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India turns 70 years of age this year, as do I.
I was born there shortly after India obtained its Independence from Britain, on August 15, 1947, in a fiery, brutal birth of the country. The British left a burning mess – a very painful split of the country with a huge humanitarian cost. There were mass forced migrations, lost property, split families and refugee camps orders magnitude bigger than the ones in Palestine. Millions were killed in sectarian violence. Territories, like Kashmir remained disputed and festering sores, and permanent rivals were created: Pakistan, a muslim, theocratic, illiberal state (as Fareed Zakaria calls it) and a secular, liberal, messy democratic experiment called India.
Since then India has come a long way. By any measure there have been big improvements – life expectancy has more than doubled, education levels are better and economic activity has soared. Now with two decades or more of rapid growth the expectation from India is high. Will it be the next Superpower? Is it the emerging country to invest in given slow growth in the rich countries?
I have lived in the Bay Area now for almost 50 years since I first came here to pursue a Ph. D. at Berkeley. So as an entrepreneur and a venture investor I would like to give my personal perspective about India's progress as an emerging country and its desirability as an investment destination.
In the last month a couple of events have focussed my attention on India – a lecture by Ramachandra Guha, the well known Indian historian and author, at Berkeley, titled, India at 70, A Historian's Report Card, and a two-week trip I made to New Delhi to conduct a personal property transaction.
My Trip to India
Anecdotically, let me start with the recent two week trip, which, like most visits to India, is suffused with deep stimulation to the senses and a bewildering array of happenings. It was hot – pavement-melting hot. Every single day the temperature was above 110 deg, the hottest mid-April in New Delhi's history. The air hung thick with the collected efflua of smoke-belching, grid-locked, noisy, honking traffic. Hot vapors rose from the ground, mixing the smell of food vendors' spices, cow droppings and fly-littered open trash along the roadsides, even in the poshest locations of the country's capital. Much of the city is unplanned, crammed with a mishmash of assorted houses side-by-side with hovels, homeless pavement habitation and a lot of low-productive or purposeless humanity shuffling around or squatting in the shade to avoid the heat. Despite its economic miracle of the last two decades India has only moved a paltry 3% of its population from poor to middle class – as opposed to 50% for China.
In the news while I was there: Because of a drunk driving incident the Supreme Court has banned the sale of alcohol within a half kilometer of every National and State Highway. Overnight many of the city's bars and five-star hotels could not serve beer, wine or cocktails – a tremendous impact on their customers and their bottom line. It's an example of arbitrary rule making that Indians just routinely endure and that keeps economic growth in India subpar. The recent demonetization of high denomination Indian currency notes was another example of heavy-handed and ineffective rule-making at a colossal scale.
The business transactions that I was doing involved commercial property that I had invested in with my cousin many years ago. We had to fill out a stack of 50 forms; 200 pages of contract had to be individually signed or notarized, fingerprints and photos in triplicate had to be affixed. Tens of thousands of rupees worth of Stamp Paper had to be purchased, along with attorney fees. I had to spend a whole morning at the courthouse – a teeming, overcrowded, noisy building full of government clerks, called babus, each bent on slowing you down and showing their importance. There was supposedly air-conditioning in the court building but it was not turned on. So we dripped with sweat along with the other elbowing multitudes as we awaited our turn at the window where our paperwork could get done. Nobody formed a queue that I could discern. Without an attorney who pushed his way through and greased some palms we would have gotten nowhere.
I got a haircut and a massage at the local Westin Hotel in the suburbs of Delhi. It was at the nice, cool, soothing hotel spa with a ritualistic jasmine hot oil deep rub, with calm meditation and yoga on the side, along with a neem-steam sauna. Aaah! You need this kind of thing every now and then to retain your sanity. The guy who gave me the haircut, M. Khan, was a very young muslim guy. We got chatting. He was from Moradabad in the heart of Uttar Pradesh (U. P. ), the largest state of India.
This state has held recent assembly elections and the nationalistic, Hindu-centric party, the BJP swept the elections, gaining 80% of the seats. The new Chief Minister is a man called Yogi Adityanath. He wears the Hindu saffron robes and has a strong agenda, rather like Trump's, which a lot of people love. U. P. is a mess and everyone believes that a strong man is needed at the helm to make the "trains run on time". And indeed he seems to have made a lot of high profile changes. But he also has a strong religious mind-set that says Hindu values must be imposed to sustain the cultural vitality of the country. So while I was there a ban on all consumption of beef was being contemplated. Already zealous religious mobs were raiding muslim eateries and using violent tactics.
Anyway, M. Khan, the muslim barber, told me that he was going back to Moradabad the next week to get married – a girl (his cousin) he had known since he was a child. I asked him if he was all excited about the prospect. He said he was very happy indeed and looking forward to much celebration. "But, sir" he said, "We are not even serving any chicken at the wedding". The zealous "enforcers" make surprise checks at muslim weddings and if they even suspect that beef is being served there is hell to pay. And only they decide whether something suspiciously meaty is beef! The $4 billion dollar Indian beef export industry is in limbo.
Ramachandra Guha's Analysis
So onward to my second recent analysis of India, viz. the lecture by Ramachandra Guha at Berkeley. Guha is a well known historian and author with many great books on modern Indian history. He currently lives in Bangalore and was visiting Berkeley at the Institute for South Asian Studies.
His Report Card on India brought up the multi-faceted aspects of India and its performance since independence. I am summarizing below my very subjective interpretation of what Guha said (he didn't give any grades, just talked in qualitative terms):
Here India gets Guha's highest score. India is an astonishingly effective democracy. It has more people that all of Europe, more than 27 distinct languages, many different religions and even a big diversity of races. Yet it has held together and is confoundingly stable. Churchill said at the time of de-colonization: India is no more a country than the equator is a country. It is just a region. I give it ten years at most.
And today at 70 years of age India is a shiny example of a diverse, pluralistic, secular democracy, with 1,300 million people, that remains relatively strong and united. All segments of Indians, including the much-maligned muslims, remain largely committed to India and, despite the loud complaining, are satisfied with the liberal, free, democratic arrangements. When compared to the EU which in just a few years of its creation is unzipping rapidly, India is bigger and more committed to its union and republic. Anti-democratic forces do exist, particularly in the non-secular tendencies of the current party in power, but India will never have an Erdogan or a Kim Un.
Grade: A
Here India has failed quite badly at the Primary and Secondary levels. Although literacy levels are rising steadily, more than half of the 350 million kids now aged 0-16 will remain near-illiterate. High school completion rates are abysmal. Compared to China or Vietnam India is a stunning under-achiever. In fact it trails almost all countries except sub-Saharan Africa.
At the college level there are some impressive stats. India has world class engineering, medical, science, business and law schools. In space exploration, India is a powerful player, having had a successful mission to Mars and also a major satellite launch business. In pharmaceuticals and Information Technology India is near cutting edge. Still, India does not pull its weight in creating an educated and skilled citizenry.
Grade: C minus
There's a lot of hype here. Certainly in the last two decades India has pulled its economy up from dismal levels. India claims to be the fastest growing major economy in the world today at 7+ percent growth. Yet, as the Economist magazine points out, this is probably overstated. The banks are heavily laden with non-performing assets and there is little new capital formation for the corporate structure. As the Economist states: If this is 7% growth what does stagnation look like?
There are segments of the economy that do well: IT, Pharmaceuticals, Space, Nuclear Power, Solar and Wind Energy, Telecommunications are all great strengths. India remains utterly horrible at manufacturing and construction. There is no "maker' culture and the bad infrastructure is a drag. Imagine in a country with 900 million cell phone users – a huge domestic market – there is not one Indian cell phone manufacturer!
In one Wall Street Journal survey India ranks below 150th, as a country, in the Ease of Doing Business category. The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, (that many say is the only adult in the room in Political India) has made great efforts at very innovative reforms – boosting Solar, building much needed country-wide infrastructure, implementing a federal level Goods and Services Tax, GST (a kind of VAT) to replace a myriad of individual district and state tax jurisdictions, and creating a national identity card (called Adhaar) to streamline government-to-people interactions and transfers. Despite all this, economic progress is anemic. Corruption and red tape remain. Money-losing government firms have not been privatized. Exports remain weak and quality of manufacture is unimproved. Banks have bad debt to the tune of 10% of GDP and no one in government has a clue about how to fix this.
Grade: C
Quality of Life/Human Development:
International studies and Guha's assessment vary here somewhat. A recent U. N. Report ranks India at 122nd out of 155 countries in the Human Development index. That is low indeed. Lower than all other countries in South Asia! (Pakistan is 80th). This study includes lots of subjectivity, although measurable material consumption, health, longevity, access to facilities etc. are included.
Ramachandra thinks India is way better than that. There are informal structures and cooperation that tend to make an intangible contribution. Still India has a long way to go.
Grade: C
Here Guha has the harshest assessment. India has failed to even have a national debate on the ravages to the environment wrought by neglect and lack of policy. Guha says that all rivers in India are now biologically dead. Lakes, streams, nallahs are filthy, putrid unhygienic, disease producing cesspools.
Since rivers and lakes are essentially dead, much of India lives on ground water, through tube wells etc. The consumption of water is way above what can be replenished. In Gurgaon, a thriving Cyber City outside Delhi, which has world high tech offices, the water table has fallen more than 100 feet in just a few years.
There is indiscriminate de-forestation. Coal is the major source of electricity (although this at least is changing) and the cities are the worst polluted in the world.
Grade: F
Investor Perspective
So what are the prospects for investing in India for someone seeking high, emergent market returns and global diversity?
Somehow everything you read about the future prospects of India comes out hyperbolically rosy. There are surveys that show the Indian middle class growing to more than 500 million in 2025 and India overtaking the US in GDP by 2040. These are amazingly out of whack.
Even though India has the most generous definition of middle class it has less than 3% of its population in the middle. The rest are poor to very low middle. See this article.
Investment returns in India are never as good as hyped. And they are certainly not worth the inherent risks.
To take an example: After the success of Alibaba there was a lot of hype about e-tail in a rapidly emergent India. Companies like Snapdeal and Flipkart were touted as the next Alibaba and had astronomical growth rates and prospects. I was indirectly an early investor via a very savvy India Venture Fund. Now it turns out that much of this was unsustainable hype. The growth of e-retail, which was fueled by huge, investor funded discounts, was unsustainable. So after a record year in 2015, e-tail is essentially flat. Forecasts for 2020 and beyond have been drastically slashed. Snapdeal will probably merge with Flipkart at a minuscule fraction of its valuation just a couple of years ago. Further the entry of Amazon into this winner-take-all space has clouded the competitive landscape. I'd be surprised if even Amazon can make a good return any time soon on their $5 billion investment in India.
This kind of thing occurs again and again. The final results in Indian investment are not reflective of a 7+% growth economy. India will make great strides in certain areas, notable, infrastructure and solar but there is no clear road to investing. For solar the best bet in my opinion is still the US company, Tesla, which will no doubt provide lots of support in batteries and other areas.
Will there be another Google or Microsoft out of India? Maybe, although the challenges are formidable. I would not bet on it for the foreseeable future.
The stock market in India is doing reasonably well. The indices are at all time highs. Still, adjusted for currency fluctuation, high fees for investing in India, and the large risks, you are better off being in the US. The Dow index remains a powerhouse.
Further I don't think India provides a diversification advantage. In 2008 when the US market crashed India did not act in an uncorrelated way. It fell equally badly, so no additional diversification advantage was apparent.
I hope I am wrong – I keep rooting for India to do well. I invest there, through savvy people I know, and I also contribute to charitable activities to give back to the place where I got my start. India has tremendous potential and is a great geopolitical ally of the US. It has a freedom oriented, secular mindset and always ranks high in support of Western liberal ideas. We all hope that it will make a turnaround! But as an investor you are better off elsewhere.


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NEWTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- Some pundits say that Pennsylvania is now safely in the Clinton-Kaine column, but that campaign is certainly not acting that way.
Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine was in Bucks County and then Allentown Wednesday.
Kaine rallied a group of mostly students at Muhlenberg College.
He talked about some of the issues that matter to this age group- equal pay, tuition-free education, and student debt help.
Earlier, Kaine campaigned at Bucks County Community College as the Clinton-Kaine ticket works to get young people excited and out to the polls.
There, he was introduced by a 9th grader wearing a "future president" shirt.
Kaine told the students they need to think as well about the race for US Senate in Pennsylvania. He urged the crowd to get out and vote for Katie McGinty and criticized Pat Toomey for not saying he would vote for Donald Trump.

subset: commoncrawl


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We Taste-Tested 5 Popular Yogurt Brands. Our Top Pick May Surprise You.
Curious to see which brand was our #1 pick? Read our review below.
Taste of Home
For many, yogurt is less of a snack and more of an obsession. That's because there's little you can't do with this creamy, tangy, pudding-like food. Sprinkle it with granola, turn it into tangy tzatziki sauce, substitute it for sour cream-heck, you can even make more yogurt using just a few tablespoons of the stuff. (Learn how here.)
But if you stroll along the dairy aisle of your local grocer, you're likely to see dozens of yogurts with different styles, flavors, textures and fancy packaging. My corner store has more than 30. (I counted!) Quite frankly, it's overwhelming. And unless you've tried them all, it's a guessing game to figure out which yogurt tastes best.
Taste of Home
That's why we decided to put several brands of plain vanilla yogurt to the test. A taste test, that is. We snatched up the most popular brands from various price points and brought together a few of the Taste of Home HQ's biggest yogurt fanatics to participate in a blind taste test. Void of packaging and price, we judged each product based entirely on its flavor.
Curious to know which was our #1 pick? Read on to find out.
#5 Yoplait Original French Vanilla Yogurt
Average score: 4.8/10
"They don't call it vanilla for nothing."
"This hit me as the sweetest one."
"I would get bored eating this."
In fifth place was Yoplait Original. The yogurt had a thin, smooth texture and its flavor was unmistakably sweet. Our tasters remarked that there was a very light amount of vanilla flavor, but what was there tasted pretty artificial. Because this brand was so sugary, one judge remarked that it might be a better option for little kids.
You'll never guess these mom-approved tricks for dealing with picky eaters.
#4 Dannon Vanilla Yogurt
Average score: 5.3/10
"I would have liked it to be a little thicker."
"If you're a fan of Greek yogurt, you WON'T like this one."
"You get very light hints of vanilla."
Jumping up in the rankings is Dannon, another giant in the yogurt industry. This brand had a similar consistency to Yoplait, as it was thin and watery. (Much like a drinkable yogurt, versus one you'd want to scoop into a bowl.) Its flavor was much more tart and tangy but still had an artificial vanilla taste.
Fan of Dannon? Bump up the flavor with this homemade topping.
#3 Siggi's 0% Strained Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt
Average score: 5.4/10
"That tastes like sour cream."
"Looks like you could frost a cake with it."
"I would enjoy that with granola."
Siggi's had a puckery tart flavor that left our tasters divided. Some compared their spoonful to the likes of Greek yogurt while others said it tasted more like sour cream. Though the yogurt was spotted with flecks of vanilla bean, there wasn't much vanilla flavor coming through. Siggi's yogurt was also similar to Greek yogurt in its super-thick consistency. I imagine that many of the judges would have preferred this brand with a healthy drizzle of honey.
Did you know a jar of honey can last a lifetime? Here are a few other foods you can pass down to your kids.
#2 Noosa Vanilla Yogurt
Average score: 7.8/10
"Whoa! You can SEE the vanilla!"
"Honestly I didn't know vanilla had a flavor until this one."
"This looks like a dip."
Noosa stood out from the bunch because it was jam-packed with flecks of vanilla. (It almost looked like someone had dumped in a few tablespoons of chia seeds!) The result was a flavor blast that impressed the entire group; the yogurt positively sang vanilla. So much that our judges' only qualm was there was too much vanilla. The brand tasted heavy of 'nilla extract-and a few thought the flecks looked slightly displeasing.
#1 Oui by Yoplait French Style Yogurt
Average score: 8.4/10
"My favorite, I wouldn't eat so much of it."
"That's dangerous."
"It's like ice cream or whipped cream…sweet and fluffy."
Our #1 pick by far was a newcomer to the market: Oui by Yoplait. The brand launched the flavor this summer. (If you haven't seen it at the store, it's sold in little glass jars.) This French-style yogurt was a perfect mix of smooth, creamy and sweet. The gang agreed that it almost tasted like a dessert, and a few judges gave the yogurt a perfect 10 on their scorecard. Its natural vanilla flavor shone through, making it the ideal treat to add to a smoothie, smother with maple syrup or gobble up plain.
And there you have it! Here's a quick recap of how each brand ranked from best to worst: Oui by Yoplait, Noosa, Siggi's, Dannon and Yoplait Original.
Taste of Home
What We Learned
There's a spectrum of sweetness.
The vanilla yogurts we tested ranged from sugary sweet to extra tart, but our judges were divided on which flavor they preferred. Some put their nose up to Siggi's tangy taste, while other folks (like me) couldn't get enough of the tart stuff. If you haven't tried a brand of yogurt before, a good way to tell if it's going to be a sugar bomb is by the nutrition label. Look at the sugar content on the back of the packaging. For a reference point, an extra-sweet brand like Yoplait Original had 18 grams of sugar per 6-ounce serving, while extra-tart Siggi's has a mere 9 grams of sugar per 5.3-ounce serving.
Psst! Did you know many yogurts are considered to be unhealthy? Read more here.
Explore products within a brand.
I found it quite interesting that the top and bottom brands were owned by the same company, Yoplait. For this reason, I think it's important to not buy based on brand name alone. Food giants like Yoplait offer many different product lines, some of which you may detest and others you may adore. Keep your eyes peeled at the store for new products (especially those from household brands). You could find yourself a new favorite, just like "oui" did.
Taste of Home
Interested in reading more great taste tests? Learn our thoughts on peanut butter, pickles and chocolate ice cream.


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Our treatments are suitable for all skin types, all hair types and all year round!
Painless hair removal is now also possible for blonde & gray hair and dark skin.
On average, between 6 to 10 treatments are required. There is no standard number of treatments: every person, every skin and every hair growth is different and we believe in a personal approach.
Because hair grows in different phases, they can not be removed at once. Therefore there is some time between the treatments.
The duration of treatment:
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Under package we mean a special price for multiple treatments.
For example, a single treatment costs € 40, and on average there are 8 treatments needed, so 40 x 8 = € 320.
In one package you pay only € 200, giving you a benefit of € 120 (€ 320 – € 200).
Here you can find our Prices for women
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Call 046-4267568 today for an appointment and you'll get rid of your unwanted hair growth!
Attention! No rights can be derived from the prices mentioned on this page. We do not give money back.


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Unite for Greater Faridabad !
Read 17639 times
Written by Admin Sunday, 11 July 2010
Neharpar, Greater Faridabad - the land of the hopefuls, has been hailed and promoted as the next hot destination in NCR by real estate gurus, builders, authorities and media, promised as the biggest and largest upcoming residential colony in the NCR region after Gurgaon and Noida. After this virgin tract of land was discovered and authorized for residential population in the last decade, there has been frenzied and rampant construction of high rise apartments and residential colonies by real estate builders, luring and enticing customers/ investors with significantly lower prices than other competing and upcoming regions, promising an upscale and higher standard of living and plush societies with substantially lower cost of living. This has been further fuelled by reports in media praising Neharpar as a great potential, a rising star in real estate.
With high hopes and aspirations to own an affordable home in the NCR region, thousands of middle class end-users and investors invested in the area, putting in all their life's hard earned money, a common man already overburdened with high interest rates and increasing inflation, but brave enough to dream and aspire to have his own home.
The current scenario of Neharpar, Greater Faridabad presents a completely different and disappointing picture. Since the last half decade, there has not been an iota of infrastructure development seen in the area, in spite of customers having paid thousands crores of rupees to the government authorities as EDC/IDC. There is no clarity and provision of even basic amenities like water, electricity and sewerage in the region. To add to the miseries of the common man, builders are delaying the projects stating approval issues beyond their control and lack of development by government authorities. After consuming 80-90% of the total cost of an apartment, builders are sitting idle on customer's money delaying projects with very stagnant progress. There is no control over construction quality, builders are altering master plans as per their whims and fancies to make more profit, short-changing customers with concrete construction earlier promised as green landscapes, stating all changes are as per directives from authorities.
In this game of deceit and lies, builders and authorities playing the blame game, passing of the buck to one another, the common man has been left helpless and to fend for himself. Customers are clueless and powerless to do anything. With no support from any sources, we would need to harness the power of our united strength as a community to bring about any change.
Calling all prospective and existing residents of Greater Faridabad to unite and create a better city. This is your platform to make a difference to the society. Are you wondering if this forum is for you? If you have found this website, you have come to the right place. Join us in our journey forward, participate in the forums, provide your constructive feedback and share your experience.
|< We need Volunteers
Contact Us to Advertise Here


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The Original Flat Designed patch cables by EBS, updated!
The original flat designed patch cables from EBS are tailored to make possible to reduce space on your pedal board, while maintaining the flexibility of using cables. The flat design also reduce the risk of cable jams, and keep your setup neat and clean. The latest update include a reinforced cable housing that improve durability.
Available models:
PCF-10, 10 cm
PCF-18, 18 cm
PCF-28, 28 cm
PCF-58, 58 cm
Construction & Technical Specifications:
|Flexible copper conductor low voltage audio signal system
|Operating Temperature:
|-15ºC to +70°C
|Outer Insulation:
|PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
|Signal copper cores:
|20 x 0,12mm
|Signal Insulation:
|PE (polyethylene)
|Copper twisted shield:
|32 x 0,12mm
|Capacitance Cond./Shield:
|< 10 pF/decimeters
|Conductor Resistance:
|< 10 mOhm/decimeters
|7 x 3 mm (rectangular cable)
|¼" 90 degrees angled audio plug
EBS Professional Patch cables are designed and developed by EBS in Sweden
and assembled in China.
Patent pending for USA and EU. Patented in Sweden.


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The Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Why quit smoking?
Tobacco smoking leads to more than 480,000deaths each year, including 41,000 deaths from secondhand smoke exposure. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. Also, smokers diet about 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
A person's risk of developing cancer increases with the time that they smoke (number of years) and the amount that they smoke (number of cigarettes per day). Quitting is beneficial at ANY time - no matter how long you have smoked. Quitting allows your body to begin to reverse some of the damage smoking has done. The risk of cancer becomes less as the number of years you have been smoke-free increases. Quitting also reduces your risk of other smoking related health problems, compared to people who continue smoking.
Is there any benefit to quitting if I already have cancer?
Yes! Quitting reduces the risk of developing a second cancer. Quitting helps your body heal better after surgery and other cancer treatment. Quitting can help reduce symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath. Studies have found that people who quit soon after a lung cancer diagnosis actually respond better to treatment. These are all good reasons to quit after a cancer diagnosis, but it is not easy. Talk to your care team about getting help to quit- through medications and support programs.
What happens when you quit?
Within minutes of smoking the last cigarette, the body begins to restore itself. Just look at these facts from the American Cancer Society:
- 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop to a more normal level.
- A few days after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves, meaning your blood is pumped better and your lungs work better.
- 1 to 12 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease. Lung function improves increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
- 1 to 2 years after quitting: Your risk of heart attack drops dramatically.
- 5 to 10 years after quitting: Your risk of mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer is cut in half. Your stroke risk decreases.
- 10 years after quitting: Your risk of lung cancer is about half of a person who still smokes. Your risk of bladder, esophageal, and kidney cancer decreases.
- 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of a non-smoker.
Keep in mind the benefits of better-smelling breath, hair, and clothes. Your senses of smell and taste may improve, and you may begin to notice less shortness of breath when doing simple activities. You will be setting a great example for other smokers who want to quit. Your family and friends will be proud of your achievement, not to mention the benefits for them. In addition, you will be saving lots of money; set aside what you would usually spend and do something nice for yourself with the money!
What makes a person decide to quit?
Learning about the negative effects of smoking may be the motivation some people need to quit. Many people who receive a cancer diagnosis see that as the time to quit. For some, the diagnosis of cancer in a close friend or family member can be the reason to quit. Whatever the motivation, quitting can be hard. Use the links below to learn more about the importance of quitting, planning a quit date, and finding the support needed to be successful. Keep in mind, most people attempt to quit many times before being successful.
Life After Tobacco
Quitting tobacco cannot completely erase the damage done from previous smoking. You should always be honest with healthcare providers about your smoking history and be aware of the risks associated with this history. You may benefit from lung cancer screening, depending on how much you smoked and for how long.
If you have any of the following symptoms you should contact your provider. They could be symptoms of an illness related to a history of smoking:
- Any change in a cough (for example, you cough up more phlegm or mucus than usual).
- A new cough.
- Coughing up blood.
- Hoarseness.
- Trouble breathing.
- Wheezing.
- Chest pain.
- Loss of appetite.
- Weight loss.
- Feeling tired all the time (fatigue).
- Frequent lung or respiratory infections (like pneumonia or bronchitis).
- Development of sores or white patches in your mouth.
Resources for quitting:
Smoking Cessation: Where do I start?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking & Tobacco Use.
World Health Organization. Tobacco.
American Cancer Society. Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time.


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A brief look at an opponent we play this week.
Offense: Nolan Reimold-LF, J.J. Hardy-SS, Nick Markakis-RF, Adam Jones-CF, Matt Wieters-C, Wilson Betemit-3B/DH, Mark Reynolds-DH/3B, Chris Davis-1B, Robert Andino-2B. Bench: Endy Chavez-OF, Ryan Flaherty-INF, Ronny Paulino-C.
Does it seem like the Orioles get off to a hot start every year to anyone else? Well stop thinking that. You're wrong. Since 2005, the Orioles have only been over .500 in April about half the time. Now you're just being silly. Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff? Really? Nolan Reimold is best known for being part of a pretty neat set of three connecting bobbleheads (fact may not be true). He's by no means bad, but he's not exactly your typical leadoff hitter. If he can stay healthy, he's got enough power to have a 20 homerun season, but his career high in games played is a woeful 104. He's quicker than you'd expect, especially now that his Achilles' tendon is no longer fraying (gross). He's below average in the field. J.J. Hardy is the same player the Twins laughably traded away for a handful of poop. One might say they got rain made. His OBP may be unseemly (career .320), but he provides impressive power from an unexpected source. Hardy went yard 30 times last season, tying him for the major league lead for shortstops with Troy Tulowitzki. Accounting for the fact that he's a great defender and only making $7MM per until 2014, the O's have a very attractive trade chit for when uber-prospect Manny Machado is ready to play in the bigs.Nick Markakis depresses me more and more every year. Early in his career, he looked like he would become a perennial 25-15 threat who would hit .300 and play Gold Glove quality defense in right field. A new golden boy for the Camden faithful who so righteously deserve one. Something went wrong after his career 2008 season though. His power numbers abandoned him. Until last season, he seemingly stopped stealing bases.And his defense, if you're willing to trust three years of UZR data, went from stellar to sub-par. He's still a 2-3 WAR player, but that looks like what his ceiling has become. Adam Jones hasn't quite blossomed into the star he was expected to become, but the center fielder has averaged 2.5 WAR since becoming a starter. He has good power, hitting 19, 19, and 25 homeruns over the last three season respectively and already has three over nine games this year. His big flaw, which will likely prevent him from ever becoming a true star player, is his lackluster plate discipline. His 18-19% K% is palatable with the burgeoning power. The 4-5% BB% is never palatable. Defensive metrics seem to disagree on his glove, so I'll split the difference and call it slightly above-average. Hopefully he doesn't still have troubles at the border.
Matt Wieters finally showed the power he had displayed in the minors last year, hitting 22 homeruns. What's the next step for him? Getting his BB% back up over 10%. He strikes out at about the same rate he did in the minors, but is walking considerably less. If he can get his OBP back above .340, we're looking at Carlos Santana's competition for top catcher in the AL. He's off to a hot start thus far (2 homeruns, .930 OPS). Robin shouldn't be sending anyone to steal against him, as Wieters' arm is well above-average. Wilson Betemit! Holy crap! Wilson Betemit has a starting role! And Baltimore gave him a two-year deal with a vesting option for a third year? Huh? Wilson is still bad at baseball. He can be used sparingly as a bench player, but that doesn't seem to be the plan as he appears to be in some sort of quasi-platoon with Mark Reynolds. He still has some power and can draw a decent amount of walks, but he strikes out far too often and plays pretty bad defense.
Which makes him a perfect platoon partner for Mark Reynolds. Reynolds offers similar terrible production, but at an increased cost! It seems like after 2008, Reynolds lost his ability to hit the fastball, which was the main thing keeping him alive. Yes, he still has 30+ homerun power but he continually leads the league in strikeouts which will stop him from hitting any higher than .240. He draws enough walks to keep his OBP around league average. His abilities defensively can be summed up by this gif. Don't expect his option to be picked up this winter. Chris Davis is Mark Reynolds without the ability to draw a walk. Theoretically, first base should be the easiest position to fill. The O's are trying to disprove this theory. Davis has massive power, but strikes out in almost 1/3 of his plate appearances and only walks in 6-7% of them. He's also bad defensively. Honestly, they should cut him. Once he becomes arbitration eligible this winter, he should be non-tendered. Robert Andino is starting at second because Brian Roberts is once again on the DL. You may remember Andino from his late season heroics, as he hammered the final nail in Boston's coffin last fall with a walk-off single. Or from this picture. If he can keep getting on base at a league average rate, Andino has enough speed and a good enough glove to be worth giving a starting job.
Pitching:Jake Arrieta-RHP, Tommy Hunter-RHP, Jason Hammel-RHP, Wei-Yin Chen-LHP, Brian Matusz-LHP, Jim Johnson-CL.
Jake Arrieta is one of the young arms who was supposed to turn the Orioles' pitching weakness into a strength. This hasn't happened yet. Arrieta has yet to pitch a full season in the majors, though this is likely the year that changes. He won't get many strikeouts, but he won't need to if he keeps getting the ball down (43.6% career GB%). He really needs to trim down his walk rate though for that strategy to actually work (4.24 career BB/9). So far this season he's done just that (1.98 BB/9), but it's far too early to declare his issues fixed. He had trouble with the long ball last year, and Camden Yards is not a place you can get away with that. Jake throws a mid-90s four seamer, a sinker, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. Tommy Hunter came over with Chris Davis in the Koji Uehara trade with the Rangers last July. Hunter had been decent rotational filler for Texas. He'll record even fewer strikeouts than Arrieta, but will also keep the ball on the ground (40.3% career GB%). Hunter also struggles with homeruns and I expect that trend to continue. Hunter throws a low-90s fastball, a sinker, a cutter, a curveball, and the occasional changeup. His cutter and his curve seem to be the better pitches.
Jason Hammel came over with Matt Lindstrom in a kind of confusing trade with the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie. He does fit the profile the O's seem to be going for though. Much like Cleveland, we're looking at a staff that are majority groundballers (Hammel has a 45.2% career GB%). He also adds a bit of veteran stability that the MSM seems to like saying young rotations need. If Hammel pitches more like he did in 2009 and 2010 than he did last year, the Orioles will be pretty happy with that production. He throws a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. Wei-Yin Chen (can't wait to hear Bill Melton talk about him) is a new import from the NPB. The Taiwanese southpaw had Tommy John surgery when he was 21 (he's 26 now). He had a 1.54 ERA in 2009, which was the lowest in the NPB since 1968. He appears to have a low-90s four seamer, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. Here's a link to his stats from across the pond. Best of luck with it.
Brian Matusz never seemed to get right after starting the 2011 season injured. The kid who was supposed to become an ace threw under 50 innings in the majors with an ERA over 10. I want to say there is no way he plays that poorly again, but who knows. The .382 BABIP and 56.4% LOB% have almost no chance of being repeated though. If he can relocate the strike zone, he should be okay. He throws a low-90s four seamer, a changeup, a sinker, a curveball, and a slider. Jim Johnson is the current closer in the Charm City and he's off to one hell of a start. Johnson is an atypical closer, as he doesn't seem to strike very many hitters out (5.79 career K/9). He's a groundball machine (56.9% career GB%) who does a decent job limiting walks and avoiding homeruns. He throws a mid-90s four seamer, a sinker, a changeup, and a curveball. He reaches arbitration this winter and it may be in the O's best interest to see what a contender would be willing to pay for him come July.
Outlook: Baltimore is once again likely to finish at the bottom of the AL East. They're currently riding a bit of a hot streak though, so I'm thinking we go 5-3 against them on the season. Go visit Camden Chat, one of my personal favorite other SBN baseball sites.


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On Tue, Oct 23, 2001 at 12:22:04PM -0400, Michael Stone wrote: > I tend to be skeptical of new packages like this As do I. > More importantly, even startx/xinit aren't strictly required to run X, > are they? No, but lots and lots of people use them. And, let's be honest -- xauth isn't strictly required to start an X session either. You could bang on $XAUTHORITY yourself with a shell script, or just use host-based authentication. So, no, I'm not arguing that these three tools are mandatory for getting an X session started, and if you'll review my mail you won't find any such claim. > IOW, there's no clear line that suggests why these programs are > required and others shouldn't be. Perfectly true. Review my mail, where I said that I am getting an increasing number of requests for this. > A more interesting question might be whether xauth should move. There > are cases where you might want that and never run X locally (e.g., ssh.) > The current state of affairs requires a lot of additional crap to be > pulled in, which kinda negates the purpose of the minimal xlib policy > (perhaps xauth belongs there, with the xlibs?). But ISTR you didn't want > to talk about other options. :) If people think they're going to be able to get rid of xlibs with this proposal, they're on drugs. They will, however, be able to do without libxaw{6,7}, libdps1, and xlib{os,}mesa3. The question of whether xauth should move is no more interesting than the question of whether xinit should move. Both link against Xlib. -- G. Branden Robinson | When dogma enters the brain, all Debian GNU/Linux | intellectual activity ceases. email@example.com | -- Robert Anton Wilson http://people.debian.org/~branden/ |
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Tauernlift Obertauern
5 lifts, part of Liftgemeinschaft Obertauern GmbH
Skiing enjoyment of the finest at elevations as high as 2313 m above sea level – members of Liftgemeinschaft Obertauern, the 5 lifts operated by Tauernlift GmbH carry you comfortably and safely to the top of the pistes in the Obertauern ski area. We offer the right lift no matter what your taste or skill level: from tows on gentle hillsides, to modern combo lifts comprising 8-seater chairlifts and 10-passenger gondolas, along with the spectacular Gamsleiten 2.
At the valley station of the Grünwaldkopfbahn, you will find Restaurant "Die Talstation" as well as free parking in the P3 car park, providing you with quick and convenient access to our lifts. The Obertauern ski area - with its perfect pistes, fantastic snow conditions until well into springtime and impressive mountain panoramas - is an absolute must for all ski fans. In summer, you will float comfortably up to the Obertauern hiking regions of Salzburger Land thanks to the Grünwaldkopfbahn.
Tauernlift Gondolas, Chairlifts & Tows
tow lift
Hours:9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Parking:Gründwaldkopf P3,
Sonnenlift P4
Valley elevation:1672 m
Mountain elev.:1747 m
Length:380 m
Capacity:1,100 passengers/hour
Highlights:ideal for beginners,
permanent race hill with timekeeping


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Athletic Cyberleg design (need both):
Would be based around this design (http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/completed-the-hare/) and those of disabled track stars of the modern era. They would replace the lower legs of the person installed with them, and would provide a slight boost to how fast a person walked room to room (which is based on stats, but I think would be easier to differentiate without having to overhaul the system). The speed at which they boosted you would be based on quality or the model if those were available, and would be pretty basic.
Heavy/Old Cyberlegs/Arms design:
These would be either very old clunky models, or specifically for corpsec who need the extra staying power. These would cause you to sink faster in water, not be able to dodge as fast, and would not look like a human leg (very obvious: charisma debuff?), but would cause the person to weigh more and maybe would help resist being dragged away by someone grappling.
Flashy Cyberleg/arms Design:
These would be close looking to real arms, and either chrome or flesh toned. Possibly they would have an implanted watch in the arms, something else in the leg. They would be both to replace limbs and to make life easier on the person. These would be expensive.
Smuggling Cyberleg/Arm:
Would act similar to a glovebox or locker, but could only hold certain sized items (pistol, quick term, or e-note size or so, nothing big) and would shroud it from some sensors. These would be highly illegal and expensive, have no other benefits besides being able to smuggle an object into a place it was needed. Would be awesome for assassin/terrorist RP, along with undercover corpsec operatives and smugglers.
Combat Cyberlimbs:
These would be similar to the Nailz and SynthKnux that already exist, but maybe have an extra damage boost to the combat they do, given the obviousness and expense. The Nailz would be more like Wolvers from CP2020 and practically the size of knife blades, and the synthknux could be like Spurs from Shadowrun, with spikes in the knuckles causing piercing damage or similar. These maybe would only be available through corporations or various underground factions, and would be a higher level version of Nailz and SynthKnux.
Let me know what you guys and gals think. They are just some of my favorite cyberware things from various cyberpunk games I've played, morphed to fit Sindome without being overly overpowered and ridiculous.


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New Hobby!
I got a new hobby! I started capturing short videos on my phone. Random moments, regular activities; bits and pieces of life. Possibly after a while will try to stitch all together to make a meaningful collage.
This year I got more time to experiment stuff. Started biking few months back. Bought a Dahon foldable bike. It is fun going to different places mostly in New Territories. Evenread on
Ding Ding, Jaguar and the fish…
There was a big big gap; in travel, in photowalks, in many spheres of life. At last it is time to hit the road again.
So today being Saturday went to Central in the afternoon. Near the Status Square, there was a huge carnival going on. Additionally many antique Cars were on display, organised by Hong Kong Automobile Association. Many Hongread on


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St Vincent has shared a series of comedy clips that see her fielding common and inane interview questions.
- Exclusive NME offer: Save £10 on Amazon Music Unlimited plans with code NME10
The musician – real name Annie Clark – recently shared her video for new single 'New York', taken from her as-yet-to-be-announced sixth album, the follow-up to her self-titled record and NME's 2014 album of the year.
These new videos, posted to Instagram, see Clark sardonically answering questions like "What is it like to perform in high heels?" and "Are St Vincent and Annie Clark the same person?"
According to a recent New Yorker profile, the shorts were scripted by Sleater-Kinney musician and Portlandia star Carrie Brownstein.
Watch beneath:
Clark's recent 'New York' video was directed by visual artist Alex Da Corte. It was the first music video he has ever made. "I think Annie's New York is the New York of my dreams-one that is blurry and fractured, dreamy and flat," said Da Corte of the video. "It is the Toontown to my Hollywood. It is beautiful but slightly out of reach."
Dissecting the track for Song Exploder, Clark recently discussed the lyric "I have lost a hero", describing it as being about "our collective heroes" but also being "very personal".
She explained: "2016 was like the Earth was like, 'Let's purge the Earth of geniuses.' It's very silly to make something like David Bowie's death about me. I mean, it has nothing to do with me, but I will say I was really affected and I cried – I cried for somebody I didn't even know. I don't know if I've done that before.
"A lot of people were affected by his death. [It was like], 'You can't die.' And then Prince a few months later, and then Leonard Cohen. It was just like, 'What in the world is going on?' But [the song isn't] just about our big heroes."


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Volunteers Needed for Sound Partners Reading Program
Post date: Sep 27, 2014 12:58:3 AM
Valley View School is looking for volunteers who are willing to work with kindergarten, first, and second grade students who need extra support in reading. We are using a program called Sound Partners, which is a unique phonics-based reading program utilizing volunteers to provide crucial 1:1 tutoring for our Kindergarten through 2nd grade students who struggle in reading. Our goal is to get all students to read fluently and effectively. All materials and training are provided. The program is scripted and all of the prep work is done for you. You can commit to a single session per week or for several sessions depending on your schedule and interest.
The two-hour training will be with Heidi Burton, our District Intervention Coach. For more information you may contact her at email@example.com.
Follow this link to sign up for a training session.
Several Valley View parents have completed the training, and some have already begun working with students! They have all said the training is painless, and the program is fun to use.


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Root:30 Day Journal Project, sharing a personal creative journey
Who Am I?
Blog Post
Poster Print11" x 14" unframed$28
Poster Print 8" x 10" unframed$20
Poster Print 5" x 7" unframed $15
or include it to your Custom SheilaLynnK Art Studio Calendar
Print the order form from the tabs at the top of the page or Contact the studio to place your order.
Back to Home


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Our Principles
We believe that everyone has a right and a duty to make use of their natural gifts to the benefit of themselves and of society at large.
We use our gifts in support of our clients and see ourselves as stewards of our clients' reputations, guarding their values, brands and proprietary information as carefully as we do our own.
We believe that if we consistently offer our clients the highest levels of integrity, commitment and professional expertise, our business will enjoy sustainable growth.
We believe that the revenues generated by our activities should be used to cover our tax and other financial obligations, meet our own material requirements, further develop our business and help other members of society less fortunate than ourselves.
It is in accordance with these principles that we conduct all our business.


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A self-certified woman-owned small business was ineligible for a WOSB set-aside contract because the woman owner's husband held the company's highest officer position and appeared to manage its day-to-day operations.
A recent SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals decision highlights the importance of ensuring that a woman be responsible for managing the day-to-day business of a WOSB–and that the woman's role be reflected both in the corporate paperwork and in practice.
OHA's decision in Yard Masters, Inc., SBA No. WOSB-109 (2017) involved an Army solicitation for grounds maintenance services. The solicitation was issued as a WOSB set-aside under NAICS code 561730 (Landscaping Services), with a corresponding $7 million size standard.
Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/women-owned-small-business-program/wosb-program-company-ineligible-because-husband-managed-business/


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New Developments in 3D Printing: Blood, Drawing, and T-Rex Bones
3D printing is always pushing to new horizons. Whether it's in the field of medicine, technical gadgets or interactive learning, 3D printing is about creating improvements for our lives or recreating experiences as you will soon read about. Check out some of the newest developments.
3D Blood Vessels
As a major part of our circulatory system, blood vessels are vital to carrying nutrients to the rest of the body and removing waste. Researchers have recently developed a way to create a synthetic system of vessels that they hope will be used for transplants or testing new drugs. Previous attempts at creating blood vessels with 3D printing either used actual cells or printed a structure on which the cells would grow. However, this method often damaged or killed the cells. This latest development though, led by a biomedical engineer Ali Khademhosseini and his team of researchers, printed a template for cell growth that could be pulled out later so as not to destroy the cells. The blood vessels created through this method could then transport fluids effectively and allow the cells to mature. Interested in reading more? Check out the full story here.
Drawing in 3D
Sounds fun, right? Creopop, the company that is developing the 3D pen, will soon make it available to consumers. How does it work? The pen uses a gel-like polymer and 3 blue UV lights. As a motor inside the pen forces out the gel, the gel comes in contact with the lights. This causes an instant chemical reaction, and the gel hardens as soon as the light hits it. As you draw, the gel hardens and adheres to itself, which allows its user to draw on top of other lines. You can also use the pen to make shapes in 2D and then connect them to other 2D shapes to construct a 3D one. There are still some kinks to work out before the pen hits consumer markets, but expect to see it sometime next year along with different colors of ink and ink capsule refills. Read more about it.
Print Your Own T-Rex
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. is undergoing a project of scanning each bone of a T-Rex. When they are finished, they will upload the graphics online. If you have or know someone with a 3D printer, you will be able to print your own replica to scale. The project (a huge one to say the least) is an attempt to digitize its archives and make the data freely available online. The 3D scanning team also hopes that this technology will be used to study more fragile artifacts without the worry of damaging them. Educators and students will get the same opportunities to study the artifacts on their own as more and more 3D printers become available to the general public. Learn more about this project here.
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text: Toxteth Chapel. erected 1843, by George Allen on his estate at Glebe Point c1904 Contributed By National Library of Australia [http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1205408] (p 83, 'The Illustrated history of Methodism : Australia, 1812 to 1855, New South Wales and Polynesia, 1856 to 1902 : with special chapters on the discovery and settlement of Australia ... leading up to Methodist Union' Souter, D. H & Colwell, James. Sydney: William Brooks & Co, 1904 online at http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-29721199)


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Ground source heat pumps ( Program overview)
The goal of this workshop is to help set future directions for performance monitoring of ground-source heat pump systems. The workshop was organized by the Operating Agents for the IEA HPT Annex proposal Long term monitoring of GSHP system performance, being Signhild Gehlin and Jeffrey D Spitler, together with Marion Bakker from RVO. The organizers trust that gathering a diverse group of researchers and practitioners together will lead to a synergistic perspective regarding what is currently unknown and what can be learned from ongoing and future monitoring projects.
Five presentations were held during the workshop. Two of the presentations covered specific examples of performance monitoring projects – one of a centralized GSHP system and the other of a distributed GSHP system. One presentation covered a monitoring program of 10 GSHP systems. The last two presentations focused on the Dutch situation.
IEA HPT Annex proposal Long term monitoring of GSHP system performance
- Long term monitoring of GSHP system performance – example Studenthuset SWE – Signhild Gehlin – Svenskt Geoenergicentrum
- Monitoring of GSHP system at ASHRAE Headquarters USA – Jeffrey D Spitler- Oklahoma State University
- Experience from monitoring of GSHP systems USA – Xiaobing Liu – Oakridge National Laboratories
Energy thermal storage systems
- Monitoring of energy thermal storage systems in the Netherlands – Henk Witte – Groen Holland
- Lessons learned energy storage systems Dutch Railway stations – Bjorn Kouwenhoven – NS Stations Netherlands
All presentations can be downloaded as ZIP file.
The participants where split into five discussion groups, each led by one of the speakers.
Around 55 persons attended the workshop
The main points of discussion were:
- Discussions related to the proposed IEA HPT annex.
- Approaches to mastering complexity in GSHP systems.
- Status of performance monitoring guidelines and standards in various countries and how to make performance monitoring more affordable.
- Reasons for performance monitoring
- Necessity of including investment economics in the GSHP system selection process
The main conclusions were:
If further research and development can lead to lower costs, performance monitoring and automated analysis, the following benefits can be foreseen:
- Identification of best system configurations
- Better investment decisions and lower cost systems
- Improved design of systems and system components
- Improved controls, commissioning and fault detection
- More efficient systems, lower energy consumption and lower emissions
Long-term performance monitoring is highly desirable and of great interest to the workshop participants.
The new HPT Annex
The proposed HPT Annex 'Long-term performance measurement of GSHP systems serving commercial and institutional buildings' is focusing on that specific topic and will then begin in January 2018.
Already a number of potential participating countries have shown interest. For more information on how to participate please contact:
- Signhild Gehlin from the Svenskt Geoenergicentrum [email protected]
- Jeffrey D Spitler from Oklahoma State University [email protected]
ExCo delegates and Contracting Parties must aid their national experts with OA-fees and other financial support for participation.
Steps for collaboration with ECES and GIT, e.g. by inviting all countries involved in HPT, ECES and GIT to participate with experts/projects in the annex, and report the results from the annex to all involved ExCos (HPT will however be the "owner" of the proposed annex).
Presentation at the plenary closing session
The workshop had special emphasis on "what we can learn from long-term performance monitoring of GSHP systems", and was especially aimed at providing direction to the proposed annex "Long-term performance measurement of GSHP systems serving commercial and institutional buildings." The workshop discussions concluded that if further research and development can lead to lower costs, performance monitoring and automated analysis, the following benefits can be foreseen:
- Identification of best system configurations
- Better investment decisions and lower cost systems
- Improved design of systems and system components
- Improved controls, commissioning and fault detection
- More efficient systems, lower energy consumption and lower emissions
Ground source heat pumps at the Conference
During the Conference sessions after the day of workshops 29 papers were presented as oral presentation and as poster. Two key note papers were also presented.
Further information
During two earlier Conferences papers on ground source heat pumps were presented.
The European Geothermal Congress as organized by EGEC– 19 – 23 September 2016 in Brussels. All papers can be downloaded through the Conference Website, where especially the papers on Heat Pumps and UTES in the section Technology and Best Practice are of great interest
2017 International Ground Source Heat Pump Association Conference and Expo. March 14-16, 2017 in Denver Colorado. The proceedings are available for download from the IGSHPA Website


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DriveClub PlayStation 4 (Used)
₨ 1,500.00
Out of stock
- Join A Club – Get more by playing within a Club. Gain access to more races, special challenges and events by joining a Club. Join an existing Club or create your own to team up with ~12 drivers and get more in-game currency and earn bonuses. Everything they do helps you, and everything you do helps them achieve more. Unite together and represent your Club with customized team colors and logos for your cars.
- Take on Challenges – Constant and varied challenges keep the game feeling fresh and unique, offering pick-up-and-play gaming experience to suit every player's lifestyle. Every section of every track offers a new opportunity to face-off with your Clubmates and rivals, so there's always something to play for.
- The World's Coolest Cars – Hand-picked for their power and beauty, each car in #DRIVECLUB is a pure pleasure to drive, recreated with an insane level of detail and accuracy both inside and out. Personally customize the cars in your garage to show off your unique look or represent your Club's colors out on the track. Take care not to get your paint-work scraped and carbon fiber chassis torn in high-speed collisions.
- Stay Connected with the #DRIVECLUB Partner Apps – No matter where you are in the world, you and your friends can stay connected 24/7 with the iOS and Android #DRIVECLUB app. Keep pace with your teammates performance, watch the races live as they happen, set and send challenges, plus check out all of the latest and greatest from the #DRIVECLUB world.
- used disc 10/10 condition
|0.5 kg


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The Emergency Department of Ramakrishna Care Hospital (RKCH) is a 10 bedded; state of the art tertiary level care unit. The emergency department attends to about 700 patients per month; 70% of whom get admitted to the hospital.
Majority of the patients attending the emergency are seriously ill who are immediately assessed for homodynamic status; stabilized with necessary interventions; provisional diagnosis established and appropriate disposition constitutes decided.
Emergency Medicine is a growing specialty in India. While the importance and relevance of this specialty in improved patient engagement and reducing morbidity and mortality is well established – the level of emergency care still remains at a relatively primary level in cities and towns across the country. However the emergency department of RKCH is the one unit in the state of Chhattisgarh which is manned 24/7 by physicians trained in the science of emergency medicine.
The emergency department has a separate resuscitation bay for taking care of critically ill patients requiring immediate stabilization procedures. Majority of the beds in the emergency department are monitored with facilities for continuous assessment of vital signs including cardiac monitoring which makes early detection of cardiac emergencies particularly life threatening rhythm disturbances possible. Such facilities are definitely life saving for patients presenting with cardiac emergencies.
The emergency has facilities for non invasive and invasive ventilation. Ventilator is available in the emergency for patients with respiratory emergencies who require emergent life saving intervention.
All life saving medications including inotropes; IV antiarrythmics; antihypertensives; fiibrinolytics are available in the emergency. All emergency doctors and nursing personal are well trained and familiar with their indications and uses.
Stroke thrombolysis and fibrinolytic therapy in myocardial infarction are regularly performed in the emergency department. Successful cases of cerebral and coronary thrombolysis are a regular part of the department's patient care program.
Proactive interventions and management on part of the emergency department has resulted in successful treatment and restoration of pre event level of activity and life style for patients of stroke and heart attack.
The following procedures are regularly performed in the emergency department:
- Endotracheal Intubation
- Central Venous Access
- Tube Thoracostomy
- Transcutaneous and transvenous pacing
Pleural; peritoneal tapping Suturing – including advanced face and neck suturing Stabilization of fractures – plastering and casting Reductions – including big joints like shoulder; elbow; knee.
The emergency department has an attached operation theater which is equipped to perform multiple procedures. This is a unique feature of the emergency department of RKCH where we have an in department operative unit that is being utilized for patient benefit. Commonly performed procedures:
- Fracture reductions
- Advanced suturing Tendon Repair
- Joint Aspiration and Infiltration
- Bronchoscopy Bladder Wash
- Maxillo Facial procedure
- Plastic Surgery procedures including dressing and grafting.
Patients can undergo required procedure sand get discharged after a period of observation.
American Heart Association BLS (Basic Life Support) ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) guidelines are meticulously followed during resuscitation of critically ill patients presenting to the emergency.
Strict adherence to guidelines; continuous training and updating has resulted in multiple success stories where patients presenting even in states of cardiac arrest have been successfully resuscitated.
The emergency department of RKCH has an on going 3 year completed residency program in emergency medicine.
The Masters in Emergency Medicine (MEM) is an internationally approved training program for doctors affiliated and endorsed by the Society for Emergency Medicine, India (SEMI).
This is an intensive training program for doctors - who are being trained in emergency medicine so as to provide advanced emergency care to the populace of Chhattisgarh at par with the current international guidelines and standard.
Emergency care at RKCH is evidence based; protocolized and standardized keeping in mind international standards.
Delivered by caring and committed doctors and nurses who are specially trained in emergency care with a vision towards continued improvement and up gradation.


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The Rendering > RotoTracking effect
The RotoTracking effect is first of all a cut-out effect like the Chromakey, Colorkey or Lumakey effect. It can also be used to animate drawings in ways comparable to those you can encounter in vector based animation softwares.
Here is the principle of this effect : the RotoTracking use one or several closed splines (called B-splines) and allows you to change their shape in time, thanks to the keyframe system of the FX Stack.
Once the effect is applied, the area inside or outside the spline becomes transparent.
• Two examples
This effect is very useful when the other keying effects are unable to cut-out a picture or a movie sequence properly.
On the picture below, we see a red squirrel walking on red and brown leaves. As the leaves colors are very close to the squirrel color, the common keying effects will not allow you to cut-out the squirrel correctly. In that case, it is advised to use the rototracking effect
Original picture
RotoTracking splineApplied result
The RotoTracking also allows you to draw and animate quickly. The control points of the spline can evolve softly from a position to another one. As a consequence, the shape of the whole spline will evolve in time too.
In the FX_Inlay_Texture_example_2 project shown below, a dolphin has been drawn with the rototracking effect.
The control points are colored in red and the B-spline itself is colored in yellow.
Every key dot can be animated in time. So it is for the whole spline and thus the dolphin.
He can for example move his tail to swim.
RotoTracking B-splines created for the first and the last image of the animation layer.
Resulting pictures once the effect is applied.
Resulting animation once the effect is played.
Here is the main difference between the rototracking and a selection created with the main panel tools : Our B-splines can evolve and change their shape in time.
• The control panel
Let's now study the control panel in detail : here is the control panel as it appears when you add the Rototracking effect in the FX-stack. (see below)
At the top of the panel, the Spline popup menu is used to create, rename, duplicate or delete B-splines.
Once a first B-spline is created, some new buttons and menus appear. (The Point and Blending Mode menus)
The effect can use several B-splines at the same time.
The header of the menu contains the name of the B-spline for which the options are displayed in the panel.
Enable the HUD and check the Preview boxes of your FX-stack. Once the first point is drawn on the project window, new parameters related to the points drawn in the screen appear (position, edge, sharp).
To close the spline that you just began to draw, you only have to click on the first point displayed on the screen.
Do you remember Bézier splines ? We encountered them in lesson 2 when we studied the drawing tools. B-splines and Bézier splines are mathematically linked.
Try not to confuse those two kind of splines : Bézier splines go through their control points while B-splines don't.
• Managing the opacity
Once the B-spline is closed, the opacity of the pixel area outside the spline becomes transparent after applying the effect. The pixel area inside the spline stay the same.
This being the case, the two opacity parameters allows you to modify the opacity of any of those two areas.
The numeric field on the top of the control panel allows you to set the opacity of the pixel area inside the B-spline. The numeric field on the bottom of the panel allows you to set the opacity of the pixel area outside the B-spline.
The invert button allows you to invert the effect : the area of pixels outside the B-spline will remain unchanged while the area of pixels inside the B-spline will become transparent.
NormalWith the invert button checked
First opacity parameters set to 50%Second opacity parameters set to 50%
• Let's now study the icons under the spline popup menu.
From left to right :
The first icon allows you to place the control points of your B-spline at your convenience.
This icon is selected by default each time you create a new B-spline.
You only have to use the left mouse button on the project window to lay your control points.
Once a control point is created, the point menu displays its number and its coordinates. (see below)
If you need to re-open a closed B-spline, you only have to select the icon again.
This second icon allows you to move a control point interactively on the project window. (don't forget to display the HUD).
To do this, just click and drag the control point. This may also be done by using the numeric fields and associated mini-sliders shown above.
It is also possible to move several points at the same time :
To do this, simply use your left mouse button to draw a rectangle while pressing the [Ctrl] key. You will then be able to move at the same time all the points located in the rectangular area.
By clicking on the little padlock buttons, it is possible to « lock » your control points in space so that they cannot be moved along the axis (or axes) of your choice. This enables, in particular, avoiding untimely movement.
The locked points may be subject to FX Stack keyframes and intermediate points in time may be created from the locked points.
The third icon allows you to add new control points on the B-spline.
Once activated, you will note that if you drag your mouse near the B-spline, a small cross appears. (see below) It means that you can create a new control point.
The fourth icon allows you to delete the control points of your B-spline. You only need to use the left mouse button on the point of your choice to do so.
The fifth icon allows you to modify the value of the edge of a point.
To do so, you only have to select this icon and drag'n drop a control point of your spline.
You can also use the numerical field of the edge parameter. (see below)
Modifying the edge parameter for a control point allows you to change the frontier that the B-spline define.
An opacity gradient will follow the B-spline (see below). This is very convenient to cut a picture more softly (as the tail of the squirrel below)
The positive values create an opacity gradient outside the B-spline and the negatives values create opacity gradients inside the B-spline.
Edge parameter equal to 0Edge parameter negativeEdge parameter positive
On the opposite screenshot, the edge parameters was used to cut out the tail of the squirrel.
Once the edge parameter is changed, the HUD shows a blue spline. The opacity gradient is located between the yellow and the blue spline and follow the shape of those two splines.
The sixth icon allows you to adjust the sharpness of each point. (the numeric field and the associated mini-slider can replace the interactive HUD)
Modify the sharpness is like changing the distance between the spline and the selected control point.
A value of 100 for the sharpness parameter will turn the spline into a pointed one.
The B-spline will follow the angle given by the vertex. (see below)
This allows you to adjust the curvature of the B-spline
On the left picture, the sharpness parameter of the right-top point of the spline is set to 0.
On the right picture, the sharpness parameter of the right-top point of the spline is set to 100.
The seventh and last icon turn on the display of a control box which allows you to do a lot of modifications directly on the project window (see below)
You may contract, stretch, rotate or translate the current B-spline as a whole by using the handles of the box. (don't forget to activate the HUD)
You can drag and drop the points to translate the whole B-Spline
• The master controllers
You could find annoying to create FX Stack keyframes for every spline and every point of a spline. (for example, a five points spline need almost 30 FX Stack keyframes to be created if you want to move it from a place to another one.)
That's the reason why the FX Stack keyframe controllers have been added in the panel. They are black encircled in the picture opposite.
The FX Stack keyframe controller near the spline popup menu allows you to create a FX Stack keyframe for each parameter of the spline : points, opacity, ... by using only one mouse click.
The FX Stack keyframe controller near the points popup menu allows you to create a FX Stack keyframe for each parameter of the point : position, sharpness, edge, ... by using only one mouse click.
• Working with several B-splines
It is possible to use several B-splines.
To create a new B-spline, proceed in this way :
- Select New B-spline in the popup menu
- Display the HUD and check the preview box
- Add control points on the screen and close the B-spline.
- Set the position, edge and sharpness parameters for each points.
• The blending modes
The last popup menu of the RotoTracking effect panel is called blending mode. It is useful when you manage more than one B-spline
If you use two splines (this is also true for more than two splines) :
- The add mode will add the opacity of the two area of pixels.
- The sub mode will subtract the opacity of the current shape from the second one.
In those two last examples, the edge and sharpness parameters are taken into account.
• Some ideas to make your B-spline move on the screen
Let's take a common B-spline.
The coordinates x and y of a control point define its position on the screen.
Three options are available in the interpolation menu : spline, linear or polynomial. This affects the path of the control point in time.
If you use the tool menu, its coordinates may follow the path of your choice. You should of course use the pixel recorder, pixel tracker, etc ... which constitute an excellent way to manage the movement of control points in time.
Once the effect is applied, its shape and parameters will go from one location to another one.


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Home Cooked Produce
At Rachel Keeling we have a beautifully mature garden which the community gardens and as a result we often have a wonderful harvest of fruit and vegetables. Pears and apples have recently been in abundance and the children have worked collaboratively to recognise which fruit is ripe, pick, prepare and share or cook some beautiful offerings.
Last week children were supported to select the ripe apples and pears and worked together, following the recipes to create Upside Down Pear Cake and Apple Crumble. Banana Pancakes were also made. Children used a range of one handed tools to chop, peel, mash, sieve, slice and mix the ingredients. Some of the apples did not make the cut as they had caterpillars visiting them. Children were supported to set those aside and watch their decay over the course of the week - using magnifiers and close observation to note the changes.
The process over the week further developed children's understanding of how we can grow our own food and share and enjoy it as part of a social gathering.
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The end of the year tradition of prediction is becoming a guessing game as the pace of innovation is increasing towards pure randomness. So I will stop pretending I know what is going to happen in 2020, and I want to write on areas that seem like the most unpredictable for 2020. Below you can find an honest review of my?2019 predictions.
2020 Unpredictions
A much talked about topic in 2019 with billions poured on rollouts across the globe. However, it is still unclear what are the killer use-cases, which is usually one step before starting to think about threats, security concepts, and the supply chain of cybersecurity vendors meant to serve this future market. I think we will stay in this state of vagueness for at least the next three years.
Insurance for the Digital World
Even though a big part of our lives has shifted into the digital realm, the insurance world is still observing, and hesitatingly testing the waters with small initiatives. It is unclear how insurance will immerse into digital life, and cyber insurance is one example of such unpredictability. It seems like a room for lots of innovation beyond helping the behemoth to transform.
Cloud Security
2018 and 2019 where glorious years for cloud security – it seems as if it is clear what the customers need, and the only thing left for the vendors is to get the work done. Cloud transformation, in general, is hiding a high complexity and a highly volatile transition of businesses and operations into the cloud. A process that will take another ten years at a minimum, and during that time, technologies/models and architectures will change many times. Since security is eventually attached to the shape this transformation takes, it will take some time until the right security concepts and paradigms will stabilize ? much shuffling in the security vendors' space before we see an established and directed industry. I believe the markets will meet this random realization in 2020.
Alternative Digital Worlds
It seems many countries are contemplating the creation of their own "internet" including countries such as Russia, China, and others, and the narrative is about reducing dependency on the "American" controlled internet. It is a big question involving human rights, progress, nationalism, trade, and the matter will remain unsolved as the forces at play seem to be here for the long haul.
I said IoT security is a big undefined problem, and it still is. I don't see anything changing in 2020 even though IoT deployments have become more commonplace.
I predicted 2019 would be the start of a purchasing spree for cloud DevOps related security startups, and I was spot on. The trend will continue into 2020 as the DevSecOps stack is emerging.
I predicted a flood of new chip designs beyond Intel and AMD, and with many security vulnerabilities disclosed. I was slightly right as there are many efforts to create new unique chipsets. However, the market is still stuck with the golden standard of Intel tilting a bit towards AMD product lines. I was dead wrong about the level of interest in researching vulnerabilities in chipsets, maybe because there is not much to do about them.
Small Business Security
I predicted small businesses would emerge as a serious target market for cybersecurity vendors. I was wrong as no one cares to sell to small companies as it does not correspond to the typical startup/VC playbook. Still optimistic.
AI in Cyber Security
I predicted that the hype in the endpoint AI security market would fade, and I was spot on ? the hype is gone, and limitations became very clear. There is a growing shift from local AI in endpoints towards centralized security analytics. Pushed by Azure, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks with the narrative of collecting as much as possible data and running some magic algorithms to get the job done on the cloud ? a new buzz that will meet reality much faster than the original hype of AI in endpoints.
AI in the Hands of Cyber Attackers
I predicted 2019 would be the year we will see the first large scale attack automated by AI. Well, that did not happen. There is a growing group of people talking about this, but there is no real evidence for such attacks. I am still a believer in weaponization using AI becoming the next big wave of cyber threats, but I guess it will take some more time. Maybe it is due to the fact it is still easy to achieve any goal by attackers with rather simplistic attacks due to weak security posture.
Data Privacy
I predicted it would be the year of awakening where everyone will understand the fact they "pay" for all the free services with their data. I was right about this one – everyone knows now what is the nature of the relationship they have with the big consumer tech companies, what they give, and what they get.
Elections & Democracy
I predicted that the manipulations of elections via social networks would diminish the citizens' trust in the democratic process across the globe. I was spot on ? In Israel, for example, we are entering; unfortunately, the third round of elections and the confidence and trust is at all times low.
Tech Regulation
I wrongly expected regulation to be fast and innovative and that it would integrate with tech companies for tight oversight. I was optimistically wrong. I don't see anything like that happening in the next five years!
The Emergence of Authentication Methods
I predicted the competition for the best authentication method would stay a mess with many alternatives, old and new, and no winner. I was right about this one. The situation will remain the same for the foreseeable future.
Supply Chain Attacks
I predicted supply chain attacks would become a big thing in 2019, and I was wrong about the magnitude of supply chain attacks even though they played a decent role in the mix of cyber threats in 2019.
Happy End of 2019 ??


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Welcome to the Official Schedule for RightsCon Toronto 2018. This year's program, built by our global community, is our most ambitious one yet. Within the program, you will find 18 thematic tracks to help you navigate our 450+ sessions.
Build your own customized RightsCon schedule by logging into Sched (or creating an account), and selecting the sessions that you wish to attend. Be sure to get your ticket to RightsCon first. You can visit rightscon.org for more information.
To createIf you've created a profile with a picture and bio, please allow a few hours for the RightsCon team to merge it with your existing speaker profile.
Last updated: Version 2.3 (Updated May 15, 2018).
The use of technology in the weather and climate sphere prompts challenges to the protection of human rights in ways that are not obvious. If law, policy and governance and its role in standardization should have an emancipatory potential, then it would stem from its ability to account for and safeguard rights and equitable concerns, in the face of challenges that result from the integration of emerging technologies. In the context of satellite technologies, and Distributed Ledger Technologies, panelists discuss how we think about the relationship between innovations and techniques to address changing weather and climate in the context of social conditions and the need for a better understanding of the world around us. But what exactly needs to be safeguarded while solutions are rolled out? Could it be that safeguarding rights would be individuals having the courage to secure the role of setting the standards/rules/smart contracts in order to preempt the powerful from having total control of future innovations and outcomes? What is the role of transparency as a safeguard, and technology frameworks that not only support incentive systems but give individuals the perception that they are in control of the processes happening around them, and decisions being made in the use of technology also reflect the values, beliefs and expectations of marginalized populations? A pure focus on individuals however may be incomplete, as addressing the systemic issues of weak central institutions that do not adequately consider the challenges faced by society is also an important priority.


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Pescetarianism, Veganuary and What The Health
*For context I gave up meat in September 2017 and I have been vegan since January 2019.*
Today I want to talk about veganism. If you have been following me for a while then you'll be aware that I have been meat free for a year already and have tried Veganuary in the past too. Last year wasn't successful, I tried twice but gave up halfway through June because I simply couldn't do it anymore.
I then went back to my pescatarian diet, still eating dairy and eggs - although I was slowly leaving the latter out of my diet as I wanted to give them up completely and the welfare aspects of it weren't sitting right with me either. It wasn't until January 2019 when I tried Veganuary again that I found it to be easier than ever.
I don't know what exactly changed but I guess I got my vegan mojo! Suddenly everywhere I looked vegan options were becoming more and more readily available. When Greggs released their vegan sausage rolls I knew it was going to be easier than ever to actually be vegan full time!
Transitioning from a full time Omni to Vegan has been easy. After I watched What The Health on Netflix I went vegetarian overnight. I think I had been considering it for a while as there's lots of people on social media who are veggie, vegan & everything in between. Watching the documentary (which had been recommended to me) was tough but definitely an eye opener to me.
I'm not blind to what happens to farm animals because I did an Animal Welfare degree at University and have seen some pretty horrific videos but I was still an Omni. The thought of giving up meat was like a bad joke! It definitely didn't seem like something I could or would ever do myself.
Entering Veganism and Finding My People
Fast forward a few years and here I was considering doing that very thing. I think it was quite a natural progression for me at least but I can't say it wasn't easy, I did struggle when I first tried Veganuary but the second time around I was more informed and felt I was in a good place to at least give it a go.
Finding a place where I was accepted for trying this new way of life was like a lifeline to me. Every silly question I had was doing be answered sensitively and without judgement. We were all in this together, whether we were a new vegan or a lifetime one.
Having such an informative base to go to if I ever had any questions (no matter how silly) was an absolute godsend to me, it was filled with an abundance of information and photos of ''accidentally vegan" finds as well as photos from members asking if their recent purchase was suitable or not.
Vegan Food Goes Mainstream
To help me out even more on my vegan journey was the sheer abundance of new vegan foods being released by almost everyone. From Marks and Spencer's Plant Kitchen Range, Greggs Sausage Roll, Pizza Hut releasing (then keeping after incredible popular demand) a vegan pizza, Dominoes using vegan cheese on their pizzas, Magnum releasing a vegan ice cream, Ben & Jerry's releasing dairy free ice creams, Quorn marking some of their products as Vegan and oh so much more!
It finally felt like veganism was becoming more mainstream, it didn't feel like we were having to trawl around the shops in desperate search for a stuffed mushroom or a wilted bag of salad! Suddenly our choices seemed infinite & it's not a stretch to say even some omnis were jealous of them!
It wasn't just the supermarkets who were joining in on the vegan bandwagon, restaurants everywhere suddenly had cottoned on to the fact that veganism had exploded and were desperate to welcome in the vegans who would have avoided them previously.
I was skeptical of vegan mozzarella before I tried it, now I just absolutely love it & much prefer it over normal cheese for sure!
Iron Deficiency
*For context I first began experiencing symptoms in late August/early September 2018*
After being vegetarian for (about) a year I began to feel tired all the time, lethargic with little energy and wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
There were a lot of other factors going on in my life which in some way (I believe) contributed to my state of mind at the time so I thought that if I managed to sort those out then I would begin to feel better. Why I was still feeling that way a month later I really had no idea.
It was decided that a visit to the doctors would be the best way forward and at least I would have some answers to my problems. A chat and a blood test later I had my results.
It was discovered that I had incredibly low ferratin (iron) levels so low in fact they were bordering on anaemia. No wonder I had begun to feel so tired all the time! It was surprising that this had happened so quickly after giving up meat, having learnt some facts about how our bodies absorb iron from the food we eat, I now know that it's possible for us to store ferratin in our bodies after ingesting it.
I was put on ferrous iron tablets for a few months to quickly aid absorption of the iron and to help my levels back into the normal range. Although this was good at the time, the side effects weren't and I was pleased to come off them a few months later.
As we only need to eat enough iron rich foods to build our stores back up, it didn't take long for my levels to return to normal and I could try coming off the medication. I have since used my new found food knowledge to keep my levels up.
Food Shopping
Being vegan means food shopping takes twice as long as normal until you learn which foods you can have (or not!) and start to build up a few favourites at your local supermarkets. At first it can seem like a daunting task, you definitely have to prepare in advance to ensure you have enough time to read everything properly and get to know where your favourite store keeps their free from/vegetarian/vegan foods!
In some places this may be as easy as looking a bit further down the shelf, in others it might be an entirely new part of the supermarket which you didn't venture to before!
But they are worth checking out as they just might contain a hidden gem or two which could be wonderfully 'accidentally vegan'. Oh those times when you pick something up thinking you can't have it but then read to your delight that it contains no eggs, milk or gelatin! Oh yes we live for those days and can't wait to share them with our new vegan friends!
But on the flipside of that there are those moments where you just despair and almost want to give up because everything you touch seems to be more vegetarian than vegan!
To this I would say don't, just breathe and perhaps ask a sales assistant for help or go online to find a vegan alternative. There's something out there for everyone and you shouldn't be put off because you can't find a vegan curry sauce!
When I had my iron deficiency diagnosis, I made a conscious effort to include more leafy green vegetables into my diet as well as researching which foods in particular were good for those of us choosing to live a plant based life.
Turns out it's easier than I thought and as long as I ate some vitamin C alongside the iron rich foods and avoided having caffeine at the same time, I would be alright.
I have since had another blood test at the doctor's (in January) just to see how my levels were doing after going off my medication and getting my iron only from food. It goes to show that I need not have worried so much if they were going to stay the same and how I would be able to supplement my diet.
Knowing the warning signs as I do now, I am acutely aware of them and now keep a close eye on how I'm feeling to monitor if I need to have another blood test or perhaps just add more iron rich foods to my meals.
It needn't be difficult to live a completely vegan lifestyle and still ensure you're getting your daily quota of essential vitamins and minerals. It might just take a little more time and research on your part but once you've found a few good dishes or foods you like which also happen to be packed to the brim with iron/vitamin B12/protein you're well on your way to living an amazing life!
My Final Thoughts
So how do I feel now that I've been meat free for one year six months and vegan for two? Well honestly? It feels like I should have been vegan a hell of a long time ago! It feels so natural to me now that I can't ever believe I wasn't!
Having seen the sheer ignorance of some people when questioned over why they are using beauty products tested on animals or claiming to love animals whilst simultaneously eating a burger, I just have to shake my head and move on for fear of saying something which I may come to regret!
I know one more person going vegan will not save the world but I like to think that by gently showing them how awesome veganism is, they might just be curious enough to try!
Love, Sarah xoxoxo


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AT&T Galaxy Note LTE hits stores Feb 19 for $300
AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Note will hit stores from February 19 priced at $299.99 with a new, two year agreement, the carrier has announced, though online pre-order customers can get the LTE smartphone up to two days early. Officially launched at CES earlier this month, the AT&T Galaxy Note keeps the 5.3-inch 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED HD display and digital stylus of its GSM counterpart, but throws in 4G networking.
There's also an 8-megapixel main camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, and a front-facing camera for video calls. Inside lurks Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor along with HSPA+ for when you're outside of AT&T's growing LTE network, plus WiFi b/g/n and GPS.
AT&T will also be offering a range of official Galaxy Note accessories with the smartphone, including the Desktop Dock, the Spare Battery Charging System and a Protective Flip Cover Case (in multiple colors including tan, black, pink, red, white and blue). There'll also be the Galaxy Note S Pen Holder Kit, making the stylus fatter and easier to hold.
Pre-orders will begin at AT&T's online store from February 5, with deliveries from February 17. That will be followed by in-store availability on February 19. The AT&T Galaxy Note will be available in carbon blue and ceramic white.
More on the Galaxy Note in our full review of the European version.