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1 A Case for MLP-Aware Cache Replacement International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) 2006 Moinuddin K. Qureshi Daniel N. Lynch, Onur Mutlu, Yale N. Patt
2 Memory Level Parallelism (MLP) Memory Level Parallelism (MLP) means generating and servicing multiple memory accesses in parallel [Glew98] Several techniques to improve MLP (out-of-order, runahead etc.) MLP varies. Some misses are isolated and some parallel How does this affect cache replacement? time A B C isolated miss parallel miss
3 Problem with Traditional Cache Replacement Traditional replacement tries to reduce miss count Implicit assumption: Reducing miss count reduces memory-related stalls Misses with varying MLP breaks this assumption! Eliminating an isolated miss helps performance more than eliminating a parallel miss
4 An Example Misses to blocks P1, P2, P3, P4 can be parallel Misses to blocks S1, S2, and S3 are isolated Two replacement algorithms: 1.Minimizes miss count (Beladys OPT) 2.Reduces isolated miss (MLP-Aware) For a fully associative cache containing 4 blocks S1 P4 P3 P2 P1 P1 P2 P3 P4 S2S3
5 P3P2P1P4 H H MH H H MHit/Miss Misses=4 Stalls=4 S1 P4 P3 P2 P1 P1 P2 P3 P4 S2S3 Time stall Fewest Misses = Best Performance Beladys OPT replacement MM MLP-Aware replacement Hit/Miss P3P2S1P4P3P2P1P4P3P2S2P4P3P2S3P4S1S2S3P1P3P2S3P4S1S2S3P4 H H H S1S2S3P4 H M M M Time stall Misses=6 Stalls=2 Saved cycles Cache
6 Motivation MLP varies. Some misses more costly than others MLP-aware replacement can improve performance by reducing costly misses
7 Outline Introduction MLP-Aware Cache Replacement Model for Computing Cost Repeatability of Cost A Cost-Sensitive Replacement Policy Practical Hybrid Replacement Tournament Selection Dynamic Set Sampling Sampling Based Adaptive Replacement Summary
8 Computing MLP-Based Cost Cost of miss is number of cycles the miss stalls the processor Easy to compute for isolated miss Divide each stall cycle equally among all parallel misses A B C t0 t1 t4t5 time 1 ½ 1½ ½ t2 t3 ½ 1
9 Miss Status Holding Register (MSHR) tracks all in flight misses Add a field mlp-cost to each MSHR entry Every cycle for each demand entry in MSHR mlp-cost += (1/N) N = Number of demand misses in MSHR A First-Order Model
10 Machine Configuration Processor aggressive, out-of-order, 128-entry instruction window L2 Cache 1MB, 16-way, LRU replacement, 32 entry MSHR Memory 400 cycle bank access, 32 banks Bus Roundtrip delay of 11 bus cycles (44 processor cycles)
11 Distribution of MLP-Based Cost Cost varies. Does it repeat for a given cache block? MLP-Based Cost % of All L2 Misses
12 Repeatability of Cost An isolated miss can be parallel miss next time Can current cost be used to estimate future cost ? Let = difference in cost for successive miss to a block Small cost repeats Large cost varies significantly
13 In general is small repeatable cost When is large (e.g. parser, mgrid) performance loss Repeatability of Cost < 60 < 120 120
14 The Framework MSHR L2 CACHE MEMORY Quantization of Cost Computed mlp-based cost is quantized to a 3-bit value CCL CARECARE Cost-Aware Repl Engine Cost Calculation Logic PROCESSOR ICACHEDCACHE
15 A Linear (LIN) function that considers recency and cost Victim-LIN = min { Recency (i) + S*cost (i) } S = significance of cost. Recency(i) = position in LRU stack cost(i) = quantized cost Design of MLP-Aware Replacement policy LRU considers only recency and no cost Victim-LRU = min { Recency (i) } Decisions based only on cost and no recency hurt performance. Cache stores useless high cost blocks
16 Results for the LIN policy Performance loss for parser and mgrid due to large.
17 Effect of LIN policy on Cost Miss += 4% IPC += 4% Miss += 30% IPC -= 33% Miss -= 11% IPC += 22%
18 Outline Introduction MLP-Aware Cache Replacement Model for Computing Cost Repeatability of Cost A Cost-Sensitive Replacement Policy Practical Hybrid Replacement Tournament Selection Dynamic Set Sampling Sampling Based Adaptive Replacement Summary
19 Tournament Selection (TSEL) of Replacement Policies for a Single Set ATD-LINATD-LRU Saturating Counter (SCTR) HIT Unchanged MISS Unchanged HITMISS+= Cost of Miss in ATD-LRU MISSHIT-= Cost of Miss in ATD-LIN SET A + SCTR If MSB of SCTR is 1, MTD uses LIN else MTD use LRU ATD-LIN ATD-LRU SET A MTD
20 Extending TSEL to All Sets Implementing TSEL on a per-set basis is expensive Counter overhead can be reduced by using a global counter + SCTR Policy for All Sets In MTD Set A ATD-LIN Set B Set C Set D Set E Set F Set G Set H Set A ATD-LRU Set B Set C Set D Set E Set F Set G Set H
21 Dynamic Set Sampling + SCTR Policy for All Sets In MTD ATD-LIN Set B Set E Set G Set B Set E Set G ATD-LRU Set A Set C Set D Set F Set H Set C Set D Set F Set H Not all sets are required to decide the best policy Have the ATD entries only for few sets. Sets that have ATD entries (B, E, G) are called leader sets
22 Dynamic Set Sampling Bounds using analytical model and simulation (in paper) DSS with 32 leader sets performs similar to having all sets Last-level cache typically contains 1000s of sets, thus ATD entries are required for only 2%-3% of the sets How many sets are required to choose best performing policy? ATD overhead can further be reduced by using MTD to always simulate one of the policies (say LIN)
23 Decide policy only for follower sets + Sampling Based Adaptive Replacement (SBAR) The storage overhead of SBAR is less than 2KB (0.2% of the baseline 1MB cache) SCTR MTD Set B Set E Set G ATD-LRU Set A Set C Set D Set F Set H Set B Set E Leader sets Follower sets
24 Results for SBAR
25 SBAR adaptation to phases SBAR selects the best policy for each phase of ammp LIN is better LRU is better
26 Outline Introduction MLP-Aware Cache Replacement Model for Computing Cost Repeatability of Cost A Cost-Sensitive Replacement Policy Practical Hybrid Replacement Tournament Selection Dynamic Set Sampling Sampling Based Adaptive Replacement Summary
27 Summary MLP varies. Some misses are more costly than others MLP-aware cache replacement can reduce costly misses Proposed a runtime mechanism to compute MLP-Based cost and the LIN policy for MLP-aware cache replacement SBAR allows dynamic selection between LIN and LRU with low hardware overhead Dynamic set sampling used in SBAR also enables other cache related optimizations
28 Questions
29 Effect of number and selection of leader sets
30 Comparison with ACL ACL requires 33 times more overhead than SBAR
31 Analytical Model for DSS
32 Algorithm for computing cost
33 The Framework MSHR L2 CACHE MEMORY Computed Value (cycles) Stored value 0-590 60-1191 120-1792 180-2393 240-2994 300-3595 360-4196 420+7 Quantization of Cost CCL CARECARE Cost-Aware Repl Engine Cost Calculation Logic PROCESSOR ICACHEDCACHE
34 Future Work Extensions for MLP-Aware Replacement Large instruction window processors (Runahead, CFP etc.) Interaction with prefetchers Extensions for SBAR Multiple replacement policies Separate replacement for demand and prefetched lines Extensions for Dynamic Set Sampling Runtime monitoring of cache behavior Tuning aggressiveness of prefetchers
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After 27 months of TTTC: 5 IUI's, 4 IVF's and 3 m/c's we finally
had our baby! Our son was born Jan. 1, 2009.
We then went through IVF again and I delivered healthy twins
at 36 weeks on their Daddy's birthday, May 12, 2011.
Our sweet little girl has his eyes :)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Our two foster dogs, Toby and Chloe, have more energy than any two dogs I have ever met. They keep my Jimmy running every second they are awake. They are really good dogs but I can swear I can see Jimmy's thoughts, "Please make them leave me alone. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed!!" With any luck we'll find a great adoptive home for them relatively quickly.
We're also still thinking about sellling our house. We have a big single with plenty of room for a family. We're getting to the point (after 23 months of TTC and 3 m/c's) that we realize we just may not have that family. So we are thinking of downsizing our home and our mortgage payment and using that money to do stuff we enjoy. Vacations. A new third car like a convertible or Jeep. Save for early retirement. More vacations. Whatever we want.
I know were not done TTC so with more IF treatments ahead of us the money will certainly come in handy. I think it would be worth it. We've exhausted almost all of our insurance allowance so we're going to start paying OOP pretty soon. And plus all of the copays have been adding up...$40 a visit is a lot when I went 8 out of 10 days just for my FET. Yup, $320 in copays the first two weeks of December. Bad timing right before Christmas gift-buying. And we did 2 IVF's and 5 IUI's before that. Oh, and we have to pay for our injectibles which have been $10K...so far.
I think it sucks big time that we have to spend so much money on something 5 in 6 couples get for free. I know I'm preaching to the choir and you all have that same thought. But it sucks for all of us. I just can't get over that. PEOPLE DO THIS FOR FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
We should get a group of ladies together and chip in for lottery tickets. Wouldn't that be amazing for all of us? We could afford our treatments and quit our jobs to get rid of that stress and all go to accupunture and afford the "good" PNV's and not buy generics. Hey, a girl can dream. Can't she?
3 comments:
- Tracy said...
:::: waving my lottery money in the air ::::
I'm in, I'm in! Mega millions or Power ball?
I know, Maria. Not only do they do it for FREE but they do it QUICK too. Dang, fertiles. ;)
I hope your house hunting works out for you.
Chris said there's a nice 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse in Florida that you can have CHEAP. Well cheap for S Florida...
- January 24, 2008 at 1:59 PM
- Malloryn said...
Good luck with the house hunting!
The lottery sounds like a fantastic idea. I can't get over it either sometimes, how easy it is for most people.
Your story about your two foster dogs cracked me up. Jimmy's reaction was just like my older shih tzu, when we brought a puppy home. He was like, "What is that and when is it leaving?". She's 3 years old now, but I think he still thinks that sometimes :)
- January 25, 2008 at 10:42 AM
- Trish said...
Count me in, too!
I can only imagine three dogs.
We visit my MIL and my BIL brings his puppy. My dog is the same way. He'll sigh and look at me sadly like "please mom, can you make it leave me alone?"
Cracks me up.
- January 26, 2008 at 3:03 AM

subset: commoncrawl


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Friday, March 25th, 2016
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Interior today launched the next step in the comprehensive review of the federal coal program to identify and evaluate potential reforms to ensure the program is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers and reflect its impacts on the environment, while continuing to help meet the nation's
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016
As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution and spur renewable energy development on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced key milestones in implementing the Western Solar Plan with the release of mitigation strategies that will expedite the safe and responsible development of solar energy zones in
Wednesday, September 30th, 2015
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a proposed rule today to update and replace its regulations governing the measurement of oil produced from onshore Federal and Indian leases. The requirements contained in the proposed rule reflect advances in measurement technology and critical updates in standards and practices. It also responds directly to concerns
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015
Feb. 17, 2015—Wind, solar, biomass and other renewable energy technologies continued to grow in 2013. New data shows they have been an important driving force in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014
Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, 2014—Global energy intensity, defined as worldwide total energy consumption divided by gross world product, decreased 0.19 percent in 2013. Although this may not seem impressive, considering that energy intensity increased steeply between 2008 and 2010, this small decline continues a much-needed trend toward lower energy intensity, writes Haibing Ma, China Program Manager at
Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
DENVER, Nov. 18, 2014— Intermap Technologies, a leading provider of location-based solutions, today announced the availability of InsitePro for Pipelines — a customized version of InsitePro, Intermap's natural catastrophe risk management software. InsitePro for Pipelines was created specifically for hazardous liquid pipeline operators throughout North America, enabling risk-based decision-making and improved environmental and regulatory compliance by providing
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014
Landscape change in Pennsylvania's Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, and Warren counties resulting from construction of well pads, new roads and pipelines for natural gas and coalbed methane development is being documented to help determine the potential consequences for ecosystems and wildlife, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
Thursday, September 25th, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 25, 2014 – As part of President Obama's comprehensive Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy resources and cut carbon pollution, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced a new competitive leasing process by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to help spur solar and wind energy
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency today announced $1.3 million funding for CSIRO to undertake an innovative wave resource mapping and modelling project.
Friday, February 28th, 2014
Wind turbines placed in the ocean to generate electricity may have another major benefit: weakening hurricanes before the storms make landfall.


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Situated approx. 4km from the village of Bawnboy this 1 bedroom traditional style cottage (built circa 1900's) comes to market offering endless potential for any buyer. Together with a separate self-contained office/studio which could be connected to the main dwelling (subject to planning permission) it suits a variety of uses including a residence or with separate office/work space. Accommodation comprises; Living room, kitchen & 1 bedroom (en-suite). Features include; Separate studio/office & conveniently located midway between Bawnboy & Ballinamore. Viewing Strictly by Appointment Only with Sole Selling Agent.
- Separate studio/office suitable for conversion to living accommodation
- Tradtional style cottage (circa 1900's)
Living room
Bedroom 1 (ensuite)
Google Co-ordinates 54.1031433, -7.7174261000000115
From our offices head east on R202 toward Newtowngore (R199) for approx. 5.2 km & turn left. Continue for a further 1.1 km & at bridge continue in direction of Bawnboy for a further 3.5 km & take a left turn. Continue for a further 1km & take a right hand turn (immediately after bungalow). Property is 100m after on right hand side.
Contact us


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A diverse team of 12 Presbyterians will journey to Goma, on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on January 27, to take part in a 10-day World Mission travel-study seminar. This pilgrimage of hope and solidarity is designed to promote understanding of the impact of conflict and sexual violence in this volatile region and to enable Presbyterians to learn best practices for accompanying the Church of Christ in Congo in ministering to survivors of violence.
Participants will have opportunities to hear firsthand from survivors of rape and to observe grassroots initiatives of women leaders of the Church of Christ in Congo to address the multiple needs of trauma survivors. Members of the group expect to visit a wide variety of individuals and locales, including:
- "Listening Homes" in rural areas;
- Congregational ministries that help to bind the wounds of conflict and promote reconciliation;
- Hospitals where survivors receive prenatal care and surgical fistula repair;
- Medical personnel who can share updates about sexual violence and emerging therapies;
- Church-affiliated lawyers who challenge the impunity of perpetrators;
- An interreligious network mobilizing against sexual violence;
- Representatives from Congolese civil society and field extension workers of the US-based Enough Project to learn more about conflict minerals, the US Dodd-Frank legislation and the conflict-free movement;
- Stakeholders in a certified mining operation; and
- A fair-trade coffee farmers' cooperative involved in the Equal Exchange Congo Coffee Project, which supports programs of health and healing for rape survivors.
Participants will share their experiences and insights, as well as stories of the courageous witness of our partners and allies in Eastern Congo, on the PC(USA) Reconciliation blog, beginning January 27, so you, too, can be a part of the experience. Please check back regularly for these reflections and share the link with others in your congregation.
Also, please pray for all that God has planned for this journey. In particular, pray for open hearts and minds, that all of the participants—those from the USA and those from the DRC—may understand one another well despite linguistic and cultural boundaries and may discern together the ways in which God is calling us to work in unison to halt violence and promote reconciliation and justice. Please pray for strength, courage, and insight for travelers and hosts alike, and for protection and safety for the people of Eastern Congo.
Learn more about World Mission's Speak Up! Stop Sexual Violence campaign led by Shannon Beck, reconciliation catalyst.
Speak Up! Join the PC(USA) campaign to stop sexual violence by contacting Shannon Beck via email.


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"Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified." Matthew 27:15-26 ESV
"Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify him." And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." Mark 15:6-15 ESV
"But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him." But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will." Luke 23:18-25 ESV
"After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.
Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God." When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."
From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." So he delivered him over to them to be crucified." John 18:38-40; 19:4-16 ESV
"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
The crowd is chanting, demanding His blood. "Let His blood be on us!"
Their chanting becomes the cry of one voice – the sinful voice of mankind.
Generation after generation of sin crying out, heard in the ears of the Creator who desperately wants to restore Himself with His creation.
Do you hear that one voice? That one familiar voice in the crowd? Don't you recognize it? It's your own voice.
Our spirit seeks to fill a God-shaped emptiness we don't understand, but our sinful heart rejects our Savior and joins the multitude – "Crucify Him!"
Our sin demands His death – His sacrifice – "Crucify Him!"
Jesus, the Lamb of God sent to take away sin stands blameless, sinless, pure and Holy; He speaks not one word – He simply allows us to defile Him with our hateful, murderous, sinful cries, and willingly wraps Himself in our sin and takes our place on the cross.
Our sin demands His death – His sacrifice – so we can be redeemed, restored, and reconnected with God.
Jesus, Our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Messiah.
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Do you know Him as your Lord? Have you been redeemed – purchased with a price, the price of Jesus' sacrifice?
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, we would love to pray with you.
Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I need You as my Savior. I believe You are the Son of God and You died for my sin and rose again so I could live with You forever. Jesus, I ask for Your forgiveness. I now trust You and follow You; please help me and guide my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer we would love to hear from you. Please visit our prayer room (it's open 24/7) and simply tell us you prayed this prayer.
We are blessed to know you are now a child of God!


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The selected building automatic equipment accounting, management and supervision solutions from the well-known global producer "Honeywell" help to save consumption of energy resources harmonizing the systems and adjusting the operating regime of the climate equipment in an optimal way for operational specifics of the shopping center – it is possible to set up a proper operating regime for each time of the day. Thus during the night systems operate in a passive regime, while during the active customer flow hours it is activated. Also weather conditions are taken into account – temperature in the premises is automatically adjusted according to a respective air temperature outside.
It should be added that this is the first object in Latvia, in which "Honeywell" systems are installed that support compatibility of various equipment – customers are provided with an opportunity to supplement its technologies with equipment of different producers and it is not dependant on one supplier.
Recently the security issue has become very essential to trading companies and for this reason great attention is paid to qualitative security equipment – video surveillance, security alarm and access control systems that allow unobtrusive surveillance of the order in the shopping center and immediate action in case if cameras fix unusual activities.
The low intensity current network of the shopping center, its security system and building management system engineering and construction was performed by the technical system construction company SIA "Citrus Solutions" of SIA "Lattelecom" group, which deserved from the customer words of appreciation for timely work in realization of the complicated project.
"We realized in the shopping center's construction process that we want to be in steps with the time – our priorities are customer safety and comfort, innovations as well as economy therefore we choose trustworthy suppliers and at the same time secure ourselves against additional expenses during maintenance of the object. SIA "Citrus Solutions" joined the object construction at the last stage and within four months was able to demonstrate really swift performance. We envisage that the chosen equipment will allow improving functionality of the building also in future as well as optimizing consumption of energy resources, which matters to every enterprise now," considers shopping center's representative, SIA "Patollo" director Sandis Vētra.


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From Thornby Moor Dairy located at the heart of the Solway Plain, 8 miles west of Carlisle.
Smoked cheese
Smoked Wensleydale
Produced at Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes, North Yorkshire. It was first crafted in the 12th century by a group of Cistercian monk settlers.
Northumberland smoked
From the Northumberland Cheese Company based on the Blagdon Estate in south Northumberland.


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Product Details
Sweet and salty, and packed with caramel goodness! Caramel cake mixed with salted caramel frosting, hand-dipped in gourmet chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. So good, you can't have just one! Includes:
1 Gift Box with 12 Salted Caramel Cakebites
National shipping available. Made fresh and sealed tight for guaranteed freshness upon delivery.
Shipping info
Items are baked/prepared fresh and ship directly from our central kitchen so please allow 3 days to process/fulfill your order. We ship ship Monday-Thursday of each week. Please feel free to contact us if you need expedited order processing and we will try our best to accomodate your request.


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Written by: Mike Frost
What I'm about to tell you is probably not going to make any sense, but I am going to say it anyways. You may not appreciate it; you may not even like it, and it might not even make any logical sense. That doesn't change the fact that it may be true.
Selling low and buying high on players may actually be good for your team and its chances of winning. There, I said it. Now maybe we can try to understand this illogical, and counter-intuitive strategy for what it is. After all, what really makes sense in fantasy sports, anyways?
I am going to point out a few trades for you to look at. Brace yourself; you are going to laugh, and cry, at the poor soul on the receiving end of these deals.
- Alex Rios for Jose Altuve
- Eric Hosmer for Jose Abreu
- Jay Bruce for Billy Hamilton
- Justin Verlander for Jonny Cueto
- Jean Segura for Michael Brantley
- Allen Craig for Anthony Rendon
- Matt Cain for Jon Lester
- Shelby Miller for Jake Arrieta
- Desmond Jennings for Nolan Arenado
- Dominic Brown for Nelson Cruz
- Manny Machado for Todd Frazier
- Austin Jackson for Charlie Blackmon
Did you make it through that list without cringing? I know I couldn't. So what was the point of showing you all those lopsided, horrible trades? Well, what if I told you that all of those trades are actually Owner One selling low and Owner Two selling high and that they actually happened last year. Let me rephrase that for you. These owners were cashing-in on Rendon, Brantley, Cruz and Abreu last year. And they wanted people like Rios, Verlander, Allen, and Segura instead.
You might not remember it because so much changes so fast in sports; but Owner Two was playing it safe and, in theory, playing the "smart money." To say Owner Two was wrong on any and all of these bets, would be a gross understatement. If you can find preseason ranking lists or even early season ranking lists from 2014, it will probably blow your mind. The amount of change in just the first couple of months can be an eye-opener when looked at a year later. Rendon and Brantley weren't even in the top 200 last year, but they finished the season in the top 25 in some lists. Dee Gordon, Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson weren't even ranked, and they all had a very successful season last year.
Here is that trade list again with early 2014 season ranks included next to their names.
- (32) Alex Rios for (77) Jose Altuve
- (37) Eric Hosmer for (143) Jose Abreu
- (40) Jay Bruce for (118) Billy Hamilton
- (51) Justin Verlander for (133) Jonny Cueto
- (53) Jean Segura for (236) Michael Brantley
- (69) Allen Craig for (216) Anthony Rendon
- (72) Matt Cain for (151) Jon Lester
- (94) Shelby Miller for (NR) Jake Arrieta
- (98) Desmond Jennings for (164) Nolan Arenado
- (108) Dominic Brown for (147) Nelson Cruz
- (111) Manny Machado for (178) Todd Frazier
- (126) Austin Jackson for (NR) Charlie Blackmon
After you see the ranks next to the names, it becomes even more apparent to Owner Two's frame of thinking. Oftentimes, we are slaves to rankings. It is probably my biggest pet peeve about creating ranks for viewers to use. They should be mostly as a general guideline with the exception of maybe the top 25-30 names. The top players are predicted with a bit more accuracy so they are a little safer to ride any slumps. That being said, they are not impervious to error either.
I think a much more accurate and reliable way to judge a players worth is to one, recognize trends and two, identify one hit wonders. If you can, for instance, recognize downward trends with even a hint of accuracy, you may be able to avoid disasters. That and I feel intangibles can have at least as big of an impact on a career as any calculable variable could ever hope to have.
As an example, Justin Verlander has been on a steady decline for the last three years. He has pretty much fallen off the charts this year, and then you have to ask, why and how did it happen so fast? Well, first is his velocity. Believe it or not, his fastball velocity has been on a decline since 2009 when it peaked at 95.6 mph AVG and topped out at 101 mph. 2013 was a bad year by his standards; he never once threw for 100 mph and averaged only 94 mph fastball. 2014 was even worse. So what changed? Perhaps nothing changed in terms of baseball, but there were several other factors in his personal life. He turned 30 in 2013, he had just landed an absurd $200+ million dollar contract and he started dating Kate Upton. By anyone's standards, it's safe to say he "made it" in life at that point. Because these are not easily tracked and do not fall into your typical statistical category, many ignore. Are you going to tell me those life changing events (3 in one year) are not going to have an impact on your game and your work ethic? There is no other way of saying it, intangibles are worth tracking and make a difference to your fantasy teams chances. Just don't forget that recognizing trends in any fashion, is also to your advantage.
I'm also hesitant to jump on the sophomore "one hit wonder" bandwagon that happens every year; buying high on players that had a great rookie season. I'm not saying I avoid them at all costs (I don't), but I will not hesitate to sell him for this year's "one hit wonder" if the move makes sense. I will trade in my all-star sophomore that is not performing for the guy that didn't play like everyone thought he would last season but is now. That said, I will also sell high on the performing rookies and readily pick up those new-found sophomores. Brantley and Rendon are good examples of that last year.
If there is any key concept you should take away from this article, it's that you should not be afraid to sell low and/or buy high if you think either trend will continue. I just provided a dozen examples of both for a single season, and believe me, this list barely scratched the surface from 2014. In fact, it was so common, that I now question whether buying low is anywhere near as successful as it may have once been. Bottom line, if you feel comfortable selling a player for 50, 100, even 150+ spots lower than you paid for him, go for it. You may anger some other owners or even risk ridicule if you are wrong, but if you put in the research and it seems to make some sense, it might not be far off from the truth.


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Sample Searches:
|global warming AND atmosphere
Use AND between two or more terms to find materials with all the terms. Searching for global warming AND atmosphere will only include books that have both global warming and atmosphere in their contents.
|global warming OR climate change
Use OR between similar terms. Searching for global warming OR climate change will find books that refer to either term.
|"climate change"
Use quotation marks ( " " ) around specific phrases such as "climate change" to find the words in that specific order.
Use an asterisk ( * ) to find multiple endings of one word. Using pollut* as a search term will include results that refer to pollute, pollutes, polluted, polluting, and pollution.
Here are a few places you can find eBooks, just remember that you will have to login with your myNOVA username and password (the same ones you use to access Blackboard, student email, etc.). More information on downloading eBooks.
Check out these websites for access to books in the public domain (copyright free). This includes many works of classic literature such as Pride and Prejudice and The Tale of Genji.


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Football Stadium Guard Can't Sue Over Tackle
(CN) – The Buffalo Bills are not liable to a security guard who suffered injuries when players crashed into him on the sidelines, a New York appeals court ruled.
William D. Austin was working on the sidelines of a Bills home game at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., when two players collided with him.
The trial court dismissed Austin's ensuing complaint at summary judgment, and the Rochester-based appellate division affirmed March 16.
"The court properly determined that the plaintiff assumed the risk of injury," the unsigned opinion states. "Where, as here, the plaintiff fully comprehended the risks or the risks are perfectly obvious, plaintiff has consented to them and defendant has performed his duty."
"Plaintiff's contention that he was under an inherent compulsion to assume the risk is raised for the first time on appeal and thus is not properly before us," the justices added. "In any event, that contention is without merit."


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So I was driving down the highway with my 3 kids the other day and was startled by the direction of our conversation. I asked my kids what they thought I would teach them if I could only teach them one thing in life. Immediately they responded that I would teach them to follow Jesus—they were right. But happened next was unexpected to me.
I proceeded to ask them how they thought I would go about teaching them and how they would learn to follow Christ. Immediately one of them said— we will watch you because you will show us how. Wow, what a batch of mixed emotion that produced for me. I was so proud of them. I was so humbled by the privilege of parenthood. And I was kind of terrified. My children are closely watching me and taking their cues about how to do life from what I model for them. You know, your kids are the same way. By God's design, children learn best from what they see modeled.
Jesus closely watched and emulated His Father too. In John 5:19 we read, "Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." I believe the author of Proverbs 22:6 was talking about modeling when he wrote "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." The best training tool a parent has for their children is a life lived with character, consistency, and authenticity.
Modeling well begins with a deep desire for Christ to be formed in you. Join with me in this prayer – "Lord, give me the character I need to be an effective Christ-like parent."
Parenting Resources we like: Strong Fathers – Strong Daughters by Dr. Meg Meek and Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
Spiritual Formation resources: Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard.
Tim Stauffer's Bio
Tim & LaRonda Stauffer and their 3 children have been attending Vista since early 2010. In addition to leading a Life Group with his wife, Tim also serves as a Life Group coach and is part of Vista's teaching team. Tim is a professional counselor in private practice specializing in marriage counseling, sexual addictions, and the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional under supervision. To learn more about Tim you can visit his website at www.timstauffercounseling.com


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If You Read One Article About Businesses, Read This One
How Translation Services Affect Businesses Worldwide? It is likely that you're involved constantly in international transactions if you're a business that operates worldwide. You have to seek for way on how you can accommodate your clientele, no matter what the language they are using to be able to keep your business' network growing. In relation to this, it is crucial to find reliable and professional translation services to provide smooth services and transactions to both parties. Translation services can be anything from technical, legal, financial, medical, etc. as it will all depend on the nature of your business as well as the transactions you're involved in. Hiring a professional and experienced translator as well is one good step to bridge the gap in language between you and the natives in other countries. As you employ such service, you need assurance that you're only working with professionals who are capable of delivering just as you expected and help in maintaining good relationship with clients. Following are reasons to why you must consider hiring reputable translation services to your business.
A 10-Point Plan for Businesses (Without Being Overwhelmed)
Reason number 1. Enjoy quality work – professional translators offer accurate translation without making compromises in their service. The best thing about these professionals is the fact that they're efficient and specializing in the area so you can be sure that the business material you've given to them is revised by a number of times. This as a result reduces the odds of misunderstanding or misinterpretation of information.
A 10-Point Plan for Businesses (Without Being Overwhelmed)
Reason number 2. Get specialists for your field – these translation agencies have experts who are handling different areas. Say that you are a financial institution that is in need of financial translation, you will get professionals who are qualified in doing just that. To be sure that translators are delivering only high accuracy and quality in work they do, they are consulting experts in different industries such as lawyers, doctors, IT experts, accountants on area of interest. Reason number 3. Maintaining consistency – professional translation services can help big time by maintaining consistence with regards to communication. A competitive and qualified translator is going to use terminologies that are simple to learn so by that, your clients and customers don't have to keep on relearning it just to understand the material. Reason number 4. Keep up with the growth of your business – this is due to the reason that when you have a dependable translation service, there's no need to worry on mistakes and missed deadlines that can potentially be expensive for your business. Through proper handlings, rest assure that you can keep up with your business demands as it can grow without being overwhelmed.


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- Details
- Created: 31 October 2017 31 October 2017
If you have any suggestions, please submit your contribution to the scientific journal Chiropractic and Manual Therapies.
The journal introduces a new thematic series entitled "What is Chiropractic?", edited by Jan Hartvigsen, Professor and Head of Research at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at SDU and Senior Researcher at NIKKB and Simon French, Professor of School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Canada.
Read about the thematic series by clicking here: https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/what-is-chiropractic


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Richard T. Tulley, Schultz, Bruce | 7/16/2005 2:21:36 AM
BATON ROUGE – The Biotechnology Education for Students and Teachers (BEST) program opened doors for Ashley Venters – although it might inadvertently close one as well.
Venters spent several weeks this summer being exposed to advanced techniques of biology at the LSU AgCenter's Embryo Biotechnology Laboratory at St. Gabriel. One of the things she found out was that forensic science, which she thought she might want to pursue, isn't the glamour profession portrayed on television programs like "CSI."
That didn't dampen her spirits, however, since the 16-year-old said she's still leaning toward studying research in college as a result of her experience this summer. "Probably molecular biology," she said matter-of-factly.
Venters, who will be a junior at Lafayette High School this fall, enrolled in the BEST program, as it's known, with her biology teacher, Patricia Colbert-Cormier. They were one of six student-teacher pairs from across the state chosen to participate in the LSU AgCenter program that's designed to raise the level of science education in Louisiana and prepare the state's youth to become the researchers society needs for a prosperous future.
Venters said the DNA work she was involved with in the BEST program fits with what she wants to study later on.
"When I go to college, this is more of what I want to do," she said toward the end of her six weeks of involvement in the BEST program, which concluded this week (July 14).
The project assigned to Venters and Colbert-Cormier was to assist in the quest to find the gene that could impart parasite resistance to the Cracker breed of cattle in Florida.
Their part of the project involved running gel electropheresis to determine if enough DNA from the Cracker cattle was present in samples to conduct further testing.
Ashley said the work wasn't complicated. "You learn the form, and you learn the process," she said, adding, however that things don't always turn out as planned.
"We tried this four times this weekend before we got it right," she said while hunched over her work.
Colbert-Cormier said many of her students, including Venters, have good grades, but she nominated Venters for BEST because the youngster has the making of a dedicated scientist.
"I knew she would be like a sponge here and pick up on everything," Colbert-Cormier said.
As part of their experiences, Venters and Colbert-Cormier also toured the Louisiana State Police forensics lab, and Venters was disappointed that the lab workers there seemed to be occupied with tedious work and not crime-solving dramatics shown on TV. She admits that eye-opener may have been enough to make her rethink a forensics career.
As for BEST, Colbert-Cormier said she was attracted to the program because it offered participation in ongoing research.
"This is a real project. This is real work," said Colbert-Cormier.
The teacher said she also learned from the experience and that will benefit her as a teacher.
"I hadn't actually seen a clone," Colbert-Cormier said. "You look at a Petri dish and you see a speck and realize they were able to take that and make a four-legged animal. It's amazing.
"We've put in some long hours, but we've enjoyed it," Colbert-Cormier said.
The student-teacher pair from Lafayette also got to work alongside two doctoral students, Carlos Guerrero and Angelica Giraldi, both from Colombia, South America.
Venters said the experience broadened her scientific horizons.
"It's really vast, and there's always something else to discover," she said, adding that she hopes to add to scientific discoveries. "I hope …to help someone someday."
The Biotechnology Education for Students and Teachers – the BEST program – was established in 2001 with a $2.5 million donation from the Gordon A. Cain Foundation.
Other student-teacher pairs who participated in the program this summer were Valerie Traylor and Patricia Beaudion from Natchitoches High School; Priscilla LaCoste and Mary Macklin, Berwick High School; Shannon Berryhill and Linda Messina, St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge; David Hinds and Joseph Wood, Ouachita Christian School in Monroe; and Huong Pham and Crystal Williams, Broadmoor High School in Baton Rougee.
Contact: Richard Tulley at (504) 578-2281 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Writer: Bruce Schultz at (337) 788-8821 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Charles was one of the nine children of Charles and Elizabeth Foulkes and their eldest son. When the Census was taken in 1901, the family was living at 19 Derby Range, Heaton Moor (later moving to 11 Cambridge Street, Heaton Chapel).
Nothing is known of his early life other than he worked for a local ironmongers - Thomas Blagg, 6A Heaton Moor Road and that he enlisted into the army in November 1914. He travelled into Manchester to join the sixth of the "Pals Battalions" being formed by the Manchester Regiment and he was assigned to No. 13 Platoon, "D" Company. Details of the recruitment and training of the Pals can be found here.
Charles died in a military hospital having been wounded in action. As such, it cannot be said with certainty when he was injured, although it is most likely to have been some time during their last few days in the front line.
On 29th August, they moved from camp near the Somme village of Montauban, relieving the 20th Manchesters in the front line near Delville Wood. "A" and "B" Companies occupied the front line, with "C" and "D" in support. Over the next couple of days, the trenches were deepened and improved and the men also started to dig a new front line trench. There was enemy shelling at intervals throughout this time. On 1 September, they were relieved by the 22nd Battalion and withdrew to reserve positions in Pommiers Trench.
The next day, 250 men formed a carrying party, bring up trench mortar ammunition. The History records "This party suffered 20 casualties through the bursting of an aerial torpedo." On the 3rd, they were back in the forward area at Montauban Alley. "During the afternoon, a bomb store in Bernafray Wood was blown up by a shell whilst "C" Company was drawing bombs which resulted in several casualties."
During the afternoon of the 4th, the Battalion's specialist grenade throwers attempted a small scale attack on the German positions in Ale Alley. This was supported by fire from "A" and "C" Companies. The History reports this was a failure and that there were, again, several casualties.
The Battalion was relieved back to camp at 2.40am on the 5th and was not in action again until after Charles was dead.


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|There are versions of this character available that don't have their own branch articles!
Please help us document the following:
|Remilia Scarlet
Oldest version
Nachel's version (2008)
Newest version
RicePigeon's version (2016)
Remilia Scarlet is a vampire from Touhou Project, first appearing as the final boss in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil and later as a playable character in Immaterial and Missing Power, Imperishable Night and Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. She is the older sister of Flandre Scarlet.
Remilia has the ability to manipulate fate, which probably explains why Sakuya Izayoi, a human, is her servant. Remilia is also one of two parties involved in the creation of the Devil's Contract (the other party speculated to be Yukari Yakumo) after Remilia led a youkai rampage once she first arrived in Gensokyo. This incident also resulted in the creation of the spellcard rules, which put humans and youkai on equal footing during battles. During the events of Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, she has Patchouli Knowledge create a red mist in the sky to blot out the sun so she can go outside during the day.
In M.U.G.E.N, Remilia has been made by various authors.
Kohaku's version
Like Kohaku's other Touhou Project characters, Remilia comes with influence from Melty Blood, but has completely custom gameplay. It can enter battle with three different possible ways to defend enemy attacks, but its A.I is quite a pushover, considering how tough Remilia is to battle in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.
RicePigeon's version
Having spent close to five centuries together, you'd expect both Scarlet sisters to have adopted similar fighting styles; while this is true in the case of their normal melee attacks and general rushdown gameplay, subtle differences combined with Remilia's greater experience sets her apart from her younger sister, so rather than acting as glass cannon, Remilia uses her vampiric power to try to stay alive for as long as possible.


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Illustration Now! 5
The latest in the Illustration Now! Series—Illustration Now! Vol.5—features 150 illustrators from more than 30 countries, including illustration duo Craig&Karl, reportage artist Sue Coe, Agata Nowicka, James McMullan and Syrian artist Youssef Abdelké. It includes a mix of illustration styles and personal work as well as high-profile projects for clients such as Nike, The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Google and Time magazine.
Illustration Now! Vol.5 is offered by Taschen (www.taschen.com) and edited by Julius Wiedemann. The Brazilian-born author studied graphic design and marketing, and was an art editor for digital and design magazines in Tokyo. His many Taschen digital and media titles include Illustration Now!, Advertising Now, Logo Design and Brand Identity Now!
Show Report
Luxe on the Shore
Luxe Pack New York continues to break its own attendance record this year. The event attracted 3,311 visitors to Pier 92 situated in Midtown West on the Hudson River in New York. This is a 14% increase compared to 2013.
For its 12th edition, the show debuted an area for creative promotional items for beauty and beverage brands, called Luxe Promo. Airopack took home the first Luxe Pack in Green award presented in New York. The Innovation Forum showcased the newest products and technologies from exhibitors and 10 seminars drew standing-room-only crowds.
Among the seminars at Luxe Pack was a group presentation and panel discussion by Package Design. The session called, "Artful Draw: Illustrations' Role in Helping Liquor Brands Connect with Consumers on Shelf," was moderated by Package Design's editor-in-chief Linda Casey with four expert panelists: Amy Calhoun Robb, Diageo, global innovation director—Smirnoff GBT; Joan Nicosia, adjunct associate professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York; Ivan Bell, group managing director at Stranger & Stranger; and Ron Wong, president, executive creative director at Spring Design Partners Inc.
For the second year in a row, Nicosia kicked off the session with a comprehensive, engaging and fun presentation that wowed the audience as well as fellow panelists. Her focus was on how liquor brands, from craft beers to wine and spirits, are using illustrations to get people talking and create "buzz," especially among younger consumers. Nicosia examined how imaginative illustrations are being used to express a brand's personality, and how this liquor package design trend started in the craft brew market.
She showed a great variety of design applications, from the use of "monsters" in package design, citing examples such as Ballistic Brewing to wrestlers—even wine that uses illustration and the transparent packaging to engage with humor.
Calhoun Robb brought some of her favorite projects from her work at Diageo, including a bottle encased in cement that's hand decorated with graffiti art. She also brought some more commercially feasible applications with printed boxes that can be customized using twist-and-turn panels.
Bell explored how illustration can be used for narrative storytelling that enables the brand identity to be expressed quickly to shoppers and evoke emotion. Intricate illustrations can also be a quality cue, indicating the level of craft used in the package design and product manufacturing.
Wong added that the illustration can be a great tool to develop iconic caricatures for brands, such as Skinny Girl, and visual vocabulary for brands such as Hellstrøm Aquavit. He noted that well crafted type can be a form of illustration, as was done with the Empiric Gin, which also happened to be cover story for the Package Design issue that was distributed at Luxe Pack New York 2014.
At the next Luxe Pack show to be held October 27-29, 2014, at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, Package Design will be showcasing the concepts developed for our annual Makeover Challenge. To get a preview of those package designs, check out the August 2014 issue where we will unveil the four concepts being developed for Kelley Quan New York.
Viktorija Gnatoka, global packaging analyst at Mintel, explores the trend of biobased packaging as an eco alternative. Below, she shares some of her favorite biobased packaging from around the world.
Product: Lärabar Alt
Company: Small Planet Foods
Country: USA
I consider Alt to be a standout among [the] big number of the various snack, cereal and energy bars. Its biobased packaging fits well with the product message of natural.
Larabar originally was launched in 2003 and was made by the entrepreneur Lara Merriken in her kitchen. The idea was to make a healthy snack bar with ingredients that will be easy and simple to pronounce. This fits perfectly with the simplicity and minimalism trends that we are seeing across various categories.
To further support its premium and natural product positioning, Larabar improved its packaging. Today, bars retail in a recyclable 26.5-oz.master carton, containing 15 x 1.77-oz. bars and bearing Terracycle and 100% wind energy logos.
The carton is also USDA-certified to be 31% biobased. The USDA BioPreferred program is part of the U.S. Farm Bill and is an accreditation for products with biobased content, i.e. ingredients that come from renewable ecological resources. The USDA Certified Biobased product label lists the percentage of biobased content in each product. The film wrapper of a single bar is made from a non-GMO, plant based material from a proprietary supplier. In this case, packaging helps to reinforce the message of simplicity and purity that Larabar brand stands for.
Product: Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion
Company: P&G
Countries: Western European
P&G introduced one of the first plant-based bottles in the hair care category. The high-density polyethylene bottle replaces petroleum-based plastic with plastic derived from sugarcane—a natural and renewable resource.
According to P&G, sugarcane-derived plastic consumes more than 70% less fossil fuels and releases far fewer greenhouse gases per ton than traditional petroleum-based plastic. The package supports P&G initiatives of being a green company. However, communication on pack is vital to ensure correct packaging recycling.
Product: Cascadian Farm Organic
Company: Small Planet Foods
Country: USA
Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch Cereal, a USDA organic-certified product retails in a recyclable 9.6-oz. pack featuring the USDA Certified-Biobased Product logo. The manufacturer continues the journey towards sustainability to protect the earth and its resources by using 100% recycled paperboard for the outside carton. The packaging's inner bag is made of up to 57% plant-based material.
The box's front panel has a call out in the upper right corner that explains what plant-based material means and why it is important. Such approach makes more sense for the consumers so they can relate to the impact they are making by purchasing this exact box of cereal.
Indeed, Mintel U.S. Food Packaging Report shows that 40% of U.S. consumers are interested in packaging that is labeled as environmentally friendly and 54% would like to be able to see packaging that can be reused for other purposes.
Product: Ecover Ecological Limescale Remover
Company: Ecover
Country: South Africa
To solve the plastic packaging problem, Ecover uses an innovative plastic called PlantPlastic in most of their home-cleaning products packaging. PlantPlastic is made from sugarcane and recycled plastic. Product packaging has a sticker on the front of the pack indicating that its 100% plant based. On the back of the pack, Ecover clearly differentiates ecological product attributes and packaging attributes by using different fonts and colors. Product-related information comes in blue on the white background, and the opposite for the packaging information. This helps to emphasize the information on the pack and show the different product attributes.


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VIEWPOINT: Education reform bills deserve support this session
As a parent and former schoolteacher, I've always had a passion for education. A quality, well-rounded education can open up a world of opportunities for children, guiding them down a lifelong path of accomplishment and achievement.
Now that I'm fortunate enough to be your state legislator, I am excited about the chance I have to craft legislation to improve our schools in Minnesota and expand academic opportunities for every student. I'd like to share a few of the initiatives I am working on this session.
First, a bill I am particularly proud to author is the Education Savings Accounts for Students with Special Needs Act. This legislation empowers parents to choose educational options that best fit the needs of their child, offering them more choice and flexibility, while removing financial constraints.
Our public schools do a great job of educating students but do not always have the resources to meet the needs of every child with special needs, whether they have Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia or a variety of other learning challenges. Some parents find the traditional special education model just doesn't work for their child.
If my bill becomes law, the state would deposit the per-pupil funding amount that would normally go toward that child's public school education into a personal savings account. Families could then use that money for tuition to a school that better caters to their child's needs, for therapies, for textbooks or for tutoring.
This Education Savings Account has already been introduced in several other states, increasing the opportunities for underprivileged families to access the best education for their children and helping kids with special needs thrive academically.
This is an innovative, outside-the-box solution that can make a real difference in the lives of Minnesota kids, and I am pleased it's moving forward this session.
In addition to the Education Savings Account Act, I am also advancing legislation addressing the teacher shortage crisis in Minnesota.
Many school districts across the state struggle to find and hire quality teachers, especially in subject areas like math, science and special education. My bipartisan teacher license reciprocity legislation will make it easier to bring qualified teachers into our classrooms by streamlining the out-of-state licensure process between Minnesota and neighboring states with similar licensure requirements.
Additionally, as a former educator who came to Minnesota with an out-of-state license, I learned firsthand the burdensome hoops experienced teachers have to jump through to get licensed here. It can be costly, frustrating and time consuming, and the licensure process is often unclear.
Introducing commonsense reforms to teacher licensure doesn't cut into our state's high standards for teachers, but instead clarifies the licensure process so practiced, veteran educators can receive a Minnesota teaching license.
Finally, the last education bill I am advancing this session is the Principals' Leadership Development Bill. While we often think of teachers as the most visible person in a child's life at school, principals are responsible for ensuring all students receive a high-quality education in each and every classroom. Principals play a critical role in creating a successful school environment, which greatly impacts student achievement, and they help develop and support our world-class teachers.
Despite the critical and challenging role of today's principals, very few receive ongoing professional development, helping to enhance their abilities to lead our high-performing schools. My bipartisan bill will help more principals across the state participate in the Principals' Leadership Institute at the University of Minnesota or at the Minnesota State University in Mankato. This program is a great tool for principals, offering research-based methods to help them raise student achievement, understand ways to meet the critical challenges of educating students and improve the schools they serve.
Every child deserves a world-class education, and I am honored to be advancing education reform legislation this session.
As always, if you have questions, concerns or input about what is happening in the legislature, I welcome you to share your thoughts with me. Your input is valuable and guides me toward supporting legislation that best serves our community.
<i>Kelly Fenton represents Minnesota House of Representatives District 53B. She can be reached at 651-296-1147 or email@example.com.<i>


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5 Ways Your Kids Make You Healthier
Being a parent is hard work – no doubt about it. But, it is the most rewarding work you'll ever do in your life. You children look to you for insight and guidance, and, in return, they make you healthier. Really? Yes, really. Here's how. 1. You eat better When preparing family meals, your first


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As a postgraduate student you will need to pay annual tuition fees to the University for your programme of study. You may be able to apply for funding to help you cover your costs.
When planning your finances, you will also need to consider other expenses such as living costs, accommodation fees and study materials. Visit the University's postgraduate fees and funding page for more information.
Find out more about our scholarships
Postgraduate loans are now available for UK and EU students studying taught and research masters programmes.
These loans are worth up to £10,280 per student.
Find out whether you are eligible and more on our postgraduate funding pages.
Fees vary according to the type of programme you choose (e.g. research or taught; classroom-laboratory- or workshop-based; clinical) and whether you are a student from the UK or overseas.
View the full list of postgraduate taught fees
View the full list of postgraduate research fees
For more information about postgraduate fees, including your fees status and how to pay, please visit our postgraduate fees pages.
Discount on postgraduate courses
We offer a 10 per cent discount on postgraduate courses for University of Southampton final-year students and alumni. Find out more here.
Scholarship funding may be available from other sources. If you require funding to undertake a postgraduate qualification (that is, you will not be self-funded or supported by your employer), you should secure this before accepting an offer of a place. There is always strong competition for scholarships.
Applications for the third round of the National Scholarship Fund (NSF) for teachers opened on 8 April 2013. The aim of the fund is to provide an opportunity for teachers to deepen their specialist or subject knowledge. It is anticipated that this will also lead to the sharing of learning, knowledge and expertise across the school system. Find out more..
Teacher training scholarships of £25 000 are available for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing PGCE secondary trainees. A 25 per cent premium will be paid to School Direct trainees whose training is based in a school where more than 35 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. For details of eligibility and the application process see the Department of Education (DfE) website.
The University has instituted a new scholarship fund. Open to the best students, whoever they are and wherever they come from, it will support up to 100 new PhD places each year. This is part of our wider strategy to make a step-change increase in the number of postgraduate research students studying in Southampton. Find out more..
The University of Southampton's ESRC DTC (Doctoral Training Centre) is one of just 21 centres to receive accreditation by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the national body funding research and training in social and economic issues. The DTC will offer a minimum of 18 new postgraduate studentships every year for a five year period, which commenced in October 2011.
For details of current government bursaries for postgraduate teacher training, click here.
Provider ITT and School Direct Training Programme PGCE trainees (including Further Education) are eligible for a student loan. Details can be found on the Gov.UK website.
If you are normally resident in England or Wales you may be eligible for a means-tested maintenance grant. For enquiries about training to teach please contact the Teaching line by telephoning 0800 389 2500 or email via the Department for Education (DfE) website. If you are normally resident in the European Union you may also be entitled to some financial help. You need to check regulations at Gov.UK Teacher training funding or contact the EU Customer Services Team on +44(0) 1412 433 570.


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This year's Census includes the following questions:
The City of Calgary has been conducting an annual Civic Census since 1958. The City is proud to acknowledge 60 years of Calgarians help in planning Calgary's future.
The Civic Census is collected annually in the spring. In 2018 Census collection begins on April 2.
Online census data collection for 2018 will begin April 2 at 7:00 am.
The Door-to-door census data collection will start April 20 and will last approximately 3 weeks. If you complete your census online you should expect to not see a Census Taker at your door unless it is for a Quality Assurance Check.
Access codes are mailed to all Calgary households during the first week of April. If you did not receive one, or have misplaced it, you can request a new access code on www.Calgary.ca/census.
If you receive an error message while completing the Census Online please contact us for assistance or wait for door-to-door census collection.
The Census Online collects information for main floor suites of houses only. Other suites will have to wait for door-to-door census collection, or they can contact us to provide census information over the phone.
For access to the most recent Census Results books, please visit our results page.
If you are interested in historical Census information, please visit the open data catalogue or learn more about Calgary's Geodemographics.
The data that is collected during the annual civic census is used by The City for the planning of services. These services include roads, transit, recreation and water services. It is also used by the public and separate school boards for enrolment predictions, decisions on future schools, and by the provincial government for determining per capita grant allocation where available
The census data will be released approximately three months after census collection has completed.
For additional information, please contact Election and Census at email@example.com or 403-476-4100 (Option 3).
The annual Civic Census is NOT related to the Census done by the Federal Government pursuant to the Statistics Act (Canada). The Federal Census collects different information than the Civic Census and is conducted once every five (5) years in the month of May (ie. 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 etc.). In the Federal Census, Census Questionnaires or links to an online questionnaire are mailed. The Federal Census collects more detailed information than the annual Civic Census on many topics including ethnicity, language, income and education. For data about Calgary from the Federal Census, please visit the Data about Calgary webpage, or for more specific questions contact email@example.com.
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Census takers will be going door-to-door beginning April 20 for the remaining households.
We have not made significant modifications to the number of Census Takers hired because of the uneven distribution of online uptake and the size of the City. Census Takers are paid for information collected.
Once the collection period is over, if a dwelling is missed the resident can call the Elections and Information Services office at 403-476-4100 (option 3)
Census Takers will use their tablets to get an up-to-date address list of households who have not yet completed the census.
The 2018 census results will be available approximately three months after census collection has completed.
To be a Census Taker/Enumerator you must be:
Census Takers/Enumerators are paid based on the questions asked and information collected. The amount made will vary depending on the number of homes and questions they collect answers from and how many questions are in the Census that year.
Census Taker recruitment takes place January 22 to February 9 ,2018. Applications must be submitted in-person at the Election and Census Office at 1103 55 Ave NE. A written assessment test must be completed at the time of application drop-off. Applications are available at calgary.ca/census during the application period.
The access codes help ensure that the information received is legitimate and submitted by residents of Calgary.
You can request a new access code on www.calgary.ca/census beginning April 2. The code will be provided to you via the email address you provide. New access code requests are limited to one code per email and one code per address.
Census information for each address can only be submitted once. You will see an error message if information for an address is entered more than once. If you have questions or concerns about the information submitted for an address you can contact the Census Office for assistance.
The web application has been designed using the City's Mobile Application Framework.
For quality control purposes a small portion of households that complete their Census Online will still be visited by Census Takers. If your household is chosen to participate for this purpose, you will not be required to provide your Census data again, just to confirm completion.
All information provided during this process is secure and encrypted during transmission. Census Data is available on a city-wide basis or by geographic areas such as communities, individuals and single dwelling are not identified.
Using Census Online is a quick, easy and convenient way for Calgarians to submit their census information. It should only take you a minute to complete.
Census online gives citizens the convenience of completing the census at a time and location that is convenient to them. It will also help shorten the collection of door-to-door census information as there will be fewer households to visit.
The City's Census has been completed online since 2013, with the introduction of tablet based collection. This is the next progression of enhancements to the system as a whole, enabling self-serve completion of the Census. The City of Calgary has developed the online Census application in house to ensure full integration. Most of the other Municipalities do not utilise their own infrastructure to conduct the Census in their jurisdictions. By doing it this way, the City of Calgary has developed a system works seamlessly with our existing databases.
Call the Census Office during business hours as that address will have to be added by the office staff.
Make sure you enter your unit/suite number, along with the building address.
For the purposes of conducting the census, an apartment structure is defined as a structure originally designed and built to contain at least three dwelling units on three or more levels. The dwelling units share outside entrances.
The answer to this question provides insight into the physical building or structure in which the dwelling is located. It is not a reference to the use of the dwelling. If your condominium unit matches the definition for an apartment structure please select Yes to this question.


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29 January 2010
Mission City - Foreword
It started, there, in that picture, I think. There has been a lot of changes to the UT campus since 1977, but I went searching for a place that looked like what I had seen in a vision dream. This vision dream did not recur, but it is part of the mission city-- a place I have dreamed of of since childhood.
It is not a "Mission" in the since of a Church structure, although it is a spiritual place; rather it is a place where I always find myself in what I call, "Mission Mode."
I like being in Mission Mode, it is exciting, it is comfortable, it is purposeful and it is familiar. I like it in this life, and I like in my vision dreams where it is even more real. In real life, less real, it is when the adrenalin has been kicked in by some outward threat. Somewhere and sometime along my life, I became so accustomed to be in such situations that I no longer experience fear, at least not in any distracting way. Part of PTSD, I suppose, but a really good symptom to have-- like another symptom that is a good one to have: hyper-vigilance.
When you wake up several nights a week, being kicked and punched, these things happen. That, however, is not what this is about-- just a short explanation of how I came to find grace and poise in battle.
When there is no justice, and revenge must be denied, vigilantism IS justice.
The last recollection I have in real life of Mission Mode is when I was told that a man behind me on the bus and with whom I had some words a few minutes before was now holding a knife in his hand with an exposed blade. I smiled. I smiled because I knew how it would end. I knew that if he attacked me, he would end up bad, and I would be unharmed. I'm not bigger or stronger. The only advantage I have is the one that cannot be easily overcome-- I lived it so long, that such sudden combat is a normal part of life for me. When I came out of that life with daily beatings, daily attacks, constant and unpleasant surprises, I worried how I would survive in a less violent world.
It turns out, that in a less violent world, that not being restrained from fighting back as I had been for sixteen years, had a very healing sort of feel to it. The abusers, the bullies, the evil people can get hurt in this new life of mine, and on a few occasions, such persons have been.
I sense such people. I have no good idea as to what it is I recognize when such abusive, bullying people are near, but I know it when they are close. Call it intuition.
I am easy prey. Slight build, a face that when relaxed smiles and eyes that are always searching, indicating (giving away the fact) that I am always expecting someone to hurt me. I expect to be hunted, and harmed. I am just the person sociopaths seek out, just the person by appearance, I should say.
Sixteen years of experience, and I know exactly what it takes to prompt the enemy into taking the first shot, the first punch, or make the first lunge. Few would be able to notice any threat, and before any does, I not only have noticed, I am waiting for opportunity. I am both bait and trap. "Everybody needs a hobby," I joke with friends who have seen me do this without understanding, but who are concerned that such a side of me exists.
Up until a few months ago, I had not punched a person since I was in high school. Over sixteen years in that life I had just before coming to Austin, I could not punch-- or would not allow myself to do so. In fact, in the first combat situation I experienced after coming to Austin, I remember saying to myself, in my mind "Don't punch him, don't punch him, don't punch him..." throughout the thirty seconds that the combat lasted.
I was afraid not during, but on a few minutes after it was over. I was afraid because the mans face was red and swollan, and he was bleeding from somewhere. I pulled a freind aside, almpst frantic, darm near crying, and asked in fright, "Why is he bleeding I didn't hit him did I?"
My friend answered, "No, he did it to himself, hit his face on the table to try to keep from falling."
You see, I had been talking to my counselor about my biggest fear: What I might be capable of when unleashed. Now that I saw what would happen to me if I only resisted, only tried to subdued, only attempted to restrained evil. Evil does not just use violence, evil also uses lies. You can't beat evil by being patient.
It was a simple lie which ended my life as I had known it, ended my ability to do my life's work, ended my family. Evil had no fear of me. I could have punched a certain fear into the face of evil, but I never did. Having lost everything, I worried very much what someone with nothing left to lose might do in releasing that rage.
It was so bad, my expectation and my fear, that I had taken to sleeping with a bowie knife in one hand. Not under my pillow, but in my hand. Over sixteen years, most of the attacks came when I slept, and even though I was no longer vulnerable to that person, I began arming myself, because, I knew I was now able to release my rage. Also, because I still expected to be attacked.
But, while worrying what if, I had a burglar wake me one morning, with a flashlight in his mouth going through my wallet. I never showed him the knife, hid it from his view, never touched him, but last saw him picking himself up off the street, where he had knelt, begging me for forgiveness. I was both relived and ashamed. I was relieved that I found restraint and control of myself -- a part of my character had not departed me; but I was ashamed that what the man saw in my eyes, was enough to have him fear for his life and beg. I wore dark glasses after that, unless I was in a place so dark as not allow what was in my eyes-- or what could be in my eyes, to be seen. I was hiding the part of me that not only scared me, but others.
My counselor smiled when I told him, and said, "You do not have it in you to seek to harm someone, or even to plot their harm. You are who you are, and whatever you may become will not deviate from what you are." I wanted to believe him. But so far, I had merely met and confronted one abusive sociopath, and struggled with and subdued another. What if neither confrontation or subduction would suffice?
So it is last summer, sensing evil, I paid close attention. I set a trap and waited for the abuser to find it. My friends simply left the table when the sociopath began acting out, I sat quietly until I alone remained with the abuser and his lackey. Soon, he sprang the trap, and I knew he would. I knew, and I was in control, but an abuser never, ever, expects their prey to be prepared. I was not only prepared, I was plotting.
In a discussion about Werner Von Braun, we disagreed. I was proven wrong, and took it well, how upset can aperson be to have said, "I don;t think Von Braun was ever an SS officer" and then learn that the Nai rocket scientist, indeed, had been? Taking it well was not what the sociopath expected, nor wanted. So his lackey announced to everyone within earshot, "Don't f**k with me about history! This guy should not have f**ked with me!"
That is obviously an over-reaction to being proven correct in a gentle discussion about a Nazi scientist. I flipped my hand and continued smiling, indicating to them that I was nonplussed. After all, it was quite a bit short of what I was used to. I could, and probably did, sleep through worse verbiage and at higher volumes.
They were nibbling at the bait, but not yet biting. The sociopath, not his lackey, was the one I wanted to battle. Having gotten no reaction from me, other than a dismissive and non-threatening wave, the sociopath lost patience during the silence and repeated, in a loud voice intended to draw attention from others, not so much me, "You really should not have f**ked with my friend."
He didn't know me, he was not sure if I was the prey he sought. He wanted to try a little verbal push. I took it and said nothing. I thought he had just bitten, but waited for him to run with it. My lack of response prompted him again to break the silence, this time, nervously sharing some comradery with his lackey. "Man, did we score some good s**t tonight?!"
"Yeah, man, that was some good stuff."
They were talking about some cocaine they had been bragging about before the others started to leave the table. The source of false self-perception I was witnessing-- and which I was manipulating was in part the cocaine talking, and partly the personality disorder.
The bravado went on like that for a few back and forths, and in my quiet observation, the lackey used his eyes to indicate to the sociopath that they had retained my attention. The sociopath leaned forward toward me, and I leaned forward, scooting my chair closer to the table to indicate I was going to speak something quietly to the two. Surely they assumed I was going to ask for some of that cocaine.
The sociopath looked almost friendly, like he thought I wanted to join in and be a bad boy as they thought they were being-- as they wanted everyone to think they were. Instead, I very quietly, for their ears only, spoke, "I don't like the way you have talked to me. You have no call to speak to me that way, and I don't plan to put up with anymore. Is that clear?"
It took a few seconds for what I said to seep in. I said it in a friendly, conversational tone, but there was no question being asked of them. It was statement, and they knew it.
A normal and sane person would have taken the unexpected reprimand with some form of backing off. A friendly personality would have apologized. A person on cocaine would have stopped short of apology, but backed off the abuse, pretending it was not intended. But a sociopath would do what this guy did do.
He went ballistic, began cussing and yelling and pounding the table; and drawing no reaction from me, as I smiled and watched, he stood and stepped so close to me (still sitting in my chair) that he went beyond "invading space" he actually began bulldogging against the chair, trying to turn it over as he continued his rant.
I stood up so fast that he stuttered in shock as he finished yelling that I would have to fight him for talking to his friend the way I had done. A rule of sociopaths is that no one is to tell them to stop being abusive. He waited for me to throw the first punch. That surprised me. So I provoked him, with the same sweeping motions of the arms he had been using to draw attention to himself at the table, I bellowed back at him, "The way I spoke to your friend? I haven't heard a single utterance from your mouth without the word 'f**k' in it, and half of those have been directed at me. And you don't like it? You don't like it that I told you not to talk to me that way? I haven't even used the word 'f**k' yet, and you two can't stop yourselves!"
He bulldogged his chest up to mine, and I shoved him back, sending him staggering to keep his balance as he crashed through one of those plastic patio chairs one sees everywhere. He got his balance and lifted the chair, so I stepped forward to put myself too close for a swing of the chair to hit me with any force. He did swing it, but I blocked the motion with my wrist against his wrist and he lost his grip-- the chair went behind my back and clattered to the patio deck. He ran backwards a few steps to get away from me and grabbed another chair; and again I stepped inside the swing and blocked the chair with my arm.
He held on to this second chair and began poking at my face with the legs of the chair-- like a lion tamer might do. With my left arm, I shoved the legs of the chair to my left, collecting over a dozen bruises from the four legs before successfully doing so, and I believe his exact words as I did so were, "This f**ker can't talk to me that way."
He was playing to the crowd, and hearing no reaction, looked away from me for an instant. My right fist came arcing up, around and past the chair tapping him squarely in the cheek. The poor guy was still trying to talk, when he should have been more aware he was in a fight that he, not I, had picked.
The first chair was "turn the other cheek." The second chair? I had run out of cheeks. In my check- list of required actions before I allowed myself to engage, that ws the last item to tick off. He should not have been trying to convince his imagined "audience" that he was in the right, because in doing so, he never saw the punch coming and might have had his jaw clinched as mine was. What came from his mouth I have never heard from a man before. It most closely resembled the sound of a suddenly startled cat.
He dropped the chair and I was moving closer to prepare for the fist fight to ensue, but before the chair had bounced a second time, he was running away while making that startled cat sound. His lackey was nowhere to be seen.
Thirty years since I had punched another human being and I enjoyed the act itself, the self-control I felt (I really did have mental check list), and even (but to a lessor extent) the description I heard days later of his face from that one punch, "both eyes blackened, and a jaw that looked like a baseball was under the skin."
I felt like I had just dispensed one fair measure of justice and it felt very, very, good.
Oh, but my counselor was upset with me! I admitted to her that I had a strong intuitive feeling that they guy would test me, and seek me out as prey; and so I settled it in myself to wait for him to do so, and bait him if possible. That was where she took exception.
I answered, "If I had left, who would have brought fear into that abusers life? Who would have made him think twice before repeating his evil way of finding pleasure? If I had left, who would have learned that I am not easy prey? A few days after, I started hearing stories about how he would cuss out and embarrass waitresses because he knew the girls could not risk losing their jobs. I didn't know the man but my instincts were dead-on accurate. I got one of the bad guys."
She conceded both points but disliked my wanting the situation to escalate-- using my experience with such people to bring about an occasion to harm someone. Good point, I thought, except I have always wondered if my abuser and accuser of sixteen years might have been helped if someone along the way (other than me) had found occasion to knock her teeth loose for her pathological abuse.
My counselor then said she would have expected me to do what I seem to do so naturally-- that is, to look for what had hurt the other person so badly to make them abusive to others-- to have scarred their psyche so as to live such a miserable and meaningless life.
I answered, "My abuser was abused as a child, I only know part of the story. Maybe a parent or both parents, maybe a sibling or siblings? I never heard the details, well, not many of them. I also know that she killed a man, was charged with manslaughter, willful manslaughter I think it was, but was no-billed by the grand jury. She did it, but they just did not want to prosecute. She also aborted a child before I knew her, which she, as a catholic girl, never got over either. Yeah, she had it bad.
"I had compassion for sixteen years, but she stole my children and my life. I don't care about abusers anymore. I want to hurt every last one of them-- maybe that is what stops them? Maybe it is what all of their victims need to heal? Maybe it is what I need to heal?"
Well, all of that is not my mission, but it explains, I hope, why I feel "whole" when in Mission Mode, why I no longer experience fear, but only control when threatened-- and why some of my friends have voted me "most likely to die by gun shot."
If you think about, if you lost children and lost everything you owned, and lost your life's work, your hard-earned reputation, your dreams, and so on-- if you lost everything...
What have you got to lose?
And who do you desire to please?
Which brings me, finally to the story of the Mission City.
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So, I'm sitting here, in front of my computer which may or may not be disgustingly dirty, and I may or may not be slightly tipsy from a margarita that I may or may not have put too much liquor in, and I'm listening to my husband be….well…fantastic. He's been patiently paying attention to and listening to the kids for over an hour, which if added to the other couple of hours today that he's done this is like, a lot of hours. Especially considering how much Rowan can talk. Seriously, if Rowan ever prefaces something to you with, "You know…" get comfy, y'all. Really fucking comfy.
Perhaps it's because I am starting a full-time job tomorrow. One that has already consumed much of my time, albeit in a flurry of distracted, pieced-together, late night–early morning moments, hair-pullingly unorganized moments, but nonetheless, I will, for the first time since the kids were born, be leaving them in the care of, well, my husband. And I'm jealous.
In all fairness, John has been taking care of the kids a lot since they were born. He's a hands-on parent, and genuine in his desire and interest in child-rearing and co-parenting. In fact, what happens tomorrow is something that he and I have been wanting to do for years. We've talked about that elusive job that would never turn up, allowing us to switch roles so that he could be with the kids, and bond with them the way I have. And TA-DA! Captain elusive job landed on my lap, and here we are: T minus 14 hours until we manage to reach a goal we never thought possible.
So why do I feel so shitty?
I don't know, friends. I'm sitting here thinking that it's not because of the job, but more because of the connection. Right now, in the other room, I can hear John shouting in a super-hero-announcer voice (seriously, there is a superhero-announcer-voice): "AH! Help! The SEA DRAGOOOOOOOOON!" and I think, "well, that's it for me." Because I will never, ever be a convincing enough super-hero announcer. And in the interest of keepin' it real, I can assure you that I hate imaginary play. It's so, like, fake.
And he's so patient. And RIGHT! He's right like, 98% of the time! He makes good decisions, and can answer the boys' questions in a very succinct and not psychotic way, like I do! He's loving, but firm and fun, too! Dear SIPNEL! I've married the perfect man! What was I thinking?
It seems really sudden to me, the change. And so I am frantic that it's because I am working more. Will the boys only lean on me for comfort and softness? Can I still connect with them without annoying them? Why do I suddenly not know how to make them happy? I can hear the huff that will come in the next few years from Rowan. In fact, yesterday he actually said to me, "Oh, Mama. You bring nothing but trouble" when I accidentally broke his Lego car. And I swear to you, I felt us separating . . . and a part of me totally agreeing with him. I'm a total troublemaker.
I don't want to be melodramatic, but I'm feeling inadequate as a mother after years of feeling pretty fucking adequate. Is it age? Natural distance? Gender? Or that John is just more awesome, and tolerant? Shouldn't I be pleased to have a partner who is so loving with our kids? So interested? What the hell is wrong with me?
Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it'll pass. Maybe the foundation that I laid is perfectly aligned with what John is providing them with now. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing it all (no shit, Sherlock), and I should just trust that we know what we are doing, and that things are alright. That my kids will grow up knowing that gender doesn't define roles. That women can do anything, and that men can, too. Maybe John will rise up out of this an even more amazing man, and finally for the first time in his life stop thinking that a piano will fall on his head if things go well. And let's face it: maybe, just maybe, I'm drunk.


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"Hornbill Passage"; 60"x 96"; Acrylic on canvas; Private collection in Gilroy, California.
All artwork is ready to hang with a painted black gallery wrapped edge. A contemporary wood "floating frame" is suggested for a different finished look. Unless otherwise indicated, all pieces are available for purchase subject to prior sale.
Commission requests and any other information about the work(s) may be obtained by contacting the artist.
Copyright © 2018 Lucy Liew. All rights reserved. All artwork and photos displayed on this website are the property of Lucy Liew and may not be reproduced without express written permission.


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Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Scott Erickson, 2001 Topps Heritage #343
1 comment:
- Commishbob said...
Strep sucks large. Glad your case isn't worse than that.
Saw the O's tonite in Houston. AJ looked like Willie Mays in center. Got a card to show off? ::grin::
- June 5, 2013 at 12:53 AM
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Now for May's challenge
Well now I at last have my May version of our 'urban' challenge, even if it's almost a month late! This is entitled "The old and the new", and is inspired by the sweeping away of old fashioned terraced housing and disused buildings, to make way for high rise housing. Whilst the new housing may be more efficient than the older version, I find them impersonal and sterile, compared to the friendly neighbourly feel of the older type of housing.
Close up views:
Now all I need to do is to design and work my next urban challenge piece, and since it should be ready for the end of June, it looks as though it's going to be late again!! I think I need to snap a few photos around town to get a bit more inspiration, and I'm hoping that not one but two pieces will spring from my brain, so that July's piece will also materialise. (Springing into action isn't really my brain's best feature!).
I thought I'd also share my latest piece for the 'Fifteen by Fifteen' group. You may recall that we're producing work in which follows a single theme to produce a series, and that my theme is seed heads.
This piece is based on Nigella seed heads (also known as Love-in-a-mist). For this one I tried to use flimsy threads and delicate stitching to create a misty feel (you may be able to see this is the close-up view). For a change, I actually have an idea for my next piece, and have started work on it, so maybe I won't be rushing to finish near the deadline.
Here's hoping that I'm a bit more productive in the next few weeks. (Joan)
Posted on June 28, 2017, in Stitching. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


text: I have a hero200 rooted running Fresh 2.3.3 as my everyday rom. I have been switching between roms seeing what is out there. I use backup pro to back up my apps and data. After going back to Fresh 2.3.3, I reinstalled my apps. My handcent icon came up as broken and I could not find it in my manager to uninstall. I downloaded it from the market and it will not install. How do I fix this?


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Google Turns 7, PRADE Hits Slightly Less Impressive MilestoneToday is Google's 7th birthday - and boy has this little search engine been an active toddler. When I was seven I was still wearing Transformers underwear and learning how to ride a bike. Meanwhile, Google is dominating the search engine and free-mail game and pioneering a host of new technologies that will likely drastically change the internet landscape.
One of these new technologies is Google Video- a service that has high aspirations of cataloguing television programming to make all of its content searchable over the web. As a demonstration of what a great tool this can be, Google Video announced that it is making the entire pilot episode of Chris Rock's new show available to watch online. This is great news if, like me, you missed the Everybody Hates Chris premiere last Thursday but have been hearing great things about the UPN hit.
And in related celebratory news - this is PRADE's 300th post. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I jumped on the blog bandwagon - but I've really enjoyed the experience so far. While finding time to dedicate to PRADE has been challenging, hearing positive feedback from designers whose projects I've covered and receiving compliments from other respected bloggers has been extremely encouraging. So I'll try to keep up the effort on my end as long as the PRADE public deems my little musings readable enough to keep returning to the site.