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Venezuela: An Empty Shell Named Juan Guaido
Venezuela's next problem, besides a crashed economy and an authoritarian regime, may be an opposition president incapable of running the country.
BOGOTÁ — Obviously, I want Maduro to fall. Obviously, I'm counting the minutes to the end of Venezuela's nightmare, so we may start to rebuild it after a 20-year experiment that has both destroyed the country and largely killed the dream that many of us in Colombia share: of a reasonable, modern Left coming to power. Indeed, Venezuela's Bolivarian movement has reversed the pendulum across the continent, favoring the resurgence of the most recalcitrant and corrupt conservatism.
Certainly, I am pained by the state of Venezuela. It is our other self as a nation, our continuity in the jungle, across the Andes and plains, and along the Caribbean. It is the other bank of the Orinoco and Arauca rivers to our "west bank," and a helpless reminder of the greater nation-state that could have been: a vast nation that already shares its joys and melancholies, sings and dances to the same music and has a similar, easygoing demeanor.
Yet in spite of this all, I am resolutely opposed to the solution touted as the last option for toppling the beastly dictator and heir to that megalomaniac charlatan, Hugo Chávez. The incidents that have followed since legislator Juan Guaidó decided to proclaim himself president — and I cannot imagine why — seem neither serious nor responsible, smacking instead of opportunism.
I am pained by the state of Venezuela.
This putative president is nothing like Leopoldo López, Henrique Capriles or María Corina Machado, those opposition veterans with 15 years of fighting, persecution and imprisonment. Guaidó, in contrast, emerged overnight. Yet he won the backing of the Americans, then neighboring countries like ours, and then 45 other states, including some of the most respectable in the world. Together they have staged a real pantomime, naming ambassadors without embassies or resources, and issuing decrees to the winds.
I observe Guaidó, analyze his speech, posture and vocabulary, and I simply cannot imagine him reviving the Venezuelan utopia, rebuilding a productive apparatus, restoring institutions in ruins or disarming thousands of militiamen fired up with the delusional promises of a glorious revolution for the 21st century. I cannot even seen him organizing an election within two months to ease a transition.
The events of recent days were immensely foolhardy and irresponsible. After selling a star-studded and well-intentioned concert, the ground was prepared for a "humanitarian caravan." Six hundred tons of food and medicines were taken to the Colombian border, 200 on Brazil's, and a bunch from Curaçao, but all in improvised fashion, without a distribution strategy or clear ideas on how to get it all inside Venezuela. It was naively, or deliberately, imagined that a vast human chain would shift them all in, box by box. Notably, neither the UN nor the Red Cross accepted this task as it seemed evident the plan had none of the three criteria of international law for such cases: impartiality, neutrality and independence.
Then a few shots heard and couple of flashes on a bridge provoked the forceful reaction of the Bolivarian police and sinister National Guard, who put an end to this "dream" of taking medicines to the forlorn in the various states of Barinas, Zulia, Mérida and beyond.
I simply cannot imagine Guaidó reviving the Venezuelan utopia.
It is an absolute scandal to expose ordinary folk who are both sick and hungry, just so you can then claim the tyrant would not let aid in for his people! Or worse, to use some stray bullet to "justify" subsequent armed intervention. There were 70 injuries by the end of the day though none were serious, and two native Venezuelans were killed in Kumaracapai along the Brazilian border. They do not count of course, just as they haven't in the last 500 years!
The Colombian president has found in this string of theatrical incidents the opportunity to shake off criticisms that he is a simpleton, superficial, inept at his job and a puppet. His image had been sagging for six months until the current crisis, when his approval ratings have suddenly swelled. Daily the broadcasters Blu Radio and RCN and the daily El Tiempo expound on his impressive leadership.
I do not know whether or not the dictator will have fallen by the time this article is published, given the reports of 70 or more soldiers (of junior ranks I think) shifting loyalties to Guaidó, the savior pulled out of a hat. If that happens, the young Venezuelan leader should be more afraid than Iván Duque, another upstart who unexpectedly won an election last year and found himself having to actually govern a real country.


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Since I was a little girl I have had a love for stickers and now even more as I make my own stickers for my ETSY shop!!!
My shop is going to be a ready to ship shop in 2019 but now you may have to wait but not long to get your stickers…
I use only the highest quality matte permanent sticker paper.
More designs are being released this week with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday
Here is just a brief sample of what is available in the shop
Are you a planner girl? Be sure to hop on over to creative corner and shop the stickers… Freebies for every order this weekend💗
Have a creative day

subset: commoncrawl


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Hypermobile children end up in some impressively awkward positions. It can feel uncomfortable just to look at the way their arms or legs are bent. It can be an awkward position with any part of the body; shoulders that allow an arm to fold under the body and the child lies on top of the arm, crawling on the backs of the hands instead of the palms, standing on the sides of the feet, not the soles.
The mom of a child I currently treat told me that this topic is frequently appearing on her online parent's group. Mostly innocent questions of "Does your child do this too?" and responses like "At least she is finally moving on her own" When I met her child, she was rolling her head backward to such a degree that it was clearly a risk to her cervical (neck) spine. We gradually decreased this behavior, and have almost eliminated it. This child is using it to get attention when she is frustrated, not to explore movement or propel herself around the room. Time to teach other ways to get an adult's attention and express frustration.
Because of their extreme flexibility and the additional gradual stretching effects of these positions, most children will not register or report pain in these positions. Those of us with typical levels of flexibility can't quite imagine that they aren't in pain. Unfortunately, because of their decreased proprioception Hypermobility and Proprioception: Why Loose Joints Create Sensory Processing Problems for Children and decreased sense of stability, many hypermobile kids will intentionally get into these awkward postures as they seek more sensory input. It can actually feel good to them to feel something!
The fact that your child isn't in pain at the moment doesn't mean that there isn't damage occurring as you watch them contort their bodies, but the underlying inflammation and injury may only be perceived later, and sometimes not for years. Possibly not until tissue is seriously damaged, or a joint structure is injured. Nobody wants that to happen. Read Safety Awareness With Your Hypermobile Child? Its Not a Big Thing, Its the Biggest Thing. If you think that there is a chance that your child is more than just loose-limbed, ask your therapist to read Could Your Pediatric Therapy Patient Have a Heritable Disorder of Connective Tissue? and get their opinion on whether to pursue more evaluations. Some causes of hypermobility have effects on other parts of the body. An informed parent is the best defense.
Here is what you can do about all those awkward postures:
- Discuss this behavior with your OT or PT, or with both of them. If they haven't seen a particular behavior, take a photo or video on your phone.
- Your professional team should be able to explain the risks, and help you come up with a plan. For the child I mentioned above, we placed her on a cushion in a position where she could not initiate this extreme cervical hyperextension. Then we used Dr. Harvey Karp's "kind ignoring" strategy. We turned away from her for a few seconds, and as soon as she stopped fussing, we offered a smile and a fun activity. After a few tries, she got the message and the fussing was only seconds. And it happens very infrequently now, not multiple times per day.
- Inform everyone that cares for your child about your plan to respond to these behaviors, to ensure consistency. Even nonverbal children learn routines and read body language. Just one adult who ignores the behavior will make getting rid of a behavior much, much harder.
- Find out as much as you can about safe positioning and movement. Your therapists are experts in this area. Their ideas may not be complicated, and they will have practical suggestions for you. I will admit that not all therapists will approach you on this subject. You may have to initiate this discussion and request their help. There are posts on this blog that could help you start a conversation. Read Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters) and Kids With Low Muscle Tone: The Hidden Problems With Strollers and How To Reposition Your Child's Legs When They "W-Sit". Educate yourself so that you know how to respond when your child develops a new movement pattern that creates a new risk. Kids are creative, but proactive parents can respond effectively!!
Looking for more information on hypermobility?
I wrote 2 books for you!
My first, The JointSmart Child: Living and Thriving With Hypermobility Volume One: The Early Years is your guide to helping your child develop independence and safety from birth through age 5. Filled with practical strategies to help parents understand the complexities of hypermobility, it empowers parents every step of the way. In addition to addressing all the basic self-care skills kids need to learn, it covers selecting chairs, trikes, even pajamas! There are checklists for potty training and forms that parents can use to help communicate with teachers, therapists, family members…even doctors!
"Dr. Google" isn't helping parents figure out how to help their kiss with PWS, SPD, ASD, Down syndrome, and all the other diagnoses that result in significant joint hypermobility. This is the book that provides real answers in everyday language, not medical jargon.
Read more about this book, and get a peek at part of chapter 3 on positioning for success by reading The JointSmart Child Series: Parents of Young Hypermobile Children Can Feel More Empowered and Confident Today!
This unique book is available on Amazon as a paperback or as an affordable read-only download, or on Your Therapy Source as a printable and click-able download. Feel more empowered and confident as a parent…today!
Is Your Hypermobile Child Older Than 5? THIS is the book for You!
The jointSmart Child: Living and Thriving With Hypermobility Volume Two: The School Years is a larger, more comprehensive book that helps the parents and therapists of older children ages 6-12 navigate school needs, build full ADL independence, and increase safety in all areas of life, including sports participation. Need to know how to pick the right chair, desk, sport, even musical instrument? Got it.
Want to feel empowered, not aggravated, at medical appointments? Got that too! There are forms and checklists that parents can use to improve school meetings and therapists can use for home programs and professional presentations. Read more about it here: Parents and Therapists of Hypermobile School-Age Kids Finally Have a Practical Guidebook!
Get this practical and insightful book today on Amazon . Don't have a Kindle? Don't worry: Amazon has an easy method to load it onto your iPhone or iPad! If you want to be able to print it out, go to Your Therapy Source and grab their version. And save some $$$ by buying it in one of their bundles. They discount my books when you buy more than one. You can even bundle one of the books on hypermobility with my book on potty training, The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone.


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Maryland prez tells regents MD, RU in Leaders Division w/OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, Purdue & Indiana. Illinois moves to Legends— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 19, 2012
Penn State will be making less trips to Champaign, according to ESPN's conference expansion guru Brett McMurphy, as Illinois will be moving to the Legends Division when Maryland and Rutgers make their way into the Big Ten come 2014 (Rutgers is supposed to have a 27-month exit period which would keep them from moving until 2015, but sources say they hope to move a year earlier).
So how will the new set-up look? Pictures!
As you can see, Wisconsin is still left isolated in the west, probably due to Jim Delany's reluctance to give up the whole Legends-Leaders buzzword division names, but also to keep competitive balance somewhat even, especially considering what could happen in the next four years of Penn State football.
The biggest question with this new set-up is how protected cross-division games will work. Penn State-Nebraska and Ohio State-Michigan will surely stay intact, but what do you do with the rest of the conference? Maryland-Minnesota? Rutgers-Northwestern?
I can see it now: "Old tradition meets new tradition -- The Big Ten Conference" or some other half-baked advertising idea the B1G PR department comes up with.
What are you thoughts on the new alignment? Should they have gone geographically? Does this setup keep Penn State competitive through the sanctions? Let us know.
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There are some downfalls to our hobby. One of them is the shady people in the hobby. My lady has told me that she doesn't
Tag: New York Islanders
Hockey Card of the Day – Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – Day 13
Despite losing last night's game and the series, Jaroslav Halak's play in goal was spectacular. He made 24 saves on the night and was even


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Harrison was born January 25th, 1996 in Omaha, NE. He weighed in at 10 pounds, 1 ounce. He was a strong kid and never stopped going. He grew a passion for animals and sports. As a child, he loved being outside whether it's helping with the yard, racing the neighbor kids on bikes, or practicing his football stance.
He left behind his dog Beckham, named after David Beckham, and his cat Chipper, named after Chipper Jones. His favorite pet was Vince, named after Vince Young. It was a heart break for Harry when his favorite cat ran away.
Harrison was obsessed with hammers when he was little. Every Christmas or birthday he would get a new toy hammer (which he called "bam-bams"). He would carry it around the house and try to fix everything. He was just as hard working as a kid.
He also obsessed over milk. He has strong bones today from all the milk he drank. He used to go downstairs, open the fridge, and drag the jug of milk upstairs to mom and dads room in the morning at the age of 5. In high school, he changed to chocolate milk.
Harrison went to Black Elk Elementary which was walking distance from his house. His mother, once a teacher, was a stay-at-home mom who had an in-home daycare. She cared for up to 14 kids. His mother instilled teamwork in him at a young age as well as leadership. Harrison would be the lead marcher as they went to school and made sure no one was left behind. He made all the kids feel at home when his mom watched them before and after school.
He started sports at a young age. He was involved in soccer, baseball, and football. As he went on to high school at Millard West, he learned that football was his passion.


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- Lucious raspberry silk velvet, wreathed in hand placed black leaf applique, with a scattering of black sequin accents.
- This easy wearing demi beret style suits just about anyone and features and elastic and comb attachment for comfortable security.
Lifted Millinery headwear is constructed with time honored techniques and fine craftsmanship. All hats are meticulously blocked and sewn by hand without the use of adhesives to attach trims. This ensures a long lasting hat with the ability to be retrimmed throughout the years.
A hat box for careful storage is included with every hat purchase.
Please allow one week, from date of purchase, for your hat to be shipped.


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As we practice safety and caution this period, there are many ways you can occupy yourself indoors without getting bored.
Let's see what we can come up with:
Buy a magazine and read. When was the last time you read page-to-page a magazine. Try it this weekend and see if you can discover a new hobby
Play games. The culture of games is slowing dying and this is sad. It's time to revive this sport. Bring out your chess board and scrabble; ludo or snakes-and-ladder and PLAY all weekend. It's really a fun way to bond with family and friends
Music. Listen to some of the classics that will take you back to days you wish to relive. Get your earphones and get lost in the world that makes you happy.
Cooking. Try something refreshing in the kitchen. Search Google for a new dish you'd like to try and get your hands busy.
There are many more things you can do this weekend, so share your ideas.
And have a jolly good one!


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Celebrant: With trust in the Divine Mercy, we now bring all our prayers before the Lord.
That the Mercy of our Risen Savior may draw all sinners to the fountain of repentance, forgiveness, and healing, we pray to the Lord...
That world leaders may never doubt the power of God's truth and love, but rather take refuge in it as they seek to resolve international problems, we pray to the Lord...
That as the apostles shared all their goods, Christians may share their goods with those who feel they cannot carry their pregnancy to term, and assist them to choose life, we pray to the Lord...
That all priests may be effective and compassionate ministers of reconciliation as they administer the Sacrament of Penance, given to us by the Risen Christ, we pray to the Lord...
That all the sick, and those who suffer in any way, may be consoled and strengthened by God's grace and the care shown by His people, we pray to the Lord...
That all who have died may come to share the Resurrection, we pray to the Lord...
we need your mercy.
As you answer our prayers,
Fill us with the joy that comes from hope,
And grant us the life that conquers death.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Divine Mercy and Pro-life
Saint John Paul II declared the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. Many of the faithful pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy regularly. There is a link between this devotion and the pro-life movement. Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, who was a principal translator of St. Faustina's diary, and the postulator of her cause of canonization, writes the following: "On at least three occasions, from 8:00-11:00 in the evening, she felt like her insides were being torn apart. She suffered so much that she thought she was going to die. The doctors couldn't figure out what was ailing her, and no medication was able to alleviate her sufferings. Later, she was given to understand that she was undergoing those pains for mothers who were aborting their children (Diary, 1276). "On another occasion, she had a vision of an angel coming with thunderbolts to destroy one of the most beautiful cities of her country. And she felt powerless to do anything about it (Diary, 474). What antidote did the Lord give her? The Chaplet of Divine Mercy. [She explained] that the city was to be chastised for its sins, primarily the sin of abortion." ("Wombs of Mercy," Marian Helpers Bulletin, Summer 1995, p.13).
Acts 2:42-47
1 Pt 1:3-9
Jn 20:19-31 (43)
Watch a video with homily hints
It is one thing to doubt the fact that Jesus is risen, as Thomas did. We, however, are more likely to doubt the power flowing from that Resurrection, -- a power that can keep us from sin. Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, but mercy is not to be confused with presumption or permission to sin. In fact, it is precisely in giving us commandments that, as the second reading tells us, "are not burdensome," that God shows his mercy. It is not simply our weakness that "God understands." He understands, first of all, our need of him, and the fact that we flourish only by living a life in union with his will. Therefore, his mercy provides us with every ounce of strength we need to actually fulfill the commandments, which is the same as to fulfill the demands of love.
Love has concrete demands, beginning with a reverence and absolute respect for one another's lives, and the lives of the weakest and most vulnerable in our midst. Actions that deliberately take innocent human life are always contrary to love. Yet "his commandments are not burdensome," because by our faith in his Resurrection, we have the power to love as he loves, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves as he sacrificed himself.
Thomas found the strength to believe when he returned to the unity of the Church. Perhaps when Thomas was missing on Easter night, he was out looking for Jesus on his own. After all, he was the kind of person who wanted to see for himself. But he actually found Jesus only when he returned to be with Peter and the other apostles. We too will find the strength to believe, to carry out the commandments, and to respect every human life, when we maintain close unity with the Church, the community of believers built on the apostles.


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On Tuesday, on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu´s visit to the White House, a senior White House official said the United States would no longer insist on the terms of any peace settlement, but would support whatever outcome the Israelis and Palestinians agree to.
"A two-state solution that doesn't bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve," the White House official said on condition of anonymity.
"Peace is the goal, whether that comes in the form of a two-state solution if that´s what the parties want, or something else if that´s what the parties want.", said the White House official.
Obama would often say that t a one state solution would put the future of the Jewish state in question and that further Israeli settlement construction would make a two-state solution impossible.
"That´s going to be up to them" said the official. "We are not going to dictate [to Israel] what the terms of peace are going to be."
Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss peace as well as expanded Israeli settlements, the Iran nuke deal and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, said the official.


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I've been trying to import this beast into PostgreSQL. I've been using EC2 since I don't have enough HDD space myself.
My last attempt on a large EC2 instance, with 850GB, failed because it ran out of disk space. I have a graph to show it hitting the 850GB:
I'd like to know approximately how much space I need, or maybe 850GB is way bigger than required and Osmosis is going into an infinite loop?
I couldn't find out how to enable logging on osmosis, so I can see how far it's gone into the import.
The command I'm using is:
For my next attempt I'll give it 1TB.. I'll update this question appropriately with my results.
asked 14 Feb '11, 00:59
Update: I had a strange parsing error with Osmosis, so this test is on hold for now. I'm testing my development with australia.osm for now (which was ~3.4GB). I'll update this if I ever get planet.osm going.
(15 Feb '11, 04:55) gak
I think there is something wrong.
yevaud, the mapnik-rendering-Server, has this configuration:
the usage is at 60%
answered 16 Feb '11, 14:32
Thanks, I'll look into the problem.
(16 Feb '11, 21:22) gak


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Black Dragon is MY Viewer, i decide which feature i want to add and which to remove, i share this Viewer to show the world that user base size is not important, i do rate quality by effort, thought and love put into the project, not some rough estimated numbers. I consider feature requests only if i you can name proper valid reasons i can agree on. It is my (unpaid) time i'm putting into this project, i'm not here to cater to every Joe's desires.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year
7 comments:
Happy New Year! And thank you for all the work you did on the viewer in 2012!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousTuesday, January 01, 2013
same to you niran you sexy thing you :D : awesome job on building and makeing your Viewer come alive for everybody keep it up man :D :) Happy New Years 2013ReplyDelete
happy new years <8}ReplyDelete
dont suppose you good merge the very fast 1.49 version with your 2.0 version so we can get the bonuses of high speed? maybea switch between the two so that we can have glow on be default?Replies
2.0 is faster render wise , also 1.49 is old , outdated and broken , had a lot of curl issues and glow off by default aswell (bug) , im still working on that bug... when i´ve fixed other stuffDelete
Happy new Year and keep the good work on the most oustanding viewer that any can wish to use!ReplyDelete
By far latest release is the most stable and fast for me and the graphics tweeks make a lot of sense!
- AnonymousSaturday, January 05, 2013
Happy new year! btw have you ever take a look at this?ReplyDelete
I kinda remember you used yo change the water texture, maybe the clouds might be good as well by default?
- AnonymousSaturday, January 19, 2013
I'm curious as to the RLV / RLVa issues you've found with the server-side baking code. What are the problems you've encountered & what tests have you run (i.e. to confirm it is the server-side baking code for the viewer)?ReplyDelete


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The Blue Ribbons, a band familiar to anyone who's set foot in Toad in Porter Square on a recent Tuesday night, recorded AND shot a completely live album in Studio A, in October of 2013.
They spent an afternoon setting up the band: Mike Castellana plays guitar, Jeff Charland and Tauras Biskis on bass and massive drums respectively, and bandleader James Rohr on our baby grand and synths. The Blue Ribbons sound a little like the Band at moments during their set at Q. They can extend a song, or keep it simple and quick. They're all great players who are busy in multiple bands around town.
On the Q Division end of things we had Matt Beaudoin engineering the recording, and Joe Tooley working sound in the room.
The folks from Gypsy Pixel brought multiple cameras and shot both sets. They have released four videos, and a full length LP (which Matt mixed and mastered).
Here's one called Foolin' Around:
Another song they shot is called Gas Station Girl:
The first release was Magdalena:
Pig Rock Lane was the final video to be released online:
Listen and buy the album on bandcamp:


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NEW YORK, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Adrien Brody says he felt at ease working on "The Darjeeling Limited" -- even though he joined a group that had worked together before.
Filmmaker Wes Anderson has made all of his big-screen comedies, including "Limited," with Owen Wilson.
Jason Schwartzman, who co-wrote and co-stars in "Limited," also headlined Anderson's "Rushmore."
Schwartzman's cousin, Roman Coppola, also helped write "Limited."
Asked if he had any reservations about joining this close-knit group, Brody told UPI: "I felt very welcomed into their family and was honored to become a part of that. Hopefully, there will be more in the future. Wes is an amazing director."
Brody, who won an Oscar for his performance in "The Pianist," said he hopes people who see "Limited" will see him in a new light.
"Now people can see that I have a sense of humor," he said. "It's been hard to get a comedy -- a comedy that has some depth. There have been some opportunities, but this one really is just what I wanted to do, actually. It's really great because it's entertaining and light and broad and silly, but at the same time, it's emotional. It stuck with me."


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Netherlands - CV/Other jurisdictions
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is often called Holland, which is in fact incorrect. South and North Holland - the provinces of the Netherlands are the most developed, but only two of the twelve. It is assumed that the name of the country as "Holland" became widespread in Russia after the visit of Peter I and his retinue to one of the parts of the Netherlands - Holland itself.
The Netherlands is a highly developed EU country , jurisdiction with a standard level of taxation (tax on profits in the Netherlands - 25.5%), which does not carry any signs of "tax haven". At the same time, the legislation of the Netherlands provides the possibility of registering and using companies with a zero tax rate. These benefits are enjoyed by companies like Commanditaire Vennootschap - CV.
A company like CV is a partnership created by at least two founders, one of which has the status of a main partner ('' General Partner ''), the rest is standard status ('' Limited Partners '').
Normally, legislation by default provides that the company CV is managed by its General Partner. There are no restrictions on the appointment of additional persons to the positions of Limited Partners, directors or managers of the CV company, but it is the General Partner who is primarily responsible for the commercial activities and financial obligations of the CV company.
CV companies with foreign shareholders who do not conduct business in the Netherlands are not subject to taxation here. In accordance with tax laws, CV is not considered in this country as a separate taxable subject. In this regard, the company CV is not registered as a taxpayer, and therefore taxes from the company received profits are paid - in proportions according to their share interests in the CV - by its founders ("General Partner" and "Limited Partner") at its place residences.
Basic information
about jurisdictionArea – 41.526 sq. кmPopulation – 16.500.000Government – monarchCapital – AmsterdamOfficial language – dutchOfficial currency – euro (EUR)Time zone – GMT + 1
Company typeCommanditaire Vennootschap - CV
Directors of the companyQuantity: at least 2Status: Individuals and legal entitiesResidents: residents of any country are possibleInformation about the founders: only in the Netherlands Enterprise RegisterNominee founders: allowed
Company ShareholdersThe legislation on companies CV does not provide for the status of shareholders. div>
Company SecretaryThere are no requirements for the position of secretary.
Share capitalStandard declared capital - 1.000 EUR. This implies that the General Partner is liable for the obligations of the CV company with all its assets.
Company NameMust end with the abbreviation "CV". Registration of titles containing the words "Bank", "Insurance", etc., is allowed only with the appropriate licenses.
Information about the real owner of the companyInformation about the real owner is provided only to the registered agent and is confidential.
Annual ReturnA report (Annual Return) is submitted annually.
Financial StatementThe financial statement is submitted to the business register annually.
TaxationTaxation of CV companies with non-resident founders - 0%.
Double tax treatiesSince CV companies are not taxpayers in the Netherlands, they are not subject to the intergovernmental agreements concluded by this country.
The term of registration of a new company20-25 business days; The term of receipt of the full package of documents is 7-8 weeks.
Acceptance of third-party companies for servicing FIVECONSULTOnly in consultation with the previous service agent in the Netherlands.
Set of constituent documents of the companyAll the necessary documents for the work, including an apostilled set of documents and a general power of attorney.
"Ready-made" companiesWe are ready to register this type of companies for your order.
FIVECONSULT comments:Registering a CV in the Netherlands is a great opportunity to work with a real tax-free company from a prestigious European country. In this situation, the property or profit of a CV company without any tax charges may be reflected in its annual financial statements, the provision of which may be required, for example, for registering a subsidiary in another country or obtaining a bank loan.Since the same General Partner cannot be appointed in several CVs, together with any CV company, it is also required to purchase an own General Partner - an offshore company (Belize, Panama, etc.). Only a company with directors of FIVECONSULT can act as a General Partner, since it is the General Partner that will promptly sign annual reports, tax returns and other company documentation.


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Chances are you already know about platforms such as Uber and Airbnb. But nowadays you can do a lot more than just rent your home or car to someone else for a fee. You can do that with your stuff, too. To make it even better, this means you can stop buying things you don't really need and start renting them instead. If all this sounds good to you, check out these five most popular platforms for renting!
Want to rent something, but only if it is perfectly safe? PeerRenters has a system that verifies user profiles, making sure no one is looking to scam others. There is a wide range of items available for rent, especially thanks to the fact that the platform can be used by both individuals and businesses!
Looking for a platform that would be really convenient? Rentuu might be the perfect choice for two reasons. Firstly, it offers countless items from every possible category, which means you will likely find exactly what you are looking for. Second, users say it is one of the most functional platforms out there. You can even have your stuff delivered to you!
Zilok is another platform that can be used by both individuals and businesses. As a result, it boasts a really large number of available items. It also allows you to rent vehicles, accommodation and even venues. So if you are planning a big event, this might be the right platform for you!
Want to start your big project, but don't have the appropriate tools? Regardless of whether your plans include using power tools or gardening tools, you will likely find them on RentMyItems. It is one of the most popular rental platforms out there, possibly because it is so easy to use!
FatLama is a platform with a dream – their goal is to help people connect more while getting stuff done. They believe the era of buying things is over and that we are entering the era of sharing. If you want to partake in that dream, visit their site!


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The weekend's results may not have gone the way of the Bulldogs or Eels, but off the field both teams are continuing to score points when it comes to Membership in 2010.
The Eels, who have enjoyed a record 87% growth in membership numbers since last year, are fast approaching their target of 10,000 members, whilst the Bulldogs broke the 11,000 mark this morning.
Further down the ladder, the Wests Tigers' fans are continuing to 'Step Up' even before Monday night's come from behind win, whilst the Sharks and Panthers are continuing to build on their totals.
With the race to 10,000 ticketed members now over, the NRL is looking for the club with the largest percentage membership growth from last year, and with 11 clubs currently sitting ahead of their 2009 totals, the race is still quite open.
It's not too late to become a member of your club! Sign up today!
Please Note: Club membership numbers are accurate as of Monday, March 15 2010.


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For Later
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Bachelor of Science - Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.
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Octopus Tattoo
This is the lower portion to the in progress leg sleeve that was posted earlier. This section of the tattoo is actually done. It is the upper portion from where the octopus leads into the water that is still in progress. I included so many angles because it is hard to see the detail and flow from just a select few photos. I have lost track of how many hours we have spent working on this portion of the piece. We started here at the bottom and worked our way up.
Artist Information
Resident Artist At: Unify Tattoo Company 314 S. Ponce De Leon Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32084


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If you are looking for a way to relax, detox, and do some chill self-care, infrared sauna might be just what you need.
What is an infrared sauna?
An infrared sauna uses light to create heat. The light warms you but does not heat the air around you. In contrast, a traditional sauna heats the air around you which eventually heats you as well. Infrared heat is much less intense than a traditional sauna.
What are the benefits of an infrared sauna?
Only short-term studies have been done on the benefits, but they definitely show a positive outcome!
Here are a few benefits you can look forward to:
- Detox through sweating
- Pain relief
- Stress relief
- Clearer skin
- Weight loss
- Improved circulation
What are the side effects?
Infrared saunas may have side effects you should be aware of. If you are on medications or have any health issues or concerns, check with your doctor before doing a sauna session.
A few of the side effects include:
- Dehydration
- Electrolyte imbalance – if you are missing important minerals needed for the detoxification process.
- Feeling ill – this can occur during the detoxification process.
With a nutritious diet full of minerals and proper hydration, some side effects can be prevented or diminished. Consult a doctor before your first sauna session.
My first infrared experience at Hot Box Sauna!
I woke this morning sore from a workout and in need of some serious muscle relaxation. Before the session, I went for a long walk and drank a lot of water in preparation to sweat it out at Hot Box!
Hot Box was the first choice due to price and still being at a convenient location for me. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings they have $25 dollar sessions.
When I arrived at Hot Box, my first impression of the business was fresh, hip, and welcoming. They offer apparel, face masks, lotions, and more to add to your experience. Let's Hot Box!
The suite you are given for your sauna session has a shower with complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and soap. You may pick two colors to light your sauna and each color may provide different benefits to your mind and body, like perhaps blue for a calming environment or green for a motivating effect. The sauna is very clean and cozy which made me feel relaxed right away.
You are provided with plenty of towels for the shower or for sweat and a cold compress to keep you cool while in the sauna. You have access to the shower to refresh as you need.
It takes a while for you to really start sweating but that's part of the benefit. The extra time allows your body to gradually heat up more naturally all while you meditate, listen to music, or catch up on your favorite shows. Inside the sauna, there is a little iPad screen for you to use and browse on your own.
I totally chilled out while listening to a Spotify playlist called Good Vibes. I started my sauna session with stretches and breathing exercises which lead to a deeply relaxing meditation to finish out my 45 minutes. The heat feels like you are laying in the sunshine on a comfortably warm day. It's very pleasant!
Afterward, I felt a combination of being invigorated and also totally relaxed at the same time. I could have either continued on energetically tackling my to-do list, or sunk into a deep nap. Considering it was only 11:00 am, I chose to tackle my to-do list… and luckily I was invigorated enough to do so!
I really enjoyed this sauna experience and I will surely be back for more sweat sessions. I also highly recommend trying Hot Box Sauna for your first infrared experience.
Hot Box Sauna
835 S. Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90014


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I believe this is probably the best you can do to humankind. It's so cost effective and it gives so much. So much power, so much change in the life of people."
– Dr. Sanduk Ruit
Imagine life if you were unable to see. Could you find the toilet, or leave in an emergency? Now imagine you lived in a place where there are no paved roads, no clean water. In our world, 14 million people, more than the entire population of Canada, are blind, unable to perform the daily tasks of living. Ninety percent of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. Eighty-five percent of the blindness on our planet could be cured, or could have been prevented. 20 million people are needlessly blind from treatable cataracts.
Now imagine: There exists a surgery that can restore perfect sight to these people in five minutes, for the cost of $25 per surgery. Imagine: We can overcome all the needless blindness in the world. People say it's impossible.
Impossible becomes possible with the first step. In 1983, when we set out to climb the east face — the Kangshung face — of Everest, we were told it was impossible. The lower headwall is 5000 vertical feet with technical difficulty similar to rock climbing El Capitan with vertical ice, at altitude. And we'd be climbing from Tibet, with no native support on the mountain whatever.
So how do you dare the impossible? First, you have to put in the years of climbing and training and pushing yourself to your limits. But we were venturing into a realm of technical difficulty that had never been attempted on an 8,000-meter peak. While we may not have been the 12 best individual climbers in America in 1983, there couldn't have been a better team. We shared a passion, commitment, and a willingness to dare the impossible. Success is the result of action, not dreams. On October 8, 1983, we completed the first ascent of the East Face of Mount Everest. Thirty-one years later, our route still has never been repeated.
So what does this have to do with world blindness? First, the opportunity to climb in Asia and Africa allowed me to witness firsthand the consequences of extreme poverty on health, and the disparity in healthcare systems throughout the world. My focus was already on global health by the time I matriculated at medical school. But I also got to know Sir Edmund Hillary, who liked it at base camp on the East Face of Mount Everest with us. And Hillary is one of my heroes, not so much for what he's done in the climbing and exploration realm, but for what he's given back, building schools and hospitals for the people of Nepal. I had the opportunity to work as a doctor at one of the hospitals that Sir Edmund Hillary built. Many of the problems I faced were public health issues, problems of poverty. I watched children dying of diarrhea and pneumonia and things that would be so easy to treat in the Western world. I also had the opportunity to see the impact of blindness. In the village where I lived, it was just accepted that you grew old, your hair turned white, your eyes turned white, and then you died.
I saw the effects that blindness had on the people. They became shriveled, depressed. The life expectancy of people once a person goes blind in the developing world is reduced by one-third in comparison to that of healthy peers. For blind children the fate is much worse. And the devastation of blindness extends beyond the individual to the family and the community, because it takes an additional able-bodied person out of the workforce to care for the blind person, or a child out of school to lead their father around by a stick. Another expression for a blind person in Nepal is "a mouth with no hands."
When I was in Nepal I watched a Dutch team come in and perform cataract surgery, taking out the cloudy lens and putting in a lens implant. This not only restored sight, it restored life to the people in our village. One day after surgery, people were straightening up and blossoming. They looked 20 years younger.
I returned to America, trained as an ophthalmologist, did advanced training in complex cataract surgery and corneal transplant surgery, and then returned to Nepal to work with Dr. Sanduk Ruit, my elder brother and the genius behind everything we have been able to accomplish. Sanduk was born in a small hill village four days' walk from the nearest road. He went on, started school at age eight in Darjeeling, India. Earned scholarships to the best institutions in India. Trained as ophthalmologist in India, then did fellowships first in the Netherlands and then in Australia. He returned to Nepal with a full knowledge of absolute state-of-the art Western eye care and the best Western eye surgery. And he began to imagine: How could you bring the same top-quality care to the poorest of the poor, in Nepal, at an affordable cost?
Prior to Dr. Ruit returning to Nepal, all of the cataract surgery performed in Asia and in Africa for poor people was a very crude operation where we would basically splice the eye in half and remove the whole lens. If the eye survived that surgery, patients would get these thick coke-bottle–like lenses that in the best of circumstances give a distorted vision. The cataract is the clouding of the proteins in the lens of the eye, which is just behind the pretty colored part of the eye called the iris. In modern cataract surgery, we make a small incision in the eye wall — it's self-sealing — open the outer capsule of the "peanut M&M," take out all of the cloudy proteins, clean the capsule out, and put a clear lens implant into the lens capsule.
Dr. Ruit had already developed a system with eye care delivery in which the quality, sterility, and infection rates were the same as we have in the best centers in the West. But when Dr. Ruit returned to Nepal, the least expensive lens implant on the world market was $200. That's more than the average yearly income of a Nepali citizen. Dr. Ruit had the genius to team up with an Australian ophthalmologist named Fred Hollows to raise the funds to start the first low-cost interocular lens factory in the world, which was built in Kathmandu right next to our eye center. The lenses made in that factory are exactly the same quality as what I put into patients in America, but they cost $4 a lens. Dr. Ruit developed a technique of doing the same quality eye surgery that I do for $3,000 in the United States, without the expensive machines, using locally manufactured material, for $20.
I came to Nepal and I worked side by side with Dr. Ruit, and in three days we restored sight to 224 people. Dr. Ruit did 201 surgeries while I did 23. The results were absolutely incredible. About 80 percent of our patients could see well enough to be able to pass the American driving test one day after surgery.
With this system, a single doctor in Nepal can provide more than 100 sight-restoring cataract surgeries in a day.
Prior to when we started, no one in rural Nepal knew they could have their sight restored. So people didn't really come for surgery. It became a matter of education and teaching, as well, not just the doctors, but really creating the whole system. A primary eye care system with primary eye centers dotted throughout the hills of Nepal, referring to cataract centers throughout Nepal. And then we have our great sub-specialty full-service eye hospital, the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, in Kathmandu.
We also developed a cost-recovery model. We have the elite of Nepal pay for their services in Nepal, which provides a subsidy to provide free care for the poor. By engaging the powerful, we are able to give great care for free to the powerless. And we go beyond just "teaching a man to fish." We're teaching fleets of fishermen to cast their nets widely. And through quality – which is really the essential ingredient — we teach them how to sell the fish. And we've begun to actually reach the poorest of the poor.
When we started, there were more blind people from cataracts in the Himalayas than there are people in the entire state of Wyoming. Now Nepal, the poorest country in south Asia, went from having 15,000 cataract surgeries performed per year in 1994 to 300,000 cataract surgeries in 2013. The rate of blindness in Nepal has dropped from 1 blind person per 100 to less than 0.2 percent.
People wonder, "How good is the quality? What are these people really seeing right after surgery?" Well, we performed a prospective randomized trial, bringing a marquee surgeon from America, David Chang, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, to Nepal. One of our big ophthalmic pharmaceuticals reconstructed his entire operating room in Los Gatos, California, in a monastery in Nepal. He and Dr. Ruit operated side by side. And the only difference in results were the cost and the speed. Dr. Ruit was three times faster and ten times less expensive. At one year, we have a 99 percent success rate.
Imagine: In the time it took for you to read this, two surgeons working in Nepal could have restored sight to six people, for a cost of under $200. It's time to dare the impossible. We have a great team. We need more people with passion. More people with commitment. In the world of global health, there are few areas where we can absolutely win. We can win this.
Helen Keller said, "Because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do."
Eliminating unnecessary blindness is something we can do.
I believe this is probably the best you can do to humankind. It's so cost effective and it gives so much. So much power, so much change in the life of people."
– Dr. Sanduk Ruit
Of the more than 39 million people worldwide suffering from unnecessary blindness, more than half are due to cataract — which can be surgically treated.


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The Matt Adams Foundation is presenting its inaugural Charity Golf Tournament benefiting their life saving harm reduction and recovery efforts across Northwest Arkansas. Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club of Fayetteville is graciously hosting the event on Friday, May 21st, 2021. The tournament will be a four-person scramble style tournament starting with lunch and ending with beverages and awards.
You and your business can help through one of the many sponsorship opportunities outlined via the below entry form. Working together, we can continue to provide life saving resources and help reverse the opioid epidemic here in NW Arkansas.
Entries are now closed – see you on the green!
Date: Friday, May 21st, 2021
Time: 11:00AM Lunch with 1:00PM Start
Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club


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The IEEE Computer Society sponsors an Awards Program to recognize both technical achievement and service to the Society. In the technical area, recognition may be given for pioneering and current contributions to the field of computer science and engineering. Service awards are given to both volunteers and staff for well-defined and highly valued contributions to the Society. In addition, the Society encourages nominations of its members for appropriate IEEE awards.
The Awards Committee selects and recommends recipients for awards administered by the Society, and nominates and recommends candidates for IEEE administered awards.
The Awards Committee is responsible for preserving the integrity of the evaluation and selection process, assuring that the process is both open and rigorous, and that the process contributes to the prestige of the Society and the award recipients.
The Awards Committee chair is appointed by the Society president. Committee members, including the immediate past chair, chairs of all the awards subcommittees and one to three at-large members, are appointed by the Awards Committee chair with the concurrence of the society President.
Awards Nomination System – List of featured awards and nomination deadlines.
Note: You must create a free IEEE account to start a nomination.
- Mark Allen Weiss
- Paolo Montuschi, Past Chair
Vice Chair
- Nancy Amato
Technical Awards
- B. Ramakrishna Rau Award: Daniel A. Jiménez
- Charles Babbage Award: Yves Robert
- Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer: Eva Tardos
- Eckert-Mauchly: David Kaeli, CS rep.
- Hans Karlsson: Katherine Morse
- Harlan Mills Award: Paolo Tonella
- Harry Goode Memorial Award: Ming C. Lin
- IEEE CS / SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Quality Award: Julia Mullaney
- Ken Kennedy Representative: Dongmei Zhang, ACM rep.
- Seymour Cray Computer Engineering: Mary Hall
- Sidney Fernbach Memorial Award: Mary Hall
- Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement: Ahmed Louri
- W. Wallace McDowell: Baining Guo
Educational Awards
- Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching: Susan Wang
- Taylor L. Booth: Russ Meier
Service Awards
- Richard E. Merwin: John Johnson
- Service Awards: Mark Allen Weiss
- Vincenzo Piuri
- Anne Marie Kelly*
- Millie Lovos*
Last update 03.21.2023


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A visit by bike or foot through the unspoiled and undiscovered karst landscape of the Pădurea Craiului massif will leave you longing for more. It is the newest emerging ecotourism destination in Transylvania, where man and nature live in true harmony. On the surface it shelters a varied scenery ranging from gorges and waterfalls, cliffs and dolinas, while in the underground it hides a magical and unique cave world with impressive stalactites and stalagmites formations. Pădurea Craiului, a subgroup of the Apuseni Mountains in Western Transylvania, offers spectacular views over time forgotten villages, in a countryside filled with countless haystacks. We guarantee that the varied landscape of the massif will not disappoint. You will cycle on roads crossing alpine pastures and
alongside charming river meadows, while beautiful sights of mountain lakes will be the reward of some of the climbs. Below the ground, in what is the tour's cave quest, you will explore the impressive Meziad cave, with its huge entrance arch and imposing chambers. Meziad also hosts the biggest bat colonies in Romania. You will also admire the fascinating calcium crystals which decorate the stalactites of the smaller but equally interesting Crystal Cave before visiting the most spectacular cave of the Apuseni Mountains, the Bears Cave. The name was given by the 140 neolithic bear skeletons found inside in 1975 when it was discovered. Besides the bear remains, the extraordinary stalactites and stalagmites formations make it a geological wonderland and an unmissable experience.
The tour begins with a one hour transfer from your accommodation in Cluj-Napoca to Râșca from where you will start your cycling adventure at an altitude of 1000 meters. Today we will ride almost entirely on asphalt with only three kilometers on gravel. The first part of the ride is almost flat giving you the chance to admire typical Romanian mountain villages scattered on the alpine pastures. You will also have plenty of time to get accustomed to the bikes before we reach the only real climb of the day, which will take you from 1000 to 1300 meters in just 4 kilometers. Although challenging, the climb is gradual and the top you will be rewarded with a great panoramic view of the Belis-Fantanele mountain lake. From here we will head to the Bride's Veil waterfall, where you can relax in its cool breeze and waters. We will have lunch here and then embark on a 20KM descent to Săcuieu for tonight's accommodation. The charmingly located guesthouse lies in a meadow between rolling hills and along a narrow mountain creek. You can relax with a glass of wine or a beer in the big garden while waiting for a traditional and delicious local specialty, fried trout with polenta.
Approximately 55 km (34 miles) with 730m (2,340 feet) of climbing
Today you will embark on a mountain stage with two consecutive climbs in the first half of the day. Although, distance wise, it is the longest day of the tour it is very picturesque and after the second climb the last 34 KM are downhill or fairly flat. We will cross mountain meadows full of colorful wild flowers and pass through tranquil villages, where life still flows like it did ages ago. At the top of the second climb at 1000 meters high we will have lunch at a restaurant from where you can catch nice glimpses of the Drăgan mountain lake. Following a long descent, we will then enjoy a pleasant and peaceful ride through green and lush landscapes in the meadow of the Criș river till we reach today's accommodation.
Approximately 59 km (37 miles) with 940 m (3,080 feet) of climbing
The day starts with a visit of the 200 years old wooden church of Beznea which sits on a hilltop in the center of the village. During the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Romanians in Transylvania were not allowed to build Orthodox churches in stone. So their churches, meticulously carved in wood, with stylised motifs (crosses, rosettes, ropes, tendrils, water waves) and shingled roofs, painted on the inside with naive murals became monuments of wooden folk architecture and peasant art. Leaving the church behind we will enter the charming Roșia valley which hosts one of the most complex karst systems in Romania. A beautiful climb offers stunning views of the pristine countryside and of the rolling hills filled with countless charming haystacks. Once at the top, at only 600 meters high, we will enter a beautiful mountain microclimate landscape with vegetation like ferns and junipers, usually found only at higher altitudes. We are now heading to Roșia on a superb 27 KM descent, which we regard as one of the most scenic downhills from all our tours. The guest house in Roșia, where we'll spend the next two nights, is situated high on a ridge and has a panoramic terrace from where we can admire sunsets over the mountains.
Approximately 45 km (28 miles) with 640 m (2,100 feet) of climbing
Today we will cycle in foothills of the mountains towards Saca. Midway through the distance, in a wild landscape, we will find Meziad Cave, one of the major caves of the Apuseni Mountains and a highlight of the tour. Its huge entrance arch, 16 meters high and 10 meters wide, its imposing chambers, reaching 35 meters at their highest point, the fascinating stalactites and stalagmites formations lit in shades of grey will for sure impress you. Meziad also hosts the biggest bat colonies in Romania and you'll spend one hour exploring it. Following the visit we'll have lunch at a small restaurant close to the cave and then cycle our way on quiet roads to the village of Saca, where will spend the next two nights.
Approximately 51 km (32 miles) with 470 m (1,540 feet) of climbing
Last cycling day and the easiest of the tour. We will visit the most spectacular cave of all the Apuseni Mountains. The name was given by the 140 neolithic bear skeletons found inside in 1975 when it was discovered. Besides the bear remains, the extraordinary stalactites and stalagmites formations make it a geological wonderland and an unmissable experience. Treat yourself to a stroll through the atmospherically lit bones and candles galleries and you will feel like you've stepped into a magical, fairy tale like, underground world. We will cycle to the Bears Cave and then return to Saca on narrow asphalt roads which seem to have been purposely built for bike touring.
Approximately 53 km (33 miles) with 370 m (1,210 feet) of climbing
After breakfast you will be transferred by car back to Oradea or back to Cluj-Napoca.
€2400 per person for groups of 2 people
€2140 per person for groups of 3 people
€1860 per person for groups of 4 people
€1590 per person for groups of 5+ people
Single supplement - €180
Deposit - €200
What is included?
- English-speaking local guides
- Fully equipped bike
- Helmet
- All accommodation and meals
- Fruits, nuts, snacks, and water during riding
- Assistance car
- Car transfer on the last day to Cluj-Napoca
- Tickets and donations
Accommodation is provided in double or single rooms with private bathroom in small and cozy village guesthouses. The heart filled hospitality of our hosts will make you feel at home everywhere we'll spend the night. All guest houses are unique and have beautiful gardens in which you can relax after a day's riding. For single rooms there's a single occupancy supplement.
Delicious and tasty locally sourced food is cooked by all guesthouses. Breakfast and a three course dinner are included in the tour package. The traditional Romanian spirits like plum or sour cherry brandy are complementary on the house while drinks like wine and beer can be bought separately at each guesthouse. Vegetarian options are also available upon request.
Lunch is included in the tour package and in most of the days we will break for a freshly cooked lunch and coffee at a special venue where other activities are included as well. A packed lunch is provided on the other days and whenever refreshments breaks are needed we'll make it happen, as your holiday will be enjoyed at your own pace. Fruit, cereal bars and water are available anytime.
53 km (33 miles)
665 m (2,180 feet)
263km (163 miles)
3,150 m (10,340 feet)
TERRAIN: MOUNTAINOUS and HILLY
Padurea Craiului is mountainous and hilly! That's why any trip in this region implies some climbing, but the effort will be lavishly rewarded by the wonderful landscapes, colourful flower meadows and tranquil villages where life flows at a very slow pace. Every day there will be some short and rolling hills and a climb which will require more effort to conquer. But don't worry as the descents are always beautiful and rewarding. For the elevation profile and for the number of kilometers/miles covered on a daily basis, see the day to day itinerary.
On all our tours we aim to find quite secondary roads, so that you'll fully enjoy your vacation without the noise of big and busy roads. With few exceptions, we only cycle on asphalt and on this particular tour there are only 10 kilometers (6 miles) on which we'll ride on gravel.
* At times, from various reasons, the routes, the activities listed in the daily breakdown or the guesthouses we sleep in may slightly change. Our guides will always try to replace them with similar or higher standard services in order to provide the same trip experience.
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Roasting coffee and passion
two inseparable things…
Hi folks. We now enter a special stage – we start to learn how to prepare the perfect coffee. For this purpose we must begin with one of my favourite topics: Coffee roasting.
Coffee roasting is something special, it is a mix of intuition, science, craft, experience and passion. Therefore I like to compare coffee roasting with cooking because both are wonderful, creative activities.
The main difference of the following topics to the preceding ones of our coffee story is that you can practise them on your own assuming you have the required equipment. If not you'll anyway benefit from the deep understanding and makes you more confident with the whole coffee preparation process. So enjoy the next chapters and look forward to the insights you'll gain from them.
Before entering the roast process we must discuss some theoretical essentials. This means that this topic is divided into theoretical principals and the practising guide.
Theoretical principals
The term roasting refers to the dry and fatless heating of the coffee bean. The roast process is initiated at a bean temperature of 100°C and ends, depending on the roast grade, between 200°C and 260°C. In general: the higher the temperature the shorter the roasting time. The duration of the roast process and the used temperature are significantly responsible for the different coffee sort's individual taste and flavour. Light roasts in general have a smoother taste, dark roasts provide more bitter compounds and are therefore better suited for espresso.
During the roast process the following actions happen:
- The water, contained in the coffee beans evaporates.
- Due to the overpressure inside the beans resulting from the evaporation and roasting gas, the beans are bloated to their approximately double volume.
- The outer coffee skin detaches and falls off, this is called the first crack.
- The bean changes it's color which turns from light green into yellow, yellow-brown, light-brown up to dark-brown. For darker roasts the second crack is awaited which means that the beans lost more water and the cell structure begins to burn. Depending on the roast grade oils can leak.
- The specific coffee flavour occurs due to plenty of chemical reactions, referred to Maillard-Reaction. This reaction is a so called nonenzymatic browning reaction. Here under the influence of heat amino acids and reduced sugar are transformed to new compounds. Until now more than 800 aroma components could be identified.
Within the bean's cells one to two percents carbon dioxid and in smaller quantities carbon monoxid arise which, depending on the roast grade, leakage from the cells. This can take up to two month.
The raw coffee's loss of weight during the roast process, depending on the raw coffee's water content, is between 11% to 20%.
After the roast process the roasted coffee is cooled down rapidly by using a cooling strainer on which the hot coffee beans are poured out off the roasting drum. A strong air flow and a mixer take care that the roast process is interrupted immediately. It is essential that the bean's core temperature shrinks down to the room temperature as fast as possible.
After the roasting and cooling process the beans remain outgasing for hours, sometimes up to two month. For the case of packaging the beans packages with an aroma valve must be used to let gas pour out but avoid to let oxygen in. More common practise is to store the roasted beans for a while and package them after they are outgased completely.
The roastgrade is determinable by controlling the roast process's duration and temperature. There are a lot of descriptions for different roastgrades. Here are the most commons:
- Light roast = pale or cinamon-roast
- Medium roast = american roast, breakfast roast
- Strong roast = light french roast, vienna roast
- Double roast = continental roast, french roast
- Italian roast = espresso roast
There are a lot of more different designations for different roastgrades, typically determined by local preferences.
Roasting in practise
Now I describe a complete roast process. I love roasting and do it with one of my favourite coffee roasters, the Lamacatec No.1. It is no secret that this is a roaster my company sells. It is a typical shop roaster which means you can roast batches fromm 500 grams to 2 kg. If you want to read more about this coffee roaster than follow this link.
The first step is to heat the roast drum. The temperature shall reach 160~200°C. Please keep in mind that all values for temperatures and times are guide values. Depending on the desired roastgrade and used beans these values will vary.
As soon as the drum is heated accordingly we can fill in the beans trough the hopper, this metod guarantees that all beans are filled into the drum at once, so that all beans are processed equally. The temperature will fall down rapidly, the drying process starts right now. At this point the energy and drum speed shall be reduced slightly in order to provide an equal and smooth drying process.
Approximately after 2-3 minutes the bean's temperature reaches 130°C and the color starts to change. When the temperature rose to 165°C we must reduce the heating power in order to slow down the rising of the temperature because we are near to the so called first crack. The first crack starts at 185 ~ 195°C. The first crack is that phase when the beans begin to burst, you can hear this, it sounds like preparing popcorn.
Depending on the desired roastgrade we must stop the roast process now or continue it to produce a darker or stronger roast result. This is up to the further processing (see above).
As soon as the beans reached the wished roastgrade we must empty the roast drum and cool down the coffee beans.
This sounds extremely easy, doesn't it? But there is a big but – one needs a lot of experience to hit the desired roastgrade because the temperature and time control depends on the raw beans you use, even the humidity of the workplace is a key factor. Professional roasters use roast profiles in order to optimise their roast process which does not mean that roasting is a kind of trial and error. It is a system to reach the optimal desired result. To go a step further one can connect the roaster with a computer equipped with special software which reports the whole roast process and makes it reproducible.
If you want to try it yourself, please feel free to contact me. I'll may give you some useful hints to start this unique experience. If you are already familiar with roasting coffee than write down your experience in the comments and exchange with others.
I hope you have enjoyed this topic, the first one you can practise on your own


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Contemplation is intended to free us from the pressures of self-image and obligations, from ego and emotions, and from the limitations and distortions that result from conceptualization.
The aim is to allow mind to rest on neutral ground, free from assumptions and associations that support self-oriented views.
Hidden Mind of Freedom


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Qualcomm gave us a preliminary view of the Snapdragon 835 back in November, but this week the chip giant has revealed all the details about its newest top tier chipset which is bound to power this year's flagships.
The Snapdragon 835 is the first chipset from Qualcomm manufactured using the 10nm FinFET process. While it's expected that the new chipset will bring a significant increase in computing power, one of the SoC's biggest advantages will be conservative power consumption – which means phones using the new SoC will live significantly longer lives.
Compared to the previous-gen chipsets, the Snapdragon 835 is about 35% smaller in size and can consume 25% less power, which as we mentioned before translates in more battery life.
Speaking of battery, the Snapdragon 835 is the first to come bundled with Quick Charge 4.0. So juicing up 835 equipped phones should be 20% faster and 30% more efficient than before.
Now that we've shared the basic info about the Snapdragon 835, let's see what are the main features the SoC brings to the table:
- Kyro 280 CPU with four performance cores running at 2.45GHz and four efficiency cores running at 1.9GHz
- Bluetooth 5.0 support
- Adreno 540 GPU carrying support for OpenGL ES 3.2, full OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan and DX12
- Dual-channel LP DDR4x memory at 1866MHz
- Support for up to 32MP single and 16MP dual-camera with Qualcomm Spectra IPS, 2x IPS, 14-bit, hybrid autofocus (laser/contrast/structured light/dual-phase detection AF), Qualcomm Clear Sight, optical zoom, hardware accelerated face detection, HDR video recording
- Quick Charge 4
- 4K Ultra HD video capture at 30 fps, up to 4K Ultra HD video playback at 60 fps
- Integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE model with support for Category 16 LTE download speeds up to 1GB/second and Category 13 LTE upload speeds up to 150MB/second.
- 11ad Multi-gigabit Wi-Fi allowing for up to 4.6GB/second peak speed
- Officially supports Google Daydream View VR headset
- Qualcomm Haven security platform features support for fingerprint, eye and face-based biometrics.
The Snapdragon 835 is a VR optimized chipset (it can also run mobile computing systems with full Windows 10 support) and to prove that Qualcomm revealed the first designs that will take advantage of its power and they aren't phones. One of them is a AR/VR headset manufactured by ODG, while another is a sort of Amazon Echo alternative for kids called Mattel Aristotle.
Speaking of which, this year we expect to see the Snapdragon 835 power most flagships. We already heard rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S8, OnePlus 4 (or 5), HTC 11 and ASUS Zenfone 4 will all take advantage of the new SoC and they will certainly not be the only ones.
The new premium chip is currently undergoing mass production, so we can expect to see the first Snapdragon 835-powered devices to hit the market in the first half of 2017.


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Preschool Homeschooling
Seasonal Themes
Preschool Skills
Preschool Activities
Christmas Decoration Crafts
Quick and easy ideas for homemade Christmas decoration crafts.
Christmas Crackers
You will neednumerous empty toilet rolls
colourful wrapping paper or tissue paper
gift ribbon
small toys or chocolates
scissors or pinking shears
This may have to be a joint effort between you and your preschool children, but it is a good activity for developing fine motor skills!
Egg Shell Christmas Decoration Crafts
You will need:empty egg shell halves
needle and thread
bright paints or food colouring
paint brush
MethodPrepare the egg shells carefully before the time. It would be a good idea to have plenty of extra shells in case the children break any!
Star Christmas Decoration
You will needcoloured paper
Preschool Christmas Crafts for Children
Homemade Christmas Crackers
Homemade Leafy Gift Wrap Wax and Dye Christmas Paper Craft Stencilled Christmas Paper Craft
Photo Christmas Card Craft
Pet Rock Paperweight Handpainted Bottles and Jars Handpainted Scarf
Let your kids practice their cutting and construction skills while they make a hanging heart from paper with this easy Christmas craft for kids.
Make this easy collage picture of a snowman, using puffs of cotton wool and confetti.
Concertina Paper Christmas Craft
Cut out a variety of concertina people or paper chain shapes to add to your preschool Christmas crafts!
Make homemade Christmas decorations with these easy paper chain Christmas crafts for kids!
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What easy Christmas crafts have you done?
Upload a picture and instructions for others to enjoy too.
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'Yaco Rack' by YACO. Available in white and black. Size: W130 cm x 44 cm x H155 cm
A clothing rack is a clothing rack is a clothing rack. No, it's not. Not if talking about this one here. It has the same purpose as the non-pretty ones but this one is so much nicer to look at (and it doesn't break down if you put three hangers on it).


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Who is the American Grandpa?
I am Vincent Bath — the self proclaimed American Grandpa. Someone once told me that being a grandpa involved two things — being a little grumpy and knowing a lot of stuff. While that might be partially true, there a lot more to it. For example:
Being a grandpa means…
- you've "been there and done that" and now know a lot of stuff. (Some of it's even useful.)
- you want to share the stuff you know and hope somebody is smart enough to want to hear it.
- you, finally, understand the things you couldn't possibly have understood as a son or father.
- you have powerful love and appreciation, even for the unlovable and unappreciated, that you really can't describe.
- time is your enigma — your greatest friend and worst enemy.
If you have (or are) such a grandpa, I have happy for you. That's the way it should be. If you don't, I hope AmericanGrandpa.org can helpfully fill that void.


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Contacting local bookstores is still beneficial in helping you showcase your literary product, but remember don't just do a book signing, do an EVENT!
Find independent bookstores in your genre and area all over the country. Click here to find independent bookstores.
In the midwest area, there's the Great Lakes Booksellers Association. You can gather their member listings at: glba.org
Want to get other tips? Click here
Like this tips. Buy this author at cup of coffee. Click here
Share this with other authors with the social buttons below


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With a drop in the warm temperatures and autumn leaves changing all around, it's clear that fall is finally upon us. This change in season also means that coffee giant Starbucks is introducing new drinks for fall. This year, the hot new items include the apple flavor, which is traditionally a seasonal flavor for fall.
However, Starbucks lovers will only be able to indulge in these apple inspired drinks if they live in Japan. The Starbucks all across the asian nation recently announced that they would have a Green Apple Jelly Frappuccino and a Baked Apple Frappuccino has their fall flavors, which will be available for the next few months.
The Baked Apple Frappuccino will have a pink color and be topped with bits of apple on top of the whipped cream. The drink is "cute and colorful with bright red crunchy apple bits interspersed with a smattering of cinnamon cookie pieces" to give it that apple flavor. Reviews of the drink have been mostly positive, with many comparing it to apple pie. This flavor is also available as a Baked Apple Iced Tea, although the flavor is more subtle according to consumers.
The Green Apple Jelly Frappuccino is a green colored drink, which like green Granny Smith apples, have a more tart and bittersweet taste than red apples. The drink has "green apple candy bits sprinkled into the whipped cream topping" as well as apple chunks inside. This drink is also available as an iced tea, although reviews of that are more mixed.
Another thing to keep in mind is that both of these new fall flavors will only be available in the tall size and there is no date listed for when these drinks will no longer be available in Japan, or if they will be going to any other countries.


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Redfield earns the praise of his head coach
The arrow is pointing up for Max Redfield. Notre Dame's senior safety, a mercurial performer if there ever was one, has impressed his head coach this camp.
"I've been very pleased with Max Redfield. He has elevated to that level of consistent performer," Brian Kelly said Thursday. "I hate to throw kind of cliches around, but he's been that guy that everybody was hoping for out of high school."
Redfield, for those that have been under a rock the last four years, was a five-star recruit, pulled away from USC after playing in the Under Armour All-American game. With physical gifts that made him a prototype free safety from the moment he stepped onto campus, getting the physical and mental demands of the game to match his talent has been an ongoing challenge.
After bottoming out and being sent home from the Fiesta Bowl, then struggling to separate himself from true freshman Devin Studstill in spring drills, Redfield has taken the challenge given to him by Kelly and the defensive staff and run with it. And while Kelly wasn't willing to comment on Redfield's improved attitude and effort after day one of camp, he went to great lengths to talk about the consistency and effort that's now coming through.
"He's playing at that level. He's at an elite level, the way he's practicing, the way his volume has increased where he can go all day and play at a high level," Kelly said.
Elite production from a safety would be a huge step for this defense. Not since Harrison Smith roamed centerfield in Kelly's first two seasons in South Bend have the Irish had that type of weapon.
Redfield doesn't need to be Smith for the Irish to be a good defense. But he does need to be a reliable player at a position where a mistake often turns into six points. In his final season at the college level, the light appears to have come on at the right time.
"He just matured," Kelly explained, when asked about the change in attitude. "He went through a couple of rough spots and decided that being a leader, being in this last year, I've seen it over 26 years sometimes, it's just, time. He's been impressive."


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Last Winter in Delaware County was a little snowy to say the least. When salt begins to accumulate on the roads it also starts to accumulate on your car. If your car is starting to rust or you have body damage that has not been repaired the salt can cause even more damage. Even if you car is undamaged it is good to get it waxed before the winter months to give you an extra layer of protection.
Winter Is Coming, Is your car ready?
Posted In: Car Maintenance Tips


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by Jessica Hawkins
Published by Indie Published, 518 Books Inc on December 28, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating First Person
Pages: 398
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
There's a thin line between love and hate . . . and it cuts right through the middle of their office.
Bad boys? They run right over good girls like Georgina Keller. After a confidence-shattering breakup, she's determined not to let anyone at her new workplace push her around--least of all the brooding creative director, a "bad boy of publishing" who's made it clear she's enemy #1.
Sebastian Quinn's taste for fast cars, late nights, and beautiful women may have gotten him to the top of a leading New York magazine, but the reputation that made him is suddenly threatening to end his career.
Georgina can help Modern Man shed its bad reputation, but in order to do that, she'll have to start at the top--and no amount of rakish charm or inconvenient attraction will distract her.
Because if Sebastian gets her right where he wants her, it means she's going down.
It's a brand spanking new year, which means more buddy reviews together with my favorite book peeps. Ames and I are going for 12 buddy reviews this year, to keep our long-standing buddy reads going. Right, Ames? First up on our review docket is Right Where I Want You by Jessica Hawkins.
Georgina Keller is too nice, at least according to her best friend Luciano. After a disastrous relationship ends, Georgina realizes that to keep the peace with her ex-boyfriend, she became a bit of a pushover and is trying to become a stronger person, someone who says no and stands up for herself and those around her. She doesn't have a problem being firm at work but outside of work? Not so much. When she meets Sebastian Quinn, things get turned all upside down.
Sebastian Quinn has had a very tumultuous year. He went from being at the top of his game in his career as Creative Editor of Modern Men magazine to barely holding things together now. After being included in a not so nice article that was published and put the reputation of the magazine at risk, Sebastian comes to work to find out that someone has been brought in to fix the magazine and if he doesn't shape up, he'll be shipped out.
Georgina and Sebastian battle at every turn but an attraction simmers below the surface with each turn and before they know what's what, love is definitely in the air.
Rowena: This is the first book that I've ever read by Jessica Hawkins and I'm happy to report that it will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed this one. What were your initial thoughts, Ames?
Ames: I'm torn. I don't know if it was my mood or if it was the book, but I just couldn't get into this one. The writing was fine and I'll definitely give this author another try, but I honestly couldn't connect to the characters. I feel bad. It seriously had everything going for it though – taboo office-romance, enemies to lovers, a freaking DOG character that was fully fleshed out and not just a prop. All checks in the positive column…and yet I couldn't get into it. But I did like Sebastian's friend and co-worker, Justin. LOL
I wish we had seen more of Georgina's work at the magazine. I thought that was interesting but we didn't get any depth.
Rowena: Oh wow, you didn't connect with the story or the characters? I enjoyed both George and Sebastian. I would have liked to get more from their lives outside of work. Like, it would have been fun to get more scenes with Luciano or even to get a scene or two with George and her family. I also would have liked to see more in-depth scenes with Sebastian and his friends and family. I felt like the entire book was all them, all the time but overall, I liked them so I wasn't too mad about it.
I agree about Justin and the dogs though. They were great additions to this story. Maybe it was a mood thing for you. I thought the writing was easy to fall into and though this is probably not going to be a favorite of mine for the year, it was still a solid romance.
Ames: I feel you on the wanting more aspect of things. I feel like we got a glimpse of something happening and then we were moved onto the next scene. Honestly though, I think it just came down to Georgina and her character at the beginning of the book – I did not like how much of a doormat she was. Over coffee! First impressions you know.
However Georgina's character did improve but the damage had already been done in my mind. This book wasn't bad, but it just wasn't for me. I also felt like the sexism at the magazine wasn't really tackled, or if it was it happened off page so we didn't see if the guys were any better.
Rowena: Yeah, you're right about the sexism at the magazine. I wish we had gotten so much more than we did get. It would have been nice to see it all with our own eyes instead of taking Georgina's word for it. I wish that the book wasn't so focused on Georgina and Sebastian alone but like I said, I still thought it was a solid read. I enjoyed what we did get and even though I was left wanting more, this book is still a solid 4 out of 5 from me. What about you?
Ames: This was a solid read so I agree with you there. I'm going to chalk this up to my mood. I'm going to give this one 3.5 out of 5.
Final Grades
Ames: 3.5 out of 5
Rowena: 4 out of 5