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B450 AORUS M w/ DDR4-2933, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit LAN, CrossFire / SLI
Product Info
AMD Ryzen™ Desktop 2000 Ready
AMD introduces the latest Ryzen™ 2000 series processors to provide the computing power for gaming need. This MicroATX GIGABYTE 400-series motherboard perfectly matches the latest AMD Ryzen™ 2000 series processors computing performance with more features and more control. Users can enjoy all the benefits brought by AMD Ryzen™ 2000 series processors.
AMD StoreMI Technology
GIGABYTE 400-series maximize your PC's potential with AMD StoreMI technology. StoreMI accelerates traditional storage devices to reduce boot times and enhance the overall user experience. This easy-to-use utility combines the speed of SSDs with the high capacity of HDDs into a single drive, enhances the read/write speeds of the device to match that of SSDs, bolsters data performance for incredible value, and transforms the everyday PC to a performance driven system.
The Benefits of AMD StoreMI:
- Making the PC experience fast, smooth and easy
- Optimizing computer responsiveness from system boot to application launch
- Offering SSD performance with HDD capacity at an affordable cost
- Quickly accessing key files by automatically learning users' computing behaviors
- Supports AMD 2nd Gen Ryzen™, Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics & 1st Gen Ryzen™ Processors
- Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- HDMI, DVI-D Ports for Multiple Display
- Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 with Thermal Guard
- High Quality Audio Capacitors and Audio Noise Guard with LED Trace Path Lighting
- RGB FUSION with Multi-Zone LED Light Show Design, Supports Digital LED & RGB LED Strips
- GIGABYTE Exclusive 8118 Gaming LAN with Bandwidth Management
- Smart Fan 5 Features 5 Temperature Sensors and 3 Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP
- APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities
- Anti-Sulfur Resistors Design
- Ultra Durable™ 25KV ESD and 15KV Surge LAN Protection
- CEC 2019 Ready, Save Power with a Single Click
Hybrid Digital PWM + Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs
AORUS 400-series motherboards use Hybrid Digital PWM + Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs design to support the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ processors by offering incredible precision in developing power of the motherboard's most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components as well as delivering enhanced system performance and ultimate hardware scalability.
Benefits of Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs:
- Optimized gate charge to minimize switching losses
- Lower temperature, smaller size, better thermal characteristics
Fast Onboard Storage with NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 110mm M.2 (Up to 32 Gb/s)
GIGABYTE' M.2 solution offers considerably faster storage performance and support for both PCIe and SATA interfaces for M.2 SSD devices.
GIGABYTE AORUS Ultra-Efficient M.2 Thermal Guard
With durability in mind, GIGABYTE provides a thermal solution for M.2 drives. The M.2 Thermal Guard prevents throttling and bottlenecks from M.2 devices as it helps to reduce and dissipate heat before it becomes an issue.
Native USB 3.1 Gen2
AMD 400-series chipset provides native USB 3.1 Gen2 ports with speeds up to 10Gbps. Available over the USB Type-A connector, the USB3.1 Gen2 is much improved with twice the bandwidth compared to its previous generation as well as backwards compatibility with USB2.0 and USB3.1 Gen1.
Exclusive Realtek 8118 Gaming LAN
High Speed Gigabit LAN with Automatic Bandwidth Allocation Realtek 8118 LAN is a high performance and friendly network chip for gaming players with automatic bandwidth allocation to ensure the highest network priority of the game or application. It can provide users the most comprehensive features and the fastest and smoothest Internet experience.
RGB Fusion with Digital LEDs Support
With AORUS Motherboards, RGB Fusion is even better with Digital LEDs.* RGB Fusion offers users the option to control onboard RGB and external RGBW / Digital LED light strips for their PC. Already feature filled with colors and patterns, RGB Fusion on AORUS Motherboards are now upgraded with Digital LED support. With external digital LED strips*, where each LED is digitally addressable, users can experience even more patterns, styles, and illuminations.
* Digital LEDs are available only on select Motherboards, external LED Strips, Digital LED Strips are not included with Motherboard purchase.
AORUS Gaming Motherboards will support either 5v or 12v digital LED lighting strips and up to 300 LED lights. RGB Fusion with Digital LEDs comes with 9 new patterns and various speed settings with more to come.
Supports RGBW & UV Light Strips
Independently Programmable Onboard Pin Header for RGBW/UV LED Strips.
Not bright enough? You can install standard 12V external RGB, RGBW or RGB/UV light strips on the RGBW pin header and control its color from the RGB Fusion software. Using a RGBW light strip with a dedicated white LED, users will experience brighter and more vibrant shades of colors.
Smart Fan 5
With Smart Fan 5 users can ensure that their gaming PC can maintain its performance while staying cool. Smart Fan 5 allows users to interchange their fan headers to reflect different thermal sensors at different locations on the motherboard. Not only that, with Smart Fan 5 more hybrid fan headers that support both PWM and Voltage mode fans have been introduced to make the motherboard more liquid cooling friendly.
Different models have different number of fan pin headers and temperature sensors. Smart Fan 5 function may vary by model.
Fan Stop
Achieve fan silence. With Fan Stop map any fan to stop completely when temperatures drop below a specified threshold. Which fan stops, based on readings from which sensor, and at what temperature—all of it can be customized to your liking.
Hybrid Fan Pin Headers
Assume complete control over your liquid cooling setup! Smart Fan 5 receives up-to-the-second information on flow-rate through the Hybrid Fan Pin Headers—giving you absolute mastery over your PC. All Hybrid Fan Headers can automatically detect the type of cooling device whether it be fan or pump with different PWM or Voltage mode.
New Smart Fan 5 Software
Interoperable Sensors and Fans
Each fan can be customized to operate at different speeds according to any defined temperature source input (except the CPU fan).
Fan Curve
Customize fan curves based on specific temperatures with the intuitive graphical UI.
High Quality Onboard Audio Design
Delivers high quality sound resolution and sound expansion to create the most realistic sound effects for professional gamers.
- Audio Noise Guard with LED Trace Path Lighting
- High-End Audio Components
Solid Pin Power Connectors
Make Good Connection and Significantly Lower the Wires Capacity AORUS 400-series motherboards feature solid plated ATX 24pin & ATX 12V 8pin power connectors for offering stable power supply while CPU overloading.
Solid Pin Power connector advantages
- Larger contact area for electricity
- More metal quantity to sustain higher power and generated heat
- Ultra durable and longer lifespan
GIGABYTE Patented Double Locking Bracket
GIGABYTE BIOS & Applications
- Refreshed BIOS
The BIOS is essential for users during initial setup to allow for the most optimal settings. With a new GUI and easier to use functionalities, GIGABYTE has been able to reinvent the BIOS to give users a better experience while setting up their new system
- GIGABYTE APP Center
The GIGABYTE APP Center gives you easy access to a wealth of GIGABYTE apps that help you get the most from your GIGABYTE motherboard. Using a simple, unified user interface, GIGABYTE APP Center allows you to easily launch all GIGABYTE apps installed on your system, check related updates online, and download the latest apps, drivers, and BIOS
The BIOS is essential for users during initial setup to allow for the most optimal settings. With a new GUI and easier to use functionalities, GIGABYTE has been able to reinvent the BIOS to give users a better experience while setting up their new system
Software App Trials
XSplit Gamecaster + Broadcaster: Cast Your Game Anytime, Anywhere
Now set up your stage and share the greatest gaming moments with XSplit Gamecaster + Broadcaster*! Fully optimized social media integration is ready for real-time chats—keeping you notified yet focused in the game. It takes just one click to stream your gameplay to Twitch. Host your game like a pro!
*Free 14 days XSplit Gamecaster + Broadcaster Premium License.
TriDef® SmartCam | Custom Stream Modding
To facilitate being the full streaming solution each AORUS motherboard includes TriDef® SmartCam software, you are now able to remove backgrounds without the hassle of using a green screen. Through the SmartCam application you can now apply live filters, and fully control your background, not only while streaming, but also through other video applications such as Skype.
*Free 1 month TriDef® SmartCam License.
CEC 2019 Ready
Saving power as easy as one click!
CEC Requirement: PC power consumption must be under a certain level when it's in off mode, idle mode, stand-by mode. With high power efficiency hardware components and fine tuned BIOS, GIGABYTE motherboards can achieve lower power consumption under idle mode and fully comply with new CEC 2019 (California Energy Commission) power consumption requirement.
4K Ultra HD Support
4K UHD resolution is the next technological milestone in high-definition content delivery, utilizing approximately 4,000 pixels on the horizontal axis, more than four times today's standard HD pixel density. GIGABYTE motherboards provide native 4K support with integrated Intel® HD Graphics via HDMI.
HDMI™ - The Next Generation Multimedia Interface
HDMI™ is a High-Definition Multimedia Interface which provides up to 5Gb/s video transmitting bandwidth and 8-channel high quality audio all through a single cable. Able to transmit superior, uncompressed digital video and audio, HDMI™ ensures the crispest rendering of digital content up to 1080p without the quality losses associated with analog interfaces and their digital-to-analog conversion. In addition, HDMI™ is compatible with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), allowing the playback of Blu-ray/HD DVD and other protected media content.
Additional Information:
Visit the Manufacturer Web Page for Full Details
I/O Panel
System Requirements
This Motherboard matches the following hardware:
- AMD® AM4 RYZEN™ & A Series / Athlon Processors (Socket PGA 1331)
- DDR4 RAM Kits
- Support for Windows® 10 64-bit or Windows® 7 64-bit
- To support Windows® 7 64-bit, you must install an AMD Pinnacle Ridge & Summit Ridge CPU. Also, please download the "Windows® USB Installation Tool" from GIGABYTE's website and install it before installing Windows® 7.
|CPU Support
|AMD Ryzen™ 2nd Gen processors
AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics processors
AMD Ryzen™ 1st Gen processors
for Socket AM4 / PGA 1331
|AMD® B450 Chipset
|4x DDR4-2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 MHz Dual Channel Slots
Supports Overclocked RAM w/ clocks up to DDR4-3200
Accepts ECC RAM (in non-ECC mode only)
64GB Maximum (4x 16GB)
|Expansion Slots
|1x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
1x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, running at x4
(x16 or x8/x8) for SLI™ / Crossfire™ use
1x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot
|Multi-GPU Support
|Support for NVIDIA® 2 Way / Quad-GPU SLI™
Support for AMD 2 Way / Quad-GPU CrossFire™
|1x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 SATA and PCIe x4 SSD support)
6x SATA III 6Gb/s connectors
|Realtek® GbE LAN chipset
1x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port
|Realtek® ALC892 codec:
2 / 4 / 5.1 / 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio
HD Audio Output
1x S/PDIF Output port
|Rear Panel:
2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-A back panel ports (red)
4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) Type-A back panel ports
2x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) Type-A ports on 2x USB Headers
Internal Motherboard Headers:
2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports available on 1x internal USB headers
4x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) Type-A ports on 2x internal USB headers
|Back Panel I/O
|1x PS/2 Combo Keyboard / Mouse port
1x DVI-D port
1x HDMI port
2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
2x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port
6x 3.5mm Analog Audio jacks
|Internal I/O Connectors
|1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1x CPU fan header
2x system fan headers
1x M.2 Socket 3 connector
6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
1x CPU cooler LED strip/RGB LED strip header
1x RGB (RGBW) LED strip header
2x digital LED strip headers
2x digital LED strip power select jumpers
1x front panel header
1x front panel audio header
1x S/PDIF Out header
1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 header
2x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
1x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header (2x10 pin, for the GC-TPM 2.0 module only)
1x Serial port header
1x Parallel port header
1x Clear CMOS jumper
|Special Features
Xpress InstallSupport for APP Center:*
Cloud Station
Fast Boot
Game Boost
ON/OFF Charge
RGB Fusion
Smart Backup
Smart Hub
Smart Keyboard
Smart Survey
Smart TimeLock
System Information Viewer
* Available applications in APP Center may vary by motherboard model. Supported functions of each application may also vary depending on motherboard specifications.
|I/O Controller
|iTE® I/O Controller Chip
|Hardware Monitoring
|Voltage detection
Temperature detection
Fan speed detection
Overheating warning
Fan fail warning
Fan speed control
Whether the fan (pump) speed control function is supported will depend on the fan (pump) you install
|Software Bundle
|Norton® Internet Security (OEM version)
Realtek® 8118 Gaming LAN Bandwidth Control Utility
|2x 128 Mbit flash
Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS
Support for DualBIOS™
PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0
|Form Factor
|micro ATX Form Factor
|Dimensions (LxW)
|244 x 244mm


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Collected Editions
Enjoy selected collected editions of Story Series that ran on Tauy Creek in handy-dandy chronological order. More series will be added as they are completed. Keep checking back for updates.
Catman: The Order of St. Constantin
Dwight Summers becomes Catman after his wife and daughter are murdered by a cult member.
The Earth Is Flat
Matthew Landsman discovers that the Earth is, in reality, flat and becomes mixed up with some shady characters and dangerous politics.
Vol. 1: The Man of Tomorrow
Alix Kincaid is recruited by Dmitri Sylvester into his team of government sanctioned superheroes--alongisde America, Agent Spider, Geo-Whiz, and Smoke--as Superkitten. Their first public mission is bringing down a man who is made into a cybernetic killing machine by the U.S. government.
Vol. 2: The Return of Supercat
Kon arrives in New York to take over the world. Can the team defeat Kon when he also has the super-team of Rodham, Grunge, and Supercat, who was discovered trapped in another dimension and has no memory of his past life as a hero.
Vol. 1: Along Came Aaron
In the first three issues, Aaron begins working at the Tank N Tummy and the annual picnic drives Dominic crazy.
Zoe Bleak: The Complete Series
Magician Zoe Bleak and her girlfriend, Vanessa Spader, are tasked with raising and protecting 14-year-old Winnie who is the next incarnation of Christ.
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subset: commoncrawl


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April, 2002.
According to my journal, I realized a profound and epiphany moment in my life. God's gift to me was writing and to pursue that goal as my first priority was my purpose in life. I began to compose poems for a small poetry collection. It gave me a boost of self-esteem and confidence that I was indeed doing something of value with my life.
Something else nagged me that spring. I kept asking myself to make a decision–do I take a vacation? The plan seem to fall into a neat package. Travel through Pennsylvania to Philadelphia and celebrate my 50th birthday on July 4th. Then continue my journey up the Hudson River to Albany, New York. Along the way, keep a journal of my travels and take photos with a goal in mind to write a memoir/non-fiction book after I returned home to Ohio.
As I well knew, any extra bit of money after paying the bills was set aside in a savings fund for the extraordinary dream of moving to Maui the following year (2003). To dip into my savings fund for the week long road trip was a concern. Money spent that wouldn't be repaid. How much would I end up paying for my adventure? $500.00? $800.00? Over $1,000.00? That's a fortune for a single mother to spend on herself. Maternal guilt crept up behind me and warned, "better save it for a rainy day, because you never know when an emergency repair or expense may happen." The mental debate continued for a few days.
Is this vacation worth it? Is the dream of standing in Independence Hall on July Fourth to celebrate my 50th birthday worth it? Is finally seeing up close and personal the Van Schaick Mansion on Van Schaick Island in the middle of the Hudson River to discover if they are my Dutch ancestors worth it?
Am I worth it? AM I WORTH IT?
And after the road trip, could I sell my story concept and get a book published? Turning 50 on July 4, 2002. Leaving my home in small town Ohio to travel as a solitary woman on a journey to the first stop in Shanksville, Pennsylvania to visit the September 11, 2001 crash site. Then driving alone across the state to Gettysburg and visit the Civil War battlefield. My ultimate goal of arriving in Philadelphia to visit Independence Hall on my birthday and enjoy the parade and festivities in the evening. Then, by the weekend, drive through New York to Albany and visit the land of my Dutch ancestors to see Van Schaick Island and the Mansion.
Four main stops on my road trip. I would document the visits in three sections:
(1) The historical significance of the event. (2) The location (3) The people involved and affected by the historical places in time.
I asked myself — Do I believe in the story? If this could become a reality, I had to know for certain by May. July 4th was less than three months away and I had plans and details to make.
I would only turn fifty once in my life. It was an important time. I would be leaving mainland America in about a year to move to Maui. This probably was my only/last chance to travel to areas I've never seen as a tourist. Deep down, I really want to go.
Sometimes it's just easier to keep the peace and harmony by going along with what everyone else wants and needs from you. You carry responsibilities as a management employee for your company. You shoulder the burden of taking care of a family and others who depend on having you around. Your friends also need quality time on a regular basis. It's being pulled in many directions, sometimes all at once. And that's normal for how your life is going.
I didn't make a grand announcement about my idea to take a vacation–alone–and drive across a couple of states. I didn't cause any outbursts. Didn't shake up anyone's schedules. I noted in my journal that April day, for once in my life I needed to live my own dream.
If I'm not for me, no one else will be. I don't care what others think and say about this adventure. For the first time in my life–it's about ME!
After my divorce, I started over with nothing. I learned to depend and take care of myself and my son. I support him. I work full time. I pay the bills. Pay the rent and buy the food. I bought the pick up truck, so it's my loan.
This is my time. I will do what I want to concerning this vacation road trip and spend the money and take time away from work and travel this solitary journey. And in so doing, prove to myself that I can live the rest of my life after turning fifty in the manner and importance that enriches my life and allows my dreams to become reality.
That spring of 2002 was shaping up to be a major turning point in my life as a woman. I questioned many things about the status quo. Suggestions and whispers inside me grew more determined with each passing day. Find my true purpose in life. Have the courage to pursue those lifelong dreams, no matter what anyone else thinks or says about your decisions. I learned to believe in myself and stand up for an idea. Make a plan that was important to me.
The anticipation continues———-


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There are many reasons to dig this best-selling cleanser, but we'll limit ourselves to three: it dissolves dirt, clears up breakouts, and balances skin's natural pH. The daily wash is gentle enough for irritation-prone complexions, and rinses away completely. Oops, was that more than three reasons?
The packaging is simple the ingredients can be read right up front. It smells good, cleans well and leaves my face feeling clean from going to bed at night until waking up in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised by this product! And will look to purchase it as my new face wash as soon as the current Aveno runs out.5
I received a sample of this grapefruit face wash in my most recent Birchbox. I wasn't really planning on using it, but when I ran out of my usual mild cleanser, I gave it a shot. When I first used it - it wasn't my favorite, I have dry skin and I felt that it dried my skin out a bit more than my normal cleanser does. But I have used it every day for the past week and I feel like my skin tone and texture look a lot better. It could be thanks to some other new products that I have incorporated into my skincare line, but either way - I will keep this in my line up for now!4


text: UP FOR SALE IS AN ORIGINAL BMW ABS PUMP. THIS PART CAME OFF AN AUTOMATIC 2008 BMW 335i WITH 140k MILES. GREAT WORKING CONDITION TESTED AND GUARANTEED!ANY QUESTIONS LET ME KNOW. YOU CAN REACH ME DIRECTLY AT 8317505106. The item "ABS Anti Lock System Dynamic Stability Computer Brake Pump OEM BMW E90 E92 E93" is in sale since Tuesday, October 9, 2018. This item is in the category "eBay Motors\Parts & Accessories\Car & Truck Parts\Brakes & Brake Parts\ABS System Parts". The seller is "bmwgravedigger" and is located in Garland, Texas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay.


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Skip to content Ontario.ca Français
Ministry of Labour, Training
and Skills Development
Table of Contents | Print This Page
Several themes emerged from the discussions of the roundtable. Many of these themes cut across the prevention, response, and follow-up and support stages of the continuum. The key themes are presented below, and many of these themes were also reflected in the individual ideas that are summarized in the next chapter.
Cultural change - both in the work environment as well as society at large - was seen as being key to addressing the issue of TMS in workplaces. Discussion focused on the need for cultural change in order for workplaces to recognize and respond to TMS events so that workers get the help they need after an experience of mental trauma. There was also a strong view that changing workplace culture is largely about removing stigma. Roundtable members felt changing attitudes cannot be achieved without ensuring proper supports are in place.
Roundtable members had many ideas on how to overcome the problem of stigma and bring about cultural change, including peer counselling and testimonials from those with "lived experience", and requiring those in leadership roles in organizations to move from stigma to acceptance of TMS.
What was also raised in the discussions was that the strategies and ideas to change workplace culture are about mental health more broadly, and not only about traumatic mental stress.
"It's possible to shift a culture… but the movement needs to be top-down as well as bottom-up in an organization."
- Dr. Rakesh Jetly, Psychiatrist / National Mental Health Leader
The importance of peer-oriented approaches was highlighted throughout the discussions. Peer-oriented approaches were seen to represent a cultural change. It was suggested that these approaches sometimes need to be enabled by employers and at other times are more informal. During discussions interest was expressed in furthering the use of peer support approaches.
Ideas for peer-oriented approaches included, for example, a "Train the Trainer" model as an effective approach to educate workplaces about how to support colleagues who are returning to the workplace following a traumatic event. Another idea was for peer support teams to be part of the response after a traumatic event to ensure that issues are identified and treated early. It was indicated that peer support is emerging as an approach used in some sectors, such as in fire services.
"Peer support may play a role in encouraging treatment seeking and providing support during recovery…and provide additional support during the process of returning to work."
Dr. Ash Bender, Occupational Psychiatrist / Mental Health Leader
The important role of organizational leadership in bringing about changes in the area of mental health was also cited. It was noted, for example, that a commitment is needed from organizational leaders in order to build an organizational culture that promotes recognition and acceptance of mental health issues such as TMS. Comments included the need for organizations to institute genuine caring leadership, as well as a need to set out expectations, benchmarks, and quality performance indicators for leaders and organizations to meet in this area. Discussions touched on the importance of senior management accountability and moral responsibility to their workforce. In this vein, it was suggested that criteria / expectations could be set out in CEO accountability agreements to ensure TMS issues (such as PTSD) are addressed.
"We need to emphasize the return on investment at workplaces – it's a case of financial support at the start, or spend $100,000 if the person doesn't return to work. Isn't it better to invest in helping the person recover?"
Dr. Ash Bender
Throughout the discussions, ideas were mentioned by a number of roundtable members on the role of government in the area of TMS and mental health, including possibilities for government to take a leadership role, engagement of different government ministries, and the involvement of the WSIB given its role in administering and adjudicating TMS related claims.
Issues and questions that were heard on this theme included the following:
"Are career paths in our organizations built to acknowledge cumulative exposure? Do we have the ability to progress our staff so they don't become overexposed to trauma?"
- Dr. Ash Bender
Roundtable discussions emphasized the need for education and training on work-related TMS for workplace parties, organizations and sectors, and the general public. What emerged in discussions is the idea that workers need to be educated at all stages of their career, including before entering and exiting careers about the risks, causes, symptoms, preventative, and ameliorating measures related to TMS.
Also raised was the view that there should be ongoing awareness training at the organizational leadership level. It was noted that education is also needed for employers on a variety of topics such as how to support those returning to work (for example, training on supportive and flexible approaches; promoting recovery; supporting recovery; and preventing recurrence and disability). Beyond the workplace parties, it was felt that educating the general public on TMS is also important.
Ideas about how to share knowledge came up throughout the discussions. These included ideas about how to share knowledge across sectors as well as across organizations within sectors.
For instance, one idea was for a Community of Practice that could focus on educating workplaces and workers about the causes, symptoms, preventative, and ameliorating measures related to TMS and/or share knowledge about what return to work disability prevention principles, supports and recovery practices may work. Another idea raised for fostering knowledge sharing was for sectors to meet every six months to discuss and share information on relevant issues such as prevention of TMS.
The importance of communication was frequently stressed during discussions – this included communicating information about TMS issues faced by various sectors, and fostering communication among those impacted by traumatic events.
For example, a focus of discussion was on TMS risks associated with certain professions and careers and how that could be communicated realistically to potential new recruits. Also mentioned was the idea to foster communication among affected families about the causes, symptoms, preventive, and ameliorating measures related to TMS, such as by hosting a family-focussed wellness day, where families can get together to talk about their issues related to TMS.
"Remember that a person's family is on the periphery but they are instrumental in recovery...Families often have an instrumental role in encouraging treatment seeking and providing support during recovery."
- Dr. Ash Bender
[5] According to the WSIB, it does not see all cases related to traumatic mental stress events in the workplace as not all workplaces in Ontario are covered by the WSIB and not all traumatic incidences are reported.


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My sister moved to Italy last year.
Rome is one of my top three favourite cities in the entire world (so far), so as soon as she told me her plans, I couldn't resist booking a flight.
I picked up a surprisingly cheap British Airways ticket, left Gatwick at silly o'clock on a Saturday morning, and arrived in the Eternal City just after 10am. We had a brilliant 36 hours together, filled with food and laughs and beautiful Italian streets, and then I flew back to London on Sunday night.
It was short but sweet, and I managed to pack in a LOT of good food!
Ches works for an awesome company called The Roman Guy, who provide tours around Italy for English-speaking travellers. They offer a whole load of different tours all across Italy, including bike tours, visits to the Colosseum at Night, VIP early morning access to the Sistine Chapel, and loaaads more.
One of the experiences they offer is a Local Food Tour in Trastevere, and I was very excited when they offered to let me try it in exchange for a review. Gary and I never managed to make it to Trastevere on our visit last year, so this was the perfect opportunity to combine this v cool neighbourhood with my favourite hobby: eating!
Our lovely guide Luca spoke perfect English, and he was excellent, teaching us all about the local customs, and incorporating little bits of history as well as foodie knowledge. The tour group was a mixture of friends and couples, and everyone except us was American. They were all super friendly, and a couple of glasses of wine soon eased any weird awkwardness.
We visited seven different local establishments in Trastevere, and here's what we ate:
Salumi is the collective noun for Italian cold cuts. The French have charcuterie, the Italians have salumi.
And it's not to be confused with salami! Salami is a type of salumi, but so are prosciutto, pancetta, bresaola, and mortadella.
We started our tour with trip to a local norcineria (a shop that sells salumi) in Trastevere. Most of them also sell cheese, but this one was aaaall meat. As soon as you walk through the door you're greeted by the sight of hundreds of dried sausages and cured hunks of meat hanging from the ceiling.
The team had prepared a tray with a whole load of different cuts for us to try, everything from salami (dried sausage) flavoured with truffle, to capocollo (thinly sliced dried pork shoulder), and Calabrian schiacciata (a type of salami heavily flavoured with paprika and chilli).
Filetto di baccala is, essentially, deep fried cod. But it's like no fried cod I've ever had before.
We headed to a tiny local restaurant that's been serving the best fried fish in Trastevere since the 1950s. Luca poured out glasses of white wine and we dug right into our pieces of fish in proper Roman fashion: with our hands.
The cod is as fresh as you'll find anywhere, and their lovely flakey batter is simply made with flour and sparkling water. It's light and crispy, and not greasy in the slightest. I definitely plan on going back for more of this on my next visit!
Next stop: cheese!
We tasted proper Peccorino Romano (a cheese that's very similar to Parmesan), served in chunks and drizzled with honey. Then we tried a medium-hard goat's cheese with fig jam.
We also had a couple of glasses of organic local wine, which were deeeeelicious.
(You can tell how much fun I was having by this point because suddenly there are a lot less photos of each restaurant!)
No food tour in Rome would be complete without pizza!
Roman pizza traditionally has a medium-sized chewy crust made with flour, water, yeast, salt and olive oil (which is what makes it chewier than a thin and crispy Neapolitan pizza).
You can obviously order whole pizzas in restaurants, but the other really popular option in Rome is to order a slice "al taglio" and eat it standing up at a bar.
There are plenty of these street pizza places dotted around the city, and most will offer a variety of different toppings. We had slices of classic margherita, but you'll also find white sauce pizzas are popular in Rome.
FUN FOOD FACT: the margherita pizza was created in the 1800s, and named after the Italian queen at the time: Margherita. The toppings honor the colors of the Italian flag: red tomato sauce, white buffalo mozzarella, and green basil leaves.
If pizza is the queen, then as far as I'm concerned, pasta is the king of all Italian food.
The first time Gary and I visited Rome in 2016, we went for five days. I think I had pizza for ONE meal, and then about 90% of the rest of my meals were pasta. I love pasta. ♥
On the tour, we visited a local osteria (restaurant) in Trastevere for slabs of bruschetta (toasted bread topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic and olive oil) and giant bowls of the good stuff.
We tried two different sauces:
• Cacio e Pepe, a simple and traditional Roman pasta dish made with just black pepper, grated peccorino Romano cheese, and spoonfuls of starchy pasta water. This one was creamy and punchy, and unbelieeeeevably delicious.
• Amatriciana, another simple dish, made with tomatoes, fried guanciale (pork cheek), white wine, black pepper, and grated peccorino Romano. There are actually about a million variations for amatriciana, but apparently that's the generally accepted basic ingredient list. It's actually one of my absolute favourite pasta sauces, and this one made me very very happy.
And finally: gelato.
After an evening of eating everything put in front of me, you'd think I had no room for pudding. But if you think that, then you are WRONG. There is always room for gelato.
Now, the first thing you need to know about authentic Italian gelato is that it's not like regular ice cream. (It's a cool ice cream.)
Gelato is much creamier, and has a lower percentage of fat (yay!). It's churned at a much slower rate, which means that it's denser, smoother and has a deeper flavour than regular ice cream too.
And what flavours! I tried chocolate and red wine gelato, guys. Seriously. You'd think it wouldn't work, but it made the chocolate darker and richer, and OH IT WAS YUM.
I couldn't quite handle a whole cone of it though, so I plumped for a scoop of ricotta and a scoop of salted caramel instead. Delicious.
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I had SUCH a wonderful evening with The Roman Guy, and would 100% recommend them if you want to do a food tour in Rome. (And why wouldn't you?)
The price of the tour includes all your food for the night, as well as multiple glasses of wine (or soft drinks if you don't drink alcohol.)
You'll explore a fabulous part of the city, learn a ton of interesting factoids about Roman food and drink and history, and might even make a couple of friends as well. Ches and I got on great with one of the young couples and we all ended up following each other on Instagram to keep in touch.
So food, wine, new friends, and a beautiful neighbourhood… what are you waiting for? Book your food tour in Rome today.
(Ooh, and they've also recently launched The Paris Guy – so if you're heading to the French capital, check out their 3 Paris tours!)
*** I was given a free tour in exchange for a review.


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Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Skewers)
February 24, 2016
Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.
~Frank Lloyd Wright
From the advent of the ancient Roman Empire (around 30 in the "before common era" or b.c.e.), neither humans, nor other flora and fauna, have experienced the extensive tidal flooding on coastlines. In all probability, this dire situation, undoubtedly created by human activity, will worsen this century and next. In the absence of carbon emissions, sea levels would be rising less rapidly. But, assuming human discharges continue at the same high ratio, the oceans could rise by some four almost five feet by 2100 — that would prove disastrous by anyone who has visited or even lived near coastlines.
Already, the Marshall Islands are disappearing (a site of the battle of Kwajalein atoll in WW II). The rising seas regularly flood shacks with salt water and raw sewage and saltwater and easily encroach sea walls . The same will happen here and elsewhere. The losses and damages will be prodigious across the board. As the burning of fossil fuels increases heat trapped gases in our atmosphere, the planet warms, and ice sheets melt into the oceans. A warming, climate changed earth is not abstract.
It is simple physics — ice melts faster when temperatures rise. Really?
Oh, and please do not allow the oil industry, chieftains of fossil fuels, off the proverbial hook. Exxon, Mobil, Amoco, Phillips, Texaco, Shell, Sunoco, Sohio as well as Standard Oil of California and Gulf Oil, (the predecessors to Chevron) knew many decades ago of climate change, yet spent many millions and numerous exorbitant studies in a shameful smiling and deceptive handshaking campaign denying the same.
Also, to spin otherwise with "scripture" and an equally gimmicky snowball, Senator, is flatly immoral — mere showmanship and patent obfuscation. Displaying a snowball on the floor was his disturbing ruse to deny the existence of global warming. Such an unwanted steward of the environment and so contrary to the evidence. By the way, do you have children and grandchildren, perhaps even great grandchildren, who get to shoulder your politically motivated, anti-scientific views and burdens? Or are you just an angry octogenarian who does not care a whit or simply another paid for politician? Or maybe you just reject out of hand the Department of Defense report that unequivocally finds that climate change poses a national security risk and that global climate change will aggravate problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership and weak political institutions that threaten stability?
But, here is the real thing — organic chicken, binchoton charcoal, so the yaktori is both crispy on the outside and tender inside, homemade tare sauce, fresh and seasonal veggies and sake.
On to something more enticing, beguiling…焼き鳥
2 lbs chicken gizzards, cleaned and trimmed
6 pieces boneless thigh meat, cleaned and cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
1 1/2 C cold water
1/4 C kombu
1/4 C bonito flakes
1 C fine soy sauce
1/2 C mirin
1 C high quality saké
1/4 C raw sugar (turbinado)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/4 C grated fresh ginger
Scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise, for garnish
As stated above, cut chicken thighs into 1 1/2″ pieces and place with whole gizzards into a shallow dish.
In a small heavy saucepan, bring the water and kombu to a gentle simmer. Add the bonito and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 3 minutes. Strain the kombu and bonito broth into a medium saucepan. (This step can be axed if you are in a real hurry, but they provide more dimensional aromas and that umami sapidity to the dish.)
In that same medium heavy saucepan, add broth to the soy sauce, mirin, saké, raw sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook for around 10-15 minutes, at least until until slightly thickened. Reserve a few tablespoons of sauce for serving. Pour remaining sauce over chicken, place in a sealed plastic ziploc bag, and refrigerate overnight.
When using wooden skewers, soak in water for an hour or so. Preheat barbecue grill with binchoton charcoal to medium high heat. Bring the meat to room temperature and then thread chicken pieces onto skewers, and grill, turning halfway, for a total of about 10 minutes for gizzards and about 6-8 minutes for thighs.
Serve yakitori drizzled with reserved and tare sauce and garnished with fresh scallions and varied vegetables.
Tare recipe
1/2 C chicken broth
1/4 C mirin
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T sake
3/4 t (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 plump fresh garlic clove, crushed
1 scallion, chopped lengthwise
An Arm — An Odd Cut — Not Unlike A Butt
February 1, 2016
A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.
~David Hume
The proof has been divulged, and thorough knowledge should follow, right? Seems logical and quite simple, almost acutely rational. Sometimes or always, though, or really are we constrained by our psyches or basic instincts or neural circuits or are we harnessed and have visions or dreams or torments which guide us? Or does humanity deal with prompts, insights, anxieties, kisses, primes, embraces, seductions, or even prefrontal cortices? Should we judge by, discard, or empathize with others' conscious or subconscious or unconscious or neural thoughts? Or should we cognitively assay or attempt reason at all? What to do?
Don't know, yet, but perhaps should…in any event, both beef arm and pork butt, alas not tri-tip (the bottom of the beef sirloin), were cooked this week. Apparently, the kiss principle.
Chuck arm roast comes from the muscular shoulder of the beef steer, a slightly leaner cut of pot roast. So, not unlike pork "butt," the cut is sublimely delectable, tender and proves likewise inexpensive — not in the least faraway from succulent Santa Maria tri-tips even though it does come from a different part of the animal. Although pork shoulder takes longer to shred depending upon poundage, in each beef event, you can both cook slow and low in the oven (2-3 hours @ 300 F), braise in stock and/or water over the stove top simmering calmly for a couple of hours, grill over the barbecue (20-25 minutes or so) or finish at high heat (something like 400 F+) in the oven after 'cuing, if necessary to bring to a close. No doubt there are other approaches to this rather thick flesh.
Comme d'habitude, my preference is to grill with soy sauce only – that rich umami concept with the presence of glutamate and five ribonucleotides and so on, and it doubles down for prompt home chow, especially when it is somewhat chilly outside. But, that never means that marbled arm roast should not be whirled at by other methodologies.
Perhaps, more stubborn than first intuited, but now it may be overly belated to psychoanalyze me. Too late.
Arm roast, about 2-3 lbs, room temperature
High quality soy sauce, preferably shoyu
Have your butcher cut a fresh arm roast. Spread the beef with shoyu all over, somewhat sparingly, and massage then allow the arm roast to sit in the spare umami juices for just a couple of hours. In the interim, light the coals until they are medium to medium high (around 3-4 seconds to the hand test). Grill roast to desired doneness, as cooking time will vary upon thickness of the meat and the heat of the grill. Medium rare is preferred, but to each her or his own, no judging or empathizing.
Allow the meat to rest, somewhat amply, before serving. Serve with olive oil slathered veggies, such as mushrooms, chile peppers, asparagus, etc. and a toothsome red.
On Writing (and Roasted Roots with Eggs)
October 7, 2015
To perceive is to suffer.
This is not meant to be some hefty harangue or diatribe on writing. To the utter contrary. But, it does seem like the revered trait for writers is not will, bravado or grit, but rather vibrant prose, empathetic and fluid storytelling, rich and beloved character creation.
A blank screen or paper alone can be daunting (have been there and done that), leading to lengthy stares, dire anxiety and idle fingers. Then comes disjointed prose, inapt words or topics, insipid imagery, worthless metaphors, and feeble punctuation. Writing, as with many art forms, is just really arduous labor; a brutal, almost crippling, job.
So, a poetic lilt, even just an enlightened brief passage or paragraph, lifts souls and so often makes us return to re-read, even aloud. Think of Toni Morrison, Saul Bellow, Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Marcel Proust, Samuel Beckett, John Barth, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, David Mitchell, Joseph Conrad, Leo Tolstoy, Umberto Eco, Jane Austen, Vladimir Nabokov, Victor Hugo, T.S. Eliot, Gustave Flaubert, John Updike, Kingsley Amis, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Stendahl, Günter Grass, Heinrich Böll, André Gide, Jorge Luis Borges, et al. — this is just a smattering of prose writers and does not even mention the magical creations of preeminent poets. But, their words and perceptive imagery can flat illuminate your universe. By arranging selective words, creating characters, telling stories, and placing punctuation or not on a page, skilled novelists, poets and playwrights reveal their minds and extend ours. Even when disruptive to our psyches, their heedful art has unearthed and unveiled human nature, the bare bones of our biology, our anthropology. Alexithymia untethered, so thank you all so much.
So, why do I write about food and stuff? Well, repasts and convo are damned pleasing, and one of our primary hobbies happens to be cooking. The ruminations just came along for the ride. So, the blog seemed a fit, a natural, making little mention of Mom's Joy of Cooking with her handwritten notes staring at me. Besides being a logophile, my mother gave me a sense of ardor, one of passion, even a feeling of the absurd. Enough of that, as I am not worthy.
Rapturous fare below.
3 lbs root vegetables, cut into rough wedges (local multi-hued carrots, rainbow beets, new potatoes, turnips, white and red radishes, fennel bulb(s), zucchini, celery root — some peeled, other's not)
1-2 plump, fresh garlic heads, cut transversely
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 bay leaves, dried
Local eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh herb leaves (rosemary, basil, thyme, lavender) torn and chopped
Capers, drained
Heat oven to 400-425 F.
Toss local vegetables with olive oil, garlic(s), sea salt, black pepper, and bay leaves in a heavy pan. Let stand at room temperature. Then roast, stirring thrice or so until slightly browned, about an hour. Discard the bay leaves.
Serve with fried eggs just sautéed in olive oil and partially cover the roasted vegetables, with egg spaces here and there, ground black pepper, then strew with fresh herbs and capers atop.
A vivid and savory tapestry.
A Soy Secret—Grilled Steak & Umami
March 11, 2009
In America we eat, collectively, with a glum urge for food to fill us. We are ignorant of flavour. We are as a nation taste-blind.
M.F.K. Fisher
Often time is limited. So, when mulling over ideas for a hastily drawn home meal, my thoughts invariably turn to a simple grilled steak or mixed grill on the barbeque. Involving just thirty five minutes of primarily hands off grill preparation and about 10 minutes active cooking time, steaks are fairly tough to surpass…especially if olive oil brushed veggies and baguette slices join the fray. An instant sumptuous feast.
The ancient Greek philosopher, Democritus, once remarked that when you masticate (preferably with your mouth closed), food eventually breaks into four basic shapes. Sweet morsels are "round and large in their atoms." Salty fare land as "isosceles triangles" on your tongue. Bitter is typically "spherical, smooth, scalene and small," while sour is "large in its atoms, but rough, angular and not spherical."
When taste buds were microscopically "discovered" in the 19th century, tongue cells appeared as minute keyholes into which food might lodge, and it was deduced that there were only four different keyhole shapes—one for each basic taste.
However, a new taste, umami, was identified almost 100 years ago, by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University. He had sought to scientifically identify an official fifth taste, which was recognized for centuries in dashi and kombu. Dashi, meaning "boiled extract," often forms the base for Japanese soups. So, although the concept of umami is ancient, the nomenclature is relatively recent.
In 1908, Dr. Ikeda succeeded in extracting glutamate (an amino acid) from kombu and discovering that it was the main active ingredient in this edible seaweed. He coined the term "umami" to describe the flavor with the closest English equivalent being "delicious" or "savory"—even "yummy" is used occasionally. Umami is a not so easily recognizable subtle taste that occurs naturally in many vegetables and dairy products as well as in meat, fish and seafood. Even foods without broth—such as mushrooms, tomatoes, proscuitto, anchovies and aged cheese—are loaded with glutamate and the essences of umami. This makes little mention of nước mắm Phú Quốc (fish sauce) which simply exudes umami.
Umami results from the presence of glutamate plus five ribonucleotides including inosinate and guanylate. Glutamate is naturally present in some degree in most foods; inosinate and guanylate are present in many foods, and another nucleotide, adenylate, is abundant in fish and shellfish.
Soy sauce, a fermented sauce made from soy beans, roasted grains, water and salt is inherently rich in umami. Originating in China, soy sauce was introduced in Japan by Buddhist monks in the 7th century, where it is known as shoyu.
From childhood, I was weaned on grilled steaks bathed in soy sauce, but they were also sprinkled with seasoned salts and peppers. In the ensuing eons, I began to experiment with a variety of pre grill steak dressings, whether they be moist or dry (see Dry Rub A Dub, infra.), landing on nothing more than a bare soy sauce bath (no other seasonings) as the one truly preferred coating. At first, this may sound uninspired, but to the contrary it draws out the luscious simplicity of the meat with a rich umami touch.
2 1 3/4″ thick Kansas City Strip or Ribeye steaks, bone in or boneless
Premium quality soy sauce (preferably shoyu)
Have your friendly local butcher freshly cut some nicely marbled steaks. Place steaks in a single layer in a glass dish. Pour soy sauce over sparingly, turn steaks to massage and coat all over, taking care not to drown the meat. Allow to rest about 1 hour before cooking, turning a couple of times. The meat should be nearing room temperature before grilling.
Preheat charcoal grill to medium high heat. Hold your open hand about 2-3 inches above the hot grate with the coals already spread. Count how long you can keep it there before the pain demands you retract it, about 2-3 seconds for medium high.
Grill steaks to desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks, the size of the 'cue and the heat of the grill. For the touch test, gently put the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. Press the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm with your opposing index finger. Voilà, medium rare.
As always, let meat rest before serving so that the juices migrate throughout.
Serve with olive oil slathered grilled vegetables (such as mushrooms, peppers, Japanese eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus) and olive oil brushed grilled baguette slices and a silky red.
Green Beans (Haricots Verts)
February 19, 2009
Supposing everyone lived at one time what would they say. They would observe that stringing string beans is universal.
~Gertrude Stein
A mistreated garden icon…too often served in a mudane, overcooked fashion.
Haricots verts are the longer and thinner French variety…a touch more delicate and possessing a slightly more complex flavor. The cooking time on green beans varies according to pod girth, so sample during the process to assure they are perfectly crisp and tender when served.
6 T unsalted butter
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
8 ozs fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
2 lbs fresh green beans, washed and ends trimmed
2/3 C chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and thyme; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl.
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add green beans and toss to coat with butter. Pour broth over green bean mixture. Simmer until liquid evaporates and green beans are crisp and tender, about 10 minutes. Gently stir in shiitake mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
1 lb green beans, washed and ends trimmed
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T butter
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
2 T fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1/2 C toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Put green beans in large pot of boiling salted water. and cook until just tender and crisp, 3-5 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge into ice cold water to halt cooking and retain the green hue. Promptly drain on cloth or paper towel—otherwise, the beans will become soggy. Set aside.
Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet. Add garlic and sauté until just lightly browned, then discard the clove. Add beans, tarragon and pine nuts; sauté until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
1 pound green beans, washed and ends trimmed
3 T walnut oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 C roasted walnuts, roughly chopped
Drop green beans in a heavy pot of boiling, salted water. Cook uncovered for about 3-5 minutes; drain thoroughly, then drizzle with walnut oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss with chopped nuts. Serve immediately.
Lamb Chops with Charmoula
February 4, 2009
Charmoula is a lively, fragrant North African herb and garlic concoction which enhances the natural flavors of vegetables, meat, poultry and fish either as a sauce or marinade. It is equally comfortable ladled over asparagus as over grilled swordfish.
1 8-bone rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched,* carved into 8 individual chops
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
*Frenched is when the meat at the tips is trimmed and cut away, exposing the ends of the bones.
1 T cumin seeds
1 T coriander seeds
1 C fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 C fresh mint leaves
1 C fresh cilantro leaves
3 plump fresh garlic cloves, pealed and cut in halves
1 T sweet paprika
1 t sea salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
6-8 T extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1 fresh lemon
Heat skillet over medium heat, then add cumin and coriander seeds; toast until aromatic and slightly darker so as the release the essences, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to food processor along with parsley, mint, cilantro, garlic, paprika, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulsing the processor on and off, blend until a coarse paste forms. With maching running, gradually add 4-6 T of olive oil in a slow, narrow, steady stream; continue blending and add 1/2 of lemon juice.
Stir together and retain chilled in a bowl a couple tablespoons of the mixture and the remaining lemon juice and zest to serve over the finished lamb chops.
Season lamb chops with salt and pepper; then, the rest of the charmoula should be liberally lathered over the lamb chops and then placed covered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. A heavy plastic bag could be used for this coating process. Remove lamb and retained charmoula in bowl from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before cooking.
Melt butter and olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, carefully place lamb chops in pan and saute around 3 minutes on each side, until medium rare. Do not constantly turn the meat or you will damage the connective tissue and mar the surface. Remove and allow lamb to rest for at least 10 minutes, then when served, top with retained charmoula.
A Sermon: Shop Local
January 30, 2009
…as in, a long tedious speech, particularly on a moral issue. It may sound trite, but our individual ecological efforts, each and every day, week, and year will make a collective difference to our Earth—so we become part of the solution and not the problem. Like life, this Earth is not a dress rehearsal. So, both environmental and culinary reasons abound for shopping in your own backyard.
Our Daily Bread is now grown and processed in fewer and fewer locales, often requiring extensive travel to reach your table. Although this production method may prove more feasible for larger suppliers, it remains harmful to the environment, consumers and rural communities. In buying local, your community is supported and fresher product adorns your table.
The average grocery store shelves produce which often travels nearly 1,500 miles between farm to home, and some 40% of fruit is harvested overseas. Those plants, fruits, seeks, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves and flowers that now grace the table were former transients—over land, sea and air—-for as long as 7 to 14 days. Local victuals are usually savored soon after harvesting, requiring fewer preservatives or chemical ripening agents. The trip from farm to palate doesn't extend for days or weeks.
Vast amounts of fossil fuels are expended to transport foodstuffs with the accompanying release of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other delightful pollutants—joining hands, nefariously wafting into the troposphere. As a necessary evil, processors use unfriendly paper and plastic packaging to stabilize food for longer periods. These wrappings wind their way into already congested, greenhouse gas spewing landfills.
Apart from the environmental harm that results from processing, packaging and transporting foods, the industrial produce and livestock farms and packing plants are themselves often the birthplace of air and water pollution.
Extended travel and storage often means lost nutrients—so choosing local, fresher products proves a healthier choice. Also, the preservatives necessary to stabilize foods during long trips are not always substances you may want to ingest as part of your meal.
Larger agribusiness farms also tend to use more pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones, all of which can be damaging to both the environment and human health. On the other hand, local foods from small farms—especially organics—usually use fewer pesticides and fertilizers, undergo minimal processing, are produced in relatively small quantities, as they are distributed within a few dozen miles of where they originated.
According to the USDA, over five million farms in this country have disappeared in this country since 1935. Family farms are rapidly going out of business, not only causing rural communities to dissipate, but resulting in a loss of food quality. The U.S. loses two acres of farmland each minute as cities and suburbs spread into the surrounding communities. By supporting local farms near suburban areas and around cities, you help keep farmers on the land, and, at the same time, preserve open spaces to counteract the environmental downside of urban sprawl.
Beyond the local market issue, there are a number of other labels and designations to keep in mind, including organic, biodynamic, and sustainable. Organic food is regulated by the U.S.D.A. and must meet certain standards to be certified as such. While there is debate over the value of the U.S.D.A. organic label and how much it corresponds to the initial aims of sustainable architecture, you can usually assume that any food bearing the U.S.D.A. organic label is free from artificial pesticides and fertilizers. Biodynamic farming likewise avoids pesticides and fertilizers which renders a sustainable system in which everything on the farm is reused or recycled. There are a myriad of other words used to define sustainable agriculture, but in its basic form, it strives to sustain rather than degrade the environment while also being econonomically viable.
For a local market in your area: www.localharvest.org
Categories' Translations
January 22, 2009
Admittedly, a paranoia induced entry. In a late night, overwrought effort to be cute, some of my Categories titles may be rightly dubbed obscure. So, to assure the utter transparency that is ever much in the political vogue these days (a more accurate word might be "translucence"), the literal interpretations follow:
Ab Ovo — Eggs
Asides — Vegetables, Side Dishes
Between the Sheets — Sandwich fare
Dough & Yeast — Pasta, Pizza, Calzone
Fine Fowl — Poultry
Fish Out of Water — Fish, Shellfish
Gadgets & Toys — Cutlery, Cookware, Tools, Utensils
Going Green — Salads
Soupçon — Soups
Mulling over Mammals — Meats
Ruminations — Random Thoughts, Ideas
Silk Pantries — Pantry, Cupboard items
Small Pleasures — Appetizers, Hors d'oeuvres, Amuses gueles/bouches, Tapas
Sweet Teeth — Desserts
The Holy Grill — Grilling, Barbeque


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Fraudulent Worker Compensation Claim
What is Worker Compensation Plan
Most of businesses are insured every workers or employee by buying worker compensation plan to cover the accident happen during the course of work. The plan is benefit employee who is get injured in term of of medical certification ( lost wages), medical expenses, treatment expenses etc while the employee recovers from the injury.
There are many case reported that the employee has fraud the claims for personal profit instead of legitimate. The fraud has negative impact to the insurance companies, and the increase of cost of investigation will lead to increase the premium for such services that transferred to the employer.
Therefore, businesses need to be proactive when handling worker compensation claims and prevent false claim by your employee and the injuries person is cover the truth or manipulate the accident.
By hiring Private Investigator, he is a trained individual to handle the false claim and uncover the fraud before the evidence is destroyed.
How the matters being handle by Private Investigator ?
1. Interviews and research the cause of incident
- Detail questionnaire to identify the cause of incident.
- record the answer which can be used as evidence in court
- gathering evidence of incident and treatment copies to help detect fraud
- Get the right place to conduct research and collect information
2. Background checks and research
- conduct background check
- checking for any claims in the past
- checking the worker was convicted any fraudulent claim in the past
3. Surveillance
- surveillance the injured worker
- record audio, video or photo to determine the reality of injured.
- surveillance record can be proof that shows the worker has exaggerated the medical conditions
4. Evidence gathering
- Important roles in proving the cases
- evidence is the proof to determine the right amount of compensation
- Private Investigator can intelligently handle the claim and prevent fraud.
- Posted by Privateye
- Posted in Hot Topics, Insurance Cases related
- Oct, 07, 2014
- No Comments.
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Introduction: DIY Portable & Simple USB Air Conditioner
There are often days when the weather is hot and the power is out. Thankfully, with a few pieces of wire and a couple of components you might already have lying around, you can create a neat little air conditioner that can keep you much cooler.
Materials needed:
> 4 plastic boxes
> Some wire
> Some tape
> A computer fan (it has both a fan and a motor in it) OR electric motor + a fan/turbine connected (make sure the motor goes not above 6 volts). For this project, I didn't have a computer fan, although that would have made things much simpler. I had an RF 310T 11400 motor available here and a small turbine sort of thing
> An old USB cable (any sort of USB cable; you'll be stripping the wire and will only keep the male end)
> An icepack/small container which you will freeze water in
> A laptop/USB compatible power brick
Tools needed:
> Some scissors/ a Swiss Army Knife
Step 1: Make Holes in the First Box
Take your first plastic box and make a number of holes on all four sides. This will cause warm air to enter the box (and because of the fan which we will place on top later, it will be pulled up). After you're done with the holes, cut a rectangle on its bottom side as shown in the pictures.
Step 2: Prepare the Second Box
Take the second box (this should preferably be bigger than the rest since this is the box that needs to hold our icepack/frozen water containers) and cut out its bottom like you did the first, but for it's top (the bigger part), cut out only a small square. This is to make sure the container or ice pack doesn't fall down into the first box. Then, stack the second box on the first, the large sides down.
Step 3: Prepare the Third Box
Cut out a rectangle as you did for the other boxes on the large side. The shape of my fan and the way I had to place it required me to cut out a rather small square for the upper side for support, although you can cut out a larger piece if you're using a computer fan. (If you're confused, view the final placement of all the boxes to get an idea of what I'm talking about.) Now, stack the third box on the second.
Oh, and you can always glue all these boxes together to keep the structure stable, but I didn't really find it necessary.
Step 4: Prepare the Fourth and Final Box
This box is a little bit tricky, and depends on the kind of fan you're using. As you can see in the pictures, my setup is a bit complicated. If you're using a computer fan, though, all you have to do is cut out a small enough hole on the lower side of the box so that the fan doesn't fall through. And as for the upper side, my setup required me to cut out a small square like in the third box because it is on that side that my fan is located. However, depending on the shape and size of your fan, you can cut out however much is necessary.
Stack this final box on the third box.
Step 5: The Wiring
All you have to do now is to connect the fan to a power source. Once connected, it will draw up air, all the way from the first box in which warm air is coming in, past the second box where the air cools down due to the frozen container/icepack, past the third and up to itself and then pass it out towards you for your satisfaction.
So what you have to do is take a USB cable and cut it open, taking care the end you cut is not the male end. Once cut open, you'll see that there will be 4 kinds of wires inside; red, black, green and white. The green and white you do not need, but you need to strip the red and black ones, and connect them to your motor or computer fan wire ends.
Step 6: Turn Everything On
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Using a motor or anything higher that 5v won't bother the usb drive. It just won't get the power it wants so it won't perform to its fullest. It will have absolutely no adverse or dangerous affects.
Very helpful. Thank you.
any ice packs or frozen water bottles go in the second box. If you examine the pictures, you'll notice there is a circular label on the very bottom(Upside down lid) of the first box. Also, the warm air might pass to far to the side of any ice packs in the bottom box, while the fan pulls it from the side holes. Hence the need to place them directly over the air flow passage. :D Hope that helps
I'm confused by a couple of the pictures. Can you please explain what is in the bottom box, and the middle box? Is the ice pack in the bottom box and a small bottle of water in the middle box?
Nice work. Although it should probably be mentioned that a USB port will only supply 100mA at 5V DC to a device without communication - a process a called enumeration is required to source more current from a USB host. That should be taken into consideration when picking out a motor or fan for this project. USB hubs were never designed to be DC power outlets, so using them as such requires a bit of finesse.


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Dress up like the Wicked Witch of the West's flying monkey minions in this adult costume. Includes faux fur jumpsuit with shoe covers and hood, jacket, hat, and wings. Pair with our Wicked Witch, Dorothy, Scarecrow and Glinda costumes for a great group costume!
See more options in our Wizard of Oz Costumes section!


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Triplets of Belleville
Gotta see it! Odd, beautiful and funny. Watch it without the subtitles – you don't need them. I don't consider myself an excessively visual guy, but damn if the animation didn't just make my eyes pop. It's a great, seamless blend of CG and traditional animation, and a really great film.


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After each mass shooting, there is a lack of leadership on how to stop the next massacre. Gun owners need to lead.
In a lull between mass shootings, I took to social media to warn gun enthusiasts that if they don't step up and figure a way to stop these horrors, or at least reduce them, they will lose their gun rights.
With every mass shooting, the country sours a bit more on the Second Amendment right to bear AR-15s. "Cold dead hands" speeches from the National Rifle Association have grown tiresome. Resentment quietly builds.
This sent a gun owner from Lower Makefield (and avid reader of this column) into a funk. He sent a note, "I'm heartbroken that you're now a progressive."
I recoiled in horror. Progressive? I know I have a college education, but I'm not stupid. It's just old school journalism. Push away the personal partisanship and emotion, survey the terrain, and call it like it is. I have no problem with gun owners and their right to own small arsenals for the coming battle with antifa, or whoever their boogeyman is — home invaders, druggie carjackers, the neighbor's yowling cat.
The problem for gun owners isn't the effete elite running for the Democratic presidential nomination, who desire an obedient, disarmed America. The problem is the majority of Americans who don't own firearms.
Some tough love, gunners. Like the inept crew helming the Titanic, you don't see what's coming, which is gun-grabbing gun control. This is due to mass shooters, whose regular trails of tragedy traumatize not only survivors, but entire communities. Walmart, scene of one of the latest horrors in El Paso, said last week it is halting sales of handgun and short-barreled rifle ammo. It also requested customers not to open-carry in stores anymore. Walmart, a stalwart ally in Second Amendment rights, a retailer selling 20% of the country's firearms ammunition, having second thoughts.
Walgreen's and Kroger, two large retail chains, also requested that customers not open carry. These are warning flags in a changing gun culture. It's a pincer movement on gun owners. The private sector will get you from one side, while gun-grabbing pols advance from the other.
You can mock this, but you won't be able to shoot your way out of it.
Gun control is coming, one mass horror at a time.
Check the more reliable polls, like Gallup and Pew, and you'll see healthy support for the Second Amendment. But don't sleep easy with that Glock under your pillow or down your pants or wherever you keep it. Drill down to see what the millennials and their kid brothers and sisters in Gen Z think about firearms, and you'll find robust gun rights are as popular as Donald Trump's hairstyle.
Within a decade millennials and Gen Z will be running things. Within 20 years, fully in charge. Culturally, they are the most progressive generations we've produced. Gen Z grew up with mass shootings and active shooter drills, staged walkouts over the continuing carnage and lack of gun reforms. They have high-profile representatives eager to take on and defeat the aging pro-gun boomers, whose thoughts-n-prayers after each massacre comes off as perfunctory and shallow.
Lack of gun law reform while parroting threadbare arguments ("Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns") makes it worse. It's imperiling our Second Amendment right to bear arms for self defense. As my generation moves off the stage, you can see the shift among Republican politicians in once solidly red states and congressional districts.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is one of a handful of gun state Republicans bucking the gun lobby. He's at the tip of the point aimed at the heart of the mighty NRA. This was once unthinkable. But if Fitz II survives next year, it will be proven to other Republicans that the NRA ain't the final word on guns.
In the bloody wake of each mass shooting, there has been a failure to lead on gun reform, that is, balancing the Constitutional right to bear arms with the right not to get shot while shopping or dining out. Journalists, politicians, the clergy are MIA pressuring politicians to do something meaningful, and trend toward the grabby side of the issue. Happily stepping into this vacuum are gun-grabby progressives. Who can blame them? They see big wins a decade or two out. The only thing that would stall them would be an end to the carnage of mass shootings.
Which is why it must fall to law-abiding gun owners to figure it out. With rights come responsibilities. With guns, those responsibilities are now expanded to ending mass shootings.
It's a tough one, and it's unclear how you fix it. But I'll make some suggestions in my next column.
Columnist JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at email@example.com.


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There's a rumbling throughout the commercial real estate brokerage business. The industry appears to be attracting a higher caliber of sales talent than ever before. The extended real estate boom and the aggressive push that many brokerages have made to revitalize their talent pools have helped make the industry an attractive destination for smart, ambitious graduates.
I'm impressed with the new wave of recruits I've met at firms around the nation—brokers with degrees from top universities and, perhaps more importantly, that distinct hunger that marks a salesperson bound for greatness.
There's a lot to like about the profession, including high earning potential, flexibility, camaraderie and growth opportunities. Commercial real estate firms would be wise to flaunt those attributes to attract young talent. Like many organizations, they may soon face a sizeable skilled labor shortage. The average commercial real estate professional is 60 years old. Retirement isn't too far off for a sizeable segment of the industry. But finding skilled workers, specifically sales representatives, isn't easy. This year, 46% of U.S. employers reported difficulty filling jobs, according to an annual survey on talent shortage by ManpowerGroup. Employers are having the most trouble finding skilled tradesmen, technicians and, wait for it, salespeople.
Commercial real estate firms won't be alone as they compete to attract top talent. Let's think about what makes the industry attractive to millennial talent.
1. Uncapped earning potential
For a confident sales professional, uncapped earning potential is one of the most alluring factors of the job. Brokers average six-figure salaries, and the best ones can bring in serious cash.
On the flipside, the commission structure is often coupled with a low base salary or, in some cases, none at all. But a disciplined salesperson thrives in this type of entrepreneurial environment where his or her work ethic and talent correlate with compensation.
2. Autonomy and flexibility
Brokers are independent contractors who work under a brokerage license. They are responsible for their own livelihood. They are often given the flexibility to plan their days as they see fit, to prospect in the way that's best for them and to run deals in their preferred style. Many entrepreneurial-minded young job seekers are attracted to this autonomy. (Although the most effective CRE managers realize they need to maintain check-ins and mentorship programs to support their brokers while still respecting their independence.)
3. Camaraderie and social aspects
Brokerage leaders typically strive to create a sense of community at their firms. New hires can join a team or connect with mentors to further that connection. They can also partake in myriad networking and social opportunities. It is commonplace to take a client out for dinner or a round of golf, and to attend evening events like building open houses and charity events sponsored by clients. These sorts of things make the job interesting, fun and varied for a whole generation of workers who don't want to remain chained inside a lonely cubicle all day.
4. Longevity
Like other professions, CRE gets better the longer you do it. You develop long-term client relationships. You may make more money. You delegate more and partner with young blood to help with grunt work and admin tasks. And you don't have to fall into the trap of monotony. No year is the same. No day is the same. The industry changes with evolving business trends. Brokers have a chance for a lifetime of continued professional development.
Eighty-seven percent of millennials say development in the workplace is important. In commercial real estate, you can carve out a real niche for yourself and become an expert in a particular vertical or region. You decide what you specialize in, and you can add new areas to your portfolio as you see fit. And with the advent of technology that makes it easier for building owners, tenants and investors to access information on building avails and comps themselves, without the help of a broker, it is increasingly important that brokers prove their value and showcase that expertise.
I found this research on Harvard graduates telling: Almost 19 percent of the 2015 Harvard class of MBA graduates plan to go into finance, but only 4.7 percent of graduates want to be working there 10 years from now. That's down from 5.7 percent of the 2014 class who planned to work in finance 10 years after graduation.
In commercial real estate, the turnover rate is high in the early years, but many top-performers spend their lives in the industry. The average commercial real estate member has been in the field for 20 years.
What does Wall Street, or any industry or business, need to do to attract top talent long-term? It boils down, in part, to point number five, which is in many ways a culmination of the previous factors.
5. Engagement
The skilled labor gap isn't the only recruitment crisis we're facing. Employees around the world are not engaged at work, and engagement directly relates to performance and retention. Seventy-one percent of millennials are not engaged or are even actively disengaged, at work. That's just not an option for brokers. They can't phone it in. They have to be out there, hunting. They have to be searching for leads, pitching to win new business, managing complex deals, mastering all sides of building sales and leasing and keeping up with changing technology and business trends.
Commercial real estate has a unique opportunity to recruit a wave of highly-qualified brokers. A firm's ability to do so will determine the top-grossing brokerages of the future. The same can be said of virtually every organization out there.
Millennials want growth opportunities, effective management, technology that empowers them to succeed, and intellectually stimulating work. By understanding this, brokerages can attract and retain the right people—those smart, entrepreneurial young grads who exhibit hustle, drive and purpose.


text: Remember when it cost you like $1 to just turn one of these things on before you even made a call? Now I can have unlimited texting while I watch videos of kittens sleeping, book a hotel and do my taxes. I think my phone might make calls too…I'm not 100% sure. I'll get back to you on that one. Enjoy!


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It probably comes as no surprise that I am a self-confessed girly girl. I love the colour pink, I like anything that sparkles, shimmers or shines, and when it comes to fragrances, the more feminine the better!
I love perfume, and have done for as long as I can remember. I have memories of my mum spritzing on her favourite scent back when I was a child, and as soon as I was old enough, I happily started spraying it on to my hearts content.
Every birthday and Christmas I ask for a new perfume, and I have amassed quite a collection over the past few years.
I thought today I would share with you some of my current feminine favourites.
Lancome – La Vie est Belle
This scent was recommended to me by my dad's girlfriend and I am a total convert having bought the gift set in the sales. It is my current everyday perfume, and I love how feminine it smells.
The scent is quite strong, and lasts really well throughout the day without needing to top it up. A little goes a long way, and I find myself smelling this perfume on my clothes long afterwards.
It is quite a sweet scent, but not overpowering, and I have had lots of compliments whilst wearing this one.
Ghost – Sweetheart Forever
I originally bought this perfume as my wedding fragrance because I loved the name, but I just wasn't sure if it was right for the occasion. I have always associated Ghost with teenagers, and so I wasn't sure it was sophisticated enough.
Although ultimately I didn't wear it for my wedding day itself, I did still take it out to Santorini with me and used it for the rest of the trip. Now this scent reminds me of long, hot days on that beautiful island.
It's a fun, fairly strong scent, which lingers, and it's now a firm favourite, despite my original misgivings.
Nina Ricci – Nina
I was recently sent this perfume by Perfume Click to include in my Valentine's Gift Guide for Her and I have totally fallen in love with it.
The scent is very girly and sweet. It lasts really well, and is a brilliant everyday fragrance.
I have since found out that one of my best friends has worn this perfume for years and swears by it.
Miss Dior – Absolutely Blooming
This was my bridal scent, and takes me back to my wedding day everytime I wear it. I tend to keep this one for special occasions – date nights, birthdays and anniversaries.
It is a strong, long lasting and floral distinctive scent, which makes me feel amazing whenever I spritz it on.
I recently wore this for Valentine's Day and I'll be taking it along to Mexico for our honeymoon.
If you fancy trying out a new scent, but aren't sure which one would be right for you, the Secret Scent Box, which I recently featured in my gift guide, is the perfect way to find a new favourite without committing yourself.
I was sent the February Edition of Secret Scent Box and the Nina Ricci perfume to try out for my gift guide, however I was under no obligation to write this post and all opinions and photos are my own.


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You are currently browsing the daily archive for April 3, 2012.
After introducing my main character, Niiko, in a #FridayFictioneers story two weeks ago, I decided it was about time I showed a little more of her story. I picked a brief excerpt from what is currently the fifth chapter, "The Titan."
As this is my first novel, I'd love to gather some feedback on something I've been writing for years. Please bear in mind that this is the first draft, so there is still plenty of room for improvement!
Jin stared down into the valley, watching as the lifeless corpses of his friends were rising to join the ranks of the undead pouring up the slope toward him.
He was petrified.
"Arrows!" someone called out behind him.
Like a swarm of angry bees, the arrows flashed over his head and down into the mass of rotting flesh and teeth below. Some found their mark, piercing the hearts of a few dozen who fell dead. Can you call them dead? They were already dead before, Jin thought. A surreal moment washed over him, pulling him from the madness that threatened to engulf him.
The throaty wails of the oncoming horde snapped Jin back to the horror before him. The scourge of undead swept up the hill relentlessly, some now with arrows stuck in their arms, legs and faces. They seemed to feel no pain.
Something struck him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
When he opened his eyes again, his vision swaying as it tried to right itself, he could have sworn he heard a cackling from within the undead racing up the hill. He touched his head, blood, he realised, bringing his crimson-stained hand down before his eyes.
A gurgling, wrathful scream preceded the mess of torn blue flesh and cold, dead eyes that sprang up the hill and landed in front of him.
The creature had a thin layer of decayed blue skin draped over its skull and rib cage, a few strands of dirt-covered hair protruded from its head. Torn, blood-soaked breeches covered what they could of its legs, themselves almost completely devoid of flesh save for a few scraps that clung to the bone and rotting muscle beneath. It raised its clawed hands to strike…
Niiko raced toward the blonde haired young man on his back at the head of the defenders, the creature standing over him pulling back its arms to tear the poor man to shreds.
Without thinking, she unsheathed the sword from her back and tossed it in the direction of the Blighted warrior. The blade spun end-over-end, gathering speed as it cut through the air before thudding into the creature's side and knocking it off balance.
With a scream of exertion, she leaped forward and swung her axe with all her might.
Jin looked on in disbelief as the stranger's axe bit into the creature's chest, cutting into its heart. The woman grabbed the hilt of the sword she had thrown and kicked the Blighted with such force that it ripped free of the two blades and went hurtling down the hill, knocking down the nearest of the oncoming undead.
"On your feet, soldier," the woman's soft voice seemed to float through the rain as she turned toward the horde, her weapons held by her sides in an iron grip.
The woman's hood had slipped down, her bright red hair waving in the biting sea breeze. Her dirty grey cloak flapped to one side, her toned legs stood apart and her boots dug into the muddy ground.
Jin reached for his sword, lying on the floor beside him, and lurched to his feet. He was ready for a fight.
The smell of rotting flesh filled Niiko's nose as the first wave of undead washed over the survivors atop the hill. Faces of ragged, torn flesh rose and fell before her, blades flashed and metal sang, black blood spilled and tormented screams rang in her ears in the heat of battle.
Despite the insanity that surrounded him, Jin saw the woman as a whirlwind of fury ahead. Her sword and axe glided through dark flesh with ease, leaving a pile of corpses around her and more were sent rolling lifelessly down the hill.
Those ones won't rise again, thought Jin as he parried another creature's blade, every strike is precise, she punctures every undead heart within reach. Following the red head's lead, he followed the recoiling movement of the parried Blighted with a thrust of his sword. It crumbled to the floor from the gaping wound left in its heart.
General Alvaro stood atop the battlements above Leynas' gates, his fingers gripping the stone tightly enough to whiten his thick knuckles.
He was a strong, thickset man of sixty years. His features had been worn by a lifetime of war, battling his way through the ranks. His face carried echoes of the wins and losses throughout his career, all manner of scars faded within growing wrinkles and his receding grey hair was a reminder of his increasing age.
His piercing, icy blue eyes focused intently on the young woman carving a bloody hole in the attackers' lines. Who was she? Where did she come from?
Her power was incredible, something the General had never seen before.
"They're retreating!" somebody was shouting behind Jin as he leaned over, resting his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath.
The young woman still faced down the hill. Jin could see that she was breathing heavily from the way her body gently rose and fell, yet her posture showed a refusal to relax.
His ears were assailed by a horrific shrieking sound from across the valley.
Niiko grunted, stifling a scream as the fierce sound seemed to cut into her mind. She fell to one knee, dropping her weapons beside her as she clutched the sides of her head in a desperate attempt to stop the pain.
Yesssssss, the voice hissed inside her head.
"No!" she roared, unaware of the men and women around her.
You've had your fun, whelp, the demon spat.
Niiko refused to give in, clutching her head ever tighter in the vain hope that she could remain in control.
Now it's my turn.
Alvaro watched as the young woman cursed and thrashed on the ground, the sight was making his soldiers nervous. He had to do something.
His eyes were drawn to a sudden movement across the valley.
Loud cracks accompanied the sight of a giant beast swatting aside trees at the edge of the Dead Forest on the opposite side of the valley. Its long arms were themselves as thick as tree trunks, almost as tall too as they nearly reached the floor. It was no more than shadow in the darkness of the rain clouds, but Alvaro could see that it stood on powerful squat legs and its eyes seemed to shine through the veil of grey rain, two bright violet flames glaring at the gates of Leynas.
The General sucked in a long breath.
Copyright © G. Bailey 2011


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Instructions for #40236-1 Romantic Valentine Picnic
Romantic Valentine Picnic is LEGO set #40236-1. It was released in 2017. We have it listed in Holiday. Swooshable have searched many sites for instructions to this set, and the results are listed in the tabbed box below.
Brick Insights has reviews for this set, Brickset has set details and you can buy this set on Amazon.
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13 May
All our standard Thermal Platform models are now available with CE mark. TotalTemp has recently completed the CE certification process for our standard platform models so they can be made available to the European Community. The EU countries have been asking for an alternative platform, now they have it!...Read More


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The game is also free to download for a limited time.
From now through through February 5 at 12 am UTC, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be available for free for Xbox One owners in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Germany, CD Projekt Red announced today. The announcement coincides with Microsoft's reveal of the latest batch of Xbox 360 games now available via backward compatibility - a list headlined by The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The full list can be viewed below:
Microsoft also stated that, moving forward, new backward compatible games will be released as they are ready, rather than on a set monthly schedule. There will also be a dedicated Xbox One Backward Compatibility page on the Wire, where Microsoft will be sharing recently released titles, along with "spotlight stories" on popular recently added games. You can continue to vote for games you want to see available through the program here.


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Being able to do all the things necessary in your business will require time, effort and money. There may be different situations when you need to get a loan for your business.
Having the proper amount of financing available to you should be high on your list of things to accomplish. However, it's ideal to know some of the various reasons you may need this cash for your business.
1. Expand your company
One of the top ways to help you make more money is by building another company to do so. If you have enough business for this amount of growth, you'll undoubtedly want to take action.
Of course, you'll want to have the proper plan in mind before you start this process. What type of building would you need for better business and what is the cost to create it?
2. Advertise more
There's nothing that may allow you to have more business than marketing your company. Of course, this will take time and effort to achieve but relying on the right professional is an excellent place to start.
The key to getting the most from your advertising efforts may depend on the budget you have to use. Taking time to get additional money to assist you with gathering more customers should be high on your priority list.
3. Bring on new products
Taking time to find brand new items to sell is guaranteed to be one of the top ways to increase your business. This could be things that are similar to what you offer that may attract more customers.
Adding a few things to your line of products that are unique but offer great assistance to others is ideal. Of course, you'll want to do the right amount of research to ensure you only select things that will help you make the most money in the long run.
4. Add more employees
The key to having success in any company may rest in having more employees. Being able to increase your productivity drastically is one thing you'll want always to aim to do.
This can be hard to achieve unless you have the right team on your side. Having a staff that is both loyal and productive is likely to be at the forefront of your mind.
5. Offer promotions
Having specials or giving discounts to your most loyal customers or brand news will allow you to make more money. Of course, you'll want to take time to think this through to determine the offers that are best for you to use.
You can also work to increase your business by having drawing for a giveaway on a routine basis. Getting others excited about the things you have to offer is one of the top ways to gain more business and increase your sales.
Ensuring your business is a profitable one will require the right amount of expertise and effort. There are many things you can do that will allow you to accomplish this goal. However, it may be necessary to have more money on hand to do either minor or significant tasks. By having the right financing in your small business arsenal, you'll be able to reap many of the benefits of your hard work and effort. Don't put off trying to make more profit if you wish to have the utmost success with your company at any stage. You'll be glad you did sales increase and money begins to roll into your business account!


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Top Things to Do in Portsmouth, NH, from a Cruise Ship - Feel free to add, vote or provide feedback to the list
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in the South End historic district of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the present-day city of Portsmouth.
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Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is the only city in the county, but only the fourth-largest community, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census.
Prescott Park is a ten-plus acre waterfront park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The land was donated to the city of Portsmouth by two sisters, Josie and Sarah Prescott in 1940. The sisters had used an inheritance to systematically purchase and clear properties along the Piscataqua River.
The Music Hall is a 906-seat theater located at 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the United States. Built in 1878, The Music Hall claims to be the oldest operating theater in New Hampshire and the 14th oldest in the United States.
Portsmouth is a foodie's delight with one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per-capita in the nation. One of our tours includes tastings at 5 restaurants, a greeting from the owner or chef and fascinating history of their location. You can choose from a variety of interesting and delectable tours.