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Your all-in-one free business support hub
Understanding how to access finance is of critical importance to a business. This summary guide will be invaluable for entrepreneurs who are starting a business, directors who are running growing businesses and established companies – of all sizes – as well as for business advisers and investors.
Growing a business from the first seed of an idea is not a smooth linear journey and it's not as simple as going from A to B. The destination is seldom decided as the business idea takes form, becomes a reality and then grows into a successful enterprise. The finance journey is continuous; there may never be an arrival point. For any business to travel on a journey it needs at all times to be appropriately financed. Businesses need to make sure there is the finance to back their growth plans.
Businesses are often started on overdrafts or credit cards, with help from friends and family, or by using the family property as collateral. But soon after that, the business will need to be financed so it can stand on its own two feet if it is to be a sustainably growing proposition.
Once a business is up and running on the growth journey, management will need to ensure that future plans for growth can be financed. If not, there is a chance the business will fail.
On the growth journey there will undoubtedly be ups and downs. Through the life of a business, as soon as plans are made, be they looking for growth or for survival or to batten down the hatches, the finance must be in place to support those plans.
The work to be done in getting a business to a position where it can take on additional capital need not be too daunting a task; however, nor should it be underestimated.
START by looking at the business afresh, with a questioning mind, so that the answers to the questions a potential shareholder or lender will probably raise are immediately to hand.
Having a strong business plan is the key to securing funding as it helps potential lenders or investors understand the vision and goals of the business. It also brings focus to management's understanding of the business strategy.
It must be clear how much of the existing owner's money is committed to the business. If a lender or investor thinks the existing owner does not have enough 'skin in the game', securing a loan or investment is likely to be more difficult, if not impossible.
If a business is looking for debt finance the plan needs to demonstrate how the business will be able to both meet interest payments and repay the capital element over the period of the loan.
Whether it is short-term debt finance or long-term growth capital, different equity investors and different debt providers will all have specific requirements when it came to the content of business plans.
For more on Business Planning click here.
Being able to demonstrate good cash management sends out the right signals to potential investors or lenders. The only way cash flow can be kept under control is by understanding the ins and outs.
For any entrepreneur, wherever they are on their business journey, knowing what options there are along the way is key to making successful progress. Crucially, this applies to the financing options. The idea that an exact route can be mapped out for a business is one road analogy too far. Running a business will throw up many new challenges: closed roads or roads that lead to dead ends, so being aware of the alternative routes is critical. You may need to take advice on directions but if you are forearmed with the knowledge that there are alternatives, the journey is far less daunting.
To find out more about finance, please click here
Look out for next week's video on 'Branding' delivered our Digital Marketing Apprentice, Tanisha Forde.


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In Edmonton, the May long weekend (sometimes affectionately called "May long") is the traditional time for putting in the garden. Our last frost date is usually listed as mid-May, and many people recommend waiting until 2 weeks later to plant out, so usually this works out. This year, the May long weekend is early (ie., now) and it apparently got down to zero last night, so I covered my plants. Today was sunny but still VERY chilly, but I was still out there getting dirt under my fingernails – and on my way home from a plant sale, I crossed paths with an older lady with one of those wheelie carts, also full of plants. But she was coming the other direction. I wanted to stop and ask her about her plant sale. (How good was it? WHAT DID THEY HAVE THERE? Also, SHOULD I GET ONE OF THOSE WHEELIE CARTS? HOW MANY POTS CAN FIT IN THERE?)
Also, yesterday I took my dog for a walk after throwing on a sweatshirt over my pyjamas. That's how you know it's a long weekend. I thought about changing, but then I would have just had to change right back. Inefficient.
Also, apparently in America there is a holiday called "Memorial Day" that may or may not be at the same time. All I can say to you, America, is: try naming the holiday Monday in May (the unofficial kickoff of the summer drinking season, patio beers, and camping as well as gardening) after a notoriously uptight queen. It's fun, it helps to really rehabilitate her image, and people can garden.
Anyway, if you're out in the garden on the May long weekend, know that you are part of a sacred fraternity (or whatever a gender-neutral word for that is) of people with dirty hands, weird tans from whatever shirts they're wearing, and wheelie carts full of plants.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to stay up irresponsibly late looking at the internet, because tomorrow is STILL THE WEEKEND.

subset: commoncrawl


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As a writer, I have been asked, "Do you like showing off? Does confidence sit easily with your soul? Is controversy something you court, or are you content to let others dictate the way you think and behave?" Good writers SHOULD break rules. But…
It's sad, isn't it, that the society we live in today has narrowed the margins of an arena in which people could, once, completely speak their minds, have a rogue opinion, or live their lives entirely without risk of castigation or censure.
"Freedom of thought is a scarce commodity."
When you look back at documented history, much was discovered by being outspoken and taking an iconoclastic approach to societal norms. Start with epicurean philosophy. End with Einstein. Dilly-dally in the middle, run a finger along shelves that are heavy with the work of science-fiction authors, and I guarantee you'll find a hedonistic association between their well-told stories and the liberation of ideas, individualism, libertarianism, and scientific advances.
If you read a Heinlein novel, then you must prepare to have your sense of decorum and tolerance for free speech challenged in almost every chapter. He questioned the world; physics; the expectations and norms for social acceptance; he challenged us to answer big questions about the universe by asking us to step outside the universe. He pushed all of the boundaries, acceptable and not.
Yes, it pays to remember that Heinlein's main corpus was written during decades of discovery and shifts in attitudes to both sex and science – he also coined the phrase 'pay it forward', by the way – but while his work is often categorised into niches, every story he wrote was infused with the scent of his own moral code. Pungent.
In The Number of the Beast, for example, we're asked to suspend all of our pre-conceived ideas about time; space; acceptable sexual conduct; and, of course, the relationship between metaphysic fiction and religious fact. Or should that be metaphysic fact and religious fiction: a rhetorical question.
This is what I loved – still love – about Heinlein's writing: asking that question IS the point. Heinlein would have proffered that NOT answering it provides the pointed response. The first time I read that book? I had to read it twice.
The third time I read it, I was on a train. There was a knowing look from the man opposite me (another ardent Heinlein fan, clearly), and that was my introduction to a somewhat sordid strain of voyeurism you may experience if other people know what's on the page you're reading.
Wife-swapping. Lascivious intent and word-play; linguistic purpose and foreplay. A starship called the 'Gay Deceiver'. Time travel and incest, long phrases like 'pantheistic anthropomorphic solipsism' designed (I use the word advisedly), to separate the reader from The Reader – and then back to wife-swapping in the next chapter.
Heinlein is an author who hoped his readers would man up to the occasion: he celebrated the moment and, in it, he entertained his most competent audience. The late, and inimitably great, L.J.K. Setright took the same approach.
The problem with that approach, however, is a simple one. If, as a reader, you do not slog through pages of verbose scientific theory or plot exposition, then you are unlikely to be rewarded – or masochistically reviled, perhaps – by didactic passages exploring sexual jealousy and the exploration of incest. Or right-wing militant theories on the benefits of space exploration. Or a treatise on advances in technology that may have seemed untenable to one generation, but now seems rather flaccid to the next: Heinlein's Space Cadet gave us a mobile phone, three full decades before they existed.
The Number of the Beast was just one of Heinlein's masterpieces that pinned a ribbon to my chest. I had dog-eared pages marking passages in Stranger in a Strange Land, each one marking another insightful step closer to the meaning of relations – and relations.
Time Enough For Love was a favourite: I remember getting into trouble, regularly, at school for inserting Lazarus Long quotes into my homework. As the son – and sometimes lover – of my most recent literary heroine at the time (a lovely lady called Maureen), Long delivered worldly-wise aphorisms that were incisive in my view. In my English homework: 'Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but you should do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.' In biology: 'An elephant is a mouse that's built to government specifications.' And in religious studies: 'One man's theology is another man's belly laugh', and, 'God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent – it says so right here on the label.' Man, was I popular in those lessons.
Opening the pages to the escapist reality of a Heinlein novel is a freedom in itself. There's a candour in Heinlein's science-fiction that's collusive; conspiratorial, even. He wrote with abandon. His books are a reminder that is was, once, alright to tell stories that visited every mobian strip-joint of the human psyche, with wry and rueful intent.
Today, every time I travel the Glory Road, I set out knowing it's okay to read and write stories that let me – for a moment – be brave enough to break some of the rules.


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The weight of silk is calculated in mm (momme). The reference to the lowest number indicates lowest weight and higher number heavier weight. I have selected popular weights in the description below .
Silk Satin 16mm: Plain Weave, a luxurious, glossy surface, smooth handle often used for scarfs ,ready to wear and evening wear. Digital printing works well on Silk Satin, portraying colors magnificently.
Silk Chiffon 8mm: lightweight plain woven sheer fabric, soft handle. Chiffon is often used for evening wear and lingerie.
Silk Georgette 8mm: lightweight sheer dull finished crepe fabric, named after 20th Century French Dressmaker Georgette de la Plante. Made from highly twisted yarns.
Crepe De Chine 16mm: Has a soft, graceful drape. A soft yet characteristic crepe finish, this fabric lends itself to a ready-to-wear collection.
Habutai Silk 10 mm: a soft handle, light fabric, it has a lustrous sheen. It's popular in silk painting and printing, and has been traditionally used in lining tailored suits.
Silk Twill 16mm: a characteristic diagonal rib pattern due to its weave construction. This weight is ideally used in Ladies Ready-to-wear, Suiting, scarfs and ties. It is therefore often used in a single sided print.
Click here for a handy guide to silk fabric weights and uses.
Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres.
A fabric is a material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods (garments, etc.).
Cloth may be used synonymously with fabric but is often a finished piece of fabric used for a specific purpose (e.g., table cloth).
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Issue # 43 of 43
By: David LeClaire
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
In past issues, we've examined being single, becoming more assertive, finding someone to date, and getting to know the character of this new potential lover. Of course this leads to the ultimate decision - are they a keeper, or not?
What happens when you realize what you've found is not what you really had in mind? Now you have to find a way to end it - which can be even more difficult than finding them in the first place!
Thinking back to grade school, most people "broke up" through someone else. Suzy's friend Marcy would tell Don's friend Joey that Suzy wanted to break up with Don. Why? A fear of having to be straight up, uncomfortable with the possibility she'd hurt him, etc. etc. Then as these youngsters "grow up", they find other ways to communicate this without involving friends.
The first primitive technique is what I call The Weenie Way. This is where Suzy just flat out stops calling Don. She doesn't return his calls or email, and hopes he'll just get the idea and give up on her. Or Bill goes out on a few dates with Nancy, then simply never calls her again. Many adults still use the Weenie Way as a form of avoidance rather than being direct and upfront.
Then there's the old Make them hate me routine. If I am cold enough, don't have time for them anymore, and do things that will make them angry enough, they'll stop calling me and I won't have to be the one to break up!
Of course we can't leave out the Drop subtle hints for what seems like forever version of breaking up. If we don't show a lot of enthusiasm, seem to be slowly losing interest, and just kind of hint around, maybe they'll get a clue. Closely related to this is the Maybe I'm just not ready for a relationship technique, suggesting the reason you're thinking about not being in a relationship is you; your lifestyle, your job, your inability to get too involved - it's not them.
All of these approaches reflect a sorry state of immaturity, but still happen everyday around us anyway.
It is my belief that the more direct you are, the more open and honest from the beginning, the easier it is to break up in a manner that leaves a mutual respect and sometimes a friendship intact. When a failed relationship ends in an explosion of hurt, anger, and resentment, it's usually because one partner either adopts one of the above approaches to breaking up or (worse yet ) totally shocks the other person with a sudden, out-of-the-blue, statement that they want to end it.
If a relationship doesn't seem to be heading the way you want it to be going, it's not that unreasonable to communicate your thoughts and feelings as you see it begin to unravel. But when you act like everything is perfect because you're afraid of hurting them, then you drop the bomb, well, that's when people snap!
There is an art to breaking up, just like there is in meeting people. If you become comfortable with honest, firm, but non-assailing communication, you can begin and end relationships without all the turmoil and grief that some experience.
When's the right time to end it? That, of course, is different for everyone. For example, if you aren't really ready to get too serious and be on a timeline to get married, then maybe you'd date someone you'll know you'd never marry for a little longer. But when you feel the other person is getting more involved and wants much more than you and you sense an imbalance occurring, it's time to start communicating how you see things progressing and your thoughts about your future together.
If the relationship starts off on the wrong foot, and you feel it's too much work for the amount of pleasure, I'd end it sooner than later. Too many people are way too patient, and spend years in a series of high maintenance relationships that should have been terminated early on. The timing issue is never a simple one since there are many variables in each relationship. So instead of trying to pinpoint when you should break up, I'd rather leave you with one thought about HOW you do it.
Don't over-communicate from the beginning about every thought and feeling you have about your new relationship. But do keep a dialogue going on a regular basis about what you want, how you see things are going, and what direction you're heading. If and when your new relationhip falters and it's time to end it, it shouldn't be a surprise to either of you.
There's no need to protect this person from the truth that you want out - they can handle it. They may be hurt or disappointed, but you aren't so awesome that they won't be able to live without you. They'll get over it. You owe it to them, and to you, to not let it drag on forever. Don't take the Weenie Way out - tell them how you feel. In the long run they'll respect you more, won't slash your tires, and hopefully find it in their heart to salvage a friendship out of it.
Building Bridges Table of Contents
Text © 1998, David LeClaire. Part of the original Sideroad.
More expert advice available at www.sideroad.com.


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Employment Law News
For advice on all aspects of employment law please contact us today.
Mothers can suffer detriment at work
Deciding to have a child can have a negative impact on a woman's career prospects, according to a report from the OECD.
The report says that despite the gains made in women's educational attainment and their greater participation in the labour force, women still face inequality in terms of working hours, conditions of employment and earnings.
Men earn 16% more on average than women in OECD countries, with the gender pay gap rising to 21% at the top end of the pay scale. The gender pay gap is highest in families with children – 22% compared to 7% for couples without children.
"Closing the gender gap must be a central part of any strategy to create more sustainable economies and inclusive societies," said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. "The world's population is ageing and this challenge can only be mastered if all the talent available is mobilised. Governments should make further progress in the access and quality of education for all, improve tax and benefits systems, and make childcare more affordable, in order to help women contribute more to economic growth and a fairer society."
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Last Updated
03 April 2020
Malusi Gigaba says; 'calm down and comply'.
Speaking in a short media briefing in Pretoria late last week, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said that people should stop complaining about the new travel regulations and 'move on'.
Gigaba spoke about South Africa's new travel requirements and said, "When people are finished complaining they must comply. There is no way we are changing it [the new regulations]."
He continued to speak about the laws that require adults to carry unabridged birth certificates, amongst other documentation, when traveling with children saying that, "We must be the front runner. We must fight child trafficking."
The new visa regulations also state that visitors to South Africa from countries like Russia, China, Kenya and India have to apply for their South African visas in person at a visa application centre in their country.
But with many of these countries having less than a handful of visa processing centres problems and delays with their visa applications are to be expected said the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa).
Speaking to The Citizen David Frost, CEO of Satsa, said that South Africa is now one of the strictest countries when it comes to Chinese travelling across its borders. The situation has already negatively impacted on the tourism industry added Frost.
Gigaba responded by saying that they have agreed to work with the Department of Tourism to identify countries with large numbers of tourists entering South Africa.
"We will open (visa) centre's in these countries. Numbers show those countries that require a visa (to enter) are now sending more tourists but we have seen less tourists from those countries that are exempt from visa's," said Gigaba.
Gigaba repeated that the aim of the new travel regulations is to improve the country's security, "What will we say on that day if someone commits mass murder? We have to find a balance between tourism and security."
While South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was present at the briefing, and declined to comment on the tourism matter, Gigaba said they [The Department of Home Affairs] have worked hard to improve service delivery in the department.
Gigaba concluded by saying that 'People must just calm down and comply. Life will be so much easier'.
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First was the Lupo, then came the Fox and now we have the Volkswagen up!, VW's continuing attempt at a city car and its a pretty decent one at that too. Specced in the High up! trim, this full fat city car has everything you'll need.
A Few Facts:
Model Tested: Volkswagen High up!
Engine: 1.0TSI petrol – 90hp and 160Nm
Transmission: 5-Speed manual, front-wheel drive.
Price: Prices for the up! range start at €11,875. Price as tested – €18,292.
Finding a young, cool and funky car on the Irish market is becoming easier and easier. For example, the new Citroen C3 ticks a lot of boxes in terms of uniqueness. The facelifted up! fits right into this category too, especially in High trim level. The test car I had was painted in Honey Yellow Metallic. Personally, I love the colour. It reminds me of my first car, Samantha. But it got a lot of criticism from a more..em… mature crowd that I met during the week. It was even referred to as "monkey-piss"…I disagree! The colour fits the car nicely and with the black roof and side decals, the scheme suits the car perfectly. The optional 17-inch Polygon alloy wheels add to the youthful look of the city car too.
The interior is not as flamboyant as the exterior, its quite the opposite. Grey cloth seats and a grey and black dash great you as you open the door. The tops of the door cards throughout the car do remind you of your alternative colour choice as they are exposed painted metal.
The dash has a silver plastic insert with a square pattern printed on it. Just to remind you of what you are driving, "up!" is written across the passenger side part of the panel. At night, the dash is complemented by a white hue of the ambiance lighting.
Rear space, in this 5 door version, is not the up!'s forte but for the short journeys that it was made for, it is sufficient. The boot floor is flexible to allow for a deeper boot space or a lip-level floor. Handy for large or heavy objects.
This is nit-picking now, but there are downsides to the interior. Some buttons, like the window buttons on the door, don't light up so they can be difficult to locate at night. The sun visors(God, that lark again?…) are a little distracting as there is no cover for the mirror. You've no option but to keep checking yourself out. Distracting, I know… Then there is the usual plasticy plastics, too scratchy and too many of them. This gives the impression that the interior is lacking some quality.
On The Road
Three-cylinder engines get a lot of hate based on their rattly and excessive engine noise but I love a good 3-cylinder. The up! was no exception. The test car I had was the higher power output of 90hp but a 60hp and 75hp variant of the 1.0TSI are available too. This 1.0 petrol is the only engine available in the range. None of this small capacity diesel nonsense here, thankfully!
The engine is quick to get to 60-70km/h. After that, you are on your own. But this is all that is needed of the little turbo, a quick get away from the lights. The up! weighs in at bang-on 1,000kg, the 0-100km/h time on paper is 9.9 seconds.
The up! measures at 1.6 metres in width and 1.5 metres in height. Although this might help with aerodynamics, there is some, but not too much, body roll in the corners due to its height. Steering is accurate on a backroad but nothing that will blow you away. Its perfect for navigating the city streets.
Practicality/Boot Space
As I spoke about earlier, the boot is quite versatile. The floor is removable so what looks like a shallow boot when you open the door first, is actually quite deep. It measures between 251l and 959l with the rear seats folded. Up front, there is enough door pocket space, enough cup holders and a decent sized glove box to keep occupants happy.
On the High up!, as standard comes; rear parking sensors, cruise control, a space saver spare wheel and a 6-speaker sound system with Bluetooth connection.
This up! included the 171 Innovation Pack. This includes a phone cradle for phones with a 5.5 inch screen or bigger. This pack allows for Maps & More app compatibility. This App acts as a Sat Nav from the screen of your phone, gives live driving data such as fuel economy and allows the use of Deezer or Spotify. Its available on both Android and iOS.
Running Costs
Throughout my week of mainly suburban and city driving, I averaged between 5.3-5.8l/100km. The 90hp up! emits 108g/km of CO2 so leaves you with a tax bill of €190 per year.
Pricing for the up! range starts at €11,875. The price of my test car, a High up! 90hp 5 door is €18,292 including some extras.
SEAT Mii/Skoda Citigo – They must be mentioned seeing as they are all the same car, basically. The starting price of the Citigo is €10,995 and the Mii is €10,445. Although neither the SEAT or the Skoda offer a 90hp variant. Other than a slightly fresher face, all you are paying for in the up! is the badge, unfortunately.
Mazda2 – More so a competitor for the Volkswagen Polo but the Mazda2 works just as well around town as the up! does. The Mazda2 is a great little car. Featuring Mazda's KODO design, it looks more mature than the cheerful up!. Its boot measures at 280l so its more spacious in the boot than the up!. It is also a slightly better drive. It is lighter and its weight is spread out more evenly so is better in the corners. But, it is pricey with the range starting at €15,995.
Opel Karl – The more sensible choice in terms of, well, everything really. The Karl is quite a bland car. It doesn't offer the same funkiness as the up! does but has a comfortable interior. If hanging out in the background is what you are after then the Karl is the better choice. It has a similar starting price tag as the up! starting at €11,995. So with the up! offering more, is it better value?
I still stand to say that the up! is the almost perfect city car. Its small, flexible and nippy. If you have near €20,000 to spend on something to get you around town, then the High up! is a decent choice. Don't mind the haters, Honey Yellow is not the same as "monkey piss". Anyway, if you opt for this yellow metallic colour, that will be owning a yellow car ticked off your list.


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Short Description
Drawing on her own background, Grace Mattioli has created a warring but loveable Italian-American family, who just can't seem to get along. While they all have their individual problems, youngest daughter, Silvia Greco, hopes that she can bring the family together to celebrate the graduation of her little brother, and in so doing offer an olive branch of peace to the disgruntled factions. What follows is an energetic, funny, and endearing tale of a twentysomething woman with an incurable need to keep moving, but without any real sense of direction. As she finds her own way, so too she hopes to help her family put their problems aside.
Long Description
After working several dead-end jobs since graduating art school and moving around the country, Silvia finds herself broke and living back at home in New Jersey living with her crazy father, Frank. She contemplates what went wrong for a short while when she's drafted into helping her mother, Donna, unite her feuding family together for her younger brother's high school graduation party. Silvia and her three siblings have not been gathered together in over six years and her parents, Frank and Donna, are newly separated. Well-aware of the enormity of the challenge at hand given the many inter-family conflicts and stubbornness of her family, she takes it on with enthusiasm as it serves as a diversion from her current life situation.
She goes about appealing to each family member by individualizing each one's needs and wants and by sometimes telling white lies. For instance, she tells her older sister Angie, who is preoccupied with appearances, that her absence at the party will look really bad. In her journey to gather her family together, she learns that peace is not something that is readily existing but something that needs to be cultivated. In other words, she learns that olive branches don't grow on trees. She also comes to realize that uniting them together is not just about ensuring that her brother has a nice way to commemorate his graduation. It is about preventing her family from devolving into families like her parents' in which siblings are estranged from each other. At the heart of her journey, lies her father's alcoholism and she goes about trying t0 sober him up.
While trying to make peace in her family, she goes about her day to day life, nude modeling in the art school she attended in Philadelphia, getting a job as a manager in a candy store in a nearby mall, wondering what sort of career path she will take and where she will move next. When she realizes that her own restlessness and tendency to move from place to place is directly correlated with the lack of peace in her own family, creating peace in her family takes on a whole new dimension and importance.
Despite the seriousness of the issues dealt with in this novel, humor abounds. Her younger brother Vince believes the recent preponderance of war novels to be a government conspiracy. Donna is sexually assaulted at Disney World by the Three Little Pigs. Frank chases a centipede around the house with a broom, proclaiming "these God damned bugs run around here like they own the place!"
Review Excerpts
"The author weaves a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing…subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive." Jersey Girl Book Reviews
"The sequences of Silvia's recollections into the past with her strong willed, born ahead of her time grandmother, the jobs she has held, and lost as it were, are nothing short of brilliant." Chapters and Chats Book Reviews
"Grace's intimate knowledge of her subject shows in her frank and open style of writing, which invites the reader into the lives of the Greco family, as though they were long lost friends and therefore there is no need to stand on ceremony, or pretend that things are not just as they are. An amazingly perceptive, cleanly written and well told story, marks Grace Mattioli's debut novel." Fiction-books.biz Book Reviews
"The author…manages to make us care about this family. All of the Grecos…are entertaining and their quirks are endearing. OLIVE BRANCHES DON'T GROW ON TREES is a very real drama that gets to the heart of the conflict within the Greco family." Indie Reader Reviews
Best of 2012, Suspense Magazine!
Short Description
When Cosmo Greco and his sister, Silvia Greco drive to Portland together, a soulful American road trip is set in motion, but when a near-fatal car crash threatens to do more than derail the trip, the story takes a thoughtful turn, forcing Cosmo to re-evaluate his life. With wit and insight, Mattioli approaches such issues fear of change and what it takes to be truly happy.
Long Description
When 28-year-old Cosmo Greco gets laid off from his IT job in Philadelphia, the first thought that pops into his head is how he'll spend the rest of the day divided between the comic book shop and the cafe. He leaves his former place of work feeling renewed, goes home to clean his house and is served a notice from his landlord about an upcoming rent increase. Fears about his financial situation ensue but he doesn't have long to fret when his younger sister Silvia persuades him to travel out to Portland, Oregon with him. He accepts reluctantly thinking that the trip will give him a renewed sense of appreciation for his life as it is. But when they are in a near fatal car accident in the beginning of the trip, he realizes the true unpredictability of life and that death is imminent.
This wake-up call causes him to question his life and to realize that he's been in a rut and is bored and unfulfilled. He wants to start living life more fully. A number of encounters he has along the way reinforce this realization. He meets a blues musician who's filled with passion for his art, a quirky cowboy who speaks in poetic verse for his lost love, a dying woman who, having lived a good life, is at peace with going on to the next world and Hopi artisans, who although monetarily poor, seem content. When he and Silvia stay in a youth hostel in Flagstaff, he remembers his brief college days when he studied astronomy which was his passion. He sorely regrets dropping out and losing his passion in life.
Midway through the trip, they visit the Grand Canyon and he sees a bald eagle flying through the sky and Silvia tells him how she loves eagles because of what they symbolize–strength, courage, immortality, divinity, spirit. He realizes that he's discovered, on this trip, the eagle that resides within him and knows that he can't turn back. But shortly afterwards, he hears from a former colleague who tells him the lay-off is over and that he's in line for a promotion. Although he doesn't want to go back to his former life, he knows that not doing so would be foolish and unpractical.
Silvia and Cosmo are both products of growing up in an alcoholic household although they juxtapose each other very nicely with the the former being a restless spirit who can't stay still and stick something out and the latter being an underachiever who settles and can't get moving. While she pushes him to get going and live more fully, he teaches her to stop moving and be more present. Together, they make it to the other side of the country, while learning powerful messages along the way which allows Cosmo to undergo a spiritual transformation.
Review Excerpts
"A warm blend of travel and observation, family interrelationships, and reflections that ultimately capture the meaning and purpose of getting away and journeying to new places…a soaring story of one man's exploration of new possibilities, new worlds, and ultimately, a newfound purpose to life." D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review
"The characters the two siblings meet along the way-whether delightfully crazy or attractive or lost-serve as foils for a kind of personal growth particular to a road-trip scenario, and the landscape of the vast space between the East and West coasts acts as a catalyst for emotional and spiritual change. Mattioli writes in an assured voice that carries the story through its potentially sentimental passages, and…by the end, (readers) may be surprised to find that they, too, have undergone an emotional odyssey…poignant and well-drawn." Kirkus Reviews
"As you feel yourself traveling with these Grecos, you see Cosmo's world open and expand with each cathartic, soothing and beautiful scene or person he discovers…If you are longing for change, feel stuck in your lifestyle and want to discover America come with Silvia and Cosmo to find the beauty that lies past your present world." Ruth Amernick, reviewer for Library Journal
"The book isn't just about Cosmo's journey. It takes a hard look at the lives we live, the monotony we assume is a part of adulthood and the mediocrity we're content to settle for. Through Cosmo's shoes, the reader's perspectives are quietly opened to new possibilities." The Lit Room Literature and Film Reviews
This small collection of short stories all take place in Arizona and the characters who inhabit the stories are as unique and colorful as the place itself. There is Stacy in Just Bring Your Own Food, a reluctant diner waitress who'll do anything to keep her job, including chase down a thief. How Doc Holiday Saved Me is the story of a college girl living in a haunted house in Tucson who meets a mysterious pizza delivery guy who helps her get out of her lease. In Crazy Ted: a love story, a blond blue eyed man moves from Pennsylvania to Flagstaff and lets his inner cowboy out and falls in love with a beautiful Navajo woman. Something he could see himself In is the story of a born-again Christian tattoo artist and his quest to find the perfect tattoo for the one remaining empty spot on his back. In So She Could See the Color Plue, a misfit wants desperately to fit in in the only place on earth where she can see the most magical colors in the sky.
"…Grace Mattioli gives her short stories little twists to make seemingly-predictable plots turn into exceptional reads through a character's gritty determination to rise above their circumstances…All these stories offer food for thought, and all are bound together by positive human contact. Set against an Arizona backdrop, they're gems of interpersonal relationships that illustrate how "stuck" people become unstuck and change." Midwest Book Review
A VERY RICH POOR MAN (forthcoming)
Short Description
A Very Rich Poor Man is the story of a woman who spends her entire life trying to save her brother but he ends up saving her, giving her the fortitude to leave behind the life she believed to be the life she always wanted.
Long Description
Eighth-grader Donna is sitting in her brother, Vincent's room admiring his paintings that hang on his wall and listening to the latest Beatles album, Let it Be. They live in their house in New Jersey with their parents and the rest of their large Italian-American family, six siblings in all. Vincent is a senior in high school and wants very badly to attend art school but his parents don't want him to go. Donna tries to persuade them otherwise, but her efforts are unsuccessful. Eventually Donna is convinced that art school isn't a good thing for Vincent when her mother says that many artists can't provide for themselves. Vincent silently protests against his parent's refusal by moving his bedroom furniture and belongings out on the front porch and living out there. He likes living outside and this metaphor is telling of his tendency and desire to live outside of convention.
A few years later, Vincent is visiting home from the liberal arts college he ends up attending and telling Donna about his philosophy course, in which he learned of Aristotle and his belief that happiness is the major goal of life. Donna starts to wonder what is necessary to achieve happiness and decides that it's contingent upon having a spouse, children, a nice house and a dignified career. During Vincent's visit, he and his father have a big fight, (a common occurrence) and his father kicks him out of the house. Their mother drives him back to college, with Donna and three of her siblings accompanying, and when he's dropped off, she sees sadness in his eyes and decides that she will make it her mission to ensure that he lives a happy life.
As the years pass, she goes on acquiring the necessary ingredients for happiness—a spouse (Frank, a well-earning lawyer), children, a nice house and a dignified career. Vincent remains single, childless, working jobs that are beneath him and that pay only enough for him to live in tiny apartments and boarding houses. He does maintain his creativity through painting, drawing, playing various instruments, woodworking along with his intellectual pursuits of studying the stars, reading Tolkien, studying Latin, Greek, etc. He is a true renaissance man. Donna, acknowledging his many talents, strong intellect and good looks, is always encouraging him to do more with his gifts so that he may have a full and happy life. Her attempts are unsuccessful and she continues to feel bad for him, believing him to be lonely and unhappy.
Meanwhile, her marriage crumbles as Frank drinks more and more and refuses to get the help he needs and her visits to Vincent's home become a refuge from her problem marriage. Vincent also visits Donna and her four children, who each are influenced by their uncle, in particular, Silvia, who is very artistic and wants to go to art school. While Frank is against sending her to art school, Donna assures her that she will go and eventually she does attend.
Vincent dies of a heart attack at age 49 and Donna blames herself for his early death, reasoning that he would have lived longer had she tried harder to ensure his happiness. Upon his death, she discovers a sketchbook of pictures he'd made of himself in various stages of his life—playing instruments, studying the stars, making donuts, going to Vietnam War protests and more. She realizes that he was happy all along and that he had an internally rich life, which she currently lacks. This realization gives her the fortitude she needs to leave Frank and she imparts the lesson about happiness and true wealth she onto her four children.
Short Biography
Grace Mattioli is the author of two novels–Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees (2012) and Discovery of an Eagle (2014), which both feature a quirky, dysfunctional, yet highly lovable family named the Grecos. She is currently working on a novel, entitled A Very Wealthy Poor Man, which features the same family. She also published a small collection of short stories entitled The Brightness Index (2016).
Long Biography
Grace Mattioli is the author of two novels–Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees (2012) and Discovery of an Eagle (2014), which both feature a quirky, dysfunctional, yet highly lovable family named the Grecos. She is currently working on a novel, entitled A Very Wealthy Poor Man, which features the same family. She also published a small collection of short stories entitled The Brightness Index (2016).
Her fiction is highly visual and filled with unique, highly dimensional characters. While her stories deal with such serious issues as dysfunctional families and addiction, they're very humorous. Finding happiness and inner peace are major themes that run throughout all of her work and readers can discover valuable insights that they can apply to their own lives.
She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and three cats. She worked as a professional librarian for over twenty years and is currently a food cart owner. She has been writing creatively since she was a child. She studied English literature in college and has participated in several writing workshops and classes.
Grace's favorite book is Alice in Wonderland. Her favorite author is Flannery O'Connor. Her favorite line of literature comes from James Joyce's novella The Dead: "Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age."
Interview Questions
- What led you to writing your debut novel, Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees?
- Why did you decide to feature the same family of your debut novel, (The Grecos) in Discovery of an Eagle and A Very Wealthy Poor Man?
- Why did you decide to make your second novel a road story?
- Are your novels autobiographical in any ways?
- Are there recurrent themes that run throughout your novels?
- Who are you writing for, or who do you consider to be your target audience?


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The control of a pencil and the beauty of watercolour.
Mix with water to create interesting colour flows and stunning watercolour effects.
Ideal to use and you can mix them with water to create interesting colour flows.
They are not as bright as Inktense so they are ideal if you like to do more subtle paintings. Of course, you can use them dry and because they have such a soft texture you will find them easy to blend and layer.
Watercolour is not permanent like Inktense, so once the colour is dry you can re-wet it and move it about again.


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Insane. That is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about this week. This post is super late but I contemplated not even doing a post this week with everything that went on … but I couldn't bring myself to skip a week in documenting this journey. So here I am.
Most of my local readers can attest to the craziness of this past week, but for my out of state readers I'll have to break it down for you. I live in the Florida Panhandle … most of you see us on the news for the Hurricanes that love to grace our beautiful beaches. This week Mother Nature unleashed a whole new type of disaster on us. We caught the tail end of the severe weather that spawned 52 tornadoes between Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee.
For those that know me know that when it comes to severe weather involving Tornado Warnings and Lightning that I can turn into a 5 year old in .2 seconds. To say that I HATE storms is a huge understatement … and for some reason the fear is heightened during this pregnancy. I am a ball of anxiety and storms can literally bring me to the brink of insanity … so when we endured severe weather for over 24 hours you could probably imagine how fun of a time I had this week. I've lived here all of my life and have never seen anything like this storm. The lightning looked like a strobe light … it never stopped, like ever. Let's not forget the ground trembling thunder that followed suit the entire night. We had Round 1 Monday night/Tuesday morning and the Tornado Warnings showed their face again around 8pm Tuesday night. Once the warnings started the weather did not let up until about 8am Wednesday morning. Our area received over 20″ of rain in a 12 hour period and over 60,000 lightning strikes per hour. NUTS. Not a wink of sleep, nerves on edge, and no power for 9 hours … we survived unharmed and thankfully with no damage. Most people woke up to water filling their homes and/or their cars, the city shutdown due to flooding, and while the severe threats were gone the rain continued for two more days.
Below are some pictures of our neighborhood one street over … I don't know how we managed to stay high and dry but I am incredibly thankful we did! Although we were dry, our neighborhood roads were closed all the way around us due to flooding. I also included some pictures from our local news station of the radar and lightning strikes so you can see the insanity!
So happy that it's over and this is in my future! Bring on the sunshine!


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Palliative Care Service volunteer co-ordinator Leanne Barton with volunteer Dawn Rhodes, of Launceston. Picture: GEOFF ROBSON
DESPITE what people think, laughter, smiles and patience can often be found in a palliative care unit.
Once a fortnight for the the past six years, Dawn Rhodes, from Launceston, has volunteered at the Melwood Palliative Care Unit.
Mrs Rhodes is a listener, a storyteller, a friend and sometimes even a masseuse for the patients who face life-limiting illnesses.
While there can be sadness and tears, she said she would never describe her work as depressing.
"The important thing to remember is that you're dealing with people just like us who are having a tough time in their lives," Mrs Rhodes said.
"We are who we are, no matter what's going on outside of us or inside of us.
"You learn a great deal from these people – they're courageous, they're patient and they're an inspiration."
Before she began her volunteer work at the unit, Mrs Rhodes attended a comprehensive training program to ensure she was able to support the wide range of people in the unit and that she could be comfortable around death.
"I really had a desire to know about the processes of death and dying.
"I found that the more you find out, the more you learn, the more you know about a particular thing, the less fearful you become."
From tomorrow, the palliative care unit will spend the week recruiting volunteers who are able to support those needing care, both in the unit and in their homes. A six-week training program will run once a week from April 1, for information phone 63365544.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on 苏州美甲美睫培训学校.


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Katie Bellerby has become the first female darts player in the history of the Newtown Premier League (NPL) to win one of its competitions.
The county player teamed up with Chris Hurds to win the NPL Pairs, having come through their group unbeaten and then remaining unbeaten all the way to the title.
The pair beat Ewan Jones and Adam Joseph 4-3 in the last four before overcoming Neil Astley and Garry Jones, who had beaten Mitch Butler and Dave Boyle, in the final, 4-1.


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She's an avenger dressed in black who has a traumatic origin story, a lair, a cool vehicle, gadgets, a secret identity, a reporter ally/love interest, and, in The Girl in the Spider's Web, she even wears a mask of sorts. Fede Alvarez acknowledged the character's superhero trappings during a post-footage Q&A, where he was joined by leading lady Claire Foy (on the day after winning an Emmy for The Crown)."Yeah, I mean, we cannot take credit for a lot of things, a lot of things are in the books, right?," Alvarez said. "We do take it further, I think, and we naturally took elements that, for me as a filmmaker, I'm a fan of films from the '90s, I think naturally you go to a lot of those tropes. But we did, I mean, the very first conversations we had with producers, what is this? Who is she in this movie?"
The filmmaker added, "She's like a feminist Batman, that's who she is. And so it does have that element of superhero, I guess. But the adventure itself is quite different, but the setup, I guess, there's a lot of elements for sure, yeah, I saw that."
"She's like a feminist Batman, that's who she is."Alvarez elaborated on what sets his film apart from the four previous movies: "The main thing you'll notice out of these twenty minutes, and you'll see in the movie, this is the first movie that is about her. All the other movies - I mean, she's the whole deal, but it's [reporter] Mikael Blomkvist's story. I mean, he's the guy that you relate to. It's harder to relate to her, naturally, because she's so different from you. She's always the character that you follow, and Blomkvist is always trying to chase behind her, and you cut to her, what she's doing. But it is, the main character is Mikael Blomkvist. The character that everyone connects with beginning in the first book, and all the books, and the movies that have been made, is about that character. And she is the unicorn, she is the magic character that you follow, but the screen time is always, you know, eighty percent Mikael Blomkvist. So this is the first time that we dared to tell a story about her, and he's more like a character that is present in the movie, but it's all about her."That The Girl in the Spider's Web is definitively Lisbeth's story was clear from the twenty minutes screened for the press this past Tuesday, a large segment from the movie's first act. While I won't provide a blow-by-blow account of what was shown, the footage sets up the scheme that imperils Lisbeth in this tale. The footage included the most talked about moments from the trailers - where Lisbeth strings up an abusive husband and transfers a good chunk of his fortune to his battered wife's account -- and it also revealed how a job she'd been hired for goes awry. She's been double-crossed and nearly killed by a group out to get the nuclear launch codes program she hacked from the NSA. As the trailers have shown, the movie's ultimate villain is revealed to be Lisbeth's sister Camilla (Blade Runner 2049's Sylvia Hoeks), who was long thought dead but is back with a vengeance.
When asked by a journalist if she thought by playing rape survivor Lisbeth Salander that she or Lisbeth would become the face of the #MeToo movement, Claire Foy quickly shot that down. "My God. No. I think it was really interesting, actually, because we were doing the prep while that was all going on. And I took great solace in the fact that this movie, and the idea of it, wasn't really - it wasn't jumping on what would be seen as a bandwagon. The interest in Lisbeth has always been there, I think everyone's always been deeply fascinated by her," Foy said. "And much like the Me Too movement, that's not because it's timely, or that it's kind of suddenly in the zeitgeist, and it's newsworthy. It's always been there, is the reality. The difference is that people are now listening and talking about it openly as opposed to just ignoring it. And that's the same with Lisbeth.""And I think that's an interesting thing that I've never really thought about before, what Fede said about, she's now the center of the film. It's that, now you can trust in an audience loving a difficult character," Foy explained. "She's not lovable. She's not polite, she's not pretty. She's not everything that you think a female protagonist ought to be, soft and - you know, she's hard, and she makes really terrible, terrible decisions. And you don't know whether you can get behind a lot of them. And I think that's the interesting thing about it. And obviously, she's a survivor of abuse. That's just how I see her, as a survivor. And if that therefore means that it represents people, or represents a certain movement, then that's amazing. But it certainly wasn't - you know, she's not a poster girl for [it]."
The Girl in the Spider's Web opens stateside in the U.K. on November 9th and in Australia on November 8th.


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L'Elfe De La Nuit - Art Print
International Customers benefit from 3-5 Day Flat-Rate International Shipping
L'Elfe De La Nuit - Art Print
She's beautiful, she's quite the sight, but Adventurers, beware the Night! This stylish table-top RPG inspired piece showcases an mysterious and mesmerising Dark or Night Elf sitting atop a set of heavenly Opalite gemstone dice.
The perfect addition to any gaming space, this highly desirable piece by Jacob Briggs, is inspired and informed by the nostalgic pin-up tradition.
Key Details
- ISO A3 297mm × 420mm
- High GSM Archival Quality heavyweight cardstock with a matte finish.
- Ships rolled with a Free Gametee Art Card
Frame not included.


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The things that are necessary in life are few. Sadly, it seems that even the necessary things are often neglected. We instead cram our lives with thousands of unnecessary things. This is particularly true of government. A lot of organizations today rule by popular consent. They reflect the majority's will as forcefully imposed on the whole group. This form of government maximizes enjoyment for the popular majority, but creates oppression and discontent for the unpopular minority.
Resource: 50 Best Accounting Schools in the USA 2016
One of the things that modern governments frequently mess up is the budget. In their urge to feed popular supporters, governments spend more than they earn. They borrow extravagantly in order to make up for the difference. This behavior is often sustained with no end in sight. When questioned, supporters of the over optimism squeak, "In the long run, we are dead." They, like the prodigal son, think that partying is the secret to salvation. When a recession occurs to show them wrong, they quickly reshuffle the statistics and bail each other out. They neglect the following tools from the wiser minority who are not represented in democratic governments:
1. Live Below Your Means
Do not spend what you cannot afford. Having a clear idea of revenue is essential. What am I actually making? If I am spending more than I earn each day, then I will gradually come to financial ruin. Borrowing will not hide that fact, it will only extend it. Having a clear idea of your income can help you as an organization or individual live below your means. What are you taking in each month? Make sure you know it, and that you are not spending above it.
2. Ignore the Popular Vogue
It used to be the case that men in France wore tights and had long hair. Today, most men in France do not do so. If you slavishly conform to what is popular now, you will have to continually adapt as that notion changes over time. If you instead hold to unchanging values about money and life, you will not have to engage in expensive realignment weekly. There are so many people competing to be number one. There will always be someone or some organization better than you. Get over it.
3. Pursue Unpopular Things
Reach for things that are unpopular. Things like Seward's decision to buy Alaska from Russia. At the time, it was called Seward's folly. Afterwards, a lot of gold and oil were discovered up there. Seward was shown to be right in his investment decision. What is unpopular now may become popular later. Those who profit buy the things that are unpopular, and then transform them into popular things. Be clever. Do not copy the failures around you. Otherwise, you also will be a failure.
4. Have a Normal Source of Revenue
A normal source of revenue for an individual is a steady job. For an organization like a government, it is a clear and flat tax code. If you have a complex source of revenue, your revenue will be complex. Make sure you know how much you will be getting. Regularly set income targets for your group. Levying taxes of 10% on all the population is much better than different brackets that vary based on tiny little exceptions and deductions that your funding sources can use to cheat. The U.S. government's tax code is far too complex. This partly explains its struggle with debt.
5. Start With Little Steps
Debt elimination pro Dave Ramsey recommends removing your smallest debt sources first. This encourages elimination of larger debts like mortgage and car. If you see your grocery debt paid off, you will have more motivation. Confucius agrees, once saying that you move a mountain by starting with little stones.
These are just some of the keys to a healthy and sane budget. Most individuals can probably think of a lot more. The chief thing is not to think of countless different ways to deal with something. The chief thing is to act on those ways. Nothing will be accomplished until governments and tax payers choose to take responsibility for their collective incompetence at managing their budgets.


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Boulder Junior Cycling Financial Support Program
BJC has a financial support program for athletes needing help paying program fees and/or travel costs. Support for program fees is limited to demonstrated financial need. Support for travel is available for both need-based and merit-based situations. We welcome all applications.
The money comes from private foundations, individual donations, and fundraising.
Program Fee Support
You may request any amount of financial support up to 95% of program fees. The amount of financial support provided is based on a sliding scale considering the size of the family and adjusted gross income. The level of support is also dependent on the availability of funds and the number of requests.
Travel Support
Support is available for athletes needing help paying travel costs for development opportunities and events both nationally and internationally. (Go to bottom of this page for application.)
Payment Installments
As an alternate to financial support, you may request to pay program fees in several installments instead of a lump sum. Requests should be sent to the BJC Executive Director via email.
Partial Season
Contact us to discuss pro-rated costs for partial season lengths.
Application for program fee financial support is due one month prior to the program practice start date. This is to allow all requests to be reviewed together; late requests may be denied or reduced due to lack of funding. Application for travel cost assistance must be at least 2 weeks before the event, and a month is better.
Completed Applications Must Include:
1) A cover letter providing any additional info that will be useful in determining support.
2) The completed application form (below).
3) Copy of Federal Tax Return (only if requesting 50% or greater program fee support.)
The application should be sent to the BJC Executive Director via email.
*All decisions regarding financial support are made based on available funds and number of applicants and are at the sole discretion of BJC and its Board of Directors.
*BJC may request further information and supporting documents.
Program Fee Financial Support Application
Athlete Name:
Parent Name & Address:
Parent Phone # :
Parent E-Mail:
Parents' Adjusted Gross Income:
Number of People in Household:
Name of the Program/Event:
Support Amount Requested:
(submit copy of Federal tax return for requests equaling 50% or more of program cost)
Any other information that will be useful in determining support
Please include a cover letter written by the athlete, to include:
- What are your cycling goals both for this year and for the long term?
- Why is riding and training with BJC important to you?
- Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Travel Support Application
Support is available for athletes needing help paying travel costs and trip fees for development opportunities and events both nationally and internationally. The application should be sent to the BJC Executive Director via email firstname.lastname@example.com
The amount of financial support provided varies based upon cost of the trip, financial support received from other sources, the family's finances, the availability of funds, and the number of financial support requests. Typical support ranges from $100-$500 per season.
Applications should be submitted as early as possible, ideally 2-4 weeks before the trip.
Athletes receiving financial support are required to write a trip report for the BJC website within 7 days of returning home.
Completed Applications Must Include:
1) A cover letter written by the athlete, to include:
– Describe the trip or event
– Why is this trip important to you?
– What are your goals for this trip?
– Any other information that will be useful in determining support
2) Amount of funding requested from BJC
3) A brief trip budget, providing actual costs, not estimates, where possible. Please include:
– Airfare
– Baggage fees
– Camp or event fees
– Other significant costs
4) A list of financial support received or applied for from other sources


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Level 2 Courses
Vocational Level 2 Study Programmes and GCSE resits
Vocational Level 2 courses are for full time students who have taken a full programme of GCSEs. You select a Vocational Level 2 qualification, can resit GCSE English and/or Maths and partake in Enrichment activities within your Study Programme.
These one year Study Programmes provide a progression route to further Level 3 study, to an Apprenticeship or into employment.
Courses include;
These one year courses are aimed at those students who wish to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding by applying their learning and skills in a work related context. The teaching team create a series of relevant assignments, which can be written or activity based, offering variety to your learning. The format of the assignments are varied and could include activities such as creating a film clip, planning a presentation, creating a business plan or writing a report. The assessments are completed thorough a combination of internal and external assessment. There are opportunities to develop your skills in English and Mathematics and these are indicated in the units where appropriate.
Entry Requirements
For a Level 2 Study Programme you will need GCSE English and Mathematics at grade D/3 or above plus a range of GCSEs at C/4/D/3 grades.
If you don't get the grades you require for your selected course we still have many options for your next step. Please check our website for details of events taking place on GCSE results day or give us a call to discuss your options and to receive advice and guidance of courses available to you.
You are able to resit GCSE English and/or Mathematics and upon completion of your Level 2 Study Programme can progress onto a Level 3 Study Programme, Apprenticeship or into employment.


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President's mental health parity task force weighs in
President Obama formed a task force among multiple government agencies last spring to address parity for mental health insurance coverage as it relates to coverage for medical/surgical care. Agency representatives heard from payers, consumers, providers, employers, advocates and others to further define parity and how it plays out in real life. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the report in late October. Though mental health parity has been federal law for almost a decade, the law's interpretation and implementation have been elusive. But one driver of this year's urgency is the opioid addiction crisis that has been a hot topic in Congress in recent months. The crisis could place great demands for treatment on the system.
The report highlights the following points.
Reimbursement and Transparency
- Provider access and network adequacy is a common obstacle to treatment and this is due in part to workforce shortages in behavioral health. Some providers said a lack of parity in reimbursement for mental health providers creates a reluctance to join provider panels.
- While some of the obvious disparities in coverage like equal copays have largely been addressed, a critical enforcement issue has been in the area of Non-Quantitative Treatment Limits (NQTLs). These NQTLs are medical management requirements, which accounted for 59 percent of the U.S. Department of Labor parity violations between 2010 and 2015. Examples included disparities in preauthorization requirements, requests for written treatment plans, prescription formularies and step therapy (requiring "failure" at one level of care before gaining approval for a higher level of care). All of this stems from lingering stigma against mental health diseases and the fact that one-size-fits-all treatment approaches don't work well for the uniquenesses of individual patient situations. It is therefore difficult for insurers to predict risk and cost in behavioral health. Lawsuits have demonstrated that their management of these services is often overly strict. Parity efforts are intended to change that.
- The report calls for greater transparency by payers in explaining criteria for restricting or denying mental health treatment.
- A patchwork of government agencies previously administered the federal parity law; three agencies will have oversight going forward – the departments of Labor, Treasury; and Health and Human Services.
- There are many variations in how parity rules apply, depending on plan size, its status as public or private and whether or not a plan is self-insured.
State Progress and Initiatives
- Some $9.3 million in grants have been earmarked to support parity enforcement at the state level. State regulators voiced a desire for training and guidance from federal agencies.
- The report recommended that the U.S. Department of Labor have authority to assess penalties for violations, a power that would require new action from Congress.
- The report mentioned promising parity enforcement practices already in place in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island.
Mental health advocacy groups praised the report, but said a proactive approach in insurance design would be more effective than relying on consumer complaints to trigger regulatory review.
With possible new demand for mental health and substance use treatment, mental health providers may be busier than ever. ABILITY supports mental health providers in many ways. Check out our Resource Center for ways to get more value out of your billing management processes.


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"Building a Better World One Student at a Time"
Sequoia Village is a K-12 tuition-free, Arizona charter school. We offer highly qualified teachers and academic programs that exceed Arizona State Standards education. Our school is small with only a few hundred students so our students get the individual attention they require. See our School Report Card from the Arizona Department of Education. We offer transportation and a free after school program including sports programs, music and tutoring. We thank you for your interest in Sequoia Village.
Students in grades K-8 recieve classroom instruction by Highly Qualified Teachers. Small class sizes allow teachers to give the personalized academic attention your child needs. We offer a gifted program for students who are able to learn more quickly.
Students in grades 9-12 receive the latest in blended learning with a highly qualified staff on site and online to instruct students in every imaginable subject. Access to free college courses are also available for students who want to get a jump start on their post-secondary studies.
Sequoia Village High School has a four day schedule, Monday – Thursday. Regular Office Hours are:
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.
Tutoring is available on Fridays!
Sequoia Village School Summer Office Hours Open to Public:
Monday, Wednesday: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.


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Background: In 1978, the Alma-Ata declaration on primary health care (PHC) recognized that the world's healthissues required more than just hospital-based and physician-centered policies. The declaration called for a paradigmchange that would allow governments to provide essential care to their population in a universally acceptablemanner. The figure of the community health worker (CHW) remains a central feature of participation within thePHC approach, and being a CHW is still considered to be an important way of participation within the healthsystem.Methods: This study explores how the values and personal motivation of community health workers influencestheir experience with this primary health care strategy in in the municipality of Palencia, Guatemala. To do this, weused an ethnographic approach and collected data in January-March of 2009 and 2010 by using participantobservation and in-depth interviews.Results: We found that the CHWs in the municipality had a close working relationship with the mobile health teamand with the community, and that their positions allowed them to develop leadership and teamwork skills that mayprove useful in other community participation processes. The CHWs are motivated in their work and volunteerism is akey value in Palencia, but there is a lack of infrastructure and growth opportunities.Conclusion: Attention should be paid to keeping the high levels of commitment and integration within the healthteam as well as keeping up supervision and economic funds for the program.
Background: Social participation has been recognized as an important public health policy since the declaration of Alma-Ata presented it as one of the pillars of primary health care in 1978. Since then, there have been many adaptations to the original policy recommendations, but participation in health is still seen as a means to make the health system more responsive to local health needs, and as a way to bring the health sector and the community closer together.
Aim: To explore the role that social participation has in a municipal-level health system in Guatemala in order to inform future policies and programs.
Methods: The fieldwork for this study was carried out over eight months and three field visits between early January of 2009 and late March of 2010. During this time, 38 indepth interviews with provincial and district-level health authorities, municipal authorities, community representatives and community health workers were conducted. Using an overall applied ethnographic approach, the main means of data collection were participant observation, in-depth interviews, group discussions and informal conversations. The data was analyzed in two different rounds. In the first one we used documentary analysis, role-ordered matrices and thematic analsis (see papers I-IV) and in the second round, thematic analysis was utilized.
Results: We found four themes that frame what the role of social participation in the municipality of Palencia is. The first theme presents the historical, political and social context that has contributed to shaping the participation policies and practices in Guatemala as a whole. The second theme takes a deeper look at these policies and how they have been received in the municipality of Palencia. The third theme presents data regarding the three situated practices of participation, each occurring at a different level: municipal, community and the individual level. Finally, the last theme presents reflections on what it means to participate to the people that were involved in this study.
Conclusion: In the process of social participation there are two different and complementary kinds of power that depend on the amount and the kind of resources available at each level of the participation structure. Stakeholders that have higher levels of power to formulate policies will have better access to financial, human and material resources while stakeholders that have higher levels of power to implement policies will have resources like community legitimacy, knowledge of local culture, values and mores, as well as a deep understanding of local social processes. The coordination of financial, human and material resources is just as important as the legitimacy that comes from having community leaders involved in more steps of the process. True collaboration can only be obtained through the promotion and creation of meaningful partnerships between institutional stakeholders and community leaders and other stakeholders that are working at the community level. For this to happen, more structured support for the participation process in the form of clear policies, funding and capacity building is needed.


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The ghost attack on New York City in Ghostbusters would arguably be the biggest event in American history. It's true that the Civil War killed more people and had a bigger influence on the facial hair of future generations, but ghosts being real would have forever changed the global retail industry from the sheer number of pants being shit alone.
And other reasons ...
The event was widely publicized and witnessed firsthand by thousands of New York citizens. But somehow, by Ghostbusters II, nobody believes the attack happened. The busters themselves are now stuck working kids' birthday parties. Can you imagine if that was the ultimate fate of 9/11 first responders? For some reason that is never addressed, all of New York woke up the day after the attack, washed 15 pounds of marshmallow gunk out of their hair, and instead of "Never forget," immediately forgot.
Columbia Pictures
How dare you treat a Bill Murray character like a common Rob Schneider character.


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Hi; my main hobby is living history and museums so it made sense to establish a Newspaper about it! we offer freebies, recipes and details of events - we are allways on the look out for writers.
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The importance of self-care during stressful timesDecember 20, 2018
So often in life, things do not happen as we had planned, or things happen that we hadn't anticipated. This causes stress and anxiety for most of us.
How is it that our lives get turned upside down, inside out? It seems like we are suddenly living a whole different life and we are left to figure it out. How can we cope when, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, we are faced with a new and scary reality? The main point of this article is "Don't forget about yourself."
In times of crisis, a common reaction is to throw all effort into dealing with the situation, whatever it might be, giving no thought to your own well-being. When life has taken a totally unknown turn, taking care of ourselves is a priority.
What is self-care?
Self-care refers to activities that can be done to promote physical and mental wellness. Self-care is an important part of everyone's overall health. Listed below are some activities to help in this process.
1. Practice good Emotional Hygiene
In the same way we practice personal hygiene, we also need to develop habits that will take care of our psychological health.
Be mindful of what experiences cause emotional pain for you. This may include getting support from a community support group, a close friend or family member, or talking with a licensed therapist.
Maintain your self-esteem. Stay focused on goals that can promote your self-confidence. Avoid letting your confidence spiral downward after a negative event or experience.
Avoid repetitive negative thoughts by using a positive distraction. Do something that requires concentration to help prevent obsessing on situations that are out of your control.
2. Stay connected to friends and family
Carve out some time to stay connected even if it is just a phone call to check-in or a face-time session.
3. Make time for yourself
Taking time for yourself is important for your mental health. Use your time alone to check in with yourself and reflect on your personal experiences. It's not selfish; it is self-care and it is vital.
4. Nourish yourself with healthy food
Eating healthy foods keeps your body in good working order and can positively affect your mood. Try to get plenty of whole foods and protein into your diet.
5. Get enough sleep
Set a regular bedtime if possible. Turn off electronics one hour before bedtime.
6. Exercise
Exercise has positive benefits like increasing energy, improving your general mood, and helping you get to sleep.
7. Help Others
Good feelings come about from helping others. Volunteer at a community service agency or offer to help a friend or family member.
Stress is a reaction, whether real or imagined, to situations, events, or people. We may experience symptoms of anxiety and worry when we suffer from stress. We may even start taking actions to escape the stressful feelings. Here are some things to consider when dealing with stressful situations.
You are here. Accept where you are and move forward from there.
Don't try to please everyone. Save some space for yourself.
Be active. Look for ways to set goals for yourself.
Laugh. It does the heart good.
Take charge of yourself. You can't control others' actions.
Relax and give yourself a break.
You are not alone. Talk to someone you trust.
Dealing with life changing events can be extremely hard. Despite the challenges and barriers, you deserve to be well. This is a process that takes time, effort, and self care. Even if we regress sometimes, as we all do, it is important to keep self-care a priority. Wellness is constantly changing based on our needs, which change over time. We may need to adjust our plan as we evaluate our needs. Start by asking yourself: "What are the things in life that really bring me joy and happiness?"
For more information call TARP at 800-522-8277 or TAP at 800-253-8326.


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Christmas on Coronation Street: The perfect Christmas read
Livre numérique
A wonderful Christmas read full of nostalgia and charm, perfect for fans of Coronation Street and readers who love Fiction set in Wartime.
Elsie Grimshaw lives in one of the worst streets in Weatherfield and is desperate to escape from life at home with a brutal father and the drudgery of working at the local mill. Grabbing at the slim chances that come her way, Elsie emerges from the heartbreak of first love and her marriage to bad boy, Arnold Tanner at only sixteen years old, if not much older, then certainly wiser.
Going under her married name of Elsie Tanner, she and Arnold move in to No.11 Coronation Street in 1939 as war breaks out. Her cheeky self-confidence immediately puts her at loggerheads with local busy-body Ena Sharples and Annie Walker, landlady of the Rovers Return.
As Christmas approaches, the residents of Coronation Street must put their petty squabbles aside if they are to survive the worst that Hitler's Luftwaffe can throw at them. And as the Manchester Blitz grips their home town of Weatherfield, the residents must pull together to make this a Christmas to remember – for all of the right reasons…


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Harden's 37-point effort leads Rockets past Pistons in opener
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - All that was left for James Harden to do was drive Royce White to Atlanta.
He did everything else - much more than even he could have imagined.
This is what it means to be a "foundational player," as Daryl Morey called Harden on the night he acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is why Morey placed a five-year, $80 million contract extension in front of him in a small room next to the Rockets' locker room before Wednesday night's game.
The Rockets then went out and beat the Detroit Pistons 105-96, blowing the hosts off the floor in the fourth quarter because they had Harden and the Pistons didn't.
Of all the times the Rockets have been Kobed or CP3ed in the past few seasons when sublime players took tight games and made them their own, the Rockets had precisely what they have lacked since Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady's bodies betrayed them.
"It's really fun to play with a guy like that," Rockets forward Chandler Parsons said. "You can give him the ball in a close game and say, 'Go make a play for us.' He's going to be a special player."
Harden's 37 points tied the second most ever scored by a player making his debut with a team and the most for a Rockets player in his debut, easily topping the 28 points Lewis Lloyd scored in the 1983-84 opener.
More Information
Productive starts
A look at how the Rockets' three new stars performed in the season opener on the road against Detroit:
Jeremy Lin
Points 12
Rebounds 4
Assists 8James Harden
Points 37
Rebounds 6
Assists 12Omer Asik
Points 12
Rebounds 9
Blocks 2
Perhaps more impressive than his scoring were the 12 assists (along with six rebounds and four steals), making Harden the first Rockets player to go for 37 points and 12 assists in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1994-95 season.
Lin pitches in
Harden rushed to point out it was just one game and he planned to improve across the board. But with all the attention that fell to him since the trade that makes him the Rockets' focal point, he demonstrated an ability to rise to the occasion.
"He's got to step it up, to be honest," Jeremy Lin said. "Got to get at least 40 and 15 a game."
Lin, who added 12 points, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds of his own, is among the few who have been there, having played in an equally bright spotlight with similar pressures. To Lin, responding under those circumstances might indicate more than even those stunning numbers.
"People don't understand how it can really wear on you," Lin said. "For him to be able to do what he did tonight, man, I have the utmost respect. For him to play the way he did, first game, lot of pressure, that was awesome. That really was."
With just two days of practices with the Rockets, Harden ran pick-and-roll, mixed in a few Oklahoma City sets Kevin McHale added since the trade and improvised until his hands were all over the team's best moments.
Harden scored or set up every point in a 10-0 Rockets run to start the second half, culminating in a backdoor cut to a no-look pass from Lin for a dunk. When the Pistons rolled through a 21-4 run to 10-point lead, Harden stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer. When the Rockets pulled away, he turned playmaker, getting five assists in 7½ minutes, all to set up Carlos Delfino for 3-pointers or Greg Smith and Omer Asik for dunks.
"All the talking and craziness that's been happening, I just wanted to go out there and play basketball," Harden said. "We're going to grow as a team. A lot of guys stepped up, and that's how it's going to be throughout this entire season."
'He's a superstar'
Harden said he could not have imagined more.
"It's a new role for me," Harden said. "I think everybody knows that. My job is just to do the best that I can, whether it's in a game, whether it's practice, off the court, charity events, whatever the case may be. Just be a leader. It's a new role. It's going to take time, but I think I prepared for it."
It was just one game, but it was everything the Rockets had in mind, and enough to convince them they got what they wanted.
"He's just a great player," Smith said. "He's a superstar."


text: The Year In Pictures\nThe best images from Golf Digest and Golf World photographers from 2013\n\nClick the "ENLARGE" button to enjoy\nAdam Scott sinks a birdie putt on the final hole of regulation at the Masters. Scott would win with another birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.\nTiger Woods takes his infamous drop after his third shot on No. 15 in the second round of the Masters hit off the flagstick and rolled into the pond guarding the green.\nPhil Mickelson takes a moment to study his surroundings during the first round of the British Open at Muirfield. Three days later he claimed his first claret jug.\nJason Day tees off on No. 17 during the third round of the Masters.\nLuke Donald tees off on No. 13 during the third round of the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.\nPhil Mickelson hits his second shot from an usual spot on Oak Hill's No. 13 during the first round of the PGA Championship.\nThorbjorn Olesen experiences Merion's thick rough during the first round of the U.S. Open.\nJason Dufner tees off on No. 14 during the final round of the PGA Championship. Dufner would hold off playing partner Jim Furyk to claim his first major championship.\nInbee Park hits an approach shot in the final round of the U.S. Women's Open Championship at Sebonack Golf Club on her way to winning a third straight major.\nTiger Woods hits a tee shot during the second round of the PGA Championship.\nTiger Woods follows his shot off the 18th tee during the final round of the Players. A closing par gave him his biggest win during a season in which he claimed an 11th PGA Tour Player of the Year Award.\nArnold Palmer hits his ceremonial opening tee shot straight down the fairway to start off the Masters.\nJustin Rose takes his second shot on No. 18 during the final round of the U.S. Open. His closing par wrapped up his first major championship.\nAngel Cabrera tosses his club in frustration on Augusta's 13th hole during the final round of the Masters.\nAdam Scott birdies August National's No. 10, the second hole of a sudden-death playoff against Angel Cabrera, to win the Masters.


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Faculty Biography - Sherwin Ovid
Faculty Biography - Sherwin Ovid
Sherwin Ovid
Professor of Art
BFA from School Art Institute of Chicago
M.A in fine art from University of Illinois at Chicago
Room 2430 Des Plaines
Personal StatementSherwin Ovid is an interdisciplinary artist born in Trinidad that received a
BFA from the School Art Institute of Chicago. He was a Lincoln Fellow in
2013 at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his Master's
of Fine Art. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at Oakton
Community College and Northwestern University. Ovid has exhibited at
Randy Alexander Gallery, Goldfinch Projects, Gallery 400, University of
Wisconsin, Cleve Carney Art Gallery, Haitian American Museum of
Chicago and Iceberg Projects in Evanston. He was published in New
American Painters in 2016 as a noteworthy feature and currently resided in
Chicago. Sherwin maintains a multifaceted approach to sustaining socially
engaged work both inside and outside of a studio practice, and some of the
permeating ideas are on the process of migration and cultural transmission


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Past Events
March 2006
All Taxation is Theft: A taxation debate
Ian Angell
Nicholas Montagu
Tue, 7 Mar 2006
At this London Business Forum debate, Professor Ian Angell and Sir Nicholas Montagu debate the role of tax, providing piercing insights and outrageous opinions, with none left disappointed. Ultimately, Sir Nicholas persuades us that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilised society."
Swimming Against the Stream: Ten rules for creating businesses
Tim Waterstone
Thu, 2 Mar 2006
Tim Waterstone set up his chain of bookshops after being fired from high street newsagent WHSmith. Advised to quit the bookselling business, he did the exact opposite, set up a successful rival and sold it back to his erstwhile employer. At this event, he shares his entrepreneurial story.


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