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- 9 Aphrodisiacs to Heat Up Your Love Life
- Find a New Crush
- Nutrition 911
- Test Your Valentine's Day IQ!
The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.
9 Aphrodisiacs to Heat Up Your Love LifeBy Joe Wilkes
Named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, aphrodisiacs have been the stuff of legend and song throughout history. Lovers looking for a leg up in the libido department have gone to their shamans, medicine men, and herbalists for centuries, searching for the magic ingredient that will kick their mojo into high gear. And today the search has gone to the Internet. Anyone with a lackluster spam filter has probably scanned the hundreds of emails that arrive every day, advertising powdered rhinoceros horn or some unpronounceable chemical that promises to goose your or your partner's desires. The efficacy of these miracle products is extremely dubious (and, in the case of the exotic animal parts, illegal), but there are plenty of products that you can find right in your grocery store or farmers' market that can potentially increase the heat between the sheets. Here are some common foods and why they might be able to put a little extra oomph into that special evening. And over half of them are in the top two tiers of Michi's Ladder, so you can have your cake and eat it, too! (Well, not cake, but asparagus and bananas!)
- Oysters. These are perhaps the classic aphrodisiacs of all time. The legendary lover Casanova reportedly consumed 50 oysters every day to keep his . . . um . . . stamina up. But until recently the powers of these bivalves were only backed up by anecdotal evidence and the testimonials of mollusk-loving Lotharios. Recently though, studies have shown that oysters and their shellfish brethren, including clams, scallops, and mussels, all contain chemical compounds that may aid the release of testosterone, estrogen, and other sex hormones in both men and women. Oysters are also full of zinc, a deficiency of which can cause impotence in men, another reason they can be man's best friend in the bedroom. And then of course there's the conventional wisdom that if you'll eat an oyster, you'll eat anything.
- Chocolate. What's more associated with Valentine's Day than chocolate? The ancient Aztecs considered chocolate to be an aphrodisiac for both men and women, and when the Europeans got wind of its inhibition-lowering properties, it wasn't long before the candy treat became a must-have when pitching woo. Casanova and famed Louis XV courtesan Madame du Barry were reported to be great believers in the powers of chocolate, and there may have been something to it. Chocolate contains the chemicals phenylethylamine and serotonin, which are also naturally occurring chemicals in the brain, usually released when we are happy or in love. Its chemicals can literally cause your heart to beat a little faster. Add to that a boost of caffeine and sugar, and it can be a pretty good pick-me-up with a small side of euphoria.
- Figs. Maybe it wasn't just the apple in the Garden of Eden that got things going. Remember, Adam and Eve ended up covering themselves in fig leaves. And it was also the favorite fruit of Cleopatra, who was certainly no slouch in the ways of love. In ancient Greece, fertility rituals would often follow the first fig harvest, and Greek portrayals of bacchanalia usually also included some fig action. In some European countries, figs are thrown instead of rice at newly married couples (ouch!) as symbols of fertility.
- Bananas. In the Islamic version of the tale, Adam and Eve covered themselves with banana leaves rather than fig leaves. Bananas are also considered a fertility symbol by the Hindus. Bananas can really get you going with their high levels of potassium and B vitamins, which aid the production of hormones. Bananas also contain the protease bromelain, which is believed to help circulation.
- Asparagus. It is rich in vitamin E, which is critical to the production of hormones. It also contains a lot of folic acid, which the body needs to produce histamines. And histamines are the chemical compounds that cause muscle contractions. A word of caution though—too much asparagus can cause flatulence, which might make the whole romantic plan backfire (no pun intended).
- Avocados. The Aztecs referred to the avocado tree as Ahuacuatl or "testicle tree." Apparently, the fruit usually hangs in pairs. There appears to be little besides anecdotal evidence to support its claim as an aphrodisiac, though it is rich in many nutrients, including vitamins B6, C, and E. The California Avocado Commission conducted a Valentine's Day survey in 2000 of experts, 63 percent of whom concluded that the avocado does have some aphrodisiac qualities, some of which could be attributed to recently discovered phytochemicals.
- Caviar. This fish-egg delicacy has been enjoyed by lovers for centuries, including, of course, Casanova (which increasingly leads me to believe a lot of women were just sleeping with him to get to the buffet). Caviar is known for its silky texture. Naturally, eggs are common fertility symbols, but there may also be some chemical reasons for which they are rated so highly on the love-maker's diet. Like oysters, they are high in zinc and rich in vitamins A and D and omega-3 fatty acids. They also are high in arginine, an amino acid which acts as a vasodilator, widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
- Truffles. Not the chocolate kind (although those count under the "chocolate" category) but the expensive underground mushroom kind that pigs and dogs root out of the ground. Unlike other foods, it is the musky scent of the truffle that is believed to be what gets us going. Scientists have recently discovered that black truffles contain the pheromone androstenol. There is some debate over how much human beings are affected by pheromones, but truffles have been considered to be aphrodisiacs for centuries, and this recent discovery could be one explanation.
- Champagne. When we think of romantic beverages, the list pretty much begins and ends with champagne. Most of the effects of champagne seem to be largely psychological, though. The purchase of an expensive beverage may set the mood for a special evening, and a mystique has been built in the media about the drink and its drinkers, from Marie Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe. But scientifically speaking, its amorous effects seem to come from the same place as most alcoholic beverages. Alcohol appears to have no positive effect on sexual function and, when overindulging, will usually move you in the other direction. It does, however, lead to a loss of inhibition and a decrease in judgment—in other words, a prelude to a kiss.
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Nutrition 911: Here's the straight 411, so you can avoid a dietary 911By Steve Edwards
We hear a lot about nutrition on TV these days. Carbs, net carbs, impact carbs, trans fats, and essential fats . . . and on and on. Yet studies show that this information goes way over most people's heads. In fact, it seems like most people have forgotten what they learned back in eighth grade nutrition class—at least those who had a nutrition class. Nowadays, most people get through school having taken no nutrition class at all. With world obesity rates at an all-time high, we're obviously on the wrong track. After all, what good is hearing that a food contains "healthy omegas" when you don't know what fatty acids are?
But we've all got to eat, so someone needs to teach us. Let's forget about Nutrition 101. There's no time for math. Let's break it down even simpler than that. Maybe we'll call it Nutrition 1. All we want to do is get you out of the supermarket with some idea of what you just bought. With society headed in its current direction, this 411 on nutrition is more of a 911, so let's call it that—a bit more impactful than Nutrition 1 and maybe not as patronizing. It's like traffic school but for nutrition. You don't need to win the Indy 500. You just need to get yourself around town safely. You've been cited for poor eating habits. You can pay the fine and endure a chronic disease, or you can take Nutrition 911 and get your health back. Are you ready for class?
Hello, class. I'm Professor Edwards, but you can call me Steve. Forget hierarchal labels; this is no dull SAT preparedness course. We're sticking to just the things you'll want to know to keep you healthy—hey, you, in the back. Stop shooting spitballs at Mr. Kroc! Give me that thing. What's your name, son? Okay, Carl, one more slipup and you're back on the bypass waiting list. It seems like the situation is direr than I thought, so let's get straight to it.
We're here to talk about food. This is the stuff we eat that enables us to live. You in the clown suit with the big red wig, stop laughing. This is a lot more important than it sounds! If we understood food, we wouldn't be here. You see, we also eat a lot of stuff that's not food but that comes with our food. Some of it we're supposed to eat, things like fiber in plants. But many companies also add things to food that aren't food at all, stuff like color, flavors, and things to make the food last longer while it sits on a shelf waiting for you to buy it. These added ingredients have no nutritional value. We also eat other additives that are sort of food. These are altered from their natural state to change the way food tastes and to make food more addictive. Stuff such as HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) falls into this category. And more often than not, these things are bad for you—yes?
Why do they do this, you ask? That's a very good question, Michael, but we can't answer that here. This is Nutrition 911. Politics 911 is in the other room. And, please, turn off that camera. Learning to distinguish foods that have additives, or may have them (as it's not always clear), will help you make better choices when deciding what you should and shouldn't eat.
Nutrient values are based on the parts of food that your body can use. In packaged foods, these values can be found on the food label. They break down what you are eating into various components. These various components are vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbs. Nutrients have something called calories. Most of us know what these are because we blame them for making us fat, but, in fact, they are just a measurement for the energy in food that our bodies can then turn into energy.
If you've ever glanced at the package of something you're eating you know this, but you may not know how to make sense out of it. That is the goal of this class. When we're finished, you'll be able to understand how to decipher a food label and a supplement label, and how to navigate a grocery store and not feel overwhelmed. We'll also cover how to eat in restaurants and how to best avoid the insidious ingredients referenced above. So let's take a look at how this class will be structured.
The syllabus
Today is just an introduction to explain why we're in this class. We're going to look at the very basics of nutrition—the very basics, real "duh" kind of stuff that I hope most of you know. Words like food, water, vitamins, and supplements are a normal part of our language. We hear about these things every day and consume them to live, but most of us lack a big-picture understanding of how the entire process is supposed to work.
Next, we'll take a look at the things you hear on TV and see at the market. We'll analyze slogans like "organic," "low carb," "omega rich," and so forth and discuss just why we need to know this, or whether we'd be better off ignoring it.
Then we'll take a closer look at food labels. These are less difficult to understand than you probably think. If they seem confusing, it's because they're designed that way. But when we're finished, you'll be able to scan a label and tell whether or not you should buy something in 15 seconds or less.
We'll follow this with a simple yet thorough analysis of just what you should eat. You'll see that once you know how to wade through the marketing jargon, it's not as difficult as it seems.
Subsequent classes will cover subjects such as sweeteners, desserts, alcohol, caffeine, and water; the best and worst foods in the world; how to navigate a supermarket; and how to order in restaurants. When we're finished, you'll have a simple yet thorough understanding of the eating process. It's not rocket science. It is, however, science. But don't worry. Once you learn to weed out all the fancy words, it's not all that complicated. We've been eating, well, forever. Science has actually made it more difficult for us to understand. Therefore, the aim of this class is to help you wade through all that pesky science—especially the research that's been skewed by marketers—and to get back to basics.
Lesson #1: What we consume
If you ask someone what they eat, they'll probably answer, "Food." As we discussed above, that answer would be incomplete. We also eat water—okay, drink, but whatever. In fact, let's use the word consume because we don't have a preconceived notion about it. Everything we put into our mouths makes up who we are, whether it's food, water, beer, drugs, vitamins, dirt, or whatever. Don't discount dirt because it's actually healthier than a lot of things we eat. It's even healthier than many things we call food. In fact, a recent study concluded that kids who ate dirt were healthier than those who weren't allowed to eat dirt.* Soil is organic, meaning it contains living matter (or once-living matter). In the study, kids eating dirt developed stronger immune systems. While this makes sense, I think this study shows more than anything else just how bad our diets have become. But hey, look at me, I'm rambling. The point of this lesson isn't to discuss eating dirt. It's to discuss food. So let's get back on track.
We've briefly discussed food, so let's touch on water. It's the most important thing we consume, yet all that most of us think about it is whether or not it's polluted. We need to drink a lot of it, as it makes up around 70 percent of our body weight. But we also get water from things that aren't water, like foods, beer, wine, sodas, coffee, and tea, so it's hard to know how much we need. "They" ubiquitously tout that we need 6 to 8 glasses a day, but that varies depending on what we are doing and what else we've consumed. When we don't drink enough water we can become dehydrated, which is a serious condition in its latter stages, but even in its early stages, it inhibits bodily functions and can make us hungrier than we should be. We need to drink some amount of plain water because drinking our calories can become a dangerous habit, which we'll cover in depth at a later date.
Our society has become increasingly dependent on something else we consume: drugs. These also need to be considered as a part of our diets. Some drugs are helpful, some are necessary, and some can be lifesaving. But drugs alter our bodily processes and should only be taken when absolutely necessary. Ah, apparently the little butterfly hovering over Jack is arguing that drugs are good because they help us sleep, wake up, feel good all the time, and have fun. True, we like our drugs; I'm just saying that we should be careful about how we use them. It's possible we're not supposed to feel that good all of the time, but that should be discussed in sociology class. Here, we're only interested in how they affect your diet. And wake Jack up, would you? I don't think he needed your help after eating that Big Cheeseburger for lunch, which is the point I was trying to make in the first place.
I mentioned drugs because people often confuse them with supplements. This is probably because they both come in pill form. But they are very different. Supplements are technically called food supplements, meaning that they are made from food (or at least come from something that naturally occurs in food). Supplements are, essentially, condensed nutrients. So a supplement will only work in your body's natural pathways the same way foods work. The upside to this is that it means that supplements are very safe. The downside is that a supplement cannot work the same way as a drug, no matter what it claims.
Does that mean supplements are worthless? Not at all. By supplementing your diet with the proper nutrients, you can enhance your health. But there should always be some reason behind your supplement regimentation. A good example of this rationale is taking a vitamin supplement when you're dieting. Less calories means less nutrients, so adding basic nutrition in this case makes a lot of sense. There are many examples, which we'll cover later.
Then there's alcohol. Is alcohol a drug or is it a food? It's sort of both, so we'll look at it in depth later. Alcohol comes from a reaction of food when it's rotting. This natural process creates something that behaves as a drug. The difference between alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs is that alcohol has calories—a lot of them. And other than its drug effect, it has no nutrient value. So it's easy to see how it could interfere with you keeping your diet balanced (whatever that means—again, you'll learn it later). Alcohol often comes in food products, such as wine and beer, and food products do have a nutrient value. But because of its high caloric value and low nutrient value, the amount of alcohol in your diet should be limited.
In conclusion
I hope most of you know everything we've gone over today. With the obesity epidemic like it is, one can never be too sure of anything. We have become a nation of terrible eaters, and we're paying the price. To recap, everything we put in our mouths counts toward our diets, whether it's food, beer, mouthwash, a One A Day vitamin, Paxil, or a Twinkie. If we want to be healthy, most of what we consume should be water. Next should be foods that consist of mainly carbohydrates, proteins, and fats from as close to nature as we can get them. We should limit the number of calories that we drink. We should take supplements to make up for nutrient deficiencies, which can be caused by dieting, exercising, or eating bad foods. We should limit our drug intake, as these, too, are part of our diets. This is the "duh" stuff, which I hope you all understand. I know it's too basic to help you change your diet much, but trust me, we'll get there. Things should be more interesting as we build on this foundation.
There's the bell. That's all the time we have today. Next time, we'll get the 911 on how marketers can trick us into eating the wrong things.
*Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&em
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Test Your Valentine's Day IQ!By Joe Wilkes
- Who was the first to declare Valentine's Day an official holiday in 1537? It was that old romantic King Henry VIII. His motto was "Coeur Loyal," meaning "true heart." He had a heart and the word "loyal" sewn onto his clothes—ironic in light of his six marriages. But to this day nothing says "I love you" like a heart or "it's over" like a beheading.
- What was invented by NECCO in 1866? NECCO (New England Confectionary Company), maker of the delicious NECCO wafers, invented "Conversation Hearts" in 1866. With new sayings added every year, more than 8 billion are expected to be sold between January 1st and February 14th.
- The city of Verona receives 1,000 letters for whom every Valentine's Day? The lucky lady is Juliet, the star-crossed lover immortalized in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Undeterred by the fact that she is both dead and fictional, every year around 1,000 correspondents wish her many happy returns on the day.
- What product was introduced on Valentine's Day in 1929? Penicillin—discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and introduced to the public on Valentine's Day the following year (the same day as the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre). Maybe it's not the most romantic product, but it's one which has cleared up the side effects of many an unprotected encounter.
- Who sent the earliest known Valentine's Day card? Charles, the Duke of Orleans, sent his wife a love poem in 1415 while imprisoned in the Tower of London. The valentine is now in the British Museum.
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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NATO expansion fuels Russian Nationalism
G Parthasarathy
IN January 1954 the seemingly whimsical Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who was born on Russia's border with Ukraine and married to a Ukrainian, transferred Russia's Crimean region located along the Russian-Ukrainian border to the then Ukrainian Soviet Republic. This was ostensibly to mark the occasion of 300th anniversary of its unification with Russia. Having been Party Secretary in Ukraine for a long time, Khrushchev felt that the Crimean region would benefit economically from the hydro-electric potential of the Dnieper river by becoming part of the Ukrainian Socialist Republic. Khrushchev obviously did not foresee the collapse of the "indestructible" Soviet Union, which had only two major Southern ports — Sevastopol and Odessa — for continuous access to the sea. When the Soviet Union did fall apart, the Supreme Council of the Russian Republic decided in 1992 that the Crimean region would be renamed as the autonomous Republic of Crimea. Both Sevastopol and Odessa became part of Ukraine.
Not content with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the US and its NATO allies decided that Russian power had to be contained. The expectation was that Russia's far-flung Muslim-dominated Caucasian Republics would wear out the Russians with armed struggle, and that its western, southern and Baltic neighbours would be gradually weaned and integrated with the European Union and NATO. The ultimate aim was clearly to "contain" a resource-rich and militarily capable Russia. This plan was seemingly proceeding successfully during the rule of the occasionally sober Boris Yeltsin, who oddly chose to treat a Chechen leader like a Head of State. The Muslim separatist armed rebellion was liberally funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, its leaders like Shamil Basayev and Zelmikhan Yandarbiyev were regarded "Kosher" in western capitals and operated periodically from bases as far away as Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The hard-nosed Vladimir Putin soon emerged as the greatest obstacle to these grandiose western plans. Putin ruthlessly crushed the uprising in Chechnya, though sporadic unrest in the Caucasian region from Islamist insurgents and suicide bombings continue. This was evident from the bomb blasts in Volgograd on the eve of the winter Olympics in Sochi. The Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, is reported to have offered Saudi support in quelling the uprisings in the Caucasian region in return for Russia ending support to the Assad regime in Syria last year -- a proposal reportedly rejected outright by Putin. Moreover, the West appears to have learnt no lessons from the swift Russian military intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia in 2008, following ill-advised efforts to persuade an ever-willing Georgian President Mikheil Sakashvili to join NATO, thereby making Russia's southern frontiers vulnerable.
The present crisis in Ukraine has also arisen from efforts by the US and the EU to undermine a constitutionally elected government. The constitutionally elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich had been offered a partnership agreement with the EU to precede full membership. Support for a closer association was strong in the western parts of Ukraine. Those in Eastern Ukraine, where there is a huge Russian-speaking population, have had a much closer relationship with Russia and benefited from extensive trade, energy and commercial ties across the eastern borders of the country. More importantly, Yanukovich signed an agreement with Russia extending the lease of the Sevastopol Port for use by Russia's Black Sea Fleet from 2017 to 2042, with the option of further extension till 2047. This could not have pleased those in Washington keen on "strategic containment" of Russia. When Yanukovich preferred Russian economic support to an association with the EU, a virtual siege was mounted on the Ukrainian capital Kiev by crowds largely drawn from western Ukraine with the muscle power being provided by extreme right-wing elements. The strident demand was for immediate resignation of the President. Eastern Ukraine, from where Yanukovich drew his political support, was largely quiet, or even hostile to what was happening in the capital. But the President's ostentatious lifestyle and maladministration had not exactly endeared him to his countrymen.
While European representatives were endeavouring to negotiate the establishment of a wider coalition in the government, it appears that the hawks in the State Department were prepared to settle for nothing less than the ouster of President Yanukovich. The recorded telephone conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US Ambassador in Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, clearly indicated that the State Department was not interested in constitutional niceties. It was bent on effecting an immediate regime change by more violence in Kiev and elsewhere. Moreover, the violence escalated despite an agreement being reached on February 21 for establishing a transitional set-up and early Presidential elections. Sensing that his life was in danger, Yanukovich fled to Russia.
The Russian reaction to these developments was immediate and predictable. An already concerned Russian population in Eastern Ukraine was motivated to seize control of the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. The entire Crimean region, which Khrushchev handed over to Ukraine in 1954, came under the control of the Russian-speaking demonstrators backed by armed personnel, quite evidently from across the Russia-Ukraine border. The elected Regional Assembly voted 78 to 1 to hold a referendum on the future of the Crimean Autonomous Region on April 16. The people of the Crimean autonomous region will vote overwhelmingly for merger with Russia. While the Americans, the British and the smaller EU countries call for sanctions against Moscow, mature leaders like Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel realistically believe that, given the need for Moscow's cooperation in energy supplies and its position as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the only way forward is through a realistic dialogue. Not surprisingly, China has signalled that its interests lie in backing the Russians on these developments, averring: "Russian resistance to the West has global significance. Supporting Russia consolidates China's major strategy".
Russian scholar Sergey Raraganov from the National Research University in Moscow recently noted: "The outlines of a compromise (on Ukraine) are clear. A federal structure for Ukrainian institutions -- and a switch to a parliamentary system in place of a Presidential one -- would enable the people of each region to make their own choices over language and cultural allegiance. The ownership and control of the gas transportation system should be shared between Ukraine and its neighbours. The country should be allowed to participate both in Russia's Customs Union and the EU association deal". As a federal parliamentary democracy, India will find this proposal reasonable and realistic.

subset: commoncrawl


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to other people? This is the statistics to my What A Wonderful World with Jim Carrey & Richard Pryer video.
I have more then one video that claims it was refered to other people by Jimcarreyishere. All of those videos are from before Ace Ventura. I asked somebody in his office and she told me she was not aware if anbody in the office was refering my videos or not but she did say that I have some videos on there that even Jim does not have in his whole collection. The people on the youtube forum say they are unsure but they also think it means that somebody on that channel is sending the videos to people. If you want to check out the statistics for yourself just click on the square thats next to the question mark underneath the video.
What do you think?


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2019 Heartland Bighorn 3160EL Fifth Wheel
Not quite what you are looking for?
Bighorn 3160EL
Bighorn 3160EL
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The Fundamentals: Safe Work Practices For Workplace Disasters
Kathy | April 1, 2007
Despite well-established policies, procedures and recordkeeping, unexpected obstacles or snags often cause setbacks during scheduled or routine maintenance. In most cases, we've allotted adequate time to overcome these problems, allowing for safe and thorough completion of the task within a timeframe that doesn't hurt the up rate of the process. On the other hand, what about unplanned and unscheduled maintenance that cannot be predicted or prevented-and the safety concerns that these situations may raise?
A view from the trenches
A malfunction or miss operation can result in a pretty messy breakdown. Some people refer to this type of incident as "the wrench thrown into the works." It usually calls for the repair of equipment under a more stressful environment than usual-meaning truly unfavorable working conditions. More often than not, these breakdowns seem to occur at a particularly untimely, unsuitable, inconvenient hour of the day or night, typically when production management is demanding that the impossible be done yesterday.
Most of us working in the "trenches" of the industrial battlefield find ourselves in these situations from time to time. In dealing with unplanned maintenance, it is vitally important for Maintenance teams to adhere to all relevant safety guidelines and procedures supplied to them by their respective companies. The following reminders and strategies are offered simply as suggestions to help teams address future unplanned events.
Protect thyself. . . Don't become a casualty! This is priority one. All too often, when unplanned maintenance pressures surround us, we tend to react before we assess. Not good. Instead, we need to more deeply assess an unplanned and/or catastrophic situation before we begin repair.
Protect yourself. Don your personal protective equipment (PPE). Don't rush in-don't rush the job.
Control the scene. . .
Power down the equipment and isolate all other energy sources (electrical, steam, water, hydraulics, etc.). Lock out/Tag out! Take a look around to ensure that no other troubles have occurred in the area as a result of the original failed equipment.
Once all is secure, begin assessing the trouble spot and the damage. Bring in as much of your Maintenance team as you can. The old saying that "too many cooks spoil the pot" doesn't apply to the Maintenance field. The more experienced, watchful eyes looking at the problem area, the better our understanding of the failure will be. Moreover, this approach also means there are more eyes to survey for any unsafe conditions that might still remain.
Identify and fix safely and quickly. . .
In most cases, after establishing a safe, secure and confident environment, a skilled Maintenance group can identify the failure quickly. And, because you have brought as many experienced Maintenance personnel on scene as you can, the fix can be evaluated and the repair time estimated at an accelerated rate.
Remember, the more minds the better. There is power in numbers. There is safety in numbers. Now, disperse the team. Some should go get parts. Some should go get tools.
Most importantly, some should start cleaning. The area has to be clean before the work begins. This will eliminate risk of injury and remove any hindrances that could delay the repair.
When the work begins, the Maintenance team needs to keep talking to each other. Give a play-by-play analysis of what's going on. This type of continuous communication informs everyone on the work that is being done-and the progression of that work. Ongoing communication also can help eliminate errors that might inadvertently (and silently) occur. In the end, the job is completed safely and in a timely manner.
Don't overlook post-repair steps. . .
- Once the repair work is finished, clean the area well and reinstall all guards.
- Bring on power and energy sources slowly with everyone's knowledge of the steps taking place.
- Then, as standard practice would have it, all involved should begin to look, listen and feel.
The "Safe" team-oriented approach outlined here, coupled with continuous, quality communication, can help produce a timely and successful repair for your unplanned maintenance situations.
Final notes
Money is the bottom line for all businesses. A conscientious employer knows the value of a Maintenance professional. In the grand scheme of profit and losses, it is not cost-effective for a company to lose a highly qualified Maintenance team member because of an injury resulting from hasty reactions to a chaotic situation.
Take for example a Maintenance worker with 10 years experience. He/she gets hurt. What if the company loses that individual for a single day? Doesn't this hurt productivity-especially when equipment is down? A losttime injury, though, could last for weeks. Consider what your company could lose in job knowledge and familiarity with the process and equipment while a Maintenance team member recovers from a lost-time injury. This calculation doesn't even begin to take into account the time and money invested in training and educating that experienced technician over the past 10 years. It's gone.
Most employers understand the value of their Maintenance professionals. Some employees within a company may not. Don't let one person's ignorance coerce you into taking unnecessary risks.
Do not succumb to outside pressures when it involves your own safety or the safety of another employee. Protect yourself, your fellow workers and your company. Taking a "Safe," calm approach can help prevent casualties.
Glenn Anderson is maintenance supervisor at Toray Plastics (America), Inc., an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company, in North Kingstown, RI. Anderson began his career with Toray 15 years ago. For the past 12 years he's been responsible for the company's preventive maintenance, repairs and up rate of equipment.


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"I want people to feel what I am doing - not just see what I am painting." Henry Asencio
Henry Asencio artwork combines figurative drama with spontaneous abstract backgrounds. His signature use of color, form, and texture coalesce to reveal a contemporary dialogue between the material and the spiritual--the artist, his subject and his subconscious visions derived therein. Agitated by extreme texture and intentional use of color, Henry Asencio unravels an unspoken narrative replete with seemingly incongruent, yet harmonious ideals of quietude and fascinations of that which intensifies the moment.
Asencio's unique combination of color, texture, and exquisite form mirrors a state of awareness that serves to reveal his true intentions. Through caution and reserve the artist invites the viewer into this fictitious space in time to enjoy the splendor of the unknown.
Symbolic of the approach to his art, the mystique of the female form builds the structure of each new painting. Henry Asencio's use of color sets the mood and a fury of texture creates an urgency to elicit heart-felt emotion.
Abstraction of subconscious thought and reality entwine to tell the artist's story. Freedom from responsibility, protection from the negative forces that can hold one captive…escapism…for the artist and viewer it is the ultimate intention in his evocative work of art.
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Call for proposals: CHER 32nd Annual Conference28th February, 2019
The 32nd annual CHER-Conference will take place from 28 August to 30 August, 2019 at the University of Kassel and will be organized by the International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel in Germany. The theme of this year's conference is 'Theories and Methods in Higher Education Research'. The field of higher education research is growing and increasingly relying on various disciplinary and interdisciplinary theoretical approaches and advanced methods to explain higher education outcomes and policy issues. In the recent years, there has been an increased tendency towards using more and more theories and advanced methods in higher education research. Application of theory and advanced qualitative and quantitative methods in higher education research is also significant to establish the potential and innovation of higher education research and to address methodological challenges as associated with international comparative research, diversity of student body, policy implementation and evaluation, secondary data usage and analyses.
Please submit your abstracts by email to email@example.com by 28th February, 2019. The abstracts should not exceed 500 words. The conference also includes a poster session for preliminary studies, works in progress, or early stage research projects. Abstracts for the poster session are also welcome. All abstracts will be reviewed and applicants will receive a notification of acceptance by 31st March, 2019. The deadline for the Early Bird Registration is 15th May, 2019.


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Pope expected to live out a quiet retirement in Vatican monastery
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI will continue living inside the Vatican once his retirement becomes official on Feb. 28, but observers say he will probably keep a low profile -- both before and after the election to choose his successor.
The 85-year old German will officially step down from the papacy at 8 p.m. local time on Feb. 28.
As the Roman Catholic Church prepares for the election of a new pope, Benedict will move to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, just outside of Rome.
But this will only be a temporary abode.
According to the Vatican's chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, after the election Benedict will settle in a former cloistered convent inside the Vatican walls, which is currently being renovated.
During a press conference on Monday (Feb. 11), Lombardi said Benedict will "lead a life of prayer," and will be free to "move and communicate to the public" as he pleases.
But Benedict will probably keep a low profile after his resignation, without running any risk of overshadowing the work of his successor.
"He's going to live in a monastery, and life in a monastery is very quiet," Gregory Burke, a former Fox News correspondent who is now the Vatican's senior adviser for communications, told Religion News Service.
According to Burke, in the coming years Benedict will spend his time in retirement "mostly to read, study and pray."
While the pope had hinted in 2010 that he could resign if he felt "no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office," few expected him to actually step down now.
Just recently, the Vatican had announced the schedule for Easter celebrations presided by Benedict. And the Catholic Church is in the middle of a "Year of Faith" proclaimed by the pope himself that's scheduled to end in November 2013. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia even had plans to host him in 2015.
The pope's health has been declining in the last few months and he had started leaning on a cane to walk.
Following the example of his predecessor Pope John Paul II, last year Benedict also started using a moving platform to move around during lengthy liturgical celebrations in St. Peter's Basilica.
But Lombardi denied that there was any specific illness or condition behind the pope's decision to step down.
According to the Vatican spokesman, in today's world the papacy requires a "vigor, perhaps stronger than in the past. It is a vigor that the Pope says he has felt diminish in him in recent months."
In the weeks leading up to Feb. 28, Benedict will continue to "fully carry out his functions," Lombardi said, including the official opening of Lent on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 13).
He stressed that Benedict will have no role in the conclave to elect his successor, nor in running the church in the weeks leading up to the opening of the conclave after he officially resigns.
"The Apostolic Constitution gives no role in this transition to a pope who resigns," he said.


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The first round of awards were handed out at this year's Cannes Film Festival, with writer-director Jeff Nichols walking away as the big winner.
The top prize of the Critic's Week, which seeks to "showcase first and second feature films by directors from all over the world," went to Nichols' film "Take Shelter," starring Michael Shannon as a man whose haunting dreams drive him to build a storm shelter in his family's backyard. Nichols also won the SACD prize for best screenwriting.
The film co-stars the suddenly ubiquitous Jessica Chastain ("Tree of Life") as Shannon's wife, who begins to worry about her his stability. "Take Shelter" will be releasing the film Oct. 7.
U.S. & World
The Australian film "Snowtown," about a teenage boy who unwittingly befriends a notorious serial killers, which took Special Distinction of the President.
From Argentina, "Las Acacias," about a truck driver who must transport a pregnant woman 900 miles across country, was honored with the Very Young Critic Award and the CID/CCAS Award from the Association of Independent Cinema for Distribution.
The big awards at Cannes will be meted out on Sunday.


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Fix network lag problems when gaming, using VoIP, or video conferencing on devices connected to Norton Core
Turn on Norton Core's Quality of Service (QoS) mode to ensure that network traffic to your gaming and VoIP devices is optimized and that network lag is reduced.
Enable QoS mode
Launch your Norton Core app.
On the top-left corner, tap the menu icon, and then tap.
From the list of devices, select your device.
Next to QoS (Gaming & VoIP), tap the status indicator to turn it On.
Many Norton users have shared their solution for this problem on our community forum. See solutions from users about Norton Core network lag problems on Norton Community.
Help us improve this solution.
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Operating System: Android, iOS
Last modified: 06/03/2019


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Today we find yet another example of the anonymity of security companies when it comes to the mass media and general public. It's a nice story about how a business owner was able to avert being robbed thanks to a call from his security company and to his own intestinal fortitude (I'm not sure I'd be psyched about pulling a robber out of his pickup truck - what if he'd had a gun and was dumb enough, or scared enough, to use it?). But why this sentence? The three - all teenagers - were apparently in the process of grabbing a set of Cooper mud tires from a warehouse behind the store at 1429 Grand Ave. when Quentin Kilwien arrived about 7:15 p.m., after getting a call at home from a security company. Really? He got a call from "a security company?" Just some random one? It must be awesome to have a security company in town that just check on everybody and then gives a call to a business owner if they see something happening at some random location. What? That's not how it works? Oh, you mean Mr. Kilwien actually pays a company, his security company, a specific one with a name and everything, to protect his business, and in this case the investment was warranted? Huh. You wouldn't really know that from this story. Security companies need to be visible to the general public, both for marketing and deterrent reasons. If criminals are more aware that there are experienced security firms in town, they'll be less likely to target those businesses that advertise their system with window stickers and lawn signs. And if other businesses see that paying for security is a wise investment, they'll be more likely to make that investment. The media is your friend, even if they don't often act like it.
Mystery security company stops another crime
This blog, by Paul Ragusa, the editor of Security Systems News, offers thoughts, news, and a forum for discussion for those who work in and around the physical security industry, integrating and installing security systems in North America.


text: OK, so it's like fifty years in the future and the planet is dying of pollution or war or something. And a corporate mogul guy invents teleportation technology that allows him to terraform a remote planet with some kind of mega-oxygen-producing plant. In indie B-movie Savage Planet, though, you can ignore the cool teleportation and terraforming and all that stuff. Because it's really about giant, savage bears. A team of researchers and the corporate mogul pull a Stargate and pop through the teleporter to investigate "Planet Oxygen" and figure out whether the planet can be used as a new Earth for pollution refugees. What they find are . . . giant bears, with super-intelligence, who see in pink-o-vision. And they are hungry for human flesh! If you like classic B-movies, Savage Planet is going to disarm you. I love that there is this insane, sciencey setup just to put a "people running from bears" plot into motion. [Savage Planet via IMDB]


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The National Association of Insurance Commissioners today released the results of a survey indicating that most Americans don't have a home inventory of their possessions.
The February survey indicated that 59 percent of consumers haven't made a list of what they own. Of those that had, nearly half didn't have receipts. More than a quarter didn't have photos of their property.
Home inventories are a key tool for recovering from a tornado, flood, earthquake or other disaster. They can speed up and dramatically simplify the insurance claims process. They can also help you and your agent decide if you have enough coverage if you have a rare collection or other high-value items. (On average, home contents are reimbursed only up to 50 percent of the home's insured value. In other words, if you're house is insured for $200,000, the maximum contents reimbursement would typically be $100,000.)
Last year, severe weather disasters inflicted more than $43 billion in the United States, according to the NAIC.
How to prepare a home inventory? There are smartphone applications to help. The myHOME Scr.APP.book app lets users capture images, descriptions, bar codes and serial numbers of personal possessions and stores the information electronically for safekeeping. The app organizes information by room and creates a back-up file for email sharing. There's a version for the iPhone and another version for Android phones.
For those without a smart phone, the NAIC offers a downloadable home inventory checklist and tips for effectively cataloguing your possessions.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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Web Content and Copyright LawsNovember 7, 2010 — theipl2blog
The Web is NOT Public Domain
Greetings from the ipl2's weekly blog where we try to keep you informed of interesting current events in the news. Undoubtedly, you have heard about the controversy raging through the Internet regarding the erroneous and somewhat arrogant response received by a blogger in response to the "lifted" article off her blog. Rather than go off on a tangent about the story, you can read it by clicking the below link.
New resources that will be added to the ipl2 are noted NEW! All other resources are already listed in the ipl2 collections.
NEW! NPR: The Day the Internet Throw a Hissyfit About Copyright And Pie
The most important take away from this situation is not the arrogance of the editor's response, but the ignorance of the laws governing the content that is available online. Below are some links to copyright information that may be helpful in learning about copyright law. The ipl2 provides these links to our readers as an informational service that should not be taken as legal advice. When in doubt, consult an attorney who would be able to advise on copyright law.
Cornell University's Copyright Information Center
From the website: "This site offers information on copyright policy, copyright clearance services, and copyright training and tutorials." It has a list of Frequently Asked Questions that covers such issues as "How do I find out if a work is in the public domain?" and "We're an educational institution, so aren't all uses fair use?"
Stanford University's Copyright & Fair Use
Includes information on the public domain, fair use, website permissions, academic and educational permissions, releases, and copyright research.
Creative Commons
This site explains how to keep your copyright while allowing people to distribute it with attribution.
NEW! Makeuseof.com's article "Plagiarism Checkers: 5 Free Websites to Catch the Copycats"
Five sites that offer ways to monitor who is using your content and how.
Thank you for checking in. The teams at the ipl2 hope you find this information helpful in better understanding our global community's challenges and triumphs.


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Serenity Now… The SDC Blogs Podcast — Special Guest: Mike Danton
Hi folks! This is the video podcast (written version here: http://bit.ly/VzOpWb on The Score's Backhand Shelf) of my September 2012 interview with former NHLer and ex-con, Mike Danton.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that no one in the game of hockey has a stigma around them the way that Mike Danton does. Now trying to resume his professional hockey career in Europe, the ex-NHLer and ex-con deals with all sorts of prejudice and ignorance directed towards him on a daily basis — not to mention all the life roadblocks that a convicted felon could expect on the outside, because of his nearly decade-old crime — despite serving his sentence.
In our interview, Mike talked very candidly and at length about everything from hockey, his time in jail, how he's turned his life around for the better, his thoughts on other ex-con pro athletes, his feelings on being denied entry to the UK to play, his family, and what the future holds for him. Without a doubt, the responses that he gives will at least make you reconsider the opinion you've come to form about him.


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Old Massey's Collect the Nicest People!
That is a prefect fit. You did a great job getting things ready. That room is just the right size for a stove that size. Just don't burn down the building with. We would all be crying knowing what is in there!! Good luck finishing it up!!


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A Tribute to Innovation: Ken Olsen
Companies often have a distinct personality that can be traced to the founder. Today we see it with innovative companies, such as Apple and Google, whose success is due in part to uncommon loyalty. In the past that was also true of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Among the dozens of former DEC employees I've known, none has uttered a negative comment about his time working for Digital. And my experience has been that DEC employees were some of the best and brightest people I've encountered in the industry. Much of that is undoubtedly due to Digital's founder, Ken Olsen, who died on February 6, 2011.Ken Olsen was a force in the industry and he helped shape the history of computing for several decades. He was one of those iconic figures who influenced computing by their intellect, strength of personality, goal-directed behavior, or all three. Ken Olsen was in the unique class of creative people who brought about major innovation, if not a sea change, in computing.
There's a list of companies that will be forever linked to founders who've been universally recognized as innovators in the high-tech industry. The companies include HP (co-founders Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard), CSC (Fletcher Jones, Roy Nutt), 3Com (Bob Metcalf), Oracle (Larry Ellison), Apple (Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs), Microsoft (Bill Gates, Paul Allen), Sun Microsystems (Andy Bechtolsheim, Bill Joy, Vinod Khosla, Scott McNealy) and Google (Larry Page, Sergey Brin).
Those innovators planted seeds that grew into important companies, in part because of the corporate cultures. Companies that put a premium on talent, foster innovation and treat employees well often benefit from strong employee and customer loyalty. So it was with Ken Olsen and the company he founded that sparked a major paradigm shift in computing.
Ken Olsen launched DEC during the mainframe era of computing. It was a time when the only game in town was big iron housed in government, corporate and academic computer centers. That era has sometimes been described as the days of "IBM and the Seven Dwarfs" because IBM had captured a 70% market share. A question often heard when programmers met was "How big is your System 360?" or "Are you an OS shop or DOS shop?" (Both were IBM mainframe operating systems.)
Computing was mainframe-centric before Ken Olsen started the ball rolling with commercially-successful minicomputers; first the PDP-8, later the PDP-11 and PDP-15. Minicomputers made it possible to distribute computing power throughout an organization instead of having only a centralized data center. Most computer centers operated according to a 'closed shop' model. Only computer operators had hands-on experience with the room-sized computers that were predominant during that era.
Hands-On Programming The mark of dedicated students who took Computer Science classes in the 1960s was late night and early morning sessions in the computer center. That was when you got easier access to keypunches and faster turnaround when you submitted programs for compilation, linking and testing.
Leaving the halls of academia and moving into industry did not necessarily provide relief from those late night sessions. In the closed-shop era, it was not uncommon that production jobs had priority over running software development workloads. When production jobs ate up the available computer time during the day, programmers often had to resort to working late nights and early mornings in labs and computer centers. At times that was the only alternative for being able to compile, link and test enough to meet a project schedule. Sometimes co-workers spoke of programmers as ghosts because they were only seen in the office for brief periods between projects.
When software developers worked on projects with tight schedules but without adequate access to machine time, morale suffered. Companies lost skilled technical people who looked elsewhere for work. Years of constantly changing work schedules and too many overnight debugging sessions put a strain on marriages and families. But even single programmers experienced burnout and opted to change professions.
But Ken Olsen helped change all that with the minicomputer. For programmers it was like being a child getting a birthday present. The minicomputer provided a hands-on experience and pushed us towards an interactive model for computing - and software development!
For that reason many of us remain eternally grateful to Ken Olsen. He was an innovator whose minicomputers, such as the best-selling PDP-11, made programming fun again.
From the mid-70s to the early '90s many of the clients for whom I developed systems had bought DEC computers. I used a lot of technology from DEC and companies that sold to the DEC user base: PDP-11, VAX, DECnet, DECsystem-10 and different DBMS products (DBMS-10, Ingres, Oracle). By the 1980s, Digital had grown to be larger than all of the other computer companies except IBM. A common saying in the 1970s was that when you went into corporate facilities you'd find DEC computers in engineering, the lab or shop floor, but you'd find the financial systems at corporate offices ran on IBM hardware. The argument was that you'd never see Digital overtake IBM until DEC had a computer that was an alternative to the IBM mainframe in the market of systems installed at corporate data centers. In the mid-1980s one of my projects was for a company that was replacing an IBM mainframe at its corporate HQ with a VAX 8600 cluster. It seemed that, having overcome that final hurdle, DEC would go on to challenge IBM for primacy in the computer industry. But the emergence of the PC and local area networks slowed DEC's momentum. Not recognizing the magnitude of that market shift proved to be Ken Olsen's undoing. Digital's spectacular growth ended and it was eventually merged with Compaq and HP.
In 2008 Ken Olsen was the honoree at the dedication of the Ken Olsen Science Center at Gordon College. A video tribute by people who knew him well was recorded at that time. Watching the video (above) will remind you why Olsen and DEC were a dominant influence on the computer industry for decades.
RIP, Ken, and thanks.
Ken Olsen bio at the Computer History Museum
History of the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)


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Well, this challenge was fun! I normally have the problem that I build my castles to big. Most of the time, that means my mocs never finish (a reason I don't publish that many mocs). So, I took the challenge, because I figured the restriction would work well on me. And I think it did
This time, I also had to start over a few times, but now I have a moc that is actually finished
The base of the castle is at a 32x32 base (if you want proof, here you have it), but my building mood wasn't over yet, so I build some landscaping around it.
As you can see, the dwarves are arriving at the castle for a trading session with the people in the castle. Some of them are welcoming them, and checking out the goodies
I had no idea how to call this moc, so it doesn't have a name
It's a water castle, and it isn't very well defended. I have this silly romantic idea of the medieval times, my guys don't fight....
Look who's checking the premises
More pictures at Flickr


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Mahogany trees are among the biggest of all threes regularly harvested Mahogany timber it is very stable due to its close, straight-grain pattren and lack od soft grain.
Mahogany has a atraight, finr and even grain, and is relatively free of voids and pockets.Its reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable. Historically, tree's girth alowed for wide boards from traditional mahogany species. These properties make it a favorable wood for crafting cabinets and furniture.
Description :
- Solid Mahogany wood
- Solid plywood Mattress Support
- Fit Local Queen /King Size Mattress
- Can Additional Pull Out Bed on avaliable
- Mattress not included
Dimension :
- Height: 109.3cm
- Length: 200.7cm
-Width: 162.6cm (Queen); 193.2cm (King)
* Ground to Mattress Support Base Height : 20cm
Lusaka Wooden Bed Frame-Walnut
- Home
- Lusaka Wooden Bed Frame-Walnut
Mahogany trees are among the biggest of all threes regularly harvested Mahogany timber it is very stable due to its close, straight-grain pattren and lack od soft grain.
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Winson TV Console$799.90
Terms & Conditions of Sales
Abandonment & Collections
Merchandise not paid for within 90 days of invoice will be considered abandoned. In addition to any other remedy, Furnituremart.sg shall be entitled to liquidate the merchandise, retain all deposits and apply such proceeds to the unpaid invoiced balances. The purchaser is liable for any collection and legal fees incurred in the collection of unpaid invoices and any storage or related fees.
The terms and conditions set forth herein represent a Furnituremart.sg offer to sell product to the purchaser. The purchaser's acceptance of a Furnituremart.sg sales order acknowledgement or invoice is an acceptance of these terms and conditions. In the event that the terms and conditions of an order are contrary to the terms and conditions indicated herein, these terms and conditions shall supersede any inconsistent or contrary terms and conditions indicated on the actual order or any other document supplied by the purchaser. A waiver of any one term or condition shall not be deemed a waiver of any other term or condition.
- FURNITUREMART.SG products and components use natural, handmade or recycled materials. These products will therefore have the finishes and inherent properties of such materials. All leather products will have some minimal discoloration, scarring and irregular thickness (resulting in non-linear stitching). Customers acknowledge that they are fully aware of such variations and imperfections inherent in such materials and that these do not constitute defects.
- Regular-priced FURNITUREMART.SG items have a 6 Months Limited Structural Warranty (Warranty) beginning from the date of delivery of the Product, unless otherwise stated. This Warranty does not cover loose joints and wear and tear. If the model that was originally purchased cannot be repaired or replaced, an equivalent model will be offered. This 6 Months Limited Structural Warranty (Warranty) does not cover DIY (Do it yourself) by the customer.
- The Warranty does not cover clearance, "As Is" items, display items and items sold in Warehouse Sales.
- Item replacements for a Warranty claim will only carry the remaining term of the original Warranty.
- Item replacements for a Warranty claim may not be brand new.
- Replacing items under Warranty may take up to 4 weeks, especially for customized products. This is reasonable as FURNITUREMART.SG products take up to 14 days to produce.
- There will be a labour/transport charge of SGD150.00 per service visit per location during the Warranty period except for the first seven (7) days after delivery.
- Warning: Standard leather care products cannot be used on Bonded/Synthetic Leather products. Such leather polishes and cleaners may cause the surface to crack or peel.
- For Genuine as well as Bonded/Synthetic Leather and indoor furniture, prolonged exposure to outdoor conditions or intense sunlight will cause irreparable damage to furniture. All of the above actions will void our Limited Warranty.
- Mattresses have a Ten (10) Year Limited Parts Warranty or as otherwise stated. Free or Discounted mattresses have only a One (1) Year Limited Parts Warranty, regardless of whatever is stated in any pre-packed Warranty card. On-site visits during this Warranty period are chargeable. Sagging or Body Indentation of Two Inches or Less Over sleeping surfaces of mattresses as well as wear and tear are not covered under any Warranty.
- For any Warranty claims, FURNITUREMART.SG has the right to inspect the furniture concerned. Failure to provide access will void all Warranty Obligations.
- FURNITUREMART.SG's obligations are to the original purchaser/recipient. Any Warranty obligations are voided if title to the furniture is transferred to another party.
- FURNITUREMART.SG's Warranty does not cover Mattress Protectors, bed platforms, bed slats or services. Bed slats, mattress Protectors and bed platforms are considered consumables.
- Furniture that has been abused and improperly maintained will have its Warranty voided. The use of inappropriate cleaning fluids, for example, will void this Warranty.
- FURNITUREMART.SG's Warranty is not applicable if the item has been constantly placed outdoors or in a humid environment or in direct sunlight or any aggressive environment, or if the item has been used for non-domestic purposes (unless otherwise stated). The Warranty does not cover consequential or incidental damages.
- Free gifts are not covered by this Warranty.
- No site visits will be made before photographs (from different angles) of alleged defects in the products are sent to the Company at firstname.lastname@example.com. Customers must provide photograph that are clear, high resolution and non-pixelated.
All claims for workmanship defects, shortages and errors must be made within 48 hours after receipt of the merchandise to "firstname.lastname@example.com."
Any repairs or claims must be documented in writing accompanied by photographs and sent to Furnituremart.sg Customer Service.
Payments will not be made for unauthorized repairs. Failure to make a claim within this period of time constitutes acceptance of the merchandise and a waiver of claims.
All merchandise is inspected before delivery. All merchandise is check by the delivery team, and has been picked up in good condition. Third party shippers have sole responsibility for any damage, loss or shortages incurred during transit. Purchasers or their receiving warehouses must inspect the items upon arrival and make claims for any damage, loss or shortages directly to the carrier. Furnituremart.sg is not responsible for any freight related claims, but will assist the purchaser in this process. No merchandise can be returned to Furnituremart.sg without its written consent. Unauthorized returns will be reshipped to the location of origin freight collect. Claims resulting in lawsuits must be filed with the court of competent jurisdiction in Singapore.
The delivery date and time frame that you select online is only tentative. We request for your preference in delivery date and time frame to plan the delivery route, so your order can be delivered at your convenience as a value-added service. You will be informed of the estimated delivery date and time frame before the scheduled delivery if we are unable to keep to your preferred date and time frame. Delivery dates and lead times are estimates only, based on current inventory and production schedules at the time of the order and are subject to change. Production cannot begin and lead times cannot be calculated until the acceptance of the order. Acceptance of the order includes: confirmation of any changes, modifications or approvals to the original order. Furnituremart.sg shall not be held responsible for any delays in production. Furnituremart.sg shall not be liable for any costs related to late deliveries.
In Home Delivery
In most cases, your item can be deliver directly to you or the end user by a island-wide In House Delivery service. They will place the furniture into the customer's home and do some slight regulation of fillings. They will not remove doors or move the customer's old furnishings. If the delivery is deemed difficult, the customer may be asked to sign a damage wavier for their property and the items being delivered. Be sure the furniture ordered will fit into the delivery location!
All orders received from the purchaser with all the correct information will be acknowledged by Furnituremart.sg within 48 hours. Furnituremart.sg reserves the right to reject any order, refund or forfeit any deposit made by the purchaser.


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Facebook, Google, Microsoft et al routinely make 'talent acquisitions'.
In the last 10 years, Google has made 93 acquisitions
- the majority of these have been to get their hands on the talented founders and teams who have built some technology or have demonstrated such a capability. 75 of these acquisitions have been in North America and most of these in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Microsoft have made 140 acquisitions in the last 20 years - again the vast majority in the US.
Yahoo made 62 acquisitions in 15 years - only 10 outside the US.
Even the new kid on the block, Facebook, has made 14 buys - 10 in the US.
The possible answers to why the predominance of targets are US based are these:
1. They have better engineers in the US. [this I very much doubt - though no doubt I'll be corrected]
2. Tech companies in the US are building stuff targeted to be bought by one of the big boys.
3. If you're going to buy a company for their talent - you want to keep that talent and integrate it with your own operations or development teams.
4. The eco-system is such that the corporate development teams know the startups and vice versa. Not just know them but meet regularly at the many events and in the coffee bars on University Avenue and elsewhere.
5. Buying a talented team elsewhere (ie outside the US) is risky - there is the cultural gap, the legal hurdles, the distance, the time shift etc
These transactions - 250 of them between just the 3 mentioned - power the whole ecosystem. The funds generated for the founders, the VCs, the LPs are considerable and get recycled in a sometimes perfect virtuous circle.
So, where are all the Euro based talent acquirers?


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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (27 February 1807 – 24 March 1882 / Portland, Maine)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Voices Of The Night : Footsteps Of Angels
When the hours of Day are numbered,
And the voices of the Night
Wake the better soul, that slumbered,
To a holy, calm delight;
read more >>
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Alright, I came up with an idea for a DLC comic. I hope you like it .
Gigz is sitting and drinking Conjured mage water. Suddenly Keydar and Miji appears
Keydar : Heey Gigz what are you doing?
Gigz: I am drinking this new delicious mage juice!
Miji: I didnt see that in the patch notes? (itching in his head, like he's not understanding)
Keydar: Can i have some?
Gigz: Sure!
<Keydar Drinkin> : Yum, is it orange juice?
<Mage appears , pointing at bottle and says : I pee'd in that bottle >
I hope you guys dont think it sux gonna think out something new and better now


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Metaladies interviewed Diana Foronda, Area 7 co-founder and vocalist, the peruvian female quintet coming out. We discover a little more about the past, present and especially the future of this promising young band, on the eve of releasing a risky third album
Listen to Area 7 as reading the interview:
Area 7 was born in 1999 as a tribute to the bands the caliber of Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Nirvana. Somehow you follow in the wake of this sound, but having modernized i. Are they still the benchmarks of your sound?
The genre that we play today is the Numetal, but we are adding some grunge touches that we used to play, as pretty strumming distorted guitars or pure grunge screamings and things of that nature.
Talking about your sound, it's sometimes labeled as Nu-Metal, but other times as Hardcore or just as metal. How would you define your music?
We are a hard rock and heavy band, aometimes we have more melodic lines but we remain in the range of heavy rock.
You are the first female band in Peru. Have you opened the door to other formations? Or you're still the only entirely female act devoted to metal?.
We definitely have opened roads to some other female rock bands here in Peru, and we had a kind of anti-chauvinist mentality fight that prevailed in in our country the years such as 1999 or 2001, it was difficult to some extent, but now we are a solid non-stop band, enjoying what we do.
And was this the intention from the beginning, that of being a female band, or was it just a coincidence?
By sheer coincidence, we met as if by magic, we met at different locations with the exception of Fatima and I (Diana) that we are twins. We tried rehearsing, playing live and we liked it, we get along and understand us.
Do you think being a girl band have opened more doors than closed?
I definitely think that being a girl band draws much attention at first, but if you the crowd realizes that you play badly or yo don't progress as a band they will require equal or more than a band of men.
So it has helped, albeit unintentionally, your growth in popularity?
Maybe, but that was not the idea from the beginning. Even now that we've already celebrated our 9 years playing live, we have always considered a band, we demand the same, rehearse, record albums like any other band. Our popularity have grown because we throw out the shit jajaja moe than anything else.
Let's talk about the present and future. What is Area 7 currently working in? Composing, recording, touring? There seems to be a third album on the way.
We are currently recording our third record, we stopped playing while we produce the material, as we don't want to distract from the process and come out with a new album. If all goes fine, we could play in countries like Mexico, Bolivia and Argentina. If I am not mistaken there are already some dates that we have to tempt.
What can we expect from the new Area 7 material? Is it continuous or disruptive to your earlier compositions?
The new album is an Area 7 total evolution, it's a more ambitious production from us and the people that manage the band.
And now let's talk about the past. Yet having begun in 1999 it was not until 2003 that you had a solid lineup to aspire to what you are today. What happened to Area 7 during these 4 years?
From 99 to 2003 we were playing in small pubs, with friend bands, nothing big, weekend concerts and as you say it was not until 2003 when we played in a more than 4000 people festival. And we've not stopped since then.
In 2004 you released your first and self titled album, but the one that made you stand out was "Soul Machine". How was the feedback to the album, happy with the reviews?
Yes, actually we sold all the record copies that we had, in the whole Lima there will be about 3 or 4 left jajajaja, but we're happy with that.
You joined "Género Femenino" ("Female Gender") with your music, a contemporary dance performance by dancer Morella Petrozzi. Did you had to adapt to the format of the show, or you interpreted your music faithful to the original?
It was great because we played our songs as they sounded, with distortion, shouting, that's why it was so cool, the whole team complemented fast and above all we had not made any modifications to our music.
With "Soul Machine" also went on the "Concert Machine", crossing the borders of Peru to play in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Argentina … What about this experience, were you surprised to be known far from your native Peru?
In fact it was the first time we realized that Latin America is supporting the Peruvian rock like that of other countries, they support us leaving us messages on myspace or website, downloading our songs, and that was a demonstration that we were really growing and that some of our goals as a band were being reached.
This impact made you to grow your expectations. What are your aspirations for the future? What is the first step that you'll make to achieve?
Well, our greatest aspiration is to grow by staying true to what we like to do, playing live, recording albums, promoting our music for much longer. We plan to tour in late 2009 and we hope that everything will go well. After finishing promoting the album that will come out, we'll get back to the studio to record our 4th record, so there' s no stop to Area7.
Returning to Peru. Tell us how good is their metal scene. Is it in good health? Are you visited by important bands? Is it easy for Peruvian metal bands to have an schedule full of concerts
The current metal scene in Peru is not the same as it was 8 or 9 years ago. Good bands with great future ahead them have been disappearing due to the lack of support in our own country and that is regrettable to some extent. But despite this there are still concerts, metal pubs where there meet all the Peruvian metal scene, they meet in the communities, in fact, people are still having fun and that's the main thing.
Which is the gig that you undoubtedly remember the most fondly and that has set a milestone in your career?
"The desgraciadaso" for 2003, it was great. We had 16 years, virtually it was our first mass concert here in Peru.
Your lineup has sufferen only one major change since then, with the addition of Evelyn on the bass, presumably to relief Karol and let her return to her cherished guitar. Did Karol ever become attached to the bass or she has always tried to return to the guitar?
Karito is very professional but she is definitely a guitarist by nature, although she also plays very well the bass.
What will bring to the sound of Area 7 the fact of having two guitars? Have you tried this experience life, how do the old songs fit?
The band has always had two guitars. First I played second guitar and sang, until 2007, when I stopped playing and devoted myself to be only the Area 7 voice.


text:
2 dead in Bangladesh clashes over death sentence
- Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for war crimes
- Sayedee supporters were restrained with tear gas
- Sayedee%27s party%2C Jamaat -e-Islami%2C has called for a 3-day strike
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Demonstrators protesting the death penalty given to an Islamic political party leader clashed with Bangladeshi security forces for a third straight day on Saturday, killing two people and injuring about a dozen, police said.
Delwar Hossain Sayedee, one of the top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamic party, was sentenced to death Thursday by a war crimes tribunal for atrocities committed during Bangladesh's 1971 war of separation from Pakistan. The sentence triggered rioting across the country, killing at least 46 people, including the two in the latest fighting, authorities said.
Sayedee, 73, is the third defendant to be convicted by the tribunal, which was set up in 2010 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.
Another seven top leaders of Jamaat, including its chief, Matiur Rahman Nizami, are on trial on war crimes charges.
Jamaat campaigned against Bangladesh's nine-month independence war and formed some auxiliary forces to help the Pakistani troops, but denies committing atrocities.
Bangladesh says the war left 3 million people dead, 200,000 women raped and forced millions to flee to neighboring India.
On Saturday, security forces used tear gas to stop Jamaat supporters from smashing vehicles and blocking roads in Chittagong district, police said. The area is 216 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Dhaka, the capital.
Two men were killed and about a dozen injured in the fighting, said a local police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Dhaka's private television stations Ekattor TV and Somoy TV reported that Jamaat supporters erected road blocks and attacked homes of government supporters in parts of the country.
Jamaat is an ally of Bangladesh's main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and was a partner in Zia's government from 2001 to 2006.
Zia says the war crimes trials are politically motivated to target the opposition, an allegation denied by the government.
Jamaat and Zia's party have called for a three-day nationwide general strike starting Sunday.


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The Editor's Back Fence
New: Watch the Berkeley City Council! Tell Us What Happens!
Okay, folks, you're up! The new-old Berkeley City Council starts its next term tonight, and watchdogs are desperately needed. While you're not paying attention, your tax dollars are being allocated, and not always in ways you might want. You need to keep your eye on the ball. Herein, a quick primer on how you can do this.
First, quickly scan the council agenda. Daunting, isn't it? And it's hard to figure out what's going to be discussed because the language is evasive. Take this item for example:
"Budget Referral: Annual Grant for Sunday Streets Events Refer to the 2013 budget process an ongoing budget item of $30,000 to cover City fees for twice-annual Sunday Streets events in Berkeley."Remember the Sunday they closed off Shattuck and people were able to walk in the streets? Pleasant, yes, but lots of city services were needed to make it happen: police, street sweepers, etc.. Who paid for them? Usually event organizers are supposed to pay city fees to cover the cost of their events, but now Livable Berkeley, the lobbying organization which put Sunday Streets on, wants a give-back.
According to Carolyn Jones' story in the S.F. Chronicle (and why should we doubt her?):
"Livable Berkeley is asking the city to waive its costs for the Oct. 14 event, plus future Sunday Streets. The event included more than just a street closure. There were yoga and rhumba classes, a climbing wall, soccer games, a music stage with amplifiers powered by bicycles, and chess games with 3-foot-high chess pieces."It's the classic political strategy described by Juvenal in ancient Rome, as recalled for us by Wikipedia:
"Bread and Circuses (or bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metaphor for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace…"Did the populace enjoy it? Well, at least some of them did, but they were most likely the same well-behaved burgers who gladly voted to continue business as usual on the city council in the election.
But do these extravaganzas do anything to address what downtown property interests would like to identify as the real problem with their business model, disreputable street life which drives off customers?
If bread and circuses don't work to make downtown Berkeley into heaven itself, let's consider the relative virtues of carrots and sticks.
The recently defeated Measure S was a ploy by the big property owners plus some gormless restauranteurs to create another stick with which to smite the ne'er-do-wells who frequent Berkeley's commercial areas, but the voters—at least a majority of them—weren't fooled into thinking it would work.
Now, how about trying a carrot or two? What might work—or at least it's worth a try—is granting the request, also on tonight's council agenda, by Youth Spirit Artworks for $50,000 to team up with existing homeless youth services to get and keep homeless youth off Berkeley Streets through jobs creating saleable art works, combined with referrals to services and shelter.
Youth Spirit Artworks is a very successful program for putting unemployed and often homeless young people to work. It's currently located on Adeline in South Berkeley, but the sponsors propose to move it to University Avenue in Central Berkeley, next door to the existing YEAH shelter which gives homeless young people a place to sleep at night for a few months of the year.
Currently these kids have nowhere to go during the day, and many of them are the same kids excoriated for sitting on the sidewalks downtown. Much better they should be next door at Youth Spirit making art stuff to sell.
Common sense suggests that getting them off the street and into productive employment would be a good use of city money…perhaps even better than providing yoga and rhumba classes a couple of times a year for the already housed.
Which should the council choose?
In days gone by, a professional reporter might have watched council meetings for you and provided a nice printed summary of what happened, but this is the brave new world of citizen media, so you're on your own.
This is not a quandary the Planet is going to bail you out of this time. Your assignment: Watch the darn city council meeting yourself. You could actually go to the meeting in person, but it's also on cable TV, and even available as a streaming video right here in the very same computer you're using to read the Planet.
Just use the same link to the council agenda, and on that page should be another link to the council meeting, so you can watch it at home. After the meeting's over, this link should, in a day or so, turn into a link to the pre-recorded video, so you can watch at your leisure and even fast forward to the two items in question, so you can see how the council made its decision on which one to fund.
And if it's not too much to ask, I might hope that somewhere out there are Planet readers who would like to volunteer to email us their very own reports about what the council decided. I'll just repeat what I said in the first paragraph, now you're up!
Me, I'm going to my granddaughter's birthday party tonight.


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Bilge Khaghan wrote:There was an earthquake in Algeria three days ago... The number of dead is high, something like 1600something the last time I heard... I'm very soory for the ones who lost their lives
The earthquake was in a town 60-70 kms. East of Algiers. The quake also caused the internet cables in the Western Mediterrenean to malfunction; it's because of this that I have a very slow connection. Many countries around the Mediterrenean suffer from this; but the problem will be fixed tomorrow or two days later.
"New versions of software based on a popular file-compression technology could create headaches for users through their use of incompatible formats.
"For more than a decade, Zip has been the most common format for shrinking files in order to more easily store them or transmit them over the Internet. Dozen of software programs, including tools built into recent versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system, can read and decompress any file bearing the .zip extension. [...]"
WinZip is the leader in the market, according to rankings on CNET Download.com, a sister site of CNET News.com. The site tallied more than 100 million downloads in nine months for the last version of WinZip, compared with 1.6 million in five months for PKZip.
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