwise loops of the lake was too complicated for anyone. (Actually there are plenty of sections with more than one path to take, with significant differences in distance.) One loop was certified at just under 5k. They had finish lines for the 5, 10 and 15k races lined up maybe just 10-20 meters apart.
LMJS registration volunteers Alain Boutefeu, Jim Eckford, Gisele Boriolo, and Joe Davis. Thanks all volunteers!
I had to decide what pace I was going to run. I decided since a 3:20 marathon was 7:38 minute mile pace, I should do something like a 7 minute mile. Faster than that would bring me close to racing, defeat the purpose of pacing practice.
I felt pretty rested, having done my first spin class at my gym 3 days earlier; 65 minutes on my first elliptical machine and 30+ minutes lifting weights at my hotel 2 days earlier; and a hilly 4.3 mile hike the day before in which I had carried my 2-year-old less than half the time (my 4-year-old has that distance down).
I turned on my Garmin Forerunner 305 (actually my friend Baldwyn Chieh's since I couldn't find mine) and decided that the mode showing lap pace made more sense than seeing current pace. The race started and about 10-15 people shot off ahead. I looked down at my watch and watched the pace settle at about 6:40 per mile, too fast, from the usual adrenaline. As we made the first turn along Lakeshore Ave., I noticed that slight variations of speed would change the entire lap pace by several seconds. I focused on relaxing, feeling relieved that I had no incentive to catch all those people up front, as I normally would.
Everyone pretty much stayed on the quickest route, the mostly concrete bike and jogging path, and not on the sometimes meandering alternate trail closer to the lake, or the muddy dirt paths sometimes running along. Also, no detour to go around Children's Fairyland (the model-inspiration for Disneyland).
A 7-minute mile pace turned out to be a good pick. I felt like I was getting a decent fast workout, but without too much pain. However, several times I deliberated whether I should do a bonus lap. The running was uneventful, except for a several times the path got crowded or a walker, trying to get out of my way, actually moved into my path. In terms of pacing, honestly, I don't know how I'd have done it without my GPS device giving me feedback the every 30-60 minutes I looked at it. Marathons usually give you mile marker splits. Perhaps if I ran flat road more often, but even my flat running short commute to and from the BART station has enough hills and traffic lights to prevent a steady pace.
I finished the 15k in 65:56 (65:53 per my Forerunner's recorded split time, good for 5th place overall and 1st in my division). After pausing 5-10 seconds to tear off and give that strip at the bottom of my bib to a volunteer, I sped off to do a bonus lap at a faster pace to make this whole event a little more honest in terms of self-punishment and training.
I had to make up for the pause to get my lap pace down to 6:30 minutes per mile. I was hoping to increase the pace for each successive mile, but despite feeling the burn and breathing hard, couldn't sustain the acceleration, and barely continued the pace. My last split took 20:50, a 6:35 minute/mile pace, and accounting for the initial delay maybe 6:32/mile. In ultras I often beat guys with marathon PRs run at the same or faster pace. This morning I could barely hold this for 3 miles. What is up with that?
race gear and schwag: non-Sportiva road shoes (Mizuno Wave Runners, I think); Baldwyn Chieh's Garmin Forerunner 305; 15k finisher's ribbon-- first finisher's award of the decade, and perhaps my first ribbon ever as an adult; bib
After crossing the virtual (and estimated) 20k finish line, I had to explain to those at the finish that I already finished and I had just done a bonus lap. Then I jogged back the third mile to my car to grab my camera, came back to take the photos posted, and then back again to my car to hurry home and write this blog report before my wife and kids got back from the gym (didn't quite make it.) So over 13 3/4 miles running and jogging this morning. And luckily it never rained.
So fast. Like a flash mob. And so low impact--absolutely no trouble walking down stairs. Wow.


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It's always a joy to behold natural beauty; and, somewhere we all secretly wish to get hold of beauty products that are safe and affordable for our daily care. This time the featured brand on our beauty board is a golden glow face cream range from Bioresurge for flawless skin and ultimate glam finish. The range of natural creams… Read more →
Tag: beauty
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Remember this sweet, sweet line from You've Got Mail (1998) when Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) writes to Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) saying, "I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." I think it's the most romantic thing to say to someone, even 20 years down the lane the idea of romance hasn't… Read more →
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Blooming Tales From English Gardens : Spring Beauty Board
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Winter Beauty Board: With Love From Spain
In August this year I was introduced to a premium beauty and cosmetic brand from Spain called Skeyndor; and, by the end of 2016, i can safely say I was living under the rock till I started using their products. Skeyndor, which means 'golden skin' in Spanish, was founded in 1966 in Terrassa town near Barcelona, Spain. The brand recently… Read more →
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Do You Have The Levels Of Health, Wealth, Love And Happiness You Desire?
Did you know that all of these areas of life--Health, Wealth, Love And Happiness--come down to our behaviors and habits. Not just how we think about these areas, but what we DO, day-in-day out. Our day is completely made of habits. We just don't often realize it.
You start the coffee maker in the morning(habit)
Check your email as soon as you get to work (habit)
You come home exhausted after a long day of work and turn on the TV (habit)
What if had access to work experts in health, wealth love and happiness? What if you could dive in and uncover what their habits are and copy them, step-by-step?
Each daily action is like laying a brick on the foundation. It seems small each day, but by the end of 1-month, 6-months, 1-year, think of what's possible!?
But it takes time to build the habit so that it sticks. Which is why 47-Day Habit Hacker was born. To keep you accountable and build life changing habits over the course of 47 days.
By taking action now, you'll receive:
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I created the 47 Day Habit Hacker to teach you the same methods I use myself, along with other top performance experts to gain more energy, have higher productivity, have more focus, sleep better, improve my relationships, reach higher financial goals, look and feel at my best and experience sustained levels of happiness.
Since 2010, I have worked with celebrities, professional athletes, Olympians, and everyday people to help them achieve more in 47 days than they ever thought possible.
My style is a mix of encouragement, tough love, strict discipline, hyper-accountability, and a strong sense of urgency to keep you fully engaged and to perform at the pinnacle of your abilities.
The 47 Day Habit Hacker program focuses on one question:
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It works if YOU do the work!
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Have A Question?
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