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West Texas REHAB Telethon, Abilene Makes Forbes List, Bear the Great Pyrenees Mix – Top Stories of the Week
Here are the top 5 stories for the past week just in cased you missed one.
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Morgan Frazier will Headline the 2014 West Texas REHAB Telethon January 18th
This years headlining entertainer for the 44th Annual West Texas Rehabilitation Center's telethon will be Breckenridge native Morgan Frazier. Frazier's better known for her song "Yellow Brick Road" that made the Top 20 on Billboard's 'Hot 100′ music chart. Her biggest success to date was winning the coveted 'John Lennon Song Writers Award' earlier this year. Morgan is currently out promoting "Hey Bully" her latest song and video.
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Abilene Makes Forbes List of 25 Best Places to Retire in 2014
Abilene, Texas finds itself on the list of Forbes' list of 25 best place to retire in 2014. The business magazine cites several reasons that someone would want to settle in the Key City and spend their golden years.
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Bear the Great Pyrenees Mix is the Friendliest Dog in Abilene – KEAN Critters
Bear is the friendliest two year old Great Pyrenees mix you'll ever meet. He was turned into the Abilene Animal Control Shelter (aka the pound). That said, Bear is at greater risk of being put down because it's former owner doesn't want him anymore. Bear is an awesome, friendly and very loving dog. Brittany with the Abilene Animal Control Shelter said "Bear needs to be fixed and the adoption fee will cover that, he is one cool dog". Please help me find a home for our "KEAN Critter" of the week. See him at the Abilene Animal Control Shelter in the west wing.
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Make-A-Wish's Official Batkid Video Will Make You Cry All Over Again [VIDEO]
Remember Batkid?
Back in November, Make-A-Wish pulled off perhaps the most heartwarming story of the year when it turned San Francisco into Gotham City so five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles could dress up as Batkid and help take down some of the Caped Crusader's biggest rivals.
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Trace Adkins Enters Rehab
Trace Adkins took his first drink in over a decade, then checked into rehab earlier this week.
A spokesperson confirms that the singer has entered a treatment facility after a setback in his battle with alcoholism. Meanwhile, reports circulate that the 'Just Fishin" singer may have been involved in a fight.


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Company News, 2003-04-17, 02:00 AM
Bruckhausen coke plant closes for good - Significant reduction in pollution
On April 16 at around 22.47 p.m., the last coke was pushed from the ovens at the old August Thyssen coke plant, and the two remaining batteries - 6 a and 6 b - were taken out of operation as scheduled, one month after the first coke oven battery was started up in Schwelgern. With battery 2 already having being closed down in December 2002, the history of coke production in Duisburg-Bruckhausen has come to an end. As the new Schwelgern coke plant is more than a kilometer from the residential areas and fitted out with state-of-the-art pollution control equipment, residents in the north of Duisburg can look forward to a greatly improved quality of life.
Coke production at Bruckhausen started in 1897. In parallel with the construction of the first blast furnace, August Thyssen also commissioned a coke plant, using coal from his own mine Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser. This ensured low cost supplies to the steel mill and reaped the benefits of the energy network. The facility was expanded in phases, and by 1926 it had become the first central coke plant in Europe. Following its destruction in World War Two, three new batteries were built in the 1950s, followed by two more in the early 1970s and a sixth in 1983. The plant had 354 furnaces and a capacity of some 2.5 million tons of blast furnace coke per year.
As the steelmaking operations were established and expanded, from the beginning of the 20th century residential areas sprang up on former agricultural land in the direct vicinity. Although having housing just a few hundred meters from the coke plant was originally seen as desirable, with growing environmental awareness and associated demands it later became a problem.
Not least due to environmental considerations, the new coke plant was built in the Schwelgern dock area. In parallel with approval procedures and the realization of this major investment project, criticism of the Bruckhausen coke plant grew from politicians and public alike. As a result, the three oldest batteries from the 1950s had to be shut down in 1998/99. Since then, the remaining three batteries with a capacity of 1 million t were operated as a stop-gap coke plant. Alternative sources of coke had to be found for the blast furnaces during this transitional period, but the gap will be closed when the second battery of the Schwelgern coke plant comes on stream in the summer quarter.
ThyssenKrupp Steel AG
Erwin Schneider
Tel.: +49 203 52 - 2 56 90
Fax: +49 203 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Dietmar Stamm
Tel.: +49 203 52 - 2 62 67
Fax: +49 203 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Dude. I was about to title this post "february faves".... how is it that we are THREE MONTHS+ in to 2015 already!?!?!
Anyways, here are a few things that we have been using and loving throughout MARCH (and the first part of April ;)!!
Maybelline | master conceal | 01 fair
I picked up this baby along with my next item on a BOGO 50% off sale at Ulta. I hadn't heard anything about it, but I was needing a new under-eye concealer/highlighter and was willing to give it a try! Love. It. I purchased the color 01 Fair so that it would be lighter than my foundation to use to brighten my under-eye + inner corner + brow bone. This concealer is full coverage and has a very natural finish. I use my fingertips to dab it underneath my eye, and it really looks flawless. Like always, I set it with a powder (Rimmel Stay Matte!) and it lasts me ALL DAY.
Maybelline | master hi-light - blush | 30 coral
Oh. My. Word. Why did it take me this long to purchase this beauty!? I remember finding a coupon for these hi-lighting blushes in a magazine like, ages ago. I was going to buy it back then, but for some reason never did. I have been eyeing them up though. FINALLY. I'm a sucker for anything coral, so that is the one I purchased. This blush just brightens up your cheekbone and gives you an illuminating glow.. like you've been relaxing in the sun all day at your favorite beach and you walked away with the most perfect tan. (Can you tell I'm DYING to be in Ocean City, Maryland? Come on June!!!) I honestly believe ANYONE can use this blush. It is gorgeous. I'm willing to say it is my favorite blush I've ever used.
baseball tees
As you know, I'm a legging wearer. Lately I've become a little "interested" in baseball tees more than usual. I think I'll blame Trysta (my sister!). Anyways, this combo has become my new uniform. It's been kind of fun to try and dress them up a bit.. add a gold statement necklace, put on some blingy sandals, trade the leggings for some jeans, etc. Just like that I'm able to go from "comfortable mom" to "acceptable to leave the house mom".


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June 15-20, 2016
Cost: The all-in cost for a Vision Trip to Port-au-Prince is $775 plus airfare. The $775 fee includes lodging, food for two customary meals per day, transportation to, from, and while in Haiti, insurance and administrative fee. Airfare is typically between $600 and $1,000. The past three years, our airfare has been $600-$800.
Traveling with: The Global Orphan Project, Kansas City, MO
Trip Objectives/Agenda: Anyone is welcome to go on the trip – students, family, friends. In Haiti, we will visit 3 to 5 orphanages, play with the children, and experience life in a third world country. We have the opportunity to visit several unique businesses and agricultural ventures which demonstrate job creation and entrepreneurial dignity that aim at orphan prevention so that families can stay together. We may also visit The Pathways Program, a special trade school set up by The Global Orphan Project for teens who have aged out of the orphan system. Pathways teaches the teens viable skills to successfully live on their own and be contributing members of the Haitian community.
While in Haiti, we stay at Jumecourt Inn which the Global Orphan Project owns and operates. Income from Jumecourt is poured back into orphan care.
About The Global Orphan Project: The Global Orphan Project is a non-denominational faith based group that provides sustainable orphan care. The trips they lead to Haiti are Vision Trips. This means they are not mission trips or faith based trips (in the sense that we are not asked to do faith based work nor are they doing faith based work while we are there). A Vision Trip simply means that those who travel to Haiti with The Global Orphan Project are given a chance to "see" Haiti, its culture, its orphan situation, etc. The Vision Trips are not a money making venture for The Global Orphan Project. The trips started ten years ago with a few friends and family. The word spread and the trips became so popular that they regularly take groups to Haiti (and other parts of the world) for an educational, visionary experience.


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Company Details
Tigger Limited trades as the Barry Gilbertson Consultancy. Our details are:
Company number: 7335306
Registered Office: 4 Cowdown Business Park, Micheldever, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 3DN
VAT number 106 4774 18
For all enquiries please email Barry Gilbertson via firstname.lastname@example.com or call +44 (0)771 007 3456
Site Copyright
© 2011 Tigger Limited. All rights reserved.
Data collection
We only collect identifiable personal data or information that is specifically and voluntarily provided by a visitor to our site, for example, on our contact form.
When a visitor provides personal data to us, we use it solely for the purposes for which it was provided to us as stated at the point of collection (or as is obvious from the context of collection).


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This week we give you a load of new FREE tools for your workflow. From a cinema grade video editor to presets that make your work look a little funky and more in between. Plus a great stockpile, free backgrounds and creative inspiration. All this am more on this weeks ChurchMediaDesign.tv
50 Useful and Free HTML Newsletter Templates
3d Extruder – for After Effects
Free Software
Lightworks – Free video editor
123d – Free 3d Modeling and physical creation
Blender – Free 3d modeling and animation (not new but still amazing!)
Davinci Resolve Lite – Free Color Correction Tool
Free Plugins
FX Factory Free – Free plugins from Noise Industries
Magic Bullet Colorista Free


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Let Me Restart...
Love THIS Sam Smith.
Never gonna give...
Giorgio Moroder "Baby Blue"
Posted on January 07, 2016 at 06:10 PM in Giorgio Moroder, Rick Astley, Sam Smith | Permalink
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Boom Boom Blog time lovers! Some really fun tracks in here! Enjoy them all!
Madonna - This was a special request.
Saltwater - Whatever, it's a Spandau Ballet "True" sample - what more do you need to know?
Nick Jonas - Great remix, well written song.
Hilary Duff - released an amazing pop CD this summer very few of you noticed, it's too bad. Love this, but there are even bigger hits on that disc.
Tori Kelly - NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! One of my favorite songs of summer remixed to perfection. (Fave in this collection.)
Demi - Such a nasty filthy sexy summer jam.
Jess Glyne - This chick it taking over dance pop! Still not tired of this song or the endless stream of remixes being released for it.
Carly Rae - Almost impossible to remix as the original IS PERFECTION!!! Please discover Carly's new CD "E-MO-TION" it is a real next level achievement in pop. More remixes to come in future Boom Boom Blogs.
Omen - Sam Smith & Disclosure always create a magical collaboration.
Black Magic - Eh, its cute enough.
Bright Light Bright Light - Ya know by now, he's my new George Michael. And this mix is transcendent. His LYRICS… my lord, how can someone so young be so deep!
Posted on August 27, 2015 at 05:04 PM in Bright Light Bright Light, Carly Rae Jepsen, Demi Lovato, Disclosure, Jess Glynn, Little Mix, Madonna, Nick Jonas, Nora En Pure, Sam Smith, Tori Kelly | Permalink
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So excited to share this collection with you! I LOVE these remixes and I know you will too. Giving just big name, big dance, big tracks this time. It's summer and you need it, lord knows I do too!
Some quickie thoughts...
Robyn - Of course her next step is full on house music, OF COURSE IT IS. She really is my musical spirit animal.
Ariana - My fav Ariana song done by circuit mixing legend Barry Harris. He is giving you pure Circuit Party here too, a fun and refreshing break from EDM.
Britney "Pretty" - Look, I'm not in love with the messaging in this song, raising a little girl makes me conscious of these things. Had there been a sense of irony or comedy, I'd stand by it whole heartedly, but it just feels like a Chainsmokers or LMFAO song, not a Godney song! That aside, and I can put that aside, I really love this Afterhours remix.
Whitney "Baby Tonight" - It's an iconic song and vocal, and this mix is pure house heaven.
Sam Smith "Like I Can" Cutmore - Love this song, love this remix.
Britney "World Ends" Offer - I often think about how Brit said this was the song she is most tired of singing. I'm fascinated by that because she is going to be singing it for the rest of her career. I was needing some Offer Nissim and found this and thought I'd re-share with you kids.
Nick Jonas - Undeniable hit, LOVE THIS REMIX, love the MK or Rollo influence here.
Rihanna "BBHMM" - The release of her new CD is a mess, what has happened to major labels? It's all so sloppy, or does that work now? Anyway, this song is AMAZING, (I won't watch the video, I can tell it's not for me) and love the remixes, all of them are different and exciting, as Rihanna mixes generally are.
Mariah "Infinity" - this mix starts VERY VERY STRONG, but sort of doesn't live up to the open. That said, I love this song and wish it had broken through bigger. YSK, I'm all about Mariah the song writer these days.
Clean Bandit - Just a super fun uplifting summer song. Plus the guy from this group is dating the guy from Years & Years and that is everything!
Will Young - Fantastic! The remix really helps the song too. I mean, remaking Tomcraft's "Loneliness" is a work of genius!
Kelly Clarkson - This is for a certain group of you that love this anthemic pop rock remix stuff. PopMuse is a little over it, but you'll enjoy.
Ed Sheehan "Photograph" - I'm obsessed with this song. Which probably indicates priiiiitty severe DEPRESSION, buuuuuut…
"Music Is The Answer" - This lyric has become the mantra of PopMuse 2.0 and well, my life.
Hope you are having a great summer!
Posted on July 11, 2015 at 03:08 PM in Ariana Grande, Boom Boom Blog, Britney Spears, Clean Bandit, Danny Tenaglia, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Nick Jonas, Rihanna, Robyn, Sam Smith, Whitney Houston, Will Young | Permalink
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Udbatta disease or false ergot of rice - Balansia oryzae-sativae
Balansia oryzae-sativae is an ascomycete related to the ergot fungi that is pathogenic on a number of grasses but is of particular concern when it occurs on rice. Infection of the plant is systemic and results in the loss of most or total yield. Although the wider range of hosts among both wild species and cultivated forage grasses can provide a source of inoculum, the pathogen is also shown to be seed-borne in rice. A recent introduction of the pathogen or a very closely related fungus to the USA on an ornamental grass suggests an alternative means of introduction. The pathogen is reported primarily from southern and eastern Asia and a few West African and Pacific island countries. There is evidence for ecologically limitations on its spread and, where it is already endemic, occurrence is sporadic.
Balansia oryzae-sativae Hashioka, 1971
Stromata on mummified spikelets, hemispherical, capitate, gregarious, 0.67-1.2 µm diam with a black, coarsely papillate surface, yellowish-brown to white interior, arising from a mummified spikelet upon which the conidiamata developed. Ascomata with perithecia embedded in periphery stromatal head, perithecia rounded, ovoid to pyriform, 125-200 × 85-100 µm diam. Asci cylindrical, 92-120 × 6 µm with a rounded, thickened apex, an attenuated base, eight-spored. Ascospores filiform, non-septate, straight or curved, 12-27 × ca. 1 µm in width.
Acervuli on surface of mummified inflorescence emerging from leaf sheath; when wet, appearing gelatinous, cupulate or convex fructification, 1-1.5 mm diam bearing a palisade of conidiophores. Conidiophores terminating in narrow conidiogenous cells that proliferate percurrently to form a mass of filiform to acicular, hyaline conidia, 13-35 × 1-2 µm.
For additional details, see Tai and Siang, 1948; Hashioka, 1971; Booth, 1979.
Tsukiboshi et al. (2008) observed no differences in morphology between isolates of two molecularly distinguishable groups of E. japonica; these groups were related to those which Tanaka et al. (2001) linked to two different species of Balansia, the Asian B. andropogonis and the American B. discoidea. Some identifications of E. oryzae on grasses have been based primarily on conidium size and thus may be erroneous (Mohanty, 1975b; Reddy and Channamma, 1976; Hiremath et al., 1982). Ephelis oryzae and B. andropogonis share hosts in several grass genera: Chrysopogon, Cynodon, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Microstegium, Panicum, Paspalum and Pennisetum (USDA/SMML, 2010). Therefore, although B. andropogonis may produce the teleomorph on infected heads (Govindu and Thirumalachar, 1961), distinguishing between the species in the absence of the teleomorph is not easy.
The fungus causing Udbatta disease was described from India in its anamorphic (spermatial) stage as Ephelis oryzae by Sydow (1914). Narasimhan and Thirumalachar (1943) incubated infected rice grains on sand to obtain immature teleomorphic stromata. They referred to the fungus as Balansia oryzae, but did not formally describe the sexual stage. Hashioka (1971) described the teleomorph from herbarium specimens under the name B. oryzae-sativae.
Deighton (1937) reported a similar disease from Sierra Leone and referred to the causal organism as E. pallida Pat. distinguished from E. oryzae by its smaller spores. Deighton (1956) also found the Balansia state on rice and several wild grasses. Hashioka (1971) considered the fungus from Sierra Leone to be E. oryzae (Ou, 1985).
Phylogenetic studies (Kuldau et al.,1997; White., 2000; Bischoff et al., 2004) have placed the group of fungi with an Ephelis anamorph as a discrete group within the family Clavicipitaceae, which includes the ergot fungi.
Tanaka et al. (2001) found two subgroups within the clade of Ephelis-producing fungi, one including B. andropogonis and some Ephelis isolates from Asia and another comprised of isolates identified as E. japonica Henn. from grasses in Asia, the one available isolate of E. oryzae from India, and isolates from the American species Balansia discoidea ( = B. strangulans forma discoidea). Because isolates from some host plants occurred in both groups, and only one E. oryzae isolate was available for sequencing, it could not be concluded that all of the Ephelis reported from rice and other grasses in India necessarily belonged to the second subgroup (Tanaka et al., 2001), that is, some of what was reported as "udbatta" might have been caused by isolates related to B. andropogonis. According to Tai and Siang (1948), Ephelis oryzae has conidiomata that are cupulate or convex; B. andropogonis is another species in the Ephelis-producing clade that has cupulate conidiomata (Reddy et al.,1998).
Because Tanaka et al. (2001) noted that the name Ephelis japonica predated E. oryzae, some subsequent work has applied the earlier name to the udbatta pathogen (Zhou et al., 2003; Tsukiboshi et al., 2008), synonymizing that disease with "black choke" of grasses. Examining twenty isolates from grasses in Japan, Tsukuboshi et al. (2008) found two RFLP patterns of DNA among them, although the conidia could not be distinguished and the observed isolate morphology fit the descriptions of both E. japonica and E. oryzae. The more widespread type A RFLP subgroup was identified with the B. discoidea/E. japonica subgroup of Tanaka et al (2001); the type A RFLP subgroup, found only in Okinawa, the southernmost part of Japan, was identified with the B. andropogonis subgroup. The lack of distinguishing morphology in the anamorph and the greater distribution of the isolates corresponding to E. oryzae, the udbatta pathogen, indicate even further that accurate identification of Ephelis species on grasses in southern Asia, at least, and probably worldwide, will require examination by molecular techniques.
As Balansia oryzae-sativae, with the anamorph Ephelis oryzae or E. pallida, this pathogen is reported primarily from southern and eastern Asia and a few West African and Pacific island countries. If the suggested identity with E. japonica (Tanaka et al., 2001) is accepted, then the fungus occurs in the Western Hemisphere as well, having been reported from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (USDA/SMML, 2010). There is one record from rice in Louisiana, USA (Anon., 1960).
Historically, "udbatta" disease has caused significant yield losses in areas where it is endemic, but its occurrence has generally been sporadic and of minor importance (Lee and Gunnell, 1992). Use of resistant varieties and improved cultural practices eventually reduced the incidence to a very low level in both India and China (Tanaka et al., 2001). Therefore, the risk of an introduction to a rice-growing area depends on the existing level of resistance in the predominant varieties grown and the cultural practices, including seed treatment, that are already in use. Some effect of the local environment was also considered to be involved with incidence of the disease (Tai and Siang, 1948; Mohanty, 1964) but the particular factors involved were not determined.
While still within the sheaths, the panicles of infected rice plants become matted together by the mycelium of the fungus. They emerge as single, small, cylindrical rods, covered by white mycelium. In time, they become hard and sclerotium-like, bearing the conidiomata which appear as small black masses. Infected plants are usually stunted and occasionally, the white mycelium and conidia form narrow stripes along the veins on the flag leaves prior to panicle emergence. The flag leaf and sheath of infected tillers are sometimes slightly distorted and the upper leaves (including the flag leaf) may appear silvery (Booth, 1979).
The symptoms described for this disease make it readily recognizable in mature rice plants. A means to diagnose seedlings or stunted immature plants or to test asymptomatic seed rapidly and accurately is needed. No DNA sequences for B. oryzae-sativae or Ephelis oryzae are available in GenBank for use in molecular assays, but a few sequences for several DNA regions of E. japonica have been deposited (NCBI, 2010). Zhou et al. (2003) report a sensitive nested-PCR technique, based on sequences in the ITS regions, for detection of fungi in either of the E. japonica subgroups of Tanaka et al. (2001). Species-specific primers enabled detection in asymptomatic plant tissue of grasses.
The fungus has many grass hosts including Isachne elegans, Arthraxon ciliaris var. coloratus, Sacciolepis indica, Cynodon dactylon, Secale cereale and Oryza brachyantha (Rao et al., 1959; Venkatarayan, 1937; Deighton, 1956). Other hosts include Sehima nervosum (Hiremath et al., 1991) and Sorghum vulgare (Gowda et al., 1981; Hiremath et al., 1982). Paspalum orbiculare, Eragrostis nigra and Alloteropsis cimicina were reported as newly observed weed hosts by Indrasenan and Mammen (1983). Cotton grass, Imperata cylindrica, was found infected in the vicinity of rice fields in Mysore, Maharashtra, India (Govindu, 1969). A fungus found on Microstegium nudum and Leptochloa chinensis was tentatively assigned to E. oryzae by Mohanty (1975b).
Infection occurred on Pennisetum typhoideum (=P. glaucum ,pearl millet) growing next to a crop of Setaria italica (foxtail millet). The florets in the lower half of the affected head were greyish, stuck together and pressed towards the rachis (Reddy and Channamma, 1976). Ephelis species, recorded as E. oryzae, E. japonica or E. pallida, have also been observed on, or isolated from, grass species in many additional genera, including Acroceras, Andropogon, Brachiaria, Chloris, Chrysopogon, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Eragrostis, Eriochloa, Eulalia, and Panicum (Venkatakrishniah, 1952; Deighton, 1956; Tanaka et al., 2001; Tsukuboshi et al., 2008; SMML/USDA, 2010). In the USA, the pathogen was discovered on an imported ornamental grass, Pennisetum purpureum (Roberts and White, 2006).
Infection is systemic and most or all of the tillers are involved. Infected plants are usually stunted and, occasionally, white mycelium and conidia form narrow stripes along the veins on the flag leaves prior to panicle emergence (Tai and Siang, 1948). The flag leaf and sheath of infected tillers are sometimes slightly distorted and the upper leaves (including the flag leaf) may appear silvery (Mohanty, 1971; Booth, 1979). Occasionally the head may fail to emerge (Narasimhan and Thirumalachar, 1943). Infected plants often produce fewer heads (Mohanty, 1976; Shivandanappa and Govindu, 1976).
Symptoms become most characteristic at the time of panicle emergence. While still within the sheaths, panicles become matted together by the mycelium of the fungus. They emerge as single, small, cylindrical rods, covered with white mycelium. Spikes infected by E. oryzae are somewhat dry and mummified with partially formed buds and, become darker in colour and more stromatic as conidial acervuli, appearing as small black masses, develop on the surface. When wet, these conidial acervuli appear gelatinous; they consist of a saucer-shaped fructification bearing a palisade of conidiophores and a mass of conidia (Booth, 1979).
The systemic infection, results in the emergence of an erect, greyish-white, cylindrical axis from the leaf sheath instead of a normal inflorescence (Booth, 1979). The primary source of inoculum is considered to be infected seeds. There is no evidence that the pathogen is soilborne (Mohanty, 1964). Inoculation of heads before flowering resulted in a significant increase in infection in the succeeding crop (Mohanty, 1964). Inoculation of dry seeds with a spore suspension of E. oryzae, or treating dry or pre-soaked seeds with spore dust, induced the disease more effectively than inoculation of germinated seeds. Seedling infection appears to be the principal mode of infection; inoculation of plants with spore suspensions at various growth stages, including flowering, failed to produce the disease (Mohanty, 1977). Mycelium and conidia were observed in and on the leaf blades and sheathes of infected tillers (Mohanty, 1979).
The disease is prevalent at higher elevations in India, indicating that the eco-climatic conditions prevailing in these areas are more favourable to the completion of the life cycle of the fungus than those on the plains (Mohanty, 1964).
An average soil temperature of 28°C and abundant soil moisture in the nursery beds during the first week after sowing, followed by average soil temperatures of 28-38°C and adequate soil moisture in the subsequent period of growth up to flowering, is conducive to the development of the disease. Air temperature appears to have no direct effect, but may indirectly influence the soil temperature. Consequently, disease development is greater during seasons of higher air temperature (about 25°C) in the first week after sowing (Mohanty, 1976).
Conidia of E. oryzae germinate at temperatures between 18 and 30°C, with an optimum of 26°C. Cultures grow slowly, but produce abundant conidia on most common laboratory media. They are resistant to drying; about one-third of spores which were air-dried on glass slides at 26°C for 162 days were still capable of germinating in water. Approximately the same proportion of spores survived for five months on infected rice panicles exposed to winter air temperature and humidity in Yunnan, China (Tai and Siang, 1948).
The life cycle of the fungus is not well known (Lee and Gunnell, 1992). Tai and Siang (1948) suggest that initial inoculum may come from overwintering infected heads or from surviving stools of harvested plants left in damp parts of the field. That inoculation of rice heads in one season could result in infection of plants growing from the seed the next year was demonstrated by Mohanty (1964), but natural plant-to-plant inoculation has not been observed or demonstrated in the field. Inoculum for infection of rice might also come from infected wild grasses (Padwick, 1950). The role of the sexual stage is not known; it was not observed to occur in areas of India where the pathogen was endemic (Narusimhan and Thirumalachar, 1943; Mohanty, 1964, 1979).
Tsukiboshi et al. (2008) observed subgroups among E. japonica (considered to include E.oryzae) isolates in Japan that appeared to correspond to either Balansia discoidea or B. andropogonis. Both of these species were described as "epibiotic" by Reddy et al. (1998) rather than as "endophytic". Nevertheless, the fungus does exist systemically within the plant until heading, after infecting the seed or seedling (Mohanty, 1964). Further evidence for the systemic nature of infection exists in the observation of Mohanty (1979) that approximately the same number of tillers were infected in the "ratoon" regrowth of diseased plants whose stems were cut back after the harvest.
Natural dispersal: Conidia produced on the diseased heads or on the leaf blades (Mohanty, 1964, 1975a) are the only propagules known for this fungus in most of its range,These are likely to be wind-disseminated between plants, although plant-to-plant infection has not been demonstrated or observed. Wild grasses probably serve as a source of inoculum for rice (Padwick, 1950); the inoculum would have to be transported into the field, and wind is the likely carrier for dry spores.Vector transmission: Not reported.Accidental introduction: The pathogen can be carried on or in seed (Mohanty, 1964; Misra et al., 1994b).
IncidenceThere is no information available on incidence of natural seed infection. Mew and Gonzales (2002) do not address E. oryzae as a seedborne pathogen. Effect on Seed QualityInfected heads are a 100% loss (Mohanty, 1971). Seeds infected by the fungus appear discolored, abnormally small, deformed and contain whitish masses of conidia (Misra et al., 1994b). As the disease develops, the entire endosperm is destroyed, leaving a black hyphal mass covered by persistent glumes (Narasimhan and Thirumalachar, 1943). Mohanty (1964) did not report symptoms on seeds of artificially inoculated heads; damaged seed would, however, generate a poor host for systemic infection the following season. Pathogen TransmissionMohanty (1964) demonstrated that inoculation of rice heads before flowering causes a significant increase in the infection of the succeeding crop. Inoculation of dry seeds with a spore suspension of Ephelis oryzae, or soaking seeds with spore dust, induced the disease more effectively than inoculating germinated seeds (Mohanty, 1977). Seedling infection appears to be the principal mode of infection; inoculation of plants with sprays of spore suspensions at various other growth stages, including flowering failed to produce the disease in the plants (Mohanty, 1977). The primary source of inoculum is therefore considered to be infected seeds. There is no evidence that the pathogen is soilborne (Mohanty, 1964).Seed TreatmentThe fungus is seedborne and can be controlled by treatment of presoaked seeds with hot water at 54°C for 10 minutes (Mohanty, 1979). Other methods include "solar treatment" – the exposure of presoaked seeds to sunlight on a hot paved surface - and the use of ethylmercury chloride, carboxin or oxycarboxin, or thiabendazole (Mohanty, 1971).In tests of infested seed, more infection developed in untreated unsprouted seed than in untreated sprouted seed, possibly due to the faster growth of the plant. Carbendazim performed best in reducing disease incidence and increasing yields, followed by mancozeb and iprobenfos, (Sannegowda and Pandurangegowda, 1986).Gowda (1980) reported that a hot-water seed treatment of 54°C for 20 minutes was highly effective in controlling the disease; this is a departure from the 10 minute period suggested by other researchers.For further information on physico-chemical methods of seed treatment for control of this disease, see Mohanty (1975b).Seed Health TestsBlotter method (Misra et al., 1994a)1. Place two or three layers of good-quality white or coloured blotting paper, moistened with distilled water, into Petri dishes (9.5 cm) of Pyrex glass or clear plastic (to allow the penetration of NUV light).2. Distribute seeds from the sample to be tested (with or without pretreatment) evenly on the blotting paper at 25 seeds/plate.3. Incubate the seeds at 22°C under a 12-h light and 12-h dark cycle with NUV light for 6-8 days.4. Express the number of infected seed as a percentage of the total number of seeds.Washing test method (Misra et al., 1994a).1. Place the seed sample to be tested in a beaker or flask and add water, with or without a wetting agent or alcohol.2. Shake the container vigorously to remove any organisms adhering to the seed surface.3. Transfer the washings into centrifuge tubes and centrifuge for about 5 minutes at 3000-5000 rpm.4. Decant excess liquid from each tube and examine the extracted material under a compound microscope for fungal spores, hyphae and nematodes.5. Stain with lactophenol blue to colour the fungal spores and hyphae.6. Count the number of fungal spores using a haemocytometer
Economic impact: Udbatta disease, caused by E. oryzae, infected 9-11% of rice panicles in Bombay, India, and 5-20% in Yunnan, China (Ou, 1985). The disease was considered important in some areas of Bangalore, India, causing direct and indirect losses of between 1.75 and 3.69% for different rice cultivars (Shivandanappa and Govindu, 1976). Govindu (1969) reported 10% infection on the rice cultivar IR-8.Levels of earhead infection are usually 2-3%, but in years when the disease is severe, losses of up to 11% are common in susceptible varieties (Mohanty, 1964) Kamat and Patel (1951) reported that between 9 and 11% of the plants in northern areas of Kanara district, Bombay State, were infected. Tai and Siang (1948) recorded 5-30% earhead infection in damp fields in the Kunming Lake area of China. Preliminary disease surveys conducted in the mangrove swamp rice fields of northern Sierra Leone during the 1977 cropping season indicated that this wass a potentially major disease (Fomba and Raymundo, 1978).Overall, Udbatta disease causes significant yield losses in areas where it is endemic, but its occurrence is generally sporadic and of minor importance ( Gowda and Janardhan, 1980; Lee and Gunnell, 1992). Use of resistant varieties and improved cultural practices eventually reduced the incidence to a very low level in both India and China (Tanaka et al., 2001).
SPS measures Because seed and seedling infection is apparently symptomless, uncertified rice seed, and seed and immature plants of warm-season grasses, may need to be quarantined before entry to rice or millet-growing countries while testing, either by slower cultural methods or a rapid and sensitive molecular technique (Zhou et al., 2003) is done. Cultural control and sanitary measuresSowing either very early (last week in May) or very late (first or second week of July) rather than at the usual time (second or third week of June) reduced the incidence of Udbatta disease in rice variety J1 in Jeypore, Orissa, India (Mohanty, 1964).Chemical controlIn field plots containing inoculated plants, carbendazim reduced disease intensity the most on rice cv. IET 1444, followed by aureofungin (a fungicidal antibiotic), iprobenfos and mancozeb. Aureofungin and benomyl increased grain yield of rice cv. Kalinga, and benomyl, more than carbendazim and aureofungin, increased that of cultivar IET 1444 (Indrasenan et al., 1981). For further information on chemical control of Udbatta disease, see Mohanty (1971) and Pandurangegowda et al. (1986).Soil treatments with carbendazim + thiram with and without seed treatment with the same material or an organic mercurial provided the best disease control and increase in yield. Under conditions of natural infection in Orissa, India. Soil treatment with carbendazim + thiram or with quintozene, without any seed treatment, was better than seed treatment alone ,without any soil treatment (Padhi and Mohanty, 1984).Host resistance Some resistance to Ubdbatta disease was found in pathology experiments and screening trials for multiple rice diseases in India (Mohanty, 1964; Sanne-Gowda et al., 1973; Shivandanappa and Govindu, 1976; Indrasenan et al., 1982; Gangopadhyay andPadmanabhan, 1987). According to Tanaka et al. (2001), improved cultivars of rice has contributed to the near-elimination of the disease in India and China.
The relationship of this species to Balansia andropogonis should be clarified, and the true host ranges of both investigated. If both species occur on the same host species of other grasses, perhaps both can infect rice or sorghum. When the species distinction is clear, then the true distribution should be determined, particularly whether the E. japonica reported from the Americas is identical, or closely related, to the rice pathogen in Asia. The biology of this species requires more investigation. How does seed of rice become infected in the field - by plant-to-plant dispersal of conidia from other rice plants or from grasses, or as the result of infected and clean seeds and heads being harvested together? The pathogen has been shown to persist in the bases of rice plants and infect the "ratoon" crop. Does it persist in a similar manner in perennial grasses? The teleomorph was observed in Sierra Leone - does it also occur in Asia, and what role, if any, does it have in the cycle of the rice pathogen? A PCR technique should be tested for the detection of seed infection by E. oryzae.
Suggested citation: Chalkley, D. Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. . Invasive Fungi. Udbatta disease or false ergot of rice - Balansia oryzae-sativae. Retrieved May 20, 2019, from /sbmlweb/fungi/index.cfm .


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Susan Post
During a late February evening I was driving to a frog monitoring class. As I wound my way through the local forest preserve, my mind was wondering when it would be warm enough to hear frog calls? Suddenly a dark shape bound in front of the car, hurrying from snow bank to snow bank—a mink! Wow, a wildlife encounter beats a frog call any day! Why wasn't it hibernating and what was it doing? Time to pester one of my favorite Illinois Natural History Survey mammologists, Joe Merritt, author of The Biology of Small Mammals, to find out more about mink.
Photo by Jim Parnell
Minks (Mustela vison) are never found far from fresh water and occur throughout the United States, with the exception of the Southwest, which is too dry for their needs. In Illinois they may be along the banks of drainage ditches and streams or the marshy shores of ponds and lakes where there is suitable cover and food resources. An abundance of minks is directly correlated with large populations of muskrats, upon which the mink prey.
As members of the weasel family—the Mustelidae—they are related to badgers, otters, and weasels. This family is the largest in the mammal order Carnivora. They share several characteristics with other weasels, including a flexible backbone, which permits them to arch their backs while bounding. They have small, flattened heads and short sturdy legs. They differ from other members of the genus Mustela (long-tail and least weasels), in Illinois, as minks are larger, have bushier tails, and longer hind feet. Their under and upper parts are nearly the same color, rather than white or white with an orange wash. Minks are found in aquatic habitats, and unlike weasels, minks do not turn white in the winter.
Minks, who are excellent swimmers, are specialized for an aquatic life and seldom wander far from water. Their toes are connected with webs at their bases. They have bushy tails and small ears that barely project above their fur. Their water repellent fur is a dark chocolate brown and is lighter on the bottom than the top.
With poor eyesight and hearing, they must rely on their keen sense of smell to locate prey. Their prey includes muskrat, fish, cottontails, crayfish, waterfowl, amphibians and reptiles, and insects. Usually they feed and hunt at night. To subdue the prey they inflict a series of fatal bites to the neck and base of skull. Their diet varies, depending on the availability of food items at different times of the year. As minks are active year-round, they will cache prey for the winter. Minks are solitary except during the mating season and while the young are with the mother. Minks will mate from January to March, and due to delayed implantation of the embryo, young are not born until April or May. A litter consists of three to six hairless, pink kits (young). They quickly grow fur and their eyes will open in about three weeks. They will be weaned between 1.5 and 2 months, and by 10 months the kits are sexually mature.
Mink dens are usually near the water, and may be in hollow logs, under stumps or tree roots, in rock piles, or a burrow in the bank. The dens are located one to three feet below ground and have several entrances.
While great horned owls, foxes, coyotes, and bobcats will occasionally prey on minks, humans are their principal predators. Trapping takes its toll, but habitat destruction and drainage of wetlands are also factors.


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4 [email protected] www.fhharvey.co.uk
Commercial Painting & Decorating in the Construction Sector Commercial Painting & Decorating in the Construction Sector
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CD5154 Harvey Construction Brochure v2.indd 4-5 08/11/2011 11:01


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Here's wishing each and everyone of you a day full of love and surprises.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day to One and All!!!
1 comment:
- abby said...
happy v day, mommy J! got some flowers for you they're in my journal.
have a luv-ly day, girlfriend!
- February 14, 2008 at 2:52 AM
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The Football Association's coaching set-up has been branded a "farce" amid claims top names are leaving England to get their badges.
Leeds midfielder Michael Brown says Roberto Martinez and Patrick Vieira have gone on various courses with the Welsh FA because the English set-up is putting people off.
Brown, 36, has just completed his UEFA B Licence in Wales and his comments will cause alarm as the FA come under the microscope following England under-21s' dismal failure.
The danger is top coaches could slip out of the English system if it is putting big names off from the FA's courses despite the St George's Park complex being opened to encourage coaches.
Ex-Spurs midfielder Brown, a former England under-21 international, said: "Originally I wanted to do it with the English FA but there's obstacles in your way. There's endless obstacles in the way. Endless.
"They make it difficult with dates, they don't tell you the dates of the next course, they make it hard to proceed and that's why all of the lads are jumping away from it. There were places on the B Licence in Wales so you do that.
"When you've got Roberto Martinez and Patrick Vieira on recent courses they can't be doing it wrong. They've done it in Wales. I'm sure Martinez has just finished within the last year.
"It's a farce. They are asking pros to have a level 2 but pros in Scotland, Wales and Ireland don't need a level 2 which is the C Licence to get on the B Licence. But most places will take you on level 2 as long as you've had longevity in football.
"They won't accept you on the B Course until you've done your C Course in England. If they decide that you don't fit that criteria even to go on the C then you have to go in the queue and wait, wait and wait.
"Why would you go in their system even if you're not sure of getting on it? Why take the risk? In Wales, you ring up, they take a look at you and if you fit the criteria then away you go.
"The English FA take that criteria away. Andy Barlow, who runs the FA's northern section, says the Welsh system is a farce and is a waste of time. But all of these players are doing it and it's accredited by UEFA."
Brown has done his course with Phil Babb, Frank Sinclair, Jason Scotland and Marlon Harewood who are either internationals or have all played at the top level.
But Brown claims that the Welsh FA want to fast track players onto the the B Licence and into the coaching system to help develop players because they already have wide experience of the game.
Brown is not the only former Premier League star to be critical of the coaching set-up as ex-Manchester United striker Andrew Cole has been outspoken in the past.
Brown, who is looking to move into coaching after finishing his playing career, added: "It's happening all of the time. Andy Cole has said the same. It's probably a fantastic set-up, but the starter level makes it very hard."


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1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Baldinger, Ernst Gottfried
BALDINGER, ERNST GOTTFRIED (1738–1804), German physician, was born near Erfurt on the 13th of May 1738. He studied medicine at Erfurt, Halle and Jena, and in 1761 was entrusted with the superintendence of the military hospitals connected with the Prussian encampment near Torgau. He published in 1765 a treatise De Militum Morbis, which met with a favourable reception. In 1768 he became professor of medicine at Jena, whence he removed in 1773 to Göttingen, and in 1785 to Marburg, where he died of apoplexy on the 21st of January 1804. Among his pupils were S. T. Sömmerring and J. F. Blumenbach. Some eighty-four separate treatises are mentioned as having proceeded from his pen, in addition to numerous papers scattered through various collections and journals.


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Ulla Fries & Tor-Göran Henriksson
50 Years Together
20 May – 8 October 2017
The artist couple Tor-Göran Henriksson (1939-2013) and Ulla Fries (b. 1946) in a duo-exhibition entitled 50 Years Together presenting their respective artistic oeuvres. Parallel to his profession as a prominent and well-established plastic surgeon at the Uppsala University Hospital, Tor-Göran Henriksson was also a painter and wood carver. One of his sources of inspiration was the naïvist approach of the artist Bror Hjorth. The recurring motifs in Henriksson's paintings and sculptures indicate a tender and acute observational capacity for the care that nurses offer their patients on a daily basis. With their warmth and humour, as well as a sense of gravity, his images possess a contemporary quality that reflects the healthcare debate of the day.
Ulla Fries's black and white dry-point images indicate her impressive skill as a print artist. Nature is humanised in her sculptures and prints through her love of even the smallest of details. Plants and animals do not act as symbols for human traits and characteristics, but instead stand for themselves. She also paints portraits of her family, of politicians and professors in the academic world. The exhibition also features a specimen cabinet of sorts, that under usual circumstances would have stood in the home of Ulla Fries and Tor-Göran Henriksson. The cabinet is full of collected memories from far-off travels: large pinecones, gracefully ribbed shells or the dried skeleton of a fish; specimens found on a beach or in a botanical garden. A small microscope and a scientific measuring instrument stand clandestinely placed among the shelves. That was Tor-Göran's. My art isn't about natural science, explains Ulla Fries.


text: Peach days 18:36 I am really enjoying the recent series of architectural and abstract work. The colour and forms are bold, vibrant and powerful. Today Peach Days, is another one of those favourites. Any idea what it is?I hope you like it. Enjoy. Share This Story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin this Post Tags: Abstract, architectural, building, colour Newer Post Older Post You Might Also Like 0 comments


text: This online form is the first step in the process for an organiztaion to receive SGA funds. Please submit it by noon on the Wednesday prior to the SGA Meeting in which you wish to present; you will receive confirmation of the meeting date and time. For more information, contact the SGA Treasurer or the SGA Advisor.


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NEW | MPX Codec
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The DSPmpX encore follows on from the original reference grade stereo encoder, the DSPmpX, by adding decoding capabilities, RDS generation and a completely hot as hell front panel that displays an analysis of what is going on. If you are doing anything with an MPX signal – this box is what you need.
Why you'll never regret choosing the DSPmpX encore.
MPX & RDS Encoding, Decoding, metering & analysis make this product the swiss army knife of composite stereo FM products.
One button configuration switching between encoding and decoding analysis makes this box incredibly flexible and powerful.
'Always on' front panel high resolution LED meters offer full confidence metering of the composite signal and it's components.
Stereo ( MPX ) generation & peak limiting with advanced anti-aliased protection distortion control or peaks and bandwidth.
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A flexible and versatile action and alerts system brings together back panel GPIO at digital and analogue levels of your choosing, integrating it with an easy to set up 'do this when' and 'do this now' set of actions.
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The Encore Range of products are incredibly stylish, they have dual OLED screens and a rotary lighting ring, making them intuitive and fun to use. The menu structures are clean and simple, making navigation easy. All the info you need is at your fingertips, you want need to go hunting around to find that illusive feature you want to use.
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Back in 2007, a post on uber-blog Boing Boing alerted me to a new website from Harper Collins Publishers called 'Authonomy'. The site allowed you to upload the first 10,000 words of your book and then have other writers critique your work or vote it to the top of a pile to be read by a Harper editor.
I posted about it a lot at the time, pimping my first, silly, book Space - which I uploaded to the site. I also posted about my disaffection for a process and website I came to see as debased, not because my book didn't win a gold star (because it did) but because the gold star was actually duller under its micron of plating than the average Shiny.
Authonomy did something marvellous for me, though. It allowed me to meet other writers - to learn from them, to share the ups and downs with them. It transformed my approach to writing and led to me writing more books and, I like to think, better books.
I've kept in touch on a regular and almost formal basis with a group of ex-authonomites, the feared and shadowy Grey Havens Gang. And I've kept in looser contact with a number of the people I met during my month-long odyssey propelling Space to the top of the greasy pole. You know how Twitter, Facebook and all can keep people sort of popping up every now and then.
One such is Richard Pierce. Like everyone else I knew on authonomy, he never got picked up by Harper as a result of winning the monthly plugfest, but he did get taken up by British publisher Duckworth, who published his novel, Dead Men. Which I thought was a tad funny as that wasn't the book Richard was shopping on authonomy - that was a book called Bee Bones. It's a long time ago now, but I remember Bee Bones being pretty popular on the site - a stark and yet very human book that explored a young man rooting about in his dead mother's life.
Having had his taste of the conventionally published life, Richard has taken to self publishing - and so Bee Bones is coming out as a self published novel, some seven years after I first came across it on authonomy. Which is a while, I know, but then it took Olives - A Violent Romance about the same length of time to become a book rather than a manuscript.
I'll be buying it - I enjoyed it on authonomy as I enjoyed so many books from a selection which I thought at the time consistently threw up better and more diverse reads than I could find in my local bookshop. A number of the writer friends I made have been published - a few conventionally (a couple becoming best selling novelists) but many more taking the self-published route (a couple becoming best selling novelists).
So if you need a book recommendation, take this one. Richard's Facebook page is linked right here and when he presses the button and lets Bee Bones out into the wild, you can be among the first to know.
I hope he doesn't mind me nicking his cover...


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PROJECT :: Nicki Minaj Arena tour
ROLE :: Creative Director
While working with Possible, inc. I had the great pleasure of co-creative directing the video content for Nicki Minaj's arena tour. We were tasked with creating an amazing amount of content for a stage made almost entirely of LED panels. In addition to Creative Direction, I also developed the intro animation that opened the show
check out possible for more rad work from those guys.


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Gwendalyn Gibson was victorious in her first cycling race of 2017 at the Four Hours of Temecula, Solo Open division.
The race was a series of 9-mile loops over the same course. Each 9-mile loop had about 1,000 feet of incline and differed from the race Gibson won last year that was a six-hour event over a different course.
Gibson competed in the Women's Open Division with 17 other riders. The race determines places by which rider completes the most loops in the least amount of time. Gibson completed five 9-mile loops in 3 hours and 44 minutes, ending with 45 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing. The second place rider completed four loops in 3 hours and 22 minutes. Gibson's margin of victory was over an hour.
The Ramona High School senior said she was nervous going into the race.
"This was the first race of my season and I had just recently just took time off the bike because I have been sick," said Gibson. "I felt great during the race and I can tell I have improved from last year. It was a great way to start my season."
Andrew Finley, who also competes with the Cycle Dawgs of Ramona High School, competed in the Men's Open Division and completed four laps in 3 hours and 15 minutes placing 35th out of 84 riders.
The Cycle Dawgs' season begins in late February.


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The popular triangular manicure by celebrity manicurist Tracylee, found in Cosmopolitan's March 2013 issue, is a must-have for spring. Here's how it's done:
1. First file nails in an almond shape (a rounded point), then clean them with remover and apply a clear base coat.
2. Apply base color. Paint in a stroke down the center, then another along each side for event distribution. Let dry for 10 minutes.
3. From that dot, make a diagonal line down to the corner of the cuticle, then the other, creating a triangle.
4. About one-third of the way up from the cuticle, make a dot in the center of the nail with a fine-tipped polish pen.
5. Fill in the triangle with the pen. Repeat on all fingers. Finish with a clear top coat to blend textures and add shine.
Recommended shades: Essie's Clambake paired with a fierce neon yellow.
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EXPO 'Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta' – MAD Museum, NY (USA) – 5 Juin-23 Sept. 2012
Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta
June 5 – September 23, 2012
SPACE-LIGHT-STRUCTURE: THE JEWELRY OF MARGARET DE PATTA is the first comprehensive retrospective of the life and work of Margaret De Patta (1903-1964), a pioneer in American studio jewelry whose modernist creations remain as fresh and vital today as when they were initially conceived in the mid-twentieth century.
Featuring De Patta's most spectacular brooches, pendants, and rings, Space, Light, Structure explores the major contributions of this groundbreaking San Francisco artist and sheds new light on her radical design philosophy.
In 1939, De Patta began her search for new techniques that would allow her to take advantage of the inherent refractory properties of transparent and semi-transparent crystals. Her innovative « opticuts » revolutionized contemporary jewelry by transforming stones into brilliant, transparent spatial objects that, to this day, remain unsurpassed in concept, form, and execution.
Growing out of her passion for modern architecture-and signaling a radical departure from the conventional perception of jewelry as mere body ornament- the compositions of her « wearable miniature sculptures » exhibit a dynamic equilibrium in which cantilevered, linear elements are counter-balanced against more compact, denser forms.
The exhibition also illuminates the critical influence of De Patta's mentor, László Moholy-Nagy, the renowned artist with whom she studied in 1941-42. The Constructivist concepts championed by this former Bauhaus master and co-founder of the Chicago Bauhaus are manifest in De Patta's manipulation of space and light as well as through her incorporation of kinetic elements, space-defining steel screens, « opticut » rutilated crystals, and « floating » tension-mounted stones. Several equilibrium studies and photograms by Moholy-Nagy will underscore the enduring formal strength and visual excitement of the jewelry De Patta produced following the tenets she absorbed from him. Important works by other leading international protagonists of Constructivism, including El Lissitzky Alexander Archipenko, and György Kepes, will also be included in order to contextualize De Patta and her work.
Drawn from important museum, gallery, and private collections in the United States and Canada, as well as from the De Patta Archives in California, the exhibition also presents never-before-shown examples of the artist's flatware, ceramics, and designs for interior spaces, in addition to travel diaries of her trips to Mexico, Japan, and the 1939 New York World's Fair.
The exhibition has been co-organized by the Museum of Arts and Design and the Oakland Museum of California and co-curated by Ursula Ilse-Neuman, Curator of Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, and Julie M. Muñiz, Imogene Gieling Curator of Decorative Arts, Oakland Museum of California.
Margaret De Patta – Pin c. 1947-1950
Museum of Arts and Design (MAD Museum)
2 Columbus Circle,
New York, NY 10019


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This sequel to Michele Jaffe's fabulous Bad Kitty is pretty fantastic in its own right. In this book, Jasmine Callihan's father has moved himself, Jas, and Jas's stepmother, Sherri!, to Venice. Yes, to Italy. The day before the start of her senior year. With twenty-four hours' notice. To research soap. He is, quite possibly, Jas thinks, insane. Or maybe evil. After all, what kind of a father would move his daughter half a world away from her friends, her new boyfriend, and her chances at graduating high school and continuing on to an institution of higher education? (Side note: I'd be thrilled to move to Italy today, right now, but I have been told that I am not representative of teenage girls–or people-in general).
Of course, moving to another continent doesn't mean Jas will stay out of trouble like her father is hoping. Trouble can find her anywhere. In this case, it begins when her only friend in Venice is murdered, and more people may be in danger. This is a mystery that Jas can't solve on her own, so I was thrilled to see more of some of the awesome cast of characters from Bad Kitty. Tom, Polly, Roxy, Alyson, and Veronique (excuse me–Sapphyre and Tiger's*Eye) were as hilarious and quirky as ever.
Kitty Kitty is kind of like a mixture between Ally Carter, Meg Cabot, and Louise Rennison, but with Michele Jaffe's own fabulously unique twist (and in many ways, dare I say it, better than these authors) on it all! It's a smart, fresh, laugh-out-loud hilarious mystery full of cool gadgets and inventions a Gallagher girl would be proud of (reference to Ally Carter's books, for those who haven't read them). It's as hilarious and insane as Louise Rennison only with a much better, suspenseful, and more recognizable plot. Jas is a heroine worthy of a Meg Cabot book. Put it all together, and you have near-perfection!
My only disappointment in this book was that we did not see more of Venice, but that's more of a personal taste than anything else. I love great settings, and Venice was a barely-there backdrop; only the canals were of any importance, and any body of water would have worked there. Jasmine's Italian classes and hilarious troubles with the language were the only indication that they were even in Italy!
Kitty Kitty is a funny, intelligent, and adventurous mystery that readers will love. I can't wait for the next book in the series, and this one isn't even out until July! I guess for now I'll have to be content rereading Bad Kitty, but I think this book may be even better than that one (unbelievable, right?). Kitty Kitty is a madcap adventure in the streets and canals of Venice involving friendship, mystery, fashion, pigeons, crime fighting, language barriers, suspense, romance, water wings, six-foot-tall squirrels, locked-door murder mysteries, tweezer tasers, cats, gondoliers, and much more hilariousness that will have readers laughing hysterically as they turn pages as quickly as their fingers will allow.


text: Home > Bookshop > Other Subjects > Business > Small Business « Back Smart Guide to Starting a Small Business Rogak, Lisa Our Price Retail Price AUD$21.89 Your Price AUD$8.37 Minimum Order: 1 In Stock (1) Dispatch: 1 day Smart Guide to Starting a Small Busine/Rogak, Lisa/Paper/047131885X/S056-B1 AUD$8.37 QTY Gift Wrapping Add Gift Wrapping (click checkbox) If you would like a gift wrapping message, please add it in the Notes section on the checkout page, thank you. AUD$2.95 Publisher: Wiley ISBN-13: 9780471318859 Series: Smart Guides Binding: Paperback Year Published: 1999 An all-you-need-to-know introduction to building, maintaining, and profiting from your own business: Smart strategies for choosing a business to match your personality and skills, and avoiding the common pitfalls of entrepreneurial start-ups. Smart advice on all the behind-the-scenes tasks - dealing with taxes and legal concerns, keeping the books, hiring employees, working with suppliers, and more. Smart tips on today's vast range of high-tech tools - what you really need and how to get it without breaking the bank. smart definitions and insights on proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations - and which structure best suits your goals and circumstances. Quick reading and easy referencing with a comprehensive index and loads of sidebars and tables. ID: 14886 Code: JW000260


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A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some other way. (Quote by - John Tudor)
Thought is the labour of the intellect, reverie is its pleasure. (Quote by - Thomas Henry Huxley)
I know that a man who shows me his wealth is like the beggar who shows me his poverty; they are both looking for alms from me, the rich man for the alms of my envy, the poor man for the alms of my guilt. (Quote by - Ben Hecht)
The extent of your consciousness is limited only by your ability to love and to embrace with your love the space around you, and all it contains. (Quote by - Ken Carey)
Experience teaches only the teachable. (Quote by - Vernon Law)
It is only too easy to make suggestions and later try to escape the consequences of what we say. (Quote by - Jawaharlal Nehru)
Man must get his thoughts, words and actions out of this vast moral jungle. We are not predators. We are, hopefully, more than instinctive killers and selfish brutes. Why take such a dim view of our potentialities and capabilities? (Quote by - H.jay Dinsah)
The common people of America display a quality of good common sense which is heartening to anyone who believes in the democratic process. (Quote by - George Gallup)
Imagination is more important than knowledge. (Quote by - Albert Einstein)
No one is free who does not lord over himself. (Quote by - Claudius)
Fish and guests smell after three days. (Quote by - Benjamin Franklin)
Man's greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done. (Quote by - Frederick Douglass)
These are days when no one should rely unduly on his "competence." Strength lies in improvisation. All the decisive blows are struck left-handed. (Quote by - Walter Benjamin)
A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. (Quote by - Elbert Hubbard)
Civilization rests on a set of promises; if the promises are broken too often, the civilization dies, no matter how rich it may be, or how mechanically clever. Hope and faith depend on the promises; if hope and faith go, everything goes. (Quote by - Herbert Agar)
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. (Quote by - Socrates)
If you don't run your own life, somebody else will. (Quote by - John Atkinson)
Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly. (Quote by - Epictetus)
I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. (Quote by - Abraham Lincoln)
This one step -- choosing a goal and sticking to it -- changes everything. (Quote by - Scott Reed)
What is conceived well is expressed clearly. (Quote by - Nicholas Boileau)
For the theatre one needs long arms; it is better to have them too long than too short. An artiste with short arms can never, never make a fine gesture. (Quote by - Sarah Bernhardt)
Property may be destroyed and money may lose its purchasing power; but, character, health, knowledge and good judgment will always be in demand under all conditions. (Quote by - Roger Babson)
Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down with incredible swiftness. (Quote by - Faith Baldwin)
What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning -- and some of them many times over -- what do you find? That you can swim? Well -- life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live! (Quote by - Alfred Adler)


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We are continually adding to our online product list. Check back often. Check in-store for availability.
36 gram (1.272oz) re-sealable package. Made of 100% dried Wild Pacific Salmon meat rolled with Salmon skin.
Made from only Wild Pacific Salmon with no by-products fillers or rendered materials
Absolutely no additives, preservatives, colouring or artificial flavouring
Processed under strict quality control to meet the highest standards of nutrition
A natural source of Omega 3 fatty acids, proteins, natural vitamins and minerals


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The hugely successful NOW series has just announced their first-ever Rock Compilation which is set for release on Friday, January 22nd. The curators did a nice job delivering a diverse cross-section of rock music for this excellent collection. Click to see who made the cut on this historic album.
The track listing includes a slew of songs that graced our recently published Top 25 Rock Songs of 2015, including our number one selection "S.O.B." by Nathaniel RAteliff & The Night Sweats. The rest of the tracks should all be familiar to RARAs Farm readers, as we've featured many over the last year including a few other artists who have topped recent year-end lists, such as Royal Blood, Shinedown and Chris Cornell.
Other bands appearing on the historical compilation include Walk The Moon, Seether and Cage The Elephant. Seeing "Otherside" from Red Sun Rising was a great surprise, too, as this talented Ohio band continues to gain much deserved attention: first RARA's Farm #5 Rock Song of the Year, now NOW!
Overall, it's a killer collection of rock, and it should be a nice shot in the arm for the rock industry as a whole.
1. Bring Me the Horizon – "Throne"
2. Shinedown – "Cut the Cord"
3. Fall Out Boy – "Uma Thurman"
4. Royal Blood – "Little Monster"
5. Seether – "Words as Weapons"
6. Cage the Elephant – "Mess Around"
7. The Struts – "Could Have Been Me"
8. Imagine Dragons – "I Bet My Life"
9. Cold War Kids – "First"
10. Walk the Moon- "Shut Up and Dance"
11. X Ambassadors – "Renegades"
12. Chris Cornell – "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart"
13. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – "S.O.B."
14. Elle King – "Ex's & Oh's"
15. Florence + The Machine – "Ship to Wreck"
16. BØRNS – "Electric Love"
17. Breaking Benjamin – "Failure"
18. Red Sun Rising – "The Otherside"
19. Failure Anthem – "Paralyzed"
20. Devour the Day – "Lightning In the Sky"
21. Wolf Alice – "Bros"
The What's Next selections feature three future breakthrough artists, all of whom are just dripping with potential.
The NOW series of compilations has sold more than 250 million albums and with the welcome focus on rock music, they should continue to see those sales soar.
Rock On!
|Make sure you Like RARAsFarm's Facebook Page and Follow us on Twitter for rock music coverage.
|Follow @rarasfarm


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Exercise Essentials - Digital Guidebook (Download)
This is the Digital version of the 192-page Guidebook that contains each exercise in the Exercise Essentials Program. It includes detailed, step-by-step instructions with colour photographs to help you understand how to perform and modify each exercise with accuracy. A 4-week workout schedule is included to guide you through the program and track your progress. This Digital Guidebook can easily be printed on 8.5" x 11" paper if desired. It will be sent to your email inbox so you can start exercising right away!


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The Rule of Rum
Crete | Website
This event occurred in the past.
Map | Find Parking
Food historian Cynthia Clampitt shares the reason rum arose where it did and when it did, as well as how pirates got involved. Ms. Clampitt also explains how rum was involved in uniting the 13 colonies, why it was one of the issues that led to the American Revolution, and so much more! To register, please call.


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Home | Shop | Where to Go | Luxor | Private Luxor sightseeing day tour from Hurghada by Bus
Duration: 17 hours (approx.)
Tour the ancient city of Luxor with Your Egypt Tours in luxury on a private day trip from Hurghada. Accompanied by your private Egyptologist guide you'll see the famous West Bank …
Tour the ancient city of Luxor in luxury on a trip from Hurghada. Accompanied by Your Egypt Tours qualified Egyptologist guide you'll see the famous for a discovery Tour the most famous sites on Luxor's West Bank in the company of an expert private guide. You'll step back into Egypt's ancient history at the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple on this private morning tour from Luxor. As this is a private tour, you can determine the amount of time you'd like to spend at each site. Crossing the Nile River to the West Bank, you'll visit the necropolis of the ancient city of Thebes. Arriving at the Valley of the Kings, burial place of the kings of Thebes (ancient Luxor), you will have a brief stop at the visitors center. Guides are not permitted inside the tombs, but your guide will tell you what to look for inside the elaborately decorated rooms. If you wish to visit the tomb of King Tutankhamun, an additional cost is payable direct. Leaving the hot sands of the Valley of the Kings, you will visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, one of the most striking monuments in Egypt. Your guide will introduce you to the history of the temple and the story of Queen Hatshepsut, the famous female ruler of Egypt who posed as a male to gain the throne.
There is free time to explore at your leisure as you wander the large courtyards and admire the intricate hieroglyphic decorations. Returning to Luxor there will be time for a brief photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, which mark the site of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III. These two giant statues standing tall and proud on the West Bank are all that remain of the ancient complex. In addition you will have the chance to visit an alabaster factory and purchase genuine items if you wish. and then we will return back to Hurghada.
Private Luxor sightseeing day tour from Hurghada by Bus
Schedule Details:
Departs: Daily
Departure Time: 3:00 am
Duration: 17 hours (approx.)
Departure Point:
Tour departs from most Hurghada hotels
Return details:
Tour returns to original point of departure at approximately 10:00 pm
Hotel Pickup:
Tour departs from centrally located Hurghada hotels. Please include the details of your hotel at the time of booking.
Pricing Information
Prices are listed as a guide only. For an exact price quote contact us
Child prices are not applicable, adult prices apply to all travelers.
Infants aged 2 years and under are free of charge, provided they do not occupy a seat
Prices are per person
Our pricing is updated constantly to ensure you always receive the lowest price possible.
Additional Information
Qualified Egyptologist guide
Felucca ride
Horse and carriage ride
Entrance fees
Hotel pickup and drop off
Transport by air conditioned vehicle
Gratuities (recommended)
Food and drinks, unless specified
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text: A bargain shopper's delight is just across the causeway in Malaysia, with numerous bus and train services available to ferry travelers across the border. The largest and most popular malls are easily accessible from the checkpoint and offer a blend of name-brand and knockoff shopping. Dig deeper and you'll appreciate the city's differences, good and bad, from Singapore, though rumors of rampant crime are overblown. Museums and places of worship abound, along with good dining for any budget. A new premium outlet mall opened just outside the city, and the new Legoland Malaysia.


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Land of Kings, the state of Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India because of its colorful culture, charming artifacts, magnificent palaces and forts and much more. Well, the wedding season is on and so is the honeymooning season. So, if you are getting married soon or just got married and looking for a destination to spend a romantic honeymoon with luxury services, then Rajasthan is the place! Read on to know more about the romantic hotels in Rajasthan where you can spend your honeymoon or love moments.
Amanbagh Resort, Alwar
Located at a distance of 85 KM (around one and a half hour drive) from Jaipur, the Amanbagh Resort is a true attempt to reconstruct a maharajah's palace. Each room of this resort is befitted with all contemporary facilities such as plush bathroom, personalized bar and much more. Few of the 24 Haveli rooms of this resort come with private balconies. Besides enjoying services of the hotel, you can enjoy scenic views of Aravalli Hills and specially arranged elephant back tours to the nearby temple.
Samode Haveli, Jaipur
Once a royal palace and now converted into a heritage hotel, Samode Haveli is nestled at the foothills of Aravalli. Perfectly refurbished by the royal family, this exquisite hotel has a rustic feel at its exterior however the premise of the Haveli as well as interior is tastefully decorated. The hotel has beautifully landscaped garden, the beautiful curved stairs and the mirror worked doors and corridors are simply a treat to the eyes. The hotel is just perfect for newlywed couples or any couple to spend some romantic time with each other while enjoying royal luxury and comfort with camel safari and city sightseeing.
The Leela Palace, Udaipur
The captivating view of Lake Pichola and the Aravalli ranges from The Leela Palace makes it the most sought after hotels to spend a romantic evening among the couples. The hotel has exquisitely designed suites and guest rooms coupled with flawless service with a smile to make guest stay a memorable one. Whether it is the dining in the restaurant, romantic candle-lit night dinner at the pool side venue or well-managed spa therapies, a couple gets everything here to enhance their love. Its unique location makes it a popular wedding venue for many couples who look for exotic locations for their wedding.
Gajner Palace, Bikaner
Absolutely perfect for a romantic getaway, Gajner Palace (now a heritage hotel) is located amidst the Thar Desert and a beautiful lake. Just 30 minutes drive away from Bikaner town, this heritage hotel sprawls over an area of 6000 acres. The hotel features historic suites facing lake and be fitted with all modern facilities and services. Its multi-cuisine restaurant serves an array of specialties of Indian, Chinese, Continental and Rajasthani cuisines. The balconies overlooking the Gajner Lake are just perfect for a romantic evening with your lover. Other than spending quality time, you can go for desert safari, sanctuary dinners, boat ride, and nature walks.
Apart from these, the Oberoi Udaivilas (Udaipur), The Oberoi Vanyavilas (Ranthambhore), the Gateway Hotel (Jodhpur), Shiv Niwas Palace (Udaipur), Umaid Bhawan Palace (Jodhpur), Suryagarh (Jaisalmer) are some of the popular names amongst romantic hotels of Rajasthan.
Visit Rajasthan-holidays-package.com for exciting deals on hotel bookings and holiday packages in Rajasthan.


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Event Phone: 757-873-1233
- June 14, 2017
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Join Dr. Scott Bradley and Dr. John Aldridge, spine specialists with HROSM Williamsburg, as they address Sacroiliac Joint Pain. The SI Joint can be responsible for up to 25% of all low back pain, yet is rarely evaluated. If lower back pain is something you suffer from, it may be the SI Joint. Find your answers with Drs. Scott Bradley and John Aldridge.
Date: Wednesday, June 14th
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center- Bod Graves Room
You can register online or by calling our office at 757-873-1233.
Venue: Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
100 Sentara Circle, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188, United States


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How do Different Franchisors Handle Various Standard Franchise Agreement Provisions?
By: Brad Smith, Franchise Attorney
Franchise agreements can vary as greatly as the industries that employ the franchising model. However, most agreements share general themes. Depending on the specific terms and details, differing "standard" provisions can lead to stark differences in the franchise relationship.
Most franchise agreements allow a franchisee to sell or "transfer" the franchise to a new owner. Nearly all agreements require franchisor approval of the proposed transfer. The more complex franchise agreement establishes a complicated approval process and a laundry list of items to be accomplished before transfer. A standard franchise agreement requires the franchisor's approval of the transfer and of the new owner, refurbishment of the franchise premises, and payment of a transfer fee. The transfer fee can range from reimbursement of the franchisor's out-of-pocket costs to payment for the new owner's training to half the initial fee to the entire initial fee.
A reasonable transfer provision permits franchisee's family members and new partners to join the franchise business, authorizes continuation of the business in the event of death or disability, and includes a reasonable fee that does not discourage transfers.
Some agreements give the franchisor a right of first refusal to the franchise or territory. Under a right of first refusal, the franchisee must give the franchisor the opportunity to buy the franchise at the same price as offered by a third party. The franchisor generally has 30-60 days to decide. A right of first refusal may chill the interest of the potential third party buyer. To counter this "chilling effect", some agreements also contain a right of first purchase, through which the franchisee must first solicit an offer from the franchisor. If there is no offer made or if the franchisee does not like the offer, he can solicit third-party offers. The franchisee cannot sell to a third party for a price lower than the franchisor's offer.
Most franchise agreements give the franchisor 30 to 90 days to cure any alleged breaches before a franchisee can terminate. However, some agreements are silent on whether a franchisee can terminate and what recourse is available if the franchisor does default. (Regardless, a franchisee can always sue for breach of contract).
On the other hand, most agreements give the franchisee 30 days (or fewer) to cure any alleged defaults before the franchisor can terminate. The time difference between a franchisee's cure period and the franchisor's cure period may be justifiable, depending on the character of the franchise system. Some agreements, but not many, provide an illustrative list of conduct or omissions that constitute a default. Some agreements deem a default cured as long as the franchisee has begun substantial and continuing action to cure the default.
Most franchise agreements list defaults or causes that trigger automatic and immediate termination. Common "triggers" include franchise application misrepresentations, bankruptcy/insolvency, voluntary franchise abandonment, felony convictions, and repeated defaults within a defined period (even if cured). Other triggers may include late or understated financial reports, failure to comply with regulations after warning/notice, failure to pay fees after notice (generally 5-7 days), creating imminent danger to public health/safety, failure to keep confidential information secret, and attempting to repudiate the franchise agreement by conduct or threats.
Some agreements enable the franchisor to arbitrarily refuse to renew an agreement upon expiration. Some agreements limit the number of times for renewal (i.e., one or two additional terms). More commonly (and fairly), the agreement allows renewal upon satisfying certain conditions. These conditions may include prior notice of intent to renew, refurbishment of the franchise premises, payment of a renewal fee, etc. Renewal fees can range from nothing to reimbursement of franchisor's out-of-pocket costs to a flat fee ($5,000-$10,000 range) to the entire initial fee.
In addition to confidentiality and non-disclosure protections, most franchise agreements have "in-term" non-compete covenants. These generally prohibit the franchisee from participating in any similar business during the agreement's term. In-term non-competes commonly apply anywhere, but some have geographic limitations (within # miles of the franchise premises, etc). "Similar business" definitions can vary. Some include specific and enumerated goods and services, some to a specific item ("sub-sandwich"), others to a broad good or services ("food"), others refer vaguely to similarity.
Some agreement have "post-term" non-compete covenants. These provisions prohibit the franchisee from participating in similar business within a certain geographic area and for a set period, after the agreement terminates/expires. Distance and time limitations vary widely, but generally fall within 1 to 2 years after termination/expiration and within a 10 to 100 mile radius of the franchise premises. Some non-compete geographic limitations include distances from other outlets in the system or political boundaries (within the United States or the state of ______).
Other significant provisions affect the franchise relationship and success. Contact competent franchise counsel to review disclosure and agreement documentation regarding: fees, territorial rights, training, quotas, dispute resolution, trademark usage, advertising, product source requirements, reporting, and state laws that affect the franchise relationship.


text: I need to interface an application which acts as an LDAP client with a server application which exports a CORBA interface. I cannot modify such applications. So, what i need is an adapter which catches LDAP requests and translates appropriately such requests into CORBA method invocations, and then gives back the response. At present i have mainly two ideas: 1) installing OpenLDAP and configuring a shell backend, and writing a shell client for interfacing the CORBA layer, and joining them together. 2) writing a custom back-end the system must answer to a request of this kind: ./ldapsearch -h radiuswap -p 389 -Ddn=root -wsecret -b clid_ip temp_ip=22.214.171.124 and give an answer of this type: 188.8.131.52,CLID_IP temp_ip=184.108.40.206 msisdn=14253981 cell_id=0000100001 event_date_time=060900083339 according to your experience, which is the better way to the problem? I've configured and ran OpenLDAP with a shell backend and tried the example, but i'm finding it hard to configure it and the script in such a way to produce a result which has the correct pattern. Thanks in advance Giovanni Calzuola


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Jon Stewart finds lots of things funny in today's headlines – like the leader of Israel pleading with the civilized world to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
That's comedy gold, right?
Stewart probably looks at the above clip and marvels at its balance. After all, the show smacks around President Barack Obama, Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before wrapping it all up with jokes about Netanyahu's bomb graphic.
Why not have a little fun at Netanyahu's expense?
Well, because Netanyahu's country faces a very real threat of extinction, that's why. Ahmadinejad routinely calls for the elimination of the Jewish state, and while the world's most powerful countries sit on their hands, Iranian scientists keep getting closer to the country's first nuclear weapon.
Boy, these jokes just write themselves.


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I know it's horrible of me to complain about having too many bees, but man oh man, I've never seen so many bees packed into a single hive so late in the year.
It's exactly what I saw in one of my other hives two weeks ago. My best guess, other than excellent genetics and well-mated queens, is the dry summer. The lack of rain didn't give us a complete nectar dearth that stirred up much robbing, but less rain means less nectar, so the bees that couldn't get enough nectar switched to collecting pollen — more protein for baby bees. So instead of getting a lot of honey this year (I didn't), I got a lot of bees. A bit too many bees because I don't have any more room for them.
I don't have enough hive components to give these bees any extra space. I have no desire to dismantle and move a hive so packed with bees, but I'm contemplating a switcheroo, moving a less populated hive to this hive's location and moving this hive to a new location, thus boosting up the weak hive and knocking this one back to a more controlled level.
UPDATE (30 minutes later): I moved the hive. That was fun. I'm pretty sure the top deep is completely packed with honey. I nearly broke my back lifting it. The bottom deep was heavy too. Every frame everywhere was covered with bees. They're doing just fine. They're not so happy with their human overlord, but I think they're okay.
I put a smaller colony in the hive's place (not necessarily a weak colony, just smaller), so now most of the returning foragers will join the smaller colony to give it a boost going into winter. Both hives have at least one deep full of honey on top, so I think they're okay.
I probably would have been better off doing nothing, because any kind of move like this could potentially kill the queen and the bees know better than me anyway; they've got it all worked out. But I still have a lot to learn and for me, being a mentorless beekeeper with pretty much no experienced beekeepers to learn from and talk shop with, I won't learn anything unless I experiment and try things I haven't tried before. Granted, my approach of willfully making mistakes may at times do more harm than good and may seem foolhardy, but it's a fairly accurate description of what I've have had to do since I began beekeeping in 2010. I put in countless hours of research before I make any new move in my beeyard, but otherwise, going it alone 99% of the time, I don't have many options other than to go for it and hope I don't make any catastrophic mistakes. (I think I have a pretty good record overall.)
At any rate, I hope I didn't kill any queens today. And I'm curious to see how this move will affect both of these colonies. Will the smaller colony grow stronger? Will the over-populated colony recover from its traumatic move? The answer to both of those question is: I hope so.