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It's time again for Allergy Bites: a sample of the articles I've shared on Facebook and Twitter. If you're not a Facebook or Twitter fan, you should join us!
- A shot of adrenaline for Intelliject – This is so cool! Soon a credit card size EpiPen like device will be on the market.
- Child, Heal Thy Mother – Do you feel responsible for your child's allergies? Who does your child blame?
- The Overuse of Allergy Tests: They Could Do More Harm Than Good – "Because false positives and false negatives are common, it's recommended that children only undergo allergy tests when absolutely needed."
- Dangers of Eating Food Dyes – "Research has also associated food dyes with problems in children including allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment, irritability and aggressiveness."
Have you read any interesting articles lately?
Image Credit: RambergMediaImages


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ATLANTA, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Internap Network Services Corporation (NASDAQ: INAP – News), a provider of intelligent IT Infrastructure services, today announced that Vermont Teddy Bear Company is leveraging Internap's TCP-accelerated Content Delivery Network (CDN) and route-optimized Performance IP™ and colocation services to support its ecommerce business.
Vermont Teddy Bear sells teddy bears, pajamas and flowers via phone, catalog and the Internet across three distinct brands:Vermont Teddy Bear, PajamaGram and Calyx Flowers. With business evolving and 80 percent of sales coming via the Internet during spikes in the end-of-year holiday season and around Valentine's Day, the company needed to expand its IT Infrastructure. It sought a reliable and cost-effective CDN solution that could support significant bursts in traffic during these busy periods with minimal oversight. Vermont Teddy Bear also wanted a CDN that would optimize the performance and availability of its online storefronts and ensure a high-quality customer experience for shoppers, whether they are using PCs, tablets or mobile phones. The company selected Internap's accelerated CDN, as well as its route-optimized Performance IP and colocation services, for a high-performance solution.
"Our busiest sales period is typically from October to December each year, with traffic to our websites increasing approximately 700 percent from the previous quarter, followed by Valentine's Day, when our web traffic is comparable to the holiday season in the week leading up to February 14. Internap's accelerated CDN provides a scalable, high-performance solution that seamlessly supports increased demand while delivering content with quality and speed," said Victor Castro, director of ecommerce operations at Vermont Teddy Bear. "Based on the reliability and flexibility of Internap's combined services, our IT team spent minimal time managing our IT Infrastructure during the 2011 holiday season and 2012 Valentine's Day rush, which freed up resources to focus on other parts of the business and once again affirmed our investment."
Using Internap's colocation and CDN services, Vermont Teddy Bear can quickly and easily roll out new storefronts and sub-brands with minimal time and technology investment. As traffic to the Vermont Teddy Bear websites from mobile devices – including phones and tablets – has increased 50 percent year-over-year, the ability to optimize the content experience for each end-user device is critical. Internap's global CDN features built-in TCP acceleration, delivering up to four times faster page loads, less buffering and a high-quality customer experience on PCs and mobile devices. Internap's reliable IP service, backed by a superior service level agreement (SLA), ensures that the Vermont Teddy Bear, PajamaGram and Calyx Flowers websites are always available.
"In the premium gift industry, retailers are under tremendous pressure to meet sales goals under condensed timeframes. For gift companies who rely on Internet sales to meet their numbers, there is no room for error when selecting a CDN and other IT Infrastructure services," said Pete Mastin, vice president of Internap's CDN business unit. "Internap delivers a total package for Vermont Teddy Bear, with a flexible platform that can effortlessly support its variable traffic demands while delivering the reliability and performance necessary to ensure a satisfactory experience for its end users."
Internap works with some of the nation's leading ecommerce and retail providers, including six out of Internet Retailer's top 10 online retailers. More than 3,700 customers worldwide rely on Internap's high-performance IT Infrastructure services; they span a wide range of industries including financial services, gaming, media and entertainment, online education, retail, software and technology and SaaS, among many others.
Editor's Note: Adding to Internap's retail industry traction, the company also announced today that National Vision, one of the nation's largest optical retailers, is leveraging its flexible, high-performance colocation, Content Delivery Network and IP services to meet increased demands for IT infrastructure services being driven by rapid company growth.
Tweet this news: http://ow.ly/9GwfC
About Internap
Internap provides intelligent IT Infrastructure services that combine unmatched performance and platform flexibility to enable our customers to focus on their core business improve service levels and lower the cost of IT operations. Our unique trio of route-optimized enterprise IP, TCP acceleration and a global content delivery network improves website performance and delivers superior end-user experiences. Our scalable colocation, managed hosting, private cloud, public cloud and hybrid offerings provide enterprises the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs and future-proof their IT Infrastructure. Since 1996, thousands of companies have entrusted Internap with the protection and delivery of their online applications. Transform your IT Infrastructure into a competitive advantage with IT IQ from Internap. For more information, visit http://www.internap.com, our blog at http://www.internap.com/blog or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/internap.
About Vermont Teddy Bear
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the largest handcrafter of Teddy Bears in North America. Each BearGram® gift includes a customized Vermont Teddy Bear accompanied by a personalized greeting card and free candy treat, all packaged in a colorful gift box with an air hole. Orders can be placed by phone at 1-800-829-BEAR, where a friendly Bear Counselor® will assist with Bear selection and personalization, or online at www.VermontTeddyBear.com.
About PajamaGram
Founded in 2002, The PajamaGram Company was born out of a desire to give people permission to relax, unwind, and have a little fun. The Company features hundreds of sleepwear styles for women (sizes XS-3X), men (sizes M-XXL), kids (sizes 0-3mos.-14), and even the family pets, which are delivered as PajamaGram gifts inside FREE keepsake packaging for the ultimate presentation. Orders can be placed online at www.PajamaGram.com or by phone at 1-800-GIVE-PJs.
About Calyx Flowers
Recognized as the finest name in flower delivery since 1988, Calyx Flowers provides exclusive floral designs sent directly from the world's premier growers, guaranteeing freshness beyond compare and exotic varieties you won't find anywhere else. The company has become a trusted source for the freshest, most luxurious bouquets, lush plants, and impressive monthly gift programs like A Year of Flowers and The Best of Calyx. Orders may be placed online at www.CalyxFlowers.com or by calling a friendly Calyx Concierge at 1.800.800.7788.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include statements related to the performance of our IT Infrastructure services and the expected benefits to be received from them. Because such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the actual performance of our IT infrastructure services; our ability to complete expansion of company-controlled data centers within the expected timeframe; our ability to sell into new data center space; our success in attracting and retaining key talent; our ability to respond successfully to technological change; the availability of services from Internet network service providers or network service providers providing network access loops and local loops on favorable terms, or at all; failure of third party suppliers to deliver their products and services on favorable terms, or at all; failures in our network operations centers, data centers, network access points or computer systems; our ability to provide or improve IT Infrastructure services to our customers; and our ability to protect our intellectual property, as well as other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify any forward-looking statement for any reason.
Media Contact: | Investor Contact: |
Mariah Torpey | Andrew McBath |
Davies Murphy Group, Inc. | 404-302-9700 |
781-418-2404 | firstname.lastname@example.com |
firstname.lastname@example.com | |
www.daviesmurphy.com |
PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date

subset: commoncrawl


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Marketing Has Changed The Business Landscape
In recent years we have seen a fundamental shift in the way consumers make their purchasing decisions. The availability of free, high quality information online has changed the way consumers research and buy goods and services. You can buy anything online now - shoes, clothing, whitegoods and even accounting and legal services.
Historically we used 'interruptive' marketing techniques to 'buy' the attention of customers including cold-calls, persistent sales representatives, pamphlets, brochures, radio, TV advertisements, newspaper ads, billboards and telemarketing. To stop the unwanted interruptions, consumers purchased set top boxes so they could fast forward through commercials, they stopped reading direct mail and they signed up for the 'Do Not Call' register to block calls from telemarketers. With the shift to online marketing, consumers now hold the power because they can unsubscribe from your newsletter, block your phone call and move on from your website with a simple mouse click.
Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
Interruptive or 'outbound' marketing methods have been replaced by permission or 'inbound' marketing techniques. These tactics are designed to lure visitors to your business rather than chase their attention. Inbound marketing involves promoting your business through content marketing like blogs, podcasts, videos, e-Books, e-newsletters, whitepapers, search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media marketing. The mission is to earn the attention of customers and draw targeted customers to your website by producing relevant and interesting content.
With the shift, the need for a bricks and mortar shopfront has diminished. Consumers now do extensive online research as part of the buying process and a recent study suggests nearly two-thirds of Australian Internet users use search engines as the first step in making a buying decision. They read reviews, participate in forums, use social media channels to get feedback and download guides and product reports. Buyers want to gather as much information as possible before they have to speak to a sales person.
The term 'inbound marketing' is also associated with the concept of 'permission marketing' and inbound marketing has five stages including:
1. Attract traffic to your website
2. Convert website visitors to leads
3. Convert leads to sales
4. Turn customers into repeat higher margin customers
5. Analyse the results for continuous improvement
Your content should draw your target market to your website and the next part of the process is offer them a lead magnet (i.e. a video, e-book or product sample) in exchange for their contact details. That gives you permission to then market to them in the future. With their contact details you can then nurture these leads and work on converting them into paying customers. That's really just the beginning because a great website will then have an automation process in place to generate repeat business from those customers.
You need to see your website as the front door to your business. It is often the first touch point with a prospective new customer and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Prospective new customers will pass judgment on your brand and your business in seconds and your website can be the difference between boom and bust in the digital age. Your website is the most relevant and important piece of marketing technology for business owners.
Lead Generator or Billboard?
Modern marketers suggest the primary purpose of your website is to generate leads and new business. If your website isn't creating business it's time for a new website or a makeover. It's fair to say that most businesses in this country have been slow to adapt to this marketing revolution. In fact, most small business websites are just electronic 'billboards' that list the who, what and where of the business. The content is shallow, often duplicated from another site and it has a focus on the business not the customer benefits. Owning a poor performing website in the digital age is like owning the infamous Leyland P76 car. For those not old enough to remember, this was the car that the 1970's Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam referred to as a "dud" and the car Bill Hayden famously called a "lemon".
To win new customers online you need a lead generation website full of problem solving content. You need to educate potential customers and articulate how your product or service can benefit them. The challenge is to build a relationship with these prospects and earn their attention and trust. An exchange of a valuable benefit like a lead magnet creates trust in your business which then opens the door. Your website must have a visible 'call to action' to take prospects through to the next step of the buying process and close the sale. Your website must be responsive to hand held mobile devices and as permission based marketing methods replace interruptive marketing methods, you need to recognise your website as your most valuable marketing tool.
You've probably noticed that our website has undergone a major renovation recently. It was a carefully planned process and it remains a constant work in progress. During the re-build we documented the steps we followed in a highly valuable 13 page e-book titled, The Ultimate Guide to Winning Clients. In the guide you'll learn about what we call the website essentials. These features have the potential to turn your website into a marketing magnet and lead generation machine. We have even created the 'website winning formula' that provides worked examples of these features and functions to help your website stand out in a crowd. The truth is, if your website doesn't have these features then your business probably won't reach its full profit potential. To access the free guide simply go to the home page of our website and download your copy from the right hand side of the page.
Over the last few months we have also been working with a number of clients to help them develop their websites. In some cases, their website has given them a serious competitive edge. If you need any assistance with your branding, video production, responsive website design or search engine optimisation, call us today and let's get to work on your business so it's more profitable, valuable and saleable.
Click HERE to download the full edition of The Business Accelerator Magazine for December 2014.
Other articles in this edition:
- Business Start Up Corner - What Is A Good Age To Start A Business?
- How To Enjoy Your Holiday Without Worrying About Your Business
- Pivot For Profit
- Superannuation & Retirement Updates
- There's An App For That - TrackMySPEND
- What's All The Blog About?


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There's nothing like the rush of being chased by the great Noah Hutchins…
I hold my breath and strain to listen past the late-day birds singing in the branches above. The fine hair on the back of my neck rises as if Noah has appeared behind me and deliciously blown over my skin. I close my eyes. He's so near I can imagine his body wrapped around mine.
Noah is wily and good at seeking, but I'm crafty and better at hiding. I edge to the side again and in painfully slow movements look behind me and…
I scream. Loudly. My heart ramming through my chest. Birds' wings beat together as dozens of them take to the sky. The moment I spot the laughter in Noah's chocolate-brown eyes, my scream quickly morphs into a fit of giggles. He reaches for me, but I stumble back from the solid arm attempting to sneak around my back.
"You're not getting away this time." Noah's deep voice vibrates down to my soul.
Noah's arm slides one way and in a maneuver so slick it seems choreographed, I slip to the side, once again barely dodging his grasp.
"You're too slow," I taunt as I gain traction and sprint for the field of untamed wildflowers. The white-and-yellow daisies brush against my legs as I push forward. My skirt swishes against my thighs, and I love how the smooth material grazes my skin. Clean air fills my lungs, and my blood beats manically in my veins. Never in my life have I felt so alive. So high that I'm soaring.
"I'm letting you win," he calls out.
"You are not." I slow and pivot to watch as he struts behind me. The tall grass and flowers reach his jean-covered legs. For once, his dark hair doesn't hide his eyes, and I love the spark of naughtiness in them. "You're sore that you're losing."
He flashes the type of grin that encourages tingles. "You're becoming cocky, Echo."
I laugh, and the sound causes his smile to widen. Even though he's slow in his approach, his wide gait closes the distance between us faster than I'd like. I steadily walk backward, unable to tear my eyes off the fluid way he moves. "Now, now. Out of the two of us, we both know you own that title."
"Own it, wear it, I am it. I've never claimed differently."
Nope, he never has. Noah is exactly who I see. A few months away from Kentucky, away from home, the rough foster kid is evolving into a man.
"Hey, Echo." Noah gestures with his chin that he has something important to say, and I stall, watching as his gaze falls to my midriff. "Your tank rode up."
I peer down and in a heartbeat realize my mistake when grass rustles and Noah grabs my waist. In a dizzying circle, my arms wrap around his neck and somehow we both end up on the ground. Me on top. Noah on the bottom. As always, Noah becomes my safe place to land.
With a wink, Noah rolls us, reversing our positions, but I don't complain. I dream of his body over me. The heavy sensation is familiar and addictive. Noah skims his nose along the side of my neck, and the pleasing tickle causes me to suck in air.
"I won," he whispers against my skin.
I find myself in a waking dream as I savor his caresses. "Did not."
Noah presses a kiss to that sensitive spot behind my ear. A stream of warmth floods my body.
Longing for more, I twist to expose my neck.
"Did, too." His hands roam, sliding to my side. I melt and tense at the same time. We're in the wide open, but I can't stop the way my body molds to his. My fingers bunch the material of his shirt as I play with the idea of removing it. We're far from the walking trail, far from the campsite. How many people, besides Noah and me, allow themselves to wander to the point of being lost?
"You said you could find me in five minutes," I say softly. "That was longer than five minutes."
"Echo," he says as he raises his head. His fingers begin this little dance. Moving up then slowly down. Each down is slightly lower and promises very wicked things.
"I've got you beneath me and not a person in sight. That's winning."
A peacefulness unfurls within me. I have to agree. That is winning.
A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry. For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so . . . different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who's never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything--except the one thing Echo's just not ready for. But when the source of Echo's constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants--even as foster kid Noah's search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves. Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn . . . seriously epic.
You Can Find it At:
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
And don't forget to read the first books in the Pushing the Limits Series…
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
You Can Find Her At:


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President-elect Donald Trump had the most perfect New Year's tweet. And by perfect, we mean perfectly awful. Say what you will, the man has an uncanny ability to compress his entire sick personality into a mere 140 characters.
"Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!" he tweeted.
It's a little hard to celebrate the end of 2016, a truly awful year, when in 20 days, this petty, vindictive man with the maturity and impulse control of a five-year-old and the ossified views of a dinosaur will be president. Though you may be cowering under your bed in dread at the idea, we thought we'd take you on a little stroll to recap of some of the horrors and absurdities the right wing visited upon us during the year that was.
1. Donald Trump staged a year-long assault on the truth.
Donald Trump lies all the time. He lies malignantly, and he lies ridiculously. His entire political career is founded on the birther lie, which he still brags about. He ran his campaign on lies about black crime, dangerous immigrants and non-existent jobs, more or less defrauding the American people the same way he defrauded the students of Trump University. In some cases, the lies he told were so demonstrably false that they were almost funny. Almost.
Two examples:
"There is no drought," Donald Trump told Californians while campaigning in the drought-stricken state last May.
If there is a water problem, he continued, it's because someone closed the water, so Trump is going to open it.
"If I win, believe me, we're going to start opening up the water so that you can have your farmers survive," Trump said.
It's just so crazy to say this. Arguably, it's one thing to deny climate change, which is a bit complicated and requires scientists to explain it. But droughts? Not to mention air pollution. Dude, we can see those.
Another bizarre lie in the final days of the campaign was a depiction of how President Obama dealt with a protester at a Clinton campaign rally.
"He was talking to the protester, screaming at him, really screaming at him," Trump told his insanely gullible crowd in Tampa, Florida.
"By the way, if I spoke the way Obama spoke to that protester, they [the mean old media] would say, he became unhinged! He spent so much time screaming at this protester and frankly, it was a disgrace."
This was, in fact, the very opposite of what happened. In what was televised for all to see, President Obama urged the slightly rowdy crowd to take it easy on the protester, who was older and appeared to be a veteran.
So this was not just a lie, it was a masterpiece of projection. For Donald Trump is the one who consistently endangered protesters at his rallies by inciting his supporters to rough them up and worse.
2. Trump spokesperson Scottie Nell Hughes confirmed facts don't matter anymore.
The persistence and outrageousness of Trump's many lies can be attributed the sobering reality that the Trump era helped usher in the post-truth world we now find ourselves living in. The tweeter-in-chief spreads conspiracy theories, spins minor victories into major coups and occasionally in an unguarded moment spews some accidental truth about how he can't believe so many people actually believe anything he says.
But still, you're not supposed to just come out and say that truth and facts don't matter.
CNN Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes confirmed all of our worst fears after the election when she said, "There's no such thing, unfortunately, anymore as facts," on the Diane Rehm Show on WAMU, an NPR affiliate.
She was explaining the truth according to Trump to her fellow aghast panelists when it comes to Trump's claim that "millions of fraudulent voters" gave Hillary Clinton her 2.8 million popular vote victory.
Here is what Hughes purported to be her logic:
"Mr. Trump's tweets amongst a certain crowd, a large—a large part of the population, are truth. When he says that millions of people illegally voted, he has some, in his, amongst him and his supporters, and people believe they have facts to back that up. Those that do not like Mr. Trump, they say that those are lies, and there's no facts to back it up."
That is seriously scary. We have a president and his minions who now believe truth is what he says it is.
3. Trump surrogates wildly misunderstand Pussygate.
Trump's videotaped assertions that he could grab women by the genitals because he is famous threw some of his surrogates into disarray, though not all. And a few of them performed some of the more hilarious contortions seen on the campaign trail to deflect attention from the damaging revelations.
One was Newt Gingrich who reinforced his already creepy image by conflating sex and sexual assault in a dustup with Megyn Kelly in October. While she pressed for answers and expressed concerns for women's safety, Gingrich countered with the accusation that Kelly is "fascinated with sex," because she kept talking about it.
Funnier still was Betsy McCaughey, the former Lieutenant Governor or New York, whose nutjob takedown of Obamacare invented the concept of death panels. She argued that if you like Beyoncé's music, you can't complain about sexual assault. Like other right-wingers, she seemed to think the problem with the leaked video was Trump's foul language, rather than the whole rapey/consent thing.
Hillary Clinton, a fan of Beyoncé, likes bad words more than Donald Trump, McCaughey argued, before whipping out and performing the lyrics to "Formation."
"'I came to slay, bitch. When he f-ed me good I take his ass to Red Lobster.' That happens to be from Beyoncé, her favorite performer," McCaughey said of Clinton. "Whom she says she idolizes and would like to imitate. There's a lot of hypocrisy, in Hillary Clinton expressing such horror at language on the bus."
McCaughey was triumphant. She really scored there.
Later, after several women accused Trump of sexually assault, McCaughey called their accusations an example of "man-shaming" and suggested the women should not be believed.
"With all due respect, that was the same thing that the folks over at Bill Cosby's camp said," CNN Don Lemon pointed out.
"Well, and sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong," McCaughey countered.
Ummm, yeah. They were right.
4. Ted Cruz's unconscionable defense of Senate blocking Obama's Supreme Court appointment.
In October, Ted Cruz, who for some reason had forgotten that everyone including his own party detests him, floated an idea about the Supreme Court. Maybe, if Hillary Clinton were to win the presidency, Senate Republicans really would just take all of their toys and go home and stonewall on any Supreme Court appointment she attempted to make. So there.
"There is long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices," Cruz lied at a campaign event. "Just recently Justice [Stephen] Breyer observed that the vacancy is not impacting the ability of the court to do its job, that's a debate that we are going to have."
Cruz's threat did not quite pack the punch of fellow tea partier Joe Walsh's threat to "grab a musket" if the election did not go Trump's way, but was more in Cruz's trademark mealy-mouthed and thoroughly dishonest style.
For starters, there is no long history of that, and secondly, Breyer did not say that. The Senate's inaction on Supreme Court appointees has severely affected the high court's ability to do its job. Deadlocking on cases involving immigration and unions and other vital issues means the court is literally failing to do its job, which is to decide things.
The Supreme Court is only the best known example of the harm GOP stonewalling has done to the judiciary. Republicans have confirmed only 18 of Obama's federal court nominees, and created a "judicial emergency," which is a term for when courts are so back-logged and caseloads are so high that Americans' access to justice is endangered.
Cruz knows about this judicial emergency and has gleefully propagated it. Unlike his idiotic fellow traveler John McCain, whom Cruz was echoing. Cruz is a lawyer and touts himself as a constitutionalist, but for some reason it's okay for him to ignore the part of the U.S. Constitution that gives the power of appointing justices to the current president of the United States.
Cut to present and Cruz's name has sickeningly been floated for a Trump appointment to the Supreme Court, while Cruz accused the Democrats of threatening to be the most obstructionist party in history.
Ha! One hopes.
5. Melania Trump's barely hidden misogyny revealed itself in an interview with Anderson Cooper.
At first glance, Melania Trump did a good job of seeming like a decent and sane person in her softball interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper in October. She reported that her husband had apologized to her about bragging he sexually assaults women, and that she accepted his apology. But she pointed out, it was not his fault. Billy Bush made him do it. Donald is, she acknowledged, a big kid, barely more mature than their 11-year-old, Barron.
But her mixed messages about her husband's level of maturity were only part of the problem. On closer inspection, there was quite a bit of misogyny lurking behind her words, and viewing women as the real predators seems pretty firmly ensconced in her worldview. Since boys will of course be endearing if potty-mouthed boys, Melania blamed the manipulative women who are always hitting on her husband, sometimes right in front of her, throwing themselves at him. This was in the context of talking about sexual assault allegations, so the unmistakable conclusion was that she was implying some women are asking for it.
As for Natasha Stoynoff, the People magazine writer who said Trump forcibly kissed her at Mar-a Lago, the most important thing Melania wanted to convey was that she was never friends with Stoynoff and would not recognize her on Fifth Avenue, despite the fact that Stoynoff attended the Trumps' wedding. (And the most important thing Mr. Trump would have you know is that Stoynoff is not his idea of attractive enough for him to sexually assault. Stoynoff has recently confirmed that knowing Trump would attack her looks did give her pause before going public with her ordeal. How many more?)
6. Rudy '9/11' Giuliani conveniently forgot when 9/11 happened.
In September, self-proclaimed September 11 hero mayor Rudy Giuliani managed to forget when 9/11 happened so that he could make the laughably false statement that there were no terrorist incidents before President Obama took office. Around the same time he made that brain fart, and right after the first debate in which Trump tanked badly, Rudy posted a banner week sucking up Trump's fumes. Here were some of the lowlights:
- Immediately following the debate, Giuliani was the first to float the idea that Trump should skip the rest of the debates. Why? Because Trump blew it so badly, and his gnat-like attention span prevents him from actually preparing? No, because it was rigged! Lester Holt was so unfair when he corrected Trump a few times on his lies! (Especially when Holt pointed out to Trump that the police practice he and Giuliani so love, stop-and-frisk, is unconstitutional and racist.)
- Later in the week, Giuliani joined the fray in criticizing Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs, because that's just extremely relevant to Hillary Clinton's candidacy and Giuliani has always been an exemplary husband and father. Because he cares so much about women and children, Giuliani helpfully pointed out how "stupid" Hillary is to have stayed with Bill. In the same dizzying spew, Giuliani called Trump a "feminist" for hiring women (even if he fat-shames them and fires them for not being attractive enough). He also claimed Bill Clinton "violated" Monica Lewinsky, and as a former prosecutor, isn't he supposed to know that's not the case?
- By the end of the week, Giuliani decided it was appropriate to make racist, anti-immigrant remarks and insult Mexicans working in the kitchen at the Waldorf Astoria during a black-tie event there, even managing to offend the various business leaders assembled. Red-faced, the head of the Commercial Finance Association, obviously a left-wing organization, was forced to issue a formal apology to attendees.
Diagnosis: The bile has finally eaten all the way through Giuliani's brain.
7. Britt Hume idiotically whined about how he's not even allowed to say Hillary Clinton is shrill and needs to smile more.
Hume, Fox News' so-called reasonable one, gave the following critique after Hillary Clinton's Democratic convention speech: "She has a habit, when speaking, of breaking into a kind of a sharp, lecturing tone, [it] makes you feel like. She has a great asset, as a public person, which is a radiant smile, but she has a not-so-attractive voice."
Now, technically, he did not actually use the word "shrill" having somehow gotten the message that that word is not very well-disguised sexism. A few weeks later, Hume and Tucker Carlson were having a little chat about what they can and cannot say about Hillary Clinton. It's so frustrating being a white male these days. Everybody's always picking on you, trying to take away the privileges to which you've become accustomed.
They were discussing the outrage of Clinton not smiling enough while she was talking to the families of dead soldiers during the "Commander-in-Chief" forum. Carlson said he admires Clinton's toughness (ha! no), but thinks she undercuts that when she mentions the sexism in the media's coverage of her. How so? Not sure.
But poor Hume just doesn't even know what he can say anymore, everything has become so unfair.
"You know at the Democratic convention, I was on after her speech, and it struck me that she did some things effectively in that speech, particularly her critique of Donald Trump," Hume said. "But she seemed—and she has at other times in the campaign—to be kind of angry and joyless, and yes, unsmiling. I said that on the air, and I really caught it on Twitter from people who said, 'You're just a sexist, I can't believe somebody's saying that.' But it raises this question, Tucker, in America today, is it possible for a woman to be shrill, and if so, or joyless, or unsmiling, is it possible for somebody to say that without ending up in jail?"
The dreadful persecution of Hume and other men who wish to call women shrill with impunity continues.
8. Pond scum emerges, says vile scummy things, gets book contract.
If there is a more despicable piece of shower mold than Breitbart's Milo Yiannopoulos, we do not know it.
In a mediascape that normalized Trump's demagogic drunk uncle act and legitimized him into the presidency, this other creature from a hateful lagoon was granted a hearing on ABC "Nightline" with Terry Moran.
Yiannopoulos has been banned from Twitter for leading a harassment campaign against the comedian Leslie Jones, something he is apparently proud of.
"I like to think of myself as a virtuous troll," Yiannopoulos bizarrely self-aggrandized in the interview.
We like to think of him with a stake driven through his tongue, but hey, we like to think lots of things.
Moran thought maybe he could pull some decency out of this cockroach, and asked if Yiannopoulos would tell Jones "she looks like a dude" in person.
"Yeah, probably," Yiannopoulos replied. "I probably would."
"Then you're an idiot, really," Moran said.
Moran again tried to reason with the moron. "You're going to go after somebody's body to denigrate their ideas? What grade are you in? Seriously. Are you a 13-year-old boy? Because somebody doesn't have a weight that you think is proper? That's revolting."
Revolting is a word Yiannopoulos can relate to.
"I'll tell you what's revolting," Yiannopoulos responded. "What's revolting is the body positivity movement. What's revolting is this idea now that you can tell women that they'll be healthy at any size."
And now, having discussed this vile piece of bellybutton lint, we need to go take a bath.
9. Trump sons went from comparing refugees to Skittles to just making sh*t up.
It was Donald Trump, Jr. who compared refugees to Skittles, prompting the candymaker to distance itself from the Trump campaign (as Tic Tac later did). But it was son Eric who made up the absurd original lie of his father's sh*tshow of a campaign in the fall. He swore it was not President Obama's Kenyan birth or his secret status as a Muslim Manchurian candidate, it was a Christmas story. Who doesn't love a Christmas story?
During an interview, Eric said Trump entered the political sphere because the Obama/Grinches stole Chistmas. "He sees the tree on the White House lawn has been renamed Holiday tree instead of Christmas tree. I could go on and on for hours. Those are the very things that made my father run, and those are the very things he cares about."
One teeny tiny leetle problem. It's not true. As in has no basis in reality. Didn't happen. Throughout the Obama administration, the White House Christmas Tree has been called the "White House Christmas Tree." It's not even the "White House Xmas Tree."
So this is a made-up story, a myth, a manufactured crisis, and all part of the nonexistent war on Christmas that isn't being waged anywhere.
Eric also pointed out other pseudo outrages galvanizing his father's run.
"He opens the paper and some new school district has just eliminated the ability for its students to say the Pledge of Allegiance, or some fire department in some town is ordered by the mayor to no longer fly the American flag on the back of a fire truck," Eric Trump told the Stream's James Robinson.
There are just a few things wrong with this statement. Chiefly, Donald Trump doesn't open a paper. He opens his Twitter feed, Fox News or maybe Breitbart. Sometimes he glances at the National Enquirer, especially if "people are saying" there's a good conspiracy theory about Ted Cruz's father or Hillary Clinton's health on the cover.
The Kool-Aid in the Trump household was clearly very strong.
10. Before Trump surrogate Carl Paladino said horrendously racist and hateful things about the Obamas, he said other horrible racist things.
Back in August, while Trump was attacking the Khan family for having an American war hero son while being Muslim, his pal and upstate New York school board official Carl Paladino went on "Imus in the Morning" to defend his right to do so. He started by making up stuff about Hillary Clinton.
"We've got an unindicted felon [he means Clinton] as his opponent and you're talking about Khan, about [Trump] making a remark about this man? All right, I don't care if he's a Gold Star parent. He certainly doesn't deserve that title, OK, if he's as anti-American as he's illustrated in his speeches and in his discussion. I mean, if he's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or supporting, you know, the ISIS-type of attitude against America, there's no reason for Donald Trump to have to honor this man."
It's hard to be worse than Trump himself, but apparently manageable for some.
Keeping the level of discourse as high as possible, Paladino went on to insist that Obama is a Muslim and Hillary Clinton is "devious" for hiding her alleged health problems (that have been thorougly debunked).
"But if you're really looking at what's been exposed about Hillary and Hillary's demeanor, I mean, just look at the deviousness. If it is true about her health problems, I mean, how devious can a woman possibly be? And not telling the American people that she's got some sickness, she's definitely impaired."
Diagnosis: Paladino is morally impaired.
11. Bill O'Reilly instructed black people to hate Black Lives Matter.
In December Bill O'Reilly let his white aupremacist flag fly in a rant about opponents of the Electoral College.
But we shouldn't let that despicable moment obscure another despicable moment back in July, when several police officers in Dallas were gunned down after a peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration, which had nothing to do with the shooting.
O'Reilly took the opportunity to insist that everyone must hate and fear Black Lives Matter immediately. He and other Fox Newsians spent a good deal of their post-Dallas airtime whipping up as much hysteria and anger as possible against a group that has a name and a message no sane person can argue with. But sane people do not sit at Fox roundtables, as an episode of "Outnumbered" clearly shows. Meanwhile, colleagues Megyn Kelly and racist ex-cop Mark Fuhrman took it upon themselves to lecture black people to stop exaggerating problems with the police. You got that, Philando Castile, Eric Garner and Alton Sterling?
But O'Reilly is just so sick and tired of black people not listening to him when he tells them what is good for them. Speaking to his guest, NAACP director Hilary Shelton, O'Reilly said, "So, you know what I think? I think that if you really want, if African Americans really want to bring the country together and have good racial relations, they have to distance themselves from Black Lives Matter. Am I wrong?"
Yeah, you're wrong, Shelton said, explaining that the Black Lives Matter marches are occurring for a very good reason. And lots of people understand that.
But white people ha-a-a-te Black Lives Matter, O'Reilly whined, mistaking the echo chamber in his head for reality once again. "White Americans despise this crew. And if black Americans don't understand that, we're just going to grow further apart."
Shelton carried on saying reasonable things that were in the spirit of bringing people together, among other things pointing out that people of all races join Black Lives Matter marches and believe in the movement and in justice for all Americans.
All on deaf ears. O'Reilly was just too busy breaking the douchebag-o-meter.
12. Fox Newsians said—with straight faces—that asking Trump for his tax return was discrimination against rich people.
No, seriously, Kimberly Guilfoyle really did say this. She and her co-hosts from "The Five" were discussing this terrible miscarriage of justice—the fact that Mitt Romney suggested there might be a bombshell in Donald Trump's unreleased tax returns, and that now everyone is all over his case to release them. The Donald had up with various reasons not to produce them, including the hilarious statement that the IRS picks on him because he's such a strong Christian. One suspects the real secret the Donald is hiding is that he is not nearly as wealthy as he makes himself out to be, which is the only revelation in the universe that could bring the shameless reality star the remotest sense of shame.
But Guilfoyle and equally idiotic Eric Bolling just thought it was so mean—so, so rude—to ask the Donald to produce his tax returns. Co-host Dana Perino tried to explain that the office of the presidency is that of a public servant, not the gold-plated throne from which to order decrees that Trump imagines it to be, and pointed out that although taxes are "complicated for [insert the word rich] people," they would likely be an issue in the general election.
Juan Williams pointed out that Donald's taxes are "relevant right now."
Guilfoyle jumped all over that, whining, "What about discrimination, Juan?"
"Against rich people," Guilfoyle said. "And one percenters. Nobody ever asks to see the poor—it's so rude."
So rude. Poor people get all the breaks.
Do you have something to add to the list? What is your most horrendous Right-Wing moment of 2016? Sound off on the Union Built PC Facebook Page, or on our Twitter or LinkedIn feeds. And don't forget to subscribe to our monthly #UnionStrong email newswletter for articles like this one delivered straight to your inbox.
Additional reporting by Alternet.


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Nicols Plumbing and Heating Plumbing Installation & Repair
When installing a Fiberglass Bath and Shower Unit there is a couple of tips a homeowner can do to help
ensure a quieter and better looking finished bathroom. Use insulation as a noise filter to deaden the sound of falling water. First, insulation on
the floor where the Bath and Shower unit will be installed. This is particularly important for upstairs bathrooms. Second, insulation between the wall
studs where the Bath and Shower unit will rest up against. Future having sound asleep occupants of neighboring bedrooms will thank you.
Normally the Bath and Shower Unit is secured with Nails or Screws near the edge of the unit. The thickness of the Unit is approximately
1/8 inch thick. By using narrow strips of Asphalt shingles you can help smooth the transition from the edge of the Unit to the surrounding Stud edge
surface, thus creating a more finished wall appearance when the Sheetrock is applied.
Our team of plumbers uses state-of-the-art equipment to locate concealed leaks. Water leaks can cause serious damage to your home and
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As I sit in the studio waiting for the glue to dry on the spines of the 99th and 100th large SlimNotes, I stare at the stack that I've watched grow from nothing, that I have in fact made from nothing, that is, if you count 2.5 reams of paper and 100 sheets of kraft paper "nothing."
This is my sculpture–a tower of blank journals–and I'm excited about their futures.
After all, people fall in love with the right cut of notebook.
Good thing these notebooks love back.
Soon each of the 100 people attending the "Healing Together Conference" in Orlando will have a part of this sculpture.
An Infinite Mind organizes this annual event held for:
- Survivors with all types of dissociative disorders, especially those with DID.
- Supporters and loved ones of people with dissociative disorders and DID.
- Mental Health Professionals who currently treat dissociative clients or would like to learn more about treating dissociation and DID.
SlimNote is honored to be present in notebook form at this year's gathering and hopes to do the same next year.
These 100 large SlimNotes were made in a stress free environment with relaxed music.
Lenny, my dog, was always present though mostly sleeping.
Every now and then a wave of love would sweep through him and he would stand up from his bed and wag his tail with his ears tucked back and stand with his two front paws on my chair and lick my face as I gave him hugs then he would wag his tail back to his bed and curl into a seashell.
Here we are on a beautiful morning walk in Austin.
Thank you to everyone who uses one of our handmade perfect bound pocket notebooks, without you no one would know about us and more than likely we wouldn't be present in Orlando.
I am hoping in 2015 to get more SlimNotes into the hands of interesting people.
Because if you're reading this there is no doubt you are an interesting person.
All of you are creators/builders/makers/doers who would prefer the right cut of notebook over the wrong, or even almost right cut.
It's not like you need the right cut, you would just prefer it.
You're logical but not too demanding.
I want our notebooks to fit nicely into your coat pockets so you'll have a place to leave a part of yourself in the next time you realize something beautiful as you ride the highways of life.
Smiling is good for your health.
That means finding a reason to smile is also good for your health.
The hunt for a smile is good for your health.
The trick is to live searching for a smile while smiling.
Try living tomorrow with a smile of varying degrees on your face all the time.
Always smiling.
Wear that smile in the name of your health.
You know those drawings made without lifting your pencil?
Well, I think that's basically what you're reading is.
You're reading everything, not just the important lines, the lines that define a shape, but all the connecting lines in between.
What do you think about that?
Is it like trekking through 100,000 miles of my white matter nerve fibers?
Your brain is infinitely more complex than your liver.
I have an issue of National Geographic on the table where I eat my meals.
I look at the pictures and read through its articles.
In this way I learn things.
My goal is to write fast and hard until I generate heat in my fingers.
It's cold enough outside for it to be cold in the studio.
To my left is the stack of 100 large SlimNotes.
Soon they will all measure 5 x 8 inches with rounded corners and our logo stamped on the back.
Then they will be my sculpture destined to leave me forever, taking USPS Large Flat Rate Priority Mail to Orlando.


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Tim has been coding games for most of his life. His first major release, Blasting Agent, was one of the first games released for the original Flixel.
Since then, he has moved on to HaxeFlixel, and is active in the devlopment of the project.
He has been an active member of the St Louis Game Developer Co-op since 2012, and participated in every local Game Jam since.
He lives in Valley Park, Missouri, with his daughter.


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If you're a Mac user, you probably already know that macOS boasts a remarkable built-in feature called Time Machine, which helps easily recover deleted files, emails, or media. If you're not using it, it's about time that you do. This reliable backup mechanism maintains an accurate, up-to-date record of your Mac's contents. Keep reading to learn how to maximize the benefits of Time Machine.
What is Time Machine and why should you use it?
Time Machine is a backup system software for Macs. It makes regular periodic backups in the following intervals:
- Hourly backups for the past 24 hours
- Daily backups for the past month
- Weekly backups for previous months
With macOS Ventura, you can customize your backup frequency. Simply access Time Machine settings, select Options, and pick your preferred frequency from the "Back up frequency" menu.
It's worth noting that Time Machine has undergone a major transformation since macOS 11 Big Sur, embracing Apple's modern Apple File System (APFS) for improved performance. Apple boasts that this updated version of the backup utility takes full advantage of APFS snapshot technology to deliver faster and more dependable backups than ever before on HFS+-formatted drives.
Time Machine has a unique system for backing up your files, as it saves changes instead of entire copies. This makes it easy to go back and find the version you need, regardless of how many updates are made in between, which saves storage. And when you're upgrading computers or switching devices entirely, you can easily transfer all settings from one Mac to another with minimal effort.
How to use Time Machine
To use Time Machine, you need an external storage drive such as a USB, an SSD card, or any storage device that can be plugged into your Mac. Then follow these steps:
- Connect an external storage device (or macOS server) to your Mac.
- Click on the System Settings icon or the Apple logo on the left-hand corner of the screen > General (found on the sidebar) > Time Machine.
- To use your external storage device as a backup destination in Time Machine settings, simply select it from the options available.
- For macOS Ventura or later, click the add button (+) and you'll be guided through the next steps. If you're using an older macOS version, select the "Backup Disk" option and simply follow the on-screen commands to complete your setup.
Alternative backup options
There are various other options for backing up files on a Mac, but we highly recommend using Time Machine. It's especially practical for users who like a simple, convenient, and dependable way to back up files. What's more, it's free.
Note, however, that there are third-party backup systems you can opt for if you want more features. For one, Time Machine only backs up data instead of the entire hard drive, which is why restoring an entire system is relatively slower.
Overall, Time Machine is a dependable, budget-friendly solution for both personal and business users. Should you require assistance in choosing the most optimal backup solution for your organization, our expert team is just a phone call away.


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It's Groundhog Day. And once again, the monthly jobs report has confounded forecasters.
U.S. employers added 353,000 jobs in January, according to a report from the Labor Department Friday. That's far more than analysts were expecting.
The job market has held up remarkably well, despite the Federal Reserve's effort to fight inflation with the highest interest rates in more than two decades.
The question is whether the Fed will see a shadow in the stronger-than-expected jobs market and extend our winter of elevated borrowing costs.
Policy makers might worry that such a strong labor market will keep prices higher for longer.
Here are four takeaways from Friday's report.
Demand for workers is still extraordinarily strong
Nearly every industry added jobs last month. Health care added 70,000 jobs. Business services added 74,000. Even construction and manufacturing — two industries that typically feel the drag of higher interest rates — continued to hire in January.
What's more, revised figures show job growth in November and December was stronger than initially reported.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at a historically low 3.7%. It's been under 4% for two full years now.
More people are joining the workforce
Helping to balance the strong demand for labor is a growing supply of available workers.
Many people who were sidelined during the pandemic have since joined or re-joined the workforce — thanks in part to the possibility of remote work.
Nearly 23% of employees teleworked or worked from home last month — more than double the rate before the pandemic.
The share of people in their prime working years who are working or looking for work in January rose to 83.3%.
Immigration has also rebounded. The foreign-born workforce grew 4.3% last year, while the native-born workforce was virtually flat.
"Those two forces have significantly lowered the temperature in the labor market," said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell this week. "It's still a good labor market for wages and for finding a job. But it's getting back into balance and that's what we want to see."
But the sizzling job market could delay a cut in interest rates
Powell said this week that he and his colleagues could start cutting interest rates this year if inflation continues to fall.
Powell cautioned, however, that a rate cut at the next Fed meeting in March is unlikely. It's probably even more unlikely after this stronger-than-expected jobs report, which showed average wages in January rising 4.5% from a year ago.
Although rising wages have not been a big driver of inflation, wage gains at that level could make it hard to get inflation all the way down to the Fed's target of 2%.
Before the jobs report, investors had been all but certain the Fed would cut interest rates by May. They're less confident now.
Productivity gains could make rising wages less worrisome
Two other reports from the Labor Department this week show less upward pressure on wages and prices.
One report tracks the labor costs borne by employers last year. It showed a smaller increase in October, November and December than the previous quarter. This "employment cost index" is considered a more reliable guide to labor expenses than the monthly wage data.
A separate report showed thatworkers' productivity rose by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Rising productivity helps to offset rising wages, so employers can afford to pay more without raising prices.
"Productivity is the magic wand that keeps wages growing solidly without spiking inflation," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at the payroll processing company ADP.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Open 9:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4:30pm Sat Telephone Ireland 01 6523009
7 Nights aboard MSC World Europa
4 Apr 2025
One of the busiest cruise ports in the Mediterranean, the seaside city of Barcelona is known for its iconic architecture, colourful culture, and world-class drinking and dining.
Explore Antoni Gaudí's surreal Sagrada Família, the famous boulevard of the Ramblas, the medieval Barri Gótic, and the Museu Picasso. But there's even more to discover in this sprawling Spanish city, an MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination: from hidden tapas bars and fabulous food markets to Europe's biggest football stadium.
MARSEILLE The second city of France and the capital of the Provence-Costa Azzurra region. Marseille lies on the southeastern coast of France. The strong mistral wind blows away all traces of pollution and thus provides a clarity of air so pure that many famous artists have been attracted to the city: Cézanne; Braque; Derain; Dufy and Marquet. Although Marseille is the economic and industrial capital of France, it manages to remain true to its own traditions and culture, reflected in the Marsillian way of life and its numerous museums, theatres and opera houses.
Genoa is marvellously eclectic, vibrant and full of rough-edged style; it's a great cruise excursion.
Indeed "La Superba" (The Superb), as it was known at the height of its authority as a Mediterranean superpower, boasts more zest and intrigue than all the surrounding coastal resorts put together. During a holiday to Genoa you can explore its old town: a dense and fascinating warren of medieval alleyways home to large palazzi built in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by Genoa's wealthy mercantile families and now transformed into museums and art galleries. You should seek out the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale, and the Renaissance palaces of Via Garibaldi which contain the cream of Genoa's art collections, as well as furniture and decor from the grandest days of the city's past, when its ships sailed to all corners of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Acquario di Genova is the city's pride and joy, parked like a giant ocean liner on the waterfront, with seventy tanks housing sea creatures from all the world's major habitats, including the world's biggest reconstruction of a Caribbean coral reef. It's a great aquarium by any standards, the second largest in Europe by capacity, and boasts a fashionably ecology-conscious slant and excellent background information in Italian and English. Just 35 km south of Genoa, there's no denying the appeal of Portofino, tucked into a protected inlet surrounded by lush cypress- and olive-clad slopes. It's an A-list resort that has been attracting high-flying bankers, celebs and their hangers-on for years, as evidenced by the flotillas of giant yachts usually anchored just outside. It's a tiny place that is attractive yet somehow off-putting at the same time, with a quota of fancy shops, bars and restaurants for a place twice its size.
Discover the culture and colour of Civitavecchia, an MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination. This Italian gem is an enjoyable flight from many European and non-European cities. Celebrated for its 16th-century Michelangelo Fort, ancient Taurine Baths, and marble Vanvitelli fountain, the port is a convenient starting point for visiting Rome, Italy's regal and romantic capital.
The UNESCO-protected port of Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta, is one of the must-see stops for every Mediterranean cruise of merit.
You can admire this port, constructed in the second half of the 16th century by the Frenchman Jean de la Valette and moulded by the religious and military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, from your MSC ship even before disembarking. The over 300 monuments rising in little more than half a square kilometre make this a place with one of the greatest density of historical attractions to visit during a cruise, not mentioning other attractions such as its beaches, seaside locales and restaurants. An excursion to the island can start right from its capital, Valletta, which enchants the cruise-goer with its famous Maltese balconies, which decorate the facades of houses in its old quarter. Surrounded by a multitude of churches, which the islanders assure are as many as the days of the year, the St. John's Co-Cathedral is one of Malta's biggest tourist attractions. The National Museum of Archaeology, on the other hand, hosts prehistoric artefacts found on the island. By the Grand Harbour, one can visit the underground passages of Auberge de Castille and the beautiful Baracca Gardens, which overlook the harbour; at night, when the city gates would close, its porticoes served as shelter for travellers. To get a taste of the life of Malta's ancient nobility, visit Casa Rocca Piccola. A 16th century Palazzo now the residence of the 9th Marquis De Piro, it has period furnishings and has a bomb shelter built for protection against bombings during the Second World War. The set of the film Popeye can still be seen from Malta's largest beach, as well as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha with a fresco of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Christ; according to tradition, Saint Luke, who was shipwrecked on the island with Saint Paul, is the author of this Byzantine-style fresco.
7 Nights aboard MSC World Europa Departs 04 Apr 2025
Enquire now


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But early transplantation does appear to be beneficial among a small group of patients who are at the very highest risk, the study found.
Lead author is Patrick Stiff, MD, director of Loyola University Medical Center's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. The study was developed by the SWOG cancer research cooperative group and funded by the National Cancer Institute. Stiff is chair of the SWOG Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Committee.
The traditional first-line therapy for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a combination of four chemotherapy drugs. In recent years, physicians have added a fifth drug, the monoclonal antibody rituximab. This five-drug regimen is known as R-CHOP. The treatment typically puts patients into remission. But many patients relapse and go on to get an autologous stem cell transplant after second-line chemotherapy.
The study was designed to determine whether doing an early stem cell transplant — without first waiting to see whether a patient relapses — would increase survival.
The clinical trial included 40 sites in the United States and Canada. In addition to SWOG, the study included the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Cancer and Leukemia Group B and Canadian NCIC Clinical Trials Group.
The study included 397 patients who were in defined groups of high risk or intermediate-high risk of relapsing. After initial chemotherapy, those who responded were randomly assigned to receive an autologous stem cell transplant (125 patients) or to a control group of 128 patients who received three additional cycles of the R-CHOP regimen. Enrollment began in 1999 and ended in 2007. (Some of the patients in the beginning of the study did not receive rituximab.)
After two years, 69 percent of the transplantation patients had no disease progression, compared with 55 percent of the control group — a statistically significant difference. However, the difference in two-year survival rates (74 percent in the transplantation group and 71 percent in the control group) was not statistically significant. This is probably because patients in the control group who relapsed were later offered stem cell transplants, Stiff and colleagues wrote.
But while stem cell transplants did not improve overall survival among the entire group of high-risk and high-intermediate risk patients, the subset of high risk patients did appear to receive both a remission and survival benefit. A retrospective analysis of the data showed that among these high-risk patients, the two-year survival rate was 82 percent in the transplantation group and 64 percent in the control group.
"Early transplantation and late transplantation achieve roughly equivalent overall survival in the combined risk groups," researchers concluded, yet "early transplantation appears to be beneficial for the small group of patients presenting with high-risk disease."
Stiff said this finding "hopefully will trigger discussions between such patients and their physicians as to the feasibility of doing early transplants."
An autologous stem cell transplant enables a patient to tolerate very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation. In addition to killing cancer cells, this high-dose treatment also destroys the patient's immune system cells. So prior to treatment, stem cells are removed from the patient's blood or bone marrow. After the chemotherapy and/or radiation, these stem cells are infused back into the patient. The stem cells develop into new immune cells, replacing the immune cells destroyed by the treatment.
Previous studies have found that patients who undergo stem cell transplants have a slightly higher risk of developing secondary cancers caused by the chemotherapy and/or radiation. However, the new study did not find a statistically significant difference — 11 patients in the control group developed secondary cancer, compared with 12 patients in the transplantation group.
Researchers are continuing to analyze the data. "As years go by, there may be additional analysis that may help fine-tune the results so that we will be able to more carefully and concisely define any potential benefit of transplant," Stiff said.
source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131030185146.htm


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Welcome to Military Guns Australia
About the webmaster
The Military Guns Australia website is provided as a resource for collectors of military firearms, specifically rifles. It is not intended to be a complte history, it is simply a service provided by a collector for other collectors. I have concentrated mostly on the kinds of rifles that I deal in on a daily basis.
I am the webmaster of Military Guns Australia, Michael King and I am particularly interested in the history of the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) having worked at both the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow and the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield Lock, UK.
I began my lifelong interest in target shooting and hunting when I was 4 years old. I began collecting firearms upon receiving my first rifle from my father for my 9th birthday. My father worked at the Small Arms Factory (SAF) at Lithgow for 46 years, more than 10 of those years as the head foreman in charge of rifle assembly and reconditioning (FTR). When I was 6 years of age my father took me into the SAF Museum and I was hooked on historical firearms from then on. I am fascinated by the living history aspect of historical firearms, not to glorify war but rather as a reminder of the sacrifices made and also of what not to do in future moments. Upon leaving school when I was 16 I followed in his Fathers footsteps and commenced a Toolmaking apprenticeship at the Small Arms Factory which included extensive training in all aspects of gun manufacture, design, testing and troubleshhoting. In the 3rd year of my apprenticeship I also commenced training in Mechanical Engineering and I later worked for many years in process engineering. I worked on many commercial projects as well as on small arms research and development projects. I was also involved in troubleshooting rifle manufacturing processes. In 1983 after becoming the Department of Defence Support Apprentice of the Year I was sent to the UK for a year to work at the Royal Small Arms Factory on attachment. All in all I worked at the SAF for 15 years.
For many years I also ran a PA business part time doing sound and lighting for bands. Since 1996 I have been running my own training consultancy business. As a respected public speaker, I regularly receive invitations to address large gatherings all over the world in the field of personal success. I also work within the business community, lecturing on ethical business strategies and purpose/service-oriented business visioning.
Now I also own and operate The Kings Armoury, a firearms dealership located in Perth Western Australia specialising in antique, military and collectible firearms. Click here to visit my online catalog of collectable firearms for sale.
Building a community of firearms enthusiasts to promote introduce people to becoming a student of arms.
In correlating the data for this website many of my friends emailed me all kinds of information concerning their favourite rifles. I admit I have no idea where a lot if it has come from. I only asked for people to submit information that is in the public domain however if it turns out that anything on this website is indeed copyrighted I apologise.
If you become aware of any copyrighted material on this website then please let me know. I will happily acknowledge the source and link to any websites involved and recommend texts etc. It is my hope that people will contribute to developing this website as a resource for collectors not only to network information but also to network to other sources for research.
I would like to encourage people with information about the history, care, maintenance etc of military collectible firearms to contribute to building this website into an educational centre. With military surplus becoming a thing of the past and ignorant paranoid people screaming about gun control we need to get as much professionally presented information out there as possible to promote the enjoyable hobby of studying and preserving the living history of antique and military firearms.
GENERAL DISCLAIMER: While The Kings Armoury and Military Guns Australia puts great effort into providing accurate, high-quality information on this website, the instructions, advice, opinions and any other content offered through this website are provided without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. Each firearms owner is responsible for his/her own safety and should use caution, common-sense and careful research before using any firearm in any way.


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4×4 Decal (4×4-H)
Personalize your car, truck, window, skateboard, or locker with a vinyl 4×4 decal die-cut sticker. Our decals apply easily to any smooth surface. They are waterproof and UV resistant, so weather is not an issue. The 4×4 decal sticker is available in many sizes, and also colors.
The black color in the 4×4 decal will be the color you select, while the white background will be the surface color you are applying on.
Buy your 4×4 decal today.


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Syrian-Lebanese poet Adonis |
Syrian philosopher Sadiq Jalal al-Azm |
But in recent years their voices often went unheard, because their secular language had little resonance in societies where political Islamic was becoming a dominant force. nor did Islamic reformers fare much better when they tried to cast their political critique in religious terms. The Egyptian scholar Hassan Hanafi, for instrance, in the 1980s began calling for the creation of an "Islamic Left", a socialist ideology rooted in religion. He was branded a heretic and had to seek police protection after receiving death threats from jihadists. His work gained an audience in Indonesia, but not in his own country, said Carool Kersten, a lecturer at King's College London who has written on Islamic reformers.It appears intellectuals throughout the Arab world are struggling to find a way for giving voice to the frustrations, ambitions and expectations of its citizens. To read the full essay click here.
* those who read Arabic click on this link.


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Motorist, Loyalty customer, Shell App user
Information for individuals who are or were a retail customer, member of a Shell loyalty program, visitor to a Shell website and/or user of a Shell digital application.
Privacy Notice - Motorists, Loyalty or Energy Customers, Shell App users and visitors to our websites
This notice sets out what personal data we collect, for what purposes and your rights in this respect.
What does this Privacy Notice cover?
This Privacy Notice provides information regarding the processing of your personal data when using services and/or purchasing products from or on behalf of a company or companies within the Shell group of companies ('Shell' or 'we') whether as:
(i) a retail, energy or e-mobility customer;
(ii) a member of any Shell loyalty program marketed / branded under any name whatseover in your location ('Shell Loyalty Programme');
(iii) a visitor to a Shell website ('Website' or 'Shell Website'); and/or
(iv) a user of the Shell Application or other Shell applications ('Shell App).
As well as this Privacy Notice, bespoke privacy notices and supplementary privacy statements may contain further information about how Shell is processing your personal data. This would be the case for example if you are an energy or e-mobility customer. In those instances, such privacy notices will be communicated to you separately.
This Privacy Notice explains what personal data are processed about you; why we are processing your personal data and for which purposes; for how long we hold your personal data for; how to access and update your personal data, as well as the options you have regarding your personal data and where to go for further information.
If personal data of children is gathered this requires consent of the parent or guardian.
Special Notice - if you are under 18 years old. Processing children's personal data
Except in those cases where Shell organizes educational events specifically designed for children, we do not intentionally collect personal data of individuals under 18 years old. If you are under 18 years old please do not send us your personal data for example, your name, address and email address. If you wish to contact Shell in a way which requires you to submit your personal data (such as for education or innovation events) please get your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf.
This section describes the different sources from which we collect your personal data.
What personal data do we process about you? Collection of information
We collect information, including personal data about you, as a Shell customer, user of Shell Apps and/or visitor to a Shell Website or Shell administered social media page ('Shell Social Media Page'). This information may be either:
- Information that you provide to us - when creating a Shell account profile, we will ask for your name, e-mail address and gender (so that we can address you properly but you do not have to provide us with this information), your contact preferences and information necessary for answering any security questions. If you decide to become a member of a Shell Loyalty Programme, a user of Shell Apps, Shell Drive services or our mobile payments, we may ask you to provide further personal data necessary for the performance of such services and/or authentication such as type of vehicle, driver pattern, date of birth (if collected), communications preferences and mobile number;
- Information that we obtain through your use of Shell services - we will also collect information about how and where you use or purchase Shell services and products. Such information may include electronic device information, IP addresses, log information, browser type and preferences, location information, online identifiers to enable 'cookies' and similar technologies. Your purchase history includes data regarding (i) specific products you buy, (ii) the total amount of your purchases per transaction, (iii) the time and place of the purchases you make and (iv) the payment method you use, including payment methods embedded in the Shell Apps (such as mobile payment option);
- If you are a member of a Shell Loyalty Programme - we will collect information about your participation in these programs; this includes data regarding (i) the type and description of the award you have chosen, (ii) the awards you have chosen, (iii) the amount of points you have redeemed, (iv) the frequency and time of redemption of your points and (v) the delivery method used to provide you with your award (if any). If you are a user of Shell Drive we will collect your recorded journeys, including your vehicle co-ordinates, speed and acceleration, comparing this against other users (if you have consented to the collection of such information, including your location);
- Information gathered through external sources - in order to ensure we have the most up to date information about you to provide you with better products and increasingly tailored services, we will combine information that we hold about you, with additional information which is publicly available or obtained through authorised third parties (such as Experian or Acxiom). This includes information about your shopping habits and related products or services that you may use, such as the number of household cars that you possess or the types of cars that you are interested in; or
- Information gathered through social media pages - When you communicate with us through a Shell Social Media Page (for example, when you comment on, share or react to a post , upload media, send a personal message or subscribe to a Shell Social Media Page), we may receive personal data about you such as your user name, profile picture, hometown, email address and gender. We will use any personal data received from social media in accordance with this Privacy Notice.
Shell view of the customer
With the aim of ensuring you have a seamless experience with the Shell group, and depending upon the nature of your engagement with Shell, we combine information gathered from the sources referred to above to create a personal profile of you. This enables you to interact with different Shell companies more easily and ensures we have the most up to date information about you in order to better develop services and products and to tailor offers relevant to your specific interests.
Please note however, you have the ability to control how Shell uses this information. You can opt out of having your personal data combined in this way - Please see the section below
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.
Why do we process your personal data?
The personal data covered by this Privacy Notice are only processed:
- with your explicit consent;
- where it is necessary to conclude a transaction with you (such as payment information);
- where it is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the relevant Shell company/companies, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms; or
- where it is necessary for Shell to comply with a legal obligation.
Where the processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect the validity of the processing prior to the withdrawal of consent.
What are the consequences of not providing your personal data?
Where you choose not to provide us with information set out above for the purposes of using a Shell App or participating in a Shell Loyalty Programme the only consequence is that it will affect your ability to fully interact with the Shell App and/or to participate in the Shell Loyalty Programme.
Who is responsible for any personal data collected?
Shell India Markets Private Limited, an Indian company with registered number U23201TN2004PTC053147, and registered office at 2nd Floor, Campus 4A, RMZ Millenia Business Park, 143, Dr MGR Road, Perungudi, Chennai - 600 096, India, will be responsible for processing your personal data, either solely or jointly with its affiliates within the Shell group of companies.
The purposes for which we process your personal data.
For what purposes do we process your personal data?
We process your personal data for the purposes of:
- providing our products and delivering our services to you;
- managing relationships and marketing such as maintaining and promoting contact with you;
- account management including account verification (that is, ensuring that only you or someone you have authorized can access your account and information);
- customer service and development of our products and services;
- performance of and analysis of market surveys and marketing strategies;
- promotions and contests offered to Shell customers, including offering you digital rewards to recognise you as a valued customer; or
- detecting or preventing fraud if you use a mobile payment function to purchase Shell products.
We may also process your personal data for a secondary purpose where it is closely related, such as:
- storing, deleting or anonymising your personal data;
- audits, investigations, dispute resolution or insurance purposes, litigation or defence of claims;
- statistical, historical or scientific research; or
- legal and/or regulatory compliance.
Communication and marketing - your choices
If you have consented to receive communications from Shell (or if you have previously purchased goods/and or services from us and permitted by local law), you may receive offers that are tailored towards your preferences based on the information gathered about you from the various sources described above in order to provide you with better products and increasingly tailored services.
We may send you service updates and notifications without your advance consent only where such updates and/or notifications are necessary for the proper functioning of the Shell Apps or other services that you use.
You may receive pertinent offers and communications by different channels and you may update your subscription preferences via your personal profile settings anytime or use the unsubscribe functionality for the different digital channels.
Transaction security and preventing, detecting and investigating fraud
When you use a mobile payment application to purchase Shell productsyou may be asked to provide additional personal details to complete the transaction. We may use the personal data you provide to prevent, detect and investigate fraud and to enforce the terms and conditions of the mobile payment application.
We may share some information with the service providers involved in mobile payments (such as PayPal), including but not limited to your IP address, device ID or unique identifier, loyalty card number for the purposes detailed above as well as for the purposes of collecting points, device type, geo-location information, connection information (for e.g. wi-fi) and mobile network information.
Your rights and how to exercise them.
Your rights in relation to your personal data
We aim to keep our information as accurate as possible. You can request:
- access to your personal data;
- correction or deletion of your personal data (but only where it is no longer required for a legitimate business purpose such as completing a retail transaction);
- that you no longer receive marketing communications;
- that the processing of your personal data is restricted;
- combining of your personal data from different sources to create a personal profile no longer takes place; and/or
- that you receive personal data that you have provided to Shell, in a structured, digital form to be transmitted to another party, if this is technically feasible.
To make any of these requests please go to your Shell account profile or please contact us at email@example.com in this respect.
Who can you contact if you have a query, concern or complaint about your personal data?
If you have any issues, queries or complaints regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com for further information or for submitting such requests.
You may also contact the Shell Group Chief Privacy Office at Shell International B.V. The Hague, The Netherlands - Trade Register No. 27155369 Correspondence: PO Box 162, 2501 AN, The Hague, at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you are unsatisfied with the handling of your personal data by Shell, then you have the right to lodge a complaint to the Dutch Data Protection Authority whose address is Prins Clauslaan 60, 2595 AJ The Hague, The Netherlands. Please visit https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en for more information.
We use cookies on our websites to provide you with the best user experience possible.
Cookies and similar technologies
Shell uses cookies and similar technologies that collect and store information when you visit a Shell Website or use a Shell App. This is to enable Shell to identify your internet browser and collect data on your use of our website, which pages you visit, the duration of your visits and identify these when you return so that we improve your experience when visiting our website(s). You can control and manage your cookies preferences by adjusting your browser settings or using the Shell cookies preference tool on Shell Websites – for more information, please refer to the Shell Cookie Policy at https://www.shell.in/cookie-policy.html.
Shell is committed to safeguarding your personal data.
Security of your personal data
We have implemented technology and policies with the objective of protecting your privacy from unauthorised access and improper use. In particular, we may use encryption for some of our services, we apply authentication and verification process for access to Shell services and we regularly test, assess and evaluate the effectiveness of our security measures.
Who do we share your personal data with?
Who will we share your personal data with?
Your personal data are exclusively processed for the purposes referred to above and will only be shared on a strict need to know basis with:
- Other companies within the Shell group of companies, including to those which may be located outside of your location;
- With your consent, authorized third party companies in co-operation with Shell that may supply products and/or services to users of Shell Apps and Shell Loyalty Programmes;
- Authorized service providers involved in mobile payments (such as PayPal, Apple Wallet or Android Pay);
- Authorised agents, licensees, service providers, external auditors and/or subcontractors of Shell;
- A competent public authority, government, regulatory, supervisory, investigative or fiscal agency where it is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation to which the relevant Shell company/companies is subject to or as permitted by applicable law; or
- Any person to whom Shell proposes to transfer any of its rights and/or duties.
Your personal data may be transferred outside of your country, subject to appropriate safe
Transfers of your personal data to other countries
Where your personal data have been transferred to companies within the Shell group and/or to authorized third parties located outside of your country we take organizational, contractual and legal measures to ensure that your personal data are exclusively processed for the purposes mentioned above and that adequate levels of protection have been implemented to safeguard your personal data. These measures include Binding Corporate Rules for transfers among the Shell group and for Shell companies in the European Union, European Commission approved transfer mechanisms for transfers to third parties as well as any additional local legal requirements. You can find a copy of Shell Binding Corporate Rules at https://www.shell.in/privacy.html or by contacting email@example.com.
Interacting with Shell through social media
If you choose to interact with Shell through social media on a Shell administered social media page such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, your personal data (such as your name, your profile picture and the fact that you are interested in Shell) will be visible to all visitors of your personal webpage depending on your privacy settings on the relevant social media platform, and will also be visible to Shell. You can delete any information that you share on these sites at any time through your relevant social media platform's account. Shell does not track your activity across the different social media sites that you use. If you send a message to Shell via any messanger service on a social media platform, these messages are held for no longer than one month after receipt. Please contact Shell if you wish to make a request that you are unable to action yourself and which relates to a Shell Social Media Page - See the section below.
Additionally and to the extent Shell is jointly responsible with a social media platform of a Shell Social Media Page, Shell will have access through the social media platform to aggregated data providing statistics and insights that help to understand the types of actions you take on Shell Social Media Pages. For more information on how your personal data are processed on those social media platforms, including any targeted advertising that you may receive, please refer to your privacy settings accessible through your relevant social media platform's account.
Shell will only hold your personal data for a defined period of time.
How long do we hold your personal data for?
Personal data processed by Shell in line with this Privacy Notice will be deleted or rendered anonymous (such that it will no longer be possible to identify you);
(1) every 5 years where you remain a customer during this period;
(2) without undue delay upon you requesting that your Shell account profile is deleted or to discontinue your participation in a Shell Loyalty Programme; or
(3) after 3 years for all subscribed services from our last interaction with you (that is where you have not used our services for 3 years).
In relation to financial transactions (including those made through a Shell App), your personal data will be held for 10 years from the transaction.
In all cases information may be held for (a) a longer period of time where there is a legal or regulatory reason to do so (in which case it will be deleted once no longer required for the legal or regulatory purpose) or (b) a shorter period where the individual objects to the processing of their personal data and there is no longer a legitimate business purpose to retain it.
This Privacy Notice is updated over time.
Changes to this Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice may be changed over time. You are advised to regularly review this Privacy Notice for possible changes. This Privacy Notice was last updated in August 2019.


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Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some fantastic articles on tips for balancing love and money, saving big on winter utilities, and how to start an IRA.
10 Tips for Balancing Love and Money — When balancing love and money, it is important to make a joint spending plan. [SavvySugar]
18 tips to save big on winter utilities — To save big on winter utilities, repair water leaks on faucets and toilets and open your drapes on sunny days. [Living on the Cheap]
How to Start an IRA (or Roth IRA) — When deciding where to open an IRA or Roth IRA, take into consideration the trading fees of any brokerage you are considering [NarrowBridge Finance]
Saving 20k as a 20 Something — Save more money in your 20s by opting to eat out for lunch instead of dinner when meeting with friends for food. [The Dollar Stretcher]
States With No Income Tax — Are you sick of paying income taxes? Consider moving to Florida or Washington. [Generation X Finance]
20 Cheap and Fun Date Ideas — Need a cheap yet fun date idea? Go to the driving range or go stargazing. [Christian PF]
Retirement Planning in Your 40s - Making Retirement a Priority — If you need to make up for lost time when it comes to retirement planning, try to hold onto your cars for longer than you normally do. [Cash Money Life]
3 Strategies to Run Your Freelance Business More Efficiently — To run your freelance business more efficiently, take advantage of your resources. [Careful Cents]
18 Personal Finance Facts You Didn't Know About US Presidents — Did you know the President gets $19,000 to spend on entertainment each year? [Len Penzo dot Com]
21 Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids of All Ages — This Valentine's Day, have your kids make love rocks or marshmallow love bugs. [Parenting Squad]
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.