text:
Despite the glitter that surrounded both the Olympics in Beijing and
the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the messages coming to
Asia from the two events were very different.
From Beijing, the message was, to put it in the words of one pundit,
China has had a few bad centuries but is back on its feet. From
Denver, the word was that the world's most powerful country has been on
a desperate decade-long downspin that can only get worse if the
Republicans keep the White House.
For people in this part of the world, the weakening of US power is most
evident elsewhere: in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, where
Washington is bogged down in unending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; in
Latin America, where the rebellion against neoliberalism and US
meddling is in full swing; and, most recently, in Central Asia, where
Washington and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been
taught a painful lesson in overextension in Georgia.
The erosion of Washington's position is less obvious in East Asia.
After all, the US continues to maintain over 300 military bases and
facilities in the Western Pacific. Over the last decade, it has
established what amounts to a permanent troop presence in the Southern
Philippines to make up for its giving up its two big military bases on
Luzon Island in 1992. And in Indonesia, the Pentagon has
reestablished its close ties with the Indonesian military after several
years of uncertainty, using the opportunity provided by relief
operations during the tsunami of 2004.
Erosion of US Power in East Asia
Nevertheless, the region—and Southeast Asia in particular—is
probably more independent of the US today than at any other time in the
last 60 years. Economics is the reason. Over the last two decades,
several developments have eroded the US's position.
First of all, its drive to create the trans-Pacific free trade area
known as the Asia Pacific Cooperation (APEC) failed. APEC was meant to
be a westward extension of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA),
and both were intended to serve as a geoeconomic counterweight to the
European Union. Japan, China, and the Association of Southeast Asian
(ASEAN) countries, fearing US economic domination in the name of free
trade, scuttled President Bill Clinton's trans-Pacific dream at the
APEC Summit in Osaka in 1995. APEC summits continue to be held, but
these are remembered more as times when heads of state don the host
country's national costume than as occasions for serious economic
Second, the US effort to impose capital account and financial
liberalization on the Asia Pacific economies as a key element of more
thoroughgoing structural transformation backfired. Capital account
liberalization led to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-1998. Instead
of helping to shore up economies in crisis, Washington took advantage
of the crisis to try to comprehensively transform the region's
economies along neoliberal lines. As one of Clinton's economic
lieutenants saw it, "Most of these countries are going through a dark
and deep tunnel…But on the other end there is going to be a
significantly different Asia in which American firms have achieved a
much deeper market penetration, much greater access."
The outcome proved to be different. Malaysia imposed capital
controls. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was discredited, with
the Thai government declaring its intention never to go back to the
agency after paying off its loans in 2003 and the Indonesian government
resolving to do the same thing in 2008. While Washington and the IMF
were able to kill Japan's proposal for an Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) at
the height of the crisis, the East Asian governments formed the "ASEAN
Plus Three" financial mechanism that excludes the US and is likely to
be the precursor of a full-blown regional financial agency. Neoliberal
transformation has stalled in Japan and most Southeast Asian countries,
with possibly only South Korea continuing to travel along the
free-market path desired by the US.
Moreover, to protect themselves against future speculative crises
provoked by the movements of global finance capital spearheaded by US
funds, the Asian governments have built up massive foreign exchange
reserves, on which the US has become dependent for funds to prop up its
massive military expenditures and the middle-class spending that for a
long time served as an artificial barrier against recession. With the
unraveling of American financial institutions, the onset of recession,
and the depreciation of the dollar, the US economy has become hostage
to these countries' decisions to continue to lend to Washington and
Wall Street.
A third development that is not positive for the US is the region's
becoming increasingly dependent on the red-hot Chinese economic
locomotive. According to a United Nations report, China has been a
"major engine of growth for most of the economies in the region. The
country's imports accelerated even more than its exports, with a large
proportion of them coming from the rest of Asia." In fact, Chinese
demand is what pulled the Asia Pacific economies from the recession
caused by the Asian financial crisis that the US tried to take
advantage of. China has not only surpassed the United States to become
Japan's main trading partner but Chinese demand has helped keep the
world's second-largest economy from falling back into recession.
Conscious of its economic clout, China has moved to consolidate its
position as East Asia's new economic center via smart economic
diplomacy. In 2002, it convinced the ASEAN governments to create the
ASEAN-China Free Trade Area that is scheduled to come into effect in
2010. Japan has tried to catch up by offering ASEAN countries
"economic partnership agreements." Meanwhile, talks on a U.S.-Thailand
free trade area have been frozen by popular opposition to Washington's
strident championing of the so-called intellectual property rights of
its corporations. All in all, there is a great deal of truth in the
observation that the biggest beneficiary of the Bush administration's
imperial and corporate misadventures over the last decade has been
China, which has kept itself from military entanglements and devoted
itself singlemindedly to economic development.
Challenges Posed by China's Ascent
The rise of China provides a number of very fundamental challenges to different key actors in East Asia.
To Japan, the key challenge is to move from being effectively a vassal
state of the United States in security matters to a mature relationship
with China that would definitively leave behind five decades of
aggression followed by six decades of serving as a springboard for US
power projection onto the Asian mainland. A definitive acceptance of
responsibility for the atrocities committed by Japanese troops during
the Second World War, including the infamous Nanjing Massacre, on the
part of the Japanese people and their leaders is an indispensable step
in this move towards a mature relationship between Asia's leading
economic powers.
For Southeast Asia, the challenge is how to avoid becoming an appendage of the Chinese economy.
Chinese demand was, as mentioned earlier, an immense force lifting
Southeast Asia's economies from the depths of the Asian financial
crisis. However, China's developing trade and investment relations
with ASEAN have had some not pleasant aspects.
The experience of Thai vegetable and fruit producers owing to an
"early harvest" free trade arrangement with Thailand earlier this
decade is one of them. Under the agreement, Thailand would export
tropical fruits to China while winter fruits from China would be
eligible for the zero-tariff deal. The expectations of mutual benefit
evaporated after a few months, however, with massive imports from China
wiping out Thai producers of many fruits and vegetables such as garlic
and red onions.
But the fear of many in Southeast Asia goes beyond having trade
agreements with China that would yield unequal benefits. With land and
energy relatively scarce in China, Chinese enterprises, with the
blessings of the Chinese government, are seeking deals that would allow
them to mine minerals and grow crops in Southeast Asian countries for
exclusive export to the China market. To take one example, in a deal
with the Philippines, the Chinese Fuhua Group planned to invest $3.83
billion over five to seven years to develop 1 million hectares of land
to grow high-yielding strains of corn, rice, and sorghum. The
Philippine government's Departments of Environment and Agrarian Reform
plan to identify "idle lands" that could be incorporated into the
Chinese plantations. This in a country where seven out of 10 farmers
are landless! This is a formula for real trouble.
Some have been quick to call China's international economic policies
"imperialistic." It is, however, difficult to sustain this label since
exploitative relations between China and other developing countries
have not congealed structurally. Economic trends where China emerges
as a net beneficiary do not add up to imperialism. Moreover, there is
absent that element of force and coercion that accompanied the
imposition of European and American economic power on weaker
Nevertheless, Southeast Asian governments need to balance
their spontaneous feelings of South-South solidarity with cool-headed
realism. Countries like China, Brazil, and India, are led by
developmentalist elites that are seeking to find their place in a new
global capitalist order marked by the loosening of the economic
hegemony of the old capitalist centers, that is, Japan, the US, and the
European Union. The pursuit of national economic interest, not
regional cooperation for development, is their central concern. By
uncritically signing trade and investment agreements or joining a
regional formation anchored by these bigger, ambitious powers, smaller
countries may simply end up being used economically, territorially, and
politically to advance their regional and global agenda.
Does this mean that a trade agreement and regional economic formation
linking China and ASEAN is to be avoided at all costs? No, it simply
means the ASEAN governments must enter talks with China with eyes wide
open and negotiate collectively, not as 10 separate governments. They
must make it clear to China that they do not desire a trade agreement
based on free trade, such as the arrangements that the US, European
Union, and Japan are pushing on them, but one where, as the weaker
economies, the net benefits of the arrangement accrue to them, not
China. They must see to it that the terms of association must be
carefully negotiated and that they work closely to offset the dominance
of the central power.
Yes, China's relationship with Southeast Asia cannot be described as an
exploitative one. But unless considerations of equity are front and
center in the negotiation of economic relationships between Beijing and
its neighbors, the old structural patterns marking the relations
between Southeast Asia and Europe, the United States, and Japan could
easily be replicated.
The US-China Relationship
The most critical
regional relationship, however, is between the US and China since the
US is the most powerful power in East Asia and China the next most
In his stimulating book Adam Smith in Beijing, the eminent political
economist Giovanni Arrighi of Johns Hopkins University writes that
there are three alternative policies that the United States can adopt
towards a China that is on the ascendant.
The first is an updated version of the Cold War strategy of
containment. In this strategy, China is seen as a strategic threat or,
as the 2002 National Security Strategy Paper of the Bush administration
puts it euphemistically, a "strategic competitor." The US response
would be to "dissuade China" from its military ambitions by giving a
high profile to the massive American military presence in the Western
Pacific, strengthening the bilateral agreements with US allies that
sustain this trans-Pacific garrison state, and building up defense
cooperation with India, Asia's other big power. Needless to say, this
response misconstrues the nature of the Chinese challenge, which is an
economic rather than a strategic one. And needless to say as well,
this response would be disastrous for the whole world.
A second strategy is not to directly confront China as the US
confronted the old Soviet Union but to put into motion balance of power
politics, wherein China is weakened indirectly. Arrighi quotes James
Pinkerton, a protagonist of this approach:
Instead of confronting directly the rising Asian powers, the United
States should play them off each other. As the Latin expression
tertium gaudens—the happy third—reminds us, rather than getting in the
middle of every fight, sometimes it is better "to hold the coats of
those who do." For the US national interest, "a better Asia would be
one in which China, India, Japan, and possibly another 'tiger' or two
contend with each other for power while we enjoy the happy luxury of
third party by-standing." |
Needless to say, this strategy would also have terrible consequences for the region.
A third strategy, one that Arrighi identifies with two old faces
from the 20th century, Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski,
National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter, does not see China
as a revisionist power but as one that wants to join the global status
quo. The appropriate response for Washington is to accept China as
part of the elite of the global state system and work with it in
pursuit of international stability, in the same way that Britain, the
hegemon of the 19th century, cooperated and made way for the United
States, the hegemon of the 20th century.
Arrighi prefers the third strategy. Indeed, though still in
essence conservative in that it seeks to preserve the global status
quo, this is by far a preferable American response. It is, however,
the least likely to be adopted. The problem is that imperial America
is not like imperial Britain. The US is ideologically an expansionist
missionary democracy that will find it difficult to accept a No. 2
status without provoking a reactionary populist reaction among key
segments of its population. Aside from its powerful corporate and
strategic drives, providing leadership in the messianic enterprise of
remaking the world along the lines of a liberal or neoliberal Lockean
democracy is a fundamental driving force of US hegemony.
Civil Society, China, and America
This conundrum inevitably leads to a discussion of how civil
society, both in Asia and globally, ought to respond to the erosion of
US hegemony and the ascent of China. In the best of all possible
worlds, the US and China could be supporters of the effort to create a
new world order built on peace, justice, and popular sovereignty.
Unfortunately, we live in a less than ideal world
With respect to China, the task of civil society is to pressure it,
as it intensifies its engagement with the world, to resist the
temptation of following the destructive imperial path trodden by Europe
and the United States. It is also to push it to move away from the
fossil-fuel intensive, consumption-oriented path of development
pioneered by the West to one that is more ecologically sustainable and
sensitive to equity issues. This will not be easy. Nevertheless,
there are signs of hope, one of them being the rethinking of the
direction of China's development that is going on among China's
leaders. One can only agree with Arrighi when he says:
If the reorientation succeeds in reviving and consolidating China's
traditions of self-centered market-based development, accumulation
without dispossession, mobilization of human rather than non-human
resources, and government through mass participation in shaping
policies, then the chances are that China will be in a position to
contribute decisively to the emergence of a commonwealth of
civilizations truly respectful of differences. But, if the
reorientation fails, China may well turn into a new epicenter of social
and political chaos that will facilitate Northern attempts to
reestablish a crumbling global dominance.
With the Chinese leadership's great concern for legitimacy both
internally and internationally, one cannot say that the failure of the
proponents of reorientation is a foregone conclusion. This is why
pressure from international civil society for a change in economic
strategy, for pro-environment policies, for the expansion of democratic
rights, and for equitable relations with the developing countries must
be kept up.
Towards a New American Isolationism
Blunting Washington's innately hegemonic thrust will be much more difficult. Difficult but not impossible.
Perhaps the best strategy for civil society at this point is not so
much to rely on appeals to American ideals but to continually point to
the very high costs of intervention, in terms of soldiers killed, money
spent, domestic strife, and credibility lost, to consistently campaign
against any temptation for US forces to intervene on whatever grounds.
Part of this strategy must be pressure for the removal of the US
military bases from Asia and the Pacific and the neutralizing of the
bilateral treaties between the US and a number of Asian countries.
Aside from being the pillars for Washington's containment of China,
these institutions are the main factors that prevent China and other
East Asian countries from evolving a more mature relationship.
More broadly, the aim of civil society mobilization both in Asia and
globally should be to encourage a new American isolationism. Barack
Obama is definitely preferable to John McCain, but the world does not
need a new American internationalism, this time of the liberal and
"soft power variety." We should not tolerate a policy of withdrawing
troops from Iraq, only to send them to Afghanistan in the name of
defending human rights. We do not want in place of military
confrontation, an aggressive diplomatic isolation of Iran led by a
Democratic elite that is uncritical, as Obama is, of Israel. We do not
want an obsession with the Middle East to be replaced with an obsession
with destabilizing Hugo Chavez and restoring US influence in Latin
America. And we should worry when Bill Clinton says, as he did during
the Democratic Party convention, that one of Obama's objectives will be
to "restore American leadership in the world." Asia does not need or
want American leadership.
What Asia, like the rest of the world, needs is a vacation from a
messianic United States, and a few decades of a withdrawn, self
absorbed, isolationist America, paying attention to its domestic
troubles and deterred by the high costs of the continued pursuit of
hegemony globally, would be good for the region, good for everybody.
The Asia Pacific region, in sum, is pregnant with both dangers and
possibilities, and there is, if anything, great indeterminacy, a great
element of contingency on where we're heading. In times like this,
when the possible and the impossible hang in a fine balance, it is
important to remember the advice of that great Italian thinker Antonio
Gramsci about balancing the pessimism of the intellect with the
optimism of the will.
* Walden Bello is Professor of Sociology at the University of the
Philippines and senior analyst at the Bangkok-based research and
advocacy institute Focus on the Global South. He is the author of,
among other books, Dilemmas of Domination: TheUnmaking of the American
Empire (New York: Henry Holt, 2005).


text:
Very Early Release Gnu Impossible Asym Sym Sync Pickle Arrives Mid-February 2012
New Complicated Confusing Snowboard From Gnu Naturally Makes Snowboarding Easier And More Fun!
Seattle, WA (January 31, 2012) – In a special very early release coming out mid-February 2012, GNU re-evolutionizes snowboarding with the most technologically advanced snowboard ever, the new GNU Impossible Asym. Sym. Sync. Pickle. Balance through asymmetry is taken to the next level, with the Impossible's new asymmetry for ducks then combined with Mervin Mfg's latest and greatest technological innovations. Customized core construction, sidecuts and contact angles are designed to allow the body and board to synchronize into perfect harmony through nearly "imperceptible perfection."
In addition to Asym Sym Sync, elliptical EC2 camber/banana with Magne-Traction underfoot creates a fun, all-mountain ride. Impossibly strong, ultra-lightweight magnesium fiber, rugged Bio Beans topsheet material, black and blue swirl sidewalls, lightweight Colombian Gold eco wood core and a sintered base combine are brought together in the Gnu Impossible for the most technologically advanced snowboard being built today.
Asym Sym Sync is designed with the body's asymmetry front to back, but symmetry side-to-side in mind. Snowboard turn mechanics are completely different on your toe side than on your heel side. The Duck Asym of the Asym Sym Sync balances the amount of board contact behind and in front of your feet for stable, balanced pop and float.
On the heel side, a shorter contact length allows for turns and reactions with power that are taken at an inherently lower angle. A softer flexing core construction on the heel side allows the board to flex into a tighter arc at a lower angle. On the toe side, anatomically its possible to tip a board up into a very aggressive angle of attack. The Asym Sym Sync's mellower toe side sidecuts and longer contact are designed to balance this asymmetry creating toe edge stability and a range of turning arcs that align perfectly with the heelside turns. A firmer flexing core on the toe side provides added stability and control necessary with finely tuned toe side turn mechanics.
Curious Science and Anatomical Facts:
Available in 155cm only, for mid-February 2012 very early season release. Full size run and greater availability fall 2012.
- Twin Asym Sym Sync. Freestyle Shape and Geometries
- EC2 BTX Eliptical Banana Camber combo
- Magne-Traction
- Magnesium Fiber
- Asym Columbian Gold eco core
- Bio Beans Topsheet
- Sintered Base
- Size: 155
- Flex: 6
- Price: $799.95US, $849.95CDN

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nominate your favorite Legacy for February!
I will be reaching out to each of the Legacy's nominated this round that will make it to competition via PM. I want to gather your most current mod list as well as the picture you would like to use. If I don't hear from you within 48 hours I will simply nominate someone else.
Winners of ROTM will receive a special, limited production decal for their accomplishment. Only 12 are made per year, and are reserved for ROTM winners. You can't obtain them any other way. No purchase is necessary when you win. Join the exclusive club! Reason will be distributing decals to all winners.
Here are 4 simple rules before you nominate someone (and yes, you can nominate yourself). Please read over the entire rule list. [LINK]
1) ROTM is open to all active members with a MR1 thread.
2) Must be a Legacy, Outback, or Baja.
3) No nominating a car that has won within the past 12 months. A winning user may compete again with a different car.
4) No nominating a car that participated in a voting round within the past 3 months. If the car was nominated but not chosen to compete, it may be re-submitted this month.
View the full set of rules here. The rules listed above are the most important to take note of before submitting.
When submitting, choose the best full car picture you think best represents the nominated car. Remember, this will be the competing photo, unless the owner of the car themselves requests a different photo. In addition to a photo, include a link to the MR1 thread.
Nominations end Saturday, February 6th, 2016 at 11:59pm PST. That is just a weeks time so get your nominations in quickly! Please let me know if you have follow up questions as well.
Self nominations are welcomed and encouraged


text: Re-marriage.com, World's No.1 Remarriage Site. Searching for true love may be the most important journey you will ever embark upon. Choosing the right online matchmaking service can prove just as important. We understand it can be difficult to find a compatible match with whom you share a similar background, goals, or beliefs, and regardless of who you may be looking for. We will help you find true love that special someone you have been waiting for 'love of your life'. Our Easy to Use website features & Intelligent Matchmaking Tools guarantee fast results & helps you find a Compatible Match. You can meet People from Around The World of all Ages, Races, Communities and Religions.


text: "Bred with Thought, Raised with Love, Shown with Pride, and where Quality is more important than Quantity" Established 1996 Hi, and welcome. We are Terry, Aileen & Madison Jenkins and collectively we are Mirriyuula Kennels. Home of Australian Grand, Australian, New Zealand, American, CKC International, Singapore, FCI International and South African Champions. The name "Mirriyuula" is roughly translated to "Ghost Dog" from the local Aboriginal Bungerong tribe who lived and hunted on the grounds of our home in and around Kilcunda Victoria (between Wonthaggi & Phillip Island) where we first registered our kennel. As our first Collie was a Blue Merle we thought this name was appropriate for our prefix. Our current home is situated on 20 beautiful Australian bush acres located just outside our nations beautiful capital Canberra, ACT. Apart from sharing our home with our Collies we also have assorted lizards and goannas, many kangaroos, beautiful rosellas and very noisy cockatoos. Our breeding program consists of a few selected litters per year so we usually have an extensive waiting list for our puppies. All our breeding stock is hip scored (where possible) and our puppies are eye checked and certified by a qualified opthamologist. Mirriyuula Kennels are currently being represented within Australia in New South Wales, ACT, South Australia, Queensland We are also home of the #1 PON in Australia and the breeds FIRST Grand Champion in the world. Please enjoy your visit If you have any puppy enquiries please contact us via our email address : [email protected] or on our mobile of 0419312811 Thank you, and again, welcome. Terry & Aileen Jenkins Canberra Region, NSW, Australia Email : [email protected] 414572 Visitors |


text:
Audi aimed to inject a little more fun into its SUV line-up with this more compact and affordable Q2 model - and has here lightly improved it. This little crossover is aimed at customers wanting a Nissan Juke-style small Crossover but requiring a little more class and quality. It's offered a new direction for the Ingolstadt brand.
'Fun' isn't a word you necessarily associate with Audi. 'Cool' perhaps. 'Classy' possibly. 'Mature' definitely. Well forget that third adjective when it comes to discussion of this car, the Audi Q2. It's the kind of product that the German brand hopes will lower its target age demographic, at the same time giving buyers of small Crossovers like Nissan's Juke and Renault's Captur a more appealing option to aspire towards. In truth, it's likely that the Q2 will prove to be a little too pricey for customers of those cars, but premium models in this segment - contenders like Honda's HR-V, Mazda's CX-30 and Jeep's Renegade - should certainly feel the heat from this Q2. Especially in this updated form.
The Q2 line-up is primarily based around a mid-range 35 TFSI variant which uses a four-cylinder 150PS 1.5-litre turbo petrol unit with the brand's clever 'Cylinder on Demand' system. There's a choice of 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed S tronic auto. Slotting in below this variant is the 30 TFSI, which uses a 116PS 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit. Two four-cylinder diesel engines are also available with 1.6 and 2.0 litres of displacement and outputs of 116PS (30 TDI) and 150PS (35 TDI). The '35 TDI' comes with quattro 4WD. As before, at the top of the range is a 300PS SQ2 quattro sporting model. The top 'Vorsprung' variant gets 'Adaptive cruise assist' for limit autonomous highway driving capability. Installed at the rear on the front-wheel drive versions is a semi-independent suspension, while the quattro models have a four-link suspension. Progressive steering is standard in all variants. It varies the steering gear ratio as a function of the steering input; the ratio is made more direct with large steering movements. Adaptive dampers are available as an option, and there's the Audi drive select system with which drivers can set an individual characteristic for their Q2. On rougher terrain, ground clearance of almost 15 centimetres is slightly better than some other small lifestyle SUVs can offer - and Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC) with an integrated off-road mode will also serve the compact crossover well.
Audi has subtly altered the look of this Q2, slightly lowering the octagonal Singleframe front grille to make the front of the car appear wider. Plus full-LED headlamps are now standard and the air intakes now look more 'expressive' and, as with other recent Audis, narrow slits have been added between the radiator grille and the bonnet in the style of the iconic Audi Sport quattro. At the rear, there's a fresh bumper design with an integrated diffuser insert featuring large five-sided polygons. As before, the Q2 certainly looks distinctive with its 'floating blade' C-pillar and colourful trimming. It's slightly shorter and narrower than an A3 hatch and boasts a complex shape that shows a lot of vertices and edges. In profile, the high shoulder line is especially eye-catching, as are the concave flanks in the door area. Inside, most variants now get the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument binnacle display as standard, paired with an 8.3-inch 'MMI navigation plus' centre-dash screen. Otherwise, you'd have to be an Audi sales person to really notice the changes made - things like smarter fabrics, a revised gearshifter knob and re-styled air vents. As before, the MMI infotainment system can be controlled by natural language operation and the integrated MMI search set-up. The driver's seat position is low in relation to the steering wheel as in an Audi saloon. There's reasonably comfortable seating in the rear for two, but if you'll be using the back seat for adults regularly, you'd be better off trying an Audi Q3. Practically, the Q2 fulfils the fundamental expectations of an SUV with a high entry, good visibility and a large luggage compartment (405 to 1,050-litres of capacity). A power tailgate is standard, as is a three-way split rear bench backrest with cargo through-loading.
Prices see this car pitched just above the brand's A1 supermini, which means that Q2 buyers will be paying somewhere in the £22,500 to £35,000 bracket for mainstream models. There are five main trim options - 'Technik', 'Sport', 'S line', 'Black Edition' and 'Vorsprung', plus the SQ2 model at the top of the range. All variants now get full-LED headlights as standard, upgraded on 'Vorsprng' versions to intelligent 'Matrix LED' status. There are now new paint colour options and the C-pillar blades can either be body-coloured or finished in black, grey or silver. Features common to all versions include powered tailgate operation, the Audi Smartphone Interface, rear parking sensors and cruise control, and on top of their visual and technological gains, 'Sport', 'S line' and 'Black Edition' models are enhanced by additions such as front sport seats (those in the latter two variants finished with a cloth and leather combination upholstery) and the Audi drive select dynamic handling system. 'Black Edition' specification also brings a black styling treatment for many exterior details, combined with larger 19-inch alloy wheels for maximum visual impact, while top 'Vorsprung' models take all of these benefits and embed even more luxury, technology and safety. Fine Nappa leather upholstery and seat heating, a panoramic sunroof, a Bang & Olufsen audio system and an upgrade to dual-zone climate control soothe occupants of this top specification model, as do advanced LED ambient lighting and softly backlit inlays whose colour scheme can be selected via the MMI.
The Q2 looks set to be a frugal choice if you're looking for a car of this kind; let's get to the WLTP figures. The 1.0-litre 30 TFSI petrol version's likely to be a popular choice, capable of up to 47.1mpg on the combined cycle and a CO2 return of up to 135g/km. The 35 TFSI manages up to 44.8mpg and up to 142g/km. The 30 TDI 1.6-litre diesel of course does even better, with combined cycle fuel consumption of up to 49.6mpg and 150g/km possible. Depreciation figures should be as strong as they usually are on Audi models. It's a little disappointing though, that the brand sticks to its usual 60,000 mile limit on the three year warranty. Optional extra-cost packages can extend the cover to either four or five years. Pre-paid servicing packages are also available.
In some ways, you wonder why it took Audi so long to enter the small Crossover market. Yes, it's had its Q3 model in campaigning here, but that car has proved to be a little too pricey to interest the Juke and Captur crowd. This car will still require such people to take a long hard look at their bank balances but it's certainly proved to be more accessible and has markedly widened Audi's SUV sales demographic. It's not perfect, of course. Not everyone will like the styling. You'll need to avoid the larger wheel rim sizes if you want a decent quality of ride. And some - ourselves included - might find themselves to be a touch disappointed that the premium pricing doesn't deliver a little more in terms of standard kit. Otherwise though, there's very little to criticise. The Q2 is fun, fashionable and perfectly pitched for aspirational compact Crossover buyers. If you're one of these people, we think you're probably going to want one.


text:
January 30, 2019
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December indicates that the labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising at a solid rate. Job gains have been strong, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Household spending has continued to grow strongly, while growth of business fixed investment has moderated from its rapid pace earlier last year. On a 12-month basis, both overall inflation and inflation for items other than food and energy remain near 2 percent. Although market-based measures of inflation compensation have moved lower in recent months, survey-based measures of longer-term inflation expectations are little changed.
Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 percent. The Committee continues to view sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee's symmetric 2 percent objective as the most likely outcomes. In light of global economic and financial developments and muted inflation pressures, the Committee will be patient as it determines what future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate may be appropriate to support these outcomes.
In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial and international developments.
Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Jerome H. Powell, Chairman; John C. Williams, Vice Chairman; Michelle W. Bowman; Lael Brainard; James Bullard; Richard H. Clarida; Charles L. Evans; Esther L. George; Randal K. Quarles; and Eric S. Rosengren.


text:
Jiyo Bangla is steeped in colours of almost all the creative avenues one can fathom. At Jiyo Bangla, we have created numerous niches to exercise innovation and avant-garde methods favouring a symbiotic relationship between the company and employees.
Our company offers an inimitable work environment along with a dynamic road to brilliance. Here, you will have the opportunity to unfurl your individual skill-sets; be it the ability to write striking contents or creating visual delights in form of short videos, news-reading and anchoring. A media house that characterises in versatility, Jiyo Bangla has slots for all the aspects of journalism, graphic designing, sales and marketing, video editing, advertising and radio shows. With a blend of passion and organizational efficiency, you will definitely experience growth working here.
Contact us with an updated resume in word/pdf format and a passport size photo at email@example.com. Our recruitment team will review your resume and will contact you.


text:
Hi! I'm Trish from Canada, a single mom to two kids and a proud Disney Vacation Club member. In my circle of friends, I have a reputation for gravitating to any discussion involving Disney Parks and Resorts and would welcome the chance to share my experiences with you. Have you ever wondered what Disney Vacation Club is all about? Trying to decide if membership is right for your family? Have a question about visiting a Disney Vacation Club Resort? If so, you have come to the right place!
Visit Walt Disney World Resort to explore the magic.
256 Characters Remaining
Please do not include personal information such as full names and reservation numbers in your message.
Please do not include personal information such as full names and reservation numbers in your question.
The menu below has been automatically set to the panelist you were reviewing, however, you can ask anyone on our panel.
Email communication is the only way we can notify you when your question has been answered. If you choose to opt-out of receiving emails, you will need to return to the site to check if your question has been answered.
For a better experience browsing this website, please download an updated version of Internet Explorer.
Or you can continue browsing without updating.


text:
When the whooping cough vaccine was invented in the 1940s, doctors thought they had finally licked the illness, which is especially dangerous for babies. But then it came roaring back.
In 2010, a whooping cough outbreak in California sickened 9,120 people, more than in any year since 1947. Ten infants died; babies are too young to be vaccinated.
Public health officials suspected that the increased numbers of parents who refused to vaccinate their children played a role, but they couldn't be sure.
Vaccine refusal was indeed a factor, researchers now say. They compared the location and number of whooping cough, or pertussis, cases in that outbreak with the personal belief exemptions filed by parents who chose not to vaccinate for reasons other than a child's health. (Some children with compromised immune systems aren't able to be vaccinated.)
Pertussis is very contagious, spreading quickly through a community. So the researchers had to map not only the location of outbreak clusters, but also when they appeared.
They found that people who lived in areas with high rates of personal belief exemptions were 2 1/2 times more likely to live in a place with lots of pertussis cases. "The exemptions clustered spatially and were associated with clusters of cases," Jessica Atwell, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and lead author on the study, told Shots. It was published online in the journal Pediatrics.
Both exemptions and clusters of pertussis cases tended to be in neighborhoods with higher levels of education and income. Statewide about 2 percent of parents file an exemption, but the number varied hugely from one community to the text. In some schools more than three-quarters of the families filed exemptions.
When the number of people vaccinated drops below 95 percent, a community loses herd immunity to highly contagious germs like pertussis, and babies and other unvaccinated people can get sick. In 2010, 91 percent of kindergarteners were up to date on their shots in California.
Vaccine refusal wasn't the only factor fueling the California outbreak. Pertussis is a cyclical disease. Protection from the current version of pertussis vaccine appears to fade more quickly than doctors originally thought, so many older children vaccinated as youngsters were no longer immune to the bacterium. And many adults had never gotten a booster.
Finally, this study couldn't tell if the parents who filed exemptions had vaccinated their children against some diseases, or which ones.
California has since launched a statewide campaign to get both children and adults vaccinated, with a booster required for attendance at middle school. But parents can still file for personal belief exemptions, and they do.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Richard's Website
Well, you appear to have stumbled across my website.
If you don't know me, I'm a Systems Developer for an Internet Service Provider in Maidenhead. If you do know me, you're probably here looking for photos, or my notes from my travels at the start of 2006. Since Facebook came along, however, not many pictures make it up onto this website anymore.
There's also some software utilities I've written over the years, though some of these are getting on a bit now!


text:
1. The CHEO Foundation
The CHEO Foundation (the "Foundation") raises, manages and disburses funds to support CHEO, the CHEO Research Institute and Roger Neilson Children's Hospice (the "Hospital"). The Foundation raises funds by soliciting donations, receiving planned gifts, bequests and grants, and by organizing special events and lotteries. Funds raised by the Foundation are used to: fund research, purchase new equipment, enhance the paediatric nature of the hospital, train staff, and assist families in crisis.
2. Commitment to Privacy of Personal Information
The Foundation is committed to protecting the privacy of our donors and prospective donors. This Personal Information Protection Policy (the "Policy") is destined to be compliant with applicable legislation, as well as established guidelines for charitable organizations, including the Foundation's Donor Bill of Rights and Ethical and Financial Accountability Code which are available on the Foundation's website or by contacting the Vice President, Finance, CHEO Foundation.
This policy may be updated from time to time with updates approved by the Board of Directors of the Foundation to reflect developments in our practices, new technology or in the law. Updates will be made available in the same ways as the Policy.
3. Personal Information
Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual's opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about or related to the individual. Business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers published in public telephone directories are not considered personal information.
4. Accountability
The Foundation is responsible for all personal information under its custody or control, including information which it may transfer to a third party for processing. The Vice President, Finance, of the Foundation has been appointed as Privacy Officer for the Foundation. The Privacy Officer may delegate day-to-day responsibility for administration of this Policy to other employees but the Privacy Officer remains accountable for the Foundation's handling of personal information. The Privacy Officer may be contacted at:
The CHEO Foundation
415 Smyth Road Ottawa, Ontario
Tel: (613) 737-2780 or 1-800-561-5638
The Foundation is responsible for personal information sent to third parties for processing on behalf of the Foundation or to service providers who provide services to the Foundation. The Foundation requires any such third parties to use the personal information only for the purposes for which it is provided to them and to protect the security of the personal information in accordance with privacy laws.
5. Purposes for Collecting, Using and Disclosing Personal Information
The Foundation collects and uses personal information of donors only for the following purposes:
When contacting donors, the Foundation respects their express preferences concerning matters such as method and frequency of solicitations and public recognition of donations.
Individuals collecting personal information on behalf of the Foundation will be able to identify the purposes for which the information is being collected. If information is to be used for a purpose not previously identified, the Foundation will identify this purpose prior to use and provide individuals with an opportunity to opt out of this activity.
6. Consent
Except as otherwise permitted or required by law, the Foundation collects, uses and discloses personal information only with the consent of the individual.
In obtaining consent, the Foundation will advise the individual orally or in writing of the purposes for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information. When making a donation, individuals will be asked to consent to the use of their personal information for the purposes set out in this Policy. The Foundation will seek consent either at the time information is collected or after collection but before the information is used.
An individual may withdraw consent to use of his or her personal information for any purposes at any time by contacting the Foundation at the address set out above. The Foundation will explain the consequences of withdrawing consent. Please allow us a reasonable time to process any request to withdraw consent.
7. Consent to the Collection of Information from the Website
Donations to the Foundation may be made via the website. Also, individuals may sign up for services or order goods over the website. Any personal information provided by an individual over the website will be treated in accordance with this Policy. Credit card information is processed via a secure encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) session.
In addition, the website uses cookies, small amounts of data that are transferred to a user's browser. Cookies are used to customize the site to an individual's interests or to retain personal information, such as a password for the next visit. A user can set his or her browser not to accept cookies and still access the website. The website also collects non-personal information which is used for systems administration purposes and to update the website.
8. Accuracy
The Foundation seeks to ensure that the personal information it uses is accurate and up to date. Please assist us by advising us of any inaccuracies you notice, and we will make appropriate corrections.
9. Limiting Disclosure and Retention of Personal Information
The Foundation limits the collection of personal information to that which is necessary for the purposes for which it is collected.
The Foundation does not sell, barter, rent or lease donor lists.
Only employees, authorized volunteers, and agents with a need to know for Foundation business purposes or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to personal information.
The Foundation retains personal information only as long as necessary for the specified purposes. Subject to other legal requirements to retain information, the Foundation retains a donor's personal information only as long as the relationship between the individual is being maintained and cultivated.
10. Safeguards
The Foundation protects personal information against such risks as loss or theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, modification and destruction by using appropriate security measures. The Foundation is committed to protecting the information regardless of the format in which it is held.
The Foundation's employees, authorized volunteers and agents with access to personal information are required to respect the confidentiality of that information by signing a Confidentiality Agreement, participating in privacy training and implementing methods of protection that include:
11. Access
Upon request, the Foundation will inform an individual of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information. Requests may be made by contacting the Privacy Office, CHEO Foundation, 415 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M8. On receiving a request, the Foundation may require sufficient information to confirm an individual's identity before releasing personal information. Upon receiving a request, the Foundation will disclose:
The Foundation will also allow the individual to view the information or receive copies of it. There may be some circumstances where the Foundation cannot provide access to all the information requested. This includes information about third parties and information that cannot be disclosed for legal or security reasons. The Foundation will explain its inability to provide access to the information in those circumstances.
Subject to applicable legislation, the Foundation will endeavour to provide this information within 30 days of receipt of a request. The Foundation may seek to extend this time period as permitted by law.
The Foundation will correct or amend any personal information that is shown to be inaccurate or incomplete.
Questions and Complaints
For further information about the Foundation's information handling practices, or to make a complaint, please contact the Privacy Officer, Kim Leblanc at (613)737-2788 or by email at email@example.com.
The Foundation will investigate all complaints and take appropriate action of the result of the investigation.


text:
We're back from our 25 day trip to central Europe. Ken and I were
invited to a friend's wedding in Spišská Nová Ves,
Slovakia. That seemed a great excuse to travel around a bunch of
Central Europe. So we visited 13 cities in 4
countries. Here's some quick impressions, along with
map of where we stayed (you may need to zoom out to see everything).
The trip started in earnest for us in Slovakia, which we loved. It's a small country and not terribly wealthy. But it's also proudly part of the European Union and people were very friendly and welcoming, even flattered to be visited. Bratislava is a great international city. The smaller towns we stayed in were a bit disappointing (I'm sorry we didn't stay in Banská Bystrica instead), but the High Tatra mountains were phenomenal. And the high point of our whole trip was my friend's wedding in Spišská Nová Ves: nice family and friends, beautiful part of the country, great folkoric wedding elements. Really glad we had the opportunity to participate in such a special event. From Slovakia we headed into southwestern Poland. Kraków was everything we hoped for and more, a beautifully preserved old town full of things to enjoy. (Although I suggest skipping the salt mine.) And Wrocław was a nice surprise, it's a university town with a tranquil old cathedral district. But while we had a good time in Poland it was probably the least friendly of all the places we went. Also the roads are terrible for driving. After Poland we went southwest into the Czech Republic, stopping for a night in a ridiculously luxurious hotel and then spending time in Prague with an old Parisian friend. Prague is great, beautiful and overwhelming with so much to do. I wish I had a warm relaxed week to enjoy it instead of two bitterly cold days. Will definitely be back. We also spent a couple of days in Český Krumlov, a well-preserved medieval town that's definitely worth one tourist night but probably not two. Overall we liked our time in Czech, just wish I'd seen more of it. It seems very Western to us, like it's already made the post-Soviet transition that Slovakia is working so hard to make now. We started and ended the trip in Austria, familiar territory for us. Honestly Vienna didn't work very well for me, restaurants, sightseeing, etc were all a struggle. I guess it's more of a place real people live than a welcoming tourist city. On the way home we also spent a couple of nights in Dürnstein, a tiny town in the Wachau wine region on the Danube. Totally beautiful area. Overall it was a great trip, a nice sampling of some very different places. If I were doing this trip again I'd consider doing it entirely by train, skipping the smaller towns. Vienna, Bratislava, Kraków, Wrocław, Prague, Vienna again. Driving gives a lot of flexibility in seeing smaller places, but it's expensive and stressful and there's a lot to see in just the bigger cities. |


text:
Back To You
(Coming Home, Bk #3)
by Jessica Scott
He's in for the fight of his life . . .
Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. He couldn't explain the emptiness he felt or bridge the growing distance between him and his family—so he deployed again. And again. And again . . . until his marriage reached its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs . . . if she'll have him
. . . to win back his only love.
Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she's just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. But when Trent faces a court martial on false charges, only Laura can save him. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won't be denied.
But can she trust that this time he's back to stay?
You can purchase at
Author Q&A
1. You first introduced Trent and Laura a few years ago and readers have been eagerly awaiting their story for a few years. Did you always know when you first created them in BECAUSE OF YOU that this was how their story would play out?
I knew they would have a story to tell but telling their story in this particular way, no I didn't intend it. It took finding my amazing editor along with multiple attempts at trial and error to get them just right. I'm a nervous wreck about their story, but I'm also really excited because I'm very happy with how their story turned out. Plus, hamsters. Who can argue with that, right?
2. BACK TO YOU is the incredibly emotional story of a marriage at the breaking point. What or who inspired you to write this story?
I remember standing in the ops one day and one of the guys was on the phone with his wife. He was telling her how much he was sorry, how much he didn't want to work late. Then one of the other guys remarked that he always says that but he doesn't ever mean it. So I had this idea of a man who was so driven to get back to war that he let his entire family and personal life suffer, but I also wanted a wife who people could relate to as well. Laura is Trent's perfect complement.
3. In your own personal life, you've been the soldier that has deployed to a war zone and the spouse that stayed home and has taken care of the family on the home front. Which was more difficult for you in your experience? And why?
That's a much bigger topic than we have time for but I'll say this: each one has its own unique challenges. Being deployed, not being able to get home when your kids are crying that they want mommy, that's brutal. It rips your soul out. But then coming home and your reality doesn't live up to the fantasy? In some ways I think it's worse, and that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. As far as being the wife at home? I remember vividly lying awake at night, obsessively checking to make sure my ringer was turned on. I never cared when he called I just wanted to hear his voice. So which one is worse? I can't really say. But I'm grateful that we've made it through each one a little bit stronger, you know?
4. Which is your favorite story to write—a reunion romances like Trent and Laura's where each scene is alive with their own history or a fresh romance where they meet for the very first time and everything is new? Why?
I love a reunion story. I love the idea of being able to forgive and love the person you're with right then and not the memory of someone. I'm a huge sucker for reunion stories, honestly. I love the reconnection, the noting of how things have changed, of learning to love that person all over again, especially after a betrayal or things didn't work in the past.
5. Trent is such a compelling character and you do a beautiful job of showing his survivor's guilt and the resulting anxiety and fear that provokes in him. He's both so alpha and strong and so very broken. What inspired you to create such a complicated hero? A real life person? A culmination of your own experiences? What you've seen yourself in the army? And were you at all concerned about the way readers would respond to him?
Trent is going to be hard for people to read, I suspect. He comes close to crossing some boundaries, and I wanted to do that deliberately: I wanted people to understand that coming home from war isn't cured in a day or a week. It's a process. Someone like Trent who has bled in combat isn't going to be okay after a night of magical sex. I know that's the fantasy, but I wanted something more: I wanted the fantasy that the couple will be strong enough to make it. So for me, Trent is deeply, deeply personal because I've seen friends struggle with some very tough choices. And the truth is, there is no magical cure but there can still be a happily ever after if you have someone strong enough to stand with you.
6. Laura is such an amazing character because she's done the best for her family at every turn and supported her husband. But when all communication breaks down with her husband and he just keeps deploying, she serves her husband with divorce papers while he's serving. It seems like such a taboo to serve papers while your spouse is deployed—is that true? And why did you choose to have Laura, the ultimate good wife, respond this way?
Laura sending Trent divorce papers while deployed I think is the ultimate prohibition. It's just wrong on so many levels, and yet I wanted to give readers a sense of what could drive someone to their breaking point. Laura is such a strong woman and yet she broke. The strongest of us all have our breaking points. I wanted to show people how hard the war has been on everyone—not just the soldiers deploying but on the kids, on the spouses—but I also wanted to give people hope, too.
7. Agent Chaos and Fluffy, the family hamsters, almost steal the show with their disappearing acts and they add the perfect amount of cuteness and comic relief. What inspired you to add them into the story?
Ah Fluffy and Agent Chaos. So for readers who don't know, we have hamsters. It all started when we volunteered to buy the pre-k class pet. I didn't realize that this would include home visits for the holidays. Fluffy was the first hamster and she promptly escaped within the first 24 hours. After that, we've become a multiple hamster household and well, when they escape, it's madness because we have dogs and cats who, by some miracle, haven't actually ever managed to capture one of the little buggers.
This story badly needed something to lighten it up. I thought adding in some escaping rodents would be the perfect thing to break up a really tough interaction between Trent and his kids. They provided a bridge for him to cross, a way to reach them while he was still getting used to them.
8. Big wedding or small? Hamsters or dogs? Sweats or lingerie?
Small wedding. Both hamsters and dogs and cats. Sweats all the way.
9. Emma and Ethan, Trent and Laura's kids, are adorable and watching Trent learn how to be a dad again is an amazing thing. How do you think Trent got so detached from his family?
Coming home to be a parent again is probably the hardest thing soldiers do. The kids have changed, they have their own wants and needs and, well, they're not your soldiers. They don't listen like your soldiers have to. The noise and the chaos and the constant needs are really tough to get used to again, so I think Trent just ran away because it was too much to deal with.
10. Since this is such an emotionally charged story, was it difficult for you to write? Or did it come easily?
It was very, very difficult to write. I wanted to push boundaries and create at least a glimpse of what it's like to come home. I wanted to give readers a taste of the emotions that people go through, the fear, the uncertainty but also the love and the hope and the relief that their loved one is home safe.
11. Since you've been in Trent's shoes, what is the hardest thing about readjusting to civilian life after a deployment?
The crowds and the entitlement. To this day, I won't go into crowded stores or wait in crowds. It's suffocating. And it's funny because when I first came home, I was so annoyed at people complaining about lines and traffic and school starting. I was just so grateful to be back. Now, I'm much more sympathetic to everyday gripes and groans. I think it's just part of how we get through our days.
"So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" she asked, minimizing her
e-mail to be able to focus.
"Don't throw me out of the office," he said, trying to keep his voice
light. "But I need to talk to you about Trent's case."
Laura leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest, and
started counting to ten.
"I know you're having a hard time with him."
Laura sucked on her top lip for a moment before answering. "I wouldn't
necessarily call filing for divorce a hard time."
"And that's what I need to talk to you about."
"Just hear me out, okay?"
She ground her teeth but after a moment nodded.
"Listen, there's no case against Trent. It's weak at best. With the
Article 32 about to start, we have a good chance of getting it stopped here before
it goes to court-martial. But I need to plant doubt that the allegations
against him are true." He met her gaze. "I need you to do that."
Laura chewed on her bottom lip, playing his words over and over in her
head, not understanding what he was asking of her. "What do you mean, you need
to plant doubt?"
"The primary witness against your husband, PFC Adorno—"
"Oh, we've met," Laura said dryly.
Patrick's smile was humorless. "Yes, well, that's part of the
prosecution's problem. She's alleging that Trent was inappropriate but the
problem is that she and Lieutenant Randall were caught in their shenanigans
Laura frowned. "So you think this is a ploy to get herself out of
"Her and her husband. If they were working together to steal the missing
weapons systems, then what better way to get out of trouble than to make this
stuff up against Trent? Takes the focus off her and her husband completely."
Patrick leaned forward, tapping his index finger on the desk. "If I can cast
Trent as a sympathetic family man who would never do anything like what she's
alleging, this case is all but dismissed. I'm not attacking her. All I have to
do is make Trent look better than the story she's telling and we've got a win."
"And you need me to paint on a happy face and be the loving wife."
Patrick shook his head. "No, I need you to be one half of a loving
couple. And I need you to do it publicly where everyone can see it—in the PX,
in the chow hall, everywhere. I need the officers on this board to believe
exactly what I'll be telling them on the day of the hearing."
She looked down at her empty ring finger, absently rubbing the bare skin
beneath the bandage. "Everyone knows that we're having problems, Patrick."
"Then make sure everyone knows you've fixed it." He leaned back. "I
wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think it was our best shot at getting
this whole thing thrown out."
She looked up at him. "Why didn't Trent ask me to do this?"
Patrick swallowed and looked away. "He refused to drag you into this," he
said quietly. "For what it's worth, I don't in a million years believe the
allegations against Trent. I don't think he would ever, ever be unfaithful to
Laura pressed her lips together in a flat line. "You're wrong, Patrick.
He's been cheating on me for years. It was just with the army instead of
another woman."
"Let me think about it," she said quickly. "I won't say no out of hand
but I can't make this decision on a whim."
Patrick leaned across the desk, gripping her hand. "I know this is hard
for you, Laura. I know what I'm asking you to do."
She said nothing for a long moment and he gave her a sympathetic but firm
smile. "Give it some thought, okay?"
When she was alone, she sat there, staring at the picture of her family.
Wondering how she was going to bring him back into the kids' lives and then rip
him out again. What he was asking wasn't fair. He had no idea what this was
going to do to her family.
She glanced at the photo on her desk as she typed furiously, trying to
get ahead of the flood of e-mails in her inbox.
There was a quiet rap on her office door. "I'm not here," she said
quickly, looking up.
Her fingers froze on the keyboard. Her heart stopped in her chest.
Trent stood in the doorway. He had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
His glasses hid the darkness of his eyes. There was a streak of dirt on his
cheek. An assault pack hung limply from his left hand.
A thousand emotions ripped through her all at once, rioting for supremacy
as she drank in the sight of her husband.
Ex-husband, she reminded herself. Or at least he was supposed to be.
She wished that this were a normal homecoming. One where she would rush
across the small space and crash into him. His arms would come around her and
she would inhale the strong spicy scent of his skin. Feel the heat of his
touch. Savor that first, wild kiss.
Instead she had this. This empty chasm between them, echoing with
And she had
no idea how to cross it.
About the Author
Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.
Oprah has called her. True story.
Her debut novel BECAUSE OF YOU launched Loveswept, the first Random House digital imprint.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and is currently a company commander stationed at Fort Hood.
Most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
Connect with Jessica at


text:
Clinical Probes
RET-1 Rectal probe for humans, neonatal rabbits, and larger animals. Flexible, vinyl covered, soft tipped. Does not cause discomfort. Max. Temp. 90°C. Time constant 5.0 secs. 5 ft. lead. Isolated. | ||
OT-1 For fast reading oral use. Ball-tipped stainless steel shaft, stainless handle. 5 ft. lead. Max. Temp. 125°C. Time constant 0.8 secs. Not isolated. | ||
DSP-1 Disposable sterile sheaths for use with OT-1 and RET-1, per 1000 |
SST-1 Skin Surface probe, to be taped on.1/4" dia. 10 Kt. gold sensor disc, 5 ft. lead. Max. Temp. 90°C. Time constant 0.15 secs. Not isolated. | ||
SST-2 as SST-1 but with plastic handle. Isolated. | ||
ESO-1 Esophageal probe. Flexible vinyl covered 1/8" dia. Max. Temp. 90°C. Time constant 5.0 secs. 5 ft. lead. Isolated. |
Time constant is defined as the time required to reach 63 % of final temperature in liquid. An accurate reading is obtained when the reading stops changing, typically 5-10 time constants.
Maximum Temperature refers to intermittent use of a probe. When probe is used for continuous measurements, max. temp. should be reduced by 25 % unless specified.


text:
Wow! What a wonderful Saturday full of amazing and inspiring women! I have to say, I was honored to attend Creative Tea Time. Located in beautiful Dana Point, California the day couldn't have been more perfect. When walking into the event, my breath was literally taken away by all of the beautiful details that Tracy from CremeDeLaGems, Meagan from Fairly Fabulous & LeAnn from Lele's Little Soiree had worked so hard on. Truly, every little detail was perfection! From the draping vintage sheets and tissue poms to the vintage place settings, centerpieces, buntings and craft displays. There was even a "TEA-pee" for the water dispenser, how cute right?! I can honestly say that I am bummed that I didn't bring my BIG girl camera for this event... the prettiness was overflowing!
The day started off by finding our place settings which were beautifully marked with our adorable name tags on perfectly wrapped "swag" boxes, and let me tell you, the swag that we received was over the top! I cannot thank the sponsors of Creative Tea Time enough! We all were spoiled!
Each one of us choose 6 craft projects to do, which proved to be challenging while mingling and getting to know all of the other ladies! My projects included a hand stamped spoon, a hot air balloon, a mason jar winter snow globe, a hand painted sign, a bunting banner & an embellished pumpkin. I sure didn't think that I would be able to finish 6 craft projects in just 7 hours, but I did & even with time left to spare!
Throughout the day there were giveaways, food and yes, more giveaways! In conclusion, all I can say is WOW. Again, a HUGE thank you to the ladies who worked tirelessly to put Creative Tea Time together! And thank you to my girl Rebeca from A Sweet Little Note who was my shotgun riding car buddy & kept the day full of conversation and laughter.
To all of the ladies I met: y'all are inspiring! I walked away with so many memories and confidence. You ladies have shown me that accomplishing this little creative dream of mine IS possible even while being a stay at home mommy too :)
Many of you have written and have asked where I purchased by beautiful top for this event. After hours of searching the internet I finally took the leap and purchased this peplum top from KIYONNA.COM
Right out of the box it fit amazingly! I highly suggest if you are a plus size girl that you check out their clothing line! To die for!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


text:
To "fix someone's wagon"
And we'll throw in a free clock cleaning.
Dear Word Detective: I was reading a book by Spider Robinson and one of the main characters was a bartender. At one point there is an unruly customer and one of the regulars says "Don't worry he'll [the bartender] fix his wagon." I deduced that that meant that the bartender was tough and could handle any problems. I was just curious as to where that phrase came from. My guess was that it has something to do with blacksmiths being the biggest men in town and also being able to fix wagons. What do you think? — Kyle.
What do I think? I think "Spider" is a pretty weird thing to name yourself. I know Spider Robinson is a famous and accomplished science-fiction author, and I know that he chose the name "Spider" himself (and apparently refuses to reveal his "birth name"). "Spider" is certainly more memorable and marketable than, say, "Paul Robinson." But still. Arachnophobia has probably cost him at least a few readers.
Oh well, not my problem. Onward. "Wagon" in its most basic sense of "four-wheeled vehicle used to transport heavy or bulky goods" first appeared in English in the 15th century, adapted from the Dutch "wagen," which was derived from Indo-European roots with the sense "to move or carry."
Apart from its many and varied literal uses, "wagon" has done yeoman service in metaphors and figures of speech for the past few centuries, most notably in "on the wagon," meaning "abstaining from alcohol," which was originally "on the water wagon." The water wagon was a fixture of cities and towns before paved roads became widespread, used to spray water on the dirt roads to keep down the dust. Someone who quit drinking was sardonically said to have "climbed aboard the water wagon," assumed to be drinking only water from then on. A "bandwagon" was, as the name implies, an ornate wagon in a parade which carried the band, often along with local politicians, and drew much public attention, making "bandwagon" a good metaphor for a popular political cause. To "hop aboard the bandwagon" and similar phrases thus mean "to join what looks like the winning side." Similarly, "to hitch one's wagon to a star" means "to have lofty goals or ambitions."
Wagons frequently needed repair, of course, and so the phrase "fix someone's wagon" would have been a familiar phrase in the early 20th century. But the "wagon" in the phrase is less important to the sense of the phrase as it's used today than the peculiar meaning of "fix." This is not the usual "fix" in the sense of "repair." This is "fix" as it appeared in the mid-19th century as euphemistic slang for "to deal with," "to settle a dispute with" or even "to kill" an opponent. This "fix" is actually close to the original meaning of the verb "to fix" when it first appeared in English in the late 14th century, which was "to make fast or secure; to settle," derived from the Latin "fixus," immovable. This "nail it down" sense gradually broadened to mean "arrange, adjust," which in turn eventually gave us the "repair" sense we use today.
So "to fix someone's wagon" employs a perfectly innocent-sounding phrase as euphemistic slang for "settling a dispute for good in a very forceful manner" ("She said her brother would fix my wagon, which he did; right here at the corner of my mouth I've still got a scar where he hit me," Truman Capote, 1951). Oddly enough, that 1951 citation from Truman Capote's novel "The Grass Harp" is actually the earliest example found so far of the phrase in print. If the phrase is really that recent, it's likely that the wagon in question is actually a child's wagon (e.g., the Radio Flyer "little red wagon" so popular in the 20th century US), and the phrase originated either as children's slang or, more likely, as a sarcastic adult reference to the perceived weakness of an opponent (e.g., "Oh, Tommy's decided to go back on our deal, huh? Well, I'll just go fix little Tommy's wagon for him.").
Page 1 of 2 | Next page


text:
An evening of screenings, performances and short intervals called 'Bubble Bath' is on at London's Assembly Point on May 19.
Organised by artists and frequent collaborators Lea Collet and Marios Stamatis, the event seeks to gather and present videos by a group of artists such as Paul Maheke, Alice Theobald, Cecilia Bengolea & Jeremy Deller, and Anna Zett, that each consider "performativity in relation to identity and production values".
There will also be videos, performances and shorter (time-based) works featured throughout the evening pitched as 'intervals' by artists James Lowne, Richard Müller and Rebecca Loweth (among others) all responding to live by drummer Tassos Mesogitis, according to Collet.
'Bubble Bath' is a part of a wider programme called Tableux that incorporates several events delivered in relatively quick succession over the month of May.
See the Assembly Point website for details.**


text:
Various developers have created implementations and test suites for the URL, URI and IRI specifications, and have discussed them on the uri and [htp://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-iri/ public-iri] and related MailingLists:
URI tests
- URL parsing Adam Barth 22 Apr 2010 - webkit tests
- GrahamKlyne: UriTest.n3; also .rdf, .xls, .csv. see discussion 8 Feb 2006. An updated version of these test cases is available in Haskell source code at URITest.hs.
- Sam Ruby: Urlnorm
- MSM URI spec impl in XSLT (somewhat like uri.xsl by DanConnolly)
- TimBL and DanConnolly swap/uripath.py contains unit tests
- TimBL's uri.js and tests
- Martin Dürst: uri-rel-test.html
- DavidPowell: The above tests in XML format, with an XSLT test-harness for an XSLT implementation of a URI resolver
- Roy Fielding: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5
- MikeBrown: the unit tests for 4Suite XML's Uri.py (for Python) contain many of the above, plus a few more from various sources. this page runs many of the same tests against the reference resolver in his uri_funcs.js as well as TimBL's uri.js.
- DaveBeckett: Raptor C libraries for RDF contain URI parsing and resolving code, but no tests
- Sebastian Pipping: the uriparser library (written in C) contains a number of test cases.
- Aaron Swartz: an URI test suite for testing a tcl parser.
- Björn Höhrmann: javascript-based interactive grammar checking against RFC 2396 and RFC 3986, but no test suites
- Mark Nottingham: Python URI grammar checking against RFC3986 (translated from the BNF)
IRI tests
These tests were explicitly oriented toward "IRI" testing, although the line between URI and IRI testing can be vague (some of the URI tests were URL tests)SSS:
- Chris Weber: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/uri/2012Oct/0007.html (tests at https://github.com/cweb/iri-tests )
- W3C I18N group: http://www.w3.org/International/iri-edit/testing.html
- Jeremy Carroll: Towards a test suite ... 21 Dec 2004
- Martin Dürst: Internationalized Resource Identifiers (IRI) Test Overview work in progress around Apr 2005
Moving tests to W3C testing infrastructure
LarryMasinter Through "Test the Web Forward" and other initiatives, I would like to get URL/URI/IRI testing integrated into the overall browser test infrastructure. See W3C Testing Interest Group
Systems to test
Of course, it is important to test how browsers behave to make sure the browsers "match reality". However, in addition, URIs and IRIs are also supported by important elements of the infrastructure: proxies and web servers. So testing should extend to those elements. Other systems that use URIs that are not browsers include Atom (for news feeds), and XMPP (for instant messaging). Testing those elements will be problematic without a broader test infrastructure.
Do we need to find other systems, e.g., those that use 'snmp' scheme?
Do we need to test IRI handling through registerProtocolHandler.
Testing Fragment Identifier usage
For a variety of MIME types, browsers need to pass through fragment identifiers, e.g., page numbers for PDF to the PDF reader.
Additional (older) information
swap/uripath.py and Uri.py also contain functions for deriving a relative URI reference from an origin URI and target URI.
Note also Error handling in URIs discussion and URL encoding tests by Ian Hickson for HTML 5.
(LinkMe: notes from python conference where DanConnolly talked with Guido about urlparse.py in the python std lib...)
Nearby... UriSchemes, W3C URI Interest Group.
earlier: URI spec review: URI specification (RFC 2396 revision), some review notes 29May


text:
Asynchronous Programming in Node.js
Now that you have a refreshed and updated idea of what JavaScript programming is really like, it's time to get into the core concept that makes Node.js what it is: that of nonblocking IO and asynchronous programming. It carries with it some huge advantages and benefits, which you shall soon see, but it also brings some complications and challenges with it.
The Old Way of Doing Things
In the olden days (2008 or so), when you sat down to write an application and needed to load in a file, you would write something like the following (let's assume you're using something vaguely PHP-ish for example purposes):
$file = fopen('info.txt', 'r'); // wait until file is open $contents = fread($file, 100000); // wait until contents are read // do something with those contents
If you were to analyze the execution of this script, you would find that it spends a vast majority of its time doing nothing at all. Indeed, most of the clock time taken by this script is spent waiting for the computer's file system to do its job and return the file contents you requested. Let me generalize things a step further and state that for most IO-based applications—those that frequently connect to databases, communicate with external servers, or read and write files—your scripts will spend a majority of their time sitting around waiting (see Figure 3.1).
Figure 3.1. Traditional blocking IO web servers
The way your server computers process multiple requests at the same time is by running many of these scripts in parallel. Modern computer operating systems are great at multitasking, so you can easily switch out processes that are blocked and let other processes have access to the CPU. Some environments take things a step further and use threads instead of processes.
The problem is that for each of these processes or threads is that there is some amount of overhead. For heavier implementations using Apache and PHP, I have seen up to 10–15MB per-process memory overhead in the past—never mind the resources and time consumed by the operating system switching that context in and out constantly. That's not even 100 simultaneously executing servers per gigabyte of RAM! Threaded solutions and those using more lightweight HTTP servers do, of course, have better results, but you still end up in a situation in which the computer spends most of its time waiting around for blocked processes to get their results, and you risk running out of capacity to handle incoming requests.
It would be nice if there were some way to make better use of all the available CPU computing power and available memory so as not to waste so much. This is where Node.js shines.


text:
Know the Weaknesses of Baccarat How many times do you play and win?
If you look carefully, you will find that every game that we've played in our lives. It always has its own weaknesses. Which is just like us humans How good is it? It must have its own weaknesses. It depends on who will be able to meet it, which the game of


text:
Craniofacial Orthodontics – Cleft Lip and Palate
What is Craniofacial Orthodontics?
Craniofacial orthodontics is a sub-specialty of orthodontics that focuses on the treatment of patients with birth defects such as cleft lip and palate. The orthodontist will work with a team comprised of speech pathologists, oral surgeons, and craniofacial plastic surgeons in planning treatment to correct cleft lip and palate, as well as other jaw and face abnormalities. As a member of a craniofacial team, a craniofacial orthodontist evaluates tooth and jaw development and growth. He or she takes care of the non-surgical treatment of the position of the jaws, and is also responsible for the pre- and post-operative treatment of jaw surgery, monitoring growth by means of X-rays and models.
What is a Cleft Lip and Palate?
Cleft lip and cleft palate are facial malformations in which the parts of the face that form the upper lip and mouth remain split, instead of sealing together before birth. Similar splits can occur in the roof of the mouth, or palate. Clefting results when there is not enough tissue in the mouth or lip area, and the tissue that is available does not join together properly. While the defect occurs in early fetal development, in most cases, the cause is unknown. However, there appears to be a link with genetics and maternal environmental exposures during pregnancy.
While there are certainly aesthetic considerations associated with cleft lip and palate, having this birth defect can affect people in many more serious ways.
- Difficulty Eating – When there is a separation or opening in the palate, food and liquids can pass from the mouth back through the nose. While waiting for surgery, patients can use specially designed prosthetics to help keep fluids flowing downward towards the stomach, ensuring that they receive adequate nutrition.
- Speech Difficulties – Because the upper lip and palate are not properly formed, it may be difficult for children to speak clearly, and when they do, it may produce a nasal sound. As speech may be hard to understand, a speech pathologist may be used to resolve these issues.
- Ear Infections – Cleft lip and palate can lead to a buildup of fluid in the middle ear, leaving children at a higher risk for ear infections, and if not properly treated, even deafness. To prevent infections, small tubes may be placed in the eardrums to facilitate fluid drainage.
- Dental Problems – Children who suffer from cleft lip and palate also often have missing, malformed, or displaced teeth, leading to a higher number of cavities and other dental and orthodontic issues.
The treatment for cleft lip and palate is most likely surgery, and this is where your craniofacial orthodontist and team of specialists come in. Depending on the severity of the case, more than one surgery may be necessary. In children, surgery usually takes place between three and six months of age.


text:
We cover areas such as Harrow & Kingston in the west, Romford & Ilford in the east, Croydon & Bromley in the south and in the north Barnet & Watford and Redbridge in Devon. Our mole removal service also extends to areas of the Home counties including Surrey, Slough, Reading and North Sussex.
Tips on moles and garden mole removal
Moles are insectivores and not rodents as is commonly believed. They prefer to eat grubs and other small insects but their reason for existence is the humble earthworm. Earthworms are without doubt their favourite food source.
They are originally wetland/woodland creatures that have been forced into human territory by the eradication of their natural habitat. If you ever wondered why you have a problem with moles, it might be because you water your garden so well, especially the lawn. Yet beneath the grass you have so meticulously kept, you have also provided moist earth conditions for the creatures to tunnel through. Of course, the humble earthworm prefers soggy soil too.
One animal may weigh 8 ounces but will make up for its comparatively small size by tunnelling up to 18 feet per hour. This is why they are extremely difficult to eradicate if the problem has not been detected at the earliest stage. The tunnel system they can create will be extensive, making them tricky to catch.
Garden Mole Removal
- Our technicians will survey the territory and set the traps
- They will then return 1 – 3 days later to check for positive results.
For leading wasp control services in Devon, by qualified RSPH technicians, call JG Pest Control now, on 01392 797013
What we do to get rid of them?
- We usually use traps that dispatch the mole instantly
- We're accredited and certified for specialist gassing techniques
- We recommend the standard treatment of trapping because it provides the best results
How do I know if I need garden mole removal services?
You can usually tell if you have an infestation by the damage they cause to your lawn or to your plants. People incorrectly believe moles actually eat the roots of plants but this is not the case.
It is the space created in their extensive tunnels that mean your plants do not root sufficiently that causes the damage. They do not possess lower incisors so they are not equipped to gnaw at roots.


text:
What's the difference between knowledge and experience, and how does you brain process both? Which is more important for creative thinking? Buffer's Belle Beth Cooper investigates.
This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog.
When we shared this image from the @Buffer Twitter account recently, it got me thinking. The tweet resulted in over 1,000 retweets, which somehow was an indication that a lot of people seemed to agree with this statement. There's a key difference between knowledge and experience and it's best described like this:
The original is from cartoonist Hugh MacLeod, who came up with such a brilliant way to express a concept that's often not that easy to grasp. The image makes a clear point—that knowledge alone is not useful unless we can make connections between what we know. Whether you use the terms "knowledge" and "experience" to explain the difference or not, the concept itself is sound. Lots of great writers, artists and scientists have talked about the importance of collecting ideas and bits of knowledge from the world around us, and making connections between those dots to fuel creative thinking and new ideas.
This is a really fun, inspiring topic to read about, so I collected some quotes and advice from my favorite creative thinkers about the importance of making connections in your brain. I've added emphasis to the important parts, but if you have time I'd recommend reading the whole post and even digging into the sources I've linked to. To start with though, let's look at some research that shows intelligence is closely linked with the physical connections in our brains.
Intelligence and Connections: Why Your Brain Needs to Communicate Well with Itself
Research from the California Institute of Technology showed that intelligence is something found all across the brain, rather than in one specific region:
The researchers found that, rather than residing in a single structure, general intelligence is determined by a network of regions across both sides of the brain.
One of the researchers explained that the study showed the brain working as a distributed system:
Several brain regions, and the connections between them, were what was most important to general intelligence," explains Gläscher.
The study also supported an existing theory about intelligence that says general intelligence is based on the brain's ability to pull together and integrate various kinds of processing, such as working memory.
At Washington University, a research study found that connectivity with a particular area of the prefrontal cortex has a correlation with a person's general intelligence. This study showed that intelligence relied partly on high functioning brain areas, and partly on their ability to communicate with other areas in the brain. Aside from physical connectivity in the brain, being able to make connections between ideas and knowledge we hold in our memories can help us to think more creatively and produce higher quality work.
Connections Fuel Creativity: Nothing Is Original
Steve Jobs is an obvious person to reference whenever you're talking about creativity or innovation, so I wasn't surprised to find that he has spoken about making connections before. This great quote is from a Wired interview in 1996:
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something.
Jobs went on to explain that experience (as we saw in the image at the top of this post) is the secret to being able to make connections so readily:
That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they've had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.
Maria Popova is arguably one of the best examples (and proponents) of what she calls "combinatorial creativity." That is, connecting things to create new ideas:
in order for us to truly create and contribute to the world, we have to be able to connect countless dots, to cross-pollinate ideas from a wealth of disciplines, to combine and recombine these pieces and build new castles.
She's given a talk on this at a Creative Mornings event before, and made some great points. Being able to read about a wide range of topics is often one of of the most important elements. I really liked how she pointed out the way our egos affect our willingness to build on what others have done before:
something we all understand on a deep intuitive level, but our creative egos sort of don't really want to accept: And that is the idea that creativity is combinatorial, that nothing is entirely original, that everything builds on what came before…
My favorite part of this talk is Popova's LEGO analogy, where she likens the dots of knowledge we have to LEGO building blocks:
The more of these building blocks we have, and the more diverse their shapes and colors, the more interesting our castles will become.
Author Austin Kleon is someone who immediately comes to mind whenever the topic of connections and remixing art comes up. Kleon is the author of Steal Like An Artist, a book about using the work of others to inspire and inform your own. It starts off like this:
Every artist gets asked the question, "Where do you get your ideas?
The honest artist answers, "I steal them.
Kleon is inspiring because he's so upfront about how the work of other people has become part of his own work. He's also keen on the phrase I quoted from Maria Popova above, that "nothing is original":
Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.
If you're looking for advice on creating more connections between the knowledge you have (and collecting even more knowledge), Kleon's book is a great place to start. He offers suggests like:
carry a notebook everywhere
read a lot
keep a scratch file
Scientific Thinking Is All About Making Connections
When it comes to the field of science, making connections between those dots of knowledge seems to be just as important. In The Art of Scientific Investigation, Cambridge University professor W. I. B. Beveridge wrote that successful scientists "have often been people with wide interests," which led to their originality:
Originality often consists in linking up ideas whose connection was not previously suspected.
He also suggested that scientists should expand their reading outside of their own field, in order to add to their knowledge (so they would have more dots when it came time to connect them, later):
Most scientists consider that it is a more serious handicap to investigate a problem in ignorance of what is already known about it.
Lastly, science writer Dorian Sagan agrees that science is about connections:
Nature no more obeys the territorial divisions of scientific academic disciplines than do continents appear from space to be colored to reflect the national divisions of their human inhabitants. For me, the great scientific satoris, epiphanies, eurekas, and aha! moments are characterized by their ability to connect.
I'll leave you with some suggestions for improving your own ability to make connections.
Add to Your Knowledge: the Power of New Experiences
After all, the more knowledge you have, the more connections you can make. Start by reading more, reading more widely, and exploring new opportunities for gathering knowledge (for instance, try some new experiences—travel, go to meetups or take up a new hobby). As researcher Dr.Duezel explained when it comes to experiencing new things:
Only completely new things cause strong activity in the midbrain area.
So trying something new and forcing a gentle brain overload can make a dramatic improvement for your brain activity.
Keep Track of Everything (Especially in the Shower)
As Austin Kleon suggests, take a notebook (or your phone) with you everywhere and take notes. Don't expect your brain to remember everything—give it a hand by noting down important concepts or ideas you come across. As you do this, you may remember previous notes that relate (hey, you're making connections already!)—make a note of those as well. You can do this even when you're in the shower with something like Acqua Notes.
Review Your Notes Daily
Going over your notes often can help you to more easily recall them when you need to. Read through what you've made notes of before, and you might find that in the time that's passed, you've added more knowledge to your repertoire that you can now connect to your old notes! In fact, this used to be one of Benjamin Franklin's best kept secrets. Every morning and every evening he would review his day answering one simple question:
What good have I done today?
Here is his original daily routine:
No doubt you have some great ideas of your own—let us know in the comments what works for you.
The secret to creativity: being able to make connections | Buffer
Belle is a Content Crafter at Buffer, where she writes about productivity, lifehacking, writing, and social media. She also co-founded Melbourne startup Hello Code and spends most of her free time in the theatre.
Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.