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New Technologies Boost Performance For Every Type Of Customer
Image Courtesty of Howard Communications
The technology of today's advanced optics improves almost daily. Optics must be clean, crisp and bright to gain even a toehold in this competitive market, as savvy consumers demand optimum performance from their scopes and binoculars. The breadth of new products available is causing us to rethink what we term "optics," as new products provide new ways of seeing the performance in firearms.
Mike Hollinger, a buyer and manager at Fin Feather Fur Outfitters in Ashland, Ohio, said the biggest trend he's seen in optics the past few years is an increase in apps and computer technology.
"This is especially true of Leupold," he shared. "You can sight-in your hunting rifle at 50 yards, and Leupold can cut you a dial that has indicator marks for different yardages. It used to be people would buy a standard scope with a standard crosshair in it, and you'd sight it in for 100 yards; then if you had to shoot 300 yards, you were guessing. Now, with apps you can have on your phone in concert with Leupold doing these custom dials, longer range hunting and shooting has become easier because of this technology."
Hollinger said these custom dials are surprisingly inexpensive, and take only a short time to arrive, since the facility is producing them here in the U.S.
In general, Hollinger relayed, the manufacturing of optics is improving, which also means a reduction in price. The same Leupold scope sold for $239 a few years ago may sell for $199 today. It's not a huge reduction in cost, but $40 is substantial to the average customer on a budget.
"It's also a better scope than it was 15 years ago, because it's manufactured better," he noted. "In addition, there are so many different sizes and powers at every price point that they can do the best for customers. There's a scope for a guy who's deer hunting, one who's shooting a 3-Gun competition and one who's shooting elk at 500 to 600 yards. There are scopes for guys who want to pay $200, and scopes for guys like me who'll pay $3,500."
Other riflescope manufacturers who provide similar technologies include Vortex, NightForce and Sightron.
Red dot optics continue to be popular, Hollinger said.
"Those are more for close-range shooting," he relayed. "A lot of people are using them on rifles or pistols they're shooting under 200 yards. They're more for target shooting and recreational shooting than hunting because there's no magnification on a red dot. They're big on MSR-style rifles and competition pistols. Guys even put red dots on little .22 pistols for target shooting."
According to Hollinger, customers are purchasing Leupold, EOTech, AimPoint, Vortex and Trijicon red dot scopes.
In binoculars, trends are similar, Hollinger contends.
"The big sellers are Leupold, Nikon and Vortex," he said. "The upper-end binoculars will be Swarovski. They're very expensive, but the guy who goes out west to hunt a lot will buy a better Leupold or a Swarovski. The more money he spends on optics, the less light it takes for them to be bright."
The big changes in binoculars, Hollinger suggested, is they're smaller and lighter and less expensive than they have been in the past.
ZEISS Conquest V6
Hawke Frontier ED X
VORTEX Venom Red Dot 3 MOA Dot
High-Tech Tide
The overall push to high-tech optics is being driven by the same thing driving technology elsewhere, Hollinger believes (e.g., we've all become accustomed to having computers in our pockets).
"I have an app on my phone with different caliber and gun combinations," he said. "I'm shooting a .308 with a Leupold Mark 6 on it, and I can type in 500 yards and it can tell me what to dial on my scope to hit my target. The information is with me all the time on my phone, it's easy to use and I can access it anywhere and any time."
Hollinger expects the trend toward high tech to continue.
"We're seeing the tactical side of shooting moving into the hunting side of shooting. Today a hunter can buy a bigger scope with adjustable turrets and now he can shoot farther than he ever has before. Instead of going home empty-handed, he comes home with the animal of his dreams. It's pretty simple; if I can do it, anyone can do it," he remarked.
This trend toward technology-based apps for optics takes many forms, some of them not immediately obvious. For instance, ShotKam has introduced a gun camera for rifles. Richard Smith, the company's director of the rail mount division, said the camera is a training aid for instructors and shooters.
"The camera digitally records your shot," he informed. "It has its own internal Wi-Fi system that connects to an app on your phone. After you take a shot, the app shows where you aimed and where it landed. You can go through it second by second in super slow motion and see exactly what you were doing. It'll improve shooting with less ammo, and you can diagnose the errors you're making."
EOTech Vudu 5-25x50mm
Mike Hollinger of Fin Feather Fur Outfitters (Ashland, Ohio) has seen an exponential
rise in smartphone apps to complement the technological advancements in today's optics.
Hunting riflescope sales are booming in his area.
Customer-Driven Sales
At Delray Shooting Center in Delray Beach, Fla., optics are geared to the tactical and self-defense markets. Manager Chuck Papp said the biggest sellers there are low-magnification red dot scopes. Most of the ones they sell are Aimpoint.
"We also sell some hunting scopes, because we have a number of customers who go out of state hunting," he shared. "A variety of 3-9 and 4-12 scopes are stocked here for them, which move well. We sell the Leupold VX-2 the most, as well as the Nikon Buckmaster and the Vortex Crossfire."
Papp maintains sales have held steady over the past several years.
"There haven't been any really big changes for us. The change in politics has affected the sale of guns, but not of optics," he added.
When a customer comes in looking for new optics the first question Papp usually asks is, "How much do you want to spend?" It helps him direct the customer to the right manufacturer and price point for his need.
"We don't want to give him sticker shock by pulling out a $1,000 scope when he wants to spend half that," he informed. "It's important to find out what he wants before we take anything out of the case. Our optics sales are customer driven."
Marketing in this new normal also has remained about the same as it's always been, Papp noted.
"The store's been here 27 years and there still are people who don't know we're here," he said. "Most of our marketing is just word-of-mouth. We have a Facebook page and an Instagram account."
Over the next year or so, Papp doesn't expect to see much change in what his customers purchase in the way of optics.
"We don't see fear in the market any more," he observed. "Everything has pretty much leveled out."
Bushnell Targets Hunters With Branding, New Products
By Jade Moldae
Last month, Bushnell introduced three entirely new optics lines to target the hunting segment. Available in three price points — Forge (premium), Nitro (midrange) and Prime (entry-level) — these new lines include feature-rich riflescopes, spotting scopes, binoculars and rangefinders.
According to Jacob Edson, Vista Outdoor communications and PR manager, the company opted for multiple price points to appeal to a wide variety of customers.
"A lot of our consumer data has shown customers want to have three clear lines so they know what's good, better, best," he said. "At the top of the line (Forge), customers are going to get zero-stop turrets, first focal planes, a throw lever for quick adjustments, Ultra Wide Band Coating, 30mm tube and more."
Each price point features EXO Barrier protective lens coating technology, waterproof construction and the Bushnell Ironclad Warranty. Color options were added to the Forge (Terrain Earth) and Nitro (Gunmetal Gray) series to further differentiate between the lines.
In tandem with this launch, Bushnell significantly upgraded its website to engage with enthusiasts.
"We're focused on a greater user experience with enhanced storytelling and a more interactive webpage. Our social media presence has been beefed up to get the word out, which is a big part of this launch," he added.
Additionally, Edson shared Bushnell will be outfitting dealers with new assets — including scope trays to stand out under glass.
"The retail environment pieces will be new and improved," he said. "These new optics are upgraded across the board, and customers will immediately be able to see the difference and identify their selection by feature sets."
Visit www.bushnell.com


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Photographer: Steven Pan
Stylist: Karla Martinez de Salas
Last summer, I went to a wedding in the South of France, where I took more pictures of the flowers than of the happy couple. The wonderfully unfussy wild daisy–and–snapdragon arrangements were designed by Flaminia Veronesi, and I was reminded of them when I saw the rambling floral prints and fluid silhouettes in the Philosophy pre-fall collection—the first from the house's new designer, Lorenzo Serafini. The bohemian look isn't novel, but given a punch of color, it's refreshingly cheerful and fun.
Hair by Conrad Dornan for Oribe at Art Department; makeup by Stevie Huynh at D+V Management. Model: Mijo Mihaljcic at IMG Models; set design by Nicholas Des Jardins; photography assistants: Paul Park, John Law; fashion assistant: Sarah Zendejas; set design assistant: Holli Featherstone. Special thanks to Putnam & Putnam.

subset: commoncrawl


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Draws for our flagship High School competitions will be posted here.
Each week of the regular season, the Dowson Cup is up for grabs between schools in the McDonald's Thomson Trophy Competition, in a similar manner to the Ranfurly Shield. More details about the Dowson Cup, and the current holders can be found here
Weekly Draws are available here
Formats are listed here
Weeks of Play:


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107.8 Radio Jackie - Bulletins aired each hour
Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Thornton Heath woman faces jail over indecent video
A mother of nine from Thornton Heath is facing jail after sharing an indecent video of a young girl on WhatsApp.
Forty-one-year-old Helen Ijoyah sent the clip to a female friend.
She admitted distributing an indecent image of a child and will be sentenced on January 29th.
posted by Radio Jackie News Team @ 8:19 pm
Top of Radio Jackie News page here.
of many reasons why we are so useful to South West London...
our very own news team bringing you stories that are relevant to you
and your area.
If you have a press release
or would like to send in news then pop off an e-mail to [email protected]
Follow Jackie News at twitter.com/jackie_news.


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This MijoShop Joomla theme has a flat design, Bootstrap integration, 4 preset color variations, RTL language support, a responsive layout, EasyBlog compatibility, off-canvas and mega menus, 10 bonus pages, 6 complimentary extensions, and more.


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Part I Writing
【标准版】Nothing Succeeds Without a Strong Will
Part II
ReadingComprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
1. A person ofintegrity not only sets high moral and ethical standards but also _______。
A) sticks tothem in their daily life
B) makes themknown to others
C) understandstheir true values
D)sees thatothers also follow them
【答案】A) sticks to them in their daily life
【解析】第一题的答案就在全文第一句。关键词是not only…. But also…. ,关键句是The key to integrity is consistency--not onlysetting high personal standards for oneself (honesty, responsibility, respectfor others, fairness) but also living up to those standards each day. 这里的live up to 和选项里的 stick to 属于同义替换。
2. What roledoes integrity play in personal and professional relationships?
A) It helps tocreate team spirit
B) Itfacilitates communication
C) It is thebasis of mutual trust
D) It inspiresmutual respect
【答案】C) It is the basis of mutual trust
【解析】关键词是personal and professional,关键句是Trust is essential in any important relationship,whether personal or professional. Who can trust someone who is dishonest orunfair? Thus, integrity must be one of our most important goals。
3. why must welearn to identify the risks we are going to take?
A. To ensurewe make responsible choices。
B. To avoidbeing overwhelmed by stress。
C. so that wedon't break any rules。
D. so that wedon't run into trouble。
【答案】A. To ensure we make responsible choices。
【解析】关键词是identify the risks,关键句是Making ethical decisions is a critical part of avoiding future problems.We must learn to recognize risks, because if we can't see the risks we'retaking, we can't make responsible choices. 所以答案很明显是A。
4. Violationof a rule is misconduct even if _______?
A. it hascaused no harm。
B. it isclaimed to be unintentional。
C. it has goneunnoticed。
D. it iscommitted with good intentions。
【答案】B. it is claimed to be unintentional。
【解析】关键词是misconduct,关键句是But the fact that such a violation is "unintentional" does notexcuse the misconduct. 和原文意义高度一致的,就是这个unintentional。因此答案是:B. it isclaimed to be unintentional。
5. What shouldone do if he doesn't wish to fool himself?
A. Avoidmaking excuses。
B. Listen toother people's advice。
C. Make hisintensions public。
D. Have otherswatch over his shoulder。
【答案】A. Avoid making excuses。
【解析】关键词是fool oneself,关键句是To avoid fooling yourself, watch out for excuses and try this test这里的watch out for 和选项里的avoid属于同义替换。所以答案是A。
6. Those whotake risks they regret later on _______。
A. will oftenbecome more cautious
B. are usuallyvery aggressive
C. valueimmediate benefits most。
D. may loseeverything in the end
【答案】C. value immediate benefits most。
【解析】关键词是regret later,关键句是Those who take risks they later regret usually focus on immediatebenefits ("what's in it for me")。很明显,选项 value immediate benefits most 是正确答案。这里的value 和 focus on 属于同义替换。
7. Accordingto the author, a cheater who doesn't get caught right away will _______。
A) pay moredearly
B) become moreconfident
C) be widelyadmired
D) feelsomewhat lucky
【答案】A) pay more dearly
【解析】关键词是get caught,关键句是Those who don't get caught pay an even higher price. 这里的higher price 和选项里的more dearly 属于同义替换。所以答案是A。
8. Cheaters atexam don't care about their education, all they care about is how to steal agrade。
【答案】steal a grade
【解析】关键词:care about
关键句:I'm not interested in what you're trying toteach; all I care about is stealing a grade, regardless of the effect onothers."
9. Integritymatters in that all social activities rely on people's honesty and good faith。
【答案】honesty and good faith
【解析】关键词是rely on,关键句是We must rely on the honesty and good faith of others every day。
10. ManyAmericans lost faith in the integrity of their political leaders as a result ofthe Watergate scandal。
【答案】the Watergate scandal
【解析】关键词是political and economic leaders,关键句是Watergate, have undermined the faith of manyAmericans in the integrity of political and economic leaders and society as awhole。
Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
W: This crazybus schedule has got me completely confused. I can't figure out when my bus toCleveland leaves?
M: Why don'tyou just go to the ticket window and ask?
Q: What doesthe man suggest the woman do?
【答案】B) Go and ask the staff。
【解析】这是一道事实细节题。从对话中可知,女士搞不清楚列车时刻表,男士建议她去售票窗口咨询。ticket window售票窗口。
W: I reallyenjoyed the TV special about drafts last night. Did you get home in time to seeit?
W: Oh, yes,but I wish I could have stayed awake long enough to see the whole thing。
Q: What doesthe man mean?
【答案】A) He fell asleep in the middle of the TVprogram。
【解析】这是道推理判断题,考查男士的言下之意以及虚拟语气。could have done意为本可以做某事,但未做。从对话中可知,男士确实回家看了电视节目,但是他说道:I wish I could have stayed awake long enough tosee the whole thing. 我真希望自己当时能再晚点睡着,这样我就可以看完整场节目了。说明他没有看完整场节目就睡着了。
W: Airport,please. I'm running a little late. So just take the fastest way even if it'snot the most direct。
M: Sure, butthere is a lot of traffic everywhere today because of the football game。
Q: What do welearn about the woman from the conversation?
【答案】B) She is worried about missing her flight。
【解析】这是道场景题,略有难度。刚开始,我们还无法很快判断出该对话发生的场景,很多同学一听到airport可能会误以为对话发生在机场,但如果我们继续听下去,就会发现,该对话应该发生在出租车上,因为女士说了句"请选择最快的路",而男士说"因为有球赛,所以到处都交通拥堵"可以帮助我们再次确认对话发生的场景。选项A不对,原文是说要挑the fastest way哪怕不是the mostdirect way;选项C也不准确,才刚上车,并没有拥堵,司机只是提前说明因为球赛会碰到拥堵;选项D错误,女士是为了赶去乘飞机的,而不是去看球赛。
W: May I makea recommendation, sir? Our seafood with this special sauce is very good。
M: Thank you,but I don't eat shellfish. I'm allergic to it。
Q: Where doesthis conversation most probably take place?
【答案】A) At a restaurant
W: Now onemore question if you don't mind, what position in the company appeals to youmost?
M: Well, I'dlike the position of sales manager if that position is still vacant。
Q: What do welearn about the man?
【答案】A) He is being interviewed for a job。
【解析】这是较为简单的细节推理题。从position, company这几个关键词中,我们就可以快速判断出此题的场景为面试,因此男士应该正在接受一场面试。 C选项错误,他想要销售经理的职位,但并不表示他本身就是销售经理。
M: I don'tthink I want to live in the dormitory next year. I need more privacy。
W: I know whatyou mean. But check out the cost if renting an apartment first. I won't besurprised if you change your mind。
Q: What doesthe woman imply?
【答案】B) The man is unlikely to move out of thedormitory。
M: You're onthe right track. I just think you need to narrow the topic down。
W: Yeah,you're right. I always start by choosing two boarder topics when I'm doing aresearch paper。
Q: What do welearn from the conversation?
【答案】D) The woman is going to make her topic morefocused。
W: This picnicshould beat the last one we went to, doesn't it?
M: Oh, yeah,we had to spend the whole time inside. Good thing, the weather was cooperativethis time。
Q: What do welearn about the speakers from the conversation?
【答案】B) They didn't quite enjoy their last picnic。
A)He likes Sweden better than England。
B)He prefers hot weather to cold weather。
C)He is an English living in Sweden。
D)He visits London nearly every winter。
19. What do welearn about the man from the conversation?
【答案】B)He prefers hot weather to cold weather。
【解析】本题为推断题。根据文章大意可推断得出。整篇文章中,分别有两处暗示信息,一处是男士说,"Swedish people always complain that when theyvisit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter。",瑞典人在冬天去拜访英格兰时,会抱怨英格兰室温太冷。另一处是男士在谈到冬天天气时,说道:"It is sometimes a bit depressing。"长时间寒冷的天气令人沮丧。因此可推断得出,男士更喜欢hot weather,热天气。所以,答案为:He prefers hot weather to cold weather。
A)The bad weather
B)The cold houses。
C)The gloomy winter。
D)The long night。
20. What doSwedish people complain about when they visit England in winter?
【答案】B)The cold houses。
【解析】对话中,当男士介绍瑞典的极寒天气时,谈到只要穿暖,出门很暖,而室内更暖和,为了强调这一观点,男士继续说道:"Swedish people always complain that when theyvisit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter。"说是瑞典人在冬天去拜访英格兰时,会抱怨英格兰室温太冷。所以,答案为:The cold houses。
21. How doesthe man describe the short hour of daylight around Christmas in Sweden?
【解析】女士问:"And what about the darkness?"男士答道:"around Christmas time there's only one hour ofdaylight, so you really looks forward to the spring。"临近圣诞节的时候,每天仅有一小时为白天,所以人们都非常向往春天,希望春天快点到来。然后,进一步强调性地评论道:"It is sometimes a bit depressing。"有时候真有点令人沮丧。因此,本题答案为:Depressing。
A)They often stay up late reading。
B)They workhard and play hard。
C) They liketo go camping in summer。
D) They try toearn more and spend more。
22. What doesthe man say about the Swedish people?
【答案】B)They work hard and play hard。
【解析】男士在谈到瑞典的极昼天气时,着重谈了瑞典人在极昼天气的工作情况,并进一步对瑞典人的工作习惯进行了评价。男士说道:"They'd like to work hard, but play hard, too。"瑞典人既能在工作时努力工作,又能在能玩时拼命玩。所以,本题答案为:They work hard and play hard。
23. A)Management。
C)English literature
D)Public Administration
23. What wasthe man's major at university?
【解析】细节题。在第二轮对话中,女士问,"what was your educational background?"你是什么教育背景,男士回答说:"I did a degree in French at Nottingham。" 我在诺丁汉大学攻读了法语学位,所以男士的专业是French。
24. A)English teaching。
B)Staff training。
C)Careers guidance。
D)Psychological counseling
24. What wasthe man's job in secondary schools?
【答案】C)careers guidance。
【解析】细节题。在说完"I did a degree in French at Nottingham。"之后,男士又接着说"After that, I did careers guidance in secondaryschools。"因此,此题的答案应为:careers guidance。
25. A)Its pleasant environment。
B)Its worldwide fame。
C)Its generous scholarship。
D)Its well-designed courses。
25. Whatattracted the man to Nottingham University?
【答案】B)Its pleasant environment。
【解析】细节题。女士问:"Is there any reason why you went to NottinghamUniversity?"你去诺丁汉大学是出于什么原因?男士在回答中说到,诺丁汉是我心中理想大学之一。紧接着他就说道:"And I like the look of it。"还进一步补充说明道:" The campus is just beautiful. "因此,男士是因被其优雅环境所吸引而选择去诺丁汉大学。所以,本题的答案为:Its pleasant environment。
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passageyou have just heard。
26. What didObcamp's speech focus on?
A)Characteristics of Japanese artists
B) Somefeatures of Japanese culture
C) The art ofJapanese brush painting
D) Theuniqueness of Japanese art
【答案】C) The art of Japanese brush painting
27. Why doJapanese listeners sometimes close their eyes while listening to a speech?
A) To calmthemselves down
B) To enhanceconcentration
C) To showtheir impatience
D) To signaltheir lack of interest
【答案】B) To enhance concentration。
28. What doesthe speaker try to explain?
A) Howlisteners in different cultures show respect
B) Howspeakers can win approval from the audience
C) Howspeakers can misunderstand the audience
D) Howdifferent Western and Eastern art forms are
【答案】A) How listeners in different cultures showrespect。
Questions 29to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard。
29. What isChris's main responsibility at Taxlong Company?
A) Directingpersonnel evaluation。
B) Buying andmaintain equipment。
C) Drawing upplans for in-service training。
D)Interviewing and recruiting employees。
【答案】 B) Buying and maintain equipment。
30. Whatproblem did Chris encounter in his Division?
A) Some of hisequipment was damaged in a fire。
B) Thetraining program he ran was failure。
C) Two of hisworkers were injured at work。
D) Two of hisemployees committed theft。
【答案】D)Two of his employees committed theft。
31. What doesChris hope for in the near future?
A) A betterrelationship with his boss。
B) Advancementto a higher position
C) Abetter-paying job in another company
D) Improvementin the company's management
【答案】B)Advancement to a higher position。
32 What do welearn about Kim from the passage?
A)She has moreself-confidence than Chris。
B)She workswith Chris in the same division。
C)She has moremanagement experience than Chris。
D) She iscompeting with Chris for the new job。
【答案】D) She is competing with Chris for the new job。
Questions 32-35 are based on the passage you have just heard。
33. Why areproverbs so important?
A) They helpus see the important values of a culture。
B) They guideus in handling human relationships。
C) They help usexpress ourselves more effectively。
D) They are aninfinite source of human knowledge。
【答案】A)They help us see the important values of a culture。
34. Accordingto the speaker what happens to some proverbs with the passage of time?
A)Theirwordings may become different。
B) The valuesthey reflect may change。
C)Theirorigins can no longer be traced。
D) They may bemisinterpreted。
【答案】B) The values they reflect may change。
35. What do welearn from the study of proverbs from around the world?
Part V Cloze
Employers fearthey will be unable recruit students with the skills they need as the economicrecovery kicks in, a new survey 67.reveals。
Nearly half oforganizations told researchers they were already struggling to find68.staff with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM),69.while even more companies expect to experience 70.shortages of employeeswith Stem skills in the next three years。
TheConfederation of British Industry and the vocational qualifications body EDI71.surveyed 694 organizations across the public and 72.private sectors, whichtogether employ 2.4 million people。
Half are73.concerned they will not be able to fill graduate posts in the coming years,while a third said they would not be able to 74.recruit enough employees withthe right A-level skills。
"75.As wemove further into recovery and businesses plan 76.for growth, the demand forpeople with high-quality skills and qualifications will 77.intensify,"said Richard Lambert, director general, CBI。
"In thefuture, people with qualifications in science and maths will be particularlysought after, and firms say it is already hard to find people with the right78.technical or engineering skills. The new government must make it a top79.priority to encourage more young people to study science-related80.subjects."
The surveyfound that young people would improve their job prospects 81.if they studiedbusiness studies, maths, English and physics or chemistry at A-level. TheA-levels that employers 82.rate least are psychology and sociology. And whilemany employers don't insist on a 83.particular degree subject, a third preferto hire those with a Stem-related subject。
The research84.highlighted worries about the lack of progress in improving basic skills inthe UK 85.workforce. Half of employers expressed worries about employees' basicliteracy and numeracy skills, while the biggest problem is with IT skills,86.where two-thirds reported concerns。
【评析】这是一篇讨论"雇主和他们所需要的大学生技能" 的文章。今年四级的完型填空,涉及5处名词,2处介词,6处动词,4处形容词和3处副词。第82题稍难,像80和85都可以通过上下文判断出来,其余部分只要在句子内部或者句子之间进行上下文逻辑比对或语法搭配,即可完成。词义辨析考查较多,考查学生词汇的储备量,因此,考生要特别注意四级词汇的牢固掌握。
Part VI Translation
87. Charitygroups organized various activities to raise money for the survivors of theearthquake. (为地震幸存者筹款)
【解析】本题考察动词raise的用法。raise money 表示"筹款"。同时考生要注意survivor (幸存者)的拼写。
88. Lindacouldn't have received my e-mail (不可能收到我的电子邮件), otherwise, she could have replied。
【解析】本题考察混合型虚拟语气。otherwise提示我们句子后半句是与过去事实相反(事实是Linda没有回复),因此用could+have+过去分词。句子前半句是在陈述一种事实,从句子后半句could have +过去分词我们可以推断前面"没有收到我的电子邮件"也是在发生在过去,且对现在产生了影响(还没有收到回信),因此这里用现在完成时,could have +过去分词。
89. It's mymother who/that keeps encouraging me not to lose heart (一直鼓励我不要灰心) when I have difficulties in my study。
【解析】本题考察了强调句型和动词encourage的搭配。①强调句型it's … that/who… ②encourage sb. (not) to do sth. 鼓励某人(不)做某事。
90. Thepublishing house has to consider the popularity of this novel. (考虑这本小说的受欢迎程度)。
【解析】本题考察了"考虑"的表达,可以用动词consider,也可以用词组take… into consideration。同时考生要注意名词popularity (受欢迎程度) 的拼写。
91. It's wrongto define happiness only by money。(仅仅以金钱来定义幸福)
听力原文:Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions: Inthis section, you will hear 8 short conversations and2 long conversations. Atthe end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about whatwas said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read thefour choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line throughthe centre。
W: This crazybus schedule has got me completely confused. I can't figure out when my bus toCleveland leaves?
M: Why don'tyou just go to the ticket window and ask?
Q: What doesthe man suggest the woman do?
W: I reallyenjoyed the TV special about drafts last night. Did you get home in time to seeit?
W: Oh, yes,but I wish I could have stayed a week long enough to see the whole thing。
Q: What doesthe man mean?
W: Airport,please. I'm running a little late. So just take the fastest way even if it'snot the most direct。
M: Sure, butthere is a lot of traffic everywhere today because of the football game。
Q: What do welearn about the woman from the conversation?
W: May I makea recommendation, sir? Our seafood with this special sauce is very good。
M: Thank you,but I don't eat shellfish. I'm allergic to it。
Q: Where doesthis conversation most probably take place?
15. W: now onemore question if you don't mind, what position in the company appeals to youmost?
M: Well, I'dlike the position of sales manager if that position is still vacant。
Q: What do welearn about the man?
16. M: I don'tthink I want to live in the dormitory next year. I need more privacy。
W: I know whatyou mean. But check out the cost if renting an apartment first. I won't besurprised if you change your mind。
Q: What doesthe woman imply?
17. M: You'reon the right track. I just think you need to narrow the topic down。
W: Yeah,you're right. I always start by choosing two boarder topics when I'm doing aresearch paper。
Q: What do welearn from the conversation?
18. W: Thispicnic should beat the last one we went to, doesn't it?
M: Oh, yeah,we had to spend the whole time inside. Good thing, the weather was cooperativethis time。
What do welearn about the speakers from the conversation?
M: When I sayI live in Sweden, people always want to know about the seasons。
W: Theseasons?
M: Yeah, youknow how cold it is in winter? What is it like when the days are so short?
W: So what isit like?
M: Well, it iscold ,very cold in winter. Sometimes it is cold as 26 degrees below centigrade.And of course when you go out, you'll wrap up warm. But inside in the housesit's always very warm, much warmer than at home. Swedish people always complainthat when they visit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter。
W: And whatabout the darkness?
M: Well, yeah,around Christmas time there's only one hour of daylight, so you really looksforward to the spring. It is sometimes a bit depressing. But you see thesummers are amazing, from May to July in the North of Sweden the sun neversets. It's still light in the midnight. You can walk in the mountains and reada newspaper。
W: Oh, yeah,the land of the midnight sun。
M: Yeah,that's right, but it's wonderful. You won't stay up all night. And the Swedesmakes most of it often they started work earlier in summer and then leave atabout 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so that they can really enjoy the long summerevenings. They'd like to work hard, but play hard, too. I think Londoners worklonger hours, but I'm not sure this is a good thing。
Q19: What dowe learn about the man from the conversation?
Q20: What doSwedish people complain about when they visit England in winter?
Q21: How doesthe man describe the short hour of daylight around Christmas in Sweden?
Q21:What doesthe man say about the Swedish people?
W: What kindof training does one need to go into this type of job?
M: That's avery good question. I don't think there is any, specifically.
W: Forexample, in your case, what is your educational background?
M: Well, I dida degree in French at Nottingham. After that, I did careers work in secondaryschools like the careers guidance people here is in the university. Then I wentinto local government because I found I was more interested in theadministrative side. Then progressed on to universities. So there wasn't anyplan and there was no specific training. There are plenty of training coursesin management techniques and committee work which you can attend now.
W: But in thefirst place, you did a French degree.
M: In my time,there wasn't a degree you could do for administration. I think most of theadministrators I've come across have degrees and all sorts of things.
W: Well, Iknow in my case, I did an English literature degree and I didn't really expectto end up doing what I am doing now.
M: Quite。
W: But you arelocal to Nottingham, actually? Is there any reason why you went to NottinghamUniversity?
M: No ,no, Icome from the north of England, from west Yorkshire. Nottingham was one of theuniversities I put on my list. And I like the look of it. The campus is justbeautiful.
W: Yes,indeed. Let's see. Were you from the industrial part of Yorkshire?
M: Yes, fromthe woolen district。
Q23. What wasthe man's major at university?
Q24: What wasthe man's job in secondary schools?
Q25: Whatattracted the man to Nottingham University?
Section B
Passage One
While GailObcamp, an American artist was giving a speech on the art of Japanese brushpainting to an audience that included visitors from Japan, she was confused tosee that many of her Japanese listeners have their eyes closed. Were they tunedoff because an American had the nerve to instruct Japanese in their own artform or they deliberately tried to signal their rejection of her? Obcamp laterfound out that her listeners were not being disrespectful. Japanese listenerssometimes closed their eyes to enhance concentration. Her listeners wereshowing their respect for her by chewing on her words. Some day you may beeither a speaker or a listener in a situation involving people from othercountries or members of minority group in North America. Learning how differentcultures signal respect can help you avoid misunderstandings. Here are someexamples. In the deaf culture of North America, many listeners show applausenot by clapping their hands but by waving them in the air. In some cultures,both overseas and in some minority groups in North America, listeners areconsidered disrespectful if they look directly at the speaker. Respect is shownby looking in the general direction but avoiding direct eye contact. In somecountries, whistling by listeners is a sign of approval while in othercourtiers it is a form of insult。
26, What didObcamp's speech focus on?
27, Why doJapanese listeners sometimes close their eyes while listening to a speech?
28, What doesthe speaker try to explain?
Passage Two
Chris is incharge of purchasing and maintaining equipment in his Division at TaxlongCompany. He is soon going to have an evaluation interview with his supervisorand the personnel director to discuss the work he has done in the past year.Salary, promotion and plans for the coming year will also be discussed at themeeting. Chris has made several changes for his Division in the past year.First, he bought new equipment for one of the departments. He has beenparticularly happy about the new equipment because many of the employees havetold him how much it has helped them. Along with improving the equipment, Chrisbegan a program to train employees to use equipment better and do simplemaintenance themselves. The training saved time for the employees and money forthe company. Unfortunately, one serious problem developed during the year. Twoemployees the Chris hired were stealing, and he had to fire them. Chris knowsthat a new job for a purchasing and maintenance manager for the whole companywill be open in a few months, and he would like to be promoted to the job.Chris knows, however, that someone else wants that new job, too. Kim is incharge of purchasing and maintenance in another Division of the company. Shehas also made several changes over the year. Chris knows that his boss likesKim's work, and he expects that his work will be compared with hers。
Questions 29to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard。
29. What isChris's main responsibility at Taxlong Company?
30. Whatproblem did Chris encounter in his Division?
31. What doesChris hope for in the near future?
32. What do welearn about Kim from the passage?
Passage Three
Proverbs,sometimes called sayings, are examples of folk wisdom. They are little lessonswhich older people of a culture pass down to the younger people to teach themabout life. Many proverbs remind people of the values that are important in theculture. Values teach people how to act, what is right, and what is wrong.Because the values of each culture are different, understanding the values ofanother culture helps explain how people think and act. Understanding your ownculture values is important too. If you can accept that people from othercultures act according to their values, not yours, getting along with them willbe much easier. Many proverbs are very old. So some of the values they teachmay not be as important in the culture as they once were. For example,Americans today do not pay much attention to the proverb "Haste makes waste",because patience is not important to them. But if you know about past values,it helps you to understand the present and many of the older values are stillstrong today. Benjamin Franklin, a famous American diplomat, writer andscientist, died in 1790, but his proverb "Time is money" is taken moreseriously by Americans of today than ever before. A study of proverbs fromaround the world shows that some values are shared by many cultures. In manycases though, the same idea is expressed differently。
Questions 33-35 are based on the passage you have just heard。
33. Why areproverbs so important?
34. Accordingto the speaker what happens to some proverbs with the passage of time?
35 What do welearn from the study of proverbs from around the world?
Section CCompound Dictation
Our lives arewoven together. As much as I enjoy my own company, I no longer imagine I canget through a single day much less all my life completely on my own. Even if Iam on vacation in the mountains, I am eating food someone else has grown,living in a house someone else has built, wearing clothes someone else has sewnfrom cloth woven by others, using electricity someone else is distributing tomy house. Evidence of interdependence is everywhere; we are on this journeytogether。
As I wasgrowing up, I remember being carefully taught that independence notinterdependence was everything. "Make your own way"," Stand on your own twofeet" or my mother's favorite remark when I was face-to-face with consequencesof some action: Now that you've made your bed, lie on it。
Totalindependence is a dominant thing in our culture. I imagine that what my parentswere trying to teach me was to take responsibilities for my actions and mychoices. But the teaching was shaped by our cultural imagines. And instead, Igrew up believing that I was supposed to be totally independent andconsequently became very reluctant to ask for help. I would do almost anythingnot to be a burden, and not require any help from anybody。


text:
Toilet Problems
There are some common toilet issues that can be fixed by doing it your self. Below are some common issues along with their solutions.
If you require extra help, call Dave's Plumbing and one of our team will talk you through the solution over the phone.
To maintain your toilet and keep it in good running order, you must ensure that toilet paper is the only product that goes into the toilet. Wipes will clog the toilet, as will paper towel and hygine products. This may not happen right away however overtime a blockage will occur.
Blocked or Clogged Toilet
If your toilet is blocked, you flush the toilet and the waste does not flush away, you will need to check for foreign objects that could be blocking the toilet particularly if you have toddlers who may like to drop things into the toilet.
If your concerned that the toilet will overflow, turn the isolation off located inside the cistern to the toilet, this will stop any more water entering the bowl.
Once you have checked for obstruction you can try plunging the toilet using a 100mm Round Head Plunger - Master Plunger can pick these up for around $33 from your local Reece or Bunnings store.
No Water in the Cistern
If the water in the cistern is not filling up and there is no water to flush away the waste a temorary solution is to take the lid off the cistern and fill it with water using a bucket, this will at least keep your toilet working until a plumber can arrive.


text:
- Telephone:
- 01256 817356
Key factsPrint summary
!! 12 MONTHS RFL £145-00 !! HUSBAND AND WIFE FROM BRAND-NEW !! MASSIVE SPECIFICATION !! FULL & UP TO DATE PERFECT LAND ROVER MAIN DEALER SERVICE HISTORY !! AND JUST BEEN MOT'd !! SERVICE HISTORY AS FOLLOWED !! PDI 9,MILES 09/09/2015 !! 1st SERVICE AT 14,648 MILES, 30/11/2017 !! 2nd SERVICE AT 19,995 MILES, 17/12/2018 !! 3rd SERVICE AT 23,085 MILES 09/09/2019 !! EURO 6 COMPLIANT !! THE BEST COLOUR COMBINATION IN MY OPINION !! VERY RARE TO HAVE 1 FAMILY OWNER FROM NEW/ PERFECT LAND ROVER SERVICE HISTORY & GREAT OPTIONAL EXTRAS !! FULL GLASS PANORAMIC ROOF WITH ELECTRIC BLIND, HEATED REAR SEATS AND STEERING WHEEL,FULL OXFORD HEATED /COOLING ELECTRIC MEMORY PERFORATED LEATHER SEATS, FACTORY TOUCH SCREEN SATELLITE NAVIGATION, XENON HEADLIGHT WITH SIGNATURE LED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS & AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM ASSIST, REVERSING CAMERA WITH PARK ASSIST, MERIDIAN DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM, ALUMINIUM SIDE STEPS, REAR HEATED SEATS, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING, ELECTRIC OPENING /CLOSING TAILGATE, PRIVACY GLASS, 7 SEATS, 3RD ROW SEATS AIRCON, ELECTRIC HEATED & FOLDING DOOR MIRRORS , SANTORINI BLACK, £24,390
This car comes with
Traffic Sign Recognition, USB Socket - Front on IP Shelf, InControl Connect Plus Pack, Reduced Section Spare Wheel, HomeLink - Garage Door Opener, Privacy Glass, Adaptive Xenon Headlamps with LED Signature Lighting - Automatic Headlamp Levelling and Headlamp Powerwash, Headlining - Morzine - Ebony, FULL GLASS PANORAMIC ROOF WITH ELECTRIC BLIND, FULL OXFORD HEATED/COOLING ELECTRIC MEMORY PERORATED LEATHER SEATS, FACTORY TOUCH SCREEN SATELLITE NAVIGATION, XENON HEADLIGHT WITH SIGNATURE LED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS & AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM ASSIST, REVERSING CAMERA WITH PARK ASSIST , MERIDIAN DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM, 360 SURROUND CAMERA SYSTEM, ALUMINIUM SIDE STEPS, REAR HEATED SEATS, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING, ELECTRIC OPENING /CLOSING TAILGATE, PRIVACY GLASS, 7 SEATS, 3RD ROW SEATS AIRCON, ELECTRIC HEATED & FOLDING DOOR MIRRORS, Climate Control - Automatic with Air Filtration and Air Quality Sensing for Automatic Recirculation, Air Quality Sensor, Cruise Control, 3 SPOKE MULTI FUNCTION HEATED LEATHER STEERING WHEEL, EPAS - Electronic Power Assisted Steering, Steering Column - Manual For Height and Reach Adjustment, Remote Central Locking, Volumetric Alarm, Immobiliser, KEYLESS GO , KEYLESS ENTRY, ABS - Anti Lock Braking System, HSA - Hill Start Assist, EBA - Electronic Brake Assist, Electric Parking Brake, ETC - Electronic Traction Control, EBD - Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Autonomous Emergency Braking, RSC - Roll Stability Control, HDC - Hill Descent Control, DSC - Dynamic Stability Control, ADJUSTABLE ALL TERRAIN 4X4 SUSPENSION MODE, FACTORY COLOUR CODED BODYSTLING INCLUDING TAILGATE SPOILER AND DOOR HANDLES, Front Fog Lights, Automatic Headlights, Automatic Headlight Levelling, Auto-Dimming Interior Mirror, Centre Console with Sliding Armrest, Front and Rear Headrests Allround¿, Rear Centre Armrest with Twin Cupholders, Multi-Airbags with Side Airbags, Headlight Power Wash, Climate Control - High Level Rear Vents to Row 2, FRONT AND REAR ACOUSTIC PARKING SENSORS, 60-40 Folding Rear Seats, ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor Points, 2nd and 3rd Row - 2x2 USB with Charging, Seats - 5+2 with Sliding Row 2, Bluetooth Telephone Connectivity, InControl Apps, 8in Touch Screen
- 201911254727869
- 2015
- 65
- £24,390
- 2439
- 23,000
- Cars
- Discovery Sport
- ZTsx1G5Xkhg=
Vehicle summary
|Body style
|Engine size
|1999 cc
|Fuel type
|Number of doors
|Number of seats
|Gearbox type
|Auto 9Spd
|CO2 emissions
|139 g/km
|Insurance group
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (miles)
|No details available
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (years)
|3 years
|Standard paintwork guarantee
|3 years
Performance & economy
|Fuel consumption (urban)
|44.8 mpg
|Fuel consumption (extra urban)
|60.1 mpg
|Fuel consumption (combined)
|53.3 mpg
|0 - 60 mph
|8.4 seconds
|Top speed
|117 mph
|Engine power
|178 bhp
|Engine torque
|317 lbs/ft
|1724 mm
|Height inclusive of roof rails
|No details available
|4599 mm
|2741 mm
|2173 mm
|Width including mirrors
|No details available
|Fuel tank capacity
|54 litres
|Minimum kerb weight
|1884 kg
|Interior features
|Exterior features
|10/10 Way - Electric Seat Adjustment with Memory
|20in Alloy Wheels - 5 Split Spoke
|12V Power Socket
|Atlas Fender Vents
|12v Power Socket in Rear
|Atlas Grille with Narvik Black Grille Surround
|2nd Row - 2x USB with Charging
|Body Coloured Door Handles
|60-40 Folding Rear Seats
|Discovery Script on Bonnet and Tailgate in Atlas
|8in Touch Screen
|Discovery Script on Bonnet and Tailgate in Brunel
|ASL - Active Speed Limiter
|Door Handles - Noble Plated Upper and Lower
|Air Filtration
|Door Mirrors - Body Coloured
|Air Quality Sensor
|Door Mirrors - Electrically Adjustable - Heated and Power Folding with Memory Function
|Approach Lights
|Door Mirrors - Memory Function - Driver and Passenger
|Auto-Dimming Interior Mirror
|Door Mirrors - Reverse Auto Dipping
|Automatic Headlight Levelling
|Electric Windows - Front and Rear
|Automatic Headlights
|Fixed Panoramic Roof
|Bluetooth Audio Streaming
|Front and Rear Recovery Hooks
|Carpet - Ebony
|HSE Luxury Badge
|Carpet Mats - Premium - Front and rear
|Locking Wheel Nuts
|Centre Console with Sliding Armrest
|Roof - Body Coloured
|Climate Control - Automatic with Air Filtration and Air Quality Sensing for Automatic Recirculation
|Sport Badge
|Climate Control - High Level Rear Vents to Row 2
|Tailgate Finisher in Atlas
|Climate Control - Two-Zone Climate Control
|Tow Eye Covers in White Silver
|Climate Front Seats with Heated Rear Seats
|Tyre Repair System
|Cupholders x2
|Windscreen - Heated
|Customer Configurable Interior Mood Lighting
|Digital Audio Broadcast Radio
|Door Armrest - Ebony
|Door Main - Ebony
|Door Top Roll - Ebony
|EPAS - Electronic Power Assisted Steering
|Emergency Call and Breakdown Call
|Front Fog Lights
|Full TFT - LCD Instrument Cluster
|Headlight Power Wash
|Headlights - Automatic High Beam Assist
|Headlights - Xenon with LED Signature
|Headlining - Cirrus Morzine
|Illuminated Aluminium Tread Plates
|InControl Apps
|InControl Protect for Warranty Period
|InControl Remote
|Instrument Panel Insert - Aluminum Silver
|Instrument Panel Lower - Ebony
|Instrument Panel Mid - Ebony
|Instrument Panel Upper - Ebony
|LED Front Signature Lights
|Land Rover Audio with 11 Speakers including Subwoofer
|Leather Steering Wheel
|Load Space Cover
|Loadspace Stowage Rails
|Navigation System - SD Card
|Parcel Shelf - Ebony
|Pollen Filter
|Rain Sensing Windscreen Wipers
|Rear Centre Armrest
|Rear Lights - LED
|Seat Belts - Ebony
|Seat Hardware - Ebony
|Seat Stitching - Ebony
|Seats - 5+2 with Sliding Row 2
|Seats - Driver Height Adjustable
|Seats - Driver and Passenger Front Memory
|Seats - Heated Rear
|Seats - Rear Centre Head Restraint
|Speakers x10
|Steering Column - Manual For Height and Reach Adjustment
|Steering Wheel - Heated
|Steering Wheel Rim - Ebony
|Sun Visors - Illuminated Vanity Mirrors
|Tailgate - Powered Electrical Tailgate
|USB Socket - Front on Centre Console
|Voice Control - Navigation
|ABS - Anti Lock Braking System
|Airbags - Curtain
|Airbags - Driver
|Airbags - Front Passenger
|Airbags - Front Side
|Auto Locking and Crash Unlock System
|Autonomous Emergency Braking
|Cruise Control
|DSC - Dynamic Stability Control
|EBA - Electronic Brake Assist
|EBD - Electronic Brake-Force Distribution
|ETC - Electronic Traction Control
|Electric Parking Brake
|HDC - Hill Descent Control
|HSA - Hill Start Assist
|ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor Points
|Keyless Entry
|Lane Departure Warning
|Park Assist - Parallel-Perpendicular
|Parking Aid - Front
|Parking Aid - Rear
|Pedestrian Protection System - Bonnet Airbag
|RSC - Roll Stability Control
|Rear View Camera
|Remote Central Locking
|TPMS - Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
|TSA - Trailer Stability Assist
|Terrain Response
|Trailer Stability Control
|Trip Computer
|Volumetric Alarm
Please note
This includes MPG figures which are calculated under European Standards, in test conditions, and will vary under normal driving conditions. The information displayed above describes the typical specification of the most recent model of this vehicle. It is not the exact specification for the actual vehicle being offered for sale which may vary. Specifications for older models may also vary. Please contact us prior to purchase to confirm the exact specification of this vehicle.
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text: So I am finally getting around to checking out The Witcher 3 (despite pre-ordering it over a year before it released). It has been long enough since I played the last two games that I barely remember what happened in the story. I decided to visit to YouTube to find a summary of the previous two games. After a bit of searching. these two videos are by far the best that I have come across. They are a bit long since they cover all the major events of the previous two games, but now I feel fully prepared going into Witcher 3. By the way, if you have yet to play the first two games I highly recommend them. Well, maybe not the first one anymore since I don't think it holds up as well. However Witcher 2 is still excellent and worth your time.


text:
In pictures: Kenya's coastal conservation heroes
Photograph: © SAF – Coastal Care
Just 30 km south of the booming port town of Mombasa, residents of two tranquil Kenyan villages are making history.
Here, amongst the mud-walled houses and coconut trees, the people of Gazi and Makongeni villages have become the world's first communities to harness the carbon market through mangrove conservation.
The Mikoko Pamoja ('mangroves together') project is restoring Gazi Bay's coastal ecosystems, with community members planting thousands of mangrove seedlings each year and trading the resulting carbon offset on the global market – protecting the coastline, restoring local fisheries, and bringing in over $25,000 for community initiatives in the project's first two years alone…
Read Full Article; UNEP (05-10-2018)
Fishing communities in Kenya's South Coast, net cash and more fish from protecting mangroves, The Star (10-29-2016)
Coastal Kenyan villages bringing their mangrove forest back to life, Guardian UK (02-24-2016)
A community on Kenya's east coast is fighting climate change with its own mangrove restoration, conservation and carbon-trading project…
Where the land meets the sea: Governing mangrove forests; Forests News (02-02-2017)
As countries ponder how to encourage mangrove conservation, the role of people, rights, and governance institutions should receive equal consideration…
"Where Land Meets the Sea: A Global Review of the Governance and Tenure Dimensions of Coastal Mangrove Forests," Center for international forestry research; (2016)
The Human Element of Mangrove Management; USAID (12-16-2016)
Sri Lanka to become the first nation in the world to protect all its mangroves; Guardian UK (05-12-2015)
More than half the world's mangroves have been lost over the last century but all of those surviving in Sri Lanka, one of their most important havens, are now to be protected in an unprecedented operation…
Destruction of Mangroves Costs up to US$42 billion in Economic Damages Annually – UNEP Report (10-14-2014)
The world is losing its mangroves at a faster rate than global deforestation, the United Nations revealed, in a new report "Importance of Mangroves: A Call to Action," adding that the destruction of the coastal habitats was costing billions in economic damages and impacting millions of lives…
Mangroves protect coastlines, store carbon – and are expanding with climate change; The Conversation (02-09-2018)
Mangroves are providing extremely valuable services and may become even more important as they expand toward the poles. But according to one recent study, many mangrove ecosystems are not building enough new elevation to keep pace with sea level rise…


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Depending on how long you've been planning on a trip, you may or may not be financially ready to purchase your flights. If you have been saving up – congratulations, that's fantastic! If you haven't yet, that's totally okay – either way, it's a good idea to do some research beforehand just to have an idea of how much money you'll need for your flights. You may also be interested in part I & part II of how to save up for an upcoming trip.
Websites use cookies to get information on what you've been searching on the internet. If you search for a certain flight repeatedly without purchasing it, the website will increase the price, therefore tricking you into buying it before the price goes any higher. Using incognito or private browsing allows you to search with no previous memory, meaning you get the actual price of the flight at the time being. To open incognito or private browsing: open Chrome > at the top right corner click > click "new incognito window" OR use the keyboard shortcut:
If you're using a Mac: Command + Shift + N
If you're using a PC: Ctrl + Shift + N
If you're flexible on the date or the destination of your travels Google Flights is the best place to start your search as it has access to all major airlines as well as many budget airlines all around the world. There are two ways to search for cheap airfare on Google Flights:
- IF YOU ARE FLEXIBLE WITH THE DATE OF YOUR TRAVELS – enter your preferred airport to fly out of, to get even more rates, you can add other airports by clicking the add button (see photo below) and choosing nearby airports. Do the same for your destination. From here, you have three viewing options: "Calendar", "Flexible dates", and "Price graph", which are all incredibly helpful tools when it comes to choosing the cheapest flights. Play around with each option and see which one you prefer.
- IF YOU ARE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DESTINATION – enter your preferred airport to fly out of, using the steps mentioned above. Choose "one way" flight even if you are looking for a return ticket, this is just so you can see the cheapest days to fly (that's if you have some flexibility with your departure or return date). Leave the "where to?" or your destination empty, and click on the map to "Explore destinations" and voila! The world's your oyster! The picture below shows flights from Vancouver to all major cities in Australia – Sydney being the cheapest one.
Now that you've found a specific flight you're interested in, you can compare your booking options.
- SKYSCANNER – skyscanner is my top pick for flights as it always offers lower rates than Google Flights. It also has the "Explore Map" and "Calendar" option to an extend + a bonus option which shows you the "Cheapest Month" to fly to your destination.
- TRAVEL AGENCIES – another way to purchase a flight you have already found is to take all the information to a travel agency – they can book the same flight at a discounted price.
- AIRWANDER – if you are flexible with your dates then why not extend your layover and tick off another destination on your list, all while saving money! I know, it's hard to believe that you could have a stopover somewhere and end up paying less for your flight but AirWander does just that! You can choose the length of your stopover and the website gives you a list of all the different destinations you could visit. And that's not all – AirWander allows you to choose as many stopovers as you like, making it the easiest way to book multiple flights!
Before searching for a flight, have a reasonable price bracket in mind that you're comfortable with. If you have no idea, do a quick Google search to see what the average flight goes for during the time of the year you're planning on traveling. If you find a flight within your price bracket I'd suggest you book it right away. Although a lot of companies like to advertise "savings on last minute flights", the reality is that you save so much more by planning ahead and booking your flights in advance.
Using cash has been a foreign concept to me ever since I turned 19 and was able to have a credit card. I've used my visa and AMEX for every big or small purchase that I possibly can. I even asked to pay my student loan back using my credit cards – turns out you can't pay a loan back with another loan. 😀 It's the BEST feeling to use all those points you've been collecting towards free flights! Just make sure you're paying your monthly statements in full because the points are definitely not worth it if you're paying 20% interest on loans you owe the bank. Get in touch with your bank today to ask about how many points you've collected over the years!
CAREFULLY READ THE LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS, paying close attention to size and weight. Most budget airlines only allow one piece of carry-on and that includes your camera bag, laptop bag, or even a small purse. Most budget airlines will get you to pay an extra fee for your checked-in luggage(s).
CHECK THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND YOUR ACCOMMODATION. Make sure to check both your departure and arrival distances before booking your flights. Sometimes it's not worth it to book with a budget airline that flies from further out the city centre, if you have to pay more for a taxi, bus, or train to get to the airport.
Last but not least, make sure to ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINTS! Some budget airlines require you to print your boarding pass while others are okay with an electronic copy. Some ask you to have the same credit card which you purchased your flight with, etc. etc. All these rules and regulations are clearly stated on your booking confirmation – take the extra few minutes to carefully read through the entire thing and it'll keep you from paying any extra fees on the day of your travels.


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Use the BattLife commissioning process to store the initial installation test results.
BattLife uses the commissioning discharge or autonomy test data as a datum benchmark throughout the life of the battery.
Maintenance & Warranty
BattLife creates transfer of ownership from CapEx to OpEx.
BattLife gives the OpEx team direct control of asset warranty compliance and transparency of best practice throughout the lifetime of the battery system.
End of Life
BattLife creates a robust preventative maintenance regime for end of life budget planning in advance of premature failure.
The reason we designed BattLife is to ensure there is no interruption of power to critical infrastructure systems.
Site Manager
Manage Asset Warranties and Client Service Level Agreements.
BattLife manages Site Assets such as:
- UPS System Batteries
- Batteries & Chargers
- Genset Starter Batteries
- Emergency Lighting Batteries
- Switch Tripper Batteries
Planner creates service maintenance workflows and reports for all battery site visits.
Available reports include:
- Visual inspections
- Impedance measurement
- Conductance measurement
- Autonomy discharge testing
- Full battery discharge testing
Reporter combines the lifetime maintenance history of the battery asset to create proactive maintenance and predictive end of life analysis.
- Instantly report site visits
- Import historical data
- Analyse and predict battery performance
- Export all your test reports to PDF


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Wine Stories: Celebrate Tempranillo Day
Angela and Celebrity Chef, Mike Ward partnered with Montecillo to celebrate Tempranillo Day by hosting dinner parties as part of the iYellow Supper Club series.
Much of Spain's red wine glory hinges upon the jammy, soft red and black fruit of the Tempranillo grape. Found primarily in the northern
regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero along with the centrally located La Mancha, Tempranillo tends to dominate as a single bottle variety and is also a key player in many Garnacha based blends. It produces a medium to full-bodied red wine with lower acidity, decent tannins, and full fruit flavour characteristics (via: The Spruce)
With Tempranillo Day right around the corner on November 9th, this is what you need to be sipping to show your wine pride! Montecillo is one of our favourites, and we hosted a totally inspired dinner party with a curated menu from celebrity chef Mike Ward. Tempranillo is one of the most versatile wines when it comes to pairing both wine and food and this culianry evening was enjoyed by select media and iYellow VIP members.
The pairing menu was as followed…..
Sardines, Mediterranean Marmalade toast and Charcuterie paired with Sangria with Montecillo Solaz (LCBO #610188)
Course #1
Aguachile – scallops with cilantro, cucumber, lime & radish
Course #2
Fishermans Lunch – Octopus, lemon potatoes, olive tapenade, smoked paprika aioli paired with Montecillo Crianza (LCBO #144493)
Course #3
Pearl Barley Paella – Oven roasted tomato, nutritional yeast, pearl barley, tomato broth, smoked
chipotle paired with Montecillo Reserva (LCBO #621003)
Course #4
Lamb Shanks Rioja, Lebneh – Rioja & cinnamon braised lamb shanks with dill, cucumber lebeneh & oregano paired with Montecillo Gran Reserva
Course #5
Cheese & Dessert paired with Montecillo Osborne Santa Maria Cream Sherry (LCBO #31120)
Find Montecillo Crianza Rioja for $14.95 at the LCBO here!
+ Montecillo Rioja Reserva for $17.95 at the LCBO here!
(photos courtesy of Libby Roach)


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In promotion of the Doctor Who Live Tour across the UK, some familiar villains from the show invaded Old Market Square in Nottingham today. BBC NEWS has some photos from the stunt. Check out the kids scurrying in fear in the photo above. I can't say I blame them: those clockwork androids from the Tennant-era episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" freak me out. Just a bit.
According to the website, the Doctor Who live tour "promises to deliver a spectacular audio/visual experience featuring live music, special effects, and appearances from the show's most popular monsters including Daleks, Cybermen, Scarecrows, Oods, and Silurians." Very cool. If any of you Brits have tickets, let me know. I do make a fantastic Plus One.Read More


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FONTANA (CBSLA) – A jealous driver who wrongly believed the mother of his child was having a relationship with her co-worker is facing murder charges after police say he ran down and killed an 18-year-old man Wednesday night in Fontana. The mother of the suspect's child was also arrested on accusations of being an accessory to murder.
The crime took place at around 7:20 p.m. in the 1700 block of Foothill Boulevard. According to Fontana police, the victim, Cristian Dominguez-Aguilar of Fontana, was getting a ride home from work from his co-worker, 20-year-old Elisabeth Mancilla of Rialto.
Mancilla dropped Aguilar off at a 7-Eleven, where 20-year-old John Nieto of San Bernardino — the father of Mancilla's child — was waiting in his truck. Police said that Nieto knew that Mancilla dropped Aguilar at that location on a regular basis.
As Aguilar exited the car, Nieto sped up and tried to run him over in his 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, police said. He missed, but as Aguilar was trying to run away, Nieto made a second attempt, and this time struck and critically injured Aguilar, and also ran his truck into a building in the process.
Mancilla witnessed the entire incident, police said. After the crash, she drove down the street, picked up Nieto – who abandoned his truck – and both drove to her Rialto home without stopping or rendering aid to Aguilar.
Aguilar was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
Nieto and Mancilla were arrested at her home Thanksgiving morning.
Furthermore, police believe that Aguilar and Mancilla were not having a relationship, as Nieto wrongly suspected.


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Third Logic Media is proud to announce the release of Debórah Bond's newest album Madam Palindrome (7/17). This album is a confident and bold artistic & creative statement. Reflections on perspectives and palindromes not only influenced lyrics and song content but informed artist Shuhei Matsuyama's creative process for the design of the truly stunning album's artwork. Recorded in the US, mixed and mastered in London, with CD artwork designed in Tokyo, this album's gestation was truly global. With venerable engineer Al Stone (Jamiroquai/Björk) on mixing duties, Debórah's evolution of sound is readily apparent. Amongst many tasteful gems in Madam Palindrome, this album sports a duet with UK underground legend Lewis Taylor.
A self-proclaimed "people watcher, dreamer and lover of philosophy", Debórah Bond (pronounced De-BOR-rah) credits Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, and Sade as the roots which shaped her sound. Her unique and "eclectic mix of R&B, funk and Brit soul" receives accolades from fans and critics worldwide. The debut album "DayAfter", and the remix album "AfterDay", established Debórah Bond's reputation as both a deeply sensitive, spiritual, sincere artist and a funky diva with captivating stage presence (Check out the video for the single "See You In My Dreams", currently on heavy rotation on VH1 Soul).


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I was a bit disappointed in the book for a few reasons. It was certainly a page-turner, but I did feel it was a bit too long, and could easily have been wrapped up two or three hundred pages earlier. One part of the problem is the incredibly short time-frame the story covers: the entire novel describes a single week, beginning pretty much the moment the Dome appears. The pacing of the novel is compelling, but I would have much rather learned what life was like in Chester's Mill five weeks, three months, or six years later; wrapping things up in seven days robs us of much of the extrapolative possibility inherent in the story's central concept. Furthermore, King has already done the basic story of Under the Dome-- bizarre event isolates the inhabitants of a small Maine town; fascism rapidly emerges-- in "The Mist." At one point a character makes an offhand comment about "that movie, The Mist," and once you get past the initial chuckle it feels like King's tacit acknowledgment: Yeah, I've done this before, but look! this is ten times longer! None of these problems kept me from finishing the book, but I do wish it had been a bit more... something.
Religion crops up in several places in the story. We see it first in the town's two ministers. First is the fundamentalist Lester Coggins, a conservative convinced that the town is being punished for its sins (in which he has a large share). Second is the Congregationalist Piper Libby, who isn't too sure she believes in God anymore: "Not-There was her private name for God lately. Earlier in the fall it had been The Great Maybe. During the summer, it had been The Omnipotent Could-Be." Such is our introduction to Libby; she's saved from the cliché of the preacher-who-has-lost-her-faith by a depth of character that emerges much later in the book.
But the real meat of the book's religious, and apocalyptic, content comes from two non-ordained characters. "Big Jim" Rennie is a used car dealer and local despot who attempts, with a disturbing level of success, to position himself as the town's absolute ruler as soon as the Dome descends. Rennie is Lester Coggins' chief congregant, and his spirituality is presented as the lowest common denominator of evangelicalism: his image of the afterlife is to spend eternity eating steak and mashed potatoes with Jesus. (We get a glimpse of his actual afterlife at the book's end, in a moment with a nice Twilight Zone flavor). This bland religiosity covers up a much more sinister contempt for everyone and everything. He sees the Dome not as a tragedy, but as an opportunity to take complete control of the town. Anyone who thinks King is sentimental about small-town Maine should take a close look at this character, who makes it pretty clear that he sees dark and evil things barely even concealed beneath the veneer of rural gentility.
[There are some spoilers in the paragraph below.]
A bit more interesting is Phil Bushey, a speed freak now known as "Chef" due to the incredible size and efficiency of his meth lab-- a meth lab created and owned by Rennie and Coggins. Chef dropped completely off the town's radar months before the Dome, and has become transformed by a combined drug paranoia and religious mania into a volatile and extremely dangerous force. After an extended drug binge in the meth lab-- a shack behind Coggins' church-- he has developed an elaborate end-times theology in which he, anointed by God and high-quality drugs, is a God's frontline soldier in the war against "bitter men" like Rennie. His violent millenialism turns the small apocalypse of the Dome into a big apocalypse when the meth lab ultimately explodes, taking the rest of the town with it. And, by the book's end, after seeing the depths to which a "normal" town can stoop in so short a time, we're not so sure that Chester's Mill doesn't deserve it.
[Here endeth the spoilers.]Ultimately, Under the Dome doesn't quite justify its page count. Though the plot moves quickly and the enormous cast is well-drawn, it doesn't push its SF ideas quite far enough. When we learn the mystery of the Dome at the book's end, it feels suspiciously like the conclusion of a carefully-constructed shaggy dog story. King isn't primarily an SF writer, of course, and some might even question identifying this novel as SF at all. But as someone who came to this book because of its genre leanings, I felt it would have been well-served by devoting a bit more of its energy to idea-exploration. Add to that a fairly disturbing sexualization of violence toward women in the book's first half (something I'm surprised more reviewers haven't mentioned), and you have a book that simply isn't rewarding enough for what it asks of its readers. It's a mostly enjoyable book, sure; but 1,100 pages calls for a big investment of time and attention, and we need more than this book gives us to make that investment worthwhile.


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We are still working on the patio spruce-up. Today, we are talking about Landscaping with Rock instead of Mulch. If you missed the first installment of the patio spruce-up, or the DIY Scrap wood rolling planter, make sure to check those out! Or if you want to check out my recent shade garden update – you can find that here. Basically, we are working on sprucing up the patio over the next month or so… on a serious budget! So, let's chat about our decision for using rocks instead of mulch and what that entailed.
Replacing Mulch With Rock
Two years ago, we spruced up the patio with mulch. Actually, we spruced up all our flower beds with mulch. They all looked great and the patio was no exception. But, at over $600 in mulch to get all the areas looking nice, it was just too much. It would have been ok if that $600 lasted a few years, but really the mulch in our area needs to be done yearly. We have tons of trees on our property and on the property all around us. So, between the branches and leaves that constantly fall, we are out there with a leaf blower trying to keep the spaces cleared. Well, the leaf blower not only takes care of the leaves but it also moves the mulch around. So, about six months after we put in all that mulch – it went to looking pretty bad.
Some areas in our yard can look more 'organic' or less manicured. The patio area definitely pulls traditional and needs the mulch areas to look nice.
Luke and I finally came to the realization that we just couldn't keep up with all the flower bed areas and we had to start making some changes. One of the changes we made was to replace all the mulch around the patio with river rocks and possibly all the flower beds with rocks instead of mulch.
My step-brother and I started landscaping with rocks instead of mulch last fall and it's been working well for us. I wanted to wait a bit to share because I wanted to give my honest opinion on the mulch vs rock look. I felt like I really needed to see how the river rock looked over time before reporting back in on the mulch vs rock around our patio.
Using Rocks Instead of Mulch How-To
The first thing we did was to rip out all the old plants. The plants looked ok in the photo above but two of them were dead and only two had flowered (when they were all the same type of plant to begin with). So, we ripped those out and then started raking off the excess mulch.
Next, we put down weed barrier.
Every twelve inches or so, I would hammer in these landscaping pins to keep the weed barrier in place.
Then, I'd cut a hole in the weed barrier and dig my holes for the plants. This might seem like a lot of work but since I was replacing the mulch around the patio anyways, I wanted to do it right!
I placed my plants in the holes and tucked some dirt in around them. Then, we hauled in lots of river rock.
The landscape area around our patio is pretty large. I think it took about 20 bags of river rock. The total for this project came to around $175.
In hindsight, it would have been cheaper to grab river rock by the truckload instead of the bags. I was just eye-balling the bags and we used way more than I expected to use.
Here's the after:
So, do we love it? Yes and no! I love the ease of maintaining it. We can use the leaf blower for just a few minutes and it looks great. The rocks stay in place and I don't have to worry about them.
Overall, I don't love it quite as much as fresh mulch. I think there's something really homey about fresh mulch that you can't quite get with the rocks. However, as soon as fresh mulch starts looking not so fresh then I definitely don't love that either. I do think once my plants grow to be a bit bigger, it will feel homier.
Overall, we are definitely glad we chose to landscape with the rocks instead of the mulch. It has helped the patio stay cleaner and more put together and, in the long-run, it will be much cheaper. If you want to see more of our patio, then make sure to check out our home tour!
What do you think of the whole rock vs mulch situation? Would you ever consider using rocks instead of mulch or do you love the fresh mulch look?
If you loved this post, then you may love:
Clean Siding Without A Power Sprayer
Small Changes Outside That Go A Long Way


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Come see this beautifully maintained coastal town home in Inland Greens! This 3 bed, 2 bath home boasts natural light and charm in the spacious 1500 sq ft,with large 2 car garage for additional storage. Desirable Inland Greens is conveniently located just minutes from Wrightsville Beach and Mayfaire. Here, you can enjoy the perks of home ownership without all the cares of maintenance as the HOA handles the roof, exterior of the building, and lawn care. The community is hard to beat; resident amenities include a large pool, club house, tennis courts, playground, walking trail, par 3 golf course, and a boat storage lot. Make this home yours in time to enjoy summer in your new, maintenance free, coastal community!
Listing courtesy of Intracoastal Realty Corp.
Copyright 2020 NCRMLS. All rights reserved. North Carolina Regional Multiple Listing Service, (NCRMLS), provides content displayed here ("provided content") on an "as is" basis and makes no representations or warranties regarding the provided content, including, but not limited to those of non-infringement, timeliness, accuracy, or completeness. Individuals and companies using information presented are responsible for verification and validation of information they utilize and present to their customers and clients. NCRMLS will not be liable for any damage or loss resulting from use of the provided content or the products available through Portals, IDX, VOW, and/or Syndication. Recipients of this information shall not resell, redistribute, reproduce, modify, or otherwise copy any portion thereof without the expressed written consent of NCRMLS.


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Cozy Carinthian architecture is combined with a "modern touch" and a real comfort. You will find the best catering directly next to your accommodation, the chalet restaurant "Trattlers Einkehr", Ski-in/Ski-out as well as hiking and cycling paths directly from the chalet.
Your chalet, with a living space of 85 or 110 m², is equipped with traditional high-quality natural materials such as larch- and pinewood from local businesses.


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Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common disease that is life threatening when rupture occurs. The aims of this thesis were to study (I) the long-term survival after AAA repair, (II) the cost of repair with open (OR) and endovascular (EVAR) technique, (III) the effect of different statistical methods on interpretation of cost data, (IV) the prevalence of the disease among patients with suspected arterial disease referred to the vascular laboratory, and (V) the cost-effectiveness of selective high-risk screening. Analyses of data from the Swedish vascular registry (Swedvasc), local patient registries, patient records and hospital cost registries form the basis of this thesis.
Short- and long-term survival after intact AAA repair improved over the past two decades, despite increasing patient age and rate of comorbidities over time. Compared to a general population adjusted for age, sex and calendar year, the relative 5-year survival was 90% among those surviving repair. While short-term survival improved over time after ruptured repair, relative long-term survival was stable. Despite differences in patient selection and cost structure, the total cost of AAA repair with EVAR and OR was similar in a population based setting (€28,193). There was lack of consistency in the methods used in cost-analysis in the current literature, and p-values were highly dependent on test method.
The practice of selective (non-population-based) screening for AAA among patients referred to the vascular laboratory was studied. The prevalence of AAA was 4.2% among male and 1.5% among female patients. AAA was associated with high age and prevalence of arterial stenosis. Of AAAs detected through selective screening, 21.5% had undergone elective repair at 7.5 years follow-up. In a health-economic evaluation, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of selective screening was €11,084 per life year gained.
In conclusion, survival after intact AAA repair has improved over time, despite changes in case-mix. Results of health economic reports on cost of AAA repair can be highly dependent on patient selection as well as presentation of data and the statistical methods used. Selective screening for AAA among patients referred to the vascular laboratory is cost-effective.
BACKGROUND: Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has changed significantly over the past 2 decades. In this perspective, time trends in long-term survival were studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 8663 primary intact and 4171 ruptured AAA repairs in the Swedish Vascular Registry from 1987 to 2005. Mortality was obtained from the national population registry. Crude survival was analyzed, including all mortality. To analyze the long-term outcome among those surviving the AAA repair, relative survival, which denotes the survival rate of patients compared with that of the general population adjusted for age, sex, and calendar year, was calculated, excluding 90-day mortality. In a comparison of AAA repairs from 1987 to 1999 and 2000 to 2005, age (71.4 versus 72.5 years; P<0.001), patients with comorbidities (65.0% versus 68.5%; P<0.001), and endovascular repair (1.6% versus 17.0%; P<0.001) increased. After intact AAA repair, crude 5-year survival was 69.0% (99% confidence interval [CI], 67.7 to 70.4), and relative 5-year survival excluding 90-day mortality was 90.3% (99% CI, 88.6 to 92.0). Relative 5-year survival was better for those operated on from 2000 to 2005 compared with 1987 to 1999 (difference, 4.7%; 99% CI, 1.3 to 8.1), for men versus women (4.6%; 99% CI, 0.4 to 8.8), and for octogenarians versus patients <80 years of age (10.2%; 99% CI, 1.5 to 18.8); no difference was observed between open and endovascular repair (6.0%; 99% CI, -1.5 to 13.4). After ruptured AAA repair, crude 5-year survival was 41.7% (99% CI, 39.6 to 43.7) and relative 5-year survival was 87.1% (99% CI, 83.9 to 90.3). No significant differences in relative 5-year survival were observed between time periods, sex, or age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival improved over time after intact AAA repair despite a change in case mix toward older patients with more comorbidities. Long-term survival was stable after ruptured AAA repair.
PURPOSE: To compare cost differences between elective open repair (OR) and endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysm in a population-based setting. METHODS: Clinical data and hospital-related costs (pre-, peri-, and postoperative) were analyzed for 109 consecutive AAA procedures (98 men; mean age 73 years, range 48-95; mean aneurysm diameter 61 mm, range 42-120) performed from 2001 to 2005 (58 OR, 51 EVAR) in our primary catchment area. Data were obtained through case records and hospital accounting systems. Nonparametric bootstrap was used for cost comparison. RESULTS: EVAR patients were older (76 versus 70 years, p<0.001) and had more comorbidities (ASA class 2.6 versus 2.3, p = 0.025). OR patients more often had anatomically complex aneurysms (52% versus 14%, p<0.001). Comparison of data with diagnosis-based reimbursement levels nationally and internationally indicated adequate cost level in the study. No difference was observed in total cost between OR and EVAR (euro29,786 versus euro26,382; p = 0.336). Preoperative cost was lower for OR compared to EVAR (euro661 versus euro1494, p = 0.002). OR patients had higher cost of intensive care [36% (euro8921) of perioperative cost versus 7% (euro1460), p = 0.001], while EVAR had higher implant cost [36% (euro7468) versus 2% (euro448), p<0.001]. Mean follow-up was 2.5 years (range 0.5-5.4). Mean postoperative cost was similar (OR euro4613 versus EVAR euro4403, p = 0.209; 16% and 17% of total cost, respectively). Postoperative cost after OR was high early on, with lower cost thereafter. Postoperative cost after EVAR was more homogeneously distributed, leveling off at euro500 to euro1000 annually over 5 years. CONCLUSION: In a population-based setting, total cost was similar for OR and EVAR. There were, however, important differences in patient characteristics and cost structure.
OBJECTIVE: Health economic arguments have become increasingly important in clinical decision making, especially when new treatment modalities are introduced. This study reviews the methods used in health economic reports of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair and uses original cost data to study how different methods affect interpretation of results in terms of cost differences and economic efficiency. DESIGN: Publications referenced in PubMed from 2003 to 2008 studying cost of AAA repair were reviewed. Original population-based cost data of AAA repair were analyzed, comparing open (OR) and endovascular repair (EVAR). Means, medians, and cost distributions were calculated, and differences were analyzed with four different statistical methods. RESULTS: The review showed a mixture of statistical methods used in AAA treatment cost-comparison studies. Presentation of cost data and inclusion criteria varied between studies. The analysis of original data showed skewed distribution of cost data, with large differences between mean and median cost. Although mean values indicated a lower total, perioperative, and postoperative cost for EVAR, the median values indicated OR was the least costly method. Exclusion of extreme values lowered mean perioperative cost of OR by 10%, while cost of EVAR was unaffected. Inferential testing of cost differences by means of four statistical methods showed that P values were highly dependent on test methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions of health economic reports can be highly dependent on how the data are presented and the statistical methods that are used. We recommend that cost data be presented as mean values with distributions. Exclusion of outliers and focus on P values should be avoided.
BACKGROUND: Patients examined for peripheral arterial disease at the vascular laboratory, Uppsala University Hospital, are since 1993 screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The objective of this study was to study the prevalence of AAA found at this selective high-risk screening. METHODS: All files in the vascular laboratory were retrospectively reviewed. Of 9296 persons examined with arterial duplex between 1993 and October 2005, 5924 were screened for AAA. The primary target vessel was the carotid arteries in 3772 subjects, the renal arteries in 1529 subjects and the lower extremity arteries in 1457 subjects. An AAA was defined as an infrarenal aortic diameter >/=30mm. RESULTS: 179 subjects were found to have an AAA. In a logistic regression model male gender, age and duplex-verified arterial stenosis were independently associated with AAA (odds ratio 3.2, 2.0/20 years and 2.0, respectively, p<0.001). In men <60 years the AAA prevalence was 0.9% (95% confidence interval 0.2-1.6%) when arterial stenosis was absent and 1.5% (0.0-3.2%) when present. In men >/=60 years the AAA prevalence was 4.0% (3.0-5.1%) when no arterial stenosis was found and 7.3% (5.7-8.9%) when found. The corresponding prevalences in women were 0%, 0%, 1.2% (0.5-1.8%), and 3.1% (1.9-4.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Men >/=60 years referred for arterial examination have a significant risk of having an AAA while only women >/=65 years with a duplex verified arterial stenosis have a sufficient risk of having an AAA. Studies to evaluate the benefit of selective high-risk screening are warranted.
Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in high-risk groups has been recommended based on a high prevalence of disease, while being questioned due to a high frequency of co-morbidities and inferior life-expectancy. We evaluated the long-term outcome and the cost-effectiveness of selective AAA screening among patients referred to the vascular laboratory for arterial examination. METHODS: A total of 5924 patients, referred to the vascular laboratory of a university hospital, were screened for AAA with ultrasound (definition: slashed circle>/=30mm), 1993-2005. Outcome data were gathered through hospital records and the national population registry. A Markov model was used for health-economic evaluation. RESULTS: An AAA was detected in 181 patients (mean age 72.8 years), of whom 21.5% underwent elective repair (perioperative mortality 5.1%) after 7.5 years of follow-up. Four of six patients diagnosed with AAA rupture were operated upon. Relative 5-year survival compared with the general Swedish population, controlled for age and sex, was 80.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 70.8-88.8). The cost-effectiveness was robust in base-case (11 084 Euro/life year gained) and in sensitivity analyses of prevalence, cost and survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in whom AAA was detected at selective screening had inferior long-term survival and were operated on less frequently, compared with AAA patients described in previous studies. Yet, selective screening at the vascular laboratory was cost-effective.


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Difficulty Getting In Shape? Attempt These Fitness Tips.Achieving your fitness goals is no easy feat. Highly recommended Webpage spend years experimenting with different plans, only to find that none of them actually work. Sadly, these people did not have the right approach or mentality in meeting their fitness goals. This article contains a number of tips that can help you be successful in achieving your fitness goals.
When you exercise, try exercising with other people. The group dynamic has been shown to grant greater endurance and more energy to the individuals in the group. In effect, you will find yourself working harder and exercising more regularly when others are involved. It is also harder to skip workouts when others know that you are supposed to be exercising.
If you're trying a fitness routine on for size, make sure your shoes fit the bill too! Buy your workout shoes at the end of a workday when your feet are at their largest. This way, your shoes will fit throughout your workout routine as your muscles stretch. It will also ensure that your leg muscles are properly supported.
A good tip that may help you get fit is to eat cottage cheese or milk before bed. Cottage cheese and milk, along with a few other foods, contain casein protein, which actually promotes lean body mass when eaten before bed. There are also protein powders that contain casein protein.
To really get some great legs, add some standing and sitting calf raises to your exercising routine. Doing both sitting and standing versions, work out both sets of muscles in the legs. Adding these to your workout will not only make your legs look great, but will allow you to get better results than with other leg exercises.
Keep your body measuring on a regular schedule. You need to keep track of your progress after a set amount of time and keep doing it to see what is working and what is not. It is recommended that you measure every four weeks or so. Take measurements of waist size, body fat, etc. Seeing these numbers will give you motivation to stay on track and achieve your goals.
Include http://www.purevolume.com/melisa52jonathan/posts/15579157/The+Best+Tips+For+Preparing+Nutritious+Meals of exercise in your workout regime. You won't get bored and you will be able to experience different ways to get fit that you may not have tried. Keep the most physically demanding workouts for when you feel at your best, and the most soothing workouts for times when you don't feel like exercising at all.
Keep your spine supple by doing spine mobilizing exercises. A supple spine is able to absorb impact better than one that is never exercised. Spine mobilizing exercises encourage the release of synovial fluid, which acts as a nourishing lubricant to your joints and also protects the discs in your back.
If you are looking to gain muscle mass, then do more reps with a lesser weight to achieve this. Bigger muscles do not always come from the person who lifts the most weights. side effects of taking collagen is a very popular technique among many professionals.
To help you include exercise into a tight schedule, you should walk whenever possible. That could mean taking the stairs instead of the elevator at the office or parking at the back of a large lot to give you a brisk brief walk to the store. When it comes to working out, every little bit counts.
One of the exercise programs usually offered is the aerobic class. This means performing long lasting, medium intensity exercises. Choose this program whenever available as this type of exercise strengthens the respiratory and the heart muscles and improves the blood circulation. As a general effect, it reduces the body's stress level, burns fat and promotes general wellbeing.
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Foods to pair with your collagen - Well+Good Find out what foods work with collagen foods and supplements to make them more effective.
If you need to build forearm strength for a sport such as tennis, use newspapers to get the job done. Lay them out flat and crumple them in your hands one by one. This actually works out the muscle you need most in your forearm, so crumple them up again and again!
To improve your physical fitness, never resort to steroids or performance enhancers. These can have devastating effects on your body, and the results will typically be short term. Additionally, you will be damaging your health, which can lead to muscle tears and pulls. Lay off the steroids if you desire optimal fitness results.
Try to keep your workouts limited. You should keep them to under an hour, if possible. After an hour, your body starts to produce a stress hormone that can actually start to eat away at your muscle and will block testosterone, which leads to less muscle development and does not produce a very good workout.
Make sure you get plenty of sleep. Sleeping is essential for all life. While you sleep, your body undergoes repairs that it could not normally do while you are awake. Your heart rate is also lowered, and you are in your most relaxed state. This is important when working out.
Hopefully, with the information you just read, you will be equipped to maintain or become physically fit! There is so much information on the subject of fitness. Apply the suggestions that fit your lifestyle. Stick to it! Remember, good intentions will not get into shape! You have to work for it! But, the benefits are worth it!