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Haneul park near World Cup stadium
Fantastic park .. a big dump was converted to a world class park ..
I saw methane gas pipes collecting flammable gas from different notes ..
the size of the park is around 1 football 🏈 stadium ..
And there are signs everywhere- no smoking 🚭 'cause the park could blow up literally !! 😃🤪


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Anite today announced that its Conformance Toolset for protocol and performance testing supports the highest number of validated protocol conformance test cases for TD-LTE.
As the world's largest mobile operator is set to launch commercial TD-LTE services in China and other major mobile operators across the globe are in the process of deploying their TD-LTE networks, the Time Division Duplex (TDD) variant of LTE is increasing in importance.
Anite's support for TD-LTE includes all of the immediate requirements such as TD-SCDMA and GSM inter-RAT, TD-LTE inter-band and LTE TDD/FDD inter-mode testing. Conformance Toolset also supports future requirements such as TD-LTE support for LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation and VoLTE.
Anite has submitted over two thirds of the initial LTE test case verifications to 3GPP RAN5 and has been consistently recognised as the leading platform for GCF- and PTCRB-validated LTE protocol test cases since the start of LTE test case validation in 2010. Conformance Toolset also offers leading support for LTE FDD protocol conformance testing requirements.
"Anite's Conformance Toolset is recognised by device and chipset manufacturers as well as independent laboratories across the globe for its ease of use and reliable test results", says Paul Beaver, products director, Anite.
"Anite's commitment to the growing TD-LTE device ecosystem highlights its position as a trusted development partner," added Beaver.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Main Menu
News language and date
Language or country:
Analysis over time
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn fires shadow foreign secretary amid Brexit' woes
Story information
Stories consist of time-linked news clusters with overlapping keywords.
Keywords: United kingdom / European Union, Jeremy Corbyn / party, mps, leader, labour, leadership, shadow, britain, secretary
Importance: 135 articles in 11 clusters
Start date: Saturday, June 25, 2016
End date: Monday, July 11, 2016
Related People
Jeremy Corbyn (65)
Angela Eagle (19)
Hilary Benn (17)
David Cameron (13)
Tony Blair (11)
Heidi Alexander (8)
Margaret Beckett (7)
Read More (6)
Ian Murray (6)
Theresa May (5)
Gloria De Piero (4)
Emily Thornberry (4)
Lucy Powell (4)
Associated People
Jeremy Corbyn (3.0)
Heidi Alexander (1.5)
Hilary Benn (1.5)
Ann Coffey (1.4)
Ian Forsyth (1.4)
Jess Phillips (1.4)
Carol Walker (1.4)
Angela Eagle (1.4)
Suzanne Evans (1.2)
Karin Smyth (1.0)
Chris Matheson (1.0)
Margaret Beckett (0.9)
Pat Glass (0.9)
Lilian Greenwood (0.9)
Derby South (0.9)
Ian Murray (0.8)
Gloria De Piero (0.8)
Other Names
European Union (65)
Labour Party (40)
The Observer (6)
Conservative Party (6)
Shadow Cabinet (5)
Getty Images (5)
Latest Clusters - English
Corbyn threatens legal action if he is not on leadership ballot
thetimes Monday, July 11, 2016
Corbyn 'Disappointed' At Eagle Leadership Bid
skynews Sunday, July 10, 2016
Labour leadership: Corbyn offers to 'reach out' to opponents
bbc Sunday, July 3, 2016
Labour leadership crisis: Owen Smith 'more likely challenger to Jeremy Corbyn than Angela Eagle'
itv Saturday, July 2, 2016
Red faced! Jeremy Corbyn ally phoned Israeli ambassador to APOLOGISE after Labour leader compared Israel to Isis
dailymail Friday, July 1, 2016
Labour MPs call in the POLICE over violent threats received after they joined the revolt against Jeremy Corbyn - and some directly blame the him for stirring up the hatred
dailymail Thursday, June 30, 2016
How Labour stronghold of Middleton sees Corbyn
bbc Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Referendum Remain campaigners say Jeremy Corbyn "left us hanging" as Labour leader clings to power
themirror Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Labour shadow cabinet and ministers resignations - the letters in full
telegraph Monday, June 27, 2016
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn fires shadow foreign secretary amid Brexit' woes
deutschewelle Sunday, June 26, 2016
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speech
bbc Saturday, June 25, 2016
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Kourtney Kardashian is somewhere cackling right now.
Sofia Richie and Scott Disick are caput after Scott allegedly cheated on his much younger boo thang in Miami and Wyoming.
Sofia, 19, has been dating Disick, 35, have been together for about a year. He has three children with Kourtney Kardashian and had been trying to win her back before hooking up with Richie.
The pair was heavily criticized for their age difference, especially with his children and connection to the Kardashians.
Sources say that he cheated in Miami. After she found out, they were on the outs. Disick went to Wyoming for Kanye's album release party. A photographer snapped him with another woman. This was the final straw for Richie.
Sofia's famous pops, Lionel Richie, has never been pleased with the relationship, and he allegedly told her she's cut off if she gets back with him again.


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If you're not all that familiar with software and product development, the acronym 'MVP' probably prompts images of game-winning touchdowns and high-flying slam dunks to appear in your mind's eye. However, when it comes to creating mobile apps, MVP means something much different.
Instead of building an entire product from start to finish, many software and development companies start out with an MVP, or minimum viable product. The MVP is essentially a version of the project that requires very little resources to create, but allows the developer to gauge the target audience's reaction to the product. This information can then be captured, measured, and used to create following iterations of the product, making sure that it's as intuitive, valuable, and useful as possible. This is called 'validated learning,' and it's an extremely important part of creating and launching a successful product.
Here are 4 methods that can be used to create and MVP:
Smoke Test
This method of MVP creation is fairly simple. The smoke test MVP model involves little more than probing the market to see whether or not they're interested in the idea of the product itself. It typically consists of a landing page, call to action, adwords campaign, and possibly an email campaign or survey. It takes very little time and resources to set up, but can be invaluable when it comes to gauging the target audience.
Video MVPs are popular on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Essentially, the inventors of a product put together a video that demonstrates their idea, what it would look like, what it would do, and who would benefit. The product itself might never actually be shown, but there are usually mockups, sketches, or diagrams that communicate the general concept. The goal is to generate interest, and in the case of crowdfunding, revenue to fund the project.
Interestingly enough, this is how Dropbox began.
This type of MVP involves using manual labor to simulate the function of a program or app to demonstrate its value and usefulness. For instance, if you wanted to create an app that would email people when a family member or loved one had a birthday, you might get a team of people to manually handle the emails while the actual app that would automate the process is being worked on. This provides your audience with a working, beneficial service while the project is being developed. If your market enjoys the service, it shows that the eventual result of a finished product will have value.
A prototype MVP model is essentially the process of releasing a working version of software to your market and gathering their thoughts and reactions. Because this version of the program or app is merely the bare-bones functionality, a prototype MVP can be quick to set up and gather a great deal of information from your users. Depending on how much work is done on the product before this initial release, it could be considered as an alpha test.
Contact FBombMedia and let us build your MVP
If you have a great idea for a mobile app, give us a shout! We can take care of the development, marketing, and MVP creation to help you gauge the market.
Contact us, sign up for our newsletter, or get a quote today!


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8 Signs That You Need More Sleep/
By:Â Michele Wolfson
While it may seem like losing sleep isn't such a big deal, sleep deprivation has a wide range of negative effects that go way beyond daytime drowsiness. Sleep is as important as food, but in this crazy world that we live in, it is often taken for granted. A chronic lack of sleep can cause a host of problems including increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, irregular hormone production, high blood pressure, and other health problems.
If you want to feel your best, stay healthy, and perform up to your potential, sleep is a necessity- not a luxury. Learn how to determine if you get enough sleep and what you can do to bounce back from chronic sleep loss and get on a healthy sleep schedule. Here are 8 signs that you're sleep deprived:
- Â You can't remember where you put your cell phone, keys, or glasses: Your brain needs sleep to refresh and regenerate. Without it, your short-term memory may be impaired-which is why pulling an all-nighter rarely yields better results than getting quality shut-eye, according to Dr. Neil Kline, a sleep physician and representative of the American Sleep Association.
- You have difficulty getting up in the morning: Is it really difficult for you to fall asleep at night that you can't wake up in the morning? If so, you should move your bedtime back by 15 minutes every three to four days. On these days, also wake up 15 minutes earlier. Adhere to this plan seven days a week (not just weekdays) until you're falling asleep at, or close to, the desired hour.
- You're sleepy behind the wheel: If you ever alternate closing eyes when you are driving- this is very bad. It's one thing for your eyes to glaze over while staring at the computer screen or stuck in an endless meeting at work, but if you struggle to stay awake behind the wheel-or doing any task that puts you or someone else at risk-you're not just bored. You need more sleep.
- You can't concentrate during a conversation: It's Friday night and the weekend has finally begun! You make plans earlier in the week to go over to your friends house and party, but as long as you're sleep-deficient, coming up with conversation and following what your friends have to say becomes downright impossible.
- You feel sick: And you never, ever get sick. Your immune system repairs and strengthens while you sleep. So in addition to eating flu-fighting foods, log at least seven hours a night to stay healthy all season.
- You feel the need to sleep in on the weekends to make up for lost sleep: If you sleep more on the weekends than during the week - and many of us do - this indicates that you have a "sleep debt." A sleep debt accumulates when you don't get enough sleep. The only way to reduce the debt is to sleep as much as your body needs every night. Make sure you're getting the right quality of sleep as well. Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet room on a comfortable, supportive mattress to get your best night's sleep.
- You're not hungry at lunchtime: A lack of sleep can make you constantly want to eat more, or persistently feel like you're not hungry. It throws off your internal clock resulting in abnormal feelings-which is why so many people lose or gain weight during periods of sleeplessness.
- You are irritable: Does it seem as though your significant other is constantly getting on your nerves? Is every little thing your roommate does annoying you? If you notice a tendency to become easily agitated by small things, it may be a result of a lack of sleep. This can seriously jeopardize your most important relationships. It's easy to take out your frustration on someone you care about, but getting more sleep may salvage your relationships.
How much sleep do you need? According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today's fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it's a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.
While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more (see below). And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.
Average Sleep Needs By Age:
Newborns (0-2 months): 12 - 18 hours
Infants (3 months to 1 year): 14 - 15 hours
Toddlers (1 to 3 years): 12 - 14 hours
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 11 - 13 hours
School-aged children (5 to 12 years): 10 - 11 hours
Teens and preteens (12 to 18 years): 8.5 - 10 hours
Adults (18+): 7.5 - 9 hours
Photo:Â PragmagraphrÂ
For more healthy tips, follow me on Twitter (@MarcusCooks)


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I'm in Singapore after the longest leg of my journey home. It got off to a smooth start and on time. Heathrow was busy. Check out the line up.
There was only light cloud so I had a good view as we flew over south east England.
Before crossing the coast.
As before, the food was amazing. As if I don't have enough excess weight to lose!
I watched a couple of movies (The Dressmaker and How to Be Single) before trying to get some sleep. This was the first time I tried out folding the seat down to a flat bed. It was really comfortable and I certainly rested for a few hours but I don't think I got any sleep. Just too much noise or movement. The last few hours of the flight were a little bumpy too which didn't help.
They woke us a couple of hours before Singapore for breakfast. After more delicious food I was able to get out my proper camera and catch some of the sunrise.
And the lights of Singapore as we approached.
I had time for one more movie so I watched The Danish Girl. Glad I finally got to see it.
So I've got about 14 hours to wait around in Singapore before boarding the final flight home. Time to freshen up and maybe read the book I bought at Heathrow.


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Supreme Court upholds Scott Walker Act 10 union law
Debbie Plunkett
Madison — The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld Gov. Scott Walker's signature labor legislation Thursday, delivering an election-year affirmation to the governor in just one of the three major rulings issued by the court on union bargaining, election law and same-sex couples.
In addition to ruling Walker's labor law constitutional, on a historic day the state's highest court also upheld the state's voter ID law and a 2009 law providing limited benefits to gay and lesbian couples.
The state court's decisions on the voter ID and domestic partner registry could still be overtaken by decisions in separate but related cases in federal court. But after more than three years of litigation, the court's seven justices on Thursday put to rest the last of the major legal disputes over Act 10, the 2011 law repealing most union bargaining for most public employees.
The decision was 5-2, with Justice Michael Gableman writing the lead opinion, which found that collective bargaining is not a fundamental right under the constitution but rather a benefit that lawmakers can extend or restrict as they see fit.
"No matter the limitations or 'burdens' a legislative enactment places on the collective bargaining process, collective bargaining remains a creation of legislative grace and not constitutional obligation. The First Amendment cannot be used as a vehicle to expand the parameters of a benefit that it does not itself protect," Gableman wrote.
Gableman was joined by Justices David Prosser, Patience Roggensack and Annette Ziegler. Justice N. Patrick Crooks concurred but wrote separately. Dissenting were Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
The state Supreme Court rulings Thursday, coming out just as this year's midterm elections heat up, were fraught with political implications.
In a statement, Walker touted his victory with the law, which ushered in cuts in public employee benefits and changes to insurance carriers, overtime rules and a host of other cost-cutting moves within the government work force.
"Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $3 billion. Today's ruling is a victory for those hard-working taxpayers," Walker said.
It can be difficult to verify all of the savings that Republicans attribute to Act 10 because of gaps in the data among schools and local governments affected by the law. But in general the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been able to confirm a large majority of the savings touted by Walker.
As governor, Walker, a Republican, was one of the defendants in all of the cases. His re-election challenger, Democrat Mary Burke, serves on the Madison School Board, the employer of the teachers suing the state in the labor case. By its very nature, voter ID has the potential to influence elections.
Burke spokesman Joe Zepecki said none of the decisions would change the fact that the key issue in the election would be the state economy and jobs.
"Mary supports the right of workers to collectively bargain, and believes that the concessions on health care and pension were fair, but should have been reached through the collective bargaining process. She knows that collective bargaining rights don't stand in the way of effective, accountable government, and that working together is the best way to address the challenges we face," Zepecki said.
In March 2011, Walker and Republicans in the Legislature approved strict limitations on collective bargaining for most public workers, setting off an explosion of litigation. In the lawsuits by unions and others, Act 10 has suffered setbacks in trial courts but so far has been upheld on every appeal.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said he hoped the latest ruling would help the state move on from the fight over the union law, which drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to the state Capitol in February and March 2011.
"After months of protests and costly recalls that Governor Walker, many of my Senate colleagues and I myself survived to retain control over the statehouse, I hope that this added legal victory can allow us to finally lay the fight surrounding Act 10 to rest. The people and the courts have spoken: Act 10 is here to stay and Wisconsin is moving in the right direction," Fitzgerald said in a statement.
In this case, opponents filed several challenges to the law and Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colás in September 2012 found major portions of Act 10 unconstitutional. The state Supreme Court agreed to take the case last year without having the state District 4 Court of Appeals first rule on it.
The two sides have disputed whether Colás' ruling affected all public-sector unions or just the two that brought the case. As that fight played out, Colás ruled in October that because of his earlier decision, Walker's employment commissioners were in contempt of court for applying parts of Act 10 to other unions.
The Supreme Court held oral arguments in November on the case and 10 days later issued a 5-2 decision reversing the contempt-of-court order.
Thursday's decision addressed the merits of the case and upheld Act 10 in its entirety. The justices who came down in favor of Act 10 were the same ones who ruled against the contempt order.
A spokeswoman for Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen had no immediate comment.
Lester Pines, the Madison attorney who represented the unions in the case, said he was disappointed by the decision but needed to read it fully before commenting Thursday.
This isn't the first time that a higher court has considered a challenge to Walker's union law.
The state Supreme Court ruled in June 2011 that lawmakers could easily avoid the state's open meetings law and did not violate that statute in passing the labor limits. And the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Act 10 in its entirety in two challenges in federal court.
courtesy - JS Online


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Sony sued over Killzone: Shadow Fall's resolution
California resident Douglas Ladore has sued Sony Computer Entertainment America for the fact that the multiplayer mode of Killzone: Shadow Fall is not 1080p as advertised. The lawsuit is for "deceptive marketing", and while it's justified, we don't really think it will be successful.
The resolution in Shadow Fall's multiplayer mode is 960 by 1080, not even close to what Sony advertised. Guerrila Games tried implementing a "high-quality temporal upscale", but it seems that not everyone is satisfied with it.
Source: Polygon


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Amazing Ideas For Concert Outfits
The music and the night is definitely young and you certainly want to create an impact by enjoying the music festival as well enjoying your clothes and make them look special in everyone's attention. We hope to bring you some of the most marvelous ideas that you may use so that you can apply and implement when you think of going next time to a concert. Following are some of the most amazing ideas that we think you should try on while getting dressed for a concert:
• The first idea that we would like to tell you is that always prefer to choose and wear a normal hat. Now if we take a look back in the days there were many styles adapted whenever a concert was held. Many ladies loved to wear overdone flower crowns that are not too much worn these days except for the spring festival that everyone loves. Also turbans were also worn back in the days this look gave a special hipster look and we know that there might be plenty of people here that do not want the typical hipster look so we would suggest you to stay away from that too. Gigantic style floppy hats are too out of fashion and we personally would not recommend you them to wear if you want to protect your head in an outdoor summer concert. All we can definitely inform you on in is that concert headwear most probably has taken a turn toward the cliché and we want to let you know that all the above mentioned items for headwear is out of fashion. So if you want to take a hat along with you in the concert you may choose a basic Panama hat. This can easily be paired with a nice looking graphic t shirt some denim jeans that will do just fine and yes how we can ever forget about the sneakers. By the end of your look everyone will gasp on your transformation because you will be giving off a chilled effect.
• The next idea that we are going to tell you on in is how important is it to show your skin and how much more important it is not to. These are the two simple factors that can make up your outfit and can easily ruin your outfit and your reputation. When this theory collides in your mind you must know exactly how much skin you are wanting people to see off you. In concerts we often see that people do not care about showing as much skin as possible. But we do not support this idea. Not that we are asking you to totally hide your skin as crop tops and short shorts are perfectly fine for concerts and you may as well easily wear them but try to remember that you may as well just go with one at a time rather than just wearing all short crop items in your wardrobe and showing off as much skin as there is to see.
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Singer/Songwriter Nathan Alan performs two sets of mostly original material. A strong baritone voice delivers songs in the vein of Steve Earle or Townes Van Zandt style. $3 cover charge for the evening.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: November 17Third Monk Thursday Open Mic
Later Event: December 3Kevin Allan performs with special guest $3 cover


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Students are being forced to swap universities as cash-strapped departments face the axe.
Newcastle University has made the controversial decision to close its religious education department next year.
The plans will see religious studies being moved to Durham University's theology department, with Durham's linguistics department moving to Newcastle.
The swap will involve the exchange of four members of academic staff from each university.
Third-year student Karen O'Donnell said: "We have only just been told of the decision. A lot of us have turned down jobs and other courses because we intended to stay on at Newcastle University to take a master's course in religious studies.
"Current students will be allowed to continue their degree and staff will divide their time between the two institutions.
"The university has, however, accepted applications from prospective students, neglecting to inform them the department would be closing.
"The students of the religious studies department, as well as those who take subsidiary modules in the department, are outraged and taking what action they can to be heard.
"But having been shut out of the consultation on this matter we have few options left.
"The university has cited a lack of funding as the reason for the decision.
"The department has had a quota fixed on the number of students it is allowed to accept. So by refusing to increase the quota, the university has effectively ensured the financial invalidity of the department."
A Newcastle University spokesman said that plans are still subject to approval by the governing bodies of both universities.
He said: "They will be considered by the Newcastle University Senate on Tuesday and will then need to be approved by the University council. There is student representation on both.
"Currently, religious studies at Newcastle is small and does not generate sufficient income to support its future development, and the University of Durham planned to close its department of linguistics as part of its restructuring programme.
"Newcastle University has received about 50 applications for places on its religious studies course for 2004. This matter will be dealt with once a final decision on the course has been taken.
"The moves will include arrangements for existing students in both subjects to complete their degrees in their current university.
"This exchange will strengthen religious studies at Durham and linguistics at Newcastle."


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A fellow blogger posted a picture of Arthur (the cartoon character) and text saying something to the effect of "Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card". The image the blogger posted reminded her of Fall and going back to school. That image reminded me of all the days I spent in library. They were fun times, believe it or not. My mom used to take me to the big library downtown and let me loose on the kids section. That library had interactive exhibits that I could explore as well as many cool books. It was free entertainment and I could load up a bag of books to read for the next week or two.
To this day, I enjoy just wandering around and perusing through a book or two at a large library or bookstore.
So many good memories.
Do you like to visit the library or bookstore? Do you have a place that you like to visit that makes you nostalgic?


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You are here
Browse Ideas
Have a great program idea from your library? Share it with us.Share Your Program
Looking to serve their homeless population, an upstate New York library creates a one-stop-shop of social and medical services.
A small-town public library takes its board game club to the next level with weekly chess lessons.
When a small New York library saw that their community needed fresh food, they responded in a big way.
Encourage your patrons to exercise with this "Lord of the Rings"-inspired walking challenge.
Armed with duct tape and hot glue guns, teens at the Arapahoe Libraries created steampunk accessories perfect for cosplay and Halloween.
A Catholic liberal arts college offers study and game time with this late-night finals week program.
With a piece of famous street art on display, an Indiana library created a passive program out of plywood.
The second season of the hit Neflix show will be released on Oct. 27, and fans are pumped.


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From our family to yours
The holidays are a time to reflect on what is important. For us at CJF Marketing International, it is the opportunity to work with wonderful folks such as yourself. We appreciate you and wish you all the success, happiness and good health in the upcoming year and years to come.
Happy Holidays to you and your family,
Carolyn J. Feimster, CRX, CMD
And from the team at CJF Marketing International
Christina Tremaine,
Mindy Suhoza and
Zach Rosner
Connect with us


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Irina Pravet: Can you learn the hardest language in the world?/
Born in Romania, raised in Canada and now living in Finland, Irina Pravet has been translating herself across cultures and languages for as long as she can remember. She does not believe in the existence of a fixed set of 'language learning talents', instead she believes that we all have the ability to succeed in learning a new language by being strategic, having fun and playing with our natural strengths. Currently Irina is a Finnish language & transitions abroad coach at www.languagecatalyst.com.
Irina's talk at TEDxOtaniemiED is titled 'Can you learn the hardest language in the world?' and delves into the increasingly relevant topic of foreign-language speakers learning Finnish - the so-called hardest language in the world.
We caught up to Irina for a few questions:
How did you get the idea for your TEDx talk?
I had just finished reading "Talk like TED" by Carmine Gallo and I thought: 'One day I'll do a TEDx Talk!' Then, a few days later, when I saw TEDxOtaniemiED was going to be held close by, I applied to be a speaker.
Learning languages is a passion of mine, and I've been especially focused on Finnish these past few years. I wanted my talk to bring together my passion for Finnish, but also acknowledge the reality of learning the language. Finnish is a challenging language to learn, but it can be done. So I wanted to bring people hope, and give them some tools for getting started.
I rehearsed the talk a lot, and it developed throughout 3 weeks of intense practice. I'd never practiced anything so much.
I wanted to speak to both Finns and foreigners and create empathy between us.
What would you like to happen to your talk and your message?
I want people to watch the talk and feel inspired to learn Finnish, or to give it another try. I want them to know that they can learn, and I want them to know that they can overcome what was standing in the way.
Also, I have a message to the Finns: Share your language with us! We want to be allowed into your world.
What are you doing next?
I'm launching a holistic Finnish language course called 'The Finnish Adventure Course', which is focused on teaching yourself how to learn Finnish. The course is different because it's not based on your level. Instead, we focus on learning about your own strengths and learning style, and building the right habits so you can use what you learn and see yourself progress straightaway.
You can find me and more info about the course at http://languagecatalyst.com/work-with-me/


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After reviewing many professional photographers web sites it is apparent to me that most photographers do not post price lists on their web site. The reason for this is they feel they need to personally present their value proposition to you. I would be glad to speak with you personally about my photographic passion and pricing. Until then, enjoy my web site, and please read on so you can understand what a professional photographer can offer you.
In today's world of selfies and phone cameras, more and more people are taking photographs every day. Typically those photographs are saved electronically and or pushed out to social media like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and others.
There is no question that the quality of the camera may have an impact on the quality of the photograph, but the true quality of a photograph is comprised of composition, the quality and quantity of light and the ability to modify the captured image to produce the desired image. Many times they are one in the same, and many times they are not.
Most all commercial and professional grade pictures have not only been captured properly by the photographer, but also painstakingly edited in post processing. Most all photographs have something that could be made better in post processing, even after post processing and photo editing. This photo editing process could be anywhere from minutes, to hours and days for one photograph. These are the factors that set professional photographers apart from amateur photographers. A professional photographer should be able to:
- Know what the desired outcome should be
- Anticipate the moment of truth
- Capture the moment with a pre-planned composition already taken into consideration
- Edit the image in programs like Photoshop and Lightroom to produce the desired result.
- Produce output of the image optimized for the intended medium i.e. computers and social media, small prints, large or very large enlargements, email, etc.
- An amateur photographer once in a while does not know what he did to capture such a beautiful image. A professional photographer knows what he did to capture the image and how to repeat that process over and over.
- A great photograph is one in which you want to look at over and over, year after year. The picture has personal impact every time you look at it.
Pricing photographic services is all relative to the predictive value of the photo. If those values are important, I am fully qualified to provide those results or help you find someone who may be a better fit for your needs.
I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding your photography events and needs.
All consultations are free of charge.
Thomas E. Schmuki


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New York City Christmas Cards by Teek Eaton-Koch
Each year all of my clients receive a custom greeting card featuring a scene of New York City at Christmas. For the 2018 season I painted my most complex and unique work ever illustrating the final Christmas Windows of the Lord & Taylor Flagship Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The store is known for it's classic holiday windows featuring historical celebrations, detailed animatronics, and superior attention to detail. As a child, and now as an adult, I shared the joy and wonder of viewing these displays with New Yorkers and visitors alike. However, the Flagship Store will be permanently closing in January. This card is my own way of acknowledging the passing of a New York icon and tradition.
Every year in December I walk the streets of New York taking photos and making notes of ideas for future illustrations. I pay extremely close attention to the time of day and angle of sunlight to highlight the unique architectural features and decorations of each building. I often return at dusk to see the lights and decorations at full splendor. Back in the studio, I carefully map out the proposed illustration on tracing paper using all of my reference material. I then transfer the design to a sheet of Arches watercolor paper that has been pre-stretched on medium density fiber-board. Then, following hours of careful painting in watercolor, a final scene emerges from the paper. After completing the main artwork, a unique phrase and spot illustration is made that will be used on the inside of the card. If you are interested in having me create a unique greeting card for your business, firm or yourself, please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Three more Music Expo conferences have just been announced for 2019, following a successful 2018 during which a total of 1600 musical creatives attended a Music Expo show. Hosted by SAE Institute in association with Sound On Sound, the dedicated conference for music-makers returns to the East Coast of the United States on March 30th in Miami, graces the spiritual home of the US recording industry in Nashville on September 21st, and reaches the West Coast in San Francisco for a special two-day conference on 9-10 November.
Early-bird tickets for all three locations are on sale now at the Music Expo website (see link below), and SOS readers will receive a 20% discount on any ticket for any of the shows if they book using the promo code SOSMX2019. Single-day tickets are available for Music Expo San Francisco if required.
The 2019 Music Expos will featuring the usual mix of award-winning producer and engineer guest speakers, seminars, lively workshops and discussion panels covering technology, creativity and the business of making music. We'll bring you more information on who is due to speak at each forthcoming Music Expo as we receive it.


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Nationwide Calibration Services:
- NIST-traceable Certificate of Calibration
- Notification prior to calibration due date
- Maintenance of lifetime historical data
- Calibration sticker affixed on equipment
- Out of tolerance and as-found/as-left data available
- Onsite at your facility or in-house at ETI's calibration laboratory
- Industry-leading 5-8 business day turnaround
- Expedite calibration service available
- Accredited to ISO 9001:2015 (view certificate)
Request On-Site Calibration at your facility:
Electrical Test Instruments is a leader in the manufacturing, calibration and repair of electrical test equipment and mechanical measuring instruments. ETI offers NIST-traceable calibration and certification onsite at your facility or at our state-of-the-art calibration laboratory. ETI is an ISO 9001:2015 accredited company and complies with quality standard ANSI/NCSL Z-540.1 and MIL-STD-45562A.
ETI specializes in the calibration of electrical switchgear testing instruments for maintenance and acceptance testing as well as on-site calibration and certification of virtually all types of electrical test and measurement equipment. We have particular expertise in Circuit Breaker Test Sets, AC/DC High Voltage Testers, Protective Relay Test Sets, Insulation Testers, Low Resistance Ohmmeters, Current Clamp-On's, and Multimeters, among many other varieties of test and measurement equipment.


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368 pages
Phonetics is the scientific study of sounds used in language- how the sounds are produced, how they are transferred from the speaker to the hearer and how they are heard and perceived. The Sounds of Language provides an accessible, general introduction to phonetics with a special emphasis on English.
Focusing on the phonetics of English, the first section allows students to get an overall view of the subject. Two standard accents of English are presented- RP (Received Pronunciation), the standard accent of England, and GA (General American), the standard accent throughout much of North America. The discussion is arranged so that students can read only the RP or GA portions, if desired. Sixteen additional accents of English spoken around the world are also covered to provide students with wider international coverage.
The author then moves on to introduce acoustics phonetics in an accessible manner for those without a science background. The last section of the book provides a detailed discussion of all aspects of speech with extensive examples from languages around the world.
Containing student-friendly features such as extensive exercises for practising the sounds covered in each chapter; a glossary of technical terms; instructions on how to write phonetic symbols; the latest International Phonetic Alphabet chart and a detailed list of English consonantal variants, The Sounds of Language provides an excellent introduction to phonetics to students of linguistics and speech pathology and students of English as a second language.
1. Introduction
2. The basic sounds of English
3. English consonants
4. English vowels
5. English suprasegmentals
6. English accent differences
7. Sound waves, spectra, and resonance
8. The acoustics of English sounds
9. Vowels and semivowels
10. Place of articulation
11. Manner of articulation
12. Phonation
13. Airstream mechanisms
14. Syllables and suprasegmentals
Learning about Language is an exciting and ambitious series of introductions to fundamental topics in language, linguistics and related areas. The books are designed for students of linguistics and those who are studying language as part of a wider course.
This series was co-founded by Mick Short and Geoffrey Leech. It is now edited by Brian Walker and Willem Hollmann who continue to consult with Mick Short.


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Macy's is a North American based retail department store with 728 locations nationwide. They offer a wide range of goods for purchase, such as clothing, jewelry, bedding, furniture, housewares, and beauty products. Macy's is one of the largest retailers by revenue in the United States.
Store Information
Macy's Customer Service
1 (800) 289-6229
Macy's Credit Customer Service
1 (888) 257-6757
Customer Service Hours
Monday–Saturday 9AM–9PM EST
Sunday 11AM–8PM EST
TDD/TTY for the Hearing Impaired:


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A prominent emergency room doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan was arrested on Tuesday and accused of drugging, groping and masturbating on a female patient and groping another in separate episodes several months apart, the authorities said.
The charges against the doctor, David H. Newman, 45, a proponent of reforms in emergency care who has written widely about improving doctor-patient relationships, describe him targeting young women for abuse when they sought medical treatment.
In one case, a 29-year-old woman called the authorities on Jan. 12 and said she had gone to the emergency room at Mount Sinai on the Upper East Side for shoulder pain, where between midnight and 2 a.m. that day she was assaulted by Dr. Newman, the police said.
Nurses initially gave the woman pain pills and a morphine shot before taking her in for an X-ray, a law enforcement official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation. Then Dr. Newman came into her room and gave the woman another shot of morphine, even after she told the doctor that she had already received one.
She told investigators that she began to slip in and out of consciousness. The woman, wearing a hospital gown, felt Dr. Newman grab her breasts and then ejaculate on her body, the official said. She told investigators that the drugs had incapacitated her.
She later put the gown, which she told the police had Dr. Newman's semen on it, into a plastic bag in a hospital bathroom, apparently to preserve evidence, the official said.
Dr. Newman was charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching.
After news reports emerged about those accusations, a second woman came forward on Saturday and told the police that Dr. Newman had abused her during an examination. The woman, 22, had gone to the emergency room with a cold around 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 when, she told investigators, Dr. Newman groped her breasts, according to a criminal complaint. He has been charged with sexual abuse in that episode.
In a statement, Mount Sinai said Dr. Newman "has been suspended from Mount Sinai pending the outcome of the investigation, and we continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities."
The statement added: "He has not provided care to patients at Mount Sinai since the investigation began. We take the nature of these allegations very seriously and continue to conduct our own extensive internal inquiry."
Dr. Newman appeared in court on Tuesday night, where a judge ordered him held on $50,000 cash bail or $150,000 bond. His defense lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Online biographies describe Dr. Newman as the director of clinical research in the department of emergency medicine at the hospital's medical school, and say that he worked in a combat support hospital in Baghdad as a major in the United States Army Reserve. In 2008 he published a book, "Hippocrates' Shadow: Secrets From the House of Medicine."
The back cover says that Dr. Newman "sees a lack of candid communication between doctors and patients," and that the book exposes "the patterns of secrecy and habit in modern medicine's carefully protected subculture."


text: Marketplace Women gathered this morning for our monthly Vital Connections Breakfast and a lively discussion on Workplace Conflict. Two of the main reasons for conflict are communication and emotion and as Christian women in the Marketplace, it is important for us to remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil. (Ephesians 6:12) "Behind the biggest battles are the biggest blessings!"


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February 2 (Thursday)
S&P 500 ends four-day losing run as Fed holds rates (FT)
CalSTRS' actuarial staff recommends lowering assumed rate of return to 7.25% from 7.5% (P&I)
BlackRock Goes $3.7 Billion Deeper Into Pipelines, Power (W)
Warren Buffett: I bought $12 billion of stock after Trump won (R)
Central banks
Fed Stands Pat, Offers No Hint on Next Rate Move (W) | Statement
Fed Waiting to See Economic Results From Flurry of Trump Actions (B)
Japan Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices (BOJ)
Measures of Inflation Tick Up Around the Globe (W)
Bridgewater's Dalio says Trump's populist policies could hurt world economy (C)
U.S. Factory Activity Accelerated to Fastest Pace in More Than Two Years (W)
Atlanta Fed GDP now increases to 3.4% from 2.3%
BOOM! 2017 job growth starts with a bang: ADP (C)
Wage Growth Tracker: Every Which Way (and Up) (FRB-ATL)
U.S. Auto Sales Cooled in January (W)
Cities in Midwest, Rust Belt Say They Need Immigrants (W)
Brexit is about to move a step closer to reality (BI)
Top French Presidential Candidate Battered by Scandal (W)
Greece's Deadlocked Debt Talks Unnerve Investors (W)
Navarro revives European criticism of German policy (FT)
Chinese manufacturing expands in January, official PMI shows (C)
Pakistan's Middle Class Soars as Stability Returns (W)
India unveils budget aimed at reviving demand (FT)
This Mexican Town Paid the Price for Trump's Attacks on Ford (B)
US politics I
Meet Trump's Pick for Supreme Court Justice (B)
Trump Supreme Court nominee can clear Senate with simple rule (WT)
Scalia Disciple on Path to Supreme Court (B)
Gorsuch Is Critic of Legal Doctrine That Bolsters Executive Authority (W)
Trump's Supreme Court pick once criticized lawmakers for 'grossly mistreating' judicial nominees (BI)
Trump Court Pick Faces Senate Split by Bitter Fights (B)
The fight over Trump's Supreme Court pick might go 'nuclear' (BI)
Liberal Groups Pressure Democrats to Block Gorsuch (B)
Trump Urges Senate GOP to Scrap 60-Vote Rule for Court Pick (W)
US politics II
Tillerson Wins Confirmation as Secretary of State (W)
Trump's early moves spark alarm, resistance within the government (R)
Executive Order Draft Looks to Re-Examine Visa Programs (W)
State Dept. Dissent Cable on Trump's Ban Draws 1,000 Signatures (N)
US trade chief seeks to reshore supply chain (FT)
Scaramucci's career as a Trump advisor is apparently stalling thanks to a deal with a Chinese firm (C)
Geopolitics & trade
US puts Iran 'on notice' after missile test (FT)
Trump's defense chief heads to Asia, eying China, North Korea threat (R)
Russia says Trump should be more specific on Syria safe zones plan (R)
Trump Tells Pena Nieto He Might Send Troops to Mexico: AP (B)
Industries & companies
Consumer: Reckitt Benckiser Is in Talks to Buy Mead Johnson (W)
Pharma: Trump's Criticism of Imports Adds to Drugmakers' Headaches (W)
Michael Jackson Is Worth More Than Ever, and the IRS Wants a Piece of It (B)
You Can Now Buy and Sell 'WEED' on Toronto's Stock Exchange (B)


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Epic Adventures and Gravel Grinds
The crew from Outspokin Cycles in London, Ontario have been shredding with Brodie since the 90's and we're always stoked when they have team riders on our bikes. Jeff, or @outspokin_jeff, is one such rider - with the support of Russ, @outspokin_tara and @outspokin_ben, Jeff has shredded his Romax and Monster on some pretty epic rides, including the Dirty Kanza 200. He's forwarded these shots from his dirt-drop adventures, and we're looking forward to more as he gets on the wasabi green 2016 Romax!
Races completed:
- Steaming Nostril- 70km spring gravel race
- Paris to Ancaster 70km spring classic gravel rail trail
- The 6 Hour mountain bike race, sporting the 27.5 wtb tires
- 200 mile Dirty Kanza in Kansas ultra endurance race was on the bike 17+hrs pedaling 19.5 hrs to finish
- Our very own "Tillsonburn" 100km gravel, trail, mud etc
- Our barn burner 100km gravel
- Multiple burrito rides 100 miles riding gravel and series of mtb trail in Turkey point on. TPMBC rail trail
"The bike has been amazing. I would ride to group rides at least 50 kilometers join in with the group ride usually around 30 kilometers of mountain bike trail then return home another 50 + kilometers home it did this many times last year. So cool to be able to ride that distance jumping on a mountain bike group ride and ride home on the same bike that's kickass. This has been my do it all bike - it's even on the trainer as we speak!" - Jeff


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We have offered beautiful custom fire remodels & fire makeovers to clients from Wilton, Weston, Norwalk, Easton, New Canaan, Darien, Monroe, Danbury, North Salem NY, and lots of different towns throughout Fairfield, Westchester, and Litchfield County. The first transform job (the guest lavatory) has many things I'd do differently and better. Many San Diego new residence construction or home improvement construction projects involve residence house owners hiring San Diego fireplace and chimney contractors to design and build a brand new chimney or hearth. FREE Quote ➨ Local/Near Me Fire Reface Contractors (Amazing ➨ Prices) We Transform Fireplaces All Varieties, Call ☎ At this time!!! Tapping into your huge creative reserves you are going to remodel the look of your fireplace on shoestring finances. Along with the fireside insert, we will even set up the proper venting, chimney liner and termination cap to match the unit you might have purchased to ensure protected & environment friendly operation.
Before endeavor a big hearth transform project, get clear on what you need to accomplish and decide if the cost and any momentary disruption to your residing patterns are feasible to your way of life. This year's Reader Remodel Contest brought in a bunch of wonderful fire renovations, ranging from rustic stone hearths in kitchens to more-conventional lounge fireplaces surrounded by elegant woodwork and space for entertainment gear. The hearth is normally the focus of the room so it will be significant for it to coordinate with the model of the house. Many newer homes and condos have ones which might be constructed immediately into the wall and nice transform ideas begin with adding a mantel or surround to bring more consideration to the area. We consulted with a hearth professional and had the fireplace insert and flue liner put in by professionals.
When you like your present fire or fireplace insert, however want to improve the look of your hearth, a new encompass designed with cultured stone, brick, or veneer can be the perfect choice. Right here is another occasion the place we returned the stone on the perimeters of the fireplace to create a heftier, more substantial look. Fireplace transforming can remodel any room that feels outdated and out-dated into a modern, heat and inviting setting.
If you don't have a fireplace and wish to add one, we are able to ensure you obtain a hearth that might be an ideal fit to your house. Refacing the fireplace – If you want to take the challenge to an entire new level, you'll be able to drastically change the look of a fireplace through the use of completely different materials on the exterior face of the hearth.
Before you start your rework project, you need to begin by defining the scope of the work that needs to be done. Inside designer Susan Diana Harris, Allied ASID, is loopy about colour, and he or she used it to nice effect round this fireplace. Every & every fireplace remodel / makeover is customized to match the tastes, ideas, and preferences of the homeowners, then is installed or constructed to meet the intricate specs of the area.


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In the February, 2017 issue, the Watchtower article, "Who Is Leading God's People Today?" teaches that after Jesus ascended to heaven the apostles constituted "a visible body under an invisible Leader."
It states: "As a governing body, they gave direction to all the congregations. – Acts 15:2."
But was the early church structured as a top down organization headed by a governing body, as the Watchtower is?
Let's look more closely at what happened in Acts 15. The first two verses of that chapter tells us: "Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question."
Notice that the Christians at Antioch didn't simply obey what these men from the Judean "headquarters" taught them. Paul and Barnabas sharply disputed and debated with them and the local congregation appointed them to go to Jerusalem to discuss it with the apostles and elders.
Here is how Paul describes what happened: "As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message." (Galatians 2:6).
Does that sound like Paul regarded the apostles as a Governing Body whose approval he needed to obtain? Did they impart truth and direction to him?
Galatians 2:9-10 says: "James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."
Notice that he didn't say that James, Peter, and John were the core of a Governing Body. He says that they "were reputed to be pillars." Did they give him orders as to how to proceed? No, they asked him to remember the poor.
Rather than meekly submitting to directives from Jerusalem, Paul confronted anyone to his face when he was wrong. Galatians 2:11-14: "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, 'You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?'"
Who was it that was in the wrong? The apostle Peter and certain men who came from James! One of Jesus' inner circle and men who came from Jesus' half-brother, James, the man who presided over the Acts 15 meeting!
Did Paul submit to their authority? No, he knew they were leading people astray, so he opposed them to their faces. And this took place, not privately as part of a meeting in Jerusalem of a "governing body," but at the congregation in Antioch in front of all the believers who were there.
So what should we do when someone of supposed organizational importance promotes false doctrine or practice? Humbly obey and wait for God to straighten them out or refuse to go along and instead take a public stand for what is right?
Your turn:
Have you challenged the Watchtower view of the apostles as a top down, organizational hierarchy? How did the Witnesses respond?
Share your thoughts in the comments.


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Today, more than ever, we are bombarded with suggestions on what we should be eating. You can't pick up a magazine without being told that some particular way of eating is the best thing out.
I think that many people are totally confused as to what forms a healthy diet, so much so, that they give up and just keep doing what they are doing. Should we be following the 5:2 diet? How about the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet that is popular right now? Should we cut out grains? Or dairy – or both? Should we be gluten free?
I agree, it can be totally confusing and because nutrition science, like most other sciences, changes as time goes on, it is tricky to know what to eat for good health and weight loss.
The bottom line is that there is no one way of eating that is ideal for everyone, but there are basics that stand the test of time.
Here are some of the basics
This is what I recommend as being important as the basis of a healthy diet.
- Eat fresh, real food. Most of our food should go in the fridge, i.e. fresh veggies, low fat dairy, lean proteins. Frozen veggies are fine too.
- Low carb, fibrous vegetables should make up half of your lunch and dinner. This is the one thing I think is most overlooked, particularly at lunchtime. Veggies are not a condiment, they should form the bulk of your lunch and dinner. You can download a list of these veggies here.
- While it is not necessary to go gluten free unless you are intolerant, I think it is preferable to keep wheat and gluten to a low level in your daily diet.
- Eggs are healthy! Eggs are packed with healthy vitamins and minerals and are a good source of protein. It's a good idea to have one or two meat free meals a week and eggs are a great substitute.
- Keep simple sugar low in your diet. Read labels to look for sneaky sugar being added to anything packaged.
- If your goal is fat loss, then two fruit servings a day is enough.
- A good intake of fibre every day is important so start your day with a high fibre breakfast and eat plenty of fibrous veggies. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world and a high fibre diet can help reduce the risk of becoming a statistic.
- Water! Do this little equation to get an idea of how much water per day you need. Your weight x 0.034. For instance 70 kilos x 0.034 = 2.4 litres per day.
- Alcohol is not part of the food group. It is something that should be seen as 'special', not an everyday item. Reduce your alcohol intake if appropriate.
I'm pretty sure that most of you will agree that when you eat well you have more energy, you feel more positive and you just feel better overall. Put the above steps in place and reap the rewards.


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We're always looking for ways to make the Getloaded load board even better, and your suggestions are key to the latest and greatest version of Getloaded. With Getloaded 3.0, we took the feedback we were getting from drivers and ran with it, adding tools designed to help you find the loads you want.
Are you using the latest version of Getloaded? Not sure? It looks like this:
So if your Getloaded screen still looks like this ...
…then you're missing loads!
If you do a search that comes back with less than one page of results, then Getloaded Version 3's expanded search automatically pulls from a wider radius and bigger geographic area, plus it looks at slightly older posts. The results are then posted right there on the page -- no need to go back and modify your search.
You can also save those search settings, so you can save time by not having to go back and enter the same info over and over again. Set up as many as 10 email alerts based on those saved searches, and you'll know immediately when a load becomes available.
Building relationships is key to the success of your business, which is where our new favorites feature comes into play. With Favorites, you can search for loads from only the companies you want to work with.
Tired of lugging your laptop around on the road? One alternative is the Getloaded app for your iPhone or Android smartphone, but Getloaded V3 is also optimized for tablet devices. Locate a load with just a tap of the screen.
Getloaded can now also integrate directly with your transportation management system (TMS). If you're already using GetloadedOps to automate and simplify your record-keeping, now you can create dispatches directly from the load board. Just click a button, and boom, it's there.
Best of all, the new version of Getloaded comes at absolutely no extra cost. If you're a Trucker Plus member, these tools are already available to you.
How to Upgrade
See the new Getloaded in action in the video below.
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text: Elite Jewelry and Loan is family owned and operated and your one-stop-shop for all of your jewelry and lending needs. At Elite Jewelry and Loan we can buy or loan on almost any valuable you own such as: jewelry, watches, diamonds, coins, precious metals and more. We have been experts in the je... Read More


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Tim Pruzinsky is an IB English teacher and IB Workshop Leader (among other roles within the IB) who currently works in Singapore where he passionately experiments in his classroom with implementing reading and writing workshop pedagogy within an IB framework. Tim earned his BA in English from Kalamazoo College, a small liberal arts college in the State of Michigan, and his MA from the University of Michigan.
Educational Consultants
Disclaimer: InThinking subject sites are neither endorsed by nor connected with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
Forthcoming Workshops
Language A: Language and literature (English)
IBDP Category 1
Lisbon, Portugal
8 to 10 November 2019
more info
Language A: Literature (English)
IBDP Category 1
Lisbon, Portugal
8 to 10 November 2019
more info
Find all InThinking Workshops at www.inthinking.net
School visits
If you are interested in David McIntyre & Tim Pruzinsky visiting your school to work with teachers and/or students, please contact us.
The vacation home exchange service for the IB community.
Feel at home when you travel the world.


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Blorg Prime, Blorg System, Blorg Commonality
Corvette manufacturer Blorgata announced today that it is recalling all 38,000 of its new Tawagoto-class corvettes due to concerns over faulty airbags.
In a statement released this morning, the company reported:
"Internal company safety checks have revealed that the airbag deployment system used in some Tawagotos is defective. In these cases, airbags are prematurely deploying and then repeatedly inflating and deflating, in a somewhat rhythmic, somewhat mocking manner. This has led to a number of serious incidents on the bridge of some corvettes wherein the captain or first officer has been rendered incapacitated by rogue airbags. While there have been no recorded fatalities, maintaining share prices is our primary concern here so as such we think it prudent to recall all Tawagoto models manufactured in 2246."
The Tawagoto is the newest model of corvette developed by Blorgata, Blorg Prime's largest company, and has been heavily marketed for civilian space traffic, being branded as an affordable alternative to Kosmoswagon's Das Space Auto.
Consumers from across the galaxy have reacted angrily to news of the recall. Kelly Jones, a Blorg from St. Knatchbull who recently bought a Tawagoto told us:
"This is just ridiculous. I spent 300,000,000 credits to buy a nice corvette so I could drop my kids off at the hatchery on Blorg Prime. Sure, it doesn't fit in our driveway because it weighs 13 million tonnes and seats 3,000, but that's the beauty of owning a corvette! To be told myself or my spawn could have been mildly injured by an airbag having a spasm is just unacceptable. I will be seeking legal recourse."
Blorgata shares have dropped sharply on the Space Exchange Index (SExI) following news on the recall.
> More accurate reporting from Ashley Easterbrook could not be possible.


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Driving In Snow And Icy Conditions
Sally Driver
December 29, 2012
Driving In Snow and Ice Conditions
When you are driving in icy conditions, your tyres will have very little grip. Driving when the road is icy, or snowing is particularly dangerous, so in some circumstances it is best to stay at home unless your journey is absolutely essential.
If you must use your vehicle, there are several safety considerations to be aware of.
You must be able to see through the whole of your windscreen, otherwise you will not be able to fully see the road ahead. This may involve de-icing. Make sure that your lights are clean, and your number plate is clearly visible. Make sure that you can see clearly out of your mirrors. For the inside mirrors, this may involve de-misting the car
Most modern cars that are less than five years old will have ice warning lights and a temperature gauge located somewhere on the dashboard. Make certain that you know where they are before you need them. If the temperature gauge is measuring lower than 3ºC then brace yourself for an icy journey.
Drive carefully and keep at least a four second gap to the vehicle in front. Be aware that the condition of the road can change very quickly, particularly if you encounter a section of road that has not yet been gritted. Sudden movements can cause your vehicle to skid. When you need to accelerate or brake, do so gradually (rather than in one sharp action).
When approaching a bend, slow down gradually before you take the bend to limit the chances of skidding. Once you have set off, keep alert to any warnings that you can pick up on during your journey. For example, keep an eye out for salt spreading machines and snow ploughs. They are usually pretty easy to spot; flashing amber warning lights and driving at a speed of between 30 and 40 miles per hour.
If you spot one, try to keep as far away as possible and do not attempt to overtake - there's no point trying to get past a snow plough as it is clearing the way for those vehicles behind it. Gritting machines can also scratch the bodywork of cars close by them as they send grit out onto the road in as far a range as possible.
If you find that your wheels seem unusually quiet on the road, this is usually a sign that your tyres are driving on ice so take extra care and reduce your speed. Stopping distances can be up to ten times longer in heavy snow conditions, so avoid any risky manoeuvres.
|Connect with The Crittenden Automotive Library


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Paint Nite: Mosaic Mermaid
Paint Nite: Mosaic Mermaid
$39 per personEvent Passed
The Original Paint Nite: Unleash your inner artist
Grab your friends and unleash your inner artist at the Original Paint Nite. You'll go from a blank canvas to a masterpiece of your own, with plenty of laughs along the way. Guided by a talented and entertaining artist, you'll be amazed at what you create, and how much fun you have doing it.
Yaymaker events give you everything you need to get up, get out, and get making! Instruction is provided by an expert host, so no experience is required, and everything you need is supplied. Grab your friends to paint, plant, tinker, and build—and give your week something to shout about.
Your location
Extreme Pizza
21 and Over No outside Food or Drinks
Events like this
Only 1 ticket left!
Mon · Oct 14 6:30 pm$39
Paint Nite: California Dreamin
Paint Nite: California Dreamin
with Willis L.
Mosaic, San Jose, CA (6.1mi)
Mon · Oct 14 6:30 pm$39
Paint Nite: Island Beauty II
Paint Nite: Island Beauty II
with Jennifer S.
PF Changs Sunnyvale, Sunnyvale, CA (13.3mi)
Tue · Oct 15 6:30 pm$39
Paint Nite: Koi's will be Koi's
Paint Nite: Koi's will be Koi's
with Sharon B.
Off the Rails Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA (13.4mi)
Only 1 ticket left!
Wed · Oct 16 6:30 pm$39
Paint Nite: Tropical Ocean Villa
Paint Nite: Tropical Ocean Villa
with Willis L.
Campbell Pizza Company, Campbell, CA (6.4mi)


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The 2019-20 Season of Shows
School of Rock
November 14-17
"School of Rock The Musical" translates the iconic 2003 film starring Jack Black to the stage.
The Tempest
March 2020 (Dates TBA)
Just Desserts
Dates TBA
About CET
Community Ensemble Theatre (CET) continues a decades-long tradition of excellent theatre at Community High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We strive to create high-level productions while providing a nurturing environment where every ensemble member is valued and supported. With more than 120 students from across the Ann Arbor school district participating every year, CET is the largest extracurricular group at Community High, engaging students with challenging, thought-provoking, sometimes off-beat, always entertaining shows in the humble blackbox, the Craft Theater.
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CET strives to provide access to theatre for all students regardless of learning ability, family background, and/or socio-economic status. Your donations go directly to our productions and help us serve every student.


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The Lepo Product head designer, interior architect Kaarle Holmberg (born 1951) has been designing for Lepo Product since the beginning of the 1990s. Holmberg has gained many international recognition and awards. He gets his inspiration from architecture, art and nature. His work combines functionality with artistry. Besides designing, Holmberg has taught furniture design and interior design, sharing his wide experience with students, taking forward the message of the vitality of quality both in design and production.
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Official Pinewood Derby Car Kit in Gift Wrapped Packaging
Back for the 2018 holidays, the Official Pinewood Derby Car Gift Package. Pre-order yours now to ensure that you have them to give out this season.
All orders must be in by September 15, 2018 and paid in full at time of ordering. Quantities are limited; therefore, orders will be fulfilled as they are received. If you have any questions, please contact the Cedar Knolls Scout Shop at 973-765-9322 ext. 233 or Mountainside Scout Shop at 908-654-9191.
Order form: Gift Wrapped Packaging Order form
Order forms can be submitted by email to email@example.com, or brought in to either Scout Shop.


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Hurricane Harvey Links
This is my first August outside of hurricane range in a very long time. I deeply empathize with the Texans still getting rained on by Harvey. I don't have a boat (if you do, Houston needs help. Call the Houston PD at 713-881-3100 to find out how). What I can do is donate money to a reputable organization and provide a short update on the south Texas science centers, which are being understandably overlooked in the large-scale human tragedy that is Houston right now. Prepare for lots of links.
The CharityNavigator.org Hurricane Harvey page recommends highly rated local food banks. Remember, food banks can buy food cheaper than you can [source], so feel free to give them money. Also, keep up with Snopes.com's Hurricane Harvey articles so you don't get fooled by fakers.
And now, for science center news:
- Johnson Space Center - @JSCSOS is tweeting from their brand new island, where they are completely surrounded by flood water. They've had 31 inches of rain as of 8/28. ISS support, mission support, and facilities personnel are on site, supporting their important projects. CBS reports that all critical facilities and missions are okay for now. It's closed, obviously.
- Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History – Closed until 8/29 at the earliest, but all they're doing is "cleaning up." Sounds like they're okay! Their Facebook page is up-to-date, and they provided some amazing photos for this article on Texas hurricane history.
- International Museum of Art & Science – Closed until 8/29 at the earliest.
- Imaginarium of South Texas - They were hosting evacuees on the 25th [source]! Closed until 8/29 at the earliest.
- Houston Museum of Natural Science (main and Sugarland) – Observatory is closed through the 29th.
- Moody Gardens – According to their Facebook page, "Moody Gardens has not been impacted by the storm and the hotel and attractions are open!" You can watch their very wet webcam.
In better news, I'm volunteering at Denver's Nan Desu Kan art show September 1-3, 2017. For more information, visit ndkdenver.org. Come by, say hi, look at cool art which you can buy! I'm a novelist, not a poet. There really is an auction, though.
Barbary Station comes out just two months from today, on October 31, 2017! It should be available for preorder at your bookstore of choice.


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There comes a time when you can't bring your camera everywhere, or if you do, you're just too busy living to stop and take pictures. This past weekend felt like that. All of these photos are from Thanksgiving Day but other than these I don't have much to show for the weekend.
Per tradition, my sisters and I went Black Friday shopping (brother, cousin and nephew came for the first time) and I'm not sure I would have wanted to photograph that experience even if I had the time to. This year seemed a lot more hectic than the past years, but I did get a $3 hand mixer, two pairs of $7 jeans and lots of Christmas presents. Mid-shopping at 7:30am, we had a family breakfast at Mimi's Cafe where they serve huge, warm and delicious muffins. I know a lot of people think Black Friday shopping is crazy and not worth it, and in a lot of ways, I agree. But I go every year because its a sister tradition and I love my sisters.
The rest of the weekend seems to be a bit of a blur as my sleep cycle was thrown off so badly. Saturday was a lot of errands and Sunday I went out in the Berkeley marina with David's family to paddle in a dragon boat. The skies were clear and we could see San Francisco and the Golden Gate perfectly from across the bay. Strangers in bay-front restaurants even waved back as we rowed past them.


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If you are thinking of purchasing a used car, the first step to take it forward is getting a vehicle history report (VHR). A VHR is a documented statement that collects and displays all the necessary information about the ownership including the collision andrepair history, if any.
But if you want to verify all this information independently, you can easily obtain a free VHR with the help of the Internet, though the information that is made available for free is often limited. Here is a useful guide from the Overland Park used car dealer on how to overcome this small hurdle a thorough knowledge on know how to evaluate this abbreviated VHR can help you get a complete VHR for free.
How to Evaluate the type of History You Need
We have already discussed about the limitations of the information that is available for free. Sites that offer free Vehicle History Reports provide the basic information regarding a specific vehicle like the car's make and the model, but in most cases, they do not specify the information on the VIN of the car. So here is a list of information that the Free reports generally provide:
- The manufacturer detailslike the chassis, about the engine sizeand power, the country of its assembly,
- The model and its trim level
- A summary of the content that would be included in the full report that is available at a price.
Contents of a Complete VHR
A complete VHR will have separate sections about the following information:
- vehicle history and report summary,
- value calculator,
- ownership history,
- title history,
- additional history,
- detailed history.
Get Your Free Report Online
Even a few years back a full VHR could beobtained only for a price. But in December 2015, anonline website namely www.VehicleHistory.com started offering a full VHR for free. The report from this Vehicle History site contains all the following information on a particular vehicle including its ownership records:
- Detailed vehicle information
- Detailed government records
- Basic public records
- Entire background history
- Full state records
Run and Use a Free VHR Program
You can download free software that can obtain a complete VHR for you. Once you install that in your system, all you have to do is feeding in the required information in the concerned fields and run the software. While running a free VHR program, it will ask you to enter the VIN and a few more information of thecar, like a zip code or the state in which the car is registered, a license plate number. Once you are done with providing all the necessary information the next step would be accepting their terms and conditions, to access the next page where you would have options like "Submit" or "Run". Click on the relevant button and the site would automatically start loading your complete free VHR. To know more about a VHR contact the used car dealer Overland Park.
Summing Up
To avoid falling into a fraudulent trap like purchasing a stolen vehicle, make sure to run the VIN of the particular vehicle in the National Insurance Crime Bureau's database at www.nicb.org.


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This Can Be Done By Sending Out Emails Only To Persons Who Have Agreed To Be Included In Your Email Mailing List.
-The term default usually refers to a select group of adverts that are run you a presence though don't waste to much time on it. Tracking -Methods of tracking are used to monitor adverts basic needs when buying and is usually integrated into the marketing campaign. -The Web Dircetory is basically a lrge telephone book type of website which allows you to find website names that are relevant to a specific category for too much, they earn just because of that marketing. This company provides an array of services that are aimed certain action performed by returning an email to the person per


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is going to be my band's name, I've decided. Once I get one, that is. Or maybe "Ninth Vegetable Quartet". Of course, I am particular to "Timely Gargoyle Mutiny" as well. Decision, decisions. Need some help with creative inspiration? Check out the Band Name Generator for some rather amusing word combinations that seem to work pretty well as band names.
Cheerful Humidity Moment


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Don't Starve Together Days #2-3 "You Ate All The Berries, You A**hole"
The struggle is getting real. In this week's episode, the lads learn they need to actually start learning how to play this game, frogs get rowdy, a turkey goes rogue, and Colin edits in a reference to one of his favorite podcasts. All this AND MORE in: Don't Starve Together!


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Many Doctors Are Using the Wrong Test to Diagnose Food Allergies in Kids
According to new research, many doctors are using a less effective and less accurate test when it comes to diagnosing kids' food allergies.
If you suspect your child may be allergic to a particular food and are thinking about getting him tested, a food allergy panel administered by your pediatrician is probably not the way to go. Because according to new research, while allergists believe children should be tested for sensitization to allergens one at a time, and only if there's strong evidence of a true food allergy, panel tests check for sensitization to several different allergens at once, quite often leading to overdiagnosis.
For the study, researchersat Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio analyzed a year's worth of data on food allergy testing, and found that panel tests accounted for 45 percent of the food allergy tests ordered by primary care doctors, but only 1.2 percent of allergists' orders. That's a pretty major difference!
"These panels are marketed as convenient tools for physicians to obtain information about their patients regarding multiple allergens all at once," study author Dr. David Stukus told Reuters Health. "However, there are rare if any instances where the use of such panels would offer any useful information for patients."
That's because most doctors and patients don't know how to correctly interpret food sensitization tests, Dr. Stukus said, which often leads to children being misdiagnosed with food allergies and put on unnecessarily restricted diets with potentially harmful side effects like stunted growth and an increased likelihood of developing a true allergy later in life.
- Want the latest parenting news? Sign up for our Parents Daily newsletter
"This is where true harm is coming from," Dr. Stutkus explained. "That's what scares me as an allergist."
Bottom line: If you suspect your child has a serious food allergy, tell your doctor you prefer the one-at-a-time test instead of the panel test. And if your child has been diagnosed with food allergies via the panel test, you may want to get a second opinion from an allergist using the one-at-a-time method.
Hollee Actman Becker is a freelance writer, blogger, and a mom. Check out her website holleeactmanbecker.com for more, and then follow her on Twitter at @holleewoodworld.


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At Least I Can Telecommute (Work from home)/
Sometimes I miss the simpler times, when my only issue was a boy not liking me. Now I'm counting the days until my annoying boss retires (5 weeks)...oh yes. I have to fill up my weekends to have something to look forward to.
This weekend it's Henny Palooza. I just did this in March, deja vu!
I can't seem to center my thoughts but Monday was odd. Maybe I was just tired from Camp Flog Gnaw. I started crying for no real reason, I was just frustrated with everyone and everything.
There's this guy (when is there not) who is a trigger. He's triggering that voice in my head that says I'm not good enough. I spent too many times at Camp Flog Gnaw trying to pitch opportunities for us to meet up and everything landed flat. It's embarrassing. I erased the texts. I might have erased his number as well. I'm like that with guys who trigger me like this.
Once I've established by my own way of thinking that they're not feeling it, I want nothing more than to run away. Because seeing someone you're attracted to, flirt in front of your face is just not my idea of fun.
Ideally, when I see him again this weekend, as he'll be a part of our group, I could give him that half hug that we politely give to everyone, get my shots of Hennessey and not think twice.
I just don't want to find myself in a puddle of my own tears from the voice in my head taunting me.
I'm over training.
These last 3 weeks I have literally had to drag myself kicking and screaming to this damn hot yoga class and to RUT camp.
"Oh this will be relaxing," I thought when I first tried hot yoga, "I'll be able to get deeper into my stretches." But after the 50th time she told us to lay down in our own puddle of sweat and get into savasana, I was done. I never wanted to come back.
My arm muscles have become so damn big that my 3/4 blouses no longer fit. My left shoulder may have a rotator cuff problem and if I hear my instructor yell at me to get into the red heart rate zone one more time, I'm going to lose it.
I am worn down and just want an escape. On the bright side, because there will be construction on my work site, I can telecommute tomorrow.
I'm taking all the crumbs of joy I can get for right now


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ok heres the scoop.. i have dirty blonde hair with a slight wave,my hair can look good for a while then it can be a total mess in 5 mins!! does anyone have any tips to keep my hair the same way all day at school? please help me :)
btw-i've tried gels and extra hold sparys!!


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George Lawrence of Not So Modern Drummer and Lucas Jacobson of Eccentric Systems Drum Company entered into an agreement on November 26th for Not So Modern Drummer Sales to handle sales, marketing and U.S. manufacturing/assembly of the Eccentric Systems products. Eccentric was founded by Lucas Jacobson, engineer, and inventor of the eccentric cam for the DW5000 bass drum pedals and designer of the DW9000 bass drum pedals and hi-hat pedals. Lucas later patented and manufactured his own products. The most well known Eccentric product is the Quick Torque Cam, an add-on to bass drum pedals that increases the drummer's comfort, control and speed. It is very popular with speed metal double bass pedal players and is manufactured in Taiwan. Other products include the Eccentric single and double bass drum pedals, the Shonga shaker and the Shonguiro, the BuzzKill vibration dampener for snare wires, and the FlatHeadz tuning hoops, all which did not exist before Jacobson thought of and developed them. George Lawrence, owner of Not So Modern Drummer, will be handling sales of the products to wholesale distributors, to storefront and online retailers and direct to consumers as well as handling artist relations. Distributors and retailers include Big Bang, Guitar Center, Sam Ash and Sweetwater. Jacobson will continue to administer the company, design and develop new products, and share customer relations duties with Lawrence. Products are being moved to the Not So Modern Drummer location in Nashville for fulfillment. The supply and distribution to all buyers will be uninterrupted.
Lawrence and Jacobson met in 2014 at the Nashville Drum Show where Lawrence had the Quick Torque Cams installed on his bass drum pedals. "The cam solved a serious physical problem I was having with pain and fatigue in my foot from playing long gigs. The cam made the pedal more comfortable and easier to push down. It solved my pain problem on the first gig. It reduced the resistance of the spring and also brought the footboard back faster. It's simple physics; a lever on the spring. When Lucas called me about getting involved it was a no-brainer because I already believed in the product and I know other drummers who have experienced the comfort and speed benefits of this gizmo too."
Lawrence will be revamping the company's website and social media, and leverage sales of the product with the sales and promotion of the other products that his company distributes and sells, including the new, improved and lower priced DrumWrapper, a manual roller machine for installing plastic wrap on drum shells. Not So Modern Drummer has developed a world wide audience for its publications and products such as hard to find and esoteric instruments and accessories for working drummers, and tools and parts for drum builders and drum repairmen. Lawrence says, " I believe that the products we choose have been successful because we know our niche market of boutique customers and they trust our opinions and advice. We never recommend or sell anything we would not use ourselves and we test every product we sell. Our wholesale, retail and consumer customers know this and trust us. We have a long history of satisfied drummers". Lawrence has been in business since 1985 when he opened George's Drum Shops in Jackson MS and Akron Ohio. He acquired Not So Modern Drummer in 2009 from Bill Ludwig III. That publication has been in business since 1988.
Mr. Lawrence can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com and 330 338 6035 in Nashville.


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Designed by Jane Hutton & Adrian Blackwell, Dymaxion Sleep (curled up) was exhibited in Metis Garden Festival between 2009-2011.
Dymaxion Sleep (curled up) is a structure of nets suspended above a field of aromatic plants. The original structure, installed in 2009, was an unfolded icosahedron, the form of Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion World Map. In curled up, half of the structure has been rolled up to form a secret, shaded enclosure. Mint, lemon geranium, lavender, and fennel mimic the structure's topography and define scented regions upon which to lie.
If Fuller's map reconfigured standard representations of the world by refusing to define orientation, Dymaxion Sleep sets up surfaces on which to relax in different configurations: curled up, stretched out, or piled upon friends.
Dymaxion Sleeptakes its name from the title of a 1943 Time magazine article which describes Fuller's regimen of polyphasic sleep – thirty minutes asleep, followed by six waking hours – a reconfiguration he used to dynamically maximize his body's productivity.
Dymaxion Sleep subverts Fuller's focus on efficiency and work and instead maximizes the garden as a space for pleasure and dreams.
Plan view:
Media: Dymaxion Sleep (curled up)
text&images: http://www.refordgardens.com


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New York, Apr 03, 2002
The federal government is by far the biggest user of biometric authentication systems. The U.S. Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the Departments of State, Justice and Transportation (namely the Federal Aviation Administration) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation rely on biometric technologies for data protection, secure access and sign-on applications and more. Essentially, biometrics are automated methods of identifying a person or verifying the identity of a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Physiological characteristics include hand or finger images, facial characteristics, speaker verification and iris recognition. Behavioral characteristics are traits that are learned or acquired including dynamic signature verification and keystroke dynamics.[1] Simply stated, unlike conventional identification methods such as a driver's license or 'PIN' number that validate identity based on 'what you have or know,' biometrics validate identity based on 'who you are.' It's far easier to falsify an ID card or forge a handwritten signature than it is to alter a voice pattern or change the configuration of an iris.
Signed into law by President Bush on October 26, 2001, the Patriot Act (Public Law 107-56) requires the development of technology standards to confirm identity. Leading biometric standardization at the federal level is the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce and an ANSI member. NIST spearheaded the development of the Common Biometric Exchange File Format (CBEFF), which defines a common set of data elements necessary to support multiple biometric technologies. CBEFF also promotes interoperability of biometric-based application programs and systems by allowing for biometric data exchange.
The development of CBEFF in January 2001 was an outgrowth of the need for exchange and interoperability of biometric data based on the expected enormous growth of biometric-based systems and applications. NIST is currently augmenting the current version of CBEFF in response to requests from several countries for additional requirements. NIST anticipates that by the end of 2002 the new version will be submitted to the Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1) of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as a suggested new work area for a JTC1 subcommittee on Biometrics. JTC1 would then take over maintenance of the standard and shepherd its submittal for acceptance as an international standard.
Established in November 2001, Technical Committee M1 on Biometrics of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), an ANSI-accredited standards developer, has also responded to the federal government's call for interoperable biometrics technologies. INCITS recently announced that M1 has "fast tracked" a biometrics specification to have it become an American National Standard (ANS). Currently titled INCITS 358, the standard is based on the Biometric Application Programming Interface (BioAPI) that was developed by the BioAPI Consortium, composed of 80 organizations including NIST which is a member of its Steering Committee. BioAPI chairman, Cathy Tilton, indicated that the transition of BioAPI to a formal standards body was "always one of the Consortium's goals." INCITS 358 defines an open system standard application program interface that allows software applications to communicate with different biometric technologies in a common way. INCITS has also announced its intention to submit the standard to ISO for acceptance as an international standard.
Many in the biometrics industry believe that the financial community has the most to gain from biometric standardization. The newly approved Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X9 document, X9.84 Biometric Information Management and Security, is geared to integrate biometric information, such as fingerprint, iris scan and voiceprint, for use in the financial services industry. ASC X9, the national standards-setting body for the financial services industry and an ANSI-accredited standards developer, is supported by the American Banker's Association which serves as the group's secretariat. The X9.84 standard defines requirements for managing and securing biometric information such as customer identification and employee verification and was developed in cooperation with two of the industry groups already mentioned in this article, including NIST and BioAPI Consortium, as well as others. According to NIST's Fernando Podio who is also co-chair of the Biometric Consortium and the CBEFF development group, "The approval of the ANS X9.84 standard is an important step for the biometrics industry. It will be extremely important in accelerating the utilization of highly secure biometric-based financial applications."
One of the latest groups to join the biometrics arena is the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), who has recently formed a Technical Committee (TC) to create an XML [2] Common Biometric Format (XCBF). "Existing biometric standards [such as CBEFF and X9.84]" explained Phillip H. Griffin of Griffin Consulting and chair of the XCBF TC, "use binary encoding formats, which severely limit their use in XML systems and applications. XCBF will provide a standard way for biometric functions to be done using XML." OASIS has indicated that XCBF will define a set of XML encodings for CBEFF in the form of universal type definitions that will allow biometric data to be validated and exchanged without ambiguity over the Web. In addition, XCBF will be harmonized with X9.84 schema and security mechanisms regarding the authenticity and integrity of biometric data.
As demonstrated in the biometrics industry, formal standards bodies, government agencies and consortia groups serve complimentary roles. When they work together successfully, building upon each other's work to serve a variety of sectors, U.S. interests are well served.
1. Source: Ferando L. Podio, NIST, "Biometrics-Technologies for Highly Secure Personal Authentication."
2. XML or Extensible Markup Language, is a widely used technology that facilitates data transfer and storage over the Internet.