text:
For sometime now, former Stanford Professor and pioneer of the New Growth theory, Paul Romer has been advocating the setting up of Charter Cities - a new city set up in an unoccupied piece of land, with population, material and financial resources imported from elsewhere, and whose deployment is governed by a set of rules or a charter. One government provides land and one or more governments grant the charter and stand ready to enforce it.
He has proposed three examples of possible charter cities - US handing over the part of Cuban terriroty adjoining Guantanamo Bay to Canadian government which undertakes to develop it along the lines of Hong Kong; Australia could set aside a part of its territory to be populated by Indonesian immigrants and administered by Australia in consultation with the Indonesian government; and development of a special zone with a charter of the Government in India, to be developed by one state government after a competitive bidding process among all states.
In a recent article (via Mark Thoma), Prof Romer clarifies on the tradeoff between faster growth and higher risk that charter cities would face. He draws the distinction between rules (or rule set) which emerges and gets refined through "an evolutionary dynamic based on small, incremental changes or through a new-system dynamic in which an entirely new rule set enters and competes with an existing one", and catch-up growth (based on copying existing ideas) and frontier growth (involves the discovery and implementation of new ideas).
Catch-up growth with an evolutionary dynamic, while being the least risky (in so far as there is least uncertainty about its trajectory and outcomes), is more likely to be very slow and not effective. However, in catch-up growth, the new-system dynamic can be used to copy existing rule sets, thereby allowing for faster growth without the additional risk that comes from using the new-system dynamic at the frontier (which are innovative and hence risky). Therefore, charter cities embrace catch-up growth with a new-system dynamic, and "adopt a new rule set made up of rules that are known to work well... (and) accelerate catch-up growth with little of the risk associated with the development of new systems at the frontier".
Presumably, the main objective of the Charter Cities would be to bring about a faster pace of development (by more effective administration with a set rules outlined in a charter) to areas within or adjoining developing countries by leveraging resources from across the world and the administrative efficiency of certain neighbouring national governments with a creditable track record for delivering on economic and social development.
It would be less of an attraction for many of the developed countries, since their governments already have a competence in effective administration. Further, their private sectors can be incentivized to leverage the local resource strengths and deliver of even frontier growth with a new-system dynamic.
This effectively means that Charter cities are a collaborative experiment between one or more developed and developing countries, which seeks to incentivize developed country governments to participate in a joint development effort (with a developing country) with the attraction of the profit opportunities that exist in such co-operation. I am not willing to countenance any arguement that would bring in attributes like altruism and internationalism into the motivations as driving national governments.
In view of the aforementioned, let me play the devils advocate on charter cities with the following observations.
1. Charter cities lay great faith in the ability and commitment of national governments to formulate charters and enforce them. However, there is little evidence nor sufficient enough economic or political rationale for reposing such huge faith in governments, especially foreign governments to administer and enforce a charter that also benefits another country and its citizens.
Further, there exists the real possibility that the foreign administrators could end up skimming off the cream and a disproportionate share of the benefits of development. No charter, however comprehensively framed to pre-empt all such possibilities, can prevent such an eventuality, should the government of the administering country (or the establishment that controls it) so wish. The possibility of Colonialism 2.0 becomes very real.
2. There is the very strong possibility that charter cities set up beside the poorer countries would end up cherry-picking the skilled human resources and investible capital away from the mainland (of the developing country). It is natural that the skilled professionals - doctors, scientists, teachers, engineers etc - and investors would gravitate towards these new areas, further impoverishing the poor country.
This would be something similar to the new townships (or "gated communities") or satellite towns that are proliferating in the suburbs of many of the metropolitan cities in countries like India, which act as a magnet in attracting the rich and skilled and the major share of investments in institutions relating to education, health care and other services.
Alternatively, the proximity to the under-developed and poorer areas can also have the effect of keeping away private investors, wary of the political repurcussions of events in the mainland and the possibility of spill-over or contagion from disturbances there.
3. The examples of the numerous world-class Chinese cities that have developed in the last two decades is misleading. They are more closer to being examples of catch-up growth cities with an evolutionary dynamic, albeit a break-neck pace of evolution during recent years, than catch-up growth following a new-system dynamic as suggested by Prof Romer. None of these cities emerged from thin air, but were the result of focussed government policies and driven by specific growth engines that catapulted the originally existing small to middling cities into a much higher growth trajectory. To that extent, they are more evolutionary than new-systemic.
4. There is something disconcerting about the fact that charter cities would need more than economic incentives to ensure its success. As mentioned earlier, it is unrealistic and not borne out by historical evidence to place such faith in a foreign government's commitment to the charter and its outcomes. A more practical model would be a partnership with private investors.
In recent years, there have been a growing number of cities similar to the aforementioned charter cities, most notable being the spectacular Palm Islands in Dubai and the grandiose New Songdo City in South Korea. However, both these, and other similar developments, have been done by private investors with enabling policies set in place by governments. There is nothing mis-aligned about incentives in the development of such cities. Private developers who sense a profit opportunity leverage investments from investors looking for attractive long term returns, and governments benefit by the economic development and tax revenues (and also the rents by way of contracts).
The Special Economic Zones, Technology Parks and so on, that are part of economic development promotion policies in many countries, seek to build on precisely such partnerships with private investors and developers to develop and promote economic growth and development.
5. And finally, there is the issue of political acceptability that will come in the way of charter cities even if all the aforementioned challenges are surmounted. For example, a charter city in India administered by one state government will surely come up against local politics, in its various dimensions (for simplicity assume a city located in one state and being administered by another, with both states belonging to two opposing political parties). The possible incentive distortions that can derail such projects are manifold.


text:
Home > China Travel Testimonials > Two ladies from Argentina had their successful trip with Easy Tour China in July, 2012
Two ladies from Argentina had their successful trip with Easy Tour China in July, 2012Client: Graciela and Liliana Nationality: ArgentinaTour Dates: July 3 , 2012 -- August 3 , 2012Tour Planner: CharlieItinerary: Shenzhen, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang, BeijingDear Charlie,
In July 2012, my friend Lili and I made our second trip to China with Easy Tour China. What can I say this time that I had not wrote last year.
Our 2011 trip was perfect and this year, well, it was more than perfect if such thing were possible.
Everything, the whole implementation of the itinerary prepared by me, the flight and hotel bookings, the transfers, the few organized tours we made (we mostly traveled on our own) the constant assistance on the part of Charlie Chen, the dozens of details to be cared to.
Charlie is so helpful, always ready and wishing to give us a hand ansering our emails and phone calls from different places in China and ... at any time, even late at night.
Last year we had not visited Guilin but this year it was a must for us. Charlie was waiting for us at the Eva Inn when we arrived and invited us to a delicious lunch to a lovely restaurant close to the hotel. Then we went to visit Easy Tour China premises downtown and were received there by Mr. Yang Yi, the Managing Director. What a charming afternoon we spent there including a kind of tea ceremony and all kinds of interesting explanations about tea and tea growing in China as well as many other interesting issues. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel you have a chance of being a little a part of the country not just that you are visiting certain places.
Charlie has a real gift for choosing the right hotel for the right passanger. All of them were great and specially the Magnolia Inn in Yangshuo decorated with old Chinese pieces of furniture with an extreme good taste.
And above all, if you are not quite sure about what destination to choose for your next trip in Asia, don't hesitate, choose China, you'll never be disappointed.
Thank you Charlie and thank you all in Easy Tour China. You've made our trip great and an unforgettable experience, like last year.
Graciela and Liliana from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Google Search
Find something useful to you at Easy Tour China website.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Can Sheridan trust a misplaced cowboy?
North Carolina's a long, long way from Texas, but horse trainer Kip Lorimer needs to get out of town fast because the woman who long ago destroyed his last remnants of trust has just caught up with him—again.
Special-ed teacher Sheridan Cross has trust issues of her own, so when Kip shows up with a horse to donate to the family's equine therapy program, she can't help but be suspicious. A cowboy a thousand miles from home and living out of a horse trailer? What's wrong with this picture?
About Myra JohnsonSee more books from this Author


text:
Unlike other escorts services, Escorts in Fraser town Bangalore are credible and discreet escorts services providers. Clients know that when they book an escort from Fraser town, they are in safe zone when it comes to privacy. Confidentiality is one of the major reasons escorts in Fraser town emerge as one of the leading escorts service providers in Bangalore.
Escorts in Fraser town Bangalore exude class, elegance and sophistication. Clients may rest assured that this maidens will accompany them with dignity and poise. You can book escorts from this girls with confidence regardless of whether you need escort girls in Bangalore for high-class cocktail parties or to accompany you on a first class business trip. Escorts in Fraser town are trained in such a way that they fit seamlessly into any type of social environments. Comprehensive collection of Bangalore escorts is a portfolio of the most elegant, exclusive, exquisite and beautiful escorts in the city. This call girls have the requisite skills and the desire to meet and fulfill the requirements of the clients many of them ranks among the top personalities of the world.
Since most clients are frequent Bangalore's top hotels and restaurants, it is in the fitness of things that escorts fit into this elite environment seamlessly. With vigorous selection and training process escorts in Fraser town are on a firm footing to provide clients the highest levels of satisfaction and relaxation. In Bangalore Independent Bangalore escorts are also hired. However, if you want to hire escorts from Fraser town Bangalore be assured they are well equipped to offer you the most scintillating beautiful escorts in Bangalore who will accompany you to the place of your choice.
Where to easily find escorts in Fraser town Bangalore
The best part is that you can find all the information on Fraser town Bangalore escorts on the website. There are diverse types of such escorts available and you can get all the necessary details about them and the type of escort service they offer by visiting their official website. Apart from the escort services you can also opt in for dating service and dancing dinner companion service. The next time you are planning to pay a visit to Fraser town Bangalore and are interested to enjoy life to the fullest, you can get in touch with any such call girls that will help you with gorgeous, well educated and stylish escorts.


text:
1 year and 9 months
Weight: 157lbs to 123lbs
Body fat: 33% to 24.5%
Working out wasn't an issue, but being disciplined and not eating whatever you want everyday was tough. It was a lifestyle change and took me a solid 3 months to really make the permanent change.
After having 2 children, my core strength was nonexistent.
Deadlift: 60 lbs to 115 lbs
Squat: 50 lbs to 95 lbs
Bench press: got up to 50lbs
Military press: got up to 45lbs
The 5 day split worked perfectly for me. Then I did my cardio on the weekends.
My friend and long distance fitness coach pushed me into buying your book. He told me that if I'd follow the Thinner Leaner Stronger 1 year workout program, I'd be extremely happy with the results.
He said it wasn't complicated but I had to have the motivation and willingness to work hard. I am grateful for my friend's constant push towards purchasing Mike Matthew's book!
I was happy to try out a post-pregnancy program from someone who has had the same pregnancy and post-pregnancy struggles. Once I was comfortable with general workouts and being at the gym 5 days a week, I decided to buy TLS.
I like the way the phases are broken down into 8 weeks. I get to master those specific exercises and hopefully add more weight toward the end of the phase.
It took me some time to get into the rhythm of things. Once I realized how badly I wanted to lose weight and gain core strength, I noticed my body changing fast.
I also liked the warm up sets, then only doing 3 sets with 4 to 6 reps. The heavy weight lifting is making me feel good and I do see results pretty fast.
Another thing I like is how he breaks down every exercise and shows you the proper form.
I've only tried one other program besides TLS. I do enjoy the diet that Mike Matthews has written up in this book. It was a little shock to my system, especially the calorie counting.
Once I've calculated a few breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, it wasn't so hard. Being a chef, I love to cook with butter. Now I bake or steam everything. I still enjoy my cheat meals once in a while.
I am definitely more confident. I'm able to show my daughters that staying healthy and being strong is important in more ways than one. I have more energy which is great for work and I'm able to keep up with my kids after work.
This workout program has improved my physical and mental health. I've even had the courage to sign up for a Spartan Race this summer!!
I'd recommend it to anyone who is skeptical about working out. I've never been a gym person, and Mike Matthews made it accessible and fun at times, hihi. 😛
I saw results immediately and that made me push harder to achieve my goals and make new ones.
Read the book, then reread it and take notes. Create a list of simple goals you'd like to achieve. Then set more goals.
"No excuses! If you want it badly enough, you'll make it happen." My friend and long distance coach would tell me that ALL THE TIME!
If you don't have anyone to physically be next to you during this journey, email or text a friend that will keep you on track. Do check ins once a week. It made a big difference for me.
No, I just used New Zealand Perfect Whey Protein.


text: kohei Pizzaman. Matsubara, Japan Seen February 26th, 2014 Posted January 4th, 2014 3,478 posts 14.6 Years December 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 AM , since edited From an interview on Nintendo Dream: The protagonists: Older compared to the protagonists in other Pokemon games who are around 10, 11. Male protagonist was drawn by Sugimori to be cooler/hotter looking than past male leads. Prof. Araragi and her dad: In earlier designs, Araragi was a fat middle-aged man and his dad was an old man, an aesthetically bad combination. Thus after complaints from staff, Sumigori changed Araragi to a woman and her dad to look younger. Araragi is modeled after women working in NY. Cheren: Designed to look like an intelligent guy who's earnest and inflexible. His jacket is made to look like one worn by class presidents to emphasize this. Bell: A girl that does everything at her own pace. Ditzy and not exactly stylish. Design to give off a "round feel", as female characters in BW are mostly "sharp." She's especially designed to be the opposite of the female lead, who has a sharp feel to her. Makomo: She's older than she looks but calls herself "the dreaming maiden." Roughly the same age as Araragi. Mostly there as a guide to Game Sync, and so her overworld pixel is a reused/remodel of a female scientist character. Dreamy eyed as if she's going to drift away, daydreaming. N: Shows the dangerous side of being a genius. Artistic-looking and almost androgynous, he looks like the male lead in some aspects. A straightforward "hot male" but deliberately shifted away from looking normal. Kageyama mentions that N's musical theme is a "fragile music box." Gerchis: Weird. Weird, eerie atmosphere, weird and eerie clothing. Over all a strange, strange man. Team Plasma and their banners are designed after knights in the middle ages who served their kings. Sanyo Trio: Despite being triplets, if they looked the same it'll be boring. Thus their hairstyles were designed to look like the types of Pokemon they'll use. But apart from their hairstyle, the clothing isn't anything special as not to deviate from the image of a waiter. Aloe: One word: big momma. An African-American woman who encompasses motherhood, and an overall reliable mom. Her apron serves as both a symbol of motherhood and her job as an archaeologist. Artie: Sugimori was asked to design a cool young man who's also an artist. After some thought, only his hairstyle was done so Sugimori asked female employees what they see as good qualities in a man. Eventually he settled on Artie which we see now. Kamitsure: Has long legs compared to others, since she's a model. Because a fashion models job is to walk emotionless on a runway, turn, then walk back, she's designed to look android-like. We imagined that she'll be interested in music so we gave her headphones, in return the headphone cables further emphasize her machine-like appearance. Yaakon: A mine baron and a CEO. Inspired and modeled after Japanese who traveled to the US to pursue the American dream. Dressed as a cowboy, since he tamed the frontiers of a country that was new to him. Designed to be the opposite of Kamitsure, and so is short and tough looking. He's a busy man who wants to get business done his way, so is drawn holding a phone. Fuuro: Was originally designed as a "big sis" type of character in charge of an all-male crew of airfield workers. However the "big sis" character type was deemed too out of fashion, and instead she became a cute perky teenager. Her sexy clothing is mostly what is left over from Fuuro 1.0. The ball pouch on her thighs are inspired from military issue magazine pouches. Extra info regarding the leads: N was designed before the protagonists, so the leads were given caps to match N, not the other way around. As for the female lead, her short pants came automatically to Sugimori after the cap idea. After this stage he studied girls on the streets to see what could work well with her cap and short pants. From here the male lead was designed, to be similar looking to the female lead. The DP/RS male lead had short hair to match their tame/energetic fashion. However this time around the male lead has rather long hair to reflect his choice of clothes. Respond Ignore User Report


text:
Book Hotel
Fly high, pay less!
Cheap Flights from
Atlanta to Houston flight Atlanta to Bonaire flight Los Angeles to Houston flight Los Angeles to Bonaire flight Chicago to Houston flight Chicago to Bonaire flight Dallas to Houston flight Dallas to Bonaire flight New York to Houston flight New York to Bonaire flight Denver to Houston flight Denver to Bonaire flight
Airport Type : Public
City : Houston
State : TX
City Served : Houston
Country : United States
Country Code : US
Continent : North America
Time Zone : America/Chicago
Latitude : 29.983333
Longitude : -95.34
Elevation : 97 Feet
DWH - David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport - Houston, United States - 25 miles
JGP - Greenway Plaza Heliport - Houston, United States - 25 miles
JMA - Marriot Astrodome Heliport - Houston, United States - 27 miles
JGQ - Transco Tower Galleria Heliport - Houston, United States - 27 miles
HOU - William P. Hobby Airport - Houston, United States - 31 miles
Bakersfield Birmingham Leon Nashville Bogota Bonaire Boston Brownsville Baton Rouge Baltimore Belize City Columbia Caracas Paris Charleston Cleveland College Station Charlotte Ciudad Del Carmen Columbus Colorado Springs Corpus Christi Cancun Chihuahua Cincinnati Cozumel Dallas Washington Denver Dallas
There are Few Direct/Connecting flight(s) operating from BON to IAH. cheapflightsdeal.net provides you the cheapest flights deal round the World. From Bonaire (Flamingo International Airport) to Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) total distancen is 2,127 miles.
After Flight Booking, you can now Search Cheap Hotels in Houston.
Houston Flights from the nearest Airports of Bonaire:
Curacao International Airport (CUR) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Coro Airport (CZE) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
General Bartolome Salom International Airport (PBL) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Reina Beatrix International Airport (AUA) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Josefa Camejo Airport (LSP) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
How far is Bonaire to Houston?
Approx : 2,127 miles (3,422 kilometers)
Airports in Bonaire.
Flamingo International Airport (BON)
Airports in Houston.
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH)
Ellington Field (EFD)
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
West Houston Airport (IWS)
Central Business District Heliport (JDX)
Greenway Plaza Heliport (JGP)
Transco Tower Galleria Heliport (JGQ)
Marriot Astrodome Heliport (JMA)
Texas Park Ten Heliport (JPT)
West Chase Hilton Heliport (JWH)
Woodlawns Heliport (JWL)
Sugar Land Municipal Airport (SGR)
Andrau Airpark (AAP)
Houston Airport Timezone.
Timezone of Bonaire (BON)
Elevation of Bonaire Airport
20 Feets
Elevation of Houston (IAH)
97 Feets
How many Direct Flights from BON to IAH?
No Direct Flight Found.


text: DigitalKeith Lorizio Out at MicrosoftLongtime sales exec oustedBy Mike Shields|January 31, 2014 ShareBy Mike Shields|January 31, 2014 Share Veteran sales executive Keith Lorizio is out at Microsoft. The company has not provided a reason for his ouster. But according to sources, Lorizio's departure was not voluntary, and was immediate. Lorizio has been with Microsoft since 2006. Microsoft issued the following statement: "We can confirm that Keith Lorizio, vp of U.S. sales for Microsoft Advertising, is no longer with the company. Barry Dougan, gm of global specialist sales, will assume interim leadership of the U.S. ad sales organization while we conduct a rigorous and thoughtful search for a permanent replacement. This search will include internal as well as external candidates." Sharehttp://adweek.it/1bdWQMA copy Adweek Adweek


text:
May is Hong Kong's unofficial art month, with events across the city for gallery goers of all kinds. But if you're looking for something with a little more energy and novelty, be sure to catch Chai Wan Mei as it makes its third annual appearance on May 16th & 17th. Not sure what it's about? Here are our top picks of the programme to give you a taste.
'How and Nosm, The Day After' by Vaford Gates, New York, USA. Houston Bowery Wall, 2012
Hong Kong art lovers will no doubt be gearing up for the prestigious Art Basel and the middle-market Asia Contemporary Art Show, both kicking off in the city later this week. Only those in the know will however have heard about Chai Wan, the hub of the dynamic grassroots arts scene and its accompanying annual festival Chai Wan Mei.
The area is home to non-other than prolific Hong Kong photographer Michael Wolf and the super cool AO Photobook Centre & Vertical Art Space, and is known for quirkier offerings than the run-of-the-mill Hong Kong galleries.
Based in the trendy Industrial Centre and its surroundings, this year's festival will see more than 60 designers, artists and creatives serve up everything from interactive performances to curator talks and hands on workshops. With so much artistic muscle flexing occurring, we thought we'd put together our top four picks of the programme so you don't miss out on the best bits.
Puerta del Sol
Localiiz's favourite photography studio HDP Image Maker will be launching an exciting new project at this year's Chai Wan Mei. Puerta del Sol is set to be Hong Kong's coolest creative co-working centre when it opens properly later this year.
If you want a sneak peek of the space however, call in (Reality Tower, Unit 8D, 4 Sun on Street) during Chai Wan Mei and catch two awesome exhibitions while you're at it. Crayons will showcase a technique discovered by HDP that transforms photos into 'paintings', while the photography series Myanmar Dreams will deliver exactly what it promises.
The Boy with the Magic Brush
Born to an actor mother, a director father and growing up in the backstage of a theatre, it's no wonder Shanghai artist Maleonn's work is bursting with colourful imagination. His solo exhibition Boy with the Magic Brush will allow you to enter a world full of fables and fantasy via photographed scenes that incorporate nostalgia, black humour, romance and tragedy. His exhibition will be on display at the AO Vertical Art Space (13/F Asia One Tower, 8 Fung Yip Street) throughout the festival.
The highlight of Maleonn's work however comes in the form of Studio Mobile, a project that saw the artist travel to 35 cities with a truck full of costumes, backdrops and props, directing and taking photographs of ordinary people in setups from his imagination. Visitors to the festival will have the same chance, but bookings are restricted to five people per day, so get in there quick! Contact email@example.com for pricing and reservation.
Guerrilla Art
Rogue art installations by rising local and international artists will be taking over a number of the spaces during Chai Wan Mei. Once looked upon as rebels of the art world, the guerrilla population has evolved from its early spray painting days and now creates sophisticated and captivating pieces that share ideas and make bold statements.
Raw, thought provoking and totally in your face, the festival's guerrilla art promises to be weird, wonderful and engaging. Events will be held from 2pm-10pm on Friday and 11am-6pm on Saturday.
The Village
The Designer Village is an installation-meets-market place, popping up on the Saturday of the festival. The perfect location for an art adventure, it houses numerous secret treasures that lie waiting to be discovered.
More than 20 participating creatives, spanning art, fashion and food, will allow you access to their artistic process and hip local community. Recuperate in the food corner, watch live graffiti or shop for one-of-a-kind pieces.


text:
Venezuela Amuay refinery fires still burning
Fires are still burning at an oil refinery in Venezuela, the site of a deadly explosion early on Saturday.
Two storage tanks are still alight but state oil company officials say they have the situation under control.
Forty-one people died and dozens were injured in the blast at the Amuay refinery in northern Falcon state, one of the largest in the world.
Mining Minister Rafael Ramirez said operations could resume within two days of the site being declared safe.
A doctor at Coromoto Hospital said on Sunday that two people had died of burns, raising the number of dead from the earlier figure of 39 to 41.
A thick column of black smoke continued to rise from the refinery throughout Sunday.
Firefighters said their work had been slowed down by increasing winds and a change in wind direction.
Mr Ramirez said fuel and oil supplies in Venezuela would not be affected as the state had a large enough stockpile to cover the shortfall.
Government officials said the blast occurred at 01:15 local time on Saturday when a gas leak created a cloud that ignited.
More than 200 homes and 11 businesses were damaged.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who visited the scene on Sunday, declared three days of national mourning and ordered an urgent investigation into the blast.
Venezuela has the world's biggest certified oil reserves.
Critics say under-investment by state oil company PDVSA has led to a decline in production and safety standards.
But Mr Chavez said there was no evidence the blast was the result of poor maintenance.


text:
Missionaries do a world of good!
Whether or not you are a Mormon, there is one thing we can agree on. The army of young men and women and senior couples who give their time and effort, not to mention their money to serve missions for the church truly do a world of good! As we explain missionary service to our friends in Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, Australia and India. They are flabbergasted when we explain the things these great people, young and old are willingly give up in order to serve. They are incredulous that our young men and women and their families pay their own way, go wherever they are assigned all over the world without question, give up dating, watching movies, their friends and even phone calls to their parents and totally immerse themselves in the service of others. They are dumbfounded when they hear that older couples give up their lovely homes, grandchildren's baby blessings and baptisms and all their free time (just to mention a few of the sacrifices) to serve the Lord full-time for eighteen months to two years!
This week we loved being with Richard's brother Chris and his wife Hedy who preside over the Canada Toronto East Mission. Their lives are full to overflowing with the supervision of a their missionaries and the ecclesiastical responsibilities of the Toronto region. Keeping that huge group of loyal servants well and happy is no small task but they do it sometimes with gritted teeth, but always with optimism and a smile.
It took us back to our "old days" when we presided over a mission thirty five years ago in London. Our circumstances were a little different. We had four small children five and under and had two babies while we were there. I was twenty nine and Richard was thirty one. That rare opportunity was somewhat different than it is for these empty nesters but one thing never changes.. .missionaries that are full of dedication and exude happiness even though they are also experiencing struggles and hardships. Pictures are worth thousands of words:
The Senior Couples who serve have been leaders in their communities and are well-trained in leadership in the church so they make an enormous difference as they gather those who are lost and looking for truth and add stability to their lives. They help with ward organizations, serve in neighborhoods as well as visitor's centers and give love almost beyond belief!
What fun we had doing a weekend Family Seminar. On Friday night we gave a parenting seminar at a Catholic High School and on Saturday a workshop addressing the greatest problem of our age….entitlement. The awesome organizers Joe and Debbie Davis along with a plethora of terrific public relations people did an outstanding job of advertising and organizing, It was a really fun event which included several terrific presenters on topics of marriage and family.
What a world of good these people bring to our scary world of uncertainty and often misery. There will certainly be missionaries in Japan today (where one of our sons served as a missionary) rescuing and comforting, working to help those in need until they are beyond exhaustion. It's the nature of missionary work everywhere!


text:
The Twitter effect: Will Pinterest benefit from the IPO?
Share Now on:
Twitter is gearing up for its initial public offerings. Starting today, the company will kick off its road show, touring the country to generate excitement about its coming stock offering. The excitement over Twitter has the whole tech industry buzzing.
"I think it's drawn more attention to the fact that social media is more than just Facebook," says Nate Elliot, a social media analyst with Forrester Research.
But will the excitement around Twitter pave the way for other social sites to go public? "Potentially, the Twitter IPO is really great for start-ups," says Brad McCarty, content director at FullContent, a social data company. He says Twitter's IPO has gotten a lot of buzz going about sites like SnapChat, Glympse, and Pinterest, which just got $225 million in venture financing this week.
"Once we get 2-3 months down the road after the Twitter's IPO, then I think we're going to start seeing more talk about companies that are perhaps in a good position to do the same."
Only then, says McCarty, will we see whether the Twitter bump can eclipse the Facebook slump for investors.


text:
Harlem rapper/producer Ron Browz has left the Auto-tune in 2009 and kicked off 2010 with a catchy track named after a popular snack, "Cheese and Crackers."
Recent videos posted to YouTube introduce the new cheese and crackers dance, which is probably the worst dance to come out of Harlem since the Chicken Noodle Soup. The new dance is merely a big cheesy smile followed by crossing your arms over your chest and rapidly patting yourself. You know what, just watch the video. I think this is the first time cheese and crackers almost made me throw up.
To further promote the song and dance, a skit featuring two little kids playing around with cheese and crackers at a dining room table has also hit YouTube. The skit ends with both kids doing the cheese and crackers dance. If nothing good comes out of this, perhaps Browz will get sponsored by Ritz crackers.
In another YouTube video, the Ether Boy took to the streets of New York City to ask people for their feelings on cheese and crackers. I'll give him credit, this was kinda funny. But mostly because of the responses and the editing of the video. Not to mention, Browz looked like something out of the movie Revenge of the Nerds.
Not sure if Browz -- who made a big splash with "Pop Champagne" -- has a hit with "Cheese and Crackers," but people will certainly be talking about it.


text:
Google's transformation and rebranding of its various side businesses has progressed during the autumn since it was revealed that Google's parent company would be known as Alphabet. The latest change occurred this week when Google Life Sciences changed its name to Verily.
Verily will still study ways to apply technology to health and the life sciences, but will now do that as an independent company. The name is derived from the Latin word for truth, embodying the company's mission to "use technology to create a true picture of human health". The fresh identity uses simple typography in shades of pink and purple.


text:
Onizuka School
|Family Name
|Given Name
Appearance: Yuki is a pale and somewhat sickly looking young man. His eyes are a dull blue color and his hair lacks any noticeable shine or luster. His hair is a dull light brown and comes to slightly over his eyes in the front. He rarely combs his hair as well. His typical outfit is an old loose gray hooded sweatshirt. The color is faded from the shirt but what seems like a discolored red dragon can be seen on the front. For bottoms he wears lined black pants, staving off the cold. Yuki can often be seen with a quite large duffel bag on his person, and often wears dull gray shoes.
Personality: Despite his somewhat dreary dressings, Yuki will often try to gain the attention of people through other means, I.E. throwing things at them. Less often he will hide in a nearly unreachable place and sit alone, watching the city continue without him for long periods, as if he was never there.
Power: Gravity Manipulation - Yuki has the ability as a level two ESPer to shift gravity for himself in any direction he chooses, so long as he is touching a solid object on that plane. He will most often use this to climb vertical surfaces or even stand upside down on a ceiling. His power protects him from minor vertigo and blood pooling in any one part of his body. Toshi can also shift gravity to a lesser or higher variable in his immediate area. This shift can change gravity to between -10.79 m/s to -8.83 m/s (Normal is -9.81 m/s, for a change of +/- 10%).
RSPK: Yuki has a mild case of RSPK syndrome. The ailment manifests itself by causing fragile objects to crumble under their own weight or causing light objects to float momentarily.
Physical traits:
Weak bodied: Yuki gets sick quite easily as he has a slight immune deficiency. He is often seen with a cold or other minor ailment.
Mental traits:
English speaking: Yuki knows a little English, just enough to survive on hotdogs and coca cola. He learned what little he knows from translated Heavy/Death metal songs.
Fast reader: Yuki often reads to himself during classes, he has to fight to stay with the class on a daily basis.
Notable equipment:
Cell phone: Yuki carries a phone around with him, though he rarely gets calls. He keeps hoping for a number to show up that's not a telemarketer.
Nerf gun: In Yuki's bag are two Nerf guns, the Longshot CS-6 and the Maverick Rev-6. He sometimes has a Raider as well.


text:
The future of charities
Do you give your money to charity?
In an age where there have never been so many charity organisations it's hard not to feel bombarded by charities asking for your money.
There are more than 60,000 charities in Australia.
Dr Stephen Judd is one of the authors of the book Driven by purpose: Charities that make a difference.
He thinks many charities have lost their way and are no longer clear about what they once stood for.
The book has already caused a bit of a stir in the not-for-profit sector.
- Dr Stephen Judd
- Chief Executive of HammondCare
- Title
- Driven by purpose; Charities that make a difference
- Author
- Stephen Judd, Anne Robinson, Felicity Errington
- Publisher
- Hammond Press
- Released
- 14 Jun 2012
- Producer
- Brendan King
- Presenter
- Natasha Mitchell


text:
It follows a report which warned the bridge could be shut to all traffic in under 14 years unless action was taken.
Consultants are to look into fitting £12m de-humidification equipment, which would pump dry air onto the wet cables.
The Forth Estuary Transport Association (Feta) is set to appoint engineers Faber Maunsell later this month.
Alastair Andrew, Feta general manager and bridgemaster, said a report into the matter would be discussed at the Feta board meeting on 24 February.
"The Forth Road Bridge has always enjoyed the very highest standards of safety and maintenance which are recognised across the world," he said.
"We are confident that by being pro-active in our investigations, following a very thorough and systematic approach to operational safety, we have caught the corrosion at a time when we can now do something about it.
Excellent track record
"The team Faber Maunsell has put together to carry out this study brings together the very best in experience across the world in dealing with similar situations.
"They have an excellent track record in understanding the complex issues involved in tackling corrosion in suspension bridges and, most importantly, providing the right solutions."
A detailed two-year internal inspection, completed by Feta in 2005, found evidence of corrosion inside the cables resulting in some reduction of cable strength.
Experts say dehumidification is a "well-tried" system of preventing corrosion of galvanised steel, but its use on bridge cables is less common.
The proposal is to wrap the main cables in a neoprene membrane, then dry them out by pumping in dried air at various points.
The first phase of the study is likely to be complete by summer 2006, and will prepare the way for a tender to be awarded for contractors to install the dehumidification system by the end of the year.
Five years
Construction work, to be supervised by Faber Maunsell, could start as early as spring 2007, and will take around two years to complete.
Once the dehumidification system has been in place for five years, engineers will open up the cable to see if it has worked.
There is still a risk that, even after the equipment has been installed, corrosion might still exist in the main cables.
As well as exploring the feasibility of dehumidifying the cables, Feta has already committed to fitting acoustic monitoring, enabling the entire length of the cables to be monitored for any further wire breaks.
Work to install this equipment is expected to start on site as soon as April 2006.


text:
The bishop in this situation is Bishop Steven L. Ullestad of the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Through an attorney, I contacted Bishop Ullestad by letter. This is the letter he received - here.
In order to clear my name, to stop possible future deceptive slanderous attack against myself, and to inform ELCA members who may have been subject to hearing this false accusation, I decided that I needed to share this letter with you.
As of today, I have not received an apology or any reply from Bishop Ullestad.


text: > From: Paul Vriens > > On 11/30/2010 04:41 PM, Alexandre Julliard wrote: > > The value of running tests on Win9x these days is certainly questionable. > > We don't try to emulate the Win9x behavior anyway, except in a very few > > cases (which most likely don't have tests...) so it only serves to > > document historical behavior that nobody cares about any longer. > > > > I wouldn't be opposed to switching off win9x test runs and getting rid > > of the corresponding broken(). > > So the first thing is a patch to winetest.exe and the winetest website > and at the same time tell Greg to exclude it from 'patchwatcher' and the > batch running of the (almost) daily winetests. I'll mark the Win9x VMs offline when there's nothing queued to run on them. Then in a weeks time I can delete them after all jobs referring to them have been retired/deleted (referential integrity in the database). So for the next week you'll see a red dot with "One or more VMs are offline" on the testbot main page, don't be alarmed by this. Greg.


text:
It's been a really hot summer here! That means that we are drinking extra water in my house. Which actually leads to a bit of a problem for me...water rings on my (somewhat) nice table. :/ Sadly, I am as much to blame as anyone else, so I came up with a solution! I started making fabric coasters and I LOVE the pop of color they give my tables! :)
This is such a quick and easy project! I finished mine in less than an hour--that included taking pictures AND stopping to feed my son. That makes this a perfect project for when you don't have a lot of time to sew. They would also make a great gift for someone special!
What you need: Two scraps of your favorite Mabel Madison fabrics, a scrap of batting, and thread.
1. Cut your two fabrics and batting just larger than the size you want your finished coaster to be. I chose to cut my last set 6 1/2" (square). The first one I made was only about 4" and seemed to be just barely big enough!
2. Layer your two fabrics right sides together on top of the batting.
3. Pin or clip, if desired, to keep your layers from shifting.
4. Sew all the way around using a 1/4" or so seam allowance, leaving a gap on one side to turn everything through. (Start at one clip, then sew all the way around to the other.)
5. Clip corners if you want to help make the corners nice and crisp.
6. Turn through opening so that your pretty fabrics are right sides out. You may choose to use a point turner to help push the corners out. Obviously I didn't--I like the rounded corner look! ;)
7. Press well, making sure to fold under the opening so that it's even with the rest of that side.
8. Time to stitch! Starting at a corner, stitch down each side (making sure to stitch over the opening to close it up) stopping just shy of the first stitches.
9. Pivot at the first corner and continue stitching all the way around the coaster, using your presser foot as a guide.
10. Stitch as far into the center of the coaster as you want. On my smaller coaster, I went to the very center of the coaster, but the larger one is stitched about an inch in from the sides.
As you can see, the 4" coaster is barely big enough for my cup, but the 6" coaster easily holds my cup and a cupcake!
Happy sewing!
Laura :)


text:
Southwell Gardening Club is a group of amateur gardeners who meet monthly on the third Tuesday of every month ( except August).
The group meets at the WI hall Sheppards Row, Southwell at 7.30pm for talks and demonstrations on a wide range of gardening topics. We usually visit local gardens in June and July.
New members and visitors always welcome. Annual membership is £10 per person, the meetings cost £2 for members and £4 for non-members.


text:
For the past six months I have been working on a personal project of spiritual growth and theological understanding. It has been my sojourn to try and unlock some of the secrets of how we are made as human beings, the exact nature of God's relationship with us, some of the problems with what is going on in our American political context right now. More broadly, what I am interested in, is what is critically wrong with Christianity as we know it in the North American context today. And so, I have been writing a book.
The book is entitled, "With: The Transformative Power of Going With People Rather Than Against Them". Over the next several weeks, I will be writing blog posts that will flesh-out aspects of this book. I want to invite you into the conversation. I want to get your help in writing this book. If anything I write over the next several weeks strikes a chord with you in any way, please let me know. If you, like me, are as interested in unlocking the secrets of God's relationship with us, then perhaps we can embark on this journey together. What I am after is nothing short of, as Hemingway once said; "writing something true". And so now, if you are still WITH me...here is installment #11.
Going With Is Often About Giving Up Control
Going With Is Often About Giving Up Control
Most relationships in our world are not completely parallel. What do I mean by a parallel relationship? If you think about two lines that are parallel, they are right next to each other, they are right beside one other. The parallel bars in gymnastics are, for example, two pieces of wood that are at the same height, that are right at the same level. Neither bar is higher or lower than the other than the other one. So, a parallel relationship is one in which both people in the relationship are at the same level. In a parallel relationship, there is no degree of hierarchy or superiority. Both people are at the same level of power. This level of equanimity can occur at the financial level, at the physical strength level, on an emotional level, on a spiritual level, or in terms of authority. An example of a parallel relationship might be a married couple (at least this is the case in most healthy marriagesJ). A healthy marriage is one in which neither the wife nor the husband has a level of superiority.[1] Both are at the same level. Both people in the marriage may have different areas of strength from one another, but on balance there is a parallel relationship. Another example of a parallel relationship might be two students who go to school together. Both students are at the same level. They are both students. One student may get "A's" while the other student gets "C's" but, in the end, they are both students. An example of an un-parallel relationship might be a boss and a worker, or a powerful political leader and a common citizen. The boss always has power over worker, and the politician always has power over the common citizen. These power differentials can often be used to take advantage of the person who is not in power.
Going With another person is often about the simple process of either reversing the power dynamic in a relationship, or at the very least making an effort to cause the relationship to be as parallel as possible. This role-reversal requires that the person "in charge" make a conscientious decision to allow the person who is not "in charge" to have some level of control in the relationship. This role reversal, or power reversal, almost never occurs on its own. It almost always requires a certain level of self-awareness and a desire for equanimity between two people. However, when one person decides to give up a level of power or authority or control over another person, great examples healing and transformation can occur.
Simon Sinek is author of the best-selling book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. He is a motivational speaker and marketing and business consultant. Sinek's 2009 TED talk entitled, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action," is listed as the third most popular TED presentation of all time. I recently met up with Sinek in the South Kensington, a suburb of London, to discuss with him an extremely innovative approach that he recently took with a person that he was counseling who was "in trouble" in several aspects of her life. Sinek had been counseling this woman for about three or four months and nothing was helping. No amount of talk-therapy was assisting her in any way. She continued to have the same set of problems week in and week out. It was always the same story: her relationships were failing, her job wasn't working out, and her life was a mess. Then, Sinek decided to try a new counseling approach with her. It was an experiment. He decided to do a role reversal, in-order-to give his client a higher level of control. One day, out of the blue, he said; "Going forward, I to try something new. I want you to start to counsel me, rather than me counseling you. I will become your patient. You will become my counselor." His patient was initially totally surprised, but then decided to go along with the idea. To his amazement, Sinek and his patient noticed an immediate difference. His client's problems and life difficulties were slowly but surely going away. Her relationships were coming back together, her job situation had improved, and she felt healthier, and all-around, more grounded. Sinek chalks this transformation up to allowing his client to be more in control of her life.
What is even more incredible is that Sinek noticed that the therapy and the counseling that his client was giving him was extremely helpful advice. Sinek said; "The thoughts she had about my life, and the solutions she had to my problems were extremely helpful, and right on the mark." He said, "I talked to her just this morning, and she gave me incredibly good advice for the particular problem that I was dealing with." Sinek pointed out that he looked forward to conversations with his client every single week, and that, to his own shock and surprise, he had benefited as much from the power reversal as his client had.
When I asked Sinek for what he thought the reason for his success was, he said that; "The key was that I took the role reversal very seriously." He said, "It wouldn't have worked if we had just been pretending or if we both didn't see this as a serious dynamic. We both treated the new arrangement as if it was the real thing, and in a way, it was." In the role of a counselor and not the counselee, "She has given me lots of new ideas. She offers me very good advice. most of all, it worked because she became in control of her life. And she no longer thought of herself as a victim". Finally, Sinek added; "We are all works in progress."
A healthy Go With relationship can often be as simple as allowing the person who you are in relationship with to have more control and power, and, correlatively, for you to have less control power. The arrangement can be out in the open and talked about (as Sinek did), or it can be more hidden, by simply one person deciding to allow the other person to be in charge. Going With someone else is often simply a matter of allowing someone else to be in the driver's seat and you to be in the passenger seat. Ironically, it may seem that being the "receiver" in a relationship setting is less of a joyful experience than being in the "giver" position. However, in most cases when a person is allowed to feel the experience of being "in charge", and when the person who was in charge can experience the sensation of being "out of control" – great transformation can begin to happen!
All For Now,
[1] The non-parallel aspect of a marriage relationship has often been incorrectly viewed from a Biblical standpoint – making the husband superior to the wife. More about the incorrect Biblical translational reasons for this tendency have been written about in Chapter 7; "Why Going With Is Hard For Men."


text:
How we are governed and funded
Derbyshire Sport approved a constitution April 2016.
The new Derbyshire Sport constitution, approved April 2016, revised the role of the Partners Group and set up a Board to replace the Executive Group.
The role of the Board is to:
- set the vision, values, aims and strategy of Derbyshire Sport;
- ensure the partnership working principles of Derbyshire Sport are upheld;
- review the structure of Derbyshire Sport as and when necessary;
- develop, with the Director and senior staff, relevant strategic, business and annual delivery plans and associated budgets.
Click to see the minutes of Board, Executive Group and Partners Group meetings.
Derbyshire Sport Board
Kath Mitchell
Kath has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby since September 2015.
Prior to this, she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London with special responsibility for academic provision and quality. She is a Chartered Psychologist.
Peter Smith
Peter was previously the Vice Chair of Derbyshire Sport Executive Group. Peter is Portfolio holder and Chair of South Derbyshire Sport, a partnership supported by SDDC.
He is an experienced Learning and Development consultant specialising in coaching, skills and behavioural change, management development, sales management, training needs analysis.
Paul Robinson
Paul has been Chief Executive of Derby City Council since July 2015. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Chief Executive and Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods.
Mike Ashworth
Mike has been Strategic Director: Economy, Transport and Communities at Derbyshire County Council since June 2013. He has 30 years experience of working within local authorities in Derbyshire and is a Board member of the Lowland Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Local Nature Partnership.
Sarah Fowler
Sarah has been Chief Executive of Peak District National Park Authority since January 2015 and is a former Head of Field Services and Director – Midlands at at the Environment Agency. She is a current board member of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
Dean Wallace
Dean took up post as Derbyshire County Council's Director of Public Health in August 2016. Dean was previously Consultant in Public Health at Calderdale Council, leading on the health improvement and population health intelligence agendas. Dean has a background in sport and exercise science and worked for private sector health clubs and district and borough councils in the north of Derbyshire for 6 years before joining the NHS in 2004.
Jenny Forbes
Jenny has worked in business development, marketing and sponsorship management roles since 1999 for UK Athletics, Goodform and British Swimming and she has been a freelance marketing and business development consultant since Oct 2015.
David Williams
David has been Chairman of Geldards LLP (a top 100 law firm with over 300 employees) since 1989. He has been the Chairman of East Midlands Business Limited since 2007 and is also Vice Chairman of Governors of Derby College, Chairman of Derby Renaissance Board and of the trustees of the Arkwright Society.
Paul Gill
Paul has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years, with a focus on compliance, risk management, governance and controls. His most recent role was with Metro Bank as Risk Director, and before that with Deloitte in the risk and regulation practice.
He has now established his own business providing risk consultancy services to financial services firms.
The Partners of Derbyshire Sport
Organisations and networks operating within the community, education, public health, voluntary, business and sports sectors, which share the aims of Derbyshire Sport can become Funding Partners or Partners.
Funding Partners and Partners can send a representative(s) to the Derbyshire Sport AGM.
At the AGM Funding Partners and Partners:
- receive and endorse the Annual Report,
- receive and endorse the annual accounts,
- receive and endorse the strategic, business and delivery plans,
- endorse Board appointments,
- elect the President and Vice President,
How our work is funded
Derbyshire Sport is funded by a range of partners, shown in the graphic below which highlights the County Sports Partnership's income and expenditure between April 2015 and March 2016.
Our work is also supported by a range of commercial partners who sponsor programmes and events such as ICON and the Derbyshire Sports Awards, as well as give us 'in kind' support to help with our work.
We are always looking to develop partnerships with companies who share our vision and values, can make a contribution to our work. Please contact Hayley Lever on 01773 571232 or via email@example.com if you would like to discuss this.


text:
Sometimes a court of law doesn't decide cases in your favor. When this happens, you will need to file a notice of appeal form to have another judge hear your case. Filling out your notice of appeal properly will make the process that much smoother.
Speak with your attorney about your case, if you have one. Appeal proceedings can be very expensive, so you should have an idea of how much appealing your case will cost before you file the notice of appeal.
Get an appeal form. You can often get these forms at the court or download one from the court's website. If you cannot get a form from the court, visit a copy shop. Many copy shops and office supply stores carry a wide variety of legal documents.
Read over the form before you fill it out. While most appeal forms are short, you will need to be careful to fill in all of your information properly. If you do not, the defendant or his attorney might argue that you filed the appeal improperly.
Check the fee schedule on the form to determine how much you will owe the court for filing an appeal. Make sure to call ahead so you know what kinds of payment methods are available. Generally speaking, courts only accept cash, but some are starting to take credit cards.
Go to the courthouse and file your form. The clerk will stamp it with the time and date it was received and file it. You will be contacted shortly after with information regarding your court date.


text:
The Sons of Navarone (B) playing their 'victory set' with Ron Snippe of Lazy Tater on guitar
Lilly Pavlak sends congratulations to the winners in the La Roche band competition, together with these and many other photos...
The Sons receiving their award
Lazy Tater (NL) playing a 'fringe' show in the town
Lazy Tater receiving their award
Candy Floss (SK) on stage, looking out over the audience; they had to go home before the awards were presented
More photos by Lilly can be seen on a Facebook album. Thanks, Lilly!
Bluegrass Junction to Play Wheatsheaf
10 hours ago


text:
The RE/DONE 3 Pack takes a good thing and makes it great. After all, just one of these 100% cotton, made in America tees is not enough. This simple silhouette with its crew neck and cropped boxy shape pays homage to the style of the 1950s – with a modern twist of course. When you find something this good, multiply it.
Triple the fun isn't always triple the price.


text:
for the new month of Av, begins on next Sunday night,
July 27th, and lasts through Monday evening, July 28th.
Our Rosh Chodesh shiur for Women will be meeting at
7:00 PM on Tuesday evening, July 29th. This month's
installment led by guest speaker Rabbi Sol Fromowitz.
Sunday Movie Matinées
We are beginning a film screening series in the synagogue,
starting on August 3rd, the Sunday before Tish`ah Be'Av,
featuring director Gaylen Ross, discussing her film about
Rudolf Kastner-- a controversial figure who saved Jews
during the holocaust through negotiations with Eichmann.


text:
Much love to Nadege for taking it upon herself to award some acknowledgement my way; much appreciated. Click here for the neat write-up.
I actually found this feature via blogger's stats. You can imagine how amazed I was to learn that it belonged to a French-speaking-individual. Next, you can imagine the confusion that followed as I struggled to translate it. lol I failed and sought out my Facebook compadres for assistance. Thank you, love for the love! It inspires me to know I serve as an inspiration to someone. Click here and click the translate button at the top-right-corner of the screen.


text: 29 Mar 2017 The cutting of the tension tie rods on the existing building took place during the early morning hours on Monday 27 March 2017. The tension has now been taken by the new building and is a significant milestone for the development. EMCO Building have now 'cut' the tie rods on the original building and transferred the loads through the new structure. As the D & C contractor for this project EMCO have always been confident in the design but in order to alleviate any risk we opted to cut the rods whilst the Centre was completely unoccupied which meant carrying out the work over night. Our Project team where in attendance and the process went off trouble free. A big thanks to all involved. Back To News Stories


text:
Last Friday Milton rang in the Christmas season along the Blackwater River in Milton.
The City of Milton in conjunction with the area Tom Thumb Stores kicked off Big Screen on the Blackwater – a three week series of holiday movies in historic downtown Milton – last Friday by showing A Christmas Story.
During the kickoff of Big Screen on the Blackwater, Santa Claus paid a visit to the adults and children and received a warm welcome from roughly 400 children during his stay.
Just like Milton's annual Bands on the Blackwater, you can come downtown with your lawn chair or blanket and watch a movie.
But if it is too cold outside, don't worry. You can watch the movies from the comfort of your car.
"We are going to have a 25-foot inflatable screen alongside the Blackwater River," said Linsey Williamson. "You can watch the movie from the comfort of your car and tune in with your radio to enjoy this free outdoor holiday –themed movie."
The movies will start at 6 p.m. on South Willing St. in Milton.
This Friday's movie is Arthur Christmas.
Do you want to know how Santa accomplishes the feat of making and delivering all of those toys? Then this movie is for you. In Arthur Christmas you will get to see the answer to that question as they reveal the never-before seen ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole.
Concessions will be made available through the Pace High School Band and personal coolers will be permitted as well.
The City of Milton Parks Department is asking as a courtesy to other movie goers, no smoking please.
Don't forget to check out our website for information regarding all city sports and activities at www.ci.milton.fl.us or contact the Milton Community Center at 983-5466


text:
Jesse Luken at the premiere of 'Underground' Season Two - Los Angeles, California, United States - Wednesday 1st March 2017
Jesse Luken - Shots from the final series event for FX's "Justified" which was held at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre at in Los Angeles, California, United States - Monday 13th April 2015
After Caleb Peterson dies whilst fighting on the frontline in the war in Afghanistan, his family back home are overcome with grief. Comfort appears to present itself in the form of a friendly handsome stranger named David, who knocks on the Petersons' door claiming that he fought alongside Caleb, and promised him that he would take care of his family if he should fall. Mrs. Peterson welcomes David with open arms, glad of some respite finally, and while Caleb's brother and sister Anna and Luke are wary of their guest, David's winning smile and unceasing helpfulness soon gains their trust. However, it seems there's more than meets the eye with their visitor, as the family discover how a set of unexplained deaths have been linked to him, and it seems his intentions may not be so honourable after all.
Continue: The Guest Trailer
Jesse Luken - FX Television's Justified Premiere Screening at the Directors Guild Of America - Los Angeles, California, United States - Tuesday 7th January 2014
What could easily have been a sentimental slog is given a spark of intelligent wit by writer-director Helgeland (A Knight's Tale). This is the story of an iconic figure from American sport who had a massive impact on society at large, and Helgeland focusses on the elements we can most readily identify with while quietly stressing how important and, yes, inspirational this story is.
In 1945 post-War America, most states still have segregation laws on the books, and black baseball players are sidelined in their own league. But Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Ford) wants to break this barrier, and drafts Jackie Robinson (Boseman), making him the first black player in the Major League. Jackie is a determined, principled young man who struggles to hold his tongue in the face of blatant bigotry. But he gets help from Branch and team manager Leo (Meloni), and support from his equally feisty wife Rachel (Beharie). There's also a young black journalist (Holland) who works with him to further both their causes. But it takes Jackie a little longer to win over his teammates.
The film portrays endemic racism as the hideously ugly thing it is: socially accepted cruelty and prejudice. In truth, it was probably a lot worse than shown here, but we certainly don't miss the point. Especially since this kind of abusive language is never heard in today's politically correct climate. And Helgeland also creates complex characters who can't be tagged as heroes or villains, played with cheeky energy by a very strong cast. Boseman oozes charisma in the central role, undercutting what could be a too-saintly characterisation with sensitivity and steeliness. And Ford shines in a rare character role as a cantankerous old guy who simply won't take no for an answer.
Continue reading: 42 Review
42 is the true to life story of Jackie Robinson and his rise to the top as one of America's best and most respected Baseball players and the manager of Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, who decided to end racial segregation by enlisting Robinson onto his team.
Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential") comes the real-life drama "42," starring Chadwick Boseman ("The Express") as Jackie Robinson and Oscar¸ nominee Harrison Ford ("Witness") as Branch Rickey.
In 1947, Branch Rickey controversially made a name for himself when he signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. At the time, this kind of behaviour was unheard of, and both Robinson and Rickey were sure to cause problems for themselves - both on and off the pitch. Racism was rife between player on every team including the Dodgers and Robinson's transition was one of the most courageous of its time.
Continue: 42 Trailer
Jesse Luken - '42 The True Story of an American Legend' Los Angeles premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre - Los Angeles, California, United States - Tuesday 9th April 2013
Celebrating the gothic rock movement of the 80s and beyond.
On their self-titled debut album, it's really game time for jazz rappers Injury Reserve.
Celine Dion barely cracks a smile and yet she's the greatest guest yet.
Add this guy to your playlist ASAP.
Phildel has gone back a step, in terms of her musical compositions, and returned to a style more reminiscent of her debut album with her latest...
To promote the release of her latest album 'Designer', Aldous Harding has undertaken an extensive European tour. On Wednesday night Harding played to...
Injury Reserve have spent the last few years rising to the top of underground hip-hop and becoming one of the most exciting acts in the whole genre.
After Caleb Peterson dies whilst fighting on the frontline in the war in Afghanistan, his...
What could easily have been a sentimental slog is given a spark of intelligent wit...


text:
"Pancake Mountain" (PBS Digital). This week marked the return of a show that at least in my mind is an institution, the indie-rocking, puppets-and-pop-stars, let's-put-on-a-kind-of-kid's-show, dance-party cult item known as "Pancake Mountain." Born in 2004 as a Washington, D.C. cable-access series, with alt-cred instantly conferred by an original song from and appearance by Ian McKaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records), it has been revived under the color of PBS Digital Studios, the online hipster coffeehouse wing of the Public Broadcasting System. The component nature of the original makes it a good fit for the Web: Its sketches and songs and interview segments can each stand alone, or come together at whatever length is convenient to the venue. The original episodes ran a conventional half hour; the first online episode -- which includes Reggie Watts and goat-puppet-host Rufus Leaking advertising their barber shop; a new credits sequence with ex-Distiller Brode Dalle singing the "Pancake Mountain" theme; and Rufus and resident superhero Captain Perfect on a road trip to Hollywood (where "Pancake Mountain" now is made) -- clocks in at under five minutes. Older clips, some now bearing the PBS brand, may be found lurking online, a treasure hunt on which you can easily spend too much time, which will also be not enough time. (Or just go right to this compilation reel, featuring Henry Rollins, Lily Allen, M.I.A., the White Stripes, the Meat Puppets, Lou Barlow, Katy Perry, Tegan and Sara, Eddie Vedder and Rufus and Wayne Coyne singing "We Built This City.") DVDs have also been available -- I own them all, he said, shining his lapel with his knuckles -- and though the official shop appears to be closed for the moment, you can find old copies through the usual resellers. Obviously, I encourage you to do so. (Watch this space for an interview with "PM" creator Scott Stuckey.)
"The Fosters" (ABC Family, Mondays), "The New Black" (PBS, Sunday). "The Fosters," ABC Family's fine family drama about a foster family named Foster, returns for a second season. In the rainbow spirit of our post-millennial media world, it is as blended a family as can be -- in addition to the fostered kids, who are now in the process of being adopted (watch for bumps in that road), there are already adopted twins and a biological child, and they come in many colors and have two mothers: Teri Polo is the policewoman mom and Sherri Saum the vice-principal mom, who is now pregnant. The drama occasionally comes to a high boil -- the first season ended with musician son Brandon (David Lambert) beaten up by a bad companion, and the new begins with the question of whether he'll play the piano again, doctor, and did I mention he slept with his father's girlfriend? And is in love with his foster sister Callie (Maia Mitchell)? Youngest son Jude (Hayden Byerly) thinks he might be gay, and Saum's character is pregnant, and middle son Jesus (Jake T. Austin) has a difficult relationship with his ADHD meds, and so on. On paper, it can sound like a soap opera -- there are secrets and lies and such -- but in practice, it plays pretty much like ordinary life. Polo and Saum make one of TV's more believably married couples (with Polo especially good as the stricter, but still tender, mom); much happens around the kitchen table, when they all manage to get there.
Halfway through the first season, echoing changes in the Golden State (the show is set in San Diego), Polo and Saum's characters got married; that the series, like its fans, treats their same-sex status as being both worth noting and almost entirely beside the point is one of its strengths. Of course, not all the world evolves at the same pace. "The New Black," a documentary film by Yoruba Richen presented Sunday under the aegis of "The Independent Lens," looks at the relationship of the African American LGBT community to the black church, against the backdrop of the campaign to pass Maryland's Question 6, which legalized same-sex marriage in the state; opposition by (some) churches is made more piquant and poignant and paradoxical by historical (and even ongoing) questions of minority enfranchisement and equal protection under the law. The film is made largely of people speaking, to the camera and to one another, and -- though views differ, with one side claiming to know the mind of God and the other only its own collective heart -- most speak reasonably, sweetly, sympathetically. It's oddly civilized, given the national temper; the happy ending is still being written, but, still, it's being written.
"Rectify" (Sundance, Thursdays). Ray McKinnon's luminous, numinous Southern Gothic picks up almost immediately after the first season left off, with freed death row prisoner Daniel Holden (Aden Young) now in the hospital, in a medically induced coma, after a brutal beating. (Resemblance to "The Fosters" story line is purely coincidental.) The show, perhaps the slowest thing on television outside of CSPAN, has a firmly stately pace -- the first season was occupied with the events of a single week -- and is in no hurry to give up its secrets. There's a murder mystery in the background, but it's the deeper, ordinary human mysteries McKinnon most wants to plumb. This is a cold case show as Terrence Malick might direct one, animated by a mystic sensibility, peopled with characters who tremble like leaves in the breeze, and caught up with questions of good and evil, hate and love, guilt and innocence -- in the legal sense, but also the Blakean. Beautifully shot, movingly performed.
On Twitter, I am lengthily @LATimesTVLloyd.


text:
27 Dresses
After serving as a bridesmaid 27 times, a young woman wrestles with the idea of standing by her sister's side as her sibling marries the man she's secretly in love with.
Absolute Power
A career thief witnesses a horrific crime involving the U.S. President.
A dying real estate mogul transfers his consciousness into a healthy young body, but soon finds that neither the procedure nor the company that performed it are quite what they seem.
The Comebacks
A comedy that spoofs the inspirational sports movies, The Comebacks tells the story of an out-of-luck coach, Lambeau Fields, who takes a rag-tag bunch of college misfits and drives them towards the football championships. In the process, this life-long loser discovers that he is a winner after all by redeeming himself, saving his relationship with his family and friends, and finding that there is...
An attractive and popular teenager who is mean-spirited toward others finds herself in the body of an older man, and must find a way to get back to her original body.


text:
Join The Conversation With Mishpacha's Weekly Newsletter
I could not mourn. If I mourned, it would mean that he was gone. Childcare, office work, household chores … I did everything on automatic pilot. Somewhere deep inside, my psyche refused to let go of our marriage, our home, our hopes and dreams and future. Instead, I worked to stay the course.
If you've ever been stopped on the street by a stranger who gushes about friends and family you've never heard of, there's a good chance you've got a double out there somewhere. If you've ever gotten a call and the caller doesn't even introduce herself, but jumps into a conversation that leaves you clueless, you probably share a name that intimately links you to another stranger. What happens when your identity or image is multiplied?
Is this the one you mean? The purple and gray? Well, I'm knitting it for my granddaughter. She just had her first girl, and every baby in our family gets a hand-knitted blanket from Bubby. Most of the gifts are either pink or blue, but I like to mix up the color a little bit. See the gray stripes here? Doesn't it make the purple look so much brighter?


text:
Thomas Windisch
Professional photographer, based in Graz, Austria with a great passion for Urban Exploration and exceptional projects.
If you´d like to order prints of my work, or fancy a shooting with me, please get in touch with me directly or drop me a message at the contact page.
- 42,337 Affection
- 1,087,159 Photo Views
- 4,948 Followers
- 296 Following
- Wien, Steiermark, Österreich


text:
|Bear Hugs Bundle and Free Stamp set Botanicals For You
I made the card using the Thinlits Circle Card in Mint Macaron as the base and some paper from Botanicals Garden Designer Series Paper. I used the little honey pot from the Bear Hugs Framelits to cut out and make a little vase to put my flowers in, I think it looks super cute.
I stamped the sentiment on the front of the card using Stamps from Crazy about You and the sentiments on the inside of the circle is from the super cute FREE with Sale-a-bration stamp set Botanicals for You, and on the white card stock page I stamped the little flower again with the lovely sentiment "Nobody Hugs Like a Mother" isn't that with sweetest sentiment.
I made a quick little box by cutting a piece of paper 5.5" x 5.5" and scoring all the way round at 1" and folding and the base is 5" x 5" and scored at 3/4". I finished it off with a lovely piece of Mint Macron Dotted Lace Trim and Pool Party Glitter Ribbon and lastly used the Botanicals for You sentiment.
The Bear Hugs Framelits are on the Weekly Deals this week so if your quick you can buy these Framelits at a discounted price. You can click on any catalogue at the side of this blog post and go straight to my store and take a look at any of the items I have used. You can click here
www2.stampinup.com/ECWeb/searchresults.aspx&dbwsdemoid=5012366 and go straight to the Bear Hugs online Page.
If you do want to make a purchase please use my hostess code RHA7W9H4 and I will send you out a gift straight from me at the end of the month. Please tick the I would like contact section, it means I know where to send the gift to. Stampin' Up! will not contact you only me and only I have your address to send the gift to.
Have a great Sunday.


text:
Once, Alex Kingston lived in the shadow of her former husband, Ralph Fiennes - now, with a flourishing acting career in the States and a happy family life, she's come into her own. Veronica Lee meets her
'Oh my God! Oh my God! No. Oh my God, no, sorry, that can't be true. Where on earth did you find that?" The question that has reduced actress Alex Kingston to spluttering denials and a fit of giggles is: did you know that you have been voted one of the 10 sexiest women on television? It's some while before Kingston can pull herself together and continue.
Happily, this self-deprecation appears several times throughout the interview. I had been wary of meeting Kingston. Her American publicist had insisted on hair and make-up artists being present at the photoshoot, and I assumed that eight years in Hollywood had given the Rada graduate famous for her earthy appeal some diva-ish ways.
When we meet, though, it couldn't be more different. She appears in smart but casual clothes, with minimal make-up and just her wedding ring as adornment. And when I spot a pencil casually thrust in her trademark auburn curls in a vain attempt to keep them in place, I realise the photoshoot demands were the publicist's idea, not hers.
And then, after we leave a shabby rehearsal room in south London to have lunch in an equally rundown cafe in the middle of a park, I remark, sardonically: "Oh, the glamour of it all," and Kingston rejoins with: "Oh, but it's lovely. Where else in London can you sit with greenery all around you?"
The mean streets of Kennington are a long way from Los Angeles, where Kingston, 42, filmed ER, in which she played surgeon Elizabeth Corday. She's back in London for her West End debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, appearing as ball-breaker Nurse Ratched opposite Hollywood heart-throb Christian Slater. He reprises his role as troublesome inmate Randle P McMurphy in the psychiatric hospital where the play, which had a sellout run in London last year, is set.
Nurse Ratched is another strong-woman role for Kingston, who began her acting career at 15 playing a bully in the television series Grange Hill, was an acclaimed Cordelia at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1990, a truly terrifying Boudicca in a 2004 television movie and a gloriously desirable Moll Flanders, the role that first brought her fame 10 years ago. But forceful is not how Kingston describes herself.
"I suppose I have played a lot of strong characters," she says, "but I've never thought of myself as emotionally strong. I'm physically strong and it's obviously how casting directors see me, but I would love to play someone vulnerable and downtrodden."
Does she like the chance to play nasty, though? "Oh yes," Kingston says, with relish. "Actually, I found myself defending her in rehearsal and I realise that I don't find Ratched so bad; she's got caught in that situation where her job is everything, she doesn't have a life outside and the institution becomes her world.
"I think people find it more shocking because she's a woman. If this had been a man, people would just say, 'He's a horrible so-and-so,' but because she's a woman who can so readily emasculate men who are in her charge, it hits harder. Actually, that's what makes it such fun to play."
Kingston, 42, grew up in Epsom, Surrey, the eldest of three daughters of a butcher and his German wife. She met her first husband, actor Ralph Fiennes, at Rada and they had been together for several years before they married in 1993. She was happy to play second fiddle to Fiennes, who was a much bigger star at the time. "I thought it [acting] would all come to a halt when I was 40, anyway, and I'd be married with loads of kids and give it up."
But it didn't quite work out like that. Kingston had years of fertility treatment to no avail and then, in 1996, Fiennes left her for actress Francesca Annis, 18 years his senior, who had played his mother in a production of Hamlet. Kingston and Fiennes divorced the following year. It was a crushing blow and, in an interview with the Telegraph at the time, Kingston described her feelings. "I was completely distraught," she said. "Because I was married to a man everyone thinks is handsome, it made me feel unworthy. In the company of women who were ready to drop their knickers, I felt very insecure, worthless." She has never spoken publicly about Fiennes since.
It's a cruel twist of fate, then, that Kingston returns to Britain just as Fiennes and Annis are in the news; they parted recently after it was revealed in the tabloids that he had been having an affair with another woman. When I raise the subject, Kingston responds with cool aplomb.
"I really don't have any comment to make because I know nothing about it, or what's happened between them," she says. "It's been 10 years and I have no connection with him any more." And the matter is closed.
After moving to Los Angeles for ER, Kingston met her second husband, German journalist Florian Maertel, on a blind date set up by her friends. "He completes me," she has said. They married in 1999 and, after IVF treatment, their daughter, Salome, now aged five, was born. It was a gruelling 36-hour labour, which Kingston endured without pain relief, because there were complications. "I'm really rather proud of myself for that," she says, drily. She has since become a supporter of HER Trust, a female reproductive health charity.
Kingston and family have settled into a happy existence in Hollywood, but the actress acknowledges it's time to take stock. "Salome's about to start school and it's a critical point for us. Having waited so long for a child, I want to spend as much time as possible with her. I feel I owe it to her.
"I'd be happy to work constantly in theatre, but it's dependent on where we base ourselves as a family. I also have to think of my husband and what he wants to do as I've been the main earner for the past few years. He's been a brilliant parent but I would be happy to let his work take priority for a while."
Would they relocate to Britain? "That's possible, although I sold my flat in London some years ago because I hardly used it. But we have a place in Austria and I love it there because they haven't the faintest idea who I am - to them I'm just Florian's wife. That's fantastic because we can do what we want without feeling we're being gazed at. When I came back to London a few years ago to shoot a film, I was being looked at and I didn't feel comfortable."
It strikes me that, far from being the egomaniac I had feared, Kingston doesn't know how famous ER has made her in Britain. "Yes, that's just dawning on me," she says. "Someone asked me the other day why I wasn't coming back to star in something like, say, Hedda Gabler, where all the focus is on me. But I'm glad I'm not - I'm happy to be part of an ensemble. I have been away [from the stage] for 10 years and I'm just testing the waters and finding out whether I still enjoy it."
The conversation turns back to Cuckoo's Nest and I ask how Kingston feels about appearing in her underwear in a brutal scene between McMurphy and Ratched. She reacts with indignation. "Oh my God, is she really? She's in her undies? They never told me. I'm going to have to have a word with Terry [Johnson, the director].'' I'm really not sure whether she's serious, but then comes the pay-off. "But it's not as if I haven't done it before," and she rocks with laughter.
Ah, yes. Getting her kit off has never bothered Kingston, who posed from the age of 14 for her mother's art classes.
"I really don't care, to be honest. If it's required, I'll do it and in Moll Flanders it was the nature of the piece. And if I were playing an old slapper in a short skirt and falling out of my top, I'd love that. I've never shown my bits on stage, though, which is very different, and I might feel a bit vulnerable with all those people watching. But bra and panties, that's fine."
But for any voyeurs out there, there's bad news. Unlike her predecessor in the role, Frances Barber, who played the scene in frilly undies, Kingston's Ratched will be in a Playtex Cross Your Heart bra and zip-up girdle. "In my view, she should be all strapped in. When McMurphy rips open her dress, it shouldn't be that she's liberated. She should feel utterly humiliated."
I suggest that her male admirers might be disappointed. "Oh, I don't know," Kingston says with a sly smile. "I'm sure there'll be some in the audience who find that look very sexy."
- 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' opens at the Garrick Theatre on March 28 (previews from March 21). Information: 0870 890 1104


text:
Apple (Jennifer) Sussmann,
Dr. Sussmann was everything I was looking for when switching practices for our 7 month old daughter. She is warm and gentle with my daughter, patient and flexible with me, and up to date on the latest research and recommendations. She gave us a lot of time and offered practical advice on flu shots, starting solids, and sleeping. I'm very happy with our experience with Dr. Sussmann and the rest of the staff in her office.