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For the uninitiated, China's social media landscape is alien, yet familiar. It's like visiting a shopping mall you haven't been to in 20 years, and while you recognize many of the storefronts, the names have all changed. Due to the "Great Firewall of China" and the government's policy of blocking websites and apps that fail to comply with its stringent requirements, services like Google (including Gmail, Google Translate, and all other Google products), Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked. Anyone who really wants to can still access them by using a virtual private network or VPN (my favorite software based VPN at the moment is ExpressVPN), but access is intermittent and slow.
This blocking of online services by the Chinese government has created a "competition-free zone" where homegrown social media networks have been able to take root and flourish. Instead of Twitter, China has Weibo. Instead of YouTube there is YouKu. Instead of Google there is Baidu. But when it comes to the rest of the social media apps Westerners use, they're all bundled to one degree or another in a single app called WeChat.
WeChat is like no app outside China, and then again, it's kind of like all of them–combined. It's hard to overemphasize how ingrained WeChat is in China. WeChat has basic chat functionality, like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, but it's also a replacement for Instagram, Gmail, and PayPal. In China the only people I email are other expatriates–if I'm communicating with a Chinese national it's always on WeChat. Not only is WeChat the center of all my communication within China, it's also how you send money to friends, pay for a taxi, buy food at the grocery store, purchase movie tickets, and in some cases it's how you get your paycheck. WeChat is used at home but is also taking over the workplace with tools designed for the enterprise. And with almost 800 million active daily users it's no exaggeration to say that everyone in China uses WeChat, and this poses a problem for someone like me.
I'm an American entrepreneur in the process of opening a new office for my digital marketing agency in Shenzhen, China (coincidentally the same city that hosts the headquarters of WeChat's corporate owner, Tencent). I'm also an author and public speaker, and I've built a personal brand outside of China that has been quite rewarding for me and my business, but in China nobody has a clue who I am. In China, I'm a nobody.
Despite my lack of a personal brand within China, within one month I was able to accomplish more on WeChat with a few hundred connections than I've been able to do in three years on Twitter with 15,000 followers. Here are the steps I took:
1. Set Up an Account
There is a confusing array of WeChat account types to choose from, but if you're not a Chinese national the option is pretty clear–you get the basic personal account that is available to foreigners (I won't go into the several account types available, it's confusing and unnecessary at this stage in your education). Go to the WeChat website or the appropriate app store and download the app to get started. There is nothing fancy to do with your account setup. You upload an icon for yourself, and there's a photo and video sharing section called "Moments" (which is actually labeled as "My Posts" in the app) where you can upload a larger graphic, but other than that it's just basic information.
2. Go Meet Some People
That's right, you're going to have to leave the house. The user discovery feature on WeChat is less like that on Twitter and Instagram where you can search for users to follow based on shared interests, and more like Snapchat, where you can only connect with people if you know their username. Also, like Snapchat, WeChat relies heavily on connecting through QR codes, like this:
In the US when I walk into a business meeting everyone exchanges business cards. In China you'll still see a business card from time to time but they've largely been replaced by the new custom of scanning one another's QR codes. On my first day in Shenzhen I was a guest at a Startup Grind event and afterwards instead of everyone coming up to get my card, I held out my phone with my QR code and 10 people would scan it at once. That's where many of my initial WeChat contacts came from. Since then whenever I make a presentation using slides I include one that has a huge version of my QR code and I give everyone a few seconds to scan it from the audience. I can gather hundreds of connections at a time this way.
"WeChat reduces the friction involved in networking and introducing new contacts to zero," says Matthew Brennan, Co-Founder of China Channel, which provides WeChat consulting for organizations. Indeed, it's these introductions that have become the second most potent way for me to grow my WeChat community. As soon as I ask "What digital marketers should I connect with in Shenzhen?" I can have 10 introductions within seconds, because the process of connecting mutual friends is drop-dead easy compared to Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network.
3. Join Groups
Once you've met some people and have your own list of contacts, people will start inviting you to WeChat groups, or you can ask your friends for recommendations as to what groups you should join. This is key, because there is no feature to search for groups on WeChat, and you'll be hard pressed to find a list of "Best WeChat Groups to Join" anywhere on Google.
Once you're in a relevant group the rules are simple. Up to 500 people can join a group, everyone chats in the same thread, and there are no nested threads. You can reply to someone by long pressing their avatar, but they won't know which of their messages you're replying to unless you tell them, because your reply is going to show up as the newest comment in that group, not next to the comment you want to reply to.
This lack of functionality produces a side benefit of sorts which is that people religiously monitor their WeChat groups so as to be able to respond quickly. This generates a level of activity and interaction I've never seen on Facebook or Twitter except in cases that involve viral or trending content. Whereas on Twitter our feeds are largely clogged with automated posts and few conversations, there is little to no automation happening in WeChat groups–it's the real thing. Because of the high engagement in WeChat groups and the quality of conversation I've been able to use these groups to find potential employees, business partners, and clients. If I were to post an open position on Twitter today I would most likely get a single "heart" from a bot and no responses, whereas if I do the same on WeChat I'll have 10 applicants within a few minutes.
Bonus tip: Create Your Own Group
Regardless of the type of WeChat account you have you can create a group. You can't find groups any more easily in WeChat than you can find individual accounts, so it helps if you've already built a decent network of people you can invite. Once you invite a few key players then they can invite the people they know to join the group and it can grow quickly. When I started a group focused on digital marketing in Shenzhen it hit 120 members within 24 hours.
As the owner of a group you can send group messages to everyone, a power you won't want to abuse, of course. But as marketing expert Derek Halpern of Social Triggers is fond of saying, "Build a loyal audience and then sell them stuff." In just a few weeks I was able to attract an active group of hundreds of marketers in Shenzhen, China, and then a few months later when I became involved in organizing the China Marketing Summit I was able to send messages to my digital marketing group announcing it.
What's Missing?
Big numbers pushed in your face. Vanity metrics. Whereas Twitter and Instagram have gamified the process of getting followers by making those numbers plain for all to see, I have to search to figure out how many people are following me on my WeChat account. "The WeChat team has been very clear in their vision for the platform," Brennan says. "They want the app to be a place for real authentic communication." The app forces this by making it difficult to automate posting. While there is a feed, similar to Facebook and Twitter, it's not the main attraction. Brennan explains how this and other aspects of WeChat are perfectly suited to Chinese culture. "It's difficult to 'lose face' on WeChat," he says. "When you post to your feed only likes from mutual friends will be displayed to your followers. No one except you will ever know exactly how popular or unpopular you are." Additionally, unlike WhatsApp you can't see if someone has read the message you sent them. While this is handy for the person sending messages, it's not always useful for the recipient. Because WeChat doesn't show this level of interaction you can reply tomorrow without embarrassment.
As a someone used to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, who is now working to become an influencer in China, I miss many of the features I've become accustomed to on Western social media. I wish I had easier access to the numbers and details. However, what I do know is that I'm getting tangible results, like finding potential employees, partners, and customers. Perhaps those other numbers don't matter nearly as much as we think.


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Priest of heavenly sanctuary – 9.30 Service
Passage Hebrews 9:1–28
Speaker Hugh Bourne
Service Morning
Series Jesus, our priest
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings – external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, so obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, 'This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.' 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

subset: commoncrawl


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Application information for the Van Loan School at Endicott College.
Endicott's Van Loan School offers adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Beverly, Boston, and online, plus executive education.
The Endicott College mission reflects a commitment to the integration of liberal, professional, and experiential education. To that end, the General Education/Core Curriculum aims at providing students with a liberal arts context for framing their professional studies along with opportunities for exploring disciplines outside their majors.
Core Curriculum
All students must complete the following core requirements:
Alternatives depending on writing placement: ENG 218 Argument-Based Writing ENG 305 Writing for Inquiry HON100 Honors Seminar I (Endicott Scholars Program)
General Education Curriculum
By successfully completing at least one course from each of the following eight categories, students demonstrate that they have learned how to link knowledge and practice from a variety of perspectives both within and across traditional academic disciplines. In addition, four free electives with at least two above the 100 level allow students to explore further and to focus on topics relating to their particular interests. Attention paid to multiple forms of critical inquiry and to diverse modes of human experience empowers students both to understand and to respond to local and global challenges and opportunities in the world today.
Requirements In order to fulfill the Endicott College general education requirements, students must complete one course (three credits) from each of the eight thematic categories listed below. In addition, students must complete four general electives outside of their major and concentration requirements. These four electives, two of which must be above the 100 level, may be taken from the thematic categories or from other areas of the College wide curriculum. The general electives as well as the courses associated with the thematic categories may be used to fulfill minor requirements.
In extenuating circumstances to meet major requirements, up to two courses may be prescribed from any of the eight categories or counted as part of the four general electives. More than two prescribed courses must be approved by the Core/General Education Curriculum Committee.
General Education Course Categories (Consult the Registrar's web page for a complete listing of courses that satisfy each of the eight categories described below.)
I. Individual and Society Courses in this category give students an understanding of how societies form, evolve, and sustain themselves through the continuing interplay between the individual and the group. Students explore issues related to human development, personal identity, group dynamics, social and institutional change, and cultural diversity. Civic engagement and responsibility are emphasized.
II. Global Issues Courses in this category prompt students to examine topics such as politics, the environment, technology, history, health, and economics from an internationally guided approach. Students study how various social, religious, political and economic systems and movements influence international relations and the global economy. Contemporary relevant issues will be addressed.
III. Literary Perspectives Courses in this category provide exposure to a variety of genres and styles of writing, both past and present. Students learn to engage and respond critically to texts by extracting meaning and analyzing themes, concepts, and stylistic elements. In addition, students develop their own academic writing skills, effectively organizing, supporting, and expressing their ideas with an awareness of audience, purpose, and the conventions of the written language.
IV. Values and Ethical Reasoning Courses in this category address the ways in which values and decisions constantly affect us at individual and collective levels. Students explore the sources of our values in both personal experience and in various forms of tradition such as religion, law, philosophy, art and professional practice. In addition, students examine the forms of critical evaluation and choice that we employ to decide between better and worse courses of action in our own lives and in our interactions with others.
V. Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression Courses in this category focus on the development of an aesthetic responsiveness to a variety of creative art forms including the visual arts, poetry, drama, music, and dance. Concepts and fundamental issues of aesthetics from historical, theoretical, and creative perspectives are considered. Students gain an understanding of the conventional designations of stylistic periods, explore both personal and cultural concepts of aesthetics, and develop their own creative works and vision. (Students must complete a minimum of three credits by completing either one, three-credit course or three, one-credit courses.)
VI. Quantitative Reasoning Courses in this category develop quantitative reasoning, the application of mathematical concepts and skills to formulate, analyze, and solve real-world problems. In order to perform effectively as professionals and citizens, students will become competent in reading and using numerical information, in understanding the implications of quantitative evidence and in applying mathematical skills and techniques to obtain solutions to unknown problems.
VII. Science and Technology Courses in this category involve an exploration of living organisms, the physical world and technology. Students engage in the process of scientific inquiry, experimentation, and discovery. In addition, they discuss and evaluate a range of globally-related issues such as climate change, sustainability, world health, and technological advances and challenges.
VIII. World Cultures Courses in this category focus on past and contemporary cultures through the study of a people's history, beliefs, values, language, lifestyles, arts, and political and social institutions. Students gain an understanding and appreciation of the cultural perspectives of others in American society and in the world. Study abroad experiences are encouraged as a way for students to experience first-hand the rich cultural diversity of our world.


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For decades now, Elisabeth Leonskaja has been among the most celebrated pianists of our time. In a world dominated by the media, Elisabeth Leonskaja has remained true to herself and to her music, and in doing so, is following in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era, such as David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, who never wavered in their focus on the quintessence of music despite working in a very difficult political environment. Her almost legendary modesty still makes her somewhat media-shy today. Yet as soon as she walks out on the stage, audiences can sense the force behind the fact that music is and always has been her life's work. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, to a Russian family, she was regarded as a child prodigy and gave her first concerts as early as age 11. Her exceptional talent soon brought her to study at the Moscow Conservatory.
While still a student at the Conservatory, she won prizes in the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long and Queen Elizabeth international piano competitions. Elisabeth Leonskaja's musical development was shaped or influenced to a decisive degree by her collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter. The master recognized her exceptional talent and fostered her development not only through teaching and giving her advice, but also by inviting her to play numerous duets with him. A memorable musical event! The musical partnership and personal friendship between Sviatoslav Richter and Elisabeth Leonskaja endured until Richter's death in the year 1997. In 1978 Elisabeth Leonskaja justify the Soviet Union and made her new home in Vienna. Her sensational performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1979 marked the beginning of her steadily blossoming career as a concert pianist in the west.
Elisabeth Leonskaja has appeared as a soloist with virtually all the leading orchestras in the world, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and many others, under the baton of such leading conductors as: Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Sanderling, Maris Jansons, Yuri Temirkanov, Tugan Sokhiev, and many others.
Elisabeth Leonskaja is a frequent and welcomed guest at prestigious summer music festivals, such as the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna and Lucerne Festivals, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Schubertiade in Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, and she also gives recitals in the Piano Series in the world's major musical centers, such as Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Edinburgh, Munich, and Vienna. Despite her busy schedule as a soloist, chamber music has always played a prominent role in her creative work, and she frequently appears with the Emerson, Borodin and Artemis Quartets.
Numerous recordings bear testimony to the outstanding artistic achievements of this pianist and she has been awarded prizes such as the Caecilia Prize for her Brahms piano sonatas, or the Diapason d´Or for her recordings of works by Liszt. Other significant recordings include the Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Kurt Masur, the Chopin Piano Concertos with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, and the Shostakovich Piano Concertos with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Her newest CD "PARIS" with works by Ravel, Debussy and Enescu was released by the Berlin-based Label eaSonus and was awarded Solo CD of the year 2014 at the ICMA prizes. A complete-recording of the Schubert Sonatas will follow, also due to be released on eaSonus.
In her adopted home, the Republic of Austria, Elisabeth Leonskaja's outstanding achievements have also gained her great recognition. She has been made an Honorary Member of the Konzerthaus of Vienna. In 2006, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor, First Class, for her services to the cultural life of the country – the highest award of its kind in Austria. Today the "Lioness of the Keyboard" has matured into an exceptional pianist, one who is above emphasizing her virtuosity and who enjoys the warmest of receptions wherever she appears.


text:
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas, pére
Chapter 25: The Unknown
Additional Information
- Year Published: 1844
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States of America
- Source: Dumas, A. (1844). The Count of Monte Cristo. London: Chapman and Hall.
- Flesch–Kincaid Level: 6.1
- Word Count: 3,204
- Genre: Adventure
- Keywords: betrayal, forgiveness, justice, mercy, redemption, revenge
- ✎ Cite This
Day, for which Dantes had so eagerly and impatiently waited with open eyes, again dawned. With the first light Dantes resumed his search. Again he climbed the rocky height he had ascended the previous evening, and strained his view to catch every peculiarity of the landscape; but it wore the same wild, barren aspect when seen by the rays of the morning sun which it had done when surveyed by the fading glimmer of eve. Descending into the grotto, he lifted the stone, filled his pockets with gems, put the box together as well and securely as he could, sprinkled fresh sand over the spot from which it had been taken, and then carefully trod down the earth to give it everywhere a uniform appearance; then, quitting the grotto, he replaced the stone, heaping on it broken masses of rocks and rough fragments of crumbling granite, filling the interstices with earth, into which he deftly inserted rapidly growing plants, such as the wild myrtle and flowering thorn, then carefully watering these new plantations, he scrupulously effaced every trace of footsteps, leaving the approach to the cavern as savage–looking and untrodden as he had found it. This done, he impatiently awaited the return of his companions. To wait at Monte Cristo for the purpose of watching like a dragon over the almost incalculable riches that had thus fallen into his possession satisfied not the cravings of his heart, which yearned to return to dwell among mankind, and to assume the rank, power, and influence which are always accorded to wealth—that first and greatest of all the forces within the grasp of man.
On the sixth day, the smugglers returned. From a distance Dantes recognized the rig and handling of The Young Amelia, and dragging himself with affected difficulty towards the landing–place, he met his companions with an assurance that, although considerably better than when they quitted him, he still suffered acutely from his late accident. He then inquired how they had fared in their trip. To this question the smugglers replied that, although successful in landing their cargo in safety, they had scarcely done so when they received intelligence that a guard–ship had just quitted the port of Toulon and was crowding all sail towards them. This obliged them to make all the speed they could to evade the enemy, when they could but lament the absence of Dantes, whose superior skill in the management of a vessel would have availed them so materially. In fact, the pursuing vessel had almost overtaken them when, fortunately, night came on, and enabled them to double the Cape of Corsica, and so elude all further pursuit. Upon the whole, however, the trip had been sufficiently successful to satisfy all concerned; while the crew, and particularly Jacopo, expressed great regrets that Dantes had not been an equal sharer with themselves in the profits, which amounted to no less a sum than fifty piastres each.
Edmond preserved the most admirable self–command, not suffering the faintest indication of a smile to escape him at the enumeration of all the benefits he would have reaped had he been able to quit the island; but as The Young Amelia had merely come to Monte Cristo to fetch him away, he embarked that same evening, and proceeded with the captain to Leghorn. Arrived at Leghorn, he repaired to the house of a Jew, a dealer in precious stones, to whom he disposed of four of his smallest diamonds for five thousand francs each. Dantes half feared that such valuable jewels in the hands of a poor sailor like himself might excite suspicion; but the cunning purchaser asked no troublesome questions concerning a bargain by which he gained a round profit of at least eighty per cent.
The following day Dantes presented Jacopo with an entirely new vessel, accompanying the gift by a donation of one hundred piastres, that he might provide himself with a suitable crew and other requisites for his outfit, upon condition that he would go at once to Marseilles for the purpose of inquiring after an old man named Louis Dantes, residing in the Allees de Meillan, and also a young woman called Mercedes, an inhabitant of the Catalan village. Jacopo could scarcely believe his senses at receiving this magnificent present, which Dantes hastened to account for by saying that he had merely been a sailor from whim and a desire to spite his family, who did not allow him as much money as he liked to spend; but that on his arrival at Leghorn he had come into possession of a large fortune, left him by an uncle, whose sole heir he was. The superior education of Dantes gave an air of such extreme probability to this statement that it never once occurred to Jacopo to doubt its accuracy. The term for which Edmond had engaged to serve on board The Young Amelia having expired, Dantes took leave of the captain, who at first tried all his powers of persuasion to induce him to remain as one of the crew, but having been told the history of the legacy, he ceased to importune him further. The following morning Jacopo set sail for Marseilles, with directions from Dantes to join him at the Island of Monte Cristo.
Having seen Jacopo fairly out of the harbor, Dantes proceeded to make his final adieus on board The Young Amelia, distributing so liberal a gratuity among her crew as to secure for him the good wishes of all, and expressions of cordial interest in all that concerned him. To the captain he promised to write when he had made up his mind as to his future plans. Then Dantes departed for Genoa. At the moment of his arrival a small yacht was under trial in the bay; this yacht had been built by order of an Englishman, who, having heard that the Genoese excelled all other builders along the shores of the Mediterranean in the construction of fast–sailing vessels, was desirous of possessing a specimen of their skill; the price agreed upon between the Englishman and the Genoese builder was forty thousand francs. Dantes, struck with the beauty and capability of the little vessel, applied to its owner to transfer it to him, offering sixty thousand francs, upon condition that he should be allowed to take immediate possession. The proposal was too advantageous to be refused, the more so as the person for whom the yacht was intended had gone upon a tour through Switzerland, and was not expected back in less than three weeks or a month, by which time the builder reckoned upon being able to complete another. A bargain was therefore struck. Dantes led the owner of the yacht to the dwelling of a Jew; retired with the latter for a few minutes to a small back parlor, and upon their return the Jew counted out to the shipbuilder the sum of sixty thousand francs in bright gold pieces.
The delighted builder then offered his services in providing a suitable crew for the little vessel, but this Dantes declined with many thanks, saying he was accustomed to cruise about quite alone, and his principal pleasure consisted in managing his yacht himself; the only thing the builder could oblige him in would be to contrive a sort of secret closet in the cabin at his bed's head, the closet to contain three divisions, so constructed as to be concealed from all but himself. The builder cheerfully undertook the commission, and promised to have these secret places completed by the next day, Dantes furnishing the dimensions and plan in accordance with which they were to be constructed.
The following day Dantes sailed with his yacht from Genoa, under the inspection of an immense crowd drawn together by curiosity to see the rich Spanish nobleman who preferred managing his own yacht. But their wonder was soon changed to admiration at seeing the perfect skill with which Dantes handled the helm. The boat, indeed, seemed to be animated with almost human intelligence, so promptly did it obey the slightest touch; and Dantes required but a short trial of his beautiful craft to acknowledge that the Genoese had not without reason attained their high reputation in the art of shipbuilding. The spectators followed the little vessel with their eyes as long as it remained visible; they then turned their conjectures upon her probable destination. Some insisted she was making for Corsica, others the Island of Elba; bets were offered to any amount that she was bound for Spain; while Africa was positively reported by many persons as her intended course; but no one thought of Monte Cristo. Yet thither it was that Dantes guided his vessel, and at Monte Cristo he arrived at the close of the second day; his boat had proved herself a first–class sailer, and had come the distance from Genoa in thirty–five hours. Dantes had carefully noted the general appearance of the shore, and, instead of landing at the usual place, he dropped anchor in the little creek. The island was utterly deserted, and bore no evidence of having been visited since he went away; his treasure was just as he had left it. Early on the following morning he commenced the removal of his riches, and ere nightfall the whole of his immense wealth was safely deposited in the compartments of the secret locker.
A week passed by. Dantes employed it in manoeuvring his yacht round the island, studying it as a skilful horseman would the animal he destined for some important service, till at the end of that time he was perfectly conversant with its good and bad qualities. The former Dantes proposed to augment, the latter to remedy.
Upon the eighth day he discerned a small vessel under full sail approaching Monte Cristo. As it drew near, he recognized it as the boat he had given to Jacopo. He immediately signalled it. His signal was returned, and in two hours afterwards the new–comer lay at anchor beside the yacht. A mournful answer awaited each of Edmond's eager inquiries as to the information Jacopo had obtained. Old Dantes was dead, and Mercedes had disappeared. Dantes listened to these melancholy tidings with outward calmness; but, leaping lightly ashore, he signified his desire to be quite alone. In a couple of hours he returned. Two of the men from Jacopo's boat came on board the yacht to assist in navigating it, and he gave orders that she should be steered direct to Marseilles. For his father's death he was in some manner prepared; but he knew not how to account for the mysterious disappearance of Mercedes.
Without divulging his secret, Dantes could not give sufficiently clear instructions to an agent. There were, besides, other particulars he was desirous of ascertaining, and those were of a nature he alone could investigate in a manner satisfactory to himself. His looking–glass had assured him, during his stay at Leghorn, that he ran no risk of recognition; moreover, he had now the means of adopting any disguise he thought proper. One fine morning, then, his yacht, followed by the little fishing–boat, boldly entered the port of Marseilles, and anchored exactly opposite the spot from whence, on the never–to–be–forgotten night of his departure for the Chateau d'If, he had been put on board the boat destined to convey him thither. Still Dantes could not view without a shudder the approach of a gendarme who accompanied the officers deputed to demand his bill of health ere the yacht was permitted to hold communication with the shore; but with that perfect self–possession he had acquired during his acquaintance with Faria, Dantes coolly presented an English passport he had obtained from Leghorn, and as this gave him a standing which a French passport would not have afforded, he was informed that there existed no obstacle to his immediate debarkation.
The first person to attract the attention of Dantes, as he landed on the Canebiere, was one of the crew belonging to the Pharaon. Edmond welcomed the meeting with this fellow—who had been one of his own sailors—as a sure means of testing the extent of the change which time had worked in his own appearance. Going straight towards him, he propounded a variety of questions on different subjects, carefully watching the man's countenance as he did so; but not a word or look implied that he had the slightest idea of ever having seen before the person with whom he was then conversing. Giving the sailor a piece of money in return for his civility, Dantes proceeded onwards; but ere he had gone many steps he heard the man loudly calling him to stop. Dantes instantly turned to meet him. "I beg your pardon, sir," said the honest fellow, in almost breathless haste, "but I believe you made a mistake; you intended to give me a two–franc piece, and see, you gave me a double Napoleon."
"Thank you, my good friend. I see that I have made a trifling mistake, as you say; but by way of rewarding your honesty I give you another double Napoleon, that you may drink to my health, and be able to ask your messmates to join you."
So extreme was the surprise of the sailor, that he was unable even to thank Edmond, whose receding figure he continued to gaze after in speechless astonishment. "Some nabob from India," was his comment.
Dantes, meanwhile, went on his way. Each step he trod oppressed his heart with fresh emotion; his first and most indelible recollections were there; not a tree, not a street, that he passed but seemed filled with dear and cherished memories. And thus he proceeded onwards till he arrived at the end of the Rue de Noailles, from whence a full view of the Allees de Meillan was obtained. At this spot, so pregnant with fond and filial remembrances, his heart beat almost to bursting, his knees tottered under him, a mist floated over his sight, and had he not clung for support to one of the trees, he would inevitably have fallen to the ground and been crushed beneath the many vehicles continually passing there. Recovering himself, however, he wiped the perspiration from his brows, and stopped not again till he found himself at the door of the house in which his father had lived.
The nasturtiums and other plants, which his father had delighted to train before his window, had all disappeared from the upper part of the house. Leaning against the tree, he gazed thoughtfully for a time at the upper stories of the shabby little house. Then he advanced to the door, and asked whether there were any rooms to be let. Though answered in the negative, he begged so earnestly to be permitted to visit those on the fifth floor, that, in despite of the oft–repeated assurance of the concierge that they were occupied, Dantes succeeded in inducing the man to go up to the tenants, and ask permission for a gentleman to be allowed to look at them.
The tenants of the humble lodging were a young couple who had been scarcely married a week; and seeing them, Dantes sighed heavily. Nothing in the two small chambers forming the apartments remained as it had been in the time of the elder Dantes; the very paper was different, while the articles of antiquated furniture with which the rooms had been filled in Edmond's time had all disappeared; the four walls alone remained as he had left them. The bed belonging to the present occupants was placed as the former owner of the chamber had been accustomed to have his; and, in spite of his efforts to prevent it, the eyes of Edmond were suffused in tears as he reflected that on that spot the old man had breathed his last, vainly calling for his son. The young couple gazed with astonishment at the sight of their visitor's emotion, and wondered to see the large tears silently chasing each other down his otherwise stern and immovable features; but they felt the sacredness of his grief, and kindly refrained from questioning him as to its cause, while, with instinctive delicacy, they left him to indulge his sorrow alone. When he withdrew from the scene of his painful recollections, they both accompanied him downstairs, reiterating their hope that he would come again whenever he pleased, and assuring him that their poor dwelling would ever be open to him. As Edmond passed the door on the fourth floor, he paused to inquire whether Caderousse the tailor still dwelt there; but he received, for reply, that the person in question had got into difficulties, and at the present time kept a small inn on the route from Bellegarde to Beaucaire.
Having obtained the address of the person to whom the house in the Allees de Meillan belonged, Dantes next proceeded thither, and, under the name of Lord Wilmore (the name and title inscribed on his passport), purchased the small dwelling for the sum of twenty–five thousand francs, at least ten thousand more than it was worth; but had its owner asked half a million, it would unhesitatingly have been given. The very same day the occupants of the apartments on the fifth floor of the house, now become the property of Dantes, were duly informed by the notary who had arranged the necessary transfer of deeds, etc., that the new landlord gave them their choice of any of the rooms in the house, without the least augmentation of rent, upon condition of their giving instant possession of the two small chambers they at present inhabited.
This strange event aroused great wonder and curiosity in the neighborhood of the Allees de Meillan, and a multitude of theories were afloat, none of which was anywhere near the truth. But what raised public astonishment to a climax, and set all conjecture at defiance, was the knowledge that the same stranger who had in the morning visited the Allees de Meillan had been seen in the evening walking in the little village of the Catalans, and afterwards observed to enter a poor fisherman's hut, and to pass more than an hour in inquiring after persons who had either been dead or gone away for more than fifteen or sixteen years. But on the following day the family from whom all these particulars had been asked received a handsome present, consisting of an entirely new fishing–boat, with two seines and a tender. The delighted recipients of these munificent gifts would gladly have poured out their thanks to their generous benefactor, but they had seen him, upon quitting the hut, merely give some orders to a sailor, and then springing lightly on horseback, leave Marseilles by the Porte d'Aix.


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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The following is a compilation of bill signings, speeches, appointments and other actions that President Barack Obama has engaged in that have promoted abortion before and during his presidency.
While Obama has promised to reduce abortions and some of his supporters believe that will happen, this long list proves his only agenda is promoting more abortions.
During the presidential election, Obama selected pro-abortion Sen. Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate.Post-Election / Pre-Inauguration
November 5, 2008 – Obama selects pro-abortion Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has a 0% pro-life voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 19, 2008 – Obama picks pro-abortion former Sen. Tom Daschleas his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle has a long pro-abortion voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 20, 2008 – Obama chooses former NARAL legal director Dawn Johnsen to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Later, he finalizes her appointment as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel in the Obama administration.
November 24, 2008 – Obama appoints Ellen Moran, the former director of the pro-abortion group Emily's List as his White House communications director. Emily's List only supports candidates who favored taxpayer funded abortions and opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.
November 24, 2008 – Obama puts former Emily's List board member Melody Barnes in place as his director of the Domestic Policy Council.
November 30, 2008 – Obama named pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Clinton has an unblemished pro-abortion voting record and has supported making unlimited abortions an international right.
December 10, 2008 – Obama selects pro-abortion former Clinton administration official Jeanne Lambrew to become the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Planned Parenthood is "excited" about the selection.
December 10, 2008 – Obama transition team publishes memo from dozens of pro-abortion groups listing their laundry list of pro-abortions actions they want him to take.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record – 2009
January 5, 2009 – Obama picks pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the chairman of the Democratic Party.
January 6, 2009 – Obama chooses Thomas Perrelli, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo's husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife, as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department.
January 22, 2009 – Releases statement restating support for Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions and has resulted in at least 50 million abortions since 1973.
January 23, 2009 – Forces taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. Decision to overturn Mexico City Policy sends part of $457 million to pro-abortion organizations.
January 26, 2009 – Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, tells members of the Senate that taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions. Nominee erroneously says limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.
January 29, 2009 – President Obama nominates pro-abortion David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General. – The Vatican has rejected three Obama ambassador nominees because of their positions in favor of abortions.
April 7 – Obama has named pro-abortion law professor Harold Hongju Koh as the top lawyer for the State Department.
April 7 – Put more abortion advocates on his White House advisory council for faith-based issues.
February 12, 2009 – Obama nominates pro-abortion Elena Kagan to serve as Solicitor General.
February 27, 2009 – Starts the process of overturning pro-life conscience protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.
February 28, 2009 – Barack Obama nominates pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
March 5, 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, made the invitation list as did other pro-abortion groups.
March 9, 2009 – President Barack Obama signed an executive order forcing taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
March 10, 2009 – Obama announces the creation of a new foreign policy position to focus on women's issues. He names Melanne Verveer, an abortion
advocate, to occupy the post.
March 10, 2009 – Reverses an executive order to press for more research into ways of obtaining embryonic stem cells without harming human life. The order Obama scrapped would have promoted new forms of stem cell research.
March 11, 2009 – Obama signed an executive order establishing a new agency within his administration known as the White House Council on Women and Girls. Obama's director of public liaison at the White House, Tina Tchen, an abortion advocate, became director of it.
March 11, 2009 – Obama administration promotes an unlimited right to abortion at a United Nations meeting.
March 11, 2009 – Obama administration officials deny negative effects of abortion at United Nation's meeting.
March 17, 2009 – President Barack Obama makes his first judicial appointment and names pro-abortion federal Judge David Hamilton to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
March 26 – President Obama announced $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that has been criticized for promoting abortion and working closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations.
April 7 – The Vatican has rejected three Obama ambassador nominees because of their positions in favor of abortions.
April 7 – Obama has named pro-abortion law professor Harold Hongju Koh as the top lawyer for the State Department.
April 7 – Put more abortion advocates on his White House advisory council for faith-based issues.
April 8 – Obama nominee for assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, Ron Weich, is pro-abortion.
April 14 – Obama administration releases document that claims pro-life people may engage in violence or extremism.
April 17 – Obama administration that implement his decision to allow taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life.toutedObama's decision to send $50 million to the United Nation's Population Fund.
April 23 – Refused to appeal a ruling requiring the FDA to allow 17-year-old girls to purchase the morning after pill without either a doctor visit or parental involvement beforehand.
April 27 – Obama's women's ambassador Melanne Verveer
May 5 – Details emerge about a terrorism dictionary the administration of President Barack Obama put together in March. The Domestic Extremism Lexicon calls pro-life advocates violent and claims they employ racist overtones in engaging in criminal actions.
May 8 – President Obama releases a new budget that allows the Legal Services Corporation to use tax dollars to pay for pro-abortion litigation.
May 8 – President Obama's new budget calls for taxpayer funded abortions in the nation's capital.
May 8 – President Obama's budget eliminates all federal funding for abstinence-only education.
May 15 – Appointed pro-abortion New York City health commissioner Thomas Frieden as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
May 17 – During his commencement speech at Notre Dame, Obama deceived listeners into thinking he wants a conscience clause, promoted embryonic stem cell research and misstated his pro-abortion record.
May 26 – Appoints appeals court judge Sonia Sonotmayoras a Supreme Court nominee. Sotomayor agrees that the courts should make policy, such as the Roe v. Wade case. Sotomayor is later opposed by pro-life groups and supported by pro-abortion groups and those who know her say she will support abortion on the high court.
July 2- Calls for an unlimited right to abortion at a United Nation's meeting.
July 7- The Obama administration admits it ignoredthe majority of Americans who opposed the proposed guidelines that would implement Obama's decision to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research.
July 14 – Obama science czar nominee John Holdren is revealed to have written before that he favors forced abortions.
July 30 – Awards several pro-abortion activists with the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
July 31 – Tells the National Institutes of Health to adopt rules that allow embryonic stem cell research.
August 4 – Information becomes public that Ezekiel Emanuel, an Obama advisor at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research, supports rationing health care for disabled Americans that could lead to euthanasia.
August 6 – Obama criticized for asking for people to "snitch" on groups and people who oppose the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress.
August 13 – Obama wrongly said a senator backed the pro-euthanasia components of the health care bill.
August 23 – Said pro-life advocates were making "phony claims" about the health care bills. Also said the claims were false.
August 24 – Releases veterans guide promoting euthanasia.
September 13 – Misleads on the federal conscience clause in a health care speech and misleads on abortion funding.
September 13 – Obama waits two days to comment on shooting of pro-life advocate whereas he commented immediately on shooting of abortion practitioner.
September 15 – Senate confirms Obama's new regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, who is pro-abortion.
October 5 – Selected pro-abortion lawyer and Georgetown University law professor Chai Feldblum for the EEOC.
October 5 – Announces he will give the keynote speech for pro-abortion group Human Rights Campaign.
October 19 – Obama's serve.gov web site promotes the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
October 21 – Obama administration web site promotes pro-abortion health care bills.
November 6 – Endorsed the House version of the health care bill that, at the time, contained massive abortion funding, rationing and assisted suicide promotion.
November 26 – Copies Thanksgiving proclamation of President Bush but leaves out pro-life message.
December 2 – Authorized taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research that kills days-old unborn children.
December 3 – A pro-abortion Obama judicial pick, Louis Butler, is approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
December 7 – Announces his endorsement of the pro-abortion Senate health care bill.
December 16 – Obama administration forces Americans a second time to spend millions more on embryonic stem cell research that destroys human life.
December 17 – Signed a bill that overturned the 13-year-long ban on funding abortions with tax dollars in the nation's capital.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record – 2010
January 18, 2010 – Gives speech supporting pro-abortion Senate candidate Martha Coakley.
January 26, 2010 – Renominates radical pro-abortion activist Dawn Johnsen to a top Justice Department position.
January 28, 2010 – Promotes the pro-abortion health care bill in the State of the Union address.
February 2, 2010 – Submits new budget calling for taxpayer funding of abortions and more money for Planned Parenthood.
February 5, 2010 – The Obama administration issued a new order for the U.S. military requiring all military hospitals and health centers to stock the morning after pill.
February 8, 2010 – The Obama administration admitted it improperly conducted a threat assessmenton pro-life groups in Wisconsin who were preparing to rally against a new abortion center at a University of Wisconsin health clinic.
February 16, 2010 – White House visitor logs reveal Obama has given Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards frequent access to top staffers.
February 22, 2010 – Unveils changes to the pro-abortion health care bill that keep abortion funding, expand abortion funding, and require a monthly abortion fee on Americans.
February 24, 2010 – Obama administration proposes expanding embryonic stem cell research further.
February 26, 2010 – Obama has selected pro-abortion magistrate judge Timothy Black for the District Court Bench for the Southern District of Ohio. Black gets the endorsement of NARAL.
March 3, 2010 – Officially decides to use the controversial reconciliation procedure to pass the pro-abortion health care bill over the filibuster rights of those opposed.
March 22, 2010 – Signs the pro-abortion health care bill into law that contains massive abortion funding, no conscience protections and
March 24, 2010 – Signs executive order purporting to ban abortion funding that leaves taxpayer funding of abortions in place.
March 26, 2010 – White House visitor logs show pro-abortion NARAL activist Nancy Keenan meeting with key Obama staffers frequently and invited to social functions.
March 29, 2010 – Uses recess appointment to name pro-abortion activist Chai Feldblum to the EEOC.
March 30, 2010 – Signs the reconciliation health care bill that does not contain any fixes for the massive abortion funding.
April 6, 2010 – Battle begins over pro-abortion Obama appeals court nominee Goodwin Liu.
April 7, 2010 – Obama administration pressures Kenya to adopt a new constitution that would legalize unlimited abortions.
April 15, 2010 – WHO applauds Obama administration for promoting abortion worldwide.
May 8, 2010 – Obama's federal budget eliminates abstinence education funding.
May 10, 2010 – Names pro-abortion activist Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court; she is strongly opposed by pro-life groups.
May 26, 2010 – Congressman Chris Smith reports the Obama administration has spent $10 million potentially illegally promoting a pro-abortion constitution in Kenya.
May 27, 2010 – Obama selected Donald Berwickto become the director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the office that oversees government health care programs. Berwick supports the rationing components of the British medical system.
June 17, 2010 – Obama administration, via FDA panel, approves the use of the new abortion drug ella.
June 23, 2010 – Obama administration approves more federal taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
July 7, 2010 – Obama uses a recess appointment to name rationing advocate Donald Berwick to become the director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
July 7, 2010 – Obama administration deniesit is funding the campaign for the pro-abortion Constitution in Kenya.
July 13, 2010 – It is discovered that the Obama administration planned to fund abortions in Pennsylvania in high risk insurance programs created through the national health care law Obama signed.
July 13, 2010 – It is discovered that the Obama administration planned to fund abortions in New Mexico in high risk insurance programs created through the national health care law Obama signed.
July 16, 2010 – The Obama administration also planned to fund abortions under the national health care plan in Maryland.
July 19, 2010 – A new report indicates the Obama administration has spent as much as $23 million to influence residents of Kenya to vote for a proposed constitution that essentially legalizes abortion.
July 22, 2010 – President Obama's ambassador to Kenya openly endorses a proposed constitution that would essentially legalize abortion.
August 13, 2010 – Obama administration clears itselffrom illegally supporting the campaign for the pro-abortion Constitution in Kenya.
August 16, 2010 – Obama administration approves new abortion drug Ella.
August 24, 2010 – Obama administration appealsa judge's ruling saying Obama violated a national law when forcing taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research.
August 26, 2010 – Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs.
September 1, 2010 – Obama administration officials tell embryonic stem cell researchers to ignore judge's decision preventing federal funding.
September 10, 2010 – Funds more embryonic stem cell research.
September 10, 2010 – Misleads Americans on abortion funding in health care during nationally-televised speech.
September 20, 2010 – Senate plans votes on pro-abortion lower court judges Obama picked.
September 28, 2010 – Defends legal abortions in an interview.
September 30, 2010 – Obama administration exposed as to how it partnered with leading pro-abortion organizations to host an FBI training seminar in August with the main focus of declaring as "violent" the free speech activities of pro-life Americans.
November 10, 2010 – Michelle Obama picks abortion advocate as new chief of staff.
November 22, 2010 – Obama officials approve second trial of embryonic stem cells on patients despite ethical concerns and tumor and immune system rejection issues.
December 13, 2010 – Suggests more embryonic stem cell research funding.
December 14, 2010 – Obama administration admits it is working to rescind conscience protections for medical professionals who don't want to participate in abortions.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record – 2011
January 5, 2011 – Obama renominates four pro-abortion judicial picks.
January 7, 2011 – Selects pro-abortion William Daley as Chief of Staff.
January 23, 2011 – Celebrates anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
January 27, 2011 – Picks pro-abortion activist to lead Global Health Initiative.
January 27, 2011 – Renominates rationing czar Donald Berwick.
January 27, 2011 – Lobbies faith advocatesto support pro-abortion Obamacare.
February 7, 2011 – Obama rewards Catholic group that supported pro-abortion Obamacare with place on faith based panel.
February 18, 2011 – President Obama weakens conscience protections for pro-life medical workers.
March 1, 2011 – Appeals judge's ruling overturning pro-abortion Obamacare.
March 2, 2011 – Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls.
March 3, 2011 – Obama Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can't say if Obama addressed the topic of forced abortions with the president of China.
March 4, 2011 – Obama threatens to veto bill de-funding Planned Parenthood abortion business.
March 8, 2011 – Michelle Obama hosts Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards.
March 11, 2011 – Obama officials refuse to say who met with Obama to develop pro-abortion Obamacare.
March 11, 2011 – Obama administration accused of ignoring Hyde Amendment on abortions done and paid for via federally-funded college health care plans.
March 11, 2011 – Obama nominates pro-abortion activists Steve Six for federal appeals court position.
April 11, 2011 – Refuses Speaker John Boehner's request to cut taxpayer funding to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
April 14, 2011 – Obama administration castigates The Vatican over family planning.
April 19, 2011 – Obama Easter breakfast has pro-abortion religious leaders.
May 2, 2011 – Report shows the Obama administration met with abortion advocates during consideration of Obamacare.
May 10, 2011 – Senate confirms pro-abortion Obama judicial pick Edward Chen.
May 11, 2011 – Obama schmoozes with Planned Parenthood abortion business president, Cecile Richards.
May 17, 2011 – Obama administration targets peaceful pro-life advocate for prosecution.
May 19, 2011 – Names pro-abortion Morgan Christen to a federal appeals court position.
June 1, 2011 – Denies Indiana's request to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
June 2, 2011 – Obama administration approves more taxpayer-funded embryonic stem cell research.
June 17, 2011 – Defends forcing taxpayers to fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business in court.
July 7, 2011 – Report shows Obama policies resulted in 300 tax-funded abortions in Washington, D.C.
July 21, 2011 – Demands that New Hampshire make taxpayers fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
July 21, 2011 – Fines a peaceful pro-lifer $25,000.
August 1, 2011 – Forces insurance companies to pay for abortion drugs under Obamacare.
August 19, 2011 – Obama administration found to have spent taxpayer funds promoting pro-abortion Obamacare during the 2010 elections.
August 19, 2011 — Obama administration approves more taxpayer-funded embryonic stem cell research.
August 22, 2011 – Vice President Joe Biden fails to condemn China's one-child, forced abortion policy.
August 23, 2011 — Obama administration calls children "sexual beings," pushes sex on them.
September 14, 2011 – Forces New Hampshire to fund Planned Parenthood.
September 19, 2011 – The chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama was a keynote speaker at the Power of Choice Summit sponsored by leading pro-abortion activists group NARAL.
September 21, 2011 – Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius speaks at a pro-abortion fundraiser.
September 28, 2011 – Mandates additional taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
October 12, 2011 – Funds additional embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer funds.
October 12, 2011 – Threatens to veto a bill that would cut taxpayer funding for abortions.
October 12, 2011 – Obama administration cuts anti-sex trafficking grant to the nation's Catholic bishops over abortion.
October 21, 2011 – Obama administration found hiding public comments against Obamacare on the White House web site.
November 11, 2011 – Defends taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business at a pro-abortion activist dinner.
November 16, 2011 – Report finds Obama administration broke the law pushing abortion in Kenya.
November 18, 2011 – Obama hires a pro-abortion activist to head women's outreach.
November 25, 2011 – Awards grants to embryonic stem cell research.
December 6, 2011 – Republicans were forced to stop an Obama pro-abortion judge, Caitlin Halligan.
December 12, 2011 – Obama administration blocks Texas' attempt to de-fund Planned Parenthood.
December 12, 2011 — Hires a former Planned Parenthood abortion business official to run his campaign in North Carolina.
December 18, 2011 – Appoints a former Planned Parenthood board member to a position as a federal appeals court judge.
December 23, 2011 – Obama administration sends more taxpayer dollars to embryonic stem cell research.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record – 2012
January 13, 2012 – Forces taxpayers to fund more embryonic stem cell research.
January 17, 2012 – A judge stops the Obama administration from trying to silence a pro-life activist.
January 22, 2012 – Obama celebrates Roe v. Wade decision allowing 54 million abortions.
January 22, 2012 – Puts in place a new mandate forcing religious employers to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions.
January 27, 2012 – Michelle Obama lunches with a Planned Parenthood CEO.
January 30, 2012 – A judge stops the Obama administration from silencing a pro-life activist.
January 31, 2012 – Appoints pro-abortion lawyer who helped craft Roe v. Wade to federal appeals court.
February 7, 2012 – The Obama administration silenced Catholic Army chaplains from reading a letter that criticized the Obama administration on its new mandate that forces religious employers to pay for coverage for employees that includes birth control and drugs that can cause abortions.
February 10, 2012 – Obama revises the birth control mandate to require insurance companies to provide it along with free drugs that may cause abortions.
February 17, 2012 – Obama administration wants lawsuit against the HHS mandate dismissed.
February 27, 2012 – Sends a pro-abortion delegation to a UN meeting.
March 5, 20120 – President Obama's budget calls for ending funding to the snowflake embryo adoption program.
March 5, 2012 – Obama admin agency has declared that Pepsi's use of the company and its controversial flavor testing process constitutes "ordinary business."
March 6, 2012 – Obama administration officials lectured Catholic bishops on pro-life issues.
March 12, 2012 – The Obama administration has been arranging abortions for illegal immigrants.
March 13, 2012 – The Obama administration has issued the final rules on abortion funding governing the controversial health care law including an abortion surcharge of at least $1.
March 15, 2012 – Obama administration tries to kill Texas health program because it de-funded Planned Parenthood.
March 16, 2012 – The Obama administration is getting grief from a pro-life group for approving an experiment using the remains of the bodies of unborn children victimized in abortion for research continues in U.S. laboratories.
March 19, 2012 – The Obama administration targets a pro-life activist.
March 20, 2012 – Obama administration officials fail to help a nurse subjected to assisting abortions.
March 22, 2012 – Obama administration fails to tell women the ella drug causes abortions.
March 29, 2012 – President Obama praises Planned Parenthood in a new video.
April 2, 2012 – Obama administration forced to pay $120,000 after targeting pro-life advocate.
April 6, 2012 – President Obama falsely claims Planned Parenthood does mammograms.
April 13, 2012 – Obama administration admits it excluded public comments against the controversial HHS mandate.


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Writing Yourself Out of a Hole
September 24th, 2012By Danny Manus
There's an old story I'm tweaking slightly for our purposes that goes…
A screenwriter is walking down the street and falls into a deep hole and can't get out.
A Director comes by and the screenwriter yells, "Hey, I've fallen into this hole and I can't get out. Can you help me?"
The Director throws a camera down the hole and says, "I can't get you out, but if you film your journey, I can make it a movie." And he moves on.
Then an Executive Producer comes by and the screenwriter yells, "Hey, I've fallen into this hole and I can't get out. Can you help me?"
The Exec Producer takes out his wallet and throws a bunch of money down the hole and says "I can't get you out, but if you figure out the way, I'll pay for it." And he moves on.
Finally, a fellow screenwriter passes by and the writer in the hole yells out, "Hey, I've fallen into this hole and I can't get out. Can you help me?"
And the second Screenwriter jumps down into the hole with him. The first writer turns to him and says, "Well that was stupid, now we're both trapped in this hole."
And the second screenwriter says, "Yeah, but I've been down in this hole before and I know the way out."
Writers write themselves into holes all the time. But the sign of a truly great writer is being able to write yourself out of it. And let me tell you, more than 80% of writers – can't.
Writing yourself into a hole usually happens when you haven't planned, plotted, outlined or done character exercises before starting to write. Writing yourself out of one usually happens either when you get stuck and you're not sure what should come next, or after you've started rewriting and you (or someone else) begin to find tons of plot holes and unanswered questions.
If you have left a ton of unanswered questions from not outlining, then it's like you've jumped into that hole and crossed your fingers, hoping everyone would just keep walking and not notice. But why would you want to stay down in that hole instead of figuring a way out?
And I'm guilt of this myself. On the conspiracy thriller script I was hired to write, I had a rough treatment going in, but the person who hired me and had written the treatment forgot one major part…the conspiracy. So, we knew where the story started and we knew where it ended and we knew a few of the major moments and action in the middle. But I started writing before I really nailed down how the conspiracy was going to come together or how everyone was exactly connected and what the pieces of evidence were that would ultimately expose said conspiracy… And guess what…I wrote myself into a hole. I had killed a character that I realized could have been the key. I had created a conflict that caused a major plot hole before I had thought of a solution. And I didn't know exactly how to pace the conspiracy so it would make sense but not reveal too much, too soon. And the hole began to get deeper.
So when you find that a question is unanswered and a plot hole has formed, instead of continuing on the same road hoping the hole disappears, here are some of the major things to think about and examine to go back and cement that hole and keep your story moving.
– Set Ups – I dare say that 60% of all plot holes and story issues exist because the writer has failed to set up something earlier on that would help explain it all. A set up doesn't always have to be a big extravagant moment – it can be a quick line or quick shot of off-color comment, but that we will connect later on to what's happening. If your character has to know how to climb a mountain in order to escape her situation in the climax and you've never set this up that she knows how – you've written yourself into a hole. But instead of going back and inserting many scenes of her climbing, you could just show us pictures of her doing this in the first act or show us mountain climbing ropes and gear in her car, etc. It's all about set ups, but it doesn't always means retooling your whole story.
– Motivations – Look at why you're characters are there, doing what they're doing, and why (and if) it's important to them, what they have to accomplish and why (what happens if they don't accomplish it?). You may find that your hole has been created because your characters are doing something unnecessary or not set up as being important to them. If your characters are only doing something because YOU need them to in order for other things to make sense, then you may be writing yourself deeper into a hole.
– Locations – Look at where the action (and the hole) is taking place. Do your characters have to be here or is there an easier way? Is it a location that makes sense to the story and action taking place? If it feels like your characters are just pinging back and forth between different locations, is there a way to condense them so your story won't feel confusing or scenes won't seem unnecessary? But also, do your locations give you enough opportunities for action or scares or comedy and afford you the visuals you need to make your scenes work without forcing it? If not, you may want to think about changing your locations.
– Coincidences – If big moments in your script (more than 1 or 2) only occur because of coincidences taking place, then your plot is not strong enough and you will be writing yourself into a hole. If "coincidence" is the only explanation for your action, you're not outlining enough. Go back and think of other ways or reasons why that "thing" could occur or bring your characters to where "it" occurs.
– Brainstorming – It's all about thinking about different ways to obtain the same result. If your character has to get into a house without being heard, think of 5 ways for him to do so. Always give yourself options and see which one makes the most sense for your set ups, your characters and your purpose. Ask other people if you need to.
– Streamlining – Very often holes are created because you're trying to do too much with your plot or action or you're working too many characters into the plot because you think it will keep things interesting. Streamlining your story and only including plot points, subplots and characters that advance the important storylines and arcs of your protagonist will ensure that you don't write yourself into unnecessary holes.
– Common Sense – When all else fails, follow an old adage that always holds true – KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID. If you find that your characters are trapped in a situation or have to do something and they don't know how to, just use common sense. Think about what YOU would do to get out of that situation – then make it visual.
So many writers try to get all complex and intricate with their conspiracies or their action or even small innocuous things – like getting through a front door. But sometimes you don't have to wire a tree to break a window to signal the dog to chase the cat to jump on a bookshelf to knock over a lamp to ignite a fire to burn the door down…Sometimes you can just turn the fucking doorknob and walk inside.
There are so many holes that writers can find themselves trapped in – don't let it be one you've created for yourself. And if you do find yourself looking up from that position, don't be afraid to ask others who have been there for help.


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Kitchen Garden Magazine makes growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs easy, with invaluable tips and advice on all things crop growing - from how to increase your yields, what to plant and how to reduce garden pests. Perfect for experienced growers and novices alike, Kitchen Garden will help you get the best out of your plot.
A subscription to Kitchen Garden Magazine will help you grow the tastiest produce from your plot - whether that be allotment or a veg patch in your garden - it'll even help you to make the most from your patio or balcony space.
Whatsmore, Kitchen Garden Magazine gives you access to discounts and offers for major gardening shops and suppliers, to help you save big on vital gardening tools and essentials. You'll also be able to enter subscriber only competitions, to win fantastic prizes worth thousands of pounds, from cultivators and greenhouses to seeds and spades.
Join the thousands of Kitchen Garden Magazine readers today with a monthly digital magazine subscription - the ultimate guide to growing your own food from seed - subscribe today!
Spoil yourself to a subscription to Kitchen Garden, Britain's leading magazine dedicated to helping you grow your own fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs. In each issue you'll receive timely advice on what to do and when - from what to sow and when to harvest, and what to prepare for the season ahead.
Your subscription will ensure you know how to create the right environment for your fruit and vegetables to grow to their full potential, from potatoes and courgettes to berries and rhubarb. Read our special feature, where we visit the gardens of other readers to learn the secrets to their success, sharing tips on sowing, growing and harvesting.
Furthermore, you'll love the Kitchen Garden Buying Guides, packed with information to help you make the best choices on seeds, tools and materials.
Kitchen Garden Magazine brings you convenient, easy to follow gardening advice, to ensure you grow the best crops you possibly can, and to never run out of ideas for what to grow next.
A Kitchen Garden digital magazine subscription is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys growing their own fruit and vegetables, with useful advice for experienced gardeners and novices alike. Subscribe today and enjoy:


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Home What We Treat X-rays
Urgent Care X-ray Services
You feel like you've broken a bone. Why let the pain linger?
Most of our locations nationwide offer in-house X-ray Services so come and get checked out immediately. From broken bones to compound fractures, we at NextCare can service your most urgent injuries. You can book ahead using our online check-in service so that you don't have to wait in the lobby for your X-ray.
NextCare Urgent Care offers in-house X-Ray Services at most of its locations nationwide. If you are in need for an X-ray for any type of injury like a broken bone or a compound fracture, come to NextCare and get checked out. You can also book ahead using our online check-in service so that you don't have to wait in the lobby for your X-Ray. With our in-house X-ray machines, we are ready to service your most urgent injuries. From broken bones to compound fractures, NextCare's X-ray services can help.
X-rays available at NextCare:
- Upper extremities: hand, wrist, elbow, arm (humerus, ulna, radius)
- Lower extremities: foot, ankle, knee, leg (tibia, fibula, femur)
- Chest (lungs)
- Spine / Lumbar
- Abdominal
- Pelvis / Hip
Our X-ray services may vary by State or Location. To confirm that your nearest NextCare can provide the X-ray you need, please call our customer service center at 888-381-4858


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Genius, a leading global brand in personal peripheral devices for the digital world, is proud to announce its ultimate gaming peripheral offer combining its most-dependable gaming mouse, keyboard and headset into one package. Quickly get into battle without compromise with the Genius KMH-200 gaming combo: everything you need to dominate the battlefield.
The Genius KMH-200 will have an MSRP of $27.90. This is by far the most comprehensive package any gamer can have at such a low with all other combos out right now only including both keyboard and mouse, Genius rounds out the entire gaming experience and brings you both keyboard and mouse as well as a gaming headset all in one bundle. A truly remarkable offer.
Table of Contents
Genius KMH-200 Gaming Keyboard and Mouse
Featuring enhanced, low-profile keycaps and low-noise design, the KMH-200 gaming keyboard is designed for high-precision and accurate response for the most comfortable feel. A spill-resistant design ensures no drink can put you out of the game.
The Genius X-G200 gaming mouse compliments the keyboard with its ambidextrous design allowing right- or left-handed gamers to fully enjoy the high-performance gaming mouse. LED lights illuminate the way for the X-G200, adding visual style to your gaming. The Genius X-G200 features 1000DPI for just the right performance for those starting to adjust to competitive gaming. The X-G200 is an ambidextrous design allowing both left and right gamers to use the mouse without problems allowing a more natural grip so no one is left behind.
Genius KMH-200 Gaming Headset
The included headset that rounds out the set features 40mm studio-grade drivers and is tuned to provide strong, controlled bass without muddying the clear audio. A clear, noise-reducing mic compliments comms while gaming and is fully adjustable to get out of the way when not in use. The Genius KMH-200 gaming headset is designed for comfort with soft PU leather on the cups and headband for longer gaming sessions. The headband adjusts to accommodate head sizes and is completely lightweight to reduce strain after long gaming sessions.
The KMH-200 Gaming Headset is made with utmost quality featuring strong braided cables to prevent twining and tangles for a longer life span. And at only 245g its lightweight adds to the comfort offering of the headset making it friendly for people who prefer lighter headsets or like to game on longer sessions. Inline volume control makes adjustments convenient and accessible without fumbling for controls. A truly immersive audio experience awaits gamers with the KMH-200 gaming headset.
Durable Build Quality and Design
All components of the KMH-200 peripheral set are made with endurance in mind to keep up with the fast-paced and action-packed lifestyle of gamers. The KMH-200 features durable, braided cable for added integrity and style that keeps the cables neat. Drain holes in the keyboard guarantee no damage from quick spills and allows liquid to pass through the keyboard for easier clean-up.
Driver-free Freedom, Plug-and-Play Design
Gamers know how important their settings are and when you grow used to your gaming gear you just need it with you anywhere you go. In LAN parties or competitions, Genius makes it easy with the KMH-200 having a fully driverless design letting gamers just plug-and-play without the need to install software. Get started playing quickly.
Visit the Genius website at: https://global.geniusnet.com/


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Insect Protective Clothing
BugBaffler® clothing features our genuine no-see-um, ultra-fine mesh fabric and unique design to keep even the tiniest insects out. Provides a mosquito/blackfly barrier and protection against bees, green heads, ticks and those pesky no-see-ums. Cooler, less restrictive and less expensive than regular bee suits!
- Designed for maximum comfort and durability.
- Lightweight, polyester genuine no-see-um mesh is available in olive green or white. Please note that all hoods are black to provide maximum vision through small mesh fabric.
- Generous unisex sizing gives freedom of movement; no need to size up.
- Safe to wear—requires no chemical application. (In heavily tick-infested areas, the garment can be sprayed if necessary. The prolonged use of spray may damage fabric.)
- Garments are easy to put on and take off.


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Rotate MacBook Display Orientation
Want to use a rotated display on a MacBook? You can do exactly that, and the same way that you rotate screen orientation on a display connected to a Mac can be done with the built-in display of a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air (pictured).
How to Rotate the Built-In Display of a MacBook / MacBook Pro / MacBook Air
Rotating the internal display of a Mac laptop is quite simple in OS X, here's what you'll want to do:
- Launch System Preferences from the Apple menu (quit it if it's already open)
- Hold down the Command+Option keys and click on "Display"
- Look for 'Rotation' on the right side of the Display window and take your pick of the display rotation options
- Standard – the default display orientation without any rotation
- 90 – rotate 90 degrees clockwise and turn the display on it's side
- 180 – flip vertically, the screen will look upside-down if the Mac is right-side up
- 270 – rotate 270 degrees clockwise, turning the display onto its other side
- Choose your rotation option to immediately see the change
After the display has been rotated, the resolutions adjust from width x height to height x width. For example, 1440×900 would turn into 900×1440, scaled or unscaled, depending on if the Mac has a retina screen or not.
Here's a screenshot taken with the display on a MacBook Air set at 90° rotation, for example:
If System Preferences is already open then holding down Command+Option doesn't seem to make the Rotatation menu appear. If you run into that, just quit out of System Prefs and relaunch it.
The rotation of the internal display will stay in effect each time you reboot the MacBook, but if you run into any issues you can boot into Safe Mode (or reset SMC) to dump the preferences associated with display settings and get back to normal again. Rotating the built-in display of a MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air works in all versions of OS X.
Note: Just in case you couldn't imagine why a user would want to do this, it's actually fairly handy for some workstation scenarios. And indeed, some users use their MacBook this way, as this does have some practical use, as you can see in a recent Mac setup post showing a MacBook Pro sideways next to a Cinema Display.


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Canvas Print of a Trooper
These canvas' come ready to hang and are made right in our little backyard studio.
12" x 16" with a 1/2" thickness
16" x 20" with a 1/2" thickness
MATERIAL: cotton-poly canvas & Wood Stretcher Bar
This is a canvas has been printed from a scan of my original art work. Each canvas is printed with photographic ink jet technology producing vivid colors on a high quality woven canvas. We then take the printed canvas and stretch it over wooden bars so it's ready to hang. The image extends over the sides of the canvas giving it a modern look when hung. Each print is then signed by me and wrapped in poly for protection.
We use Canada Post or UPS expedited which includes tracking, insurance and typically arrives 4-7 business days depending on your location.
We typically can get orders out within 24 hours. Everything is shipped from our little backyard Studio in Edmonton, Alberta.
If you spend over $125 we cover the shipping cost in Canada as a Thank you!
Local Pick-up in Edmonton
We do offer Free Local Pick-up at our little backyard studio in Edmonton. This is located on our personal residence so an appointment has to be arranged beforehand.
On the check-out page under Delivery Options you will see "Local Pick-up" as an option, once you complete check out with this option selected you will get an email with pick-up instructions.
Please note the studio is a work space and is not set up as a retail store. I am more than happy to arrange a time if you'd like to come by to check out sizing on clothing but we do not have a change room. I can pull out specific products but we are not set up for browsing.
To Schedule an appointment click HERE
Returns & Exchanges
Returns and Exchanges are accepted within 14 days of you having received your item. Return shipping charges remain the buyer's responsibility.
Refund will be given once I have received the item in the same condition I sent it out in. If you receive Free Shipping and return any of the items, the shipping fee will be deducted from your refund.
Please email me email@example.com if you have any issues and I will give you more detailed information on how to start an exchange or return.


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In today's digital world where data is the new currency, protecting this data has become more important than ever before. In 2017, attackers had a huge impact on businesses as we saw a large outbreak of ransomware attacks like WannaCry, Petya and Locky. According to a report from MalwareBytes, ransomware detections were up 90 and 93 percent for businesses and consumers respectively in 2017. When a machine gets attacked by ransomware, backups are usually the last line of defense that customers resort to.
With increasing innovations in the ransomware space, attackers are no longer restricting themselves to only data corruption. Backups are becoming the next line of attack for ransomware tools and when you are in a situation with no data or its backups you end up being hostage to the ransomware attacker. This month saw the advent of a new ransomware, Zenis (found by the MalwareHunterTeam) which not only encrypts your files but also purposely deletes your backups.
Combating these attacks requires more than just taking the backup. Taking a backup is only the first step in your protection, it becomes important to safe guard those backups in this model.
Ask these questions to check how secure your backups are today:
- Is your backup isolated from your production data?
- Are there any mechanisms to ensure destructive operations are authenticated?
- Do you have a mechanism to get alerted if a critical operation was performed during this period?
If you answered "No" to any of the above, you need to look at a new model for your backups.
This week as we celebrate World Backup Day, let's look at the key considerations that customers should look for in backup products as they build the defenses to secure their backups from evolving ransomware attacks.
Key considerations for securing backups
To secure your backups, you need a multi-layered security mechanism that not only provides a backup but also addresses all the above, so ransomware cannot affect it.
- Offsite backups: Ensure your backups are stored separate from your production data so that access to local data does not guarantee access to the backups as well.
- Multi-factor authentication for critical operations: Backup products should detect operations that can be critical e.g. deletion of backups, changing passphrases and ensure that these operations have multi-factor authentication before they succeed
- Encrypted: The backup data should be encrypted both during transit to offsite location and at rest. Keep the passphrases safe by storing them in a safe location separate from production data
- Role based access: Segregate duties within your team and grant only the amount of access to users that they need to perform their jobs
- Alerting: Notifications should be sent for any critical operations that impact availability of backup data.
- Delayed Delete: Backup products should ensure that backups are retained for a minimum period-of-time even if a deletion request came from an authenticated access.
How does Azure Backup achieve these?
Consideration | How does Azure Backup achieve it? |
Offsite backup | Azure Backup stores backups in a storage account that is maintained by the Azure Backup service and is separate from the customer's subscription |
Multi-factor authentication | Any critical operations that originate from an on-premises location need to have valid two-factor authentication before they are honored |
Encryption | Backups are encrypted using AES 256 and sent via HTTPS to the cloud |
Role based access | Using Azure RBAC you can assign specific access to the various roles in your organization |
Alerting | Azure Backup alerts administrators through notifications for critical operation |
Delayed delete | Azure Backup retains backups for 14 days after a deletion request from an authenticated user |
This World Backup Day, step up your game – don't just protect your data, secure your backups too!
Related links and additional content
- Learn more about Azure Backup Security Features
- Getting started with Recovery Services vault
- Need help? Reach out to Azure Backup forum for support
- Tell us how we can improve Azure Backup by contributing new ideas and voting up existing ones
- Follow us on Twitter @AzureBackup for latest news and updates


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National Duct Toronto
Today, National Duct is Canada's largest professional duct cleaner and operates the newest fleet of duct cleaning vacuum trucks in the industry. National Duct Toronto provides residential, commercial and Industrial air duct cleaning services . We believe that duct cleaning is about technology and service.
Clean air at home is vital for maintaining good health for you and your family. This starts with duct cleaning from trusted and efficient technicians that will do the best job the first time. National Duct cleans various parts of the air heating and cooling system to remove dust and particulates. The benefits of cleaning your HVAC system can provide reduced levels of dirt and debris, reduced symptoms from allergies and asthma, lengthen the life of the HVAC system and save on monthly energy costs to operate your equipment. .
The Benefits of a National Duct Toronto Cleaning
- Reduce the levels of dirt and debris
Each year, dust, dirt, and debris will naturally find their way into the duct system in your home. This doesn't mean you are doing something wrong—it is just part of what happens when nature encounters artificial structures. Not only can dusty, dirty air create more housework as you continually clean away the dust only to have it as quickly return again and again, but also cozy, dusty vents and ducts with a pleasant lining of debris can attract rodents and other unwanted house guests who may be looking for a place to have a nest or spend the winter.
- Reduce symptoms from allergies and asthma
Perhaps some members of your family are susceptible to allergies or even suffer from asthma or other breathing issues. If you have pets in your family, the dander, hair/fur, and dust they shed can exacerbate existing problems. In the same way, air ducts that contain allergens (dust, debris, pet dander, pollen, mould spores, mildew, etc.) are likely to exacerbate any existing health conditions as toxin-filled air circulates throughout your home. Cleaning your vents regularly can reduce sick time, doctor bills, personal illness and discomfort, and more.
- Prolong the life of your HVAC system
The dirtier your ductwork system becomes, the harder your HVAC unit must work to push air through the ducts and keep it circulating evenly throughout your home. As mentioned earlier (see No. 2 here), you may have to replace compromised ducts if you do not clean them as needed. Your HVAC system motor will experience less wear and tear if its work is made more accessible by clean ducts.
Perhaps most importantly for your family's budget, regular preventative maintenance is less expensive than prematurely replacing your HVAC unit.
- Save on monthly electricity costs
If the presence of dirt, debris, rodents, or toxins is causing your HVAC unit to work harder than it was designed to work, this will also cause the unit to draw more power to keep doing its job. This cycle will drive up your monthly utility costs, especially in temperature extremes of hot and cold. If you notice an upward creep in your energy usage and monthly bill, dirty air ducts may be the reason.
- Ensure your home is safe
Every year many homes catch fire because of debris collected in the ductwork. This tragic situation can be avoided by simply ensuring your home's ducts are cleaned and maintained as needed. The risk grows exponentially if you have an older HVAC unit and use propane or other fuels to run your furnace, stove, fireplace, or portable heating units. When debris comes in contact with any of these appliances or devices, fire risk increases accordingly. A simple air duct cleaning can drastically reduce your risk and also assess your home for any other existing HVAC-related fire risks.
If you are thinking about cleaning your ducts or dryers, there is no better time than now. Cleaning the vents will lead to various benefits for you, your home and your family. Reduced levels of debris in your duct systems can alleviate the dust around your home, leading to reduced symptoms of allergies and asthma. With less dust, fur, pollen, and other foreign substances circulating in your air, there will be less personal discomfort for everyone that used to experience it. Less dirt in the ductwork means it is easier for your vents to push out clean air to the rest of your home, prolonging their lives so you will not need to replace them prematurely. In addition to the extra force that dirty vents must exert to push out air, more electricity is required to make this happen. Clean vents mean less energy needed to perform the same job as clean vents, saving you time and money. Most importantly, a safe home for you and your family should be at the top of everybody's priorities, and clean ducts ensure a lesser chance of a house fire or any other risks associated with your ductwork.
National Duct has pioneered the 5-step Ironclad Commitment® based on customer feedback and inspired by the best practices from other service businesses to take the guesswork out of duct cleaning.
If you want to learn more or to book an appointment for air duct cleaning , you can visit them at there website www.nationalduct.ca or call them at 647-366-4140 . Remember to call them because we will not call you!


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Polycom RealPresence Touch is a touch screen panel for RealPresence Group Series and Polycom's Immersive Telepresence solutions. The simple and intuitive design lets you focus on your conversations instead of the technology. The design is consistent across the Polycom portfolio, whether you're calling from a conference room or using a Polycom desktop, mobile or web client. This makes it easy to use video collaboration from any environment, with a touchscreen interface that is instantly familiar no matter where you're calling from.
For IT administrators, RealPresence Touch is easy to deploy, with Power over Ethernet for single cable connections. You can also adjust the experience to meet the unique needs of your users. The background image can be customized to match your branding or provide information about the room. Plus the home screen buttons and default screens can be selected by administrators to optimize the collaboration platform experience for their user base, resulting in fewer support calls.


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The pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers. Suzie Smith stood and walked to the podium.
She said, "I have a praise. Two months ago, my husband, Phil, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn't know if they could help him."
You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as they imagine the pain that poor Phil must have experienced.
"Phil was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every move caused him terrible pain. We prayed as the doctors performed a delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Phil's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place."
Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Phil.
"Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "thank the Lord, Phil is out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely."
All the men sighed with unified relief. The pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say. ..........
A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium.
He said, "I'm Phil." The entire congregation held its breath. "I just want to tell my wife the word is sternum."