text:
Family business, world market leader, service champion. Important keywords, which we take great pride in being able to write about. But what makes us really proud, are our employees.
Is there one reason why you want to change employer?
There are many reasons why you should come to us.
Who we are and how you can benefit:
There are lots of family businesses. But for us, family cohesion is at the heart of everything we do. Your interests and needs as a person are at the very top of our Value Pyramid. Respectful interaction with each other is, for us, not just rhetoric but sincerely meant and experienced. You will sense it wherever you go, every day and at any time.
We don't think in hierarchies here. Every employee will be taken seriously. No matter in which capacity. We support and encourage our employees to share their ideas and contribute to the success of our company. So, we've left enough space for manoeuvre. Now we need you to fill this space with your ingenuity.
We are innovation leaders and growth drivers in many sectors and we have our employees to thank for this.
Company culture
Here at hubergroup we embrace diversity: with 3,500 employees in nearly 30 countries. Each person is unique and makes our colourful world even more colourful. We appreciate the diverse cultural influences, which drive us forward as a group. We are always finding ways to share knowledge with our colleagues around the world. Even though our employees speak many different languages, in spirit, we all speak only one: the language of hubergroup. Do you speak our language?
Growth is important - and not just for the company. We are talking about your personal development. In addition to on-the-job training, we also take the time to provide you with intensive onboarding. We understand the importance of giving you, as a new member of staff, the information and tools that you need to learn the ropes well and quickly. Training is, therefore, part of your induction phase.
Work-life balance
Yes, we are a commercial business. Yes, sales and profit are naturally important to us. But is that all that matters? Work until you drop? Not with us!
Because we believe that there is also a life outside of work, there must be time for family and hobbies. The calculation is very simple: you can only achieve your full potential at work when you have a happy work-life balance.


text: 30-77370 O Gauge Rugged Rails Extended Vision Caboose For availability see 'Find it locally' tab $69.95Product InformationDescriptionExtended Vision Caboose - Southern Pacific Car No. 347 Roadname: Southern PacficProduct Item Number: 30-77370Catalog: FK 2022 All ScalesProduct Line: RailKingScale: O GaugeDelivery Status: Delivered: FEB. 2023This product is compatible with all O Gauge 3-Rail track systems including those systems offered by Atlas and Gargraves and Lionel and Ross Custom Switches. OverviewBefore railroads, "caboose" referred to a small cookhouse on the deck of a sailing ship. Nobody knows for sure, but it was likely the 1850s before the first railroad caboose gave a train crew shelter from the weather. The Civil War era marked the emergence of boxcarlike cabin cars or conductor's cars with side and perhaps end doors, windows, a heating and cooking stove, bunks, and roof lanterns to mark the end of the train. Management often resisted providing such creature comforts to crews, and it would be well into the 1870s before cabooses were widespread on American trains. And although the cupola, known then as a "lookout" or "observatory," first appeared during the Civil War era, flat-roofed cabooses outnumbered cabin cars with cupolas well into the 1880s. By the early 20th century, however, the cupola caboose had attained its final shape, one it would keep until cabooses became extinct in the 1980s. But while cupola cabooses remained pretty much the same, the freight cars in front of them were changing, becoming ever longer and taller as well. By the end of World War II, taller cars were making it harder and harder for the crewman riding the cupola to do his job: keep an eye on the train ahead. One solution, of course, was the bay window caboose. Another, more popular innovation was the extended vision, or wide vision caboose, which combined the extra width of a bay window with the height advantage of a cupola. Our model depicts the extended vision caboose introduced by International Car Company in 1953 and produced for two decades, which was rostered by railroads from coast to coast. Like diesels and other modern freight cars, this widely owned caboose was part of the postwar shift away from customized, railroad-specific locos and cars toward standardized designs produced in large quantities on efficient assembly lines. High quality, traditionally sized RailKing Freight Cars provide detailed bodies and colorful paint schemes for the O Gauge railroader. MTH makes an enormous variety of RailKing Freight Cars, including many different car types and roadnames. No matter what era or part of the country you are modeling, RailKing is sure to have something for you. Features Intricately Detailed, Durable ABS Body Stamped Metal Floors Metal Wheels and Axles Die-Cast 4-Wheel Trucks Fast-Angle Wheel Sets Needle-Point Axles (2) Operating Die-Cast Metal Couplers Interior Lighting Detailed Brake Wheel Near-Scale Proportions Unit Measures: 10 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 4" Operates On O-27 Curves Find It LocallyDealers The following dealers meet your selection criteria. Click the Show button next to a dealer to get more detailed contact information for the dealer (and to see what items are in stock, if you requested any). Name City State Zip CT MC CORMICK HARDWARE ZELIENOPLE PA 16063 HOBBY HOUSE HENDERSONVILLE NC 28791 Support

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Limits of Geolocating the Photographer
As with Gail's other photos, those included here depict an Okinawa that is not under intense American militarization. The years of the Korean War (1950-1953) saw a massive buildup of U.S. military forces. After the war, the military went about expanding and building new bases throughout the Okinawan archipelago. Still, in the early 1950s, it appears that Gail purposely left the militarization of Okinawa out of his photos, or perhaps simply discarded such photos, which may have seemed banal compared to the people and places he encountered outside of the barbed-wire fences.
The limitations of a flat map are certainly expressed in the case of Gail and his photographs. The Okinawa Memories Initiative (OMI) is still in the process of determining the locations of many of the photographs in the collection. In fact, as I write this during the summer of 2018, our team is preparing to embark on another trip to Okinawa, with one of the central goals of identifying and re-photographing some areas.
Because of the limitations imposed by the lack of actual geolocation data for the photos, we might consider how the images help us to understand Okinawan spaces at a very particular moment in time: the transition from wartime battlefield to a U.S. garrison island. This transition did not occur overnight and was in fact highly contested. Gail's photos capture this moment of transition, from a primarily agrarian economy to one that was increasingly pointed towards the US military and its attendant economies.
Why is this important? Okinawa today is still burdened with a heavy military presence (seventy percent of all Americans stationed in Japan are in Okinawa). Indeed, the U.S. has had a heavy military presence on the islands for nearly eight decades. But it was not always so. As Lefebvre (1991) argued, "it would be utterly inadequate from the standpoint of understanding space merely to describe first rural landscapes, then industrial landscapes, and finally urban spaciality, for this would simply leave all transitions out of the picture." It is in documenting those transitions that I believe the photos find their greatest utility, precisely because these moments of transition in modern Okinawan history are often shunted aside by a metanarrative dominated by war, recovery, and a landscape dominated by American military bases.
These moments of transition are more than simply stopgaps in historical metanarratives. Based on archival documents found by OMI undergraduate researchers, for example, we know that a 1949 directive from the U.S. authorities in Okinawa set out to effectively ban civilian photography on the islands. The directive was sent from the office of a Major Commander Eagles and addressed to the "Chiji of Okinawa Gunto" (the governor of Okinawa) and essentially declared that all Okinawans must register their cameras and photography equipment with the local police stations. Eventually rescinded in 1954, the directive was ostensibly a measure to monitor Okinawans who may be spying on the U.S. military. The existence of this directive, which Alan Christy wrote about (Christy 2016), also suggest a possible reason why there appear to be so few civilian photographs from the years before 1954. We don't know the extent to which the directive was followed, nor do we know if cameras were actually registered or even confiscated, but we do know that the U.S. military was deeply afraid of Okinawans with cameras, which undoubtedly contributed to the dearth of photos during this time.


text:
Here at Men's Journal, we constantly test the latest gear to find the best new products you should know about to take your next adventure, workout, wardrobe, and every other part of your life to the next level. That includes everything from the best new adventure gear like a kayak that can double as a fishing boat to the absolute coolest gadgets and innovative tech you should own like a must-have soundbar to upgrade your home theater setup or a pair of bookshelf speakers. Here, check out our editors' favorite picks for Gear of the Week.
[Editor's Note: Check back each week to see an updated list of our favorite new products, along with all the previous weeks' gear picks.]
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!


text:
Double-sided drive design: It can be flipped and driven on both sides.
Made of metal and plastic, it has wear and pressure resistance.
One-click conversion – suitable for running on any terrain: Just click on the switch button and the car will change from a flat shape to an off-road vehicle.
Anti-interference, easy to operate: 2.4 GHz radio control system has a good anti-interference performance. Allowing multiple cars to play without interference.
Front, rear, left/right, flip and high chassis can be freely combined during playback. 4WD driving provides better stability and off-road performance. This RC stunt car is very sturdy.
Materials: ABS/PVC
Controller: 2.4 Ghz
Charging time: 2-3 h
Speed: 25 km/h
Working time: 45 mins
Control distance: 150 m
Product size (L x W x H): 42 x 22 x 13 cm
Package Weight: 1.98 kg


text:
Madeira Rayon 40 Wt Thread on 1000mtr reels – 1236
This standard size embroidery machine thread is ideal for most designs. Made from 100% viscose rayon, it is perfectly suited for embroidery on high speed multihead embroidery machines, home embroidery machines, as well as industrial sewing machines. Known worldwide for high tensile strength and excellent glossy luster. Madeira's rayon embroidery thread will work with both commercial and home embroidery machines.


text:
Sep 30, 2011 | |
Department of Energy awards $156 million for groundbreaking energy research projects |
(Nanowerk News) Arun Majumdar, Director of the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today announced 60 cutting-edge research projects aimed at dramatically improving how the U.S. produces and uses energy. With $156 million from the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, the new ARPA-E selections focus on accelerating innovations in clean technology while increasing America's competitiveness in rare earth alternatives and breakthroughs in biofuels, thermal storage, grid controls, and solar power electronics. Demonstrating the success ARPA-E has already seen, the program announced this year that eleven of its projects secured more than $200 million in outside private capital investment. | |
"These innovative projects are at the forefront of a new technological frontier that plays a critical role in our future energy security and economic growth, "said Majumdar. "It is now more important than ever to invest in game-changing ideas that will build the technological infrastructure for a new, clean energy economy." | |
The projects selected are located in 25 states, with 50% of projects led by universities, 23% by small businesses, 12% by large businesses, 13% by national labs, and 2% by non-profits. Prior to today, ARPA-E has awarded $365.7 million in funds to approximately 120 groundbreaking energy projects within seven program areas. This most recent round of selections brings the total to 180 projects, 12 program areas and $521.7 million in awards at ARPA-E to date. | |
Brookhaven National Laboratory will lead a team developing a new generation of high temperature superconducting wires that can be used in future advanced wind turbine generators. The team includes scientists from BNL and American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC), and is led by principal investigator Qiang Li, head of BNL's Advanced Energy Materials Group. Currently, all electricity generators contain coils of wire (often made of copper) that conduct electricity. A superconducting wire can transport hundreds of times more electric current than a similarly sized copper wire, and has the potential to make a wind turbine generator lighter, more powerful, and more efficient. With their grant of $1.4 million from ARPA-E, the scientists at Brookhaven will design and engineer a new type of hybrid flux pinning nanostructure that is expected to dramatically raise the superconducting wire's electrical current-carrying capacity, and can be directly incorporated into AMSC's low-cost long length wire production process. | |
Summaries of the new programs and an example project from each are below. Information on all projects announced today is available HERE. | |
HEATS: High Energy Advanced Thermal Storage ($37.3 million) | |
More than 90% of energy technologies involve the transport and conversion of thermal energy. Therefore, advancements in thermal energy storage — both hot and cold — would dramatically improve performance for a variety of critical energy applications. ARPA-E will develop revolutionary cost-effective thermal energy storage technologies. | |
Example HEATS Project: Massachusetts Institute of Technology "HybriSol" — Cambridge, Massachusetts ($2.9 million) | |
Using innovative nanomaterials, MIT will develop a thermal energy storage device, or a heat battery, that captures and stores energy from the sun to be released onto the grid at a later time. This energy storage device called 'HybriSol' is transportable like fuels, 100% renewable, rechargeable like a battery and emissions-free. In addition, 'Hybrisol' can be used without a grid infrastructure for applications such as heating and water purification. If successful, this heat battery could have an unprecedented impact on efforts to decrease fossil fuel consumption and emissions, enabling clean solar energy to be accessible 24 hours a day. | |
PETRO: Plants Engineered To Replace Oil ($36 million) | |
ARPA-E funds breakthrough technologies that optimize the biochemical processes of energy capture and conversion to develop robust, farm-ready crops that deliver more energy per acre with less processing prior to the pump. If successful, PETRO will create biofuels from domestic sources such as tobacco and pine trees for half their current cost, making them cost-competitive with fuels from oil. | |
Example PETRO Project: University of Florida — Gainesville, Florida ($6.3 million) | |
The University of Florida project will increase the production of turpentine, a natural liquid biofuel isolated from pine trees. The pine tree developed for this project is designed both to increase the turpentine storage capacity of the wood and to increase turpentine production from 3% to 20%. The fuel produced from these trees would become a sustainable domestic biofuel source able to produce 100 million gallons of fuel per year from less than 25,000 acres of forestland. | |
REACT: Rare Earth Alternatives in Critical Technologies ($31.6 million) | |
Rare earths are naturally-occurring minerals with unique magnetic properties that are used in many existing and emerging energy technologies. Rising rare earth prices have already escalated costs for some energy technologies and may jeopardize the availability and widespread adoption of many critical energy solutions by U.S. manufacturers. ARPA-E funds early-stage technology alternatives that reduce or eliminate the dependence on rare earth materials by developing substitutes in two key areas: electric vehicle motors and wind generators. | |
Example REACT Project: Pacific Northwest National Lab "Manganese-Based Permanent Magnet" — Richland, Washington ($2.3 million) | |
PNNL's team will reduce the cost of wind turbines and electric vehicles by developing a replacement for rare earth magnets based on an innovative composite using manganese material. Manganese composites could potentially achieve twice the strength of the magnets used today, while using inexpensive and abundant raw materials. The team will develop stronger magnets by leveraging high-performance supercomputer modeling and high-speed experiments of various metal composite formulations that do not contain rare earths. If developed successfully, these composite magnets will reduce the U.S. dependence on expensive rare-earth material imports, and reduce the cost and improve efficiency of green technologies. | |
GENI: Green Electricity Network Integration ($36.4 million) | |
ARPA-E funds innovative control software and high-voltage hardware to reliably control the grid network, specifically: 1) cost-optimizing controls able to manage sporadically available sources, such as wind and solar, alongside coal and nuclear, and 2) resilient power flow control hardware — or the energy equivalent of an internet router — to enable automated, real-time control of grid components. If successful, these technologies will enable utilities and operators to optimally control the flow of power; making the grid more secure, resilient, reliable, and could potentially save billions of dollars every year. | |
Example GENI Project: Texas Engineering Experiment Station — College Station, Texas ($4.9 million) | |
Historically the electric grid was designed to be passive causing electric power to flow along the path of least resistance. The Texas Engineering Experiment Station team will develop a new system that allows real-time, automated control over the transmission lines that make up the electric power grid. This new system would create a more robust, reliable electric grid, and reduce the risk of future blackouts, potentially saving billions of dollars a year. | |
Solar ADEPT: Solar Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology ($14.7 million) | |
The SunShot Initiative leverages the unique strengths across DOE to reduce the total cost of utility-scale solar systems by 75 percent by the end of the decade. If successful, this would enable solar electricity to scale without subsidies and make the U.S. globally competitive in solar technology. ARPA-E's portion of the collaboration is the Solar ADEPT program, which focuses on integrating advanced power electronics into solar panels and solar farms to extract and deliver energy more efficiently. This program could reduce power conversion costs by up to 50 percent for utilities and 80 percent for homeowners. | |
Example Solar ADEPT Project: Ideal Power Converters — Austin, Texas ($2.5 million) | |
Ideal Power Converters is developing light-weight electronics to connect photovoltaic solar panels to the grid. Their technology explores innovative circuits using revolutionary transistor designs to develop solar panel electronics for commercial-scale buildings that are compact enough to be installed on walls or roof-tops. The project goal is to reduce the weight of these electronics by 98%, reducing the cost of materials, manufacturing, shipping and installation, supporting the aggressive cost-reduction goals of the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative. |
Source: Brookhaven National Laboratory |


text:
Ocoee Adventure Company
Website: http://www.SouthEasternExpeditions.com
Phone: 1-800-686-RAFT (7238)
Serving: Georgia – Chattooga River – Ocoee River and more
Southeastern Expeditions offers fantastic scenic river runs on the Chattooga River and more. With beginner and intermediate whitewater rafting, we will show you awe-inspiring scenery while guiding you to a safe and fun time for everyone. Find trip info, specials, canoeing and kayaking information and more on our website, or call 1-800-686-RAFT today!
Tags: Book a Raft Trip in Georgia, Georgia Rafting, Georgia Rafting Business, Georgia Rafting Company, Georgia Rafting Guide, Georgia Rafting Trip, Georgia Whitewater Rafting Trip, Go Whitewater Rafting in Georgia, Ocoee Adventure Company, Southeastern Expeditions, Whitewater Rafting Georgia


text:
This extruder disc set contains three discs:
Balloon - 2 discs to make a striped balloon
Basket - 1 disc
The extruder discs can be used to make long embeds to go inside your soap, or small embeds to decorate the top of your soap. They are only suitable for use with soap dough, not suitable for melt and pour soap.
The discs are 18mm (fits Fimo extruders and many of the extruders sold on Amazon) wide to fit standard clay extruders, please check your disc size before ordering (if you need a different size, just let me know)
There is a special postage rate available when buying scrapers and/or extruder discs only, as they can be sent 'large letter' size. Please select this option at the checkout. This postage option cannot be used if your order contains anything other than scrapers and extruder discs.
The discs are made from PLA, therefore they are thicker than the metal discs (3mm thick) but very strong.
These extruder discs will last you for many uses and help you create many beautiful soaps as long as you take care of them.
After use, wipe with a cloth to remove excess soap batter. I always find the discs easier to clean if you wipe and wash them soon after using.
Wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry.Your scrapers are made from PLA which is a temperature-sensitive thermoplastic polymer derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane. PLA will start to deform and melt at around 60°C (140°F), please ensure your washing water is below this temperature
and never put your extruder discs in the dishwasher
top of page


text:
SEO Services in Wichita, KS
Rank #1 on Google.
Book Your Free Consultation
Generate 3x More Online Leads for your small business in less than 18 months
Why invest in SEO?
#1. SEO increases your qualified leads & referrals
2. SEO promotes your company all day, every day
3. SEO promotes your company all day, every day
4. SEO decreases your long-term advertising costs
Our Happy Clients
Transparent Pricing
Plans and packages for every budgetLite Plan
Campaign Setup And Optimization
Prepaid Discounts:
BEST SELLER Standard Plan
Campaign Setup And Optimization
Prepaid Discounts:
Advanced Plan
Campaign Setup And Optimization
Prepaid Discounts:
We practice what we preach - Hire an SEO Agency in Wichita, KS
If you're on this page, you most likely did a Google search such as "Wichita SEO" or "SEO Services Wichita." You found us because we practice what we preach and understand how to rank on Google.
Ranking at the top of Google is ultimately where the holy grail of digital marketing sits. But to get there, you need a team of SEO consultants that understands the ins and outs of the industry. It's constantly changing and SEO companies in Wichita must evolve rapidly, or die.
Thankfully, our search engine optimization firm is well versed in all things Google. And we'll use our expertise to help you dominate your local competition.
SEO: is about healthy, long-term growth.
If you're looking to 5x your business in 30 days, we're not your horse to ride. We believe that all good things take time to grow and mature.
SEO is most similar to the bamboo tree. It first starts as a lonely seed in the ground. Over time, it can almost seem as if nothing is happening, but all the while, the bamboo seed is growing a robust system of roots beneath the surface. Then, all of the sudden, the stem pops through the ground and shoots up rapidly - producing branches, then leaves. It's a process.
SEO works the same way. It's a process that produces leads over time. We love it because it's predictable, measurable, and produces unbelievable long-term growth for small businesses. While advertising can help supplement leads and sales in the short term, SEO produces massive amounts of ROI in the long term.
Instead of relying on a grocery store, it's like owning your own garden.
SEO: The #1 proven digital marketing strategy for generating an online lead
SEO: It's not about if it will work, it's about "WHEN" it will work
There are many forms of online marketing strategies, but SEO is the only one proven to work every single time. When people Google search, they are actively looking for your service. This means they are highly qualified and often ready to make a purchasing decision. Other online methods rely on cold marketing tactics.
SEO allows you to target your customers at the exact time they are most likely to use your product or service. They identify themselves as a customer by doing the search.
Inbound marketing is the method of getting leads and sales coming to you, not you going out and finding them! SEO is the #1 most proven inbound marketing method available in this day and age!
What is SEO and why should my business invest in it?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It's the process of getting your business to the top of Google - and then keeping it there. SEO is the most cost-effective, proven method to generate online leads for Wichita businesses.
When you rank at the top of Google for certain keywords, you get a ton of traffic headed directly to your website. And when someone clicks on your Google listing, they are much more likely to convert into leads or sales because they already know what they want before coming to your website. They've "raised their hand" as a customer just by searching for the keywords they came to your website on.
Request your free strategy session now
Get 20 minutes with an expert
Get a free website & SEO audit
Whether you hire us or not, you'll have a strategy plan!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does SEO take?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a long-term marketing strategy that can take months or even years to pay dividends. It's dependent on your competition and how hard it is to rank for specific keywords in certain geographical areas. National-based search rankings are harder to achieve than local-based ones over a shorter period of time. However, success depends on your ability to compete against other businesses that are also trying to achieve the same goal.
There are a few factors that determine whether or not it is worth investing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But generally speaking, any business that is going to be investing money into advertising on search engines should be considering their SEO options.


text:
E. Duke Vincent: I spent a lot of time in your city. I was a television producer for years and years and years, so we were always up there shooting shows.
Friday, June 10, 2011
An Interview with E. Duke Vincent
E. Duke Vincent: I spent a lot of time in your city. I was a television producer for years and years and years, so we were always up there shooting shows.
9 comments:
- Booksteve said...
Of the two versions of TEMPERATURE'S RISING, I much preferred the earlier one with James Whitmore as the Chief Surgeon. Cleavon and his three nurse co-conspirators were great. By the time Paul was added, Whitmore's "voice of reason" character (similar to Col Potter on MASH) was gone completely and as your piece says, Paul was Paul. Unfortunately, that left two comics and no straight man. Paul being Paul left little room for Cleavon to be Cleavon and his character often seemed emasculated from the earlier interpretation of the role.
- June 10, 2011 at 4:50 AM
Another phenomenal interview Kliph. I look forward SO MUCH to your great interviews. You definitely need an interview show like Tom Snyder used to have. Your "thing" would be to interview show biz people just as you do here. If I ran a network, you'd be a smash!
- June 10, 2011 at 10:53 PM
I agree totally with Bobby Wall. Kliph does amazing work!
- September 13, 2011 at 10:06 PM
My understanding at the time was that the James Whitmore version of TEMPERATURE'S RISING was based on the britcom Doctor In The House.
Never saw the Lynde revamp, though.
- KD - April 5, 2012 at 7:34 PM
- James said...
As with Booksteve, I, too, prefer the earlier version of TEMPERATURES RISING. It was good, clean, wacky fan. (Plus I had a huge crush on the very pretty and charming Nancy Fox, who played one of nurses who always conspired with Cleavon Little.)
Not to be show-off-ish, but I did an upgrade of the Wikipedia entry of T.R. recently. Please take a look see. The show had a fairly interesting history and I thing it needs to be brought back into circulation. - July 5, 2014 at 6:00 PM
Great interview! Do more with E. duke vincent. Like how he met his wife and other productions with Aaron Spelling!
- October 17, 2014 at 8:08 PM
- Unknown said...
Not a single word about "The San Pedro Beach Bums"!
Not that I blame him, lol. - June 16, 2016 at 3:58 PM
- Robert M Blevins said...
Maybe should have asked Vincent about his wife. She played the scheming Princess Ardala on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
- May 30, 2020 at 11:11 PM
This is the most fascinating and important men in the entertainment industry. It was a great pleasure to read this, perhaps the greatest interview I have ever read!
- December 1, 2022 at 7:35 AM


text:
Nutritional and Supplemental Treatments for Cirrhosis in Dade City, FL
Like a metabolic customs agent, your liver filters all dangerous toxins and bacteria out of your blood – every 3 minutes.
But when it becomes severely inflamed by viruses like hepatitis C, toxins (like alcohol and certain pharmaceuticals), or hormone imbalances (like low DHEA and high estrogen), liver tissue can succumb to severe scarring and fibrosis.
One of the most common symptoms of cirrhosis is malnutrition, most often caused by alcohol abuse. A heavily scarred liver can no longer process and store vital nutrients, causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Nutritional and supplemental therapy can replenish these nutrients while also addressing other cirrhosis symptoms.
To meet with a Dade City nutritional and supplemental specialist today for treatment for cirrhosis, call (813) 536-3212 or contact Dr. Christopher Van Benschoten online.
Nutrients and supplements to help stop progression of cirrhosis
As with any medical procedure, results of the following cirrhosis treatments will vary from patient to patient depending on age, genetics, general health, condition severity, follow-up care, and environmental factors. They may present contraindications with one another, and/or with other medical conditions. Consult your healthcare provider before embarking on your treatment journey.
Dietary nutrition
Cirrhosis patients are almost always put on a low-sodium diet, especially when they have poorly responsive ascites. They must also avoid fructose and sugared beverages – a frequent cause of weight gain that's easily avoidable. Chronic liver disease patients have difficulty digesting dairy products, probably because of small intestine bacterial overgrowth.
Instead, they should ingest more of the following minerals and vitamins, either in food or in supplement form:
lean protein
Cirrhosis patients require an adequate protein intake to prevent muscle wasting. Omega-fatty acid rich fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines) and skinless chicken or turkey and other poultry is rich in protein.
whole grains
These complex carbohydrates can combat low blood sugar and provide energy, which a cirrhotic liver struggles to generate. Oats, brown rice, bulgur, whole rye, whole wheat, and barley are rich in complex carbohydrates, which help reduce the burden of insulin resistance (a damaged liver has trouble regulating blood sugar). Side effects may include headaches, bad breath, muscle cramps, weakness, skin rash, constipation, and diarrhea.
leafy green vegetables
Spinach, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage are all rich in these regenerative vitamins and minerals:
- vitamin K:.helps revive nutrient absorption, which liver damage interferes with; also produces prothrombin and other blood-clotting factors
- folate (vitamin B9): folic acid helps form red blood cells and plays a role in protein metabolism, helping reduce blood homocysteine levels
- vitamin A: required for cellular reproduction and differentiation
- iron: decreases fatty acid composition in the liver
- sulfur: the sulfur in kale helps break down toxins, alleviating chronic inflammation
Many of the supplements listed below are found in foods. Your healthcare provider can help determine whether optimal absorption will be achieved via supplements or food in your specific case.
Cirrhosis patients are often deficient in multiple micronutrients – most commonly zinc3. Vitamin supplementation can stimulate regeneration, reduce complications of cirrhosis, and improve surgery outcomes2.
Zinc is an essential trace element that enables normal cell growth, development, and differentiation. Zinc deficiency (very common in cirrhosis patients) disrupts these metabolic functions3. Prescribed doses must be monitored and strictly adhered to. Zinc can be found in crab, red meat, poultry, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs and dairy products. Excessive doses can cause changes in taste, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
This mineral helps turn glucose into energy so that too much insulin isn't required, while enabling nerve conduction and muscle relaxation to resolve muscle cramps3. Leafy greens, figs, avocados, bananas, legumes, salmon, mackerel, tuna, nuts and seeds are all rich in magnesium. Side effects of overdosing include: diarrhea, vomiting, weak muscles, irregular heartbeat, and inability to empty the bladder.
This mineral is classified as an electrolyte because when dissolved in water, it produces positively charged ions, helping to regulate the body's fluid balance and nerve impulses. Low potassium levels have been linked to liver damage.
Beets, yams, pinto beans, Portobello mushrooms, avocados, spinach and kale are excellent sources of potassium. Citrus fruits like lemons and limes can help reduce your body's acid levels, balancing pH levels and impacting potassium levels. Side effects include vomiting, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is a factor in approximately 50% of alcoholic cirrhosis patients. This vitamin helps maintain soft tissue and white blood cell count. It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radical damage3. Vitamin A-rich foods include: carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and spinach. Side effects include bleeding gums, sore mouth, confusion, dizziness, headache, irritability, and diarrhea. High doses can be toxic.
Vitamin B-1
Cirrhosis scarring and fibrosis disrupt absorption of Vitamin B-1. Deficiency of this crucial vitamin can cause mental confusion, poor coordination, and memory problems. Vitamin B-1 is also found in: beef, pork, oats, eggs, oranges, seeds, and peas. Over-supplementation can cause tightness in the throat, nausea, mild rash, restlessness, and sweating.
Vitamin B-6
Cirrhosis makes it difficult for your body to absorb B-6, and a deficiency can cause numbness and tingling from nerve damage. Foods with B-6 include fish, beef liver, and potatoes. Overdosing can cause upset stomach, sleepiness, sunlight sensitivity, and a tingling or burning in hands and feet.
Vitamin B-12
Cirrhosis disrupts absorption of this vitamin, and a deficiency can cause fatigue, confusion, headaches, and moodiness. B-12 can be found in cereal, yogurt, and rice. Side effects of high doses include: headaches, itching, swelling, anxiousness, and uncontrollable movements.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C deficiency causes loss of collagen which can lead to scurvy3. This powerful anti-oxidant protects cells from free radicals and aids in iron absorption. Overdosing on Vitamin C, however, can cause flushing, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness. Fruits are very rich in vitamin C, especially cantaloupe, oranges, mangos, strawberries, and watermelon.
Vitamin D
A lack of vitamin D weakens the immune system3, as this crucial vitamin signals other immune cells to start functioning1. Vitamin D-rich foods include tuna, salmon, cheese, beef liver, and egg yolks.
Over-supplementation may cause confusion, muscle weakness, bone pain, weight loss, extreme thirst, frequent urination, vomiting, and kidney stones.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E can reduce scar tissue by disrupting liver stellate cells' collagen production. Supplementing this vitamin can soften cirrhosis scar tissue to improve blood flow to the liver, and maintain high levels the antioxidant glutathione.
In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, both patients who took pioglitazone and those who took Vitamin E improved levels of liver cell-injury markers in blood, and reduced liver fat levels and inflammation. But only vitamin E produced significant improvements in the appearance of liver tissue on biopsies5.
Vitamin E foods include peanuts, sunflower seeds, and broccoli. Side effects of overdose include: vomiting, diarrhea, headache, rash, fatigue, blurry vision, and genital inflammation.
Vitamin K
Damaged livers are unable to produce enough clotting factors, causing bruising or bleeding from enlarged veins in the esophagus. Cirrhosis patients should drink juice from spinach, kale, parsley, wheatgrass, and alfalfa sprouts. Over-supplementation can cause: decreased appetite, breathing difficulties, enlarged liver, swelling, irritability, muscle stiffness, and paleness.
Other supplements
Studies have shown that probiotics (live bacteria) like Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG can stabilize gut barrier function, improve gut flora, and regulate liver enzymes, while decreasing endotoxin and ammonia levels3. If probiotic supplements are not right for you, probiotic-rich foods include sauerkraut, kefir, and yogurt. While most people experience no side effects, some report gas, bloating, constipation, and increased thirst.
It's been well established that SAM-e restores glutathione and decreases dangerous levels of TBIL and AST in chronically damaged livers. This antioxidant can normalize bilirubin and liver enzyme levels to disrupt liver cell damage. It can be taken via oral supplement or intravenously. Potential side effects include: diarrhea, constipation, dry mouth, dizziness, anxiety, and skin rashes.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega 3 fatty acids regulate fatty acid synthesis, oxidation, and the breakdown of fats in the blood. DHA, the most important omega fatty acid, has been shown to arrest the progression of liver disease3. Foods like soybeans, salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines are rich in omega fatty acids. Excessive amounts of omega-3 fatty acids may cause upset stomach and nausea.
Liver-produced albumin makes up 60% of the total protein in your blood. It keeps fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, nourishes tissues, and transports hormones, vitamins, and other substances throughout the body4.
Albumin is delivered through intravenous infusion. You can increase your albumin levels by eating protein-rich foods like beef, pork, lamb, and vegetables. Over-supplementing may cause nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, fast heart rate, flushing, and a mild rash.
The following medications can negatively interact with these supplements:
- aspirin
- corticosteroids
- weight-loss medicines
- antibiotics
- diabetic medications
- seizure medication like phenytoin
- calcium supplements
- antacids
- medications for skin conditions
- chemotherapy
- drugs that harm the liver
- warfarin
- amiodarone
- levodopa
- chloramphenicol
- estrogen
- medications for HIV/AIDS
- fluphenazine
- medications for high cholesterol, like niacin
- medications for high blood pressure
- bisphosphonates
- muscle relaxants
- immunosuppressants like penicillamine
- antidepressants
- prescription painkillers
- cough medicine
Reserve your appointment
A liver-friendly nutritious diet along with supplemental vitamins and minerals can help prevent cirrhosis-caused malnourishment, and possibly even arrest the disease's progression. To meet with a nutritionist or liver specialist today in Dade City call (813) 536-3212 or contact Dr. Christopher Van Benschoten online.
1. Aranow, Cynthia. "Vitamin D and the Immune System." Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research 59.6 (2011): 881–886. PMC. Web. 11 Oct. 2018.
2. Bémeur, Chantal, and Roger F. Butterworth. "Nutrition in the Management of Cirrhosis and Its Neurological Complications." Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology 4.2 (2014): 141–150. PMC. Web. 13 Sept. 2018.
3. McClain, Craig J. "Nutrition in Patients With Cirrhosis." Gastroenterology & Hepatology 12.8 (2016): 507–510. Print. 13 Sept. 2018.
4. McCormick, P A et al. "Intravenous Albumin Infusion Is an Effective Therapy for Hyponatraemia in Cirrhotic Patients with Ascites." Gut 31.2 (1990): 204–207. Print. 13 Sept. 2018
5. Sanyal AJ, Chalasani N, Kowdley KV. Pioglitazone, vitamin E, or placebo for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. N Engl J Med. 2010 May 6;362(18):1675-85. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0907929. Epub 2010 Apr 28
4691 Van Dyke RoadLutz, FL 33558
(813) 536-3212
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
10:00 am - 3:00 pm


text:
Making Customer Segmentation Deliver
As the ability to gather sophisticated data grows, here's a four-step process for making segmentation drive improved performance.
(originally published by Booz & Company)Few phrases have as much currency in today's business-to-consumer (B2C) companies as the customer-centric organization. Although the particulars vary widely, most companies pursuing customer-centricity rely on some form of market segmentation. Segmentation provides insight into customer behavior, habits, and preferences, increasing the odds of success in marketing and experience management campaigns, and driving brand positioning and product development. For transaction-intensive industries, such as the airline, credit card, retail banking, retail, and telecommunications and wireless sectors, customer segmentation has become a critical capability in using the growing volumes of data on individual customer behavior to develop and implement successful go-to-market strategies.
More B2C companies are striving to build customer-centric businesses, but will they be able to derive real value from their effort? A handful of companies — such as Charles Schwab in investments, Capital One in credit cards, and Caesars Entertainment in gaming — have had well-documented success. But other data-intensive companies feel their segmentation efforts have failed to deliver anything near the level of benefit they should. Even as they collect more information than ever before, these companies struggle with applying the insights afforded by segmentation to drive change and performance improvement.
This paradox — that companies with the most data about their customers find it most difficult to use it — is likely to become more widespread as the digital transformation continues. Too often, companies develop segmentations that are based on conflicting business objectives, are not broadly understood or shared, or cannot be readily acted upon. Top managers must realize that a segment-based model requires rigorous execution. It will succeed only if it is embedded in the company's overall strategy, crosses the boundaries of all business units and functional departments, and produces clear and actionable guidance.
Companies that have implemented segmentation successfully tend to use it as a strategic context in designing their business models, as a touchstone for branding and value proposition development, and to guide processes such as customer acquisition and retention. Crucially, they know how to manage the complexity that segmentation inevitably introduces to an organization, and how to capitalize on the insights it provides.
We advise companies to take a four-step approach to segmentation: define the objectives of segmentation clearly, design the segmentation around those objectives, prepare a blueprint of the effects of the segmentation across the entire company's decision processes, and carefully manage the necessary changes that segmentation will demand of the organization. The goal is to ensure that segmentation leads to well-defined processes and actions that improve performance.
1. Define the objectives clearly. The most important question for each company to ask: What is the purpose of segmentation? Understanding the purpose will enable decision makers to determine whether the segmentation effort is strategic, tactical, or both.
Strategic segmentation is used for broad, enterprise-wide purposes — operating model design, branded customer experience, and overall value proposition development. It often becomes the basis for the design of the organization. Charles Schwab's approach to segmenting investors by assets and desired relationship support level is one example. Many retail banks group their customers into income or asset classes such as affluent, mass affluent, and mass market, and others combine these classifications with insights relating to behaviors and channel usage.
Tactical segmentation is used for a much more specific purpose, such as new customer acquisition, an up-selling campaign, or channel migration. Among the successful implementers, the tactical segments map to the strategic segments in an explicit way. In fact, combining the strategic and tactical segments in campaign modeling produces substantial uplift; one bank was able to triple the profitability of a home equity line of credit (HELOC) cross-selling campaign by tailoring its HELOC acquisition model and offer to a specific strategic segment. The notion of "horses for courses" — designing the segmentation around the specific business purpose — is apt here. Understand clearly which decision processes will be affected and which business partners need to be involved.
2. Design around the objectives. The key to effective design is working back from the business decisions that need to be made. Once the objectives have been determined, the segmentation research itself must be rigorously designed to reflect them, and to ensure that the results will be insightful (they will tell us things we do not already know about customer behavior and needs), actionable (they will identify levers that will move behavior), and identifiable (they will be able to tag individual customers in the database with reliable segment membership). This implies that multiple dimensions — behaviors, attitudes, demographics, channel use and preferences, and profitability — must be incorporated to develop a full picture.
In the past, difficult choices had to be made about which one or two dimensions drove segmentations, leading to, for example, heavily attitudinal segments that could not be identified or heavily behavioral segments that provided no insight into the causes of behaviors or the ways to influence them. New methodologies, such as the statistical modeling technique of latent class analysis, allow the synthesis of these different types of data — for example, transactional data, survey data, continuous variables, and discrete variables — into the same segmentation model. If designed properly, these methodologies yield identifiable segments that can be used to pursue new opportunities. Common examples include fast-food chains identifying their frequent users and wireless companies looking for "data hogs" who consume inordinate amounts of bandwidth. More sophisticated companies, such as some high-end retailers, add aspirational desires to the behavioral mix to identify and attract consumers who lust for the latest brand as soon as (or before) it hits the shelves.
One detail to consider is how to approach customer profitability. Some companies use profitability-based segmentation, others incorporate profitability into the segmentation as a dimension, and still others use it as a criterion for choosing among potential segmentations based on their ability to discriminate among profitable customers. Each has its benefits and costs, but it is important to recognize that a pure profit segmentation may not be very actionable, because in some industries, such as financial services, there are multiple routes to profitability.
3. Prepare a blueprint to operationalize the segmentation. Begin to map out the decision processes by considering these questions: How is segmentation going to be used to influence the major value levers in your business? Will it underpin a redesign of the brand and the value proposition or of frontline sales and service? Will it ultimately result in more tailored and dynamic online and direct marketing? How are the business and functional units responsible going to access the information and use it on a day-to-day basis?
As soon as the outline of the segmentation permits, begin to define these process changes, share them with affected business partners, and formulate and discuss revised metrics that reflect the new capabilities. For instance, it is essential to work with the front line to define how it will modify today's sales and service protocols to incorporate greater customer knowledge and targeted pitches. One large bank linked its strategic segments to targeted lead lists focused on explicit behaviors — cross-sell leads, at-risk/retention leads, and acquisition leads — and instituted a new and more powerful sales pipeline management discipline.
In another example, a major retailer redesigned the location, configuration, and staffing of its fitting rooms based on a target segment view of the customer's journey through the store. It is necessary to craft practical methods of delivering the required segmentation results that effectively conceal their analytic complexity from customer-facing staff, thus enabling productive face-to-face interactions with customers in real time.
Subtle timing must be managed: Business partners need to be engaged and prepared in advance, but not so far in advance that requisite changes are too theoretical or abstract. For executives at brokerages, for example, communicating the message that "We need to talk to segment X about 529s and Roths in the context of their families" is much more meaningful than "We need to be more segmented in how we are going to market." Building on what's tangible helps in configuring informed decision processes.
4. Manage the implementation process. Making segmentation deliver is ultimately more of a change management challenge than a technical or marketing challenge, but this point tends to be overlooked. The tools for managing change — targeted and tailored communications, sequenced to engender understanding, engagement, and acceptance — need to be deployed fully. Expectations must be managed from the start; too often these efforts begin with a "big bang" orientation that misstates the nature of the change required to capture the performance benefits of segmentation.
Most important, of course, is for leaders to lay out the business case for moving to a more segment-focused set of processes. When employees ask, "What do you want me to do differently and why?" and "What's in it for me?" leaders who respond with a clear message will dramatically enhance progress. In particular, painting a clear picture of how a segment-based strategy will enable frontline teams to deliver better customer experiences — and of the tools these teams will be provided to let them do so — has often proved a very powerful way to build buy-in and execution. This is usually best done by a combination of senior executives and field leaders on-site in stores and branches on a regular basis, serving as coaches and exemplars.
At a time of increasing competition and the rise of new methods to capture immense amounts of data about customers, every company must raise its ability to anticipate and respond to customer needs and wants. Segmentation will be essential to the process of managing the complexity of continually evolving and fragmenting customer groups and their different demands. Creation of a company-wide operating model that can convert this flood of data to useful information in order to make better go-to-market decisions will be critical. Companies that achieve this will have a substantial advantage in making customer-centricity more than a slogan.
Reprint No. 11401
Author profile:
- Corey Yulinsky is a partner with Booz & Company based in New York. He has advised multiple leading providers of consumer financial services on customer-driven growth, analytics and capabilities development, and revenue improvement issues.


text:
Since 1920, von Hemert Interiors has built a reputation for prestige and elegance in the furniture business providing discerning clientele with access to the leading luxury furniture brands. Their team of experienced and professional interior designers along with their excellent customer service has been the foundation in their success for almost 90 years. Over the last few years, von Hemert has used digital marketing to grow their business solely focusing on pay-per-click advertisement
Recently to complement their PPC efforts, von Hemert partnered with WSI to grow their organic visibility and online prominence in search. After extensive keyword research, the following 10 keywords were chosen to start their campaign:
- Luxury Furniture
- Interior Designers and Decorator
- Italian Furniture Store
- Hancock and Moore Furniture
- Stickley Furniture
- Luxury Living Room Furniture
- Marge Carson Furniture
- Century Furniture
- Furniture Upholstery
Their website went through a thorough on-page optimization for these keywords with focus on the following pages:
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/Bedroom.inc
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/designservices.inc
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/von-hemerts-exclusive-italian-furnishings/brand-type.aspx
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/hancock-and-moore/brand-type.aspx
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/stickley/brand-type.aspx
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/LivingRoom.inc
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/marge-carson/brand-type.aspx
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/century-furniture/brand-type.aspx
- https://www.vonhemertinteriors.com/furniture-upholstery.inc
Currently, WSI is expanding von Hemert Interiors online presence with monthly off-page optimization using extensive link building and ongoing blogging efforts. These high-quality blogs posts will be syndicated to Google+, Tumblr, WordPress, Weebly, and Blogger which is expected to drive their search rankings improvements. Social media posts are also being integrated in the campaign using Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
This post originally appeared here: https://wsidigitalmarketingexperts.com/blog/luxury-furniture-company-partners-wsi-expand-online-presence/
For SEO Services and Digital Marketing & Sales in Sweden, please contact WSI WebAnalys.
Local, National, Global, and E-Commerce Search Optimization & Lead Generation.
WSI Sweden. | Site | Search | Social | Mobile | Marketing Automation |


text:
December 11th: The trade is official. The Yankees made the announcement this morning. It is as reported: Stanton and cash for Castro, Guzman, and Devers. Here's the press release.
December 9th: For the second straight offseason, the Yankees are set to acquire the reigning National League home run king. Something tells me Giancarlo Stanton will work out better than Chris Carter.
According to multiple reports, the Yankees and Marlins have agreed to a four-player trade that brings Stanton to New York in exchange for Starlin Castro and two prospects. There is also money involved. The trade is pending physicals — Jon Heyman says Stanton is on his way to New York for that — and neither team has announced anything, though that'll happen soon enough. Here are the trade details:
- To Yankees: Stanton and $30M in conditional money
- To Marlins: Castro, Jorge Guzman, Jose Devers
Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees only get the $30M if Stanton doesn't exercise his opt-out clause following the 2020 season. There is still ten years and $295M on his contract overall. Thanks to some fancy accounting, Stanton will count as approximately $22M against the luxury tax during the life of the contract, per Rosenthal. His actual salary ranges between $25M and $32M over the next ten years.
The new Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter led ownership group has been clear they want to slash payroll to get the Marlins' finances in check. The easiest way to do that? Trading their most expensive player, who happens to be the reigning NL MVP. Stanton is waiving his no-trade clause to join the Yankees, who are said to be his second choice behind his hometown Dodgers. He used the no-trade clause to block deals to the Giants and Cardinals earlier this week.
Once Stanton blocked those trades to San Francisco and St. Louis, the Marlins had very little leverage remaining, hence this sweetheart of a trade for the Yankees. Miami wanted to unload as much of Stanton's contract as possible, and the Yankees happily took on a big chunk of it while giving up no one they'll really miss. I don't think the Yankees came into the offseason planning to pursue Stanton. This is something that fell into their laps. It's too good to pass up.
Stanton, who turned 28 last month, authored a .281/.376/.631 (156 wRC+) batting line with an MLB best 59 home runs this season. That is a top ten single-season home run total in history. Stanton, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris, and Babe Ruth are the only men in history to hit as many as 59 home runs in a season. Stanton's career averages are a .268/.360/.554 (144 wRC+) line and 44 home runs per 162 games. He's averaged 5.0 fWAR and 5.1 bWAR per 600 plate appearances.
Even before the Stanton trade, the Yankees had four outfielders for three spots (Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge) plus a top MLB ready outfield prospect (Clint Frazier), so things are getting a little crowded. That's not big deal though. This is definitely one of those "get the game's best power hitter for a bargain price and figure out the rest later" situation. I suspect Clint's name will start popping up in trade rumors soon.
The Yankees are giving up their starting second baseman in the trade, and while Castro wasn't great by any means, he was a solid player who brought stability to the position in the post-Robinson Cano years. Starlin, who will turn 28 in March, hit .300/.338/.454 (110 wRC+) with 16 home runs in 112 games around hamstring problems this season. There are two guaranteed years and $22M left on his contract. The trade clears a long-term spot for Gleyber Torres. Short-term? I'm not quite sure. I'd be surprised if Gleyber was on the Opening Day after missing half of 2017 with injury.
Guzman is the better of the two prospects heading to Miami. He came over in the Brian McCann trade and broke out this season, throwing 66.2 innings with a 2.30 ERA (2.47 FIP) and 33.5% strikeouts with Short Season Staten Island. I had the 21-year-old as a top ten prospect in the system in my preliminary top 30 prospects list, and the fourth best pitcher behind Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, and Albert Abreu. Guzman is a quality prospect. Gotta give something to get something though.
Devers is the cousin of Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. The 18-year-old hit .245/.336/.342 (100 wRC+) with one home run and 16 steals in 53 rookie ball games this year. He was not in my preliminary top 30 list nor particularly close to making it. Keep in mind former farm system head Gary Denbo left the Yankees to join the Marlins a few weeks ago. I suspect Guzman and Devers were two of his personal favorites.
The Yankees were hardly short on right-handed power, but when you have a chance to get Stanton at that price, you take it. Only once in history has a team had two players hit 50+ homers in a season — Maris (61) and Mickey Mantle (54) did it for the 1961 Yankees — and, if nothing else, Stanton and Judge will have a chance to do it next year, assuming MLB does not un-juice the ball. Heck, those two might hit 50+ even with a regular ball.
With Stanton set to join the Yankees, the next order of business is finding some pitching depth. The Yankees have enough room under the luxury tax threshold to re-sign CC Sabathia, possibly even someone a bit more expensive. They also need to figure out second base. My guess is they'll look to see if they can score a cheap free agent (Howie Kendrick? Brandon Phillips?), otherwise they'll stick with internal options like Ronald Torreyes or Tyler Wade until Gleyber is deemed ready. Either way, the Yankees just got a heck of a lot better, and a heck of a lot more fun.


text:
DocuSign Digital Transaction Management (DTM) SuiteApp for NetSuite Achieves 'Built for NetSuite' Verification
DocuSign DTM Helps NetSuite and Its Users Drive Rapid ROI, Enhance Security and Compliance & Delight Customers
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—DOCUSIGN MOMENTUM—March 5, 2014—DocuSign, Inc. (DocuSign) and NetSuite, Inc. (NYSE: N) today announced a partnership to bring their shared vision of helping more organisations globally conduct business digitally. The companies are partnering to offer DocuSign's Digital Transaction Management (DTM) SuiteApp, an integrated solution with NetSuite, to help organisations accelerate transactions to achieve significant ROI and enhance security and compliance—all while delighting customers, partners, suppliers, and employees. In addition, NetSuite uses DocuSign's DTM platform internally to streamline sales and ensure regulatory compliance.
The DocuSign SuiteApp, an integrated solution of DocuSign's DTM platform and NetSuite, built on the NetSuite SuiteCloud Computing Platform, has achieved "Built for NetSuite" verification. Built for NetSuite is a program for NetSuite SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN) partners that provides them with information, resources, and a method to verify that their applications and integrations, built using the NetSuite SuiteCloud Computing Platform, meet the latest NetSuite standards and best practices. The 'Built for NetSuite' program is designed to give NetSuite customers additional confidence that SuiteApps have been built to meet these standards.
DocuSign enables NetSuite users to send contracts and other documents for signature directly from within NetSuite. Customers receive a link in email to sign their agreement, and can securely DocuSign in seconds—anytime, anywhere, on any device. Senders can track envelope status from the DocuSign window within NetSuite for full visibility and control. Once DocuSigned, documents are automatically brought into NetSuite as PDFs and attached to the relevant record.
"NetSuite's partnership with DocuSign is rooted in our own experience using DocuSign's Digital Transaction Management platform to automate and streamline processes to accelerate our speed to results," said Zach Nelson, NetSuite CEO. "Our sales team achieved a 61% increase in productivity and improved document turnaround time by 77% by DocuSigning to reduce sales contract processing. With a seamless integration with NetSuite, DocuSign is the global standard and the kind of opportunity we must bring to our own customers."
NetSuite replaced its existing eSignature solution with DocuSign's DTM platform for improved reliability and availability on a trusted and secure platform. With its switch to DocuSign, NetSuite's sales team is generating more than $1.5K in incremental revenue per sales contract simply by closing deals when they need to. DocuSign has helped NetSuite:
"NetSuite is a great partner and solution for DocuSign that's enabled us to scale in this hyper growth environment," said Keith Krach, chairman and CEO, DocuSign. "Our deeper relationship with NetSuite brings the best of two industry-leading cloud providers with highly complementary solutions together to help companies achieve their digital transformations."
DocuSign's DTM platform is used to accelerate transaction times and increase speed to results across nearly every industry—from financial services, insurance, technology, healthcare, government, manufacturing, communications, real estate, retail, and consumer goods to higher education, non-profits and others—as well as every business department, including sales, marketing, finance, procurement, HR/staffing, legal, operations, and customer support.
Sales teams interested in learning more about DocuSign's Digital Transaction Management SuiteApp may visit www.suiteapp.com or http://www.docusign.com/partner/netsuite.
About DocuSign Inc.
DocuSign® is The Global Standard for Digital Transaction Management™. Global enterprises, business departments, individual professionals, and consumers have standardised on DocuSign, with more than 40,000 new users joining the DocuSign Global Network every day. Today, that network includes millions of users in 188 countries. DocuSign's DTM platform is used to accelerate transaction times to increase speed to results, reduce costs, and delight customers across nearly every industry—from financial services, insurance, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, communications, real estate, retail, and consumer goods to higher education and others—as well as every business department, including sales, finance, operations, procurement, HR/staffing, legal, and customer support. For more information, visit www.docusign.com or call 877.720.2040. Visit the DocuSign blog at www.docusign.com/blog and follow DocuSign on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
About NetSuite
NetSuite Inc. is the industry's leading provider of cloud-based financials / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and omnichannel commerce software suites. In addition to financials / ERP software suites, NetSuite offers a broad suite of applications, including accounting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Professional Services Automation (PSA) and ecommerce that enable companies to manage most of their core business operations in its single integrated suite. NetSuite software allows businesses to automate operations, streamline processes and access real-time business information anytime, anywhere.
For information about Built for NetSuite SuiteApps, please visit www.netsuite.com.au/BuiltforNetSuite. For more information about the integrated solution, please visit www.suiteapp.com.
Follow NetSuite's Cloud blog, NetSuite's Facebook page and @NetSuiteAPAC Twitter handle for real-time updates.
For more information about NetSuite, please visit www.netsuite.com.au.
NOTE: NetSuite and the NetSuite logo are service marks of NetSuite Inc.


text: Holliday Concrete, LLC is a family owned business that has been serving the concrete needs of homeowners for the past 42 years. We specialize in concrete driveways, patios and sidewalks. We also build steps, porches and stoops. We can provide decorative concrete including stampcrete, brick ribbons and colored concrete. Keeping our expertise focused in these areas has allowed us to maintain a job quality, customer service and competitive pricing second to none. Our estimates are free and local references are always provided. Please call 816 427-5747 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com and schedule an appointment today.


text: Caspar Ammann is a climate scientist working at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Dr. Ammann is interested in the reconstruction of natural climate forcings, natural climate variability, coupled modeling of natural and anthropogenic climate change, and data/model intercomparison. Dr. Ammann got his B.S. from Gymnasium Koeniz (Switzerland), his M.S. from the University of Bern (Switzerland), and a Ph.D. from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts.


text:
Government leadership at both the national and sub-national levels is an essential step towards ensuring safely managed sanitation services for all.
Though the importance of sub-national government leadership for water, sanitation and hygiene is widely acknowledged, to date much of the focus has been on the delivery of water services.
This article sets out to start to address this imbalance by focusing on practical ways to galvanise and foster sub-national government leadership for sanitation programming. By focusing on the experiences across three sub-national areas in East Africa (in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya) where positive changes in the prioritisation of sanitation by local governments have been witnessed, we (a group of researchers, local government representatives and development partner staff) cross-examine and identify lessons learnt.
The results presented in this paper and subsequent discussion provide practical recommendations for those wishing to trigger a change in political will at the local level and create the foundation to strengthen sanitation governance and the wider system needed to ensure service delivery for all.


text:
Right now, the financial world is focused on the breathtaking stock market crash in China, but don't forget to keep an eye on what is happening in Europe. Collectively, the European Union has a larger population than the United States, a larger economy than either the U.S. or China, and the banking system in Europe is the biggest on the planet by far. So what happens in Europe really matters, and at this point the European economy is absolutely primed for a meltdown. European debt levels have never been higher, European banks are absolutely loaded with non-performing loans and high-risk derivatives, and the unemployment rate in the eurozone is currently more than double the unemployment rate in the United States. In all the euphoria surrounding the "deal" that temporarily kept Greece in the eurozone, I think that people have forgotten that the economic and financial fundamentals in Europe have continued to deteriorate. Whether Greece ultimately leaves the eurozone or not, a great financial crisis is inevitably coming to Europe. It is just a matter of time.
In many ways, the economy of Europe is in significantly worse shape than the U.S. economy. Just recently, the IMF issued a report which warned that the eurozone is "susceptible to negative shocks" and could be facing very tough economic times in the near future. The following comes from the Guardian…
The International Monetary Fund has warned the eurozone faces a gloomy economic outlook thanks to lingering worries over Greece, high unemployment and a banking sector still battling to shake off the financial crisis.
The IMF's latest healthcheck on the eurozone found it was "susceptible to negative shocks" as growth continues to falter and monetary policymakers run out of ways to help. It called for an urgent "collective push" from the currency union to speed up reforms or else risk years of lost growth.
"A moderate shock to confidence – whether from lower expected future growth or heightened geopolitical tensions – could tip the bloc into prolonged stagnation," said Mahmood Pradhan, the IMF's mission chief for the eurozone.
But even if there are no "shocks" to the European economy in the months ahead, the truth is that it is already in terrible shape and much of the continent is already mired in an ongoing economic depression.
Today, the official unemployment rate in the United States is just 5.3 percent, but the unemployment rate for the eurozone as a whole is sitting at 11.1 percent. That is an absolutely terrible number, but most Europeans have come to accept it as "the new normal". The following are some of the prominent nations in Europe that currently have an unemployment rate of above 10 percent…
France: 10.3 percent
Italy: 12.4 percent
Portugal: 13.7 percent
Spain: 22.37 percent
Greece: 25.6 percent
And remember, these unemployment numbers often greatly understate the true scope of the problem.
For instance, in Italy the number of people "willing to work but not actively searching" is much higher than the number of Italians that are officially unemployed…
For every 100 working Italians, there are 15 people seeking a job and another 20 willing to work but not actively searching, the highest level among the 28 EU countries, according to statistics agency Eurostat.
So would the true rate of unemployment in Italy be greater than 30 percent if honest numbers were being used?
That is something to think about.
Meanwhile, debt levels in virtually all European nations have shot up substantially since the last financial crisis. Just consider the staggering debt to GDP ratios in the following nations…
France: 95.0 percent
Spain: 97.7 percent
Belgium: 106.5 percent
Ireland: 109.7 percent
Portugal: 130.2 percent
Italy: 132.1 percent
Greece: 177.1 percent
Greece is not the only debt crisis that Europe is facing by a long shot. All of the other nations on that list are going down the exact same path that Greece has gone down.
So whether or not a "permanent solution" can be found for Greece, the reality of the matter is that Europe's debt problems are only just beginning.
Meanwhile, the economic crisis in Greece continues to become even more dire. At this point, nearly half of all loans in the country are non-performing, authorities are warning that bank account holders may be forced to take 30 percent haircuts when the banks are finally "bailed in", and it is being reported that Greek banks may keep current restrictions on cash "in place for months"…
Greek banks are set to keep broad cash controls in place for months, until fresh money arrives from Europe and with it a sweeping restructuring, officials believe.
Rehabilitating the country's banks poses a difficult question. Should the eurozone take a stake in the lenders, first requiring bondholders and even big depositors to shoulder a loss, or should the bill for fixing the banks instead be added to Greece's debt mountain?
Answering this could hold up agreement on a third bailout deal for Greece that negotiators want to conclude within weeks.
The longer it takes, the more critical the banks' condition becomes as a 420 euro ($460) weekly limit on cash withdrawals chokes the economy and borrowers' ability to repay loans.
Nothing has been "solved" in Greece. The only thing that has been accomplished so far is that Greece has been kept in the euro (at least for the moment). But for the average person on the street things continue to go from bad to worse.
How soon will it be until we see similar scenarios play out in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France?
As things in the eurozone continue to deteriorate, nations that were planning to join the euro are suddenly not so eager to do so…
Poland will not join the euro while the bloc remains in danger of "burning", its central bank governor said. Marek Belka, who has also served as the country's prime minister, said the turmoil in Greece had weakened confidence in the single currency. "You shouldn't rush when there is still smoke coming from a house that was burning. It is simply not safe to do so. As long as the eurozone has problems with some of its own members, don't expect us to be enthusiastic about joining," he said.
Yes, definitely keep an eye on what is happening in China. Without a doubt, it is very big news.
But I believe that what is going on in Europe will ultimately prove to be an even bigger story.
The greatest financial crisis that Europe has ever seen is coming, and it is going to shake up the entire planet.


text:
The Art and Science of Asset Allocation
Many investors have heard the term "asset allocation" at one time or another. From the first time we sign up for a 401k plan at the office all the way through the conversations we have with financial planners in retirement we are bombarded with messages about the importance of proper asset allocation. But what is asset allocation, and what does it mean to investors saving for the future?
What exactly is asset allocation?
The easiest way to think of asset allocation is as the mix between different investment types. Stocks are one common example as are bonds. A portfolio split into 50% stocks and 50% bonds can be described as asset allocated equally between stocks and bonds. An asset allocation in a portfolio of investments can be as simple as 100% of the same asset class or as complicated and exotic as you can imagine. In other words some investors will end up with a portfolio concentrated in one or two types of assets (stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.) while others may want or need exposure to other asset types such as commodities, currencies, or alternatives like hedge funds and private equity.
How important is asset allocation for long term investors?
How important is it to get the asset allocation of an investment portfolio right? Opinions vary on the subject; with anecdotal wisdom being that asset allocation drives as much as 90% or more of return of a long-term, diversified portfolio.1 Other recent research from research firm Morningstar suggests that portfolio returns are indeed heavily influenced by asset allocation but that other factors like security selection (stock or bond picking) make a significant impact as well2.
Both folk wisdom and academic research agree on one important thing: asset allocation is a tremendously important decision for investors that impacts returns for years to come.
Where can investors get information to shape their asset allocation?
With asset allocation being so important it's no surprise that the internet is full of calculators and commonly quoted rules of thumb that are all based on the "science" of modern portfolio theory. Simply put, they are all a good generic starting point, but none of these take into account important individual circumstances that should also influence an individual or family asset allocation strategy.
This is where the" art" aspect of asset allocation becomes so important. A surprising array of information can inform an asset allocation. Age, income, risk tolerance, and long-term goals are all basic building blocks that can point an investor in the right direction. Other important sources of information that can shape an asset allocation include such diverse things as industry (for those still working or drawing a pension), existing savings, future spending needs, liquidity events, family structure, and even insurance and annuity provisions.
As if this wasn't already complex enough many of these variables don't stay constant and change on a regular basis, making asset allocation reviews and rebalancing an important discipline. Savvy investors will often seek the advice of an investment advisor, both for setting their initial allocation as well as to provide ongoing guidance and advice on how to achieve the optimal asset allocation for their individual needs. Given the importance of this art and science to long term returns it's no surprise that many of the best financial advisors out there start with getting the asset allocation right when building an investment strategy for their clients.
*This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information provided is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a representation by us of a specific investment or the purchase or sale of any securities. Asset allocation and diversification do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets. This material was developed and produced by Advisor Websites to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. Copyright 2021 Advisor Websites.


text:
Dhaka, January 22, 2019: Tata Motors, India's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, along with its authorized distributor Nitol Motors Ltd., today launched the all-new Tata LPT 1212 light commercial vehicle in Bangladesh. The vehicle has been designed for the modern commercial vehicle customer of Bangladesh, with superior performance and high load carrying capacity.
Tata LPT 1212
The Tata LPT 1212 is a perfect cargo transporting solution for the Bangladeshi customer in the light trucks category. The reliable 497 TCIC Common Rail Engine with proven engine life and reparability, optimally powers the truck. The Tata LPT 1212 is designed to deliver improved performance and better fuel efficiency with lower emissions, levels of noise and vibrations. The high performance engine is configured to deliver optimum power output at even lower RPMs enabling one to drive with lesser gearshifts while giving better fuel efficiency. The bigger clutch diameter of 330 mm allows easy engagement of gears leading to driving comfort and efficient power transmission. The high ground clearance of 245 mm makes it a perfect solution for transporting cargo over rough terrains. The loading capability of the truck is enhanced with the bigger tyre size (9X20 – 16 PR)
Speaking at the event, Mr. Abdul Matlub Ahmed, Chairman, Nitol Motors Ltd., said "Our local expertise coupled with a robust dealer network across the country has been crucial to our success thus far. With our partner Tata Motors, we are confident about making a significant impact in the light truck segment with Tata LPT 1212 and thus winning a significant market share."
Mr. Rudrarup Maitra, Head, International Business, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors said, "The much awaited Tata LPT 1212, has been specifically designed keeping in mind the unique local Bangladesh market loading requirements and duty cycle. With various product enhancements such as a powerful engine, high ground clearance, bigger clutch diameter and tyre size, this vehicle is the best choice for customers in this segment. We are confident of further strengthening our market leadership in Bangladesh with this launch."
Nitol Motors Pvt. Ltd., (NML), the flagship company of the Nitol-Niloy Group, has been a Tata Motors' partner since 1988. Today, it is the largest distributor of Tata Motors in Bangladesh, and the most dominant player in the country's commercial vehicle market with over 62 percent market share. NML offers customers the largest sales, service and spare parts network in the country.
Tata Motors Limited (BSE: TATAMOTORS), a USD 45 billion organisation, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, buses, trucks and defence vehicles. Part of the USD 100 billion Tata group, Tata Motors is India's largest and the only OEM offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia through a strong global network of 109 subsidiary and associate companies, including Jaguar Land Rover in the UK and Tata Daewoo in South Korea.
With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, Tata Motors is India's market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top four in the passenger vehicles market. With 'Connecting Aspirations' at the core of its brand promise, the company's innovation efforts are focused to develop pioneering technologies that are sustainable as well as suited to evolving aspirations of the market and the customers. Tata Motors strives to bring new products that fire the imagination of GenNext customers, fueled by state of the art design and R&D centers located in India, the UK, Italy and Korea. Internationally, Tata commercial and passenger vehicles are marketed in countries, spread across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, Australia, CIS, and Russia.
To know more, please visit (www.tatamotors.com; also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TataMotors)


text:
Public Meeting - Public Transportation Funding for Elderly Individuals and Persons with Disabilities
Where: | Texas Department of Transportation District Conference Room D 13301 Gateway Blvd. West El Paso, Texas 79936 |
When: | Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012 10:00 a.m. |
Purpose: | Detailed information will be provided concerning the application process and the steps involved in applying for funding. Information will also be provided at the meeting as to the specific Section 5310 program requirements and responsibilities of those organizations funded under the program. |
Description: | The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will hold its annual public meeting to announce the availability of funding under Section 5310 Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Transportation Program. Funding in the amount of $281,374 will be available in FY 2013 for the purchase of vehicles and/or vehicle related expenses for organizations providing transportation services for elderly individuals and persons with disabilities in El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties. |
Downloads: | |||
Contact: | TxDOT El Paso District Public Information Office Phone: (915) 790-4200 |


text:
And the live-action cartoon, Night at the Museum, had a huge Friday boxoffice with over $13 million (bigger than its opening Friday and about double the second place Happyness) to start things off. Happy Feet, after finishing 9th last weekend, is in eighth place with another $3 million. Updates to follow . . .
Sunday update: Night at the Museum was the resounding winner, with $36.7 million, and is already at $116 million. Happy Feet took another ninth place, with just under $8 million, for a domestic cume of $176 million. And as proof that people aren't in the mood for counter-programming during the holidays, Black Christmas opened in 13th place with a meager $3.7 million.
Hope you all have a Happy New Year's eve, and drive safely.
Click here to read entire post


text:
Photos (clockwise from top left): Olivia Palermo, Elin Kling and Mancinas;
Courtesy of stylebykling.nowmanifest.com, whowhatwear.com, instyle.com, mancinasspot.blogspot.com.
Styling tips:
Chunky pullover goes perfectly with body-hugging bottoms: skinny jeans, leather jeggings or pencil skirt.
Show off your feminine side with stacked bracelets, statement stilettos, mini skirt or–if the weather is good–bare legs.


text:
Brandon Bernard, convicted for his involvement in the brutal murder of two youth ministers in 1999, was executed Thursday evening after failed eleventh-hour appeals from criminal justice advocates and celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West, to spare his life.
He was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. from a lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Center in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Bernard, 40, served more than 20 years behind bars for his involvement in the kidnapping, robbery, and fatal shooting of Todd and Stacie Bagley. His death marks the ninth execution by the federal government this year after the process was resumed following a 17-year break.
With his last words, Bernard spoke to the family of the couple he killed, according to The Associated Press. He said, "I'm sorry. That's the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day."
Todd's mother, Georgia Bagley, told reporters that the apologies of Bernard and the shooter, Christopher Vialva, who was put to death in September, "helped very much to heal my heart." She said she forgave them.
The execution was the first in 130 years to be carried out during a presidential transition period. According to CNN, Bernard, whose crime was committed at age 18, is also the youngest person in the U.S. to receive a death sentence in nearly 70 years.
Support for Bernard
Bernard's attorney Robert Owens sought a review of the case after the discovery of previously undisclosed evidence. Owens argued that trial prosecutors withheld evidence that showed Bernard had a low-level position in the gang that committed the murders, according to The Indianapolis Star.
Former jurors involved in the case had come forward in recent weeks to say that had that evidence been presented during the trial, it would have had an impact on their decision, CNN reports.
Angela Moore, the former federal prosecutor involved in the case, wrote in November in an op-ed that she believes Bernard should not be put to death, citing his youth at the time of the murder and his good behavior while in prison.
"I always took pride in representing the United States as a federal prosecutor, and I think executing Brandon would be a terrible stain on the nation's honor," she wrote.
High-powered attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr and Kardashian West, a reality star, attempted to stop the execution this week. Dershowitz and Starr joined Bernard's legal team on Thursday and submitted a petition with the Supreme Court requesting a delay in the execution for two weeks.
The Supreme Court denied the request.
Kardashian West was using her platform to raise awareness of Bernard's case. She has been involved in criminal justice advocacy since 2018 when she aided in the release of Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson was serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug offence before she was pardoned by President Trump.
Without success, Kardashian West also appealed to Trump to commute Bernard's sentence.
In a tweet following his execution, Kardashian West said of Bernard: "He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others."
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 11, 2020
I'm so messed up right now.
They killed Brandon.
He was such a reformed person. So hopeful and positive until the end. More importantly he is sorry, so sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused others.
The crime
Todd and Stacie Bagley were on their way back from a church service in Killeen, Texas, the night of their murder on June 21, 1999. They stopped at a convenience store where they came across Bernard and his friends who asked the couple for a ride home.
Once the couple agreed, Vialva produced a gun and ordered them into the trunk of their car. The group then drove around for several hours attempting to use the couple's ATM cards and pawn Stacie's wedding ring, according to the Justice Department.
The group eventually pulled off to the side of the road. Vialva got out of the car, walked to the trunk, and shot the couple in the head. With the Bagleys still in the trunk, Bernard lit the car on fire.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Stacie didn't die from the gunshot, but rather through smoke inhalation. That claim has been challenged by defense attorneys, but the Justice Department still maintains Stacie died from the fire.
The White House plans to carry out four more federal executions before Trump leaves office in January, making a total of 13 since the process resumed over the summer.
Another inmate is set to be executed Friday. Alfred Bourgeois is scheduled to be put to death for the torture and murder of this two-year-old daughter in 2002.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
African countries are strengthening their health systems to prepare for the next health crisis based on the experience of fighting COVID-19, WHO's Africa director said. It is estimated that some of the 54 countries on the continent of 1.3 billion people lacked the infrastructure or the trained health workers required to adequately respond to the pandemic in early 2020. The World Health Organization's Africa regional director, Matshidiso Moeti, said at an online briefing that some hospitals struggle to provide isolation wards and intensive care units.
With support from global donors, African countries have increased investments in health infrastructure over the past three years to fight the pandemic, she explained. She said WHO is working with countries to strengthen their capacity by training first responders and strengthening public health institutions and emergency operations across the continent. Some countries in the continent are now able to produce COVID-19 vaccines locally, Moeti said, which is one of the "most exciting outcomes" of Africa's struggle to get the vaccine.
Across Africa, the pandemic was "very difficult" for many health systems, but it was "an eye-opener for all of us to identify where the gaps were," said Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Gambia's minister of health. According to the Associated Press, Samateh called for a global support system that offers more assistance and resources to countries experiencing challenges.
Even though Africa is still experiencing gaps in the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, Moeti, director of the WHO's regional office for Africa, warned that there is still a lot of work to be done in order to sustain the gains made by this pandemic response. "As we move into the year 2023, it is time for COVID-19 to be brought out of emergency response mode and integrated into routine health care," said Moeti.


text:
Dr. Byron Bennett Davis was one of McCook's first physicians. Born in Wisconsin in 1861, he first came to Nebraska with his parents in 1869. He was graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1881 and the Minnesota College of Medicine in 1884. After a year of postgraduate training in New York City, Davis established his first practice in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the spring of 1885. Not only was there stiff competition from established physicians, but Davis soon discovered that new doctors attracted "the deadbeats. . . . who make it a practice to go to every new doctor as long as he will trust them." He decided to relocate, and chose McCook, arriving on May 28, 1885, some three years after the town was founded.
Dr. Davis practiced medicine in McCook from 1885 to 1893. Through hard work and his willingness to take on difficult cases, he soon earned an excellent reputation. Davis's letters to his fiancee, Sopha Myers of Beatrice, reveal the quality and extent of his practice and the inherent difficulties faced by frontier doctors. On June 18, 1885, he wrote: "The past ten days I have had a fearfully bad case on my hands. A young man at the hotel was probably snake-bitten, though no mark was found, in the hand while swimming. The hand and arm became frightfully swollen . . . . He was very low and now have opened the arm in five places and get out something like a pint of pus three times a day. Think he will recover."
Several months later, on September 17, Davis wrote of several female patients, including "an old lady almost 70 years of age who is having a siege of Typho-malarial fever. For about a week I despaired of her recovery but now it looks a little more encouraging. Have another bad case in the person of a young lady with inflammatory rheumatism [scarlet fever] with the heart trouble which so often accompanies that disease. For some reason in the short time I have been in McCook, it has been my luck to have quite a number of very hard cases on my hands. Luck has favored me and I have yet to record the first death."
After leaving McCook in 1893 Davis studied medicine in Berlin, Germany, for several months before settling in Omaha, where he specialized in surgery and became head of the Department of Surgery at the College of Medicine there in 1930. He died in April 1939.


text:
This may very well be the most inadvertently obscene sports headline since "A-Rod goes deep, Wang hurt"--especially when you consider the accompanying photo and Vinokourov's suggestive champagne bottle placement.
In particular, he says that "The roads in Holland are not suitable for cycling." This is highly ironic, since here in America nary a day goes by without some cycling advocate invoking Holland as a bicycle utopia, and one can only imagine what Lastras would think of Portland, our nation's cycling crown jewel (or at least ironic Burger King cardboard novelty crown). Additionally, Lastras then uses Holland's alleged cycling unsuitability as a launch pad for an attack on globalization, at which point I can only assume the reporter simply walked away while smiling and nodding politely.
Interestingly, he never seems to actually say how many Brooks saddles he's gone through, though I'd at least have asked him if he's ever found himself in a situation in which he's had to boil and eat his seat to stay alive. Besides setting him up for the obvious Brooks question, the filmmakers also ask van Rijn other questions as "filler," such as:
Apparently, in van Rijn's estimation the most dangerous roads in the world are in Mexico, which will no doubt comes as a surprise to the brakeless hipsters of Williamsburg who insist that the most dangerous place to ride a bike is that small section of Bedford Avenue where the Hasidim had the bike lane removed.
The answer to this question is "yes"--apparently, van Rijn almost died in Death Valley. That's a shocker. It seems to me that you should probably expect to almost die in Death Valley, just like you should probably expect to encounter cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.
Eventually, the filmmakers start getting desperate, because the questions become painfully obvious:
Does somebody who visits beautiful and exotic places by bicycle and writes books about his travels for a living really need to explain that he passes the time by riding his bicycle and seeing and experiencing beautiful and exotic things? This is like asking the Dalai Lama what he fantasizes about while he meditates, or like asking NWA what they were thinking about when they wrote the song "Fuck the Police."
Or gratuitous:
Or fatuous:
Or simply disgusting:
I won't spoil the end of the film, but it does involve a broken camera and a barrage of Dutch expletives.
Speaking of expletives, a reader has forwarded me a PDF of a conclusive study which explains "The Roots of Driver Behaviour Towards Cyclists." I'm not exactly the academic type and have trouble understanding these sorts of things, but from what I can tell it includes what very well may be the first-ever flowchart for driving like an asshole:
Apparently, "driving like an asshole" is a "collabo" among attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norm.
I'm pleased to share with you the haiku I have composed for my Scattante:
Trusty Scattante.
Naughty thief cut off your cock...
Pit. But I fixed it.
You can keep the Breezer, Sierra Club--the joy was in the act of creation.