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If you don't sell yourself nobody else will!
This book is a true gem, it is empowering, inspirational, ruthlessly honest, but most importantly it is probably the most outstandingly motivational book you will ever read, if you REALLY want your dream to come true.
Why? Because it's written by a man who knows what he's talking about. You see, in 1991, Daniel Milstein and his parents arrived in America, they were fleeing the religious and political persecution which raged in their native Soviet Union. Daniel Milstein at 16, had only 17 cents in his pocket, however even at that young age, he was richer than most, why, simply because he had a win/win mind-set, a positive outlook, guts and determination. With these assets, from that moment, although he himself didn't realise it, he was already on his way to achieving the American Dream.
What I liked about this book is that it is so full of inspiring stories. However, this doesn't mean his message is sugar coated, certainly not! This is a man who tells it as it is, and freely admits that his philosophy runs along the lines of a swift kick in the pants.
Throughout he insists that success lies in attitude, and action, dreaming is no good, it is futile to wait for luck to come your way, the right time, approval from others. You MUST work hard, grab those chances, and not fear failure. Should things not go well, then use the experience as a learning curve, and take a lesson from Arianna Huffington's mother, who told her daughter (Founder of The Huffington Post) 'Failure is not the opposite of success; it's a steppingstone to success.'
Complacency is another very important factor Daniel Milstein covers. It is essential that you remember you can never rest on your laurels. "Success is never owned. It is rented and the rent is due every day!" is his motto. When you succeed be pleased, but don't become content with your lot, your competitor is waiting to step in your shoes as soon as you lapse, so make sure you don't!
Persistency is vital. Whatever your dream, go with it, and don't give up. Should you fail the first, second, third… time then continue to persevere. He provides examples of many well-known names from the MacDonald brothers, Henry Ford, to the inspirational Jim Eisenreich, people who didn't give up, or listen to those negative influences. Through the motivational quotes and messages strewn copiously throughout the book, the reasons why those who succeed do so, are laid out in plain sight for you to see. Be brave, think outside the box, follow that dream, and then dream bigger, and better. Remember success might not happen overnight, but if you never go for it, you can never win. So stick with it, work hard and learn from those around you and, you will make it.
Eighty-six percent of millionaires are self-made, and two thirds of the world's billionaires made their fortune from scratch – so what's stopping you?
Pick up a copy of this book and follow the authors guide to success, learn from him, and others then show the world just what you can achieve!
About the Author: Dan Milstein is the Founder and CEO of the Gold Star Family of Companies, operating in over 40 offices worldwide, specializing in financial services, sports management, publishing, and film production. Under Dan's visionary leadership, Gold Star has been named among Inc. magazine's 500 Fastest Growing Companies in America, and Dan has been featured in many notable publications and numerous rosters of Top Business and Finance Professionals in the USA. Dan was born in Kiev, Ukraine and just 16 when he narrowly escaped the demise of the Soviet Union by immigrating to the United States. Arriving with only 17 cents and one suitcase, but fueled by his determination to seize the American Dream, Dan stormed every opportunity in his path, quickly rising to the rank of #1 Loan Offi cer in the USA and then building one of the most recognized brands worldwide. International best-selling author of The ABC of Sales, 17 Cents and a Dream, and Street Smart Selling, Dan brings his unique brand of motivation to the greatly anticipated Rule #1: Don't Be #2, chock-full of energizing accounts of others who have dominated their field. From film stars to sport stars, world leaders to company leaders, these enterprising individuals will move you to work until your idols become your rivals. Highly acclaimed CEO, sports agent, consultant, speaker and author, Dan Milstein is credited with motivating hundreds of thousands with his simple, yet powerful, brand of inspiration. Read and be inspired.
About the Book: In his fourth book, RULE #1 DON'T BE #2, Daniel Milstein inspires like never before, challenging us to dream BIG with his charismatic candor, giving us each a compelling glimpse into our own limitless potential. In addition to Dan's riveting accounts of overcoming adversity, Rule #1 Don't Be #2 captivates with countless stories of those who've dominated their respective fields against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Framed in Dan's fast-paced, conversational style and his best-loved, thought-provoking quotes, we're gifted the life-changing lessons of the world's greatest achievers. Don't miss Dan's heartfelt tutorial that is destined to become a giant in the motivational genre, and beyond.
Available from Amazon in Hardcover https://www.amazon.com/Rule-1-Dont-Be-2/dp/1947165038/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1499334058&sr=8-1
Digital Book format https://www.amazon.com/Rule-Dont-Be-What-Work-ebook/dp/B071FRW5YN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1499334058&sr=8-1
and as an Audiobook https://www.amazon.com/Rule-1-Dont-Be-2/dp/B0733Z9RDB/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1499334058&sr=8-1
and from Barnes & Noble in Hardcover https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rule-1-dont-be-2-daniel-milstein/1126407141?ean=9781947165038
and as a NOOK Book https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rule-1-dont-be-2-daniel-milstein/1126499934?ean=9781947165052


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Bill & Bunny Kuhlman
Next F3B event:
No event found
The FAI F3B event is the true test of the RC sailplane and its pilot and is probably the most exciting RC soaring event to fly or witness. Devised by Dr. Ing. Ferdinando Gale of Italy, F3B consists of three separate tasks - Duration, Distance, and Speed - each a test of airplane performance and piloting skills.
Each of these tasks has a working time and a flight time. Base A is near the winches, Base B is 150 meters toward the turnarounds; from winch to turnaround is 200m. Briefly, these tasks can be outlined as follows:
A Round consists of the flying of all three tasks. The same aircraft must be used for all three tasks in a Round without any changes other than ballast. Tasks A and B are flown in Groups, Task C individually.
12 minute working time. Score based on 10 minute flight time plus landing points based on distance of the nose of the model from a predetermined spot. A Group consists of more than one and up to 12 competitors. Scores are "man-on-man" for the Group with the winner of each Group receiving 1000 points and others receiving partial scores.
7 minute working time. Score based on the number of 150m laps (Base A to Base B or Base B to Base A) flown during a 4 minute flight time. There are no landing points. A Group consists of more than one and up to six competitors. Scores are "man-on-man" for the Group with the winner of each Group receiving 1000 points and others receiving partial scores.
4 minute working time. Score is based on time to fly four 150m laps starting at Base A. Participants fly one at a time and scoring is "man-on-man" taking into account the raw scores of all participants.
While there have been complaints about the manpower required to run an F3B event, the number of personnel required is less than that required for F3J, particularly if those not flying are able to assist with timing, etc.
There is one F3B contest scheduled on the SASS 2013 calendar. The F3B SIG encourages you to participate by either flying in the contest or by being an active observer.

subset: commoncrawl


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Celebrity Solstice itineraries to Alaska & Asia
Uncover cultural treasures and natural wonders in Alaska and Asia with one of these Celebrity Solstice® itineraries. Cruise to Alaska and witness the dramatic beauty of Dawes Glacier from your veranda stateroom or luxury suite. In Asia, discover ancient temples in Vietnam, pristine beaches in the Philippines, and the vibrant city of Singapore. Embark on a journey around Japan and stop in coastal cities like Kyoto, Kobe, and Hakodate.
Celebrity Solstice's itineraries also include unforgettable transpacific sailings between Japan and North America, where you'll spend relaxing days at sea reveling in all the luxuries onboard. Explore breathtaking destinations around the world while aboard an award-winning ship, where globally inspired cuisine, enchanting performances, and luxurious accommodations await.
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Another car bomb attack has torn through the mostly Christian Damascus suburb of Jaramana today, killing at least 18 people, including three children, and wounding scores of others.
The car bomb detonated in a crowded intersection of the suburb, setting a four-story building on fire and also destroying a nearby passenger bus. So far no specific rebel faction has claimed responsibility.
It's a fair bet that it's one of the Islamist-motivated factions, however, as they have shown particular interest in attacking Syria's religious minorities, accusing them of being "pro-Assad" while simultaneously carrying out a campaign of violence that virtually guarantees that they would prefer Assad to the rebellion.
It was the larger of two blasts in the area around the Syrian capital today, as another bomb tore through the Yarmouk Refugee Camp just prior. So far the toll in that bombing remains unclear, and the camp remains contested.


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The JetBlue Mint program is not new to a lot of JetBlue travelers that travel the East Coast to West Count transcontinental routes. The service initially launched between New York and both Los Angeles and San Fransisco in 2014. However, for those travelers in the JetBlue focus city of Fort Lauderdale, it is a fairly new concept. Mint flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles were launched in March, 2017. On May 15, 2017, the service was expanded to include twice daily service to San Francisco. As part of that launch, media were invited to a breakfast at the departure gate for the flight to view the offerings available from the Mint service.
The JetBlue Mint program includes a lot of different aspects for the traveler. According to Mariya Stoyanova, Director, Product Development, the program initially took two years to completely formulate. While it is past its initial infancy, Stoyanova said that it is has ongoing evaluations to ensure that the JetBlue staff and crew are providing the best for their passengers.
The Mint Experience
The first part of the experience starts with dedicated check-in lines at the participating airports with two free checked bags. Once at the gate, the Mint passengers enjoy early boarding into the 16 seat Mint section of the Airbus A321. Four of these seats are private suites with a closing door for more privacy. When entering the aircraft, Mint passengers are greeted by dedicated and specially trained cabin crew.
Jeffrey Ebert, Senior Analyst, Onboard Service Delivery spoke with us about the training that Mint cabin crew go through. He explained that this training focuses on providing the quality of service that is unique to the cabin. Ebert described how each passenger in the Mint cabin is greeted. Once seated, the crew member demonstrates all the functions of the lie-flat bed and amenities. Mint passengers also have a 15" touch screen at their disposal for inflight entertainment. Through this screen passengers can experience a wide variety of programming from DirecTV and SiriusXM.
Once in the air, passengers have mouth-watering tapas-style meal options from New York's Saxon + Parole. That menu changes every month, so frequent customers will have plenty of variety. Once at their destinations, passengers are presented with a treat from Mah-ze-Dahr, a New York bakery. Finally, Mint passengers' checked bags are first on the conveyor belt.
Where To Find Mint
The Mint service is not available on every JetBlue flight. The product is currently offered on 2 types of routes: Transcontinental routes between focus cities and on select flights over 4 hours long to the Caribbean. The Mint Experience is also only available on Airbus A321 equipment. On the Mint A321s, the JetBlue Core Experience, has also been upgraded with thinner seats that are still quite comfortable. These feel more spacious for the traveleras well. Eventually, the Core Experience from these jets will be installed on the complete JetBlue Airbus fleet.
One of the very pleasant surprises of this program is that the pricing. It is extremely competitive with the other major US airlines with similar cabins and services. While I have yet to fly and enjoy the Mint Experience, it is something that I hope to do in the near future. The small sample that was displayed on this visit certainly whet the appetite for sure!!!


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Changes in Medicare for 2012
Medicare will cover more preventive services this year and seniors who are on the drug plan can look forward to a price break in the program's infamous "doughnut hole," a gap in prescription drug coverage.
Among the major changes for 2012:
For those with "Original" Medicare, i.e. those without a Medicare Advantage Plan, more preventive services now are covered at no cost, said Bob Moos, a public affairs officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The changes include screenings for cardiovascular disease and obesity, Moos said, specifically coverage for a doctor's visit each year to help stave off heart problems and a free screening for obesity. For those with a body mass index of 30 or higher, the free screening includes regular counseling sessions at a doctor's office. Patients who lose at least 6 pounds during the first six months qualify for six more months of counseling. The cardiovascular screening includes a check for hypertension and discussions of diet and how it can lower the risk of heart disease or stroke. "In the past, there were a lot of preventive services where Medicare paid 80 percent of the cost, and then the person on Medicare would pick up the remaining 20 percent," Moos said. "But as a result of the Affordable Care Act, many of these preventive services became free to the senior."
Other free services include cancer screenings, colonoscopies, mammograms and other, similar screenings that can help find illness "at an early stage when it's most treatable," Moos said. Generic drugs get a bigger price break in the program's "doughnut hole," a coverage gap that starts after the Medicare recipient and the drug plan have spent a certain amount for covered drugs. In 2012, the initial coverage limit is $2,930. The "hole" closes after recipients spend a total of $4,700. "In the past, typically when someone falls into the doughnut hole, they have been responsible for the full price of their drugs," Moos said. "But again, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, that is changing." Starting last year, Medicare D patients got a 50 percent discount on covered name brand drugs, Moos said. While that stays the same this year, the discount on generic drugs bumped up to 14 percent in 2012, up from 7 percent last year. Monthly premiums for the part of Medicare that covers doctor visits and outpatient hospital services will increase for most people by $3.50, Moos said, making them $99.90 in 2012. "That's an out-of-pocket people pay attention to on a year-to-year basis," Moos said, noting that such premiums are typically deducted from Social Security checks.
Other changes for 2012 include:
The ability to assess hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and other health care providers via Medicare's new "Quality Care Finder" (www.Medicare.gov/QualityCareFinder). The improved online tool describes the quality of care at specific facilities, such as how well a hospital protects outpatients from surgical infections and what steps a home health agency takes to manage pain, treat wounds and keep patients safe, according to information from Moos. Certain doctors and hospitals now are working more closely with Medicare to help people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, get the care they need to stay out of the hospital. Part of that new program's goal is to stave off unneeded tests and procedures.
(Brian Bethel is a reporter for The Abilene Reporter-News in Texas
Copyright 2012 Scripps Howard, Inc.
All Rights Reserved


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Accountability Now
by TChris
Expect the White House to deflect any investigation that asks the questions posed today by Harry Reid:
In a letter to the Senate's Homeland Security Committee chairwoman, Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, pressed for a wide-ranging investigation and answers to several questions, including: "How much time did the president spend dealing with this emerging crisis while he was on vacation? Did the fact that he was outside of Washington, D.C., have any effect on the federal government's response?"
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Republican Sen. John McCain will use a Seattle visit today to pursue his aggressive courtship of the Christian right as he kicks off an eventual parade to this state of potential and actual 2008 presidential candidates.
After addressing a downtown luncheon co-sponsored by CityClub of Seattle and the Seattle World Affairs Council, the Arizona senator will meet privately with a small group that includes some of the state's most prominent opponents of abortion, gay rights and stem cell research. They will meet at Boeing Field before McCain departs the state.
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"More than any of the other candidates, I think (McCain) is making the right moves to reach the right people" in the conservative Christian community, said the Rev. Joe Fuiten, senior pastor of the Cedar Park Assembly of God Church in Bothell and head of the Positive Christian Agenda. Fuiten said he will attend.
McCain is the first 2008 presidential hopeful to visit this state as either a declared candidate or, in his case, a potential candidate who has established an exploratory committee.
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State Republican Chairman Luke Esser said McCain is the first GOP presidential contender to start building a campaign apparatus here, but operatives for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have also contacted him.
When McCain ran for the GOP nomination in 2000, his highest-profile backers here were moderate Republicans, including former Gov. Dan Evans and former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, who again is helping with McCain's local effort.
Fuiten's group has been lobbying in Olympia for legislation requiring parental notification for girls' abortions and against measures dealing with sex education in schools, domestic partnership rights and embryonic stem cell research.
McCain, a longtime opponent of abortion rights, said in South Carolina on Sunday that the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion "should be overturned."
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Other Christian-right leaders invited to meet with him here include a Fuiten ally, Gary Randall, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Network, which also has been lobbying for a conservative social agenda in Olympia, and the Rev. Wayne Perryman, a conservative black Seattle minister.
Perryman sued the national Democratic Party in 2005 to demand reparations for African Americans for the party's alleged past support of segregation and pre-Civil War slavery. A federal judge dismissed the suit, and a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal. Perryman recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
Fuiten, who helped recruit local Christian support for President Bush's 2004 re-election, said McCain "has been out recruiting people and working the social conservative community ... I think he's working at it because it's fairly important to the Republican nomination."
Social conservatives are a crucial voting bloc in the party's presidential primaries. They mostly backed Bush and spurned McCain in the 2000 primaries when the latter enjoyed a reputation as a maverick.
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This time, he has worked hard to woo the right. In 2000, he termed TV evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance" for impugning his "pro-life, pro-family, fiscal conservative" credentials. But last year he delivered the graduation address at Falwell's Liberty University.
Fuiten and Perryman said Kathy McDonald, a Vancouver, Wash., political consultant, asked them to meet with McCain. She helped 2006 Republican Senate candidate Mike McGavick court anti-abortion forces and other conservatives.
Heading McCain's effort in this state is Chris Fidler, a Seattle-based lobbyist with a Washington, D.C., firm. He also ran McCain's 2000 campaign here.
The World Affairs Council said the senator's speech at the Westin Seattle Hotel will address "topics of global relevance and the strength of the Puget Sound region internationally."
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McCain was criticized by liberal advocacy groups this week over a peripheral tie between his appearance and the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that advocates teaching "intelligent design" in public schools as a counter-theory to evolution.
Some critics of intelligent design called on McCain to cancel his appearance. The Discovery Institute, however, has a lesser role in the event than it has implied on its Web site, which says the institute is "pleased to co-present (McCain's appearance) with CityClub of Seattle and the Seattle World Affairs Council."
The council said it and CityClub are the "co-sponsors" in charge of the event. Council spokesman Hilbren Buys said the institute, one of 10 "co-presenters," is merely helping to promote it -- "sort of hopped on board and wanted this to happen. ... They put it on their Web site with a bit too much credit on their side."
A federal judge ruled in 2005 that a Pennsylvania school board's policy of teaching intelligent design was unconstitutional because the belief is a religious idea that advances "a particular version of Christianity."
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McCain has sent mixed signals about his position on intelligent design. Danny Diaz, a spokesman for the exploratory committee, said the senator "believes evolution is supported by science but that we shouldn't be afraid to expose students to other theories." Asked if that meant McCain favors allowing intelligent design to be taught in public schools, Diaz replied, "That's a fair assumption."
However, McCain was quoted by the Aspen (Colo.) Times last July telling an audience there, "I think Americans should be exposed to every point of view. I happen to believe in evolution ... I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not."


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Turbine Labs, the AI-powered executive intelligence platform that dramatically reduces executive information overload and media fatigue, announced the launch of its Thought Leadership Briefing product.
With information overload, misinformation, and media fatigue at all-time highs, audiences are seeking insights and inspiration from the organizations and institutions they trust. Original, authentic thought leadership content is well-suited to fill this need. However, executives and subject matter experts (SMEs) have struggled to consistently create high-quality content, not to mention measuring the ROI of their efforts. This is why most thought leadership campaigns fail after just six months.
Thought Leadership Briefing uses advanced AI technology to surface and match recent, reputable, and relevant news stories and influencer commentary with an organization's existing thought leadership content. And detailed engagement analytics offer teams the actionable insights they need to precisely measure the ROI of their thought leadership campaigns.
"In today's market, credibility is everything. With Thought Leadership Briefing, audiences not only receive the original content they're seeking, but the added benefit of high-quality media stories and influencer commentary that affirm and validate the thought leader's position," said Leigh Fatzinger, Founder and CEO of Turbine Labs. "The end product offers readers an entirely new way to experience thought leadership content, resulting in engagement that's a staggering 4-10 times greater than traditional email, blogs, or social posts," he said.
Thought Leadership Briefing is available from Turbine Labs, with a limited number of free product enhancements being offered to early customers through September 30. Thought Leadership Briefing is designed for organizations with audiences ranging from 50-50,000 stakeholders, subscribers, prospects, and media contacts, with a range of subscription price points to meet the needs of most organizational budgets.
About Turbine Labs
The way executives and decision-makers obtain critical information and insights to make vital decisions is broken. Turbine Labs uses patent-pending AI, natural language processing, and machine learning technologies to dramatically reduce information overload, misinformation risk, and media fatigue for decision-makers, executives, and policy makers. The company was founded in 2014, is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and is a 2020 winner of the esteemed Colorado Companies to Watch award. For more information, please visit www.turbinelabs.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921005819/en/
Lyceus Group
Tucker Slosburg


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My hallway 27" MagicMirror! (Sweden)
Wuz0ink last edited by Wuz0ink
So after a lot of research, I finally built my own mirror! I´m using a 27" Dell monitor, an RPI 3b+ and a google voice hat. For the glass, I bought the Pilkington MirroView and the frame was built by a carpenter!
It´s heavy AF so at the moment I have no pictures from the backside but I will edit that in the next time I take it down (usually for backing up the SD card).
I'm really happy with the outcome of this project, and also with the prospect of all the future hobby coding this will lead to. I´m currently testing out a bunch of different modules to find out what I like (and need).
CyruS1337 Project Sponsor last edited by
Great work, looks very nice !! Like it a lot.
bhepler Project Sponsor last edited by
Looks pretty sharp! Great job.
retroflex Project Sponsor Module Developer last edited by
Looks really nice!!
Tip: as a Swede with kids, you might be interested in my school lunch module: https://github.com/retroflex/MMM-Skolmaten
Wuz0ink last edited by
@retroflex said in My hallway 27" MagicMirror! (Sweden):
Yes I have it (tho not shown in the pictures) it's a great module
I´m currently looking into different options off hiding and showing different modules since I don´t wont to fill up the screen so that's why you can´t see it! At the moment I´m in the middle of installing MMM-AssistantMk2 and MMM-Hotword hoping this will solve the matter!
I´m also thinking of buying a motion sensor. It seems to be a good way to trigger events on the mirror!
Tip. Mmm-pages and a skywriter module at the side of the frame. Then you can use gestures to change the apperence. Will post a thread with my build when i got it on the wall
@retroflex I love it, thx
Hi @Wuz0ink
I really like the project, and the frame is…waoo!
Which Mirrorview glass did you took? normal one of 50/50 version one?
Wuz0ink last edited by
Hi @bolish
Thank you:smiling_face_with_open_mouth_smiling_eyes:
Yes i got the 50/50 version!
hey… do you any photos of the inside? frame looks good. Wanted to check the frame
great job


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Exercise during early pregnancy can prove to be vital to the pregnant women. It helps in providing them mental peace by soothing their soul and mind, which is the basic requisite of the body while preparing itself to adjust to the sudden hormonal and physical changes led by conception.
Benefits of exercise during pregnancy are not confined to that particular time frame only.
Such exercises have their positive effects on the body in the post delivery phase too. Benefits of exercise during pregnancy are directly associated with the development of the child as well.
Exercise during early pregnancy is a sure shot way to keep general problems associated with pregnancy at bay.
These problems are like headache, fatigue, insomnia and frequent vomiting in some cases.
Exercises and simple yoga for pregnant women
Various lifestyle originated habits and addictions give birth to certain other problems in life. Take the case of pregnancy, pregnant women if are addicted towards any kind of artificial source of comfort become prone pregnancy related problems.
Addictions like drinking, smoking, and drug addiction are too serious to handle and get rid off in a short period of time. These may lead to bleeding during pregnancy.
Exercises for pregnant women are designed to deal with such issues also. Infections in the body should be taken good care of from the conception of the child only.
Simple yoga for pregnancy also helps in embarking upon the ill effects lack of blood in body and gestation diabetes. Timely expert advice and medical supervision can help great deal in combating such serious issues, which endanger the life of the child and mother both.
Yoga DVDs for Pregnant Women
Safe exercises during pregnancy are very low impact in nature, which don't exert much pressure on the body but are very beneficial in maintaining, agility and flexibility in the body of the performer.
Such exercises can be learned through trainers and then can be performed individually at home as it doesn't require weights and extra exercising materials.
The information regarding best prenatal yoga can be accessed from various pregnancy fitness videos easily available in the markets.
These are designed by experts keeping in mind the genuine problems and expectations of the customer i.e. pregnant women's expectations from the product.
Yoga DVDs for pregnant women is a good way to make an individual understand the exact techniques to perform the exercises in the ideal way in the absence of the trainers.


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BOZEMAN — A lawsuit filed on behalf of Gallatin County against the Rocking R Bar in downtown Bozeman over adherence to emergency health orders was dismissed on Friday.
The suit was initially brought in response to the bar's alleged, repeated violations of a 10 p.m. closing time rule put in place by the Gallatin City-County Board of Health due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a signed order, Gallatin County District Court Judge Rienne McElyea said the case was now moot, "In light of actions of the Governor, the Board of Health, and the Health Officer."
The Board of Health voted unanimously on Thursday to extend closing time for bars and restaurants in Gallatin County to 2 a.m.


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City University is a public reaserch university formed under the Royal Charter in 1966.
It was founded as Newcastle Institute in 1894 and in 2001 merged with the Inns of Court School of Law, established in 1852, thus making it the odlest part of the university.
The University houses 40 departments which include The Inns of Court School of Law (Part of City Law College), Department of Journalism and CASS Business School.
The University ranks in the top 400 universities worldwide by both Times Higher Education Rankinsg and QS Rankings and is ranked in the top 100 of universities under 50 years old by Times Higher Education. CASS Business School is ranked in the top 3 bsuiness schools in the UK and 2nd in London. City University is a member of the Association of MBAs and the European Consortium of Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
Direct Entry is possible to City University, London, but we also have a range of pathway programmes for students who might not qualify. For more information, please visit City University, London.


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look who's talking
"The one thing I wish it had? A straw for chugging my iced coffee." The Kitchn
"The report by the civil society organisation, published this week, found that monitoring systems at so-called sustainable coffee plantations failed to spot irregularities." The Guardian
"As the girl carefully opens the top of the coffee pot, she won't allow herself to be disturbed by the millions of visitors who will come to see her," he said. The Guardian
"I was more of a cigarette-coffee breakfast," Michael Zee, the London-based mastermind behind the SymmetryBreakfast Instagram account, explains." Paper
"The second new product from Coffee Meets Bagel is Mixtape (makeamixtape.com).Using Spotify's public API, CMB's Mixtape lets users build out collaborative playlists with their dates." TechCrunch


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2010 Project Grant
2005 Project Grant
I have always been interested in how cells work individually and as a group - when and how changes occur and what triggers a response. These fundamental questions piqued my curiosity many years (decades) ago and I am still curious.
To provide advice to couples on limiting exposure to compounds to assist in fertility and if necessary to provide counteracting agents to the detrimental things people consume.
Dr Roman is a member of the Reproductive Science group at the University of Newcastle and leads an original research program that is focused on understanding Male Germ Cell Development. This personal niche complements existing research programs in male germ function and ovarian biology within the group.
Male germ cell development represents a strategically important subprogram of the UON's Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science and chemical targeting of these cells is an equally important subprogram of the PRC for Chemical Biology.
Dr Roman's team is also currently addressing the detrimental affect of acrylamide (consumed in food) on male germ cells. They are examining both the consequences of damaging the male germ line and also finding ways to alleviate these effects. Dr Roman also contributes significant expertise in molecular biology to all programs within the Reproductive Science Group.
In total Dr Roman has published 2 book chapters and 33 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has been a Chief Investigator on over $17 million of competitive research income and $1.5 million of equipment grants. Along with Laureate Professor John Aitken and Professor Eileen McLaughlin, Dr Roman holds a patent for the tools for germ cell ablation. He has supervised 11 research higher degree (PhD and Masters) students and 17 Honours students. His students have won awards for their presentations, including at international conferences, and several have been awarded prestigious University or Faculty medals.
My group has a pipeline whereby we can examine a compound's affect on an enzyme or isolated male sperm precursor cells. We have unique models for both acute and chronic exposure to detrimental compounds and the tools to asses the consequences. We can therefore take a compound through to long-term studies mimicking human exposure.


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[tentblogger-vimeo 48769359]In July of 2012, thirteen undergraduate students from Knox College embarked on a 15-day wilderness expedition into the wilds of Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest. The trip was part of a semester long course entitled "Alaska: Forest, Fisheries, and the Politics of Wilderness". The course entailed an in-depth study of the history of natural resource management in Southeast Alaska. The first part of the course took place on the Knox College campus in Galesburg, IL with a thorough exploration of the literature regarding natural resource extraction in Southeast Alaska. This classroom based study of Alaskan resource management was complimented with a 15-day field expedition to the region the following summer. This was the "hands on" component to what they had learned in the classroom.
The students arrived in Sitka, Alaska on June 27th, 2012. After a few days of preparation they embarked on a 100 mile kayaking expedition guided by Latitude Adventures, a local kayak guiding operation. For many of these students, this was their first experience camping, not to mention their first experiences in the great Alaskan wilderness. After ten days on the water, exploring the intertidal zone, watching bears, eagles, and whales; the students arrive at False Island on Chichagof Island. There the students then spent five days working side by side with the United States Forest Service restoring salmon streams that had been degraded by industrial logging. They also had the opportunity to participate in a variety of scientific surveys aimed at understanding the complexities of young growth forests.
This expedition was so unique because it allowed the students to experience the places that they had learned about in the classroom, first hand. For many, this was a trip of a lifetime.
Opportunities like Knox College's course are available for colleges and universities throughout the nation. It is the goal of the Sitka Conservation Society and the Sitka Sound Science Center to connect courses like these with our local assets. We can connect you and your students with our local experts, guides, interpreters, and organizations to facilitate your course's Alaskan education.


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Product Description
A perfectly pretty bounce for those little princesses that want to have a tea party or girly birthday. With pastels, butterflies and lots and lots of flowers, you will be the talk of the town – Girl Talk that is. This unit has 1 blower that requires a regular 110V household outlet to operate. If you do not have power available, Fun Source rents generators to give you power but these are not included in the price of the unit.


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Senior executives may regard legacy systems as a necessary (and costly) evil for archiving purposes. But the reality is that in the era of Big Data, these older data stores, systems of record and applications are a valuable source of insight and, indeed, are often the cog in the wheel for many of the newer applications. As these systems remain active service, they will need a reasonable level of support to protect them – and IBM is no longer the company to be providing it. When business agility, data transformation and quality of customer service rely on speed, you need a support partner who can respond quickly.
When speed of business is crucial to establishing a competitive advantage, many senior decision makers assume that legacy IT equipment has no role to play in their strategy. Surveys show that most decision makers believe that legacy systems are actually preventing them from making digital advances.
For the CFO, the case is even more clear cut. Legacy systems are expensive to run – at least under the traditional model – and should be replaced. For example, when Cloud analysts publish average annual costs of legacy storage without any kind of context, it is even harder to justify keeping older systems in place.
You can't just dump legacy systems
But in the era of Big Data, legacy applications do still have an important role to play. Collecting data is not difficult, but making sense of it is. Historical data is often crucial to providing the context required for creating actionable insights. If that contextual information is held on legacy systems, they are actually a vital aspect of your Big Data program.
This creates a paradox – the "evidence" decision makers see in the press suggests that legacy applications cost more to run than new systems. But they also know that new software cost a fortune, especially once you factor in the consultancy costs of a major migration away from those legacy platforms.
As your business begins applying Big Data insights, the value and importance of legacy applications actually increases. So what are the options moving forwards?
Cloud – not the magic bullet promised
Cloud platforms can plug many gaps in the corporate IT environment, but they fail consistently on one key factor – speed. The off-site nature of hosted architecture means that latency is built into every single transaction as information requests pass over the Internet.
When dealing with vast datasets in real time, the Cloud simply cannot compete with the local data center – at least not in a cost-effective way. The reality is that the Cloud is not always a suitable replacement for expensive legacy applications and databases.
A major upgrade program
Most CTOs would give anything to rebuild in-house systems from scratch, but the cost of doing so is prohibitive. Even a basic upgrade program is extremely expensive – there's the cost of the physical hardware, new software licenses, maintenance and support contracts, and the consultants to plan and carry out the data transfer process.
Can it be done? Absolutely. But how long will it take to realise a return on investment that exceeds the cost of leaving the existing legacy platforms in place?
Third-party maintenance – an alternative cost saving option
One of the largest costs associated with legacy applications is actually the annual IBM support and maintenance contract. As the data held in these older systems increases in value, the option of simply cancelling contracts is taken off the table – they will inevitably require expert assistance eventually.
To further complicate matters, IBM cannot deliver the service you expect. With Big Data algorithms increasing the importance of almost every data store you own, responsive support is us as important for legacy systems as it is your front-line applications. Which opens the possibility of third-party support and maintenance for your legacy IBM software.
Choosing to partner with independent third-party providers like Origina can solve several of these Big Data related problems though. For a start, the team is made up of ex-IBM engineers, skilled in the legacy software that Big Blue can't actually support themselves anymore. Secondly, third-party maintenance contracts are typically 50% or less of the same agreement with IBM. Thirdly, customer issues are responded to (and fixed) quicker.
You can have your cake and eat it
Simply dumping legacy IBM software is not a viable option in the age of Big Data. Nor is a wholesale upgrade and migration to newer platforms.
But with the assistance of a third-party maintenance provider, you can keep legacy systems in place and avoid the cost and resource issues used by OEMs to sell more new gear. Learn more about your legacy software in the age of Big Data and to see how Origina can help, please get in touch.


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Microsoft said Tuesday that the company will roll out a 1.2 version of its "Games for Windows Live" service in November.
The GfW Live service — the PC analogue to its "Xbox Live" service for the company's Xbox and Xbox 360 game consoles — was updated to version 1.1 this month.
The new version will add: "numerous end-user benefits to the service, such as support for offline Achievements, so gamers can continue to rack up Gamerscore when not connected to the internet, the ability to see whether your friends are "joinable" in games, along with additional UI features," according to Microsoft's grammatically challenged press release.
Five games will support the service: "The Club" (SEGA), "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" (Eidos), "Universe at War: Earth Assault" (SEGA), "Gears of War" (Microsoft Game Studios), and "Viva Piñata" (Microsoft Game Studios).
The current GfW Live 1.1 version added support for five new languages (Russian, Polish, Czech, Norwegian and Dutch), the addition of 12 new gamer pics and a new Network Information Viewer to provide a simpler way to troubleshoot connectivity issues.
That didn't satisfy ET's Loyd Case. "Adding offline achievements and Windows XP support are nice,' he emailed me. "If they can fix all the logon and signup problems people have been having, that might actually make Games for Windows Live usable. I still know of some people who can't log on and play Shadowrun."


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GM Diminished Value Lawsuits
General Motors (GM) has recalled millions of vehicles, however, their largest recall to date remains the 8.4 million vehicles recalled due to a defective ignition switch.
Millions of vehicle owners are now dealing with the fallout of the GM ignition switch defects, many of whom are unable to sell their vehicles, even after the defect has been repaired.
Gordon & Partners is investigating potential GM diminished value claims on behalf of consumers who believe their vehicle's value has been depreciated. If you or a love one has been affected by the GM recalls, contact our law firm to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.
Call 1 (855) 722-2552 or fill out a contact form.
What is Diminished Value?
Diminished value is defined as loss of a vehicle's value after it has been repaired due to a defect or auto accident.
A GM diminished value claim may be made if the claimant believes that a purchaser will not pay as much for a car that has been recalled and repaired than they would for a similar vehicle that has not been repaired.
If you are unsure if your vehicle has been affected, our highly trained attorneys can help you determine if you are entitled to file a GM diminished value claim. Your initial consultation is free and we only get paid if we obtain a successful verdict or settlement.
CHAT LIVE with a representative to schedule a consultation.
Recalled GM Vehicles Lose Resale Value
Following the recall announcement, GM issued a statement saying they would be giving owners of the recalled vehicles a $500 rebate to purchase or lease a new GM vehicle. However, many consumers simply wanted to sell back their vehicles and not purchase or lease another GM model.
Consumers are claiming their vehicles have lost up to $2,600 in resale value. Those who purchased the recalled vehicles claim that they would have never purchased or leased a GM vehicle if the company had not concealed the defects.
Visit our ignition switch recall page for the full list of vehicles impacted by the recall.
Contact our Defective Product Lawyers for Help
If you or a loved one purchased a GM vehicle that was affected by the ignition switch defect, you may be entitled to file a GM diminished value claim. Even if your vehicle was not involved in an accident, you may have difficulty selling your vehicle after it has been repaired.
The GM diminished value claim lawyers at Gordon & Partners understand how difficult it can be to determine if your vehicle's value has been depreciated. We can work with appraisers to determine if you may be entitled to file a claim and will fight on your behalf for full and fair compensation.
To find out how we can help you with your claim, contact us online via live chat or fill out the free case evaluation.
You can also contact us immediately at 1 (855) 722-2552 to schedule a FREE case review.


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The great positive reception and immense popularity of the Call of Duty series has fueled their spreading over several different platforms – the Nintendo DS representing the mobile ones. Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the third installment in the mobile CoD series, and in the spirit of the previous games aims to recreate the feeling of its "larger" counterpart for the PC and consoles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
At first glance, the interface seems very similar to that of the previous two games, with the top screen showing your player's view, and the bottom displaying a radar and your HUD. After looking around for a few seconds though, you'll notice that it has been refined and greatly improved, with some of the useless elements removed, making way for a clearer weapons display and a more diverse radar (which isn't limited to one type of figure anymore). As in the computer game, you can control airborne spy drones, as well as the almighty AC-130, the scary-looking gunship that gets everyone to duck behind cover when you're playing MW2 online.
You'll no longer be fighting against enemies whose actions are no more intelligent than those of a dummy (as was the case with the previous two games). Instead of standing in one place and stubbornly taking your fire while doing their best to hit you, your adversaries will now surprise you with tactics like taking cover and using it to move around and flank you, using grenades to flush you out (something which you'll soon grow to hate), as well as rushing at you with all they've got when they sense you're close to death. Really, if you're familiar with the last two games and you feel you're good, forget everything you've learned.
Graphics and System Requirements
Modern Warfare: Mobilized looks okay for an NDS shooter. The actual gameplay screen is completely clean of any obstructions, and you only see your weapon and the world around you. The enemies have been animated well, and when they throw themselves behind cover the sequences look very well-done. We mentioned the interface has been cleaned up – you'll surely enjoy the new style of the radar, though it still lacks an overlay of the map itself, which would've helped tremendously with navigation for newer players.
Online multiplayer is fully supported by Modern Warfare: Mobilized, and up to six players can play together in several types of game modes, such as "survival", where you're allied with the other players in a small fortress-like setting, trying to last as long as you can against oncoming waves of enemies, or "arcade", where you'll be playing cooperatively trying to beat the single player levels on a clock.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the definite mobile first person shooter experience, and the best alternative to the computer/console game you're going to get. If you've got friends with NDS consoles of their own, you're going to have a blast playing this online with them.


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PureBond Idea Team Projects
This pristine X Base End Table project was created by Simply Lovely Lumber utilizing our North American-made, Maple PureBond hardwood plywood in the construction that was purchased locally at The Home Depot. Stephanie, the creative mind behind Simple Lovely Lumber got a project assist by way of Ana White for consultation and plans and as you can see the result was fabulous and done a low cost to boot! For project details, plans and more detailed how-to, click here!


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A home inherited by the grandparents, due to the many beautiful memories from it, children and grandchildren, who wanted to honor their memory, decided to bring it back to life. Thus, their vision for a beautiful, nostalgic corner in their village, became a reality through Arsorama.
Their intention was to provide their visitors with quality, beauty comfort, luxury, friendliness but at the same a hint of tradition, creating an agro tourism option close to the central square of the village. Arsorama, consists of 4 independent apartments which are all connected by a large internal stone paved garden. The 4 apartments can comfortably host 1 – 6 persons (depending on the apartment), providing a fully equipped
Part of the garden, with a beautiful stone built arch has been converted into a sitting, communal area for our visitors, where they can enjoy themselves watching TV or playing board games. Years ago, the garden was a meeting place of many of the ladies of the village where they would chat and embroider together, like a traditional coffee shop for women. So, this common room still serves as a meeting place, like in the old times.
The couple of grandparents, who were much loved in the village, now live through these houses, which have their names. Thus, apart from the traditional architecture, the wooden doors and windows, the old, steel beds, the wood oven and the fountains in the yard, the names of the apartments stress out the nostalgic feel of this complex.
Arsos, at a mere 40-minute drive from Limassol, with the picturesque alleys, the traditional taverns and coffee shops and the amazing nature, is an ideal destination for every season, with breezy summers, mild winters and unique images at any time.
The guests can use the outdoors grill and prepare their meals in the yard, while each of the apartments has the basic amenities for hot beverages. Arsorama Arsorama also provides a fully equipped conference room for all types of seminars and conferences.
Address: 2-4, Kostenas Stree (Central Square of St Philippos), 4470 Arsos, Limassol
Contact numbers: 25 817 000 / 97 889 999
Fax: 25 736 550
Email: [email protected]
Website: Arsorama
Facebook: Arsorama Village Homes
Instagram: Arsorama
TripAdvisor: Arsorama Village Homes


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Recently we had a new patient mention that they enjoyed our dental practice and the service they received, but felt like we took more x-rays and intraoral pictures then they had in the past. This got us thinking that may be other patients share this feeling, so we felt it was important to take some time to explain why we do what we do.
As trained dental professionals we know how essential x-rays and intraoral pictures are to making an educated diagnosis. Through x-rays we can see your bone, roots, in-between the teeth and also detect any possible abnormalities such as oral cancers or blocked arteries depending on the x-ray we take. In order to know what is going on in areas we can't see with the human eye we need these images to best serve the needs of our patients.
So what type of x-rays can you expect to receive at Dentistry by Design and how often? That depends on if you are a current or new patient. We follow the ADA recommendations for x-rays and as an existing patient at our Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay or Algoma practice it is recommended to have the following.
Bitewings are taken yearly and are the small tabs that you bite on that holds the x-ray film in place. These x-rays help us see between the teeth and catch possible issues in areas that may not be detected by a general oral exam.
FMX, otherwise known as a full mouth series, is also a type of x-ray you can expect to receive every 5 years depending on the patient. An FMX consists of 18 different pictures of your teeth achieved by biting down on films that are placed inside your mouth similar to the bitewings.
Panorex (Pan), which is a Panoramic x-ray, is also done every 5 years depending on the patient. This involves biting down on a straw-like appliance while a scanner rotates around your head taking one image. Should you need to see us for a dental emergency it is our protocol to take another Pan of the affected area to identify the source of the problem, but this is case specific.
In some cases we will also take pictures of your teeth with our intraoral camera. This is a tool that our dentist can maneuver inside your mouth to get different angled images of your teeth and gums. These images are displayed during an appointment on a monitor screen in either the exam room or consult room for our patients to see. This comes in extra helpful when showing a crack in a tooth or separation between a filling and tooth. It is also helpful to show before and after's of restoration procedures like changing out a metal amalgam filling to composite resin filling (tooth colored).
For new patients x-rays can be transferred upon their request from a previous dentist to our office. If they are good quality and have been taken in the past 5 years, chances are we won't need to take them again. However, if we feel they aren't the quality we need we will take new ones to get a clear picture of the current state of your oral health. For new patients that require updated imaging, they will receive an FMX and a Pan as part of our new patient special and going forward be under the recommendations listed above as a Dentistry by Design patient.
When talking about x-rays people understandably want to know how much radiation they will be subjected to. To give you an idea, according to the American Dental Association, a FMX full mouth series is equivalent to a couple days of environmental radiation exposure. To reduce exposure even more we use a lead apron and sometimes a lead thyroid collar. A great resource on this can be found on the ADA website https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/x-rays .
We hope this article provides clarity on the use of x-rays at our Dentistry by Design practices. Remember not everyone's needs are the same when it comes to your oral health so x-ray frequency, recall frequency, and the like, may differ.


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Where did the name Changing Willows come from?
To get to know each other a bit better, I thought I would share the background of the company name 'Changing Willows' and its logo.
All life is precious. While I cherish this lifetime, I also believe I have been here before and will likely be back again. Following that philosophy, while I'm a born and bred Aussie this time around, I know I have a strong connection to Native American culture. If I hear native drumming I am almost instantly transported somewhere else. My feet want to move and it's all I can do to stop myself chanting.
Willow is used as a clan symbol in some Native American cultures. Tribes with Willow Clans include the Hope tribe, the Navajo, the Apache and the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.
Willow has medicinal properties. Willow tree bark contains salicylic acid, a basic ingredient of modern-day aspirin that is still in use today. In the past, people chewed the bark of the willow tree to treat fever, inflammation, and pain.
In my work, I blend scientific strategies with intuition and am often guided by spirit or given information from spirit to pass onto clients. The willow tree was also believed to be a bridge between this world and others so fits perfectly with my working style.
As a young child, I remember playing under and climbing my favourite tree in the front yard where we lived. You guessed it, a willow tree. A few years later, as a teenager with a surname of Wilson, one of my nicknames at school was – Willow.
When I first considered a company name I was not consciously aware of any of this information. Over a number of weeks, this 'willow' information kept being bought to my attention until it was clear that the word willow was significant and should be used.
The world is changing. We are changing. So many people are experiencing discontent and a sense of disconnection. Helping people make a change, reconnect with their true nature and experience more joy in their life is my purpose. It's what I love to do.
And there you have it, combine changing with willows and the name 'Changing Willows' was born.
The logo is simple but full of symbology. The colours are significant. Green is the colour of healing, harmony, balance, learning and growth. Green is also the colour of the heart chakra (energy centre in the body). The heart chakra is the central point in our body that connects our earthly existence with our eternal essence.
Purple represents wisdom, power and spirituality. Purple is the colour of the crown chakra at the top of your head. It represents a connection to the collective consciousness, knowledge and understanding. The heart shape represents my philosophy that true happiness is found in living a heart centred life.
So the logo shows a person who is coming from their heart. As they move forward in harmony and balance they learn, grow and shift from green to purple as they gain the wisdom and power that comes from embracing their connection with spirit.
I hope you enjoyed a behind the scenes look at the naming of the site. Now that you know a bit more about me, I look forward to the chance to meet and help you move forward on your journey.


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I'm back to civilization with our tapes and gear and sitting in an edit room… Never the fun part of our business, but sometimes the most important.
It would seem too that it was unfortunate we had to pull out as Pam had quite the experience – with 4 to 6 squatches late into the night!!
But we've got a lot of great stuff, so be sure to TUNE IN ON FOX AND FRIENDS TOMORROW at 0835a ET to find out more!!!


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PT tries to play the new Friday the 13th video game. The keyword being "tries."
Month: May 2017
My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Vacation
Did I mention that I'm not a big fan of corn? I officially declare this as one of the first reasons that I hated my vacation. The minute our plane's wheels touched the ground, it was everywhere! They even had plush versions of the stuff in the airport gift shop. It was an ominous start.
Goodnight Punpun Vol 1. – Coming of Age as a Bird
It's been a while, but I got more random writings than you can shake a stick at!


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Lung Transplant: How Heather, an IPF Patient, Got Her Transplant
Meet Heather Cronin. Heather is an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patient who faced a huge turn in her life when she was first diagnosed. In this video, shared by University of Maryland Medical Center, Heather talks about how IPF has affected her life, at the same time as Dr. Aldo Iacono, MD, Professor, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University Of Maryland, discusses how a new and special protocol was extremely helpful to make it possible for Heather to get a lung transplant quickly.
Learn more about pulmonary fibrosis: http://bit.ly/1VElTQA
Pulmonary Fibrosis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.


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Discount the Parts or the Whole?
When selling things that go together, should the company offer discounts on the individual parts or the whole shebang? Which approach brings more attention to the price reduction? How does it depend on the nature of the things that go together? And, does the attention translate into sales? Sourav Ray, Charles A. Wood, and Paul R. Messinger examined these questions across 650,000 daily price listings and through customer and manager surveys in a recent Journal of Marketing article. Their results have broad price-management implications for many manufacturers and systems solutions providers in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.
Multicomponent Systems
Specifically, Ray et al. examined price reductions on multicomponent systems. Multicomponent systems are composed of products that work together to enable the whole system to function, yet the products are usually priced individually. For example, a laptop computing system might contain a laptop, monitor, printer, back-up drive, docking station, and other peripherals. Similarly, a camera system might contain a lens, flash, and camera body. Hair-washing products could even be called a multiple component system since consumers often purchase shampoo in combination with conditioner.
Multicomponent systems can be classified into two categories—tightly coupled systems and loosely coupled systems. Tightly coupled systems are products which offer only limited component-level choice to the customer. For example, a Canon camera body may work best with Canon lenses, and therefore cameras would be classified as a tightly coupled multicomponent system. In contrast, loosely coupled systems offer greater component-level choice to the customer operationally. For example, a Dell desktop computer works equally well with a Dell, Acer, LG, Samsung, Apple, or HP Monitor, making computers classified as a loosely coupled multicomponent system. A short list of potential examples can be found in the table below into which we encourage executives to categorize their own offerings as appropriate.
Price Reductions and Multicomponent Systems
Deep price reductions generally generate more customers than shallow discounts, but the increased sales volume might be at the cost of lost profits. In contrast, small price reductions might preserve profit margins but not be appreciated by customers, resulting in negligible sales volume impact.
Multicomponent systems pricing provides a strategic method for managing price reductions. Generally speaking, customers tend to be always attracted by deep price reduction, but what about small price reductions? Ray et al. demonstrated that customers have different responses to small price reductions depending on the coupling within the multicomponent system: tightly or loosely. These observations led to an understanding of how to maximize the attention with the smallest reduction.
For products in tightly coupled systems, Ray et al. showed that small price reductions on the entire system are both more common and generate larger customer attention than similarly sized price reductions on components.
In contrast, for products in loosely coupled systems, Ray et al. showed that small price reductions on the individual components are both more common and generate larger customer attention than similarly small reductions on the entire system.
Thus, managers of multicomponent systems are encouraged to first evaluate whether they are offering tightly or loosely coupled systems, and then offer shallow discounts on either the entire system or on individual components, respectively.
Impact in Tightly Coupled Systems
The following graphs help to explain the concept more vividly. The two lines represent the relationship between price capture and customer attention. In the tightly coupled markets, as a price drops, customers of both system and components start to pay attention to the change. However, if the prices for these two categories of products go down at the same level, the customer attention of system will be larger for system price reductions than that for component price reductions. Therefore, when setting discount policy for tightly coupled multicomponent systems, managers may want to start by applying shallow discounts at the entire system level.
Let's return to our previous example of the tightly coupled model: cameras. When a customer purchases a new camera system, she typically buys a set that includes a body and lens. Those components are tightly related with each other since the entire camera does not work with any absence of single part. Thus, the price manager of cameras is suggested to provide smaller discounts on the system than for every single component within the system. For the camera market researched by Ray et al., system price reductions are 13% smaller than component price reductions since the discount level has already attracted enough customers.
Impact in Loosely Coupled Systems
For loosely coupled systems, the price-attention curve performs the inverse situation. In these markets, prices of two products are decreased at the same level while customers pay more attention to the change of components price illustrated by the higher percentage of quantity increased. Only when deep reductions are applied to a system packaged in bundle format do customers start to realize the significance of the discount. However, deep reductions in component prices may not have a significant marginal impact on attention because small reductions have already generated sufficient attention.
Under this product category, managers of computers and monitors are recommended to present smaller discounts on the components than for systems since demand for components is more elastic and customers can more readily perceive the value of price reduction for systems.
Why Multicomponent System Pricing is Useful
So should you discount the parts or the whole? Ray et al.'s research indicates it depends on how highly coupled the components are.
For loosely coupled systems, small discount in components should lead to a larger customer response than a comparable discount on the system. In tightly coupled systems, a small discount on the entire system will typically lead to a larger customer response than a comparable discount on the parts. But does this increase in attention paid by customers lead to sales, and, most importantly, which approach is the most profitable? That will require more research and analysis, but at least we know where to start looking.
- Ray, Sourav, Wood, Charles A. & Messinger, Paul R. 2012, Multicomponent Systems Pricing: Rational Inattention and Downward Rigidities, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 76, No. 5, pp.1-17
1 Comment
This is a great article that you can take and work with what you have discovered. Thank you for sharing.


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Universalists do not necessarily deny Gehenna. Thomas Talbott is case in point. He believes that it is possible for human beings to reject God. Those who die in their rejection will find themselves in a post-mortem condition of suffering. We can describe this condition in various ways, but the one constant is suffering. To obdurately rebuff the mercy of God is to bring upon oneself judgment, privation, and misery. So far, Talbott stands in agreement with Jerry Walls. But Talbott then goes on to argue that perditional suffering will inevitably demolish all the delusions and false reasonings that make hell seem more attractive than heaven. All God needs to do is allow the damned to experience the spiritual and psychological consequences of their rejection; all he needs to do is to give them what they believe they want. Reality will do the rest.
Talbott directs us to the lake of fire in the Book of Revelation. He plausibly suggests that this lake of fire symbolizes the holy presence of God. The repentant experience this presence as refreshment, healing, purification, sanctification; the impenitent as torment and misery. Walls advances a similar interpretation: "Fire in the Bible is a common image for the presence of God, not his absence. But his presence is experienced very differently by those who are rightly related to him, as opposed to those who are not" (Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, p. 85). Walls quotes New Testament scholar Robert Muholland:
If, as John says, those in hell are in fire in the presence of the Lamb (Rev. 14:10), who in the vision is seated on the throne with God (7:17), and the Water of Life flows from the throne (22:1), then both the fire image and the water image are linked to the throne. (p. 86)
(Eastern Orthodox readers are no doubt thinking, "What took them so long? It's the River of Fire!")
But unlike Walls, Talbott believes that the damned will experience their condition as intolerable, unbearable, unendurable. Each person will reach his breaking point. Following upon the vision of George MacDonald, Talbott conjectures that God might even allow the damned to experience existence absent his presence, love, and blessing. No human being can survive the horror of this nothingness:
No matter how tenaciously some sinners might pursue a life apart from God and resist his loving purpose for their lives, God has, as a sort of last resort, a sure-fire way of shattering the illusions that make their rebellion possible in the first place. To do so, he need only honor their own free choices and permit them to experience the very life they have confusedly chosen. When, as a last resort, God allows a sinner to live without even an implicit experience of the divine nature, the resulting horror will at last shatter any illusion that some good is achievable apart from God; it will finally elicit, therefore, a cry for help of a kind that, however faint, is just what God needs in order to begin and eventually to complete the process of reconciliation. (The Inescapable Love of God, p. 189)
By hook or by crook, the damned will reach that point when they can no longer sustain their false beliefs and delusions. Talbott is even so bold as to assert that final reconciliation of all sinners to God will necessarily occur.
Walls advances a strong objection to the Talbottian thesis: repentance under the condition of unbearable suffering can be neither free nor sincere. "We can only absorb so much pain," he explains, "so if hell forcibly imposes ever-greater suffering, no one could resist forever. … Our freedom can only bear so much pressure in this regard. At some point, if the pain is simply too intense, we would be forced to either give in or die" (HHP, p. 78-79). But of course the damned cannot die; escape is impossible. Having run out of options, what choice do they have but to beg their Creator for mercy? In his book Hell, Walls compares the eschatological experience of unendurable suffering to a form of judicial torture designed to exact a plea or confession. Given the excruciating pain, the victim must eventually break and confess his alleged crimes; but the confession will be neither freely given nor credible testimony. Similarly, how likely is it that repentance expressed under conditions of gehennic duress will represent authentic contrition and conversion? People will say or do anything to escape torture. "Repentance that is compelled in this way is not true repentance" (HHP, p. 79). But what of the possibility that this suffering might bring about salvific insight? God would neither cause nor allow it, argues Walls:
Now I am inclined to agree with Talbott that universalism follows if we grant his claim that no illusion can endure forever. But if he is correct in his account of why this is so, then it is apparent that God forces some persons to give up their sinful illusions. For if God causes those persons who continue to rebel against him to grow ever more miserable and tormented, then it seems that God is imposing on those persons the clear knowledge that he is the source of happiness, and sin the cause of misery. No one can avoid this knowledge for the simple reason that no finite being can continue endlessly to choose greater and greater misery for himself. So in the end, the knowledge which makes impossible the choice of damnation is not acquired through free choice, but is itself impossible to avoid. (Hell, p. 132)
Walls, however, fails to clearly distinguish between a suffering that has been externally imposed and a suffering that comes as an intrinsic consequence of one's choices and actions. Consider an alcoholic whose drinking is progressively destroying his life. He may be aware of the destruction he is causing to himself and others, yet he continues to drink regardless—such is the enslaving power of his self-denial and delusion. How is such a person to be helped? Conventional answer: either by allowing him to hit bottom on his own (as the folks at AA like to say) or by inducing an artificial bottom through intervention. In both cases, suffering plays a key part. It is through his suffering (the more intense the better) that the alcoholic becomes open to the truth of his situation. The pain is not externally imposed upon him as a punishment: it is a natural consequence of his drinking. And without this misery, he would probably neither seek nor submit to treatment. This is why organizations like Al-Anon repeatedly tell the friends and family of alcoholics not to protect the alcoholic from the consequences of their drinking. They call it enabling.
Sin brings with it its own punishment. We may, therefore, speak of a suffering that is, as Karl Rahner puts it, "the connatural, intrinsic consequence of sin"—and if an intrinsic consequence, then divinely ordained:
The punishment of sin, in this sense, appears as the penalty inflicted by God as guardian of the moral order, since the hurtful structures of man and his world which sin inevitably sets in motion are created by God and hence are objectivations and expressions of his holy will. God "punishes" through the good world which he created and whose structures he still upholds when they are abused by finite freedom in an evil act. Since the creature cannot abolish them, they operate to cause pain through the objectivations of sin. … This enables us to understand the difference between "medicinal" and "vindictive" punishment, which again is not to be visualized along the lines of the penal law in force in the State. Every hurtful reaction of reality (in man and his world) to a wrong decision as it affects this reality is of itself a summons to "conversion", to a better decision, more objective and humane, and has therefore a "medicinal" character. Because an expression of the holy will of God, it also has a "vindictive" (retributive) character, which does not of course mean that it must be understood as the angry reaction of a will imposing law merely extrinsically and adding punishments of an extrinsic type. The holy will of God which reacts retributively is the will which creates a good world and sustains it in its objective goodness. Punishment loses its medicinal character (in its effect, not in its essence) insofar as it is confronted with refusal by the free agent, either provisionally or finally through definitive obduracy. (Encyclopedia of Theology, pp. 1587-1588)
Rahner's argument does not directly address Walls's concern that excessive suffering destroys freedom, but it helps us to see how one might speak of this suffering as a divine punishment that is not an externally-imposed form of torture.
In his earlier volume Walls describes the traditional vision of hell as entailing "a depth of despair and dismay that is beyond anything we can imagine," "an unbearable agony and torment which must, nevertheless, be borne" (Hell, pp. 146, 147). But he rejects this vision as inconsistent with hell itself, for if it were as horrific as Dante and Jonathan Edwards depict, no one would freely choose to remain there (p. 153). In other words, Walls is compelled by his particular model of perdition, namely, the choice model, to mitigate the gehennic misery. Only by such mitigation can he explain why the damned refuse to repent. Walls then goes on to propose that hell must have its own perverted pleasures:
No one who choses to remain in bitterness, resentment, and alienation from those who love him or her is truly happy. And yet bitterness and resentment do offer a certain form of pleasure, twisted though it is. Those who cling to such pleasure may do so with a sense of triumph, illusory as it is, even as they defiantly lock and doors of hell from the inside, thereby remaining "in one sense, successful rebels to the end" [C. S. Lewis]. … Generally speaking, the reason hell can be freely chosen is that it is a distorted mirror image of heaven. There is no righteousness or holiness in hell, but it does offer the alternative of self-righteousness. If offers no real joy or happiness, but it does offer the deformed sense of satisfaction from holding on to bitterness, resentment, and hurt. There is no real fulfillment, but it does offer the illusory triumph of getting one's way, self-destructive though it is.
Hell is an empty shell of which heaven is the pulsating, vibrant reality. But the shell is not without its pleasures, miserable though they are. (HHP, pp. 89-90)
Hell as a "distorted mirror image of heaven"? The image that immediately comes to mind is a cheap, dilapidated motel on the bad side of town. The beds are full of lice, the linens haven't been washed in ages, the desk clerk is rude, and the couple in the next room keep you up all night with their sexual frolicking. But since you can't afford The Homestead, it's better than sleeping in the gutter. At least the black & white TV works. And if you close your eyes and ignore the stench, perhaps you might even persuade yourself that you are staying at the Ritz … well … maybe the Holiday Inn.
The Gehenna of Jerry Walls is a far cry from the furnace of fire of which our Savior speaks, where "men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Matt 14:50).
Now let's come back to Tom Talbott's controversial claim: the afflictions experienced in hell will inevitably break down all false beliefs and delusions, thus liberating the damned to recognize the fundamental truth of their creaturely existence–namely, God wills for them the happiness they truly seek. The question thus becomes: Does the unbearable torment of hell violate the freedom of the damned … or does it restore it?
(Go to "The Necessity of Purgatory")
[Readers will have observed that I have referred to Walls's earlier book Hell: The Logic of Damnation, published in 1991, to elaborate his arguments advanced in Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. I am assuming a continuity between the two books. If this assumption is incorrect, please let me know.]


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By: Jolene Nicotina on March 7th, 2019
From Transactional to Transformational HR: Avis Budget Group
HR Shared Services | Digital Transformation
Est. Read Time: 3 min.
In 2015, the HR department at Avis Budget group embarked on a major transformation journey. Among globalizing their operations and implementing a core HR system, they set up shared service centers. The goal was to free up their HR resources in the field so they could spend less time on administrative work and more time on strategic initiatives and employee engagement. This kind of shift is the cornerstone of transformational HR.
In this video, hear from Sherry Knaszak, VP of HR Transformation and HRIS, Avis Budget Group, on why she chose PeopleDoc's technology to get the shared service centers functional.
Giving employees direct access to information
Moving administrative HR work out of the business units and into a shared service center required Avis Budget Group to implement a tiered support model where employees could self-serve and then submit a case to HR if needed. For this to happen, "We needed a case management system and a way for employees to access information directly, without having to go to their local HR person," says Sherry.
It comes down to honesty
Sherry did a thorough search for a vendor that could provide the functionalities she needed. "Going through this transformation, I was dealing with a lot of vendors, a lot of consultants on a really regular basis. People would tell you what they thought you wanted to hear versus what was actually true," she explains.
Sherry ultimately chose PeopleDoc because of their honesty. "In my interactions with PeopleDoc, they were honest with me. They told me 'this is what the solution can do, this is what it can't do, this is what we're working on, and this is the direction we're going in.' They gave me some good, solid information to make the right decision," she says.
Seeing versus imagining the end result
Choosing a solution to support your HR transformation is just the beginning. Implementation is when the real work begins. Luckily for Sherry, implementing PeopleDoc was easy. "The implementation process for Employee File Management was probably one of the easiest implementation cycles I've been through," she says.
Sherry valued being able to see the staging environment from the very beginning. Instead of imagining what the end result would look like, the team at Avis was able to start adding to and customizing the final product. "It made understanding the system a whole lot easier than it might have been with other vendors," says Sherry.
From transactional to transformational HR
Hiring at Avis can be very seasonal. In the summer months alone they may hire around 7,000 employees. As you can imagine, this consumed a lot of local HR's time. Once PeopleDoc was implemented, the local HR teams were able to move the pre-hire work into a shared service center, where they could better manage and keep track of the process.
"Initially, absolutely, we did see some improvement in terms of the time people spent getting through that administrative work," says Sherry. Giving the business insight into the pre-hire process, but relieving them of the work, "absolutely made a difference."
Hear more from Sherry about the HR transformation journey at Avis Budget Group. Watch the on-demand SHRM webinar, From Paper to People: HR Transformation at Avis Budget Group.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Does Your HR Shared Services Center Need a Local HR Presence?
Setting up an HR shared service center (HRSSC) has many benefits. For one, it can help an organization be more efficient by centralizing and streamlining certain tasks. HRSSCs also play a big role in transforming the employee experience. With the right technology, this operating model allows HR to provide employees with the ease and immediacy they've come to expect in today's service world.
4 Signs of Excellence in an HR Shared Services Model
The benefits of a Shared Services model have already been proven in IT and Finance, and now many organizations are applying the model to HR. A Shared Services model can help HR work faster and more efficiently, and provide employees with great service. Reorganizing into a Shared Services model can be a substantial investment so it's important to follow best practices to gain optimal results. We'll take a look at 4 best practices that are critical for your HR Shared Services Center (HRSSC) to operate smoothly so that you can see valuable business results faster.
3 Ways to Ensure Your HR Shared Service Center Fails
We've explored the significant benefits of an HR Shared Service Center -- but reorganizing into a Shared Services model takes real planning to be successful. If you don't account for a few fundamental priorities, your HR Shared Service Center is sure to fail. Here are the 3 ways that your HRSSC can be avoidably unsuccessful.
About Jolene Nicotina
Jolene Nicotina is the Content Marketing Manager for North America at PeopleDoc, Inc. She works on making sure HR professionals have all the latest information they need related to HR service delivery, HR technology, and PeopleDoc, Inc. Prior to PeopleDoc, Jolene worked in marketing communications for the healthcare technology industry.


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The Spirit of Place and Cultural DiversityJanuary 3, 2011
Inaugural photography competition discovers new talent in the UK and in Italy
The three finalists for the inaugural Accademia Apulia Photographic Award have been announced after over 300 participants of all nationalities entered the competition.
The Photographic Award, Genius Loci, Spirit of Place and Cultural Diversity, was established in 2009 by Accademia Apulia UK to champion the importance of diversity in a fast-changing world. The Award is intended to inspire artists from different communities to reflect on their local heritage and customs, and how these, in turn, inform their own understanding of their community.
An international panel of judges, applauded the distinctive intepretations of all those who entered, but felt that the following three candidates best captured the spirit of the prize:
Alex Boyd
An award-winning photographer, Alex, 26, presented breathtaking views of the pristine Scottish landscape. In all the frames an anonymous subject stands with his back to the camera, symbolising the Scots relationship with nature.
Stefano Morelli
Stefano, 31, captures the struggle of a Roma community to maintain their own identity whilst being seemingly invisible to broader society.
Matteo Sandrini
For several days and always at the same time, Matteo, 25, positioned himself on the main street of the Carmine district of the Italian city of Brescia and photographed people passing by and used these images to create a collage showing the diversity at the heart of his city.
The work of the three finalists is to be shown in a group exhibition on 11/02/2011 in the presence of cultural representatives from the UK and Italy, in association with the Patron of the Accademia Apulia UK, Nancy Dell'Olio. The Award Ceremony is to take place at the prestigious Royal Horseguards, Whitehall, where the overall winner will be announced and presented with a £1,000 cash prize.
More info on www.accademiapulia.org


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UPDATE: Idaho does about-face on Five Wives Vodka ban
on 08/06/12 at 3:49 pmBooze News
Idaho reversed its decision to ban Five Wives Vodka from being sold in the state after the state was threatened in the face of a lawsuit.
Although state regulators on Wednesday opted to allow the sale of the alcohol, a liquor producer whose label makes an unmistakable reference to polygamy would not immediately rule out legal action.
The Idaho State Liquor Division rejected as offensive last week the product that shows five women hiking up their skirts on the vodka bottle. Idaho is more than 25 percent Mormon and the church at one time allowed polygamy but abandoned the practice in 1890.
The vodka originates from Ogden's Own Distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based.
Idaho State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson had said the brand is offensive to Mormons who make up over a quarter of Idaho's population.
George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley in a letter to Idaho officials and posted on his website said he planned to sue on behalf of the producer of Five Wives Vodka.