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This plugin, created by LWS, allows you to easily add banners and widgets such as domain name availability search or a summary table of our hosting plans on your website.
Enjoy our affiliate program and earn money!
Key Features
Major features in LWS Affiliation include:
Add an affiliate banner in one click.
Add a customizable domain name search widget.
Add a table of our hosting offers (shared hosting, VPS, e-commerce, cloud, etc…).
Follow the perfomances of your widgets on your website
You will need a LWS Affiliation account to use it.
This plugin is ideal for fans of LWS services and especially Best Sellers shared web hosting , WordPress hosting, cPanel hosting.
In case you are using IThemes Security, please allow PHP in extensions or whitelist our plugin for it to work correctly.
Follow the instructions on the configuration page to learn how to add your first banner or widget.
There are 3 different ways to install LWS Affiliation (as with any other wordpress.org plugin).
Using the WordPress dashboard
- In WordPress, in the Extensions menu, click on "Add"
- Search for the 'LWS Affiliation' plugin
- Click 'Install Now'
- Activate the plugin
- Log in to your LWS Affiliate account to use it
Uploading in WordPress Dashboard
- Download the latest version of this plugin
- In WordPress, in the Extensions menu, click on "Add"
- Click on the top button "Upload an extension"
- Select the zip file from your computer (zip file from step 1.)
- Click 'Install Now'
- Activate the plugin
- Log in to your LWS Affiliate account to use it
Using FTP
- Download the latest version of this plugin
- Unzip the zip file. This extracts the files from the compressed folder on your computer
- Upload the LWS affiliation folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory in your web space
- Activate the plugin in WordPress
- Log in to your LWS Affiliate account to use it
How to configure the plugin?
Once the plugin is installed (if you don't know how to install it click on the Installation tab on this page), head to your WordPress blog's administration. Click on the "LWS Affiliate" link present in the side menu.
In the page that appears, simply enter your affiliate ID and your affiliate password. Then click on the "Validate" button. Click here to create your login if you don't have. -
How to use the plugin
To embed our Affiliate Widget in your blog post or page, simply place the cursor where you want to display the Widget. Click on the LWS Affiliate button present in the editor. A window will open allowing you to select the banner or Widget you wish to integrate into your page.
Is LWS Affiliation plugin compatible with Gutenberg?
Yes it is compatible with Gutenberg. You will need to add a "classic block" and you will find the LWS Affiliate button as in the classic editor.
The plugin automatically synchronizes with the affiliation platform in order to get the latest available banners. To insert a banner, simply select the banner of your choice in the banner selection window. This one will be automatically added to your article.
How to integrate a widget in the content of an article?
The LWS Affiliation WordPress plugin offers different Widgets. They display rich content such as a domain name availability search bar or summary tables of our different web hosting offers. To add a widget, click on the configuration block of the desired widget. Customize it if you want and then insert it with one click.
A non-editable block will appear in the content of your editor where you placed your cursor. By previewing the widget, you will be able to see the widget in the content of your article.
To learn more about how to use the plugin, see our LWS online help. -
Can we insert two LWS Affiliate Widgets on the same page?
Yes, it is possible to integrate two widgets of different types on the same page.
However, it is not possible to add two widgets of the same type on the same page. -
Can I self-affiliate?
Your customers will benefit from your personalized promo code and you will earn a commission on the sales generated on LWS.fr. You can't self-affiliate.
However, we offer an exclusive promo code for you, LWS WordPress plugin user. You can enter the coupon code WPEXT15 at checkout to receive an additional 15% discount (cumulative with current promotional offers!) -
How does affiliation work?
Get paid in a few steps!
- Publish a LWS banner or widget on your site
- Each visitor clicking on your banner and then ordering a web hosting package or other LWS service is counted.
- Each validated order gives you the right to a commission. You can manage it directly from your affiliate account (provided that the customer does not request a refund).
- A few clicks are enough to request payment of your validated commissions in order to receive payment.
Where can I get help?
Find out more about LWS Affiliation by searching for this keyword on our online help. A free 7 days / 7 support is also available in France when you have ordered a web hosting or other service from LWS. Videos are also published regularly on our YouTube channel.
Do you have any other plugins to recommend?
Other WordPress extensions have been created by LWS :
- LWS Tools : Get a hold on various tools and options to optimize your website. From deactivating emotes or hiding sensible informations to deactivating REST API!
- LWS Cleaner : Helps you clean your website and giving it a second youth, fast and easily!
- LWS Hide Login : Redirect your users if they try to access your admin page directly. Choose your own page and protect your website.
- LWS SMS : Create SMS templates and configurate your website to send SMS to clients when you want it ! Requires ordering SMS credits
- LWS Cache : This plugin works only on servers using the LWSCache system. This cache is pre-installed with shared web hosting , WordPress hosting, cPanel hosting from LWS.
Enjoy our LWS affiliate program and earn money!
Useful LWS services to get you started on the web
- Domain name
- WordPress hosting
- Classic Web hosting
- cPanel hosting
- Reseller web hosting
- Woocommerce Hosting
- VPS server
- cPanel server
- Cloud server
- Private Cloud
- Email addresses
- create a website easily
- Create a WordPress website
- Custom website creation
- Online store hosting
- Web referencing
- Online storage
- Online backups
- Send SMS by internet
- Online help
- Tutorials
- Blog
- YouTube Videos
Contributors & Developers
"LWS Affiliation" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "LWS Affiliation" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
- Fixed issue with CSS which could cause it to apply to unrelated elements
- Changed how data are loaded (now with AJAX)
- Fixed security issue
- Changed translations
- Minor CSS update
- Bug corrected for "Stats" page where data would not load properly
- Can be asked for reviews
- Preventive security fix
- New plugin added to "Our plugins"
- Complete rework
- New design
- New "Our plugins" page
Relase Date – 16 Sept, 2022
* Minor bug fixes
* Now with a banner on the installation page
Release Date – 23 August, 2022
* Updated design of the widget
* Updated design of the pages
* Now display coupons on the banners and widgets
* New tabs in the configuration page to follow the stats and performances of your banners and widgets
* Minors changes
* Bugs fixes
Release Date – 20 April, 2022
- Corrected the translation
- Corrected some sentences
- Updated function calls to a more recent version
- Added more instructions tu use our plugin
Release Date – 2nd October, 2015
- Add all banners.
- Add table widget.
- Update frame to select affiliate element to insert on the content
Release Date – 23th July, 2015
- Add domain name search Widget.


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Late payment of domestic and foreign B2B invoices is reflected in the 52 day average DSO figure of French survey respondents (nearly two weeks longer than two years ago).
Survey results for France
Sales on credit terms
Similar to what was observed in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, respondents in France also show quite a strong aversion to the risk of using trade credit in B2B transactions, both domestically and abroad. Domestically, an average of 29.6% of the B2B sales value was transacted on credit. This proportion, which dropped steadily (by nearly 9 percentage points) over the past two years, is well below the 44.9% average for Western Europe. The downward trend in the use of trade credit in domestic B2B sales in France appears to be in contrast to the overall trend in Western Europe. This latter trend showed a drop in domestic credit-based B2B sales in 2014, followed by a bounce in the same period of this year. The cautious approach to the use of trade credit shown by French respondents is even stronger in regards to foreign B2B sales. On average, 28.8% of the sales value of exports was transacted on credit. Once more, this proportion is well below the 37.7% survey average. Over the past two years, the trend in foreign B2B credit- based sales in France appears to be in line with that recorded in Western Europe. After an initial drop in 2014, the proportion of foreign B2B sales made on credit increased again in the same period this year.
Average payment term
Respondents in France give domestic B2B customers an average of 35 days from the invoice date to pay invoices. This average term, which remained quite stable over the past two years, is consistent with the domestic average payment term in Belgium, and with the average for Western Europe (34 days). Foreign B2B customers of French respondents enjoy almost the same length of time to pay their invoices. The average payment term is 34 days (two days longer than two years ago), which is almost in line with the survey average (32 days). This average foreign term is similar to that given by respondents in Belgium and Ireland.
Overdue B2B invoices
Domestically, two-fifths of the total value of B2B sales on credit in France remained unpaid after the due date. This does not exceed the average for Western Europe. The same proportion of domestic overdue invoices is recorded in Great Britain and Switzerland. Over the past two years, there was an upward trend in the domestic overdue payment levels in France (increase of around 10 percentage points), which is consistent with the trend observed in Western Europe. Foreign B2B customers of French respondents seem to pay overdue invoices in a more timely manner than domestic customers. On average, 35.1% of the total value of foreign invoices went past the due date (the average for Western Europe is 35.4%). This proportion increased by 4.2 percentage points over the past two years (6.4 percentage points below the average increase for the survey). This upward trend is consistent with that in Western Europe. Late payment on domestic and foreign B2B invoices is reflected in the Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) figure posted by French respondents, averaging 52 days (nearly two weeks longer than two years ago). This is above the 48 days average for Western Europe. The figure may also reflect a higher average proportion of delinquent invoices (unpaid after 90 days past due) in France than in Western Europe overall.
Average payment delay
Domestic B2B customers of French respondents paid past due invoices, on average, 23 days late (survey average is 22 days). In 2014, domestic customers seemed to make past due payments much quicker than this year. This trend is consistent with that in Western Europe. The fluctuation of the average foreign payment delay follows the same trend, and is in line with the survey pattern. This means that, on average, French respondents receive domestic and foreign payments 57 days after invoicing. When asked to rank the challenges to profitability this year, most of the French respondents (28.6%, the average for Western Europe is 24.0%) indicated cost containment as the primary challenge. This is consistent with the survey pattern, suggesting that cost containment is a common issue for businesses in Western Europe. As in the other countries, this opinion may reflect concerns of French businesses about the impact of late payment of invoices, and the related cost of carrying outstanding receivables, on the ability of generating profits. In relation to this, it comes as no surprise that nearly 14% of the respondents in France, twice as many as in Western Europe, consider efficiency in receivables management as the greatest challenge to business profitability this year.
Key payment delay factors
Most of the respondents in France (nearly three in five, versus 51.4% in Western Europe) said that domestic B2B customers delay invoice payment due to liquidity constraints. Over the past two years, this percentage saw an upward trend, which is somehow in line with that of the overall survey. Contrary to the survey pattern, the second most often cited reason for domestic payment delay is the formal insolvency of the buyer, which may explain the above mentioned liquidity constraints. This was reported by just over 30% of French respondents (much more than the 18.5% of respondents in Western Europe). This would point to a difficult domestic business climate in France. Payment delays from foreign customers is most often linked to the complexity of the payment procedure (47.1% of French respondents, compared to 28.1% in Western Europe). This percentage saw a sharp increase over the past two years, suggesting that this is a growing concern for businesses in France. One finding worth highlighting is that 27.1% of respondents in France reported that foreign customers delay payment most often because of disputes over the quality of goods delivered or the services provided. This percentage is well above the percentage of respondents in Western Europe (16.4%), and remained almost steady over the past two years, suggesting a recurring problem in foreign trade relations of French respondents.
Uncollectable accounts
Based on responses in France, an average of 0.9% of B2B receivables was written off as uncollectable. This is lower than the average for Western Europe (1.2%). Consistent with the survey pattern, domestic write-offs outweigh foreign ones. Uncollectable domestic B2B receivables are most often reported in the construction, business services and transport sectors. Foreign B2B write-offs were reported mainly in relation to the construction, chemicals and financial services sectors. For 67.4% of French respondents (66.4% in Western Europe) B2B receivables were mainly due to the customer being bankrupt or out of business. Failure of collection attempts were reported by more respondents in France (31.0%) than in Western Europe (25.1%). This is also the case for write-offs due to a trade debt which is too old (27.1% of French respondents, compared to 16.4% in Western Europe). For more insights into the B2B receivables collections practices in France, please see the Global Collections Review by Atradius Collections (free download after registration), available from April 21st 2015 on www.atradiuscollections. com.
Payment practices by industry
Survey respondents in France reported granting trade credit terms mainly to B2B customers belonging to the following sectors: chemicals, construction, consumer durables, financial services, machines, metals, business services and services. Above-average (for the country) invoice payment terms are extended to B2B customers in the construction (averaging 23 days domestic and 27 days foreign), consumer durables (22 days domestic and 26 days foreign) and chemicals sectors (22 days domestic and 29 days foreign). 43% of the value of the construction sector invoices was overdue. This is due to an insufficient availability of funds (68% of respondents in respect to domestic sales and 62% to foreign sales). Domestic and foreign payment delays in the construction sector is the longest, averaging 26 days. Over the coming 12 months, nearly one in three respondents in Germany expect the payment behaviour of domestic B2B customers in the chemicals sector to improve slightly. One in four respondents anticipate a worsening of payment practices in the construction sector, consumer durables and business services sectors. Around one quarter of the respondents expect a slight deterioration in the payment behaviour of their foreign customers in the chemicals and construction sectors. No change is anticipated in the payment practices of other sectors.

subset: commoncrawl


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Never Finished (Paperback)
This is not a self-help book. It's a wake-up call!
Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins' smash hit memoir, demonstrated how much untapped ability we all have but was merely an introduction to the power of the mind. In Never Finished, Goggins takes you inside his Mental Lab, where he developed the philosophy, psychology, and strategies that enabled him to learn that what he thought was his limit was only his beginning and that the quest for greatness is unending.
The stories and lessons in this raw, revealing, unflinching memoir offer the reader a blueprint they can use to climb from the bottom of the barrel into a whole new stratosphere that once seemed unattainable. Whether you feel off-course in life, are looking to maximize your potential or drain your soul to break through your so-called glass ceiling, this is the only book you will ever need.


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Saudi Arabia will suspend new trade and investment with Canada after that country's foreign ministry urged Riyadh to release arrested civil rights activists, it said in a statement released to the official Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.
It also gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country and recalled its own ambassador to Canada, the statement by the Saudi foreign ministry said, adding it retained "its rights to take further action."
The Saudi ministry had been briefed that the Canadian foreign ministry and the Canadian embassy urged the Saudi authorities to "immediately release" civil rights activists, the statement said.
Canadian foreign ministry officials were not available for an immediate comment on Sunday.
Read: Saudi Arabia pressures Canada over calls to end Yemen war
Last Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said Saudi Arabia had arrested women's rights activists Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah, the latest two to be swept up in a government crackdown on activists, clerics and journalists. More than a dozen women's rights activists have been targeted since May.
On Friday, Canada said it was "gravely concerned" about the arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Badawi, the sister of jailed dissident blogger Raif Badawi.
"We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists," Global Affairs Canada said on its Twitter feed.
Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in #SaudiArabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists.
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) August 3, 2018
Raif Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar lives in Canada and recently became a Canadian citizen.
Most of those arrested campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the country's male guardianship system, which requires women to obtain the consent of a male relative for major decisions.
The Saudi statement said it confirmed its commitment to refrain from intervening in the internal matters of other countries, including Canada, and in return rejected any intervention in its domestic affairs and internal relations with its citizens.
Read: Saudi Arabia launches Hajj news site
"Any further step from the Canadian side in that direction will be considered as an acknowledgement of our right to interfere in the Canadian domestic affairs," the statement said.
In 2014, the Canadian unit of US weapons maker General Dynamics Corp won a contract worth up to $13 billion to build light-armoured vehicles for Saudi Arabia, in what Ottawa said at the time was the largest advanced manufacturing export win in Canadian history.


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Platja de Les Casetes del Garraf
Platja de Les Casetes del Garraf, Garraf, Barcelona, Catalonia. These distinctive small green and white beach houses are in the beach village of Garraf, not from Barcelona. They re listed under the Patrimonio Cultural Catala. No one is sure how they came about - small houses for beachgoers or fishermens huts - either way, they were established in the early 20th century.
Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download- Filename
- _MG_9504_casetas_de_garraf_20191124.jpg
- Copyright
- Dave Walsh 2019
- Image Size
- 3744x5616 / 15.5MB
- https://www.davewalshphoto.com/contact
- https://www.davewalshphoto.com/contact
- Contained in galleries
- Casetas de Garraf


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Certified Pre-Owned Program
Arriving in style isn't just an option. It's a necessity. And substance? We've got plenty. Every Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, and RAM Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle (CPOV) has to pass our stringent certification process guaranteeing that only the finest vehicles get certified.
Warranty Information
Driving one of our Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles means you're well taken care of, on the road and off.
- 3-Month/3,000-Mile Maximum Care Warranty(1)
- Up to 7-Year/100,000 Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty (2, 3)
- Lifetime Certified Upgrade Plans(4)
125-Point Inspection
To know the exact condition of your vehicle, we put 'em to the test with a rigorous 125-point inspection.
- Qualification Standards
- Ownership Materials
- Mechanical Standards
- Maintenance Standards
- Appearance Standards
- Detail Standards
CARFAX® Vehicle History Report
- Documents that the vehicle is clear of any prior title obligations
- The CARFAX Buyback Guarantee protects you from unknowingly buying a used car with DMV-reported incidents (salvage, fire, flood damage, odometer problems or lemon history). This coverage lasts one year and is transferable.
Roadside Coverage
Towing/Roadside Assistance(5)
- 24-hour "Sign and Go" (up to $100 per occurrence) includes:
- Flat-tire service (with your good spare)
- Gas delivery (up to two gallons)
- Battery-jump assistance
- Lockout service (i.e., keys locked in car, frozen lock, etc.)
- Towing service (if vehicle is inoperative)
Car Rental Allowance(6)
- If your vehicle requires repairs, is inoperable due to the failure of a covered component; and repairs take overnight
- Up to $35 per day ($175 maximum per occurrence)
(1) 3-Months/3,000-Miles (whichever comes first). Maximum Care Limited Warranty runs from the date of sale of the vehicle or at the expiration of the 3/36 Basic Warranty. For more details and a copy of the limited warranties, see dealer or call 1-800-677-5782.
(2) 7-Years/100,000-Miles (whichever comes first) for 2010 model year and newer vehicles; 6-Years/80,000-Miles for 2009 model year and earlier vehicles. Powertrain Limited Warranty runs from the date vehicle was sold as new. A deductible may apply. See dealer for details.
(3) Eligible vehicles include Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and RAM vehicles with an active 3-Month/3,000-Mile Maximum Care Limited Warranty, 6-Year/80,000-Mile or 7-Year/100,000-Mile CPOV Powertrain Limited Warranty with a maximum of 74,999 miles at the time of purchase. For Lifetime coverage beyond powertrain (Added Care Plus and Maximum Care plans), eligible vehicles must be within 36 months of the in-service date and a maximum 36,000 miles. Lifetime Certified Upgrade Plans exclude Dodge Viper and all SRT® vehicles, as well as vehicles used for police service, taxi, limousine, postal delivery or ambulance service. A deductible may apply. For more details and a copy of the limited warranties, see your dealer or call 1-800-677-5782. Warranty is non-transferable; exceptions apply; see dealer for details.
(4) Lifetime coverage is transferable ONLY in the states of Florida and North Carolina and the 7-Year/100,000-Mile (for 2010 model year and newer vehicles) or the 6-Year/80,000-Mile (for 2009 model year and earlier vehicles) Certified Pre-Owned Powertrain Limited Warranty must be transferred in tandem with the Lifetime Warranty.
(5) Administered by Cross Country Motor Club, Inc., Medford, MA 02155. You must call 1-800-521-2779 for prior authorization to receive these benefits.
(6) With Rental Car Coverage, Chrysler Group LLC will reimburse you up to $35 per day for a rental vehicle ($175 maximum per occurrence) any time if: A) a component fails and the component is covered by the 6-Year/80,000-Mile or the 7-Year/100,000-Mile CPOV Powertrain Limited Warranty, B) any coverage is under the New Vehicle Basic Limited Warranty, C) the vehicle is inoperable because of the failure and D) repairs take overnight. Car Rental Allowance coverage is not provided where loaner vehicle coverage is provided by the warranty or the dealer.


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Fecha: | 09.01.2019 |
Posición: | 54°48'S / 068°18'W |
Viento: | N 5-6 |
Clima: | Partly Cloudy |
Temperatura del Aire: | +10 |
So here we are at last in Tierra del Fuego, at the bottom of the world. Well, from Ushuaia we'll be going south...a long way south. But for today, we ambled about this lovely Patagonian city, savouring the local flavours and enjoying the sights. Ushuaia marks the end of the road in Argentine Tierra del Fuego, but also the beginning – the beginning of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. During the summer this rapidly growing frontier town of 55,000 bustles with adventurous travellers. The duty-free port flourishes with tourism but also thrives on a sizeable crab fishery and a burgeoning electronics industry. Ushuaia (lit. "bay that penetrates to the west" in the indigenous Yaghan tongue) clearly benefits from its magnificent, yet remote setting. The rugged spine of the South American Andes ends here, where two oceans meet. As could be expected from such an exposed setting, the weather has the habit of changing on a whim. However, temperatures during the long days of the austral summer are relatively mild, providing a final blanket of warmth before heading off on our adventures. For many of us this is the start of a lifelong dream. The excitement comes in different forms for each unique person, but even the most experienced of us feels genuine excitement to depart on a journey to the Great White Continent of Antarctica. Most passengers were promptly at the gangway at 16:00, ready to board our ship MV Plancius, home for our Antarctic adventure! We were greeted at the gangway by members of our Expedition staff who sent us on board to meet Hotel and Restaurant Managers, Zsuzsanna and Alex. We were then checked into our cabins with the assistance of our fabulous Filipino crew. A little while after boarding we convened in the lounge on deck five to meet First Officer Francois, who led us through the details of the required SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Safety and Lifeboat Drill, assisted by the crew and staff. On hearing the general alarm we reconvened at the 'muster station', the lounge, for the mandatory safety briefing and abandon ship drill donning our huge orange life jackets that will keep us safe should the need arise. We were invited once again to the lounge to meet our Hotel Manager Zsuzsanna who gave us an overview of the ship, a floating hotel which will be our home for the next 10 days or so. We then met our Expedition Leader, Katja Riedel and the rest of the Expedition Team who will guide us in Antarctica. After the many briefings and introductions, we departed from the jetty of Ushuaia, a little later than planned due to strong winds at the port, and entered the Beagle Channel with an escort of black browed albatross. This was also a chance to meet our Captain, Artur Iakovlev and toast our voyage with a glass of Prosecco. At 19:30 we sampled the first of many delicious meals on board, prepared by Chef Ralf and his galley staff. This first evening on board was occupied with more exploration of the ship, adjusting to her movements, and settling into our cabins. In the early hours of the morning we would be out into the open waters of the Drake Passage!


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Memory Care in Idaho
SeniorAdvisor has the most comprehensive information on Memory Care in Idaho
Top Cities in Idaho
Idaho is a state located in the northwestern part of the United States, and it is the 7th least densely populated of all states. The state shares its borders with British Columbia, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Washington and Oregon. It is a vast mountainous state that attracts many active golden agers to its cities and towns for retirement. The name Gem State was given to Idaho as almost every type of identified gemstone has been found there, and it is full of rivers, lakes, mountains and parks, as well as big cities and good medical care that make it an ideal retirement state.
A Look at Idaho
Idaho's economy is largely supported and maintained by the state's huge agriculture sector. Idaho is sometimes called the Potato State as it produces one third of all the potatoes in the United States, and all three varieties of wheat are also grown in the region. The economy is strong and this is predominantly due to its powerful and fast growing science and technology sector. This sector is responsible for about 25% of Idaho's revenue, and 75% of its exports. Other important industries in Idaho are food processing, outdoor sports, wood and paper products, lumber, silver manufacturing, chemical products and tourism.Because Idaho is such a vast state, real estate costs and costs of living vary greatly. For example, houses and the cost of living in Boise city are dramatically higher than that of those found in Couer d'Alene. So your living cost will vary depending on the area in which you choose to retire. However, in general the cost of living in Idaho is about 5% lower than the national average, although sometimes income taxes can soar up to almost 8 percent.
Medical Facilities in Idaho
Idaho has over 50 hospitals and medical centers throughout the state, and many of these are regionally ranked. Some of the best medical facilities found in Idaho include the Kootenai Medical Center, St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Portneuf Medical center and the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital. This plethora of medical options means that retirees have a strong medical sector to rely on, and a range of hospitals to choose from should something go wrong with themselves or a loved one.
Senior Living in Idaho
There is a wide range of senior living communities throughout Idaho, and they all vary according to the area in which they are located in. For example in Sun Valley, most communities are extraordinarily pricey and cater mainly to the wealthiest of retirees, while places like Idaho Falls, are more suited to fully active, outdoorsy retirees, and the cost of living here is 7.9% below the national average. While there are many different areas to choose from in Idaho, most of the senior living communities will cater for a variety of different needs and levels of care depending on the individual. More active, fully fit retirees can take advantage of the natural delights of Idaho by living in an independent retirement community. Meanwhile, if a higher level of care is needed, there are a number of assisted living facilities throughout Idaho.
Idaho is made up of steppe terrain, and thus this mountainous region is ideally suited to more active members of the golden ager generation. Dotted with rivers, mountains and lakes, Idaho offers an abundance of outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing and golfing. Home to the famous Yellowstone National park, the state also has 6 national wildlife refuges, and 2 national recreation areas that retirees can get out into during their spare time. This wide array of outdoorsy options doesn't mean that Idaho is only good for nature lovers; in fact it is full of rich history and steeped in culture. Of particular significance are The Craters of The Moon National Monument, the Museum of Idaho and the Willard Performing Arts Center. The cultural riches to be found in Idaho do not pale in comparison to the amount of outdoor activities, and the fact that there is such a wide range of choice in both areas, makes it a perfect place to retire.
Idaho is one of the least populated states in the US, and this makes it a popular choice for retirees looking for some peace and quiet; however it also has huge cities, a strong economy, cultural festivals and events, historic monuments, national parks and many hundreds of different things to keep golden agers busy in their retirement years.


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Is it safe to use a multi-outlet for a refrigerator? (Standard/Commercial refrigerator, Freezer, Wine cooler)
■ How to ground an outlet
1. It is not recommended to connect a refrigerator to a multi-outlet. If it is unavoidable, please use one with a power rating of 15 ampere or higher.
2. Please call a qualified person to ground the house wiring. Make sure to use a grounded multi-outlet to prevent electricity leakage.
※ Plugging in a number of electronic appliances into a multi-outlet strip can cause fire and electricity leakages.
<220V use grounded power outlet>


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It may seem innocuous at first but many professional authorities point to proper, regularly performed dryer vent cleaning in Seattle, WA as being one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your indoor air quality, increase your dryer's energy efficiency, decrease your monthly utility bills, and reduce the risk of fires in your household. With that in mind, homeowners who are looking to gain all these benefits quickly and affordably should be sure to get in touch with the proven customer service specialists here at the Five Star Cooling dryer vent cleaning Seattle, WA team.
The Five Star Cooling team of Seattle dryer vent cleaning professionals represent some of the most high quality, high value HVAC services which can be found anywhere on the market today. Homeowners who count on our staff for dryer vent cleaning in Seattle, WA are sure to receive service which is performed quickly, conveniently, and affordably whether you're interested in a single dryer vent cleaning in Seattle, WA, a routinely scheduled cleaning, or some specialized upgrades which will bring your home's ventilation system into a more modern, more energy efficient form for the years ahead.
If you're interested in having dependable, high quality dryer vent cleaning in Seattle, WA then there's no better time to call the friendly and knowledge representatives here at Five Star Cooling. Simply call (206) 237-1050 to schedule a comprehensive at-home consultation and estimate with the local Five Star Cooling Seattle dryer vent cleaning team right in your neighborhood completely free of charge.


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Our Lia Griffith Felt Balls – 2 cm in a beautiful coral color come in a pack of 12. All of our felt balls are hand-made in Nepal from 100% New Zealand wool. These felt balls are handmade by Nepali women using the traditional method of rubbing a felt round using soap and hot water. Sizes can vary slightly as these are handmade. We are excited to bring these versatile, non-synthetic, eco-friendly biodegradable felt balls to our store! These Lia Griffith Felt Balls – 2 cm are perfect for all of your felt crafts – make a felt ball garland!
Protect your tables from hot platters and pans by crafting up a DIY felt ball trivet or two using felted balls in your favorite colors. If you want to find more projects that you can make with felt balls, be sure to check out our pom-pom sweaters or felted snowball garland for Christmas tree decor. We also have an amazing felt ball wreath you can make for your home. Or these fun felt ball necklaces!
We have a full range of sewing tools for all of your fiber and felt ball crafts. Check out the full range here.
Want to be part of a community where you can grow your crafting skills and make new friends? We are here to show you the joy of crafting and how therapeutic it can be. Even if you've never made anything before, we'll give you everything you need to get started on your creative journey—so you can craft with confidence! Join here.


text:
We are happy to announce the release of the newest version of Microsoft MPI (MS-MPI). MS-MPI v7.1 is the successor to the Microsoft MPI v7 redistributable package (released in November 2015). You can download a copy of MS-MPI v7.1 from the Microsoft download center.
MS-MPI v7.1 includes the following notable improvements and fixes to MS-MPI v7:
- More resilient setup; will not fail when previous uninstallations did not successfully clean up the registry.
- Bug fixed within MS-MPI v7 that caused jobs to fail when a large number of MPI jobs were executed concurrently on the same set of nodes.
- MS-MPI v7.1 will automatically fall back to NTLM if Kerberos authentication fails in environment with partial or misconfigured Kerberos support.
- mpiexec will support Unicode characters in command line and no longer has a hardcoded limit for command line length.
- Long path notation (?) is now supported.
Note: The SDK components for MS-MPI (headers and libraries) ship separately from the redistributable package binary files. However, it is available from the same download page with the redistributable package.
To learn more about MS-MPI, see Microsoft MPI on MSDN or in the Windows HPC MPI Forum.
For more detailed questions, or future feature requests, please send us an email: firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
This weekend, Take Two and all everything else at the Dreamspinner Press store is 30% off to celebrate GRL 2016! I'm not going to be attending this year (major bummer), but I'm looking forward to Denver in 2017. It's such a great con, with amazing people.
If you haven't already, this would be the perfect time to check out the new Dreamspun Desires line of sweet, category romances reminiscent of the old Harlequins. My entry is First Comes Marriage, but you can find tons of other great titles marked down as well. Haven't read my mermen yet, you can give them a try by picking up book 1, Stealing the Wind, for 30% off in ebook or paperback!
You only have until October 23rd, to fill up your e-reader or your bookshelves with this deal. New releases and preorders are included too! -Shira
Blurb: Lights, camera, action! When Professor Wesley Coolidge accepts a summer job as a historical consultant to a pirate movie being filmed in North Carolina, the last person he expects to bump into is his soon-to-be ex, movie star Sander Carson.
Just like the flamboyant pirate he's playing, Sander, aka Sam Carr, is used to getting what he wants, and he makes it clear he wants Wesley back in his life. Sam lost Wesley when he left their life in New York City behind for a career in Hollywood. But Wesley has finally managed to put the pieces of his heart back together, and he isn't interested in Sam and Wesley: The Sequel.
Convincing Wesley to give their relationship a second chance will take much more than Sam's apologies and reminders of good times past. If Sam wants Wesley back, he'll have to show Wesley that they really can sail into the sunset together—a real-life happily-ever-after that won't end once the final credits roll.
Excerpt from Chapter Two:
The entire scene was surreal. Gorgeous boat, beautiful scenery, good wine, and me by my lonesome. In the grand scheme of life, it certainly wasn't the worst outcome. Still, he wished he wasn't alone.
He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and tapped the preset for Carl. If they couldn't be together, at least Wes could describe the alternate universe he'd just stepped into for him. It took a few seconds for the call to connect, and Wes imagined the signal snaking its way down through Florida, then skimming the waves to the southwest, across the Gulf of Mexico, and over to Guatemala.
"This is Carl Stephens. I'm unavailable to take your call at the moment. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able."
Figures. Wes shook his head and disconnected the call. He'd catch Carl another time. He didn't want Carl to feel guilty about the change in plans. It wasn't as if he was suffering here in North Carolina anyhow. He replaced the phone in his pocket and glanced up at the fly bridge again. Why not? He'd never been particularly shy, and he figured he'd feel more comfortable hanging out with the crew instead of pretending to be some pampered Hollywood celebrity. He refilled his glass and headed up the stairs.
The fly bridge was every bit as Wes had expected. Sleek, with the newest instrumentation, radio, and radar. The seats and console were white, as was the rest of the yacht, and the panoramic view was impressive. The captain sat facing the console, only the top of his head visible over the high-backed leather chair.
"We aim to please," the captain responded without turning around. His clipped British accent reminded Wes of a young Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. "Are the accommodations to your liking?"
"You mean the presidential suite? I only wish I could spend a month or two sailing the Caribbean in accommodations like that." He sighed.
"I might be able to arrange that." The captain spun his chair around so he faced Wes. Except he wasn't a captain, and he wasn't British at all—
"Sam?" Wes knew his jaw had just dropped to the deck.
Sam Carr—no, Sander Carson, Wes reminded himself—grinned back at him. It was too easy for forget that the Sam he'd married no longer existed. "That would be me." The British accent was gone, replaced by a hint of a soft southern drawl. Well, at least that was authentic.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Wes demanded.
Sam appeared entirely nonplussed. "Is that any way to say hello to your husband?"
"Ex-husband," Wes corrected.
"Not for another 46 days and seven hours." Sam leaned back in the captain's chair, causing the thin fabric of his T-shirt to stretch tight over the muscles of his chest. He looked better than Wes remembered. No doubt he had some expensive fitness coach he worked with every day to manage pecs like that. His bright blue eyes were as disarming as they'd always been, the hint of stubble on his strong jaw only made him look more attractive. Like a movie star. Which, of course, Sam—or Sander—was.
"You haven't answered my question," Wes said, trying to ignore the jab to his gut at the reminder that their divorce would soon be final. "Why are you here?"
"I had a few days off from shooting, and I thought I'd take her out for a spin. They delivered her last week, and I haven't had a chance to—"
"Wait a minute. You mean she… this is your boat?"
"Yep. Bought and paid for," Sam said with pride.
The pieces began to fall into place. Marv leaving suddenly. The shoot in North Carolina. Sam wouldn't have had anything to do with Carl's boss's change in plans, but he'd have known whom to call to find out about Wes's plans. And Jeffrey. Shit, he remembered where he'd heard that name before: Sam's personal assistant.
Total setup.
Wes made a mental note to read his secretary, Viv, the riot act when he got back to New York. Which would be very soon, if he had anything to say about it. She didn't usually handle the details of his personal life, but she had access to his Outlook calendar. Come to think of it, she'd been asking him a lot of questions about his personal life lately. And she'd always loved Sam.
Everyone loves Sam.
"This isn't going to happen, Sammy," he told Sam. "I'm outta here."
"Contract?" Sam said as Wes turned to head downstairs.
"Contracts can be broken."
"You never read the fine print, do you?" Sam was clearly enjoying this.
"What have you done?" Wes glared at Sam.
"I didn't do anything. The studio's attorneys, though…."
"You set me up." Stating the obvious. Sam was a hell of a lot smarter than he appeared. And way more devious. "What do you want from me, Sam?"
Sam tilted his head to one side and rubbed his chin as if he were considering the question. "You haven't figured that out yet?" he asked.
Wes wouldn't dignify the question with a response.
"I want you, Wesley Warren Coolidge. What else?"
Buy Links:
Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/take-two-by-shira-anthony-7477-b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Take-Two-Shira-Anthony-ebook/dp/B01KPU7CU0
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-taketwo-2089463-149.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/take-two-shira-anthony/1124416760?ean=2940156863518
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/ja-jp/ebook/take-two-20
i-Tunes: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/take-two/id1141950192?mt=11
About Shira: Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She's given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.
Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she's not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she's not working, she can be found at the Carolina coast aboard Land's Zen, a 35' catamaran sailboat, with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Want to hear Shira sing? You can listen to an excerpt from a live recording of Shira performing Tosca on her website: http://www.shiraanthony.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/tosca-visse-darte-exceprt1.mp3
Where to find Shira:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: www.shiraanthony.com
E-mail: email@example.com


text:
Not really a function. Returns the value of the last command in the sequence of commands indicated by BLOCK. When modified by the while
or until
loop modifier, executes the BLOCK once before testing the loop condition. (On other statements the loop modifiers test the conditional first.)
do BLOCK
does not count as a loop, so the loop control statements next
, last
, or redo
cannot be used to leave or restart the block. See perlsyn for alternative strategies.
Uses the value of EXPR as a filename and executes the contents of the file as a Perl script:
# load the exact specified file (./ and ../ special-cased)
do '/foo/stat.pl';
do './stat.pl';
do '../foo/stat.pl';
# search for the named file within @INC
do 'stat.pl';
do 'foo/stat.pl';
do './stat.pl'
is largely like
eval `cat stat.pl`;
except that it's more concise, runs no external processes, and keeps track of the current filename for error messages. It also differs in that code evaluated with do FILE
cannot see lexicals in the enclosing scope; eval STRING
does. It's the same, however, in that it does reparse the file every time you call it, so you probably don't want to do this inside a loop.
Using do
with a relative path (except for ./ and ../), like
do 'foo/stat.pl';
will search the @INC
directories, and update %INC
if the file is found. See "@INC" in perlvar and "%INC" in perlvar for these variables. In particular, note that whilst historically @INC
contained '.' (the current directory) making these two cases equivalent, that is no longer necessarily the case, as '.' is not included in @INC
by default in perl versions 5.26.0 onwards. Instead, perl will now warn:
do "stat.pl" failed, '.' is no longer in @INC;
did you mean do "./stat.pl"?
If do
can read the file but cannot compile it, it returns undef
and sets an error message in $@
. If do
cannot read the file, it returns undef and sets $!
to the error. Always check $@
first, as compilation could fail in a way that also sets $!
. If the file is successfully compiled, do
returns the value of the last expression evaluated.
Inclusion of library modules is better done with the use
and require
operators, which also do automatic error checking and raise an exception if there's a problem.
You might like to use do
to read in a program configuration file. Manual error checking can be done this way:
# Read in config files: system first, then user.
# Beware of using relative pathnames here.
for $file ("/share/prog/defaults.rc",
unless ($return = do $file) {
warn "couldn't parse $file: $@" if $@;
warn "couldn't do $file: $!" unless defined $return;
warn "couldn't run $file" unless $return;


text:
This fruit salad is the best we've ever had. It is so simple to make, and our guests always try to guess the secret ingredient. Of course it's the vanilla pudding. Best of all, it is a four season salad, just vary the fresh fruit. You'll love it, promise!
1 (29 ounce) can peach slices-. Reserve about ½ of liquid
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, in their own juice- Reserve about ½ of liquid
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges- Reserve about ½ of liquid
1 small box (3.4 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix*
1 lb. fresh strawberries (quartered)
1/2-pint fresh blueberries
1-cup fresh seedless grapes
2 bananas, sliced and added just before serving
In a large bowl, combine peaches, pineapple and mandarin oranges and ½ of liquid from each can.
Add vanilla pudding. Mix gently but well until pudding is dissolved.
Stir in fresh fruits strawberries, blueberries and grapes.
Chill. Slice in bananas just before serving.
The fresh fruit can be varied by season. Optional: Top with toasted coconut, chopped pecans or whipped cream and garnish with mint leaves.
*Jello Brand Vanilla Instant Pudding is certified OK Kosher Parve.
Approximately 10-12 servings
Recipe: Kosher, parve or dairy,


text:
Dry Eye & Red Eye Assessments
At our practice, we often come across patients with ocular hyperaemia (red eye), discharge and discomfort. This is primarily managed with ocular lubricants, over-the-counter remedies and remedial eyelid hygiene.
We find that the majority problems leading to red eyes are not from infections, but often allergic/seasonal conjunctivitis which would not benefit from anti-biotic medication.
It may be that your case requires urgent intervention and so we ensure to see red eye patients as soon as possible upon arrival to the practice. We find a brief appointment (15 minutes) is sufficient to make a diagnosis. As the examination is only of the external eye, a full eye examination or refraction is not normally required.
What Causes Dry Eye Syndrome?
- Ageing over 60's are the most common group to suffer
- Hot, dry or windy climates – causes evaporation of tears
- Inflammatory diseases – e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis affecting the joints is associated with higher risk of dry eyes.
- Side effects from medications – e.g. The oral contraceptive pill
How is Dry Eye Syndrome Treated?
There is no absolute 'cure' for dry eye syndrome. However, most people can get significant relief from symptoms using a variety of treatments and measures.
Lid Margin Hygiene
If the underlying cause is blepharitis or lid margin disease, then treating this can often improve the ocular surface and reduce symptoms.
This can be done by simply applying a hot compress using hot tap water and a clean flannel to the eye each day, and then cleaning the lid margin with the water and the flannel. Some people recommend using chemicals such as baby shampoo and sodium bicarbonate, but more often than not, these can cause ocular surface irritation, and so at least initially, are best avoided.
Regular lubrication in the form of gels or drops can help keep the surface of the eyes wet, and thus reduce symptoms. Often, this is combined with lid margin hygiene.
There are a wide range of eye drops available – consult your optometrist, GP or ophthalmologist for advice on which to use.


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Rivithead Privacy Policy
Rivithead values our customers. Everything we do is focused on giving you a great shopping experience.
The information you share with Rivithead allows us to provide the service and products you have come to expect from us.
We believe in honesty and as part of providing an excellent shopping experience we strive to build a relationship of trust with our customers. Part of that trust relationship is to let you know in a clear and easy to understand way how we collect, use, share and protect your personal information.
Our Policy
- What our privacy policy covers
- How, why and what personal information we collect
- How we Protect your personal information
- With whom and what personal information we share
- How you can limit the information we collect and share
- Mailing list subscriptions
What does our privacy policy cover?
Rivithead's privacy policy covers how, why, use, protection and the sharing of your personal information on our website and will-call locations along with our business partners.
This policy focuses on information that can be reasonably linked to information that identifies you including your name, address, phone number, credit, debit, bank or PayPal information.
What type of personal information do we collect?
In plain terms we only collect information you share with us.
For example, you share information with us when:
- You create an account on our website or mobile services
- Participate in a contest, sweepstakes or promotion.
- Request customer service or contact us
- Make an in-store or online purchase with us
- Post a review or comment on one of our social media pages, or post a rating, review or other content on our website.
We also collect:
- Device Information: When you visit our site your browser identifies the browser version and information on if you are using a mobile device, desktop or tablet.
- Referrers: The address of a referring websites.
- Browsing information: We use web analitics, cookies and identifiers to collect information about the use of our website. These allow us to provide you with relevant information and products on our site. They also help us bring you the products you are most interested in.
How we use your personal information.
We use your personal information to tailor your shopping experience. On product pages we may suggest other items you may be interested in or, in the rare occurrence, email you about a special or product you may be interested in.
Personal information is limited to employees that have a direct need to accesses it.
For example, our shipping staff does not need access to you browsing history, credit or other information not necessary to process and ship your order.
We also use your information for fraud prevention. We are very security aware and do everything we can to protect your information. Almost to a fault. We review almost 50% of the orders placed to make sure you were the one initiating the purchase. In the rare case we have to hold an order until we can contact you, please understand we are protecting your information.
Marketing: We occasionally send out coupons and information.
Advertising: We may use limited information such as email and tracking cookies to supply advertisements on products and promotions through third party advertising agencies.
How do we share your information?
We will not sell or rent your personal information. Period!
Under certain circumstances, such as fulfilling your order with a supplier, we may share limited information with trusted businesses or when legally required.
We share your browsing history with third parties such as google and Facebook. We do not share your browsing history with third parties such as google and Facebook. UNLESS, you came in from a paid advertisement. In that case we will only share if the visit converted to a sale or not. We never under any circumstance share your name, address, phone, credit or purchase history with any third parties that have no reasonable cause to collect such information.
How do we protect your personal information?
We will never sell or rent your personal information. We absolutely hate registering on a site only to get tons of spam and junk mail a day later.
We limit the information you supply to us with our employees at a need to know basis.
We will not disclose personal information over the phone or through email. We realize social hacking is a major problem in the world of today and will never disclose any personal information to anyone over the phone or through email.
We do not store credit card information.
Unlike many other retailers, we favor your security over convenience. Your credit card information, during checkout, is securely sent to the processor and then destroyed on our servers. We understand storing payment information makes it easier for you to checkout but, we see that as an unnecessary risk to your security with only a minor inconvenience to the checkout process.
Who do we share information with?
We limit the information we share with third parties and vendors.
In certain circumstances we may have to have your order shipped directly from one of our vendors. In this circumstance we share only the information needed to successfully deliver your order. (name, address, etc)
We share your browsing history with third parties such as google and Facebook. Under certain circumstances (such as a paid advertisement clicks) we may provide very limited browsing history with third parties such as google and Facebook.
We never share your name, address, phone, credit, purchase amount, or purchase history with any third party such as Google and Facebook.
How you can limit the information we collect and share?
We may at times share information to third party agencies for the sole purpose of diplaying relevent ads and information to you. You may at any time opt out of our targeted ad campaigns by visiting Google's Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
Subscribe and unsubscribing from our mailing lists
You may opt out of our mailing by editing your account information and selecting unsubscribe to promo and sales emails in the account edit page.
Optionally you can unsubscribe from our mailings using the unsubscribe link found in all of our promotional emails.
If you did not create an account and are subscribed to our guest mailing list please click here. We will send you an opt out link to the provided address.
Rivithead may update this policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account or by placing a prominent notice on our site.
Questions and Suggestions
If you have questions or suggestions, please complete the contact form.


text:
From the pews of a church where white deacons once refused to seat African Americans, a group of Black singers in Alabama reminds us why preserving our memories of this historic year is vital — even if we'd rather just leave 2020 behind.
They're singing "Auld Lang Syne," the Scottish ballad synonymous with ringing in the new year. It begins with this line: "Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And never brought to mind?"
That question — of whether to forget the past — is central to the art film, For The Sake Of Old Times, debuting on NPR this week.
"It's certainly my tendency — and maybe our natural human tendency — to want to rush forward and put this year behind us," explains Tyler Jones, the film's director. "But that may do a disservice, I think, to our memories and those who went before us."
Produced by a diverse group of filmmakers assembled by 1504, a studio based in Birmingham, Ala., For The Sake Of Old Times pairs the performance of "Auld Lang Syne" with archival footage from 2020, particularly of the summer's racial justice protests.
Among them: a vigil and protest in Chattanooga, Tenn., the removal of a statue honoring Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general, in Richmond, Va., and the dismantling of a monument commemorating the Confederacy in Birmingham.
And like nearly everything in 2020, the pandemic cast a shadow over the project — from the production itself, which the director says received third-party certification for adhering to safety protocols, to the content and the filmmakers' approach.
"We were aware going into the project that 2020 has disproportionately impacted communities of color in ways that I will never understand," Jones says.
The coronavirus is infecting and killing people of color at higher rates, while the economic fallout of the pandemic is exacerbating existing wealth inequality.
"So, we wanted to also honor the racial reckoning of the year and to amplify community voices," he says.
The film also draws parallels between the events of 2020 and those that occurred during the civil rights movement.
Through his studio's collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative — a nonprofit committed to ending mass incarceration — Jones has "learned about how Black churches played an integral part in organizing, in strategy and in healing during the civil rights movement, while ... most white churches stayed silent or took an oppositional role."
One way the film nods to that history is where it was recorded: a building that once housed a church that refused to seat Black worshippers at the height of desegregation during the 1960s.
"To be together like that in a church that we couldn't even sit in. You understand what that means? That's a lot," says Carrie Davis, a singer, songwriter and music director who lives in the area.
Davis helped the studio gather community members to perform "Auld Lang Syne" and arranged the piece to reflect their voices, including her own.
While some of the film's historical tributes were intentional — like its location — others were coincidental. Such was the case with the oldest singer who performed, Eloise Ford Gaffney.
As the filmmakers and singers got to know Gaffney, they learned that she fought for voting rights for African Americans and was jailed for protesting during the civil rights movement.
Gaffney was also classmates and friends with Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, two of the four African American girls killed when the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963.
The youngest of the victims, Denise McNair, was 11 when she died — which is, coincidentally, the same age as Jaxon Moore, the first and last person to appear in For The Sake of Old Times.
For Tyler Jones, the director, part of the film's symbolism is Moore "drawing on the community voices that are surrounding him as the song goes on."
"But at the end, he's the one that's moving forward. He's walking out of the church. And I think that it's really the younger generation that we now are having to follow," Jones says.
There's a verse in "Auld Lang Syne" that Jones says captures his wish for how the nation approaches the road ahead: "We'll take a cup o' kindness yet / For days of auld lang syne."
"My hope is that kindness sort of is the root of how we move forward," he says. "And certainly, I want the film to be an encouragement for that."
It's a hope that also resonates with Carrie Davis, the local singer and music director.
"Together in love, that's the way we're going to make this work. That's the only way we're going to move forward," Davis says. "Not forgetting the past — remembering the past, but moving forward."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit


text:
One Man, Many Wives, Big Problems
The social consequences of polygamy are bigger than you think
"And now, polygamy," sighs Charles Krauthammer, in a recent Washington Post column. It's true. As if they didn't already have enough on their minds, Americans are going to have to debate polygamy. And not a moment too soon.
For generations, taboo kept polygamy out of sight and out of mind in America. But the taboo is crumbling. An HBO television series called "Big Love," which benignly portrays a one-husband, three-wife family in Utah, set off the latest round of polygamy talk. Even so, a federal lawsuit (now on appeal), the American Civil Liberties Union's stand for polygamy rights, and the rising voices of pro-polygamy groups such as TruthBearer.org (an evangelical Christian group) and Principle Voices (which Newsweek describes as "a Utah-based group run by wives from polygamous marriages") were already making the subject hard to duck.
So far, libertarians and lifestyle liberals approach polygamy as an individual-choice issue, while cultural conservatives use it as a bloody shirt to wave in the gay-marriage debate. The broad public opposes polygamy but is unsure why. What hardly anyone is doing is thinking about polygamy as social policy.
If the coming debate changes that, it will have done everyone a favor. For reasons that have everything to do with its own social dynamics and nothing to do with gay marriage, polygamy is a profoundly hazardous policy.
To understand why, begin with two crucial words. The first is "marriage." Group love (sometimes called polyamory) is already legal, and some people freely practice it. Polygamy asserts not a right to love several others but a right to marry them all. Because a marriage license is a state grant, polygamy is a matter of public policy, not just of personal preference.
The second crucial word is "polygyny." Unlike gay marriage, polygamy has been a common form of marriage since at least biblical times, and probably long before. In his 1994 book The Moral Animal: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology, Robert Wright notes that a "huge majority" of the human societies for which anthropologists have data have been polygamous. Virtually all of those have been polygynous: that is, one husband, multiple wives. Polyandry (one wife, many husbands) is vanishingly rare. The real-world practice of polygamy seems to flow from men's desire to marry all the women they can have children with.
Moreover, in America today the main constituents for polygamous marriage are Mormons* and, as Newsweek reports, "a growing number of evangelical Christian and Muslim polygamists." These religious groups practice polygyny, not polyandry. Thus, in light of current American politics as well as copious anthropological experience, any responsible planner must assume that if polygamy were legalized, polygynous marriages would outnumber polyandrous ones — probably vastly.
Here is something else to consider: As far as I've been able to determine, no polygamous society has ever been a true liberal democracy, in anything like the modern sense. As societies move away from hierarchy and toward equal opportunity, they leave polygamy behind. They monogamize as they modernize. That may be a coincidence, but it seems more likely to be a logical outgrowth of the arithmetic of polygamy.
Other things being equal (and, to a good first approximation, they are), when one man marries two women, some other man marries no woman. When one man marries three women, two other men don't marry. When one man marries four women, three other men don't marry. Monogamy gives everyone a shot at marriage. Polygyny, by contrast, is a zero-sum game that skews the marriage market so that some men marry at the expense of others.
For the individuals affected, losing the opportunity to marry is a grave, even devastating, deprivation. (Just ask a gay American.) But the effects are still worse at the social level. Sexual imbalance in the marriage market has no good social consequences and many grim ones.
Two political scientists, Valerie M. Hudson and Andrea M. den Boer, ponder those consequences in their 2004 book Bare Branches: Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population. Summarizing their findings in a Washington Post article, they write: "Scarcity of women leads to a situation in which men with advantages — money, skills, education — will marry, but men without such advantages — poor, unskilled, illiterate — will not. A permanent subclass of bare branches [unmarriageable men] from the lowest socioeconomic classes is created. In China and India, for example, by the year 2020 bare branches will make up 12 to 15 percent of the young adult male population."
The problem in China and India is sex-selective abortion (and sometimes infanticide), not polygamy; where the marriage market is concerned, however, the two are functional equivalents. In their book, Hudson and den Boer note that "bare branches are more likely than other males to turn to vice and violence." To get ahead, they "may turn to appropriation of resources, using force if necessary." Such men are ripe for recruitment by gangs, and in groups they "exhibit even more exaggerated risky and violent behavior." The result is "a significant increase in societal, and possibly intersocietal, violence."
Crime rates, according to the authors, tend to be higher in polygynous societies. Worse, "high-sex-ratio societies are governable only by authoritarian regimes capable of suppressing violence at home and exporting it abroad through colonization or war." In medieval Portugal, "the regime would send bare branches on foreign adventures of conquest and colonization." (An equivalent today may be jihad.) In 19th-century China, where as many as 25 percent of men were unable to marry, "these young men became natural recruits for bandit gangs and local militia," which nearly toppled the government. In what is now Taiwan, unattached males fomented regular revolts and became "entrepreneurs of violence."
Hudson and den Boer suggest that societies become inherently unstable when sex ratios reach something like 120 males to 100 females: in other words, when one-sixth of men are surplus goods on the marriage market. The United States as a whole would reach that ratio if, for example, 5 percent of men took two wives, 3 percent took three wives, and 2 percent took four wives — numbers that are quite imaginable, if polygamy were legal for a while. In particular communities — inner cities, for example — polygamy could take a toll much more quickly. Even a handful of "Solomons" (high-status men taking multiple wives) could create brigades of new recruits for street gangs and drug lords, the last thing those communities need.
Such problems are not merely theoretical. In northern Arizona, a polygamous Mormon sect has managed its surplus males by dumping them on the street —
literally. The sect, reports The Arizona Republic, "has orphaned more than 400 teenagers … in order to leave young women for marriage to the older men." The paper goes on to say that the boys "are dropped off in neighboring towns, facing hunger, homelessness, and homesickness, and most cripplingly, a belief in a future of suffering and darkness."
True, in modern America some polygynous marriages would probably be offset by group marriages or chain marriages involving multiple husbands, but there is no way to know how large such an offset might be. And remember: Every unbalanced polygynous marriage, other things being equal, leaves some man bereft of the opportunity to marry, which is no small cost to that man.
The social dynamics of zero-sum marriage are ugly. In a polygamous world, boys could no longer grow up taking marriage for granted. Many would instead see marriage as a trophy in a sometimes brutal competition for wives. Losers would understandably burn with resentment, and most young men, even those who eventually won, would fear losing. Although much has been said about polygamy's inegalitarian implications for women who share a husband, the greater victims of inequality would be men who never become husbands.
By this point it should be obvious that polygamy is, structurally and socially, the opposite of same-sex marriage, not its equivalent. Same-sex marriage stabilizes individuals, couples, communities, and society by extending marriage to many who now lack it. Polygamy destabilizes individuals, couples, communities, and society by withdrawing marriage from many who now have it.
As the public focuses on a subject it has not confronted for generations, the hazards of polygamy are likely to sink in. In time, debating polygamy will remind us why our ancestors were right to abolish it. The question is whether the debate will reach its stride soon enough to prevent polygamy
from winning a lazy acquiescence that it in no way deserves.
*Author's note: My wording left some readers under the impression that the modern Mormon church may endorse or practice polygamy. It does not. I should have made clearer that I was referring to certain people who claim to be Mormons, not to the church or mainstream practice.
© Copyright 2006 National Journal
Jonathan Rauch is a senior writer and columnist for National Journal and a frequent contributor to Reason. The article was originally published by National Journal.


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We have been trying to make our art come to life!
We made bunny puppets this week and each bunny had to have a name, and a personality. We had mini puppet shows at the end of class that went over very well. The kids had so much fun bringing their art to life! I even had a teacher tell me that they took their bunnies to recess and wanted to use bunnies to do math and science too!
Kinder and first made stick puppets
And second through fifth made 3D puppets!!
I put up these steps on the wall for them to follow after I modeled each step for them
They turned out very individual and adorable. I wish I had my camera yesterday because the fourth graders had huge sunglasses, and all kinds of trendy wears on their bunnies!!


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After a lot of soul searching I finally worked out how I was going to make the first two of my Indian Longhouses, you'll not believe how easy they were to make. After seeing the final effect it's inspired me to make some more terrain pieces.
So now for the "How too"
1. A quick trip down my local timber merchant, £3 bought me an odd length of 3"x2" soft wood. I then cut one end at a slight angle, to represent the face of one of the longhouses.
2. I marked the same outline shape to both sides of the wood and at the apex of the roof.
3. This was the most time consuming part of the job, using a saw, a chisel, plane and a stanley knife, I cut out the shape, I kept the wood at this length because it was easier to use the plane, long smooth strokes (cough!), rather than short jerky strokes.
4. I then cut the Longhouses to the length I wanted, I had hoped to get three houses out of the length of wood, but it would have made them too short, so I settled for two.
5. For the massive sum of 49p I bought a years supply of brown crepe paper to use for the bark effect. I then cut out tons of different sized squares and stuck them onto the wooden blocks using PVA wood glue, starting at the bottom and overlapping slightly with the next row.
6. This only took around an hour to do, and looked quite effective.
7. Over the last couple of months during walks in my local country park, (and at work, Fran!), I'd been collecting fallen twigs, I don't know the trees they came from, most must have been lying around for a while because they were very dry and brittle, but that's exactly how I wanted them. So after finding several lengths that looked to be around the same thickness, I cut them to size and glued them on with superglue, this turned out to be a little tricky as some of the twigs were not straight, (obviously!) so I glued them on there flattest side, which added to the effect, as they were then random looking.
8. Then with the same sized twigs I cut the uprights, these again were a little tricky, after glueing my fingers together and to the model I decided to hold them in place with the tip of my knife until they dried.
9. With a smaller sized length of wood I cut and glued in the cross struts.
10. I just repeated the procedure to complete the second longhouse. Then using a thin piece of MDF I cut out the two bases and glued them in place with PVA glue.
11. I then pinched some of Fran's Green stuff and made the two curtains, for the doors.
12. After seeing pictures of a porch like structure on some of the longhouses online, I made one for one of mine just to make it look different, I just used the same kind of procedure as before. In this picture the porch looks to be a different colour, but it's not the case, just a little camera trick!
13. The scalp post was just as easy, the only difference was that I added some cotton, to look like binding. The scalps were once again Fran's pinched Greenstuff.
14. The building were painted in an undercoat of GW black, then painted all over with Miniature Paint No82 Earth Brown, followed by a heavy drybrush of Vallejo 821 German Camo Beige, lastly another light drybrush of Vallejo 819 Iraqi Sand to highlight. The base was covered with PVA glue with sieved sharpe sand sprinkled on, with a few of the bigger stones left in. Then the base was dry brushed with Vallejo 976 Buff to highlight, lastly static grass was added for effect.
So there you go........


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Oberlin College Archives
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Oberlin College Student Publications
This digital collection, published in March 2019, offers a sample cover, detailed description, and helpful tags for each of the nearly 200 student publications in the Archives' holdings. The content analysis was done by Kira Zimmerman, OC 2019.
Oberlin and Activism
The Oberlin College Archives, in collaboration with Oberlin College students of the 1950s and 1960s and the staff of the Alumni Magazine, are collecting materials to document Oberlin and civil rights in this online collection. Begun in 2013, this collection is in progress.
Oberlin And The Civil War
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Oberlin College Archives partnered with the Oberlin Heritage Center in 2011-2012 to build "Oberlin and the Civil War," a digital collection of Civil War era materials in the Oberlin College Archives.
Shansi: Oberlin and Asia
The Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association, the Oberlin College East Asian Studies Program, and the Oberlin College Archives and Library present this online digital collection that documents the activity of Oberlinians in Asia from the 1880s to the 1950s.
King-Crane Commission Digital Collection
During the summer of 1919, a delegation under the leadership of Oberlin College President Henry Churchill King and Chicago businessman Charles R. Crane travelled to areas of the former Ottoman territories. Their mission was to determine the wishes of the people of the region as their future was being determined by the major powers at the Paris Peace Conference. The King-Crane Commission, as it became known, met delegations and invited written petitions from various religious and political groups. This digital collection unifies the archival records of Commission members for the first time. It also includes resources on conducting research in the collection.
Sela G. Wright Digital Collection
This collection consists of 19th century Ojibwe language notes and letters from the Sela G. Wright Papers at the Oberlin College Archives.
John Frederick Oberlin
Oberlin College and its town in Ohio were founded in 1833 and named in honor of John Frederick Oberlin (1740-1826), an extraordinary Lutheran pastor who served in a remote region in Alsace until his death in 1826. Explore individual items from the Oberlin College Archives here, or go to the multimedia presentation
Oberlin's Namesake
to explore John Frederick Oberlin's life and work and the relationship between the College and its namesake in a more interactive format.
Popular Images in the Oberlin College Archives
In response to popular and scholarly demand for images from the Oberlin College Archives for illustrations in publications, this virtual collection presents some of the most widely circulated images from the extraordinarily rich collections at Oberlin College.
Oberlin College Campus Views
The Campus Views digital collection offers a wide range of types of graphic materials, from nearly the span of Oberlin College's history. The images, selected from various collections in the Archives, capture the changing built and landscape environment at Oberlin at particular points in space and time, made for various purposes.
Oberlin College Historic Portraits
Oberlin College established the Historic Portrait Collection in 1883 on the occasion of its Jubilee celebration. Beginning with less than ten portraits, the collection's focus was "to secure, so far as possible, the portraits of the more eminent men and women connected with our history for a permanent collection." The College actively sought life sized oil portraits of former professors and instructors, former and present members of the Board of Trustees, founders of professorships and prominent donors, early colonists, treasurers and other officers connected with the institution, and prominent friends of the anti-slavery and temperance movements who have been in any way associated with Oberlin (Jubilee Notes, May 1883). In the early decades the portraits hung permanently in the College Chapel and Peters Hall.
Archives Museum Collection
The Oberlin College Archives Museum Collection consists of a photograph and a description of each 3-D item in record group 35 and each painting, drawing, print or other framed item in record group 40. Most of these items have no connection to other record groups. Explore diverse objects, artworks and other framed items from Oberlin's history.
Near East Relief Digital Collection
Laurence Howland MacDaniels and Frances Cochran MacDaniels (both graduates of the class of 1912 of Oberlin College) volunteered for service in the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE), later called Near East Foundation (NEF). This foundation provided relief in the Near East after World War I. The reader can consult online sources on the foundation. Select photographs from a photograph album documenting their service in the ACRNE, 1919-20, can be accessed in this collection.
Military Service in World War I
At the close of World War I Oberlinians, like the rest of the nation, thought about the possibilities of a new era of victory and peace. To remember the Oberlin men and women who had participated in the fight "to save the world for democracy," the College's administration and the student body sought to make a loving record of their service. Consisting of more than one hundred and fifty pages, this yearbook material is the first item in the "virtual collection."
Visual Study Collection
Students at Oberlin are often assigned research projects that involve examining historical visual resources at the Archives. In the 2008-2009 academic year students scanned images to use as illustrations in their papers for courses such as Media & Memory, Meanings of the Memorial Arch, and Approaches to Western Architectural History.


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Although you may have just filed your 2019 income taxes in July, now is the time to start thinking about your 2020 return due next April. While it's always a good idea to be proactive when it comes to tax planning, it's particularly important this year.
In addition to annual updates for inflation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides individual taxpayers with several new tax breaks, most of which will only be available this year. The sooner you learn about the different forms of tax-savings available, the more time you will have to take advantage of them.
Here are 6 ways your 2020 return will differ from prior years:
1. Waived RMDs
You are typically required to take an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA, 401(k), or other tax-deferred retirement account starting in the year when you turn 72, but the CARES Act temporarily waived the RMD requirement for 2020. The waiver also applies if you reached age 70½ in 2019, but waited to take your first RMD until 2020, as allowed under the SECURE Act.
RMDs generally count as taxable income, so taking this waiver means that you may have lower taxable income in 2020 and therefore owe less income taxes for 2020.
However, there are a number of factors to consider, including the state of the market and your living expenses, when deciding whether or not to waive your RMDs. Given this, consult with us or your tax professional before making your final decision.
2. Higher standard deduction
If you do not itemize deductions, you can use the standard deduction to reduce your taxable income. Trump's tax reform legislation nearly doubled the standard deduction starting in 2018, and it has increased even more for inflation since then. For 2020, the new standard deduction amounts include the following:
- $12,400 for single filers
- $24,800 for those who are married filing jointly
- $18,650 for people filing as a head of household
3. Higher contribution limits for certain retirement accounts
Depending on the type of retirement account you are invested in, the maximum amount you can contribute may have increased this year. The contribution limit for a 401(k) or similar workplace-retirement plan has increased from $19,000 in 2019 to $19,500 in 2020. If you are 50 or older in 2020, the 401(k) catch-up contribution limit is $6,500, up from $6,000.
On the other hand, the amount you can contribute to a traditional IRA remains the same for 2020: $6,000, with a $1,000 catch-up limit if you're 50 or older. However, if you made too much money to contribute to a Roth IRA last year, the maximum income limits for contributing to a Roth have increased, so you may be able to contribute in 2020.
In 2020, eligibility to contribute to a Roth IRA starts to phase out at $124,000 for single filers and $196,000 for married couples filing jointly. Those phase-out limits are up from 2019, which started at $122,000 for single individuals and $193,000 for married couples.
4. New charitable deduction
In most years, you are only able to deduct charitable donations on your income tax return when you itemize deductions. However, the CARES Act included a provision to allow everyone to claim up to a $300 "above-the-line" deduction for charitable contributions, if you take the standard deduction in 2020. This change was designed to encourage people to donate money to charity to help with COVID-19 relief efforts.
5. Adoption credit changes
If you adopted a child this year, you can claim a higher tax credit on your 2020 return to cover your adoption-related expenses such as adoption fees, court and attorney costs, and travel expenses. The maximum credit amount for 2020 is $14,300, which is an increase of $220 from last year.
6. New rules for early withdrawals from retirement accounts
If your finances were seriously impacted by the coronavirus, you may be in dire need of funds to cover your expenses. Thanks to new rules under the CARES Act, you now have more flexibility to make an emergency withdrawal from tax-deferred retirement accounts in 2020, without incurring the normal penalties.
Ordinarily, permanent withdrawals from traditional IRAs or 401(k) accounts are taxed at ordinary income rates in the year the funds were taken out. And pulling out money before age 59 1/2 would also typically cost you a 10% penalty.
But thanks to the CARES Act, you can avoid the 10% penalty (if under 59 1/2) on up to $100,000 in coronavirus-related distributions (CRDs) from your retirement account. You are also allowed to spread such distributions over three years to reduce the tax impact. Or better yet, you can opt to put this money back into your retirement account—also within three years—and avoid paying taxes on the money all together.
That said, emergency withdrawals are only available to those individuals with a valid COVID-19-related reason for early access to retirement funds. These reasons include:
- Being diagnosed with COVID-19
- Having a spouse or dependent diagnosed with COVID-19
- Experiencing a layoff, furlough, reduction in hours, or inability to work due to COVID-19 or lack of childcare due to COVID-19
- Have had a job offer rescinded or a job start date delayed due to COVID-19
- Experiencing adverse financial consequences due to an individual or the individual's spouse's finances being affected due to COVID-19
- Closing or reducing hours of a business owned or operated by an individual or their spouse due to COVID-19
Because early withdrawals can negatively impact your retirement savings down the road, if you are looking to take advantage of this provision, you should consult with us and your financial advisor first. Also note that employers are not required to participate in this provision of the CARES Act, so you'll also need to check with your plan administrator to see if it's available at your workplace.
Maximize tax-savings for 2020
While the deadline for filing your 2020 income taxes isn't until April 15, 2021, with all of the new COVID-19 legislation, the earlier you start planning your taxes, the better. Consult with us, as your Personal Family Lawyer®, for support in clarifying how these new changes will affect your return and to implement strategies to maximize your tax savings for 2020 and beyond.
Proper estate planning can keep your family out of conflict, out of court, and out of the public eye. If you're ready to create a comprehensive estate plan, contact us to schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session. Even if you already have a plan in place, we will review it and help you bring it up to date to avoid heartache for your family. Schedule online today.


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This is the first time I've tried to post an image so please bear with me if I did not do it right.
It's also the first time i've ever tried to thin a knife.......I decided to try on my first ever japanese knife which is the knife that I first practiced sharpening on with whet stones. I did the majority of the thinning with a chosera 400 then proceeded to chosera 1000, then 5000 and finally 10 000 to try to eliminate the scratches the thinning caused. Then I went through the process again sharpening the knife.
I think I succeeded in the thinning of the entire blade with the majority of the thinning near the tip, but now I have a sharp, thinner knife with half an incosistant mirror finish and half factory finish.
I watched a Salty vid where he put a mirror finish on a Masamoto knife with some turtle wax, metal polish, 1 micron boron paste and then some type of wipe (could not find wipe's or boron paste at the hardwear store). But I did purchase some turtle wax and a metal polish and I tried it out on an old Henckel with no success.
I'm now thinking some polishing paper might be the answer.:scratchhead:
Does anyone have any suggestions?


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The Digital Landscape: Framework and Strategy
You are now one step closer to understanding how to effectively leverage content marketing as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. We will get in touch with you shortly. If at anytime you have any questions while reading the whitepaper, or would like to speak to a WSI digital marketing expert on evaluating your current marketing strategy simply get in touch with us.


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Tongue-Tie and Surgery
Dr. Greene, my 2 1/2-year-old son is tongue-tied (the skin under his tongue comes to the very tip of his tongue). I have seen several doctors regarding this issue, but none feel that it is necessary to surgically correct this problem. I would like to know at what point it does become surgically necessary. My son gets very upset when we don't understand what he's saying -- which is about 75% of the time -- and the skin under his tongue becomes white and sometimes blistered from the strain he puts on it trying to talk. I'm afraid that he is going to have speech problems and possibly more problems when he reaches school. He is already mispronouncing his words and sometimes corrects us because he feels that we are not saying them properly.His father had his cut and so did his stepbrother. Do you have any advice? Thanks in advance.
Christine Mitchell - Woodbridge, Virginia
Dr. Greene's Answer
When most people hear the term "tongue-tied", they picture someone nervous, stammering, and at a loss for words. Tongue-tie isn't just a cartoon caricature or picturesque description of an embarrassing moment; it is a relatively common physical condition.
During fetal development, cords of tissue called frenula form in the front-center of the mouth, beginning as early as 4 weeks of gestation. The word "frenulum" comes from the Latin word for bridle. A bridle can be used to guide a horse. In roughly the same way, the frenula guide the development of the structures of the mouth. Early in development, the frenula are important, strong cords, which then recede over time. After birth, they are still useful in guiding the positions of the baby teeth as they come in.
The tiny cord between the center of the upper lip and the center of the upper gum is called the labial frenulum (or lip frenulum). If you slip your tongue up where your upper lip meets your upper gum, you can probably still feel a remnant of your labial frenulum.
Another cord between the base of the tongue and the floor of the mouth or the lower gum is called the lingual frenulum. If you lift your tongue up and look in a mirror, you probably can see the strand of tissue connecting the bottom of your tongue to the floor of your mouth — what is left of your lingual frenulum.
In some kids, the lingual frenulum is short and taut after birth, partially restricting movement of the tongue. This condition is called ankyloglossitis (don't doctors have great names for things?) — more commonly known as tongue-tie.
In most of these children, the frenulum continues to recede during the entire first year. Their parents get to watch a part of development that usually happens in the hidden inner sanctum of the uterus.
Although tongue-tie is common, only in rare children is medical treatment necessary. If a tight frenulum is interfering with a baby's feeding, then early treatment is indicated. To accomplish this, the tongue is "loosened" by means of very simple and effective surgery. If a baby is feeding well, however, it is usually better to wait at least a year before revisiting the question of surgery, since tongue-tie so often resolves on its own.
Treatment is again considered if the tongue-tie is affecting speech — especially making it more difficult to pronounce the "th" sound. Tongue-tie is most likely to persist and pose a problem if the insertion points of the frenulum are on the very tip of the tongue and also on the top ridge of the bottom gum. A strong family history is also suggestive of a need for surgery at some point.
It is normal for toddlers to speak in a charming, partially understandable way. We expect kids to have mostly intelligible speech by age three (i.e. others besides their parents understand more than half of their words easily). Your 2 1/2-year-old's speech may be normal for his age, or may be hindered by his tongue-tie. I would recommend an evaluation by an experienced speech pathologist. This will give you useful information and may help force the hands of doctors and insurance companies. If the speech therapist feels that the tongue-tie is indeed hindering his language development, then I would certainly ask a pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat surgeon) to consider a simple surgical release for an otherwise healthy child.
If the therapist is unconcerned about his speech development, the simple release surgery could still be performed for cosmetic reasons. Often, Christine, "cosmetic" reasons are not superficial reasons. They can affect such core issues as self-esteem, physical comfort, and development of social interactions. Rarely will you encounter an easier way to free your son from bonds that are holding him back!