text:
64-Year-Old Albatross Is The Oldest Bird To Lay An Egg
A 64-year-old albatross is set to lay her egg any day now and will become one of the oldest mother birds on earth. Wisdom, a Laysan albatross that returns to a Hawaiian refuge every year, is already mother to at least 36 other chicks.
Wisdom, a 64-year-old albatross, is set to lay her 37th egg in the upcoming days and by doing so, she might be the oldest bird to have a chick in the habitat for millions of seabirds.
The beautiful Laysan albatross arrived at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial in Hawaii on November 19 and was seen mating by volunteers.
Midway Atoll, which is over half a million acres, is located in the nation's largest conservation area, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The famous albatross, which was tagged by scientists in 1956, has been returning to the wildlife refuge almost every year to lay just one egg. After mating, the albatross left and is expected to go back in a few days to lay her egg.
According to Deputy Refuge Manager Bret Wolfe, the albatross has had more than one mate in her lifetime and has welcomed over 36 chicks. She has also traveled over six million miles in 64 years. Wolfe shared:
"Wisdom left soon after mating but we expect her back any day now to lay her egg. It is very humbling to think that she has been visiting Midway for at least 64 years. Navy sailors and their families likely walked by her not knowing she could possibly be rearing a chick over 50 years later. She represents a connection to Midway's past as well as embodying our hope for the future."
Refuge Manager Dan Clark explained that it is believed that Wisdom is 64 years old, but she could be older. Clark said that while many birds lose their bands, Wisdom's bands have always been replaced, and her life is very well documented. Clark stated:
"In the face of dramatic seabird population decreases worldwide –70% drop since the 1950's when Wisdom was first banded–Wisdom has become a symbol of hope and inspiration. We are a part of the fate of Wisdom and it is gratifying to see her return because of the decades of hard work conducted to manage and protect albatross nesting habitat."
It is estimated that the albatross and her mate will spend six months rearing and feeding their young.
Category: News


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Well, we've been busy over here at FreedomVOICE. This week we launched a new blog, which we hope will give customers a better connection with the business. We are putting the final touches on a new website for our FreedomVOICE Virtual Office product, and we're in the final stages of completing two programs for our agents – both of which will give them better means to market our products.
While all this is going on, the VoIP industry is continuing to make strides forward, especially in the form of hosted VoIP technology. The technology is being further refined every day, and this is really getting people excited. Continue reading How to Pick the Right Hosted VoIP Provider

subset: commoncrawl


text: HI PRESENTS: JOURNEYS – featuring stories of artists in different stages of their careers. Adam Rotenberg chats with our friends Mark Gantt (who teaches the Immersive career administration class) and his wife and business partner, Brianne Davis (currently starring in The History Channel's original series "SIX"). From their first meeting in acting class, to becoming forces in the industry, these multi-hyphentates talk about their determination, their drive and how their support for one another makes them a true power couple!


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Brown Pillar Candle Centerpiece for Thanksgiving Table Decorating
Surround a chunky brown candle with fake fall flowers and foliage for an easy, yet beautiful centerpiece.
Create this easy centerpiece of decorative accent in a minute.
We have used a Chris Madden Maple Leaf shaped platter to hold the centerpiece. A chunky brown candle was placed in the center and its base surrounded with artificial fall flowers and foliage purchased from a craft store.


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I Love Him To Death But....help!Can someone help me? I love my boyfriend to death, we just found out that I'm pregnant, so things have been a little hectic. This is my first child, but will be his second from a previous relationship. Now that im pregnant, i feel like we lost a lot of our conversation. I can tell its sometimes a struggle talking about the baby since I'm really like only 7 weeks and he thinks its still a little early to be stressing as much, but this is my first! I feel like he's not "all the way there" since he been through this before. Can someone please help me bring back the guy I use to know, or help me on something i can do.
RenClarke 18-21, F 0 Jun 1, 2012


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Since 2011 when the new generation of AC 45's were developed, testing and then incorporated into the America Cup world wide racing circuit, these boats have generated tremendous video coverage. Now they are coming to New York harbor and will be seen by millions on Mary 7 & 8 2016.
While the official race course and U S Coast Guard regulations have not be set, we do know that one of the turning marrks will be off of the tip of lower Manhattan. The official center for the races is Liberty landing Marina, Jersey City.


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I downloaded some wmv files from internet. However all my video players are unable to play it. It just display some funny colors or cant open it at all. I try download some video codec and different video player as well, but all failed to display it correctly. I guarantee these few files are working, because i watch the videos in others computer, it's seem my computer problem. hmm….
I have no choice but get GSpot from http://www.headbands.com/gspot/, GSpot is an useful video tools to identify what is the video's codec.
I get the following information
Codec : WMV3 Name : WMP v9 (VC-1 Simple/Main)
oh…these few wmv files are WMP 3 file format? After google it, i find out the Codec : WMV3 Name : WMP v9 (VC-1 Simple/Main) is come from windows media play version 10 and 11. However my windows media player is version 9. No wonder i can not display it correct.
I open my windows media player v 9, select upgrade and click it. After upgraded i'm able to play those WMV3 video already. Great!


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Sometimes it takes a friend to shine some light onto a gloomy situation. Collectively we've all been in a slump dealing with a polarizing election as well as the segue into Winter doldrums. There's nothing like a good song to cheer us up. Enter 4 year old Claire Ryan and her Dad to save the day!
Singing Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story, this lovely duo will pull at your heart strings and turn that frown upside down.
What activities do you do to pick yourself up when the world's got you feeling blue? Feel free to comment below and share some of your feel-good ideas. Let's bring joy and happiness back to the forefront!


text:
It shares similarities with the 328, but I believe it's meant to be a tribute to the late 70's 308.
There's a guy on the Pennock's Fiero forums named rogergarrison that would be able to help you out. He has owned one for decades and seems to know just about everything about them.
From what I know, it's not really a dead on match and more of a tribute. The interior is normally standard Fiero. I believe they just lifted the plastic body panels and replaced them with replica fiberglass panels.
It's a neat car.


text:
Product Description
2016 Nordica NRGY 107 Skis
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- Skill: Advanced to Expert Skiers
- Be the first to review this product


text:
The growing Freelancers Union, which provides health insurance to more than 25,000 independent workers in New York, received a boost today when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that continues its health-insurance pilot program.
Some major business groups had protested the legislation, saying it gives an unfair advantage to the union by giving it flexibility from the federal health-care law.
The measure, though, had powerful sponsors: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Senate Health Committee chairman Kemp Hannon, R-Nassau County.
The union has garnered national attention because it has been able to pull its resources and provide health insurance that's on average 40 percent lower than on the open market, mainly to artists and entrepreneurs.
The state Legislature in 2009 authorized a demonstration program through the end of 2013 for the union. The program was extended last year through 2014, but it needed to be changed to comply with the federal Affordable Care Act.
The pilot program will still continue through 2014.
Updated: Silver put out a statement thanking Cuomo for signing the bill.
"More and more businesses are relying on independent contractors to meet the constantly changing demands of consumers. To ensure that our economy continues to grow, we need to provide flexible options for businesses while ensuring that employees are provided access to affordable health care," Silver said.
"In 2009, New York was one of the first states in the nation to authorize a demonstration program to provide health insurance coverage to independent workers. The creation of the self-funded Freelancers Health Plan provides not only a crucial benefit at affordable rates, but peace of mind to working families as well."
The post Freelancers Union gets extension of health-insurance program (Updated) appeared first on Politics on the Hudson.


text:
* Will be a sizable paper component - sources
* Cash outlay could be less than 700 mln euros - sources
* Deal worth around 1.1 bln euros at current market prices
* Shareholders could vote on merger by end-April - sources
By Stefano Bernabei
ROME, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Italian motorway group Atlantia's planned takeover of Gemina, which controls Rome airport operator ADR, will include a sizable stock component as well as cash, sources close to the matter said on Thursday.
The deal, worth around 1.1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) at current market prices, would help ADR on a multi billion-euro investment plan to relaunch its flagship Fiumicino airport by giving it better access to capital markets.
Atlantia and Gemina, both controlled by the Benetton family's holding Sintonia, said on Wednesday they were in talks to merge following months of speculation about a possible tie-up.
"There will certainly be a sizeable paper component, not just cash, to lower the risk of a (negative credit) rating impact," one of the sources said, asking not to be named.
The sources said that based on a value for Gemina of around 1.2 euros per share, as indicated by several analysts, the cash outlay for Atlantia would be less than 700 million euros.
Sintonia would not tender its Gemina shares in any Atlantia offer, sources said earlier on Thursday.
Atlantia saw its shares falling as much as 4 percent on Thursday on worries of a larger cash outlay and came off their lows after details over the planned bid emerged.
Shares in Gemina closed up 1 percent at 1.19 euros, having risen more than 90 percent since talk of a possible takeover emerged in July.
Atlantia, which has a market value of around 9.1 billion euros, was not immediately available to comment.
The merger is not expected to endanger Atlantia's current dividend pay-out policy, the sources said, adding the aim was to have shareholders of both companies vote on the deal by the end of April.
Sintonia, whose minority investors include Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and Goldman Sachs, controls about 46 percent of Atlantia and 36 percent of Gemina.
Some analysts have cast doubt over whether the deal makes much strategic sense for Atlantia which has previously indicated a strategy of expansion in less mature markets.
"In our view there are no relevant operating synergies between both concession operators," UBS said in a note.
The broker added however the lower cost of debt for Gemina could create some value, justifying a premium.
Moody's this week placed its Ba2 junk rating on ADR under review for an upgrade to reflect a new regulatory framework that will allow tariff hikes over the coming years.
The planned expansion of Fiumicino - which sees 12 billion euros of investment by 2044 including 2.5 billion in the next 10 years - would bring the airport more into line with international hubs in Madrid, London and Singapore.
By acquiring Gemina, Atlantia would become more similar to large competitors like Vinci, Ferrovial or Abertis which have both motorway and airport assets.
Atlantia unit Pavimental could also obtain up to 40 percent of the work to expand Fiumicino, a source close to the deal has said.


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Vanessa Paradis hinted at heartache before Johnny Depp split
Singer Vanessa Paradis gave an emotional interview about the pain of heartbreak just two days before she announced her split from Johnny Depp.
RELATED: Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis call it quits
The stars confirmed the end of their 14-year relationship in June after months of break up rumors, but both have remained silent since the split.
RELATED: Fashion Face-Off: Depp vs. RDJ
It has now emerged that the French artist gave an interview to Harper's Bazaar magazine just two days before the news hit headlines and she hinted at trouble in her personal life.
RELATED: Long-Lasting Hollywood Couples
Paradis told the publication, "Love is the strongest and most fragile thing we have in life. Nothing is ever for sure, but when something in love doesn't work from the beginning, it's never going to work. Don't push it."
The former couple is parents to two children, Lily-Rose and Jack.
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text:
Gold Investment Guide
Saving for the future is something that we should all be trying to achieve, no matter our age and situation, because you never know what is around the corner and it always pays to have a nice little nest egg tucked away for retirement. Once upon a time a simple savings account and IRA was an adequate means for creating a retirement fund but now many experts are recommending that we turn to gold and precious metal IRAs as a more profitable alternative.
Why Investing in Gold IRAs Are A Good Idea?
The world's economy is in dire straights right now and the standard methods of investing in our futures, such as basic retirement funds and Cash IRAs, are no longer the best and most viable options. The dollar has fallen to such depths and America is in such debt that traditional savings and reliance on this currency does not offer the financial security it once did. Gold may be seen as an old-fashioned commodity that everyday people cannot really get hold of but it could be the future for stable investments and nest eggs because the worse things get with the dollar and economic insecurity, the higher the value of gold. As the current situation seems to be showing little sign of recovery, it therefore makes sense to turn to gold and Gold IRAs as an alternative for retirement.
What Is A Gold IRA?
The time has never been better to start taking advantage of the rise in gold and the best way to do this is by opening up a specialised Gold IRA. These options are not all that different from your regular, cash retirement fund, the only difference is that they primarily deal with gold and other precious metals. There is an understandable assumption that a Gold IRA is for the very rich and that it only holds physical gold pieces but the options are actually a lot more varied and accessible. The gold can be a selection of objects from American Eagle coins to bars and rounds but there is nothing to stop you including non-physical versions such as stocks and shares and there is also the option of including silver, platinum and palladium. Platinum is more limited than silver and palladium is generally restricted to just bars and rounds but it is worth checking online for exact rules and the fine print of the IRA you wish to open because there are changes and new regulations being implemented all the time.
As you can see, a Gold IRA is not the specialist option you may think it is and they really are open to anybody that wishes to make use of them. In addition to this acceptance, there is also a surprising amount of simplicity in setting one up and getting your assets transferred to a reliable fund. The main things to remember are to find a company that you can rely on – both with setting up the IRA and dealing with the gold – and that you are fully aware of the potential and limitations to using gold as your new retirement fund.
How To Start Your Own Gold IRA?
If you decide that switching to a Gold IRA or adding one to your existing portfolio is a good idea, you should get in contact with a reliable provider to discuss your options and consider the benefits of either transferring your IRA or rolling it over. A transfer does pretty much what you would expect and lets you move your assets from your current custodian to you new one – one that specifically deals in precious metals – and can be carried out at any time. Rolling it over is less direct and you have to act as the middle man in the arrangement before passing the deposit onto the new plan but there is a 60-day time period.
Going through these two options does make it sound incredibly easy to set up your account and transfer your funds, and for the most part it really is that quick and simple; having said this, there are some considerations that you should bear in mind about fees, costs and legal issues before you dive into the idea of starting up your first IRA.
The first is the issue of appointing trustworthy custodians and dealers because they are a necessity when it comes to buying and moving the gold within the appropriate regulations and complying to IRS standards. Secondly, there is the issue of the fees and rates to pay on starting up and transferring your assets to this new IRA. This will obviously vary depending on the specific product, individual regulations and the amount being transferred, and there is a chance that it will be of no concern at all with a high enough transfer, but you do not want to be stung with unexpected costs. Finally, and most importantly if you are keen to get hold of your investment, there is a age restriction that stops IRA users physically getting hold of their deposit before their retirement.
To summarize, the concept of opening up a Gold IRA and putting your faith in a new type of nest egg may be daunting, particularly if you are new to the idea of using gold as an asset; however, as this guide shows, the process can be simple and there can be a lot of benefits in turning towards gold. Gold coins, stocks and other types of precious metals can provide a valuable lifeline in this failing economy and a Gold IRA is a simple way of reassessing the situation and letting professional dealers and custodians get you back on the right path to a trustworthy retirement fund. Where you go and how you do it is ultimately up to you but as long as you take the time to consider all the options, limitations and catches, you should find a product that suits your needs and sets your mind at ease.


text:
Join us live on Twitch Thursday, March 23, as we sit down with Senior Game Designer Ryan Shwayder for our next live developer Q&A where he'll be answering your Patch 7.2 content related questions. Learn more before you return to the Broken Shore!
Feel free to submit questions by posting in this forum thread or via Twitter using the hashtag #LegionQA.
We're really looking forward to getting the chance to dive in and answer as much as we can, so we hope to see you Thursday at 19:00 CET!


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Types Of Land Surveys
Land surveying is the drawing of the boundaries of property. There are however different methods of doing this that vary. Many industries require this service. For example the business industry, construction industry, and the environmental sector. Nowadays due to advancement in technology surveys not all measure land, but also the air as well as water that is above and below us. Different types include topographical survey. Here are the types;
Different Types Of Land Surveys
Boundary Surveys
As the name suggests, this review establishes the actual boundaries of a given property. Through recorded markers and establishment of new landmarks, actual boundaries of a property will be determined. After this, the corners and lines are marked using markers like iron rods, pipes or nails set in the concrete. A while back, stones and other less permanent markers were used. They often led to confusion in case they were tampered with.
Mortgage Surveys
They determine land boundaries and building locations. They are for formal and business purposes. They are a requirement by title companies and lending institutions when they provide financing. It shows that no structures are encroaching on the property. It also indicates that any structure on the property meets the zoning and building codes. For all those requirements to be met, it is important for a person to get a licensed mortgage surveyor. This is because a mortgage inspection is substandard and does not adhere to any set of regulations.It is also not considered as an official land survey.
Topographic Surveys
These are land surveys that indicate natural and man-made features.For example buildings, land contours, trees, and streams.They are measured for elevation on a piece of land then presented as contour lines. This survey is sometimes a requirement by the government. Engineers and architects also find it useful in the designing of improvements in a site.
Construction Surveys
This is one of the largest and most rapidly growing type of land surveys.
Most of the construction surveys fall under the discipline of civil engineering. All projects begin with a site plan which sets out the plan for the whole project. This includes proposed and existing conditions of a site. Consruction surveys are conducted several times during the project. This is to ensure that the project has been completed according to the specifications that were set. This survey is important because it provides that buildings have been constructed in a proper manner according to the plan.
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text:
HD Disc Format War Not Over By a Long Shot
View Single Post
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 117
Re: HD Disc Format War Not Over By a Long Shot
Originally Posted by
The missus just bought me an Apple TV for my birthday so I'm eager to see if I can determine any appreciable difference between a 720p HD movie I download from iTunes and the same movie on Blu-ray from my PS3. While I was originally not a fan of Apple TV (we're a solid Mac family with a MacBook Pro, an iMac, an iPhone, an iPod and two AirPort Extremes), the recent announcements at MacWorld have caused me to consider that Steve Jobs and the Apple team may actually have gotten it right this time.
There is little question that Joe & Susie Sixpack haven't jumped onto the high-def DVD bandwagon and, as more providers like Apple begin to deliver high quality content directly to their TV at reasonable prices, it's not likely that they ever will. I think it's entirely possible that the earlier comment about the war being over and Steve Jobs is the winner might prove to be much more accurate than anything coming out of either battle camp at the moment.
Im getting and Apple TV this week and I know a business associate that is also planning to get one.
That Steve Jobs could sell a catsup popsicle to a woman in white gloves!!
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text:
The other day a bear mangled our neighbour's compost bin, then walked over to our backyard. The problem is, it went out a different way than it came in.
It also left a big pile of …. in the middle of the road a few door down.
Unbelievable. No respect.
A Bruin playing dirty in a lockout.
The dastardly Bruins strike again!
Sadly I don't think he'll get suspended either or fined.
Spoke with Purolator driver today and he says it's a BIG one.
Was that you Chara?


text: At 08:19 PM 11/22/2007 -0800, Guido van Rossum wrote: >It looks like we're in agreement to drop unbound methods and have a >reasonable set or arguments around it (e.g. keep staticmethod, no >changes to methods of builtin types, etc.). Do we need a PEP? It's >essentially a 2-line change in funcobject.c (func_descr_get()) -- plus >fixing up half a dozen or so unittests that specifically seem to test >the behavior of unbound methods. Since the only meaningful difference between an unbound method and a function is the availability of the im_class attribute, I Googled 'im_class ext:py' to see what's using it. There were 314 hits uses in published code, and I skimmed the first 60 or 70 of those. Of the ones I looked at, relatively few actually do anything with unbound methods specifically. Most are just custom pickling or persistence for methods, or method replacements like a "weakref method" that doesn't keep a strong reference to im_self. However, a few uses relevant to unbound methods turned up, however. Some documentation tools, an AOP library, an xreload()-like module reloader from Enthought, plus one usage in the stdlib. There were also a few modules where it was difficult to tell if unbound methods were actually important. While for most of the documentation tools it was probably not relevant, there were some (like a method deprecation utility) that looked like they would lose functionality by not being able to get the im_class of an object. The stdlib usage is in the unittest module: the test loading machinery needs to know the class of an unbound method so it knows what TestCase subclass to instantiate, when loading a single test by name. This could probably be worked around by making the routine keep track of the object from which the target object was retrieved. This is far from a comprehensive survey; 'UnboundMethodType ext:py' turns up 102 more hits, including another testing tool that uses unbound methods in a different way. There are also usage patterns that can't easily be searched for. For example, code that wants to be able to distinguish static methods and instance methods at the class level. Most of these use cases could probably be worked around, with sufficient effort. Many will probably have bigger problems porting to 3.0 than the absence of unbound methods. And I don't personally have a horse in this race, as my own code is surprisingly free of im_class use. Actually, given how many places my code is peppered with '.im_func' calls to *unwrap* unbound methods and reuse them in other classes, I probably lean more towards getting rid of them. :)


text:
Multitasking seems like a great way to get a lot done at once. While it might seem like you are accomplishing many things at once, research has shown that our brains are not nearly as good at handling multiple tasks as we like to think we are. In fact, some researchers suggest that multitasking can actually reduce productivity by as much as 40 percent!

What is it that makes multitasking such a productivity killer? It might seem like you are getting multiple things done at the same time, but what you are really doing is quickly shifting your attention and focus from one thing to the next. Switching from one task to another makes it difficult to tune out distractions and can cause mental blocks that can slow you down.

Is All That Multitasking Really Making You More Productive?

Take a moment and think about all of the things you are doing right now. Obviously, you are reading this article, but chances are good that you are also doing several things at once. Perhaps you're also listening to music, texting a friend, checking your email in another browser tab, or playing a computer game.

If you are doing several different things at once, then you may be what researchers refer to as a "heavy multitasker." And you probably think that you are fairly good at this balancing act. According to a number of different studies, however, you are probably not as effective at multitasking as you think you are.

In the past, many people believed that multitasking was a good way to increase productivity. After all, if you're working on several different tasks at once, you're bound to accomplish more, right?

Recent research, however, has demonstrated that that switching from one task to the next takes a serious toll on productivity. Multitaskers have more trouble tuning out distractions than people who focus on one task at a time. Also, doing so many different things at once can actually impair cognitive ability.

What the Research Suggests

First, let's start by defining what we mean when we use the term multitasking.

It can mean performing two or more tasks simultaneously

It can also involve switching back and forth from one thing to another

Multitasking can also involve performing a number of tasks in rapid succession.

In order to determine the impact of multitasking, psychologists asked study participants to switch tasks and then measured how much time was lost by switching. In one study conducted by Robert Rogers and Stephen Monsell, participants were slower when they had to switch tasks than when they repeated the same task.

Another study conducted in 2001 by Joshua Rubinstein, Jeffrey Evans and David Meyer found that participants lost significant amounts of time as they switched between multiple tasks and lost even more time as the tasks became increasingly complex.

Understanding What the Research Means

In the brain, multitasking is managed by what are known as mental executive functions. These executive functions control and manage other cognitive processes and determine how, when and in what order certain tasks are performed.

According to researchers Meyer, Evans, and Rubinstein, there are two stages to the executive control process.

The first stage is known as "goal shifting" (deciding to do one thing instead of another).

The second is known as "role activation" (changing from the rules for the previous task to rules for the new task).

Switching between these may only add a time cost of just a few tenths of a second, but this can start to add up when people begin switching back and forth repeatedly.

This might not be that big of a deal in some cases, such as when you are folding laundry and watching television at the same time. However, if you are in a situation where safety or productivity are important, such as when you are driving a car in heavy traffic, even small amounts of time can prove critical.

Practical Applications for Multitasking Research

Meyer suggests that productivity can be reduced by as much as 40 percent by the mental blocks created when people switch tasks. Now that you understand the potential detrimental impact of multitasking, you can put this knowledge to work to increase your productivity and efficiency.

Of course, the situation plays an important role. For example:

The costs of switching tasks while texting a friend and watching a football game probably are not going to cause any major problems.

However, that fraction of a second it takes to change tasks could mean life or death for someone driving down the interstate while trying to find a good radio station or talking on the phone.

The next time you find yourself multitasking when you are trying to be productive, take a quick assessment of the various things you are trying to accomplish. Eliminate distractions and try to focus on one task at a time.

Is Multitasking Bad for Your Brain?

In today's busy world, multitasking is all too common. Juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities might seem like the best way to get a lot done, but as you have seen, trying to do more than one thing at a time can actually diminish productivity and performance. Focus on one task at a time, many experts suggest, in order to get the job done quickly and correctly.

At any given moment you might be texting a friend, switching between multiple windows on your computer, listening to the blare of the television, and talk to a friend on the phone all at once! When we do get a quiet moment where nothing is demanding our attention, we might find ourselves unable to avoid the distraction of our favorite apps or social media sites.

So while we know that all this distraction and multitasking is not good for your productivity, is it possible that it might actually be bad for your brain health? What impact does such a constant barrage of stimulation have on developing minds?

Multitasking certainly isn't anything new, but the constant streams of information from numerous different sources do represent a relatively new dimension to the multitasking puzzle.

Research Suggests Multitasking Impacts the Brain

It turns out even people who are considered heavy multitaskers are not actually very good at multitasking.

In one 2009 study, Stanford University researcher Clifford Nass found that people who were considered heavy multitaskers were actually worse at sorting out relevant information from irrelevant details. This is particularly surprising because it was assumed that this is something that heavy multitaskers would actually be better at. But that wasn't the only problem these high multitaskers faced. They also showed greater difficulty when it came to switching from one task to another and were much less mentally organized.

What was the most frightening about the results, Nass later suggested to NPR, was that these results happened even when these heavy multitaskers were not multitasking. The study revealed that even when these chronic multitaskers were focusing on just a single task, their brains were less effective and efficient.

"We studied people who were chronic multitaskers, and even when we did not ask them to do anything close to the level of multitasking they were doing, their cognitive processes were impaired. So basically, they are worse at most of the kinds of thinking not only required for multitasking but what we generally think of as involving deep thought," Nass told NPR in a 2009 interview.

So is the damage from multitasking permanent, or will putting an end to multitasking undo the damage? Nass suggested that while further investigations are needed, the current evidence suggests that people who stop multitasking will be able to perform better.

Experts also suggest that the negative impact of chronic, heavy multitasking might be the most detrimental to adolescent minds. At this age, in particular, teen brains are busy forming important neural connections.

Spreading attention so thin and constantly being distracted by different streams of information might have a serious, long-term, negative impact on how these connections form. While this is an area that still requires considerable research, experts believe that teens—those who often engage in media multitasking the most heavily—may be particularly vulnerable to any negative consequences of multitasking.

Minimizing the Negative Consequences

So what should you do to avoid the possible deleterious impact of multitasking?

According to Nass, limiting the amount of things you juggle at any given time to just two tasks.

Alternatively, he recommended what he referred to as the "20-minute rule." Instead of constantly switching back and forth from one task to another, try to fully devote your attention to one task for a 20-minute period before switching to the next task. So, instead of switching back and forth between writing a report for school and doing your math homework, spend 20-minutes on the one assignment before switching to focus your attention on the next.

But Multitasking Isn't Always a Bad Thing

According to a study by researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, multitasking might not always be all bad. Their work suggests that people who engage in media multitasking, aka using more than one form of media or type of technology at once, might be better at integrating visual and auditory information.

In the study published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, participants between the ages of 19 and 28 years of age were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their media usage. The participants then completed a visual search task both with and without and auditory sound to indicate when the item changed color.

Those who were media multitaskers performed better on the visual search when the auditory tone was presented, indicating that they were more adept at integrating the two sources of sensory information. Conversely, these heavy multitaskers performed worse than the light/medium multitaskers when the tone was not present.

There has been a considerable amount of research to date on the detrimental impacts of multitasking. People who switch between tasks tend to lose time and have problems staying on task, which has a negative impact on both productivity and performance. While multitasking still has its downsides, this research might indicate that our constant exposure to multiple forms of media might have some benefits.

"Although the present findings do not demonstrate any causal effect, they highlight an interesting possibility of the effect of media multitasking on certain cognitive abilities, multisensory integration in particular. Media multitasking may not always be a bad thing," the study's authors suggested.

Learn more about:

5 Ways Your Brain Plays Tricks On You

The Psychology of Attention

How Attentional Biases Influence Your Decisions

What Is Attentional Blink?

Sources:

Lui, K. F. H., & Wong, A. C. N. Does media multitasking always hurt? A positive correlation between multitasking and multisensory integration. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 2012. DOI: 10.3758/s13423-012-0245-7.

NPR. Multitasking may not mean higher productivity. Aug. 28 2009.

Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. D. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for the United States of America. 2009. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0903620106.

Rogers, R. & Monsell, S. (1995). The costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 1995;124:207-231.

Rubinstein, Joshua S.; Meyer, David E.; Evans, Jeffrey E. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 2001;27(4):763-797.


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Jun 19, 2013 5:07 pm
Instagram (2)
Miranda Cosgrove is so excited for Despicable Me 2, and we can't really blame her. Look at how awesome these pics are!
She took shots of the biggest minion ever, as well as some scenic photos in London with her little yellow pals.
Of course, she took a lot more pics when she was in Australia to promote the flick -- but give it time and we bet there will be a lot more awesomeness from across the pond!
Have you ever been to the U.K.? Are you excited for Despicable Me 2? Tell us in the comments!


text: Neil Williams <email@example.com> writes: > However, there is another issue here - if the device is multi-user, > most login managers cannot cope with a touchscreen keyboard. gpe-login > is one that can, gdm cannot. > > Having touchscreen keyboard support in X is good as long as the user > can log into their X environment first. > ;-) Recommends/Suggests? That would hint to having a meta package instead of a virtual one. MfG Goswin


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Contribute to TopGear
Have a story to tell or know of something we should cover? Send us your tip via the form below, or email us at toimitus(at)pmg.fi . If photo material is available, attach a link to it. We accept contributions to TopGear Suomi magazine and digital channels. In order to contribute, you must have the rights to any photo material you are sending. By submitting a contribution you allow TopGear to use the material in any way we may reasonably choose on a free-of-charge basis. We accept stories related to topics covered in the magazine; such as cars, supplies, technical issues, events, games, publications, electronics, etc.


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Help Desk ExchangeSubject: Help Desk
Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable
programs such as CFL 5.0, NHL 4.3, NBL 3.0 and NFL 3.6. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, to no avail. What can I do?
Reply from the Technical Side:
Dear Desperate,
First, keep in mind Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while husband 1.0 is an Operating System.
Try to enter the command: C:/ITHOUGHTYOULOVEDME" to download Tears 6.2, which should automatically install Guilt 3.0. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5, but remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.
WARNING: Beer 6.1 is a very nasty program that will create Snoring Loudly.
CAUTION: Whatever you do, do not install Mother-in-law 1.0 or reinstall another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. I personally recommend Hot Food 3.0 and Lingerie 7.7.
Good Luck,
Tech Support
P.S. Boyfriend 5.0 was also shareware and ran on many other platforms. Husband 1.0 is a single installation package and provides security options unavailable under Boyfriend 5.0.
I think my ex, the broom pilot overused some parts of that program and definitely ran the boyfriend 5.0 at the same time for thirty four years . But it's funny
LMHO Great :)
i ripped this joke off the net almost 9 years ago. ( when XP was the dominant O.S) so glad to see it's still floating around making people laugh. Kudos for making me reminisce.
Dear Madam, We understand your concern. However, your spouse also installed an upgrade from Girlfriend 10.0 to Wife 1.0 and suddenly went from a fantastic and imaginative sex life under Girlfriend 10.0 to Sex-once-a-month with Wife 1.0. This change has thrown his entire operating system out of whack, which almost certainly spread to and is affecting your Husband 1.0 App like a virus.
We recommend you install Lingerie V.i and Penthouse Variations 2.0. Together these will absolutely rid you of the virus and provide you with the virus-free Happy Marriage Synchronized OS running on both of your appliances.
Brill...love it :-)
Awesome post, Dinah! I applaud the Tech Support for enlightenment in my software!
It's a very funny story.
I think the head shakin' shook me real good because I don't even feel bad about it. Lol. For some unexplained reason, I can be funny about the whole thing.
Oh, I so know what that feels! I'm conscious about it, but I don't want it controlling what I do, my life. There are only moments of the Jack Nicholson face.
hahaha this is awesome! Thanks for posting!
Thank you, Dinah. Best holiday wishes for you, too.
OMG! So cute. I love it.
That was superb!, lol
That made me laugh... :) AWESOME!
This was hilarous thanks for the laugh
Yes, but it is a sad commentary on marriage too. Male people need to be taught that dating should start when you get married. That is how men stay married.
I totally agree. However, I think men need a little more instruction in this area from other men. The mentality that they only need to woo a woman before marrying is more prevalent in men. They think once they have her, the chase is over, when in reality, it has just begun.
Hi vibrante. Either that or don't move in together. Many such relationships break up but it is easier to deal with when you do not have to sell your house and car.
Very funny and yet so true.
Loved it! Thanks for sharing, Dinah!
Excellent! lol


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Welcome to MDpocket!
Please login or register and get access to your personal account with orders, wishlist and other settings.
New Customer? Start Here
Benefits of Registration for a MDpocket.com
- Receive exclusive discounts and shop faster.
- Notification of new products.
- Save your customized references to view and order later.
- Save your App preferences for MyHospital. The App to help you connect, communicate, and find hospital phone numbers you use every day.


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Labor Granville candidate Julia Finn has slammed the Baird government for ''wasting'' money on a ''shameless'' Opal advertising campaign while commuters in Wentworthville wait for a lift.
Ms Finn, a Parramatta councillor, joined state opposition leader John Robertson to criticise the government's $500,000 YouTube Opal card campaign, with its lycra-wearing "Opal Man", and to accuse Parramatta Liberal MP Geoff Lee of ''dropping the ball'' on his 2013 promise to Wentworthville commuters.
''Geoff Lee stood in the NSW parliament and thanked the local community and the Transport Minister for supporting this much needed upgrade,'' Ms Finn said. ''The community is still waiting.''
But Parramatta Liberal MP Geoff Lee told the Sun the former Labor government "had 16 years to do something about Wentworthville" and "not one of them ever did".
"In 2012, I worked closely with the Wentworthville business community to get over 11,000 signatures to petition for lifts for Wentworthville Station, a station that for 16 years was ignored by Labor," Dr Lee said.
"Now we're finally getting something done."
In June last year, the state government announced it would fund lifts for the station to make it accessible for wheelchair users, the elderly and people with prams.
On April 1 this year, Holroyd councillors Lisa Lake and Greg Cummings pushed for an official update on the project and timeline details from transport minister Gladys Berejiklian.
At the time, Cr Lake told the Sun a promise was made ''and we'd like it to be honoured''.
"People were anticipating something occurring this year,'' Cr Lake said.
One of the more than 11,000 signatories of a 2013 petition for the lifts, Wentworthville wheelchair user Peter Simpson, believed it would not happen for another five years.
"They give you the "oh, we've got to put out tenders for design," then "we've got to put out tenders for construction". Those things don't take 11 months,'' Mr Simpson said. "I work with architects and within a month they can have some good designs out there.''
In April, a spokesman for Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said ''detailed design'' work was underway for the upgrade, with planning approval documents to be placed on public exhibition ''later this year''.
"Concept designs are being completed now [April] to confirm the final scope of work," the spokesman said. "Details about project cost and timing will be available once the scope of works is confirmed and the tendering process completed."
On July 18, a Transport for NSW spokesman told the Sun: "Planning work is underway to deliver a multi-million dollar upgrade at Wentworthville Station. Transport for NSW is preparing to call tenders in the coming months for this major accessibility upgrade, which includes a new lift for customers."


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Location/ Address
The Westin Hotel
LAX 5400 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Can't make the show, but still want your items signed by Dan Severn? You can mail your items in to American Icon Autographs.
If your choose to mail your items in, be sure to contact American Icon Autographs as prices and scheduling are subject to change. Wrestler reserves the right to refuse any item.


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"The Monti is an extraordinary experience that goes beyond insightful storytellers and wonderful stories — but please don't come, it is hard enough to get tickets as it is." Dan Ariely, bestselling author of Predictably Irrational
The Monti is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that invites people from the community to tell personal stories without the use of notes. It's just simple storytelling. Each month, events are held around the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area and as far away as Greensboro. The goal is to create an intimate, open, and fun atmosphere where people can relate their personal experiences to one another through narrative. In April 2008, we debuted The Monti to a sold out crowd in Chapel Hill. We've been selling out shows ever since by inviting interesting people with amazing stories that amuse and compel. In March 2009, we launched an offshoot to The Monti called The Monti StorySLAM. This format, most similar to an Open Mic, invites people – anyone – to tell five-minute stories on a given theme of the night. Each night promises an unexpected and refreshing night of provocative entertainment.
The Monti Board of Directors
Ed Boltz, Chair
- Noah Rosenblatt-Farrell
- Sarah Ford, Secretary
- Carter Kersh, Treasurer
Jeff Polish
- Motorco Music Hall
- The ArtsCenter in Carrboro
- Raleigh Little Theatre
- The Crown at The Carolina Theatre
Print media
News & Observer
- Welcome to The Monti, July 20, 2008
- Elizabeth Edwards Shares Story, May 9, 2010
Go Triad
- The Monti Takes on Greensboro, August 27, 2008
- Tell Us a Story, April 16, 2009
- NC Writer Returns to Storytelling Roots, April 15, 2010
- The Monti Brings Unpredictability to Triad, July 22, 2010
The Independent
Chapel Hill Magazine
Durham Magazine
Southern Living – COMING SOON
Radio and TV appearances
The State of Things on WUNC
- The Monti, April 22, 2008
- The Best of The Monti, December 25, 2009
- The Monti StorySLAM, November 25, 2009
The Monti Radio Special hosted by Jeff Polish
News 14 Carolina


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Makan-makan : Delicious Steak and Mushroom Pie at Cameron Highlands
Despite my maddening morning sickness, we went on a terrific holiday at Cameron Highlands two weeks ago. In case you haven't heard I really love that place for the cool weather, the pretty flowers and the fresh fruits. This time it was much better because we stayed at a very nice hotel – The Strawberry Park Resort.
So much I want to write about the holiday but first! The most important part of any vacations at all.. is definitely – MAKAN-MAKAN!
Hehe, after we checked in at the Strawberry Park, instead of going to check out our room, I insist to check on their famous pies. In the afternoons, freshly baked pies are served at Jim Thompson Terrace and if the weather permits we can enjoy them at the Garden Terrace.
They have many to choose from like Cornish Pie, Leek and Potato, Traditional Chicken Pie, Chicken Cordon Blue etc. We ended up ordering Steak and Mushroom (RM18.00) and Strawberry Pie (RM18.00).
Here is my sweet strawberry pie! Pretty and delicious! Once you break the puff pastry, the fresh strawberry filling came oozing out.. The pie is also served with french fries and strawberry and cream. My favorite way of eating masam Cameron berries. hehe
Azman ordered Steak and Mushroom Pie, and I am telling it's so good! They serve it with salad, french fries and gravy to go with the pie. The beef is tender and the mushroom so succulent. I love it!
Steak and Mushroom Pie
Tuang gravy kasi banjir! Yumss
Here are some photos of us at the Garden Terrace. I simply love outdoor dining and enjoying our afternoon tea with hot freshly baked pie at the garden is such a bliss. Strawberry Park Resort has lovely garden in its compound with exotic highland flowers that I simply love. But Miki got really freaked out with this plant. It's a common garden plant that we can see in the low land as well, but here in the cool weather, the flowers grow so big! haha
That's me and Chimiki!
At the entrance to the cool and breezy Garden Terrace. We will be back for more Steak and Mushroom Pie! Wait for us! 🙂


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Posted Wed Oct 5th by Monty
The Denver Broncos' schedule hasn't done them any favors. They're 1-3 and just coming away from a blowout loss in Green Bay. Things are down, fans are up in arms… but there are still signs this team is heading in the right direction. Let's see if those below elevation 5,280 agree. (Previous week's ranking in parenthesis)
ESPN: 27th (26)
Hosting the Chargers should be a more reasonable gauge than traveling to Green Bay was.
FOX: 27th (26)
The interceptions will bring about the end of Kyle Orton in Denver quicker than anything else will. No shame in losing to the Packers in Green Bay, but the upcoming San Diego and Detroit games may put them over the edge.
CBS: 28th (26)
It's hard to blame the quarterback for the defensive woes. Can Tebow play linebacker?
National Football Post: 26th (25)
John Fox's defense was exposed in the loss to Rodgers and the Packers.
Walter Football: 25th (25)
The electronic sign didn't convince John Fox to start Tim Tebow.
Nice try, Bronco fans. Next time, try something more drastic. I don't know, maybe like buying (renting?) an elephant, getting it "excited," having it splooge all over Fox's car, dipping your finger into the substance and writing "TEBOW MUST START." That might get Fox's attention
(Ed. note: We tried that, it didn't work either).
The Computers
USA Today Covers: 26th (24)
Power Ratings compute offensive and defensive statistics into one number for each team, while accounting for factors like recent performances and strength of schedule.
WhatIfSports: 25th (27)
WhatIfSports.com utilizes its football simulation to rank all 32 NFL teams. To come up with the rankings, each team plays every other team 10,000 times


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America's Got Talent Review: Searching for Jackie Evanchoby Radio Blah Blah at . Comments
Is there another Jackie Evancho out there? That's what America's Got Talent was hoping for last night, as it gave us a special performance show based on YouTube submissions...
TNC Elite - The choice of a slowed down version of "I Got a Feeling" was weird. I hated the costumes and the fact that there were unnecessary backup dancers. Like normal clogging teams, they were sharp in synchronization, formations, or timing. The solo section without music was the best part, but it defeated the reason for them using contemporary music. My Grade: C
Illusionist Brett Daniels - Brett was a washed out magician who decided to use a 15-year-old trick; it reeked of desperation. The setup took too long and when the curtain almost failed, I expected the worst. The dancing was a waste of time, the book flipping pages was stupid, and the robe setup was too long. While Marilyn disappeared amazingly at the end, it needed better timing. My Grade: C-
Gabe Rocks - Gabe Rocks (above) knows how to flush a toilet, so he wins in my book. The beginning took long, but it was so cute watching him ride a rocking horse; then he peed on Piers. What the skateboard had to do with the whole cowboy motif was beyond me, but that was his trademark. My Grade: B+Aeon - The parkour group needed to add a wheel and dance moves, which made people who like to flip on the sides of buildings even more awkward on stage. The beginning had mugging instead of tricks. The ring dancing seemed interesting, but seems par for the course with gymnastic/Cirque du Solei style groups. My Grade: C+
Breena Bell - There is something about Breena that reminds me of Toddlers and Tiaras where she has some talent and her mother was directing her from backstage. She had one plus: no backup dancers. The whole routine looked like a pageant talent portion and all she needed was a spray tan. She's a good contortionist, but not a winning act. My Grade: C
Kevin Colis - Picking "The Lazy Song" wasn't the smartest choice; it made him seem equally lazy. The props were boring and he didn't do anything to help, if he was lazy, why was there luggage? He looked like Justin Guarini with a guitar. The performance wasn't bad, it was just sleepy. My Grade: B-
Beth Ann Robinson - Beth Ann had one picture of her with a crown and a sash, so I was worried that part of the performance was going to be pageant cliché. She clearly had a choreographer help her. There were some steps that didn't transition well, but her turns and spins were strong. I could see her becoming a So You Think You Can Dance contestant in three or four years. My Grade: B+
Gymkana - The University of Maryland group started off with a routine similar to their audition piece but sharper and with better difficulty. I liked the tumbling, but the real stars were the six girls on the ladders and the three men in the center. My Grade: A-
Kalani Basketball Freestyle - Kalani was the one man Globetrotter with an alien theme. The tricks were interesting, even though the camera wasn't the best at showing the tricks. The juggling was boring and a waste of time. He dropped the ball when he attempted the double ball spin, but the use of the fire and the dancers was smart. My Grade: C-
West Springfield Dance Team - The dance team likes doing dark intense performances, but their concept looked less scary and more like a Matrix-style performance with contacts. I don't like Dub Step, and there were too many dancers combined with too many camera angles. I wasn't scared, but I was impressed by their choice of formations and tutting. My Grade: B+
Matt Wilhelm - There are a lot of BMX-ers with the ability to do tricks, but adding neon and black lights was smart. The performance started as a dancing bicycle and it didn't translate well on television because it could have been a bike on strings. The performance switched to just Matt on a black bike and it only worked because it looked like he was flying. The performance got good when you saw both parts together. My Grade: A-
Powerhouse - Powerhouse is the definition of a show choir. If you watch Glee, Powerhouse is less of New Directions and more of Vocal Adrenaline. The costumes were distracting and unlike Glee there were too many voices muffling the whole song. I liked the hand fireworks. The solo vocalist wasn't the strongest and you could hear when everyone was out of breath. It was a bit too Amusement Park performance for me. My Grade: B-


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Winter coats online shopping is most websites like to provide during autumn and winter season. For this season Wintercoats-online.com offers you special and exclusive collection for stylish winter coats online for men, women, and even kids style. Plus you can still get many advantages from online shopping. Winter coats online … Read More →
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Women's winter coats with hoods can be a damn good looking fashion if you know how to wear it. Hoodie coat or jacket gives the image of funky, cool, casual, and a bit boyish. Thus, women's winter coats with hoods type is better to wear by young women probably aged … Read More →
Winter Coats for Petite Women with Gorgeous Style
Winter coats for petite women and gorgeous style are now available in both online and also land based stores. Made with high quality fabric, you won't feel cold anymore during winter. They are famous and always able to release latest design for stylish women like you. So, are you ready … Read More →
Best Winter Coats for Women, Make Your Cold Dating Warm
Best winter coats for women means we are going to shop for hottest trend and beautiful design coats ever. Women always mind what they wear, no matter whether it is about jewelries, shoes, bags, clothes, and also outwear. Thus, selecting best winter coats for women is important so that you … Read More →
Guys Winter Coats, Choose The Best Fabric
Guys winter coats is specially designed for young age fashion outfit. Coats are much needed especially when people want to go out in the evening in every season except summer. Because you cannot show your dress or clothes when you wear a coat, it is definitely important to choose cool … Read More →
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Young men's winter coats are specially designed to keep you looks cool in extra cold weather. Boy, being fashionable does not merely mean to show your body shape and hot chest. Below are some selection you can choose for cool young men's winter coats and jacket selection to equip your … Read More →
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Warm winter coats for women will keep you safe during cold weather, rainy season, autumn, and winter. If you go outside without wearing warm winter coats for women you may catch a cold. Even driving their own car, it is better to do safety protecting by still wearing warm winter … Read More →
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Long winter coats for women become the most wanted items people looking in December. As Christmas and New Year come closer, you will get lot of party invitations. It means you need gorgeous long winter coats for women to protect your body especially at night. Long winter coats for women … Read More →
Tips to Buy Winter Jackets for Men on Sale
Winter jackets for men on sale are the best opportunity you have to pick because you can get great price deal as well. Usually during December or end of month we can find a lot of winter jackets for men on sale in department store and this is time for … Read More →
Men's Casual Winter Coats for Active Man
Men's casual winter coats is the must have items to prepare in this winter season. We understand that active men like you have a lot of activities and job to do outside. Thus, wearing comfortable men's casual winter coats will help your body keeps warm while doing your activities out … Read More →


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Now it appears that IBM, working in conjunction with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology may have cooked up another weapon in the fight -- nanoparticles which polymerize into structures that are able to attack MRSA bacteria without harming the healthy tissue around it.
Once these polymers come into contact with water in or on the body, they self assemble into a new polymer structure that is designed to target bacteria membranes based on electrostatic interaction and break through their cell membranes and walls. The physical nature of this action prevents bacteria from developing resistance to these nanoparticles.
The electric charge naturally found in cells is important because the new polymer structures are attracted only to the infected areas while preserving the healthy red blood cells the body needs to transport oxygen throughout the body and combat bacteria.
Unlike most antimicrobial materials, these are biodegradable, which enhances their potential application because they are naturally eliminated from the body (rather than remaining behind and accumulating in organs).
Conceptually, this seems like a very promising approach, and I'm interested to see what the results of clinical trials are. If this works, it's not just a breakthrough in treating a horrible disease -- it's a potential alternative to antibiotics, period. That's a valuable thing, because already, the medical community has been bracing for the post-antibiotic era, where major diseases have adapted to every antibiotic in our arsenal. If technology similar to this is able to be used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, a lot of pain and suffering might be averted.
Thanks to Next Big Future for the links.


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What was hot. . . and what was not
HOT: Big phones:If you thought the Samsung Note 2 was a hefty-screened device, you haven't seen anything yet. This year saw the march of the massive mobile phones, with Huawei showing off its 6-inch screen monster Mate and LG, meanwhile, went to 4.7 inches with its new Optimus G.
And they weren't the only ones. ZTE's Grand Memo comes with a 5.7-inch screen. The line between the phone and the tablet is blurring even more.
Samsung, meanwhile, went the other way, by slimming its Note tablet down to 8 inches in size, but added the ability to make voice calls on the device. Insert your own Trigger Happy TV joke here.
Gesture recognition
The Kinect effect continues to be seen in electronics, with companies demonstrating different ways we could be interacting with our devices in years to come.
On Intel's stand in the App hall (above), Tobii was demonstrating eye tracking and gesture recognition that allowed you to flip through and select photos. GestureTek was also at it, showing off some technology for Android and Symbian developers that allows them to build motion and object tracking into games and applications.
And if Israel's Eyesight Technologies interface becomes more common, we will soon be able to interact with devices by simply pointing at the screen. A generation of couch potatoes could be in the offing.
Near Field Communication
Whether it was at Sony's booth, where the company was using the NFC tags to do everything from back up your photos to a hard drive to making a speaker play music files stored on your phone, or around the conference where you could enter with an NFC badge or get more information from NFC-enabled posters elsewhere, everyone was going for it in a big way. Attendees could even register for one of MWC's official phones, the Xperia T, which gave you a chance to try NFC out for yourself. The future, it seems, is contactless, paperless and cashless.
Budget electronics
We're in a global recession, yet it seems that mobile phone and tablet makers keep churning out the high-end electronics, and we keep on buying them. But this year, it seems that some manufacturers are realising that there are some consumers who may not be in a position to splash that much cash around. Nokia unveiled some more budget-friendly Lumia Windows Phone handsets (above), while HP's Android Slate 7 is also a more wallet-friendly alternative for those on the lookout for a tablet.
Waterproof electronics
For years, we knew that water is death to electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets. And if you wanted something that would withstand the elements, you had to buy a "rugged" device that looked like someone had encased it in foam for its own safety. But not anymore, it seems. Everyone is jumping on the water-resistant bandwagon, with Sony merrily dunking its new Tablet Z (above), Fujitsu producing a waterproof Windows 8 device and companies such as Loksak willing to cover everything else.
NOT: 3D:Remember a few years ago when you couldn't move at trade shows for people telling you how 3D was the future?
Well, not this year. There was a reappearance of the technology at a few stands, but for the most part this year was remarkably free of executives extolling the virtues of having 3D on the go, or staring at 3D tablets until your eyes went a bit funny.
The no-shows
In particular, the absence of Google's Android stand – the one place for the past two years that you knew you would see some interesting products and services, pick up some collectable badges, and take a quick jaunt down a slide while clutching your free juice from the juice bar.
Google, we're not mad, we're just disappointed.
The "wow" moments
There were very few product announcements made at the show that actually took people by surprise.
If it hadn't been leaked in advance of the big reveal, it had already been announced by the company themselves. HTC held its own event in London only last week to unveil the HTC One; Samsung is planning an unpacked event in two weeks' time.
That doesn't mean we didn't enjoy the show, but a few surprises should always be included to keep us interested.
The queues
If you've been to Mobile world Congress, then you know. You queue to get in, you queue to get out. And in between, you queue for what seems like hours for food.
But PayPal this year had a brilliant idea: give people a QR code that lets them place a lunch order, pay with PayPal and they can pick it up from an express line. Which is allegedly quicker. Genius.
For every great product you saw, there were more that you know either will never see the light of day, or will sink without a trace for various reasons.
Some are disappointing to see go; others, not so much. We won't name names.


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The practice of Dr Jay has a dentist and an oral hygienist, together they work as a team to ensure the best possible treatment plan is followed. The practice is very child and patient friendly, here patients can be at ease. We treat patients from young to old and each to their own specific need. The dentist and oral hygienist treats the health/state of the mouth but it is also looked at from a cosmetic side, this promotes well-being.
Expertise as Oral Hygienist:
Scale and Polish
Fluoride treatments
Bleaching/ teeth whitening
Fissure sealants
Bite plates
This practice hasn't received any recommendations yet.
This Practitioner has not published any rates.


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I hope you all had the most wonderful weekend. I am proud to say "I finished my Christmas Shopping this Weekend!" I should actually write… I am proud to "SHOUT" that! I have never finished this early. Ya ya… I know half way through December isn't really that early, but I normally finish MOST of my shopping at the beginning of December and then have a few odds and ends to pick up all the way up through Christmas Eve. Not this year! Wahoo!
Ok… I got that out of my system! Thank you for reading my rant. Let's get on to the blog party! Of course, I would like to start by featuring a few of the most popular posts from last week.
Snowflakes and Dragonflies had the holiday decor creativity flowing again with more Glitter Christmas Light Bulbs. I love these for filler, scattered in a tablescape, or worked into a wreath. I cannot get enough of them!
Shabby Love did it again! I love SO many of Melissa's posts that I am never surprised when her links are of the most visited. This week she shared a fun and festive Rustic Tree Topper Tutorial. I am definitely copying this idea for the Texas themed tree I am putting together.
And The Creative Imperative shared a BEAUTIFUL Ruffled Christmas Tree Skirt she made! I have seen so many of these fabulous ruffled shirts this year (on people and trees!) and just love them. Jamie's turned out great and I love the striped fabric she chose.
Made in a Day shared a great technique for creating high end Ornament Cluster Arrangements without the high price tag! This is such a versatile idea that can be used in SO many places around the home!
And to leave you with something to make your mouth water, check out Mom on Timeout's Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies. Only one word is needed to describe how these look… YUM!
I cannot wait to see what you have been up to this week! The rules for linking up are the same as always.
- Please become a follower of Home Savvy via GFC in the sidebar. (Sometimes GFC is moody and doesn't appear. If you refresh the screen it should pop up.)
- It isn't mandatory, but if you Facebook, I would love for you to "like" Home Savvy on FB by clicking here. If you have a blog of your own, please leave a comment on my Facebook wall so I can visit you too!
- Any (appropriate) idea goes in my book. Crafting, restoration, recipes, tutorials, need to knows… if it is a post you are proud of, please share!
- Please link back to HomeSavvyAtoZ.com on your post or site (find a button here or url, whatever you prefer). This will help spread the word about Savvy HomeMade Monday. The more the merrier right?!?
- Visit some of your fellow party goers and share the blog love!


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Cap'n Republic of Libertalia
Taking a break! Interested in crewing? Feel free to get in touch for next season!
First, a word of warning: Due to my proverbial laziness, I will have to catch up on nearly 2,000 nautical miles of sailing, spread out across 7 months of unadulterated leisure in 11 countries of the Caribbean. Our incidental stay in Carriacou due to an implosion of the mechanics of my Italian-made anchorwinch capstan turned into rather a pleasant affair. We found some friends locally, L, the village puncheon rum aficionado for want of a better word, and a charmer with a big heart, C, a fisherman, who brought us back to our floating home in the middle of the night when dinghy #1 "big willy" had disappeared (this was probably due to a faulty bowline, it was found offshore by another fisherman by sheer luck), and of course R and F. They run the office, a beach bar which probably originally went by some beach bar type name, but was rechristened by us in virtue of having turned into our base of operations. It was also the setting for endless "Danish 500s". We invented this card game, and rules changed frequently by common consent.
Eventually, following two disappointing orders of the wrong parts through some sort of online chandlery, we ended up ordering the required stainless steel bits off the rack in the US. Christine booked a flight home and actually departed; luckily her itinerary included staying over on my friend Harald's boat, who kindly delivered the Danish princess back to the Republic. I had met Harald in Brazil the previous year, and we ended up buddy boating with him for much of the windward isles, starting with a day's motoring to Union Island at the rear end of St Vincent.
I had already been told in Trini that the islands get worse all the way up to the Bahamas, and St Vincent turned out to be a less friendly, more touristy version of Grenada. We anchored in a gloriously pretty and barely inhabited bay on the Western side, and I went for a day trip to the capital to check us into the country. The next day, we motorsailed up to Mayreau to visit the Tobago Keys, a legendarily pretty destination.
Mayreau was a rather ugly collection of t-shirt and ethno-deco vendors, a classic symptom of the cruise ship problem. The industry involves dumping thousands of ancient consumers from industrialised countries in tiny communities, before herding them back to the boat for dinner, most likely to make sure they spass all their drinking money aboard. This locust type tourism has all sorts of less savoury effects. I had seen the say no to child prostitution posters at the airport while checking in, and I was offered a blowjob but a half-grown child on my way up the hill.
The Tobago Keys were just as pretty as advertised, and overrun by charter boatists. We landed on one of the keys, spotted an enormous lizard, took some pretty postcard photos for our friends enjoying December in one of the misleadingly named temperate climate zones, and left for Canouan.
Canouan looked like a friendlier face of St Vincent; sadly, we were actually in a hurry to meet Henning in Martinique. We had a few lagers, got some water, and set off for the 2 day trip to Martinique. We ran into a nasty, huge front just off Saint Lucia, a type of tropical wave, which drove us back towards the main island of St Vincent for 10 hours, and by the time we got to Martinique, we were all thoroughly knackered.
Fort-de-France was a rather pleasing bit of Europe, a bit of France in the tropics, a friendlier, more colourful version. Flags were at half mast commemorating Mandela's death, and there was a big service in the catholic cathedral. We had several cheese orgies and got through an endless series of large red wine cartons. It being the festive period, we were also partying quite a bit. This proved an expensive exercise; Oscar's bank card absconded on a late-night kebab mission, and I paid EUR 12 for a tiny shot of rum, which amused me so much that I decided to order a couple more then and there. We ended up drinking in a Dominican whorehouse that night, mostly because they had the best music.
We switched across the bay to Trois Islets, a classic touristy destination, went for walks, and enjoyed some very fast internet from an unnamed source I managed to pick up from the perimeter of the bay.
We also did some investigating of an abandoned hotel, and an entirely overgrown, second world-war fort at the tip of the tiny peninsula.
We went for a stopover in a lovely village on the west coast on our way north towards Dominica, St-Pierre. We spent Christmas here, since the boat was mostly Scandinavian-atheist this season, this was a rather leisurely affair. In fact, I can't even remember what it was like, particularly.
A few days later, we decided to sail up to Dominica, which was to be our last destination in the windward islands. The constant reggae, fried chicken, and religious lunacy had taken its toll, and I was rather keen to get to the hispanic side of the Caribbean. Oscar, who had been to Dominica before, put in a good word for it, we held a popular vote, and off we went.
We arrived just before the new year for some good old-fashioned eco-tourism. Dominica was as beautiful as Oscar had advertised, and we enjoyed some fantastic day trips to waterfalls with hot springs, waterfalls without hot springs, and just hot springs. The island is excessively trimmed for tourists. The little kids greet any strangers by saying "welcome to Dominica, enjoy your stay" in an almost involuntary, robot-like manner; I suspect it's drilled into them at school in the same way our North American cousins have to sing their national anthem every 15 minutes. The dingy dock and buoys are off a less privileged suburb of the capital. We first attempted to anchor, but I soon discovered that the steeply shelving bottom consists of large pebbles, and an early morning squall a few hours after arrival had us very nearly colliding with a large and expensive-looking German yacht.
The dinghy dock and buoys were run by a confessed ex-crack addict, the weapon of choice on this side of Roseau, the Dominican capital. He had a bit of a temper, and we didn't really get on. I suspect the whole island suffers detrimental side-effects of the cruise ship locust disease. On some days, two cruise ships docked at Roseau, towering over a town and spilling lots of rich, middle-aged to ancient gringos into the town for quick excursions to the key waterfalls. Roseau was "switched on" for such alien landings, with reggae bars blaring dancehall and ethnic decoration vendors out en force; when there weren't any ships, the town turned to a sleepy, almost comatose state. Walking to town on one of the public holidays, we were greeted by a sole local, who shouted "the capital city is closed!".
The Dominicans were even more religious than the other islands, with various protestant brands competing for souls. New Year's Eve turned out to be a bit of a disaster by Western standards. There were brief fireworks at 12, and then everybody went to bed. Except for the churchgoers, who appeared to be holding midnight masses for our Lord Baby Jesus. We ended up in the only functioning bar in our suburb for a little party with the other gringos, sailors and expats.
The five-day, 500 mile stroll up to the Dominican Republic was nightmarish; we had good winds, but there was a nasty, confused swell seemingly coming from all directions. The trades in the western Atlantic were rather strong, and I suspect the 4-metre swell turned messy while feeding through the windward chain. "When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead", as Hemingway reportedly said, however, there was very little fun being had.
It was good to get back into the Hispanic side of the Americas, even though Boca Chica, the suburb of Santo Domingo where the marinas are located, was next to what amount to little more than a hotspot for (mostly Italian) sex-tourists. We toured the capital, and I had our bow-sprit replaced and welded back together, another result of our horrible ride here. Harald panicked and turned back to the windward chain; I heard from him days later, he had landed on the ABCs close to Venezuela due to adverse winds instead.
Henning left for Europe, and we were joined by Rebecca a brief visit, and hopped down the south coast in the hopes of more authenticity, stopping first at Salinas, a place where small-scale salt production has been operative since Spanish times. This was much more pleasant, only surpassed by Barahona near the western end of the south coast of the Dominican Republic.
We entered at night following the (working!) buoys, anchored near the yacht club at the top of the harbour, and settled in a for a few weeks' leisure activities. Rebecca departed, and Robert joined us here. This pretty, medium-sized town was entirely tourist-less, and we had our fun partying this town in spite of the Marsian stares. I had already been warned about the enormous levels of corruption in this country. A chain of US-supported dictators robbed the country blind for decades, and the current president is hiding billions in offshore havens. Predictably, this translates down the ranks, and the navy in Boca Chica shook me down for an undefined fee the abject officer in charge of the laughable shack next to the fishing harbour had apparently just made up. I declined payment, and he took me aside for a rather strange conversation, where he was apparently insinuating that he would complicate my affairs if I didn't "cooperate". This standoff went on for some time, until he lost patience and issued the "despacho".
Getting the international despacho for Haiti in Barahona was even worse; the officer in charge was running his own bar opposite the slightly more impressive barracks, and he turned up drunk. We had an endless discussion where I even threatened to travel to Santo Domingo to get my despacho from the Admiralty themselves, even though I'm sure they would have just been more expensive. I was also under time pressure and finally caved in. He got his USD 25 for a hand-written receipt I extracted against massive resistance on his part, and pretty much entirely for comedy value.
Ile à Vache, Haiti, Francophone and poorest country and the first to gain independence after a slave revolt, turned out a lovely and deeply exotic place. The locals go out fishing on sailing canoes, or grow their own food; the economy is just about cashless, and people seemed rather pleased with their lot.
But Ile à Vache is changing fast, and apparently the entire village of Port Morgan is to be moved for an airport and hotel construction project, initiated by the president and a Spanish pop star by the name of Iglesias. The locals are not very impressed at all, and their protests have triggered a permanent presence of the Haitian military on the island. On a long walk around the island, I actually got pulled over by a local who said he doesn't like tourists. It took me some time to explain to him and his angry looking, well-built friends that I'm not the type of tourist they're building hotels and airports to; after all, sailing vessels have been coming and going for decades if not centuries. After all, Port Morgan was once allegedly the hideout of the infamous pirate Captain Morgan (arrrr!).
We had another harsh passage to Cuba. We actually shipped quite a lot of water, and the bilge pump packed up. Christine's joke "What are you sinking about?" was still funny though. We arrived in Santiago de Cuba battered and tired, and we were consigned to the boat until the police had checked us in. Really existing socialism might be a fine idea in principle, but the type of communism they've got going here seemed to primarily involved a lot of uniforms and a very thorough search of the boat. They were extremely polite, proper, and rather gleeful when they found 12 cannabis seeds. I informed them that it was probably part of someone's muesli, after all, hippy boats attract muesli eaters, but apparently Cuban law takes rather a dim view of muesli ingredients. I was charged with possession of an illegal substance and had to pay USD 200. I got a receipt for my 12 and 4 halves of seeds.
Cuba is actually a dual economy country at this time; there are two currencies, and everyone wants to get hold of currency number two, the convertible, which is, as the name suggests, convertible into US Dollars. A local elite has formed, and, since all salaries are paid in local pesos, their money for cars and parties must be ill-gotten. Faced with growing discontent and emigration to the nearby heart of darkness, the Cuban government is making all sorts of compromises. Overall, coming from Haiti, I was rather impressed with the achievements of the planned economy. Some of the public health and life expectancy indicators are better than in the neighbouring developed economies (specifically the US), and everybody has housing, food, running water, and sanitation, which was not the case in Haiti.
Sadly the Swedish twins, easily the most competent crew I've had, left, and my friend Richard and Stacey arrived. They immediately devised and played a bowling drinking game together with Robert, whereby the loser had to drink absurd amounts of rum every round. We generally had a superb time in Santiago. Since Raul Castro's reforms, boatists are only allowed in marinas, probably an attempt to control the incessant people smuggling. We stopped over at a tiny fishing village, I managed to obtain special permission from the coast guard to go to shore and buy water, and we met some fishermen in the mangroves. They snorkeled to our boat, and we traded cigarettes for fish and vegetables with them.
We failed to land at the Jardines de la Reina on the Southern side of Cuba, again due to a nasty cold front coming down from the Gulf of Mexico, and I diverted to Cayo Largo instaed. This package holiday destination is a fantastically beautiful Key (Cayo) with a couple of all inclusive hotels, and we ended up enjoying the buffets and all inclusive cocktails for a couple of weeks.
Sadly, we once again ran into trouble with the Cuban authorities, when a late night bar incident led to our expulsion from Cuba. The crew left for La Havanna to get their flights back, and I set off for Mexico with Christine. We made another entirely illegal stopover at the Western end of Cuba, where I sought shelter from a front in bay. We caught two tuna at the same time, ran into the furious secret police on shore, and were told not to land in random villages again under the threat of arrest. This was quite enough Cuba for me, and we left in the morning in spite of a gale warning for the Canal de Yucatan, which separates Cuba from Mexico.
En route, having received weather information via my sat phone (thanks Mike!), I decided to avoid the gale and diverted south straight towards Honduras. The 500 nautical mile journey took us 5 days, and I employed a rather relaxed style of sleeping for most of the night in the face of mild weather and zero traffic. A decade or so ago, I had done some diving around Utila, and it was lovely to come back and see how the place had developed. We stayed for Semana Santa, or Semana Loca as the locals like to call it, and partied with the backpackers and Hondurans.
Another month went by, and we decided to head to Guatemala to park the boat for Hurricane season and a much-needed holiday from the camping lifestyle. We checked in at interesting Livingston, inhabited by Garifuna, who were originally exiled to nearby Roatan from St Vincent by the British following a revolt, and who ended up settling the bay of Honduras up to Belize. Their langauge is a mixture of French, Spanish, and, amazingly, Arawak, the language of the natives Columbus encountered and decimated upon arrival in the windward islands, stating, perhaps with a bit of cynicism, that they "don't fight well".
We travelled up Rio Dulce for 20 miles or so. Fronteras, or Rio Dulce, a tiny village in an idyllic setting in the middle of the jungle, was a nice place to finish the tour. We anchored here for a few weeks to sort out the formalities and park boaty up on the hard at marina Nana Juana. That's all.
The return to Trinidad for a couple of weeks of work on the boat quickly turned into quite a jolly affair. We attended a huge party called "WeTT Republic", which involved extra loud soca music, lots of watercannon action, and, predictably, the death of another mobile phone. I also had the privilege of attending the première of a film starring my Trini friend Khafra R in the scope of the annual film festival. I had met Khafra on the ferry to Tobago just before I left for my annual European break. We had run into each other at parties a few times, and made friends by sharing a ferry-sized bottle of puncheon rum (that's 69% toxin) on the aft deck, discussing Trinidad, life, women, and the universe.
We were then invited to appear as extras in a dramatised documentary film about the 1940s steel pan movement, featuring as US sailors looking to pick up hookers in a bar, a role that came as naturally to our good selves as Austrian Arnie playing insane robots in the classic if slightly silly Terminator movies. The area of Chaguaramas, now firmly in the hold of the yachting industry, used to be leased out to the US Navy. Apparently the steel pans used to be made out of oil drums from the industry, and the colonial powers took a bit of a dim view upon this art form. Luckily independence was soon to ensure that the locals got to enjoy their oil drums freely - along with their precious content.
Trinidadian culture is an exciting mixture of African and Indian culture. The former colonial overlords, the English in this case, brought indented workers from rural India to replace the freed slaves, who elected to work on their own smallholdings over wage labouring on the big plantations they had literally been slaving on pro bono for centuries. Much like the current generation of Angloamerican University students, the indented labourers were invited to do a bit of gardening for a pittance, money much needed to feed their loans. The convenient side effect to all this is a lovely breakfast option called doubles, an Indian dish made of roti-type pancakes, chickpeas, and hot pepper sauce. Weeks of experimentation have shown that they are best enjoyed with cranbery water.
Before too long, crew trundled in in the form of Oscar W and Jonas O, whose professional training in the nautical black arts quickly earned them the title "the dream team", and charming Christine H, preferred form of address "her royalty", since she likes to claim she is in fact a wayward Danish Princess. My local friend Kemi kindly took us on an excursion to a local waterfall, a great excuse to get the machete out. Not that the practically wheelchair accessible trail leading up the river would have required it.
Following the application of a lovely port-hole styling and plenty of fiddling, we launched boaty around my birthday. Annoyingly, the overhauled injector was playing up, and we had to redock at the nearest pontoon with the help of a 25 hp fishing vessel. Drifting down Coral Cove marina in swampy Chaguaramas without an engine and at the mercy of an undersized outboard is most certainly the single scariest moment of boating I've done. The obligatory docking lagers quickly dissolved the panic-induced adrenaline. I don't really believe nor do I particularly enjoy birthdays, christmases, new years, nor any other sort of annual must-dos, however, this gave me the privilege of dictating that weekend's party protocol.
I elected to go to a J'ouvert event called China Town, which is really a Trinidadian pre-carneval party commencing at 0300 at night. One of the objectives at this event is smearing oneself and anyone else with paint. I've lately seen the European events industry picking up on this as a fantastic excuse for saucy facebook pics. The other objective is wining, the main local dance. In difference to the dreaded Latin-American Salsa, this is a rather straightforward dance where the female, leading party reverses her backside into the male's pelvic area and girates and bounces around. The male part appears to be to graciously accept the dance. I am pleased to report that the crew did well.
Once the injector decided to cooperate, time to move on it was. I had also purchased a cheap inflatable christened FREE WILLY by Christine, and swapped MINIME for a large Carib dinghy generally known as BIG WILLY with my Frenchie friend Jean-Marc. Our practically Trinidadian American expat fisherman and party buddy Travis gave us some fishing tackle (thanks!) and we set off for a quick overnighter towards the Republic of Grenada north-by-northwest of Tobago. Oscar and Jonas proved to be more capable sailors than myself, which, while being no mean feat, made for a comfortable, some might even say lazy journey for me.
We did a bit of good old-fashioned tourism in Grenada, visiting the Fort of the capital Fort George by sheer coincidence on the 30th commemoration of the assassination of leftist president Maurice Bishop by right wing coupists (does that word exist? it does now). This Cuban supported progressive experiment thus came to an end, culminating in the 1983 US invasion under ex-cowboy actor and then-president Reagon. Amusingly enough, Hunter S Thompson covered the coup, as Christine discovered in her Thompson biography.
We relocated to Carriacou just north of Grenada. Our anchor winch imploded upon arrival; a quick inspection showed that we were just lacking a few bearings, which we ordered from St Maarten. Carriacou is a lovely-sized island with 10k very gently-spoken inhabitants.
They say you can get "good-stuck" or "bad-stuck" with the everlasting boating problems, and we chose the former, snorkelling lots..
.. befriending both locals and dogs..
.. on sundays, we sail at "paradise beach" - which sort of deserves its name..
.. went to a Pentecostal church service, got a fire, brimstone, and perfection sermon in.
We should be back on the road in the next couple of days :)


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After a busy fall semester, Homework Hotline is closing for the holidays, giving its tutors and volunteers a chance to catch their breaths.
The Middle Tennessee telephone tutoring service says it answered 13,103 calls from more than 4,400 unduplicated callers. With most of them — including those from parents — problems were resolved, according to summary reports released this week. (Download attachment below.)
Homework Hotline provides one-on-one free tutoring by phone to Middle Tennessee students and parents — helping students acheive, one assignment at a time. With Homework Hotline, students tackle new concepts, complete challenging assignments, and gain academic skills.
The free service — powered through donations from Dell Computers, AT&T, TriStar Health System, Metro Schools, Sonic Drive-Ins and others — resumes on Jan. 6.
According to Homework Hotline, students who get the help they seek return to school better prepared and less discouraged. Since 1990, Hotline teachers and volunteers have answered more than 375,000 calls.
The program also offers bilingual assistance is several languages, including Kurdish, Spanish, Somalian and Turkmani.
|MNPS by subject 12 09.pdf


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Avoca to create 80 jobs at new store in Meath
18/03/2016 - 19:01:26Back to Business Home
Irish retailer Avoca will create 80 jobs through the opening of a new store in Dunboyne, County Meath.
The move marks the first expansion of the company following its acquisition by Aramark in December of last year.
3 million euro is being invested in the new store, which is scheduled to open in the autumn.
The Avoca brand encompasses cafes, food halls, fashion, and artisan craft products.
Simon Pratt MD of Avoca says there may be a future for the group to expand.
"We plan to do one or two more stores in Ireland but we're actively then looking at the UK for the three year time horizon."


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I always knew that Disney's Aladdin wore a jockstrap underneath those white balloon pants! And of course Hercules would know how to pose for the camera.
Check out Prince Eric's naughty tattoo after the jump. Do you think the Little Mermaid made him get it?
View image
(via Zona Erogena, link NSFW)


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Good Questions: Identify This Mod Textile Pattern?
Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy has really bright, mod curtains in her living room that she made from fabric she found at reprodepot.com a few years ago. I'm hoping someone will recognize this delightful pattern and knows whether this design is still being made. I'd love to know more (and hopefully purchase a few yards as well). Thanks!
If you haven't already contacted ReproDepot — I'd start there. I'd also suggest IKEA, as they've recently upgraded the majority of their US locations with larger and better fabric departments that carry a wide range of really nice textiles (at a fraction of the price of similar designs from Marimekko). You should have no difficulty finding something similar to this design at IKEA.
Anyone else?