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8113 Birnam Wood Drive, which has been under renovation for several months, has been listed as "Coming Soon" and will be active for sale this weekend. An open house will be held on Sunday, December 9 from 2-4 PM. The list price is $1,149,000, and the listing broker, Long & Foster of Ashburn, states that there are 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 1 half bathroom. The location is outstanding, with the school and swim club located nearby.
Tag: Market Update
8019 Birnam Wood Drive Sells for $1.1M
The sale of 8019 Birnam Wood Drive in the McLean Hamlet closed on October 31. The home, listed for $1,199,000, on August 30, sold for $1,100,000. It was on the market for 19 days before receiving a contract.
Buyer alert
Do you want to purchase a home in the McLean Hamlet? The inventory of good homes has been low for the past few months, and a listing agent shared information with me about a home that will be on the market soon. If you are ready to buy, contact me now.
3rd Quarter Average Sale Price Drops in the McLean Hamlet
The price of closed home sales dipped in the third quarter in the McLean Hamlet. The average home sale price in the neighborhood for the most recent quarter was $897,500, compared to $966,000 in the second quarter of the year. This information is based upon data provided by MRIS, the local multiple listing service to which I subscribe. The average sale price in the 22102 zip code for the third quarter was $1,529,000.
Contact me directly for a full list of closed sales and other statistics for this local market.
8003 Lewinsville Road Listed for Sale
A new listing in the McLean Hamlet, priced at $935,000.
An expanded split foyer home at 8003 Lewinsville Road has been listed for sale for $935,000, in the McLean Hamlet. The home features 5 bedrooms, and 3 full bathrooms, and includes an addition built on the back of the home that provides extra living space. The home is listed by Washington Fine Properties.
7811 Lewinsville Road Sold for $740,000
The home at 7811 Lewinsville Road has sold for $740,000. This price is considerably lower than most McLean Hamlet sales as discussed further below. The price seems to reflect the fact that the home was sold in as-is condition, and is located on a particularly busy stretch of road at the intersection of Lewinsville Road with Swinks Mill and Old Falls Roads. The photo above shows typical automobile traffic at the intersection.
What effect does being located on Lewinsville Road have on a home price? Two homes have been listed and sold on Lewinsville Road this year. They sold for $740,000 and $785,000 respectively. The average sale price of the 20 homes sold year to date in the McLean Hamlet, when these two homes on Lewinsville are excluded from the calculation is $971,000. However, when they are included the saver sale price is $950,000. These statistics, do not take condition of the home into account, but show that a sale price may be lower when a home is situated on Lewinsville Road. By comparison, homes sold in as-is condition inside the neighborhood have sold at $875,000 and $900,000.
By the way, I would like to thank you for reading the McLean Hamlet Real Estate News and Information blog. I would enjoy hearing your feedback. Click on the link on the right side of this screen to contact me directly, or give me a call.
Two Hamlet Homes Priced at $950,000
This morning two homes are now for sale in the McLean Hamlet with the same list price of $950,000. This price is below the average sale price in recent years so expect action quickly on these homes.
1354 Snow Meadow Lane is a new listing. It is a four bedroom, two full and one half bath home built in 1979. Many updates are noted in the listing, which is listed by Fass Results LLC. The home is open on Thursday from 4-6 pm and Sunday from 2-4 pm.
1324 Titania Lane is now priced at $950,000 after being listed for sale on August 11 for $999,000. This home is listed for sale in "as-is" condition, and notes that there is room for improvement by a new owner.


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Revelling in Crystal's newest river cruise ship
It is hard to believe that just a few years ago, luxury cruise line Crystal didn't operate a single river cruise ship. It had a loyal following of guests who enjoyed sailing aboard its oceangoing wonders, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, in lavish comfort.
Then, Crystal introduced its Crystal Esprit — a small, luxurious expedition-style ship operating some of the most unique and interesting itineraries in the business. And just a short time later, Crystal debuted its inaugural river cruise ship, Crystal Mozart, on the Danube.
Fast-forward two years, and the Crystal river cruise family has taken off in leaps and bounds. Since the debut of its river cruise arm in July 2016, Crystal has launched five ships on the waterways of Europe, each of which offers the same luxurious styling and lavish amenities as its oceangoing ships.
The latest member of the Crystal river cruises family, Crystal Ravel, was recently christened in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, within sight of the city's iconic Chain Bridge. The 106-passenger ship is a sister to Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy: purpose-built ships that were designed expressly by Crystal Cruises to be some of the most comfortable and trendsetting ships sailing Europe's waterways.
"Today is a proud day for the entire Crystal family. In just over two years, we introduced five ships, which is a tremendous accomplishment of growth for this expansion of the Crystal brand," said Tom Wolber, Crystal's president and CEO, during the Budapest ceremony. "But what makes us most proud is that with each new ship and new experience, Crystal's commitment to superb quality and exceptional luxury and service has remained unwavering."
A crew of 68 serve the ship's 106 guests, and that makes for a very personalized experience that is rare even amongst European river cruise ships, which are already known for their spaciousness and relatively high levels of service.
During her maiden season, already in session, Crystal Ravel will be operating voyages between Vienna and Basel, Switzerland, with durations ranging from six to 14 days in length. Next year, Crystal Ravel will become the only river cruise ship to sail week-long Danube cruises round-trip from Vienna to ports in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
If you're reading this, and have been on a river cruise, you will know what I mean when I say that river cruising is a very special experience. It is completely different from ocean cruising, yet offers many of the same amenities and conveniences as an ocean cruise — such as the ability to unpack once and see multiple places within a single vacation.
How Crystal builds upon that is by rethinking everything that river cruising has traditionally been in the past. In fact, it is no stretch to say that Crystal is doing for luxury river cruising what Viking did for river cruising in general: it changed the game.
If you like staying in Fairmont hotels or a nice Ritz-Carlton, Crystal is the river cruise line for you. Crystal Ravel, like her fleetmates, offers up the only all-suite, all-balcony, all-butler river cruise accommodations in the industry. Even the lowest entry-level suite comes in at 188 square feet (about the size as an upper stateroom category on most river cruise ships) and includes a wall-to-wall Panoramic Balcony Window (essentially a French balcony that opens electronically with the push of a button), plus niceties like an in-suite Nespresso machine; a full closet; a writing desk and vanity area; and a 40-inch wall-mounted flat-panel television.
At the upper end of the accommodation categories, you can find yourself in a suite that would rival a lavish hotel on land. The Two-Bedroom Crystal Suite on board Crystal Ravel has its own faux fireplace in the main sitting room (perfect for those chilly Christmas Markets sailings on the Danube); a full-size walk-in closet; and separate living and sleeping areas.
Of course, things this lavish come with a certain cost, and Crystal is no exception. Pricing is on par with what you might expect of a luxury line. But perhaps the most telling aspect of Crystal's foray into river cruising is how popular the line has become in just a few short years.
Proof you can't have too much of a good thing.
Happy cruising.
Visit Portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-410-4744, www.cruise.center, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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A Magical Birthday
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Truly special decorative bags to make all your gifts look amazing. The upper edges are folded for exceptional durability (because dropped gifts are NOT good) and each bag's handles have an attached die-cut gift tag that coordinates with the bag's artwork.
Product Details:
- Heavy-weight paper stock
- 8" x 10" x 4" size
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"You have to be a big kid to think of something like this, but who doesn't have an inner child just waiting to be released...?"
Site visit or email, skype and phone
Share new ideas, imagine & create - we will listen to your thoughts and wishes. Discover more and Contact Treehouse Life
Consultation, design & budget with proven results
Results and proposals with 3D model design movies, photos and budgets. Discover more and Contact Treehouse Life
Delivery, build & service - a guaranteed lifetime investment
A treehouse project for your dreams, built by craftsmen and enjoyed for a lifetime. Discover more and Contact Treehouse Life
Can you imagine the sense of achievement when you look back down and realise that you have scaled up a towering wall and perhaps conquered your greatest fear?
Our bespoke Climbing Walls offer a chance to teach children new skills, build their confidence and encourage perseverance. Built to height, they typically 'wrap' around our treehouse designs, or are twisted and shaped around existing trees. Designed to give both easy and challenging options, the wall provides a number of ways to climb up into your treehouse, using the coloured resin 'holds' that are set into the eased edge timbers.
Climbing Walls available as a 'stand-alone' product for schools and recreation areas, we can also provide relevant ground surfacing solutions for safe play.
Treehouse Life always designs specifically for the use intended, and is sensitive to both RoSPA Play Safety guidelines and education authority specialists.
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"Sara spends hours there playing make-believe games. It's a real feast for her imagination..."
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Here are some principles for your consideration that I hold dear in thinking about what is essential for wilderness travel, especially for dealing successfully with most wilderness emergencies that might arise.
1. No one list of "essentials" (whether it is 10, 12 or more) will handle all situations for all wilderness travelers.
2. Before each major trip, review the goals, weather, party makeup, terrain, etc. Get consensus within the party as to which essential gear items are needed. If consensus is not possible, try to convince everyone in the party to carry those minimum essentials you deem necessary for a highly successful trip.
3. Rely only on yourself for survival gear; do not rely on others; generally, do not team up on this kind of gear.
4. Safety is more important than comfort and convenience; never sacrifice needed safety and survival essentials to save a few ounces of carried weight.
5. The more skilled you are the less need there is for the classic list of 10 essentials; the more skilled you are the absolute essentials become water, shelter and warmth. All else is can be useful, but is not essential.
6. Think in terms of functional systems rather than individual essentials. For example, an adequate communication system in case of emergency might include a signal mirror, flashing LED, fire starter, note pad and pencil. An minimally sufficient insulation system might include a space blanket, warm hat, gloves and a vest. Other potential systems for emergencies: hydration, nutrition, repairs, sun protection, shelter, fire.
7. The bottom line essentials are not specific items of gear but individual knowledge, skill and experience (i.e., your brain).
8. It is more important to focus on avoiding emergencies than to make sure you have the right gear for dealing with one. (Reviewing the several articles on this website in the "Safety and Prevention" category is highly recommended.)
9. Because they are so light in weight, common sense dictates that you carry most of the following highly useful items most of the time, whether or not you see them as part of the "ten essentials":
— sun protection (e.g., sunblock, sun hat)
— navigation aids (e.g., map, compass, watch, altimeter; LED lights)
— repair kit (e.g., razor blade, duct tape, flossing string, needle and thread)
— communication aids (fire making materials, flashing LED, pad and pencil)
— water treatment chemicals.
Reader Participation: Preparing For Wilderness Emergencies
First, add any basic principles missing from the above list. Second, circle 3-5 principles that are most important to you. Third, flesh out those principles you deem most important.
This brief article has been excerpted from a much longer article. Click on this link to peruse the complete article: Seeking Truth About the Ten Essentials.
Content copyright 2017. High Country Explorations. All rights reserved.
Website by kitsapwebsiteconsulting.com


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Palm Tree Pinata$84.00
Take your next party to the tropics with this 2ft x 2ft palm tree pinata! Life's a beach when you've got a fun fiesta and an island of candy to share!
Note: If you would like a similar pinata or you have another design in mind please visit our custom pinatas page.


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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers – Vegan & Gluten-Free
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa
- 4 large bell peppers, seeded, caps reserved
- 1 handful of green beans, ends trimmed, chopped
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 handful of asparagus, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ a white onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 1 cup of assorted mushrooms, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups of vegan tomato sauce
Takes , serves 4.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut caps off of peppers and reserve. Trim away seeds from inside of each pepper and stand peppers upright in an 8x8" glass casserole dish. Set aside. Heat tomato sauce and simmer on low until use.
- Place cooked quinoa, beans, zucchini, asparagus and basil into a medium-sized bowl.
- Set a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil and allow to come to temperature, noted when oil shimmers. Cook onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and celery, allowing it to cook for a minute before adding the carrot and sweet potato. Sauté until just slightly soft.
- Transfer cooked vegetables into bowl of raw vegetables and stir together. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer stuffing into peppers, packing it down firmly. Spoon tomato sauce onto the stuffed peppers and into the bottom of the casserole dish. Place caps onto the peppers and cover the dish loosely with tinfoil.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and discard tinfoil. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Return peppers to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve in soup plates, spooning tomato sauce from the dish onto each.


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Acupuncture is...
the process of insertion of thin needles into the body along energy currents called meridians. This process regulates and revitalizes the natural healing abilities of the body. Acupuncture has been proven effective for a wide range of ailments, including all types of pain, fertility issues, hormonal imbalances, migraines, addiction, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, chronic fatigue, common cold, digestive issues, and more!
How to Prepare For Treatment:
Treatment to reduce pain, tension and stiffness by using glass cups to increase circulation. Heat is used to create a suction onto the skin and the cups stay on the skin for several minutes, either stationary or manipulated by the practitioner. ***Dark circle marks may appear on the skin from the superficial capillaries breaking under the skin. The dark circles look like a bruise, but are not the same as a bruise from a trauma.
The use of a ceramic tool in a repeated stroking pattern along the skin of the back to alleviate tension and expel disease. This will lead to the appearance of "sha", reddish pink coloration on the surface of the skin. It is an indication of the release of toxins, and does not break the skin or cause pain.
What Our Clients Are Saying
"I cannot say enough about Chinese Medicine. Our son has been constipated for weeks. One session with Caitria and within minutes of it ending, he has had a bowel movement. The patience, devotion, and love she has for her job is apparent in every session. I also see Caitria regularly for treatments, and can attest to the incredible work she does. Thank you, Caitria!"
-Alejandra O.
"One of the most amazing things I have seen while working with Caitria is her ability to address health issues and the body with a wholistic approach. Awhile back, after a long day of flying, our son came down with 104 degree fever. I reached for all my natural ways to bring the fever down and then contacted Caitria. She was able to assist me greatly with directing me to which acupressure points would bring his fever down. Within 15 minutes of completing the acupressure protocol, his fever was down TWO DEGREES! Not .2 degrees, two whole degrees! Oh wow, was I relieved!"
-Heather H.
"My whole life I have struggled with muscle tightness all over my body along with anxiety, trouble sleeping, and severe migraines. Since I became pregnant, my body has become more uncomfortable and I was tired of feeling worse every day. I've connected with Caitria before for intuitive work, so I contacted her about how my body was feeling and she recommended acupuncture. Since my first appointment, I sleep better than I ever have, my body feels more energized and comfortable, and I haven't had any migraines. I plan on continuing with acupuncture treatment with Caitria throughout my pregnancy and post pregnancy to keep improving my body's health."
-Sam D.
"Caitria has helped me get rid of my migraines, as well as figure out what was causing them so that I could make changes to prevent them in the future. Working with her has definitely improved my quality of life, and I have learned a lot!"
-Kayde T.
Contact Connected Healing
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ISIL claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub attack
MOSCOW, Jan. 02, (Press Shia Agency) – ISIL terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Eve, Reuters reports citing the group's statement.
In this statement, ISIL claimed that the perpetrator of the attack was its "soldier."
On Sunday, 39 people were killed, including 16 foreigners, and 69 injured in the gun attack in an Istanbul nightclub Reina. The nightclub is located on Istanbul's European side. Witnesses said that the attacker, who was reportedly speaking Arabic, opened fire from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
The manhunt is currently underway.
It was reported earlier that the Turkish police has arrested and interrogated 63 Daesh militants in different Turkish cities on December 28-31. They obtained information about a possible involvement of a citizen of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the attack.
SPUTNIK/Press Shia Agency


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Current Articles
Instead of cutting bureaucracy, Senators Lorraine Inouye and Roz Baker have a different solution—close down rural schools and sell them to developers.
Kohala is one of the few Big Island schools not deemed 'failing' under "No Child Left Behind" standards. Under formulas used by the Board of Education under Act 51, successful schools are often punished by budget cuts. Kohala HS will be losing $500,000 in funding for the 2009-10 school year.
Hawai`i's lack of progress is not due to a lack of planning, but rather to, more than anything else, an excess. Block anything that's not in the plan. So here comes even more rigid planning to lock in an imaginary future...
The Hawai`i Island Journal is closed. Its last edition, published June 14, carried only a short notice of regret ...
Hawai`i Free Press assists four Big Island mayoral candidates with some suggestions for new campaign slogans:
Tougher laws against people who use the Internet to commit sexual acts against minors.
Akaka Reservation for Corporations--Special rights for terrorists--Tossed from graduation--Raining on the poor--Suing for Smoking--Bush Lincoln--Hawaiians recognized in US Constitution
Citizen--"But officer, officer, this is for my glaucoma. I have a prescription!"
Officer—"Just because you put a few stems and seeds in there doesn't make it legal. I'd know the smell of tobacco anywhere. Let's go! I'm taking you in."
Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Angel Pilago has found a cause great enough to risk his candidacy - dope. With Pilago joined by Brenda Ford, Emily Naeole, and Dominic Yagong, the County Council voted 4-4 not to accept $441,000 in federal funds offered to the Hawaii County police for "Green Harvest" marijuana eradication work.
Knife wielding goons demanded money from campers. Public workers sleep through their shift. Pavilions are filthy and littered with broken glass.
Leading Hawai'i County "clean elections" advocates are caught up in a web of campaign spending violations and campaign-related conflict-of-interest charges.
Governor Linda Lingle seeks your input on veto decisions.
'Ohana banned from graduation--What Is A Veteran?--Jimmy Obama--"Change" -- Everywhere But Hawai`i--Surrender lies--Not voting this time
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THE reality of rough sleeping in Glasgow has been laid bare in a new documentary.
Ex-soldier and adventurer Ed Stafford spent 60 winter days and nights on the streets, with no money, food or shelter, to get a first-hand view of Britain's growing homeless crisis.
In the final episode of the three-part Channel 4 series, due to air tonight, Ed travels to Glasgow, after taking a nosedive into the underworld of London and Manchester.
No stranger to hostile situations, the adventurer admits that he was nervous and intimidated to embark on the challenge.
Read more: Glasgow homeless protesters pitch up tents outside City Chambers
But after arriving during the coldest part of winter, what he found waiting for him on the streets of Glasgow took him by surprise.
"It was really positive", he explains.
"There was a bed first policy and so many positive things going on, including the joined-up thinking and how all the organisations talk to each other.
"There was even an organisation that was set up to allow the different, fragmented organisations set up for homeless people to communicate with each other.
"I turned up at a night shelter with one guy and it turned out the housing authority had already contacted the night shelter to let them know that he had got accommodation.
"Then a taxi was sent to the night shelter and he went straight to the accommodation. It was a breath of fresh air.
"There was more examples of people with their cases being solved, due to the progressive policies up in Scotland.
Read more: Family of tragic Matthew Bloomer call for tribute on anniversary of his death
"I think it will be a bit of a light at the end of quite a dark tunnel in terms of the first two episodes.
"There was a lot that English local authorities and charities could learn from in the way things are being done."
In the first episode filmed in Manchester, the adventurer is greeted by Spice addicts doubled over in the street like zombies and police determined to keep beggars out of sight.
He films himself eating out of bins, washing in toilet bowls and contends with constipation, in a bid to expose the harsh realities faced by the country's homeless.
Camera crews tailing behind capture terrifying moments of violence and drug taking.
Aside from a few unsavoury characters, along the way, Ed meets a number of interesting companions, each with their own harrowing story – mostly of addiction and benefit sanctions.
In Glasgow, he meets a man going by the name of Knoxy, who finds himself homeless after a life in and out of jail.
"He had a mixture of red wine and Tennent's Super out of a bottle. I spent quite a bit of time with him. I think he was from Possilpark", Ed explains.
"It was nice seeing him getting into accommodation.
"I understand there's a cycle with people going into accommodation and coming out of it, with temptations of going into crime - there's complicated issues.
"There was two or three guys that I made good friends with. Two of them went into accommodation and it does seem to be working.
"In a city of Glasgow's size, when I was there, there was only about 30-odd rough sleeping, which is a drop in the ocean compared to London and Manchester."
Rather than providing a voyeuristic look at rough sleeping, the former British Army captain makes several interesting observations that provide a real insight for the viewer.
As the issue of 'fake homeless' continues to feature on the news, the documentary looks at the stories behind those who continue to beg after being given accommodation.
Read more: Homeless at Christmas: James English film shows harsh reality of rough sleeping in Glasgow
Some featured claim that they can make up to £200 a night and get access to endless amounts of food – something they would be without if they were hauled up in a flat unable to afford everyday essentials.
Ed explains: "I was quite intimidated coming to Glasgow. Whenever I mentioned the three cities I would be visiting, people took a sharp inhale when I mentioned Glasgow.
"I didn't ring true on the ground at all. Everyone on the ground was really lovely.
"I'm used to people in cities being quite emotionally distant with each other. That wasn't the case in Glasgow for the homeless situation.
"Even for what the tabloid newspaper would call 'fake homeless'. There was so much compassion for those guys too. There was a huge amount of people who were begging with sleeping bags that were then going back to accommodation.
"There was quite a common sense attitude that this was far from ideal, but it's great that these guys aren't rough sleeping. The accommodation is as such that they feel that they have to beg.
"There was huge compassion for the current state of affairs."
Ed himself questions whether the Good Samaritans are making it too easy for people to be homeless.
Getting access to food isn't a problem. Supplies appear almost on a conveyor belt from members of the public and volunteer groups, with the only complaint being that there's not enough vegetables. The constant stream of sandwiches, coffees and curry ends in painful trips to public toilets.
Read more of today's top Glasgow stories
By the end of the first episode, Ed acknowledges that the initial discomfort has dulled and he begins to enjoy the freedom from responsibility that homeless life entails.
He adds: "It opened my eyes to a world I didn't know anything about. It's important to understand all parts of society.
"In London, the homeless community all speak to each other and watch each others back.
"They are undeniably a connected community within a pretty cold urban area. That was heartwarming.
"I hadn't realised how much addiction and mental health problems were intertwined with rough sleepers.
"I thought it was purely a housing issue, that is part of it – a lack of social housing – but it appears to me that most people who are rough sleepers have a problem with addiction or mental health problems.
"It's as much a social issue as it is a housing issue."
With achievements, including the Guinness World Record for being the first human ever to walk the length of the Amazon River, spending close to two months in the underworld of Britain's cities could have been seen as a bit of an easy gig. There's no doubt that it's been done before.
But Ed has managed to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the ever-evolving issue of homelessness and it's good to know that Glasgow is going somewhere in the right direction towards ending it.
60 Days on the Streets will air on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.


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Final Thoughts & Awards
It seems the San Francisco Giants enjoy even-numbered years. They've captured MLB's top prize in 2010, 2012 and now, 2014.
There are simply two words that describe the 2014 World Series: Madison Bumgarner.
What the World Series MVP accomplished was incredible! But you already knew that.
Think about this: The life of a big league starter is extremely controlled and organized. Their throwing schedules are planned out, as are how many days of rest they get between starts. It truly defines routine.
A full-time starter pitching on two days rest would be strongly discouraged. But this was game seven of the World Series and the Giants were holding on to a slim lead. Therefore, I applaud Bumgarner and Bruce Bochy for taking "the rules" and tossing them into the dumpster. It paid off beautifully.
Meanwhile, the Royals have nothing to be ashamed about.
They went on an amazing run, captivating fans and creating some exciting drama. They took the eventual champs to seven games and only loss the final match by one run.
Yes, it stings. But they battled and should hold their heads high.
How about some awards?
American League
Best Manager: Ned Yost, Kansas City
Best Pitcher: Felix Hernandez, Seattle
Best Hitter: Mike Trout, LAA
National League
Best Manager: Matt Williams, WSH
Best Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw, LAD
Best Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami
Blue Jays
Best Pitcher: Marcus Stroman
Best Reliever: Brett Cecil
Best Hitter: Jose Bautista
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WITHERFALL: Lyric Video For 'The Great Awakening' Song
November 20, 2017
The official lyric video for the song "The Great Awakening" from U.S. progressive metallers WITHERFALL — the collective brainchild of guitarist Jake Dreyer (ICED EARTH, KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, WHITE WIZZARD), singer Joseph Michael (WHITE WIZZARD) and the late Adam Sagan (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, INTO ETERNITY) — can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Nocturnes And Requiems", which received a European release on October 6 as a limited CD digipak version with three stickers, a noble LP version with gatefold sleeve, inlay, poster and CD as well as digital download/stream.
The beautiful cover artwork was created by legendary painter Kristian Wahlin (TIAMAT, DISSECTION, EMPEROR).
WITHERFALL has stirred up the international scene with its unique approach of combining epic metal with dark heavy metal and complex yet catchy progressive metal to style that reminds of early CRIMSON GLORY, the "Conspiracy"/"The Eye" era of KING DIAMOND and the great achievements of bands like NEVERMORE, FATES WARNING and QUEENSRŸCHE.
With Dreyer and Michael having previously worked together in WHITE WIZZARD and Sagan collaborating with Dreyer on the critically acclaimed debut instrumental EP, "In The Shadows Of Madness" — which included a featured track for the popular video game franchise Rock Band — the trio combined forces to begin writing for the new project in 2013.
Eager to resonate their ideas, WITHERFALL headed to Phoenix, Arizona to record their debut album, "Nocturnes And Requiems", with engineer Ralph Patlan (MEGADETH, Brian "Head" Welch, MSG) in late 2014. The album was then sent on to New York City for mixing and mastering by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, QUEENSRŸCHE, HATEBREED) at Planet Z.
"Nocturnes And Requiems" is dedicated to the life of Adam Sagan, who passed on December 7, 2016 during the final stages of production.
In September, WITHERFALL announced that it had recruited drummer Steve Bolognese, who, by strange coincidence, also replaced Sagan after his departure from the Canadian progressive power/death metal heroes INTO ETERNITY.
WITHERFALL is currently writing songs for for its second album, roughly scheduled for autumn/winter 2018.
Source: News


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Better position yourself with your free arm on the side of the drop
1° Lean as much as you can into the drop, bending at the waist and lowering your free arm over the gap to lower the height.
2° Hop the tire off the edge by swinging your free arm up, rather than by jumping mad. That makes a very small hop.
3° In air, extend your legs and let the uni realign itself under you. Flap your arm down to absorb some momentum.
4° On impact, bend at the waist and tuck the seat against your chest, roll off immediately to absorb the shock into motion.
Dropping off sideways on the side of your free arm is easier as you can use your free arm better to smooth out the move.
See the move in a video
Extension after crouching, seat-in.
Lower your center of gravity
Basically, the main trick to limit landing disasters is to lower your center of gravity as much as you can before the drop by crouching and nearly leaning into the drop with your free arm and bending at the waist. The lower you can crouch, the less height you end up jumping off, and less harsh will be the landing. Holding the seat-in-front (SIF) helps a lot as it gives you more room to crouch without upsetting your precious flesh, especially during landing.
Counting pallets, splashing oil.
For some style, you can give a twist to your drop-off, landing 180 degree in the opposite direction. Build up the rotation with a large swing of your arm, like reaching behind your neck during your take-off impulsion, and then complete the rotation in the air, by re-adjusting your hips and the uni before you land. In air, flap your arm back down in front of you to help complete and stabilise the rotation.
Rolling off from a drop-gap
On impact, hit both pedals flat, but don't stall unless you jump from a low height. Instead, roll off immediately like in a rolling gap. Damp the impact by pedalling off rather than stopping flat out (your crank will thank you for that). Always land with both crank arms aligned to the ground but quickly push on your good pedal to roll one or two turns. The speed at which you roll-off will determine the efficiency of your shock absorption (converting linear kinetic energy into a rotational kinetic energy). Also, if you can, combine the pedalling with a progressive crouching, pulling the seat in front for extra mobility and resisting with your seat-holding arm to pump out some of the impact until the seat reaches your chest. Keep control of that pedalling, else the unicycle will shoot away from you and you'll end up on your bum.


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The Stowe 8-Miler/5K Run Set for July 12
The 8th Annual 8-Miler summer run in Stowe continues a New England tradition.
We're excited to catch the 5K Run and Stowe 8-Miler on Sunday, July 12. This run will mark the eighth year of the existence of the 8-Miler, and the excitement involved with all runners continues to grow with each passing year, especially with the addition of the 5K race.
The popularity of this race is such that not only people from Vermont but also other parts of New England and Canada take part as well. Camaraderie among the participants helps make this a truly enjoyable event.
Just as in past years, the race will begin in Recreation Field in Stowe with 2 of the 8 miles of the run taking place on a maintained dirt road. There's no need to worry about missing directional signs because everything will be clearly marked and certified. The finish line for the 8-mile race will be on the front lawn of the Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe. The 5K also starts and finishes in the same place with both events having water stops available for all runners. The 8-Miler will have four separate water stations spaced apart, and the 5K will have a single stop.
Sponsorship of the event is being undertaken by a number of local entities, including The Rusty Nail, Smuttynose Craft-brewed Beer and Island Homemade Ice Cream. On Saturday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., runners can pick up their racing packet at the Nail, or participants can join on the day of the race beginning at 7 a.m.
The Green Mountain Inn is proud to support participants of this exciting event. Visit our website for a calendar of more fun events taking place in town this summer.


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In episode 7 of Power, Angela meets up with Tasha and Milan takes over Jamie's life. Up until now, this is the most nerve-wracking episode of Power. If you missed episode 6, click here to catch up.
The AUSA realizes there is a mole in the Task Force. Internal Affairs traced the cell phone found on Lobos to the cell tower above the AUSA offices. Everyone on the Task Force questioned to determine who helped Lobos escape. Even Double Agent Mike is not safe.
Jamie meets with Karen Bassett at Truth. Karen gives him by end of day to give her the money for a total buy-in for her hotel. Meanwhile, Milan's men are keeping a close eye on Jamie.
Tariq calls Tasha a "liar" when she defends Jamie's actions. Tasha attempts to slap Tariq but Tariq blocks her shot. Tasha calls Jamie to speak to Tariq.
Milan brings Jamie and Tommy to their laundromat. Inside, Milan's men have captured and bound Julio and the rest of the workers. As a show of power, Milan kills one of his workers in front of everyone for not following directions. Milan demands a check from Jamie by end of day to pay for the product he is going to sell him. Jamie claims he can't get the money in time. Milan tells Jamie to tell Karen Bassett she has to wait for her money.
Jamie asks Tasha to borrow money from the children's savings. Tasha, still fuming from her fight with Tariq, tells Jamie to ask Angela for the money. Jamie confesses Tasha that Angela and him are over. Later, when Tommy is at Tasha's house, Tasha pretends she knows what happened to Holly. While accusing Tommy of flipping out on Holly, she divulges that Holly was pregnant. Tommy goes into a daze.
Dre wants Jamie to put him back in the game. Jamie offers him half the street business if he can help him bring down Milan. Ghost requests for Dre to make an anonymous tip about the missing Truth employee, Tatiana.
Angela questions if Tasha was with Jamie at the hotel the night that Lobos was murder. Tasha tells her the only thing Jamie killed that night was her back. Angela doesn't believe her, but Tasha claims that she's the reason Jamie is back with her.
Dre calls Kanan and explains how Milan took over Jamie's business.
Tariq explains to Jamie that he wasn't trying to hit Tasha. Jamie tells Tariq that real men apologize and he owes Tasha an apology. Tariq refers to Angela as Jamie's side-bitch which angers Jamie.
Tasha's upset because Jamie has an unexpected dinner guest. It's Milan and he's brought Tatiana with him. At the end of dinner, Jamie pays Milan. Once everyone leaves Jamie explains everything to Tasha.
Tommy gets kidnapped and beat down by Milan's goons. Milan ends his suffering stating that Tommy will be the better for it.
The episode concludes with Angela confronting Jamie about the murder of Lobos. Angela strongly believes Jamie killed Lobos and wants to know who told him where to kill Lobos. Jamie sticks to his story and Angela leaves.
Do you think Karen Basset is legit? Who told Milan that Jamie was searching for Tatiana? How does all of this play into Kanan's evil plans?


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King's Park will be a pressure-cooker as battle-hardened Hong Kong Cricket Club and Valley Rugby Football Club meet in the last match of the 2013-14 domestic rugby season.
Hong Kong's best two teams all season will fittingly face off in the Grand Final this weekend when Leighton Asia HKCC and WhichWay Valley play to decide who will be crowned Grand Champion at King's Park next Saturday Mar 8.
The team that can apply the most pressure, tempered by who can handle the heat and keep up the work-rate, will be the difference as both teams come into the Final well-tuned.
It is notable for Valley that they have not been beaten by HKCC this season and should take confidence in the fact that they more than just match-up well against the season's standing's winners.
HKCC will also start confident having finished the home-and-away season at the top of the standings and comprehensively defeating Hong Kong Scottish 34-3 in their Semi-final at Aberdeen Sports Ground on Saturday (Mar 1).
There were concerns that HKCC might start a bit flat following the high from the week before when they pipped Valley in the standings by 1-point in the last round –they earned a bonus point while thrashing Club 36-nil. But Cricket Club started where they left off.
"Hong Kong Scottish played well, but we weathered the pressure that they exerted on us and the big thing is that we backed up from last week from the highs and elation against a side that were really hitting their straps and gunning for it," said HKCC Director of Rugby and Head Coach Andy Hall, in a HKRFU press release.
Despite dominating the scoring Hall identified an area for improvement.
"Our lineout wasn't flash today so we will have to address that in the week. But I was pleased with most aspects of our game," said Hall.
Meanwhile, it won't be one-way traffic as Valley, coming off a hard-fought 22-18 win against Abacus Kowloon the week before, also won convincingly against Newedge Club 25-3 in the other Semi-final at Happy Valley.
Valley's flanker Nick Hewson summed up his team's performance on Saturday (Mar 1) plainly.
"We were very clinical in everything we did today and the main thing was we controlled the breakdown," Hewson said.
But Club's Director of Rugby Kevin West put it down to the battle-hardened pressure that Valley brought to pitch, which made the difference.
"They put us under an incredible amount of pressure and the errors came,' said West.
"We have been in a comfort zone for the past few weeks having secured our third place in the league, while Valley have been fighting it out and been under pressure as they tried to win the league.
"When it ramped up today, we couldn't handle the pressure which led to mistakes. Also their defence was amazing. They are a physical side and we suffered with their work-rate at the breakdown where we were a little bit under-powered," West said.
Valley vs HKCC head-to-head
Head-to-head Valley have beaten HKCC in every encounter this season: Valley beat HKCC 20-15 in Round 7, Nov 11; Valley beat HKCC 21-20 in the delayed Round 2, Jan 7; Valley beat HKCC 21-8 Round 12, Jan 28.
Valley won the same amount of games in the season as HKCC. Significantly, Valley won 12-lost 2-drew 1, while HKCC had a 12-3-0 record in the season's matches. Despite this, Valley came second to HKCC by the narrowest of margins earned by bonus points.
Accordingly, the pair were neck-and neck for most of the season and have been playing tough, uncompromising, pressure football to crack the opposition's defence and attack, while battling it out for first-place honours.
Put simply, HKCC and Valley are the form teams of the competition—making this weekend's Final all the more enticing.


text: The Christian Science Monitor Quotes Special Counsel Benjamin D. Feder on Dodgers Bankruptcy Benjamin Feder June 27, 2011 The Christian Science Monitor article, "Bankruptcy Protection Sought by Dodgers: Will It Affect Ownership of the Team?" reported on different experts views of the filing by L.A. team owner, Frank McCourt. "Bankruptcy lawyer Benjamin Feder of Kelley Drye & Warren in New York says McCourt and his lawyers face a 'very uphill battle.' One of the key hurdles for McCourt to succeed is to get a court to basically suspend MLB's [Major League Baseball] by-laws, which give it enormous power over who owns a franchise and how they run it." Mr. Feder also discussed bankruptcies of the Texas Rangers baseball franchise and the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team. The article concluded, "Feder, however, says McCourt's move 'is the type of step you take when you have nothing left at this point.'" Related Practices Bankruptcy and Restructuring Related Content


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Commitment is not enough—road safety needs action. Following the #SpeakUp campaign and in the run up to the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety 2020, the Alliance has launched #CommitToAct.
#CommitToAct supports NGOs in pushing their local and national governments to make clear, meaningful, and specific commitments for road safety actions at policy, implementation, and enforcement levels, and then to track and highlight these commitments. These commitments can be big or small, but what matters is that they are acted on.
Commit to road safety actions
Act on the commitment
How can you get involved with #CommitToAct?
#CommitToAct brings together several elements. Click on each item to find out more.
- People's Declaration: Sign the declaration, based on the NGO declaration handed to the Government of Sweden at the Global Meeting, to demand that government leaders around the world COMMIT to putting people first and ACT to save lives on roads worldwide through evidence-based best practices.
- Print and Share the Declaration further by collecting paper signatures using the form HERE.
- #CommitToAct Day: Organize a #CommitToAct day outside your government building to call on your leaders to take action for safer roads.
- #CommitToAct Banners: Use our social media banners to help spread the #CommitToAct message, raise awareness about the crisis on our roads, and share the People's Survey and People's Declaration.
- Commitment Tracker: Tell us about the commitments that your government has made and how you are tracking their progress. The commitment tracker is an online tool to monitor progress, celebrate commitments that have been converted into action, and highlight those commitments where progress has stalled.
- Round the World Roundtables: Find out what the Round the World Roundtables are and how to run one; also read about Round the World Roundtables that have happened so far.
- #CommitToAct at the Global Ministerial Conference: Read about how the Alliance and its NGOs brought #CommitToAct to the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, Sweden in February 2020.


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The longest held and most outdated stereotypes of women working in the corporate environment is that they often only fill secretarial positions. In terms of their behaviour, they are believed to be super hormonal, illogical and too emotional to make serious decisions in the workplace. Worst of all, is the myth that women that work together women bicker, bring each down and create an environment full of jealousy and drama.
According to Stats SA in an article published in Mail and Guardian, black women experience the highest unemployment in the country at 34%. However, black women in the corporate world still exist, even if they are in the minority.
I discovered such women when I began working at a company made up of 92% black women who are helping young, black and disadvantaged people upskill their careers through social media and digital training.
READ MORE: Meet 5 of South Africa's successful black women in science - and they're under 35
I had done my research on Digify Africa before working there as a junior digital content producer and writer for Live Mag, one of the platforms they use to stay in touch with their young audience. I looked online, read up on all the work that they were doing in digital and tech and even though I saw the pictures of the mostly female staff on the website, I had been socialised to envisage that it would mostly be men who worked in an environment where it was all things tech, science or digital.
What I discovered was quite different. When I arrived at their old offices in Braamfontein, I didn't think that I'd find that all the women who were responsible for the majority of this work would largely be black women. The women in this company were preparing young people for an economy that's quickly becoming dominated by tech.
In a country where there are more women than men, but only 44% of those women fill skilled positions in the workplace, this was groundbreaking to me.
Unlike many of the women here at the office, this is my first job since leaving varsity and I don't have anything else to compare it to. I knew I was lucky when I walked into the office every day and I didn't have to feel like the token black person or woman who's there to tick the BEE demographic box. I feel like I'm part of a company where the black women seem indispensable to me.
They all play a huge role when it comes to contributing to the company's successes and victories and to have people like this to look up to has been a great help for my own self-esteem and confidence. It's like how people feel about the Black Panther film, except it's not in the dream land of Wakanda, but rather, right here in Joburg.
READ MORE: Black cowgirls have been breaking barriers and racial stereotypes
I remember when a number of us were sitting in on our weekly boardroom meetings. Luleka, one of our project managers captured this really cool moment on her phone. We were doing nothing out of the ordinary, but she whipped out her phone for an Instagram post because it became apparent to all of us that that very image of us in the boardroom was a subversion of the historical image of what a typical corporate (and digital) company looks like.
An entire room full of women were talking about what they had been doing throughout the past week, and the kinds of challenges they were experiencing in aiming to bridge the digital divide that excludes young disadvantaged kids from various opportunities. The moment sent chills down my spine.
I had spent much of my time in varsity worried about being a creative writer in a potentially unwelcoming environment, but I had found myself in a place that stood against much of what I feared about the working world. I was watching women build themselves up, respect one another and contribute to the growth of a community of young people.
I get to see my colleagues being vulnerable in expressing their challenges, watch how other fellow co-workers help their colleagues without trying to dominate or bring down them down. I get to see this kind of support on a weekly basis, so when I hear stuff about women being difficult to work with and women being always being jealous and catty, I can tell people first hand that it's completely untrue.
It doesn't mean that the team doesn't experience drama, enough to distribute around the Melville area we now work in. But you'll always have at least one person you can talk to and sometimes you even get encouraged to let off some steam and talk about whatever you're going through in boardroom meetings.
My co-worker Terry, once mentioned how there's never any pressure to prove yourself, suppress your emotions or to do things like "dress appropriately". This is important for me especially because I'm often uncomfortable and awkward around men. I don't have to concern myself with whether or not someone is looking at my bum as I walk away, I don't have to worry about how to handle a guy hitting on me while I'm trying to be productive and I don't have to witness the sexist behaviour and the chats that some of my co-workers have been privy to in their past jobs. I often feel like it's a safe space to be in.
Unfortunately, people of colour and women have largely been made invisible in the economic sphere. While the increasing pace of urbanisation in the early 20th century brought many black women from the rural areas into the city, their gender and their race limited their position in the mainstream economy of the country throughout the century. Black women were mostly left to take on more subservient roles, where they worked as domestic servants or caretakers in the suburbs and the cities.
As a junior employee who's only just starting out at this whole adulting life where I have to learn to wake up earlier than usual and pay for stuff, I certainly feel very fortunate that I get to be in this kind of space. There's a sense of freedom and feeling of acceptance that I get here that I sometimes take for granted.
READ MORE: 16-year-old Zulaikha Patel is still fighting for women's rights
When you're surrounded by women who are just like you and who are doing great things for themselves and their communities, you're inspired to do more. I don't think I could get that in other working environments.
I'm a witness to Kofi Annan's quote about how "the empowerment of women is the most effective tool for development" and I couldn't be more grateful. In the past seven years, the company has trained over 85 000 young people and managed to kickstart digital marketing careers for over 200 people.
I'm totally aware of the reality that I if ever leave, I might have to prepare myself for a workplace that's totally different from what I've been exposed to here.
READ MORE: What it's like to be a young black female commercial farmer in SA
For now though, I'm taking in and enjoying my experience here. It's not every day that you find yourself in a space where the majority of the people who are in power are black women.
And because I now know the kind of power that the women in this office command, if I ever leave, I know what kind of power I can command too if I want to and no one can tell me or show me otherwise.
Sign up to W24's newsletters so you don't miss out on any of our hot stories and giveaways.


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The release of a new FX Networks series about an Arab Muslim who returns to his home country with his American wife and children after 20 years in the US has sparked concerns of US Muslims, expressed worries about potential Islamophobic stereotyping of the whole Muslim world.
"In the pilot of FX's 'Tyrant,' Arab Muslim culture is devoid of any redeeming qualities and is represented by terrorists, murderous children, rapists, corrupt billionaires, and powerless female victims," Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.
Hooper, who attended Wednesday night's screening, added: "In 'Tryant,' even the 'good' Arab Muslims are bad."
"Tyrant," which debuts Tuesday, follows the journey of a California physician who is also the son to the dictator of a fictional Middle Eastern country.
In the pilot, the son and his family return home after a self-imposed 20 year exile.
The pilot was shot in Morocco, while the series will be produced in Israel.
Muslim concerns were somehow reflected in the review of the series made by Entertainment Weekly.
"Khaled is your classic Big Bad, a guy who trains his children to kill and leaves his son to burn in a terrorist attack. Bassam's older brother, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom), is the arrogant monster you'd expect, slicing one of his detractors with a razor, raping whomever he pleases, and blasting terrible classic-rock anthems from his flashy sports car. ...The problem is that so far they're stock characters. Maybe that's an unfortunate side effect of setting the show in Abbudin, a distant desert land that seems to borrow its real-life events from Egypt, Syria, and Libya. When you give your country a fake Middle Eastern name, you risk turning it into a stand-in for all Middle Eastern countries," Entertainment Weekly wrote.
Hooper refuted the producer's claims that the series is merely a reflection of the brutal actions of dictators like Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad and Muammar Gaddafi.
"Unfortunately, 'Tyrant' will be seen by many viewers as an indictment of an entire culture," he added.
Following an earlier meeting with the series producer, they offered assurances that future episodes will be more "nuanced," Hooper said.
He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of other groups like the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and Muslims on Screen and Television (MOST) for working with the producers of "Tyrant" to minimize stereotypes.
"Tyrant" is not the first series to raise American Muslim concerns over stereotyping.
CAIR has challenged actual and potential anti-Muslim stereotypes in productions such as ABC Family network's "Alice in Arabia," "Executive Decision," "24," "The Siege," "True Lies," "Rules of Engagement," "Obsession," "The Third Jihad," "Jihad in America," and "The Sum of All Fears."
Though there are no official estimates, the US is home to an estimated Muslim minority of six to eight million.
Source: http://www.onislam.net
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Flowers, butterflies, insects, caterpillars and serpents... by Luca Stefano Cristini
(price excluding 0% GST)
Author: Luca Stefano Cristini
Category: Science
Publisher: StreetLib SRL (soldiershop)
File Size: 9.47 MB
(price excluding 0% GST)
In those years, Europe was full of bonfires committed to make a clean sweep ofwitches. At the same time a young scientist: Sybilla Merian, daughter of the well-known German engraver Matthaeus Merian, was instead committed to studying, and illustrating the microscopic world of insects, caterpillars and butterflies and the little bigger world of flowers, plants and animals. The wonderful metamorphosis of caterpillars was the basis of her best work: Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, published in Amsterdam in 1705. The work carried out by Sibylla Merian is fantastic.Indeed, during that time, it was unusual to deal with insects - the beasts of Satan.Her drawings of plants, snakes, spiders, iguanas and tropical beetles are stillconsidered masterpieces and are sought-after by collectors around the world.Another great master, the English entomologist Moses Harris, contributed to complete the volume with his interesting engravings.
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Padre Island National Seashore still accessible to public during government shut down
The federal government is careening toward a partial shutdown after President Donald Trump's quest for a border wall left Congress without a clear plan forward. Sarah Sanders says the president is "not going to back down on this fight." (Dec. 21)
Padre Island National Seashore remains open this holiday season despite the federal government's partial shut down.
Park roads, trails and lookouts will remain accessible to visitors, but emergency and rescue services will be limited, a release from PINS states.
During the government shut down, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following laws and procedures, the release stated.
Visitors will be able to camp on the beach and at Bird Island Basin; however, Malaquite Campground will be closed due to public health and sanitation concerns.
The seashore will not be providing visitor services, which includes public information, bird tours and ranger talks, social media updates on conditions, restrooms, trash collection and facilities and roads maintenance.
More related stories:
Government shutdowns are rare when one party controls White House, Congress. President Trump is on his third.
Senate adjourns with no spending deal in sight, extending government shutdown until Dec. 27
Pat Dunn ranched on Padre Island for 50 years


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I saw the cover and thought Goodie. Pandagon already citing the Pop EP article. Apparently having been accused of being anti-science for not accepting that men are cavemen and women are bimbos who need ravishing because that's what we evolved to be.*
* This is actually utter crap. Minds don't work that way. We're perfectly mentally adapted for the 21st century.


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Even these wilting tulips were more cheerful than the process of getting our tax information together!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Further adventures of Puppy and Mel!
Posted by Jillanne at 8:36 AM 1 comment:
This is a painting of a photograph I saw on Pixcetera. I especially liked the way her eyes are focused on something, maybe beyond the viewer. There is no malice there, just survival.
Posted by Jillanne at 3:04 AM No comments:
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Market Conditions
(Click on image to enlarge)
Stochastics: 92 (Overbought. Up from 88 last week)
McClellan: -15 (Neutral. Down from +26 last week)
Stocks above their 20 DMA: 59% (Neutral. Down from 67% last week)
No man's land.
Believe it or not, week after week the market moves up a little, then a little more and yet at no time have we had an overbought extreme (according to our definition of what that extreme is). This week we have an interesting phenomenon and it is the fact that both the McClellan oscillator and the Numbers of Stocks above their respective 20-day average is smaller than the previous weekend. Interesting bearish divergence, signaling the possibility of some weakness or at least sideways action.
Technically speaking, the index is now 3.13% higher than its own 50-day average. That's pretty significant already. Readings of 3.5% or higher have usually marked extremes in the past (unlike Russell, which can travel 6% and 7% higher than its 50-day average). Additionally, current price action is getting close to the first layer of resistance in the uptrend channel, making the 2590-2600 region a good ceiling for the upcoming week.
The continued uptrend this year has certainly been a challenge for active traders. However, our overbought condition definition has worked perfectly, not signaling an overbought extreme even once in the entire year. This has kept us away from selling individual Credit Call spreads. As it is the case now: a no man's land condition indicates that it is not an ideal time to sell individual Credit spreads on one side of the market.
The Russell:
(Click on image to enlarge)
Only one position here. Although less than before, RUT is still significantly higher than its 50-day average at +4.82%. This of course leaves now some upside room but not enough to endanger our current position here.
NOV SPX 2315/2325 Credit Put spread
Net Credit of $1,000. Four weeks to expiration. The remainder of what used to be an Unbalanced Iron Condor. Looking very healthy at the 3-delta mark.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Defense lines: 2,375 (adjust Put side). That's so far down that I'm willing to keep holding this for a while longer.
NOV SPX 2425/2420 Credit Put spread
Net Credit $250. Four weeks to expiration. Small position of ten 5-point wide spreads.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Because of the small size (only one fourth the typical size), we can afford to delay the adjustment until SPX 2,430. With SPX at 2,575 I have no concerns here.
NOV RUT 1380/1390/1580/1590 Unbalanced Iron Condor
Net credit: $1,555. Four weeks to expiration. Some good progress was made this week here: The T+0 line nicely moved up a little and price is still pretty much centered. No concerns for now.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Defense lines: 1,430 to the downside (adjust Put spread) and 1,575 to the upside (adjust Call spread). Both price points are unlikely for the upcoming week. This is a very healthy position to keep riding and price is centered ride there on the upward slope of the pink line.
DEC SPX 2390/2400/2635/2640 Unbalanced Iron Condor
credit: $1,555. Eight weeks to expiration. This is the first position on the December expiration cycle, entered just 48 hours ago. Lots of baby-sitting ahead.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Defense lines: 2,470 to the downside (adjust Put side) and 2,630 to the upside (adjust Call side).
Action Plan for the Week
– Given that November positions are looking so good, the focus will be on the December SPX Unbalanced Iron Condor. With an upside adjustment point at 2,630 I'm not too concerned for this week. I think 2,630 is a tall order for SPX in just 5 more trading sessions. However, that doesn't mean we can't do other things if the market keeps going up. So, here's my plan: if SPX keeps going up and the 2,635 short Call reaches 30 deltas (SPX probably around 2,600 or so), I will sell a small (1/4th normal position) Credit Put spread at 10 deltas. That will likely be situated around SPX 2,450 or perhaps just a little higher. It may also be a good time to sell a small Credit Call spread (five 10-point wide spreads around the 2,680 strike price) if the credit is decent (0.90 for a 10-point wide or 0.45 for a 5-point wide). We'd be collecting, in other words small credits at a safer strike price in case of the Call end, but we wouldn't exit the existing 2635/2645 Call spread at a loss unless SPX reaches 2,630.
– I'm still interested in deploying a November SPX 2630/2635 Credit Call spread, which completes an Unbalanced Iron Condor with the existing Nov 2315,2325 Put side. I'm less willing to add this hypothetical call side at poor credits of 0.40 or less. On a good rally I may add it. Conservative of course, very small size as I don't want to play with fire so late in the year.
– As usual, we are now in waiting mode for an oversold condition. If it happens, I'll go with a December RUT Credit Put spread around 10-deltas. Otherwise, no new trades until the end of next week, where we'll consider entering an Elephant position.
So, it's a pretty simple action plan this week with a good chance that no action will be necessary at all.
Tuesday: German ZEW Economic Sentiment. Europe's CPI
Wednesday: Durable Goods. New Home Sales.
Thursday: ECB Press Conference. US Pending Home Sales.
Friday: US GDP and Michigan Consumer Sentiment & Expectations.
Good luck this week folks,
If you are interested in a responsible and sustainable way of trading
options for consistent income with solid risk management, consider acquiring LTOptions, my options trading system to the last detail.
Go to the bottom of this page in order to see the Legal Stuff


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On the drive back from a visit a local school district in 2010, Steve Clemons, assistant superintendent and chief information officer of the San Diego County Office of Education, noted that the influx of various tablet devices, ultra notebooks, and other computing tools was causing some confusion amongst even the techno-savvy. As such, he thought it would be a good idea to provide the education leaders throughout the county with an opportunity to learn more about the myriad tools and services in the market but in a no-pressure, educational environment.
With the help of the Classroom of the Future Foundation and the generous donation of funds from local manufacturers and service providers, Innovation Day--An Education Electronics Showcase--was born. Since then, Innovation Day has become an event for education leaders (i.e. chief technology officers, superintendents, principals, educators, etc.) to convene and explore emerging technologies as well as those currently available in the field. The event features presentations, product and service exhibitions, as well as Think Tanks for teams of educators to discuss their current and future state of innovation.
This year's Innovation Day III event will convene at the new, state-of-the-art San Diego Central Library on Feb. 20, 2014.


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Copyright Notice
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The material contained on this website is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice. The posting of this information is not intended to create a solicitor - client relationship. Any and all information is subject to change without notice. You should not act or rely on this information without seeking professional advice in advance. McGroddy Brennan Solicitors is not responsible for the contents of any other website or third party material which link to this site or which are linked to from it.


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What's New in Android Studio 2.0?
What's New in Android Studio 2.0?
With a focus on accelerating build speed and making development easier, we'll take a look at the three major advancements version 2.0 has to offer for Android app developers.
Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.Join For Free
Google recently released a beta for Android Studio 2.0, their IDE for mobile app development. Here is their official announcement.
With a focus on accelerating build speed and making development easier all around, the upgrade is likely to please many Android app devlopers. Let's take a look at the three major advancements version 2.o has to offer.
1. Faster, More Stable Emulators
With a build speed increase said to be two to three times faster than before, the new Android Studio emulator is definitely an improvement over 1.0. Also noteworthy, there are multiple upgrades including:
- a redesigned UI which allows screen rotation, screenshots, window zooming, and drag-and-drop deployment of an .apk file to the emulator
- a resizable view of the emulator
- emulation of GPS location operations, camera usage, phone calls, texts, and battery state (allowing developers to see how apps behave under different power circumstances)
2. Instant Run
Another speed gain for Studio 2.0, the Instant Run feature allows developers to make code changes on the fly and see them running on the device or emulator much more quickly than was previously possible. Although not all code changes are currently supported, some that are include: changing instance method implementation, changing static method implementation, and adding or removing a class. Instant Run can also work with adding, removing, or changing a string resource but requires an Activity restart in order to take effect.
According to Google's documentation on Instant Run, over the next few months they plan to expand the feature's ability to enable more change types, further streamlining the code/build/run cycle.
3. GPU Profiler
A beta within the beta, Android Studio's GPU Profiler and debugger is "an experimental feature intended to help inspect GPU state and understand what caused a specific rendering outcome." This feature is aimed at developers working with graphic-heavy code, providing them with a toolset to track graphic metrics over an entire session. Check out this walkthrough provided on the Android Tools Project Site.
So, with major advancements now available to Android Studio, it's up to the community to get out there and start developing new apps! As always, keep in mind that betas are imperfect, so be cautious and provide feedback when it's due.
You can download Android Studio 2.o here.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.


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James "Jim" Herbert Umbarger
November 29, 1928 ‒ April 28, 2014
Lexington, Ohio
LEXINGTON: James "Jim" Herbert Umbarger, 85, of Lexington passed away Monday, April 28, 2014 in Whetstone Gardens in Columbus, surrounded by his family.
The son of Harold and Florence (Au) Umbarger, Jim was born in Mansfield November 29, 1928. Following his graduation from Mansfield Senior High, Jim attended Bowling Green State University. Jim joined the Air National Guard as a cook. He then graduated from The Ohio State University after majoring in Restaurant Management. While at school he met Susan Humphreys. The two were married on December 17, 1960.
Following graduation, Jim worked for Food Craft Management managing restaurants in Troy, Columbus and the Blue Dolphin in Mansfield. He later opened the first Ponderosa in Mansfield. For the past 13 years Jim served as morning host at Der Dutchman.
Jim served as past president of the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Mid-Central Ohio Restaurant Association. He was a member of the Lexington Kiwanis Club and The Ohio State University Alumni Club. Jim was also a member of the First Congregational Church in Mansfield.
Along with his devoted wife Susan, he is survived by three children, David (Teri) Umbarger of Columbus, Kathy (Bob) Roth and Karen (Mike) Arena all of Powell; grandchildren Lauren, Blake, and Luke Roth, Sydney, Max, Reagan, and Emerson Arena, and Callie and Ella Umbarger; brother Malcolm (Marge) Umbarger of Columbus.
Along with his parents he was preceded in death by his brother Dr. Edwin Umbarger.
The family will receive friends Thursday, May 1, 2014 from 5-8pm in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home where funeral services will be Friday at 11 am. The Rev. Dr. Ronald Kline will officiate and burial will follow in Mansfield Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions to the Mid-Central Ohio Restaurant Association Scholarship Fund may be made through the funeral home.
Online condolences to the family may be made by visiting:www.snyderfuneralhomes.com


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's Reviews
The story sounds good, but this type of drawing is really not my style. I will see... Maybe will be the story better as drawing. :-)
I read only few chapters, but I do not understand everything. :-( Maybe will it be better later, after the other chapters.
Spirits? That sounds very interesting. It is not quite my style, but who know... may happen... :-)
Beautiful drawing!!! I smiled a lot. Second chapter was very funny. I look forward to next chapters.
I have a certain opinion like lollipop. :-) This is the main story. And if you like this manhwa, then you must read Totally peeking too.
This is the best yaoi manga. I like this manga very much. Is full of action.
What you want? Why are you here? These are good questions. :-) And the answer is...
The life can be very interesting. You want one, but the life bring you something other. I look forward to next chapters.


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Remember these?
Remember I said that I was celebrating something, but I wasn't ready to tell you details yet?
Well, the time has come. Please meet Katherine Pelz, of Berkley Publishing. Also known as my new editor.
Yes, in addition to writing the Comeback Cove stories for Harlequin Superromance, I will be writing a new series – a novella and two full-length books – for Berkley Intermix, their digital-only line. I don't have dates or titles or anything else to share yet. But I've been sitting on this news for weeks now and had to share at last!


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Friday, September 27, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Philadelphia's beloved satirical punk-rock band, The Dead Milkmen, are performing in the most fitting of venues: Laurel Hill Cemetery. Formed in 1983, the band released their debut album Big Lizard in My Backyard in 1985 and made a name for themselves in the local underground punk scene. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Dave Schulthise ("Dave Blood") and drummer Dean Sabatino ("Dean Clean"). "Punk Rock Girl," a single from their 1988 album entered MTV rotation and led the band to international success. Though the band broke up in 1995, they reunited in 2008 with Dan Stevens on bass. Since then, they've toured to great acclaim and released a number of limited-issue vinyl EPs. This fall, the band will return to the city of the dead for what promises to be an unforgettable show. Opening performances by Trash Knife and Sheena and Thee Nosebleeds will begin at 7:00 pm. Bring your own blankets, beach chairs and/or picnics.
The concert will take place on Friday, September 27 at 7:00 pm (with a prescheduled rain date of Saturday, September 28 at 7:00 pm). Gates open at 6:00 pm. Ticket holders can check in at Laurel Hill Cemetery's Gatehouse entrance at 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132.
Please note - youth and children must be accompanied by an adult.
A What to Expect email will be sent out to ticket holders before the event with information on weather, parking and amenities.


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This is what Princess Mordecai 'Adventures would be liked if it was dubbed. This is the German Version of it.
Plot ChangesEdit
Micheal dreams of going out of her Kingdom and saving the world. She went to sleep and dreamt that dream and... poof! She became the Angel of Mind and is accopanied by Finn, an adventourus boy. She later meets the other angels of her team, Meika, Astrid, and Rosemaire. She fights an orginization called Evil Veggie Time.
Episode ChangesEdit
Theme SongEdit
- Micheal is in a dream instead of just reality.
- She gets her powers in her dream instead of angels giving her, her powers.
- Micheal Träume roughly means "Micheal Dreams"
- It was changed to make Mordecai dream to make it more like fairy tale.
- It is unknown if Mordecai/Micheal wakes up from her dream.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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* Wasserman Media Group is known in college sports circles. They represented conferences for the TV contract in the four team CFB playoff. Per the article, they were also brought in when the ACC renegotiated its deal after the additions of Pittsburgh & Syracuse.
* As noted in the SBJ article, Raycom pays ESPN for a set of ACC content. Some of it airs on over-the-air stations and the rest is placed on regional sports networks, many who are owned by FOX. This content is around 27 football games, 70 men's basketball games, 20 women's basketball games plus content from other sports. The count does not include the men's basketball tournament games that coexist with ESPN. I would expect the coexists to end if a separate channel gets off the ground.
This does not include any content that ESPN3 airs exclusively, which was around 60 men's basketball games and 18 more football games. So the content is available that they desire.
* The re-air rights is interesting. Either some schools have those rights in hand, the ACC does as a conference or it is negotiable with ESPN. Nearly half of the existing ACC schools (Florida St., Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami) have their football games replayed during the season on RSNs, most of those RSNs have the name "Comcast" in their full name.
Anyways, both the SEC and Big Ten now control their games by owning the copyright to the telecast (pay attention to the very end of a telecast, it may not say ESPN anymore). I know that ESPN has the copyright when I've see the final credits roll on their RSN telecasts. That should be easy for the ACC to negotiate, if they haven't already.
* Sports networks are now being targeted. Or to term it better, customers are now being targeted with the increasing number of sports networks. DirecTV is now asking new customers in areas with more than one RSN to pay a $3 sports surcharge. Most of the ACC footprint is covered by multiple RSNs. Add another RSN, who pays for it? I believe the SEC channel would be treated as an RSN and I think that's what DirecTV wants for the Pac-12. I can't see the ACC escaping that either. I also don't see DirecTV being the only one charging for sports content. They've opened the door. Others will walk through.
* In my opinion, the ACC is really late with this. They needed to get this off the ground before the SEC thought of it. With the addition of Louisville, there are now four states with both ACC & SEC schools (Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia). In at least three of these states (SC might be the exception), the SEC fan base seems to outnumber the ACC fan base. There's already one state where the Big Ten Network would coexist with an ACC one if this ever came up (Pennsylvania) and New York City would also be targeted by the ACC.
If the content in the end belongs to ESPN and the article says ESPN is not enthused about this, it could have trouble getting off the ground.


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When you need an affordable option for automatic transmission repair in Denver, we have the solution. Budget Transmission is a family owned and operated business, serving the motorists of Denver Colorado with great care and attention to detail. Foe excellent value and quality auto transmission repairs and auto adjustments, don't trust just anybody. Your safety and well-being depends on your vehicles condition. At BudgetTransmissions repair shop, your vehicle will receive the attention of a qualified professional. All of our technicians are ASE certified and trained in the use of up to date diagnostic and repair tools.
Our basic services include manual and automatic transmission repair, differential services, 4 x 4 transfer cases, diesel services, transmission flushes, and adjustments to axles, brakes, clutches and drive-shafts. If you are unsure of a problem with your vehicle or seeing a dashboard warning light, do not hesitate to call us for advice, we will do the best we can to help you out from a distance. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a complete breakdown of your vehicle, keep calm, we have you covered. We offer our clients a free recue service to tow their vehicle from the locality to our shop for repair. Call our hotline to avail of this great service.


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August 12th 2012-London, Great Britain
Han Soon Chul vs Vasyl Lomachenko
The only Korean boxer to reach one of the finals at the London 2012 Olympics in London was Han Soon Chul, unfortunately for him he went up against amateur boxing god Vasyl Lomachenko, who had been favoured to win the gold medal before a punch was even thrown in the competition.
August 10th 2012-London, Great Britain
Han Soon Chul vs Evaldas Petrauskas
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London there wasn't really much success for Korea, though Han Soon Chul was a notable exception. In his semi final bout at 60KG's he took on Lithuanian Evaldas Petrauskas. Notably the winner of this bout would go on to meet Ukrainian sensation Vasyl Lomachenko in the final.
Here we include some of the best, most interesting, most exciting or most eye catching videos from around the Asian boxing world.
May 2020


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OVB ready for Get Smart About Credit campaign
October 1, 2018 Leave a comment
Halloween is just around the corner. While ghosts and goblins might scare you, don't let your credit do the same. To help promote the importance of maintaining good credit, Ohio Valley Bank is once again taking part in the American Bankers Association's Get Smart About Credit initiative.
Get Smart About Credit is a national campaign comprised of bank volunteers who help youth understand credit and other important financial lessons. Now in its 16th year, this year's event will again reach children across the country. Get Smart About Credit Day will be held Thursday, Oct. 18, however, OVB is set to celebrate the event throughout the month of October and the fall season.
Credit lessons will be incorporated into OVB's financial education programs, which include elementary through high school grade levels. OVB will present Adventures in Credit, featuring the Centsables, to area elementary schools. Get Smart About Credit lessons will also be a focus in the OVB BANKit program, which is currently being conducted on a monthly basis at six local schools in Ohio and West Virginia.
The primary purpose of Get Smart About Credit is to prepare students to join the workforce by making sure they have a strong understanding of credit and other money management skills. Get Smart About Credit works to teach students that credit education is more than paying for college, credit cards and loans. The campaign aims to show that a true understanding of credit also encompasses budgeting, credit report comprehension and identity protection. By promoting these important lessons in area schools, OVB hopes to make an impact on our future generations.
Looking for ways to improve your credit or topics to help teach your kids about credit? We've got you covered with these helpful tips:
- Pay your bills on time. This sounds like a simple concept, right? However, too often people find themselves making late credit card payments. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, set up alerts on your phone as a reminder to get those bills paid on time. If you are able, pay your bill in full. If not, at least make sure to pay the minimum when due.
- Watch for warning signs of credit trouble. If you find yourself using credit for all purchases or always making late payments and/or barely scraping by to afford your minimum amount due, you're already in trouble. The best thing to do in this situation is pay what you can and avoid making any more purchases with your credit card. If you are feeling overwhelmed ask your bank if they have any suggestions to help you get back on track.
- Budget, budget, budget. Setting and sticking with a budget is the first step to financial freedom. By adhering to a spending plan and working to build your savings, you will be less likely to overspend on credit cards, which will also help you save on added fees, such as interest costs.
- Think before you spend. Often those who encounter credit issues make the common mistake of purchasing items via credit without truly thinking about what it is they are purchasing. Do not pay for things using credit without understanding how it may affect your budget first. Make sure that you will have the means to make payments on your purchase before you reach for the credit card.
- Take advantage of your annual free credit report. It is recommended to have your credit checked annually to review for any possible errors on inaccuracies. By doing this you also help protect yourself against the dangers of identity theft. Check your credit for free annually by going to annualcreditreport.com, the official site set up by law from the three national credit reporting agencies. Be sure to type in the address exactly as is since there are many "lookalike" sites, which can charge you for the report or a subscription fee as well as collect information from you for marketing purposes.
- Utilize your bank services. Banks are more than money in a vault. They offer valuable services that students can benefit from, including student checking accounts, debit cards, mobile and online banking, balance alerts, personal loans, direct deposit and more. OVB also offers Benjamin Tracker, a helpful tool to help you stick with your budget and not overspend. In addition, OVB also offers a variety of financial education programs.
- Ask questions. Whether you are a student looking for advice or an adult wanting to improve your financial circumstances, ask for help. Your local banker is a great place to start.
For more information on OVB's financial education programs or to schedule a presentation, e-mail OVB Financial Literacy Leader Hope Roush at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Support Procedures
CGNET's Quality Assurance & Escalation Procedures
CGNET maintains a staffed Network Operations Center (NOC) that monitors our clients' resources and our internally and externally hosted services. Generally, client and CGNET assets are checked every 10 minutes. In the event of an anomaly, an alarm is activated, and an incident is created in our automated system. For each event. a scripted course of action is undertaken. Our facility is staffed 24/365 by data center engineers. Senior staff monitors the performance of the NOC personnel about every four hours, in a procedure known as a Quality Assurance Report (QAR). We also offer a geographically separate collocation facility in conjunction with continuous on-line backup and recovery to ensure the highest possible trouble-free operation of our clients' systems.
24/7/365 Monitoring and Onsite Support
Clients of CGNET Services can contact the Network Operations Center at any time to report a problem and seek assistance from the network engineer on duty. Should the problem persist, or if it is a business emergency, the client's designated contact may request that the situation be escalated to CGNET's Technical Manager, COO, or CEO. The escalation process occurs within 30 minutes of the client's request. In cases when CGNET detects a problem which the duty engineer cannot resolve, we automatically escalate the problem for internal troubleshooting. CGNET also notifies the client's designated contacts by email, IM, FAX or telephone within 30 minutes of problem detection. The method of notification depends on the escalation protocol that has been supplied by the client. When the problem is resolved, CGNET's staff will once again notify the designated contacts about the nature of the issue and actions taken to rectify it. In the unlikely case that the problem can not be resolved by CGNET staff, then we will notify the designated contacts about the situation, along with our recommendation for the next steps to reach appropriate resolution.