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Whaling Commission Adopts First Ever Bycatch Figure for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
- Date June 20, 2003
Media Contact
- WWF Communications email@example.com
Berlin - The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has adopted the first global estimate ever done of whale, dolphin and porpoise deaths from entanglement in fishing gear, also known as bycatch. According to a new paper submitted to the IWC, approximately 308,000 of these animals, scientifically classified as centaceans, are unintentionally drowned each year. The paper was adopted by the commission's Scientific Committee earlier this week. The IWC is the only global forum for cetacean conservation.
"This an important step for cetacean conservation," said lead author Andy Read of the Duke University Marine Laboratory, who is co-chair of World Wildlife Fund's Cetacean Bycatch Task Force. "This level of bycatch is no doubt significantly depleting and disrupting many populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises. If nothing is done, several species will be lost in the next few decades."
Read and fellow author Simon Northridge of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, estimate that nearly 1,000 cetaceans die every day in fishing gear, the leading threat to the survival of the world's 80-plus species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
In the few places where concerted efforts have been taken to reduce cetacean bycatch, the efforts have been successful and affordable. In U.S. fisheries, for example, cetacean bycatch has been reduced by nearly two-thirds in the past decade.
"Solutions to cetacean bycatch are out there," said Karen Baragona, deputy director of WWF's Species Conservation program, "but to tackle the problem on a global scale, we need to boost political will, increase funding for research on cetacean-friendly ways of fishing, and tap into the creativity of fishermen--so that whales and dolphins are protected and fishermen can keep earning a living."
Unintentional death of whales and dolphins in fishing gear is pushing some cetacean species to the brink of extinction. In Mexico's Gulf of California, for example, up to 15 percent of the critically endangered vaquita population is killed every year in fishing nets. With a population of only around 500, the small porpoise - found nowhere else on Earth - is being decimated by bycatch.
Whales and dolphins can become entangled in commonly used fishing gear like gillnets, tangle nets, trammel nets, trawl nets and long lines. Solutions to the problem of entanglement vary by region and species involved, but can include adding gillnet floats that break away when hit by a whale, acoustic "pingers" that warn marine mammals away from nets and buoy lines that are less likely to snare whales and dolphins. Fishermen have been crucial in developing these successful gear modifications, the scientists noted.
Formed last year, WWF's International Cetacean Bycatch Task Force includes 27 leading bycatch experts from 6 continents. The group works closely with WWF to solve the global bycatch problem, including conducting research and training in places with the most severe bycatch problems, working with fishermen to find more cetacean-safe ways of fishing, and pushing for more attention and resources for reducing bycatch of whales, dolphins and porpoises in international policy arenas such as the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization.
WWF works throughout the world to reduce cetacean bycatch. In the Gulf of California in Mexico, WWF leads a coalition of local and international organizations who are working with the Mexican government to phase out gillnet fishing in the area. In the fall of 2002, WWF helped initiate a ban on large mesh-size gillnets as the first step towards a proposed phase-out.
WWF has made reducing cetacean bycatch a priority of its Ocean Rescue initiative, acting as the global leader in safeguarding marine ecosystems and working to end destructive fishing practices, stop illegal trade in marine wildlife and reduce pollution on land and sea. WWF's Ocean Rescue also promotes innovative market incentives for responsible fishing and works to reform government policies that undermine the ocean's web of life.
Note to Editors: B roll and still images are available and can be obtained through the contacts provided above. The video and still images include cetaceans swimming and snagged in fishing gear.


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New Clients | Re-order Medication | 24 hour Emergency Service 01252 721191
If your pet is unwell and needs to be admitted to the hospital, an understanding, compassionate and competent staff will care for him or her, providing TLC and first class professional care.
We appreciate that it is a worrying time when your pet is ill and away from you, so we will keep you fully informed of their progress while they are with us and ensure they are thoroughly monitored and cared for.
To achieve this we have a fully staffed premises 24 hours a day. Out of hours the premises is staffed by a third party, Vets Now, who provide the following benefits to our clients:
Staff dedicated to the provision of out of hours care.
Staff available for urgent and emergency cases, whatever the time.
24 hour monitoring of those inpatients requiring it.
Allows pain relief and medication to be given out of hours.
Ensures that inpatients are kept clean and comfortable
Dogs are walked in the garden late in the evening.
Prior to surgery or anaesthesia our patients are given premedication drugs to reduce anxiety; to reduce the amount of anaesthetic required; to provide pain relief and to aid a more pleasant recovery from the anaesthetic.
The patients are personally monitored by trained nurses throughout the anaesthetic and during recovery. Ancillary monitoring is also used.
It is important to keep the animals warm during anaesthetics, especially with smaller pets. We use special hot air mattresses during the operation and smaller pets are placed in incubators to support a rapid recovery.
The practice has its own laboratory so that 24 hours a day we can monitor in patients and investigate emergencies. We also use this for Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Testing.
Inpatients are looked after in comfortable, spacious, air conditioned kennels.
Dogs and cats are kept in separate wards.
They are supervised and attended to, throughout the day and veterinary surgeons perform clinical assessments of these pets each morning and late afternoon as a minimum.
We provide high quality diagnostic equipment to aid accurate assessment of your pets illness. This includes digital x-rays for the best pictures, ultrasound, endoscope and ECG.
In order to provide a highly sterile environment and to minimise the amount of antibiotics used, we provide two sterile operating theatres which are dedicated to surgical work. This and a strict policy regarding surgical sterility ensure the highest standards of surgical care.
At the hub of the operating area a preparation room is used for animal examinations, treatments and less sterile procedures. This allows the theatres reserved for sterile work only.
Consultation Rooms & Pharmacy »
Preparation Room »
The Laboratory »
Dentistry »
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Hospitalisation »
Operating Theatres »
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©2015 Cathcart & Winn Veterinary Hospital Limited. Registered office: Leyton House, 51 Hale Road, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 9RB
Company No. 07280425 VAT No. 188 0843 32

subset: commoncrawl


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The Company
Karsten and Elke Winkels founded the object planning consultants WINKELS CONCEPTS in 1990 with the aim of finding and creating beauty in all aspects of their life and work. Since then, the company has steadily expanded.
From the initial object planning and urban development projects, it quickly became evident how much the structured image of the object can be influenced and altered by different engineering processes at the design stage. The desire to maintain creative clarity in all aspects of design paved the way for specialisation in other areas. From an early stage, WINKELS CONCEPTS offered an integrated product, incorporating both object and interior design as well as lighting design into the range of services.
Today, the company employs architects, engineers, site managers and construction draughtsmen who are able to advise and assist clients on all aspects of building, with particular emphasis on architecture, design, lighting, traffic planning, urban development, garden and landscape design, and on the design of buildings for industrial, commercial, administrative and cultural use.


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The National Library of New Zealand will be running its second harvest of the New Zealand internet from May 12th to 25th. As the National Library exists to preserve New Zealand's social and cultural history, this includes the Web. All internet sites with the .nz country code will be harvested. Other sites and blogs which have New Zealand content but which don't have the .nz code have to be nominated. Accordingly I have nominated this blog to be included.
The Library estimates that 130-140 million URLs will be captured. Click on the title to see more on the Web Harvest from the National Library website.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
TraLIS will be harvested in May
Posted by Graeme S. at 10:08 AM
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Letter From MHQ, Spring 2016
Being uncomfortable with surprise—that is, with an abrupt and unexpected change in circumstances—seems to be a longstanding and widespread human characteristic. Accordingly, in military terms, a surprise attack is an especially unwelcome challenge. The importance and effectiveness of surprise surely goes all the way back to the earliest iterations of warfare, as in the legendary Trojan horse episode.
Surprise attacks at the strategic level, relying on secrecy and deception, have often proved effective and occasionally decisive in wars. As recently as World War II and the Korean War, such attacks as those by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, the Chinese intervention across the Yalu River, and the UN forces' invasion at Incheon dramatically altered the course of conflict.
But a long series of technological innovations and developments over the past century may have finally rendered the large-scale surprise attack a thing of the past. It may be a real challenge for military historians of the future to appreciate the sense of surprise that was once a commonplace, leading them to ask: "How could they fail to see what was about to happen?" and "How could an entire battle fleet fail to locate the enemy's battle fleet?" That's now hard to imagine.
Intelligence was always the major counter to surprise, and divining the imminent moves of an enemy force was long a matter of listening and watching for telltale signs via scouts, informers and spies, cavalry units, not to mention smoke and clouds of dust.
The breakthrough developments that have reduced the chances of major surprise include photography and aerial surveillance, first with lighter-than-air craft, then with airplanes, satellites, and drones. Electronic means of intelligence gathering, from acoustic listening devices, radio signal interception and direction finding have progressed through the major developments of radar, sonar, and infrared and heat-sensing technologies. Now, on land and sea and even under the sea, large-scale movement of enemy forces is all but impossible to conceal. Small-scale, small-unit surprise attacks remain possible and an effective tactic—used increasingly by nonstate terrorist operatives. But the likelihood of a successful deception on the scale of Operation Fortitude, the Allied campaign that convinced Hitler that Calais would be the site of the anticipated 1944 invasion at Normandy, has become vanishingly small.
—Michael W. Robbins


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Nominations for the Mnet Asian Music Awards have been announced.
Mamamoo has received 4 nominations
- Best Female Group
- Best Vocal Performance Group
- Artist of the Year
- Best Song (You're the Best)
Fan voting for the MAMAs are open until the day before the ceremony.
Click here to vote (1 time per day/per account)
The MNet Asian Music Awards will take place in Hong Kong on December 2nd.
Voting for MelOn's Top 10 Artists of the Year have begun and like last year, Mamamoo has received a nomination by virtue of being one of the Top 30 artists of the year.
Click here to vote (I-Pin required)
Nominations for genre/individual categories will be announced on November 4th.
The MelOn Music Awards will take place November 19th at Gocheok Skydome
Asia Artist Awards
Recently, officials have confirmed that Mamamoo will be attending the 2016 Asia Artist Awards. In addition, fans can vote for Mamamoo to win the popularity award by downloading the Asia Artist Awards app on iOS and Android.
The Asia Artist Awards will take place on November 16th at Kyunghee University.


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Estate of MARLENE JUDITH STEVENS MCENHEIMER, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA No. 021800282 of 2018. Timothy S. Stevens Extr., 6393 Stanton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Leo C. Harper, Jr., Attorney, 816 5th Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of VICTORENE HARPER, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA 15206 No. 021800283 of 2018. Leo C. Harper, Jr. & Ronald J. Harper Extr., 816 5th Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Leo C. Harper Jr., Attorney, 816 5th Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Estate of LILLIAN A. GURA, Deceased of Pittsburgh, No. 1966125 of 2017. Marc A. Gura, Extr. Kim A. Bodnar, Esquire, Kim A. Bodnar, Attorey At Law, Admitted in PA & Florida, 304 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of BEATRICE FINCH, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA No. 00322 of 2018. Ivy A. Gilliland, Executrix, 10750 E. Placita Pascua, Tucson, AZ 85730 or to Thelma C. Spells, Esquire, Atty., 1533 Bidwell Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Estate of FREDERICK V. PORCO a/k/a FREDERICK PORCO, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania No. 02-18-00653 Linda Barnet-Porco, Executor, 1160 Hodgkiss Street, Pittsburgh PA 15212 or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017.
Estate of MR. RUSSELL V. MUSTA, Deceased of 203 Key Garden Drive, Moon Township. PA 15108. Estate No. 02-18-00570. Mr. Russell B. Musta of 409 Quarter Horse Lane, Clinton, PA 15026 and Amy B. Curry, of 3717 Bakerstown Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044, Co-Executors, c/o Max C. Feldman, Attorney At Law, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coropolis, PA 15108.


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Christmas ingredients
Everything you need to plan your Cornish Christmas. Welcome to our list of Christmas ingredients! We'll be taking a good look in our next issue at all things Christmassy in Cornwall, but for now, here are just a few ideas to help you prepare for the festivities ahead. Whether you're in search of the perfect Christmas tree, are looking for something a little different to quench your thirst, or are making a mental plan of your Christmas day menu...READ MORE


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Dozens of members of the financial community have added their support to the planned "Occupy Central with Love and Peace" campaign in an open letter to President Xi Jinping, urging him to realize universal suffrage in Hong Kong, Apple Daily reported Thursday.
In the letter in the Financial Times, Apple Daily and Roman Catholic paper Kung Kao Po, the roughly 80 signatories listed 10 appeals on behalf of all Hong Kong residents, including support for the Sino-British Joint Declaration; the principles of one country two systems, and Hong Kong people running Hong Kong; a high level of autonomy, and "real" universal suffrage consistent with international standards.
Several officers from the consulates of Britain, Australia, Canada and the European Union attended a press conference held by the signatories Wednesday.
According to Chan Kin-man, one of the initiators of the Occupy Central campaign, the move by the signatories is significant because it counters the public perception that financial professionals are only concerned about making money.
Hedge fund manager and core group member Edward Chin was quoted as saying that many people in the finance industry are worried that political pressure will stamp out fair competition in Hong Kong, adding that the world will look down on Hong Kong and Hong Kong will no longer be an international city if one country, two systems is not in place, the report said.
Occupy Central is a proposed nonviolent protest in downtown Hong Kong scheduled for July if the central government does not realize commitments for universal suffrage for the city's 2017 chief executive election.
– Contact HKEJ at [email protected]


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Finding Similarities Between Products and Life
Why You Should Choose an Air Purifier There are lots of explanations why you need to choose for adding an atmosphere neutraliser or an air cleaner at your home. They are advertised as an allergy alternative for many but also have many other benefits also. These items may both be simple standalone models, or they can even to be customized to be included in the design and decorating of commercial property or the house. Here are a few explanations why you need to buy or repair an Air Cleaner: Allergies
Smart Ideas: Repairs Revisited
Air purifiers aren't an answer to all or any allergies but do possess a good impact on allergies due to dirt, smoke, little microorganisms, pollen, etc. If you are installing an air neutraliser as a result of allergies, then it is advisable that you choose an air cleanser with a split approach which is a much more powerful.
8 Lessons Learned: Repairs
Air purifiers are also analyzed to assist asthma that will be considered irritated smoking or by dust. As air purifiers eliminate these difficulties breathing for asthma patients becomes easy. Scent Smell is one of many main reasons to acquire an air cleaner as it helps remove undesirable smells by moving fresh air and also through the use of aromatherapy. Some oxygen neutralisers release a few fragrance oils to the atmosphere to get a clean and fresh odor. Animals are a large reason for installing these products as well as keeping near to an industrial area. Because they concentrate on eliminating the gasoline contaminants in the atmosphere that are often the reason for the smell if you should be purchasing an air cleaner for odor reasons you then should think about purchasing an ionic cleanser. Smoke In case you dwell using an individual who can be a smoker, this is a wise decision. The air-filtration method eliminates the odor of the smoking and also the smoking in the space hence offering immediate comfort. Passive smoking can be quite harmful which means you should consider every provision if you've kids in the home to prevent keeping the smoking within the space, especially. It helps, although air purifiers can t fully eliminate the smell of smoke in cigarette smoke present as a result of massive amount chemical fumes. Bacteria There are various diverse systems to have gone microorganisms in the oxygen. By killing the microorganisms with electric shocks, which is a very efficient strategy the method used is. It is a very good idea when you have someone in the home is ill or comes with an immune deficit for any reason (like AIDS) as it can certainly at least reduce the level of microorganisms in the bedroom. If you would like an air purifier because of this, then look for an electric based neutraliser or a UV air cleanser. Ultra violet filter employs lighting to ruin the bacteria, and there's also ozone centered manufacturers that use ozone to ruin the microorganisms.


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3 bedroom luxury Bungalow Perla Marina, Cabarete!
Property Detail
Type Villas and Houses Location Puerto Plata Sub Location Cabarete Price $249 daily or $1900 a month Area (sqm)150m²Bedrooms3Bathrooms2Property IDClaudia
Property Description
Perla Marina is a beautiful nature park and beach front gated community, situated in between Cabarete and Sosua. Only 5 minutes by car either way and 15 Minutes from Puerto Plata Airport.
Perla Marina just gained it's newest attraction: The Ceiba Cafe
Delicious Pizzas and other italian specialities prepared by amazing Pizzaiolo Domenico. Possible is this new gain due to the efforts of Clayton and Kerry, members of our beautiful Perla Marina community.
Property Features
Swimming Pool
Hot Water
Service Room
Laundry Room
Guest Room
Security System
Living Room
Dining Room


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Whether you recently bought a home with an existing swimming pool that isn't exactly what you wanted, or you've finally decided your pool is in desperate need of a facelift, embarking on a pool remodel journey is not something that should be taken lightly. Upgrading an existing swimming pool is a major project that should only be done by professionals.
There are many different things that can be done in order to give your custom swimming pool in Dallas a whole new look, from adding new landscape to building a deck or having a fountain installed. Various types of inground pool construction can help transform a dated pool and provide you with something that speaks to your taste and lifestyle. Because a lot of older pools have funky shapes and play on variations of the kidney pool, these projects may be far more involved than you may realize if you are in the market for a more contemporary pool design. However, remodeling your pool will also add value to your home and give you something that you will enjoy for many years to come.
Below we will go over some of the most common reasons for remodeling your pool in Dallas, as well as some popular design ideas to give you a better understanding of what can be done.
Here is a look at the most common reasons for remodeling your swimming pool:
● To bring its look and feel up to contemporary standards
● To upgrade an older pool's equipment, masonry, and mechanics
● Because new technology can add fresh, fun features
● To implement energy conservation technology to aid in the overall operation and mechanics of the pool
● To add value to your home
Top Design Ideas
Using a pool remodel to add the right shape and style of pool with the features you want is one of the most common reasons for renovation. There are many different ways you can upgrade an existing swimming pool in order to give it the feel and look you've always wanted. Here are some of the most popular design ideas to help you start brainstorming:
● Adding cool pool features, such as an attached stone wall with water spouts and an adjacent outdoor living room
● A recessed lounge area 'inside' the pool so everyone can enjoy the pool together!
● Remodeling your pool to make the most out of the view in your yard
● An unexpected shape, such as a guitar
● Adding evening ambiance with multi-colored LED lights inside the pool and around the outside
● A stunning water feature to add drama and liveliness
If you are thinking about remodeling your pool, be sure to give us a call so we can help you start the design process today. A swimming pool is an important feature of any Texas home, and here at Pool Quest we are committed to helping each and every client have the pool of their dreams.


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1/3 upfront on CX-3, CX-5, CX-8 & CX-9
Pay just one third up front, a third in twelve months, and a third the year after with 0% interest.*
Download the CX-3 brochure, CX-5 brochure, CX-8 brochure, CX-9 brochure.
All new passenger vehicles include Mazda 5 years unlimited kilometre New vehicle Warranty*.
5 years unlimited kilometre Mazda On Call Roadside Assistance.
3 years of Genuine Mazda Scheduled Servicing at no extra cost.
Want to receive information about promotions by email? Sign up for our newsletter to get personalised emails on promotions based on your preferences. Subscribe to newsletter now.
*With three easy payments and 0% interest, there's never been a better time to own an award-winning Mazda SUV. For a limited time, drive away in any new CX-3, CX-5, CX-8 or CX-9 paying just 1/3 of the Recommended Retail Price up front together with the On Road Costs and the cost of any accessories fitted. Then simply pay the remaining cost at 1/3 per year over the next two years interest free. This Mazda Finance offer is based on the published Mazda Recommended Retail Pricing effective 1st January 2018 and only available for sales between 1 January 2018 and 31st December 2018, inclusive. This Mazda Finance offer is only available through UDC Finance Limited, is subject to normal credit and lending criteria and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts or offers.


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Natural Language & The New 'Living' Room
Wired: "Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are all racing to build systems that recognize and truly understand natural language—how you and I talk. If they can put this technology not only in your living room, but in your pocket and elsewhere, they can become the hub of everything you do online. Google wants to retain its central role in your life. Amazon hopes to move well beyond online shopping. And Microsoft doesn't want to be left out."
"But as these companies develop services for speech recognition and natural language understanding, they're also using many of the same underlying technologies—loosely called deep learning—to build all sorts of artificial intelligence. They will slip this AI into their own apps, and offer it to a world of other companies via cloud computing services so that these companies can build AI into their own apps. In the years to come, AI cloud services may wind up as the biggest business for these three tech giants."
"Amazon was the first to market, and developers are building services for the Echo. Just this week, Google announced it will tie Home into third party services. But Microsoft is better positioned to compete here than it has been in other markets. It is competitive in AI as well as in the cloud. And it has a voice-powered platform that can feed those services both customers and data."
The post Natural Language & The New 'Living' Room appeared first on Brand X Journal.
Tim Manners/Brand X Ventures | Dec 16th, 2016 | AI, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Microsoft, natural language, speech recognition, universal language


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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
10 comments:
- Yale said...
I enjoyed it, but admittedly, I'd like to see you do more with the ending.
- May 27, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- Alex Loayza said...
cute lil animation.. i liked the squirrel designs a lot :)
- May 27, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- catbrooks said...
The animation of the main character was very nice! I loved the variety of shots used.
The ending seemed really abrupt though.
- May 27, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- Sandy Bouman said...
I love your little squirrel characters. They are really cute. I think you did a great job for changing your idea halfway through. Nice job!
- May 27, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- Sarah said...
Really interesting story, but what happens at the end? I wanna see him eat those nuts!
- May 27, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- Chris St. Clair said...
i dont know what it is about 10 pm, but it sure is a magical time... thats about when i'd head to the cintiq lab m'self. weird, eh?
anywho, aside from some bizarrely colored squirrels in the export this looks pretty decent. keep animatin' and posting!
- May 27, 2009 at 6:30 AM
- Anonymous said...
Very cute Idea..at first I thought that the squirrels ran away because they heard the other squirrel's tummy rumbling. lol
- May 27, 2009 at 6:30 AM
- Tina Fiume said...
Jenni! I thought your project was really great. Squirrels are my favorite animal and your character designs were adorable. I really enjoyed your choice of colors as well. Great job!
- May 27, 2009 at 6:30 AM
- Sara Talmadge said...
I love how the story is so.. real? I don't know how to explain it, but I can see this scene happening in Forsyth park or where ever and I love it. Plus, the character designs are adorable.
- May 27, 2009 at 6:31 AM
- Dollie said...
Very cool!! Loved the story! That's how I feel after a long winter's sleep too!
- May 27, 2009 at 8:52 AM


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Animal Welfare
Can I bring a pet from another country to the Netherlands?
It is possible to bring a pet from another country to the Netherlands, if all the conditions are met. For
example, dogs must have been vaccinated against rabies. The conditions depend on the kind of animal
you want to bring in and the country it is coming from.
Conditions for bringing a dog to the Netherlands from another EU country The Netherlands wants to
prevent animals with rabies from entering the Netherlands. If you want to bring a dog to the Netherlands
from another EU country:
►after the animal has been vaccinated, you must wait 21 days before bringing it to the Netherlands
the animal must be microchipped and have a pet passport.
If you have any questions about bringing pets to the Netherlands from abroad, contact the Netherlands
Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).


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Thursday, December 11, 2008
My name is NBA 2K Insider. I'm a basketball expert!
Jason Richardson - Suns
J-Rich heads back west and will provide the Suns with deadly 3pt shooting.
He should play well alongside a point guard of Nash's caliber.
This from a guy who was ripping Nash two weeks ago.
Javaris Crittenton - Wizards
Crittenton was traded to the Wizards who are desperate for point guard help.
Memphis had great depth at the point and could afford to give up Jarvis.
Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry = great depth? Double You Tee Eff?
Mike James - Wizards
James provides the Wizards with a proven point guard until Agent Zero returns.
He's probably glad to be out of Byron Scott's doghouse.
Mike James is a proven point guard? What? More proven than Antonio Daniels? He's an older Juan Dixon at this point.
15 comments:
- Tommy said...
rashidi, you still planning on ever releasing a PS3 version of your rosters/ratings/sliders etc.?
- December 12, 2008 at 12:56 AM
He has to buy a PS3 to do so.
I would prefer a .txt document to be downloadable from this site that for Rashidi to buy a PS3 just to do a roster for us.
- December 12, 2008 at 3:20 AM
Ps3 sucks thats why
- December 12, 2008 at 5:19 AM
- Flight Risk said...
mike james is a PG? i thought he was a undersized 2 with quick trigger and no team running skills. maybe the insider thinks he will be better in washington running essentially the same offense they run in new orleans...
- December 12, 2008 at 5:58 AM
"My name is NBA 2K Insider. I'm a basketball expert!"
~Rashidi, grow the fuck up and let it go! Put out the next rosters update and play the game. You are being extremely childish bruh.
- December 12, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Once again, no roster upload, but right on top of blogging about the Insider! LMAO!
Your trying waaayyyy to hard now. Your critiques dont even make sense.
He dogged Nash last update, so what?
You think Kyle Lowry and Conley are push overs? you dont watch basketball apparantly...Two quality PGs, how is that not deep?
Mike James IS a proven point guard. He didnt say HOF PG. But he held his own in pretty much all his stints where hes gotten PT. Even took Rafers starting job for a while.
- December 12, 2008 at 10:38 AM
"My name is NBA 2K Insider. I'm a basketball expert!"
sounds like something a 2nd grader would say making fun of someone. if Shidi worked as diligently on rosters as he does bashing the Insider, wed have J Rich on the Suns right now...lol
- December 12, 2008 at 10:40 AM
when is 3.6 coming out
- December 12, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Shortly after writing this post I experienced a very traumatic event in my personal life. There is someone far more important to me than rosters for a video game and I may decide to give up making them for good.
- December 12, 2008 at 11:21 AM
- Benicio10 said...
Wish you the best, Rashidi.
- December 12, 2008 at 12:23 PM
I love your updates Rashidi but enough on bashing the Insider. This is comparatively small compared to your previous rants but really I think we'd all prefer info on the new rosters you're bringing out.
- December 12, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Hey, I wrote the post 3 posts up. When real life calls, its an entirely different situation. I definitely wish you the best man...
- December 12, 2008 at 12:47 PM
- Flight Risk said...
sorry to hear that rashidi, i hope all turns out well
- December 12, 2008 at 3:36 PM
sorry to hear that
- December 12, 2008 at 8:46 PM
i completely understand....i get frustrated with how much i am on these games and how i could be spending the time in other ways...i almost fell addicted....i sincerely wish you the best
- December 12, 2008 at 11:32 PM


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Monetary selections akin to Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions, Financing, Risk Administration, Valuation and Payout Policy all have worldwide dimensions. Making capital investments is maybe an important corporate finance process and might have severe enterprise implications. Wharton finance college — globally acknowledged for their analysis — are accountable for designing and conducting this program, while the members come from top-ranked international firms. On the other finish of the spectrum, broad strategic selections concerning which markets to enter and the acquisitions of other companies can also be thought of investment selections.
Quite a few listed Norwegian actual property corporations, along with Norwegian and worldwide insurance coverage firms, pension funds, family places of work and private equity corporations, represent the vast majority of CRE transaction volumes. The Corporate Finance Group at Skadden advises purchasers on the full range of public and private financings and constantly is recognized as one of many top advisers on company financings and related transactions.
One method is capital budgeting, which entails long-time period planning for use of capital on company monetary projects that have an effect on the overall capital structure of the company. Strategic issues and changing market situations can have main consequences, not only for what …Read More


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We found you 2 properties to buy in Barton, Warwickshire
Holder Close3 2 1Offers over £240,000This extended 3 bedroom family home occupies a LARGER THAN USUAL CORNER PLOT with useful off road parking for multiple vehicles and is set in a quaint CUL DE SAC within the village of Bidford-On-Avon. The property further benefits from having 2 reception rooms, a kitchen/diner ideal for those who...
Wessons Road3 1 1Offers over £215,000This is a truly STUNNING FAMILY HOME with REAR GARDEN, GARAGE AND OFF ROAD PARKING. As you approach the property there is a gravelled driveway offering off road parking for multiple vehicles as well as an integral garage. To the front of the property there is a useful front porch leading to t...


text: Have you been as of late baffled with not having the capacity to hold your heap amid sexual closeness? You are not the only one. A large number of men are really encountering the sort of side effect that makes them feel unsatisfied amid sex since they neglected to get hold of their heap before achieving peak stage. It doesn't just frustrate them yet their accomplices too. A great deal of specialists for the most part connection this sort of issue to various mental issues, similar to stretch and turning out to be excessively energized for beginners. In many cases there is nothing irregular about the side effects, and in the long run an unpracticed person or a man who has ready to adapt up to push will inevitably discover recuperation after some time. In any case, in the event that you happen to have this manifestation more than once over a more drawn out period then this can turn into a worry. Continue reading "When You Should Buy Priligy" »


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Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas *SNEAK PEAK*
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas *SNEAK PEAK*
Here's a SNEAK PEAK into our recent trip to the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas Resort! It will show you all of the things to do at Atlantis, the Atlantis Water Park (even the Leap of Faith Water Slide), swimming with dolphins and even feeding the turtles and stingrays at the Atlantis Resort! Hope you LOVE it! (Click SHOW MORE below…)
**More Videos to Come within the next week showing our family's adventures at Atlantis, How to Save Money at Atlantis and even the things I wish I knew before we went! So make sure you SUBSCRIBE to my channel so you don't miss those. Thanks everyone!
ðOTHER VIDEOS YOU WILL LOVE:
ð¥How to Use Amazon Prime Pantry to Save Money on Groceries: Free Shipping Too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMLBqOpZ5MY
ð¥ Disneyland Money-Saving Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joj3fxfGmY8
ð¥My Children's Secret Weapon Against Getting Lost, Kidnapped or Just to Contact Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlRNFOS4-Lk
ð°Want to "Live the Ultimate Life for Less"?? Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my channel by clicking here â â http://TheMeleaShow.com/YouTube That way, YouTube will let you know when my next video goes up live! (Don't worry, it's free!)
For more deals & money-saving tips and tricks, follow me over on Instagram and Snapchat! I share 60-Second Tips called "#MeleasMinute", quick money-saving tips and even awesome exclusive deals just for us! It's the easy to follow along and âLive the Ultimate Life for Lessâ!
ðInstagram â http://www.Instagram.com/TheMeleaShow
ð»Snapchat â MeleaShow
ðPeriscope â for LIVE Videos: @TheMeleaShow
ðFacebook â http://www.Facebook.com/TheMeleaShow **LIVE Facebook Videos Featuring the BEST Deals on Wednesdays at 1pm MST. Mark your calendars and join us!
ðTwitter â http://www.Twitter.com/TheMeleaShow
ðTune-In Every Tuesday and Friday at 10am MST (9am PST, 11am CST, 12pm EST) to watch a new video!
XO, ðMelea


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Hide Forgot
Description of problem:
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
Version in F7T4.
How reproducible:
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Installed the F7T4 iso for amd64 under Vmware 6, using the default settings
throughout, except that at package selection I deselected the first option
(Office packages IIRC) and selected the second (Software development?).
Actual results:
At the bootloader installation, progress stopped. I found the following trace on
the console output:
Error running [ '--update', '--nostart', '--enableshadow', '--enablemd5']:
/usr/sbin/authconfig cannot be run
self.hostname = localhost.localdomain
lokkit run failed: /usr/sbin/lokkit can not be run
lokkit run failed: /usr/sbin/lokkit can not be run
moving (1) to step firstboot
moving (1) to step instbootloader
vg VolGroup00, size is 4992, pesize is 32768
vg VolGroup00, size is 4992, pesize is 32768
vg VolGroup00, size is 4992, pesize is 32768
vg VolGroup00, size is 4992, pesize is 32768
CRITICAL: Traceback (most recent call first):
File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/rhpl/executil.py", line 81, in
File "/usr/lib/booty/bootloaderInfo.py", line 958, in writeGrub
File "/usr/lib/booty/bootloaderInfo.py", line 1159, in write
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/bootloader.py", line 190, in writeBootloader
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/dispatch.py", line 203, in moveStep
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/dispatch.py", line 126, in gotoNext
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/gui.py", line 1041, in nextClicked
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/iw/progress_gui.py", line 67, in renderCallback
File "/usr/lib/anaconda/gui.py", line 1068, in handleRenderCallback
OSError: [Error 2] No such file or directory
Expected results:
Installation completes successfully :)
Additional info:
Marking high priority because of the impending release of FC7.
How much memory did you give to the VM? Also, can you get the full
/tmp/anaconda.log as well as /mnt/sysimage/root/install.log and /tmp/syslog?
I tried several times, always giving it at least 256 megs of RAM. I try to get
logs off it, but without success. Will try again and see if I can get them this
Ok. This attempt failed right at the start of installing packages. I had to
manually bring up eth0 and manually set the address and netmask (having asked to
get them by dhcp, which works with my M$ guest). That done, I got the logs I'll
attach in a second. /mnt/sysimage/root/install.log didn't exist. I'll try again
to see if I can get the original log.
Created attachment 155213 [details]
Anaconda log from most recent attempt.
Created attachment 155214 [details]
Syslog from the same attempt.
By the way, the above is from a text mode installation attempt, if it makes any
I'm sorry, but since the original report, I've been unable to get as far as the
bootloader installation again, so I've been unable to get more detailed debug
info for you. Any hints on the LVM issue that would help me get further?
Based on the date this bug was created, it appears to have been reported
against rawhide during the development of a Fedora release that is no
longer maintained. In order to refocus our efforts as a project we are
flagging all of the open bugs for releases which are no longer
maintained. If this bug remains in NEEDINFO thirty (30) days from now,
we will automatically close it.
If you can reproduce this bug in a maintained Fedora version (7, 8, or
rawhide), please change this bug to the respective version and change
the status to ASSIGNED. (If you're unable to change the bug's version
or status, add a comment to the bug and someone will change it for you.)
Thanks for your help, and we apologize again that we haven't handled
these issues to this point.
The process we're following is outlined here:
We will be following the process here:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping to ensure this
doesn't happen again.
This bug has been in NEEDINFO for more than 30 days since feedback was
first requested. As a result we are closing it.
If you can reproduce this bug in the future against a maintained Fedora
version please feel free to reopen it against that version.
The process we're following is outlined here:


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NASA to explore the universe's 'ocean worlds'
Last week, NASA held a workshop to announce their future space explorations, including Jupiter's moon named Europa. NASA wants to search Europa's underground oceans, which may contain alien lifeforms. Related: China Looks for Alien Messages With World's Largest Telescope The expedition involves searching Europa's surface for...Read More


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Don't risk being the victim of a botched medical procedure before you learn about common mistakes and misconceptions that smart people, like you, make everyday when correcting your appearance with cosmetic enhancements.
Ten Myths about Plastic Surgery
Because of an overly imaginative and inventive Hollywood and popular city there are a lot of misconceptions about plastic surgery. This should clear up some of them…
1. Any certification is a good thing.
Members of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons are plastic surgeons who are on the General Medical Council's (GMC) Specialist Register.
All doctors setting up as cosmetic surgeons from April 2002 must be on the GMC's Specialist Register.
2. Only a plastic surgeon can legally perform plastic surgery.
Fully qualified specialists should be registered on the GMC's Specialist Register. You can check this on the GMC website http://www.gmc-uk.org/
The Independent Healthcare Association http://www.independenthealthcare.org.uk has produced a guide on the standards cosmetic surgeons should meet. It's very important to check a doctor's training and certification. A well-qualified plastic surgeon has just as much specialized training as a heart or brain surgeon!
3. It is disrespectful to ask a surgeon probing questions about his or her background.
In fact, surgeons encourage such questions because it shows that you are an informed patient. If you're not comfortable asking this type of question in person, send an email or call the surgeon's office and ask them to send you a copy of the surgeon's resume or vita.
4. Silicone breast implants are unsafe
After 16 years of testing, they have been proven safe. Even though silicone is more expensive, patients like the softer feel which seems more natural.
5. Plastic surgery procedures are terribly painful.
Most plastic surgery patients experience minimal pain – with less than five percent of these patients complaining about their pain level. This is probably because plastic surgeons carefully screen their patients, and many plastic surgeons super-specialists (they specialize in a limited number of procedures). This means that the surgeon has become very efficient and will disturb much less tissue during the procedure.
6. No scars are involved in plastic surgery.
Actually, whenever a surgeon cuts through the skin, the body creates a scar. It's just that cosmetic plastic surgeons have special training in placing the scars in wrinkles, folds, and other unseen or hard-to-see places. A tummy tuck, for instance, requires a hip-to-hip incision, but make sure the resulting scar is hidden by underwear or swim suits.
7. A face lift can make you look like a completely different person – one your own mother wouldn't recognize!
That's not true. A good plastic surgeon's highest goal is to create the best possible version of you. And by that, they do not mean the "you from 25 years ago" – they mean the "you right now." This is also what they mean by "realistic expectations."
8. Plastic surgery costs about the same everywhere.
Actually, costs vary widely. In very expensive places like Miami, Manhattan or Beverly Hills, where the cost of labor, office rent, and other overhead items are high, plastic surgery rates are also high. But the same procedure, performed by an equally qualified surgeon in a small town just 50 miles away from Beverly Hills could cost 40 to 50 percent less!
9. I can get the same long-lasting results from a "mini" face lift, have less downtime, and save some money.
The truth is: minimal efforts equal minimal results. A mid-face lift may be appropriate for some patients, but it can't do as much for a lot of drooping skin as a full facelift.
10. Plastic surgeons only make people look better through rejuvenation surgery.
Cosmetic plastic surgeons are also qualified to perform reconstructive surgery on abnormal structures of the body, caused by birth defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma or injury, infection, tumors, or disease. Reconstructive surgery is generally performed to improve function, but may also be done to approximate a normal appearance.


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Embedding other VLE sites into VLE
Note: Even though only the Admin may edit the school dashboard, any teacher may also share link in your own site using the same method.
Roiamah Basri. (2014). Panduan bina portal guru dan sitelink ke Dashboard sekolah Frog VLE.
Embed PowerPoint into Frog VLE
Roiamah Basri. (2013). Embed PowerPoint to Frog VLE.
Pages: 1 2


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About MMP
2009 / 2010 Goals:
We are committed to:
- Establishing environments of spiritual and educational excellence.
- Empowering existing educational systems through teacher and leadership trainings and educational material development.
Accomplished so Far in 2010
Established Malawian NGO -Zikomo Yesu Enterprises
Established Malawian Ministry- Malawi Wa Yesu
Moved School & Teacher Train Center
Expansion of Africa ABC Project & School
Addition of Five New Malawian Staff Members
Malawian Income Generating Activities Net 850.00 US
March 2010 Special OT/PT/Media Team Results- Three trainings for rehabilitation specialists, parents and directors in rehabilitation therapy
Partnerships formed with Strategic Malawian Organizations;
(Feed the Children, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Cure International, Malawi Preschool Assoc & Chikondi Center for Children with Disabilities)
2008 / 2009 Goals:
We are committed to:
Educating the future leaders of Malawi by establishing the first Christian Montessori School in Ndirande, Malawi.
Positively impacting an educational system by offering teacher trainings and educational resource development for the surrounding community based child care centers and schools within the city of Blantyre, Malawi.
2008 / 2009 Results:
- Malawi Montessori Project (Established January 2008) Committed to developing the future leaders of Malawi
- Established the first Montessori Primary School in Ndirande, Malawi. (July 08) Serving 43 children impacted by poverty. Trained 118 teachers and directors at 12 local orphan care centers in teaching, business skills, and leadership.
- Trained 16 teachers through Teacher Internship Program-intensive practical week of teacher training within a classroom
- Established Africa ABC Project: By 10/08 10 local orphan care centers will have received educational artwork/materials and on site teacher training.
- Hosting four mission trips (21 participants total) in order to educate other about the AIDS pandemic and the issues surrounding children impacted by poverty
- These results were produced by my Malawian team. There is no better investment than investing in the lives of others.
Services Provided:
Malawi Montessori Christian School: Established July 2008. Currently serving 43 children impacted by poverty in Ndirande, Malawi.
Leadership and Teacher Training Workshops: Providing 4-5 day business trainings, leadership and teacher training workshops to teachers and directors from the local community based child care centers.
Teacher Internship Program: Providing week-long practical teaching experience and training for teachers serving children impacted by poverty.
Africa ABC Project: This project is designed to empower the staff at 20 local community based child care centers in Ndirande to create learning environments that express educational and spiritual excellence. The project leader works with each center's staff to design and paint the classrooms of the center with educational art work. The project leader trains the teacher how to teach the children basic skills in math, reading and general knowledge.
Teacher Outreach Program: Providing training, mentorship and educational material development at the centers.


text:
Every day, VIEO Design helps our clients increase sales productivity with marketing-driven websites, but believe it or not, we still meet people who don't have a website and aren't sure it's the best way to promote their businesses.
When it comes to marketing, these business are still using traditional advertising methods, or are just relying on word of mouth and referral business. The effectiveness of traditional newspaper, TV, and Yellow Pages advertising has been declining for years. People can now avoid traditional local advertising with technologies like DVR, satellite radio, and online business listings.
Don't get me wrong; these methods can work well, but they have their limitations and may not bring you the business you need to grow your company into the powerhouse you dream it could be.
So, what should you do instead?
Investing in and maintaining a quality website is the single best thing any business can do to succeed and increase sales productivity. Here's why:
According to HubSpot data, at lease 50% of consumers spend 75% or more of their total shopping time conducting online research - including for services that they can only buy locally. If you run a business, you can bet that there are people out there looking for you on the Internet. If you don't have a web presence, you're missing out on their business and the revenue that you deserve.
I've been in sales for almost 14 years, and I understand the importance of every sale to our company. I spend a lot of time networking and I do as much face-to-face marketing as I can, but I have a wife who appreciates it when I come home and children who already think I work too much. So, as a salesman, I put a lot of trust in the Inbound Marketing we do through our website to bring in business. If you're in sales or own a business, I'm sure that spending less time "pounding the pavement" and letting your website do some of the work for you sounds pretty good.
Say goodbye to cold calls!
Let's face it, nobody wants to call a stranger and try to convince them to buy something, and managers get tired of pushing their sales staff to pick up the phones and make cold calls.
It's time to think differently about how you reach those "strangers." Today, they're actually looking for YOU - or at least, the ones who are actually interested in your services are looking. By building a website designed to speak to these interested potential customers, you're bringing sales to your business.
There are really only two marketing challenges with websites; first, bringing in enough traffic, and second, turning that traffic into good leads and eventually customers.
Professional Inbound Marketing is specifically geared to bring in the right traffic and convert your visitors into leads. It's a beautiful thing - it works when I'm asleep, on vacation, and even during weekends and holidays.
One of the most important parts of Inbound Marketing is producing website, blog, and even social media content that speaks to your customers and gets them to engage with you, ultimately leading to more customers. Instead of picking up the phone to call John Smith, let Inbound Marketing bring him to you.
So, if you're like the rest of us who like to sleep, take vacations, and NOT work during weekends, a marketing-driven website and Inbound Marketing strategy can do the work for you. Contact us today for a FREE marketing assessment, and we can show you how to get started.
Want to see a killer inbound marketing strategy at work?
Download our ebook today for actionable tips!


text:
Uploading files to WordPress is fairly easy using the media_handle_sideload function.
However, outside the admin panel, it is an accident waiting to happen.
First, because the required includes are not, well, included.
Second, because, usually there may be permissions issues.
Also, if the method fails, it will often not throw any exceptions, so many of the suggestions out there to handle exceptions are not really helpful.
1) Edit the permissions of the wp-content\uploads folder to 777.
2) Before media_handle_sideload, make sure you add the code below.
if ( !function_exists('media_handle_upload') ) {
require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php');
require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php');
require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php');
Full example:
$filename = "test.png";
$file_array = array(
'name' => '/wp-content/' . $filename ,
'tmp_name' => '/wp-content/' . utf8_decode($filename)
//upload a single file, with a custom name, without any specific post attachment
$return = media_handle_sideload($file_array, 0, $filename);
if ( is_wp_error($return) )
echo $return->get_error_message();


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Longo's Fresh Herbs Chives
Item added to your cart
Chives have a delicate, milk onion flavour. Chives are an onion like member of the lily family. In a resealable bag.
About this product
Chives have a delicate, milk onion flavour. Chives are an onion like member of the lily family. Chives produce beautiful, edible purple flowers.
Instructions:Use chives to garnish soups and add flavour to chicken, eggs, fish, potatoes, salad dressing, shellfish, sandwiches and tomatoes. To make the most of the delicate onion flavour of chives and retain the luscious green colour in your recipes, use chives raw or add to food during the last moments of cooking. For best results, cut chives with scissors instead of chopping.
Grocery Gateway does not guarantee the accuracy of any nutritional information or ingredients listing presented on this website.Read the full disclaimer
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Recipes Lemony Couscous With Carrots Consult Recipe


text:
Summer and Fallbycareythomas©
A huge thank you to all of you who have left me comments or reached out by email after reading "Five Years and Four Days." Your kind words and encouragement have been so deeply appreciated. Here is what I cooked up next for Alex and Jess. Please continue sending me feedback; I love hearing from you!
This picks up roughly two months after the last chapter of "Five Years and Four Days."
--Chapter 1: Arrival--
"We are about to begin our descent into New York's LaGuardia airport. The local time is 6:57pm. Flight attendants, please prepare for landing."
It was the end of a long travel day. At 7am, I waved goodbye to two colleagues and fourteen students at the airport in Guatemala. Now, ten hours later, I was about to land in New York City.
The two weeks I spent in Guatemala were tiring but fun; I was one of three teachers chaperoning the girls for the annual end-of-year trip for sixth-formers. The faculty rotated through chaperoning duties each year, and the girls voted on the destination. As always, Halsey coordinated with other UK schools on the trip so the two weeks ended up being a fairly raucous affair.
I spent most of my time in Guatemala -- captivating as it was -- counting down the days until my New York detour, the first time since Alex's visit in early May that we'd be in the same place together for more than a week. In fact, we'd have two whole months together until my return to the UK just before the beginning of the school year.
Admittedly, in the beginning, I had a hard time reconciling my hesitance about being in a relationship with how much I wanted to be with Alex. In many ways, the fact that we had to live apart helped me shed that ambivalence. It gave me time to shake my head loose of most of the debris from the disintegration of my last serious relationship.
The distance also had the unintentional benefit of putting our physical attraction aside so we could actually focus on communicating with one another and getting to know each other's day-to-day lives. Alex's work continued to send her to meetings in the UK at a regular clip, so our time apart was happily interrupted by her visits and my trips to the US.
I still have not figured out how it was that I fell so deeply in love with Alex so quickly. My friend Cathy reckoned Alex had burrowed into my heart a long time ago and I just didn't realise it. When I first uttered "I love you" to Alex, I surprised myself by how easily it came to me, and how gratifying it was to discover that Alex felt the same way.
In general, my friends and family embraced the relationship; my parents were surprisingly sanguine -- Alex was charming when she met them one bank holiday weekend -- they even insisted that she join me on my usual late August visit to see them in the Lake District. My brother reacted the only way I expected him to: by continually teasing me for switching teams because of an ex-pupil.
Alex's family was a harder nut to crack. In truth, it was her father who was the most difficult. Her mother tried -- in her own way -- to find some path through between her husband and her first-born -- both of whom were equally stubborn. Alex's siblings were completely supportive; it took some time for Audrey to stop calling me 'Miss Wainwright,' but it honestly annoyed Alex more than it did me.
As the plane made its way to the gate and phones were turned on, multiple beeps and buzzes echoed around the cabin, including a number of beeps emanating from my phone.
"I'm here. Usual spot. Take your time."
I quickly typed back: "Just getting to gate. See you soon."
As I made my way through customs, I felt like every molecule in my body was on high alert as I anticipated Alex's touch. I wheeled my luggage through the now familiar automatic double doors and into the arrivals hall. I immediately saw Alex with a big smile on her face, standing a little apart from the crowd of people in the greeting area. She looked good enough to eat.
I jumped into her arms and she lifted me up. I squealed with delight.
"You are finally here," she said, and gave me a kiss that sent a spark of electricity radiating from my stomach right through to my scalp and the tips of my toes.
A passer-by wolf-whistled, "Not for nuthin' buddy, but with a kiss like that, you better plan on marrying her!"
We laughed as Alex kissed me one more time, "Come on beautiful, let's grab a cab."
Setting aside the fact that Jess would look good in anything, she was a heart-stopping vision coming off that flight. The kicker? She was wearing her glasses instead of her contacts, and it made her look extra brainy and sexy and nerdy and cool all at once, and I just stared and worshipped her face the entire ride home.
By the time we pulled up to my apartment building, we were pretty much ready to rip each other's clothes off. I had my nose buried in her hair as we rode the lift up to my place, desperate to inhale as much of her scent as possible. I still couldn't really believe this was happening. Jess was here. For two months. She wanted to be with me!
The second the front door closed and her luggage hit the floor, Jess turned and jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist and pressing her hips into me. I was halfway to the bedroom and Jess already had her shirt and bra off; her beautiful breasts were tantalisingly out of reach.
"Not fair. You are giving me a mental crisis: carry you to the bedroom, or touch them and drop you on your butt," I protested when we finally reached the bed.
Jess smiled as she reclined on the bed. She took off her glasses and slipped out of the rest of her clothes, "I didn't think you were moving quickly enough, my love, just some positive encouragement..."
Her words spurred me to strip as fast as I could, my eyes feasting hungrily at the sight of Jess, nude, on our bed. The images of Jess that I hoarded selfishly in my head all this time were but poor facsimiles of what I saw in front of me. I soon found my way on top of her. Our touching flesh was a revelation after being so long apart.
"Hi there," Jess whispered, her eyes inviting pools of deep green. This was what perfection felt like: her legs wrapped around me, her arms wrapped around me, her come hither smile -- the one she reserved just for me -- dazzling me.
I kissed her everywhere, trying to devour as much of her as possible.
"I have missed you so much," I said, my hands seeking out every contour of her body. It was like getting a fresh lungful of air after being under water for a long length of time.
Jess rolled us over so she was on top and inserted her thigh between mine. I felt the sweet pressure of her body as she started grinding against my leg. Our lips crushed together and opened. Our tongues met again and again as we thrusted against each other, both of us desperate to have as much of our bodies touching as possible. Her body felt like heaven, her breasts pressed into mine, our breathing becoming moans as we moved together.
The deprivation of our physical absence from each other was eviscerated as we both came, Jess laughing with delight as we opened our eyes in the afterglow. Our legs shifted restlessly, tangled in a dance of reunion; our breasts were still mashed together as we clung to each other, arms locked in an ardent embrace.
"I spent a lot of time thinking about this body..." Jess said, as her fingers made a slow journeys up and down my side.
I watched her fingers coast towards my hip, and my whole being tingled with anticipation.
"... and everything I want to do to it," Jess continued. She reached between us, cupped my sex and squeezed.
I inhaled and closed my eyes, lifting my hips towards her eagerly, and Jess did not make me wait. Her fingers were inside me almost immediately, and I felt her shift lower, her mouth enveloping me as I cried out with pleasure. I wasn't sure exactly how she managed it, but Jess had figured out some complex algorithm for stimulating my erogenous zones. I didn't think someone could manipulate my senses quite like this. And she was bringing her A-game. When I came, it was powerful and deep, rumbling through me like thunder.
Her body was soon back on top of mine, her hair sweeping gentle caresses along my skin.
"I love that I can do that to you," she smiled.
I basked in her gaze, quickly plotting how I would return the favour.
"One good deed deserves another," I flipped her over. Jess gasped in surprise at being so roughly handled.
Her eyes took on a seductive gleam, "Hmmmm, and are you going to have your way with me now?"
I nodded eagerly and kissed her neck where I felt her increasingly rapid pulse beneath my lips. The supple flesh of her amazing breasts were undulating under my hands as my fingers and palms squeezed and pressed and caressed. Jess started squirming when I landed light nips along her collarbone and flicked my thumbs across her nipples.
"I want to make you feel good," I whispered, not wanting to forget touching any part of her body.
She breathed in and exhaled in jagged breaths.
My mouth moved to her breasts and I grazed my knuckles down each side of her body while alternating kisses and licks in smaller and smaller circles on each breast.
Jess moaned. Oh, how I had missed hearing her moan! She grabbed my wrists and returned my hands to her breasts. I happily obliged, grasping those perfect orbs firmly as I kissed her stomach... then the shallow valley where her torso met her thigh... and the curve of her quads... and the soft inviting flesh of her inner thighs.
Jess's hands were gripping the bed sheets as she pushed her hips towards my mouth. Impatient for more, she opened her legs wider and I swooned as I watched her slowly spread open. Her inner lips were slick and pink, her outer lips swollen with desire.
I placed the tip of my tongue just under her opening and gently licked upwards, eliciting a shout from Jess. My senses exhaled with pleasure as I tasted her -- sweet, warm, intoxicating -- familiar and revelatory all at once. When she shouted out once more, I doubled down on her breasts: squeezing hard before slowly rubbing her nipples in a circular motion with my fingers.
I made love to her with my mouth, savouring every spot that I could get to.
"Inside me, Alex, please," she whispered, guiding my hand off her breast.
I placed three fingers inside and stroked them in and out, twisting them on the way in.
Jess was making incredibly sexy groans at this point, and as I increased the speed and strength of my strokes, she moaned in response to the deepest part of each thrust of my hand. As the speed reached its apex, and I was deep inside her, I curled my fingers up and rubbed the spot I knew would make her come. My tongue continued its caress of her clit, now throbbing against me with urgency.
"Oh that feels so good AAAA-aaalexxxx. Just like that," Jess screamed, her hips jerking upwards as she came.
"Stay inside me a little longer," she asked as she recovered. We laid on our sides, facing each other. She draped her top leg over my hip allowing me to continue filling her up.
I made an almost imperceptible push with my fingers but she was aroused enough to feel it. She looked into my eyes as she slowly moved her hips, my fingers pressing inside her as I started thrusting into her again. Our lips were locked together as she bucked against my fingers; her climax was almost instantaneous. Her fingers kneaded my shoulders and her leg was hooked against my lower back pulling us closer together. We held each other like that as she recovered; neither one of us said anything. We didn't need to: we were back in each other's arms.
The combination of Alex's tongue and fingers was almost too much. But there I was, having multiple orgasms that pulsed through me like shockwaves. I had asked her before if this was how women had sex with each other, but it was becoming clear that this was something between us. Neither one of us has had this level of physical connection before. It made me smile and I nuzzled her neck, sighing contentedly as I allowed myself to drift off.
When I woke, I was alone in the bed. I saw a light on in the living room and padded out. She was in the kitchen, eating a sandwich.
"Why did you leave?" I grumbled, embracing her from behind.
"I got hungry," she mumbled with a mouth full of food. "Do you want anything? We can whip something up or order in."
"Are there places that deliver this late?" I asked.
Alex pulled open a drawer and pointed at a stack of menus, "A couple of these are still open. The top menu is from the one you liked the last time you visited. And can I just say how much I enjoy seeing you naked in the kitchen?"
I picked up the phone and called the restaurant. I leaned over the counter as I ordered, lazily swaying my hips back and forth. When I hung up, I couldn't help but giggle: Alex was staring with her mouth open. I might have arched my back a little more than I needed to.
I stopped giggling when she slid two fingers inside me. Oh, honey!
Some number of mind-blowing minutes later, the intercom buzzed, announcing the arrival of our food. We managed to cover ourselves up before the delivery guy knocked; his bemused smirk was puzzling until I noticed that Alex was wearing my shirt, which was two sizes too small and inside out.
Alex shrugged, "This is probably tame compared to some of the other stuff he walks in on..."
The food was perfect. "This I can get used to," I declared, digging in with glee.
"Makes me lazy, I cooked more in college," Alex said, "but I do intend to make you breakfast in bed tomorrow. Is there anything madam wishes to have?"
"Apart from you? Surprise me," I said.
I noticed that Alex had moved my luggage into the living room. "There's two weeks' worth of laundry festering in there somewhere, and some clean clothes that I had set apart for New York."
Alex nodded towards the kitchen, "We can do a load tonight. I got you a chest of drawers and the closet has plenty of room."
I stared at her, "You got me a chest of drawers?"
"Jess, you're going to be here for two months. And it won't be the last time you visit for longer than a weekend, this is your place too now." She smiled, "and if it doesn't work out, I'll keep it until my next girlfriend moves in."
"Oh, very funny," I said, at a loss for a comeback.
Alex leaned over and kissed me, "Do what makes you comfortable, you can live out of the suitcase for as long as you want.... Now, do you want to have a quick shower? Or should we attack the laundry?"
"Shower," I said, as I took her hand and led her to the bathroom, "but only if you get wet too."
Alex grinned, "I don't need a shower for that..."
"Oh, well played, Mak," I acknowledged as I felt my core swell and pulse for her.
Alex pulled my T-shirt over her head and kicked off her boxers as she stepped into the shower. I marvelled at her body. I would never tire of looking at it.
"Are you getting in, or are you just going to stand there all night?" Alex stuck her head out and raised her eyebrows.
I followed her into the shower and pulled the curtains shut. The first cascade of water on my skin made me remember how dehydrating being on a flight could be.
Alex's hands were on me instantaneously, smoothly moving over my shoulders and down over my breasts. They came to a rest on my hips and Alex pulled me towards her for a kiss.
I pressed myself against her, my heart fluttering a little as our skin made contact.
"May I make a request?" Alex murmured, as she moved from my lips to kissing my neck.
"Hmm?" I wanted her inside me, but her hands held steady on my hips, squeezing gently.
"When we do what we are about to do, please try not to rip off the shower curtain like you did last time," she continued landing kisses up and down my neck.
I laughed and slapped her across the shoulder, "Then stop being such an overachiever with those fingers of yours... speaking of which..."
"You mean these fingers?" Alex grinned. She wiggled them in front of me and then trotted them down my front, pausing just slightly below my belly button. Tap tap tap. Alex's fingers were an inch away from where I wanted them to be.
"Lower." I tilted my hips towards her. "Please."
Alex smiled. Her hand continued their journey south, sliding between my lips, and then -- delectably -- with two fingers on either side of my clit, sliding back out.
Alex repeated this I don't know how many times before plunging her fingers inside me. I felt my knees buckle. Alex caught me, turned slightly and pinned my back against the wall. The cold tile made me jump. Her fingers made me scream. By the time her tongue made its way to my nipples, my body was more than ready for climax.
"Ok. Ok. Ok." I barely managed as I slid down to sit in the tub. Alex joined me, smoothing down my hair. I wrapped my legs around her waist, resting my head against her chest, the warm water from the shower splashing over us.
"I'm getting all pruny," I observed.
Alex leaned over and grabbed the shampoo, "Here," she ran some through my hair.
I started rinsing it out as Alex soaped me up.
"Darling, am I really that dirty?" I asked as her hand made yet another pass over my breasts.
She nodded, water dripping off her short black hair. "You've been bunking with two dozen adolescents with questionable personal hygiene standards... I know this because I lived through the horror. I think it's the least I can do to make sure that you don't suffer from it in any way..."
I laughed and pushed her hands away. "Ok. Stop it, Alex Mak! Water conservationists are going to come knocking any moment."
--Chapter 2: Getting Out and About--
After living like hermits for the first week and a bit, we decided to rejoin civilization and ventured out to meet some of her friends from university one Friday night.
"Honestly, it's so much more fun being here with you!" Alex complained as she got dressed. She wiggled her eyebrows.
I stepped backwards as she tried to unbutton my shirt. Alex's single-minded pursuit of having sex with me meant I was in a permanent state of heady euphoria.
"Alexandra! Behave!" I smiled in spite of myself.
It did not help that she was half naked: her pecs and abs flexed as she calculated her next move; her jeans a rugged sheath around her narrow hips and long legs.
"I just need five minutes," Alex pleaded as she moved forward. I stepped back, although my eyes clearly welcomed her advance.
"Five to ten minutes," Alex amended as she sensed my resolve slipping. She took another step towards me.
I stepped back once more, but was thwarted by the hard edge of the dining table. I gasped. I was a quivering mess. I gave up any remaining pretence of resistance, grabbed her by her belt and pulled her towards me.
Alex was grinning wickedly.
"Ten to fifteen," she said, as she pulled off my shirt. I didn't think I would last more than five.
An hour later, we stepped into the cool air of a bar in the West Village. Alex's best friend Annie had snagged us a table, and was chatting with two others when we arrived.
"It's a freaking miracle. Alex Mak actually walking into a bar on a Friday night. Better late than never!" Annie exclaimed as she gave us each a hug, and introduced me to Michelle and Jo.
Annie nodded at me approvingly, "You are a good influence, Jess, this one just prefers to stay holed up at work or in her apartment. We have to literally drag her out most weekends."
"Well, it's not surprising, given how quickly the insults have started flying." Alex responded, looking a little hurt.


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The Malta Independent 20th May 2013
The Sliema promenade will serve as an exhibition space – and as a canvas – for a wide selection of street artists late next month, for the first edition of the Sliema Street Art Festival. It will take place between June 28-30, but the artworks themselves are set to remain on site all summer. John Cordina writes
The event is the brainchild of Add More Colors, a company which focuses on street art and graffiti and which seeks to enable artists to live on their talent. The company was founded in Sweden, but has been based in Malta since 2009.
AMC director and Sliema resident Peter Brobeck, one of the festival's organisers, notes that the company admired the country's attitude towards art, stating that it is "light years ahead of Sweden when it came to open-mindedness and appreciation towards art."
The Sliema local council has already backed street art initiatives: last summer, a wall beneath the Qui-Si-Sana promenade was decorated by a number of street artists as part of the "Putting Colour in the Streets" project.
The festival came about when the company sought to obtain permits to paint the wall. In the process, Mr Brobeck met Sliema local councillor Pierre Portelli through a mutual friend, and it was through the ensuing discussions that plans to organise the festival were set in motion.
The local council's blessing provided the organisers – a team of four, including Mr Brobeck – with an ideal exhibition space: the Sliema promenade, starting from the Għar id-Dud area all the way to Balluta Bay, including the Independence Garden.
The promenade, popular with locals and tourists alike, has hosted a number of art exhibitions in past years, but nothing on this scale.
Organising such a large-scale event brings "tons of challenges," Mr Brobeck acknowledges, and the organisers aim to create a festival fit for people of all ages and origins.
In the spirit of street art, participation is open to anyone, "regardless of age, citizenship or education." The only prerequisite, the organisers stress, is "quality and vigour."
Nine foreign acts – eight solo artists and a sibling duo – have confirmed that they will be participating in the festival. They are David Walker (England), Tank (Germany), Mr Dheo (Portugal), Shaka (France), Sofles (Australia), Smates (Belgium), Steve Locatelli (Belgium), Kayo Natez (Germany) and Brohemia (Sweden).
The festival's artworks will include traditional graffiti, stencil graffiti, sculptures, sticker art, wheat-pasting, street posters, art intervention, guerrilla art and street installations.
The Independence Garden will be hosting an exhibition area for canvas art, street art photography and sculpture, but artworks will also be set up on easels across the promenade. Over 100 easels are to be set up for artists to exhibit their work, and over 200 square metres of walls will be available for wall art.
Naturally, the street art festival will not simply serve to exhibit works: live painting – as well as collaborations between artists – will also be taking place. And the local council, the organisers note, has given its blessing for participants to colour the promenade itself.
"Every part and object belonging to the Sliema promenade is a possible piece of art," the event's organisers state, naming gazebos, benches and phone booths as examples.
This may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Mr Brobeck stresses that this will be no free-for-all without any rules and guidelines.
"We don't want the promenade to look like a paintball warzone," he adds.
What the organisers are doing is to screen applications and carefully select the ones that they think will fit on the festival. Once this is done, the selected street artists will be assigned locations – spread across the festival area – to work on.
"So far we've only had great ideas and suggested collaborations... there are a lot of creative minds on this island," Mr Brobeck explains.
The festival will not just host visual arts: appropriately enough, it is set to host a large number of street performers. Musicians and entertainers ranging from solitary buskers to large groups are invited to apply to participate: a number of mini sound systems will be placed in strategic spots along the promenade to allow performers to plug and play with ease.
The organisers plan to turn the festival into an annual event, with Mr Brobeck pointing out that Sliema presently lacks an annual festival of its own, in contrast to many other Maltese towns.
They are also confident that the artwork which will be displayed – and created – during the festival will be well received.
"I have always thought of the Maltese people as very open minded when it comes to street art and graffiti. The art form has grown very popular the last 10 years all around the world, and it's exciting to live on an island where the people aren't scared of trying out new things," Mr Brobeck notes.
The event should have something to offer for people for all ages and personalities, he adds. What it will certainly do, he adds, is lead to a "colourful and pleasant promenade."
Facebook event page:
Check out our website to view all the artists portfolios.
If you want to participate sign up here:
Add more colors on facebook


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Merry Christmas to all in the miniature wargaming community.
Some nice items from my son and wife.
Next three books in the Simon Scarrow "Legion" series
Wargamers Annual 2015 and the Summer Special
The Glory Years
A paint rack
Two fantasy units to go by the end of the year.
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California Northstate University College of Pharmacy:
Student Ambassador Spotlight!
Courtney Wong
Student Ambassadors are enrolled pharmacy students at California Northstate
College of Pharmacy who serve as knowledgeable representatives that provide information and services to the community about and for the university.
1. What is your name and what year are you?
Courtney Wong
Class of 2019
2. Where are you from?
Danville, CA
3. What do you like to do in your free time? Hobbies?
Hang out with my friends and play sports.
4. Why did you choose California Northstate University?
I chose CNU because of the team- based learning aspect and I thought it would be best for my learning style.
5. What attracted you to the student ambassador program?
I decided to join SAAC during my first year at CNU because when I visited the school for my interview, the students were very enthusiastic about the school and
I wanted to show that same school spirit and share my experiences with the incoming students.
6. What is your favorite thing about being a student ambassador?
My favorite thing about being a student ambassador is getting to know the students during the lunch portion and also when they do decide to come to CNU,
they know a familiar face and i can be there to help them
7. What is your biggest accomplishment since starting at CNU?
My biggest accomplishment since starting CNU would be becoming the President of Phi Delta Chi.
8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I hope to be done with a residency program and working in a hospital setting.
9. What advice would you give incoming students of the Class of 2021?
Getting involved as much as possible, but also remember that school comes first.
10. What is one thing no one would be able to guess about you?
My arms are double-jointed.


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Wells Fargo now pays just about everyone a consistent CD rate.
This is news.
Wells Fargo, the big bank with more 6,000 branches, typically has a plethora of odd-term specials paying a variety of rates in various geographic areas.
But its 58-month special appears to now be good in every state except North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. Those states don't have a 58-month CD special.
Unfortunately, that special only pays 1.15% APY.
Sure, that ties the current average annual yield offered by large banks and thrifts for 60-month CDs — a record low.
But it's more than a percentage point lower than the top nationally available 60-month CD rate of 2.20% APY on our CD Rates Leaderboard.
Quaint Oak Bank of suburban Philadelphia owns that rate.
Earlier this year, Wells Fargo paid as much as 1.90% APY for this odd term.
A few of this big bank's other odd-term CD specials squeeze past average. To check out your area's rates, go to the website (www.wellsfargo.com) and search by your state.
Its standard CD rates just aren't good.
We're talking 0.05% APY for 12-month CDs. The average annual yield for that term is 0.34% APY.
There are definitely better deals out there, and you'll find them if you compare Wells Fargo's returns with the best CD rates from scores of other banks in our extensive database.


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Champions League: Frank Lampard attacks PSG after Real Madrid defeat
Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard, has slammed Paris Saint-Germain after their Champions League round-of-16 elimination at the hands of Real Madrid.
Lampard was not happy with the way PSG approached the game.
He said that the Ligue 1 giants 'threw the towel in the second half'.
"I don't think they went out like a big team," Lampard told BT Sport.
"A big team goes with some tackles. It might look great on the eye but you have a right go. But they threw the towel in the second half."
Meanwhile, PSG went into the second leg trailing 3-1 on aggregate, but with home advantage and an away goal, victory over Zinedine zidane's men was still a possibility, even without injured star player, Neymar.
The Parisians suffered a 2-1 loss at the Parc des Princes to fall to Madrid 5-2 on aggregate as their wait for a first Champions League continues.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro scored either side of Edinson Cavani's strike, while PSG had Marco Verratti sent off.


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Ascension Healthcare, the nation's largest nonprofit health system is growing again, seeking highly motivated and energetic full-time BC/BE General Surgeons to join established general surgery practices throughout Central and Northern Wisconsin.
Practice Details:
Community Details:
Named one of the Top 10 States to Practice Medicine in 2018 by WalletHub, come see for yourself why physicians are choosing to call Wisconsin home and enjoy this little slice of heaven. Contact Rebecca Larsen at firstname.lastname@example.com, call 469-909-6680 or text 314-223-5243.
General Surgery, General Surgeon, Physician, Job, Wisconsin, Central Wisconsin, Northern Wisconsin


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Home ownership is a dream many people have, whether buying an older home or building one themselves. For some people, there is something very special about building a home on their own, unique piece of land. Buying a plot of land is the first step in achieving this dream; however, there is more involved than this. Before making any costly mistakes, it is important to learn some basic information about the home-building process.
So You Have A Plot of Land… Now What?
Building a home on your own land may seem like a daunting task, yet with proper planning it can be done in a relatively short amount of time. The most important thing before starting such a project is to research and ask many questions. Home construction mistakes can be costly – and even dangerous. A good plan can avoid this.
Land Assessment and Preparation
Before starting construction on a new plot of land, be sure that the lot is correctly zoned with the required improvements. Working with a civil engineer is essential at this point, as they will plot the land based on where the home can be built. They will determine if there is sufficient drainage, where roads and driveways should be placed, and be sure the land meets zoning requirements. Once the lot meets all zoning specifications, the owner can apply for a building permit.
Floor Plan Selection and Budget
When constructing a new home, choosing the right design plan requires forethought about a budget. Yet it is impossible to budget accurately for a project without knowing the following specifications:
- Floor plan
- Builder – a contractor or the homeowner
- Cost – in order to secure financing
There are contractors, floor plan companies, and even some home building estimation applications available online to help with budgeting. Include purchasing approved blueprints if required or having blueprints drawn up by an architect in the cost estimate. Include the cost of extras, any changes to home plans that will affect cost.
Financing A Home Building Project
Once a property has been assessed, building permit issued, floor plan selected, and cost estimated, arranging for a loan is the next step. Most people who plan on building a home have either saved some money or know which lender will be financing the purchase. With building permits issued and actual floor plans to provide to the lender, it is the time to finalize a loan.
Blueprints, Utilities, and Supplies
Once financing is secured as well as blueprints and building permit in hand, it is officially time to startconstructing the house. The first thing to be done is to bring in utility contractors to connect the property with local electricity, water, and sewer. Once this has been accomplished, work on the foundation can begin and necessary supplies and building materials ordered.
There is a great deal of effort involved in research, phone calls, permits, cost estimates, and other necessary preparations to get an unfinished lot ready for building a home. It may seem like there is little to show for all that effort; however, all that changes very quickly. Once ground is broken and the foundation built, there is literally nowhere to go but up!


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Range and Reality of Christian Truth 2
How are you spending your summer vacation? Often we seek out some beautiful place that seems closer to nature than our usual round of 'buying and spending.' I, for my part, and after dutifully reviewing my Spanish verbs, have been watching the political conventions and passing a day in a rain national park in Costa Rica. Hearing both promises about 'winners' and fears for survival in the first, and worries about ecological crisis in the second, and watching an intense neighborhood of contending fauna and flora in the third, together raise the question of a christian understanding of the natural order, one of the most perplexing theological questions of the modern age.
In a more positive mood, we can affirm the sense of beauty and order found in nature. This sense has been related to an intimation of the existence of the Creator throughout Christian thought. Part of that order, the differentiation of male and female and the resulting fecundity, are declared 'good' by God for the human. These are not left behind in the stewardship bestowed on us in Genesis 1.
What hasn't been traditionally found in our faith is a yearning for unification with that force, either as order or as chaos. To be sure such yearning is indeed a deep human sense, but it is called 'paganism.' We moderns have been characterized by both the intimation and the yearning, and the trouble we have telling one from the others.
Even a single morning's guided tour through the jungle reminds us that nature is one long protein chain of ingesting and being ingested. We know this to be true, but have a hard time assessing it. Konrad Lorenz once said the lion stalking his prey has the same relation to it which we have to our corn flakes. He is not angry, not even aggressive in a human sense.
We have, as I say, a hard time making sense of this. We are part of this order, we ingestors of protein. We alternately are repelled by it, or celebrate this fact, as we imagine ourselves as spirits or lions. Neither is helpful or accurate. We can neither climb to angelhood nor descend to an animalhood devoid of conscience, Plato and Ayn Rand notwithstanding. The conundrum all this puts us in is itself a sign of original sin, as is the kind of extended cruelty to our own species others rarely show. Even trying to be 'animal' proves we aren't simply that, creatures though we be.
My point is simply this: being ensouled mammals, at once answerable to and alienated from God, is complicated. As such we cannot make sense of ourselves with a single one of the claims I have here listed. We need them all together, and in their own kind of 'ecology,' held together by the master story of the bible, summed-up for us in the creed. Trying to make sense of ourselves without all this will end up as a distortion, whether it makes of us creators or angels or predators or furies, for on our own we lapse into our own false optimisms and pessimisms.
...and enjoy that sunset over the water!


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I live in Mississippi and we have been in a "drought condition" since the last week of July. God has now ended that condition during the last week of November and the first of December and listening to it is so soothing to my soul! It is falling slowly enough to soak into the ground and not flood and run off everywhere, which is great!
So many times in our lives we look around and see things which concern us at times and we get upset about them, but really can we do anything to fix those problems? Many times they are caused by natural processes or some careless individual with a match or cigarette and they are too far away for us to make a difference anyway. All we can do at that point is pray that the right people will be available to help.
Believe it or not, God does care about us and our situation, even though we occupy a small, speck in His Creation. Why does He care so much? Because He chose this speck to be the place where He would have His Presence and His people live. Why did He choose our planet? I haven't a clue. The only explanation would be that it is His decision because He is God!
He is outside our existence, even outside our universe, but He chose to love and care for us and maybe one day we will understand that…in His Presence. Until then, we just have to muddle along and learn more about Him from His Word because that is the only way to learn about Him while we are here. Have you spoken with Him today? It is a privilege that we have which allows us to talk to Him anytime.
Seek His calming presence each and every day and if you don't believe in Him, then pick up a Bible and read it. Ask Him, if He is there, to show you His Presence and His grace because He is there, I promise!