text: Navigating the minefield of workplace depressionFormer Globe and Mail reporter Jan Wong's battle with her ex-employer May 14, 2012|Written By Jennifer Brown Jan Wong's clash with her employer is an example of how workplace depression claims can quickly spin out of control. Photo: George Whiteside When former Globe and Mail reporter Jan Wong became ill with depression, she says at first she was in denial about her state of mental health. But when her doctor told her she was in fact depressed and she filed for sick leave, it sparked a standoff with her employer that ended in a costly legal battle. "From the start it was mishandled; it never had to happen like this," says Wong who last week launched her book, Out of the Blue, A Memoir of Workplace Depression, Recovery, Redemption and Yes, Happiness. "The first fundamental point I think is employers are not educated about mental illness and they are very last century about how they approach the problem. I think there's a lot of ignorance also with employees."The book covers the evolution of Wong's depression, which started after she wrote a story in 2006 about the shootings at Dawson College in Montreal in which she suggested Quebec's linguistic politics created a context for the violence. She became the target of hate mail and even a death threat delivered to her workplace. The Globe also published an editorial expressing regret for the controversial portion of Wong's article. Wong felt her employer failed to support her. In fact, when the death threat arrived at The Globe's offices, she says a security guard was prevented from calling police — something she says is standard protocol. As a result the stress caused her to fall into clinical depression. She then became involved in a struggle with her newspaper and its insurer over the handling of her sick leave benefits. She was eventually fired."I think when it comes to cases like this many people will just go away. Companies may lose an employee who is productive. In cold financial terms I was an asset and they turned me into a liability," Wong tells InHouse. "I became a very expensive liability."Wong's case never made it to arbitration; rather it was resolved through marathon mediation sessions handled on her behalf by her union's lawyer. She cannot reveal details of the financial settlement from The Globe, but she insisted they acknowledge in writing that she was in fact depressed and that she not be bound by a confidentiality agreement."The sticking point was the gag order, I just couldn't agree to confidentiality," says Wong. "I wanted to go to arbitration because it is made public. It was very hard because I was deeply depressed when all of this was going on. In the middle of a mediation, my union lawyer was yelling at me — he stood up, screamed at me, and said, 'you're insane.' I said, 'I guess I am insane because I can't accept this offer.' The mediator interjected and told me 'No, you're not insane.'"As soon as she settled with The Globe, she sued Manulife Financial, the company's insurer. Wong says she stopped receiving sick pay just before Christmas 2006. One of her major battles was over how the benefits were managed. At one point she was followed by a security company that had been hired to collect video evidence to help determine if she appeared to be depressed."I'd been off work since early October and ordered back to work after six weeks. I started getting letters saying I had to be at work or else. I was supposed to get six months under the contract but was told by Manulife the maximum was six weeks," she says.Employment law experts say the issue of accommodating depressive disorders is a complicated one, but addressing the problem properly has to involve both parties providing information in a timely manner. Too often employees hide their problem and then employers feel blindsided."I think understanding depression is part of it, but it's also a two-way street. Both parties have a duty in the process and that includes an employee's duty to communicate and raise the issue of accommodation. That doesn't mean the employer can be willfully blind," says Shana French of Sherrard Kuzz LLP.Often, employers will receive notification from a family physician that an employee is sick and is required to go on disability. If that comes out of the blue, the employer may go on the defensive."Depression in terms of a diagnosis can be relatively and easily communicated to an employer, if that is required. I don't think that's the issue — the issues arise when there is a lack of disclosure and I think that's where more problems come up now," says Hendrik Nieuwland of Shields O'Donnell MacKillop LLP. "Usually where disputes occur is with competing diagnosis — a family physician may say it's depression and a mental-health expert may say otherwise."The employee also has the ability to provide information to the employer before reaching the point where a leave is required."Often they just provide a doctor's note saying the person can't work for six months. That doesn't help anyone understand the role the employer can play. They can provide resources like [employee assistance plans] or specialists," says French.She says Wong's clash with her employer is an example of how workplace depression claims can quickly spin out of control."We see that a lot where the claims of stress and depression have come on the heels of performance management or conflict with supervisors," says French. "It puts the employer in a position where they say, 'hold on, is this an excuse or a reason?' No one is trying to be Machiavellian but at the same time everyone does have a responsibility to mange the workplace and if everyone requested accommodation every time they were disciplined it would be a rather unwieldy world."French says there's also "a lot of fatigue" with employers around the over-use of terms like depression and stress. She cites Crowley v. Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which states stress in and of itself is not considered a disability."People muddle up all those terms and they lose a little bit of their impact," says French.But, employers are cautioned not to dismiss employees without first investigating fully, given ADGA Group Consulting v. Lane in which the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario awarded $80,000 to an individual who had bipolar disorder. The complaint arose out of the dismissal of an employee with bipolar disorder, eight days after he started working with ADGA Group Consulting Inc. The tribunal held that ADGA had failed to turn its mind to the prospect of accommodating the employee, resulting in a finding of discrimination."So we say to employers, make sure you have a process in place to show you're exploring what's going on," says French.Nieuwland says some large organizations manage workplace depression and disability claims well by having a separate occupational health department that liaises with the employee and a third-party insurer."That means HR and line supervisors don't get access to the information about the mental illness so there's a Chinese wall there. It removes decision-making about how to deal with the mental illness from line supervisors and HR and helps protect privacy."Wong says she feels HR was not on her side in her battle with her employer because the tension over the story she wrote continued even after she submitted a sick note requesting leave for depression."Once I'm sick and send in a sick note everything else should stop. I think it's where a lot of companies fall down — they keep going with whatever the problem is instead of just stopping. HR should have called a halt to all that internal back and forth about the story. HR must play a more neutral function and cannot be the stick that management uses to beat the employee."The Globe and Mail did not respond by time of posting, but watch for updates to this story.


text: DOWNEY - The city of Downey will host a Veteran's Day ceremony on Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m. in the Downey Theatre courtyard.The ceremony will honor local veterans while celebrating the installation of military banners along Firestone Boulevard. The first 20 banners were ordered for Downey residents who are currently serving in the U.S. military. All families of those receiving a banner were invited to Wednesday's ceremony. The general public is also invited. Applications for the military banner program are still being accepted. The city said it hopes order another 20 banners when enough applications have been received and approved. Nomination forms are available online at www.downeyca.org or by calling (562)'Äà904-1895. The military banner program is partially funded by donations from the community. ********** Published: November 6, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 29

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sun down: Essex University union bans sale of 'The Sun'
Bare breasts and news no longer mix at the University of Essex, as the students' union has banned The Sun and The Star from its campus shop.
The papers were removed from the store today, as the University becomes the twentieth to ban the papers as part of the No More Page 3 campaign.
Chantel Le Carpentier, Essex union's vice-president for welfare , who made the final decision, has been covering the papers with anti-page 3 stickers all week.
"Newspapers should show a balanced representation of society, but what we are seeing is men being represented in the business, politics and sport sections, and women represented on the third page, half naked," she said.
The stickers, used on the front pages and on any revealing pictures of women, were emblazoned with the phrase "Boobs aren't news".
The union says it will not sell The Sun or The Star again until they stop "devaluing women".
The decision to ban the papers was made at a union council meeting last year and was triggered by the coverage of the London Olympics.
"We had fantastic female athletes, Jessica Ennis, Ellie Simmonds etc. but the biggest representation of women in The Sun during the Olympics was still half-naked women," said Le Carpentier, 21.
"We're part of a society that is trying to empower the next generation of women. How can we show them that they are amazing individuals capable of anything when they are judged by their appearance rather than their skills and personality?"
She added: "The Sun and The Star market themselves as newspapers and frankly, boobs just aren't news."
The shop sold around 20 copies of The Sun each day, and just a few copies of The Star.
Other universities to ban the papers over the page 3 row include Sheffield, Manchester and the London School of Economics.


text:
Holly Gilbert | Security Management
Every year, a staggering $250 billion is lost in the economy due to counterfeit goods being produced and sold in the globally, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Many of those fake goods are touted online, which is all the more reason both retailers and consumers should be on the lookout for counterfeit goods during the holiday shopping season, says Neil Alpert, chief executive officer of Laserlock Technologies.
"The Internet—while we all love it—is also the best friend of the counterfeiter," says Alpert, who explains that online shopping puts a distance between the consumer and the item, leaving the buyer unable to evaluate its authenticity. "If you think about it, you go online, you buy an item, you never see the person who's selling it to you, you don't know where they're located; you don't actually get to see the physical item until it arrives at your house."
Alpert says that counterfeiters are masters at quickly setting up Web sites to sell their items, and can take them down in a matter of seconds. "The other thing about online shopping is that by the time that product is shipped to you, the person on the other side of that Web site could be gone. That Web site is closed down today, a new Web site is open tomorrow," he says.
Fortunately for consumers, the U.S. government is cracking down on such sites as they're discovered. Alpert says that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has shut down a number of Websites selling fake goods. "Seven hundred websites selling fake counterfeit goods have been shut down in the last three weeks alone, and those are the ones they can find when they shut one down a new one comes up," he says.
While there are federal efforts to squelch online retailers selling counterfeit products, Alpert says both businesses and consumers should take a proactive approach to safeguarding what they buy and sell. "There are technologies and ways out there today that could cut down that number significantly. I would be lying if I said it could be cut down to zero, but it could be cut significantly," he says.
LaserLock Technologies provides one such solution called BrandGuard, a tracking system achieved through the printing of numbers on items and packaging. "The way BrandGuard does that is through something called item level serialization, where every item that a legitimate brand produces, let's say Louis Vuitton or Pfizer as examples, every package of medicine that Pfizer produces will have a unique serial number associated with it, and throughout the demand chain and right to the end user that item is able to be authenticated," says Paul Donfried, chief technology officer at LaserLock Technologies.
Donfried explains that the solution works for the consumer as well, who can verify the product they are buying is legitimate through an authentication app. "In the case of an online merchant, the consumer could ensure that the online merchant makes the image of that mark available to them, and they can then locally authenticate it through their browser, and then what that can do for the consumer is verify that one, yes this is an authentic genuine article, and this particular merchant has been authorized by that brand owner to sell it."
LaserLock Technologies has developed their product to make the serial numbers nearly untraceable to counterfeiters to prevent duplication. "We've taken two approaches to try and secure [BrandGuard] and make it resilient. One of those is to leverage the security pigments and inks which were our core products that we introduced in 1999" Says Donfried. "Those products allow us to put invisible marks onto products and packages that can be authenticated. And we've developed image processing technology that allows us to take conventional smart phones and use those to authenticate and recognize those invisible marks."
Secondly, the company leverages encryption to ensure that the tracking number, even if detected, would be meaningless to a counterfeiter. "Rather than simply putting open marks onto the packages and products, we take the serial numbers that are unique to each item and we use advanced cryptography to encrypt those," says Donfried.
The encrypted numbers are then put into a machine readable format, such as a barcode or GS1 DataMatrix. "What that produces is a system where, even if the counterfeiter is able to detect the mark, and even if the counterfeiter is able to recognize the mark, once they decode the QR code or the GS1 DataMatrix, they're left with the encrypted blob and they have no way of determining what that encrypted blob represents." For anyone authenticating the product with LaserLock's app, a request is sent to a cloud service where the barcode or GS1Matrix is verified.
Laserlock Technologies is still in the process of rolling out the full components of BrandGuard, including the app for consumers to crosscheck retail items. Donfried says there is a lot of change already occurring on the side of the retailers in order to get BrandGuard fully up and running. "We have the central components of BrandGuard in place today. There are additional pieces that we continue to develop and work on and add into the system, but the core capabilities of the system, the cloud services for managing, the item level serialization, the inks and dyes for creating and applying the marks, the interfaces for the printing systems, those things exist today and we're in the process of working with customers currently under nondisclosure," he says.


text:
Patrick studied at the UCL and at the University of Innsbruck where he graduated with distinction in 2000.
Patrick joined BGY in 2015, after 14 years at David Chipperfield Architects where he was an Associate Director with a pan-office design role. He brings experience of working on high profile and international projects, across residential, commercial and cultural sectors.
His previous work includes plans for the redevelopment of Selfridges in London, and Fayland House in Buckinghamshire, awarded 'Best House of the Year' by the Architectural Review (2015).
Patrick is committed to achieving the highest design quality, and has a growing interest in working with historic buildings.
Outside of BGY, Patrick is a regular critic at the University of East London and The Cass, London Metropolitan University.
Career History
David Chipperfield Architects
Dottore Architetto
Dipl.-Ing. Innsbruck
Dip Arch Bartlett


text:
>>> "When the Dallas Police sent the rifle to the FBI for processing of fingerprints, how many prints did the FBI find on the rifle?" <<<
Gil, of course, is a mega-kook with the memory of roadkill.
Gil also knows that Lt. Carl Day of the DPD only had possession of
Oswald's rifle for a fairly limited time on 11/22/63 (in order to
search it thoroughly for prints) before he was ordered to turn the
weapon over to the FBI in Washington.
Gil also knows this fact (or at least he should)....and this is a fact
he undoubtedly hates with a passion:
Lieutenant Carl Day did see the fingerprints on the rifle's trigger
guard (or trigger housing) on 11/22/63, and he thought the prints
probably were the prints of Lee Harvey Oswald, but Day didn't have
enough time to examine the prints in more depth in order to compare
them properly to Oswald's known prints.
Further, more-detailed analysis in later years concerning those
trigger-guard prints revealed that they almost certainly belonged to
Lee Oswald. (Which is another fact that kooks like Gil despise.)
Here's what J.C. Day told the Warren Commission in 1964. These are
comments that Gil, being a kook, will be forced to ignore completely;
or Gil will merely try to paint Lt. Day as one of the hundreds of
"liars" connected to the JFK murder investigation:
LT. J.C. DAY -- "After ejecting the live round, then I gave my
attention to the rifle. I put fingerprint powder on the side of the
rifle over the magazine housing. I noticed it was rather rough. I also
noticed there were traces of two prints visible. I told Captain Fritz
it was too rough to do there, it should go to the office where I would
have better facilities for trying to work with the fingerprints. ....
I could see traces of ridges, fingerprint ridges, on the side of the
housing." ....
DAVID BELIN -- "Did you do anything with the other prints or partial
prints that you said you thought you saw?"
LT. DAY -- "I photographed them only. I did not try to lift them."
DAVID BELIN -- "Do you have those photographs, sir? I will mark the
two photographs which you have just produced Commission Exhibits 720
and 721. I will ask you to state what these are."
LT. DAY -- "These are prints or pictures, I should say, of the latent--
of the traces of prints on the side of the magazine housing of the gun
No. C2766."
DAVID BELIN -- "Were those prints in such condition as to be
identifiable, if you know?"
LT. DAY -- "No, sir. I could not make positive identification of these
DAVID BELIN -- "Did you have enough opportunity to work and get these
pictures or not?"
LT. DAY -- "I worked with them, yes. I could not exclude all
possibility as to identification. I thought I knew which they were,
but I could not positively identify them."
DAVID BELIN -- "What was your opinion so far as it went as to whose
they were?"
LT. DAY -- "They appeared to be the right middle and right ring finger
of Harvey Lee Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald."
Footnote --- Many people think Lt. Carl Day was nothing but a rotten,
evil liar, who told all kinds of lies regarding Oswald's rifle and how he
discovered a palmprint on the underside of the gun on November 22nd.
But if Lt. Day HAD, indeed, been the rotten liar that many CTers seem
to think he was in 1964, then why on Earth didn't he EXTEND his lies a
little more with regard to the fingerprints found on the trigger
housing of the rifle?
IOW--Why would Day, if his goal was to paint Lee Harvey Oswald as the
sole assassin, tell the Warren Commission this in '64?:
"I thought I knew which [fingerprints] they were, but I could
not positively identify them."
Why wouldn't Mr. Day have said this instead?:
"Yes, Mr. Belin, I can say definitely that those prints I saw on
the trigger housing of Rifle C2766 were positively the fingerprints of
Lee Harvey Oswald."
Conspiracy kooks should probably make up their minds with respect to
stuff like this regarding witness testimony -- Was Lt. Carl Day a liar?
Was he a truth-teller? Or was he only a PARTIAL liar, telling only a FEW
lies from time to time to further the "cover-up", but at other times he
decided to tell the unvarnished truth?
I'm sure Gilbert has all the answers, though. Most kooks usually
do...even though every answer they provide invariably reeks with
inconsistencies, contradictions, and absurdities.
David Von Pein
September 4, 2008
MY YouTube CHANNELS:
DVP's JFK CHANNEL
DVP's OLD-TIME RADIO CHANNEL
DVP's CHANNEL #3
DVP's JFK ARCHIVES:
DVP's VIDEO & AUDIO ARCHIVE:


text:
Numerous blogs and books on the topic of search engine advertising provide tips for successful AdWords campaigns. Everyone agrees that an AdWords campaign requires careful planning in advance. This could begin, for example, with defining the targeting. In which languages and regions should the ads be displayed? Which target audience (interests, age, and gender) should be addressed? Should mobile devices or even the user's current location be taken into account?
Careful analysis and ongoing optimization of keywords has top priority. It is important to focus and determine what the users' true interests are as well as the precise keywords that these users will enter for their search. One challenge is the fact that users often use different terms for their searches than the companies use for their offering. Numerous keyword analysis tools can help gain a "view from the outside". This should be used for ongoing optimization throughout the entire campaign, because the quality of keywords can quickly fluctuate.
Keywords are generally divided into three categories:
- Required keywords, which the competition also has great interest in.
Example: bedding.
- Keywords, that seem to match the subject and achieve clicks, but don't achieve the goal because the users are actually looking for something else.
Example: "Asia", which could often point users interested in travel to sites offering bedding with Asian patterns.
- Keywords not yet recognized by competitors that incur relatively little costs, but achieve clicks and the desired results.
Example: "Futon" could point users interested in Japanese beds to Asian bedding offerings, which they could very well also find interesting.
The fact that Google values content should also be taken into consideration. Both the ad text and the content of the linked pages have to match the keywords entered. Otherwise the cost-per-click (CPC) will increase to unprofitable amounts. On the other hand, matching content is rewarded with lower cost-per-click and the same or even higher rankings. Therefore it is important to optimize the existing content of the website to reflect the search terms or develop special landing pages.
Good landing pages are also important to achieve good conversion rates. The invested time and money is only worth it if the visitors gained via AdWords actually find what they are looking for on the website and the defined goal (e.g. purchase, request for information or contact) is achieved. And internet users are exceptionally impatient in this regard. If they do not find the required information within seconds, they will leave the site and continue searching.


text:
This Sunday, I will be preaching on the prologue of Ecclesiastes – ch.1:2-11. I find it awkwardly familiar in that the verses remind me of the journey I have trod theologically over the past few years. 3 years ago, I preached a sermon series "Strong Faith is for Weak People." It was an attempt to engage "strong Christians" in a churched setting who struggled to be able to articulate the finished glorious work of the gospel of Christ. I was one such person. Then, 18 months ago, it was a passion of mine to probe Scripture and literature to discern a theology of weakness that I might put on paper in book form. Dream, dream, dream. But I was chasing something tangible and pragmatic that would scratch the itch and comfort myself and many people I know whose only hope to discover grace seems to only be through the gospel covering our weakness – physical, relational, emotional, spiritual. 2 Corinthians was my starting point for a gospel-driven theology of weakness. I pitched my tent there for some time. About 9 months ago, I packed up my belongings and headed back in from my weakness wildernesss… sensing I needed to quit exploring, quit writing, and just survive pastoring, parenting – and most importantly, husbandring.
What has transpired since is a churchplant that has been launched by the strength and grace of Christ alone – a process that has revealed and covered and exposed and covered and threatened and covered the weaknesses of myself and many others who are dependent on Christ to do a good work through West Valley Presbyterian Church! He is doing that good work!
The vision statement of West Valley did not come from me, but rather a collection of called churchplanting families who sought the Lord, his Word and our context to paint a picture of the kingdom of God coming to earth through a church plant. The vision is this – "to be a church for the West Valley, in order that Jesus Christ is celebrated as the only hope for the brokenness in us and around us." There you have it. You can actually see it – the weakness theology coming out in vision form. We long to be a church of the broken (weak sinners) who embrace and engage the broken around us (weak sinners) living in broken world (weak and sinful) SO THAT our weaknesses become the continual catalyst of authentic worship of Jesus Christ, who alone has conquered the weakness of this fallen world, and promises to bind up our brokenness by his resurrection power!
Months ago, I had the hunch that the first sermon series of West Valley PCA "public services" would be Ecclesiastes. There you have it… the subliminal weakness theology coming out again! Yep – Ecclesiastes is a money book that speaks to a broken culture that knows the emptiness of life under the sun (aka desperate weakness). The cry of the book – "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" – is the answer to the overarching question (1:3) – What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? Nothing, that's what he gains. It is that distressing, our broken world and our debilitating weaknesses ARE that bad – we gain nothing by our efforts, says Qohelet (the Preacher).
Sounds depressing. And yet, it makes for a good, honest, biblical weakness theology – a diving board into the pool of the grace of the gospel! See, what has amazed me is that the probing questions of Ecclesiastes is very similar to the question of Christ in Mark 8:36 – What does it profit a man to gain the world and forfeit his soul? No profit, that's what he gains. How incredible that the depressing worldview of Qohelet starts with virtually the same question of Christ – which ultimately pointed to the hope of the gospel for souls who rest on him to lay down his life and raise it up again in victory over the vanity of this sinful world!
So it's the same starting place for all of us. We gain nothing in this world… nothing. Vanity of vanities. Weakness is real, be honest. And yet, it's not hopeless if it is true that the "nothingness of our gainless vain world" was the very reason that God, by his gospel, has sent Christ to conquer the cycle of meaningless weakness and vanity! Rest on that. Weakness theology or realistic theology – call it whatever you will.


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Audeze LCD-2 (2016 Edition)
I would like to thank the guys over at Audio Sanctuary in New Malden, London, for lending me their display unit of the Audeze LCD-2 for a review. Check them out at https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/ and do visit their brick-and-mortar outlet if you are in the area for a terrific selection of high-end headphones and speakers.
Style: Circumaural - open
Transducer type: Planar magnetic
Magnetic structure: Proprietary self-closing design, acoustically transparent
Magnet type: High-grade Neodymium
Diaphragm excursion: 2.5 mm peak to peak
Transducer active diaphragm area: 6.17 sq in
Sound pressure level (SPL): 130 db (maximum)
Housing: Renewable Shedua composite or Caribbean Rosewood
Ear pads: Specially designed acoustically shaped foam inserts with premium lambskin or super suede cover
Frequency response: 5 Hz - 20 KHz, usable high-frequency extension of 50 KHz
Total harmonic distortion (THD): Less than 1% throughout entire frequency range
Impedance: 60 Ohms, purely resistive
Efficiency: 90 dB/1 mW
Maximum power handling: 15 W (for 200 ms)
Optimal power requirement: 1-4 W
ADZ6SE Cable (single-ended): ¼" TRS to 2x4-pin mini XLR
Cable length: 2.5 m or 8.2 ft
Weight: 490 g (without cable - Bamboo Composite)
Weight: 522 g (without cable - Rosewood)
Build Quality, Comfort & Features
Despite what it says in the official specifications above, this particular LCD-2 weighs 548g. I must admit that I have not felt this level of discomfort from the stock configuration of a headphone since the days when I owned a Hifiman HE-500. The weight itself is not a bother, my ZMF Eikon is over 600g by comparison, but I find the distribution to be poorly handled. I am told that some purchase a Lohb strap to assist this matter, while others stretch out their headbands to reduce the clamp (also an issue, the lower back of my ears would get considerably strained after prolonged listening) – but I was not going to attempt these methods on a review loaner.
The LCD-2 is also the first full-sized headphone that I have encountered in which I have to completely maximize the headband adjuster to be as loose as possible. I have a large head, but not quite that large (if other headphones are anything to go by) so this was surprising to me.
As for the build quality itself, it seems quite sturdy in the hands – with the wooden cups standing out in a fetching manner. However, I do feel that the joints that connect the frame to the cups is a weak point – with it creaking and snapping whenever I stretched it open to don it.
The headphones use the same 4-pin mini-XLR connectors that all the LCD series do, as well as some other headphone manufacturers like ZMF. I find these connecters to be preferable to many, as they lock in place and are sturdier than simple plug-and-play push-in variants. I'm not sure if I agree with Audeze's choice to have the connection on the earcups jutting forward as they do, but it does add to their unique design.
The headband has very little padding and, in my opinion, could greatly benefit from the use of a strap to even out the weight. Adding a Lohb strap would do the trick, but I specifically would need to buy the extended yoke rods that Audeze sell for $30 – a worthy investment in comfort, but one I have not tried personally.
Those looking to spend a little more can opt for the LCD carbon fibre headband, the one used by the flagship LCD-4 and the recently unveiled LCD Pro – retailing for $200 in the official store. This floating system utilizes a leather strap in its design.
The LCD-2 is quite the friendly headphone, injecting a warm hug of musicality in each piece of music listened to on it. Laid back and chilled, the headphone does not attempt speed, aggression or forwardness in either bass or treble. Soundstage is quite intimate but does not feel stifling and the imaging is adequate – making do with the space available in impressive fashion.
To further the topic of warmth, this headphone is not at all harsh to my ears in any region. It is neither supremely airy like the Sennheiser HD800 nor a bass cannon like the Fostex TH-X00. In truth, I hear a sense of comfortable clarity throughout the headphone – but some might get the sense that the headphones are veiled due to this. I find such a characteristic quite in line with the Audeze LCD series, with the LCD-3 having the most sparkle and crash from all of the open variants that I have tried (including the LCD-4). I would actually say that the LCD-3 had the most dynamic and impactful sound, but at the cost of the friendly nature that exists in the LCD-2 and, to a more refined degree, the LCD-4 200 ohm edition.
I'm told that the bass of the LCD-2 is one of the areas that has morphed considerably since the pre-fazor days of years past. Essentially, the clarity and dynamics of the headphone were increased at the cost of some sub-bass extension and overall bloom in the low end. Indeed, I have not heard a pre-fazor LCD-2, but I do find the bass to be more than adequate on the 2016 version. It extends decently low but does not have an immensely controlled nature – nor is it particularly fast. I find the speed decent enough to keep up with the transients of double-bass drums, but not if the tempo reaches Slayer levels. Despite being laid back, it is no slouch though – handling all genres that I throw at it with some ease – and only really being out of its element in the earlier mentioned example or in the electronic sub-bass usage in James Blake's Limit to your Love. Overall, I find the low-end to have the sub-bass and mid-bass amount to make this an effective all-rounder for listeners – within reason. What's left as a deciding factor now are the other frequencies.
The midrange of the LCD-2 is smooth. Not entirely liquid in nature like the Hifiman HE-500, but possessing a level of soft clarity that makes vocals have body and presence. It should also be noted that, although the midrange performance of the LCD-2 as a whole is smooth, it does not lack in detail – nor is it completely rolled in air. I can confirm that, to my ears, the transition between the bass to midrange is quite transparent and clean. The bloom on the lower midrange is minimal but what exists serves to accentuate the character of warmth that these headphones possess. Male vocals are quite well served, even gritty and guttural vocal tones ringing out clearly with the body and edge needed. The upper midrange is a bit dipped, but not drastically like the Focal Elear – meaning that while female vocals feel a little further away than male, they don't sound thin or tonally off.
I must commend this headphone for being as forgiving as it is with some genres and recordings. A reference point that I have is an album that I think is mixed quite horribly – Master of Puppets by Metallica. Insisting on speed despite having a scooped guitar tone, while generally being mid-bassy all around, the album makes many high-end headphones fall flat on their face as they don't quite know how to reproduce it effectively. The Focal Elear is by far the best headphone in my possession for this endeavour, but the LCD-2 comes in second place – possibly tied with the Sennheiser HD800 (which is lacking in guitar crunch). For the purpose of review context, I'll detail what I mean with pairing this album in the comparisons below.
The treble of the LCD-2 has a nice amount of air around it, making cymbals pop a fair amount and injecting a slight sense of slight snappiness to the overall sound reproduction. High strings, like violins, and wind instruments like the tenor saxophone sound quite well represented – not overly airy or shrill and maintaining a good sense of tonal balance and depth. Even with songs that absolutely murder me with the HD800 (even SD-modded), I don't get the same sense with the LCD-2.
Again, I am told that the treble characteristics of the LCD-2 2016 iteration is because of the fazor driver innovation plus a reduction of a more bloated low end – making the headphone possess more micro-detail than before. Even without a pre-fazor unit to compare, I like this change because while I do appreciate a sweet, dynamic but warm sound – I would not have wanted the LCD-2 to sound like laggy. Being laid back and chilled out is a characteristic, being laggy is a flaw – and this headphone is not the latter.
Overall, besides being warm, the LCD-2 feels like a very wet headphone – in stark contrast to the dry and analytical likes of the HD800 or even the less-dry but still starker ZMF Eikon. I find the headphone very enjoyable to listen to with a multitude of genres, but never really edging out any of my other headphones in anything particular. It has shimmering detail where the ZMF Atticus is a little glossed over, but has less aggression and shout than the Focal Elear. It sounds like it uses a wall of reverb to its advantage, making all music listened to take on the Audeze sound that I have heard in their other headphones – but for a price that could be considered entry-level to their lineup.
Amp Pairings
Based on how this sounded from my warm and syrupy Cavalli Liquid Carbon, I would not recommend it or a similar amplifier for it – unless you really want to pursue such a sound signature on purpose. To me it felt a little sluggish, and was better served by the powerful but neutral balanced output of the Audio-GD NFB28. Bass was more controlled too and the shimmering detail was very pronounced, to what I suspect is the best level the headphone has to offer, using the Schiit Gungnir Multibit as a DAC. I have not tried this from a tube amplifier, as I do not have one on hand, so I cannot say regarding that pairing.
Also, as it is a planar magnetic headphone, it does require a decent amount of power to drive – something that should be considered when selecting an amp for it.
Genre Pairings
As an all-rounder, the LCD-2 is firmly in that jack-of-all-trades area for its pricerange. Ironically, it is able to handle more genres of music than my other headphones (barring the Focal Elear, which does this better if you are a fan of its shouty and aggressive sound signature). From jazz to classical, from metal to pop – the LCD-2 envelopes music with its own characteristics and presents a pleasant listening experience that has a lot of body due to the low end.
Electronic music may lack bass slam compared to the likes of the Fostex TH-X00 or ZMF Atticus – but it is still not thin-sounding like the HD800. Bass guitars fall right into the range that is well-represented by the low end of the LCD-2, but do not have the sharp and precise nature of the HD800. I could continue down this path, but it is needless – this is just a nice-sounding headphone and definitely one you can expect consistent performance with if you like how it sounds - with any genre of music.
Headphone Pairings (DAC: Schiit Gungnir Multibit)
Sennheiser HD800
The former Sennheiser flagship is placed firmly in the drier and analytical side of things when it comes to headphones in this pricerange. It pairs extremely well, to my ears, with the Cavalli Liquid Carbon, which I don't find the LCD-2 to do quite as much – but it is quite a picky headphone to pair with amps due to its somewhat harsh 6k treble spike. Bright and even some neutral amplifiers exacerbate this and sound piercing and shrill to me with most genres of music. The HD800 also has the widest soundstage and most precise imaging of all headphones mentioned in this comparison section.
Switching from the LCD-2 to the HD800, you feel like the floor has fallen in a bit – that is how noticeable the absence of the Audeze's low-end is. You also miss a warmth in the midrange, removing a lot of body from vocals and guitars alike. I would not call the HD800 a V-shaped headphone for this reason, but it definitely sounds a little recessed in this region compared to the Audeze.
What it outright wins at is reproduction of detail. A solid choice for a reference headphone, the HD800 is quite brutally honest and exposes poorly mastered recordings to the listener – whether in highlighting recording faults or becoming shrill in the face of mastering hack jobs. The LCD-2 is more welcoming of all recordings, particularly the above-mentioned Master of Puppets album – which sounds like the guitars are distant on the HD800, while the drums and cymbals are thin and piercing.
The HD800 is considerably lighter than the LCD-2 as well, coming in around 371g to the Audeze's 548g.
ZMF Atticus
Switching from the LCD-2 to the Atticus is revealing of just how much (the 2016 model anyway) emphasizes the availability of the shimmering detail hidden in the Audeze's treble. Phrasing it like this would have you believe that the Atticus is completely lacking in such aspects, which is untrue, but it definitely is not as even in revealing its capabilities – requiring the right genre pairing to do so. What the Atticus has is bass, in abundance, and bass slam. It does not shy away from the electronic genres that the Audeze might be a tad laid back for, and it certainly does not mind introducing hefty low end into just about any recording.
However, this isn't without its detriments. Master of Puppets is one album that the Atticus suffers on, due to the reliance of a midbassy sound in the mixing falling square in the region that the ZMF headphone emphasizes heavily – making the entire album from start to finish sound a bit bloated. The Atticus hits back, and hard, in electronic pop music – with its bass slam and smooth midrange going hand-in-hand to showcase the headphone's energetic nature. The Atticus is a more "awake" experience than the LCD-2, which sounds veiled by comparison – but the LCD-2 is able to work with more genres due to its less bassy nature.
One area in particular that the LCD-2 is able to succeed, compared to the Atticus, is in older and warmer recordings – such as those by Led Zeppelin. It does quite well with guitars both electric and acoustic, while the Atticus relies on the mix and can sound a little overwhelmed with such pairings – as Led Zeppelin are from an era without snazzy modern production.
The cherry Atticus and this particular LCD-2 are almost alike in weight, 546g and 548g respectively.
Focal Elear
The Elear's take-no-prisoners sound, consisting of fantastic dynamics and speed among other aspects, puts it directly across the aisle from the laid back and smooth LCD-2. Both are what I would consider all-rounders, handling most genres with ease if you are a fan of their sound signature. With the Elear, I prefer hard rock, metal and electronic genres while smooth jazz, classical and live recordings sound better to me on the LCD-2. The midrange of the Elear is also aggressive and a bit shouty, while the LCD-2 simply is not.
The Elear also has a snappier sound, to my ears, possibly due to a sudden upturn around 9k-10k after a considerable dip in the upper-midrange – making cymbals and snare drums hit hard. Grand pianos are also tonally superior and more realistic on the Elear. Vocal reproduction, both male and female, are handled better by the LCD-2.
Ultimately, it comes down to preferences. I would not recommend the Elear if you want something for easy listening and are looking to relax – whereas the Audeze fits perfectly into that scenario.
My Elear weighs 448g while the LCD-2 weights 548g. The weight distribution, I must admit, is handled far better on the Elear too – a very comfortable headphone with its headband padding and soft earpads.
Comfort issues aside, the LCD-2 does so much right in its pricerange that it is hard not to recommend to those seeking a relaxed and warm tone in their audio. Once again, I have not heard the previous iterations so I can't comment on the differences – but I really do feel that it strikes the right balance between warmth and sparkle while maintaining a rich midrange.
It is a distinguished sound, not offering heaps of technical brilliance nor magnified microdetail – but rather an effective zone-out tool that just allows you to listen – and that should always be appreciated in this hobby, where sometimes gear is listened to rather than the music.


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Francine & friends in GQ!
Amanda Whip, DeeDee Luxe, Francine "The Lucid Dream" and Velvetina Taylor at Sleep No More's McKittrick Hotel on New Year's Eve. Photo by Driely S. for GQ.
Amanda Whip, DeeDee Luxe, Francine "The Lucid Dream" and Velvetina Taylor at Sleep No More's McKittrick Hotel on New Year's Eve. Photo by Driely S. for GQ.
Here's a fun little gif from the Lady Gaga commercial for Shiseido shot by Ellen Von Unwerth – watch the full video here!
Francine has been nominated three times for a Golden Pastie but has never taken home the gold. She is going to be a #SadKeanu if she doesn't win one sooner or later. Cast your vote now for Francine "The Lucid Dream"!
The Golden Pasties nominations have been released and Francine is a finalist! Vote now for #FrancineTheLucidMEME ! Get your New York Burlesque Festival tickets while you're at it!
You did it! Thank you for nominating me for The Meme Award at this year's Golden Pasties Awards, part of the New York Burlesque Festival. Now it's time to CAST YOUR VOTE! Can I Haz a Golden Pastie, PWEASE? VOTE NOW!
I've already been in some memes including the international #BEYOURSELF meme inspired by Lady Gaga's commercial for Shisheido- shot by the talented Ellen Von Unwerth – you can see me receiving a huge hug from Mother Monster herself right here!
The New York Burlesque Festival Golden Pasties categories are live and ready to accept your nominations! Won't you please nominate Francine "The Lucid Dream"?
Please vote for your favorite performers in each category but I think the "HUH?" award would be appropriate for producing & performing the weirdness in The Pink Room: David Lynch Burlesque; I'm always a BACKSTAGE BUSY BEE when I am producing, performing, hosting and singing!; Let's face it, my shit is ON FLEEK both on and off stage; I'm a CHAMELEON when I transform into Granny Fluffer, Frankie Fluffer, Agent Scully or Bobby Peru; ELEGANZA? Eh, maybe!; But when it comes down to it this MEME category has me written all over it – I've already been a part of the meme #BEYOURSELF that took off internationally when my face was seen in the recent Lady Gaga/Shiseido commercial!
Please nominate now, repost, encourage your boyfriend, your lovers, your cats to vote for me – just only vote once per device! THANKS!
Francine has joined the chorus line of I'll Say She Is – a Marx Brothers musical comedy revue from 1924. Come see Melody Jane, Groucho and a bevy of some of the finest showgirls your heart could ever desire. There'll be dancing, singing, fabulous costume changes and lots of laughs. This revival debuts at Fringe NYC on Sunday, August 10th. There are only five performances in the month of August so get your tickets now!


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Black bear attacks: It's not just grizzlies that worry Alaskans
When most people think about bears shot in self defense, they think about charging grizzlies. But there is another kind of dangerous bear out there — the predaceous black bear.
A real rarity in most of North America, these dangerous bears pop up occasionally in the Far North. Back in 1977, geologist Cythia Dusel-Bacon lost both arms to one that attacked her in a thicket north of Fairbanks and tried to eat her alive.
In 1992, Darcy Staver and her husband, Michael, retreated to the roof of a cabin near Glennallen after being pursued by another. Michael eventually decided to go for help. While he was gone, the bear got up on the roof and killed Darcy.
Canadian bear expert Stephen Herrero has compiled data on these and about 50 other predaceous attacks and says there are similarities in many of the incidents:
Black bears that attack and kill people with an eye toward eating them tend to be young bears in wild areas where human contacts are rare.
In June of this year, one such bear attacked and killed a 70-year-old grandmother in northern Quebec.
Cecile Lavoie and her 73-year-old husband, Alexandre, were fishing in a remote area about 350 miles northwest of Ottawa.
Read the full story at adn.com.


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Thunderbird LS Radio CD6 YW4F-18C815-AC
Price: $240.00
Ford Thunderbird Radio YW4F-18C815-ACFord Thunderbird Lincoln LS re-manufactured factory AM/FM 6 disc CD player Radio. fully tested to ensure all functions and illumination. This unit has TWO black plugs 6 months warranty
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Free Tools javascript error
I didn't see a forum for Free Tools, so I'm listing this here.
I installed free tools and now I get a DW cs5.5 error each time the application loads.
at line 2 of c:\users\sandy\appdata\roaming\adobe\dreamweavercs5.5\en_us\configuration\shared\webassist\preferences\rssupdate.us
WA_getExtensionDir is not defined.
This keeps Dreamweaver from loading correctly and I seem to have more javascript errors in general now.
Is there a fix for this? Thanks!


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What a Simple "&" Can Do for You.
"Yes &" comes from a tenet of improvisational theater: you take whatever comes at you, and—with agility, creativity, camaraderie, and tenacity—you add to it.
We're all about "&." No "ifs," no "buts."
Our approach enables us to hear every voice, understand every angle, explore every idea with open minds and unmatched enthusiasm, and navigate your internal and external changes when they inevitably pop up.
So, let's get into it.
Our Team
Smart & approachable. Fun & professional. Attitudes & egos checked at the door. We're here to make your life easier with great people, expert insight, and unmatched service.
What We Believe.
Let's Collaborate
To us, marketing is about more than getting your audiences to buy your products, use your services, join your organization, or embrace your cause. With every communication we strive to delight, to entertain, to infuse relevance, and to build loyalty so your customers and stakeholders keep coming back for more.
It only happens when we work together, sharing resources, insight, and goals. Us. & you.
How We Work.
Let's &
"Yes" is how we start—the strategy, the research, the understanding of where you want to go, and what you need.
For many agencies, "yes" is where it ends—or worse—where the "nos" and "buts" begin.
To us, "&" is the magic—it leads us beyond the basic, digging deep to get to the good stuff, the creative nuggets, the great ideas, and most importantly—the results you need. & also allows us to respond with agility, so that we can pivot, adjust and adapt to change.
Why We Give.
Let's Create Change
The "&" applies to our energy, as well. We always have a little more to give, contributing strategic and marketing services to organizations that make a difference in our communities.
See how we give back.


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Everybody wants to make money but not everybody knows how to make money. A lot of people think that the longer you work for the more chance that you have of making more money but this is not true. When you are working you should not aim to work longer instead you should aim to work effectively. To make money you have to have the right mindset. There are lots of different ways that you can make money and the easiest way to make money is by choosing the method that you are most comfortable with.
If you want to make money then you must make the right choices. You should use airbnb rentals as a way of earning some extra cash. You can rent out a property that you own to some guests that need a place to stay. Airbnb property managers will be able to increase the revenues on your rentals because they will control the management properly and make sure that everything runs smoothly.
You have to work hard
If you want to make money you have to be willing to work hard. Working hard does not mean working long hours instead it means working the right way and doing your best. If you want earn money then you cannot be lazy. You must be willing to do the things that you don't enjoy in order to earn money.
Have the right mindset
If you want to earn money then you must have the right mindset. Earning money is not an easy thing to do but you must think positively. There will be times that you fail at the things you do but you must be mentally strong enough to pick yourself up and try harder. Having the right mind set will not mean that you will never fail instead it means that you keep pushing yourself even when you do fail. Everyone falls but not everybody picks themselves up, you have to make sure that you pick yourself up.
You must spend your money
If you want make money then you cannot just save your money. You will need to spend your money if you want to make more money. Remember that there is no limit on the amount of money that you are able to earn but there is a limit on the amount of money that you are able to save. Do not spend your money recklessly, if you do this then you will lose your money faster than you can earn more money.


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- Home
- Login
- Visitors
- The Club
- Whats On at the Club
- Membership
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- The Course
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492 Yds
481 Yds
402 Yds
Long hitters can get home in two by hitting a fade off the tee to avoid the trap down the left side. Mortals can play at the centre of the fairway from the tee and then hit the second up the right side, to avoid the trouble on the left. The green is two tiered and slopes mainly from right to left. Ensure your approach finishes on the same level as the pin to increase your chances of getting a birdie.


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Canadian Diabetes Association
The Stouffville Dash for Diabetes - 2017 - 5k Run/Walk Presented by Sorbara Group
Sunday June 18, 2017
Please help us make this year's The Stouffville Dash for Diabetes - 2017 in support of Canadian Diabetes Association one of the best ever
Hello Friends & Family, I hope you will support me in an event to raise funds for a charity near and dear to my heart, the Canadian Diabetes Association. Both my parents developed diabetes as adults. My mom, in particular, was highly insulin dependent.
For those afflicted, it is a shackled existence with monitoring blood sugar levels, insulin injections, food and alcohol exclusions. Diabetes affects virtually every system in the body, in one way shape or form - it isn't a simple matter of "sugar highs & crashes". It especially wreaks havoc on the circulatory system, often resulting in amputations if left unchecked.
On a very personal level, this 5km run, while not a marathon, is an entry level run that I am using as a springboard back into physical fitness. For those who know me well, in the past few years, I have lost both my parents and endured a few significant sports related injuries (and a nasty torn ligament from fall on the stairs!) Back, piriformis, shoulder, ankle... I'm a mess but not ready to throw in the towel! Pushing forward, always.
To quote Mumford & Sons: "In these bodies we live, in these bodies we die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life." I urge you to donate as you're comfortable, to show your support of me and of the Diabetes Association. I know there are a lot of worthy charities pulling at our purse strings, so I thank you for your generosity!
For more information click here to visit the The Stouffville Dash for Diabetes - 2017 website.
Personal Goal: $500 Raised: $755
View people that have helped by sponsoring you.
The following people donated online:
|Deanna Dove
|Allan and Michelle Miranda
|Run Fast
|Mario Leuzzi
|good luck
|Jim & Joan Morrison
|In Memory: Gwen (Allen) Galbraith
|Nora Fulcher
|I'm happy to support my most favourite niece!
|David Rae
|Gavin Harper
|Good Luck
|Farah Malik
|Luke Martins
The following people donated offline:
|Helen Manziy
|Roy and Peggy Hayward
|George Galbraith
The donation period has ended for this fundraiser.


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Looking for a winner: NY Jets owner hosts fundraiser for rumored 2016 GOP hopefuls
The Republican stars aligned in New York Monday night, as six rumored presidential hopefuls, including Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Sen. Rand Paul, attended an RNC fundraiser at the home of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.
Gov. Scott Walker, Gov. Rick Snyder, and Rep. Paul Ryan also attended the high-profile event, which aimed to raise money for the RNC and was co-hosted by chair Reince Priebus. With such a lineup of GOP superstars, all wings of the party were represented.
Jets owner Woody Johnson is no stranger to presidential fundraising. In 2012, Johnson lead Mitt Romney's fundraising effort in New York City, emerging as one of GOP's most important donors in that election. Johnson is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson family fortune, but football seems to be what shapes his thinking.
"The caucus-goer, the primary-goer, is like, in football, the fan that is avid," Johnson told Politicker last July, explaining Romney's poor performance in the primaries. "The avidity level is higher. So the points of view are more polarized than you get in a general election."
Johnson believed the economy would improve with Romney because "it's like changing coaches. [Rex Ryan, the Jets head coach] came in and we were 25th in the league in defense. We changed the coach and we were number two in the league in the defense. Same with presidents."
For what it's worth, the Jets, looking for a winning season, have turned the team over to a rookie quarterback. How does that metaphor play out for GOP hopefuls? Guess we'll find out on the field.


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Snap shots of recent work.
When I enter the Chapel Puce – a psychological state sometimes induced by Discordian literature – I'm not sure whether I am being hindered or helped by an existential force, or whether it's just a product of my imagination, meaning I'll leave either paranoid or agnostic. Model agnosticism, or the firm belief in having no beliefs, is clearly a desired worldview but it's difficult to quell the paranoia or "pronoia" when the serendipities and coincidences are mounting so close to home.


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The Land Rover. 1948-2016
The Land Rover Defender – a tribute to a legend. 68 years in production, over 2,000,000 vehicles built, designed by one man and instantly distinguishable the world over. It has ferried the Queen, farmers, workers, adventurers, the military, children, campers, diplomats, enthusiasts and explorers and is arguably the very last truly classless car to be produced and quintessentially British through and through. The end of the production line is today, the 29th of January 2016 and it marks the demise of a legend, a stalwart of British industry, a familiar face and, to most of us, a faithful old friend that although it has it's quirks will still be there by our side come rain or shine. Here's to you, Land Rover Defender, enjoy your retirement and thank you for the memories. 1948-2016.
Latest News
We always welcome a challenge at SMC and this particular Defender was nothing…
Spring 2016 sees the announcement and amalgamation of three prestige automotive…
Contact Details
Spectrum Motor Centre
Automotive House, Unit 1 Kings Court, Prince William Avenue, Sandycroft, Nr Chester, CH5 2QZ
Telephone: 01244 539760
Email: Click Here to Email Us
Opening Times
|8:30 am
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Viewings strictly by appointment only


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And so after a long break from posting I move on.
I have a lot of stories to tell yet, so many that this blog will never end so please stay with me and share in my memories. You might laugh with me, be shocked by things I have yet to tell you about, you may even be very surprised by some of my memories, particularly if you happen to know me personally.
So far I think I have painted in part a city of want... a city of hard times. And indeed it was exactly like that for many of us just as I tell it.
But for those who have never actually seen or been in my city I want to show that it's a beautiful city. (But then I'm biased.) It's a vibrant city that never (or seldom ever) sleeps. A city where the ancient past and the modern can be seen and experienced side by side -- a city of beauty and one steeped in history.
Dublin has moved on quite a bit since the time Im writing this blog about. And to give you some idea of what she looks and sounds like I've embedded a video clip below. The musicical backing is by Dublin band U2.
Now you can get a taste of Dublin city as she is today! This video clip shows a range of the sights to be enjoyed in and around the city of Dublin. If you're looking for the ancient and modern, a lively city with a vibrant nightlife, a glimpse of an ancient civilisation, a cultural feast, a musical odyssey, stunning scenery, and a spectacular coastline - Dublin has all of this... and more!
Take a look for yourself!
I'll be back soon with more stories, and maybe I'll show you yet more of my city as I have above.
Thank you for your loyalty.... and for your interest in the stories of a young Dublin gurrier.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Dublin. My Fair City
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This is another journal entry from my class on Healthcare Organizations. Just when I though the healthcare industry couldn't get any bigger or scarier, we looked at it on a global level. We also looked at longevity that week, but I'll save that for another post. Wow!
Wow! There is a lot of stuff to think about this week. I hardly know where to start. But I think
I'll start with the articles.
"How Health Insurance Design Affects Access To Care And Costs By Income In Eleven
Countries" by C. Shoen et al. – I found this a very interesting article,
but probably not for the reason the authors intended. What I found interesting
was the efforts to make 'science' out of opinion. It's really quite easy, and
lots of 'scientists' do it all the time.
Here's how it works…you ask people how they feel about a subject and then use their
response to come up with statistics (confusing subjective and objective
information). The authors of this study did exactly that. To establish incomes,
respondents were told their country's median income then asked if they felt
they were about average, much or somewhat above average, or much or somewhat below average. In other words, how do you feel about your income compared to the average? The biggest problem with this methodology is that it can introduce bias issues into your study, and although the authors
admit this problem when it comes to estimating medical expenses, they don't
mention it about income. Ideally, the authors would have given an exact range
(if the median income was $35K, then ask if people make $30-40K (about
average), $15-30K (somewhat below average), $40-70K (somewhat above average),
etc.) That is a number most people have a pretty good idea about and can answer
truthfully, giving better data. (And about the truthful answer part, another
way to introduce bias is when the respondent either answers untruthfully
because they don't think it is your business what their income is – I've done
that before – or they reply with what they think the correct answer is trying
to please the questioner.)
Anytime you ask people about their 'experiences' you are introducing the potential for more
bias in your study. I can say this from personal experience. If a survey was to
catch me during a bad time with one of my health issues, my responses may
revolve around that one episode and not necessarily take all circumstances into
account. When I'm grumpy and hurting, I'm not necessarily the font of wisdom.
Likewise, asking a patient if they are confident they could get 'the most
effective' treatment, how are they to know? Is this their opinion or have they
educated themselves to know the different options and what will work for them?
Also, are they speaking of their own experiences or are they considering those
of friends and relatives in their answer?
There were a couple of other things I didn't like about this article. First, they really stressed
that low-income people are more likely to suffer more chronic conditions and be
elderly. Whereas I believe that it is the elderly and those with more chronic
conditions who are more likely to have lower incomes. I think that dollars
earned by the elderly during their working years are not worth as much during
their retirement years, thus many of them fall into the low income category.
This is especially true during this economic downturn when nearly everyone's
financial worth has taken a hit. I also believe that people with chronic
conditions are less able to have an active or productive work-life (this would
include me) and that is why many have low incomes. It comes down to the
'chicken or egg' argument, but I don't believe that having a low income leads
you to be elderly or sickly; that isn't logical.
Another statement in this article was that the countries varied in their ability to provide access
to 24 hour healthcare outside of the emergency room. My first reaction was
"so?" Isn't that the reason for emergency rooms? I don't see why this
topic was presented as an 'oh my gosh' one. It just seems like a no-brainer to
That's true of many of their arguments. Maybe I'm naïve (some of my friends tell me that!) or
narrow-minded (some different friends tell me that!) so perhaps I'm just not
open to these studies that push the benefits of healthcare reform. Although I
have to say I didn't know that was the purpose of the study when I started
reading it. But by the time I started going through their survey results, I had
a pretty good idea what their conclusions would be. I do know I am suspicious –
it comes with age and experience.
I know that surveys are difficult to do (and especially in different languages and cultures); it
takes a lot of work and careful consideration to do a survey properly. Adding
in a potential for a lot of bias, then covering it with statistics, just leads to
the creation of junk science, and that's what I think they have here. I can
honestly say I was not as impressed with this report as with the other articles
we read this week where 'real' numbers were used. And there I'm exposing my
bias against healthcare reform, as I don't believe one bill can effectively or
efficiently cure all issues. I think there are some ways in which really good
studies could have been designed (like retrospectively looking at
post-hospitalization surveys). I do agree that you will miss some important
sections of society and some important information, but again, I don't think
you can design one study to get all answers.


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New Artists in All Media
Current Show: Janine King starting April 6th at the San Pedro Visitors Center 225 W 6th St., San Pedro
First Thursdays are big for us at SPAA. The San Pedro Art Association is a presence every First Thursday Art Walk in downtown San Pedro and at Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles. Join us for an evening of fun and art. Grab the trolley to travel between locations.
Members contact Bill Boisselle-Schalaba (310-831-2928) if you'd like to have an exhibition at San Pedro Visitors Center.
SPAA Board Meetings: 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm at 376 W. 14th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Call for Artists – San Pedro Art Association Fabulous Friday Mixers at the Community Art Machine at 446 W. 6th St in downtown San Pedro. Starts at 6pm till ?
Come join your fellow members on the 3rd Friday of every even month for an evening of fun and art. You will have the opportunity to get involved in the new direction of the association. Starts at 6pm till ?
SPAA members wanting to participate please contact Bill Boisselle-Schalaba to reserve your spot.
Bill: 310-831-2928
We will have some refreshments, but you are encouraged to bring your own to share, whether it's some fabulous finger food or a bottle (or six) of a favorite libation.
(Free parking is available where you can find it)
SPAA Members: Please email your biographies to the gallery in text or MS Word form. We will be formatting them and placing them next to your work in the gallery. Even if you already have your biography in our book, we need them emailed. You may include a picture if you like. It can be of yourself or a piece of your work.
Want to become a member? Memberform 2017 (.pdf 174K) print, fill out and submit by mail:
San Pedro Art Association
376 w. 14th Street
San Pedro, Ca 90731
To participate in any gallery events, you must be a paying member.
We are always in need of members to help run SPAA. Please call our message phone 310.831.2928 and join in the fun! Help revitalize the San Pedro Art Association as we grow and become a part of the vibrant art scene in San Pedro.
An individual "Page Account" on this website can be established to promote and display your artwork for a nominal yearly fee of $40.00, payable to San Pedro Art Association. Fees help fund our association activities. Contact our webmaster for more information: firstname.lastname@example.com
MEMBERS: Submit your business cards, artist statements, and resumes for the association binder. This binder is on public display during shows.
Copyright © 2017 San Pedro Art Association. All rights reserved. Read our Privacy Policy.


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Cold Aston Village School
In the early eighteenth century, Goddard Carter, Lord of the Manor, had established a school for "ten poor children of this parish"; William Whittington later endowed this with 5 pounds per annum. A parochial return for 1846-1847 shows that Aston Blank had a Sunday school for twenty children, with one master, whose expenses were met by subscription. It stated that a day school was needed and Henry Thomas Hope built an elementary school in 1860.
In 1879, the school was taken over as a church school and official records began. It consisted at the time of one schoolroom and the house and qualified for an annual grant of 25 pounds. Children were also expected to pay 1 penny per week. By 1913 there were 64 pupils at school aged between 4 and 14 years. Numbers fluctuated over the years since then and currently stand at 70 pupils aged between 4 and 11. The school has undergone extensive building works over the last few years providing modern teaching rooms, a library and a kitchen.
To find out additional information about Cold Aston School, please visit the Schools Official Website.


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Snapchat was created in the fall of 2011, and a few tense, laborious months later in the spring of 2012, Snapchat had amassed over 100,00 downloads. The app struggled to get off the ground, but when it did, it soared, and now it's an app that over 100 million people use daily.
Snapchat has had a tough history, between it's CEO Evan Spiegel having a poor relationship with his buddy Reggie White, the guy who actually came up with the idea that spawned Snapchat, and the email leak that he was a victim of, and that sure didn't help his reputation. That being said, the app itself is awesome and has had a very successful life, and hundreds of millions of selfies and videos are taken on the app every day.
With that many selfies being posted, you're bound to see some really good ones that stand out from the pack, and there are plenty of lists around the internet going over funny or crazy snapchats, but this one is different; here, you're viewing 7 unforgettable moments in Snapchat selfies history. If you want to take a viral selfie or one that all of your friends will enjoy, look to these selfies for inspiration, as they are very memorable.
/1/ Rihanna Showing Off Her Movements
Whenever Rihanna does something, everyone watches closely, as RiRi has proven to be more than worth our attention, for a variety of reasons. Things are no different when she's on Snapchat, and this selfie was immensely popular when she first posted it back when Snapchat was still on the cusp of being huge, and it no doubt brought some new people to the new social network.
Taking inspiration from the "Sitting on the toilet" lady, Rihanna felt like sharing her private moment with us all, captioning her snap "sittin on tha toilet". It was one of her first forays into Snapchat, and it might have had an impact on Snapchat's overall success.
/2/ Oh, Deer
Around 1 million deer per year wander in front of swiftly moving vehicles, and just about all of them fail to survive the impact. This poor fellow met a fate similar to many of its brethren, only it's funeral was rather respectful, as it was given a balloon that read "Get Well".
A little late, but it's the thought that counts.
/3/ The Guy Who Was Painfully Aware Of How He Looks
One of the most unforgettable Snapchat selfies ever, this guy was aware that from his appearance alone, the TSA guy behind him would probably give him a second look, yet he still took it in stride and was able to make light of himself and stereotypes people may apply to him. He could have gotten mad at the guy, but nope, instead he felt like making a silly joke, one that surely brought a smile to anyone who's seen this selfie.
With a smile and a funny caption, this traveler's selfie created an unforgettable moment, something that is easier said than done.
/4/ Don't Get Crabby
DJ Khaled is a force to be reckoned with on Snapchat, and his snaps and selfies can inspire even the least motivated people. He takes videos and selfies all day long, and you won't want to skip a single one; don't play yourself, and let the his Story run it's course.
A lot of his messages are repeated over and over again, as he wants to instill some of the greatest keys to life that he's discovered, but at times he will stray from motivation and just post a selfie, put this snap of a monstrously huge crab is unforgettable and stands out among his motivational videos. This crab is major key, an animal that seems like it can kill off the entire human race with a snap of it's freakish claws.
DJ Khaled is not scared though, as he got pretty close to this crustacean, and rather than get freaked out by it's size, this crab reminded Khaled of all the lames in his life, captioning the snap with "Some of y'all crabs". That's right, some of y'all are crabs.
/5/ Keeping It 100
DJ Khaled reminds us frequently not to play ourselves, but this Snapchatter played us all. At first it seemed like this young man had finally got his first whip to wheel around in, but just moments later we found out that he was in fact riding on a bus, and had simply used the seat back in front of him and some framing techniques to make it seem like he was actually behind the wheel.
This hilarious selfie is unforgettable, yet still reminds us not to forget where we are right now. Remember, don't play yourself.
/6/ A True Duck Face Selfie
Snapchat's new face swap capability is a rather creepy/hilarious tool, and this selfie is no exception. This woman discovered the the extent to which Snapchat can go in terms of face swapping, as she managed to get a plush toy duck's face to swap with hers, creating a funny yet terrifying selfie that is entirely unforgettable.
Like for real, this selfie could haunt you in your dreams.
/7/ That One Time A Cat Took A Selfie
Cats don't care about anyone except for themselves, despite what many cat lovers may believe, which is why this selfie is so memorable. It appears that this cat is taking a selfie of itself and it's friends, two women who are presumably mom and daughter.
Cats are supposed to hate us all and want to clean the earth by getting rid of all the humans, which is why this selfie is so unforgettable; apparently, this cat really does love it's 'friends'. If there will ever be peace talks between humans and cats, this may be what started the global change.
Hundreds of millions of selfies are taken on Snapchat every day, are without a doubt, most of them are completely forgettable. There are some, though, that are brilliant and totally unforgettable, and we've managed to capture a few of them and compile them into a short list. As Snapchat grows and more people join the app, surely more and more selfies will be truly unforgettable.
Enjoyed this article? Check out the video below!


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Don't Lose Your Head!
Posted in , DefaultTag, Christian, Bible, Preaching, God, Jesus, Christ, Church, Word, Spirituality, Religious, Religion, Infusion, Christianity, Word Infusion, Bible Study, Sermons, Faith, Holy Spirit, family, New Covenant, Head on May 15th, 2016 Comments
As with any human body, the head or the brain is what causes the other parts to operate and do their job. Therefore the body parts are dependent on the head/brain. So to, are Christians. Christ is our head and we are to be dependent on Him as individual parts and as a whole functioning body.
Contact us at email@example.com with your comments, questions or praises. Let us know how our podcast has blessed, encouraged or helped you. Join us on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Word-Infusion/183827001652316). Help us to grow a community that infuses the Word of God in to their lives each day. Follow us on Twitter @TheWordInfusion.


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Next Episode of Galileo is
How do I survive a helicoptercrash? Could you provoke love? How can I disappear a corpse? And how do you knock out someone by one beat? In this popular science program, Luuk Ikink will search for answers with support of his reporters.
Luuk Ikink(Host)
Shelly Sterk(Reporter)
Jorn Rohde(Reporter)
Manuel Venderbos(Reporter)
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


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The Brutal New Rugby League Challenge Sweeping The Internet
Move over mannequin challenge
The 'Mannequin Challenge' was so 2016. Rugby League fans are making 2017 all about a new challenge... The 'Run It Straight Challenge"
This brutal challenge is pretty simple. It pretty much just involves one person with (or in some cases without) a ball runs as hard as they can at another person who attempts to put a shot on.
The 'challenge' is causing quite a bit of controversy with fears the brutal challenge will result in injuries.
Users are tagging their videos on social media with the hashtag #runitstraightchallenge


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Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara Inc. is a family owned and operated business, established in 2001 by Adrian and Gloria Estrada. The Estrada family started from humble beginnings, providing food as street vendors in the streets of Los Angeles. Thankful for their faithful clientele, the family business continued to grow and enjoy success, specializing in Authentic Mexican food from Guadalajara Jalisco.
One of this dishes that has made them a success story, is the "Torta Ahogada," an epic traditional dish from Guadalajara Jalisco. (A traditional Carnitas torta dipped in spicy or mild sauce) The Estrada family was a pioneer in bringing this very traditional Jalisco dish into the United States!
In 2001 they started selling their tasty traditional food from an equally modest food stand. Their popularity grew fast as word of mouth spread very quickly. The name of their business "Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara" was also an automatic hit because it organically attracted fans of Guadalajara Jalisco to the new business.
Customers felt sentimental about the food being served and many were reconnected to their ethnic and cultural roots through the atmosphere they were used to enjoying.
To keep up with their consumer's demands, in 2004 the Estrada family upgraded their trusty and very profitable food stand to a "Catering Lunch Truck." This same Lunch truck you see here above in the picture. As Their Clientele continued to grow, in 2007 the Estrada Family opened the doors of their first Restaurant, located in the city Los Angeles. Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara was enjoying its success! As the clientele kept on growing rapidly, the Family business also grew.
Adrian Estrada and Gloria Estrada, partnered up in business with their daughter Cindy Estrada, and together in 2010 they opened their second location in the city of Huntington Park. This second location was ideal for accommodating the needs of their growing business. It was double the size of the first restaurant and the new location was ideal for their type of business. It was great; their existing customers loved it and the community embraced their new business.
As The Family business grew bigger and bigger it started to evolve. The clientele was no longer just first generation families from Jalisco, like in the early stages of the business. Because the popularity of the Torta Ahogada expanded beyond the ethnic and generational circle, so did The Family Business. With the need to evolve came the idea for a fresh and new concept for a restaurant; A restaurant that appealed not only to People from Jalisco, but also appealed to the rest of the world. Pika Tortas Ahogadas Opened its doors in April of 2012, and the rest is history.
Check out other restaurant lcoated in Los Angeles, Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara. Click here for more information.


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Here's an infographic showing the optimal age for doing anything in life. Yes, there had to be an inforgraphic about how you should schedule your entire life, starting from childhood, all the way up to your retirement days. A wise man starts from a very early age, so be sure to let your children in on this secret.
Every age has its ups and downs, its advantages and disadvantages, its benefits and its downsides. Being young is usually a time for gathering knowledge and having the best physical performances in your life. However, it's not always a rule that being young makes you a better athlete, and being old doesn't always make you smarter, or wiser. Exceptions are part of life, and they spice up things in statistics.
- True Meaning of Some Words Based on Their Phonetic Definition (Infographic)
- Map Of How Health And Well-being Are Affected In The US By Climate Change
- A Low Calorie Diet May Be the Key to a Longer and Healthier Life
- 20 Simple Tips to Live a Happy and Healthy Life
- Here's What The 5 Most Popular Drugs Do To Your Body And Brain (INFOGRAPHIC)
- US vs British English Differences Explained Through 63 Infographic Drawings
- Where To Travel Next? The Cheapest Cities In Europe (INFOGRAPHIC)
- How To Have Scientifically Perfect Hygiene (INFOGRAPHIC)
Business Insider created this infographic to really put things in perspective for anyone who wants to do certain things in life. It's not just about trying to motivate people to start doing the activities they were planning on doing all along, but if someone really wants to make the most out of a new experience, they should know exactly when to start.


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You have to create the design of the fireplace to be the design that may make the room to be comfortable. You may get the snug hearth design to make your living room to be effectively designed and well decorated. You possibly can look for the design of the fireplace that's suitable for your dwelling room. Living Room.
Amish Fireplace Design
Nook Fireplaces Concepts for Ornamental Stuff in Living Room
Thursday, February 09th 2017, 01:51:50 AM|


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By Brendan Fisk '19, Contributor
Crusader Newspaper,
I saw you were looking for input on the impending name change of the newspaper and I thought I might as well throw in my two cents. I'm under the impression as I think most people are that changing the newspaper's name will be the first step to changing the mascot altogether. This isn't something that I personally want to see happen.
The reason the name change is being considered is the connotation of the name in connection with the nation's prominent white supremacy group. While I definitely see the problem I don't agree with the solution. In my opinion the existence of another less-admirable paper with this name is all the more reason it needs to be kept. When jihadists make a bad name for Muslims across the world that is the exact time they have to stand up and say that they're Muslim and don't stand for that. Likewise when a paper filled with hate-speech calls themselves The Crusader that is when it's so much more important for us to say we are Crusaders and we don't stand for that.
Being a Crusader means a lot to so many of us.That's why it's so important to continue insisting we represent people who actually fight for the cross, people who actually fight for what's right and they do not. When we change our name they gain a monopoly on it. That organization gets to dictate what it means to be a crusader and every word they print can continue to do damage to the name Crusader and the symbol of the Cross itself. The way I see it the word Crusader in the literal etymological sense will always mean the same thing, people who fight for the symbol of the Cross. Either we get to decide what what it means to be someone who fights for the Cross or they do. This is why it's so important not just to us but to everyone that we continue putting our own content out there under the same name, not in spite of the fact it's the same, because of it.
Very Respectfully,
Brendan Fisk '19
Photo Credit: Google Images
Categories: Opinions


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I often mention to other investors that looking for opportunities in the LIC sector has been a significant part of my strategy.
A reaction I have had on several occasions from them is to bring up an example of a LIC boasting great performance figures.
Continue reading "LIC IPOs under $50 million. Potential traps and confusing performance reporting."


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Sounds very reminiscent of the 80 column green screen debate around Apple ][ e. Just as fruitful too. -----Original Message----- From: Walter Ian Kaye [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 7:22 PM To: firstname.lastname@example.com Subject: Scales Not (was Re: Modularization of XHTML B.3.4.2) At 12:55a +0200 04/08/00, Jan Roland Eriksson didst inscribe upon an electronic papyrus: >I just get totally frustrated when I need to expand my Opera browser >window from the 800x600 I have it set at, to full screen 1600x1200 to be >able to read W3 stuff without side scrolling. (and it's not the first >time it happens) I stopped resizing my browser window years ago. I keep it at 480px wide, and if a page doesn't fit, then it ain't worth readin'. HTML was designed to be device independent, i.e., scalable, therefore I expect pages to scale down to my preferred window size (80 columns of 9-point Monaco/ProFont). If they don't, then they suck. That's my definition. >W3 _must_ (in the RFC sense of the word) learn themselves how to publish >web documents. Anything else makes W3 look ridiculous... I agree 100%. (as in width="100%";) -WalterReceived on Monday, 10 April 2000 23:39:06 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 15:05:53 UTC


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Find Us:
Red Rock Dental
900 S. Pavilion Center Dr, Suite 185
Las Vegas, NV 89144
Find us
Patient Library
Find helpful information in our digital library.
Our Las Vegas Office
Las Vegas Dental Office
This page provides you with practical information about our practice. It includes descriptions of our office location, including a map and directions, hours, appointment scheduling, and accepted insurances.
Red Rock Dental
900 S. Pavilion Center Dr, Suite 185
Las Vegas, NV 89144
Phone: (702) 243-8788
Fax: (702) 243-5785
8:00 AM to 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Click here for door to door driving directions
We know you have many choices when choosing a Dentist in Las Vegas, NV so we have made requesting an appointment a simple process via our web site. If, for any reason you cannot keep a scheduled appointment, or will be delayed, please call us as soon as possible.
Facilities and Equipment
- CEREC In-Office Single Visit Crowns
- Digital X-rays
- Intra Oral Photography
- Paperless Practice
- Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas
- Stringent Infection Control Policy
- Wi-Fi
We accept all PPO Insurances!
- Aetna
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- Loomis Company
- Premier Access
- Meritain
- MetLife
- Principal
- Regence
- Teachers Health Trust
- The Standard
- United Health Care
- United Concordia
Preferred Provider Organization Insurance (PPO Insurance)
A type of Health Insurance arrangement that allows plan participants relative freedom to choose the Dentist they want to visit. Obtaining services from in-network providers can result in lower out-of-pocket expenses; however out-of-network providers can still accept your PPO dental insurance and utilize your benefits. Please be sure to check your benefit booklet for details of your dental insurance plan.


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Well the 31st Olympics is well and truly underway in the colourful Brazilian City of Rio and what an opening ceremony. Over the coming weeks we?re going to be witness to events in sports as diverse as the 400Metres to BMXing and Kayaking to Wrestling. And one legacy we have seen from the London 2012 Olympiad is the popularity of the Paralympics, which are due to commence on 7th September.
One of the many stars who emerged from the London games four years ago was Jonnie Peacock MBE, who not only won the hearts of a nation but Gold in the 100m T44 final, plus set a Paralympic record in the process.
During the Rio Games, his contesting of his title and record will surely be one the hottest ticket of the entire tournament due primarily to the likes of of local boy Alan Oliveira running on home turf and motor mouth and Jonnie?s biggest rival, American Richard Browne, trying to capture the Gold Metal from him.
Earlier this year we were lucky enough to catch up with this inspirational Olympic hero during his shoot for Menswear brand, Jacamo, as their face for Summer 2016. Ohh and remember GOOD LUCK JONNIE, AND BRING HOME GOLD !
What?s your favourite piece of clothing?
Black jeans. They?re my definite go to item and easy to put together with anything.
Who is your style icon?
It has to be David Beckham. He?s had so many different looks over the years but he always look great.
What piece of style advice do you live by?
Keep it simple.
Favourite Hotel in the World ?
Maldives, the whole place is incredible, it?s so remote and secluded and amazing to get away and relax.
Who would be your ideal diner guests?
David Beckham because he?s a legend, Boris Johnson because you never know what he?s going to say, Kevin Hart because he?s very quick and will rinse anybody and Donald Trump because every party needs a whipping boy.
If you could give your teenage self-advice, what would it be?
Ha Ha, I was only a teenager 3 years ago so it would be a very recent conversation!! It would probably be something along the lines of commit more to the things you care about, but then again, being a teenager is all about trying different things and winning and losing isn?t it?
What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101?
My deep V vest. Horrific!
If you could have invented anything what would it be?
My running blade, what an amazing bit of kit that is!
Who?s the most famous person?s number in your phone?
Probably Daniel Sturridge. I met him at a Sainsbury?s photoshoot last year and it was great to swap numbers.
Best present you?ve ever received?
One of the petal?s from the London 2012 Olympic cauldron. I was awarded it by Team GB and it means so much to me.
> See directly This press articles


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Staten Island Legal Services
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Contact Us
Foreclosure Prevention: Homeowner Defense Project
Staten Island Legal Services' Homeowner Defense Project has helped over 500 families save their homes from foreclosure.
Staten Island has been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis and is still in the process of recovery. SILS' Homeowner Defense Project has saved more than 500 homes from foreclosure.
Our Homeowner Defense Project provides critical legal assistance to homeowners struggling to keep their homes when faced with temporary hardship or abusive bank practices. We are the largest organization in Staten Island providing free legal assistance to low and middle-income homeowners in foreclosure. Our goal is to keep families in their homes and prevent foreclosures from destabilizing Staten Island neighborhoods.
In addition to providing legal advice and representation in state and federal court, we offer assistance with court-supervised settlement conferences, loan modification negotiations, and applying for relocation assistance. We work with other New York City community groups and housing counselors to help distressed families save their homes.
Thomas Cunsolo, a SILS Homeowner Defense Project client, faced home foreclosure because of a predatory loan and unfair mortgage servicing practices. Watch the video to hear his story and how SILS helped.


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London, 23 October 2012 - London's Park Plaza County Hall is looking for the individual who has travelled to the most countries over the last 12 months in the course of business to reward them a two-night stay in one of the hotel's seven luxury penthouses.
"We know that people are travelling further and wider for business and this is our way of rewarding the individual who has travelled to the largest amount of different countries. Come and stay at Park Plaza County Hall and let us look after you," says Simon Mahon, General Manager of Park Plaza County Hall.
All business travellers have to do to enter the competition is upload photographic evidence of their travels to Park Plaza's twitter account @parkplazahotels, using the hashtag #UBT or email email@example.com. This can be their boarding cards showing their name, date of travel and destination or an Avios print out.
The competition is open for entries from 1 November – 1 December 2012, with a winner announcement on 10 December 2012. Prize nights can be booked throughout 2013 but are subject to availability and excludes 31 December 2012 and 2013. Click here for details and a full list of terms and conditions.
Perfectly located within walking distance of London's most famous attractions including the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, Park Plaza County Hall's bookings team can be contacted for reservations and further information at 020 7021 1800 or online.
BACK to Press Centre


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Footwear Advice
We tend to spend a large amount of our day on our feet and they can be subject to many stresses and strains. They take the equivalent of approximately 1.5 to 3 times our body-weight in impact. It is important to select shoes that provide appropriate comfort, support and stability to meet the demands of our daily activities.
The key features to look for are:
- Firm midsole. The shoe should remain solid and stable if you try and twist or bend it in the middle
- Firm heel counter. The back of the shoe should not deform or fold down when pressed down upon.
- Cushioned EVA (rubber) sole. This offers the most cushioning especially as most of the surfaces that we walk on are hard and unyielding. The outersole should also be a solid rubber. Avoid anything with varying air pockets, gels etc as this tends to make the shoe more unstable.
- Laces, buckles or velcro straps to hold the foot securely into the shoe.
- Good fit. If there is any deformation of the shoe upper when you put the shoes on then it indicates a poor fit. There should be enough depth and width at the toe box to accommodate the width of the forefoot and the toes. Corns on the tops or in between the toes indicate the shoes are too narrow or shallow.
- Shoes should be comfortable straight away and should not need a 'break in' period. If the shoes feel too tight or there is pain, the best option is to select a different style.
General consensus amongst health professionals is that most running shoes are designed to last approximately between 500-800km. This is the equivalent of 45-60 hours of basketball, aerobics or tennis. Even only after 300km the cushioning in most shoes has already started to lose its resilience to pressure and deformation. We commonly see patients wearing shoes that are noticeably worn out and this may pre-dispose them to developing overuse injuries. Sole wear does not necessarily reflect the loss of shock absorption by the shoe. Even with a new looking shoe, adequate shock absorption may be lacking.