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In this episode Thom Singer talks about how to maximize your investment in sponsoring a trade show or other event. As "The Conference Catalyst" Thom attends dozens a trade shows a year, and sometimes the hosting association asks him to speak at a special session exclusively for vendors.
Being a vendor at an event with a trade show is an important role. The event could not happen without sponsors, but many attendees forget this and look at the parade of sales professionals as a negative. Over time sales people have given trade shows a bad rap through their actions, and those who maximize the event do so by not trying to sell to everyone, but instead by participating as a peer attendee.
What you do before, during, and after the event (both online and in person) makes a huge difference in your success. When a person looks for shortcuts (like bulk mailing or emails) they do nothing to build a relationship. Connections with other people are made individually and through shared experiences.
If you are going to be sponsoring an event, listen to this episode and choose to make the right choices in how you engage with people.


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Besides that this is they young type french bean not those that we commonly saw out side, every bit of it you would hear the crunchy sound from the french bean.
Besides that they add in some minced meat to cook it, this is were the dish were not too plain, moreover they put in a lot of garlic in this dish, every bite of it you will taste the garlic.
If i were to rate this i would give 7/10
Date of Visit: Sep 01, 2013
Other Ratings:
Taste3 |
Environment5 |
Service5 |
Clean4 |
Value for Money2
Keep it up!
Looking Forward
Cool Photo

subset: commoncrawl


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My Peanut is Bigger than your Peanut!
Updated: May 21, 2020
A group of cells the size of a peanut stand between you and true bliss. Yes, that is a scientific fact. Who else is really annoyed at this fact? How can a peanut rule your life?
Have you ever had an aha moment? A moment that instantly changes your whole perspective. I had a significant aha moment that made me want to press on the breaks, stop the car, and just scream "how can that be?"
I was listening to a Super Soul Sunday podcast where Oprah interviews Jill Bolte Taylor. Jill is a neuroscientist that wrote the book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey. As you can guess she had a stroke and was completely aware of what was happening to her during the stroke.
Her story is fascinating, and I encourage you check out her TED talk and her book. My point here is more to a fact that she shared during the podcast. She said that the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking is the size of a peanut. WHAT???
Immediately, I wanted to ask - a shelled or unshelled peanut? Like if it was shelled then it somehow made me feel better that it was slightly bigger. My next thought was, well my peanut has got to be bigger than the average.
All the thinking that goes on in my mind all day, the 90,000+ thoughts a day, the torment, the self talk, all that noise is created by a peanut sized group of cells.
I was more than frustrated by this news. Truthfully I was enraged by this news. All these years of being aware of self talk and working with hundreds of different strategies to manage my thoughts, to create a more peaceful state, to work on positive thoughts...all this time I was fighting with a peanut. Seriously!
In that moment I looked at my hands, my arms, my legs, my feet and I could not help thinking why would a peanut size group of cells rule all other parts of me. It just seemed ridiculous. Who gave this peanut such power?
Then it dawned on me that the rant I was currently on was also being created by that damm peanut. Ok now I started laughing and the aha moment started to shift into a positive space.
I also answered my own question - who gave this peanut such power? Me of course.
What part of me? The damm peanut again.
To be fair the constant use of the peanut created the vicious cycle of thoughts that gave it all the power.
What was clear to me in that moment is that I had given the left brain, the thinking peanut too much air time and I had not given my right brain, my intuitive sense, my creative space enough air time.
The right brain is responsible for the big picture, it is the home of emotion, and the space for creative expression. Jill Bolte Taylor describes the time she spend in her right brain while her left brain was offline due to the stroke as "beautiful, peaceful, blissful".
During that time she says she did not care about what people thought, she had no care in the world, she felt whole and complete. Now, clearly she was not able to function as a human being at the time, she was unable to speak or understand language, she could not feed herself, she did not have control of her body. This is not exactly an ideal scenario. The magic lies in using the right and left brain in harmony.
We can all control our thoughts. Scientifically, it is proven that the cells and the fibers in your brain will respond to your command. If you pay attention to what you are thinking, watch for the emotion that the thought is creating, and allow yourself to feel the emotion, you will be in a better position to take an action according to how you want to feel.
This will take practice, and the reward is worth it.
After many years of overusing the thinking brain it takes time to slow it down and to learn to use it more effectively.
What I learned from Jill's experience is that using the right brain more often can create more peaceful, happy and blissful moments.
Now the question I am sure you have is - how do you activate the right brain?
Same question I had...So I did some research. I might as well use my peanut for good instead of evil.
The right brain is activated when you spend time imagining, day dreaming, breathing consciously, drawing, colouring, painting, chewing your food mindfully, writing, stretching, moving the body, doing something spontaneous, listening and following intuitive guidance, and the list goes on and on...you can do some quick research and find more right brain stimulating activities.
The activity you pick is not as important as your consistency in taking the action. The simple activity of doodling and sketching random lines will have the same stimulating effect on the right brain as creating a masterpiece of art.
The best advice I can give you is pick one or more activities that you enjoy and stick with it.
You can take back your power to be whole and complete, to enjoy peaceful and blissful moments and to stop the peanut sized group of cells from running your life.
I also feel the need to clarify that the peanut sized group of thinking cells are not the enemy. The ability to strategize, to make intelligent decision, to be rational all come from these lovely group of cells. We suffer when we overuse these cells and underutilize the counter balance of the right brain.
Knowledge is power and I hope that sharing this aha moment empowers you to take back the power to enjoy peace of mind. In my opinion the greatest gift of all.
What is your relationship with you peanut? How has it evolved over time? Share your insights in the comment section below. If this blog resonates with you, please share it below on any of your social platforms.
Wishing you love, joy and peace,
Sandra Francisco


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One Air Force officer is hoping hours in the gym each day could mean a trip to the NFL Combine — and the revival of a dream to play pro ball.
Aaron Kirchoff, a 2009 graduate of the Academy, is a second lieutenant with the 50th Comptroller Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. He said the idea of playing in the NFL after school "wasn't even a question. You weren't even asked if you were training for the combine."
But watching a couple of a former teammate surviving the cut in the NFL made Kirchoff think big. Chad Hall, a 2008 Academy graduate, is on the roster with the Philadelphia Eagles. And Ben Garland, a 2009 graduate, attended training camp with the Denver Broncos but didn't make the cut.
That was all the motivation Kirchoff needed.
"After seeing those guys, a fire started up underneath me. Seeing them perform at that level is my motivation to try to get there," he said in the press release. "Those guys did it. They were on an NFL roster and now the window is open for other players."
But nothing's a fait accompli. Kirchoff will perform for scouts at the Academy's pro day in the spring and hopes to receive an invitation to work out at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
He's in the gym "day in and day out" to get into NFL shape. Trainers are pushing weightlifting, sprint drills and agility training. In January, he'll shift gears and focus entirely on speed. It's already paying off: Kirchoff has gained 17 pounds of muscle and upped his maximum bench press 65 pounds over the past two months, according to the release.
If he catches on with an NFL team, he'll be allowed to leave after two years on active duty and then serve in the Air Force Reserve. It has gotta help that his boss is on board with what is essentially one of his employees trying to find a new job.
"Shooting for the NFL is certainly a one in a million shot," squadron commander Maj. Thomas Smicklas said, "but I know his fire and passion to overcome the odds pumps up every airman here in the [squadron]and is a lesson in perseverance and determination for the entire 50th Space Wing."


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IN MEMORIAM: For the faithful life of a beloved Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) leader, presented here is a 2007 devotion on this scripture from C. William Nichols, former Interim Minister of National City Christian Church. May his reflection continue to warm our hearts and inspire our vision for this congregation. To God be the glory!
Saturday, April 13
It was a day of agony and ecstasy. Oh, the ecstasy was there, to be sure: the thrilling reaction of an enthusiastic crowd of people, giving Jesus the adulation he so richly deserved.
But there was also agony that day. Those closet to Jesus saw it in his eyes and heard it in his voice as he drew near the city. As he crested that hill and looked down to see the city spread out before him, he wept. Those near him witnessing that unexpected display of sorrow were nonplussed. Didn't he know that everything he had wanted, worked for, prayed for, was about to become his? He has spoken repeatedly of his new kingdom that was coming, and here – ready to receive him – was that city that would be the political base of that new regime.
Here was the agony: the realization that despite their protestations of allegiance to him, what they really wanted was something quite different from what he wanted. They wanted him to be their kind of king. They had no interest in being his kind of kingdom.
Still today, what he wants from us is not so much the excitement of clamorous praise, but the quietly heroic offering of humbled lives, willing to become instruments of his grace.
Prayer: As Jesus looks over our city this day, Oh God, may our humble obedience honor him. Amen.
C. William Nichols


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Obeid Dental | Modern Prosthodontics Office in Chevy Chase MDChevy Chase, MD
Obeid Dental occupies a coveted street-level corner location in a high-rise office building right on Connecticut Avenue, MD, that gives this 1600sf modern prosthodontics office in Chevy Chase MD a million dollar street presence. The doctor, young, handsome, a sports-car driver, cutting edge all the way, wanted an office that reflected his progressive persona and pushed the envelope on all levels. Totally paperless, all digital, with the latest in technology throughout, Obeid Dental caused a splash as soon as it opened when CNN immediately approached the doctor for an interview. Walking through the space during the daytime, with the abundant daylight streaming in from all directions makes for a soothing and cheerful environ. Come nighttime, the space could be mistaken a cool clubby go-to spot.
The Office received a 2009 Gold Award in the Healthcare Category from International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the 2009 American Institute of Architects/ Northern Virginia Chapter Jurors' Citation Award in Interior Architecture. The project was most recently awarded the 2009 American Institute of Architects/ Potomac Valley Chapter Merit Award in commercial architecture. The jury commented that "The meticulous attention to detail permeates all aspects of this small dental office. The result is a sublime intimate environment with plenty of interest to captivate visitors."
- This project was featured in an article on FORMA's Medical work in the Fall 09 issue of Architecture|DC.
- It won an American Institute of Architects/Miami chapter Award of Excellence in Interior Design in November 2010.
- The Project was featured in the Summer 2016 issue of METRO ARCHITECT on FORMA Design and our work through the past 20 years.
Client Testimonial
"FORMA Design helped me create a complete brand identity for my practice. They provided a single source for everything: from the planning and the architecture to working with equipment vendors I selected, designing the logo, the graphics, the website, the signage and furnishings throughout, down to the accessories. They really understood what I wanted to achieve and worked with me to make it a reality. The response to the space has been fantastic!"-Youssef Obeid, DDS, FACP- Obeid Dental, Chevy Chase, MD


text: New Switch! Introducing the new ECM™ for added reliability. The ECM™ (External Control Module) uses a 'bell' inside the basin to monitor liquid level for operation of a switch outside the basin (in the cover) and isolated from liquid. This reduces any chance of water intrusion, which can result in switch failure. No moving switch parts inside the basin eliminates failure from 'hang-ups'.


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In cooperation with Peter Petrick, Gerhard Stemmer and Ulf Balke, we present the first volume of the most comprehensive work to date about the emblems of the flying units of the Luftwaffe. The research behind the series has taken the better part of twenty years. Since Karl Ries' books in the 1960s and 70s, there has not been a publication which has delved into this subject in depth while incorporating all the latest knowledge. Each volume will contain several hundred mostly unpublished black and white and color photos, as well as detailed information about the emblems. The emblems themselves will be depicted in large illustrations.
The volumes will also contain many unit emblems which have never before been published or identified, as well as variants of unit emblems. The book series will therefore be of interest both to modelers and those with an historical interest in the Luftwaffe. Volume 1 deals with tactical and strategic reconnaissance units and weather reconnaissance units.
Independent producer of top-quality reference books on the German armed forces of the Second World War.


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Keep your lips moisturized and hydrated with our super exfoliating lip scrub. Blended with rich natural oils, buff away dead skin leaving your lips soft, smooth & flawless.
Size: 0.8oz
Pineapple- Sweet, juicy and tropical.
How to use:
Place a pea size amount on your finger, rub all over to exfoliate, and wipe off with a damp tissue or you can lick it off because its completely edible and delicious
Ingredients: Caster Sugar, Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Sweet Almond Oil, Flavor
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.


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After a wonderful weekend at Cleethorpes Scooter Rally, with beautiful weather both for the ride there and back as well as the rally itself, we decided to put this little video together as a 'thank you' to all those who helped with the launch party for issue 2 of ScooterNova magazine, as well of course as everybody who attended the event.
Throughout the day the ScooterNova magazine stall was busy with scooterists and traders alike stopping by for some quality cheese and wine, the sounds provided by Andrew Kay of York SC. We were also pleased to have not only Richard Oswald's Lambretta 230cc engined J50 on display (as featured in issue 2 of ScooterNova) but later on a few other smart scooters were also parked up to enjoy – big thanks to Gary and Mark for The Sentinel and Start Me Up.
During the day people stopped by to socialise, buy and read a copy of ScooterNova magazine with a glass of red or white, some even bought one of our exclusive ScooterNova branded messenger bags to carry their wares around in. All around though, plenty of happy people, which was is was all about.
So here are a selection of photos we took on the day, all on the official scooter rally campsite run by the Olympic and Mansfield Monsters scooter clubs. We've added them to some video to and from Cleethorpes, and stuck it all together with a background tune that brought a smile to many faces at our little launch party.
We hope to see many of you and more at the Isle of Wight scooter rally for our launch party there to celebrate issue 3 of ScooterNova magazine.
Until then, we'll see you on the road somewhere. Ride safe.
You can subscribe to ScooterNova magazine here.
You can view and purchase ScooterNova merchandise here.


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Grange Park – Ferring
An exclusive development of 2 chalet bungalows with 1st floor balconies, and a 5 bedroom detached house with conservatory, close to village shops and the sea in South Ferring, West Sussex.
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The weekend?......it was a getting (even more) into the Christmas spirit with Kirsty....
Waving at SIAN, whose idea this meme was....wishing you all a good week!
Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx
What lovely knitted gifts, and such a good cause. I bet your box wrapping skills are pretty good after all that!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous photo of you and your girl and what a great total you raised.
Wow look at all those knitted gifts! Glad you enjoyed having Kirsty to visit and how lovely that your Mum and Dadare coming to visit:)ReplyDelete
a wonderful pile of goodies you have all createdReplyDelete
That's a fantastic selection of knits! Hope you got them all packaged up safely because I think opening them will put smiles on quite a few faces
Have a great week Alison
it all looks very festive, time to embrace the season I think!ReplyDelete
That's an amazing selection of knits.ReplyDelete
Hoping for safe journeys for all of your family as they to and fro, and that the planning and preparing for their arrival is a lot of fun!ReplyDelete
That's a lot of knitting and those bears look adorable!ReplyDelete
The knitted items look great - hope you managed to get them all wrapped ok!ReplyDelete
What a great bunch of items to wrap and donate and how FUN that Kirsty was there for the bazaar! Hope you've had a great week!ReplyDelete
I love to see all that festive goodnessReplyDelete
What a great collection of knitting.ReplyDelete
That is a really lovely photo of you and Kirsty xReplyDelete
Such a look of concentration! I hope your box-covering project went well--I'm sure the knitted items will be much appreciated by their recipients.ReplyDelete


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By David Klassen
A 58-year-old man is in police custody after barricading himself inside a residence in the city's Harbourview South neighbourhood Thursday night.
Winnipeg police responded to Williamson Crescent at about 7:30 p.m. to deal with a threat call, along with crisis negotiators, the tactical support team and canine unit.
The man surrendered to police at approximately 11:20 p.m. without incident. No injuries were reported.
Williamson Crescent was closed to traffic, as well as Grassie Boulevard east of Lagimodiere Boulevard and Pearn Avenue.
The investigation is ongoing.


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Atlanta Motor Speedway to play host to 2016 Bandolero Nationals
The top Bandolero car drivers from across the country will converge on Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept 24, when AMS plays host to the 2016 Bandolero Nationals. The national championship event, which will crown the nation's best Bandolero drivers, will take place on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring, a flat racing surface on the AMS frontstretch considered one of the most challenging in the nation.
Atlanta Motor Speedway last hosted the event in the summer of 2014, when Stockbridge, Georgia native Jensen Jorgensen notched his second consecutive Outlaws Division national title, and Talking Rock, Georgia's Chandler Smith claimed the Bandits Division crown.
"It's an honor to once again welcome the most talented Bandolero drivers in the U.S. to our facility as they compete on the national stage for top honors in the country," said AMS president Ed Clark. "We will host a full day of racing with some of the stiffest short-track competition among the future stars of racing."
The 2016 Bandolero Nationals will include practice sessions in the morning and early afternoon, followed by five-lap group qualifying at 1:30 p.m., before heat races between 3 and 5 p.m. Twenty-lap feature races will start at 6:30 p.m., beginning with the Rookie Bandolero Division, a consolation feature, the Bandits Division championship, and finally the Outlaws Division championship.
In addition, local Legends car racing in four classes will precede the Bandolero competition with the first green-flag start time at 5:30 p.m.
Sanctioned by INEX (inexpensive racing), Bandolero cars serve as a starting point for many drivers to enter competitive racing, with drivers split into two groups based on their age. Drivers ages 8-to-11 compete in the Bandits Division, while drivers 12 and up compete in the Outlaws Division. The Rookie Bandolero division is reserved for young drivers brand new to the car.
Notable AMS Bandolero and Legends car racing alumni include current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, David Ragan, Austin Dillon and Reed Sorenson, as well as William Byron, who currently leads the 2016 driver standings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
For more information about the 2016 Bandolero Nationals, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.


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First UK SimpliPhi Power Installation in Harry Potter Size Cupboard
Streamline Power Ltd. announces the first UK residential installation of SimpliPhi Power's energy storage solution in a small under-the-stairs Harry Potter sized cupboard. SimpliPhi Power's 6.88 kWh batteries were the only choice small and safe enough to place in a home without the risk of fire, toxic hazards, or taking up too much space. The PHI batteries have a 10 year Warranty and provide overnight and back-up power for the Winchester family when the sun sets or the grid fails.
The SimpliPhi Power PHI 3.4 kWh batteries, which are the safest and most robust Lithium Ion (LFP) battery available (based on US Government extreme stress testing of 31 different battery technologies) are charged from the home owners rooftop solar array. Streamline Power, based in Winchester is the UK/European distributor of SimpliPhi Power.
SimpliPhi Power, a privately-owned California company has been deploying energy storage systems (ESS) for 15 years. The founder initially created off-grid battery powered systems for remote applications in the film and television industry to replace large, toxic and often failing lead acid batteries, as well as to displace diesel 'gen-sets', effectively extending access to safe and reliable power beyond transmission lines and generators. SimpliPhi Power is internationally recognized as one of the preeminent battery manufacturers that offers the longest life-cycle, highest efficiency and shortest charge and discharge rates with a portfolio of top performing storage technologies. The complete line of PHI energy storage and management systems is now available in the UK and Europe.
Catherine Von Burg, CEO of SimpliPhi Power said, "We are working in partnership with Streamline Power to set up a SimpliPhi Power Dealer/Services network across the UK, Ireland and Europe for our residential and commercial ESS products. Streamline Power are part of Solar PV Partners, a company that has demonstrated its ability to roll out new battery technologies in residential and commercial applications for off-grid and grid connected customers in the UK and Europe. We are delighted that our batteries were chosen by the Winchester family over any other Lithium Ion battery, as they are efficient, non-toxic, safe and long lasting, making them an ideal home, school or commercial energy storage solution."


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Welcome to Codeforces Beta Round #25 (Div. 2)
Authors of today's round problems are Mike Mirzayanov and me. I want to thank to Dmitry Levshunov for technical assistance in organizing the contest, as well as Gerald Agapov and Nikolay Kuznetsov for writing alternative solutions.
I wish you all good luck!
UPD: The contest is over, thank you to everyone for participating.
- Problems
- Standings
- Winner: marek.cygan


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Columbia River Fishing Trips
When it comes to Columbia River Guided Fishing the infamous Columbia River offers year-round fishing opportunities for all those looking for the fishing experience of a lifetime. Several species of fish inhabit Oregon's largest river system with thousands of salmon and steelhead running the river every year. The Columbia also offers healthy populations of Sturgeon, Catfish, Walleye, Bass, shad, trout and more.
The Columbia River is a true anglers paradise and Columbia River Fishing Adventures will be happy to share the grand experience of fishing on the Columbia River. No matter what species you'd like to target Columbia River Fishing Adventures has you covered. From the Mouth, at Buoy 10 all the way to Hells Canyon Columbia River Fishing Adventures are your premier Columbia River Fishing Guides.
Spring Chinook Fishing Trips
During the spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead can be found at Buoy 10 on the Columbia. This season usually runs hot and heavy through March into June. During this time Chinook can be found working their way to the Bonneville Dam and then The Dalles Dam, John Day Dam and lastly the McNary Dam near the end of Oregon's Columbia River Spring Chinook season.
Year-Round Sturgeon Fishing
For Columbia River Fishing Adventures Sturgeon Fishing Trips is a year-round affair. You can find CRFA at any of the major Dams on the Columbia or other places sturgeon tend to hold up. CRFA has a long history of putting their clients on the fish for both the keeper sturgeon seasons as well as the trophy class catch and release season.
Fall Salmon Fishing Trips
July signals the end of the summer season and the beginning of the fall salmon runs that enter the Columbia River. This is the time when Columbia River Fishing Adventures starts to gear up for Fall Chinook as well as Coho. During this time Astoria is the place to be with thousands of salmon start to push their way up the river.
Columbia River Fishing Adventures follows this run up the river until the end of October when the Columbia River salmon season comes to an end.
Guided Columbia River Walleye Fishing Trips
The Beauty of the Columbia is that the Walleye fishing it good pretty much year round. Hells Canyon is the places Columbia River Fishing Guides can be found targeting Walleye and putting the fish in the boat. By the way, if you've never eaten Walleye you don't know what you're missing. Walleye is probably the best eating freshwater fish there is known for its light and flaky meat and mild flavor.


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{outfit} Summer of '69
Skirt: T by Alexander Wang, Top: Urban Outfitters $8, Sandals: Target $15, Sunglasses: Michael Kors (Marshalls) $20, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (net-a-porter) gift card, Bracelets c/o 31 Bits, Watch: Michael Kors
i really, really love that skirtReplyDelete
your top is great and I share your idea to give a colorful touch with bag
Pretty To Be Happy
Beautiful skirt! Nice cut!
Out Of The Box
love this skirt! gorgeous, huh? :)
and I also like your sandals a lot
Inside and Outside Blog
I agree that skirt can really take you from formal to casual soirees!
i love the tulip skirt (i havent worn mine in forever and ever)
how do you change the length - does it fold at the top?
I love these sandals! ;)ReplyDelete
I love that skirt! I want!ReplyDelete
What a gorgeous skirt!ReplyDelete
i have never seen sandals like those, love them!
That`s a seriously great skirt -- and definitely versatile. I love it paired with sandals and a T.
Courtney ~ http://sartorialsidelines.com
you love the skirt and the skirt loves you back :)
Stop by & enter my Skincare RX gift card giveaway!
I love this skirt! You look awesome.
Understated Classics
The skirt is absolutely lovely! Really like your outfit!ReplyDelete
I sooo want that skirt!amazing!;)
Skirt is lovely! The style looks so chic!
Cess O. <3 The Outfit Diaries
this looks great! ah alexander wang...love love love
what a cute little outfit. I love the fact that the skirt is versatile!!!ReplyDelete
I love that skirt. I think it's a great staple piece to have. Love that you're always such a bargain hunter, just like moi!
Ava Tallulah
Enter My UO Giveaway


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Helping Hands is a service provider recognised under the Helping Children with Autism Package. Eligible children (0 to 7 years) can receive $6,000 per financial year of government funding (with a maximum of $12,000) to use on early intervention services. We are FaHCSIA and Better Start approved for all services we provide. Medicare rebates can be used for psychologists, speech therapists etc, it cannot however be used for ABA therapy.
However, FaHCSIA and Better Start are being phased out as NDIS is being rolled out nation wide. At Helping Hands we are able to help families access funding for behavioural interevention by providing relevant assements, preparing reports detailing gains and objectives of your child's current ABA therapy and outlining goals and objectives
Families can visit the Autism Awareness website, Amaze, or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for further information.


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In a time of instant access to information through the Internet, including social media, it's understandable that the general public shows little patience while waiting for answers after an aviation tragedy. This was never more of an issue than in the immediate aftermath of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014. A year later, with still no answers, all we have is speculation.
It has long been the policy of Flight Safety Foundation that we do not engage in speculation following an aviation accident, and we kept to that policy last March. In the days following the disappearance of MH370, when we all still expected the wreckage to be located quickly, the nonstop speculation in the news media was troubling to aviation safety experts and an endless torment for the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew of the flight.
Last month, to our distress, we learned about AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 and its disappearance. Again, the wall-to-wall coverage focused on assumptions, guesses and what-ifs. But this doesn't advance aviation safety, it doesn't assist in the search and recovery, and it doesn't help the families.
I don't want to simply blame the media for this. They need to fill column inches and broadcast time. They also have to convince the viewing public to turn on their station or read their newspaper or magazine, and a plane crash is so rare that it is guaranteed to make news. And many individuals with a background in aviation believe that they are helping the traveling public by offering up theories of what might have happened.
Over the years, the Foundation has worked to provide factual information right after an aviation accident. We have assisted reporters with information about the aircraft and airline involved and technical information about safety subjects such as runway lighting or how an investigation works. We often have answered the question "What happens next?" And we often have pointed reporters in the direction of experts we know who can answer more questions.
Sometimes it frustrates the media, and us, when we can't help further, but we still refuse to answer the question "What do you think happened?" before the investigation concludes.
We still don't know what happened with MH370, but with the recovery of the black boxes from QZ8501 in January, we expect to begin to learn soon the facts of what happened to cause that tragedy. The investigators in that region, both from Indonesia and other countries that have been brought in to help, have the experience to analyze this vital data and to start finding answers.
Our goal after an aviation accident, one shared by aviation safety professionals worldwide, is to learn what happened and then determine what all stakeholders can do to make sure it doesn't happen again. We believe that staying focused on the facts, letting the investigators do their jobs and minimizing speculation in the media are the most responsible responses.
We also applaud the focus over the past few decades at the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States and its counterparts in many parts of the world on tending to the needs of the families of victims. None of us can fully appreciate the pain and suffering that loved ones feel after a crash unless we have had that experience. Needless public speculation about what might have happened might seem merely an intellectually interesting discussion to others, but it is a special torment for a family member to imagine, yet not know, what happened on an airplane.
Let's all work together to focus on the facts in the immediate aftermath — and avoid speculation.


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P4 Outdoor LED DISPLAY MODULE Introduce:
- P4 Outdoor Fixed LED DISPLAY MODULE IC is equipped with CHIPONE(a famous LED company) ICN2028, with high refresh, high gray features, clear picture and bright colors
- Its lamp is KN-LIGHT, the surface heat dissipation is good, two-story design for PCB, its conductivity is better than single layer.
- P4 Outdoor Fixed LED DISPLAY MODULE can be used for outdoor rental Cabinet, and can also be used for outdoor fixed installation LED Cabinet.
- Fuji led SMT production lines, the daily production capacity is around 2500pcs, and a month is about 80,000pcs.
- The module starts the first aging lighting test just coming out of the production line, and it makes three aging procedures till packaged for a week, to ensure high quality.
- Modules can be connected easily through the power interface and data interface (pin-type).
modules get the power, enable cable connected with the LED receiving card, meanwhile connecting with the LED send box or LED sending card, then module will be lighted up. (Attention please: the module won't be lighted up if LED receiving card has not been set up the RCG file. Please kindly watch the video about how to set up the RCG file.)
You are welcome to visit our Yotube website, if you want to know more methods about how to set LED module.Or email is also okay (firstname.lastname@example.com), we would arrange professional engineers for your service as soon as possible.
P4 Outdoor LED Display Module Parameters:
|Pixel pitch(mm)
|Module size(mm)
|Module resolution(W×H)
|Pixel density(dots/m2)
|Module weight(kg)
|White Balance Brightness(nits)
|Viewing Angle (Horizontal / Vertical)
|Peak power consumption (W / m2)
|780 W/m2
|Average power consumption (W / m2)
|450 W/m2
|Frame Rate
|Color Temperature
|5000-9300 adjustable
|Power supply requirements
|AC110/AC 220V 10% 47~63Hz
|Drive mode
|Constant driving current
|Refresh rate (Hz)
|Number of color processing bits
|Operating temperature / humidity range (℃?/ RH)
|-20~– +40 / 0-95%
|Storage temperature


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Together We Sound is a 2-week, 15-event free festival in Detroit.
This festival has three goals:
1. Expand and diversify access to world class contemporary music in Detroit
2. Increase artistic and scholastic achievement of youth at three Detroit high schools
3. Broaden Detroit's national profile as a major cultural center
In collaborating with students, workers, local artists, and all Detroiters, Together We Sound aims to use our music to encourage togetherness.
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA's first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000 to Akropolis to fund Together We Sound, including costs associated with guest artists, travel, equipment, documentation, and more. The Art Works category is the NEA's largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.
Akropolis is proud to be one of only 24 outstanding cultural organizations in the state of Michigan to receive an NEA Art Works grant. Click here to view the NEA's announcement and read more about the other organizations and their projects.
For the full list of concerts and events, visit our webpage for the festival below.


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The article makes the entirely valid point that where forced labor is used to staff sweatshops owned by multinational corporations, free-market advocates should not scoff at leftist protests about the poor conditions by saying, "It must be the workers' best option." But that opens the question: are there countries where this happens? The author, Ellennita Muetze Hellmer, says there are. The centerpiece of her article is Burma, ruled by an oppressive military junta (which renamed the country Myanmar). She writes, "The truth is that the military regime of Burma abducts its own citizens and forces them to work in factories owned by multinational corporations" (38-39). In the next paragraph, she writes, "[T]he government is often paid by the multinational firms in order to utilize the labor of the prisoners" (emphasis in the original).
I had intended to write an article on this subject, favorably citing and quoting Hellmer's article. While drafting it, I decided to go to her referenced sources to look for quotations. I was disappointed. The sources are "Drugs and Slavery in Myanmar" in The Economist (subscription site), June 22, 2000 (the article erroneously has the date as June 24, 2000), and "Myanmar: The Administration of Justice - Grave and Abiding Concerns," a report by Amnesty International.
The problem is that neither of these sources contains allegations that multinational companies use forced labor provided by the government in their factories. In both cases, forced labor is discussed but only in reference to military infrastructure projects, such as roads and military camps, and other such government projects. (Unfortunately, this seems to be a practice inherited from the former British colonial administration.)
The Economist states:
The regime, which ten years ago ignored an unambiguous election victory by the opposition National League for Democracy, has arranged ceasefires with most of the rebel ethnic groups, but keeps control only by using slaves to build defences, roads and bridges. Locals are forced to clear land, act as porters for the army and provide food and housing. Refugees claim that forced labourers are even made to march along roads that have been mined by rebels.Amnesty International writes:
Other ongoing concerns in Myanmar [aside from political imprisonment] include forced labour of civilians by the military....There is nothing in the report about multinational corporation factories or other private-sector use of forced labor. Not satisfied with this, I Googled several combinations of terms designed to find any article whatsoever about Hellmer's allegation. Nothing came up. Nothing.
The article is highly misleading. For example, this:
The truth is that the military regime of Burma abducts its own citizens and forces them to work in factories owned by multinational corporations. Often, the laborers are political dissidents or petty thieves, but the criminality requirement is a mere formality. Many innocent people, as well, are forced to work in the factories as well, bringing the number of slaves to a total of 800,000 (The Economist 2000). [Emphasis added.]If you go to The Economist article, the only thing you'll find substantiated is the 800,000 figure. As already pointed out, it says nothing about compulsory factory work.
Another Hellmer source, the Clean Clothes Campaign, states on its website:
In July 1998, the ILO [International Labor Office] produced an authoritative report on forced labor in Burma, calling the system "a saga of untold misery and suffering, oppression and exploitation of large sections of the population inhabiting Myanmar [Burma] by the Government, military and other public officers."A check of the ILO site turned up no allegations that people were forced to work in factories operated by multinational corporations.
I took this a step further: I e-mailed the Free Burma Coalition (FBC) to see what it knew about the issue. I received responses from FBC's founder, Zarni; Derek Tonkin, a retired British diplomat who held posts in Southeast Asia; and Robert Taylor, visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of South East Asian Studies, Singapore, and former professor of politics at the School of Orient and African Studies, University of London. Zarni had referred Tonkin and Taylor to me. Their responses are interesting.
Tonkin writes:
I know of no reports of forced labour in manufacturing enterprises in Burma, whether locally or internationally owned. The manufacturing sector is not all that significant in Burma, and there has never been any difficulty in recruiting labour at local market rates, which are admittedly low. . . . Forced labour in Central Burma has generally been connected with road-building and clearance schemes for which heavy machinery is not available. This compulsory labour is not all that different from what I have seen in Vietnam, but in Burma it is run by the Army, who tend to be heartless and autocratic, whereas in Vietnam it is run by the local authorities and Party organisations as communal schemes. On the whole, there is little or no forced labour on construction sites (hotels, factory buildings, schools, hospitals etc) because unskilled labour is not generally required and could be more trouble than it is worth. Forced labour in the border areas is much more widespread and involves portering for the army and compulsory provision of food supplies - to be frank, anything which the local army commander feels he needs to survive, as he is expected to live off the land and has no budget for local expenses.Tonkin sent a link to the latest ILO Governing Council report (March 2006). It says nothing about forced factory labor or other work for private-sector interests.
In a second e-mail Tonkin said:
I have no evidence to support the allegation in the [Hellmer] report at reference that: "The truth is that the military regime of Burma abducts its own citizens and forces them to work in factories owned by multinational corporations". I believe this allegation to be totally without foundation.Zarni's e-mail was similar to Tonkin's:
There were - and still are - news reports about the use of forced labor in the country, especially in military operations and infrastructure projects, to our concern, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no single report or allegation about the use of forced labor in [manufacturing] sector run by multinationals.I should note that due to a boycott campaign conducted by FBC and others concerned about forced labor, many western companies stopped buying products, such as apparel, from Burma. FBC has since changed its strategy from isolation of Burma to engagement. See its website for details.
Taylor's e-mail states:
I have never heard the allegation that multi-nationals used forced labour in Myanmar. The allegation is normally made that the army uses forced labour as porters and as free labour for its camps. This may be true to some extent but then in 1916 the United States Supreme Court said that such practices were constitutional in lieu of taxation. Until 1999 the law in Myanmar, inherited from the British via the 1907 Village Act, made such practices legal. However, I do not believe, based on conversations with foreign investors in Myanmar, that forced labour was used by any foreign firm in any of their construction projects.Let me add a couple of points in conclusion. First, I wish in no way to go easy on the Burmese military junta. It forbids workers from organizing and jails its political opponents, forcing them to work. Second, forced labor on the government's civil and military infrastructure is abominable. But, third, this is not the same issue as forced labor in multinational corporation sweatshops. Were that to occur, the companies involved would deserve the harshest criticism and recriminations such as boycotts. But there seems to be no evidence that it occurs in Burma. Finally, forced labor in factories is a separate issue from a government's closing off virtually all opportunities to people but factory work. I have not seen this alleged in Burma, but we know it has happened in the past through land expropriation and tax policy elsewhere. (See the British colonial record in Africa, for example.) Here the issue is forced work in western-owned factories. Not only is there no reported evidence that it occurs, there aren't even allegations it has occurred.
(Burma is not the only case discussed in the paper. The other examples of forced labor are Indonesia gold mining in recent times and the Central American coffee-growing industry in the nineteenth century. I have not looked into those cases.)


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Disability Can Do: The Canari Project
Date joined: 16/08/18
Disability Can Do is a charity based in Pontllanfraith that works with disabled people to promote and encourage inclusion, independence, and choice. In 2018 we embarked on, The Canari Project, a Heritage Lottery funded project looking at the history of disability in the local mining industries from 1850 to the present day. The Canari Project uses the insight of volunteers and participants own experiences of disability to see how the challenges of disability have shaped and changed our communities. Participants and volunteers from the Caerphilly Borough have researched documents held in both public and personal archives and collected personal stories and experiences of people working in industries in the South Wales region, particularly focussing on coal mining. This has resulted in a series of oral history interviews conducted by volunteers. The interviews offered insights into the following areas:
How disabled people were treated within society and at work
What equipment and aids were available to them
What work was available to them and whether their pay was the same
How disabilities were caused as a result of industrial activities and whether people were compensated in such circumstances
Whether workplace health and safety changed as a result of injuries and disability
Website: http://www.disabilitycando.org.uk/ (Opens in a new window)


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Application of Demographic Variables in Measuring the Perception of Child Trafficking in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Syed Rashid Ali, Niaz Muhammad , Mussawar Shah, Abdullah, & Imran
Across the globe, although tremendous efforts have been carried out for controlling crimes
and violation of human rights but it is also a fact that the intensity and magnitude of crimes
are increasing with the passage of time. Child trafficking is also one of those social problems
and inhuman acts strengthening its roots all over the world particularly in developing
countries, like Pakistan with alarming consequences for the society in general and for
children in particular. The vulnerability of children to trafficking is due to wide range of
factors associated to it, like false promises and hopes of children employment to the poor
parents (Aronowitz, 2001), high financial benefits for traffickers (Keefer, 2006), poor law
enforcement, and cooperation of law enforcement and politicians with traffickers (Sen,
2003). This study was conducted in district Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan with
sample size of 392 respondents (i.e. 116 university teachers, 173 advocates and 104
journalists) to probe out that how demographic variables such as profession, location, gender
and marital status manipulate their perception of child trafficking. Results of the data
analyses, using independent t-test, showed a statistically significant positive relationship. It
is recommended to devise a thorough and careful awareness raising strategy, provide more
educational facilities and job openings to the masses and laws implementation in the region.
Keywords: Perception, Child trafficking, Profession, Residential location, Gender, Marital Status


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Fabienne Huebener has a PhD in Neurobiology, and a degree in journalism and Public Relation. She has worked as a scientist at the University of Munich (Germany), and the Institute of Neuroscience in Tsukuba (Japan).
She served as the press speaker for the University hospital of the Technical University Munich and as a science editor for Springer Science. She has been a freelance science journalist since 2006. In 2005 she was awarded the prestigious "special-interest journalist of the year" prize by the Vogel Foundation. In 2012 she received the journalism prize of the National Plastic Surgeons.
She writes among others for the Apotheken Umschau (a magazine which is read by over 20 Million people in Germany), and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, an influential newspaper based in Switzerland. When she is not reading, doing interviews or writing, she likes to run, swim, paint, and play the clarinet.
Her philosophy: get to the core of the subject, do it with creativity and style, and give it all a special twist.
You find more about her on www.inword.de (English) & www.fabtext.de (German).


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Knowledge management is an organizational approach that helps businesses collect, organize, share and use information to their advantage. For customer support, this data relates directly to customers and methods used to solve the issues they encounter. Information such as customer profiles, frequently used channels and effective troubleshooting techniques should be shared among agents and with other departments to provide quality service. The best way to employ knowledge management within a business is by using collaborative customer support software that gives each representative access to the same information. Then, a business can use this data for the benefit of its customers and its bottom line. Here are six ways knowledge management improves customer support and helps a business thrive:
Reduces repetition
Imagine a support team where each rep builds their own profile of a repeat customer every time they submit a ticket. In such a scenario, agents have to start from the beginning, collecting contact information, identify the product or service the customer purchased, any upgrades or add-ons and more. This requires the customer to repeat information they've already provided during the sales process and again during any other support queries they've had in the past.
With a knowledge management approach, such information is entered once and stored in a central database each rep has access to. This eliminates repetition for both customers and agents. Customers don't have to spend time providing a business with the same information they've already given, and agents don't have to type this data into a second, redundant record. They simply pull up the customer's profile and amend the entry with any updated information, including the issue the agent is currently working on.
Increases first-contact resolution rates
Proper knowledge management provides agents with access to all the information they need to solve any customer support issue. This makes support reps more likely to provide solutions on the first attempt. They're able to bypass excessive troubleshooting steps by looking at similar cases handled in the past. In addition, they can skip ineffective problem-solving techniques and head directly to one that works on the first try.
Sharing information also reduces the need to transfer customers to more experienced or knowledgeable agents, and means customers are rarely given incorrect or misleading advice. According to a survey by Consumer Reports, 70 percent of Americans are highly annoyed when they're transferred to a customer support rep who either can't help them or provides a wrong answer. Effective use of knowledge management eliminates both of these frustrations.
Improves self-support options
Accumulating information allows businesses to identify common questions among their customers. Support teams can use these frequent queries to create better self-service support options, designing clearer answers and making self-service support easier to navigate. They should start by establishing a list of frequently asked questions, then build a customer-facing hub of knowledge with tutorials and articles that are easy to find and comprehend.
Allows omnichannel visibility
Web-based customer support software lets businesses collect information from various channels into one central database. Companies can use social media comments, blog posts and forum reviews to get a better understanding of the concerns their customers have. This expands the knowledge-gathering process beyond what a support desk receives directly from customers, bringing information from resources support agents generally don't encounter. They can then analyze which channels are most effective at relaying information back to their customers based on priority. For instance, customers should be made aware of a critical bug patch through direct email and not social media, where the message may not be seen in a timely manner.
Helps customer support teams be more proactive
The more a business understands its current tickets and customers, the better it can predict what questions will arise in the future from similar cases. This allows a support team to take a more proactive approach, anticipating incoming queries and communicating with customers on best practices and more before any issues arise. By communicating with customers before they actively seek support, a business positions itself as an ally and increases customer engagement.
Promotes collaboration
Collecting information goes beyond customer support. Knowledge management tells a support team, and by extension the rest of the business, the most common uses of its product or service. For instance, businesses selling software as a service can identify recurring issues with a particular upgrade or new technology. This tells developers what to improve in release updates. In a similar manner, knowing how customers use a particular product helps sales and marketing understand what benefits to promote. It also tells engineers and developers what to prioritize when designing future software. Without company-wide knowledge management in place, these benefits would not be realized.
Knowledge management is integral to the success of any customer support team. Maintaining a robust, accessible knowledge base of information not only helps agents address incoming tickets, but it also provides direction to businesses on how they should approach their customers and self-service support options.
Read more:


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BiosecurID: a multimodal biometric database
A new multimodal biometric database, acquired in the framework of the BiosecurID project, is presented together with the description of the acquisition setup and protocol. The database includes eight unimodal biometric traits, namely: speech, iris, face (still images, videos of talking faces), handwritten signature and handwritten text (on-line dynamic signals, off-line scanned images), fingerprints (acquired with two different sensors), hand (palmprint, contour-geometry) and keystroking. The database comprises 400 subjects and presents features such as: realistic acquisition scenario, balanced gender and population distributions, availability of information about particular demographic groups (age, gender, handedness), acquisition of replay attacks for speech and keystroking, skilled forgeries for signatures, and compatibility with other existing databases. All these characteristics make it very useful in research and development of unimodal and multimodal biometric systems.PDF Abstract


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Hey, Answerman!by Brian Hanson,
Hot dang! Welcome back, everyone! I'm ready for another round of this civilized madness known as Answerman, and I'm going to assume that by clicking on the link and reading this that you are, too. First, though, a big hearty thanks to everybody who said nice things about my cartoons and such on my personal site. I love each and every one of you. I half-love those of you who said not-so nice things about them. I have something resembling love for everybody who didn't say anything. I have to ration my love around.
Now to the questions:
Dear Answerman,
I am a fan of Gegege no Kitarō and I have known that very little stuff related to it have been imported (live-action film, manga, "Yokaido Road exhibits, etc.).
I can't believe Toei is exhibiting this property. I have three questions about this:
1. Does this mean the Gegege no Kitarō anime is finally coming to the US?
2. If it is, what kind of impact will it bring here?
3. Could this save anime on US TV and the American anime licensing industry?
I think that you're thinking a bit too heavily about all this. Gegege no Kitarō has been one of Toei's flagship properties since the 1960's, and they've been shopping it around to potential buyers/licensors/broadcasters since then. I haven't seen too much of the newer show, but so far I like the look of it much better than any other recently aired anime series that are based off of much older manga - the designs hew close to the original, appealing manga designs from the 50's, without adding layers upon layers of crappy, chunky-looking shadows and CG lighting, unlike the new Golgo 13 or whatever else.
The fact that Toei's trying to shop the show around isn't at all surprising, honestly. Now, will it come to the US? Maybe. I'd say it's highly unlikely that any of the major US anime distributors - your Funimations and Vizes - would want it, because it's too odd, too Japanese folklore-y, too old-looking. Toei could, though, simply release it here themselves, as they've done with a few of their other properties like Air Master and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. It wouldn't be terribly successful that way, but at least it would be released.
Gegege no Kitarō is good-natured cartoon fun, but that, sadly, isn't what sells in the anime landscape these days. The few shows that manage to become bona-fide hits need to be darker, less fanciful, and more in line with the likes of Inuyasha or Vampire Knight or Fullmetal Alchemist. I used to be optimistic that one single title could "save" the anime industry, but we're a long ways away from the days of Cowboy Bebop; the economic issues that are plaguing the anime industry from both the inside and out are far beyond the scope of any one specific title, no matter its quality.
Unless Ponyo turns into a hundred-million-dollar blockbuster from out of nowhere. Which would rule. Too bad it won't happen.
I've always been a little curious that World Apartment Horror, the live action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo was never released in America. I have assumed, perhaps incorrectly that his name had some clout with distributors. I mean, all four of Mamoru Oshii's live-action films have gotten released here. Is it a matter of content (it was just not expected to appeal to American audiences), production values (from what I hear it is supposed to be darkly lit), technical, rights problems, etc.? Thanks.
Me too, actually - I've been curious about World Apartment Horror since I first started watching anime when I was 15. I still haven't seen it, but I *did* snag an imported DVD of Otomo's live-action Mushishi film, sadly titled "Bugmaster" in English, from a friend of mine. It was an interesting but plodding mess, that brushed off much of the development of one of my favorite manga series in favor of confusing exposition and mindless tracking shots of sub-par CGI.
But anyway, Otomo's name does have a bit of clout, but really only when it comes to Akira. Considering that his only other animated feature - Steamboy - was a massive flop, it's probably disconcerting from a business perspective. Honestly, though, I'd say that the biggest impediment for the release of World Apartment Horror is just the timing. It was released in 1991, a full decade before goofy Asian horror movies became en vogue. By now, World Apartment Horror is probably seen as a unique venture but is "too old" to sell well on DVD. That, and it's apparently all kinds of weird. Dark lighting as you mentioned, bizarre social commentary on racism, Sam Raimi-esque horror freakouts, you name it. I'm game for it, as I'm sure a similarly-minded group of eclectic film-goers are, but in these dark times of declining DVD sales I can understand why World Apartment Horror seems destined to be marked as an import-only curiosity in Katushiro Otomo's filmography.
So, I've been hearing rumors about the possible casting of the American-live action Death Note. movie Someone reported that in the magazine "Anime Insider", that Ben Stiller is playing Light Yagami and Owen Wilson is playing L.
A lot of people are confused and I thought it was a big joke from AI or something but I don't physically own the magazine to tell. Do you think you can clarify this?
Gah. I've been getting these Death Note casting rumor emails since I got this gig, and I might as well just address it.
First and foremost, that Stiller/Wilson bit in Anime Insider was obviously a joke. Taking that extremely obvious joke seriously is like someone watching that "Motherlover" sketch from SNL a few weeks back and being legitimately shocked, dismayed, upset and concerned that these two young men were going to f*ck eachothers' mothers.
But as an overall rule, aside from that nonsense, do not, I repeat, DO NOT believe casting rumors on anything. ANYTHING. I thought this was the internet age! A time when skepticism, cynicism, and outright hostility and distrust for authority reigned supreme! When not even cold, honest facts rooted in truth could personally affect anyone!
The only people who are officially attached to an English-language Death Note movie is the studio, in this case Warner Bros., and the screenwriters - Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, who are regarded as up-and-coming Hollywood hotshots for reasons that are unbeknownst to me. I can say this with authority because IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE STUDIO THEMSELVES. Now, Warner Bros. is a big studio and is undoubtedly looking for Death Note to be a huge hit, so we're probably going to be hearing a lot of big names tossed around - Zac Efron, et al - as potential cast members up until the movie is finished with pre-production. Since the movie has a tentative release date of 2011, that will be a long time from now.
So do me all a favor, guys. Until Variety or the Hollywood Reporter writes something about the live-action Hollywood Death Note movie, DON'T BELIEVE A DAMN WORD OF IT. There will be a lot of rumors, because it's fun for some reason to assume that your favorite commercial entertainment product will somehow be RUINED when it transferred into a different commercial entertainment product because of the people involved. Until that day comes, though, don't bother looking for anyone to confirm or deny any rumors you hear, because I can assure you that they're all completely bogus.
Speaking of annoying emails I get! In between the vast amount of spam that infiltrates the Answerman inbox, I get lots of confused emails from foreigners wanting to promote their lame anime knockoffs. I of course ignore these, but just today I decided to check one out on a lark.
We would like to introduce ourselves as one of the leading Concern provides 2D TV Animation, Cell Animation, Animated TV Series, and Animated Music Video, Educational CD / DVD Etc.
If you are interested for outsourcing we are ready to serve you.
To provide services at right price, right time and best quality is our ultimate aim.
So for any type of queries please contact us without any hesitation.
Thanking you, assuring our best & prompt services at all times.
I highly encourage you to visit their website. It contains no actual samples of any of their work, just lots of clumsily worded business-speak with the same banner of excited white people in their offices on every page.
I've always wondered what it would be like if I actually met with any of these people.
Here was last week's question, in case you forgot:
There were a ton of the obvious answers - Cowboy Bebop and Miyazaki - so I probably should've mentioned that I was looking for something a bit different. But I still got plenty of responses aside from those two, so here we go.
Nate praiseth Lovecraft:
Hey Brian,
Something happened recently that made me compelled to answer your question this week (another one of those long-time readers, first-time writers here).
My girlfriend does not really like or approve of my anime watching habits. She lives a good bit away from me, but decided to visit for a weekend not too long ago. I just set up 'Saya no Uta' on my computer, and was ready to get right into it. Saya no Uta, for those who don't know, is a visual novel that is known for its crazy, gore-ridden visuals coupled with a disturbing, Lovecraftian plot. Somehow, later that evening, we ended up reading the whole thing through, and she really enjoyed it.
Let it be said that my girlfriend is timid, and I would think that Saya no Uta would be the farthest thing from her appeal zone. Just goes to show, you never know what will grab people. I think offering up a work of substance instead of fluff goes a long way into showing how versatile the medium can be (both anime and visual novels). While easy watching certainly has some appeal, if you want to generate excitement for a show (at least for my college peers), you have to demonstrate how versatile and intelligent shows can be, while still being entertaining.
Where to develop from here? She may have a dark streak I never knew about, I think Higurashi would be an appropriate choice, or maybe Now and Then, Here and There. I may make a fan out of her yet!
Archangel42 wrote a whole buncha words about Death Note:
This is probably the first time I have ever been driven from silent observer to vehement participant, and it feels like I'm at a great awakening! Usually, most girls I go after are open, but completely oblivious to anime in any incarnation. The first show I usually decide to show them is Death Note not just for what it does but for what it doesn't do.
Its a creative new venture with an angle so bizarre it makes you want to discover where they take it. It tracks the descent of a model citizen into megalomania and madness, pushes the borders of the standards of morality set by a society and chronicles the deadly tactical game between L and Light. And sure, all these qualities add intrigue to the plot but what really adds a layer of depth is the perspective of the work. The story is told mostly through light's point of view, the clear villain of the story. In doing so, it forces the viewers to truly understand his motives and therefore question whether or not his actions are justified. Before they know it, many people find themselves disgusted by light but secretly rooting him on. They learn to hate him, cheer for him, pity him and love him for all his genius, arrogance and twisted ambitions. Any show that can draw upon such a myriad of emotions at such a high intensity and mix them together, that throws the viewer's heart into frenzy as he struggles to make sense of light's contradictions, is a true work of art.
Aside from the plot, there's the quality of the dub. I can hear the conviction of Light from Brad Swaile, the venom in his hate for L, the arrogance behind his sneers. I can catch L's obvious disdain but subtle affection for light or Misa's misguided innocence. And I'm sure others can hear them as well if I show them.
All these aspects of this anime are not the main reason, I would use Death Note to introduce a girl to anime. They're just icing on a rich cake. The flavor? Suspense. Each episode throws the characters into a new and increasingly tighter situation as L and Light get closer to victory. The viewer is almost always on the edge of his seat, always having to swallow his stomach after it nearly leapt from the throat as the credits roll. The show expertly tosses around the viewers' heart in a way that few American thrillers are able to do. In doing so, its a step above them and that is why I would love to show my girlfriend that and why I value such an art form. Any show that manages to have the viewer suspend their belief enough that they skip a heartbeat every minute is one that handles itself in a truly masterful manner.
I also would present this show first because it succeeds in debunking several of the stereotypes of anime that turn so man y people off. There are no overly grand mecha battles, predictable shallow shonen elements, or signs of shoddy animation. There are plenty of shows out there that are just as great but may turn someone off because they might not be able to see past, oh say, the gratuitous yet inseparable gore of Elfen Lied or the thoughtful though confusing conversations of Ghost in the Shell. Death Note has a moderate level of action, believability, fantasy, and light humor that wouldn't scare anyone off and that would make a closed minded critic think "Hey, this is really well done. I wonder what else Anime has to offer?"
The complexity of the themes in the plot, the raw emotions and motives of the voices, the caliber of the suspense and the wide audience appeal. All these factors together create a great (and of course flawed) artistic work that I would gladly show to a girlfriend. Out of all the shows that capture my interest, This work is one that embodies the fundamental elements of the art of storytelling. Because of that, I choose Death Note as the figurehead for anime to a newcomer. And if she doesn't like it, then either it just wasn't the one for her or I probably was talking to her for more than our artistic interests.
I can sense the palpable tension in Liz's marriage:
My husband does not like, nor is he remotely interested, in anime. I, on the other hand, love anime, and for that he calls me a "huge dork" (I won't mention his huge World of Warcraft addiction...oh wait, I just did). So, I took it upon myself to introduce him to some anime, in which, I started him out with your basic Inuyasha. Basically, because it's simple, there are dudes with big swords who are demons, fighting ensues, rinse and repeat. Lo and behold, he loved it (okay, maybe love might be a bit strong). Basically, if it's in English, has fighting, and basic plot he'll watch it, and possibly request to watch more. I've managed to get him to like 2 more series: Trigun and Blood +. Even though my efforts have not been completely fruitless, he still doesn't really like anime and I am still a huge dork. Oh well...his loss.
Alex leaps into his answer:
Most non-anime fans have already seen Miyazaki's work and generally view it as slightly separate (and let's be honest, he is sort of on a level of his own), so I wouldn't really use that as an intro to anime. Satoshi Kon's films are also really good - I especially love Paprika - but he has a tendency to be a little more confusing and much more cerebral than most other filmmakers, so he'd be a little heavy for a first look. I also think that starting with a series rather than a movie would be a mistake because they generally require a larger time commitment and are easy to get up from between episodes. Therefore, I would show The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It has a very sweet story and is a wonderful watching experience without being overly arty and doesn't really make people work to watch it. Also, it strikes me as a pretty good date movie. I mean, Akira is a great movie, but it isn't exactly romantic.
Andrew goes right for the jugular:
If my significant other was not familiar or didn't care of anime, I would show them 5cm per Second for the fact it is a good story and could be played out in a real movie. I think the main reason people don't care for anime would be they see it as a huge sci-fi/comedy genre that appeals more to children than adults. By showing 5cm per Second, I could show the genre is filled with good quality work and compares to modern stories made in real life movies.
If my significant other was more patient to go through a whole series however, I would have them watch ef: a tale of memories because when I first watched the series, I couldn't stop watching after getting to Episode 2. This was the first series I couldn't quit watching in the middle. Also, the ending of both of the stories is done so beautifully I would say it is one of the best works I have seen of any genre of movies and TV shows. I still watch the final two episodes every now and then.
Matt poses an important question. I just sort of assumed that if you read my column and are seeing anyone that they are comparably geeky, so there you go:
The question actually has one other major factor: whether or not your significant other is a geek.
If they are not, you have to tread a slow and narrow path, sticking with the most widely accepted anime around (Studio Ghibli). Also you really have to stick to anime movies for a good while. Non-geeks are a lot less familiar with sitting down to watch several episodes of a show on DVD. Be wary of anime series though. Just because they like American romantic comedy shows does not mean that they will like His and Her Circumstances. Similar themes cannot necessarily overcome the difference in media. Do not introduce Martian Successor Nadesico very early on. I've made that mistake before.
Geeks, on the other hand, may well be accustomed to marathons of Firefly, Dr. Who, or Farscape. So it's not a huge stretch to introduce TV series right off the bat. Cowboy Bebop is often a good decision. They may also be interested in stuff like Escaflowne, Crest of the Stars, or Fullmetal Alchemist, depending on their particular area of geek expertise. Also, they're generally less confused by animation, so you can be more comfortable with somewhat less conventional films like Millenium Actress.
I should let Kevin know that my One Piece obsession is sort of a deal-breaker for me:
What a great question! Let me begin with a few "real-life" experiences about this topic. In my family, we all started off with what was available to us kids: Pokémon, Digimon, and whatever other "mon" show that there was with the occasional unintentionally hilarious Battle Arena Toshinden OAV that we rented from a local Hollywood Video (and am still convinced we are the only ones that did; ever). As we got older, our interests expanded all over the place, with marriage, kids, work, and all that entails "real life".
Getting to the point. My older brother is obsessed with Gundams. His obsession began with the Transformers cartoon of the 80s, and he faithfully watched every incarnation of the franchise and developed a deep love for giant robots. However, he fell in love with a real woman after time, and soon after, she married him and his humongous robot collection. Being the huge Gundam fan he was, he knew he wouldn't survive if his significant other didn't at least tolerate Gundams and anime in general. Thus, the first thing that he watched with her to expose his love interest in Gundams was... believe it or not, NOT Gundam Wing but G-Gundam. And she loved it. Today they maintain the tradition of watching the whole dang series once per year. They have since expanded to watching Rurouni Kenshin, Fullmetal Alchemist, Gundam 00 and Code Geass.
It would depend on the type of person that your significant other is. If they're sportsy, I would try my hand at exposing them to Whistle! (not the anime), Eyeshield 21 or Slam Dunk. If they were into fantasy, I would definitely try Fullmetal Alchemist, as a matter of fact, FMA is probably one of the safest series to expose a non-anime fan to. When most people think "anime" they have in their minds images of mouths not matching words, dramatic poses, card games, blue hair, and little yellow rats that shoot electricity for some reason. However, Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't really have any of that. It doesn't rely on gimmicks to tell a really great story that just captivates people. I have found that another one of the best series to expose them to is Death Note for the same reason. I personally love One Piece, but I wouldn't consider it a good "starter series."
Rounding it out for the week, Conrad is a man of simple convictions:
The first anime I'd show my significant other would be Eureka Seven because if she doesn't like it, our relationship is so over!
Your assignment for next week is as follows:
Now you've got this week's question, and it's time to get answerin'.
For those of you new to Hey, Answerfans!, I'll explain the concept.
Believe it or not, I'm genuinely curious what you think.
That's right; as much as I love the sound of my own voice, I do love to listen to what other people have to say on a subject. I'm finding that over the last few years, the attitudes, reasoning and logic that today's anime fans use eludes, confuses or astounds me; I hve so many questions for you, and I'm dying to hear what you have to say in response.
Welcome to Hey, Answerfans!
Basically, we're turning the tables. Each week I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to email me your answer. Be as honest as you can. I'm looking for good answers; not answers I agree with or approve of, but good, thoughtful answers. People feel passionately about these subjects and I'd like to see that in the responses I get. I'll post the best answers I get, and maybe some of the crappy ones. Sometimes there may only be one or two good ones; sometimes five or more. It all depends on what I get in my inbox! Got it? Pretty simple, right? Start writing those answers and email them to answerman [at] animenewsnetwork dot com.
We do have a few simple ground rules to start with.
Things To Do:
* Be coherent.
* Be thoughtful.
* Be passionate.
* Write as much or as little as you feel you need to to get your point across in the best possible way.
Things Not To Do:
* Respond when the question doesn't apply to you. For instance, if your email response starts with "Well, I don't do whatever you're asking about in the question... " then I'm going to stop reading right there and hit delete.
* Be unnecessarily rude or use a lot of foul language.
* Go off-topic.
I guess that's it, then. I'll see you guys in a week, so keep on keepin' on. And by that I mean pore your thoughts and hopes and dreams into my inbox so that I can keep doing this thing. Good night!
discuss this in the forum (49 posts) |


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My location at the moment is … WORK!
ah, and on a Sunday. I mean the music today is nice so I guess its a good time to blog. Weird how music can make your mood change. so… I really want to go to the beach . The weather has been amazing lately. Slightly breezy and warm!
&& with the love of my life . . we went to the beach just recently. It was so nice, although we didn't play in the ocean. THAT WAS FREEZING!!! ya ya call us chickens..haha. yeah but I was trying to get at we want to go to the beach again soon! I want to go to the beach as much as possible this summer to make up for the last couple years we didn't!
ok back to looking like I am working.


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Paying insurance premiums is not always fun or even easy, but most people in Washington understand how important it is to have coverage for unexpected life events. People trust that their insurance companies will cover their claims when needed and are surprised when they are denied. It is very possible that a company might deny a valid claim, but insurance law is complicated, and few people understand their rights in this type of situation.
An insurance company can deny a claim — even a legitimate one — for a number of reasons. It might assert that a person did not have adequate coverage or that he or she made an error on the application. A claim error is also a common excuse for denial and is frequently used when a person files a claim outside of a specific window of time.
Just because an insurance company denies a claim and cites the reason why does not mean that it is valid. Arguing with the company probably will not get a person very far either. This might leave that individual with no other option but to pursue legal action. Keeping careful records of insurance coverage, phone calls, emails and more is important when deciding on this course of action.
Insurance companies often prioritize their own bottom lines over the needs of policy holders. Unfortunately, this means that many valid claims are routinely denied. Washington residents who have experienced this know just how devastating it can be, but there are options for addressing the problem. Speaking with an attorney who is well-versed in insurance law may help these individuals better understand those options.


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Chicken afritada is one popular chicken recipe that most of us love. This time, let's make more delicious version, adding some whole mushrooms on it. Chicken Afritada with Mushrooms is definitely worth a try and it would only take you a few minutes to prepare. Here's how to cook Chicken Afritada with Mushrooms: Ingredients: 500g Chicken (any part of your
Tag: how to cook Chicken Afritada
Chicken Afritada with Mushrooms
January 2, 2019 by delishPH in Chicken2 Comments
Creamy Chicken Afritada
March 2, 2017 by delishPH in Chicken, RecipesComments Off
This is not the usual Chicken Afritada that you know. Creamy Chicken Afritada is yummier and tastier. Adding a bit of all purpose cream will definitely make a difference. If you love chicken afritada, you can try this very easy recipe. Here's how to cook Creamy Chicken Afritada: Ingredients: 500g chicken, or at least 6 pcs chicken legs (you can
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- Home
- City Departments
- Utilities
- Conservation
- Household Leak Detection
Household Leak Detection
High Consumption
There are many circumstances that may cause your water consumption to exceed your average range. These can include, but are not limited to, plumbing leak, faulty toilet, faulty hot water tank, hose bib left on, excessive irrigation, etc. Often circumstances are intermittent or isolated occurrences where symptoms of water loss may start and stop within the billing cycle, making it very difficult to identify the source or cause.
Our Water Consumption Checklist can help identify the cause of excessive use. It is the account holder's responsibility to regularly monitor their consumption, identify the source/cause of water loss, and correct the problem causing the excessive consumption as soon as it is discovered.
Whole House Meter Check
Your water meter can help detect large leaks or a combination of small leaks. A whole house meter check can inform you of a leak and its flow rate, but can't tell you where the leak is. Learn more about how to read your water meter, how to check for leaks in your home and discover how your water is billed on a monthly basis.. If you need help locating your meter and want help conducting the leak check/home water audit call 321-433-8705 or send an email.
Performing a leak check includes the following procedures:
- Turn off all the water inside and outside the home. Tell other people in the home not use any water (including toilet flushing) for the next 20 minutes. You must perform this test when no automatic water equipment, irrigation controller, clothes washer, dishwasher, etc., is in use. Occupants should also avoid using ice from refrigerator ice and water dispensers.
- Record the reading of the water meter, and wait 15 minutes. Be certain no one uses any water during this time.
- Record the reading of the meter again. If the meter has recorded water use during the test, you likely have a leak. Verify that the water use is not due to small appliances such as water filters, water softeners, or whole house humidifiers. Perform test again, if necessary.
- You can calculate monthly water waste from leaks by multiplying the water usage in the "15-minute" test period times 2,880 (this is the number of 15-minute periods in a month).
Water Supply Line
There are sometimes leaks between the meter and the home, in the water supply line. These leaks are often times difficult to detect because the supply pipe is usually buried at least three feet (.91 m) below the ground surface. Sometimes the leaking water will travel along the pipe, back to the meter. If the meter box contains water, and the water is not due to rain or irrigation run-off, this may indicate a leak in the supply line.
Another common exit point for the leaking water might be where the supply line rises above the ground and/or enters the house. If the soil is constantly damp at these locations, not due to rain or irrigation, this might indicate a leak. In cases of severe leaks, the water will seep up towards the ground surface, usually directly above the path of the underground pipe.
Most often, leaks between the meter and the house are the responsibility of the homeowner; leaks from the meter or pipes leading from the main to the meter are the responsibility of the water utility. The water utility should be contacted before any attempt to repair the water supply pipe.
Breaks in the water supply line require the services of a trained professional. If the utility deems the leak to be the responsibility of the homeowner, a professional plumber should perform all repair work.
Fixing Faucets
Faucet leaks are a common occurrence and usually simple to repair. That slow dripping faucet is not just an annoyance; it wastes surprising amounts of water. A faucet dripping slowly at only one drop every two seconds will waste more than 1,000 gallons per year. To estimate the volume of water wasted per year, simply count the number of drips per minute. Every drip recorded in the one minute time span equates to 35 gallons per year. A faucet dripping 45 drops per minute is leaking 1,575 gallons annually (45 drops x 35 = 1,575).
The repairs necessary to stop the leaks depends on the type of faucet, and there are four basic types found in most homes: compression valve, ball types (sometimes called delta), cartridge types, and ceramic discs. Each type of faucet is has unique methods of repair. It is no longer accurate to encourage homeowners to replace the washers; many types of faucets require new o-rings, cartridges, or ceramic discs. With some instruction and guidance, most repairs can be accomplished by homeowners accustomed to using tools and making minor home repairs.
When inspecting the home for faucet leaks, it is important to inspect other water valves around the home, including: showers, bathtubs, water heaters, hose bibs, laundry basins, utility sinks, etc.
Toilets are one the most common sources of leaks in the home, usually unnoticed by the residents because the leaks are often silent and out of view. Most toilet leaks will send the wasted water directly into the sewer line without detection by residents. Several research studies have found 20% to 35% of all residential toilets leak to some degree.
Large toilet leaks can be detected when the valve constantly emits a hissing or gurgling sound when the toilet is not in use. Smaller, though significant, leaks require the further investigation. Removing the tank lid to inspect the flush mechanisms is the first step.
How a Toilet Works
- To better understand how your toilet works, take the lid off of your tank and flush the toilet a few times. Here is what you will see:
- When you push the handle, the chain lifts the flapper valve (also called the stopper or tank ball).
- Water in the tank flows through the flush valve opening into the toilet bowl.
- The water from the tank forces waste water in the toilet bowl through the trap and into the main drain.
- Once the tank is empty, the flapper valve closes and the fill valve/ballcock refills the tank.
- When the tank is full, the float ball shuts off the fill valve/ballcock.
Performing a dye test will allow detection of leaks in the flapper valve. Test procedures include placing dye tablets or food dye into the tank water to turn the water dark blue or red. If the dark blue or red water appears in the bowl within 15 minutes, there is a leak in the flapper valve.
There are several causes for these leaks, but flapper valves are the most common problem. The flapper provides the barrier, holding the water in the tank until the user activates the flush handle, pulling on the chain attached to the flapper valve. When the flapper is raised, the water in the tank rushes into the bowl creating the flush. After the flush is complete, the flapper falls back down onto the valve seat to retain the water as the tank refills.
Leaks occur when the flapper valve does not create a water tight seal. The seal can be compromised due to several reasons: a) the chain snagging, not allowing the flapper to drop completely onto the valve seat; c) the valve seat is worn; or c) the flapper is worn or warped. A worn flapper is the most common cause by far, and can be easily replaced.
Clean or Replace the flapper and/or flush valve
Toilet Flapper The most common cause of slow leaks is a leaky flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part may decay or get old and stiff to the point that it needs replacing, or minerals may build up on it and/or the rim of the flush valve where it seats.
If the flapper is still in good shape, sometimes all it takes to make it work is to clean it &/or the rim where it seats.
Run a finger carefully around the underside of the flapper and the rim where it seats. Remove any uneven buildup of minerals that might cause a leak. Use a sponge with bleach or steel wool or #500 wet-or-dry abrasive paper.
Cleaning may work to remove mineral buildup, but it's usually best just to replace the whole part. There are a few standard kinds, so take your old one with you to the hardware store for comparison (to ensure you get the right kind). To perform a replacement:
- Close the water valve and flush the toilet. If the valve is completely closed, the tank will not refill and you will not hear water running after the tank empties.
- Pop the old flapper off its hinges, disconnect it from the chain, and pop the new one into place.
- Don't forget to open the valve all the way when you're ready for water again.
- Try flushing a few times to make sure the chain is the right length for the new flapper. It should open when you push the handle and then drop closed all the way when the tank empties. You may have to trim and adjust the chain by trial and error. Also, make sure that the flapper aligns properly with the opening.


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(NewsNation) — The last time Ava Grace Baldwin's father saw her, she was 6 years old. Eight years later, he believes his ex-wife took Ava and has been hiding her for years and thinks his daughter may not even know she's a missing person.
Ava was reported missing from her elementary school, having not shown up for nearly three weeks when the school contacted her father. Police think her mother took her and Ava's father has been on an eight-year quest to find her.
David Hopper got the call from his daughter's elementary school in September 2015. Ava hadn't been in class for 21 days and the school wanted to know if he knew where she was.
Ava and her mother, Kathryn Baldwin, lived in San Antonio, Texas while Hopper lived in central Oklahoma, a seven-hour drive away. Ava was born to the couple after a 34-day marriage.
When the school contacted him, Hopper called the San Antonio police to report 6-year-old Ava missing. What police found surprised them.
"When we sent the police out to the location of the last address we had, it turned out to be an empty lot. And that's when we figured there's something going on here," Hopper said.
Hopper said from the moment Kathryn told him she was pregnant, he tried to be the father Ava would want and need.
But it was difficult for him to have the chance. Hopper hired five different lawyers and spent more than $45,000 battling for a custody arrangement in courts in Texas and Oklahoma
"She's just the perfect little girl," Hopper said. "She was surprised to know she had so much family on this side."
While Hopper fought for custody, he said Kathryn's life was spiraling. She was in and out of church missions, shelters and relationships, he said, as he fought for more access to Ava.
Hopper said one day, Child Protective Services was alerted to a video of Kathryn performing a solo sexual act while 2-year-old Ava was in the bed behind her.
"CPS contacted us and said, if you can help us find her, we have your daughter," said Tina Fullbright, Ava's aunt.
But after that, Hopper was only given partial custody. He drove seven hours each way to pick up Ava for a month in the summer and holidays. He recalled what Ava said to him one of the first times he took her swimming.
"You're my Daddy, you're my Daddy," he recalled. "She did not know she had a father. She was in awe she even had a father. I was kept a secret from her, I guess."
Fullbright said Kathryn, also known as Katie, had a habit of running.
"She'd just jump counties. She'd get in trouble in one county and just move to another county," Fullbright said.
Kathryn has a felony warrant for interfering with child custody. Police records show she had a history of alcohol and prescription drug abuse and suffers from mental illness.
But when Hopper requested full custody due to his concern about Kathryn's ability to keep Ava safe, Kathryn and Ava disappeared. Kathryn's vehicle, a silver 2014 Ford Escape, was found abandoned in a San Antonio park in April 2016, seven months after the pair vanished.
Ava would be 14 now and Hopper has been awarded full custody. But he has a theory that Kathryn's family may be hiding the pair. However, there is no proof and police have had no new leads when it comes to locating Ava or her mother.
NewsNation spoke with Kathryn's other daughter, now an adult, who was raised by an adoptive family. She was afraid to appear on camera but told NewsNation she fears Kathryn and Ava were taken. She said her mother had a very traumatic life and often trusted the wrong men.
Still, police are investigating the case as a non-custodial parent abduction.
Hopper remains hopeful that Ava is alive. He said there have been sightings of the pair since they disappeared, including contact from a couple in Florida who said Kathryn tried to hand over custody of Ava to them.
"There's reason to believe Ava's alive. There's a case down in Florida where we know the couple that she tried to give Ava to, they contacted us, and that was in 2016," Hopper said.
San Antonio police said there was another possible sighting of Kathryn as late as 2020. They confirmed they have records of her using nearly a dozen aliases.
Hopes rose again in 2022, when armchair detectives thought they spotted Ava and Kathryn in a series of TikTok videos featuring a mother-daughter duo by the names of Bebop and Bebe. Rolling Stone magazine even featured the story.
"We had that investigated, it turns out it wasn't them," Hopper said. "But the only great thing about that is it brought a lot of attention to her case. In fact, it went viral overnight, so we can't complain about that."
For now, Hopper and his family post letters to Ava on a Facebook page, hoping that one day she'll stumble across it and see how much she is loved and missed.
"It's hard to watch my brother go through this. This is his only child," Fullbright said. "That's all he's ever wanted, a family, and he deserves to have his daughter in his life."
Hopper said sometimes he has to distance himself from his daughter's disappearance because not knowing where she is eats him up inside.
"You ask me if she's still alive. Sometimes, I have my doubts, I'll be honest with you, but when you ask me I answer with confidence because I believe that God is true to his word," Hopper said. "That he said he would watch over her, that he would protect her that he would keep her safe. And that he would bring her home one day."


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How do you rebrand an iconic destination loved by locals and out-of-towners alike, without sacrificing its original charm?
When our client, The Marcus Corp., purchased the legendary Milwaukee landmark the SafeHouse last year, we were assigned this epic mission. The previous owner of the spy-themed restaurant and bar opened it nearly 50 years ago and had made minimal changes to its initial brand since.
While the one-of-a-kind restaurant concept didn't change, the brand needed a significant refresh. This led to one of our most fun projects to date (and, of course, several spy-themed agency pun-offs).
From the restaurant's logo, menus, and photography, to t-shirt designs, glassware, and even programming/event ideas, we touched almost every aspect of the SafeHouse's new brand.
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Previous Logo
Updated Logo
New Menu
New T-Shirt Designs
Stop by the SafeHouse to check out the changes, including exciting new specials and events and an awesome new menu. Just make sure you know the secret password!