text:
FREE Energy ClearingThis is one of my many gifts to my newsletter subscribers. The energy will help you release any stuck thoughts, feelings and experiences in your system. You may experience exhaustion, emotional swings or a sense of peace. Anything that feels out of the usual is part of the expansion and releasing from your energy system. Take good care of yourself and be gentle during this time.
By participating in these sessions you take full responsibility for your physical, mental and emotional well being. They are in no way a substitute for medical attention. If you feel uncomfortable at anytime, my suggestion is to follow your own guidance to continue or stop.
Not Good Enough
Chakra Clearing-Morning and Evening
What is consciousness?
Evolution of consciousness.
How we become separate.
Journey home.
To follow the EFT sessions, please look at the video and the tapping points before you begin.
Please watch this video before you start tapping so you can follow the directions:
Clearing Toxic People
Dark Night Of The Soul
New Year Stuckness In Creating Goals
Surrender EFT Clearing
Increasing Vibration
Christmas Gift 2017!
Download it here.
Forgiveness Explanation and Exercise
Soul Retrieval - Especially if you're around energy vampires who suck your soul.
Channeled Question/Answered Session with Mona's Guides.
The recording has a background noise so bear with me.
Part 1
Part 2
Clearing Anger
You Are Wrong (Listening)
Judgement of Me
Clearing Exhaustion
Miraculous Money
Miraculous Money CLEARING from 1st class:
Love-Stuck emotions
Holiday Stress
Limitless Being:
Miraculous Me:
Healing The Brain:
New Year meditation - Listen below.
Download it here.
Manifesting Call - Listen below.
Download it here.
Affirmations - listen below.
Download it here.
I just finished listening - so very powerful - I cried, I laughed, I got very warm - my cheeks are flushed and I feel so light and clear and beautiful. Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for being the wonderful being that you are: brilliant, kind, masterful ,cussing, joyful being that you are! Much love and gratitude and blessings to you now and always. Jan Canada
Dear Mona...I thank you for who you "be" and for today...such empowering and powerful medicine. Today is my 70th birthday so I planned to begin it working with your medicine...feels like it just put me over the edge into my rebirth and next decade. I thank you so very much for who you "Be" and the journeys you have walked to get to where you "Be". Am returning the love back to you that you gave to us today 100 fold. You are blessed and a Blessing to so many- Akiba
Really enjoyed the New Year's Alignment Call on the 5th. And have been wanting to let you know that then but have been slammin' busy with product / work. Your work on the call was A-mazing! Dianna
10 Activation calls $49
- May Activation
- Divine Master Template Activation
- June Light Body Activation
- Karmic Clearing
- Love & Light Template Activation
- September Activation
- October Activation
- November Activation
- November 26th Activation
- 12/12/12 12 Strand DNA Activation
Instant download with payment. Please download within 24 hours or the link will expire.
Hi Mona, That was amazingly powerful. Loved it. I want to pass on to you that at the moment you began sending energy into the third eye it began to pour rain here in Orlando, Fl. It was really cool. Thank you so much for doing this for us and the planet. -Much Love, Carla
My Dearest Mona, Thank you so much for DNA tune-up. I am sleeping without Ambien for the first time after years of insomnia, and no longer crave alcohol to relax. I never tire of saying "Thank you for being in my life!" I hope you and Alan have a wonderful Holiday season. Love, Martha
Thank you Mona for last nights alignment gift! I felt for the first time, who and what I really am, for a brief moment, I felt what I believe was my eternal highest SELF. It was a feeling of recognition, of knowing who I am, and also a feeling of Peace as I have never felt before. Thank you for the work you do! Blessings to you and your family! Kathie S.
Thank You for the beautiful alignment call yesterday! My body, mind, heart, and soul was nourished in way deeply natural (and powerful) way that I've never experienced before. Thank you for bringing attention and awareness on the importance of receiving. I am more attuned, aware, and expanded from this point forward.. You said many things last night that offered much wisdom. Thank you SO much, Mona!-Marlo
It is an amazing clearing session. I truly appreciate you sharing this with us. Love & Light, Lissa
Thanks you for the gift of the karma clearing. It was amazing! -Martha, MA
"This is amazing, very strong energies...I felt I cleaned many karma in my heart. Thank you, Mine, Turkey
Mona, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed listening to you on the web.It was amazing!!! I felt A lot of energy the tingling and warmth all the way down my arms from my shoulders to my wrists. The warmth was really hot it felt like fire. Probably was the fire you were talking about when you put all the negativity into the fire. Thank you very much. I really enjoyed it. Helen Howard
It was fantastic and just what I needed today. It was surprisingly easy for me to get into the visualization, something I'm not very adept at doing. I was so relieved to dump stuff into the fire and to expand for out into the universe and be one with everyone and everything. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mary Jo
I have to tell you that the alignment tonight has shifted my energy into a place of ease, I am experiencing relief that I have not felt for weeks and weeks. I am so grateful for being present for this remarkable work that you do. Christine
Wonderful! You are an EXCELLENT facilitator....please accept my sincere gratitude and appreciation.Feeling the light. PS I wear hearing aids. You are the FIRST person I have been able to understand....I missed not one word. Great job of enunciation and pitch! Deeply grateful, as most of the time I am unable to participate in this type of venue. I am sooooo glad I gave it a try. - Susan B.
Wanted to say how AWESOME the alignment call and YOU are! Thanks so much for sharing your gift of healing and clearing in the world. You were right on, as usual. Wendy
So much gratitude and love...this is my first alignment call and loved it; powerful, simple, joyful, cleansing, empowering....You offer so much, is like a spring of fresh clear-sweet water after a long hot journey. This is what it feels to me. Again, much gratitude and purest light. - Armina
I want to thank you with the humblest of gratitude for the incredible alignment you offered last night. This alignment has opened my eyes, my spirit, and my soul. You are an incredible person! You also payed a visit to my home in Salem Mass several years back and cleared negative energy that was in me and around me. This has helped me to become the light worker I am today. Your light and love are an incredible reminder to all of us of the power of unconditional love. Love and peace always Annie Lombardo


text:
I'm happy to announce that i've been awarded at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2018.
I presented and editing of 5 photos from the "Play The Game Over" reportage and i received and "Honorable Mention Award" in the category "Press/Sports".
Thanks for this relevant Award.
My biggest "Thank You" goes to everyone in the "Esports" scene who allowed me to do all the photographs without limitations.
This helped to be productive and to have a winning editing in few months after the beginning of the project.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
1. Oh, Canada
Canadian media has been celebrating the world record for "longest kill shot" reportedly earned by a Canadian sniper in Iraq:
A Canadian sniper working alongside Iraqi forces in their fight against ISIS successfully struck a member of the militant group from a distance of 3,540 metres, Canada's military confirmed Thursday.
The sniper is a member of the elite Joint Task Force 2 special forces unit, but citing operation security the military provided no details about how or when the incident took place.
The Globe and Mail first reported the sniper record Thursday and quoted unnamed military sources who said the kill shot disrupted an ISIS attack on Iraqi security forces.
The shot surpasses the previous record held by a British soldier, who in 2009 shot a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan from a distance of 2,475 metres.
This news comes amid calls for a public inquiry into the murder of Shanna, Brenda, and Aaliyah by Lionel Desmond, and his suicide. Desmond was suffering from PTSD when he killed the women in his family and then took his own life, and veterans advocates have been critical of the mental health supports available:
Peter Stoffer says a judicial inquiry would shed light on the inner workings of many organizations including the Department of National Defence, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Nova Scotia health system, and the mental health care system.
The story about the sniper is clearly a piece of propaganda from military sources intended to boost the prestige of the Canadian military right when Trudeau is increasing military spending by 70 per cent over the next decade to $32.7 billion dollars. This new spending particularly emphasizes funding for special forces operations, so the placement of a news story promoting the "elite" nature of Canada's special forces is hardly coincidence.
As Tony Seed observes in his blog:
The more than $30 billion in announced additional military spending over the next decade alone, most of which will be paid to the biggest arms monopolies, will result in the great parasitism of Canada's economy and social wealth. This figure does not include costs related to future military deployments or any of the government's subsequent "decisions related to continental defence and NORAD modernization." Although it is a truism to note how far these sums of money would go towards providing for the people's well-being, just as significant is the fact that this wealth is directed away from the all-sided development of the economy towards militarism.
Wondering where all the new spending is going to go? Ships, armoured vehicles, fighter jets, drones, etc #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/ZJe66iKhqo
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 7, 2017
This story also induces some cognitive dissonance. When "kill shots" are being treated in the national media as though they are simply levels in a video game and not human beings being called upon to kill other human beings, it shouldn't be any wonder that troops are returning with severe PTSD.
In all the discussion of Lionel Desmond's PTSD, there was little public discussion of what it is that we are sending troops into war to do. The vague idea that the Canadian public generally holds that we're engaged in "peacekeeping" allows a distancing of the extreme and horrifying violence of combat, and the terrible things soldiers are called upon to do. There is little willingness to engage with the idea that if people are returning so deeply traumatized, maybe we should be questioning our involvement in military action and not just the mental health services available to veterans.
What happened to the previous record holder for longest sniper kill, Sergeant Craig Harrison? He developed post-traumatic stress disorder after his discharge:
Sgt Craig Harrison, who served in the army for 23 years, told ABC news that he felt like he was "hung out to dry," when he was discharged. "They didn't even say thank you," he said.
Over the course of his career, Sgt Harrison completed multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans, the latter of which caused him to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sgt Harrison said that his nightmares were related to the people he had killed, that "I can smell them, I can see them. Every person who I have taken their life".
That, of course, is conveniently left out of the news coverage of the current record holder.
At the same time Canada is celebrating killing people at distances of over three kilometers, the government is denying that we are even involved in combat operations. One wonders what effect that has upon soldiers simultaneously being asked to kill people and then being told that what they are actually doing is "advising and assisting."
In this article from 2014, it's suggested that the high rates of suicide and PTSD experienced by troops who served in Afghanistan is also impacted by public attitudes:
It's a vicious cycle as those who go to war feel extra mental stress when they sense their sacrifice is unappreciated, and their cause diminished by post-war indifference.
And it doesn't help when Canadians talk a bold game about "supporting the troops" but don't deliver.
If the public doesn't believe troops are actually engaged in combat, I imagine that makes it more difficult for people returning from war to actually speak about their experiences. If your family and friends believe you were out there "assisting and advising" and have no idea what you actually did, then I imagine it's even harder to try to explain to people why you are so traumatized now.
Meanwhile, spending for war is being increased while Canada buries the violent impacts of war, asking us to cheer on sniper shots like we're watching a Hollywood movie while pretending that war is benign and that our "150 years of being nice" means that we must be peacefully and politely going about the business of war.
So at the same time as we tell Indigenous women that equality costs too much, we increase military spending. At the same time as we pledge to make more war across the planet, cause more refugees, and impoverish more women and children, we brag about our supposed international reputation for being "nice and friendly." We talk about the tragedy of the Desmond family, but turn around and rah rah killing in war like it's the same as getting the record for most puppies walking at the same time, or most children jumping through a skipping rope.
And while even talking about things like free community college education or a living wage or assistance levels that allow people some dignity is "puppies and rainbows," we can spend billions of dollars to stoke global conflict. We treat joining the military like it's a social program that solves issues of poverty or lack of access to education or "behaviour problems in youth," so we can't send mental health counsellors into Black communities, but we can tell Black men just to join up as the path to respectability and stability.
We are turning women away from domestic violence shelters because we don't fund enough beds, so women have no place to run to. We don't even talk about the lives of women who are shot to death and we bury them a day later and in private, but we have all the space in the world to celebrate "kill shots."
We won't pay for inquiries into deaths in prisons or deaths in nursing homes or from military PTSD – or pay to make the changes that presumably those inquiries would demand – but we have money for more drones. Austerity tells us there's just no money for housing or for drug treatment centres so I guess people will just have to die in prison un-investigated, but we are bringing democracy and civilization to the rest of the world.
And as we are inundated with celebrations of Canada 150, and told what a peaceful and welcoming country we live in, and how lucky we are to live in such a good country, and how we don't have violence and conflict like other places, and as we erase histories of Indigenous genocide, we publish military propaganda pretending that killing people is some kind of game, but just as long as Canada is on top in the killing game, it's all glorious and free.
2. Bikers and Bullying
Let's look at some of the rhetoric surrounding the story of the bikers escorting a bullied boy to class.
The 10-year-old boy, who is Indigenous and African-Canadian, is being severely bullied. His mother reports, for example, that children on the school bus ripped his clothes off. His mother desperately searched for help as the school couldn't or wouldn't end the bullying, and ended up reaching out to the group Defenders of The Children. An escort was arranged for the boy to school, and 150 local bikers showed up to take him to class.
The accounts of the bullying are horrible, and the inaction and inability or incompetence of schools in dealing with this violence is also disturbing.
But I also find the rhetoric in the white community around bikers to be interesting. While Black victims of police shootings, for example, are told they deserved it for wearing baggy pants, or dressing like a thug — with the implication that for Black people, wearing clothing that's associated with "being a criminal" makes you a criminal yourself — white bikers who wear clothing that is also associated with violent criminals like the Hell's Angels are still allowed to be seen as wholesome.
Bars still ban wearing bandannas or athletic clothing — dress codes derived from the criminalization of Black people and hip hop — and we have a graffiti cop in Halifax who openly talked about the criminal culture of hip hop and asserted that legal graffiti is "just as bad" as illegal graffiti because it "promotes" hip hop culture. But nobody says anything about "promoting" biker culture, or suggests that if children start wearing leather vests or patches that means they must be glorifying criminal biker gangs.
Schools ban Black children from wearing clothes or colours or accessories they associate with Black gangs, but again, nobody says that allowing bikers in schools might encourage kids to become an Angel later in life. People write articles about North Preston saying that rap videos encourage young children to glorify all the gold chains and criminal activity, but nobody seems to think that glorifying bikers might lead young children into the drugs and pimping and shootings that biker gangs are responsible for.
In fact, people in Halifax have called for the Angels to return to "clean up the streets," with the implication that while Black shootings are dangerous, white gang activity is somehow better and more ordered and safe.
I mean, people think wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt makes you a terrorist and a threat to society, but nobody ever seems to question the messages that might possibly sent by treating bikers as enforcers. I wonder if 150 Black men wearing bandannas showed up at a school in Cape Breton they would have quite the same reception. Hell, Black kids show up at their own schools in Nova Scotia and get suspended for wearing hats.
And no, of course all bikers aren't criminals, and of course people who wear biker clothing and participate in biker culture shouldn't be stigmatized just because some bikers are criminals. But it's interesting how that same reasoning doesn't seem to apply to Black people.
Beyond that, it's also interesting how some reports seem to gloat over little kids being intimidated. Isn't it, perhaps, a bit hypocritical of us to oppose bullying, but then advocate a bunch of adult men dressed in clothing that evokes biker gangs terrorizing elementary school children? This article, for example, takes some glee in the prospect of dangerous-looking adult men intimidating 10-year-olds:
The students at Harbourside Elementary School in Sydney, Nova Scotia, got a wake-up call this morning they'll never forget. Dozens of leather-clad bikers from clubs around town including the Cape Breton Bike Rally and Bay Boys Motorcycle Club rolled up to their school Wednesday morning to drop off Xander Rose, a fourth-grader at the school. The bikers' message: Bullying in any shape or form will no longer be tolerated.
The article goes on to recount truly disturbing incidents of bullying including sexual harassment, and I don't think anyone feels particular sympathy for the children inflicting torture on another child, but if we want to intervene in and stop child bullying, maybe we need to also address the glorification of adult bullying and adult violence.
And I wonder about children who aren't bullies themselves and who weren't involved, having all these adult men "rolling up" on their school. What about victims of sexual assault who may be terrified of men who now have 150 intimidating strange men at their school? What if there are children who come from homes where they experience violence from criminal bikers and who associate seeing bikers with their own trauma? What about kids for whom bikers invoke the histories of racist violence committed by biker gangs?
Responding to child violence by threatening children with bikers and making them feel fear — and perhaps feel that they might be in danger from adult bikers and should fear violence from them — plays a role in perpetuating the exact same ideas of power and domination that create bullying in the first place. Teaching children that if you're big and physically intimidating and frightening that it's okay to threaten smaller, weaker people isn't really doing anything to address why bullying happens. And if adults want bullying to stop, maybe we also need to confront our own glorification of violence and power, and the messages we send children about how to resolve conflict.
Maybe there's some connection between living in a country that gloats over kill shots and the ways violence is absorbed by children. Maybe when we celebrate 150 big threatening men stopping bullying it also sends messages about masculinity, messages about men gaining power from physical stature, and about men being enforcers in society that end up playing into harmful gender myths and toxic ideas of manhood. Maybe when we feel glee at children "being rolled up on" we are also participating in some of the learned cruelty that makes bullying so common in schools.
Bullies are awful and they do lasting damage to their victims. Of course when we see some bullies getting a bit of comeuppance and a victim of bullying getting some support and being made to feel good we are going to celebrate. When there has been no help, it's completely understandable why the child's mother would feel that the bikers are the only support she is going to get, and why she would want them there for her child.
But if we don't think through the implications of the messages we send children when we promote physical intimidation as a solution to violence, and if we choose that over actual programs and therapeutic interventions and systemic approaches to dealing with bullying and trauma, then we end up perpetuating the problem, not solving it.
If children are violent, we adults also need to look at ourselves, and the violence we promote. If we want bullying to stop, we're going to have to start with the messages we send children about dominance.
3. Unconstitutional Laws
There were a few stories on the overturning of a sex crimes conviction in Nova Scotia due to issues with the video link and with remote testimony.
Kevin Kindred pointed out in Facebook posts that the case also featured a conviction for "anal intercourse."
As Kindred argues:
If anyone is curious why it's important to repeal the "anal intercourse" provisions of the Criminal Code even though they've been declared unconstitutional … here's a case from *this week* where someone was convicted under those provisions. Despite the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal declaring them unconstitutional in 2006.
Kindred goes on to point out that:
Under the law as worded right now, it's an offence to have anal intercourse. But there's a defence that applies if (a) it's consensual, (b) both parties are over 18 (which is not the normal age of consent) and (c) there are only two people in the room (not a requirement for any other kind of sexual activity).
Dozens of cases now saying that that law is unconstitutional, but here we are.
As this article from the Xtra details, anal intercourse laws reflect long histories of homophobia and the criminalization of gay sex.
Laws making anal intercourse a crime have played an essential part in justifying discrimination against us. As long as our expression of intimacy was considered criminal, it remained legitimate to discriminate against us in other ways. Justice Scalia would have allowed Texas to keep sodomy a crime because "many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their businesses, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children's schools, or as boarders in their home."
It is true that anal intercourse has come out of the closet among straights. An early episode of Sex and the City had the girls talking about it. There's a whole new porn genre—bend-over-boyfriend—where straight guys take it up the ass from women with strap-ons. But in reality, the stigma against anal intercourse remains very strong and is still firmly directed at us. It was no surprise that when US personnel set out to humiliate male Iraqi prisoners, they forced them to simulate acts of anal intercourse.
Regrettably, you don't have to look to a group of young, out-of-control soldiers in a far-off place to be reminded of how our society continues to view anal intercourse. While sodomy laws in the United States and Canada have been found to be unconstitutional, the recent history of those laws and their unjust use in our own backyard demonstrate just how firmly entrenched the stigma is against anal intercourse.
Anal intercourse in Canada was a total crime until the late 1960s, when a defence was introduced exempting married persons or persons over 21-if only two persons were present. In the '80s, the defence was changed to allow anal sex between married people or when both people are over 18-still with only two persons allowed to be present. The age of consent for vaginal intercourse was 14-with group sex allowed.
In the late '90s, the Ontario and Quebec appeal courts found the latest version of the anal intercourse law discriminated on the basis of marital status, age and sexual orientation.
Between 2008 and 2014, 22 people in Canada were charged with anal intercourse. Legislation was introduced in 2016 to repeal Section 159 of the Criminal Code, which forbids minors from participating in consensual anal sex, even though they are above the age of consent for other sex acts.
To be clear, nobody, least of all Kindred, is defending the rape of children. The issue isn't that anyone wants child rapists to be excused, but rather the use of a charge that has been declared unconstitutional in Nova Scotia for over a decade when other charges can and do apply. Certainly, we can address the severity and trauma of child sexual assault, and take into account the facts of the assault, without using laws that should no longer exist.
Laws against anal intercourse are relics from the days when homosexuality was actually criminalized in Canada (and remains illegal in over 70 countries in the world). Provisions requiring a higher age of consent for anal sex reinforce long-held myths about all gay men being pedophiles, and stigmatize gay sex as somehow more obscene or damaging than heterosexual intercourse — attitudes still reflected in the practice of assigning "R" ratings to films depicting gay relationships.
The continued use of charges for anal intercourse indicates that it's not enough to "pretend it's not there" in Kindred's wording, but that these laws actually need to be removed. The issue in this case is child sexual assault – reviving laws that are recognized as homophobic is unnecessary and unnecessarily participates in criminalizing gay relationships.
4. Deer.
People in Truro are considering a "deer cull" due to hungry deer roaming the streets.
Some blame the deer problem on the increased development of the once-wooded areas near the top of Young Street, driving animals from their normal habitat.
"It's a culmination of things. Increased development, houses being built where deer used to thrive. People tend to feed them which is problematic" said Ward 3 Councillor Danny Joseph.
I'm guessing the deer feel like there should be a people cull, then.


text:
Amy Adams: 'I knew I was being paid less' than male co-stars in 'American Hustle'
Amy Adams says she knew she was receiving less money than her male "American Hustle" co-stars.
The actress told British GQ magazine that she agreed to play a con artist opposite Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner despite being paid less than them for the 2013 film.
Adams' co-star Jennifer Lawrence wrote in an essay published last year that she blamed herself for failing as a negotiator when she learned from leaked Sony emails that her male co-stars were paid more.
"I knew I was being paid less, and I still agreed to do it because the option comes down to do it or don't do it," Adams said. "So you just have to decide if it's worth it for you. It doesn't mean I liked it."
Adams and Lawrence were nominated for the best actress and supporting actress Oscars, respectively, for their roles in "American Hustle."
"I'm really proud of Jennifer," Adams said. "What I liked is that it was not necessarily about getting paid, or not getting paid. … It's like we have been conditioned to not be controversial, to not cause problems. It's about finding your voice."
Adams, who has also been nominated for Academy Awards for her roles in "Doubt" and "The Master," said in the magazine's April issue that "American Hustle" filmmaker David O. Russell made her cry during production.
"I was really just devastated on set," said Adams. "I mean, not every day, but most. Jennifer doesn't take any of it on. She's Teflon. And I am not Teflon."
Adams is reprising her "Man of Steel" role as reporter Lois Lane in the upcoming movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."


text:
San Diego office building spices work up with bocce ball, firepits and day-long dining
The area surrounding the three-tower office complex in Sabre Springs is something of a dining-out desert, so when the owner was looking to entice new tenants to the largely vacant buildings, it turned to a local restaurant company for help.
The result of that collaboration is a new eating and drinking venue called The Florence — an homage to San Diego swimming legend Florence Chadwick — which will open later this month in the office building, owned by Kilroy Realty Corporation, that at one time was the home of Bridgepoint Education.
Not only will the reinvented campus feature multiple indoor and outdoor spaces for grabbing a quick breakfast or sharing a cocktail after work, but it will also include fire pits outside and a regulation-sized bocce ball court for the more recreation-minded.
Legal Restaurants, the 3-year-old company that will be operating The Florence, likes to think that its new concept played a pivotal role in helping lease out much of the 450,000-square-foot Kilroy Sabre Springs campus.
"For two years the property sat vacant and once we released our materials and we did tours and tastings, the project leased in two months," boasted Legal Restaurants chief operating officer Nick Sanderson. "Now everyone wants to be a part of something more than just an office building."
Agreed, says Kilroy, although it was more than just the new restaurant that succeeded in luring tenants, says Nelson Ackerly, senior vice president with Kilroy overseeing San Diego and Orange counties.
Kilroy also transformed surface parking into a park-like area integrating the three office towers, and it added an 8,000-square-foot gym for its tenants. Bridgepoint had occupied two-thirds of the complex before it moved out at the end of 2017. The building is currently 85 percent leased, with General Atomics occupying one of the buildings.
"The Florence is an integral part of a much larger effort," Ackerly explained. "We really reinvigorated the entire office, we redid two of the building lobbies and built out tenant spaces and redid the common area and restrooms.
"But I would say the restaurant is absolutely critical to the success. Legal Restaurants is embracing the entire park setting where we built out the bocce ball court and cool sitting areas, which may evolve into events on weekends and evenings. There's nothing worse than having these office buildings and you look out the window and nothing is going on."
Designed with a "coastal bohemian" ethos — light, airy and beachy — the Florence takes its name from Florence Chadwick, whose family at one time owned a large chunk of Sabre Springs.
Chadwick, who grew up in San Diego, is known for her long-distance open swimming achievements in the 1950s, most notably across the English Channel. The Chadwick story line was incorporated into some of the restaurant design touches, like a silkscreen wall covering depicting a lifeguard tower from the Catalina Channel, which Chadwick also swam. In the covered patio area, pool swim lanes were integrated into the fire pit trellis.
The $4 million project, which includes 10,000 square feet of indoor space, plus two acres of outdoor dining, entertainment, lounging and recreational areas, is being funded by Kilroy. Legal Restaurants will pay rent as a tenant in the office building.
Founded three years ago by San Diego chef Antonio Friscia, Legal Restaurants plans to partner with other office building owners to develop restaurant and event space as an amenity for the tenants and the surrounding community.
Next up is a 15,000-square-foot restaurant, private event space and catering venue in Phoenix that will be called Condesa, named after a neighborhood in Mexico City. Legal Restaurants also plans to open in June a European-style café and wine bar in the Ampersand office building in Mission Valley, former longtime home of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
"Our goal is to have five venues constructed by the end of this year," said Sanderson, "and then going forward our target is to do five to seven venues every year."
While the business model for The Florence has Kilroy covering the development costs, in other projects, Legal Restaurants will contribute equity, Sanderson said.
(619) 293-2251
Twitter: @loriweisberg
Sign up for the Pacific Insider newsletter
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Pacific San Diego.


text:
Roxy Hickman liked this
Re read a great Digital citizenship post. It is something we are discussing as a school and with the community.
Yep! And found myself waiting for the Challenge!! Ha! Went back to the posts about looking at school libraries ...lots to think about AND will go back to watch the National Library presentation - better teach some kids now though!
Have to wait until tomorrow to be the first to comment. Oh well number 6 today I think.
Done! I like Abbie's comment on secure iPad storage and charging.
Wow some people are sizzling hot off the mark today! Another day closer to the 5 Day Champion winner!
I love the fact you can LIKE posts and let others know the discussion exists and it's worth reading. It works a bit like the 'Best Reads' or 'Reader's Choice' display in a library.
Image source: Flickr
Mmm. I read and commented on a post but can I like it without being a facebook member?
Just read Dan Meyer's blog http://blog.mrmeyer.com/eight-years-of-blogging-about-teaching/comment-page-1/#comment-2157706
Dan Meyer is passionate about Mathematics teaching and challenges Maths teachers.
Found the thumb! So now my vote should be Yes!
The last one was Marnel's on our Connected Rotorua group site. But also the Kidspeak Literacy progressions and there is a new blogpost on Minecraft that has been posted in the Minecraft teachers group. Of course I have!
For the "lurkers" out there - liking a post gives feedback to others without needing to comment.
OK so I decided I didn't want to be left out and I liked some stuff. Didn't want to join some new groups yesterday cos I already think I have a thousand groups already!! Woohooo! Lurking no more!
Following the discussion about Microsoft tablets...
Thanks for the challenges and the polls. A great idea, and a fun way to ease the transition from lurker to contributor.
Thanks Phil for the lovely comments. It's good to know that these activities can help us, as community members, to get the most out of this professional learning network .


text:
Some of the best practice a precision rifle shooter can experience comes from the trigger of a handgun.
Why precision rifle shooters should train with a handgun:
- Focus on fundamental form and technique.
- Understand mechanics of draw, presentation and shot.
- Effectively transition between hand and long gun.
- Become more safety conscious.
- Shoot more (more handgun ranges available).
As a precision rifle shooter, I see a lot of other shooters in my discipline neglect their handgun training. We are often so detail-oriented and wrapped up in tasks such as load development or software that we forget to return to the basics.
I used to say, "The handgun was only there to make noise until I reached for my rifle." But that's no longer my stance because I took the time to get training. I cannot overstate the value of a good, basic course of instruction. Even when I was teaching long-gun courses full time, during the breaks I would seek competent instructors to hone my handgun skills. In many cases, I would call in last-minute favors to get a slot in a pistol class. With all but one, I always took the basic handgun course. I find it the most beneficial to me to sharpen neglected skills.
Before the various rifle series competitions really took off, we used to include handgun stages in all our competitions. Even at a place called "Rifles Only," we had a balanced focus on our handgun use. Each match had at least four stages that included handgun targets before, after or during our rifle engagements. Close in we fought back to our rifles, or after engaging our long-range targets we would fight away from contact. These stages in the match were always the most fun because it mixed up the pace.
Returning To The Basics
Today, Sniper's Hide field competitions do include a few handgun stages: There aren't as many as before, but we're getting back to this tool because it's an easy fix to sharpen our skills. But if long-gun shooters see no use for them, it's easy to forget — and that's not a good thing. Even as a devote student of the precision game, it's important to balance your training and include a few handgun stages.
Return to the basics and focus on your form and your technique — you'd be surprised what a little pistol work will do to your long-gun skills. Stress accuracy regarding shot placement. Don't worry about speed right off the bat — that will come after you fixed any fundamental flaws. Understand the mechanics of a draw and how to carry your handgun properly while also carrying a precision rifle properly. Can you access it with all your other gear? I see lots of images online of guys with leg holsters that drop close to their knees. While standing straight up, you want to be able to cup the bottom of the barrel while it's in the holster. Letting it hang too far down restricts movement — and it just looks bad.
More Long-Range Shooting Resources:
- Buying the Perfect Precision Scope
- Exterior Ballistics Explained
- Ballistics Basics: Initial Bullet Speed
- Which Focal Plane Is Right For You?
- Holding Or Dialing For Drop And Windage?
Be sure to vet your instructors and stay away from the sensational types who want to make a name for themselves. If the highlight of their video reel is them standing next to a target, and the next scene has the student shooting at it with them there, please turn the page. I like guys such as Clint Smith and Larry Vickers — old-school instructors who have a serious take on fighting with a handgun. There are plenty others, especially in the field of speed shooting. Those guys would be my next step after establishing a solid foundation.
Mixing It Up Is A Must
If you work with a precision rifle, it's essential to do transition training. Moving from the prone position behind your long gun, learn to engage targets to both the front and rear of your position. You want to be smooth and effective, moving in and out of the prone position during the draw phase, making sure your kit is not in the way to foul up the transition. Much of it is common sense in a lot of ways, but all too often I see it overlooked or completely forgotten.
My suggestion: For every 8 hours of precision rifle training, include a minimum of 1 hour of handgun work. That's not too much, and it will increase your long-gun effectiveness by a wider margin than I can illustrate.
Don't forget the safety: I see a lot of problems with precision rifle shooters when they have to shoot handgun stages. Safety became one of the reasons why handgun disciplines disappeared in specific events. With our long rifles, we apply more control. Put a pistol in those same hands, and it's an instant safety violation. These things are not difficult to master, but they do take diligent practice and repetition.
The best part about practicing my handgun fundamentals is often a disadvantage to being a long-range shooter: There are handgun ranges everywhere. I can walk to the end of my block and there's an indoor range. For my precision rifle work, I have to travel an hour. If you haven't already, join a pistol range; many have weekly matches, and trigger time is trigger time, regardless of what you're shooting.
Don't get so tied up in your precision rifle work that you neglect your other options out there. Become a well-rounded marksman.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Storm Tactical Printable Target Pack62 Printable MOA Targets with DOT Drills - Rifle Range in YARDS This impressive target pack from our friends at Storm Tactical contains 62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range use. Target grids and bullseye sizes are in MOA. Ideal for long-range shooting!
Subscribe to the Gun Digest email newsletter and we'll send your print-at-home target pack right away. Just enter your email address below.


text:
Singer, actor and Iowa native Kevin Worley of 'Jersey Boys' talks with Des Moines Register reporter Sophia Ahmad on July 14, 2010 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines.
July 19, 2010
Jersey Boys National Tour Cast Member Kevin Worley Interview – Watch The Video
« Jersey Boys Total Performances: 1929 as of July 11, 2010 – Jersey Boys Broadway Remains in Box Office Millionaire's Club »
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI


text:
Future of work round table: joint funders' statement
Philanthropic foundations are powerful yet largely unseen actors within civil society. We invited the foundations supporting this event to momentarily lift the curtain and explain their strategic thinking in this field.
This project is supported by the Ford Foundation but the viewpoints expressed here are explicitly those of the authors. The foundation's support is not tacit endorsement within.
On behalf of the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Sage Fund and openDemocracy, welcome and thank you for joining this virtual roundtable. This discussion is being hosted and facilitated by openDemocracy with support from the Ford Foundation.
As brief context and background for this discussion, the Ford Foundation initiated a global exploration on quality work in 2015, alongside program staff who are, or are now, colleagues with the Sage Fund and OSF. We released a report that provides a synthesis of the insights gathered from the work of partners and grantees, collaborations with external partners, research, and the collective knowledge of the program staff involved in the exploration. All along, we hoped that the insights summarised in this report would spur new ideas, necessary innovations, and dynamic conversations across the field. We also recognise that in order to address the systemic barriers and powerful actors underscored in the report, it is essential that we build solidarity across borders and issues, and to unite an array of actors and institutions to act collectively towards our aims for a more fair, just and inclusive society worldwide.
As such, the Ford Foundation is partnering with openDemocracy to host and facilitate a roundtable to bring together multi-stakeholders from across fields to discuss questions of strategic importance.
In recent decades, several profound shifts in the global economy have gathered momentum, transforming the structures of employment and resulting in rising inequality, including: increased globalisation of capital; a proliferation of complex production supply chains; heightened informality and precariousness of work; weakened regulatory capacity of the state and worker bargaining power; and, increased attacks on civil society broadly, and to trade unions, freedom of association and the right to collectively bargain worldwide.
These shifts and the resultant outcomes have led to forced migration as a result of diminished economic security, and have given rise to many powerful corporations operating with impunity in the extraction of labour and resources from workers and communities around the world.
At the same time, technological advancements have dramatically reshaped the workplace, digital space and public security, outpacing existing labour laws, social protections and governance of technical infrastructure. All of these trends are exacerbated by long standing legacies of power and discrimination based on gender, race, ability and migration status.
While we have each witnessed these seismic changes and repercussions, we were also grappling with the role of philanthropy in responding in a coordinated global manner consistent with the scale and size of these challenges playing out across the world. With that in mind we endeavoured to begin a conversation where we zeroed in on how we could align most effectively given the rapidly changing inputs to a global economy and the aspiration to have them be inclusive.
We each entered the conversation from different starting points based on our fields of study and experience while utilising very different approaches:
- For the Sage Fund, it means utilising and expanding on the human rights framework to ensure accountability of corporations and other powerful economic actors in the global economy and remedy for workers and affected communities.
- For Open Society Foundations International Migration Program, it means developing strategic interventions that draw from both labour market, worker rights and migrant rights arenas to improve conditions for migrant and low wage workers alike, and shift the broader business models and economic systems implicated.
- For the Ford Foundation, it means shaping solutions that realise decent work and inclusive economies through investing in workers to have voice and influence, by shaping policies and practices that centre workers and their wellbeing.
At the same time, we recognise that we are all working to transform the same deeply connected systems, with fundamental linkages and overlap in terms of interests, incentives, power and structures. The issues we are trying to address, and the rights we are trying to protect for communities and workers – whether informal, migrant or dependent contractors – are bound together underscoring the potential for collective interventions and disruptive impact.
As we explore how a global strategy to address these trends might take shape, we share as an input a recently released report that synthesises our insights gathered from grantees, external partnerships, research, and our own knowledge on the trends and barriers to quality work today as well as the opportunities to address quality work challenges.
In this joint effort, we explored the potential of several opportunity areas for promoting a decent work agenda and the promotion of human, migrant and labour rights on a global scale. Though these are not representative of all the frameworks we explored, and some were not fully tested given the timeline and approach of the exploration, these are five opportunity areas that we identified as promising interventions for systems change:
- Changing company practices and behaviour: To change company behaviours, a combination of push and pull entry points can be useful.
- Influencing investment: Influencing investment can drive quality work, by utilising investment levers to encourage "high road" business practices and behaviours that mitigate risk and lead to more sustainable operations.
- Establishing international or transnational standards and norms: Global labour standards and norms are critical to advance and protect labour rights and protections.
- Strengthening and enforcing labour laws: Governments have primary responsibility for ensuring human rights are realised, including through enforcing standards and regulations, addressing policy failure, holding companies accountable, and protecting and supporting workers both within their borders and across.
- Organise workers to build voice and power: Cross border organising amplifies worker power, whereby actors organise on multiple levels – across geographies, supply chains and migration corridors. Nonetheless, long-term systemic change hinges on empowering workers at the local level to represent their own interests in negotiations.
It is our hope that this dialogue will allow us to lift up promising interventions that have impact as well as offer lessons learned about interventions that aren't working, and based on this understand how we reckon with and shift strategies amidst evolving circumstances. We are grateful for those who have weighed in so eloquently and purposefully to further this conversation and to put forward ideas and suggestions as we continue to wrestle with the extent of these challenges.
We look forward to participating with you in the upcoming days in this virtual discussion, as well as in other fora, to identify specific entry points, promising opportunities, and ways to coordinate and align in addressing key issues. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful contributions.
In Solidarity,
John Irons, Ford Foundation
Laine Romero-Alston, Open Society Foundations
Daria Caliguire, Sage Fund
How can funders support the spread of worker-driven social responsibility?
There's a metaphor that I use a lot with our funding community, which is about gardens. It does not work to plant seeds and walk away. A garden is a year-round endeavour, and you need to support it at every stage of growth. The Fair Food Programme (FPP) has become a very mature version of the WSR model and it is bearing fruit. We now need to harvest that fruit and replant it. That means cultivating, nurturing, replicating, and growing successful programmes like the Milk With Dignity Programme in Vermont. If funding drains away, flagship programmes like the FFP will wither instead of reaching their potential as pioneering forces, and no longer be able to serve as guides for newer programmes.
How can funders support the growth of transnational solidarity?
Donors correctly frame their role as that of 'partner'. They should be partners because they're filled with smart people who have their own important visions. But that partnership needs to reflect the principles I've mentioned elsewhere: tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to be a deep listener, patient and invested in the long term. This is really important because remaining distant from movements and passing out money is a very limiting way to help. There are many more ways funders could use their power to support these movements. At the same time, it's also really important that they're not controlling or second guessing social movements with that positional power.
Read more
Get our weekly email


text:
Our Sport & Fitness Instructing Full Time Courses
On-campus programmes currently available through HTP Apprenticeship College, based at Riverbank Campus in Newport.
Select a programme for more details.
Train on-campus and in the workplace
High quality classroom-based training with real work experience.
Gain skills and knowledge to get you ready for your career.
Gain skills and knowledge to get you ready for your career.
No Student Debt
There's nothing to pay for our full-time Courses – the Government will pay the cost.
In fact, you may even receive a bursary to support your learning!
We'll support you
You'll receive outstanding support from our highly qualified, friendly Tutors throughout your programme.
That's why we're known as the Island's friendliest College!
We're here to help.
Other Full-Time Courses:
HTP – The Professionals' Choice: Hayley at WightFibre
read more
"I always wanted to have something on paper that backs up my experience."


text:
Lawsuit Claiming Donald Trump Raped A 13-Year-Old Girl Refiled In New York Court — New Witness Comes Forward
A lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl has been refiled in New York court with a new witness, Occupy Democrats reports. The allegation against Trump occurred over 20 years ago when Donald attended a series of parties thrown by convicted sex offender and billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey had a reputation for throwing sex parties with underage girls.
A third eyewitness, "Jane Doe," joined the lawsuit and can allegedly place Donald Trump in at least one of Epstein's parties. Donald Trump's campaign has denied any and all implications that he was involved in the rape of the young girl in question. Trump previously stated that he has known Jeffrey for 15 years and touted how much fun they had in social events, especially with "young girls."
"I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
Donald Trump rape children #GOPRapeCulture leaves no protection for our daughters and sons! #VoteAndSaveTheWorld pic.twitter.com/RAiFqgJSEt
— Linda Adedapo (@AdedapoLinda) September 23, 2016
"Jane Doe" claims that Donald and Jeffrey not only raped her, but they also threatened to kill her family if she told anyone. She feared for her life and kept quiet about her alleged experience for 20 years, Snopes reports.
"I understood that both Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein knew I was 13 years old. Defendant Trump had sexual contact with me at four different parties in the summer of 1994. On the fourth and final sexual encounter with Defendant Trump tied me to a bed, exposed himself to me and then proceeded to forcibly rape me. During the course of this savage sexual attack, I loudly pleaded with Defendant Trump to stop but he did not. Defendant Trump responded to my pleas by violently striking me in the face with his open hand and screaming that he would do whatever he wanted. Immediately following this rape, Defendant Trump threatened me that, were I ever to reveal any of the details of Defendant Trump's sexual and physical abuse of me, my family and I wold be physically harmed if not killed."
Alan Garten, general counsel for Trump Organization, stated that "Jane Doe's" claims about Donald "are completely frivolous and appear to be politically motivated."
A second witness named "Tiffany Doe" came forward alleging that she witnessed Epstein and Trump rape the plaintiff on multiple occasions. A third witness named "Joan Doe" reports that the plaintiff stated she was sexually active with Trump and Epstein during the summer of 1994.
"In the 1994-95 school year, I was told by the plaintiff in Jane Doe v. Trump and Epstein (1:16-cv-04642, SDNY) that the plaintiff was subject to sexual contact by the Defendants at parties in New York City during the summer of 1994."
Donald's lawyer claims that the allegations against him are false and seem to be aimed at smearing his "good" name, and they plan to fight the lawsuit in every possible way.
Of course, all three women could be lying about Trump, in a plot to smear his name to give Hillary Clinton a boost in the election. Winning Democrats report that the women are not using the lawsuit to "get famous" as Trump's attorney implied. They did not use their real names and requested to stay anonymous. Another fact supporting the lawsuit is when Donald Trump told radio personality Howard Stern a few years ago that he was sexually attracted to Paris Hilton when she was 12 years old — a full year younger than the victim listed in the lawsuit. And, let's not forget, Donald allegedly made a few very inappropriate sexual comments about his own daughter.
Let's face it — it doesn't look good for Donald Trump. Even if he get the case thrown out, America will wonder if the allegations against him were true. Worst of all, the lawsuit could and possibly should cost him the 2016 presidential election.
[Featured Image by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images]


text:
I don't know about you but my baby doesn't sleep. He just doesn't. Sound familiar? The iBaby Monitor may help your baby sleep but its real purpose is to help parents rest easier. Every time your baby cries doesn't warrant a trip to their room now. This really saves on the very little energy you do have. Don't worry, I still go to him if he is really upset. Even if your baby does sleep, it can still help you rest easier.
I was shocked how quickly I fell in love with the iBaby. I didn't anticipate the amount of calm I would feel. And believe it or not, I really did sleep more. Any parent that is struggling with a baby that won't sleep will tell you, anything that helps you sleep is absolute gold. Let's dive into why this product is so magical and you can be the judge for yourself.
iBaby M6S Baby Monitor Overview
The iBaby is just really fun to play with. It has a lot of different features but here are the cliff notes:
- Connects to WiFi and syncs to your phone
- Listen and talk features
- Music selection lets you play a lullaby
- Photo and video taking and sharing capabilities
Video Quality
The video quality on the iBaby is excellent. I was able to make out every detail of my son's room even in the dark! The only thing annoying about the image quality was when I used night vision, anything white in his room tended to glow very brightly. So, when I was looking at my son in his bed at night with his white blanket on him, it was a little difficult to make out details. Otherwise, I had no complaints about the HD quality video.
Wireless and Syncing Capabilities
The wireless feature is awesome but even better is the fact it can sync up to your phone. The application you download with the system works really well. The only time I had any issue is if I tried to use it too close to the camera itself. That was just when I was testing it out. For some reason when I was about 5 feet away, my husband couldn't hear me through the talk feature. However, it works like a champ from our bedroom to our son's room.
I really must elaborate more on why syncing to your phone is so spectacular. The ability to grab your phone when your baby is crying and see what is wrong instantly is just wonderful. Even if you live in a smaller house or apartment, this is useful. When you are exhausted, just getting out of bed and walking a few feet to your baby's crib is painful.
There were so many times where I could have cried I was so happy that I didn't have to walk down to our son's room. I heard him start to cry and then promptly checked on him on the app. When I realized his eyes were still closed, and he was just tossing around a bit, I just watched him until he fell back asleep a few minutes later.
Normally, I would have walked 10 feet down the hallway, picked him up (which probably wakes him up now that I know his eyes are usually closed when he begins to cry) and then try to soothe him back to sleep. Now, I watch from the comfort of my bed for a few minutes and if he wakes up I go to him. Otherwise, I just roll over and fall back asleep. I have gotten SO much more sleep because of this method.
As if the WiFi and phone syncing wasn't enough, my husband can sync up to the iBaby as well. He usually works later in the evening and texts asking if he can help if our son is crying. Now, he can just open up the app and see if I am already in there or perhaps waiting it out. He will come up right away if, by some miracle, I am sleeping through it. It really is handy in that regard as well.
Listen and Talk Features
I really appreciate this feature for a number of reasons. First of all, with other baby monitors I have used, the sound is always on. This is great if your child doesn't wake up every hour or so. Even when my son was a newborn, I was ok with that because I wanted to know every time he even moved. Now that he is a one-year-old, I really like just waiting to hear him cry naturally. He is plenty loud enough to hear from just down the hall.
However, if I am on the other level of our house, I will put the listen feature on so I know when he is crying right away. If he was still really young I would probably have it on all the time too. There is a nice feature where the app will alert you to movement and sound which is just plain incredible. This is what feature I would use if my son was in the 4 to 9-month range.
The talking feature is really nice too. I liked that I could tell my little guy I was coming if he was upset and I was outside or downstairs. He knew I heard him and wasn't left crying "alone" per se.
Music Selection
I was really excited about this feature when I first started using the iBaby. There are a lot of lullabies provided and you can download more if you want. I thought this would be a great way to get my baby back to sleep instead of me going to him. Unfortunately, my little man is very stubborn and it didn't work, but I bet it will work for some people!
Photo and Video Taking Abilities
Taking photos and videos of my kiddo from the app was not something I anticipated using or liking. I tried it out when I first started it up just to see what it was like and I was impressed.
However, I soon found myself taking little videos and snapshots to send to relatives when he was being extra goofy playing in his room or snoring in his sleep. It was fun to be able to catch him in his element without him knowing I was there.
Air Quality Sensor
The air quality sensor was another bell and whistle I didn't think would matter to me. I was wrong. I really enjoyed seeing the "excellent" read out. It made me feel comfortable and relaxed about the room my baby spends most of his time in. When you are a parent, you worry constantly. This was just another reassurance that helped me calm down.
Temperature and Humidity Read Outs
The temperature and humidity readout was a feature that my husband loved. I didn't really care too much. I was happy that the temperature was at a nice level for him but otherwise didn't give it a second thought. The humidity read out had my husband checking his app every morning and night. He really liked having state of the art humidity detection to keep the humidity at just the right level.
Privacy Settings
Ok, I'm not the most open person. I definitely like my privacy. I don't overshare on Facebook and I never will. That being said, I was a little worried about giving people access to see our little guy in his room. I was especially thinking of those nighttime nursing sessions and how I was going to have to throw a blanket over the iBaby just for peace of mind.
Lucky for me, and you by the way, there are excellent privacy settings. You can pick and choose who sees what at what times. That was really nice for me. I didn't have to worry about who was creeping on me in the middle of the night. I bet no one ever was, but now I was sure.
Easy Set Up
The installation is dummy proof. If I could do it with a glass of wine while watching a baby walk around, anyone can. Installation with technology is something I don't excel at and I get frustrated easily. This was seamless.
The installation instructions that come with the iBaby are short and sweet. The box also boasts you can install it in under 1 minute. Now, like I said, I was multitasking, but I still don't think you can install it in under a minute. If they had said under three minutes, I would have let them get away with it though and that is still really fast for the powerful machine you are getting.
All you have to do is plug it in, download the app, and let it sync. Done. I'm sure if you have ultra-lightning-fast internet, someone could install this in under a minute. However, my mediocre internet, glass of wine, and wild child had me installing it in about five minutes.
I was still impressed when it was ready to go, and actually was surprised to see myself show up on my phone screen so fast. I also wondered why no one told me to pull myself together that day, but that is part of being a parent I guess. Hence, the glass of wine!
What I Didn't Like
I try to be really honest in my reviews and if there is something wrong, I express that opinion. However, I had a really hard time finding anything wrong with the iBaby M6S. I have used other baby gadgets and been more than frustrated with them, but this one just worked like a gem.
The only time I have ever had issues was for a ridiculous reason. My husband had unplugged it, three times in the course of time I had the iBaby before writing this. I asked him not to, but you know how that goes. I thought it was faulty because it would say no signal. Turns out, having it turned on is vital to it working. Go figure!
The other complaint I have is that the camera panning is a little touchy. Part of this is definitely because my screen protector is wonky. However, I do still think that there is an issue here. It seems like once you stop your finger it goes just a little further. I don't know if it is a mechanical issue with the camera or if it is with the application itself but it is definitely there. It's not that big of an issue but slightly annoying.
There really wasn't anything else that I could find wrong with it. I tried, I really did. There just never was a glitch or anything that annoyed me. I tried out all of the features and those two complaints are it!
The Verdict
The iBaby M6S is an excellent video baby monitor. I don't think I could ever buy a different one after using this. It has excellent video, all the bells and whistles, and best of all leaves me more relaxed about leaving my baby alone. That is something you really can't put a price on. The more sleep or rest you can get, the better parent you will be. Trust me on this one!
My sleepless nights are now filled with a little more sleep and I couldn't be more grateful for that. How naive I was to think I just wanted this thing for the camera. The iBaby is an investment worth making whether you have a sleeping baby (you have no idea how lucky you are) or not. It will make your life just that much easier.
See iBaby Monitor M6S 1080p Full HD Wi-Fi Smart Digital Baby Monitor on Amazon


text:
The massive public health campaigns designed to combat smoking? They focused on all the dangers of smoking such as emphysema, heart disease, cancer, and other smoking related diseases that took years of use to cause. I know you've seen these ads and commercials and you may even have one that sticks in your mind. Here is one I remember when I was a teen.
These ad campaigns were designed to scare us into not smoking. Do you think they worked?
It turns out that those campaigns had surprisingly little impact on behavior decisions. What eventually cut smoking rates were two main tactics: substantially raising the cost of cigarettes and placing strong limits on the places where people could smoke. Many bars and restaurants stopped allowing smoking and federal buildings and schools required butts be put out 20 feet away from doors. Of course, continuing to educate about the ill effects of tobacco is important, but if we had just...
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you get parenting tips and tricks to get through some of life's most important talks!
50% Complete
Please provide your name and email so we can stay in touch!


text:
To inspire those who are feminine and crossdress. Share your pictures/suggestion/comments at firstname.lastname@example.com Disclaimer: the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only.This site does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website is strictly at your own risk.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Black latex
Here is a sultry double shot of this lovely miss. I absolutely love, love, love her black latex mini skirt and corset top. It accentuates her body and gives shape where it is needed. A stunning look all around.
Posted by Mistress Kika at 6:46 AM
Labels: black latex, stunning, sultry
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
In the United States, over 150 million tons of scrap materials are recycled which includes 85 million tons of iron and steel, 5.5 million tons of aluminum, 2 million tons of stainless steel, 1.8 million tons of copper, 1.2 million tons of lead and 420,000 tons of zinc. All of that makes the United States scrap metal industry worth 38 billion dollars, and the revenue from the United States' scrap metal exports totaled 21 billion in 2014. Our Oregon demolition pros can help you learn more about the environmental and economic benefits of scrap metal recycling and how scrap metal recovery works.
Score from the experts at Killer Infographics
Visual Communication - 70%
Design - 80%
Content/Script - 90%
Usability - 85%
Final Grade
The header of this infographic begins to work at visually showing the topic: recycling metal. This theme continues in icons throughout the design. The design also employs some data visualization to relay stats; while some of these work fairly well, be careful with data visualization that uses the size of objects to denote amounts. The weights under "Conserve Resources" are a good example of how this can be misleading, since the 1,400 lbs. weight should be over 10x larger than the 120 lbs. weight to be accurate. A bar graph could've shown this a bit more clearly. The quantagram in "Create Jobs" also selects only about 10,000 workers by way of the scale (1 worker seems to be about 10,000 jobs in order to represent a total of 471,587), but denotes it as much more. However, the content in this infographic is strong, and the layout is intuitive; the color scheme stays pretty consistent as well. In all we'd give this a B.


text:
I've been closely following the poker misadventures of both my friend Dave and Wil Wheaton (all four installments actually) and I think I've got the bug.
I've watched the World Series of Poker on ESPN. I've recorded a few of those celebrity poker tourneys just to see how clueless actors really are (excluding Wil, of course). Until now, I've been happy to vicariously feed any gambling jones I had through card-spying technology and the suspect emcee skills of one Kevin Pollack.
Now, however, I've been presented with the opportunity to "buy in" (that's poker lingo for "Enter by way of a cash fee") to a small, friendly Texas Hold 'Em tournament. My fingers are racing as I type this entry in nervous anticipation of the coming weekend and all the accompanying card-playing.
All that remains is to go brush up on my strategy and actually play a few hands. I'm confident that with a little polish I can successfully play my way out of any potential winnings and in so doing earn the scorn and ridicule of my peers. Wish me luck.


text:
John Banning
Director, Cloud Services
Sean Williams
Program Consultant
Healthcare Georgia Foundation
Program Description
Sharing information with a remote audience is easier and less expensive than ever before. High speed Internet connections as well as a large number of solid service providers makes it convenient to share information with both internal staff as well as an external audience.
This webinar focuses on tools and best practices for conducting online meetings and webinars. Participants will hear from nonprofit professionals who work solely with other nonprofits to implement IT solutions, and come away from the session with tools and resources that can be used immediately.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the presentation, attendees should be able to:
- Understand what services are available for online meetings and webinars.
- Understand the hardware and software requirements for conducting effective online meetings.
- List some best practices when conducting online meetings or webinars that can be used immediately.
- Access online meetings and webinar tools and resources.
On Demand
Original program date: Mar 10, 2016
Technology Requirements
Participants registering for programs should have access to the following technology for best viewing and participation:
- Personal computer with Macintosh or Windows with 512 MB of RAM
- Broadband internet connection such as an office LAN, DSL, or cable modem
- Phone next to personal computer (or speaker phone if multiple people are viewing)
- Computer speakers (built-in or attached)
- Latest version of Adobe Flash which can be downloaded for free at Adobe's web site
This content may also be viewed using the following applications:
Having trouble viewing the program? Visit our Technical Support page.
Program Keywords
Workforce Development


text:
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Robert S. Ford, and Rauf Mammadov provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including MBS' lukewarm reception at the G20 summit, plans for a UN-hosted Western Sahara roundtable, and Qatar's decision to leave OPEC.
Optics and geo-economics at the G20
Paul Salem
There was a surfeit of awkward photo-ops at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday and Saturday. As relates to the Middle East, most eyes were on the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). MBS was not shunned, but neither was he embraced at the meeting, indicating that the Khashoggi affair is still having a strong effect. It is hard to see how that cloud will lift, unless investigations truly absolve him, or unless he undertakes other moves such as releasing political detainees at home, stopping the Saudi military campaign in Yemen, or finding a resolution to the rift with Qatar.
Russian President Vladimir Putin seized on the Saudi predicament by warmly and publicly greeting the crown prince. Putin has been eager to pry erstwhile American partners away from Washington whenever he senses tension in that relationship. Part of the struggle will be over oil prices. Putin announced that Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue to cooperate over managing the oil markets, and this is likely to result in a cut in oil production for 2019.
US President Donald Trump had already thanked Saudi Arabia in a tweet last week for the dramatic fall in oil prices, which was partly a result of record Saudi oil production in October of 11 million bpd. If Saudi Arabia, other OPEC members, and Russia announce cutbacks — and there is an OPEC meeting set for next week — prices are likely to climb again. Whether the Saudi-Russian rapprochement, and a Saudi distancing from the US, will become a permanent feature of the geo-economics and geo-politics of the Middle East is yet to become clear.
Western Sahara roundtable
Robert S. Ford
Senior Fellow
Foreign ministers from Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania, as well as Polisario Front officials, will join Horst Kohler, the personal envoy of the UN secretary general for the Western Sahara and former German president, on Dec. 5-6 in Geneva. The UN describes the upcoming talks as only a "roundtable" to discuss regional issues, recent developments, and possible next steps on a political process to resolve the Western Sahara conflict. The meetings follow the UN Security Council's Oct. 31 renewal of the mandate for the peacekeeping operation in the Western Sahara. The Trump administration, aiming to push a serious negotiation process forward, insisted on limiting the renewal to six months to pressure the sides in the conflict. The Americans on Oct. 31 welcomed Kohler's move to hold the roundtable as the start of an eventual direct negotiation. Washington perceives that resolution of the Saharan conflict would improve relations between Morocco and Algeria, and could in turn facilitate better regional cooperation against terrorism.
Rabat on Nov. 29 cautioned that the roundtable is not a direct negotiation about the Sahara; Morocco insists that it would accept no more than autonomy for the territory, a proposal that the Polisario has long rejected. Algeria maintains that the Western Sahara dispute is an unresolved decolonialization issue that does not directly concern Algiers. Meanwhile, the Algerian government didn't respond to Moroccan King Mohammed VI's public offer on Nov. 6 to launch direct bilateral talks to improve relations between the two countries. Kohler's roundtable will bring new attention to the largely forgotten Western Sahara conflict, but even if his process gains enough traction to set a follow-up date, it will still face a long, steep climb.
Qatar to quit OPEC
Rauf Mammadov
MEI Scholar
Qatar is leaving OPEC next month after six decades in the cartel, and although it accounts for only 2 percent of the group's oil output, its departure could make it harder for the de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, to bend the other members to its will. Another element of the drama is that any time the Saudis get a black eye, it's a win for their Middle East arch-rival, Iran.
Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, the energy minister of Qatar, which is one of the world's top natural-gas producers, said it will withdraw as of Jan. 1, 2019. The announcement came before an OPEC+ meeting at which the cartel members and their partner Russia will decide on the next round of oil production quotas. The largest producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, have agreed to cuts. The meeting is to decide how much.
Since Qatar is only the 11th-largest producer in the 15-member cartel, its departure is expected to have little bearing on the quota discussions. But the pull-out could make it harder for Riyadh to preserve OPEC's unity. It is also likely to strengthen the hand of Iran, which has long been critical of Saudi Arabia's domination of OPEC.
Oil prices hit their lowest level since June 2017 last month, partly because the United States granted sanctions waivers to eight importers of Iranian oil. Another factor was output stabilizing in Libya and other OPEC countries.
MIKHAEL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images)
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit, educational organization. It does not engage in advocacy and its scholars' opinions are their own. MEI welcomes financial donations, but retains sole editorial control over its work and its publications reflect only the authors' views. For a listing of MEI donors, please click here.


text:
How To Find A Reliable Web Hosting Company
Finding a reliable Web Hosting company can take a bit of time, but is essential to online success.
Have you ever gone to your website only to find that it's down? This can be one of the most stressful experiences of being online. All of a sudden your heart begins to race as you frantically search for your web host companies phone number, only to be put on hold for 20 minutes…
Having your website down for even an hour can be bad news for your Google rankings. If Google comes by and sees your site down it will automatically drop you in the rankings because it is searching for content and doesn't find any. Google's primary objective is to display top results for a search term and a down site means there's nothing there as far as Google knows. A second time and you will almost drop off the scale. More often than not this is caused by your server being down or your site being hacked, unless someone has been working on your site and is interrupting pages.
Before you decide what hosting company to go with you need to estimate what your website needs will be. You may not be able to answer that question at this point right now, or maybe you think that you just need the minimum which is fine, but making a WRONG decision can be both frustrating and costly.
First you need to determine what kind of service you need.
Here are your options:
1) Shared Hosting Server ($5-30/month) – this is the cheapest way of getting online. Your website will be hosted on the same computer (server) along with possibly hundreds of other websites, all sharing the same resources. You may also be sharing the same IP address with many others on that server as well, which means if another website on that server is doing unscrupulous things (for example: sending spam), if an ISP blocks that IP address or even the entire server from accessing their customers, that means you're website will not be visible to all of those people as well.
2) Reseller Hosting ($20-$40/month) – some providers offer this level of service for small web hosting companies to be able to host all of their clients and control their accounts individually. This is also done on a shared hosting server, however the reseller has more resources available to accommodate all of his clients.
3) VPS Hosting ($30-$70) – Virtual Private Server this is for resellers who are looking for more services than level 2. This is basically done where the reseller is allocated an entire hard drive in a server (or a partition) which allows him to control all the software on that partition or drive. It offers more control than reseller hosting, software can be installed without affecting other clients on other partitions or hard drives.
4) Dedicated Server ($100-$400/month) – this is for large companies or websites that require many resources to run such as a social media site or video marketing site. Basically it means you have an entire server to yourself and also allows you to host as many websites and clients as you want. It offers the maximum amount of control for companies, and is strongly recommended for any site making over a few thousand dollars a month. Dedicated servers are still usually managed by the web hosting company.
Having said all that, most businesses should be fine with a shared hosting service, however I highly recommend that you get your own dedicated IP address, if you choose shared hosting, to offer yourself some level of separation between you and the other accounts on that server. ALL other levels will automatically get you your own IP address.
Things to look for in a reliable web hosting company:
-minimum 99.9% up time – this can be verified by reading consumer reviews of the company you are considering. Heed the warnings of those who are disappointed with the service. Ignoring them may be a very big mistake!
-24/7 customer service by TELEPHONE – THIS IS A MUST – forget companies
who only offer email and/or Live Chat but no phone support!!
-free setup and support
-daily backups
-short wait times for customer service
-quick response time by email (less than 12 hours for sure)
-dedicated IP's should be less than $5/each
-helpful, knowledgeable tech support
-at least a few MySQL databases included
-Cpanel control panel. If you have any experience with control panels you will insist on only using a web hosting company that offers cPanel. It is the most widely used control panel in the world because of its flexibility. Godaddy.com does not offer this and neither do many other hosting companies. The worst control panels to use are proprietary. Although they will try to convince you of their user-friendliness they more often than not have limitations and are very difficult to use. If you plan on doing anything more than creating e-mail accounts. Don't
settle for less than cPanel.
Web Hosting Resource Requirements:
-NOTE: The claim of unlimited bandwidth is a lie! No matter what company you go with the server you're on will likely have the limitation of 2000GB per month. This is a limitation of the hardware the servers use. Only large websites would use this much bandwidth anyways. If you started using a lot of bandwidth on your Shared Unlimited Hosting Account (over 5GB/month or so), your hosting company will shut down your websites, so ignore any claims of unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited disk space. Its all smoke and mirrors. Unless you're running a video website, or social media site or forum you won't need much of either of these.
The minimum resources most websites will need are:
-Disk Space: 10 GB
-Monthly Data Transfer: 100 GB/month
-Minimum 1 IP address (max $5/month) – you can host all of your websites under the same IP address but there are advantages to having your larger sites separate IP's
-cPanel Control Panel
-Domain parking: minimum 10
-email accounts: minimum 10
-Add on domains: minimum 10
-FTP accounts: minimum 5
-script builders: Fantastico or Softaculous
-Spam filters
-MySQL databases: minimum 2/3
-PHP 4 and Perl
-Awstats (webstats)
-.htaccess files enables
-Flash enabled
You might be thinking it's a lot to take in, but just keep these requirements in mind when looking for a web hosting company and you'll be well on your way to being a satisfied customer.
Abiding by these guidelines will not only save you time and money, but will help you avoid the frustration of having to deal with incompetent and under resourced hosting companies.
Doing a little bit of research on finding a reliable web-hosting company will pay off for you in the end.


text:
Yukon Quest: Jason Campeau suffers head injury and Hugh Neff loses a dog
Folks, we have an update on Jason Campeau after he had dropped from the race.
Campeau was picked up after sustaining two head injuries which resulted in concussions for the Yukon Quest veteran.
According to the reports, he suffered the first injury after stopping to help Hugh Neff.
His sled flipped on him, resulting in him hitting his face and head on the ice.
It is reported that he hasn't walked yet, but he is eating.
The dangers of the trail have a wide range of problems, and we hope Campeau has a speedy recovery.
Speaking of the dangers, I must inform that one of Hugh Neff's dogs, Bobby, has passed away on the trail before he could get to Dawson City.
Head Veterinarian, Dr. Christina Hansen said a necropsy will be conducted, and Neff told the race marshal that he will scratch after arriving to Dawson.
Here are the top five mushers.
In first is Allen Moore, who is the first musher in and out of Dawson City giving the man the chance to claim the $5,000 chunk of gold at Whitehorse.
In second is Paige Drobny, who has also left Dawson.
In third is the defending champ in Matt Hall.
In fourth is Ed Hopkins.
And in fifth is the rookie Vebjorn Reitan.


text:
Find open access publications: Ebooks, e-journals and theses freely accessible for you!
What is Open Access (OA)?
Open access means that research results are made freely accessible in digital form, which promotes the dissemination of research results both within the scientific community and to the public at large. The reader can read free of charge, use, copy, print, and link the OA publications.
Read more about Open access in the Libguide (External link) for OA.
Arcada Library recommends:
DOAB (Directory of Open Access Books) (External link)
DOAB contains 21352 Academic peer-reviewed books and chapters from 321 publishers
More about DOAB (External link)
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) (External link)
DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. DOAJ is independent. All funding is via donations, 40% of which comes from sponsors (External link) and 60% from members and publisher members (External link). All DOAJ services are free of charge including being indexed in DOAJ. All data is freely available.
DOAJ contains 13,817 open access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social science and humanities.
More about DOAJ (External link)
OATD (Open Access Theses and Dissertations) (External link)
Theses and dissertations, free to find, free to use.
OATD.org is a resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions (External link). OATD currently indexes 5,069,860 (External link)theses and dissertations.


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
(Clayton, NJ)—The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners is expanding adoption hours at the Gloucester County Animal Shelter beginning Monday, January 31.
The new updated hours are:
Monday 8:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday 8:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 8:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
Sunday Closed
"We've seen a large influx in the interest of adopting pets in 2021. We know that the animals we hold at the shelter depend on getting adopted into loving homes, so making adoption more convenient was a priority," said Director Frank J. DiMarco
Director DiMarco says that increasing adoption hours will lead to more adoptions and more happy families visiting the shelter for their perfect pet.
"We started the reduced fees in 2020 and have continued that through 2022. We know many animal lovers struggle with the cost of adoption. Our fees have always been affordable, but we're committing to keeping it affordable and accessible for everyone," said Director DiMarco.
Adoption fees are currently $35 for dogs and cats five years and younger. Fees for animals six years and older are waived.
An approved application is not required to walk through the kennel. Still, we encourage you to fill an application out prior to arrival just in case you would like to meet an animal available for adoption. Fill out the pre-adoption application on our website.
Here are some of the animals we have looking for forever homes:
Cindy Lou- young, female
Lyla- 2 year old, female
Carol- 5 year old, female
Flick- 4 year old, male
Kain- 8 year old, male
To see more of our animals, visit the Gloucester County Animal Shelter's Facebook or our website at www.gloucestercountynj.gov.


text:
I look froward to hearing from you!
Please use the form below to get in touch
Your Name (required)
Your Email (required)
Your Message
I understand that this form collects my name and email so I can be contacted. For more information, please check our privacy policy
Please leave this field empty.


text:
mercredi 22 juillet 2015
In The Garden
11 commentaires:
- Valerie-Jael a dit…
Wow, what a gorgeous display, so many beautiful pieces - love them all. Thanks for joining us at Moo Mania and More, Hug, Valerie
- 22 juillet 2015 à 12:14
- Giggles a dit…
Gorgeous work my friend...such wonderful movement and colour...and your boys are so talented..Wow you must be so proud! Their writing is very professional too!! Very impressive...seed doesn't fall far from the tree as they say! Have a fabulous holiday enjoying your family! Laugh lots!!
Hugs Giggles
- 22 juillet 2015 à 12:43
- froebelsternchen a dit…
Oh my .. such beautiful pieces in just ADORABLE colors Kat!
Amazing!Thank you for joining Moo Mania & More !
Happy holidays for you -
off to visit the boy's webspace!
- 22 juillet 2015 à 22:57
- sheila 77 a dit…
What an explosion of colour and pattern and nature. The little leaves and buds inside the larger shapes are so cleverly and beautifully done, and it all links together so well with your lines, curved and straight.
It's good to see real Moo-sized Moos, I think you must have enjoyed making these, they are so happy and summer-like with all the bright colours.
And your collage is different again, a lovely composition with quite unusual colour combinations.
Have a great holiday and "see" you when you get back.
- 23 juillet 2015 à 09:38
- sirkkis a dit…
Gorgeous colourful paintings. The firs is my fav.
- 24 juillet 2015 à 03:33
- Susan a dit…
Your blog is a visual treat today! Love your art! Have a nice Holiday and Happy PPF!
- 24 juillet 2015 à 03:58
- Maarit at Violets Corner a dit…
Gorgeous art work. Happy Friday!
Love and hugs
- 24 juillet 2015 à 12:22
- Cindy Dauer a dit…
Love the bright colors and shapes, so pretty!
- 25 juillet 2015 à 08:34
- pauline a dit…
Kat, these are GORGEOUS! Composition, color... do you know how beautiful these would be as stained glass? They're really exceptional. I love the abstract organic feel you captured. Happy Sunday! xx
- 26 juillet 2015 à 06:42
- Evergreen Mo a dit…
your art work is so colourful and I like the bold shapes. Very happy pages Interesting to see the moo size. I think they would make great quilts
- 27 juillet 2015 à 13:51
- Tammie Lee a dit…
These are quite charming! each one.
I hope your are having a wonderful time in the mountains. I can only guess that you are.
- 12 août 2015 à 10:00


text:
Minnesota officials weren't kidding when they said the financial handouts to persuade Amazon to build its second headquarters in the state would be modest.
As part of its official proposal to the online retailer, state officials said $3 million to $5 million worth of incentives could be initially available to Amazon, less than other states' offers, according to portions of the proposal released to the Star Tribune this week after a data request.
However, they pointed out that Minnesota legislators in recent years have agreed to use hundreds of millions in public money on two major economic projects: the NFL stadium in downtown Minneapolis and the Destination Medical Center in Rochester. And they said Minnesota has a lot to offer Amazon beyond monetary handouts.
Officials touted the state's diverse businesses, the proximity of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the downtowns of both Minneapolis and St. Paul and colleges and universities that would help supply workers. It also mentioned Minnesota's host of outdoor activities and its arts and theater scene.
This past fall, Amazon announced it was on the hunt for a new headquarters that could eventually grow to house 50,000 workers. The Twin Cities, which has been deemed a long shot to be selected, was one of 238 cities or regions to send proposals to Amazon by Oct. 19. Amazon is expected to choose next year.
Compared with other vocal city and state headquarters contenders, Minnesota's team was relatively low-key with its bid.
At the start of the process, Dayton said the proposal would be "restrained." When it was sent in October, he said, "I think it's a very professional proposal, one we were told conforms to the kind of proposal they'd like to receive."
Several cities are reported to have offered incentives to Amazon worth at least $1 billion, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. State and local officials in New Jersey offered $7 billion worth of incentives.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Greater MSP, a public-private nonprofit organization that also promotes development, were in charge of Minnesota's submission.
In response to a data request by the Star Tribune, DEED released a letter signed by DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy and another signed by Gov. Mark Dayton and others that accompanied the proposal.
"From preparing land for further development, financing business development opportunities, investing in transportation infrastructure improvements, to training workers, I anticipate existing DEED programs could support your investments in Minnesota both now and into the future," Hardy wrote.
The proposal documents reflect some constraints on state officials that were set out in a Star Tribune article when the proposal was sent to Amazon in mid-October.
Hardy said a state award up to $5 million would be available for the initial phase of Amazon's build out, at least 500,000 square feet of space for 2,500 employees. The state incentives could go directly to Amazon or to the city where the company builds the office.
Some other incentives may be available from municipalities, depending on the specific site. More than a dozen sites were offered by cities and developers to be included in the state proposal. DEED hasn't said specifically which sites it proposed to Amazon, though.
Citing the Minneapolis stadium and Rochester projects, Hardy also mentioned that the Legislature could potentially authorize a special incentive package for Amazon next year.
Dayton and several leaders of the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives signed a supportive letter that was included in the proposal.
"We believe in strong public-private partnerships as a key strategy for economic development and business success," the elected officials wrote. "If Amazon selects Minnesota as the site of HQ2, we will partner with you to ensure that Amazon has access to the best workforce, education systems, and infrastructure in the world."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


text:
Mills Manor
Mills Manor, set in the Lalibela Game Reserve, in the malaria-free Eastern Cape is the perfect getaway for an intimate safari adventure. The historic manor is over 100 years old with an old-school safari charm. Overlooking a busy waterhole, guests are guaranteed to spot some fascinating wildlife, including the Big 5. Five double rooms are available to guests and each room opens to a veranda and garden.


text:
Standing stones come in a variety of guises. Some are erected in circles; some make up megalithic tombs; some have intriguing patterns on them or are steeped in myth.
Long-standing questions include why they were erected and how? What do they tell us about Britain's cultural history? As a standing stones enthusiast, Steve Marshall has traveled the British Isles to inspect these fascinating monoliths. Stonehenge and Avebury are possibly the most famous sites in Britain, but the Standing Stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis also have a magical quality; and at the Ness of Brodgar, a Neolithic complex has recently been uncovered by archaeologists.
With accompanying photographs taken by the author, this accessible guide gives a wonderful overview of some of the most iconic megalithic sites in Britain.
32 pages
Book dimensions: 17.2 x 0.3 x 24 cm
Published 2017
* Free UK delivery (including postage and packing).