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So it finally happened. It's over. You stare down upon your lifeless body watching the turmoil and medical personnel desperately try to bring you back to life. Your mind is numb and you are reeling drunk with disillusionment. You are simply trying to figure out what just happened. All your thoughts are riveted upon the events unfolding and the life that you lived. You seem to be conscious of two worlds at once. Your soul is processing multiple dimensions at the same time. You turn your attention back to your lifeless corpse and wonder what is next. You hear the cries of loved ones in the room, the yelling of the first responders, the whispers of onlookers, and then you fully realize that you are dead, and you're not coming back. The time that you spent on the earth flashes before your eyes, it is at this moment that you finally understand the meaning of life. No longer are you clouded by pain, regrets, doubts, offense, materialism, unbelief, or who hurt you. The things of the world seem pointless and empty. Your mind is clear, you have a mental capacity that you never thought was possible. Eternal things are no longer a mystery. All the things you doubted, argued, and explained away on the earth are now more real to you than the world you just left. Things like, distance, time, purpose, eternity, and God, not only seem tangible, but acutely comprehensible. As you are escorted to your final home you wonder what will become of your memory on the earth. Looking over your shoulder, you think to yourself, "Did I live well enough to face Jesus, the standard of all humanity?"
One day a scenario something like this will reveal itself to every person on the planet. Ten out to ten people die, yet this very real statistic is often swept under the rug of denial. We would rather not think about it, much less plan for it. Understanding and embracing death can be a powerful enhancer to life, an enhancement that many times goes unused. It is not my intention to debate the theological underpinnings of death, I simply wish to highlight the practical scenarios that are usually found amongst the living once someone dies. Maybe this will help us take life a bit more seriously, instead of our all too common juvenile attempts at living the one life we have.
There are a lot of speculations as to what really happens when we leave our bodies. Books have been written, movies made, and documentaries in mass, have been produced on the topic. But here I will only deal with the most likely events that will occur once you die. Bear in mind that most of these are written to someone of the Christian faith, yet they can be applied to anyone. Some of them are a bit depressing but understanding these things can cause us to grasp the opportunities that we have instead of wasting them on things that won't matter. Meditating on death often times gives us a greater ability to see life the way it should be seen, as a gift.
- People will eventually forget about you.
Our whole world, even if it's painful, seems very secure and solid. It is uncommon to think that tomorrow will never arrive, yet 1. 8 people die every second. We would never dream of our friends and relatives being able to live life without us. Yet the sad fact is that they can, and will. Yes, they will cry and mourn for a season, but things will eventually get back to the way they were. The world, Wall Street, Starbucks, and Hollywood, will carry on without you. Even the most famous people are hardly remembered with consistency. We may study Einstein, but he is rarely a daily thought, and we won't be either. The longer we are dead, the less we will be remembered. We are frail and temporary creatures that usually live as if we are invincible. As for those we leave behind, you and I will be nothing more than a piece of granite in a manicured cemetery. We must learn to live life with posterity in mind. Replicate yourself and know that even though you are not here when you die, your principles and ideals are, through one of your disciples. No wonder Jesus said make disciples, not converts. Investment into another life ensures your greatest presence upon the earth, even when you are gone.
- Your enemies will rejoice that you are gone.
Now most of us don't have too many people who will fall into this category, but there will be people who cared so little about you that they really aren't moved by the fact that you are not here anymore. Remember those people who served your coffee? Yeah well, they are just sad that you are can't buy coffee anymore. We have this thing in society that is called respect, and it seems that you get the most of it when you are dead, so out of respect these people may never voice their apathy toward your passing, but it will certainly be a reality. It is necessary that we live a life that makes sense, even after we are gone, and it is possible to live in such a way that even though your enemies may have hated you, they will respect the stands that you took. Write a book, start a blog, teach a class, engage in prayer and social activity that makes a difference. Leave a testimony that even your enemies can't take away from you.
- Someone will take what you worked your whole life to achieve.
In a few years, it is likely that someone you do not know will live in your house, own your land, marry your spouse, and/or work your specific business. This is a terrible thought and yet it is all too real. To many times we spend our entire lives on something that will only be someone else's. It is amazing to me how many times I have watched people sacrifice their wives and children on the altar of materialism not really realizing that it will never be theirs. Know that what you do with your hands will never be more important than who you are and who you love. What you leave behind is only important if it is dressed in skin.
- People won't care about your beloved opinions, they will remember how you loved.
Selflessness goes beyond the grave. It is the power that remains with those you left behind, it is a silent instructor to your loved ones. Too often we can get carried away by trying to prove our points because of some unbridled emotion. Our wounds define us, our pain consumes us, and we are impatient and mean. It would be much better instead for us to show others how to rise above tragedy and seek to remove blame from our life. Without realizing it we teach those around us to be bitter, cynical, judging, and critical of others. Remember, your opinions only matter to you, people matter to God. I have never met anyone who was brought into the kingdom because they lost an argument. Take time to listen instead of lecture.
- There will be regrets.
If you make it to heaven, there will be regrets, and there will be tears for a season. Yes, God will wipe them away, but the pain of knowing that you lived your whole life for something that is no longer available will be almost unbearable. You will wish that you would have believed more, loved more, and matured more into the image of Jesus. You will finally grasp the value of sacrifice. The cross will finally make sense. There will be a great understanding of how selfish you were and how selfless God was to you. There will be regrets by those whom you left behind, even if you work hard to not have any, there will always be a few. Know that your life begins when it ends. Make sense of your eternal home by living correctly here. Living for others is a great eternal reward, but living entirely for Jesus will make sense of this crazy mess both here and there. Minimize regrets, not through human effort, but by staying at the feet of Jesus until He makes you so much like Himself that your regrets are minimized and your eternity is maximized.
So there you have it. Five things that will happen when you die. You can't stop them, you can only understand how to reduce them. No amount of money or power will protect you from the possibility of these things touching your life once you are gone. Death puts the underscore upon the futility of life without Jesus. I believe to have a true vision of the kingdom that is coming we must first have a pure understanding of how short this life is. So today, embrace what you have! Learn eternal principles through earthly trials and pain. Practice your faith in the midst of betrayal, hurt, and the stressful moments life has to offer. But know that one day you will look back, and you will have left a footprint in the sands of time. How deep that print is and how quickly it washes away is up to you.
Your life is but a vapor…James 4:14


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Founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Richard Scerbo, INSCAPE Chamber Orchestra is pushing the boundaries of classical music with riveting performances that reach across genres and generations, and transcend the confines of the traditional classical concert experience.
With its flexible roster and unique brand of programming, this critically acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated group of high energy master musicians has quickly established itself as one of the premier performing ensembles in the Washington, DC region and beyond. Learn more...
We've just announced our 2017-2018 season with concerts throughout the Washington DC area and in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Inscape's flexible roster includes musicians from Washington, DC and beyond.
Learn more about our recordings, including our GRAMMY-nominated album Sprung Rhythm.
Inscape to Record Philip Glass Opera in November 2017
Inscape joins with Wolf Trap Opera in November 2017 to record Philip Glass's opera, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Read more...
Petrushka now available for pre-order
Inscape's newest recording, a fully transcribed chamber orchestra version of Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka (1911), is now available for pre-order through iTunes! Read more...
Inscape to record Stravinsky's Petrushka
Inscape embarks on one of their most ambitious projects yet - to record a new transcription of Igor Stravinsky's iconic ballet, Petrushka, in a version for chamber orchestra. Read more...
Sprung Rhythm receives GRAMMY® nomination
Inscape's recently released album, Sprung Rhythm, received a GRAMMY® nomination in the category of Best Surround Sound Album. Read more...
Richard Scerbo heard on Houston's Classical Classroom
Inscape's Artistic Director, Richard Scerbo, joins Dacia Clay, host of Houston Public Media's Classical Classroom to talk about the elements of story-telling in music. Read more...
Inscape's second album - American Aggregate - released by Sono Luminus Records
American Aggregate explores the rich and varied sounds of American music in the 21st century. The works featured on this provocative new album reflect American culture, landscape and environment as expressed through the distinctly American voices of seven young composers. Read more...
Gala Concert reviewed in The Washington Post
Charles T. Downey reviews our September 12, 2013 concert for The Washington Post. Read more...
Hindemith's Hérodiade released to critical acclaim
Inscape releases its first digital exclusive album on the Sono Luminus label. Read more...

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Homepage chevron_rightBlogchevron_right Post Our Northwest Backyard Block Party Monday, August 13, 2012by Cael Anacker For the last eight years, Block Party has been the favorite summer event for South Lake Union residents. The festivities happen right in PEMCO's backyard and we love the chance to meet all of our neighbors!Biking Billboards handed out crowd-favorite PEMCO sunglassesThe activities were endless at this year's party with a free yoga class on the lawn from Be Luminous, food sampling from popular SLU restaurants, a burger grilling competition, and a movie on the lawn to finish the evening.Yoga on the lawn from Be LuminousThe PEMCO Brand Ambassadors were stationed right next to all the food vendors…so we couldn't help ourselves from sampling the many tasty treats that our neighborhood has to offer.When you make a visit to South Lake Union, check out some of our favorites dishes!Fennel roasted pork with nectarine and blueberry from CuocoFor a hot summer day this fruit and pork combo really hit the spot. The colorful dish was not only the daily winner in appearance, but also took gold in flavor combination. We were tempted to go back for seconds on this one!Cuoco's fennel roasted pork with nectarine and blueberrySteamed clams in pesto sauce from 13 CoinsNow I have something to confess: I had never eaten a single clam before Friday. I'm happy to announce that my first experience was at SLUBP with this dish from 13 Coins. The buttery pesto sauce made for a super-rich concoction but the sample size was the perfect treat.Apple fagottino from La ToscanellaLa Toscanella opened its doors to SLU only three days before Block Party! Their Northern-Italian pastry tastes better than mom's apple pie and fits in your hand like a high-end hot-pocket. Despite my goal of photographing everything I ate at Block Party, I had devoured this wonderful little morsel before I returned to my seat. I think that means I loved it. Share on social media 0


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Julian Ashton
(England, Australia 27 Jan 1851 – 27 Apr 1942)
Aboriginal family group
- Other titles:
- Gib it bacca Boss, Give blackfellow tobacco boss!
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Julian Ashton was born in England and studied at the Royal Academy School, London, and at the Académie Julian, Paris, before coming to Australia in 1878 to work for the 'Illustrated Australian News' and 'Australasian Sketcher' in Melbourne. He moved to Sydney in 1883 to work on 'The picturesque atlas of Australasia'. Ashton was a major influence on the appreciation and teaching of art in Sydney, establishing his own art school, which still operates today. He was President of the Art Society of NSW and a trustee of the AGNSW.
According to his autobiography, 'Now came still evening on' (1941) pg 53 Ashton visited an Aboriginal camp some miles out of Kiama on the south coast of NSW, where he remembered seeing "a fine looking native and his two lubras… They lived in a little construction something like an Indian wigwam. They had two children – a boy of about six years and the other just out of babyhood. I persuaded the father to allow me to make a drawing of them. He stood with his hand out and holding the younger child in his arms."
- Place of origin
New South Wales,
- Year
- (circa 1886)
- Media
- Watercolour
- Medium
- pencil, watercolour, white gouache
- Dimensions
- 38.0 x 25.3 cm sheet
- Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r., "J.R. Ashton 188 (illeg.)".
- Credit
- Purchased 1888
- Accession number
- 19


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Liam Fox told the Commons Scottish Affairs select committee there were "clear implications" for the positioning of the United Kingdom's army, navy and air force bases if Scotland decided to break away.
He also warned that separation could harm Scottish shipbuilding because it is creating "uncertainty" among foreign countries interested in buying British warships.
In an indication that shipyards in a separate Scotland could not expect military orders from the remainder of the UK, Dr Fox could not recall an instance of the Government handing such a contract to a foreign government.
But he said Mr Salmond, the First Minister, had not raised any of these issues during their discussions, despite the SNP claiming that an independent Scotland could continue sharing facilities and even manpower with the rest of Britain.
Unionist MPs suggested this failure further undermined Mr Salmond's case that only a single, preliminary referendum is required for separation. Michael Moore, the Scottish Secretary, has said two are needed.
Leading academics argue that two are required so the Scottish public can pass judgement on the eventual 'divorce settlement' Mr Salmond reaches on issues such as an independent Scotland's share of Britain's armed forces.
Dr Fox, who grew up in East Kilbride, said the sites of military bases have not yet been influenced by the threat of Scottish independence as it remains "hypothetical".
But pressed by Ian Davidson, the committee's convener, about what would happen to the bases if Scotland became a "foreign country", the Defence Secretary said: "There would be clear implications for that.
"I would be wanting to look with my colleagues across government at what the implications may be and how we might deal with them. It could potentially be a serious issue."
He said there is interest "around the world" in purchasing the new generation of Royal Navy Type 26 frigates "built in the UK". But, referring to the prospect of an independent Scotland, he warned: "Uncertainty is not good for long-term investment."
Mr Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said the First Minister's plan for a single referendum held in 2016 at the latest would require speedy negotiations to ascertain the shape of an independent Scotland's defence.
But Dr Fox said Mr Salmond has not raised the post-independence future of Scotland bases or the Trident nuclear deterrent in any of their discussions.
The Defence Secretary highlighted "two elements" – the air force and the Trident submarines – where Scotland makes a "vital" contribution to the UK's defence.
"To lose any of those elements would potentially be detrimental to the country's security," he said, before paying tribute to Scotland's military tradition.
"Our armed forces don't ask one another whether they come from Edinburgh or Cardiff or Belfast or London. They are armed forces under the Crown very proudly fighting alongside one another with a common purpose."
He refused to comment on the fate of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray or RAF Leuchars in Fife in the Ministry of Defence's basing review, but said he wanted to retain a strong military "footprint" in Scotland.
Questioned by the SNP's Eilidh Whiteford why the number of armed forces personnel in Scotland is falling, Dr Fox said they are situated according to the UK's strategic defence needs and not an "ethnic ledger".
But he said MoD spending in Scotland would be higher after the defence review thanks to a series of expensive procurement projects, such as two new aircraft carriers and the Type 45 destroyer programme.
He said the latter has been worth up to £2 billion north of the Border, showing the benefit of Scotland being part of Britain's "economy of scale in armed forces".


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Cinderella's Assets:
What are the 2 things that stand out to you the most in the story of Cinderella? My favorite version has always been Disney's version and my favorite things were the 2 that sparkled most, well, ok 3.
- Cinderella's shoes!
- The pumpkin turned carriage!
- and her positive attitude amidst hardship, ridicule and betrayal.
Our 12th Anniversary
This month my dreamy husband and I will celebrate our twelfth wedding anniversary. I still remember the hot sunny day when I planned to wear my own glass (ok plastic, but looked like glass) slippers down the aisle to say "I do."
A dozen years and almost half a dozen children later, it's still a lovely night when I am with him, and he doesn't care if I wear shoes or not!
Our Dreams
Our dreams have grown and changed along with our family size, and we are excited to see how God will continue to use our family to encourage and equip others in life, in homeschooling, in blogging and in health.
Did you know we have a local ministry here in Mexico as well as an international ministry to hispanic home educators, and a blogging/coaching business? It's not been the ride we expected when we climbed in the carriage 12 years ago, but we are thankful to be where we are today.
Our Pumpkin Turned Carriage
Many of you know I've been gluten-free for over a year now, and cannot believe the difference it has made in my overall well-being. The other heathy change we've made is that we've been using essential oils for our family's health since last fall, and have been so blessed by that experience. So much so, in fact, that we decided to become a distributor of essential oils. The plant based oils have enhanced our lives and carried us down a road toward a happier today and a happier ending.
Later this month, I'll be hosting a Facebook Party about them in our Paradise Praises Community Facebook Group, I hope you'll attend to hear about the awesome benefits we've experienced, and all the ways you can use them in your family's wellness routine as well.
A Free Gift
And in honor of our 12th anniversary, I will be giving a free pumpkin carriage oil diffuser necklace to anyone who purchases a Young Living Premium Starter Kit this month through my link (expires 8/31/15).
My girls and I love these diffuser necklaces as it allows us to enjoy the smells of the oils all throughout the day. It came in especially handy on a recent trip when I was not feeling that great and used the peppermint oil in my necklace.
You can read more about essential oils here, reference my number (2818697) when you order here, or get in touch with me and I'll answer your questions and help you through the ordering process.
Wherever you are in life, life can get better. I want to challenge you to purposefully keep a positive attitude, lay your dreams and your assets in the Lord's hands and allow Him to direct your path. Our stories may not be far from that of Cinderella. But for those who know the King of kings we can count on a happy ending!
Blessings on you today!


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Clarion Gets Social With Promo Campaign
Cypress, Calif. - Clarion is stepping up its social-media profile with the recent launch of an official Facebook page and Twitter account.
Consumers who follow
and "like"
will get sneak peeks of new products, learn about the company's Clarion's participation in consumer and industry events, and learn about Clarion's sponsorship activities. Consumers will also be able to participate in contests for Clarion products and participate in on industry surveys.
The social-media campaign, said marketing VP Adam Thomas, "will enable us to reach a wide range of consumers, including enthusiasts, industry affiliates, partners, dealers and installers."
Having launched multiple products at CES, he said, the campaign "will allow us to get information out to consumers quickly."
Clarion Corp. of America is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Clarion Co., which has been a consolidated subsidiary of the Hitachi Group since 2007 and has been in car audio and electronics since 1940.


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Comprehensive Security in One ServiceProtect your business from cyber threats with MySecure Cloud Firewall, a powerful cloud-based Unified Threat Management service.
Even the smallest business faces the risk of viruses, malware and other cyber threats. MySecure Cloud Firewall offers powerful security features at an accessible monthly cost.
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With MySecure Cloud Firewall, there is no need to invest in expensive equipment or a full in-house security team. Businesses both big and small can achieve enterprise-grade security at an affordable monthly subscription.
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MySecure Cloud Firewall stays automatically updated with the latest malware and heuristic detection engines, ensuring that it reliably safeguards your business against all known and variants of known threats.
Using dual-pass detection technology, MySecure Cloud Firewall reliably detects and eliminates spam email before it enters your network, reducing the probability of email attacks and resource wastage.
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Having this blog to look back on is pretty neat – I get to revisit my younger self, see what I thought about stuff, and reflect on what's changed. Most people can probably relate to how it feels when they discover an old essay they wrote for school, or a set of pictures from some big event in their life – a very human mix of nostalgia, slightly embarrassed introspection and my-god-where-has-the-time-gone reflection on changing priorities. Anyway, I was doing some house keeping and found this post. I think it is as useful now as it was then.
Me in a younger mans clothes – a few days before I wrote this post. How's the Sprint Veloce doing Corey?
From July 30, 2008: Cleaning up the differential housing was one of those jobs I resisted doing for a while. Every time I looked at it the 2 hours of scraping, solvent bathing and degreaser scrubbing I would have to do flashed before my eyes and I found something else to do. Last week I rearranged a lot of my stuff to fit the Berlina in my space and found myself once again faced with this greasy lump in a tray sitting on my bench top waiting for me to clean it. It was time to face the subject of so much procrastination.
The housing was covered in a thick coating of dirt that had bonded with oil and built up over the years. To save time and solvent I used a small scraper to remove the big stuff. By the time I was done I had removed probably three pounds of the caked oily dirt.
Greasy oily goo scraped off easily, but there was so much of it that it took about an hour to get it ready for a solvent bath.


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There are hundreds of companies who provide online software for growing businesses. Zoho, BatchBook, Infusionsoft, Vertical Response, Constant Contact, Google Apps, Office Live, Salesforce, Sage and many other companies all provide great solutions for growing businesses.
When considering a hosted application, the first thing that's important is the viability of the company. You want to make sure that the company who sells you on a solution today is around tomorrow.
The SECOND thing that's important is to ensure that the company has a roadmap to ensure other solutions integrate with it. Frankly this integration is really a function of how much market share the company has. For example, Intuit QuickBooks is the leading financial management product for small businesses - hundreds of other companies want to ensure their solutions work with QuickBooks. Same goes for Google Apples and more.
For example project management solution Clarizen, announced today their integration with Salesforce.com. This is a win for Clarizen and Salesforce.com. Clarizen customers can now consider using Salesforce.com and Salesforce.com customers can have a choice of yet another great project management tool.
Here is a bit more on the integration:
The Clarizen-Salesforce integration is robust. All Clarizen projects, milestones and resources are native Salesforce objects, giving organizations optimal customization and administration and a real-time sync between the two systems ensures updates are immediately visible. Additional key features include:
- Issue tracking: Issues can be submitted and tracked in both Salesforce.com and Clarizen, simplifying communication and speeding resolution.
- Financial integration: Professional services companies billing on milestone completion can use project resources in Clarizen to work easily with timesheets and expense sheets.
- Dashboard reporting: Users can build a visual dashboard based on new default reports, allowing managers to better understand trends, project manager effectiveness, profitability and resource allocation.
- The Clarizen-Salesforce integration supports Salesforce Professional, Enterprise and Unlimited editions and can be installed from the Salesforce.com AppExchange.
Read more posts on Ramon Ray & the Smallbiztechnology.com Team »


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Falling down the Rhine in Switzerland
Switzerland is known more for its snow-capped mountains and picturesque valleys. That's where most Indian tourists head anyway. But closer to the financial capital of Zurich lies the noisy and stunning Rhine Falls. Take a boat ride into the waterfalls, scream when the water crashes against you and take a walk around car-free medieval town of Schaffhausen as you feast on some mouth watering Swiss ice cream
I had grown up hearing tales about Switzerland as the country of yummy chocolates and breathtaking timepieces and where the super rich stashed their cash. Of course this was also the land of skiing and throwing snowballs, of towering mountains such as Jungfraujoch and Mount Titlis where rotating cable cars could ferry you to 12,000 feet and dump you in several feet of snow.
I also realised once we landed in Switzerland that about a million other Indian tourists were always roaming the country at any given point in time, in search of picture postcard spots and Indian restaurants!
Type: ADVENTURE
Best from: ZURICH
You need: 1 day
Boats take visitors right to the edge of the Rhine Falls
So after spending three days in snowcapped Engelberg, taking the revolving cable car to the top of Mount Titlis (where the biggest restaurant amongst miles and miles of unending snow slopes is owned by an Indian) and scaling the world heritage site of Jungfraujoch (to be honest we took the funicular train to the 12,000-feet summit) — we were curious to know where all the melting Alpine snow went when summer arrived.
Water, water, everywhere
This quest led us, among other places to the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen — a small town near Zurich and a site relatively less trodden by Indian tourists who limit themselves to Engelberg, Interlaken (where dozens of Bollywood films are shot and even a lake is named after the late Yash Chopra) and Geneva. Not that the Rhine Falls is unknown to the world. Far from it. My cousin Stefan (born to an Indian father and a German mother),who was with us on the trip, informed me that every year, more than one million people visit this place.
What's so great about a waterfall that's just 450 feet wide and 75 feet high, you might wonder, when you know that the Victoria Falls is over 5,000 feet wide and where the water gushes down from a height of 350 feet.
Even our good old Duandhar Falls in Jabalpur rushes down from a height of 35 feet! So hear me out first. Depending on the time of the year, between 250 and 600 cubic metres of water per second plummet to the depths from the Rhine Falls. And you can actually take a walk on the falls! A local guide told us we could walk around the basin, cross the bridge above the falls to the Laufen Castle on the other side and proceed from there to an observation platform built directly beside the water. Not for the fainthearted for sure, but information that made sure we took the bus to Schaffhausen.
Unfortunately for me, the Swiss breakfast that morning had not gone down too well – not the ideal situation if you are going to get rocked around like a yo -yo in a boat and get splashed by a huge force of water every three seconds. Oh yes, did we tell you these guys have boat trips downstream of the falls that leave every few minutes. Some of these actually let you disembark at the Rheinfallfelsen, a large rock, bang in the middle of the falls.
We arrived close to the falls around 11 am. The day of the week does not really matter in a tourist town. Every day is a Sunday and wherever we looked, we could see hundreds of tourists, some queuing up for a boat ride, others far away on a rock or at the observation point getting drenched and yet others posing, clicking snaps or munching on burgers. But every other noise was overshadowed by the roar of the Rhine Falls—a scary sight of unending water crashing down in a crescendo.
We had a doctor in our team, one who believed in interesting ways to cure ailments. She suggested I taste one of Switzerland's famous ice creams, more as a medicine to cool the stomach down. Swiss Dark Chocolate was the chosen 'medicine'. And it worked!
Up close with the Rhine Falls
Soon we were walking closer and closer to the largest waterfall in Europe. Here's where we overheard a tour guide telling wide-eyed tourists that the falls cannot be climbed by fish, except by eels that are able to worm their way up over the rocks. As if we were planning to nab some unruly trout for dinner!
What I found more interesting was the scoop that the Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. Wow! seventeen millennia of recycled water. Impressive. Soon we realised we had many options of viewing the falls. One could stand on the terraces and get a long view of the entire falls. A few hundred people were also slowly making their way down a stairway that would take them right up to the falls (we did this later and trust me, it's a bit scary. The whole stairway shakes every time the water crashes. And it pretty much crashes all the time. To begin with, however, we took one of the boats that ferried us tantalisingly close to the rocks where gazillion cusecs of water thunderedaway.
If getting tossed around a bit is your idea of thrill, this one wins hands down. When we reached the giant rock in the middle of what seemed to be a whirlpool of water, the captain ordered us off! Screams, cries, whoops and gasps alternated as we all held hands and got off the rocking boat and onto the rock. One false step and we would be too close to the water for fun.
This was July and the water levels, we were told, were at their highest. No wonder the rock did not seem that large, it was partially submerged. Strangely what I remember most about those adrenaline pumping (and a bit scary) 10 minutes, was gorging on another ice cream (they were selling ice creams on the boat).
Back on dry land, we clicked more snaps before realising that all this exercise had made us hungry. Even I was hungry. The medicines had worked. Grilled steaks, cola and a bar of chocolate were our rather curious combination at lunch but the steak was awesome. Yes the Swiss also make great steaks (though I suspect this restaurant was German).
The restaurant owner urged us to stay back for the night. The waterfall,he said, is illuminated by hidden lights after dark. What a sight that must be. Sadly, we had a hotel reservation at Zurich for the night and a Rhine cruise booked for the following days to take us all the way to Cologne in Germany, our next major stop. Snow done, waterfalls done, our sights were now firmly set on one of the twin-tower Cologne Cathedral, once the world's tallest building and a current World Heritage Site.
Things to Know
Summer: June to September is pleasant, with usually sunny days and cool evenings. Carry jackets and pullovers even if you are travelling in summer.
Winter: October to April is when it gets chilly with December to March being bitterly cold. If you can handle the cold(often 10 degrees below freezing point) then this is a great time to explore the area. Protect yourself against icy winds though.
More adventure?
The Rhine runs through central Europe, past Germany and onto the Netherlands. So if you are game for a cruise, there are several lovely Rhine Cruises for which tickets are available online. Most of them offer great rooms, food and entertainment on board and also stop at a few ports on the way, so that tourists can experience medieval towns, castles and churches and get a taste of local cultures.
Here are a few other things you can do in and around the Rhine Falls region
Take a ride on the Rhyfall Express
We didn't do this one, but most people who have visited the country more than once will tell you that a trip to the Schaffhausen wouldn't be complete without boarding the Rhyfall-Express shuttle from Burgunwiese. The carriages carry over 40 people at a time. A one-way ride along the Rhine Falls basin takes about 15 minutes from where you can start your exploration. Apparently, this is the only city train, which also takes visitors to and from the Rhine Falls.
Loop the loop at the Adventure Rope Park
The adventure rope park within walking distance of the Rhine Falls area has more 100 obstacles to overcome for adults and kids. You can move from tree to tree (monkeying around basically), or risk a 13-metre free fall onto a soft landing. From the treetops, you can also catch a breathtaking view of the Rhine Falls.
Take a walk: Schaffhausen
This is a car-free town, like many other smaller Euroepan towns. A medieval city, Schaffhausen has hidden gems for those who love history and architecture. Check out the Gothic and Baroque architectural designs. Schaffhausen also has many medieval inns that date back to 1300 AD. The fortress at Munot and Benedictine Abbey may just make you feel you have gone back in time, so perfectly preserved is history here. And yes, no fear of being run over by a car, let alone getting honked at.
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Histidine-Tagged Protein Purification
Immobilized metal affinity chromatography resins for 6X His tagged protein purification
A large selection of resins and kits for the isolation of His tagged recombinant proteins are available.
Four different IMAC purification resins are offered:
Nickel Chelating Resin: The most commonly used IMAC purification resin for the purification of 6X His recombinant proteins that offers high binding efficiency and low non-specific binding.
Cobalt Chelating Resin: Growing increasingly popular due to its advantage over Nickel Chelating Resin. Although 6X His recombinant proteins bind with a slightly lower efficiency compared to Nickel Chelating Resin there is a significant reduction in non-specific binding. Cobalt resins have a higher selectivity for poly-His sequences, however have a low loading capacity, therefore Cobalt Chelating Resin should be used for valuable recombinant proteins in limited quantities.
Zinc Chelating Resin: For the purification on zinc binding proteins, including 6x His recombinant proteins. Available as a resin.
Copper Chelating Resin: For the purification on copper binding proteins, including 6x His recombinant proteins. Available as a resin.
Cobalt has the highest selectivity of the resins followed by Zinc, Nickel then Copper, but has the lowest loading capacity. Copper has the highest loading capacity, followed by Nickel then Zinc.


text:
Product Recall Information
GE Dishwasher Recall (1983–1989 models)
Thank you for visiting the GE Appliances dishwasher recall site. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, GE Appliances has supplemented its recall to include either a free rewiring of the slide switch or a rebate toward the purchase of a new dishwasher. The slide-type switch for the "heated dry/energy saver" function can melt or ignite, presenting a fire hazard. GE and the CPSC have received reports of approximately 90 incidents, with 14 cases of fire escaping the dishwasher. Approximately 10 incidents have occurred since the recall announcement in October 1999.
To determine if your dishwasher is included in the recall, call the recall hotline at 1-800-599-2929. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
Additional Information
Which dishwashers are affected?
Only certain GE and Hotpoint dishwashers that were manufactured between April 1983 and January 1989 were affected. In order to determine if your dishwasher is affected, you will need to know the model and serial number of your GE or Hotpoint dishwasher. To find out if your model is affected, please follow the directions below.
Open your dishwasher door completely so that you can see inside. The rectangular tag showing the model and serial number is located either on the right or left inside edge of the tub.
The affected GE and Hotpoint dishwashers have the following model and serial numbers:
|Model number begins with:
|Serial Number:
|Serial Numbers containing A, M, R, S, T, V, Z as the second character.
Where is my model number located?
If the model and serial number matches the above description, then your dishwasher is affected by this recall. Please write your model and serial number down. You will need this information for the rebate form or to schedule service. GE Appliances offers several options for dishwashers impacted by this recall.
Recall Options
If your dishwasher is included in the recall, you have two options:
A free re-wiring of your dishwasher to bypass the slide switch.
A cash rebate toward the purchase of a new dishwasher:
- $75 cash rebate certificate toward the purchase of any new GE brand dishwasher.
- $100 cash rebate certificate toward the purchase of any new GE Profile™ brand dishwasher.
- $125 cash rebate certificate toward the purchase of any new GE Profile Performance™ brand dishwasher.
- $25 cash refund toward the purchase of any new Hotpoint or non-GE dishwasher, plus a free one-year service agreement from GE, to take effect after the expiration of the manufacturer's express warranty.
To qualify for these rebates you must provide:
- A copy of a receipt showing purchase of the new dishwasher from a retail store.
- The model and serial numbers from the old dishwasher. Remember to remove the serial label from your old dishwasher prior to disposing of it.
- A signed statement that the old unit has been replaced.
This program is available only to those consumers who purchase new dishwashers from retail stores. It is not available to those customers who purchase appliances directly from GE Appliances through bulk or special orders.
Call 1-800-599-2929 to discuss your options if this applies to you. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
Recall Hotline
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
Before calling, have the model and serial numbers on hand.


text:
Problem: You suffer from allergies and want data on pollen conditions at or far from home.
Solution: Pollen.com offers free, two-day email alerts for U.S. locations according to ZIP Codes.
Alerts are trigered whenever pollen levels in a ZIP Code reach 4.0 or above on a scale of 1 to 12. You also can see longer, four-day allergy forecasts. Free PC applications called Yahoo Widgets and Google Gadgets allow monitoring of local pollen activity using Yahoo or Google calendars on your computer desktop. Enter a ZIP Code at Pollen.com's sister site, www.pollenlibrary.com, to learn about the pollen-producing tress, grasses and weeds in your county. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's site http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm (click on "pollen counts") runs more than 70 pollen-counting stations in the U.S., Canada and Argentina, for which you can get email alerts.
For pollen counts in Europe, try www.polleninfo.org, for all-English reports. The site includes links to pollen sites outside of Europe, though not all of them have good English translationa.


text:
The venue hosts the event. They will check tickets, provide service, offering, and manage all communications at venue. Toronto Common representatives usually attend the event but they do not staff the event.
Toronto Common facilitates online ticket purchases and provides consolidated listing, clear communication, and transparency.
We work with businesses to create an attractive offering, communicate any conditions in a consistent and easy to understand format (the "Please read section" of each event) and provide one point of contact prior to the event.
Any questions about an event prior to the event can be directed to Toronto Common.


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The Boston Celtics are on the verge of accomplishing something that has been done only five times in the franchise�s history.
With a victory over the Detroit Pistons tonight, the Celtics will have their second double-digit winning streak of the season.
The last time the Celtics did that was in the 1985-86 championship season when they won 13 in a row from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5 and 14 consecutive games from March 11 to April 4.
The 1984-85, 1980-81, 1972-73 and 1964-65 Celtics� teams also had a pair of winning streaks of at least 10 games.
The current Celtics, who set a franchise record with 19 straight victories in November and December, take a nine-game winning streak into The Palace of Auburn Hills to face the Pistons (7 p.m., TV: ESPN and Comcast SportsNet; radio: WEEI-AM (850).
It will be a rematch of the teams that met in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, but only the Celtics look like they will be returning this May.
The Pistons (25-19) entered Thursday night a distant 101/2 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division as they have gone through changes.
Michael Curry is in his first season as the head coach, Allen Iverson was obtained from the Denver Nuggets for Chauncey Billups, and Richard Hamilton is now coming off the bench.
Still, the Celtics are wary of the Pistons, knowing they have plenty of championship experience remaining in addition to talented young players like Rodney Stuckey, who is now starting.
�You definitely have a lot of respect for the Pistons,�� said Paul Pierce after practice on Thursday afternoon. �They�ve got All-Stars across the board. Even though they haven�t been playing as consistent, you�ve got to look at them as a threat any given night when they have guys like Rip Hamilton, Rasheed (Wallace), Allen Iverson.
�I think they�re just going through the transition of learning each other. They�ve got a first-year coach, they�ve got new players and a new system. Sometimes it takes a while. We had a unique situation where it came together faster. I think they�re going to get better as the year goes on.��
The Celtics roughed up the Pistons when they met on Nov. 9 in Iverson�s first home game. Boston outscored Detroit, 30-10, in the second quarter on the way to an 88-76 victory.
The Pistons have dropped seven of their last 10 games, losing five in a row during the stretch.
�They�re a terrific basketball team,� Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. �Their record is still pretty darn good. We don�t take that lightly at all.��


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Yesterday marked the 3rd day of Malaysia Fashion Weeek (MFW) and if you have missed out the highlight of the Malaysian designers collection which was showcased in Paris Fashion Week, you may check it out at here. So for Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) Day 3, we have tonnes of fun partying at the fashion bash organized by WEAR App.
Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) - Day 3
Sundowners WEAR App Fashion Bash
Sounds familiar ? Yup - I've posted about WEAR App on my blog earlier (here). It's the official digital partner of the inagural Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) 2014 show segments from 20 - 22nd October 2014, particularly for Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week (MBSAFW) and Malaysia Fashion Show (MFS). So if you cant make it for fashion show, fret not because you can find all the amazing runway designer outfit from WEAR App and the best part is that you can even purchase it immediately via WEAR App !
Here are some photos I have taken during the WEAR App Fashion Bash. :)
And of course here is my outfit pictures.
Top - Chatuchak Market (similar by Whistles, Shopbop)
Legging - H&M (similar by David Lerner, Shopbop)
Sheer Long Vest - Chatuchak Market
Bag - Tory Burch, Shopbop (here)
Dolly Pumps - Charlotte Olympia
Accessories - Calvin Klein
More information on WEAR and MFW 2014 can be obtained by looking up "WEAR" in the Google Play Store or App Store and mbstyloafw.com, respectively or follow Stylo International and MBStyloAFW on social media - Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.
Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week (MBStyloAFW)Website : www.mbstyloafw.com
love ♥,


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It is looking more and more likely Jim Caldwell will remain the Lions' head coach. The team appears in no big rush to fill its vacant general manager position. The likely scarcity of top head coaching candidates will most likely prompt the new regime to keep its HC/OC team in place as an evaluation year, of sorts. The Lions' 6-2 second half record certainly has many feeling optimistic. I am not one of them. Yes, jettisoning Joe Lombardi led to a huge improvement. Let's not forget the teams the Lions faced the last eight weeks (a still fumbling Packers team twice (1-1), Bears(W), Eagles (W), Saints (W), 49ers (W), Raiders (W), and Rams (loss)). In the first half of the season, Detroit played only two teams not going to the playoffs (Chargers (L week one) and Bears (W)). That is (0-6) against playoff teams in the first half the year. Add in a big win at Lambeau, their horrible home loss to Green Bay and their London ass-whuppin' at the hands of KC and the Lions went (1-8) against teams still alive this season.
DC Teryl Austin is set to interview for several HC gigs. Sadly, I do not see him coming back next year.
Stupid Lions will find a way to screw this up.
This gets the Browns mostly right, but a few things to add:
(1) It's going to be very hard to sell a long-term rebuilding program (i.e., we plan to suck and won't just incidentally suck for the two or three seasons) when the team has been abysmal, apart from one playoff appearance, since my freshman year of high school and they didn't exist for three years before that.
(2) As Brian said, the GM will not have final say on personnel decisions. That man with be Executive Vice President of Football Operations (and, I think, General Counsel) Sashi Brown. No one had heard of this man until yesterday, really. Three years ago he was running public housing in Jacksonville, Florida, and today he is the de facto general manager of the Cleveland Browns.
(2a) He also owns a night club called the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Club. I'm sure that will bring an interesting and unique perspective to our talent evaluation process.
(2b) He's supposed to be a smart guy and the word 'analytics' is being used a lot. We'll see.
(3) Farmer and Pettine absolutely deserved to be fired. The only argument I've seen for keeping either or both of them is that blowing things up repeatedly isn't working, so let's keep these morons who can't work together.
(3a) This is akin to saying that if your house keeps catching on fire, trying to put it out is the root of the problem.
(3b) They are failed employees and have shown none of the capacity for growth they'd need to suddenly become capable. There are clearly other problems in Cleveland's football organization apart from who sits in the GM's and head coach's chair, but that's not an argument to retain either one of them and they've done nothing to suggest they can fix them.
(4) If the most recent reports about Johnny Manziel are true--or, for me, the most critical component of it anyway, which is that he was supposed to show up yesterday morning, did not, then could not be reached and remains out of touch--then they have to get rid of him. Missing the #1 pick and therefore not getting Joey Bosa makes the calculus pretty easy here, so do the smart thing and draft Jared Goff.
(4a) I've loved Johnny's potential and have always been willing to concede that his personal life might be a trainwreck, but you can't tolerate someone who has either decided he doesn't care or won't fulfill basic workplace standards. The Browns being the Browns, while that has to be horribly frustrating, cannot be an excuse or even an explanation.
(5) The Browns had eight permanent coaches between 1946 and 1995. This will be their eighth coach since 1999. Happy new year, everyone.
According to Adam Schefter, we can move Tom Coughlin's departure from New York from the probable to the official column. With a few decent years of Eli Manning left and the chance to groom a replacement you could draft later while focusing on other areas of need now, that has to be an appealing job.
Also according to Adam Schefter, the Dolphins have requested three interviews so far for their head coaching vacancy, and they are all AFC East assistants: Josh McDaniels (NE, OC), Matt Patricia (NE, DC), and Anthony Lynn (BUF, AHC). This supports my contention that the AFC East is the most incestuous division in football and my mid-season prediction based on no information whatsoever that Josh McDaniels will be the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
The only thing worse than suffering through an 11 loss season is getting a 5th win when a 12th loss would garner a better draft position. If they had to win that last game at least it was against the Lambs.
BTW- I didn't get to watch the game yesterday because it was blacked out. That has NEVER happened for as long as I can remember and I've been watching Niner games for a LONG time.
The behind the curtain leaks coming out of Santa Clara the past 2 years are unprofessional, frustrating and immature. This has to end if they are to ever be anything more than a punch line of a franchise.
I'm fine with Harbaugh's tweet. Was never on board with Tomsula because he seemed a little too back stabby at the end of last year. Plus, other than game 1, he seemed in over his head all year long. Bye, Tom!
I'm kinda hoping for Sean Peyton or Hue Jackson for the next HC.
Back to expansionism for the 49ers. Ugh!
Apparently, Chargers HC Mike McCoy has managed to save his own ass by allowing six assistants to be shown the door instead.
I don't understand keeping both Pagano and Grigson, since apparently they don't get along. But apparently they got in a room and hammered out their differences. I suspect Pagano will have more of a say as to the type of players he wants. Most specifically offensive line to protect Luck. I also don't understand why you give both a long term extension. Especially Grigson, who I think has done a horrible job drafting. I am sure they didn't let go Pagano go because the coaching landscape didn't excite them.


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Can the 97-year-old Coon Rapids dam over the Mississippi River serve as Minnesota's barrier to the northward migration of unwanted fish, including the notorious Asian carp?
Stanley Consultants, an international firm with an office in Wayzata, has a $164,087 contract with Three Rivers Park District to answer that question by the first of next year.
The west-suburban park district, which owns and operates the dam, will be reimbursed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources from a $500,000 fund set up by the Legislature to create a fish barrier on the Mississippi.
Although the dam at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the Ford Dam in St. Paul and the Hastings Dam are taller and therefore better blocks to the invasive fish, they all have locks that allow fish to move upstream with boats, said Luke Skinner, DNR supervisor of the state's invasive species program. "Coon Rapids dam is the first dam on the river that does not have a lock."
Several Asian carp were caught last year in the Mississippi River near Winona.
An aggressive, unwanted species, they out-compete native fish for food and take over the habitat, Skinner said. Asian carp can jump 10 feet out of the water, even striking people in boats, discouraging recreational use and negatively affecting surrounding properties and businesses, he said.
After considering sound and bubble barriers, the DNR has decided that a tall physical barrier that is already in place would best stop the fish, Skinner said.
Under the contract with Three Rivers, Stanley Consultants will report on what would have to be done and how much it would cost to make the Coon Rapids dam a more effective fish barrier. The investigation will include measurements of how high the fish can jump and how much distance separates the top of the dam and the water level when the water is at its high point, Skinner said.
Stanley's report, due by January, is expected to deliver recommendations on improvements, repairs and preventive maintenance to extend the life of the dam another 50 years. "We want to make sure that what we do also maintains the dam," Skinner said.
If the report finds that it is feasible to make the dam a more effective fish barrier and legislators set aside money for the work, its operation as a fish block would take priority over operating it for recreation, said Director of the DNR Division of Waters, Kent Lokkesmoe. That might require keeping inflatable gates -- now used to raise the level of water above the dam only during warm-weather months -- inflated year-round, he said.
The Coon Rapids dam now is used to back up the river to create a six-mile pool for recreation between Hennepin and Anoka counties. Current practice is to deflate the gates and lower the water level of the pool in the winter to prevent ice damage to private docks and boathouses along the river.
Dam is a money drain
Keeping the old dam in good operating condition has become a money drain for Three Rivers, which is supported by suburban Hennepin County taxpayers.
Looking to shift that growing financial burden, Three Rivers last fall asked the DNR to take over the dam. The agency refused, saying it didn't want to take on more operating costs, either. There were suggestions that the dam might even be removed.
Then last March, Lokkesome issued a finding that the dam is valuable as a fish barrier and should be kept in place. "Preventing the spread of invasive species is a major concern," he said at the time. That ended speculation about the possibility of removing the dam to reduce operating costs.
Refashioning the dam as a fish barrier would not settle the question of who should own and operate it in the future. During the 2010 legislative session, lawmakers established a 15-member commission to study that question.
The panel is scheduled to begin meeting in late September to arrive at a recommendation to present to the Legislature by March 2011.
Membership of the commission will include representatives from Three Rivers, Hennepin County, Anoka County, the DNR, the state Legislature, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others.
Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711


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[2/2/2005 updated this post and script to use named property instead the custom Mapi prop]
One of the cool features that was implemented in Outlook 2002 was the ability to change the colour of appointment labels to help distinguish between different types of appointments. (see http://www.slipstick.com/calendar/colorcal.htm for a good description of this feature). But because of the laziness factor I find that I rarely use this feature because I usually forget to set it. One of the things that I really wanted this to do also was be able to show me at a glace which meetings in my calendar where internal meeting (only contained internal attendees) and which meeting contained external attendees (this can be usefull in the morning). Putting this into an event sink turned out to be a really easy solution. All I needed was some code that would go though the attendees collection of a appointment object when the appointment was created and check each of the address's of the attendees to see if they where local address's or external. I leaned on the side of low tech and just decided to go for a match against one local domain. The property that controls the appointment colour is http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/id/{00062002-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}/0x8214 and there are 10 integers (data type needs to be long) you can pass to it representing the different colours available in Outlook. I decided to go for blue for external meeting and green for internal meeting. The other check the code performs is to check the number of attendees in the appointment this is because I only wanted it to work on meeting or appointments where someone else other then me was attending. NOTE: I've restricted this sink so it only takes action on newly created appointments this is because a sink that updates properties on an existing message can be pretty dangerous. If you look at the logic when the sink fires it updates properties on the message and saves that message which then causes the sink to fire again and again and before you know it your transaction logs are full and the store is dismounted (Doh!)
The appointment label text provides a bit more of a challenge its located in the http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/proptag/0x36DC0102 property in an undocumented binary form, although on first look it doesn't appear that daunting it looks like its just in byte format padded with a few zeros but this is a challenge for another day.
The code for the sink looks like this, Ive posted a copy up here
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
Sub ExStoreEvents_OnSave(pEventInfo, bstrURLItem, lFlags)
Const EVT_NEW_ITEM = 1
Const EVT_IS_DELIVERED = 8
If (lFlags And EVT_IS_DELIVERED) Or (lFlags And EVT_NEW_ITEM) Then
chgappt = 0
LocalSearchdomain = "@yourdomain.com"
set apptobj = createobject("CDO.Appointment")
apptobj.datasource.open bstrURLItem,,3
cval = apptobj.fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/id/{00062002-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}/0x8214")
if apptobj.Attendees.count > 1 then
for each attend in apptobj.Attendees
if instr(lcase(attend.address),LocalSearchdomain) = 0 then
chgappt = 1
end if
if chgappt = 1 then
if cavl <> 2 then
apptobj.fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/id/{00062002-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}/0x8214") = clng(2)
end if
if cavl <> 3 then
apptobj.fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/id/{00062002-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}/0x8214") = clng(3)
end if
end if
end if
apptobj = nothing
end if
End Sub


text:
Summary: in this tutorial, we will give you a very brief overview of JDBC so that you can use it for interacting with MySQL databases.
JDBC API provides a standard interface for interacting with any relational database management systems (RDBMS). JDBC API consists of the following main components:
- JDBC Driver
- Connection
- Statement
- ResultSet
Let's take a look at each component in more detail.
JDBC Driver
A JDBC driver is set of Java classes that implement JDBC interfaces for interacting with a specific database. Almost all database vendors such as MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, provide JDBC drivers. For example, MySQL provides a JDBC driver called MySQL Connection/J that allows you to work with MySQL database through a standard JDBC API.
There are three types of JDBC drivers including JDBC-native API Driver, JDBC-net Driver, and JDBC Driver.
We will discuss about the JDBC driver, for more detailed information on the other driver type, you can check it out the JDBC driver.
JDBC Driver is written in pure Java. It translates JDBC calls into MySQL specific calls and sends the calls directly to a specific database. To use a JDBC driver, you need to include the driver JAR file with your application. MySQL Connector/J is the JDBC driver.
The first and most important component of JDBC is the Connection object. In a Java application, you first load a JDBC driver and then establish a connection to the database. Through the Connection object, you can interact with the database e.g., creating a Statement to execute SQL queries against tables. You can open more than one connection to a database at a time.
To execute a SQL query e.g., SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, etc., you use a
Statement object. You create the Statement object through the
Connection object. JDBC provides several types of statements for different purposes such as
PreparedStatement ,
CallableStatement . We will cover the details of each object in the next tutorials.
After querying data from the database, you get a
ResultSet object. The
ResultSet object provides a set of API that allows you to traverse result of the query.
The typical flow of using JDBC is as follows:
- First, load the JDBC driver and create a connection to the database.
- Then, create a
Statementand execute the query to get a ResultSet.
- Next, traverse and process the
- Close the
Statement, and
In this tutorial, we have introduced you to some basic information on JDBC and its main components: JDBC Driver, Connection, Statement, and ResultSet.


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OPINION: Time for Alaska to consider alternative to gas pipeline
Alaskans join together in congratulating our new Governor-Elect Mike Dunleavy and our Legislature. The challenges ahead bring great opportunities to unify our efforts to stabilize our States economy for the development of our abundant resources, and to sustain the unique quality of Alaska's lifestyle.
Therefore, I believe it would be timely to review just where we have been and where we are going with regard to marketing our Arctic gas reserves
An old Irish sage made the observation that "you never really know where you are going until you get there, but you had better look closely at the signs along the way."
In a recent release, Royal Dutch Shell announced plans to construct a liquefied natural gas facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, at the cost of $14 billion. ExxonMobil is in the process of approving a multi-billion dollar LNG project in Mozambique next year. At the same time, Russia's $20 billion dollar Arctic LNG-2 in partnership with France's Total is under construction.
The oil industry is betting on natural gas as the fuel of the future. Estimates indicate both Shell and BP will be producing more gas than oil by 2025. In Germany there is another first: a new cruise ship, the Aida, will be powered by LNG.
It's time to candidly evaluate our efforts to market our Arctic gas reserves in light of the dramatic expansion of the LNG markets worldwide and to look for those signs along the way that show where Alaska can fit in.
As governor I had the opportunity to negotiate a natural gas contract in 2005-06 with ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips, who held gas leases on the North Slope. The contract covered the building of a ($37 billion-plus) natural gas pipeline to Alberta, Canada, to supply gas destined for the U.S. markets. Within a year-and-a-half, the project was scrapped because of the discovery of the huge shale gas reserves found all over the US.
Our market changed almost overnight from the idea of supplying the U.S. market with Alaska natural gas to switching to LNG focusing on Asia as our major market. Ironically, Alaska had been supplying LNG shipments to Japans Tokyo Gas and Electric for 40 years from the former ConocoPhillips plant at Kenai. Today the plant stands empty, as does the urea plant.
Why are these two plants closed? The answer is both economics and administrative. Factually, exploration is focused on oil, which is the main revenue source. Our Cook Inlet gas has really only one market and that is Hilcorp, which has the franchise for the Anchorage Bowl.
If new gas is found there is virtually no market. Any gas found, is in fact, stranded. Why have we not come up with proposals to determine just what the Cook Inlet reserves might be so that we can incentivize gas exploration and identify markets. I would hope our regulatory officials would rectify this imbalance.
It is clearly not in the state's best interest.
Today we continue to look at our relationship with China to market our gas. We have expended millions of dollars promoting the China Alaska partnership, yet China has still not formalized its interest either with an equity or contractual commitment. In the meantime,our nation is in a dispute with China over our trade imbalance, with threatened boycotts on both sides.
Just last month China said it would impose a 10 percent tariff on U.S. LNG against the Trump Administration proposed tariffs of on $200 billion of Chinese goods. You don't build a gas pipeline on these kinds of threats.
If China really wanted to reduce their trade imbalance with the U.S., they could start with a long-term contract for Alaskan gas, but the Chinese are not going to buy our gas at a market premium. The trade imbalance issue and the rumor that the Chinese plan to hold off major projects in the U.S. until the Trump Administration is gone does not bode well for our LNG prospective partnership with China.
The LNG market is passing Alaska by. LNG tankers from the Russian Arctic are carrying LNG to both Asia and Europe and bypassing the Suez Canal, saving transit time.
Back in the 1960s, ExxonMobil proposed shipping North Slope oil through the Northwest Passage. I was aboard the tanker Manhattan for a day. The ship made the trip through but it was uneconomic because of ice conditions. That was more than 50 years ago, the Arctic has changed and the Russians are taking advantage of this.
Arctic alternative
Does Alaska have a viable alternative? I believe we do and in my view one of the only ways we can be competitive in today's market.
We must reevaluate the feasibility of shipping our gas directly off the North Slope in ice breaking LNG carriers as the Russians do. One proposal is to again reexamine the Barrow Trench off Prudhoe Bay and assess the water depth. Another is the Cross Island proposal, which may be the best alternative.
Icebreaking LNG tankers could be utilized from an Alaska Arctic loading port to a seasonal storage facility for transfer to the world market, especially Asia. We know for a fact that the Asian market wants more than one supplier and Alaska could be that source.
Let's invite the holders of the North Slope leases back to negotiate this new approach. ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips still hold the gas leases and are interested in marketing their gas, but marketing Alaska gas has to be competitive.
Alaska's pipeline is the only project that has to amortize a $47- to $60-billion cost to move its product to market, which makes the Alaska project in today's market non-competitive and uneconomic. It is time to face up to the reality China simply won't pencil out.
Some Alaskans would rather not face up to the fact that if the economics are unfavorable, the project will not be built until they are. Some want a pipeline, the tax base and the jobs. But if you cannot be competitive in the market, our gas will be stranded and the last gas to get to market.
I suggest a new approach with the state coming in with the producers. Our one-eighth royalty can be structured as the state's equity component. I suggest calling on the produces to pool their expertise and take a good long look at what the Russians are doing to market their gas in both Europe and Asia. Our state Legislature must resolve the issue of fiscal certainty. Alaska gas will not be marketed without it.
It's time to face hard facts. As an old banker, I can tell you that the dollars go to the highest return with the least risk. And speaking of risk, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was to come in at $1 billion, and actually came in around $7 to $8 billion. And that's high risk. Cost overruns are a real threat.
The Northern sea route which runs along the Russian Arctic coast and the coast of Arctic Alaska and on to Japan is open from July until November for shipping. Moscow is now promoting the Northern sea route as the shortest distance from Asia to Europe.
A recent sailing of Maersk lines, the Venta Maersk, from Vladivostok to St. Peterburg using the Northern sea route cut off 10 days sailing time compared to routing through the Suez Canal.
Can it be done?
So can Alaska become a player in this emerging transportation route? What is lacking for Alaska is the availability of a transshipment port to allow the efficient transfer of LNG as well as container traffic during the winter months when the Northern sea route might be closed.
The idea of Alaska becoming a transshipment location has been around for a long time, and was recently suggested by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who identified Adak as a possible location. Adak was built as a military post designed to support, supply and defend the U.S. in case of any threat from an aggressor in the Pacific and Asia.
Adak has major port facilities, a world class runway and a protected anchorage. When the U.S. Navy operated Adak there were nearly 6,000 personnel there. The community had schools, churches, a swimming pool, and yes, even a McDonald's. I have been there a couple times and did see the Golden Arches.
Alaska has an opportunity to become a major player in the marketing of Arctic gas. The new state administration should seriously look at alternatives to move our gas from Prudhoe Bay to a loading facility perhaps at Cross Island which has a water depth capable of supporting medium-draft LNG tankers comparable to what the Russians are already using.
Cross Island, which would require a nine-mile causeway, could also support a gas liquifaction facility, even perhaps on a barge as the Russians have done. The LNG could supply a major storage facility at Adak.
The larger tankers could move the LNG to the growing worldwide markets. Depending on conditions on the so-called "shoulder season," fall and spring might be extended. This idea of transshipment of LNG is in fact already in place in Singapore and other LNG ports.
The new administration should take the initiative of first evaluating the potential of leasing Adak in a partnership with ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips. (Some say the Adak weather is difficult, but the military found it operational) and second, the state, along with the holders of our North Slope gas leases and the Department of Defense, work on a cooperative plan for how to proceed with Adak. That could begin now with Zinke and our congressional delegation.
Gov. Bill Walker has done his best to market Alaskan gas, but the facts indicate that the price of the pipeline necessary to amortize the cost of shipping simply makes Alaska gas non-competitive in the world market place.
That is why the holders of the Alaska gas leases, the producers, have said they are willing to sell their gas but not build the line. I believe Alaska gas will remain stranded until we can restructure our approach to make Alaska gas competitive in the current market place. The time to begin is now.
Russian Arctic gas is moving now to the Asian market that we had established more than 40 years ago. Alaska and Russia share the Arctic. If they can make it work, why can't American ingenuity be put to work?
We have the opportunity, but do we have the conviction to be a major player? I believe we can and must.
Frank Murkowski was a U.S. senator for Alaska from 1981-2002, and governor from 2002-2006.


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Business Rate Rise voxpops
Campaign film of business owners expressing their concerns
- Video
- Short films for business
Lambeth Council
The revaluation will see significant business rate rises, with some London businesses facing rises of up to 50%. London businesses overall will pay an additional £855 million in business rates every year. We worked closely with the Communications Manager from Lambeth Council to produce a short, simply cut yet direct and powerful video expressing the concerns of real businesses.


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by Danny Garrett, Austin, Texas
In this second full-page illustration plate, we glimpse the seminal moment when Princess April is standing between two worlds – that of her safe home, the Enchanted Forest, and the Great World (our world). The line between the two shines, as a plumed and caped black spider bids her entry. Her constant companion, the blue butterfly, still rolls its eyes, and while hand-less seems to continue its moan.
The only other image of animate life form is the nest with eggs high up in the bough of the tree.
This image is semiotically rich. Figures, colors and composition are chock full of symbols and signs that tell a story of their own. Consider for a moment how the space in the illustration is divided and how the coloration enhances this division. The upper part, about 2/3 of the image, is light and airy and signifies the haven of the Enchanted Forest, while the lower part, dark and somewhat dense, delineates the Great World, with its dangers and challenges.
Even the foliage speaks to this dichotomy – garlands wrap the trunk of the tree, whose brown is almost as light as the popcorn blossoms hanging from its limbs and the star-shaped flowers on the ground. Beneath the shining border, a darker field with dense deco-plants speaks of a landscape not so benign.
While this illustration appears simple, almost primitive, Letitia inserts sophisticated design elements. She created a simple, practically invisible, design line that carries the viewer from the lower left corner to the right side and out the upper left hand corner. You can follow this line by tracing the thread of the upper part of the web to the base of the tree and upward along the underside of the branch until it exits in the NW corner. As the eye follows this 'line', the narrative of the moment is revealed.


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BRABO Restaurant
When I posted some mouth watering photos on Twitter of my dinner at BRABO Restaurant in Alexandria the other night, I received multiple responses from friends that were shocked that I actually went to Virginia. I admit that it takes a lot to get me to cross the D.C. state line, but this dinner was well worth it. I used to spend a lot of time dining at the BRABO Tasting Room, which is a more casual outpost located next door to the restaurant, also run by Chef Robert Wiedmaier. The Tasting Room offers mussels and wood fired tarts in a comfortable and lively environment. However, BRABO Restaurant is a white tablecloth fine dining establishment that focuses on a high-end experience, with a rustic European menu.
Very excited for dinner tonight @BraboRestaurant! pic.twitter.com/XA4IM4aeKO— Jenna Golden (@jigolden) February 21, 2014
BRABO Restaurant is located within the Lorien Hotel & Spa by Kimpton in Old Town, Alexandria. I was invited by the Kimpton staff to sample the menu along with other food writers. I was excited for the opportunity to give this restaurant a chance given my appreciation for the food at the Tasting Room, Brasserie Beck, Marcel's and many other Wiedmaier restaurants.
Chef de Cuisine Harper McClure, with previous experience at Marcel's, and The Federalist at The Madison Hotel, treated us to an array of starters including Bigeye tuna crudo, oysters, and smoked duck prosciutto. The Tuna was the most beautiful color, served with crispy winter radish, and tasted as though it had just been freshly caught. The candied quince served with the duck prosciutto added a sweet note to the otherwise smoky dish. For our next round of food, Chef brought out some of my favorite dishes of the evening.
The quail with molasses, black barley, and mustard greens was wonderful. The flavors were warm and comforting, and BRABO continued to impress me with the presentation of the dishes. It was one of the most beautifully plated meals I can remember. The ale braised pork cheeks served over creamy polenta with leek fondue and crispy shallots was also a standout. However, everything was trumped by my main course which was something to remember. Days later, I am already thinking about when I can go back to BRABO to indulge in the cacao braised beef shortrib again. The meat was so tender that my fork easily pulled it apart, and it was served over a root vegetable hash with pomegranate and espresso jus.
It was the most satisfying and rustic dish-- the flavors, textures, and presentation were all perfect. There wasn't even a speck of food left on my plate. I also had the chance to try to the Shenandoah lamb shoulder over hand rolled papparadelle which was excellent. At a table of six females, we did a number on these dishes, and we all embraced our inner carnivore by ordering shortrib, lamb, venison, and bison.
Following the main courses were even more impressive and decadent desserts. The banana custard cake was the winner of the evening-- the consistency was almost like a cheesecake, topped with coconut sorbet and touches of citrus. I also loved the chocolate praline torte which managed to be decadent and light at the same time.
The dinner at BRABO left our whole table satisfied, and excited to run back and tell everyone about our experience. Perhaps the next time someone asks me to go to Virginia the first answer won't be "no", but instead, "only if we can go to BRABO."
BRABO Restaurant
1600 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314


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1st Führer
|20 April 1889
Branau_am_in , Austria_Hungary
|5 September 1942 (aged 53)
|Political Party
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 5 September 1942) was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party. He was the ruler of Germany from 1933 to 1940, serving as Chancellor from 1933 to 1940 and as head of state from 1934 to 1940. A veteran of World War I, Hitler joined the Nazi Party in 1920, and became its leader in 1921. Following his imprisonment after a failed coup in 1923, he gained support by promoting nationalism, antisemitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and propaganda. He was appointed chancellor in 1933, and quickly established a totalitarian and fascist dictatorship. Hitler pursued a foreign policy with the declared goal of seizing living space for Germany. His rebuilt Wehrmacht fought against Britain and the Livre Coalition when he done the Anschulus . Hitler overestimated the Livre Forces, and they eventually worked there way into Berlin. Hitler was captured on the 9th of May, 1940, and Germany was Split. Hitler was tried at the Old_Bailey_Court in London for mass murder and genocide. He was sentenced to death by hanging, which took place on 5 September 1942.


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So we went on a babymoon...
11 comments:
That looks like SO MUCH FUN!!! :)ReplyDelete
That watermelon looks u-mazing.
I hope you are having a great weekend!
great photos! looks like a great time :)ReplyDelete
Looks like so much fun!ReplyDelete
You were in my neck of the woods!ReplyDelete
Miami is gorgeous! I'm so happy you were able to go on one last vacation before baby gets here. I can't wait to read more about it :)ReplyDelete
ooh. I wish I could handle cruises. can't. Motion sickness. bleh. I'm glad you had a fun time!ReplyDelete
Looks like a lot of fun!ReplyDelete
looks so fun & relaxing. Can't wait to see more pictures!ReplyDelete
SUZE, your preggo friend
You guys are so stinkin cute. As I read this post and looked at your pics, I was telling my husband, we need to do a babymoon too! :)ReplyDelete
looks like SO MUCH FUN!ReplyDelete
i love this - I have always wanted to go on a cruise!
Okay, you've convinced me! Cruise it is next for us! This looks like a wonderful vacation! I'm so glad you got to go and enjoy your time together before the bb! You will never regret this! We didn't get to do anything like this before babies came along. The boat looks amazing, the ports all look amazing! Can't wait to hear more about it!ReplyDelete


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Cyndi Lauper & Friends are getting together in December 2015 at The Beacon Theatre
On 5th December 2015
For the last four years, Cyndi Lauper has organised a concert Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays at The Beacon Theatre.
Cyndi Lauper enjoys getting together numerous artists each year around Christmas, like Pink, Jason Mraz, 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, Whoopi Goldberg and, in the past, Lou Reed. This year, she intends to invite Boy George, Judy Gold, Cam, Joey Taranto, Justin Tranter, Sharon Osborne, Valerie Simpson and many others.
For further details on this concert
Place : The Beacon Theatre
Address : 2124 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
District : Upper West Side
Open hours : 8pm
Transport : Metro: 72 St


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Shipping Weight: 200g
Ref: BB244e
All of our glass is handmade using traditional techniques, no moulds or machines are used at any point during the process. Because of this there will always be slight variations from piece to piece, the photos presented here are a guide.
Blues, yellows and reds come together in this bauble to create a joyful juxtaposition of colour.
Approx. 9cm diameter
All baubles are hand-made and individual. Patterns and colour shades will vary slightly from piece to piece, making each one totally unique.
Customers who bought this item also bought:
Chose this bauble on a previous reviewer's recommendation and wasn't disappointed. Beautifully made and value for money.
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I purchased this for my sister in law for her 40th and was incredibly impressed with the service and most importantly the product itself. Quick, efficient email notifications, speedy production turn around time and an absolutely beautiful piece of glass blowing. Truly exquisite. Thank you
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Green and Purple Spotted Bauble£19.50Add to Basket
Blue Angel£55.00Add to Basket (2)
Round Paperweight£20.50Add to Basket (1)
Purple Swirl Bauble£19.50Add to Basket
White and Blue Swirl Bauble£19.50Add to Basket
357-359 Bath Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 3EW
Private limited Company 02553696
Home > Shop > Coloured Glass
Need Help? Prefer to order by phone? 44(0)117 972 0818


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I do not support any organized political party. I am a Democrat.These days it seems as if the Republicans are setting the bar for a "disorganized political party" and seem to just keep raising it. Could it be that the Internet has turned us into a culture that prefers anarchy to governance, even if the side-effects of anarchy include the laundry list of social abuses that now take place regularly on pages of the World Wide Web? Once upon a time the "futurists" were predicting that, by giving every individual his or her own voice, we would finally achieve a "true" democracy. Ironically, those futurists seemed blithely ignorant on how Athenian democracy was first conceived and how it actually worked. Rather than democracy, we have abundant opportunities for the unbridled execution of power, leading to the detriment of many for the sake of those who can shout louder than anyone else. At least the Democrats can take comfort that Will Rogers no longer can make fun of them.
Friday, October 9, 2015
What Would Will Rogers Say?
My favorite Will Rogers quote would have to be the following:
Posted by Stephen Smoliar at 10:16 AM
Labels: democracy, discrimination, government, history, Internet, Web
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Mitchell Metro Ethernet, FastE, and Gigabit Ethernet via the Iowa Ethernet Internet Network!
Research Mitchell Ethernet Internet Network Instantly Online!
Looking to install an Ethernet Connection in Mitchell County, IA? We can assist.
To obtain a Ethernet Internet Network Quote for your business in Mitchell County, give us a call at (888) 765-8301 or use our online quote Ethernet price tool (on the left) to get an initial estimate on Ethernet Providers in Mitchell. Once we receive your information we'll give you a call to discuss your individual Ethernet Service request.
Why use ethernetinternetnetwork.com for your Online Mitchell Ethernet Bandwidth Research?
- Our Mitchell Ethernet Internet Network tool does the shopping for you.
- We give an unbiased opinion on Ethernet Services in Mitchell County.
- It's FREE
- Choose from over fifty telecom service providers
- No obligation consultation
Ethernet Internet Network Mitchell County
We may have a Ethernet Internet Network in the Mitchell County Cities:
- Carpenter Ethernet
- Little Cedar Ethernet
- Mc Intire Ethernet
- Orchard Ethernet
- Osage Ethernet
- Saint Ansgar Ethernet
- Stacyville Ethernet
- Toeterville Ethernet


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If you've ever visited our site then you know how brutal our forums can be. Spirited debate, hate and love is spewed in the forums daily and no one is excused from being ripped. Back in 2007, Jim Barnett was doing Video Blogs for Warriors.com and in one of the videos he referenced the surf in Hawaii which caught the attention of some forum members. Forum members dissed Jim and lightheartedly made fun of his comments. A few days later, Barnett was on KNBR 680 and decided to address WarriorsWorld.net and its forums.
Listen Below:
Jim Barnett talking about WarriorsWorld.net circa 2007 by rasheed-1
How awesome is Jim Barnett for showing us love on-air? A while back he was a guest on WarriorsWorld TV, check it out


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Shell Fuels
Check out Shell's range of fuel
Get the most out of driving – be inspired, discover, and learn how to get the best performance from your vehicle with Shell.
Check out Shell's range of fuel
Here at Shell, we like to keep in touch with our customers. If you need to talk, we're ready to listen.
The Shell Fuel Subsidy Card is available across all Shell Service Stations. It features an in-built security chip, a dedicated Shell Customer Operations Centre team and comprehensive transaction receipts.


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An avalanche of grief, combined with mountains of difficult decisions to make and details to attend to, was triggered the moment I received a phone call from my brother saying "Mom's dead" one sunny May morning in 2006.
Many of you have experienced what happened next: we were completely blindsided by our Mom's sudden passing and not at all prepared for what lay ahead in the wake of her death. If we had talked about what my mother wanted, and actually prepared for her death, we would have been able to share our grief without being overwhelmed by the hundreds of decisions that needed to be made.
We plan for the birth of a child, for our children's weddings, and for our retirements don't we? Then why don't we plan for one of life's greatest transitions?
When a loved one dies suddenly, it's like planning and hosting a wedding in only three days time. And, of course, the additional components of enormous sadness, families scattered across the continent and decisions to be made that once made can never be reversed.
We are forced to make decisions, attend to details, and find documents all during a frenetic time. Emotions running high and minds seemingly wrapped in a dense fog, the ability to see things clearly becomes warped.
When planning a wedding, decisions are made well in advance of when the wedding will take place, who is invited, who will participate and how will it "feel." Families have time to decide what the music, flowers and program will be as well as the myriad of details that go into planning a reception.
On the other hand, planning a funeral, without any kind of map or instructions from the person whose life is being honored and celebrated is extremely stressful and can also be very costly when quick decisions must be made during a time of grief.
The immediate decisions families will face include the following:
- Should there be an autopsy or not?
- Is your loved one an organ donor?
- Are you going to cremate or bury your loved one?
- Are you going to have a funeral or memorial service? Where?
These decisions, once made, can never be undone. There is not a second chance to do it over. Not knowing in advance, the answers to those questions can create unintended stress and family pressures-especially if there is disagreement among those left behind as to what Mom or Dad wanted. Finding out later that Dad had left specific written instructions in his desk drawer to be cremated with his ashes spread in all his favorite spots well after the family had already buried him is an example of what can go horribly wrong.
Details matter. Writing an obituary requires having a person's biographical data readily available. Often this task becomes a scavenger hunt for all the personal information about someone's life, which will be complied into a lasting document read by the public. Omitting the name of a family member, or a past honor or achievement can create tensions that could have been easily avoided.
The volume of vital information we each carry inside our heads on a day-to-day basis is rarely documented or poorly communicated. We frequently experience enormous stress searching for pertinent data when it matters most. Sorting through and clarifying someone else's personal information and wishes becomes a frustrating wild goose chase for our loved ones upon our death.
Planning ahead and actually documenting your personal information and intentions will save your family time, money and stress. Once you are no longer here on this earth, the conversations end and your essential information will no longer be readily available. And keeping all of your information safely located in one place will help your loved ones find far more than just your intentions. It will help them find peace of mind.
My seven year career spent as an estates and trust paralegal helping widows search for information after the death of a loved one, together with the experience of my mother's sudden death gave me the gift of being prepared and inspired me to create The LastingMatters Organizer, my contribution to others like me.
LastingMatters shares the goals of National Health Care Decisions Day - an organization which inspires, educates and empowers the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.
Make a plan today. Any age is the right age to plan for the inevitable.
This article originally appeared for "Inspirational Stories of Architects of Change" for MariaShriver.com.
Barbara Bates Sedoric, President and Founder of LastingMatters, is a former estates and trusts paralegal and her personal experience following her mother's sudden death was the inspiration behind LastingMatters.
Barbara is the author of The LastingMatters Organizer.
Connect with Barb on her website, on Twitter @LastingMatters, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LastingMatters or email her at email@example.com.


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Some logos have rules for dark backgrounds — Let's work with that
There's a reason why we only want
viewbox="" and not width/height attributes..
We can use tools to generate the width and height to your needs. This project will soon host scripts to generate optimised files for dark or light backgrounds — remove the alternate paths, and generally have an easy time working with logos
You can even generate your png-fallbacks after coloring them with css and more
Okay, one exception: opacity is available – but only as a last option.
Do it inline as
style="opacity:.5" rather than external css or
fill-opacity. Only use it in cases where it would be otherwise impossible to accurately and respectfully convey the logo as one solid fill.
Gradients are a no-no too beacuse they use
id's which causes major concatination problems.
Here are some stubborn examples where it would be impossible to not use opacity without creating a completely different logo, messing with the original linework (literally stepping over the line)
Leave between 4% and 5% space to each edge in your logo area. This prevents logo edges from sharply aliasing at small sizes.
Don't give too much room however, or the logo will appear tiny when used next to others.
Logomono will reject files with blank areas of 10% or greater around the margin.
While we're talking viewboxes, try to keep viewbox coordinates below 500 and limit path node positions to 2 decimal places. This keeps our files small, lean and mean.
circle or
text elements. No
transforms on
Sadly, no
<use xlink:href="… or
<clipPath> either.
We want these files to be as easy as possible to work with as raw elements and not risk tricky things like duplicate ID pollution when concatinated into HTML.
<Path> only means bake your text into paths too.
path{fill: currentcolor}
Something most webdevelopers using SVG logos inline will want to do.
path{fill:currentcolor} means the
color: CSS property affects the fill of your logos
This CSS would be more complex to work with shapes made by another SVG element.
Logomono files are for legitimate editorial reference and not for misrepresenting a brand.
This project collects quality logos in a standard format, to respect the integrity of their origins and intent.
Copyright and trademarks for logos are still held by their respective owner where applicable. When in doubt, always ask the represented organisation for permission to use their mark.
Fair use, fair dealing and fair comment laws exist in various countries around the world that defend the appropriate use of other organizations logos. But there is no substitute for getting permission
We know that journalists and other communicators source logos using image search engines — often finding lossy, full-color bitmaps from dated graphics and untrusted origins.
The absence of a logo on Logomono does not prevent this kind of misrepresentation.
Misuse of trademarks risks confusion, causes a visual battle for prominence, and often degrades the quality of all brands involved.
Being one color is one way to ensures appropriate use happens — and that the host brand gets visual ownership rather than the identities it references.
If you can verify you represent a brand and would like a logo removed from logomono, please file a github issue.
If you represent a brand and are sick of poor quality representations of your logo, contribute here.
The logomono tool will be tailored to testing and cleaning logos – when it's finished.
It will likely use one of (or a combination of):