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FILE - In this undated file photo, water flows through the Southern California desert in the Metropolitan Water District's Colorado River Aqueduct from the Colorado River to the Los Angeles area. A pricing dispute has sharply escalated hostilities between San Diego and the agency that delivers water to much of Southern California, straining an odd partnership already defined by years of lawsuits and heated rhetoric. The San Diego County Water Authority launched a website to attack the MWD, its largest supplier, saying it wanted to lift a veil of secrecy. The site displays a trove of internal documents obtained under California�s public records law, including references to a "Secret Society" and an "anti-San Diego coalition." (AP Photo/Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, File)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The website displays a clock counting down seconds to Tuesday's board meeting of Southern California's major water wholesaler.
It is part of a new front in California's water wars opened by the agency that purchases water for San Diego and its suburbs. The San Diego County Water Authority launched the website last month to attack the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, its largest supplier, saying it wanted to lift a veil of secrecy. The site offers a trove of internal documents obtained under California's public records law, including references to a "Secret Society" and an "anti-San Diego coalition."
Metropolitan, a Los Angeles-based agency that counts San Diego as the largest of its 26 customers by far, votes on a budget Tuesday that would raise rates 7.5 percent in 2013 and 5 percent in 2014, a move that San Diego says would hit the nation's eighth-largest city and its suburbs disproportionately hard. San Diego wants to limit annual increases to 3 percent.
Metropolitan defends its practices and has demanded San Diego remove Metropolitan's defaced seal from the new website, www.mwdfacts.com. The seal is altered to read, "The Truth About the Metropolitan Water District of So. Cal."
Government agencies often fight in and out of court, but the online war of words is unusual.
"I found this to be unprecedented in my 25 years of working in public agencies," said Jeffrey Kightlinger, Metropolitan's general manager. "I'm a lawyer. I've done a million lawsuits, many of them public agencies to public agencies ... I've never seen anything quite like this."
The bad blood dates back to a drought in the early 1990s when San Diego began a drive to become less dependent on Metropolitan. Dennis Cushman, the San Diego agency's assistant general manager, said the region then got 95 percent of its water from Metropolitan and now gets less than half.
As with many water disputes in arid stretches of the West, this one is just as much about how to move water from one place to another as it is about the water itself. San Diego lacks its own water supply and — just as importantly — doesn't own pipes to get it from somewhere else.
In 2003, San Diego agreed to buy a big chunk of its water from California's Imperial Valley in the nation's largest farm-to-city water transfer. It still needs Metropolitan's 242-mile aqueduct to carry the water from the Colorado River.
The same year, Metropolitan introduced a rate structure that levies one fee for transporting water and another for the water itself. The San Diego agency alleges the transportation fee includes lots of unrelated costs, amounting to San Diego subsidizing other agencies that buy water directly from Metropolitan. Its claim is the basis of a lawsuit filed in 2010 in state court that says the new system is stacked against San Diego.
With the lawsuit not yet scheduled for trial, Metropolitan is slated to consider two years of rate increases Tuesday under a system that San Diego says is deeply unfair.
Metropolitan, whose customers include cities and water agencies serving 19 million people in six counties, defends the new rate structure and accuses San Diego of trying to unload costs on others. It suggests San Diego overpaid for Imperial Valley's water and is trying to make up for a bad business decision.
The stakes are so high that many Metropolitan member agencies began meeting in 2009 to discuss San Diego's challenge to the rate structure and other issues. San Diego says it didn't learn the group existed until after a request for public records last October that has produced more than 60,000 pages of documents.
The San Diego County Water Authority says the documents show the group met up to 60 times and alleges that members coordinated votes with Metropolitan's board of directors, which would potentially violate the state's open-meetings law. The documents show the group paid for advice from a consulting firm that employs Ron Gastelum, a former Metropolitan general manager.
Two emails from one participant — Chris Theisen, assistant director of public works for Beverly Hills — refer to the group as the "Secret Society." Handwritten notes from one meeting mention the "anti-San Diego coalition."
San Diego packaged the documents in thick binders and sent them to reporters throughout California under the heading, "Who really runs the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California? A shadow government takes control."
The tone of its website is highly irreverent. One entry challenging Metropolitan's spending practices ends with a dig: "Stubborn things, facts are."
Metropolitan says there is nothing unusual about staff from member agencies getting together to discuss issues. In addition, it adamantly denies the group is a forum to coordinate board votes. In a letter to the U-T San Diego newspaper, Kightlinger dismissed references to a "Secret Society" as a tongue-in-cheek jab at what he called San Diego's outlandish legal claims.
San Diego swiftly dismissed Metropolitan's demand to remove its altered seal from its website, saying it was protected free speech.
"We're communicating publicly what they kept private — and successfully kept private — for more than two years," said San Diego's Cushman. "We need to do the public's business in public. It's really quite an appalling story when you look at it."
Associated Press
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Sunday marks a huge milestone for James Meredith. It's the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Ole Miss.
Meredith sat down with our Katina Rankin to reflect on the journey that brought him to this day. He recalls bricks, lead pipes, bottles and Molotov cocktails, plus gunfire being fired at him while trying to become the first African-American to enroll in Ole Miss.
Meredith even talks about the bullet that struck him in the back. Here is what he says he learned through the process.
"Everybody want to see things change, but they don't want to be the one to rock the boat," Meredith said.
"I'm 80 plus years-old, and I don't know how much time I got left. But, I do know how ever many days it is, it's less than I already had. So, my God tells me that trying don't mean nothing. Either get the job done or stop using up my time," Meredith added.
Hear more of James Meredith's interview on this historic day on the Sunday WLBT 10 p.m. Report.
Copyright 2013 MSNewsNow. All rights reserved.
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Will The Growing List of Mississippi Cities With a Smoking Ban Lead To State-wide Laws?By Jeffrey Hess | Published 23 Jul 2012 04:53pm |
Advocates of an indoor smoking ban see the growing list of cities with a smoke-free ordinance as a step toward comprehensive smoke-free laws in Mississippi. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports 61 cities now have bans on smoking indoors in public places.
Three more towns in the delta, Alligator, Duncan and Sumner, are joining the list of Mississippi cities with an indoor smoking ban.
Charles Harvey has been mayor of Duncan for 20 years and says this decision was an easy one to make.
"Smoking ain't no good anyway. If you are smoking, read the back of the package and what does it say? Its a hazard to your health. You don't need a lot of knowledge to know that. If you want to live long and help your community than that is one way to start," Harvey said.
Harvey says the ban also sends the message that leaders in the town do not approve of smoking.
About a quarter of the state population lives in an area with a smoking ban and Dr. Steve Demetropoulos, the president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, says that could make it easier for state law maker to approve a state wide ban.
"I think there is a critical mass. If you city is already smoke-free and you are representing those areas to say 'well golly, what about all my friends and family in these rural areas'. Look at where we are. We already have this big of coverage. Wouldn't it make sense to have the whole state go smoke-free," Demetropoulos said.
Demetropoulos says bans have been proven to cut the rate of heart attacks and other diseases associated with second-hand smoke while not impacted the bottom line for businesses.
Advocates of a state wide ban have run into resistance in Mississippi.
53-year old George Burton steps outside for a smoke break in downtown Jackson...he thinks private businesses should be able to decide if they want to allow smoking.
"My biggest deal is, those are privately owned businesses. If they don't want us to smoke in there tha's fine. If the owners, not the government, if the owners don't want us smoking in here I don't have a problem with that," Burton said.
The restaurant and casino lobby have also been staunch opponents of these types of bans.
With Republicans in control of both legislative chambers and the Governor's mansion supporters of a state wide smoking ban could have a hard climb during the next legislative session.
CommentsMPB will not tolerate obscenities, threats/personal attacks, hate speech, material that is ethnically or racially offensive, abusive comments, comments off topic and spam, to name a few. You can see a complete list of the MPB guidelines by viewing our terms of service. If you spot a comment you think violates these guidelines, report it to the moderators by clicking "x" next to the comment, then "report". MPB reserves the right to adjust these guidelines. If you have a suggestion, please contact us.


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Our Partners
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Did You Know?
The 750 mile Arizona Trail, which runs from the southern to northern ends of the state, begins in Coronado National Memorial at the international border between the United States and Mexico. Here in the park, the trail sections are called Yaqui Ridge and the Crest Trail.


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Emma Quayle
Emma Quayle joined The Age as a cadet journalist in 1999 and has been covering football since 2001. She has won awards from the Australian Football Media Association and AFL Players Association for her feature writing, and specialised for many years in covering junior football and the AFL draft. Emma's two books - The Draft and Nine Lives (the story of former Essendon wingman Adam Ramanauskas' battle with cancer) - were published in 2008 and 2010.
Emma Quayle's club-by-club guide to the 2012 national draft
Emma Quayle All that you need to know about the clubs and the players up for grabs in the draft.
Pies have the answers
Emma Quayle, Sydney Collingwood never loses to Sydney. Or at least it hadn't, in a really long time.
A wiser Tarrant calls time on Pies for a final time
Emma Quayle Chris Tarrant was 30 when he was traded to Collingwood at the end of 2010.
Short stories
Emma Quayle Some football careers come to an early, and not necessarily happy, ending.
The Pies' long-term project
Emma Quayle Lachie Keeffe switched from soccer midfielder to AFL-listed player easily.
Pies weigh up options after latest injuries
Emma Quayle Collingwood will not rush Chris Tarrant back for this week's match against Adelaide, with the defender set to spend two more weeks at VFL level despite Ben Reid's latest quad injury.
Coaching mates in battle
Emma Quayle Football won't get in the way of friendship for Nathan Buckley and Brenton Sanderson.


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Views from the High Line: Tour with Andrew Dolkart
Views from the High Line: Tour with Andrew Dolkart
Join historian Andrew Dolkart for a walking tour that explores the time when freight trains and cargo ships ruled Manhattan's West Side. Andrew will discuss the role of the High Line in New York City's history, pointing out relics of the city's industrial past, and how they are being re-used today.
This High Line Program is open to visitors of all ages. Tickets are $15, or $10 for members of Friends of the High Line.
The meeting location will be provided in the confirmation email following your ticket purchase. PURCHASE TICKETS.
Stay for dinner and dessert after your walking tour. On the High Line between West 15th and West 16th Street you will find tacos, gelato, ice pops, and more seasonal treats from our food vendors, as well as Terroir at The Porch, a full-service, open-air café serving beer, wine, and small plates with sweeping views of the Hudson River. Learn more.
About Andrew Dolkart
Andrew Dolkart is the Director of the Historic Preservation Program and the James Marston Fitch Associate Professor of Historic Preservation at Columbia University. He has been active in historic preservation in New York City for more than 30 years, both as a staff member at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as a freelance consultant, and as a teacher. He has worked extensively with neighborhood groups on preservation efforts and has completed scores of National Register nominations, Landmark Commission designation reports, and historic resource surveys for environmental reviews. Andrew has also written extensively about his passion, the architecture and development of New York City, including his most recent award-winning book, "The Row House Reborn: Architecture and Neighborhoods in New York City, 1908-1929."
This walking tour is presented by Friends of the High Line. Sign up for the High Line E-News to get news updates, special invitations, and more from Friends of the High Line.


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Get Evalyn's complete EPK (electronic press kit) from Sonic Bids.
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See what they have to say about Evalyn.
Download posters in a different formats. Print-optimized 8.5 x 14 poster, colour (3.7MB PDF) Print-optimized 11 x 17 poster, colour (6MB PDF)


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» Babyface January 2001
Since guys found out I was ticklish, they started doing it to tease me, but it really got me kinda turned-on. I would get all out of breath and my heart would be beating real fast, and all of a sudden, I'd be wet between the legs. And, they noticed!
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great looking job , i was up there yesterday when he was finishing it up. he does great work.
Subscribe to Remove Post Ads (Also enjoy site upgrades, unlimited photo storage, 1,000 private messages, and more!)
I just wanted everyone to know that the Cera-Cote job done by the guys in Concord ( Rebel Yell Guns & Levi Peetz) is totally a very outstanding job and professionally done in all circumstances. Just really great work by a group of A-1 email@example.com
great looking job , i was up there yesterday when he was finishing it up. he does great work.
That looks great! The wife is wanting her G17 coated pink. I guess that means it'll be off limits for me.
Let us know how it holds up, I love the color.
You will not regret it. I carry it a lot, but not every day. Will post after awhile and some wear. Note, Moose did one mag in the dark earth as pictured, but it does even look good with a black mag. Thanks Moose !


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the most accurate picture of the retail industry
(Source: spongy-moments)
(Source: yeezusquote)
sometimes i get distracted by my own cleavage like… nice…….
I love that if you look up something on google you usually get really generic photos
But if you add "tumblr" to your search you get really beautiful, artistic pictures
All these "cuddle and play video games" date ideas are weak. We're playing mario kart double dash, cuddling is a distraction. Im here to win


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'Toddlers will love this bright and colourful Shape Sorter offering endless hours of fun. Learn shapes and...'
Kiddicare Staff Expert - Peterborough
'Ideal for bathtime fun'
fluffyfrog - Galashiels
'Very sweet little tea set and entertaining for my little one, good value as long as you buy in the sale.'
Siobhan - Walsall
'This colourful little car is a Xmas gift for my grandson and I'm sure he will love it. The simple pull...'
DeeDee - Staffs
'Item has plenty of sounds that toddlers love to hear! Sorry parents! ;-)There are enough wee features to...'
LiseyLisa - N.Ireland
'This is a good fun bath toy - my little one loves anything to do with water and watching it flow, so the...'
Mrs Lyaceus - Gloucestershire


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Universal Fit
beyerdynamic DTX 101 iE Earphones
" In short: + Stylish looks + Comfortable + Powerful bass reproduction, flat but present mids, rolled off yet detailed and even sparkly highs, usually good separation + EQ-able +- "Dark" sound signature, tends to favor the bass and lower mids. Not perfectly analytical nor overly musical +- Best for pop and pop/rock - Lack of sub-bass detail, bass can be boomy - Impact not consistently..." --Shonen84
Bose® Mobile In-Ear Headphones
" Really a horrible set of headphones for the money. I got these way back as an upgrade from stock ipod headphones and was blown away by the bass. At the time all I wanted was bass and boy did they deliver. At the time I loved them but as my music interests grew and expanded so did my realization that I had horrible headphones. Last year I picked up a set of AWEI ES-Q3 off..." --kitten wizard
Beyer Dynamic DTX 80 SW Premium in Ear Buds (Black)
" The price point for the DTX 80 at the time I bought them, was in Denmark, roughly USD 80, making it a competitor to certain Sennheiser CX- and MX-series, Klipsch Image S4, and the cheaper Sony XBA-series. Tested on: - iPhone 4 & iPhone 5 - LA DAC 100 - M-Audio Firewire Solo Accessories supplied in the box: 3x buds (S, M, L) and simple carrying..." --jakobdam
Beyerdynamic XP1
" This is suitable for people who demands bass in IEM, and beyer has done right by using flat cable, tangle free " --noobandroid
beyerdynamic DTX 71 iE Earphones
" Neutral sound, decent price, a combination you don't find very much in portables. Not the most comfortable after a while, but I don't think any in ear headphones ever are. If you are looking for mid priced headphones that sound excellent, these are it. " --Crazy*Carl
Beyer Dynamic DTX 100 SW Premium in Ear Buds (Black)
" Beyerdynamic's dtx100 is their top of the line dynamic driver iem. It has a bass driven sound very similar to the 60/80 which is a signature I like. Bass heads may be left wanting as will detail freaks but they are fun with a punchy attack and very user friendly. They exhibit marginally less bass than the 80's but extension is, if anything, better, as is clarity. Because of this bass..." --Marcus_C
Bose® In-Ear Headphones - (41217) Black Cord
" First off, there are counterfeit Bose IE flooding ebay like crazy, so buyers beware. It would be smart get yours from an authorized dealer. (In my case, I bought them used from a local friend who got them at best buy). The comfort is great and I dont find them falling out of my ears. No isolation to speak of, the tips dont seal, and they arent designed to isolate. The build..." --EYEdROP
Beyer Dynamic DTX 60 SW Premium in Ear Buds (Black)
"Beyerdynamic's dtx60 is a dynamic driver iem sitting below the dtx80/100 in the range. It has a bass focussed sound which may be fine for some people but I don't enjoy massive bass when there is little definition which is what this earphone is lacking in that department. Mids and vocals are fairly well presented however and come across as good for the price. Highs to me seem harsh rather than..." --Marcus_C
Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones
Shut out the world and lose yourself in your music - or let the world in. It's your choice with the first in-ear noise cancelling headphones from Bose. Quiet Comfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones are engineered to let you enjoy better sound every day, everywhere you go. Turn on noise cancelling to reduce surrounding distractions and focus on your music. Or choose Aware mode to...
Beyerdynamic XP3
XP3 the most neutral and detail out of 3, suitable for all kind of musics. Technical Specification: Models : Xp1, Xp2, Xp3 Frequency range : 20 – 22000Hz Impedance : 16 Ohm Sensitivity : 98dB Cable length : 1.4m Connector : 3.5mm jack plug Feature: -Versatile Sound option, pick the best sounding out of three. -Superb sound quality guaranteed support by countless years of experience in...


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Mark Consuelos' was a Stripper
Most people in showbiz have paid their dues in one way or another to get to where they're at. Everyone starts somewhere, right? Some celebs got their first shot in the spotlight as a stripper. Kelly Ripa says her husband, Mark Consuelos, was one of them.
Kelly, 41, opens up about Mark's exotic dancer past in the new issue of Vanity Fair. "A lot of hot guys in Hollywood have done that," the bubbly blond TV host says. "He was straight out of college, and he went to Notre Dame and finished his degree at the University of South Florida. So, there he was in South Florida, he's gorgeous, looking to break into show business, so he started off as a roadie to a group of these guys, and then they talked him into stripping." Kelly goes on to say "He is so unbelievably gorgeous, with a Mexican father and Italian mother born in Spain and raised in Italy,"
Kelly Ripa also admits she owns "an old calendar pinup" of Consuelos, 41
Read more about Kelly's fame, her family and her go-go dancing man in Vanity fair


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About Ganesh Leathers
"Ganesh Leathers" we are the leading manufactures in Public Limited Company in Chennai. With the aid of our experienced professionals, we have become proficient in producing the finest and most effective range of Leather Products. Our wide range includes Handmade Leather Belts, Casual Leather Belts, Woven Leather Belts, Formal Leather Belts, Ladies Leather Belts, Leather belts, Safety Shoe, Uniform Shoes, Labour Shoe, Labour Shoes, Executive Shoe, Executive Shoes, Leather Wallets, Leather Key Chain, Leather Passport Holders, Leather Laptop Bags, Medical Representative Bags and Ladies Handbag. Understanding the suggestions and feedback of our customers, we are offering them the desired range of these products. To cater to the expected needs of the market, we render them the finest and most extensively assorted range of leather products. Our products are admired by the customers due to the customized designs, colors and patterns. We have a well structured testing unit that comprises all the testing instruments. Further, we deliver our range with the assurance of flawless finish and perfect packaging needs within the speculated time frame.
Business Focus
We have earned tremendous success in the industry, mainly due to our efforts to achieve our motto. We also follow a business focused approach to fulfill our clients requirements. Our motto is complete client satisfaction. Our business focus is to relentlessly deliver the finest quality products and services to our clients.
Eco friendly Manufacturing process: We produce our product range by employing eco friendly manufacturing process. The steps of this process are enlisted below:
- Washing the leather
- Skinning it for reduction of thickness
- Setting a pattern on it
- Making a block for artwork impression before patching it up
- Lacquering
- Fastening the color
Our Team
Blessed with the highly talented and knowledgeable staff of professionals, our organization has reached the apex of success. All the professionals work in close coordination that enables them to work in a friendly environment. They have years of experience that assist the employees in leading the business in a smooth and systematic manner. The success we have gained in the market is due to their hard work and dedication.
Our workforce comprises various industry experts including the following:
- Sample coordinators
- Cutting masters
- Merchandisers
- Quality controllers
- Shipment coordinators
- Marketing managers
- Administrative personnel
Customized Design
In an endeavor to give our clients a unique identity in the industry, we offer them customization of goods as per their requirements. We are capable to customize our products as per the desired specifications, such as material, design, colors and more. Our team of skilled designers works in coordination with our clients to conceptualize their idea and prepare models as per their unique and special requirements. Being a customer focused company, we aim to manufacture superior quality products with customization within the given budget and time of our esteemed customers.
Why Us?
Owing to our strengths and up graded policies, we have attributed towards gaining immaculate success over the competitive edge of the market.
Further, the following factors make us a profitable enterprise across the country:
- Innovative designs
- Premium quality leather
- Quality range
- Proper customized provisions
- Timely delivery of consignments
- Customized packaging
- Cost effective in nature
- Efficient team of experts


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Transaction made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 rdinplan executed on May 1, 2013.
The reporting person and his spouse act as trustees for the Bienaime Family Trust.
The price in column 4 is a weighted average price. The price actually received ranged from $68.29 to $69.10. The reporting person will provide to the issuer, any security holder of the issuer, ot th SEC staff, upon request,
information regarding the number of shares sold at rach price within the range.
The reporting person's spouse is trustee of each child's trust.
Original option grant vests 6/48th on November 11, 2006, and 1/48th on the 11th day of every month thereafter
Reflects the number of stock options outstanding after the transaction from this specific stock option grant.
The above information was disclosed in a filing to the SEC. To see this filing in its entirety, click here.
To receive a free e-mail notification whenever BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. makes a similar move, sign up!
Other recent filings from the company include the following:
SVP of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. just cashed-in 17,536 options - Sept. 23, 2014
EVP of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. just cashed-in 16,000 options - Sept. 3, 2014


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What Do You Do when the Facebook Page Username You Want is Already Taken
December 13th, 2012 by Jeremy Knauff
I recently made a stupid, amateur mistake. We all do occasionally; this time, it was my turn.
About a year ago, I purchased a domain for a project I planned to launch. This November, I finally designed the website, wrote and published numerous articles, and even set up a Twitter profile and Facebook page. The one thing I didn't do was create a custom username for the new Facebook page because you need 25 fans before you can create a custom username, and I wanted to wait until I had a decent amount of content before seeking fans.
The first lesson learned from this little fiasco; anytime you buy a domain, make sure to also set up all social media profiles for it and start seeking followers/fans immediately. In fact, before even selecting a domain, you should make sure the social media profiles are available. It will have a dramatic impact on your branding.
So I started off with the default Facebook page username (e.g. www.facebook.com/pages/Your-Page/259493130844671) until I reached the necessary number of fans, but when I tried to create a custom username (e.g. www.facebook.com/YourPage) I learned that someone had beat me to it. (It was available when I first purchased the domain.) Since you can only change the username once, I took my time in deciding how I wanted to handle it. I considered all sorts of variants of the name, but couldn't come up with anything close enough to the domain I was using it for. Eventually, I stumbled upon Facebook's form for handling Trademark violations, filled out all the necessary info, and eagerly waited for the situation to be resolved in my favor. It wasn't. In fact, I received nothing more than a form letter stating that usernames were assigned on a first-come first-serve basis. I guess Trademark only applies to large, multinational corporations. To hell with the little guy.
All hope was not lost though. There was absolutely no content or likes on the page I wanted, so the owner clearly wasn't using it; however, Facebook claims that usernames are not transferable. Challenge accepted! I visited the page and posted a message asking the owner if he would be interested in selling the page, and received a reply the following morning—"sure." Now I was back on track! He accepted my first offer, so I sent a payment via PayPal, and within minutes, he granted me admin rights and removed his own. I was now the sole owner of the Facebook page with the username I wanted.
I approached the next step with a bit of apprehension, as I had to merge the two pages. Remember, my page had hundreds of likes and posts, but the page I just bough had the username I wanted. This was my first time doing this, and a single mistake could result in losing all of my content and likes. I must have read over the instructions a dozen times each step of the way. In the end, it was probably just paranoia on my part, because it was pretty simple and there were plenty of prompts along the way to make sure you do everything right. Per Facebook's instructions:
I have two Facebook Pages for the same thing. Can I merge them?
Yes, you can merge duplicate Pages so long as they represent the same thing. Please note you can only merge the Page with fewer likes into the one with more likes. To do so:
- Go to the Page with more likes. This will be the one you'll keep.
- From the top of your Page, click Edit Page
- Select Update Info
- From the left sidebar, select Resources.
- Click the Merge duplicate Pages link. This link will only appear if you manage two Pages with similar names.
- A dialogue will show Pages you manage that qualify to be merged. Select the Page(s) you wish to merge. If you're merging Pages with a location, they must have the same address information.
Merging Pages combines all your likes and check-ins, but all other content from the Page with fewer likes, such as wall posts, photos and its username, will be permanently deleted. Content on the Page with more likes will remain unchanged, except for the addition of likes and check-ins added from the Page with fewer likes.
The Page with fewer likes will be removed from Facebook and you will not be able to unmerge it.
There was a certain amount of nervousness in my stomach when I clicked the final "merge" button, especially since it mentioned that the username would be permanently deleted, but once the page finished loading, everything worked out exactly the way I wanted it to. All of my content and likes remained, and I had the username I wanted.
This won't work in every situation. Some people will hold on to a page they aren't actively using no matter what, while others may have a brand and a strong following on their Facebook page, so it wouldn't make sense for them to give it up for any price that you'd be willing to pay. In any case, it never hurts to ask. You just may be surprised at the outcome.
Tags: domain, Facebook, like, Trademark, username


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What does a Home Inspection do
Austin-area home prices hit all-time high, consistent demand indicates strong summer selling season ahead
Austin Board of REALTORS® releases real estate statistics for April 2014
AUSTIN, Texas–May 21, 2014 – According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, Austin-area home prices hit an all-time high in April 2014 while home sales trends continue to keep pace with last year's.
The median price for single-family homes rose six percent year-over-year to $239,900, and average price, while statistically unchanged from April 2013, rose slightly higher to $308,752. Austin-area home sales increased one percent to 2,479 single-family home sales in April 2014.
Bill Evans, 2014 President of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, explained, "Austin-area home prices are rising as the strong demand of the market continues. We continue to see multiple offers on listings, often above listing price. This increasing valuation of Austin-area homes could encourage more listings to enter the market, indicating a strong summer selling season ahead."
According to the report, Austin-area homes continued to sell at an accelerated rate, decreasing the average days on market by five days year-over-year, down to 45 days in April 2014. At the same time, monthly housing inventory decreased 0.4 months year-over-year to 2.3 months. The market also featured two percent fewer new listings, three percent fewer active listings and six percent fewer pending sales in April 2014 compared to the same month of the prior year.
"It can be tempting to think a market with high demand and rising prices is an 'easy' market, but that's simply not true. Every market can be challenging and a 'hot' market like this one is no different," Evans concluded. "Sellers need the best property information available to determine accurate valuations and counsel for handling complicated situations, like multiple offers. Buyers need to know immediately when new properties come on the market, so they can act fast and make informed decisions about offers. Austin REALTORS® are skilled in all of these areas and can help homeowners navigate these complicated situations."
April 2014 Statistics
- 2,479 – Single-family homes sold, one percent more than April 2013.
- $239,900 – Median price for single-family homes, six percent more than April 2013.
- $308,752 – Average price for single-family homes, statistically unchanged since April 2013.
- 45 – Average number of days single-family homes spent on the market, five days fewer than April 2013.
- 3,481 – New single-family home listings on the market, two percent fewer than April 2013.
- 5,305 – Active single-family home listings on the market, three percent fewer than April 2013.
- 2,805 – Pending sales for single-family homes, six percent fewer than April 2013.
- 2.3 – Months of inventory* of single-family homes, 0.4 months less than April 2013.
- $765,396,208 – Total dollar volume of single-family properties sold, one percent more than April 2013.
The following sections describe trends in other sectors of the Austin real estate market.
Townhouses & Condominiums
The number of townhouses and condominiums (condos) purchased in the Austin area in April 2014 was 322, which is 32 percent more than April 2013. In the same time period, the median price for condos and townhomes was $215,000, which is seven percent more than the same month of the prior year. These properties spent an average of 42 days on the market, the same number of days spent on the market in April 2013.
In April 2014, a total of 1,264 properties were leased in Austin, which is five percent more than April 2013. The median price for Austin-area leases was $1,500, which is seven percent more than the same month of the prior year
Austin area homes for sale!
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I will work very hard to help you, and make your purchase or sale as simple as a day at the BEACH!
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If you are like most people, then you are nervous when buying a home or if your a first time home buyer; what's not to be nervous about?
Investing in Austin area real estate is one of the most significant financial investments you will ever make in your life.
That is why CARY BEACH, offers the 12 Month Love it or Leave it Guarantee! CARY wants to give you, the home buyer, the best feeling possible when it is time to purchase. Contact CARY, a highly trained and skilled Buyer Specialists today to learn more about how he can help your dream of home ownership become a reality. I will resell that house for you and not charge you any listing broker commissions during your first 12 months from the date of your closing.
First and most important is YOU - Cary puts "Clients First!"
Check out all of the available Austin area Real Estate. Yes this site has the entire AUSTIN METRO AREA FAST And SIMPLE! Easy to use Austin area Community and Austin area School information.
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Cary will personally help you start your customized home search Today!
Quick links for Your Local Austin Texas Real Estate Connection.
Cary can help you with your Brand new home too or a existing home. Cary works with all the home Builders, such as KB Homes, DR. Horton, Lennar, Ryland, just to mention a couple.
If your interested in moving Up or even Downsizing, Talk to me about my Home Move Up program and how I can help you save THOUSANDS of Dollars!!
•Austin Waterfront •Downtown Austin Condo •Round Rock
•Forest Creek Round Rock •Bull Creek Park •Lakeway
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•Dripping Springs •Driftwood •Brushy Creek •Steiner Ranch
•Circle C •Falconhead west •Teravista •Falcon Pointe
•Sun City Georgetown •Georgetown


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Julie Shapiro
Julie Shapiro is a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at the BAC. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Oberlin College in 2009. After three years of travel and work in agriculture and horticulture, Julie found her way to the field of landscape architecture, and she feels like it's a perfect fit!
Julie is a student member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and she served as the Secretary of SASLA (Student American Society of Landscape Architects) from 2013-2014.
Julie participated in the BAC's 2013 Study Abroad program in Rome, where she focused on the landscape history of the city's Testaccio neighborhood.
Her favorite experiences at the BAC include freehand drawing with Michael Daniels, Design Principles with Michael Fiorillo, and the landscape architecture analysis studio with Aidan Acker. Julie recently enjoyed facilitating a design workshop for Boston high school students in the ArtScience Prize program, and she hopes to continue working with young designers.


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*All terms and conditions apply. Instant Savings are subject to availability and valid dates. Select Instant Savings are available online. For Click 'n' Pull® purchases, Instant Savings can be redeemed at point of sale at the club with the primary membership card. State and local laws may require sales tax to be charged on the pre-discounted price of an item with an Instant Savings offer. Prices shown are pre-tax amounts. To view your Instant Savings account, visit SamsClub.com/instantsavings or download the Sam's Club® app. Member must have a registered email on SamsClub.com in order to access the Instant Savings account page online. Visit SamsClub.com/instantsavings for program details and terms and conditions. Instant Savings may take up to 24 hours to load to a membership account. Items and prices may vary in-club. Instant Savings offers shown are valid in the U.S. only, excluding Puerto Rico. Offers valid August 27 – September 21.
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What, you thought I was kidding?
04 October 2007
I got The Shoes
Posted by Brenda at 1:14 PM
2 comments:
- Travel said...
Love the collection! Where dd you get those shoes? They are so utterly perfect! Gotta have 'em
- September 8, 2008 at 7:25 PM
- Brenda said...
They are made by Bolo, style "Bandari". I got them at a local store.
- September 8, 2008 at 7:39 PM


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If you're tired of replacing your gear, consider using rugged bags in a distinctive style from Rothco. The brand is a military supplier with products that include outerwear, flight jackets, bags, sleeping bags and flashlights. It also provides outdoor and uniform apparel, and was established in 1953.
Rothco Earth Brown Vintage Front Strap Backpack can be used to haul school books or for a short overnight trip. The backpack features pockets on the sides and has a roomy interior that can be used to store books or other essentials. Belt straps keep the compartments secure; however, a reviewer felt the straps made it difficult to use when retrieving an item from the bag.
Rothco Move Out Bag/plane Backpack – Black 21″" X 14 1/2″" X 8″" Carries Like A Travel Bag is constructed of polyester and has both a hip belt and straps that attach across the chest, giving you a secure fit. The bag can also convert to a messenger bag that is carried on your shoulder, giving you versatility.
Rothco Canvas Map Case Black – Rothco Men's Bags can keep your tablet and other small electronic devices at hand. The bag has two compartments in the largest interior, and has a compartment on the exterior, too. A flap snaps shut over the bag, which can be worn on your shoulder or across the front of your body.
Rothco Canvas Map Case Olive – Rothco Men's Bags can help you carry what you need and keep it at hand. The bag has enough room to store small essentials, making it ideal for use while traveling.
Make your commute or your trip to school a little bit easier with Rothco Canvas Teardrop Laptop Backpack Black – Rothco Computer Backpacks. The bag can accommodate most laptops up to 15 inches, and provides extra compartments for stashing your charger, cell phone, wallet and other essentials.
Tags: Earth Brown Vintage Front Strap Backpack, luggage, Move Out Bag/plane Backpack - Black 21"" X 14 1/2"" X 8"" Carries Like A Travel Bag, Rothco, Rothco Canvas Map Case Black - Rothco Men's Bags, Rothco Canvas Map Case Olive - Rothco Men's Bags, Rothco Canvas Teardrop Laptop Backpack Black - Rothco Computer Backpacks, travel


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|Members Extranet
|EDITORIAL How the EED Proposal should be improved October 2011 - The European Commission's proposal for a Directive on Energy Efficiency (EED) is currently going through 1st reading in the European Parliament and the Council. These last two institutions seem to be at odds on the proposal: the Parliament wants to strengthen the proposal whereas the Council seems to believe that it is too ambitious and tries to water it down.
|CLIMATE CHANGE CEMBUREAU discusses EU ETS with Korea On 24 October 2011, CEMBUREAU met with a delegation of governmental officials and journalists from Korea in order to discuss the impact of the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) on the European cement industry. In July 2011, the Korean Government submitted a bill to Parliament which includes plans for the establishment of a cap and trade emissions trading scheme as of 1 January 2015.
|CLIMATE CHANGE Draft consultative report on a low carbon economy The European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety is currently working on the draft consultative report on A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 by Rapporteur Chris Davies (Alliance of Liberal Democrats in Europe, UK).
|CLIMATE CHANGE ETS: Commission proposes insider dealing and market manipulation Regulation On 20 October 2011, the European Commission adopted two proposals in relation to insider dealing and market manipulation in the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) context...
|CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon pricing: future role for energy intensive industries Climate Strategies has recently published two papers regarding the relationship between carbon pricing and carbon leakage...
|CLIMATE CHANGE EU on track to achieve Kyoto targets According to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on 7 October 2011, the European Union is on track to achieve its Kyoto Protocol target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
|CLIMATE CHANGE Council does not oppose volume of GHG emission allowances and EU registry The Council has decided not to oppose the adoption of the following European Commission's legislative acts...
|CLIMATE CHANGE GHG Protocol launches two new GHG accounting standards On 4 October 2011, the GHG Protocol launched the following new greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting standards...
|CLIMATE CHANGE IEA hosts industry experts review workshop On 6 October 2011, CEMBUREAU attend a workshop organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris. A number of industry sectors were represented during the workshop including cement, steel, paper, aluminium and chemicals.
|ENERGY Parliament issues draft opinion on taxation of energy products Rapporteur Béla Kovács (Non-attached Members, Hungary), from the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) in the European Parliament has issued his draft opinion on the Proposal for a Directive on the taxation of energy products and electricity.
|ENVIRONMENT IED: BAT conclusions application dates The European Commission (Directorate General for Environment) has confirmed its position in relation to new and existing installations under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
|ENVIRONMENT Basel COP10 adopts co-processing and cement kilns technical guidelines During the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, held in Cartagena, Colombia, from 17 until 21 October 2011, the Parties adopted the draft technical guidelines on the environmentally sound co-processing of hazardous wastes in cement kilns.
|ENVIRONMENT US delays EPA rules on reduction of mercury emissions and other pollutants On 6 October, the US House of Representatives voted in favour of delaying three Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules requiring that cement plants reduce their emissions of mercury and other pollutants.
|ENVIRONMENT Commission approves new CSR strategy On 25 October 2011, the European Commission presented its Communication on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as part of a package of measures to support entrepreneurship and responsible business.
|HEALTH AND SAFETY REACH: proposal to identify lead primary explosives as SVHC The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a consultation on proposals to add the following three lead primary explosives to the candidate list...
|HEALTH AND SAFETY REACH: proposed review of 91 substances under draft CoRAP On 21 October 2011 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) submitted its first draft Community rolling action plan (CoRAP) to the Member State Competent Authorities and the ECHA Member State Committee.
|HEALTH AND SAFETY Revision of the EWC and WFD annex with hazardous waste criteria Annex III of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) contains the criteria to classify waste as hazardous. This annex is currently being revised to bring it in line with the new classification system for chemicals from the CLP Regulation.
|HEALTH AND SAFETY Proposed Directive on protection from radiations The European Commission has presented its proposal for a Directive laying down basic safety standards (BSS) for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiations (COM(2011) 593 final).
|HEALTH AND SAFETY CEMBUREAU attends SWPEI meeting On 11 October 2011 CEMBUREAU took part in the Standing Working Party for the Mining and Other Extractive Industries (SWPEI) meeting held in Luxembourg. The SWPEI falls under the EU's Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work.
|RESOURCE EFFICIENCY Lifting of the waste status must be subject to strict conditions In October 2011, CEMBUREAU has issued a position paper on the issue of lifting of the waste status. In this respect, the revised Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC)has opened up the possibility to lift, through comitology, the waste status for certain waste streams.
|RESOURCE EFFICIENCY EESC highlights cement as good example On 26 October 2011, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its own initiative opinion on 'The processing and exploitation, for economic and environmental purposes, of industrial and mining waste deposits in the European Union'.
|RESOURCE EFFICIENCY Commission highlights positive achievements in cement industry On 7 October 2011, the European Commission (Directorate General for Enterprise & Industry) highlighted the achievements of the European cement in an article published in its online magazine, entitled Sustainable industry: delivering resource-efficient growth and jobs.
|RESOURCE EFFICIENCY 7th Environment Action Plan: sustainable materials management On 10 October 2011 the Environment Council called upon the European Commission to produce a proposal for the 7th Community Environment Action Plan (7th EAP) which addresses the challenges and objectives related to improving environmental policy instruments.
|RESOURCE EFFICIENCY Council does not oppose WFD recycling and recovery targets calculation and application The Council has decided not to oppose to the European Commission's draft Decision on the application and calculation methods concerning the recycling and recovery targets under the Waste Framework Directive. Unless the European Parliament opposes the decision, the Commission may adopt it.
|CONSTRUCTION Europe 2020 Project Bond Initiative launched On 19 October 2011, the European Commission launched "The Connecting Europe package" which will fund €50 billion worth of investments to improve Europe's transport, energy and digital networks.
|CONSTRUCTION Commission Communication on reinforcing competitiveness in Industrial policy On 14 October 2011, the European Commission issued its Communication on "Industrial policy: Reinforcing competitiveness", together with the "European Competitiveness Report 2011" and the report on "Member States competitiveness performance and policies 2011".
|OTHER NEWS 5th Concrete Design Competition The 5th edition of the Concrete Design Competition was launched in the Netherlands. This initiative is a biennial ideas and design competition for students in architecture, engineering, design and affiliated disciplines. The focus of this edition is 'Energy'.
|OTHER NEWS Beton A Architektura Beton A Architektura is an internal architectural competition for students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic.
|UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS ALDE seminar on Responsible mining in the EU, Brussels 10 November 2011
|UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS 3rd High-Level Conference on Industrial Competitiveness, Brussels 24 November 2011
|UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS Exposure Scenarios Exchange Network, Brussels 24-25 November 2011
|UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS How to do more with less? Standards for a 'resource efficient' Europe, Brussels 13 December 2011
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Another dumb pop culture diagram. Go Team Venture!
Thinking of doing a few little family tree-ish flow chart diagrams for various pop cultural things. Here's an example.
Last night I saw Paul Pope – one of my all time favourite comic book creators – being interviewed and giving a talk. He spoke about his whole career, from being a fine art student to self-publishing his first comics to the recent release of his newest book Battling Boy, and while it covered quite a lot of ground I was already familiar with (due to having read his PulpHope art book) it was still interesting to hear it directly from the horse's mouth, as it were.
I worked in a comic book shop for about four years when I was at uni and my favourite part of the job was recommending new comics to people. Pope's book 100% was one of the titles I'd try to sell most often – a beautiful story about art and love and people and culture, all wrapped up in a well-realised and fantastically illustrated sci-fi setting. It's one of those books that transcends genre boundaries and, in my opinion, can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone regardless of their established tastes. I'd highly recommend buying a copy to anyone who has even a passing interest in comics.
Here's a few variants I thought about including in the Pulp Fiction Guess Who set before deciding it would make playing the game too complicated: ODing Mia, ball-gagged Marcellus and Butch, and post-"I shot Marvin in the face" Marvin.
As a present for a friend's birthday I illustrated and produced a custom copy of the board game Guess Who using the characters from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 movie Pulp Fiction.
I drew each character in the style of the original game, making careful note of facial features like nose size, mouth size and eye colour to ensure that it actually functioned as a working version of Guess Who as well as referencing the film. The finishing touch was making a new wrapping for the box that looked like Marcellus Wallace's briefcase.
More pictures of it can be seen on my portfolio by clicking here.
The Colchester Film Festival 2014 has been officially announced, and I'll once again be helping out with the design of the whole thing. This year's event has been expanded to five days and will be screening feature films as well as the usual short films and masterclasses.
The 2013 festival was fantastic and everyone who attended had a great time. The quality of films was also insanely high, so I expect it to get even better next year.
I took these really bad, out of focus pictures of fireworks, but luckily they still look like fairly cool pictures of abstract lights patterns.
Here's something I helped design while freelancing at 27 for the launch of Wagamama's new limited edition Bento Box range.
Gravity was one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. It genuinely had me on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole film and I left the cinema actually feeling out of breath. I enjoyed it so much I felt compelled to draw a quick little tribute.
Here's another thing I did for PlayStation recently while freelancing at 27: a simple illustration of the DualShock 4 for use on the controller configurations at various UK events. I also had to lay out a lot of the configs themselves, showing what each button did for various games including Killzone: Shadow Fall, Assassin's Creed IV, Driveclub and Warframe to name but a few.
The angle of the whole thing is a little skewed to show both triggers and the lightbar on the top of the controller without tilting the entire thing and trying to make it look 3D. I figured that anybody attending a gaming event would probably know how to use a controller anyway so I could get away with a little artistic license in regards to that.


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Stunning! Very Happy client!!
As a photographer who has had books published with the Smithsonian and other prestigious organizations, I have always loved working on books.They are my passion. So…when I first heard about Blurb, I loved the idea,but wondered about the product. I tried my first two books on material I had produced from travels in Veracruz Mexico. I was pleased for the most part…but learned quite abit regarding image preparation.I could see that heavily saturated color was successful,but was still uncertain about delicate hues and flesh tones as well as rich black and white.
In receiving my first 13×11 wedding books my worries were abated. The books were stunning(and I am extremely particular)..and my concern for the weight of the paper for the paper size has been diminished…While I would like heavier paper,I really don't mind the present stock weight. And the paper surface is perfect for photographs..really quite elegant.
Oh…and to top it off…the books arrived ahead of schedule!!
I will be using Blurb without hesitation for all weddings and personal folios.
TotalIy satisfied, too!
I had my first Blurb book in my hands within a week of the day I published and ordered it! The quality was great, printing and production was quick and of good quailty, shipping fast and convinient, I'm totally satisfied!
I'm waiting for my second Blurb book, should be arriving any minute!
Thank you Blurb, great job!!!!
:-) Zoe


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Regimen Used For My Infant Granddaughter's Cradle Cap
Author: Mattye Thompson
Skill: Massage Therapist
Location: TX, United States
Posted: 06-29-2013
Views: 1,948
Word Length: 120
Questions received: 0
Keywords: baby, newborn, infant, babies
My beloved infant granddaughter had a bad case of cradle cap going not too long ago. I decided to perform a mild regimen on it using Purification and lavender essential oils from Young Living.
The process: I carefully massaged the Purification oil into her affect scalp areas let it set for about 15 minutes. I then took a soft baby toothbrush and softly scoured her head with it, removing much of the scaly patches. Then I did a light massage on the affected areas again using lavender oil.
I did this two times more, two days apart. That was about a month ago - and the cradle cap is completely gone and has stayed gone!
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Testimonials about essential oils are an effective way to learn and share. With this kind of knowledge, we can each take control of our own health. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products and techniques mentioned here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. However, when you give the body what it needs then the body can heal itself as God intended it to. Please use extra caution when using the oils on animals, as some of them are very sensitive.


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Zillah High School Crab Feed
The Zillah High School class of 2014 is hosting a Crab Feed on Saturday, March 15th at Zillah High School.
The Zillah High School class of 2014 is hosting a Crab Feed on Saturday, March 15th at Zillah High School.
Not since we put a man on the moon has one small step been such a big one.
"Twerking" is the latest dance craze. And by that we mean Miley Cyrus is quite fond of posting videos of herself doing it.
But the administration at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego are not fond of Twerking. In fact they just suspended 33 students for their o
Wow. So many people should be so embarrassed. Except, of course, for the Fresh Prince -- he's too fresh to be embarrassed. After mishearing the lyrics to the theme from 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,' a receptionist called the police about a potential mass school shooting. Chaos ensued.
Two Arizona teenagers faced a choice after getting into a fight at Westwood High in Mesa: They could either be suspended for nine days ... or hold hands in front of everybody. Obviously, they chose the latter, and now the school is catching flak for it.
The Eisenhower game originally scheduled for tonight in east Wenatchee has been postponed and moved to Moses Lake.
Summer is here and it's typically when the infamous "Class Reunion" takes place. We all know time flies when you're having fun and looking at the calendar I still can't believe I've been out of High School 10 years. My Classmates from Eisenhower High Schools class of 2002 we hangout on the weekend of August 4th.
Some good early season match ups as valley high school football heads into it's second week of play here in the Yakima Valley.
High school back to school shopping isn't too different from middle school or elementary school. However this is the age when your kids start getting familiar with their study habits and they know exactly what they need, which could be good or bad


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Virgin Mobile Vulnerability Leaves 6 Million at Risk
Virgin Mobile USA leaves users open to possible attack.
One developer has discovered a vulnerability in Virgin Mobile's system that leaves the carrier's six million subscribers at risk. Kevin Burke writes that anyone with your phone number can log into your Virgin Mobile account and make purchases, see your call and SMS logs, change your account details, and change the phone associated with your account.
According to Burke, Virgin Mobile, a subsidiary of Sprint, uses your phone number as your username and forces you to use a 6-digit number (no letters or special characters allowed) as the password for your account. This 6-digit number means there's only one million possible passwords to choose from. This alone is pretty bad practice, but the fact that Virgin Mobile USA doesn't actually lock your account after a given number of wrong attempts means you, or a handy script you've written, can enter wrong passwords all day long until you hit upon the correct combination of numbers. That's just what Burke did.
"It is trivial to write a program that checks all million possible password combinations, easily determining anyone's PIN inside of one day," Kevin writes. "I verified this by writing a script to 'brute force' the PIN number of my own account."
Burke says he has had multiple conversations with Virgin Mobile USA regarding the problem dating back to August 15. His last correspondence was on September 14, when Virgin Mobile told him there would be no further action on this issue from their end.
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Create a new thread in the News comments forum about this subject
4Jim_L9 , September 18, 2012 5:42 PMOuch, that stinks!
3snowzsan , September 18, 2012 5:48 PMConsidering I personally use Virgin, that kinda blows.
But in the same respect, I don't associate anything of any monetary value to anything I could so easily lose, or in this case, could be easily accessed by malicious means.
In general, this is just further proof that the best defence is your own. Be smart with your money and where you put it.
4teh_chem , September 18, 2012 6:18 PMI also use VM, and I was concerned about this since the get-go.
What bothers me more is that when you call and speak with CS, in order to access your account, they ask for your password. UMMMMM...isn't that ALSO a bad thing? Why should "real" customer support on the inside of the system require my password that I use to log in from the outside? IIRC, people have verified that they require your password because they essentially log in to your account as you in order to see the information on your account (not to actually verify your identity). I'd be more worried about that first than some brute-force password crack.
@snowzsan--do you use their option for automatic payments?
0COLGeek , September 18, 2012 6:35 PMPretty (as in VERY) loose security model (not!) there. Accounts are sure to not remain "virgins" to nefarious uses. Not good, Virgin, not good at all.
4Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer , September 18, 2012 6:55 PMI'm waiting for Virgin Mobile to sue this guy for going public about a massive security flaw that they're refusing to fix...
4ddpruitt , September 18, 2012 7:12 PMI guess it's time for me to switch to someone else. False security is worse than no security.
2rantoc , September 18, 2012 8:04 PMNow when media know of it they will say they take all users security as highest priority and change it, not a second before.... bastards!
2kelemvor33 , September 18, 2012 8:08 PMI always thought it was lame that VM just used a 6 digit PIN. Especially with all the sites getting hacked into lately and things like that, you'd think they'd change their system. Maybe they will now that this has gone public...
-1teh_chem , September 18, 2012 8:40 PMI think another good question is, while it's clear that their extent of password security is terribad and needs to change, what is the real likelihood that you're going to get hacked? People would have to have your cell phone number AND know that you're a VM user. Is it possible to extract carrier from cell phone number?
I'm not defending the situation, but the real chance of brute-forcing an account is dependent on knowing the specific cell phone number = and knowing that it's a VM account. Think about myself, the only people I can think of who know that much about my cell phone are probably just my friends and family--I doubt they're going to try to brute force into my account.
Regardless, it should be fixed--I wonder if a petition is going to start up? Also, is there a stipulation of site access security that the FCC presides over? Can one lodge a complain on these grounds?
3Vorador2 , September 18, 2012 9:09 PMHow hard is to change a password system? Really, Virgin?
0bunz_of_steel , September 18, 2012 9:15 PMI just signed up w/boost mobile... wonder if same thing - just not a virgin. Anyways nobody will hack your account cuz they make u sign an agreement that you promise not to hack... LOL.
0Anonymous , September 18, 2012 11:10 PMBoost only has a 4 digit pin
0livebriand , September 19, 2012 12:07 AMT-Mobile doesn't allow you to use special characters - just numbers and letters. Darn...
1face-plants , September 19, 2012 4:55 AM"Virgin Mobile told him there would be no further action on this issue from their end."
Yeah good luck getting away with not fixing this issue now Virgin! It's out in the open and not the kind of obscure exploit that only a handful of people can take advantage of. Anyone with minimal IT knowledge and access to Google can access any Virgin Mobile account at will now.
0Anonymous , September 20, 2012 11:48 PMthey will eventually lock it after three attempts the same way boost does. also sprint needs to step the fuck in


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Bond films foretell future of tech
Some of 007's gizmos -- especially from the early films -- have moved from celluloid fantasy to real-world practicality.
In "Skyfall," the new James Bond movie released in U.S. theaters last week, the new Q, the young head of research and development for the British Secret Service, doesn't have much in terms of new gadgets for the renegade playboy spy.
"What did you expect, an exploding pen?" Q asks as he hands Bond, played by actor Daniel Craig, a gun designed to read Bond's palm print so only he can fire it. "We don't really do that anymore."
Indeed, the newest movie in the Bond franchise, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, is low on fantastic gadgetry. In many of the older Bond films, especially those during the Cold War era, Q doled out to Bond inventions seen only in our dreams.
Now, the young, skinny hacker -- played by British thespian Ben Whishaw -- who is Bond's new quartermaster brags that he can do more damage to the enemy while in his pajamas with his laptop. In "Skyfall," computer hacking represents a more serious and ominous threat than any far-out gadgets seen in movies of the past. "Skyfall," which is distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE), had the best North American opening in the history of the Bond franchise.
But despite the outlandishness of some of 007's past gadgets, or those used by his diabolical villains, many of those toys predicted technology in use today -- even gizmos from the 1960s films.
Bond's use of gadgets in his international espionage work began with his creator, Ian Fleming, who after stints as a Reuters journalist and then a stockbroker, was recruited by the director of British naval intelligence to become his personal assistant during World War II. Fleming played a major role behind the scenes organizing secret operations.
"The gadgets in the novels were very realistic," Raymond Benson, one of the official authors of James Bond novels after Fleming's death, said in an interview. "In the book, the Aston-Martin wasn't as souped up. But it did have a homing device."
The 1964 movie "Goldfinger" was the first to show Bond using a homing beacon to track villain Goldfinger to his secret lair.
"It was an early version of Sat Nav," said Michael Clarke, a Scottish mechanical engineer who has been a serious Bond fan for about 27 years, since he saw his first Bond film at the age of 8. Today, GPS tracking devices can be hidden on cars and then followed, or tracked, online.
In the 1963 film "From Russia with Love," Bond (played by Sean Connery) is interrupted from his wooing by an annoying buzzing sound from a device in his jacket, and tells Sylvia he has to call the office. Bond then goes to his car to make a call from a telephone slotted under the steering wheel.
In a scene from 1971's "Diamonds are Forever," Bond pretends to be a diamond smuggler, and visits a contact named Tiffany Case, who he knows will check his fingerprints for his identity. This proved to a very early prediction of biometric fingerprint scanners now used for secure identification in everything from door locks to laptop computers.
Bond wears false fingertips to leave imprints of the dead smuggler whose identity he is borrowing on the glass he uses, which Case secretly dusts. She then goes to her bedroom closet to run the print through a hidden device with a big screen so she can compare fingerprints.
That film also had a voice changing recorder, which is now available as an app on the newest Apple (AAPL) iPhone.
Many of the features of Bond's high-tech watches are now available on our cellphones and smartphones, such as sending text messages, watching TV or listening to radio. Bond also had a camera hidden in his ring, which he could use to take photos of secret documents. They're not quite so small, but today's mobile phones are routinely used to take photos of documents.
"A number of gadgets have come to fruition," said Benson, who has now moved on to write his own thrillers, a series called the "The Black Stiletto." "Certainly the whole cellphone thing is the most obvious."
"Skyfall" is among the recent Bond films that seek to be more believable in terms of technology, after some fans began to complain about the excessive reliance on gadgets in the films of the mid-1970s to mid-1980s. The technology used or thought up in the 1960s and early 1970s films, even before the advent of the personal computer, was probably more believable because there were no computerized special effects.
"Back then, any gadgets they had, they had to physically make," said Clarke, adding that recent Bond films have to seem believable to a much more tech-savvy audience. "It's all been thought of already."
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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is the youngest women's singles gold medallist at Skate Canada International in 30 years.
The 14-year-old Russian was victorious at Canada's annual senior Grand Prix figure skating event Saturday after winning the short program the day before.
Canada's Tracey Wainman was 13 when she won in 1981 in Ottawa.
Tuktamisheva won the short program Friday and wound up with 177.38 overall points after finishing second to Japan's Akiko Suzuki in the free skating Saturday. Suzuki, 26, who was fourth in the short, scored 172.26 overall.
It was Tuktamisheva's first senior Grand Prix appearance.
"I didn't feel a big difference," she said through an interpreter when asked about stepping up from junior. "I try not to think of the importance of the competition."
Ashley Wagner, 20, of the United States was third in the free and third overall with 165.48.
Amelie Lacoste, 22, of Delson, Que., was sixth with 146.40 and Canadian champion Cynthia Phaneuf, 23, of Brossard, Que., was seventh with 140.70.
Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won pairs gold with a 201.38 overall score by topping the standings in both the short and long programs. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, who had been fourth after the short, were second in the free and wound up with silver with 180.82.
Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Toronto won bronze with 174.84. They were second in the short and third in the free.
The International Skating Union, meanwhile, is allowing Tuktamisheva to compete at the highest level this season even though she won't be eligible to skate for the senior world championship until 2013. Her composure belies her age. By 2014 in Sochi, Russia, she hopes to skate for Olympic gold.
"I'm trying not to show everything that is inside," she said. "Even if I'm nervous, I try to hide it. I try to approach everything calmly. There is pressure but I try not to pay attention to that too much.
"I just try to do my job."
Her technical elements were solid -- she's an excellent jumper -- and she displayed an artistic flair beyond the grasp of most of the older skaters.
Suzuki moved up from being fourth after the short program thanks to a polished long skate to classical music. She was 11th at the 2010 world championship but didn't make the 2011 team after finishing fourth at her nationals.
"I am trying to improve step by step," she said through an interpreter.
Wagner's only world championship appearance was in 2008 when she was 16th. She was sixth at the 2011 U.S. nationals. She showed at this meet that she's well on the way back to prominence.
"I was so happy with what I put out," she said. "I was very satisfied, with the exception my Lutz."
She fell on a Lutz midway through her program -- the jump has been a hard one for her to land as she's been suffering with tendinitis in the landing foot -- but everything else was impressive in her "Black Swan" routine.
Lacoste was third in Canada and 16th in the world last season so finishing ahead of Phaneuf, who was 13th in the world, was important as she aims to win the national title this season. Lacoste went around only twice on a scheduled triple Lutz, once on a planned triple flip and twice on a planned triple Salchow.
"I'm disappointed because I missed three big jumps," she said. "I'm usually doing at least five triples in my program. I wasn't my best but it was a good experience and it's just the start of the season."
Phaneuf crashed to the ice trying to land a triple loop and doubled out on two other planned triples. She had opened her program with a triple Lutz, which is the jump that has troubled her the most.
"I wanted to go out there and land the triple Lutz and I was able to do it so easily," she said. "Then I thought about not making any mistakes, but I just didn't attack enough."
A hip injury has interrupted her training schedule.
"I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself coming here," she said.
Rachael Flatt, No. 2 in the U.S. and 12th in the world, had the worst skate of the day. She fell twice. She was third after the short program but was last in the long and last overall among 10.
"That performance can be attributed to not being quite trained yet and not having that confidence in my training and my long so far," said the 19-year-old. "I need to trust my training a bit more and rely on my experience more. I am a seasoned competitor. That, unfortunately, didn't show in my skating here. I'll learn from it and move on. We all have tough performances, and that was pretty tough. I'll be better."
Teammate Mirai Nagasu, 18 and No. 3 in the U.S., finished fifth.
Adriana Desanctis of Barrie, Ont., No. 5 in Canada, finished ninth.


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After needing fourth-quarter comebacks in each of its previous two games, Oakland Mills made things a little easier on itself Wednesday against Centennial.
On the strength of a 21-3 run in the first quarter, the Scorpions built themselves an early double-digit lead and never looked back en route to a 75-63 victory on the road. Lavon Long (19 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks) led four Oakland Mills players in double figures scoring in a win that improves the team to 15-0 overall.
"We got off to a tremendous start and a lot of it came off our pressure," Oakland Mills coach Jon Browne said. "We got a lot of lay-ups … really did a good job of attacking the rim. I thought that was one of our better halves of the year."
Marvin Williams added 15 points and Nekhi Bradley had 12 for a Scorpion team that led by 20 points, 43-23, at the half and never saw its lead dip below 12 points at any point in the second half.
"We were about due for one like this, because how we had been playing wasn't really up to our maximum potential," Long said. "We came out from the get go and just played our game."
Omari Ringgold (22 points) and Timi Tinuyoe (19) led the way for Centennial (8-6) in the loss.
A jumper by Centennial's Walter Fletcher (8 points) a little more than a minute in gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead. But less than a minute later, Williams hit a 3-pointer to put Oakland Mills in front and the visiting Scorpions didn't trail again the rest of the way.
Following a lay-up by Ringgold with 5:32 left in the first quarter, making it 8-7 Oakland Mills, Centennial went the next five minutes without a field goal.
That drought, coupled with the Scorpions heating up offensively, led to the 21-3 spurt that broke the game open. Long's lay-up with 38 seconds left in the opening quarter made it 29-10.
"We had to get them out of the way early, because the first time around it was a pretty close game," said Long, referencing Oakland Mills' 53-48 win over the Eagles to open the season. "That (first game) probably helped us because all the jitters were gone (tonight) and we knew what we had to do to come in and win."
Oakland Mills went up by as many as 28 points early in the second half, providing a cushion plenty big enough to sustain a couple late pushes from Centennial.
The Eagles closed the third quarter with a 14-2 stretch to get within 16 and later closed the game on a 14-6 run to create the final margin of 12.
"Chad (Hollwedel) does a great job with those guys, they have no quit in them, so we knew runs were coming and it didn't help that we had our studs on the bench with foul trouble," said Browne, who had Long and Dajuan Dent (8 points, 6 rebounds) saddled with four fouls much of the second half. "But I thought we did a good job of sustaining and keeping it comfortable. I was very proud of our effort."
Oakland Mills is back on the road Friday when they travel to Reservoir for a 7 p.m. game.
Oakland Mills 75, Centennial 63
OM (12-0, 15-0): Long 19, Williams 15, Bradley 12, Willis 11, Dent 8, Zayatz 4, Reyna 2, Hunter 2, Madden-Stricker 2.
C (7-5, 8-6): Ringgold 22, Tinuoye 19, Fletcher 8, Olmstead 6, Eads 3, Benson 2, Strothers 2, Conley 1.
Half: 43-23 OM.
Other scores:
River Hill 70, Hammond 53


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Detroit • Elmore Leonard, the beloved crime novelist whose acclaimed best-sellers and the movies made from them chronicled the violent deaths of many a thug and conman, has died. He was 87.
Leonard, winner of an honorary National Book Award in 2012, died Tuesday morning at his home in Bloomfield Township, a suburb of Detroit, from complications of a stroke he suffered a few weeks ago, said his researcher, Gregg Sutter. Leonard was surrounded by family when he died, Sutter said.
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His millions of fans, from bellhops to Saul Bellow, made all of his books since "Glitz" (1985) best-sellers. When they flocked to watch John Travolta in the movie version of "Get Shorty" in 1995, its author became the darling of Hollywood's hippest directors. And book critics and literary lions, prone to dismiss crime novels as mere entertainments, competed for adjectives to praise him.
His more than 40 novels were populated by pathetic schemers, clever conmen and casual killers. Each was characterized by moral ambivalence about crime, black humor and wickedly acute depictions of human nature: the greedy dreams of Armand Degas in "Killshot," the wisecracking cool of Chili Palmer in "Get Shorty," Jack Belmont's lust for notoriety in "The Hot Kid."
"When something sounds like writing, I rewrite it," Leonard often said — and critics adored the flawlessly unadorned, colloquial style. As author Ann Arensberg put it in a New York Times book review, "I didn't know it was possible to be as good as Elmore Leonard."
Leonard spent much of his childhood in Detroit and set many of his novels in the city. Others were set in Miami near his North Palm Beach, Fla., vacation home.
One remarkable thing about Leonard's talent is how long it took the world to notice. He didn't have a best-seller until his 60th year, and few critics took him seriously before the 1990s.
He had some minor successes in the 1950s and '60s in writing Western stories and novels, a couple of which were made into movies. But when interest in the Western dried up, he turned to writing scripts for educational and industrial films while trying his hand at another genre: crime novels.
The first, "The Big Bounce," was rejected 84 times before it was published as a paperback in 1969. Hollywood came calling again, paying $50,000 for the rights and turning it into a movie starring Ryan O'Neal, that even Leonard called "terrible."
He followed up with several more well-written, fast-paced crime novels, including "Swag" (1976). Leonard was already following the advice he would later give to young writers: "Try to leave out the parts that people skip."
In 1978, he was commissioned to write an article about the Detroit Police Department. He shadowed the police officers for nearly three months. Starting with "City Primeval" in 1980, his crime novels gained a new authenticity, with quirky but believable characters and crisp, slangy dialogue. But sales remained light.
Donald I. Fine, an editor at Arbor House, thought they deserved better, and he promised to put the muscle of his publicity department behind them. He delivered: In 1985, "Glitz," a stylish novel of vengeance set in Atlantic City, became Leonard's first best-seller.
Leonard never looked back.
Hollywood rediscovered him, churning out a succession of bad movies including the humorless "51 Pick-up" starring Roy Scheider. Its director, John Frankenheimer, failed to capture the sensibilities of Leonard's work, and his ear missed the clever dialogue.
It took Barry Sonnenfeld to finally show Hollywood how to turn a Leonard novel into a really good movie. "Get Shorty" was the first to feel and sound like an Elmore Leonard novel.
Then Quentin Tarantino took a turn with "Rum Punch," turning it into "Jackie Brown," a campy, Blaxploitation-style film starring Pam Grier. But Steven Soderbergh stayed faithful to Leonard's story and dialogue with "Out of Sight."
Writing well into his 80s, Leonard process remained the same.
He settled in at his home office in Bloomfield Township, Mich., around 10 a.m. behind a desk covered with stacks of paper and books. He lit a cigarette, took a drag and set about to writing — longhand, of course — on the 63-page unlined yellow pads that were custom-made for him.
When he finished a page, Leonard transferred the words onto a separate piece of paper using an electric typewriter. He tried to complete between three and five pages by the time his workday ended at 6 p.m.
"Well, you've got to put in the time if you want to write a book," Leonard told The Associated Press in 2010 of the shift work that was befitting of his hometown's standing as the nation's automotive capital.
Leonard had sold his first story, "Trail of the Apache," in 1951, and followed with 30 more for such magazines as "Dime Western," earning 2 or 3 cents a word. At the time, he was working in advertising, but he would wake up early to work on his fiction before trudging off to write Chevrolet ads.Next Page >
Copyright 2014 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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|after the rain © 2007 esther miguez
When your whole life you sojourn
and your soul wrinkles with time,
when you are not-of-this-world and grow ancient, longing for home,
when everything that is truly you ~ the artist, the mother, the nourishing one, the writer, the dreamer, the mystic, the lover, the wandering gypsy with a poet's heart ~ becomes stifled and choked by the demands of living in a fallen world,
how do you find strength to pour yourself into another day?
Day after day?
It's hard to be strong all your life. To be the responsible one; to survive. It's exhausting, sometimes, to survive. And for the weary, forget sex or drugs or rock and roll ~ the temptation to seek the sweet fruit of eternal rest can come crashing in,
unexpected and tantalizing.
That was his final status.
I don't know him, but I'm sobbing like I did.
Within hours of posting, he took his own life.
Darkness was in the beginning with God, before light, before evil. For those who have eyes to see, darkness is a holy place, a womb where life begins.
Darkness is holy ground where we are planted, where we germinate and grow strong, where we are born to rise into light. When the Spirit fills, she over-shadows. And when we nestle close, tucked into comfort, into the shadow of the Most High, darkness is our covering and we find treasure there.
I'm well-acquainted with darkness. Especially these days, when life flickers low, smolders like the incense on my windowsill. I guess this is a confession of sorts. I love life, love it so much, almost too much, and yet I feel like one standing outside looking in,
Sometimes I wonder, can I stay alive? My entire being aches and yearns to be and become and to live rested with the truth that I am born to fulfill everything within me to do. But the rat-race, the living a life that isn't truly mine, the spreading thin, the seeking sacred in the incredibly profane, trying to leave a quiet breath of holy wherever I am, yet finding myself simply without breath, and gasping ... sometimes, it is just too much.
We sojourners, we need each other. This world is not our home, yes? Will you share your gypsy heart? Breathe light when the valley grows dark, breathe dark when I am distracted by false light?
|i am a nomad on this earth
the purple is for spirit day
When cold seeps into my bones, will you share warmth?
Will you remind me, when I forget, that our souls
are meant to walk on water?
in memory of jacob heyen


text:
HomeWord - Dec. 4, 2007
The Need to Connect
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Ephesians 5:1-2
A recent study* was conducted to determine the cause of the rising number of mental health, ADD, anxiety, emotional and behavioral disorders becoming more prevalent among children and adolescents in the U.S. The conclusion of this secular study was that children lack connectedness in relationships to both people and the spiritual.
Children especially desire boundaries, encouragement, and nurturing, but we all have a deep need to feel connected and loved. As Christians we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. Giving and loving and thinking beyond yourself can make a world of difference in someone else's life.
You are to be an imitator of God, a vessel and representative of His love. Therefore, you need a personal relationship with God. You must know his heart so you can reflect it.
What are you doing to make sure you imitate the love of God in your daily life? What kinds of sacrifice must you make?
To comment on today's devotional, click here.
1. Make a list of ways that you can imitate God's love in an ordinary day.
2. Why does sacrifice often come as a part of loving someone?
Romans 13:8-14; Galatians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:15-17
* "Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities" by The Commission on Children at Risk, 2003
Encouraging Parents…Building Families
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Any resident or regular visitor to Marbella will have noticed a significant increase in numbers on the Costa del Sol this summer. Whilst much of the Spanish tourism industry is still wary of citing overly positive reports for the season, the bustling shops and restaurants are evident. In addition, the demand for short-term summer rentals in prime Marbella property areas has also been of a level rarely seen in recent years.
Whilst Málaga airport reported only a 0,3% increase in arrival numbers in July (source: Aena), compared to 2011, August is expected to provide a substantially sunnier outlook. And obviously the airport tells only part of the story as many Marbella visitors now arrive by car with the road systems also improving – the long-awaited San Pedro tunnel is finally complete and has transformed the traffic-jam strip into a free-moving dual carriageway.
So, whilst Marbella has obviously suffered during the years of economic difficulties, its resilience as one of the world's most sought-after holiday locations is undeniable. Local residents and tourism-related businesses in Marbella and along the Costa del Sol do, of course, feel the tightening of belts when global spending decreases to the levels that we have witnessed recently, but there are many classic bars and restaurants in this area of Southern Spain that have consistently opened their doors, year-round for decades. As we have always said, the nature of Marbella is cyclical and so there is a requirement for Marbella residents and investors to be economically savvy and prepared for the slower time. But Marbella will never be without its booms. We know that these booms will continue to occur in a periodic fashion.
The Marbella market is, of course, buoyed by factors such as the stunning local weather (and the contrary weather experienced in areas of Northern Europe – this summer having been particularly bad in the UK), the airports and transport infrastructure, the natural beauty, beaches, countryside and the decadent way of life. At the Crest Group we never promise our clients that investments can be made and gained from within the short-term. It has been our experience that the savvy investments prepared for the longer-term and it is these people who have reaped rewards of over 300% (eg: Los Arqueros Golf following the previous recession).
As we are starting to see again now, Marbella's consistent popularity is swayed only by times of extreme peaks. It is when these peaks in Marbella tourism numbers drop or waiver that the most sensible property investments can be made. And, as we are already seeing interest in Marbella property becoming steadily more appealing, it is important that opportunities are assessed and acted upon only once the correct information and advice has been obtained.
The Crest Group International is a real estate company with experience in designing, building, managing and selling Marbella property. We know what makes a good investment and when the right time to make that investment will be. Contact us for more information.