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In a piece adapted for the Hoover Digest some time ago, Tom Bethell seized on a rather unlikely source for ammo in the conservative battle against "collectivism" in all its forms—William Bradford's history of the Plymouth Colony, Of Plymouth Plantation (1651). Bethell's essay bore the cute title, "How Private Property Saved the Pilgrims." Not to be outdone, Jerry Bowyer played up the connection with the modern Pilgrim-oriented holiday in an article for Forbes.com much inferior to Bethell's called "Lessons from a Capitalist Thanksgiving."
These two are in ample company. For some time now, conservatives and libertarians seem to have very nearly plagiarized one another in making the most of what seems at first glance to be the ideal historical evidence against everything from full-blown socialism to the most basic welfare system.[1] Although it is tempting to pick apart the above examples,[2] I make no pretence of answering their objections to more or less leftist political ideals in this article. I do, however, wish to encourage a more careful reading of Bradford, whose chronicle, while often tedious and uninspired as it details the colonists' failures and successes in the beaver-pelt trade,[3] is nevertheless full of fascinating glimpses of the Pilgrims' thought and personalities. Bradford's rejection of "collectivism," despite its understandable appeal to those of a libertarian bent, is by no means as simple as it at first appears. Indeed, far more valuable than its supposed refutation of socialism is its stark reminders of the moral foundation required to check the darker tendencies of private ownership.
Scarcely four months after the landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth, Massachusetts, the governor of the new colony passed away suddenly. His successor was a fellow Puritan Separatist from Yorkshire named William Bradford, and he went on to govern Plymouth Colony for over 30 years. Thanks to Bradford, many of the details of life for the Pilgrims in the New World are intimately known to us. Near the end of his life, Bradford wrote an elaborate account of the history of the colony that has come to be known as Of Plymouth Colony. There he not only recorded extensive information about the logistics of transplanting a bunch of English Puritans to an unsettled wilderness, but he also attempted to use his knowledge of the Bible and Puritan theology to show the hand of divine providence at work in the earliest history of our nation.
Naturally, the experience of the Pilgrims raises numerous questions that have influenced a good deal of subsequent American history, many of which remain relevant today. Although the Mayflower voyage was motivated by a desire to remain faithful to their interpretation of a very old ideal, and it was natural for them to draw analogies between themselves and biblical history, what they were doing was in many ways quite new. A naturally conservative people, the venture necessarily involved the Pilgrims in a degree of social experimentation.
In particular, the original charter drawn up by the Massachusetts Bay Company's investors before anyone even boarded the ship specified that the "adventurers and planters" were to have "all provissions out of the comon stock & goods of the said colonie," a stock which was itself to be supplied by common labor. This provision may seem to have been inspired by the New Testament ideal expressed in Acts 2:44-45: "And all that believed, were in one place, and had all things common. And they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every one had need" (Geneva Bible). But it is true that the the would-be Pilgrims themselves were uneasy about the arrangement, and Bradford later ascribes the origins of such a scheme to the philosophy of Plato "and other ancients." Nevertheless, the English Separatists had written to Sir Edwin Sandys back in 1617: "We are knite togeather as a body in a most stricte & sacred bond and covenante of the Lord,...by vertue wherof we doe hould our selves straitly tied to all care of each others good, and of the whole by every one and so mutually."
At any rate, the noble experiment had certainly failed by 1623. The sturdy colonists were beginning to grumble against one another, and found that the peace of the colony was greatly improved by apportioning the common land to each family to farm for its own private needs. In a key passage, Bradford famously writes:
"The experience that was had in the comone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos & other ancients, applauded by some of later times;—that the taking away of propertie, and bringing in comunitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and florishing; as if they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion & discontent, and retard much imployment that would have been to their benefite and comforte. For the yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour & service did repine that they should spend their time & streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, with out any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails & cloaths, then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter the other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalised in labours, and victails, cloaths, &c., with the meaner & yonger sorte, thought it some indignite & disrespect unto them. And for mens wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, washing their cloaths, &c., they deemd it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it. Upon the poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did at least much diminish and take of the mutuall respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have bene worse if they had been men of another condition. Let none objecte this is men's corruption, and nothing to the course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in His wisdome saw another course fiter for them."
This seems a decisive blow against any "collectivist" vision of society. Indeed, Bradford appears almost to suggest that any kind of "common good" can only be attained by individuals, or at least families, seeking after their own private good. Practically speaking, the attempt to hold "all things in common" and distribute them "as every one had need" had resulted in the inability of the small community to support itself. Psychologically or morally speaking, it had led to laziness on the one hand and mutual resentment on the other.
As I noted in my introductory remarks, the parallels with contemporary arguments about taxation and social services are obvious to many conservatives. If people with a strong disposition towards hard work were "corrupted" by equal distribution, what chance do modern Americans have? I am by no means convinced that the American Left has an adequate response to this line of thinking. Before we draw the unqualified conclusion that William Bradford stands with "the 1%," however, it is worth noting that an ingrained propensity towards hard work was certainly not the only difference between the seventeenth-century Pilgrims and their modern heirs.
But first, the claim that Pilgrims had experimented with some form of "socialism" which was later replaced by private property and laissez-faire capitalism has itself not gone unanswered on the Left.[4] The obvious point is that the entire venture of the colonists was fundamentally capitalist in its inception, and that it was the Massachusetts Bay Company, a sort of seventeenth-century equivalent of a modern corporation, that had imposed the original charter on the colonists, essentially making them "wage slaves" of the company.[5] As Karen Ordahl Kupperman is quoted in the NYT article on the subject, "To call it socialism is wildly inaccurate...It was a contracted company, and everybody worked for the company. I mean, is Halliburton a socialist scheme?" Indeed, the decision of the colonists to retain the products of their own labor might well be seen as a rejection of capitalism properly so called.
Furthermore, let's return to my point about the Pilgrims' differences from their modern co-opters. I have already quoted from the Separatists' strong early statement to Sandys of their sense of collective identity. Though bitter experience in the American wilderness may have taught them that even "godly and sober men" were capable of laziness and resentment, and that the ordering of their society must needs reflect that reality, it hardly disabused them of the notion of a "sacred bond and covenant." This notion lay at the very heart of Puritan faith, and it was "by virtue" of this covenant that they held themselves "straitly tied to all care of each other's good, and of the whole by every one and so mutually."
In addition, the Pilgrims had preserved as a kind of spiritual charter a letter from their revered old pastor, John Robinson, who was unable to make the journey with them. The letter, which Bradford includes in his book in its entirety, is full of sage advice for the difficulties they will encounter ahead. Among other nuggets of wisdom, Robinson writes:
"A 4. thing ther is carfully to be provided for, to witte, that with your comone imployments you joyne comone affections truly bente upon the generall good, avoyding as a deadly plague of your both comone & spetiall comfort all retirednes of minde for proper [that is, "one's own"] advantage, and all singularly affected any maner of way; let every man represe in him selfe & the whol body in each person, as so many rebels against the comone good, all private respects of mens selves, not sorting with the generall conveniencie."[6]
In other words, whatever the Pilgrims concluded about the wisdom or practicality of a particular economic arrangement, they had from their very inception a strong sense of the common good, and a suspicion of any attempt by individuals to further their own advantage while neglecting the needs of the community. This forms a stark contrast to much of the rhetoric coming from the more libertarian elements on the Right. While the claim might be made that modern libertarians, like the Pilgrims, often in practice find a tendency toward extreme individualism checked by religious commitments, it's hard to imagine even the most "ecclesial" of them uttering anything like Robinson's words in a modern political context. Robert Bellah et al. in Habits of the Heart note that for the early American Puritans, the "fundamental criterion of success was not material wealth but the creation of a community in which a genuinely ethical and spiritual life could be lived." They go on to write:
"For [Massachusetts governor, John] Winthrop, success was much more explicitly tied to the creation of a certain kind of ethical community than it is for most Americans today. His idea of freedom differs from ours in a similar way. He decried what he called 'natural liberty,' which is the freedom to do whatever one wants, evil as well as good. True freedom—what he called 'moral' freedom, 'in reference to the covenant between God and man'—is a liberty 'to that only which is good, just and honest.'"
Moreover, while Bellah et al. remark on the "unfortunate" truth that the Puritans had a well-known tendncy to regard material prosperity "as a sign of God's approval," even after the distribution of private plots of land, Bradford himself makes some very relevant observations about how the Pilgrims viewed their newly acquired "private property:"
"And before I come to other things I must speak a word of their planting this year; they having found the benefite of their last years harvest, and setting corne for their particuler, having therby with a great deale of patience overcome hunger & famine. Which maks me remember a saing of Senecas, Epis.: 123. That a great parte of libertie is a well governed belly, and to be patiente in all wants."
In other words, in recalling the Pilgrims' decision to abandon communal farming, and their subsequent prosperity, Bradford recalls the Stoic philosopher Seneca and his moral exhortations against the evils of gluttony. Even in a time of abundance, restraint and even austerity is called for. Bradford goes on to write:
"They begane now highly to prise corne as more pretious then silver, and those that had some to spare begane to trade one with another for smale things, by the quarte, potle, & peck, &c.; for money they had none, and if any had, corne was prefered before it. That they might therefore encrease their tillage to better advantage, they made suite to the Governor to have some portion of land given them for continuance....And to every person was given only one acrre of land, to them & theirs, as nere the town as might be, and they had no more till the 7 years [of the charter] were expired. The reason was, that they might be kept close together both for more saftie and defence, and the better improvement of the generall imployments. Which condition of theirs did make me often thinke, of what I had read in Plinie of the Romans' first beginings in Romulus time. How every man contented him selfe with 2. Acres of land, and had no more assigned them. And how it was thought a great reward, to receive at the hands of the people of Rome a pinte of corn....And he was not counted a good, but a dangerous man, that would not contente him selfe with 7. Acres of land."
Here, Bradford cites the Roman historian, Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), in order to emphasize the resemblance of the Pilgrims to the ancient Romans in their simplicity of life and in their desire for modest agricultural rather than lavish monetary wealth.[7] Bradford further underlines the importance of community for "safety and defence, and the better improvement of the general employments." It's difficult to imagine modern libertarians holding up Roman simplicity and austerity as an ideal. The contentment that Bradford thinks so admirable would seem more like economic foolishness to the same writers who quote the Puritan governor as a champion of private property and capitalism.
Finally, it should be noted that whatever wealth the colonists may have acquired under their new arrangement was—in theory at least—held very lightly. In a passage that Kenneth Murdock lauds as Bradford's characteristic use of "a moral aphorism for climax," the Plymouth governor concludes, "A right emblime, it may be, of the uncertine things of this world; that when men have toyld them selves for them, they vanish into smoke." Prosperity may be misinterpreted as a sign of God's blessings, but the Puritans seemed to have been just as prepared to see those blessings taken away, and to regard their pursuit as dangerously tending towards vanity.
Taken together, the observations we can gather about the Pilgrims' religious sense of a "common good" and their conscious affinity for the early Roman ideals of austerity and simplicity of life form a powerful check to the capitalist pursuit of property, and one with which Orthodox Christians can easily sympathize. Looking back as they did to both a biblical and a Greco-Roman tradition, the Plymouth colonists can hardly be held up as poster children for laissez-faire capitalism. Certainly, they underscore the need for a true moral foundation and a robust understanding of the common good for any kind of personal pursuit of property to be just. But the Pilgrims are a uniquely seventeenth-century phenomenon in their devotion to such ideals. As attractive as it may be in some ways (and most of us can recall easily the less attractive parts of Puritanism), emulating them in our own day may be difficult, not to say impossible.
[2] Bowyer's Thanksgiving connection is particularly shaky, and his reference to the exploitative schemes of the Massachusetts Bay Company's bourgeois merchants as "the current opinion [i.e., political philosophy] of the aristocratic class" just begs for comment, as does Bethell's reference to the company's share of the colonists' labor as a "tax burden." Are we dealing with aristocrats, the state, or a private company of bourgeois capitalists?
[3] Kenneth Murdock's judgement, that "No other seventeenth-century American historian can be read today with so much pleasure," tends to dispel any desire I might have had to read other seventeenth-century American historians. See Kenneth B. Murdock, Literature and Theology in Colonial New England (NY: Harper, 1963), 83.
[5] Tom Bethell naturally gives the capitalist's classic defence: "But of course they came voluntarily." Bradford's account, on the other hand, makes it quite clear that the would-be Pilgrims felt they had no other choice but to accede to the company's conditions.
[6] Compare the words of a later governor, John Winthrop, in his 1630 sermon "A Model of Christian Charity:" We must delight in each other, make others conditions our own, rejoyce together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our community as members of the same body." Qtd. in Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton, Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life (U of California, 1985), 28.
[7] Murdock notes, "The Puritans in New England liked especially the moralistic tone of some of the Greeks and Romans" (68).


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subset: commoncrawl


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Mary J. Blige Official Store
Profile Photo Black Hoodie
Soft black hoodie featuring a profile photo of MJB printed on the front. Mary J. Blige printed on the back. Classic unisex hoodie with a front pouch pocket and matching flat drawstrings. The 100% cotton exterior makes this hoodie soft to the touch.


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As we contemplate our new opportunities to liberate ourselves from slavery, we must recognize that we have a long tradition of fighting for our freedom. True, our ability to organize ourselves according to the Gadaa system is complicated by the factors explained above and by the powers that compete for our natural and human resources, one being the European colonialism and their faith based divisive ideologies. Each facet of these ideologies present a different challenge to our unity although we are told that diversity is not the source of divisions but balance.
Notwithstanding, our salvation from this confusion is our ability to understand that Africa was the center of civilization, unlike the Tigreans Axum civilization copied from the Portuguese missionaries. The Gadaa system for example was largely inspired by Arias and Athenasius of Cush civilization era that was destroyed by the spread of the Arab influence of eighth century. Waaqeffannaa, Dhibaayyuu, Ateetee, Irreechaa etc, Cushitic religious rites only remained in the pockets of east Africa, Oromia today.


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Doorway to a better life – by Brian Tregunna
Chippenham based charity Doorway is attracting attention from the USA for the way its work with homeless and vulnerable people is improving lives. Doorway is an award-winning drop-in centre providing a friendly, safe haven for adults who are homeless or who have issues such as alcohol and drug addiction, debt, mental health problems or poor life skills.
When Mark Horvath, who works with the homeless in Los Angeles, was sponsored by British Airways to research the UK's approach to these issues, he chose Doorway as the only centre outside London that he felt he simply had to visit. "Doorway is doing some amazing work and I just had to see it for myself. Now that I have visited the centre, met chief executive Lisa Lewis and witnessed what happens there, I am overwhelmed by the set-up."
Homelessness is often a hidden problem in rural areas like Wiltshire. many people find it difficult to understand or accept that there is poverty and homelessness. Doorway deals with such problems by not only providing guests with the everyday basics, such as freshly cooked food, laundry and shower facilities, sleeping bags and clothing, but also by offering activities such as music, creative writing, art workshops and football; all of which aim to build self-esteem and teach new skills as a first step to improving their lives. The most significant role, however is as a signposting and befriending service in association with a range of partner agencies.
Lisa Lewis says: "Our staff and volunteers build trusting relationships with guests then guide them to access services such as New Highway (alcohol and drugs), Cranstoun (drugs) and Community 4 (accommodation) who regularly attend the centre".
The set-up at Doorway, which relies heavily on fund-raising and donations to keep going, is probably best explained by Mark Horvath. "I was very impressed with how all the local support services engaged with rough sleepers during the session, but what blew me away is that when I walked into the main room I could not tell who was staff or who was a guest. Normally, when I visit a day centre I see all the homeless people by themselves watching TV, playing card games, sleeping in a corner, or just hanging out. At Doorway each and every table had our rough sleeping friends and staff and volunteers mixed together, it was gorgeous."
It is sometimes said that people choose to be homeless but a recent Doorway survey showed that just 2% of guests made that lifestyle choice; even then, there were factors that influenced such a decision. The reasons for homelessness can be complex, but are often due to a breakdown in relationships at home, financial problems, mental health issues, alcohol and drug addiction. The average age of guests at Doorway is 34, but a third are under 25, reflecting the growing number of young people who are struggling to make a good start to their lives.
Few people in our local communities have to deal directly with the consequences of homelessness, but there is a cost to society that we all have to bear, whether through crime, medical aid, or welfare support. On a personal basis, homelessness is a dignity issue; it removes people's choices of essential basics such as accommodation, food, use of the bathroom and privacy. Lisa Lewis explains: "Our work benefits not only the individuals who attend the drop-in, but the wider community, as guests are supported to move on in their lives, away from substance dependency and reliance n welfare benefits."
Perhaps the final comments should be left to one of the guests who has benefited from Doorway's excellent support. Steve (not his real name) is an ex-serviceman who lost his job and home. "People often say 'it will never happen to me' ", he says. "Well, regrettably it did happen to me. Doorway, as the name implies, is an opening to a new and better life, and without their help and support, I know I would not be in a position to say that 'yes, I have got a new life'"
Doorway is clearly drawing plaudits from far and wide for its life-improving work with the homeless and other people in need. It seems inevitable that such work will be much needed for the foreseeable future, in which case Doorway can expect to attract even more interest from other organisations that want to learn from their work. In the meantime, let's be pleased and proud that Wiltshire is blessed with such an effective, forward-thinking service.
(Brian Tregunna is a volunteer at Doorway. This article was first published in Wiltshire Life, December 2012 issue. We are grateful to them for allowing us to reproduce the article here)


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ENHANCED GENEPOOL UTILIZATION ‒ Capturing wild relative and landrace diversity for crop improvement
The Conference organizing committee is currently seeking sponsorship to provide support to delegates from developing countries. If successful, we will be able to contribute to the cost of attendance of a limited number of delegates, depending on the funds available. Please contact us at email@example.com to register your interest. However, please note that support is not guaranteed and is dependent on availability of funds.
Alternatively, you may apply to the Canon Foundation for Scientific Research which "welcomes applications from researchers who would like to attend local or international conferences, symposia and workshops".
You may also try contacting your local embassy or if you are a university registered student, contact your student support team for advice.
Sponsors > Programme > Keynote speakers > Special events and visits > Sponsorship > Important dates and deadlines > Abstract submission > Registration > Accommodation & travel > Financial support > Cancellation policy > Contact the conference secretariat


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Johnny Boychuk is one of the best acquisitions Boston Bruins' general manager Peter Chiarelli has made during his tenure, so Boychuk knows what sorts of moves the team's front office is capable of.
So whereas salary cap constraints — the B's are currently over the cap ceiling, per CapGeek — have hurt Boston's ability to make impactful additions in free agency, Boychuk isn't concerned about the direction of the team with Chiarelli at the helm.
"Our GM is a mastermind. … He's good with doing things like this (cap struggles) and we have some good players we've developed the last couple of years, but nobody's heard of them over on the west side (of NHL)," Boychuk told Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal.
The Bruins have had an interesting offseason. Veteran winger and 30-goal scorer Jarome Iginla left via free agency to join the Colorado Avalanche and backup goaltender Chad Johnson signed with the New York Islanders. No major signings or trade have been made. The only notable transactions have been re-signing several players.
While most teams would be really hurt by the losses of players who contributed so much, the Bruins' extraordinary depth has them well-positioned to replace what they've lost.
Replacing Iginla's 30 goals and 61 points will be a collective effort. Carl Soderberg, who emerged as one of the B's most improved players last season as a third-line center, should continue to develop and also be motivated in a contract year. His linemate Loui Eriksson, who averaged 29.5 goals from 2009-10 through 2012-13, likely will replace Iginla's spot at right wing on the first line alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Talented young forwards such as Ryan Spooner, Alexander Khokhlachev, Matt Fraser, Justin Florek and 2014 first-round pick David Pastrnak also could provide scoring depth in the bottom-six.
The B's ranked third in goals scored (258) last season and had 10 players tally double-digit goals. Taking away Iginla's 30 tallies (five of which were empty-net goals), the Bruins would have finished 12th in scoring — still ahead of six playoff teams, including both Cup finalists. It's certainly possible that Soderberg, Eriksson and the five young players mentioned above could combine to replace Iginla's 30 goals. Veteran center Chris Kelly, who scored a career-high 20 goals in his last healthy 82-game season (2011-12), will return to the lineup after missing 25 regular-season games and the 2014 playoffs with injuries.
Besides, goal scoring isn't the primary building block of Stanley Cup champions. The Los Angeles Kings, who have won two of the last three Stanley Cups, finished 26th and 29th in scoring during those championship seasons. The keys to L.A.'s success last season — as is the case with most champions — were elite defense, quality goaltending (league-best 2.05 GAA) and dominant puck possession (league-best 56.8 corsi-for percentage).
Boston and Los Angeles are the only teams to finish in the top six of GAA and corsi-for percentage in each of the last three seasons, and with very few changes made to each roster over the summer, both teams should remain among the league's top Stanley Cup contenders despite the lack of elite goal scorers. Defense and puck possession are what matter come playoff time.


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Indian enterprises are adopting hybrid cloud set up to modernise their business operation, said a report. "Hybrid Cloud market in India is fast becoming a new standard for delivery of digital transformation. With the substantial cost as well as organizational benefits, Indian enterprises are increasingly intensifying their reliance on a hybrid cloud setup," said a Microsoft-Zinnov study.
The report observed that hybrid cloud deployment at a steady rate could result in cost savings of anywhere between 5% and 30% for an enterprise (depending on the growth of virtual machines in an enterprise's data centre and a proportion of workloads moving from private data centre to public cloud infrastructure), based on the output of its proprietary cost modeller.
According to the report, the primary reasons cited for adopting hybrid cloud solutions include, lowering total cost of ownership (54 percent), facilitating innovation (42 percent), enhancing operational efficiencies (42 percent), and enabling companies to respond to and meet customer expectations more readily (40 percent).
According to Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, "Hybrid cloud is becoming the preferred deployment model across sectors. Industries where the impact of digital transformation is the highest are the ones that are adopting hybrid cloud at an accelerated pace. However, enterprises need to select a hybrid cloud provider that can provide them with the right migration tools to enable seamless relocation of existing services – between dedicated private cloud and public cloud infrastructures – without lengthy or unplanned disruption to live service."
According to the report, adopting a hybrid cloud model requires transformational change in the way companies interact with their IT and business. There is a need to enable employees with competence in contract management, as hybrid cloud deployment models involve interaction with third party cloud providers. Members within the organization need to be skilled to handle any exigency involving the cloud service provider. Therefore, training is needed to facilitate employees within the organization to familiarize themselves with the new business processes and governance structures, said the study.
"Many organizations have existing investments in IT infrastructure and business-specific needs to keep parts of it on their own premises. At the same time, the cloud presents an incredible opportunity to improve RoI, develop innovative solutions, and respond rapidly to changing business demands. The hybrid model is a 'best of all worlds' option that allows customers to benefit from the cloud on their own terms", said Meetul Patel, General Manager, Marketing & Operations, Microsoft.
Research firm Zinnov analysed more than 50 global cloud channel partners and found that hybrid cloud deployments constituted 45-50% of their overall cloud business. These channel partners are distributed across large-tier IT service providers, mid-tier IT service providers, Hosters and Telcos, Digital Marketing, and Platform BPO companies.
The growth of the cloud industry has been spurred by the funding and investments in cloud tech startups, which have increased exponentially. In 2016, the cloud market saw an estimated 370+ deals with the average investments growing at CAGR 15% between 2012-2016. The hybrid cloud deals accounted for 45-50% of the total cloud deals that happened from 2012 to 2016, and these primarily focused on storage, automation as well as hybrid cloud management solutions.
In addition, there has also been an increase in the cloud-specific acquisitions, growing at 35% CAGR from 2012 to 2016 with an average investment jump of 81.25%. In 2016 alone, there have been 115 cloud-specific acquisitions with the likes of CenturyLink shelling out USD 34 billion for Level 3 Communication, a provider of Data Center Connectivity and Cloud.
Rapid growth in internet adoption – fueled by government initiatives like demonetization and GST, growth of mobile data (the number of mobile developers is estimated to double from the current 300,000 by 2020), and digital transformation, led by the emergence of disruptive start-ups, especially in areas such as fintech, e-commerce, SaaS, are stated to be the key reasons for this development.


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I thought I was being clever by writing off the Xbox One, but then I got to play a little bit of Titanfall. Then, I remembered that one game doesn't make up for Microsoft's complete lack of understanding gamers and their trying to push a television box masked as a gaming console onto the masses.
I have to say that Titanfall did make me waver in my Sony allegiance, though. Thank goodness that game's out on PC. Time to push my machine's specs.


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The War Against Lasik Best
Because LASIK is performed on the cornea, we will perform measurements to make certain your cornea is healthy, the corneal surface is absolutely free from irregularities, and confirm that there is sufficient corneal tissue readily available to take care of your prescription. Itas important to speak to your ophthalmologist in depth to determine whether LASIK or any other refractive procedure is best for you. Customized LASIK is a procedure that enables your surgeon to further customize the standard LASIK procedure to your specific eyes. Bladeless LASIK is also known as IntraLase LASIK and is quite different from the conventional LASIK surgeries in the feeling a laser is used for producing the flap as a substitute for a manual blade. It's an excellent alternate to LASIK, particularly for individuals with thinner corneas and for people who may have certain corneal irregularities. Though LASIK is a laser surgery that's meant to do away with eye complications, it may sometimes have side results. LASIK, also called refractive surgery, is an outpatient procedure that could correct many common vision troubles.
Only your physician can inform you if it's appropriate for you, and results vary. Additionally, your physician will want to have training that happens as a continuous thing. Some eye doctors think that the advantages of the surgery will far more outweigh the risks that may be involved considering that the childas vision may be compromised and might even wind up forever lost.
Lasik Best – Overview
When the eye is in the appropriate position, the physician will commence utilizing the laser. Therefore, the eye is not as susceptible to damage in case of an injury. Research the mirror or check to determine if you can concentrate out of that eye.
The physician will apply temporary contact lenses which function as a bandage to shield your eyes and to avoid discomfort. Or, your physician may decide to use a laser device, called a laser keratome, as opposed to the microkeratome, to be able to cut the flap in the cornea. After the surgery, your physician will inform you regarding the post operation restrictions which you will want to follow and also supply you with a health brochure containing basic lasik facts and the recovery from it. So it is wise to talk about with your physician and understand more regarding the surgery. It's possible for you to discuss with our doctors on the risks and whether LASIK is the ideal selection for your vision correction. Many doctors will attempt to prevent the sickest patients, and others will just refuse to accept Medicare. A respectable doctor should not hesitate in offering you information about how many eye surgeries they've performed before.
A surgeon will be able to help you evaluate the many facets of the surgeries, and determine the type which will be appropriate for you. Just like any other surgery, deciding on the perfect LASIK surgeon is quite important. You want to understand that the lasik eye surgeon has the capability to offer you the procedure at the finest quality level. You wish to pick an eye surgeon who focuses on safety and the appropriate attention of the patient. You may speak with an experienced surgeon about the price, benefits, and complications connected with the different kinds of corrective eye surgeries.
Ruthless Lasik Best Strategies Exploited
Cataract surgery is a sort of corrective eye surgery, which is utilized to clear the vision of someone. It is another option for treating astigmatism. Penile Fracture Treatment Surgery is going to be the very best treatment to fix a fractured penis.
Breast surgery is an ideal choice for females who lack in confidence due to their uneven and unattractive bosoms. Non invasive surgery is performed by employing laser beams to correct the issue. When it has to do with corrective vision eye surgery, there are many options to select from.
Ruthless Lasik Best Strategies Exploited
LASIK surgery will just offer a temporarily improved vision. LASIK eye surgery provides many advantages and ought to significantly enhance your general quality of life. If you are thinking about LASIK eye surgery, your very first step is to pick out a superior LASIK surgeon who can evaluate whether LASIK is appropriate for you.
If you do opt for obtaining a lasik surgery, your health care provider will initially should make an initial evaluation to choose whether the process is best for you. LASIK surgery is done on approximately one million eyes each year on earth and it's not any different than every other surgery, but its drawbacks may be a bit different than others. The lasik surgery doesn't take over 30 minutes. LASIK eye surgery is an increasingly common procedure which has been approved to correct certain vision issues. It is an easy process, and you will be amazed at the simplicity of the procedure. Lasik eye correction surgery is a favorite because the process is fast, painless, and the outcomes are amazing.


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LocationPark Rapids, MN
19143 US 71 North
Park Rapids, MN 56470
6x12 Aluma Lite Extreme Trough V-Front** SOLD **
Every Smokey Hills Aluma Lite Extreme houses come with 3/8" Hyfax skis, Treadbright around entire house, propane holder, led lighting, 2 thermo windows, hitch, hole covers, and spray foamed insulation.
Stock# 12790
Smokey Hills Outdoor Store is not responsible for any misprints, typos, or errors found in our website pages. Any price listed excludes sales tax, registration tags, and delivery fees. Manufacturer-provided pictures, specifications and features may be used as needed. Inventory shown may be only a partial listing of the entire inventory. Please contact us at 218-237-5099 for availability as our inventory changes rapidly. All calculated payments are an estimate only and do not constitute a commitment that financing or a specific interest rate or term is available.
Manufacturer and/or stock photographs may be used and may not be representative of the particular unit being viewed. Where an image has a stock image indicator, please confirm specific unit details with your dealer representative.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post2214286328808822279..comments2023-11-22T07:05:37.012-08:00Comments on The Legacy Music Hour Video Game Music Podcast: Episode 55: Fire and LavaThe Legacy Music Hourhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-28487566829735968422017-10-24T19:10:20.790-07:002017-10-24T19:10:20.790-07:00Man...that Sonic 3D Blast track was SO good. I hat...Man...that Sonic 3D Blast track was SO good. I hate that game and never got far enough to hear that song, so I'm very happy Rob played it. WOW I love it.Lee Taggarthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-50614865749246700102017-01-20T13:13:41.712-08:002017-01-20T13:13:41.712-08:00I listened to the music and looked at the photo. T...I listened to the music and looked at the photo. To my surprise I grew a moustache along with hair in parts of my body that didn't have hair before. My voice has changed and I am now emitting a musky odor. Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on with my firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-5271660762172176602014-07-23T09:16:27.536-07:002014-07-23T09:16:27.536-07:00Why didn't I ever see this before!? I wrote a...Why didn't I ever see this before!? I wrote and performed a rap song about being pasty white. When I performed it, my friend held up white pieces of paper with images corresponding to my lyrics--a la that old INXS video.

Among the lines: "It's hard when your skin is whiter than your teeth. If only I could tan like Omar Sharif...." a photo of Omar Sharif Nathan Danielshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-61776337133600448692011-11-29T13:04:02.975-08:002011-11-29T13:04:02.975-08:00Thanks for the correction!Thanks for the correction!The Legacy Music Hourhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-78378872153449802412011-11-29T11:14:03.114-08:002011-11-29T11:14:03.114-08:00It's actually Tatsuyuki Maeda, but the updated...It's actually Tatsuyuki Maeda, but the updated set I supplied to Project2612 has not been uploaded to the database yet.dissident93http://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1653304218881103837.post-83312363016449101562011-11-16T17:58:20.947-08:002011-11-16T17:58:20.947-08:00Glad you finally played Fire Field. I thought it w...Glad you finally played Fire Field. I thought it was notably absent from the racing games firstname.lastname@example.com


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Happy Schools Project national capacity development workshops and pilots: Japan, Thailand and Lao PDR
The Happy Schools Project, launched by UNESCO Bangkok in June 2014, aims to promote happiness, well-being and holistic development in schools. The Happy Schools Framework, centred around the core concepts of 1) People, 2) Process, and 3) Place, includes building positive relationships between teachers and students, promoting fun and engaging learning approaches, and creating a school environment free from bullying. The Happy Schools Project offers a different vision of the quality of education – one in which learners' unique talents, strengths and abilities are appreciated, recognized and celebrated.
Pilot and Workshop Objectives
The Happy Schools national capacity development workshops and pilots aim to operationalize the Happy Schools Framework for use at local and national levels with pilot activities in three target countries: Japan, Lao PDR and Thailand. These workshops and pilots are working with selected teachers and schools leaders in UNESCO Associate Schools Project (ASPnet) schools in each country. The trainings place an emphasis on bringing the Happy Schools Framework, learner well-being and social and emotional skills for learning into the classroom and school.
When and where:
Happy Schools National Capacity Development Workshops:
- Fukuyama, Japan – 20-21 April 2019
- Bangkok, Thailand – 22-24 May 2019
- Vientiane, Lao PDR – 24-26 July 2019
The schools will carry out pilot activities for the duration of their 2019 school year.
Teachers and school leaders from selected schools in Japan, Lao PDR and Thailand.
The workshops and pilots are being coordinated and supported by Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) in Japan, the Lao PDR National Commission for UNESCO in Lao PDR, and Thailand National Commission for UNESCO and Chulalongkorn Demonstration School in Thailand.


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We are excited to announce that internationally renowned hip-hop artist and cannabis industry entrepreneur Snoop Dogg will be speaking in the 360 Big Top at C2 Montréal 2018 (May 23-25). He will be joined onstage by business partner and entrepreneurial phenom Ted Chung.
Snoop Dogg is on the leading edge of a mainstream conversation about cannabis at a time when the legalization of marijuana is high on the legislative agenda of the Canadian government and several jurisdictions in U.S.
Creating cannabis industry opportunity
The global cannabis market is projected to generate over $20.2 billion in sales by 2021, and Snoop Dogg is at the forefront of creating opportunities in this brand-new industry. As a partner at venture capital firm Casa Verde Capital, and co-founder with Ted Chung of digital media platform MERRY JANE, he is the driving force behind a number of significant cannabis industry initiatives.
Snoop Dogg has positioned himself as an authoritative voice on matters related to the business of cannabis, and we are very much looking forward to him sharing his insights and unique expertise at C2 Montréal 2018.


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Wednesday, June 18, 2014
So Thoughtful ..
5 comments:
So glad you are well and just busy. Hope you will share some of your reorganizing projects with us as I love to read about them and be inspired! Loved the picture of the lilies-of -the-valley which reminded me of my egg assemblage from you that is sitting in my living room. I still marvel over the crocheted lily bells. Have a creative day! PamReplyDelete
I thought about that you are busy by your last post and that's ok at all. The "real" life should come first all the time.ReplyDelete
Hugs from Germany
P.s.: How lovely flowers you have in your garden!
So glad you're well, and decluttering is good for the soul also. Gotta love those lilies-of-the-valley. They so remind me of my Nan (RIP). Thanks for sharing them with us - well actually, thanks for all the flowers you shared.ReplyDelete
I'm so glad to see this post.. I too was wondering if you were still not well. I also considered you might just be very very busy. Beautiful pictures.. lily of the valley is one of my favorites.. have a nice little patch of my own. Take care, I look forward to your next posting.ReplyDelete
Glad to hear from you! I have mountains of paper work to sort and a garage to organize, I can barely get in my studio. I seem to be working on them all at once. lol Do you know that state of total disarray and then everything comes together? I am at that stage in my garage. I wish you luck with your work. I am now a reply blogger!!ReplyDelete


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A little over eight years ago Istanbul-based Celebi Aviation positioned themselves in the German air cargo market by building and moving into their own dedicated warehouse and office facilities at Frankfurt Airport's CargoCity South. Much has happened since then - some of it good and some not up to expectations of the Celebi management.
Direct ramp access important
Celebi started operations in FRA in 2010 when they moved into their own specially designed warehouse, building 579, at the CargoCity South (CCS). The Turkish company was intent on putting themselves into the German air cargo handling scene and although building 579 was somewhat distant from the airport apron, it met Celebi's needs for some time and enabled them to gather a notable number of airline customers.
During the past couple of years, it became apparent that the CCS infrastructure and the delays at the so called "Transfer Point" to the apron were giving a negative effect on Celebi's service to their customers.
It was in 2014 that the management made a strategic move by acquiring Aviapartner Germany's cargo handling organisation in Frankfurt and thereby moving most of their export handling into building 543 which has direct ramp access and allows for a far speedier service. In the meantime, most of Celebi's cargo handling is being done in building 543 and 540 as well as two or three others grouped around the main warehouse. Building 579, where Celebi has a rental contract until 2021 has for the most part been rented out by them to offline cargo agents.
Customer satisfaction of utmost importance
It is no secret that handling companies at Frankfurt's CargoCity South have been having a tough time during the past 24 months because of congestion in the freight handling areas, especially for loading and unloading of trucks.
Celebi FRA has also been severely hampered by this and Murat Bas, CEO of Celebi Cargo Germany tells us that this situation, although having got better, is not yet to the satisfaction of the handlers. This he says has prompted him and his team to revamp their cargo handling operation and management structure further in order to allow for a far better customer satisfaction.
Mr Bas informs us that they are on the right road and in a recent survey have established an almost 90% customer satisfaction rate despite the ongoing congestion problems that CCS is still facing. He and his team have reassigned and restructured their handling and office manpower along with introducing more effective training methods for present and new staff members. "It's by no means easy to attract qualified staff these days" - he states. "We have become very particular about who we employ and with updated training methods we can ensure that they become fully "operational in a short period of time."
Keep looking ahead
The restructuring seems to be paying dividends.
Celebi FRA's customer base is growing again with the addition of Turkish Air Cargo as a new client. United Airlines Cargo, a long-term Celebi FRA client has also extended their handling contract. This came as a surprise to some in the industry as it was expected that UA Cargo would have to move to Lufthansa Cargo's handling area due to the much-published cargo joint-venture between both carriers. Although Mr Bas refrains from commenting on this, it could be assumed that Celebi's revamped service aspects has convinced UA Cargo that they are better off there. Other strong cargo carriers in Celebi FRA's portfolio include carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, LATAM and TAP Portugal.
Tonnages for this year should reach 145,000 tons Mr Bas informs us. The plan is to extend this to 160,000 tons in 2019 mainly by means of organic growth. Celebi could handle just over 230,000 tons per annum in the facilities they control.
There are firm plans to build a cool centre of about 320 square metres within their present handling area in building 540. This, they say, will be designed for build-up and storage of pharma related products and other temperature sensitive cargo.
Murat Bas says that: "flexibility is essential to ensure customer satisfaction." He further states that "we are on the right road but need to stay attuned at all times to customer's needs and their future planning."
John Mc Donagh


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Andy Griffith Dead At Age 86
Andy Griffith has passed away this morning at the age of 86 at a North Carolina Hospital, as reported by Fox News. An ambulance crew was called out to his Roanoke home this morning.
Details surrounding his death were not immeditaely available.
Andy Griffith is famous for his self titled TV show "The Andy Griffith Show." He also starred in the television show "Matlock." Griffith also appeared in Brad Paisley's music video "Waitin' On A Woman."


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Can you find a needle in a haystack? Literally
Now you would have heard a term "A needle in a haystack" (or even used it as a good excuse to getting out of doing some work), The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as: Something that is impossible or extremely difficult to find, especially because the area you have to search is too large: "Finding the piece of paper I need in this huge pile of documents is like looking for/trying to find a needle in a haystack". Now New York-based Italian artists Sven Sachsalber has taken this literally in his art performance. The artist allowed himself two days (48 hours) to find a needle in a haystack at the Palais de Tokyo art space in Paris. The needle was hidden by the Galleries Director/President Jean de Loisy before the performance. The artist wants to know the truth – what is it like to actually find a needle in a haystack? And is it even possible? Well did he do it? Yes, in 30 hours. And described his challenge as an exercise in "literalism". We would have been more impressed if he was looking for a piece of hay in a needle stack though, oh well, maybe next time. Photo Source: HUH Magazine.


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Software Map
Project Tree
Now limiting view to projects in the following categories:
Topic :: Robust Statistics [Remove This Filter]
Intended Audience :: End Users/Desktop [Remove This Filter]
Operating System > OS Independent
Browse By:
11 projects in result set.
|0. robustbase - Basic Robust Statistics - R package for "Essential" Robust Statistics: Tools for data analysis with robust methods; incl. regression & multivariate stats; targeting to cover "Robust Statistics, Theory and Methods" by Maronna, Martin and Yohai; 2006.
|Activity Percentile: 72.41
Registered: 2007-08-17 15:17
|1. disco - Distribution Comparison - Compare distributions and select models using smooth tests of Goodness of Fit with both classic and cutting edge approaches.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2012-01-24 13:28
|2. libRa - The libRa package implements robust statistics algorithms
from the research group Robust Statistics at the Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven and the Universiteit van Antwerpen.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2008-02-03 17:52
|3. Dependency modeling toolbox - Model-based tools for the discovery and analysis of statistical dependencies between data sources.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2010-04-08 11:22
|4. ESM - ESM – Ecological Measures of Specificity . Provides several ecological specificity / host range indicators
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2009-11-07 16:56
|5. Generalized Multilevel Permutation Model - The gmpm package seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for performing synchronized permutation tests on multilevel experimental data.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2009-08-24 00:41
|6. Probabilistic Index Models - Developing an R-package for a new class of regression models: Probabilistic Index Models.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2011-06-09 14:01
|7. Robust time series analysis - Provides various approaches for robust estimation of (partial) autocorrelation and autocovariance. There are also procedures for robust fitting and filtering of AR(p) processes as well as for robust change point detection.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2014-11-11 15:14
|8. Local Depth - The package "localdepth" contains functions for the evaluation of some Depth functions and their corresponding local versions, namely Local Depths. Simplicial, Ellipsoid and Mahalanobis Depths are implemented for general dimension.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2008-09-16 15:34
|9. sandwich: Robust Covariance Estimation - An object-oriented implementation of model-robust covariances and standard error estimators for cross-sectional, time series, and longitudinal data.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2016-09-21 08:36
|10. bootBCa - Function BCa finds confidence intervals using Efron's nonparametric bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) bootstrap method. It supports adaptive determination of the number of bootstrap replications and requires less memory than other implementations.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2014-07-22 16:16


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Flower City ImprovWhat makes your team unique?
Our team is comprised of both improv veterans who take it seriously and those who are looking to try something new and have fun!
Do you know what games / forms you plan on doing for the festival?
We plan on doing some short form games. Haven't nailed down completely which ones yet.
How long has your team been working together?
We've been together for around two years this June. Some members have changed over the years due to moving or other commitments, but for the majority of us we've been together for about two years.
What life lessons do you think there are to be learned from improv?
Honestly, you can learn a lot about people. Just by learning the different relationships between one another, as well as being able to "check in" and benefiting from communicating with one another in a scene. I've also learned patience, and that comedy can come naturally.
Dan, co-founder of Rochester's Flower City Improv was nice enough to answer some of our lame questions. FCI will perform on Saturday, April 6 at the Thumbs UPstate Improv Festival. Like them on Facebook.


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Hi all :-) I made this card using the new Simon Says Exclusive Card kit for May ,,, 'May Flowers' :-)
This did start life as a one layer card for the Less Is More Challenge and the film title would have been 'War of the Roses' ,,, but I got a bit side tracked :-)
I stamped and masked the flowers then stamped more to add layers. I coloured with Inktense pencils and love the watercolor effect :-)
I added a few pearls and some ribbon from my messy drawer.
Thanks for looking :-)
I appreciate your comments so please leave me one :-)
Challenges :
Crafts and Me ,, Bling
Crafty Creations ,,, No Patterned Paper
Top Tip Tuesday ,,, No Machine Sewing
Bastel-Traum ,,, Mothers/Fathers day
Cupcake Craftroom ,,,, Summer Blooms
Really Reasonable Ribbon ,,, Mother's Day + Ribbon
Pile It On ,,,, Embossing (the flowers are heat embossed)
card Makin Mama's ,,, Ribbon
Lols x x x


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Foreign Aid and Subnational Development: A Grid Cell Analysis
Date Published
Jun 27, 2018
Jürgen Bitzer, Erkan Gören
Bitzer, Jürgen and Erkan Gören. 2018. Foreign Aid and Subnational Development: A Grid Cell Analysis. AidData Working Paper #55. Williamsburg, VA: AidData at William & Mary.
We examine the impact of geo-referenced World Bank development programs on subnational development using equally sized grid cells with a spatial resolution of 0.5 decimal degrees latitude × longitude as the unit of investigation. The proposed grid cell approach solves a number of endogeneity problems discussed in the aid effectiveness literature that make it difficult to identify the true effect of foreign aid on development outcomes due to the presence of unobserved heterogeneity, lack of key country-level controls, aggregation bias, simultaneity and/or the presence of reverse causality in the association between foreign aid and economic growth, measurement errors, and endogenous sample selection bias. The estimates reveal that World Bank foreign aid projects contribute significantly to grid cell economic activity measured by night-time lights growth. This finding is robust to the presence of unobserved country-year and grid-cell-specific unobserved heterogeneity, and to the inclusion of a full set of grid-cell-specific socioeconomic, demographic, conflict-related, biogeographic, and climatic controls. Additional sensitivity tests confirm the robustness of the main findings to various econometric estimators, alternative model specifications, and different spatial aggregation levels.
Related Publications
Related Datasets
World Bank IBRD-IDA Projects
World Bank Geocoded Research Release, Version 1.4.2
This geocoded dataset includes all projects approved from 1995-2014 in the World Bank IBRD/IDA lending lines. It tracks more than $630 billion in commitments for 5,684 projects across 61,243 locations.


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In early 2013, Paul and Michelle Tesori learned they were expecting their first child, a boy they would name Isaiah who was born January 4, 2014. Isaiah's entrance to the world was unique, and for several hours following his birth, doctors weren't sure if Isaiah would survive. He was rushed from the hospital he was born at to a nearby specialty hospital for children where a specialty team of doctors and nurses took incredible care of him. There were complications at birth they were unprepared for, but God worked some miracles and their sweet baby boy only had to stay 7 days at that NICU before he was sent home. Isaiah was diagnosed with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that is indicated with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome, meaning Isaiah has 3 copies of that chromosome instead of the typical 2 copies, and 47 total "Chromies" overall, compared to our boring old 46.
Paul and Michelle have embraced Isaiah's Down syndrome diagnosis and have set aside specific funds now in their foundation to give back to the Down syndrome community that has embraced them since Isaiah's birth. In early 2015, we started a new program called Buddy Baskets, providing each new family in Northeast Florida who gives birth to or adopts a child with Down syndrome a very special basket. In this basket is a note from Isaiah to the new parents, complete with pictures of his first years of life and some of his (and his mommy and daddy's) favorites including some of Isaiah's favorite clothes, DVDs, pacifiers, onesies, bibs, toys, etc. We also include items handy for new parents when you first bring a baby home like gift certificates to local restaurants, chocolates for when you need that little caffeine boost to keep you awake for a new baby in the middle of the night, etc! We even include items for siblings to remind them that while all the attention might be on this new baby and some of their extra special needs, they're still as loved and important as they were before this extra special baby arrived. Got pets? We've got them covered too!
The purpose behind the baskets is to remind these new moms and dads that while they may find themselves surprised by the diagnosis, whether prenatally or at birth, or even if, like many parents, they're just worried about the future, that their little bundle of joy is just like any other baby, a tremendous blessing. We hope to simply provide some encouragement to celebrate the birth of their child and a reminder that their child is unique, just like every other child and that God has a plan for this perfect little life!
Donate Online
Click here to make a donation of your choice to help us purchase items to fill our Buddy Baskets!
Tax receipts will be mailed or emailed within four to six weeks once the donation has been processed.
Mail us Goodies!
Looking to send items ANY new baby or parent would enjoy? All packages can be mailed to the address below. Please email [email protected] and include a detailed description of the items included in your package. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Tesori Family Foundation
101 Marketside Avenue,
Suite 404, #345
Ponte Vedra , FL 32082
Fun Ideas for Gift Baskets!
Want to help but fresh out of ideas? Here are a few that might be fun:
- Popcorn for a quick on-the-go snack
- Prayer books for parents and kiddos
- Chocolates – who doesn't love chocolate?
- Isaiah's Dad says every new parent needs Monster energy drinks & Subway!
- Coffee (Starbucks gift cards are GREAT!) for those late night feeding blues
- Flowers for Mom!
- Handsome/stylish onesies – every new baby needs a fancy outfit
- Bubble bath or bath salts for Mom
- Restaurant gift cards for those days when cooking seems impossible!
- Baby toys
- Baby blankets – Isaiah loves his WubbaNub & Angel Dear Puppy
- Baby bibs
We're also open to creative packaging for our Buddy Baskets, so if you have a great idea for a basket, let us know! We can't wait to see our Foundation friends get creative with this project!


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Consolidated Communications Pitches HBO Now to Broadband Subs
Consolidated Communications has inked a deal with HBO that enables the operator to offer HBO Now, the premium programmer's standalone OTT subscription service, to broadband customers.
The option, which gives Consolidated customers the ability to get HBO without a traditional pay TV subscription, come with a 30-day free trial offer and fetches $14.99 per month thereafter.
Those customers can sign up and view HBO Now on devices that include iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, Apple TV boxes and Google Chromecast streaming adapters as well as TVs with Chromecast built-in.
Consolidated has set up a web page that features the HBO Now option alongside another in which its pay TV subs can get HBO and HBO Go, the programmer's authenticated TV Everywhere offering, for $15.99 per month.
"We're very excited to build upon our partnerships with Consolidated Communications and bring the best HBO entertainment to their broadband customers," Cheryl Tuverson, HBO's director, domestic network distribution, said in a statement. "This deal represents the commitment our companies share to evolve with our audiences, bringing them the very best programming in all the ways they want to access it."
Read more at multichannel.com.
Broadcasting & Cable Newsletter
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By Jack Reid


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We do restock core products from some of the brands we carry however, limited release and seasonal product is much harder to restock. If it sells well and we can get it then we definitely will try.
Do you restock any of your products? Print
Modified on: Thu, 9 Jul, 2020 at 7:47 PM
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July 6th, 2020 | All Announcement, Housing Announcement|
As a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Mayor's Safer at Home Order, the Housing and Community Investment Department (Department) suspended the administrative appeal hearings to promote social distancing and ensure safety of our constituents and staff. However, the Department strives to serve the City of LA constituents at their convenience, while ensuring their safety, by providing them with a due process through remote administrative appeal hearings. It is ur pleasure to inform you that appeal hearings for the Code Enforcement and Rent Stabilization Programs are now being scheduled to be conducted remotely.
Last modified: July 6, 2020
Comments are closed.


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Buy a GeForce GPU today and enter for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Blizzcon 2009 for two and receive World of Warcraft Classic for Free!
What: Buy any qualifying NVIDIA GeForce graphics card between July 1, 2009 and August 1, 2009 and receive an entry code for a chance to win an all expenses paid trip to Blizzcon 2009 for you and a guest. The entire trip is valued up to $2400 USD!
But that's not all. The same entry code is also good for one FREE digital download of the complete World of Warcraft Classic. This download includes a full install of the complete retail version of the game with unrestricted 30-day access to character classes, cities, quests, chat, and other features from World of Warcraft Classic.
Who: Contest is open to all legal residents of the US, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Norway and India (excluding the state of Tamil Nadu) who have attained the age of majority under the laws of the country or state of residence as of the start of this promotion.
Where: For complete contest details, rules and regulations, and additional information on how to enter through the mail without a qualifying product purchase, please visit: www.nzone.com/WoW. For additional information on Blizzcon 2009, please visit: www.blizzard.com/blizzcon.
When: The World of Warcraft bundle and code promotion will begin at 12:01 a.m. PST on July 1, 2009 and will end at 11:59:59 p.m. PST on August 1, 2009. All mail-in entries must be postmarked by 11:59:59 p.m. PST on July 15, 2009 AND received by 11:59:59 p.m. PST on August 1, 2009. Please refer to the full contest details at www.nzone.com/WoW.Source: NVIDIA


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Who comes out on top in this battle of star-studded offenses?
Tag: Brett Gardner
BP Boston Unfiltered: The Big Dombrowski
Let's get weird with what Dave Dombrowski's offseason could've looked like. Sort of.
Is Mookie Betts Living Up to the Hype?
Mookie Betts has been good this year, but has he lived up to the hype?


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|The Robinson Library >> Biography
|C. W. Post
inventor of Postum, Grape Nuts, and Post Toasties
Charles William Post was born in Springfield, Illinois, on October 26, 1854. His father, Charles Rollin Post, was an itinerant laborer and entrepreneur who pursued a wide variety of occupations across the country, including a stint as a "Forty-Niner" during the California Gold Rush; his mother, Caroline Cushman Lathrop Post, had had several poems in magazines. C.W., as he always called himself, inherited both his father's itinerant spirit and his mother's creative mind, but it would take many years for the two traits to come together in just the right proportion to propel him to success.
After graduating from the Springfield public schools, Post entered Illinois Industrial College (now the University of Illinois), but dropped out after two years. In 1871, he borrowed $500 from his mother and travelled to Independence, Kansas, where he opened a general store. He sold his interest in the store for a minimal profit within a year, and was back in Springfield by 1872. He next tried his hand at being a travelling salesman, and then at designing and manufacturing agricultural implements. On November 4, 1874, he married Ella Letitia Merriweather; the couple had one child, Marjorie Merriwether Post.
In November of 1885, Post suffered a nervous breakdown, brought on by years of hard work and financial instability. The next year, he left his family in Springfield and moved to Texas, where he got involved in a residential real estate development project on the outskirts of Fort Worth. In 1888, he purchased a 200-acre ranch and began laying out his own subdivision. The failure of this venture caused a second nervous breakdown, and, in 1891, Post moved his family to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he sought treatment at the Battle Creek Sanitorium, a widely touted health spa directed by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
At the Sanitorium, Post was subjected to a number of unusual regimens, including Kellogg's grain-intensive vegetarian diet. Feeling no better after nine months of treatment, Post left the Sanitorium and sought out a Christian Science practitioner, who prescribed an all-natural (but not strictly vegetarian) diet and positive mental suggestion. Within a few days of beginning this new treatment, Post declared that he felt much better. Sensing that were great marketing opportunities in such an approach, Post subsequently published I Am Well!, the Modern Practice of Natural Suggestion, in which he touted the power of one's own mind to promote health, and opened his own clinic, La Vita Inn, in Battle Creek. He also began experimenting with ways to prepare more palatable health foods, the first result of which was Postum Food Coffee, a bran, wheat, and molasses-based no-caffeine coffee substitute introduced in 1895. Although Post's health clinic ultimately failed, his Postum was an almost instant success. In 1897, he introduced Grape-Nuts, a "scientific" cereal mix that contained neither grapes nor nuts, which also enjoyed almost immediate success. His entry into the cornflakes market came with "Elijah's Manna" in 1904 (it was renamed Post Toasties in 1908).
Post marketed his products with some of the most persuasive advertising ever devised, with virtually every ad proclaiming the virtues of a lifestyle based on natural foods and a positive mind. He even published "The Road to Wellsville," a prescriptive pamphlet that explained how to maximize health by consuming Post products, and "thoughtfully" enclosed a copy in every package.
Post's products quickly made him a multi-millionaire, but that same success also made him restless, so he hired a team of professional managers to operate his company and turned his attention to other interests. In 1902, he began promoting "Post Checks," a postal currency similar to modern money orders. His attempt to garner Congressional support for his plan was thwarted by New York Senator Thomas C. Platt, whose U.S. Express Company already sold a type of postal currency. He was also thwarted by small-town merchants, who were afraid that the "checks" would increase mail-order sales and, therefore, hurt them. Not wishing to upset the very people he counted on to stock his products, he soon abandoned the project.
An ardent opponent of labor unions, Post founded Citizens' Industrial Association, dedicated to having "the rights of property protected and legislation of a Socialistic nature prevented from being enacted into law," in 1903.
In 1904, after years of separation, C.W. and Letitia Post divorced. On November 7 of that same year, C.W. married his secretary, Leila Young.
In 1906, Post purchased some 225,000 acres of ranchland in Texas and designated a site as the location of his new town, which he expected to become the seat of Garza County. In 1907, Post City, as it was called until after the developer's death, was platted, farms of 160 acres were laid out, shade trees were planted, and a machine shop, a hotel, a school, churches, and a department store were constructed. Unlike his previous real estate venture, this one was successful; Post City did indeed become the seat of Garza County, and is still a thriving community today.
Having succeeded with Post City, Post next tried various forms of automatic machinery in developing dry-land farming techniques and introduced varieties of grain sorghums such as milo and kafir. One of his most spectacular experiments was the use of dynamite explosions to draw rain. Between 1911 and 1914, he spent thousands of dollars in this endeavor, which met with little success.
Although Post lived the healthy lifestyle he "preached" and advertised, he never fully recovered physically from his earlier mental breakdowns. Failing health, combined with an unhappy marriage, led to him committing suicide in his Santa Barbara, California, home on May 9, 1914; he was buried in Battle Creek's Oak Hill Cemetery.
Majorie Merriwether Post became the sole owner of Postum Ltd. upon her father's death. With guidance from her second husband, stockbroker, Edward F. Hutton, the company aggressively acquired other grocery brands, beginning with Jell-O in 1923, and became the General Foods Corporation in 1929.
|The Robinson
Library >> Biography
This page was last updated on September 24, 2017.


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The Town - What Did You Think?
Ben Affleck's The Town opens today and brings with it some high expectations. Affleck's first film, Gone Baby Gone, was widely regarded as an exceptionally strong directorial debut. For his sophomore effort, he returns to Boston with a bigger budget and an even more impressive roster of stars (not to mention a great trailer). Does The Town live up to its promise? Hit the jump for some of my impressions, and as always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. Spoilers are allowed.The Town is a highly enjoyable heist drama in the vein of cat-and-mouse films such as Michael Mann's Heat. Shot on location in Boston under the auspices of cinematographer Robert Elswit, the film looks spectacular and evokes an excellent sense of location, from the gritty streets of Charlestown to the classy restaurants of Harvard Square. The heist/action scenes are really well done and features at least one memorable car chase sequence, proving once and for all that Affleck's time on the set of Reindeer Games with car chase extraordinaire John Frankenheimer was well worth it (I kid because I love. The chase scenes in The Town are genuinely excellent).
Where the film loses me is in the supposed character arc of our protagonist, Doug MacRay (played by Affleck himself). It feels as though Affleck desperately wants the film to be more than just an above-average action romp. He wants The Town to be an epic story about redemption and moving beyond one's past, to evoke the transformative power of films like The Shawshank Redemption. But there's just not enough in the script to make the character and his supposed transformation into something satisfying.
Still, what's there is excellent, and there are plenty of visual flourishes, set pieces, and intense moments to make this a solid genre piece. I liked the movie and might even catch it again before it leaves theaters. What about you guys?


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Can Science and Religion be Integrated?
Can science and religion be integrated? What comes to mind immediately is that religions themselves cannot agree with one another whereas science is basically monolithic. How can there even be trade between the two, let alone integration?
Currently, the overall perception of science is that it is materialist. The belief is that science cannot be done without the dogma of material monism: all things of our experience have a material origin.
On the other hand, there is common ground for all religions in three respects:
all religions agree that there is God …
All religions also posit the existence of non-material "subtle" bodies connected with our internal experiences–feeling, meaning, and values–in addition to the material body.
All religions posit the importance of certain values as the goal of life; values such as, love, truth, beauty, justice, good.
The Dogma of Material Monism
Currently, the overall perception of science is that it is materialist. The belief is that science cannot be done without the dogma of material monism: all things of our experience have a material origin.
It is only logical that the practitioners of materialist science should have something to object and negate about the three religious contentions about reality enunciated above.
Materialists also posit that God, consciousness, mind, feelings, values, all things internal besides what we experience externally, matter, are explainable in material terms.
In quantum physics, objects are not determined things of Newtonian vintage. Instead, they are waves of possibility. When we observe, these waves "collapse" into actual events in our experience. Instead of spread-out waves what we observe is a localized particle. This is the famous observer effect.
The resolution of the paradox is to turn the materialist view of consciousness upside down. Let consciousness be the base of the world and let matter consist of waves of possibilities of consciousness. Consciousness chooses from the possibility waves of matter within it to collapse the actual events that we observe.
For the materialist model of individual consciousness associated with each brain, the solution is called solipsism. Only your consciousness is real; everybody else is a fragment of your imagination.
The good news is that not one, but three separate experiments are now showing that quantum consciousness, the author of downward causation is nonlocal, is unitive, is God.
Source: Can Science and Religion be Integrated? - Amit Goswami
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Monday, March 24, 2014
Colimacon et cie Ring sling - Review and giveaway
105 comments:
I'd love a GREEN ring sling!ReplyDelete
I'd choose green too!ReplyDelete
I would love a bright pink one.ReplyDelete
I would love a dark red one! Or black.ReplyDelete
I actually really love the orange you're wearing!ReplyDelete
I can't decide. They're all so beautiful.ReplyDelete
I like all the colors. Maybe blue or green!ReplyDelete
If I won, I'd love to have either the navy or off-white sling!ReplyDelete
I'd love orange! :)ReplyDelete
I think I'd chose blue!ReplyDelete
I would love a green or turquoise one!ReplyDelete
It's so hard to choose just one color - they're all lovely! I'd probably go with green.ReplyDelete
I would love any color but black, red, or green would be my first choices ;)ReplyDelete
Something teal would be beautiful!ReplyDelete
I love the teal and also the lime! They're both so pretty!ReplyDelete
I would choose the turquoise or line green - either would be awesome !! :)ReplyDelete
I love the raspberry one!ReplyDelete
I choose The orange, its so lively and bright!ReplyDelete
I'd love a blue or teal oneReplyDelete
I love the orange, raspberry, and turquoise ones! Any of those would be awesome!ReplyDelete
I would love the Miel et Malice GreenReplyDelete
I think a turquoise one ;)ReplyDelete
I'd love any of them, but my first choice would probably be turquoise! <3ReplyDelete
Love orange, bright color!ReplyDelete
I love the turquoise! Or maybe green or black. ;)ReplyDelete
blue or greyReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 24, 2014 at 12:45 PM
I love the red! But they all are pretty!!!!!!ReplyDelete
Of the ring slings on their site I think I love the green the best!ReplyDelete
I'd choose the dark grey.ReplyDelete
For me I would choose pink, but if i won this it would be for my Mumma-to-be friend Sarah, in the colour of *her* choosing <3ReplyDelete
Rainbow...blue...purple...green :)ReplyDelete
Orange, red, or turquoise. I can't decide!ReplyDelete
Pink, red, blue... ANY of them!!! Beautiful wrap that I would love to use in my babywearing classes and with my own LO <3ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
I would Love a lime, orange, black, pink, rainbow, yellow, I would Love any of them! So if I'm the lucky winner I let you choose for me :)ReplyDelete
I love the turquoise!!! This would be my first ring sling in my stash if I win. ;)ReplyDelete
I love the GREEN one, it's my fave colour!ReplyDelete
We would do orange just like in the picture! Its my sons favorite color and as a toddler the ringsling is our most used of our wraps these days it would be amazing to have a second.ReplyDelete
I would like the red oneReplyDelete
I would love the Teal one for my 2 year old boyReplyDelete
I'd be happy with any color, but blue is my favoriteReplyDelete
Turquoise maybe, or a light neutral like a gray or natural color. But any color would be exciting really!ReplyDelete
I'd love blue or purpleReplyDelete
Blue or green! =DReplyDelete
The Bleu Marine is my absolute favorite from their selection!ReplyDelete
They are all nice colors, but I love turquoise for here in Florida!ReplyDelete
I would love green, I don't have a green carrier!ReplyDelete
I would love a red sling.ReplyDelete
I love the dark blue one.ReplyDelete
Purple! You can never have too much purple!ReplyDelete
I would like purple or grayReplyDelete
I would to have one period.. though colour wise blue, green, or orange would be top picks!ReplyDelete
pink or turquoise!ReplyDelete
Orange, purple or teal!ReplyDelete
teal, gray or a natural color! :)ReplyDelete
Something bright and sunny for Spring! Turquoise is fun.ReplyDelete
Dark grey or teal.ReplyDelete
I love them all. I am a fan of the green and blue.. but have so many carriers in that color. so I would do a red, orange, or yellow I think.. bu tthey are all so beautiful i cant decide!ReplyDelete
dark grey :)ReplyDelete
I would loves turquoise one!ReplyDelete
I love the blue (although the pink looks great too)ReplyDelete
i would love the teal <3ReplyDelete
If I win, I would love one in a shade of purple, my little one's middle name is Violet :-). Thanks for the inspiration on carrying them!ReplyDelete
Ooo how pretty, I love the orange on you, it really highlights your porcelain skin. I'm also fair skinned and would enjoy the orange... or as Kate said, perhaps a turquoise if I win! :)ReplyDelete
Any colour would be great but I'm rather partial to purple.ReplyDelete
i'd get turquoise!ReplyDelete
I love the purple, but love even more how you can nurse your toddler in the sling!ReplyDelete
Any bright color! Thank you for the wonderful giveaways, you are awesome! :)ReplyDelete
I would love blue!ReplyDelete
I'd love the blue!ReplyDelete
Love the teal!ReplyDelete
I would definitely want a pink one ������ReplyDelete
Pink, purple, turquoise...all are pretty.ReplyDelete
I'd love a green!ReplyDelete
I'd love to win this in the teal/turquoise color or cream/natural!ReplyDelete
I would love the teal one!ReplyDelete
def. purple!ReplyDelete
I would love a purple or rainbow sling!ReplyDelete
So hard to decide! I'm loving the orange, green and the turquoise.ReplyDelete
I'd love an aqua or grey sling :)ReplyDelete
I love the green ring sling!!ReplyDelete
I love purple and blue!ReplyDelete
I love love LOVE the teal!! The purple and grwen are also pretty!!ReplyDelete
Hmmm... I think Orange. Or maybe green. Tough choices, but would be a good problem to have. ;-)ReplyDelete
I think I would like a gray color or turquoise.ReplyDelete
If something comes in pink, my daughter and I want it, bad!ReplyDelete
True girly girls.
We love babywearing, just for being that close to eachother <3
I love the turquoise and the green. I think anything that reminds me of the ocean is beautiful.ReplyDelete
id like the turquoiseReplyDelete
Turquoise, orange, or blue would make me happy!ReplyDelete
I think I would choose a yellow one, and give it to my friend who has a new baby in the hospital. I'm sure they could use it right now. :)ReplyDelete
Love the blue RS!ReplyDelete
I would choose blue! <3ReplyDelete
Teal or orange!ReplyDelete
Purple please!ReplyDelete
I love the orange!ReplyDelete
I would love this in serene blue :) you are so amazing for doing all of these fantastic giveaways! thank you for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
The blue would be perfect!ReplyDelete
Pour nous, nous avons bleu! Merci;)ReplyDelete


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Is private home care the right choice for you?
10th September 2019
Sometimes waiting for or applying for government-funded home care is not the most suitable option for you. There are many perks of privately funding your home care including reduced waiting times and less paperwork.
When might privately funding home care be a good option for you?
Privately funding all or some of your home care services could be the right choice for you if:
- You've had an unexpected hospital visit and require assistance in maintaining your independence once you are discharged home
- You've had a fall and require some assistance at home
- You need some short-term care whilst your usual caregiver takes a break or goes on holiday
- Your income assessment with Department of Human Services indicates you'll need to make extensive contributions to your Home Care Package
- You don't meet the eligibility requirements for Government funding
- You are on the waitlist for a Home Care Package but require assistance at home now
- Your Home Care Package doesn't cover the amount or quantity of home care services you require
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits of private home care but some include:
Reduced wait times: At Benetas we don't let the red tape slow us down. In fact if you choose to privately fund your home care services, we're often able to start providing home care within 3-5 business days.
No assessment: Unlike Government-funded home care, you will not be obliged to go through an assessment with My Aged Care. Instead, you just need to meet with your home care provider (either face-to-face or over the phone) to discuss your goals and plan out your services.
Less paperwork: You'll have less paperwork to sign!
Short term, long term or one-off - it's your choice: If you only need temporary assistance or even one-off help, privately funding could be the best option for you.


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The house Christian Dior has announced a new fragrance for Men launched for the start of the 2015 school year, a new fragrance, a new muse
Johnny Depp for Dior Parfum
Dior Parfum chose actor Johnny Depp for his new face for his new fragrance creation.
Johnny Depp is a multi-faceted actor with atypical and sometimes diametrically opposed roles, he was born on June 9, 1963 in the United States. He was noticed in the 80s thanks to his role in the 21 Jump Street series. However, he quickly distinguished himself from these too polished roles by playing eccentric and original characters, especially in the films of Tim Burton: Master of the fantastic tale who draws his inspiration from the novels of Edgar Allan Poe his taste for graphics and eccentricity Will coincide perfectly with the expectations of Johnny Depp, which he will lead by eight covers, resulting in a faithful friendship between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.
At these beginnings Johnny Depp played secondary roles in television series following his studies in a theater school, it was in 1987 that he was given his first leading role in the series 21 Jump Street which quickly became a unmissable '80s series propelling Johnny Depp into a teenage idol. In agreement with his agent he decides to break the contract with the producers of the series at the end of four seasons for this devoted entirely to his cinematographic career which opens them. Tim Burton identifies in the person of Johnny Depp his favorite actor for his spooky characters and offers him his first role in Edward in the Silver Hands. From then on, the actor will shoot seven other films with Tim Burton:
– Ed Wood 1994
– Sleepy Hollow 1999
– Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory 2005 – The Funeral Wedding 2005
– Sweeney Todd: The Diabolical Barber of Fleet Street 2007
– Alice in Wonderland 2010
– Dark Sadhows 2012
One of these roles most recognized was his interpretation of the cultism film Las Vegas Parano by Terry Gillam in 1998 inspired by the novel of his friend Hunter S. Thompson paranoid and psychedelic vision of Las Vegas. Notably known for his incarnation of Jack Sparow in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga allows him to extend his notoriety to new generations and another type of audience.
Johnny Depp during his career won many distinctions among which the César d'Honneur in 1999, the title of actor of the year in 2002 during the Hollywood Film Festival. In 2004 for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl he received the Empire Awards for best actor. In 2008 for the first time he received the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy / Musical for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Diabolical Barber of Fleet Street film for which he will receive numerous other accolades.
Currently in the process of filming an upcoming installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, Johnny Deep poses for fashion photographer Nathaniel Goldberg, where his "wild" look contrasts with his innate elegance. Thus, he thus joins the very closed clan of the Dior muses in the same way as Alain Delon incarnating the mythical perfume Eau Sauvage, Jude Law, Robert Pattinson. The choice of Dior Parfum for the actor lies in its ability to adapt: "for three generations of spectators, Johnny Depp is this Hollywood icon, capable of taking on all roles" but also for his consistency and eternal sensuality.


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Peanut stew is a common dish throughout West Africa. They call peanuts "groundnuts" because they are "nuts" that grow in the ground. This authentic Angolan version of the peanut stew is among the very best to come out of Africa.
Angolan Peanut Stew Recipe-
(makes 4 servings)
- 1 – 2 tbsp. pure peanut oil
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-1/2 tbsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger root
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (or serrano pepper if you like it even more spicy)
- 2 chicken breasts, skinned and chopped into small pieces
- 3 medium tomatoes, rough chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric root
- 1 tbsp. Berbere, West African spice powder (You can substitute cayenne, but, for the true authentic flavor, get the berbere – its taste is remarkably unique)
- 1⁄2 tsp. ground cloves
- Freshly ground black peppercorns, to taste
- Freshly ground course sea salt, to taste
- 2 tsp. granulated white cane sugar
- 3 – 4 cups chicken broth (or you can use beef broth)
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (more or less, to taste)
- dry roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish
- 1 dash lemon juice, or 1 dash lime juice
Note: For a vegetarian version of Angolan Peanut Stew, simply take out the chicken breasts, and use vegetable broth (or water) instead of the chicken or beef broth. It is still a delicious stew without the meat. You can also use any combination of veggies you want, and if not using a meat, use more veggies. Some firm mushrooms would be really good, too.
- Using a medium sized saucepan, put the oil in and bring the heat up to medium high.
- Add in the garlic, ginger and onions, and cook until the onion becomes fragrant and translucent. Then toss in the chili pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
- Next into the pan is the chicken, cloves, berbere and turmeric. Grind some salt and pepper over the chicken, to taste, and stir the mixture together well.
- Cook over medium heat until the chicken is well done, no red or pink juices coming out.
- Now add into the pan the grated carrots, tomatoes, and/or any other vegetables you may want to use. Grind into the mixture some more salt and pepper, to taste. Since the veggies are chopped, they will cook fast, probably in about 5 minutes, with you stirring now and then.
- Next, pour in the broth or water to the saucepan and bring the heat to a boil. Add in the peanut butter, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir well for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the peanut butter is completely dissolved.
- You're almost done. Now you add in the sugar and lemon or lime juice. Do a taste test, and adjust salt and pepper levels, or any other spices, as necessary. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Serve your Angolan Peanut Stew hot. Toasted bread makes a good accompaniment.
Note: This African recipe is just one of hundreds, taken from our African Cuisine pages.