text:
When you started your business you planned to grow it as a lifetime enterprise. Now, for whatever reason you have decided to sell your business and cash in on all your hard work. Maybe you want to stock up all over again in another field of business or maybe you just want to put up your feet and relax. Since selling a business is normally a once in a lifetime venture, it is unlikely that you would have any prior experience unless you have started or sold several small businesses in the past. Here is some good advice to get you started with selling your small business:
Defining your business sell expectations
In order to conclude a successful sale of your small business you need to plan the sale meticulously and the first step is to define your expectations:
- Do you want to sell your business for cash or will you accept payment in another form such as stock or debt instruments?
- What is your price expectation
- What expectations do you have of the buyer in terms of business continuity and tradition?
- Do you want to sell out to the public in an IPO or to your employees in a ESOPs scheme?
Timing and financing
It can sometimes take a long time to negotiate and conclude a sale of a business especially if there is complicated tax issues involved. The majority of small business sales involve some form of seller financing such as deferred payments so that you may not see a large lump sum of cash payment up front. Give some thought to the risk and how you would like to structure the small business seller financing.
Valuing the sell of your small business
You would need a detailed and sensible valuation of your business in order to justify the price that you will be asking for it. Decide on the method that you'll use since methods may vary with the kind of business involved. The judgment on whether you will use asset value, replacement cost, or capitalization of earning or some combination thereof depends largely on your judgment and what a potential buyer will accept.
Re-doing your small business financial statements
As long as you are running your business, how you present your financial situation is largely dictated by tax considerations so as to minimize your tax bill. You will probably need to recast your accounts to show the true earning potential to backup any business valuation that you undertake. Though you should probably be cautious as to whom you show these records and consult an attorney in the process.
Sell small a business with privacy
It's a good idea to sell your business with concerns for privacy. You should conduct all your sale negotiations in secret and restrict people in the know to as few information as possible. If word gets out that you are selling, you will find key employees leaving the company or being recruited by competitors, you'll also find suppliers pulling lines of credit. This will simply impair your ability to get a decent price for your small business. The sale of a business usually screams financial troubles, you don't want the wrong perception to get out in the public about your small business.
Use a competent small business broker
If possible use a competent business broker. Get referrals, shop around, and research. S/he will help you set a realistic price, identify and approach potential buyers in the strictest of confidence. Remember that s/he has a vested interest in getting the highest possible price since their rate for services rely on commissions of the sale.
Selling a business can take time, but due diligence will prove to breed success. One can expect a sale of their business if they've took the needed measures to ensure that their small business is aligned in a direction of growth and they are able to prove such statistics.


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Online logistics for Holcim Switzerland
Top-class supply chain event management (SCEM)
Top-class supply chain event management (SCEM)
Holcim (Schweiz) AG has streamlined their order-to-cash (O2C) process for the processing of cement orders with the groundbreaking SCEM solution LOGON.
LOGON integrates data management and accounting systems (SAP R/3) with automated weighing of trucks and silo wagons. It thereby supports cement order processing from the initial placing of orders over their allocation to haulers, the scheduling and loading of trucks up to automated invoicing. The LOGON implementation platform was implemented by AdNovum in close cooperation with Holcim and third parties.
RFID tags and the integration of Mobile Order Processing (MOP) provide LOGON with real-time information on order status, loading operations, truck positions, traffic jams, etc. These features allow to effectively control and ensure the distribution. The new application seamlessly integrates information from all involved processes avoiding redundancy and thereby offers increased user comfort to all parties involved.
- Mobile Order Processing for truck drivers
- RFID tags for trucks, silo wagons, silos, container, products
- "Cockpit-style" user interface
- Google Maps for the visualization of truck locations, routes, loading and delivery locations
- Monitoring features to avoid bottlenecks in scheduling and order processing
- Elaborate authorization system with self-administration
- Enhancement and management of SAP master data
- Table browser for super-users: direct access to system data
- Integration in MS-Windows authentication (SPNEGO/Kerberos)
- Customers directly create and track their orders (track & trace)
- Comprehensive data export to DWH
- Rich Internet Application (RIA) interface (Ajax for instant updates; drag and drop)
- Java EE application, Open Source
- Windows 2003 server
- RFID management
- Google Maps integration
- Oracle database
- Web services connect the peripheral systems

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Breast Augmentation With Lift*
- Age:
- undisclosed
- Gender:
- Female
- Ethnicity:
- White
- Height:
- Undisclosed
- Weight:
- Undisclosed
- Gallery:
- 33284
Procedure Details
Breast Aug With Lift Front
Breast Aug With Lift Side
Popular Searches
*All information subject to change. Images may contain models. Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary. All before and after pictures are real patients of The Face & Body Center


text:
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text:
From Green Right Now Reports
Everyone knows there is a whole lot of oil floating around in the Gulf of Mexico, but where is it going? According to at least one computer modeling study, the Atlantic Coast and open ocean may be victims of the spill by as early as this summer. The results are captured in a series of animations produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and others.
"I've had a lot of people ask me, 'Will the oil reach Florida?'" says NCAR scientist Synte Peacock, who worked on the study. "Actually, our best knowledge says the scope of this environmental disaster is likely to reach far beyond Florida, with impacts that have yet to be understood."
According to the computer simulations, the Gulf of Mexico's Loop Current could draw the oil to Florida's Atlantic Coast within weeks. The Gulf Stream could then carry it as far as about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, before the spill would turn east.
Scientists used a computer model to simulate how a liquid released at the spill site would disperse and circulate, producing results that are not dependent on the total amount released. They tracked the rate of dispersal in the top 65 feet of the water and at four additional depths, with the lowest being just above the sea bed.
Peacock and her colleagues stress that the simulations are not a forecast, but merely possible scenarios. The timing and course of the oil slick will be affected by regional weather conditions and the ever-changing state of the Gulf's Loop Current—neither of which can be predicted more than a few days in advance.
The actual path of the oil will depend both on the short-term evolution of the Loop Current, which feeds into the Gulf Stream, and on the state of the overlying atmosphere. The flow in the model represents the best estimate of how ocean currents are likely to respond under typical wind conditions.
Simulations show that a liquid released in the surface ocean at the spill site is likely to slowly spread as it is mixed by the ocean currents until it is caught up in the Loop Current. At that point, speeds pick up to about 40 miles per day, and when the liquid enters the Atlantic's Gulf Stream it can travel at speeds up to about 100 miles per day, or 3,000 miles per month.
The six model simulations all have different Loop Current characteristics. All bring the oil to south Florida and then up the East Coast, but the timing differs significantly depending on the configuration of the Loop Current.


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If the primary goal was to complete Obama's agenda of disengaging from Iraq and Afghanistan, then having Hagel at the Pentagon seemed to make sense. In the past year or so, though, the policy of disengagement has been superseded.... There is no suggestion that Hagel opposed either of these policy changes. Indeed, he was one of the first senior U.S. officials to warn that ISIS represented a serious danger to American interests, which was said to have irked Obama's aides at the time..."His enemies"? That confused me. I'm pretty sure what Cassidy means by "his enemies" is Republicans. But he was just talking about ISIS, an actual military enemy. That shift in focus was abrupt and telling, especially following the acknowledgment that Hagel had been useful because he was a Republican.
... President Obama appears to have decided that, with the U.S. stepping up its military involvement in various parts of the world, he needed a more hands-on, and on-message, figure at the Pentagon. That's understandable. But so is the widespread skepticism about the official version of Hagel's departure, including Republicans' eagerness to make hay of it. "Secretary Hagel did not believe that the foreign policy is working or is going to work," Republican congressman Peter King, of New York, told CNN.
That statement reeks of overstatement, which is typical of King. But it underscores that Obama, having just enjoyed his best few weeks as President in a long time, has just refocussed attention on an area, foreign policy, where his enemies sense vulnerability.
By the way, the picture at the link is just perfect.


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chigau (I don't like this eternal 'nym thing, either) says
(I may have said that on another occasion)
JohnnieCanuck says
I imagine little gibbering voices, as they march on devastating everything in their path.
These are some of the ones that multiply beyond their food supply and destroy, amongst others, kelp forests. Humans keep removing their predators, because fashion or food or whatever.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says
At least the damn kids will stay off it.
Lofty says
Australian terrestrial equivalent similarly prickly.
Sili says
I imagine little gibbering voices, as they march on devastating everything in their path.
Thank Spud. I thought it was just me.
John Morales says
ObDitty: Octopus's Garden.
madscientist says
That's very pretty – I'm reminded of a time when I was snorkeling and admiring such a reef and unaware that the tide was going out until I realized that the creatures were getting pretty close to impaling me.
timothya1956 says
JohnnyCanuck has it right.
On Australia's Great Barrier Reef a close relative of that metazoan (the "crown of thorns" starfish – which looks very pretty) is busy munching its way through the underpinnings of its ecosystem because humans have provided it with the means of being a top predator.
Pretty to look at, bad news if you are a coral. Please stop substituting pretty pictures for ecological truth.
ChasCPeterson says
Once forest*, now lawn.
It's the Levittown of the sea.
*kelp, that is.
octopod says
timothya1956@#8: "ecological truth"? WTF is untruthful about this picture? If you click through to the Echinoblog, you'll see that it's from an article on "sea urchin barrens", with bonus allusions to Star Trek.
Which is to say: depiction is not endorsement.
Artor says
It's a pretty lawn, but I don't think I'd like to walk on it barefoot.


text:
Get Your Free Audiobook
The Modern Scholar
Publisher's Summary
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about The Modern Scholar
- Lucas
- 23-04-11
Even THINKING about it? Go ahead and get it!
I picked this up on one of Audible's super sales (I think I got it for $5) and I absolutely loved it. Yes, I'm a science geek, and your average person is not going to appreciate this course but, if you're at all curious about microbes and the history of science, I can assure you this is an excellent course. The professor obviously loves her subject and communicates well (this is a series of lectures, not really an "audiobook" per se). It is aimed at the curious, not the wanna-be microbiologist, so it's not TOO technical and I assure you that you will be impressed with all that bacteria do to make life possible for us.
5 people found this helpful
- Forbes
- 05-07-10
A passion for bacteria
The author is passionate about her subject and the information is compelling. The presentation style is like a lecture so you should not expect zippy over enthusiastic selling of ideas. There are several noteworthy facts about bacteria: for example, haemoglobin was developed in bacteria to sequester oxygen because it interefered with early life processes. Only later in the evolutionary descent was that protein used to carry oxygen where it is needed. This is a useful note if you are arguing against "intelligent" design and "intrinsic complexity"
5 people found this helpful
- Donald
- 26-12-08
Welcome to the real world
This is a systematic and methodological overview of the most numerous and important life forms. Most people will have their worldview of biology turned upside down. Naturalists and scientists will be reminded the the bacteria are running the show. It's a new look at nature and a framework about the hidden world that is everywhere. I ordered the author's field guide and plan to use it future nature walks.
10 people found this helpful
- Kim
- 05-05-12
Would you listen to The Modern Scholar again? Why?
Yes, I have several more Modern Scholar titles in my wish list, and have a few already in my library.
What did you like best about this story?
Now I know why Swiss cheese smells like sweaty feet.
Which character – as performed by the narrator – was your favorite?
Any additional comments?
Now I want to set up a column full of swamp mud and grow my own bacteria. The sections on bacterial metabolism were particularly interesting.
2 people found this helpful
- Dr
- 27-01-12
Entertaining Introduction to Microcosmia
A well-thought-out series of lectures focusing on some detailed aspects of a diverse topic. It is 50 % entertainment and 50% education, not a bad balance for the general public.
2 people found this helpful
- Amazon Customer
- 24-05-11
I love science books and really enjoy biology books. But I am having a very hard time writing this review. Maybe I am just not the intended audience for this book. I enjoy learning about how things work. Why they work a certain way. This book is not about those things as much as it can help it. Its about taxonomy and enumeration. All of what I would consider true science content is at high school level. Actually the whole book felt like a high school course. A ton or redundancy, a ton of pre-qualification, a ton of specifically excluding content (as if I should be happy that it won't be on my final). Really cool concepts like horizontal transfer, streamlined genomes and jumping genes are mentioned but barely explored.
Before buying this book - I would really read the description. Dyer has written the 'Field Guide' to bacteria, and these lectures are the course to go with it. Imagine bird watching with a book describing what birds are called, where they live and what their basic behaviors are. Some content on the best places and methods to spot birds. This is the equivalent for bacteria.
If you are not into taxonomy and ' - watching' I would not get this volume.
7 people found this helpful
- N. Barnes
- 18-01-13
Utterly fascinating and life changing lectures!
Professor Dyer's lectures on bacteria are incredibly gripping, well put together, and full of fascinating information. It is obvious to me, a fellow academic (though in History, not in any hard science), that she is presenting the very basic, watered-down version here, but it's quite enough for a non-specialist. There were only a few places where I hungered for more information and really wished that she hadn't cut out some of the more challenging details. Overall, this is a wonderful series of lectures that will make you think about and look at bacteria--and even yourself--in a whole new way. I also really like her voice. I purchased the other Modern Scholar lecture series she did, "The Basics of Genetics," and am looking forward to listening to it.
1 person found this helpful
- James
- 03-03-09
Uninformative and Uninteresting
This lecture is very remedial. Anyone who has taken a high school biology class will learn very little from it. The author is redundant, and the pace of the lecture is teasingly slow. However, if you want to learn how to identify bacteria by their field marks, it may be worth a listen. Some of the digressions in the lecture are comically out of place, such as the art history of Johannes Vermeer.
12 people found this helpful
- Arturo o
- 19-05-19
exactly what I was looking for. complete information. I just needed an overview about bacteria, but I got way more than that.
- BrantleyIV
- 21-04-19
Passionate and Fascinating
My favorite kind of lecture is one given passionately and this lecture succeeds in that from beginning to end. It does a wonderful job of teaching you audibly and you come out of this feeling like a microbiologist and dare I say a bacteria lover! I would watch some videos online after certain lectures to get more detail in things or to see illustrations of morphology etc. and when they spoke in the videos with all these scientific terms I was like," oh jeez I know everything they are talking about". It is really like learning a new language. I plan on listening to this lecture again because it is just packed with great content that my tiny brain couldn't absorb. Thank you professor !
- Birgit
- 01-01-13
Engaging and accessible
Its not easy to write engaging science books so I take my hat off to Betsy Dexter Dyer. Never having taken microbiology as an undergraduate, I inadvertantly stumbled into biogeochemistry during my post-graduate research and really panicked when I failed to understand paper after paper and found the textbooks on the subject dry, labourious and curiously unhelpful. This book does not require any previous knowledge of the subject nor does it require infinite amounts of patience, concentration and academic grit to learn from it, and yet neither is it written in a patronizing style. All that is required to enjoy this book is a curiosity about life on earth. Listening to this audiobook (and reading parts of her fieldguide to bacteria, which makes a great companion book) gave me a knowledge foundation and, more importantly, the interest and motivation to read drier and less 'user-friendly' papers and textbooks.
2 people found this helpful
- Jane
- 03-10-14
Bacteria has a pin up girl!
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Would not change a thing. It was brilliant to hear the enthusiasm in Betsey narration.
What three words best describe the narrator's performance?
Enthusiastic, down to earth (literally), relatable.
Do you think The Modern Scholar needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Always, follow up books are necessary. Please do another one Betsey!!
1 person found this helpful
- Lord Peridot
- 29-09-14
Surprise yourself, learn something new!
Another excellent edition in the Great Scholar series. Written and read with enthusiasm and clarity, this is far from being a dry academic account of the subject. Highly recommended.
- jeremy
- 09-07-13
Not one of the best Modern Scholar productions
Sadly, this is a little repetitive, slow and a little low on content. And the delivery is far from punchy (Sorry Betsey, you sound like a lovely lady, but that's the way I found it).


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- Koningsdam
- Holland America Line
- 21 Sep 2019
Hated every minute. Fend for yourself ethos. Very poor entertainment, lack of transport/informtion/maps to to help one get ashore as a result only felt safe to leave the ship at 3 ports. A feeing of total isolation as a solo passenger, particularly, the dining room experiences.


text:
hammers66 wrote:Space Chimps (2008) R5-LiNE-XViD-KAMERA
Genre : Adventure / Animation / Comedy
Plot : Ham III, the grandson of the first chimp astronaut, is blasted off into space by an opportunity-seeking senator. Soon, the fun-loving chimp has to get serious about the mission at hand: Rid a far-away planet of their nefarious leader. Fortunately for Ham III, two of his simian peers are along for the ride.
- Code: Select all
Title: Space Chimps
Theatre date: 18.07.2008
Release date: 10.09.2008
Runtime: 01:17:03
Framerate: 25fps PAL
Source: R5 DVD9
Audio: LINE - 128kbps VBR MP3
Language: ENGLISH
Type: XVID
IMDB Rating: 3.8/10 (1,419 Votes)
URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482603/
Genre: Animation / Adventure / Comedy / Family / ....
ed2k: Space.Chimps.2008.R5.LiNE-XViD-KAMERA.avi [702.29 Mb] [Stats]


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Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 7:30pm EST
The Neptune Township Zoning Board of Adjustment has established the following meeting calendar.
The Board of Adjustment will meet the first Wednesday of each month to beginning at 7:30pm.
Meetings will be held in the Township Meeting Room, 2nd floor, located at 25 Neptune Boulevard.


text:
Who am I?
I have long been pestered by this question, seeking the answer not in a litany of likes and dislikes or the self-obsessed perspective that modern Western consumerist culture offers me. But neither in the personal history of myself—where I'm from, where I've been, and so on. Or even less in my career, my "profession," what I do to make enough money to live comfortably and raise a family.
No, my interest in identity has been more in my genealogy, my distant past, and what we now call "deep genealogy"—the history of my DNA, that mysterious code I have no control over but that dictates much of who I am.
The more I have sought answers in these two areas, the more I have come to realize that they are decidedly different—that my genealogy (the relatively recent history of my family and ancestors) and my "deep genealogy" (the origins and history of my DNA) offer two quite different portraits—even though the latter, after tens of thousands of years, ultimately leads to the former.
But that's the key: after tens of thousands of years.
I remember my first dabbling in genealogy when I was in high school: I had always known that my name, McKinnon—or rather MacKinnon—was Scottish in origin. I had been told by my family that we were mostly "Scots-Irish," a term which, I came to find out later, is basically an American invention used rarely if ever in either Scotland or Ireland. It can denote the Ulster Scots whom the English used to colonize Northern Ireland in the 17th century (and are thus not "genetically" Irish at all), or Lowland Scots and those of the Borderlands between Scotland and England.
But a little research soon proved that the MacKinnon name is Highland, not Lowland or Border, and certainly not "Scots-Irish." The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are mostly Gaelic, and hence Celtic in origin, while the Scots of the Lowlands are a mix of Celtic, Roman, German, English, Scandinavian, Irish, and Scottish in varying amounts. And since our most recent Scottish ancestor was a MacKinnon who left the Isle of Skye sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, my Highland ancestry was confirmed.
So I spent the rest of my high school days donning plaid scarves, Shetland wool sweaters, and Harris Tweed caps and playing records of bagpipe music at home that frightened the cat and annoyed my parents and siblings to no end.
But deep down, I knew that this was not answer enough. Indeed, ethnic identity continued to elude me and offer more questions than answers.
And it still does, even after countless hours spent researching family history and genealogy, and hundreds of dollars spent on research and DNA analysis. Perhaps my developing awareness of the fragmentary and somewhat arbitrary nature of what we call "history" has made my search one of exponential questions instead of hard and fast answers.
For what we call "Celtic" is in fact a linguistic designation, like (and related to) "Germanic" or "Balto-Slavic." These are first and foremost language identifiers and not "genetic" ones.
So MacKinnon, being a Highland name, at least designates my ethnic identity as Celtic, right?
Perhaps. At least to some extent. But what does that really mean?
After all, these groups—Celtic, Germanic, Balto-Slavic, Italic—are only Indo-European linguistic identifiers with origins in a shared Proto-Indo-European population of tribes who inhabited Europe most probably during the late Neolithic Age (circa 4000 BCE). Only then did these peoples begin their various migrations north and west as they differentiated into the more well-known (if often mistakenly applied) names like the Celts, Germans, Slavs, Romans, etc…
The point being that, any location of one's ancestry as "Scottish," or "Highland," or "Gaelic," or "Celtic," or, for that matter "Germanic" or "Balto-Slavic" is rather arbitrary in that it assigns prominence to one moment in a wave of modern human migration that began in Africa some 70,000 years ago and arrived on the Pontic-Caspian steppe in what is today Eastern Europe about 30,000 years later. From there, these various groups migrated into all directions, as wave after wave of tribes populated Europe, developing different cultures and languages, though all sharing the same not-too-distant Indo-European past.
(It is interesting to note as well that these folks only started to look "European," i.e., "white" around 11,000 BCE.)
So that Highland MacKinnon ancestry I was so sure about? Well, it turns out that a deep DNA analysis confirms my paternal lineage (the Y-chromosome of my father's father's father's father's father…all the way back to its beginning) to be that of Haplogroup (I won't even get into it) I2, subgroup a2.
Haplogroup I began 30,000-40,000 years ago in Eastern Europe, with I1 and I2 diverging about 6,000 years later. I2a arose about 11,000 years ago in the Balkans and is still today concentrated in Eastern Europe and Russia. I2a2, that of my Highland Scots paternal DNA, only emerged some 7800 years ago, also in the Balkans, before starting its migration north into Central and Eastern Europe as well as Russia.
And, at some point, as the DNA of a male member of a Celtic or perhaps Germanic tribe who ultimately made his way to Scotland. And then passed it along to me.
So my Highland Scots DNA is actually Baltic in origin, and is shared by more Serbs and Croats and possibly even Russians than it is by my "fellow" Highlanders.
But if that's not confusing enough, this only represents one line of grandfathers on my father's side, going back roughly 8,000 years. If we consider that there are approximately 400 generations between me and my Neolithic "European" ancestors, then the number of my direct relatives from present day all the way back to the New Stone Age is considerably large [nerdy editor's note: large enough to need scientific notation: 2.58 x 10120].
But we need not go back that far to make my point: much of an individual's "ethnic identity" is relatively arbitrary and tells precious little about their deep genetic makeup.
In calculating the rather complex mathematics of our ancestry, scientists have concluded that all modern humans are related to each other in the not too distant past—within a few hundred years in fact. Steve Olson, writing in The Atlantic in 2002, reported that…
- Everyone in the world is descended from Nefertiti and Confucius, and
- Everyone of European ancestry is descended from Muhammad and Charlemagne.
That would be everyone.
Which means that all modern humans alive today are related to each other—and related to each other rather recently, considering that modern humans have been in existence for about 100,000 years.
Indeed, everyone reading this post is probably at most my 20th cousin.
But you're not invited over for Thanksgiving.
And I'm guessing you're not all Highland Scots.


text:
A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
The Politics of Aristotle, trans. into English with introduction, marginal analysis, essays, notes and indices by B. Jowett. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1885. 2 vols. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/1881,
A 2 volume set of Benjamin Jowett's translation of one of Aristotle's most influential writings. The editor provides detailed marginal annotations and lengthy introductions to each book.
The text is in the public domain.
This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit.


text:
Back to Locations
ARH's volunteers are essential to the daily operations of our facilities. Whether assisting a patient with directions as an auxiliary member or counseling a patient as a chaplain, all of our volunteers are part of our healthcare team that is available to serve our patients. If you are looking for an opportunity to give back to your community, please consider volunteering in some capacity at one of our ARH facilities.


text:
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of 84 departments and agencies, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the departmental results reports for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
House of Commons Hansard #233 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cannabis.


text:
#2 Whose Idea Was This ?!
by, February 9th, 2010 at 08:17 PM (3142 Views)
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step ... Lao-Tsu
First, let me quell some rumors about my early workouts:
- I was wearing "floaties" … UNTRUE!
- A tugboat pulled up next to me to offer assistance … UNTRUE!
- Lifeguards paced nervously on the deck … UNTRUE … mostly ;-)
- It was ugly, and a bit painful … TRUE! … leading me to mumble the title of this blog entry repeatedly!!!
This is the third time I've restarted the climb to competitive swimming after a few years off. It's a bit like planning your season … but with a much slower ramp-up. I targeted a regional USMS meet about two months after my "re-entry", hoping to swim the 100 free, 100 back, 100 IM, and 50 free, and maybe a relay at that meet. For the season, I'm hoping to stay on target for our April Zone Championships.
Is that what I normally swim? Some of it is. At heart – and by skill and training - I'm a middle and distance freestyler – the 200, 500 and 1000. I've done the 1500 before, and will race the 100 and 50 at times … but I can't think about those demanding distances this early. I've even done a couple of long open water races – ugh! – but more on that in a later entry! I swim the 100 and 200 IM (never the 400!),and also the 100 and 200 back. I'll do a 100 fly if someone buys me a soy latte, but otherwise I avoid it! And BREASTROKE?! Forget it except for the IM! (Hey, how did those Breastrokers get the first USMS group listing?! ;-) )
Next, let me confirm some rumors about how I started out my workouts:
- I built my workout distances slowly, opting for more frequent workouts at less yardage … TRUE! I quickly built from 500 to 1800 yards over the first month, and am in the 2000 – 2500 yard range per workout at the end of month two … about 4-5 times per week.
- I used fins to ease my shoulders into their workload, and to help build lungs … TRUE! I'm a big fan of a good set of fins, as long as you don't keep them on all the time, that is ;- )
- Like "Location" in the real estate mantra … I focused on Technique, Technique, Technique … TRUE! I mentally reviewed my Total Immersion principles and drills, and other theory and coaching that focus on minimal resistance and finding the right place to Catch, Pull, and Glide.
- I remembered that (Masters) Swimming is Fun and also a Social Activity … TRUE! I've made some new friends at the pool, and always try to have a smile and friendly word at the ready. And, as we all know, working out with others does give you that bit of extra motivation.
- I remembered that "It's Me and the Clock" … TRUE! … and to set my targets based on what I'm capable of doing, given the amount of time and effort I'm willing and able to commit.
It's been a fun start back in the water. The benefits of working out are great, as you know! My body is slowly getting into shape, I'm sleeping and eating better, and my gills are working much better! Don't forget to look at the USMS "Getting Started" page for some good info this topic.
Next time, we'll talk about that first swim meet … ! Peace, and Happy Swimming!


text:
The Tampa Bay Lightning fired coach Guy Boucher on Sunday.
Assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix will share coaching responsibilities for Sunday night's game at Winnipeg.
"Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done," general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. "But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise."
Tampa Bay is next to last in the Eastern Conference with a 13-17-1 record. Boucher was hired as the Lightning's seventh coach on June 10, 2010.
Boucher's dismissal came one day after the Lightning fell behind by four goals in the first period of a 5-3 loss at Ottawa.
The Lightning appear headed toward missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season after reaching the Eastern Conference finals during Boucher's first year.
Tampa Bay entered this season with postseason aspirations after adding goalie Anders Lindback and defensemen Sami Salo and Matt Carle. Lindback and team captain Vincent Lecavalier have been among the players sidelined by injuries.
Lightning fire coach Guy Boucher
The Tampa Bay Lightning fired coach Guy Boucher on Sunday.


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Tiger Stars Bounce Back
COLUMBIA - Last time out against the Florida Gators, Mizzou lost by 31 points and point guard Phil Pressey had 10 turnovers. KOMU 8's Kamen Entchev tells us how Pressey was key in a big Tiger comeback the second time around.
Whether it was missed shots or turnovers, Mizzou's execution was far from excellent for most of the game. The Tigers were down 13 with about 11 minutes to go, but from there, the game took a different turn.
Pressey said, "One word that I can say: believe. I mean you always have to believe you can win. Whether you're up 12 or down 12, you just believe you're going to win. And we came out with the W." A big part of the turnaround was Phil Pressey, who had 6 assists in the final 11 minutes of the game.
Florida head coach Billy Donovan talked about the game, "I think fatigue played a factor. They scored, our defense for the most part did a really good job in the game. And I thought we defended them really well except for those last 8 minutes. I thought Pressey got loose off pick and rolls and made the game easy for everyone else around him." The Tigers' head coach Frank Haith had similar things to say, "Phil was outstanding tonight. He's one of the best point guards in the country and he played like it tonight. You know his value is unbelievable and I thought he had a great grasp of his teammates."
One of those teammates was Laurence Bowers, who had only been averaging about 8 points per game in his six games back from injury. The senior L-Bo said, "I talked with coach you know and I just needed to play with nothing on my mind, just worrying about defense and rebounding like he said and that was my approach. I shot a few shots but i Ipromise you my approach was on the defense end."
With the 63-60 win over Florida, Missouri improved to a perfect 15-0 at home. The Tigers have also yet to lose back to back games this season. One team that for at least one night... had their two stars back on track.


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So, we're interrupting our normal posting schedule for a very special, VERY AWESOME announcement. Because….
Jodi Meadows' INCARNATE releases today!!!!
We are so, so proud and excited to have Jodi at Pub Crawl—she's clever and funny and super-talented…and just an all-around wonderful person. We've ALL been counting down the minutes until today—some of us since we saw the deal listing for Incarnate long, long ago. A few of us even went to the bookstore this weekend JUST to see if they had copies out early!! How can you read this summary and NOT want to pick up the book?
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
Seriously EPIC. And if you didn't see Kat Zhang's glowing recommendation for Incarnate yesterday, go check it out! And if THAT still isn't enough to tempt you, watch this book trailer!
It's sounds SO original and swoon-worthy and intriguing, right?!
In honor of Incarnate's release, we're giving away a copy of Jodi's fabulous book (US-only…See how to enter below)! The winner will be announced next week, BUT in case you can't wait that long to get your hands on Incarnate, you can buy a copy from Indie Bound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, or wherever books are sold!
AND, just because she's awesome, we wanted to interview Jodi on the day INCARNATE goes out into the world:
1. Jodi, do you remember where you were when you wrote the first words of Incarnate?
Absolutely. I have a desktop computer, so I was sitting right here in my ferret room. It was October 31, my writingversary, and I'd just finished plotting the entire trilogy. I couldn't wait to get started.
2. How cool! (maybe everyone ought to have a ferret room for writing inspiration :P) Well, since then, what are 3 of the most exciting things (writing/book-wise!) that have happened to you—disregarding the the obvious of signing with an agent and getting a book sale of course!
- I've gotten to meet so many cool people who found me through Incarnate, either because they work for/with my publisher, or they are just interested in reading.
- Book cover. What writer ISN'T excited and nervous about their first book cover? It makes things so real!
- ARCs. (This may be replaced when hardcovers come in.) Just seeing my book IN BOOK FORM for the first time was so, so startling. I'm used to seeing other people's words in books. Not my own. It gets me every time I look at one of my ARCs. (Which, if I'm being honest, is frequently.)
3. Book covers and ARCs! That IS very exciting! Talking about exciting things, how are you preparing for your release day tomorrow?
By doing everything important ahead of time so I can spend the majority of the day staring at the wall and drooling. Okay, hopefully there won't actually be drool.
4. Hehehe. We won't judge!! If you could pick one thing to "set the mood" for someone reading Incarnate—background music, a location, a time of day, etc, what would it be?
Start reading when it's cold and you're alone, when you feel like the only person in the whole world.
5. Okay, any last words to the readers out there today (the day Incarnate releases! EEE!)?
Seriously, though: if you like a book, recommend it to others. Word of mouth is the most important marketing any book can have.
So, so true!!!! Congrats again, Jodi—we can't wait to see what lies in store for you and INCARNATE, and we're absolutely honored to have you at Pub Crawl!!!!
JODI MEADOWS lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a cat, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut. You can find her on Twitter, LiveJournal, and Facebook, and visit her website here.


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Happiness economics is a new field that strives to find out what really makes people happy based on surveys asking citizens: "How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?" or "How happy are you?". Rather than letting experts define what makes for the good life from an armchair perspective, happiness economics allows us to identify the factors that matter for people's wellbeing as they themselves experience it.
When the original millenium development goals (MDGs) were formulated, happiness economics barely existed. Before 2000, less than five scientific articles a year dealt with "subjective wellbeing", academic speak for happiness and life satisfaction. Over the course of the past decade, though, their number has risen enormously. A World Happiness Report launched last year at the United Nations summarises the evidence to date.
The influential Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi commission (pdf), which inspired a number of national initiatives around the globe to redefine our understanding of progress (pdf) concluded in 2009 that indicators of subjective wellbeing hold the promise of delivering not just a good measure of quality of life per se, but also a better understanding of its determinants.
Sadly, the debate on happiness has focused almost exclusively on the rich nations, where vast economic growth since the second world war has effectively failed to make people any happier – a fact known as the Easterlin paradox (pdf). Here, decision-makers are realising that ever more consumption and GDP growth are not the key to happiness, and a promising search has been triggered for what really makes life worthwhile. In a number of countries, governments have therefore started to draw lessons from happiness research. In the UK, for instance, the Office for National Statistics has recently started collecting data on happiness from 200,000 Britons every year.
The role of wellbeing in development remains more puzzling. Isn't development all about getting a roof over your head and food in your belly? What use is cloudy talk about happiness in this context?
But it is time we explored how data on people's happiness can be used in development policy and our search for a post-2015 development framework. Taking it into account during the process of development can be a crucial source of knowledge for policymakers. Being aware of what factors really matter for their citizens is an advantage that policymakers in today's rich nations did not have at comparable stages of development.
In this context, I carried out a research project that examined data on life satisfaction for 100,000 people from 70 nations. The study, which is published by the Institute of Development Studies, reveals considerable heterogeneity in the factors that make people happy across countries. With regard to the search for a post-2015 framework, this finding implies a need for greater flexibility in the choice of development targets given a large degree of variation in people's preferences. Consequently, customised development goals should take into account what makes people in each country happy rather than strive for a one-size-fits-all model such as the MDGs.
The new study reveals that the role of three very important development goals - namely income, health and education - in determining people's life satisfaction varies significantly across nations. Previously, it was widely believed that these factors were universal prerequisites of happiness that mattered to more or less the same extent everywhere. But combining information about people's subjective preferences with objective data on their living conditions allows us to examine which countries manage to generate the goods that truly make a difference for people's wellbeing.
So why customised development goals? The process of customisation basically means a high involvement of the end user in the production of a goal. Hardly could a better and more urgent reason be found to involve this group than in development policy. Its end users are people in need, sometimes desperate need. Therefore it seems imperative to take their perspective into account by allowing a greater flexibility in the choice and the weighing of development targets. Customised development goals could achieve that.
Christian Kroll is a research fellow at Jacobs University in Germany and works as a project manager at the Bertelsmann Foundation. Christian writes here in his own capacity
Join the community of global development professionals and experts. Become a GDPN member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox


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The use of loading dock equipment is very vital to business that involves receiving and delivery of cargos. The performance of your dock equipment will determine how long it will take to unload or load a cargo and how many deliveries you make each day. If there is a great volume of shipments, dock equipment; such as a dock leveler or an edge of dock leveler, will make a point to ensure fast and safe transportation of goods.
The level of care you provide to your goods should be equally the same, when it comes to taking care of your dock equipment. A well-executed maintenance plan can prolong the life of your dock levelers and repairs can eliminate the problem you experience when operating them. If repairs cannot solve the problem, then replacement will be your last resort to ensure that money keeps coming in.
Our well versed technicians at Loading Dock, Inc. have been in the industry for more than 3 decades. They have carried-out effective repairs, maintenance and replacement for diffrent manufacturers of dock equiment, including repairs for DLM dock equipment.
Take a closer look at the models of DLM dock leveler equipment that we service by reading more below.


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Search results
Calendar of Events
page with loads of hands-on learning in the OSU 4-H STEM in Ag Tent. October 4-10 – Ohio 4-H STEM ... and your kit is only $7.80 + tax! October 7 – National 4-H Spirit Day (everywhere) – Join in as 4-H ...
advertisements include a logo or photo, square or horizontal images are preferred; 80 characters of text; and ... Commissioners Association of Ohio Crimson Cup Dairy Farmers of America – Mideast Delaware County Fair J.L. & ... Betsy Moore Nationwide The Ohio Cattlemen's Association Ohio State Fair The Ohio State University ...
Blast-off to Mars with Ohio 4-H and join the 4-H STEM Challenge
final cost is just $7.80 + tax. Want to learn more? Get ready to blast off: To help you on your ...
Mars Base Camp- 4-H STEM Challenge
discover the world beyond our planet. This video is an extraordinary story of human ingenuity and ... show you all the cool items inside- take a look at their unboxing video, then head to ... go.osu.edu/2020ohiostemchallenge to get a discount code to purchase your kit! Video- Mars Base Camp Kit- UNBOXED! The Space ...
4-H EZ: Recipe for 4-H Community Club Success!
new online volunteer training. You'll find videos, handouts and resources, all designed just for ...
Ohio National Virtual Poultry Show
https://www.facebook.com/TheOhioNational. The entry deadline is Saturday, October 17, with Class Champions announced Saturday, November 14 ... and the Show Champion announced Sunday, November 15. Show awards will be mailed the week after ... announcing the champions. There is no cost to enter. For Open Show questions contact Tim Johnson at ...
Exploring Agriculture
You'll meet virutally once/month with ag leaders and explore businesses. FInd the details at ...
4-H at the Farm Science Review
Come explore the Ohio 4-H STEM in Ag area at this year's online Farm Science Review. You can ...
Down on the farm
videos highlighting 4-H members and their animals. Thanks to a long-standing partnership with the library ... and the Zoom video conferencing platform, children were able to sign-in, watch the videos, then ask ... their videos at the links below. Squeal Appeal (Swine)- starring Emma Leggett of the Boots & Chutes ...
Faces of Ohio 4-H
Hartford Independent Fair and the Ohio State Fair. We didn't have a pick-up truck or trailer, so I took my ... sheep to the fair riding in the back of a 1956 Ford Station wagon!" Even when Sachs' 4-H career as ... and rewarding," said Sachs. "It included camp, project judging, county fair, livestock judging and ...


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ABC Project, Y
I'm taking part in an ABC challenge for October. A different letter for each day. Because I need more of a photographic challenge, obviously. I'm also lazy and will just be embedding my G+ posts for this
month long 26 day long project.
You can catch up with the the previous photos here!


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Online Sales Disclosure Application
Many counties have opted for software vendors to handle their sales disclosure data processing. These counties have opted out of public data entry in the State Sales Disclosure Application. An up-to-date, county-by-county listing of how sales disclosures should be filed may be found HERE. Please check this listing regularly as counties transition to and from the State Sales Disclosure Application.
The buttons below will take you to the State online sales disclosure application, which will allow you to complete your sales disclosure information online, and will prepare a PDF copy that can be printed and signed before delivery to your county assessor.
The DLGF has developed a public search application for post-July 1, 2008 sales disclosures. To access this application, simply click the button below. Please note that IC 6-1.1-5.5-3(d) restricts release of phone numbers in this search application.
Gateway Sales Disclosure Training


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WEST BLOOMFIELD (AP) -- The Michigan Supreme Court won't get involved in a dispute over the sale of a school for an Islamic community center, a project that has attracted opposition in suburban Detroit.
The brief order released Saturday means a September decision by the appeals court will stand. The appeals court said critics of the sale had no standing to sue the Farmington school district in Oakland County.
The Islamic Cultural Association bought the vacant Eagle Elementary School in West Bloomfield Township in 2011. Some residents claimed the deal was somehow corrupt and hidden from the public. Supporters have said opponents are unfairly targeting Muslims.
The group was working with the West Bloomfield Planning Commission on plans for the site, but the application was withdrawn last year for more work. Attorney Shareef Akeel said there still are many decisions about the building before the project is submitted again.
"The goal is to build a community center, which includes a praying area or mosque, classrooms for adult education, a community gymnasium. There are cost considerations," Akeel said.
Jim Manna, who sits on the West Bloomfield Planning Commission, said he's keeping an open mind but believes parking could be a problem. He also doubts that critics will go away.
"Some of the fear is fear of Islam. A lot of people just don't want a mosque in the area," Manna said. "Fear shouldn't play a part in our decision-making."
Published: Tue, Feb 5, 2013


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Derrick Miller, a childhood friend and ex-aide to Kwame Kilpatrick was also charged in the federal case but cut a deal with the government and agreed to cooperate in exchange for leniency.
Miller pleaded guilty last year to bribery and tax violations, admitting he took bribes, shook down contractors and delivered a cash bribe to Kilpatrick. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors agreed to a shorter sentence depending on his cooperation. Derrick Miller told the court had received bribes from a real estate broker, a real estate company and Karl Kado, a former Cobo Center contractor; and a Detroit Department of Homeland Security vendor, Security Communications Alert Network, for influencing decisions on contracts or land purchases.
Miller also said he, Kilpatrick and the former director of the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department, Victor Mercado, had steered millions of dollars in contracts to Bobby Ferguson, a friend of Kilpatrick's.


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Julian Reschke wrote: > I think it would be easier to convince them if you wouldn't have > unilaterally changed the semantics for the rel attribute (note that I > have less problems with CURIEs in *new* attributes). Well, for one, the RDFa task force is a joint effort of the Semantic Web Deployment *and* the XHTML2 WGs, which was previously the HTML WG. Our work began before the HTML5 group had anything to do with W3C. So I don't think we did anything rogue or unilateral. Also, I think you're missing an important detail: @rel had *no* semantics, it was all free-form, without any recommended interpretation (except for pre-defined link types). So even interpreting it as a URI involves "adding semantics." We added the URI semantic interpretation, with CURIE syntax, and we ensured that our approach preserved the existing pre-defined link types. I've yet to see a real problem with this rather careful decision, which we made and vetted through the normal W3C process. -BenReceived on Friday, 27 February 2009 23:12:08 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 19:40:04 UTC


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Chicago-based poet Kelly Norman Ellis, author of Tougaloo Blues and longtime P&W-supported writer and presenter of literary events, bigs up the Guild Literary Complex's Palabra Pura literary series.
Once of my first experiences with literary community when I moved to Chicago was with the Guild Literary Complex, a community-based literary organization. Thirteen years ago I attended a writing workshop lead by poet Afaa Michael Weaver. I remember sharing space with then emerging writers Tyehimba Jess, Tara Betts, Reggie Gibson, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and the late Nicole Shields. I found my first Chicago writing family at the Guild and was welcomed into the safe space where we talked and worked our poems into the world.
One of the Guild's strengths is its commitment to dialogue between artists of different backgrounds and sensibilities. My most recent experience with the Guild was with the Palabra Pura literary series.
Palabra Pura promotes literary expression in more than one tongue through a monthly bilingual poetry reading featuring Chicano and Latino writers and African American writers. I was paired with writer Sandra Posadas in the Puerto Rican neighborhood of Humboldt Park. Hosted at La Bruquena, an amazing Puerto Rican restaurant, the reading positioned our literary discussion in the middle of a community that inspires the art we study and create. These types of interactions are usually the domain of academic institutions, but the Guild believes art belongs to the people who inspire it.
The work of the Guild reminds us that art is not created in a vacuum. The interaction and creative exchange between diverse writers' communities creates more art, better art, and more safe spaces for that art to breathe.
Support for Readings/Workshops events in Chicago is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.


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Fat ties, bellbottoms and pocket squares go in and out of style over the years. Clean-shaven could be the look for a time, followed by beards of all different shapes and sizes. Short skirts, long dresses, mini skirts, pants will fill the stores and take their turn as the style of the moment. The constant: … Continue reading Has Diversification Gone out of Style?
Tag: Professional Advice
10 Important Ingredients to Financial Success
Financial planning, much like a good recipe, can only be truly successful when it is customized to your tastes. However, the omission of key components or ingredients can lead to less-than-optimal results. These key financial tactics will help support your overall financial strategy and your desired long-term outcome. Live within your means. "Budget" might be … Continue reading 10 Important Ingredients to Financial Success


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3222.6 - Population Projections, Tasmania, 1999 to 2021
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 10/10/2001
|Page tools: Print Page Print All
One in four Tasmanians will be over 65 by 2021
The proportion of Tasmanians aged 65 and over is projected to almost double from that of 30 June 1999, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.
At June 30 1999, 13 per cent of the Tasmanian population was aged 65 or over. This is expected to reach 22-23 per cent by 30 June 2021.
The median age of Tasmanians is projected to increase from 36 years at 30 June 1999 to 44-45 years by 30 June 2021, a rate faster than Australia's population as a whole. The proportion of the population aged 14 years and under could fall from 21 per cent to 15-16 per cent over the same period.
The population of Tasmania is expected to change from 470,800 at 30 June 1999 to between 434,500 and 479,300 by 30 June 2021.
Of the 29 local government areas in Tasmania 10 are projected to grow under all three series presented in the publication while 12 are projected to decline under all three series:
Further details are in Population Projections, Tasmania, 1999 to 2021 (cat. no. 3222.6). If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication contact the ABS bookshop in your capital city.
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Gravitas Ventures has acquired US VoD rights to Slamdance entry Jug Face.
Chad Crawford Kinkle's horror-thriller stars Lauren Ashley Carter from The Woman and Sean Bridgers in the story of an evil ceremonial pit in a backwoods community.
Modernciné's Andrew van den Houten and Robert Tonino produced. Lucky McKee, Arrien Schiltkamp and Loren Semmens served as executive producers.
Sean Young, Larry Fessenden and Daniel Manche round out the cast.
Jug Face won the Slamdance grand prize screenwriting award in 2011 and debuted in official selection this year.
Gravitas has set a July pre-theatrical VoD premiere, followed by a national theatrical roll-out through Modernciné. T C Rice will book the theatres for Modernciné.
Gravitas Ventures' Nolan Gallagher negotiated the US VoD deal with Modernciné president van den Houten.


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Padrillos by Ernesto Catena Vineyards
Posted in: Wine Label Design, Wine Labels
Redesigned packaging for Ernesto Catena Vineyards. The idea of the redesign was to emphasize the image of a post stamp, increase the perception of quality and price with a more careful, now making a greater impact at the point of sale.
Imagine a herd of wild stallions galloping over smooth, white hills, their black coats reflecting the light of the moon. This very image lived inside winemaker Ernesto Catena's mind, and kept his primal attachment to land and nature alive during his time as a university student. After years of travel, when Ernesto planted his vineyard in Mendoza, "Padrillos" was born. These intense wines express the primordial forces latent in our fertile land, and the wild spirit of Argentina's true varietals.
Design by Diego Ballester | Source :: Packaging of the World
Return to: Padrillos by Ernesto Catena Vineyards


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Sorry, but specific product you requested is not currently available. Hopefully you can find a different option below.
Basix have the lightness of birch and the strength of natural wood, making perfect needle points. The resilient, flexible cords lay flat with no kink or twist and a smooth join ensures easy stitch glide and no snagging. Available in sizes US 0 2.0mm to US 19 15.0mm and cord lenghts 16 to 47.
Knitter's Pride Ginger Fixed Circular Needles and ChiaoGoo RED Lace Circular Needles are both similar needles: 24" (60cm), circular, and US 2.5 (3.0mm) US size.
You may enjoy taking a look at the Cascade Eco Wool Pottery Shard Jacket, Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton Fairhope Cardigan, and Rowan Big Wool Woodland Hoodlet kits all using Knitter's Pride Basix Fixed Circular Needles.


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Each month, Coach John Brooks will answer your questions regarding the college recruiting process. To submit a question, please e-mail email@example.com. The College Mailbag column will be posted monthly on ajga.org.
For more information on Coach Brooks please see his Web site, www.rednumbersgolf.com. Coach Brooks also authors a "Going to College" column on the Junior Golf Scoreboard and is a contributing writer for the Titleist Performance Institute Web site.
Read on below for the February installment of College Mailbag!
As a sophomore, what steps should a junior golfer make toward a future in college golf in terms of contacting coaches, etc.? Along those lines, it is said that if you are a good enough player, the coaches will find you. Do you believe in this statement, or should the player initiate their interest in the school?
The critical 18-month window for college recruiting occurs from May of your sophomore year until November of your senior year. With this in mind, it is very important that you plan these two competitive summers to include as many national (or at least regional) tournaments as possible. This will maximize your exposure among college coaches. During the fall of your junior year, correspondence with college coaches should occur. E-mailing 8-10 coaches your summer results, academic profile and interest in their school and golf program would be appropriate. Coaches can e-mail and write you at that time as well. While the top players in the nation are discovered by coaches, it never hurts for you to let coaches know you are interested in their program first. The key is to make sure the school you are contacting is a good fit for you academically, athletically, financially, geographically and socially.
I have a junior that I would like to see go to a local community college for at least one year. I would then like to see him go to a college or university that is around 5000 students or less. Wading through the numerous colleges is staggering. How do we go about finding a small college where he can hopefully play golf year round and has a better chance of getting playing time and building his game?
Junior College is an excellent option for certain student-athletes. It affords them the opportunity to continue maturing before they matriculate into a regular university. To search for a school that best fits a student's needs after attending junior college, consider the PING American College Golf Guide, found online at www.collegegolf.com, and also included with the AJGA CBS membership package.
What are the top four or five tools that a college coach will use to find, track and evaluate talent? What are some other qualities a college coach looks for during the recruiting process?
There is no substitute for watching junior golfers play if a coach wants to evaluate talent. Most Division I coaches will attend 8-10 tournaments per year for this purpose. Additionally, coaches use the internet to find, track and evaluate talent. The AJGA, the Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek have excellent Web sites to assist in this evaluation process.
How much of the recruiting is based on who you know or the coach learning about a player from someone they know?
Coaches know that the main difference between being good and being great is in the quality of the athletes they recruit. At the collegiate level, golf coaches discover great athletes several different ways throughout the recruiting process. Sometimes discovery takes place at junior tournaments where coaches see players for the first time. In other cases, talented players initiate contact with coaches through letters, phone calls or e-mails. Discovery also occurs when a third party (alumnus, golf professional, parent, etc.) recommends a prospect to a coach.
Most college coaches have extensive relationships in the golf industry. They network with other coaches, golf professionals, school alumni, golf manufacturers and various other members from the golf industry. Junior golfers who have similar contacts should exercise these relationships to help them gain exposure among coaches. Phone calls and letters of recommendations are helpful tools for coaches to rely on in order to make sound recruiting decisions. In many cases, who you know can make the difference in recruiting.
How much do college coaches rely upon Junior Golf Scoreboard?
It is a fact that most college coaches use the Junior Golf Scoreboard on a regular basis as a means to identify quality prospects for their golf programs. The Junior Golf Scoreboard, like the AJGA, offers a profile service for its members that can lead to exposure among coaches. Additionally, coaches can log onto the Scoreboard and search for results for any junior golfer they are interested in. This is an extremely helpful tool in the recruiting process. Rankings are also helpful in terms of tracking players in a particular class or geographical region.
Is strength of schedule more important than wins at weaker tournaments?
To most coaches, the ability to win matters greatly. Throughout their development, players need to learn how to win at the local, regional and national levels. Coaches pay very close attention to this on a player's resume. Strength of schedule matters as well. Competing against the best players in a region gives coaches a more objective system to compare and contrast multiple players they are interested in. All players should strive to play against the strongest field they can and ultimately learn how to win in these settings.
How much should the player seek out coaches from schools they have interest in playing at? How proactive should a player be in the recruiting process?
Most players need to be proactive. The top players in the nation will be recruited without ever having to send information to coaches. For those prospects that make the initial contact with coaches, make sure you do your homework first. The most important thing is to contact schools that are potential good fits academically, athletically, socially, financially and geographically. Be honest with yourself (in terms of your ability) and with the coach. This will help everyone throughout the college placement process.
At what grade should a high school student start looking at different schools?
During 9th and 10th grades, high school students should begin formulating ideas as to what type of college they would someday like to attend. For junior golfers who travel to tournaments, unofficial visits should be planned with each junior golf tournament. The more campuses a prospect can visit, the better informed they will become throughout the college selection process. In 11th grade, this process becomes more intense for student-athletes. Having already seen several campuses will make the decision much easier at that time.
What is the key information and time lines on when and how to locate college scholarships for a junior in high school this year?
Each college has its own unique offerings for academic and community-service scholarships. I suggest you research the "financial aid" section for each specific school you are interested in attending to determine what is available. As far as golf scholarships are concerned, Men's NCAA Division I coaches are allowed to award 4.5 scholarships per year while Women's NCAA Division I programs are allowed 6.0. Division II is slightly less and Division III awards no athletic scholarships. The NAIA and the NJCAA also award limited golf scholarships. Coaches, based on their recruiting evaluations, will offer scholarships to prospects as early as their junior year in high school. Most golf scholarships are awarded, however, while the prospect is a senior in high school.
For girls, what yardage should they be playing from on their home course to get ready for college play?
Most NCAA Division I women's competitions are played on golf courses in the 6,200-6,400 yard range. In practice, juniors should play golf courses that are at least as long and difficult as they will face in competition.


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Expert NFL Ponderable
December 20, 2009
If Minnesota and the Eagles both end up 12-4 or 11-5, who gets the first round bye?
3 Responses to "Expert NFL Ponderable"
December 20, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Bob Costas says the Eagles have the tiebreaker, but not what it was.
December 21, 2009 at 12:39 am
The first tie-breaker is your record within the division, then record against each other, then record in the conference.
December 21, 2009 at 8:44 am
Conf record is the same as both have two conf losses so far. I think that, as of now, the Carolina game is the difference. Record against common opponents takes precedence over conference record, I think, and Phi beat Car while Min lost to them. There is no one that Phi has lost to that Min has beaten, to offset this.
I think it is moot even if conf record takes precedence, because Min would have to lose one of their remaining two for the tie scencario to come into play—and both their remaining games are nfc games. Only one of the remaining Phi games is an nfc game. Also, no common opponents left.
So I think no matter what permutation of wins/losses leads to a tie in overall record between Min and Phi, Phi would have the advantage—regardless of common opponent games or conf record.
I think the last week shapes up to be very interesting. Phi should beat Denver next week, and Min should beat Chi—heck the Bears couldn't beat an egg if with a food processor right now. So I think it comes down to Phi-Dallas and Min-Giants. Man, I really hope that the Skins beat the Gints tonight and lose to Dallas next week so that I can root for the Gints to beat Min without fear of seeing the fortunate-son-manning making the playoffs.
We all have our agendae, y'know.


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There's an old saying that variety is the spice of life. With that in mind, e juice offer a spicy side of life enjoyed by a variety of different people. One of the reasons e-liquids have had such great success is because of their ability to be customised to fit a specific consumers preference.
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PG VS. VG E-Juice
PG vs, VG, just what exactly does this mean? E-liquids consist of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG). The ratios of each vary by-product averaging from a 50/50 blend of PG/VG to a 70/30 PG/VG blend. Non-toxic propylene glycol or PG for short, has many uses.
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Pastry stamp for marking / inking pastries and steamed buns.
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Final College-Readiness Definition Guides Test Consortium
What does it mean to be college-ready? Half the states in the country have agreed on a definition. And that definition will shape the way student performance is judged in those states in a couple years.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, has approved a set of descriptors for the tests it's designing for the Common Core State Standards. They lay out how many levels of achievement there will be on the test, specify what level a student has to reach to be considered "college ready," and describe the level of expertise students must show to merit that title.
The development of these descriptors is a key step in designing the tests that students in the 23 PARCC states will take in 2014-15. The other group of states working on similar tests, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, is working on descriptors of its own.
To get a sense of the discussions that go into these decisions, read my report on a PARCC board meeting in June, when K-12 and higher education members of the consortium hashed out their differences. Then read the blog post I wrote in July, which discusses how they blended those differences into a new version of the descriptors. They opened that one up for more feedback, and the result is the final ones, which can be found on PARCC's website.
A summary of public feedback shows how K-12 and higher ed. folks weighed in on a variety of topics. One was whether to assign names or numbers to the five levels of achievement on the test. Another was how to distinguish nuances in the meaning of the descriptions of students' skills at the various levels. At exactly what point, for instance, does a student's command of the subject move from "superior" to "solid," from "solid" to "partial," from "partial" to "limited," and from "limited" to "very limited?" These are the kinds of discussions that characterize the work on this stuff.
As you can see from the final documents, PARCC's policy will be that students earn the "college readiness" determination by performing at level 4 on a 5-level test. Reaching that level on the language arts part of the exam will mean that students have "demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills, and practices necessary" to skip remedial classes and go directly into entry-level, credit-bearing courses in "college English composition, literature, and technical courses requiring college-level reading and writing." Scoring at level 4 in math allows students to enroll directly in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in algebra, introductory statistics, and "technical courses requiring an equivalent level" of math.
The PARCC policy says that college-readiness scores on the test will be set in such a way that students who score at that level—level 4—will have a 75 percent chance of earning a grade of C or better in those college courses.
Scoring at level 5 on the test will reflect a "distinguished command" of the subject, and level 4 will reflect a "strong" command. Level 3 shows a "moderate" command, level 2 a "partial" command, and level 1 a "minimal" command. In earlier drafts of the policy, PARCC considered descriptors for high school students such as "very likely," "likely," or "unlikely" to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college coursework. Students in grades 3 through 8 were to be described as being "well prepared" or "very well prepared" to engage in further study in the subject, or in need or more support. The final policy language uses the "distinguished" through "minimal" command language for all grades.
Acknowledging a sensitive area in the discussion of college readiness, the policy notes that the skills sought in the tests are only the "academic" ones necessary for college success, not the entire spectrum of skills necessary, such as persistence or motivation. It also makes sure to note that the tests aren't being designed for admissions purposes, or to place students in more advanced college courses.


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Our very own designs are expertly crafted on one corner of this rolled edge hanky, perfect to keep in a service and keepsake afterwards. Measures 12" x 12", it is a perfect compliment for men's suite pocket or a ladies purse.
Our special techniques dies our full color design directly into the fabric so it never fades, wash after wash! Completely washable for a keepsake that will last through generations.
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The most recent "The Biggest Loser" champ, Olivia Ward, has revealed she just underwent skin removal surgery after dropping 129 pounds on the NBC reality weight loss program.
"A little announcement: I had skin surgery on Monday!" Olivia Tweeted on Wednesday. "I'm feeling good and @accesshollywood covered the whole thing. :)"
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Reality Stars In Their Swimsuits
U.S. & World
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During Access Hollywood's exclusive shoot with Olivia, she said she's doing well following the procedure.
"I feel really good. I was really surprised. I thought I would be in so much pain," she told Access. "Obviously, I'm uncomfortable, but it's not excruciating pain… My abdominal wall is sore."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'The Biggest Loser: Families' Finale
The reality star underwent four hours of surgery to remove her excess skin and soft tissue.
"It was like I went to sleep and woke up. It was great," she said.
With the surgery behind her, Olivia is looking forward to shopping.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Biggest Loser: Couples - Before & After
"I feel like after this, I have to go find a bathing suit somewhere for sure," she said.
For more with Olivia, tune into Access Hollywood next week.
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Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: The Final 45 (July 5, 2011)
PLAY IT NOW: Joe Mitchell Gets Whipped Into Shape On 'The Biggest Loser'
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The state-owned Chinese media have gone into full William Tell mode this week, taking aim at Apple in a string of angry and critical articles accusing the US giant of multiple sins.
The question is, why?
China's Central TV (CCTV) launched the campaign two weeks ago, on International Consumers' Day, with a report blasting Apple for treating its Chinese after-sales customers worse than their counterparts elsewhere in the world.
The government-run TV station has been beating that drum repeatedly this week in follow-up pieces, and the ruling Communist Party's official organ, the People's Daily, has also taken up the cudgels, charging Apple with "unparalleled arrogance."
On Thursday the paper – the government's main mouthpiece – devoted half a page to a clutch of negative articles setting out accusations that Apple violates Chinese law on warranties. One reported on a patent infringement suit lodged against Apple in a Shanghai court, another recounted a People's Daily reporter's failure to secure an interview with an Apple executive in California, and yet another explained how Apple avoids taxes around the world. The paper lifted that last article from The New York Times.
Apple's response?
Apple may not have helped its cause with its initial response to the CCTV report. The company issued a brief statement, ignoring the complaints leveled against it and striking a self-congratulatory tone.
The statement said that Apple "makes outstanding products ... and offers incredible user experience. Our team is always making an effort to exceed customers' expectations." The company replaced that statement a week later with a more conciliatory message to its customers.
"Apple is very inflexible about PR at a corporate level," says Bill Bishop, a tech industry analyst in Beijing. "In general they are not very good at doing contrition."
But that hardly explains the sustained vitriolic tone of the official campaign against Apple, which is prompting observers here to wonder what could possibly be behind it.
Nobody who is prepared to talk about it has a clue. Chinese and foreign analysts say that in the absence of any indications as to where the decision to launch the campaign came from, all they can do is guess.
Tit for tat?
One idea is that Apple has not spoken to the right officials in the right places in China. But that doesn't seem to have stopped the company from making China its second largest market. And anyway, Apple CEO Tim Cook met Li Keqiang when he visited Beijing last year. Mr. Li is now the prime minister. You cannot be much better connected than that.
Another theory is that the campaign is retribution for America's treatment of Chinese flagship telecoms companies. Last year, the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee issued a report urging US telecom companies to avoid doing business with Huawei and ZTE because it said that the two firms were subject to Chinese government influence and thus a potential threat to US security.
The report effectively froze Huawei's and ZTE's business in the US.
The payback theory "sounds more plausible" than other explanations, suggests Mark Natkin, director of Marbridge Consulting, a telecoms and IT consultancy in Beijing.
"Just enough time has elapsed" since the House report "that they can avoid it looking like tit for tat," Mr. Natkin says. "But they can make it plain that if you want to make things difficult for our companies, we can do the same for yours."
Others speculate that state-owned telecom operators have dragooned the state-owned press into battle against Apple. In this view, China Telecom and China Unicom are trying to squeeze more revenue out of the deals they have signed with Apple, and are using the media for a political campaign.
That's the view of Franz Yao, an independent IT industry observer and blogger. "I can't prove that the telecoms firms are using CCTV and People's Daily to attack Apple," he acknowledges. "But in China, state-run companies have close ties to state-run media."
A secondary aim of the campaign, suggests Mr. Yao, may be to tarnish Apple's reputation as part of a government bid to weaken the hold that foreign firms have on the Chinese smartphone market, and make more room for local manufacturers.
But none of those local firms can yet compete with Apple's high-end phones (nor with Samsung's, for that matter.)
In the end, says Xiang Ligang, president of the CCTime IT consulting firm, "it was probably Apple's pretty hardline response [to criticism] that attracted more media attention."
Volkswagen, the German automaker, was also targeted in the CCTV program two weeks ago, accused of selling vehicles with faulty transmissions.
The company quickly announced that it would recall 384,181 cars to fix the problem. No Chinese newspaper nor TV station has since breathed a word about the issue.