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For frequent travelers, it feels like you're always on the road, on your way to the airport, or waiting in line at hotel registration. Most of all, it feels like you're constantly packing and unpacking your luggage. Even those of us who travel less frequently - a trip home to visit our mother and father at the holidays, a quick trip to the mountains to enjoy the great outdoors, and an annual vacation - can find packing and unpacking a hassle.
The good news is that, with a little forethought and a bit of discount shopping, traveling can be hassle free. The first step in organizing your travel is to invest in good luggage. If you're a frequent traveler, quality luggage will hold up well over the course of your journeys.
If you're a weekend or vacation traveler, your luggage will last for years and you won't have to worry that the materials will crack or degrade. The next step for smooth travel is to make a master list. Over the course of a week or two - and long before your departure - think about every item that you might choose to take along on your travels. Include different kinds of clothes (career, dressy, casual, sleepwear), shoes, toiletries, jewelry, perfume, cameras, and anything else that you might need or want while you're away.
Then make a similar list for every member of your family who travels. Include toys and books for the kids, magazines for you or your spouse, and anything else they may need while they're away. You might even want to make a master list of instructions to leave for the person who will take care of your pets while you're away. Keep your list on your computer in a word processing file. When it comes time to pack for a trip, you can make a copy of the list and delete anything you know you won't need. What remains is the list of items you'll take with you.
When you keep a master list, you don't have to reinvent the proverbial wheel every time you're faced with an empty suitcase. The final step in combating the challenge of packing and unpacking for a trip is to do some discount shopping. You can approach discount shopping in a number of ways.
Frequent travelers find that discount shopping provides them with an opportunity to have a second set of clothes, toiletries, and even perfume that they then keep stored in their luggage. When it's time to hit the road, more than half of their packing is already done. When the come home, the clothes get washed, folded, and placed back in their luggage. For those who travel less frequently, discount shopping is a means for traveling light. You can buy travel-size toiletries so you don't have to lug around large containers of your favorite products.
You can also use discount shopping to stock up on clothes you use everyday, such as undergarments. More than one person has been known to purchase new underwear and socks prior to a trip, then pack their old items that needed to be replaced anyway, and throw them away - during their trip - after they've been worn. This gives them more room in their luggage for the souvenirs and gifts that they pick up on their trip. .
By: Chris Robertson


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14/02/2019 Sepp Hatzl 3,180 views Phuket Beaches Directory No Comments
Located on Phuket's northeast side on a parallel with west coast beach, Bang Tao. Cape Yamu Beach is found to the northeast of Phuket City, just north from Coconut Island. The beach is found on the north side of the Cape Yamu peninsula. There are a number of luxury villas in this area, and it is generally quiet and less travelled. Beaches are not the best, with muddy water, muddy bottom, and dirt mixed with sand on the shore.
Cape Yamu is not a primary destination for vacationers, so in that respect, it's nice and chill. This is a nice little spot to go on Phuket's east side to see the water and some islands.
There is no Beach Club at Cape Yamu Beach sofar
While there are a couple of other restaurants on the cape, one has only two reviews and the other has none. We'd rather not send you to a place that could be a bad experience.
Rates per night start around 80,000 THB per night, but it appears that there is a 3-night minimum. At least our search query on Booking.com reverts to that when we search for one night.
For more Cape Yamu Beach information check out the Blog:
Tags cape yamu cape yamu beach

subset: commoncrawl


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Slotted Angle Racks
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This article shows you how to write Scramble for Pocket PC.
While there are many examples available for working with the .Net Compact Framework, very few are available that show how to use the Drawing class with the somewhat limited functionality compared to the original GDI+. As you all know, in order to fit everything into 32MB things have to be omitted and they are, but we should gracefully accept what is available.I hope this code sample would help the reader to get started with game programming on the Compact Framework, and the good part is that programming with a Pocket PC does not look very different from Windows applications.
ScrambleThe game consists of a 5X5 matrix and there are 1-24 numbers randomly placed on the board (matrix) and one place is empty. You can move any number to any adjacent place or up or down if the corresponding adjacent, above or below place is empty; to finish or win the game you have to arrange the numbers sequentially keeping the last space in the board empty.GameLogic.vb
encapsulates the logic for the game Scramble. I have used an array of integers to define the matrix. The GameLogic class contains complete logic for the game. All you need to do is to create an instance of the game logic in your client application to implement the game.Class frmScramble
Class frmScramble is a form containing a user interface for the Scramble game.I have used off-Screen drawing combined with an opaque background by overriding the OnPaintBackground method of the form to produce a flicker-free and smooth rendering of the user interface. An important thing to be considered for speeding up the drawing process is to avoid creating brushes and pens in the OnPaint event, instead of that declare and initialize all brushes and pens at the start of the program and then use them throughout the application's life. As I talked about the less functionality in the graphics class, one such example is the lack of a facility to measure a string, also the absence of important methods like DrawArc and DrawPie makes life more difficult.The performance and speed of graphics-intensive applications should always be tested directly on the device. I have seen many performance differences between a device and the emulator.
Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0


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In 2015, Hispanics made up a plurality of New York City construction jobs. Their 37.75% of New York City construction jobs demonstrates how crucial Hispanic workers are. The demographics of New York City are similar throughout the entire country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hispanics make up for 29% of all construction workers in the United States. For this reason, it is vital for construction companies to take steps to keep their current Hispanic workers, and attract more, in order to lessen the construction labor shortage.
Why are Hispanic Workers Leaving?
During the Great Recession of 2006-2011, the construction industry lost 40% of its workers. Not accidentally, during this time Hispanics were leaving the country in record numbers. A Pew Research report shows that during these years, Hispanics were leaving the country faster than they were entering.
A notable driving force in Hispanics leaving the construction industry is retirement. Many labor-intensive construction jobs see earlier retirement ages. This is leading to many Hispanic workers exiting the industry. In addition, companies have trouble filling these jobs because Hispanic youth have an overall lack of interest. The lack of interest is shared by a majority of American youth. They just don't have an interest in traditional construction jobs. Overcoming the obstacle of attracting Millennials will continue to be an obstacle for construction companies.
Another cause that has many Hispanic workers leaving the industry is the current political climate in the U.S. President Donald Trump's focus on strengthening deportation policies has led to fear among many Hispanic communities. Chad Blocker, partner at Fragomen Construction, commented, "There is a sense that some of the rhetoric coming out of Washington has created a general atmosphere of unease among foreign nationals in the U.S." The result has been many Hispanic workers leaving the United States whenever they have a chance. This is because they see their stay in the U.S. under the current administration as having no guarantee.
What Can Companies Do to Attract Hispanic Workers?
In order to attract Hispanic workers, it is important for construction companies to create an atmosphere where Hispanic workers feel like valued employees. One way that construction companies could achieve this goal is to guarantee that construction supervisors will be bilingual. By having bilingual supervisors, Hispanic workers will not feel the pressure to have perfect their English in order to understand instructions about their jobs. Receiving instructions in Spanish would make numerous Hispanic workers more comfortable on the job and reduce the amount of mistakes that happen due to misunderstandings. This reduction of errors would greatly benefit construction companies which all tend to have a sizable amount of Hispanic workers.
Another step to ensuring that Hispanic workers feel valued would be establishing anti-discrimination policies. By establishing anti-discrimination policies, Hispanic workers will be confident in knowing that if they are discriminated against on the job, they can contact someone to resolve the issue.
Source: ConstructionDive
"Helping our clients get jobs done since 1998."


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Make Moments Cherishable With Personalized Gifts
Gifts are the most beautiful way of celebrating special occasions, expressing emotions, and making moments memorable. Meaningful gifts make all of us feel loved and special. But, the gifts that make us feel valued are personalized gifts. Yes, the best thing about personalized gifts is that we can cherish these for our entire lifetime. Giving personalized gifts to our loved ones shows that we have put a thought before choosing the specific gift for them. Also, personalized gifts are keepsake gifts that our loved ones can treasure forever. So, if you are looking for some amazing personalized gifts for your loved ones then, you are in the right place. This article suggests you some of the most amazing personalized gifts for your loved ones that can fit into any special occasion:
Personalized Mug
Personalized coffee mugs make one of the most meaningful gifts. These are available in a wide variety of design, shape, and size. The best part is that you can customize a mug with a quote and a picture both. These are available in online and offline gift stores as well. But, if you choose an online gift portal then, you can also send these personalized mugs online to your loved ones on any special occasion.
Personalized Cushion
Want something comfy for your loved ones? Well then, you should go for personalized cushion gifts which your loved ones can put into use. These can be used as a great decorating tool for your living room and also as a regular cushion. You can send personalized cushions online in India for your loved ones via online gift portals.
Personalized T-shirts
Personalized T-shirts are an absolutely cool gift that you can gift to your loved ones on any special occasion. You can personalize a plain t-shirt with quirky quotes and surprise your loved ones on their birthdays or anniversaries or Valentine's Day etc. There are various online customized gift stores that also customize t-shirts and offer online delivery services. So, your work is easy.
Personalized Greeting Card
Whether it's a birthday or an anniversary or Valentine's Day or any other occasion, a greeting card makes one of the best gift choices. It is because a greeting card can convey your deepest emotions to your loved ones in a beautiful manner. And, when a greeting card is specially personalized for someone you love, it takes the celebration to a whole new level. It makes the recipient feel so special.
Personalized Key Chain
Personalized key chains are in trend nowadays and these are appreciated by those who love to drive their two or four wheeler. But, a personalized key chain is loved by men the most. There are a variety of personalized keychains available online. Plus, these can be also personalized with the recipient's name engraved on it.
Personalized Bottle Lamp
Personalized bottle lamps are classy, cool, and thoughtful. These bottle lamps can be also customized with the recipient's photo. These are believed to brighten up any special celebration and can also uplift anyone's mood. These can be also used as a great decoration accessory for your living room or study room.
With these amazing personalized gift options like personalised cushions, mugs, lamps, and keychains, make your loved ones feel extra special on their significant days.


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- This event has passed.
Event Series: SouthPointe Pavilions Friday Nights Live Concert Series
Friday Nights Live Summer Concert Series featuring AMFM Band
Friday, June 23 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Grab a blanket or a chair and join us this summer for an exciting concert series lineup! AMFM Band takes the stage on June 23th.
The 2023 Friday Nights Live Summer Concert Series is on Friday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., June 16th– July 14th.
Friday Nights Live at SouthPointe Pavilions is located in the center courtyard.*
*No outside alcohol is permitted.
Nebraska Stroke Association is the charitable sponsor!


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Basement renovations can be tricky. However, with the Lifestyles Home Creations team at your side, you will enjoy creating a basement area which suits your needs. Whether it be a simple 200 square foot room remodel or a complete 2000 square foot basement suite from unfinished to finished, Lifestyles Home Creations will take care of it all.
From full bathrooms to ensuites, Lifestyles Home Creations has the experience to ensure product selection and professional installation. We know exactly how to repair common problems found in bathrooms such as mould, mildew and moisture buildup. We sleep well knowing our customers enjoy a safe, comfortable, problem-free bathroom.
A kitchen can become the beautiful centerpiece of a home. Through professional planning and design, the Lifestyles team can make your kitchen a joy to prepare in and a room that you will be proud to show off. Lifestyles Home Creations offers an array of components to ensure your kitchen looks exactly how you envisioned it.
Lifestyles Home Creations has been in business long enough to know that not all projects fit into the listed above. We know that anything is possible with the proper planning and trades people who love what they do. Please don't hesitate to fill out our online estimate form no matter what project you have in mind.


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"All Together" is a documentary made by Andra Rotaru in collaboration with Raj Chaprakani, as part of the 2nd Annual Outreach Fellowship, an additional fellowship of IWP (International Writing Program), focused on cultivating public outreach and artistic collaborations.
This documentary contains a multitude of perspectives as the footage is a collaborative work of writers from the International Writing Program's 2014 Fall Residency and of people from Iowa City. The filming of "All Together" was intentionally shot on a variety of cameras using "found" music and performances from the IWP group of writers, highlighting their artistic diversity and collaborations in both their official readings and spare time. Writers were filmed reading in different literary spaces: Prairie Lights (Iowa City, IA), Shambaugh House (IowaCity, IA), Poets House (New York, NY).
They were also filmed in collaborative events like "Global Express" and at local venues like a rodeo, Wilson's Orchard and musical/performative parties. For the documentary there were also used interviews with writers in the MFA program at the University of Iowa and interviews with IWP staff.
You can view it from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyGMCbLJNy8


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Filter by Topic
The Malthusian League (1877–1927)
The Malthusian League, founded in London, England, in 1877 promoted the use of contraception to limit family size. Activists Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant established the Malthusian League after they were arrested and exonerated for publishing a pamphlet describing techniques to prevent pregnancy. Founders based the league on the principles of Thomas Malthus, a British nineteenth century economist, who wrote on the perils of a population growing beyond the resources available to support it.
Format: Articles
Subject: Organizations, Outreach, Reproduction
The Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1910-1939)
From its founding in 1910 until it closed its doors in 1939, the Eugenics Record Office (ERO) at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York was the center of the American Eugenics Movement. Charles Davenport, a geneticist and biologist, founded the ERO, and served as its director until 1934. Under the direction of Davenport and his associate, superintendant Harry H. Laughlin, the influence of the ERO on science and public policy waxed during the early twentieth century until after World War II.
Format: Articles
Subject: Organizations, Reproduction
Human Betterment Foundation (1928-1942)
In 1928 Ezra Seymour Gosney founded the non-profit Human Betterment Foundation (HBF) in Pasadena, California to support the research and publication of the personal and social effects of eugenic sterilizations carried out in California. Led by director Gosney and secretary Paul Popenoe, the HBF collected data on thousands of individuals in California who had been involuntarily sterilized under a California state law enacted in 1909. The Foundation's assets were liquidated following Gosney's death in 1942.
Format: Articles
Subject: Organizations, Reproduction
Free Hospital for Women Scrapbook by Harvard University Library
This scrapbook is part of the Harvard University Library's collection on "Working Women, 1800-1930," which is itself part of the Open Collections Program. The print version is located at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. It contains information about the hospital, including articles from newspapers, magazines, and other publications; photographs of the hospital, employees, and special events; lecture announcements; letters and other forms of correspondence; ration cards; tickets; forms; certificates; posters; programs; and playbills.
Format: Articles
Subject: Organizations, Ethics, Reproduction


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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States does not support a French proposal to tax the gross revenues of international tech corporations like Google and Amazon, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday (Oct 14).
The remarks come as European officials say Washington has softened in recent days on a point that has caused sharp transatlantic tensions in recent years.
European authorities have targeted multinational companies that avoid taxation by seeking out cosy arrangements in low- and no-tax jurisdictions.
The Obama administration in 2016 reacted angrily to European authorities' decision to collect more than US$14 billion (S$18 billion) from Apple, which had negotiated highly favourable tax arrangements with Ireland.
Washington had until recently shown little interest in discussing a joint solution, according to European officials.
In September of this year, French authorities proposed that the European Union impose taxes on gross corporate revenues because they say they have been unable to tax corporate profits directly.
Mnuchin said on Saturday he did not support this.
"I think the concept of a gross revenue tax does not make sense and I don't think that's the right direction," Mnuchin told reporters on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
However, Mnuchin said talks were continuing.
"We look forward to this discussion on international tax issues," he said.
"I think there's a general view from us and our allies. What we don't want is for the international companies to be going into tax havens to avoid taxes, no matter where they're our companies our other countries."
Speaking a separate news conference, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Saturday he was pleased that the United States was open to discussing the matter.
"I return satisfied with the progress we've had from Washington on this subject," Le Maire said, noting that Washington and Paris had created a bilateral working group on the matter.
"It's the first time that France and the United States have agreed to advance the ways and means of taxing digital giants."
Le Maire said France's proposal might not be perfect but could be put in place quickly.
"It is not an ideal proposal but it is a proposal that can be enforced in short order," he said.


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<-- Neophobe | Transhumanist Terminology Index | Neuronaut -->
It often involves a lot of mapping and analysis of how such networks work, as each individual neuron, and all of it's connections to other neurons, need to be mapped, and the information flow through those networks must be analyzed. Even though the individual neurons in both types of networks are becoming well understood, the patterns of firing and information distribution in such networks can become very complex, making it difficult to deduce how exactly they work.
Understanding how a biological network actually works, how it processes information, and possibly even how consciousness arises among the network, are of great interest to some transhumanists/futurists, because it will improve the possibility of creating an analogous network inside a computer that will give rise to similar characteristics.
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Triple Play is a weekly NJBIZ feature that asks top executives in New Jersey to talk about three things related to their industry.
George J. Kimmerle is president and partner of Kimmerle Group, or KG, a multifaceted architectural and interior design company in Harding and New York City.
We asked George how the health care sector is changing to address evolving requirements.
Full article here: http://www.njbiz.com/article/20160626/NJBIZ01/160629837/triple-play-how-the-health- care-sector-is-addressing-evolving- requirements
Posted in


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Pourquoi sommes-nous encore là ? Juste pour souffrir ? Chaque nuit, je peux sentir ma jambe... Et mon bras... même mes doigts... Le corps que j'ai perdu... les camarades que j'ai perdus... n'arrêteront pas de me faire mal... C'est comme s'ils étaient tous encore là. Vous le sentez aussi, n'est-ce pas ?
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
why wont it let me open the game after download??
Amo como suena al estirarse XDDD
Okay I may have actually died playing this, the mechanics and sound design had me in stitches!!
Amazing game
i need to play pls
I have a question, how do you save your data. I played for awhile and got pretty far, and left the game, I now lost all my data and I have to restart, please tell me how to save and if you can't, fix this and add in saving in the game.
i mean, the games pretty short and i finished it in 20 or so minutes so they dont really need to add a save, but if they decide to add more to the game then yeah sure im on your side
? yay
Hi! I played your game and I absolutely enjoyed it. I loved the concept of stretching to get to the end and serve the customers. The fact that also you had to get those bottles of lotion i believe(?) to get more of a stretch going.
The random noises as well such as "My word!" Or "I say!" was a personal favorite of mine.
Overall, I'll say:
10/10 would stretch again.
(Sorry for the late response, I just made my Itch.io account and the video I made on this game is a few months old)
I absolutely loved playing this game! I love the mix of platformer and puzzles, not to mention the sound effects are the best. xD The rubberband and balloon are my favs. lol I made a video of the game play and my first impressions with it. I hope you enjoy and I'm looking forward to any further developments on this game. <3 <3 <3
That was a stunning puzzle platformer game with some excellent sound design. <3 Each squeak made me chuckle for a second, and the "Tetris"-esque transformations of the Maître D' were a optical delight as well. :D The polish of this game made a super juicy experience and if it would have been longer, then I would have played each level without a doubt! The protagonist is the accordian hero that every restaurant needs. :D It's no wonder that this game got the 1st place in the whole Ludum Dare 35. <3 Happily I wrote a little article about your game and also uploaded it a short gameplay video for it, and also it's included in our GOTY 2016 list. <3 Like always, thank you so much for your hard work. I really appreciate it how much fun and joy you share with the game jam world. :)
Best wishes,
any fully fledged game in the works?
Please fix downloading this game inside the Itch app since I can only download through this page using a browser, I would prefer download it using the Itch app but it fails downloading. Otherwise thanks for a great game lots of fun. Regards :)
Hrmm, as far as I can tell it should work. What platform are you on? Win/Mac/Linux?
Thanks for try and help out, I was reinstalling all my itch games (upgrading OS new install) in the player, funny thing when it came to your great game no matter what, it would not download any only if I opened your page in a browser. Somehow after a while I tryed switch my ISP since I have 2 lines and then smile it worked. Once again thanks finally I can enjoy your great game in the Itch application, I think one of my ISP's are having a real bad day :) Platform: Windows 8.1
well I cant play FRUICK U FRICKIN FRUEACKIN PEICE OH HORSE CRAP
I can't play it, why isn't it letting me?
Oh god, this game is amazingly funny. I laughed non stop for pretty much all of this video. Just the idea of a stretchy waiter, like this, actually serving you is creatively hilarious.
I had a ton of fun while playing this game! Also the sounds are hilarious!! Thanks for sharing your work with us xD
Here is my gameplay..
This game is hilarious! Genius! :D Check it out! It had a blast playing it!
Make more of these games!!
Hope you liked my let's play, if you did, check out my other indiegame let's plays on my game channel
Let me just say, this game is adorable, hilarious and to be honest brilliant. I loved every single moment of this game. 1,000,000/10 will replay again. Max out your lotion and extend all the way to the right, then go left and right really fast. Huehuehue.
Tis game was great. I loved how silly it was!
Hilarious game where your body just extends, i had alot of fun playing this!
Subscribe Today! ► http://bit.ly/RVZGaming
Hey Your game is pretty kickass,
I'm working on a video project called time capsules focusing on game indie devs. It's similar to sending a message to your self in 50 years;
Only five questions for my documentary:
1. What feature in your game can the player not experience anywhere else?
2. What's the biggest personal obstacle you had to overcome in creating your game so far? (it could be super technical or anything else that you want to talk about)
3. Who helped you decide to become a game dev?
4. What feature of the game do you absolutely love that no one would probably ever find?
5. What do you believe video games mean to humanity?
First couple of episodes
if you have some game footage or even better developmental footage of errors or other stuff you'd like to show people who have never programmed a day in their life.
also best ways to contact you, and all social media you use because I'll be displaying those through out the episode.
I think if people dig the game and dig your story they might reach out for questions or colabs you really never know what can come of it.
do you think you'd be interested in being my guest?
Created by SeaDads (our sweet game jam team):
- Barney Cumming (@Powerhoof): Art
This game is AWESOME!!!
How do you save progress? (on any game, really)
Absolutely love this unique 2D platformer. The mechanics are awesome and the sounds and voices are too much! Keep up the good work!
Check out similar videos on my YouTube channel : MastaCGaming
i found a glitch where instead of the body expanding it duplicates the head it wont even let you contract XD file:///Users/bk/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202016-12-11%20at%208.18.54%20am.png and file:///Users/bk/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202016-12-11%20at%208.19.06%20am.png
I loved this game, it is very unique and a whole lot of fun :D
Like the game it is very fun
Fantastic game! Had me in stitches!
FUN! I raged soooo much!!
Hilarious game!, the growing really threw me off!
I have no idea how you came up with this idea but keep up the creative work!
Link to the hilarity is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAMLAjrgel4


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Jing Daily believes that "sending a child abroad to study is considered the ultimate luxury purchase."
According to the Hurun Report, "85% of Chinese high net worth individuals and 90% of ultra high net worth individuals plan to send their children abroad for their education. The U.S. is the top destination (27%), followed by the UK (22%) and Canada (15%)."
Importantly, spending on overseas education also generates increased investment in travel, real estate and luxury goods. One of my clients, a French luxury goods company, realized that its promotions were better targeted to reaching affluent Chinese students at my alma matter, Harvard Business School, than investing in Chinese New Year celebrations.
This was because their friends and family networks anointed it as the authority on overseas lifestyles. As a result, it exerted significant influence on luxury purchases. According to Jing Daily, "74% [of overseas Chinese students] are asked for their advice on luxury purchases by friends and family at least once a quarter."
Importantly, overseas Chinese students are buyers. According to China Luxury Advisors, "96% of students surveyed said that they purchased luxury goods to take home at least once a year. But here's the kicker: among this influential group, only 25% have been contacted by luxury brands during their stay overseas."
Lesson Learned: Cultivate overseas Chinese students as your consumer as they will likely have as much influence on luxury purchases as a posse of 50-something Chinese executives.
My name is Don Kellough a Corporate Protection Specialist with Freedom 55 Financial specializing in working with successful business owners and upper middle income earners and high net worth families on how to create tax free income and enhancing the value of your hard earned money tax free also. Most people have no idea what life insurance can for them financially and think that life insurance is only good when they die. They could not be further from the truth. Life insurance can be used to create a 100% tax free retirement income plan, an education for their children and all this can be tax free at anytime during their life and the equity or cash value is not locked in until death.
Patracia is 'spot on'. Understanding the intersection between the US and China consumer markets should be the most important strategic initiative for marketers. Complimentary insights are available at: http://www.prosperchinaic.com/chinainfo/
Sorry for the typo Patricia


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Debt is suddenly hot
The truism that debt and deficits matter is fading away among policy elites.
Driving the news: The chorus is telling us don't worry, be happy: The Wall Street Journal: "Worry About Debt? Not So Fast, Some Economists Say" ... Foreign Affairs: "Who's Afraid of Budget Deficits?" ... NY Times: "How America Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Deficits and Debt."
- The NY Times' Neil Irwin captures the debtgeist: "Economic orthodoxy that ruled for decades held that fiscal responsibility was inherently good and the national debt a leviathan to fear. Now the intellectual and political currents are flowing — gushing, really — in the opposite direction."
That's after the national debt passed $22 trillion, the most ever — $2 trillion of that while Trump was in office.
- And despite a strong economy, the deficit last year hit a six-year high.
This is a rare zone of agreement for left, right and center:
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has indicated openness to "modern monetary theory," the idea that deficits don't matter for countries that are running below their economic potential.
- Trump didn't once mention the debt or budget deficits in this year's State of the Union address — nor did he mention it last year.
- Warren Buffett, the third richest man in the world (after Bezos and Gates), said in his most recent letter to investors: "Those who regularly preach doom because of government budget deficits (as I regularly did myself for many years) might note that our country's national debt has increased roughly 400-fold" over the past 77 years.
Why it doesn't matter, from Axios Markets editor Dion Rabouin: inflation, which over the past decade or so has been a non-factor, even after back-to-back years of above-trend growth and government spending binges.
- Economists have argued about the reasons, pointing at everything from the internet to the lack of unions to globalization to the way companies have invested their profits. But the end result remains the same.
The two arguments:
Debt matters ... Axios Future editor Steve LeVine warns against a "glib new gospel."
- Steve emails: "If debt really doesn't matter, you should be able to print any amount of money without impact. But none of the glib economists will go that far. That's why I call them glib. Because they are suggesting that we go out and spend more when all they really can say is, well, inflation and interest rates are low now."
- And Fed chairman Jay Powell said in Senate testimony last week: "[I]t is widely agreed that federal government debt is on an unsustainable path. As a nation, addressing these pressing issues could contribute greatly to the longer-run health and vitality of the U.S. economy."
Debt doesn't matter ... Axios chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon: "There is no evidence from 240 years of American history that the level of the national debt has ever really mattered."
- "The U.S. prints its own currency and can borrow as much as it likes, increasingly from domestic investors. Per Buffett, deficit hawks have preached doom for decades. They have never been proven correct."
1 fun thing: A man named Ian Hammond proposes improving American's balance sheet by selling Montana to Canada. The price? Just $1 trillion.
- Hammond's petition is getting traction online.


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The geology of BET's nature reserves is dominated by Carboniferous limestone that was laid down some 300 to 350 million years ago in a warm, shallow sea from the remains of countless marine animals.
One hundred and fifty million years later during the Jurassic Period, mineral rich water began to be forced up from the hot depths of the earth through the many faults and fissures in the limestone which today has resulted in the accumulation of numerous metal ores in the bedrock.
The most abundant minerals to be found on the reserve are galena (lead sulphide), calamine (zinc carbonate), yellow ochre (iron oxide), barites (barium sulphate), malachite (copper carbonate) - and probably many more as yet unidentified.
Potato stones are quartz nodules either spherical or ovoid in shape with a somewhat fanciful resemblance to the humble potato.
During the Middle Ages, the quartz crystals in these stones were sometimes mistaken for real diamonds and were consequently locally referred to as 'Bristol Diamonds'. They are quite widespread in our area and vary in size from less than 1cm to a maximum of about 20cms in diameter. When cut in half, potato stones reveal their amazing internal structure which is frequently made up of the convoluted, coloured bands you see here. As in this local example from nearby Stancombe Quarry, the chief colouring agents often come from a complex mixture of red iron oxides.
A Cut and Polished Potato Stone


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Why do we have a 40-hour workweek?
Depending on your career, that affects your life very directly — even if it's never crossed your mind.
It's also the question at the heart of a viral TikTok by management coach Emily Ballesteros. Her video, which has more than 1.6 million views, explains why she believes the 40-hour workweek is "tragically outdated."
Ballesteros begins her video by noting that the concept of a 40-hour workweek was created by the Ford Motor Company in the early 1900s. As Ballesteros points out, the concept proved effective for industrial jobs asked people to perform one, repeated task.
However, so many of today's jobs are "project-based," meaning they involve complex and constantly differing tasks. Ballesteros says a "standard" week doesn't really fit with that kind of role.
"We rolled over this eight-hour [per day] framework into industries where it doesn't make sense," the TikToker explains. "By just having someone keep themselves busy for eight hours, you're losing so much productivity."
Reply to @iamjoegioia I'm glad you brung it up cuz I've been dying to talk about it for a f*ckin hot minute😅 ##burnout ##cc ##40hourweek ##fyp ##workload♬ original sound – Emily Ballesteros
Ballesteros went on to note that Ford's eight hours per day, five days per week working style was created in a different era.
Back then, most women stayed at home and commuting was completely different. Additionally, Americans didn't have the technology to efficiently work from home.
"This framework was created by one man, in one industry, 100 years ago — and we have not improved it," Ballesteros added.
The management coach suggested that every industry do some "critical thinking" to see what type of workweek suits their employees best. Many TikTokers seemed to agree, too.
"This argument works for so many outdated concepts created years ago," one user wrote.
"I feel like Covid proved that we don't actually need to be in an office anymore," another added. "We definitely need improvements!"
"We shouldn't center our lives around work," another wrote.
Other commenters brought up countries like Japan and Germany, where examples of four-day workweeks have often been shown to boost productivity. Earlier in 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested that her country move away from a typical five-day week.
If you liked this story, check out this article on what it's like to live in a 170-square-foot apartment.
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Men friends toasting beer glasses at bar. Photo: Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury (Getty)
Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil have come to the conclusion that moderately drinking alcohol is good for you. It turns out the sauce actually strengthens the heart by "[teaching] cells how to cope with stress." Introducing some alcohol to the heart "effectively trains the body how to create the enzymes needed to cope with a heart attack."
Of course, crushing more than a few brews with your boys could have a damning effect on your blood-pumper, making it more vulnerable than if you were sober. So as stated, moderation is key.
Researchers ran tests on mice in which they "interrupted the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart for 30 minutes to simulate a heart attack." The results showed 50 percent of the heart's cells died in mice that were sober, while only 30 percent were extinguished in those mice that had been exposed to booze.
Then again, maybe the mice were just feeling alone: Loneliness Doubles Your Chances Of Dying From Heart Problems
So just how much alcohol should you be drinking to toughen up your ticker? Researchers say it varies depending on the person. Still, they did throw out the number of two beers (or two glasses of wine) a day for men — the equivalent to that in their tests with the mice. However, that would go against what the UK's National Health Service recommends. In fact, two beers a day would be double what they advise.
That means the answer lies somewhere between more than Mother Teresa and less than Ozzy Osbourne. Good luck, fellas.


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He was given a "second burial". The solemn but joyous ceremony was performed only for the paramount chief , to ensure that his great spirit would always remain with the people, protecting them and guiding them as he had done in Life.
Bishop Shanahan (1871 - 1943) of Southern Nigeria was the only non-Igbo to be afforded this honour. His bones were disinterred and in 1955 were Laid to rest in Onitsha cathedral in the heart of the land of the lgbos. Who was this man so beloved and honoured?
Joseph Shanahan was born, the third of ten children of a poor farm labourer in Co. Tipperary, Ireland. His uncle, Pat Walsh, who lived with the Shanahans, left the home in Gortnalaura in 1875 to join the congregation of the Holy Ghost, now called the Spiritans. It was an old French religious order recently given a new lease of life by the dynamic Francis Libermann, a convert from Judaism whose special ambition was to bring the good news of Christ to the peoples of Equatorial Africa.
In 1886 young Joe followed his uncle to France where he joined the Spiritans and began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1900. In October 1902 his life's dream was fulfilled. He was on a boat bound for Nigeria. Thirty five days later he arrived in Onitsha, a name that would be forever linked with his own.
Shanahan joined a group of French Spiritans who had arrived in Eastern Nigeria seventeen years previously.
From the very beginning Shanahan made a big impact. He was big, strong, handsome. He was friendly, kind, energetic. The lgbo people couldn't but admire and love him. And he served them with every ounce of his being until he returned in 1932. He had served for thirty years, twenty five as leader of the mission. Few Europeans could survive more than a decade in Nigeria where conditions were very primitive at that time.
His life is one of the great success stories of missionary history. He was a truly charismatic figure, a man of exceptional courage and vision. He travelled the country on foot, by bicycle, by canoe. He walked boldly in areas where no white man had set foot before. He saw the importance of education and built up a huge network of schools.
He recruited missionary priests, brothers, sisters and lay persons for Southern Nigeria. He founded one religious order and was the inspiration behind the setting up of five others.
As is the case for all saints, he suffered greatly. He was rejected by his mission and forced into an unwanted and early retirement. He was rejected by the missionary order of sisters he founded in lreland He spent his final years in exile from his beloved Igbos, years of frustration false accusations and loneliness.
Today he is seen as a luminary of the Church and of the Spiritans, a wonderful model for all who are called to be missionaries.


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BRE Scotland is once again set to support the Scottish Property Awards, the national awards programme which recognises excellence in commercial and public property.
This year, the organisation is to sponsor the Development of the Year category, and BRE director for Scotland, Rufus Logan, will sit on the judging panel, chaired by Karen Anderson, who is chair of Architecture + Design Scotland.
The awards, which are now in their third year, have been extended to a total of 16 categories covering the best in development, deals, teams and talent within Scotland, therefore a record number of entries are expected before the deadline of Thursday 15 October 2015.
Rufus Logan notes: "I anticipate that the quantity and quality of entries will be even better than before, given that construction activity is continuing to grow in Scotland. From a BRE standpoint, we are focussed on the importance of sustainable development and I trust this will once again be demonstrated in a large proportion of this year's entries."
Winners will be announced at a glittering awards dinner to be held in the Glasgow City Hotel (formerly The Thistle) on Thursday 3 March 2016.
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fiber One for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
You know that moment when you're sitting outside at a public playground watching your child play and the designated bully comes up to them and says something mean? Or maybe they take a toy away and call them a stupid head. That's the moment our mother bear instinct kicks in and we're trying to decide if we punch this kid in the face or if we handle it like the adult we know we're supposed to be. That instinct is normal. It's there for a reason. We as moms know we'll do everything and anything in our power to protect our cubs, er, kids.
Me + evening snack = happy woman
I like to compare this mother bear instinct to my evening cravings. Stick with me here for a minute. If you're anything like me, around 7:30 to 8:00 pm, after dinner is eaten and the kitchen is (sometimes) cleaned up, I get a craving. But I've always heard (I'm pointing to you Oprah) that you should never, under any circumstance eat after 7:00 pm in order to maintain your weight. So I sit there, fighting this perfectly normal instinct to eat something. I even say out loud to my husband "man, I'm hungry" to which he says "um, so eat something". Like, duh right?
The mother bear instinct is normal.
The evening cravings are normal.
Eating something is normal.
Now I'm not telling to you head to the refrigerator, graze for 30 minutes, eating ALL THE FOOD. I'm telling you to snack on something that allows you to indulge your taste buds, but doesn't make you crawl into bed and curse the day you were born.
How about cheesecake? (Please don't leave…keep reading.)
Yes, you can have your cheesecake and eat it too! Let me introduce you to something that is guilt free, indulgent, graham cracker-y, cheesecaker-y, sweet and will make you feel like you're having an indulgent evening that requires a trip to confessional the next day. I'm talking about Fiber One Cheesecake Bars. These individually wrapped bars have only 150 calories and provides 20 percent of the daily value of fiber. You get a decadent tasting dessert (they are really good and have a great texture), satisfy that evening craving without all of the added calories. (Side note: one night I was eating a muffin from a store that will go unnamed, and my son walks in and says "Hey mom, did you know those muffins have 450 calories?" Face palm.)
Now, you should know I'm a wild woman. It's true. So my idea of the perfect evening consists of dancing all.night.long. Lies – it consists of a snack, cup of coffee, a fantastic movie and my crochet. Told you I'm a wild one! Fiber One Cheesecake Bars are available nationwide beginning August 2015 at major grocery and retail stores with a suggested retail price of $3.89 per box of five 1.35 ounce pouches. You can purchase Fiber One Cheesecake Bars in Salted Caramel and Strawberry flavors. I've had both. Don't ask me which is my favorite because I seriously don't know.
In celebration of the new Fiber One Cheesecake Bars, Fiber One kicked off their very first Cheesecake Appreciation Month which started on National Cheesecake Day – July 30 and goes through August. Fiber One will have an Edible Billboard at Grand Central Station in New York City (*Currently Googling plane tickets to NYC*), plus they're hosting the Fiber One Cheesecake Appreciation Month Sweepstakes on Facebook. You can enter for a chance to win a year's supply of Fiber One Cheesecake Bars. Dang. Sign me up!
Do you get evening cravings? If so, do you give into those instincts or fight it like the plague?


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|Total images: 249 | © JAlbum & Chameleon | Help
Kelly Stables,: Stables was born in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri. She was a well-known cheerleader in her high school years, a fact which would be commemorated in an article in the magazine American Cheerleader. She graduated from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri, Columbia earning a bachelor's degree in Communication with an emphasis in Television and Theatre Performance minor. By March 2005, corresponding with the release of The Ring Two in theaters, she married Kurt Patino.
Kelly is an avid baseball fan, and enjoys St. Louis Cardinals games. In her spare time, she uses her local area church as a platform to educate children about Parkinson's disease and ways to combat it.
Her step-brother is a teacher at Francis Howell Central High School in St. Charles, Missouri.
Kelly has acted in a number of Broadway plays. Her two largest roles were in the Thousand Oaks Civic Light Opera's Peter Pan as Wendy, and in Sleeping Beauty as the title role. Kelly has also starred in several other on-stage roles in her time, notably as Marion Davies in W.R. and the Daisy.
Kelly is best known in the world of film for the stunt work she did for The Ring and for taking over for Daveigh Chase in portraying the (off-tape) evil Samara Morgan for The Ring Two. She was also in the short film Rings. Her roles in the Bring it On and Ring franchises would boost her popularity to the point of gaining mention in Rolling Stone, Star and Us Weekly. She also voices Will Vandom in W.I.T.C.H., and plays roles in General Hospital and St. Bartes-Aspen. She also briefly appeared in the pilot for The Grubbs. In November 2007, she has also had a role in an episode of Cavemen playing a 12-year-old cavekid boy. She has a recurring role as Melissa, Alan Harper's receptionist on Two and a Half Men. She is working on a film called My Life Untitled. She also guest-starred on 'Til Death as a travel agent. She also appears on the Burger King commercial as a woman who is selling things on infomercials.
Most recently she starred in the ABC show Romantically Challenged playing Lisa Thomas, Alyssa Milano's character's sister. She is the "Sexpert" of the group offering advice when it is not usually asked for. The show was cancelled after airing only 4 episodes.
Peter Pan
Sleeping Beauty
W.R. and the Daisy
Spider-Man (2002) stunts
BS (2002) as Molly
The Grubbs (2002) as Young Sophie
The Ring (2002) stunts
Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2003 as Amer-i-can
The Haunted Mansion (2003) as Queen Ghost
Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (2003) as Lydia Meryton
General Hospital (2003) as Teenage Bobbie Spencer
Bring It On Again (2004) as Tiny Blonde
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) stunts
Creating America's Next Hit Television Show (2004) as Macy #3
W.I.T.C.H. (2004–2006) as Will Vandom (voice)
Hoodwinked! (2005) as Schnitzel Kid 1 (voice)
Rings (2005) as Samara
The Ring Two (2005) as Evil Samara
'Til Death: "The Courtship of Eddie's Parents" (2005) as Sandi
Furnace (2006) as Karen Bolding
Telling Lies (2006) as Eve Forrester
How I Met Your Mother: "Drumroll, Please" (2006) as Masseuse
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (2006) as Generic Female Skater (voice)
State's Evidence (2006) as Emily Carter
Shorty McShorts' Shorts: "Too Many Robots" (2007) as Digit
Greek (2007–2009) as Janette
Cavemen: "Cave Kid (2007) as Rocky the Cave Kid
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) voice actor
The Bold and the Beautiful (2008) as Beauty Salon Attendant
Together Again for the First Time (2008) as Sandra Frobisher
Life: "Crushed" (2008) as Marielle
The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft (2008) as Iola (voice)
Two and a Half Men (2008–2010) as Melissa
Dragon Hunter (2009) as Raya
My Life: Untitled (2009) as Ollie
Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe (2009) as Teri
Romantically Challenged (2010) as Lisa Thomas
Bones (2010) as Cynthia Rinaldi
The Ring Three (2011) as Samara Morgan
Madness (20??)
Spring Break Dread (20??)
By using our website you Agree to and Acknowledge to Disclaimer: All pictures are copyright to their respective owners. No infringement is intended. Watt-up.com does not claim ownership of any of the photos displayed in these galleries. Tags at the bottom of the photos are to show that it was originally posted here. Images are for entertainment / news/ fan purposes only, if there is an issue with any of the photos displayed, contact for prompt removal. The use of media materials is protected by the fair use Clause of the US Copyright Act of 1976 , which allows for the rebroadcast of copyrighted materials for the purpose of commentary, criticism, and education.


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And here you have our challenge! Everybody do the #MisfitsSwing!! Our next single will be called "The Misfit's Swing", and we need YOU for the video! Everybody can enter, it's really easy: Just film yourself dancing to this little excerpt of our upcoming single: https://youtu.be/Mzq3KxYAgxE and send the video via e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Entries close on January 2nd! Be sure to also share it to Instagram at #MisfitsSwing.


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A thermodynamic state function given by the following expression:
where H indicates enthalpy, U indicates internal energy[?], and P and V indicate pressure and volume, respectively.
Enthalpy is a useful function for two reasons. First, the expression U + PV occurs often in thermodynamics, and it is convenient to define this quantity. Second, if a process begins and ends at the same pressure, the amount of energy exchanged with the environment as heat is given by the change in the system's enthalpy.
An enthalpy change (ΔH) in chemistry describes the heat energy exchange with the surroundings at constant pressure. It can provide a useful guide to the feasibility of a reaction taking place.
There are a number of different types of standard enthalpy changes:
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If you submitted an application for disability benefits that was accepted, it means that you will shortly begin receiving monthly payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, the process does not stop there. Once you begin receiving your benefit checks, you can expect to have periodic reviews of your case, known as a Continuing Disability Review or CDR. These reviews are conducted by the SSA to make sure you are still medically eligible to receive benefits. Below is some information about the review process that you need to know.
The frequency of case reviews Generally, your reviews will be set for every three or seven years. The exact time frame will be determined by your claim representative as soon as your case is approved.
Medical improvement possible One of the distinctions your case can be given is "medical improvement possible", or MIP. If you are placed in this category, your case will be reviewed every three years. Conditions that fall in this category include mental illnesses or chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Medical improvement expected Another distinction your case can be given is "medical improvement expected", or MIE. If you fall into this category, your case may be up for review more often than every three years. Reviews can be as frequent as every six months for some people. This category is often used for people who are recovering from surgeries and are expected to make a full recovery. For example, someone who had a double knee replacement might be considered MIE.
Medical improvement not expected Those who are categorized as "medical improvement not expected" or MINE are usually given a seven-year time span between reviews. People who are placed in this category have severe conditions from which they are not expected to recover. Some conditions that fall into this category include, but are not limited to cancer, autism, multiple sclerosis, and blindness. Also, people over the age of 55 are generally put into this category whatever their condition may be.
Child recipients Children who receive SSI benefits will have their cases reviewed at least once before their 18th birthday regardless of their conditions.
Redetermination Not only are SSI recipients required to have periodic CDRs, they are also subject to redeterminations as well. Redeterminations can occur any time between every one and six years. These reviews are done to ensure the benefit recipient still falls within the income and work guidelines that must be met to remain eligible to receive benefits.If you have any questions regarding CDRs or redeterminations, contact Liner Legal today. We are here to help you.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section]


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JOHN MONTALBANO guests on the SIMPLE BLASPHEMY podcast to discuss all things MY WORLD
John Montalbano had a blast as a guest on the Simple Blasphemy Podcast!!! Got an awesome card from them with stickers!! Thank you sooooo much to Zak, Zack, Andrew and Danielle!! The card and and stickers are awesome!!
Check out the link to the episode below!


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Continuing on from creating the opening title sequence to my graduate film Full Circle, I wanted to learn more about Motion Graphics, so I sought various online tutorials to create a set of new idents.
Some tutorials provided materials to be used and adapted, like the figure above but the background was something I found to fit with the movement. I was going for a Wizard of Oz, yellow brick road theme, to match the Tin Man like model. The background was colour graded so that it looks more like pastel, giving off the impression of arts and crafts. Discerning viewers could spot my logo on a rock in the background, it is the same colour as the grass to resemble a moss formation.
The final clip is of a boat drifting out at sea, the waves and clouds are animated. It came out looking good, with the suns reflection and lens flare adding more realism.
The video as a whole features a powerful dance track that gives the showreel some energy and rhythm, meshing all the different animations together well.
I hope to make more idents and animations in the future, pushing my motion graphics skills further. Watch this space but for now watch this.


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Biomass heating is more and more ecological
To contribute to protect the environment by completely eliminating combustion emissions and making biomass heating increasingly more ecological, practical, safe and convenient. This is our goal. We are working at it with exactitude, spreading a culture based on burning renewable energies because sustainability is part of a broader concept of environmental comfort. The healthier the environment, the safer the people.
Why burn wood (i.e. plants) instead of fossil fuels?
Nature knows how to keep our ecosystem in perfect health! In fact, thanks to chlorophyll photosynthesis, the Sun and plants ensure that the air we breathe contains the right amount of oxygen. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air (1) and use the carbon they need for their own growth while releasing oxygen that is essential for life and for the planet (2).
Wood is a renewable source of energy; fossil fuels, on the other hand, cannot be renewed which is why they are running out. Interestingly, the wood trees are made of is produced by photosynthesis. It is made of carbon (3). During correct combustion, carbon combined with the oxygen in the air produces the exact amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed by a tree during its life cycle (4). On the other hand, when fossil fuels burn they release the carbon dioxide accumulated in the millions of years it has taken them to form, which increases the greenhouse effect.
Choosing to burn wood is therefore an "eco-responsible" choice for our planet: it pollutes less while offering uncompromising comfort.
This is also the first and foremost principle we abide by and we have made a sort of "agreement with nature" on it: a voluntary agreement with the Ministry for the Environment for the promotion of shared projects aimed at analysing, reducing and neutralising the impact on the climate of the production of wood biomass domestic heating systems.


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Four Ways to Wear New York Fashion Week Trends Now
New York Fashion Week is kicking off, and already we're inspired enough to do a complete closet overhaul. The best news: You don't have to wait for two seasons to rock these trends. Here, we compiled a list of four early bird favorites and the pieces you can shop for through Ebates right now.
Denim in New Ways
From bell-bottoms to skinny, there isn't a style of jeans you haven't embraced. This season, Calvin Klein brought the denim party just below the neck with structured denim shirts that look fresh and forward when paired with red pants and layered with slips. For spring, get a head start on the trend with this quirky frock.
Red Hot
Red has always been a mainstay, but this season the shade steps it up in looks that range from preppy to passionate. We loved a slinky scarlet slip from Nicholas K and cropped tops and short shorts from all-American classic Tommy Hilfiger. Mimic the look by working this cherry-red suit into your wardrobe.
Isn't It Romantic
We're suckers for polished, pretty pieces that are sophisticated yet simple. Cinq a Sept's collection, complete with fur-trimmed sleeves and flirty ruffled frocks, was heavy on the romance. Although we went wild over the burnout velvet and embroidered jackets, for now we'll echo the elegance with this ladylike blouse.
Coming Up Roses
The most beautiful bloom of all time was all over Kate Spade's presentation. The collection, which was cozy and romantic, showcased our favorite flower on cool sweaters and feminine dresses. This flirty blouse, which features half sleeves and a high neck, is the perfect way to try out the trend now.
Related Links:
Deals On Designer Apparel
Jewelry Coupons
Barneys New York Coupons
Alice + Olivia Promo Codes
Coupons for Women's Dresses
President's Day Sales and Coupons
Andrea Kasprzak is a writer. She's fascinated by the imagination, folklore and fantasy, the healing power of art, and finding magic in the mundane. Her playbook, Imagination Transforms Everything, is forthcoming this spring from Seal Press/Hachette Book Group.


text: Another adventure at South Mesa Trail in south Boulder. This trail is one of the most popular portrait spots for it's diverse scenery and fall colors. Kevin and Nicolette were terrific as we had to endure some intense wind gusts during our session. The wind helped to make our photos a tad more dramatic so that's always nice.


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Impact Academy is an educational program in the field of digital marketing for key business partners of Ringier Axcel Springer Polska. Each academic year is a closed program. It has its main theme, to which the topics of individual conferences, seminars, workshops and webinars are adequately planned. The schedule of events, along with their introductory theme, is developed and published at the end of the previous year.
By participating in Impact Academy events, students gain knowledge and points that allow them to obtain a Digital Expert Certificate and DIMAQ points at the end of the academic year (most of our events are DIMAQ accredited).
The project is directed to people dealing with marketing, marketing managers, brand managers, product managers, media house employees etc.
Every year, we organize two large Impact Day conferences (for 450+ people) and several specialized Impact Seminars (100+ people), combining lectures with practical workshops. We supplement projects from the real world with online activities. These are Impact Webinars - meetings and conversations with experts in their fields and Impact Voice - a podcast about how to build strong brands. We also issue an annual report of Impact Papers summarizing these activities.
We host over 1,700 marketers and representatives of media houses and PR agencies at all events throughout the year. 9 out of 10 people recommend our events to friends (NPS 9/10)!
Providing a solid dose of knowledge about the digital market is possible thanks to our speakers - experts and specialists, people who have not only great knowledge and experience, but a willingness to share everything they work on for years.
The speakers are RASP practitioners and experts from Poland and abroad (C-level executive, consultants, researchers). Until now they were: Carsten Cramer, Borussia Dortmund, Joe van Brussel, Huffington Post, Mark Adams, VICE, prof. Jerzy Bralczyk, Jim Fanning, Country Manager, Switzerland and CEE Amazon Web Services, Emilie Reynaud, Global Digital Consultant, Ringier AG, Michał Wolniak, President & Head of Advisory, VML Poland, Nina Suffczyńska-Hałabuz, Marketing Director, The Boston Consulting Group .


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Scottsdale, AZ
New offering will provide framework to support faster availability of funds
Early Warning, a leader in fraud prevention and risk management, has selected the Authentic software solution from NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) to build a bank-to-bank good funds network supporting faster availability of funds.
Authentic enables payment authorization and transaction routing. Major banks, processors and merchant acquirers around the world rely on Authentic's unparalleled flexibility to support any transaction type from any device, source or system. Authentic will be integrated with Early Warning's core payments products and services.
Early Warning's good funds network will facilitate communication among financial institutions, giving a participating depositing bank a real-time guarantee for check and ACH transactions and will support both credit push and debit models. As a result, customers will receive faster availability of funds on deposited items and instant notification of items presented for deposit – all based on real-time activity.
Lou Anne Alexander, chief market development officer of payment solutions, Early Warning, said, "Financial institutions are responding to customer demands for faster availability of funds as well as better real-time information on their available balances. Early Warning is intently focused on ensuring these transactions are just as safe as they are fast. The combination of our tools, the resources provided by the paying bank and NCR's capabilities produce a dynamic decisioning capability that mirrors the sophistication that a paying bank would rely on if the item was presented at its own institution. Integrating the good funds network into our core product offerings is our response to the desired outcomes of leading financial institutions and regulatory guidance for fast, secure transactions."
"NCR has a deep commitment to innovation and software growth. By combining our Authentic software with Early Warning's solutions, we will deliver innovative services to the banking and payments industry," said Steve Nogalo, vice president and general manager of Payments Solutions, NCR. "Together, we will drive value for our financial services customers and enable consumers to enjoy safe, secure, and fast transactions across every touch point for their banking or purchases."
Early Warning's enhanced service will improve both the depositing and paying financial institutions' ability to meet customer demands for funds availability across all channels. It will also satisfy heightened regulatory expectations to accelerate the availability of information related to items presented for a safer, faster financial system.
About Early Warning
Early Warning provides risk management solutions to a diverse network of 2,300 financial institutions, government entities and payment companies, enabling businesses and consumers to transact securely and conveniently. Owned and governed by five of the largest banks in the U.S., Early Warning's unique business model facilitates a data exchange system based on collaborative, shared intelligence. For more than 20 years, the company has worked with organizations of all sizes to advance collaborative risk management and fraud prevention. For more information please visit www.earlywarning.com.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables more than 550 million transactions daily across retail, financial, travel, hospitality, telecom and technology, and small business. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier.
NCR is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia with over 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.


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Forms of SEP plan documents and when to use them
"I have a client that would like to establish a SEP plan. What document options are available and what are the considerations for selection?"
ERISA consultants at the Retirement Learning Center Resource Desk regularly receive calls from financial advisors on a broad array of technical topics related to IRAs, qualified retirement plans and other types of retirement savings plans, including nonqualified plans. We bring Case of the Week to you to highlight the most relevant topics affecting your business.
A recent call with a financial advisor from New York is representative of a common inquiry related simplified employee pension (SEP) plans.
Highlights of Discussion
Employers that sponsor SEP plans must maintain them pursuant to a written document [Internal Revenue Code Section (IRC §) 408(k)(5). There are three document format options for SEP plans: 1) the IRS model form, which is IRS Form 5305-SEP Simplified Employee Pension – Individual Retirement Accounts Contribution Agreement; a prototype document offered by banks, insurance companies, mutual fund companies and other qualified financial institutions or forms providers; or 3) individually designed documents, which are typically written by attorneys. There are several considerations when selecting a SEP plan document including, but not limited to, cost, whether the sponsor maintains other retirement plans and desired design features.
Regardless of the format used, the deadline for establishing a SEP plan for a particular year is the business's tax return deadline, plus extensions for that year.
Pete's Partnership operates on a calendar year, and has a five-month filing extension for its 2017 tax return. If the partnership wants a 2017 SEP plan, it has until September 15, 2018, to sign a document to set up the plan.
Form 5305-SEP
The IRS model Form 5305-SEP is available free of charge from the IRS' website and there is no need to file a completed copy of it with the IRS. The IRS will consider a SEP plan as established using the model form when the sponsor completes and signs the form without modification; each eligible employee (or, as a last resort the SEP plan sponsor on behalf of an employee) establishes a traditional IRA to receive contributions, and the employer gives required notices to all eligible employees.
A SEP plan sponsor may not use the model Form 5303-SEP if any of the following statements are true. The employer
- Maintains any other qualified retirement plan (except for another SEP or salary reduction SEP plan);
- Has any eligible employees for whom traditional IRAs do not exist;
- Uses the services of leased employees;
- Wants a plan year other than the calendar-year;
- Wants to exclude members of a controlled group of employers; or
- Wants a contribution allocation formula that is other than pro rate (i.e., integrated with Social Security or flat dollar).
Prototype SEP
Prototype SEP plan documents are available for a nominal fee from various prototype document sponsors for use when a model form is not permitted and/or the employer wants more flexibility in plan design. By filing IRS Form 5306-A, Application for Approval of Prototype Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers (SIMPLE IRA Plan), and paying a fee, a prototype document sponsor (e.g., a bank, credit union, mutual fund company, etc.) can receive pre-approval of its plan document from the IRS in the form of an IRS opinion letter. An opinion letter states that a SEP agreement is acceptable in form. The IRS has prepared a Listing of Required Modifications (LRMs), or sample language, to assist document sponsors in drafting an acceptable prototype SEP.
An employer using a prototype SEP plan document, rather than a model, can
- Use the business's fiscal year as the plan year rather than the calendar year;
- Use the services of leased employees;
- Select a pro rata, integrated or flat dollar contribution allocation formula;
- Maintain another qualified plan in addition to the SEP plan; and
- Contribute a top-heavy minimum contribution only when the plan is actually top-heavy.
Individually Designed
An employer can engage an attorney to draft an individually designed SEP plan document that is unique to the employer, and request a letter ruling from the IRS as to its acceptability, if desired. While these employer-specific documents can be more flexible than a model or prototype document, an adopting employer will incur higher costs as a result of drafting, establishment and maintenance fees.
The IRS requires businesses that want SEP plans to execute a written plan document containing the terms of the arrangement. There are three general SEP plan document formats from which to choose. Considerations as to the most appropriate form include, but are not limited to, cost, whether the business maintains other retirement plans and desired design features. Business owners should consult a tax and/or legal advisor regarding their particular circumstances.


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Free general-purpose computing will die
It will be killed in the name of "safety", but it will be a casualty of the lust for power. A grim prediction for the next 15 years.
I'm here today to make a prediction.
General-purpose computing will all but become contraband activity.
Running Linux without permission on your own hardware will become a distant memory. Running "unpermitted" computer programs will become impossible. All of this will be accomplished incrementally.
This prediction is a rough sketch of how it will happen.
How will this end up being foisted onto the public?
This will be done, partly in the name of security (and that won't be entirely false). It will also be done, partly, in the name of safety (which carries the implicit message that permitting you, lowly computer owner, to run arbitrary software, is dangerous).
Freedom Zero is the freedom to run a program as you wish, for whatever purpose. General-purpose computing remains the only way in which people can (1) own their hardware in the fullest sense (2) determine with full sovereignty what software they run (3) run software, even without permission. All three conditions are sin equa non requirements for free, unfettered communication between the people. When one of these conditions is lacking, Freedom Zero is either nonexistent or at risk.
Freedom Zero will become a foreseeable casualty of the current political climate. How do I know this?
The current mainstream political position in most of the world is opposition to others conveying an ever-expanding class of "dangerous" wrongthink (currently, scary yet exaggerated evils like "terrorism", "white supremacy", "extremism", "radicalization", "racism" and other affiliated bogeymen). These classes of ideas are commonly called "hate" — which is only accurate insofar as the mainstream political position is to hate these ideas and the people who communicate them.
Of course, we are all adults here and therefore we know that the true threat — to the politically-motivated people trying to kill your speech — is your ability to communicate freely and change others' minds. Your ideas are the threat, so your communications are on the chopping block. Unless the political climate changes — very unlikely — you can expect this situation to continue.
As we know from the current political climate, hate is de facto taken to mean it is acceptable to attack and sabotage whoever communicates these ideas, suppressing their ability to talk and their communications network. There are groups of people extremely motivated to stamp out the freedom to use software that allows you to communicate these ideas.
This censorious lust is logically in conflict with Freedom Zero. See, you can't just be permitted to run a communications program as you wish, for whatever purpose, if some purposes are hate, and hate must not be permitted. Insisting on both principles at the same time would be oxymoronic.
It so happens that, in the current political climate, Freedom Zero is basically an arcane philosophical belief, only held by a tiny minority of people, who are politically powerless.
The practical outcome is clear — in the battle between shut up, hateful nazi and Freedom Zero, Freedom Zero must go. It will lose, both because you will end up not owning your computer, and because shutting you up will trump your objections.
How will general-purpose computing die?
First of all, the grim reality is that it has already happened — just not everywhere yet. General-purpose computing is on the wane. It isn't even the biggest type of computing done by the general public anymore.
As we've seen in the past few days, there are some very powerful institutions who do not want you and others to communicate without their all-seeing eye and authorization. So how do they prevent that from happening today?
Look at phones. Nearly no phone supports the execution of code not coming from app stores, unless you "root" your device. Most phones can't even be rooted anyway. Given that the software in 99% of those phones is controlled by literal monopolies, and they can even remotely zap software you've previously installed from their own "app stores", all they have to do is kill any and every app that doesn't obey with their baroque, vague, arbitrarily-enforced policies.
And that is exactly what they did to Gab and to Parler.
How does general-purpose computing end in desktops and laptops?
Think of it as a sea change from "the way things already are on phones and tables" to just "the way things are" — no qualifiers.
Nearly all computers ship with Windows or Mac. Modern Macs already can't run Linux. Windows computers with ARM CPUs already can't run software unsigned by Microsoft. Most sold computers by default cannot even boot Linux, unless you change a BIOS setting (Secure Boot). Both Windows and Mac have settings to prohibit the execution of unsigned software — that is, software not explicitly authorized by the operating system manufacturer.
You see where this is going?
That's correct — desktop computing can become exactly as walled-off from freedom as mobile computing already is. Here's what it takes:
- Make that Secure Boot BIOS setting impossible to change. This bans Linux as well as advanced modifications to other OSes, which cripples the hardware for dissidents who use free software.
- Next, make Windows/Mac by default not authorize the execution of unsigned software. There goes 99% of your app's community, since 99% of people do not know they can change this setting — they just use the defaults.
- Finally, remove the toggle for unsigned software altogether. There goes the other 1%.
The end game is that you no longer own your computer; instead, you are the object that is owned — and, often, the product to be sold — by your software manufacturer. You still have a screen, you still have a keyboard, but no longer can you run the programs you wish, for whatever purpose. Exactly like the phone world, only programs authorized by OS vendors will run, and only for the purposes they deem permissible.
Once that is the de facto reality, do you think desktop OS vendors won't do what phone OS vendors did to Parler yesterday? If you believe this, you must not be caught up with the news — the largest OS vendor for phones vowed to "never let somebody like Donald Trump come to power again", and then promptly spent years making good on their schizophrenic promise, by sabotaging numerous communications applications popular with Donald Trump supporters. If Google can do this, what is special about Microsoft that you think they won't?
For those of you who are skeptical of this happening — I want to stress that this limited computing situation is already the norm on Windows ARM machines. And this is definitely something that major OS vendors want to continue to make progress in all architectures.
Proprietary operating system manufacturers see this series of steps as a good thing. Why wouldn't they? If they can lock the OS down to only programs authorized by them, that's an enormous amount of power they gain. A couple of default changes can unlock many more billions of dollars for them. And you know no desktop computer or part is made, unless it is made to their standards. If those parts won't run free software operating systems, you're going back to a choice between an abacus or the local junkyard.
Of course, the outline above is merely a rough sketch — only one of the ways in which the outcome of marginalizing general purpose computing can take place. There are others, more convoluted, with more steps. But all will follow a path much like the one outlined above.
Note that this plan doesn't need to marginalize and destroy a full 100% of general computing to realize the goal — only a vast majority needs to be. There will always be general-purpose computing devices with full freedom to run arbitrary software. They will just not be accessible to the general population — most likely only the über rich or privileged will have access to them. It's a lot like how private flight never was affected much by COVID restrictions, whereas commercial flight was savaged by them. So general-purpose computing for the privileged — everyone else will get a neutered Fisher-Price computer.
But what about the Free Software Foundation and allies?
Surely allies like the FSF will defend our Freedom Zero — the freedom to run whatever software we want?
That's unlikely.
The current mainstream political position in most of the world is opposition to others communicating certain "dangerous" classes of wrongthink. These classes of ideas are commonly called "hate" — which is only accurate insofar as the mainstream political position is to hate these ideas and the people who communicate them. As we know, hate is taken to mean it is acceptable to attack these people and suppress their ability to talk. There are groups of people extremely motivated to stamp out the freedom to use software that allows you to communicate these ideas. This desire is strictly in conflict with Freedom Zero.
Motivated groups have already started to co-opt your allies. Many open source software projects have codes of conduct that can get you ejected, should you utter any form of wrongthink, even if you do so in your free time and in your own venues. This is a reliable signal that these projects have already capitulated to the whims and the threats of the motivated groups.
There is already discussion of a new "software freedom movement" that explicitly excludes using software "for evil" from your freedoms; how "evil" will be defined, you can begin to imagine. The point, of course, is to delegitimize Freedom Zero altogether.
But, if you have to ask me, I think the most emblematic defeat is the FSF itself: as of last year, cultural Marxists orchestrated a campaign of bogus accusations against its leader — inventor of the concept of free software, and chief evangelist of the software freedoms — caused him to be ejected like a dog from the organization he created. Removing the leader of the FSF is merely one part of the puzzle — albeit an important one.
Do you think there will be a principled advocate of Freedom Zero, ten years from now, when the most principled advocate of Freedom Zero was vilified and removed from his post?
The answer is no.
With neutered hardware, and captured culture — that is how general purpose computing dies. I hope you can recognize that the prerequisites for this outcome, are already in place.


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Working together to ensure Deaf and Disabled people are full members of the church.
Barrier-Free Belonging
Many of the people who put together these pages have lived experience of disability and are involved either nationally or at a local level. Did you know that there is a network of disability advisers who work in the Dioceses of the Church of England to train, advise and encourage the Church to become more aware, accessible, and inclusive of those with disabilities? Some are trained auditors and give advice when a Church wishes to change it buildings and do so to ensure that the building will be accessible for disabled people.
Access is not just a matter of ramps and buildings though, it's about challenging the negative assumptions and attitudes that disabled people often face, and showing that disability is not about deficiency but diversity.
There are lots of national groups who focus on the work of the Church on disability. The Deaf Ministry Task Group brings together those people who are involved in ministry CMDDP's work with the Deaf community is carried out, largely, by the Deaf Ministry Task Group (DMTG). This is a small group that draws together Deaf and hearing people with expertise and experience in Deaf Ministry. All are fluent or native BSL users. The work may involve research, making information available, and monitoring the situation with regard to Deaf ministry across the Church of England and making recommendations. The group is facilitated by Gill Behenna, the National Deaf Ministry Adviser, who also acts as contact for this group.
Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language belong to a community with a rich and varied culture. Their worship, liturgy, teaching, and evangelism is all carried out in BSL. In many parts of the country there are active Deaf Churches and a national organisation, Deaf Anglicans Together, (DAT) keeps in touch with Deaf Christians across the UK. DAT also sends three representatives to the General Synod.
Many Deaf Christians who use BSL attend both their local church, with BSL/English interpreters, and their own Deaf Church where they can worship in their own language.
"Deaf people, especially those who rely on and use British Sign Language, are catalysts of communal enrichment within the Church: increased visual accessibility, visual images, Sign Language in worship, communication, friendship and most of all acceptance of such diversity."
Penny Beschizza – Deaf Church Lay Leader, BSL Tutor, campaigner and activist
The Disability Task Group is focused on disability issues and is chaired by the Bishop Richard Atkinson, who is the lead Bishop on Deaf and disability issues. It focusses on the way the Church relates to disabled people in terms of encouraging them to fulfil their calling, training them for ordained or lay ministry, and providing resources. Many of the issues faced are complex, so the diversity of this group is important. The group also has an external focus, because it's important that the Church engages with what is going on in wider society. The Church needs to both learn from and challenge the world on disability, whether it's dealing with discrimination and the failure to protect vulnerable people, or celebrating the achievements of disabled people in society.
Once a year these two groups come together to discuss things that relate to both Deaf and disabled people. When meeting together they are called the Committee for the Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People, or CMDDP.
In the past few years there have been some notable events run by CMDDP, in particular two conferences: one on disability in 2018, and the other on mental health in 2019. Both were held at Lambeth Palace and hosted by the Archbishop Justin Welby.
"They will have stuff that you don't know, God will reveal himself to them, God will use them and bless them to gift you. And I don't mean that at all in a patronising way, I mean that in a real way, in a Christian brother and sister kind of way, they will teach you and bless you and will demonstrate stuff about God that you won't know because you're different. Everybody's different."
Emma's mum, Helen
One focus of future work will be the Archbishops' Commission on Reimagining Care. This commission will look more deeply at issues raised by disability and other issues such as ageing, both within the church and in wider society. It was launched in April 2021 and is due to report in December 2022.
There are different language choices to use when it comes to talking about disability. On this page you'll see a range, to honour the fact that people have different preferences and perspectives. If you're interested in learning more about the language use surround disability then have a look at Roy McCloughry and Krista Ewert's paper on Disability Language and Diversity.
The main group in the Church of England which focuses on disability is the Committee for the Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People (CMDDP). It is composed of people from all kinds of backgrounds, some disabled and some not, who discuss the issues that face us today. It is chaired by the Bishop of Bedford, Richard Atkinson who also chairs the main sub-group on disability, the Disability Task Group. Another sub-group deals with Deaf issues. Their meeting is conducted is British Sign Language (BSL). This is facilitated by the National Deaf Advisor, Gill Behenna. At present there is no National Disability Adviser. For any inquiry regarding disability please the use the form to contact Malcolm Brown, Director of Mission and Public Affairs who is the contact person on disability. Use the form below to contact Malcolm or Gill.