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Protesters packed the courtyard of the Brooklyn Museum and surrounding parkway in New York City on Sunday in support of Black trans lives, merging the fight to protect two deeply marginalized groups.
The rally began about 1 p.m. in front of the museum, just a short walk east of Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, as activists made speeches emphasizing the importance of human rights for Black trans lives. About two hours later, attendees began to march north, led by event organizers and Black transgender women in front.
A number of groups, including the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, The Okra Project and Black Trans Femmes in the Arts, co-organized Sunday's rally and march.
A spokesperson for the organizers did not have an official estimate for the crowd, but a swarm of attendees covered the plaza in front of the museum and took over the road on Eastern Parkway, likely in the thousands.
The speakers included transgender activist Raquel Willis, author Ceyenne Doroshow and the family of Layleen Polanco, according to the event's homepage.
Massive crowd chants 'Black trans lives matter' at Brooklyn rallyJune 14, 202001:14
Polanco was a transgender woman who died in June 2019 after an epileptic seizure while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail. Video obtained by NBC Out on Saturday revealed that guards tried to wake her for about an hour and a half before calling for help.
"The video is the last piece of the puzzle," David Shanies, an attorney for Polanco's family in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of New York and several Rikers staffers, told NBC News. "It's the last bit of indifference to her life that we saw and recklessness to a person who obviously needed help."
The rally came just days after two Black transgender women were killed in Ohio and Pennsylvania, each of which are being investigated as homicides.
The body of Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells was found Monday floating in the Schuylkill River in southwest Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia. She was bruised, and both of her legs were severed, police said.
Fells' death was a reminder that as the nation discusses Black Lives Matter, transgender lives are included, Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs said in a statement Thursday.
"We are reminded with this, and countless other painful losses — especially within our transgender communities — that there is much left to do until we achieve full equality, respect, and support for us all," the office said. "The murder of transgender people — especially those of color — is truly an epidemic, and a crisis that we cannot afford to allow to persist any further."
The day after Fells' body was found in Philadelphia, Riah Milton, 25, was shot to death in Liberty Township, Ohio. Authorities said Milton, a Black transgender woman from Cincinnati, was lured to the township in an attempt to rob her, according to a statement Tuesday from the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
Two people, an 18-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl, were arrested and charged in Milton's death.
Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign's Transgender Justice Initiative, urged people in a statement to remember that they can speak up before any transgender person dies.
"In the same week countless people across the globe stand up for racial injustice, in the same week we honor the 49 victims of the Pulse massacre in Orlando, in the same week a billionaire author spouts transphobic rhetoric to millions — in this same week, we have lost two more Black transgender women to the same fate most of us worry about every day," Cooper said.
As the country rallies behind dismantling racist systems that put Black lives at risk in the wake of George Floyd's death, activists have also put a lens on Black trans people who are at the intersection of two dangerously marginalized groups. June is Pride Month, a celebration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which is often credited with being a turning point in the liberation movement of the LGBTQ community.
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On Friday, President Donald Trump's administration finalized its rollback of protections against gender identity discrimination in health care regulated by the Affordable Care Act.
The administration would recognize "sex discrimination according to the plain meaning of the word 'sex' as male or female and as determined by biology," according to a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The move means insurance policies and health care regulated under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act can deny services to transgender people.
There can be no hierarchy created to determine which Black lives are more valuable than others, Tiq Milan, an LGBTQ advocate, wrote in an essay for NBC Think on Tuesday.
"Race and gender equality go hand in hand for Black LGBTQ people," Milan wrote. "We can't pick only one kind of justice because to examine them both is too complicated or makes some us look at our own complacency."


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It's a comprehensive approach to building that brings together every element of modern living for today's family.
That means a location that makes commuting and travel easy, with easy access to downtown and quick connections to major thoroughfares. It means streets that flow smoothly, and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes that are visually appealing. It means parks and schools for children to play and learn in.
It means all this and more, executed with thought, passion and an unrelenting eye for detail, just as it is here in the plan for Cityside.
Located near the intersection of Tenth Line and 19th Avenue in Stouffville, Cityside is just a few minutes south of the stores, restaurants and services that line Main Street. Close to schools, parks and recreation, it also offers easy access to both the 404 and 407 to make commuting a breeze. Best of all, the community is surrounded by countryside, whether you're looking to enjoy a relaxing Sunday drive or explore the area on horseback at one of the area's numerous equestrian centres and riding schools.
We'd do anything for our children but the most important thing we can provide them is a loving home in a safe and friendly community. Cityside is surrounded by everything a growing kid could ask for. Parks and playgrounds. Sports fields and recreation centres. Excellent schools, from dependable daycare to elementary schools to high schools. And young friends and neighbours as eager to explore the world as they are.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hey everyone, I'm here with you today sharing a layout as part of Spring Break week on the Pink Paislee blog. Being in the southern hemisphere we are currently in the season of Autumn/Fall so I'm going to do a little creative interpretation of this theme. When I think of spring I always think of blue skies and beautiful florals and that is what inspired this layout I am sharing today.
I was recently given a bunch of flowers from my daughter and mother 'just because'. I took a photo of those flowers because I wanted to document how such a simple gesture can brighten someone's day when they might just need it most. Here is the layout I created:
Wilna Furstenberg. It had been a design I had been wanting to use for a long time but had never quite found the perfect page for it. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use it.
Paper 21 was the perfect addition to the floral cut file as the paper mimics kitchen and home counter tops. I decided to cut out the counter top with lots of the purple colour in it as my flowers also had a shade of purple within them. The vase rests perfectly on top of it.


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We celebrate the Peter Capaldi era by revisiting the 12th Doctor's adventures as we count down the days to his last adventure.
Doctor Who:
Mummy on the Orient Express
By Jamie Mathieson
"To our last hurrah."
When I saw that Doctor Who was going to do a story called Mummy on the Orient Express it had me worried. Being a fan of Agatha Christie's novel murder on the Orient Express I had reservations that it would be stupid and be a cheap knock off of the Christie novel. When I saw the trailer and saw that it was in space and the premise of whoever sees the mummy has 66 seconds to live well I was a bit more interested than worried.
Mummy on the Orient Express had a Robert Holmes and Tom Baker story feel to it. In fact Peter Capaldi seemed to be channeling Tom Baker in this story. Not the goofy Tom Baker from the Graham Williams era but the serious and slightly aloof Tom Baker from the Philip Hinchcliffe era. In fact this had more of a feel of that era than last week's story Kill the Moon. Right down to the Jelly Babies in the cigarette tin this story was just channeling that era of Doctor Who. This made me a happy camper as I really love that era of Doctor Who and I am glad they are going in that direction with the stories.
The nature of The Doctor is becoming clear that he is a man that will make the tough and hard decisions even if it is not a popular one. Like asking the poor victims what they see with the time they have left while not having a care or sympathy for those who died is pretty cold but you can see why he did it as he was trying to save more than the few that he more or less sacrificed because he could not help them. It is strange seeing The Doctor helpless but at the same time you can see the frustration in him because he cannot save them. Peter Capaldi's Doctor seems the most alien and Mummy on the Orient Express really brings that out in a more prominent way than the other stories in series 8.
While Mummy on the Orient Express is not the greatest story this season it was very entertaining and did resemble a Hinchcliffe and Holmes style of story and that made this reviewer pretty happy. Hope they have more stories this clever that brings about the scares and has a really good solution to the problem.
Grade B +


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Wednesday, 14 October 2015 07:54 AM EDT
The Israeli military began deploying hundreds of troops in Israeli cities Wednesday to assist police forces in countering a wave of deadly Palestinian shooting and stabbing attacks that have created panic across the country.
The military's deployment of six companies marks the first implementation of measures by Israel's security cabinet to counter the attacks that have intensified dramatically in recent days. The cabinet met late into the night and announced steps early Wednesday that included allowing police to seal off points of friction or incitement. Many of the recent attackers have come from Arab areas of Jerusalem, prompting calls to seal off those neighborhoods to contain potential attackers.
The cabinet also decided to strip residency rights and demolish homes of some attackers and draft hundreds more security guards to secure public transport.
Israeli police said 300 soldiers had already been incorporated into their deployment on the streets.
Also Wednesday, Israel's internal security minister said the bodies of dead Palestinian attackers should not be returned to their families for burial.
Gilad Erdan said the funeral processions of Palestinians who killed Israelis often turn into "an exhibition of support for terror and incitement to murder." He said Israel should not allow them to "enjoy respect and ceremonies" after their deaths.
The funerals are a frequent flashpoint for clashes and often include calls for revenge. Erdan suggested the attackers be buried without fanfare in distant cemeteries where previous Palestinian killers have been buried.
The comments come after a particularly bloody day in which a pair of Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks in Jerusalem killed three Israelis and another two attacks took place in the normally quiet Israeli city of Raanana. Three Palestinians, including two attackers, were also killed.
The government has thus far been unable to stop the violence, carried out mostly by young Palestinians unaffiliated with known militant groups and apparently acting on their own.
Israeli security officials, however, said Tuesday's seemingly coordinated attacks indicated that the outburst of violence was starting to take on a more organized fashion, from groups behind the planning and those carrying out attacks. The officials, speaking anonymously according to regulations, said Israel expects the current wave to last at least a few more weeks.
The attacks have caused panic in Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence.
The violence erupted a month ago over the Jewish New Year, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Israel has adamantly denied the allegations and accused Palestinian leaders of inciting the violence and spreading lies.
Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, hurling stones and firebombs at police.
Violence was initially confined to east Jerusalem and the West Bank — territories Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war and claimed by the Palestinians for a future state — but later spread to Israeli cities. Violent protests have also broken out along with Israel-Gaza border.
Eight Israelis have died in a string of stabbings, shootings and the stoning of a car, while 29 Palestinians — including 12 identified by Israel as attackers — have been killed.
In Tuesday's violence, a pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus stop, then got out of his vehicle and began hacking bystanders with a long knife.
The near-simultaneous attacks, along with two stabbings in the central Israeli city of Raanana, marked the most serious outbreak of violence since the current round of tensions erupted.
The Obama administration issued a strong condemnation of Palestinian incitement and assaults against Israelis. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he planned to visit the region soon to try and encourage calm.
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Dec 23, 2013
Internet Witch Hunts and Social Media's Tenuous Footing On a Morality-Based High Ground
Christmas is on a Wednesday this year. If we were all still in high school or middle school or elementary school—if we were all still children—this would be really exciting, because it would mean an extended vacation, an extra few days with no responsibilities, scholastic or familial. But we're not children, are we? We're adults. And so we work, some of us, even though there isn't really all that much to do. And for those of who write for the Internet? Once we've exhausted our year-end recaps and holiday gift guides and best of-lists, what is left for us to do? Other than, you know, engaging in that most morally slippery of past times, "trial by social media." Even then, once the career of a racist idiot is rather gleefully destroyed, what next? What is there to write about? Rent prices in north Brooklyn? Something related to hipsters? Wait. What's that, New York Times Styles section? There's an intra-generational millennial war brewing? Wow. It's like Christmas came early for bloggers this year. Thanks, New York Times.
Except, wait. No. I refuse to take the bait, Styles section. I will be better than that. Let's go back a minute to that whole "trial by social media"/Internet witch hunt thing, because, really, anything is more interesting than talking about millennials fighting with millennials, especially when they're not even really fighting. Sorry, New York Times, but this is one blogger who is not reaching for that particular piece of low-hanging fruit. At least, not today. I'm not that desperate today. Possibly tomorrow. If there's one thing I've learned about myself, it's that desperation is never all that far away. Professionally, I mean. Obviously. Anyway, the Internet.
Last Friday, the senior director of communications at IAC, Justine Sacco, sent an incredibly offensive, inexplicably stupid tweet before boarding a flight to South Africa. Sacco wrote: "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" Sacco then boarded her 11-hour-long, WiFi-free flight having no idea that her tweet was going viral (aided by BuzzFeed and Valley Wag and, well, thousands and thousands of people on Twitter) or that she had lost her job while she was up in the air. Sacco has since apologized for the tweet in question (although not for her many, MANY other offensive tweets, including ones reading "I had a sex dream about an autistic kid last night. #fml" and "Someone get the rape kit ready for Tom Brady. Go Giants! #SuperBowl") and has deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts. And so we can all just move along now, secure in the knowledge that a racist twit was brought down by the immense power of the blogosphere/social media machine, and that good has persevered. Yay.
The problem with that, though, as many are pointing out today, is that there are much more problematic things in the whole Justine Sacco affair than just the idiocy of the origin tweet. In an essay on Flavorwire, Tom Hawking questions whether or not anything was actually accomplished by the Internet's outrage at Sacco, and how—even if the anger at the tweet was justified, and even if her termination from her job is a reasonable response—nothing much has changed following this whole thing, except that a lot of people online feel morally superior to one, rather insignificant woman. Which, what kind of victory is that? A pretty hollow one when it comes right down to it. Part of the reason that Sacco's tweet was so outrageous was because she is someone whose whole job is public relations, yet she has little to no comprehension of how best to, you know, relate to the public. Even so, there's little doubt that this particular Internet pile-on was disproportionate to what Sacco actually tweeted. After all, the Internet is constantly bringing us all news of prominent people who advocate segregating the homeless or those who are totally blind to their white privilege, and instead think of it as "life hacking." And, for that matter, Twitter is constantly bringing us borderline (and not even all that borderline) offensive and racially sensitive tweets by people who, as blogger Padraig Reddy points out, are not so different from Justine Sacco when it comes to their sense of humor, they're just more famous, and therefore protected by their celebrity.
The thing about Sacco, though, is that she's a nobody. And so it's extremely easy to vilify her and think of her as just a bad person, allowing all of us, collectively, to think of ourselves as different from her, as good. But what makes us good? That we have the ability to identify something idiotic? That we haven't done anything comparably bad ourselves? Or that we just haven't done anything that bad in public? Internet witch hunts such as this one tend to thrive on a problematic (and false) dichotomy that presumes that everyone can be divided into categories of good and bad. When it's put so simply as that, the lack of nuance inherent in this type of duality is so plain as to seem almost insulting, and yet so many otherwise intelligent and thoughtful people are tempted to join in on attacking people like Sacco because…why? They're eager to prove that they're different? They're eager to solidify their footing on a moral high ground built on the incredibly tenuous foundation of other people's terrible behavior on social media? Unfortunately, it seems like that's exactly the case. Many people do gravitate toward social media scandals like this so that they can jump on the finger-wagging bandwagon and—however briefly—feel better about themselves and perhaps even elevate their own sense of self-worth. But just like the Sacco uproar will prove to be a fleeting one that perhaps blew-up because it came during a slow news cycle, that newfound sense of self-worth that everyone has will also soon disappear. Until that is, some other idiot comes along saying some other idiotic thing, and we obsess over it, ignoring anything more complicated and interesting going on in the world, because at least when things are this simple and reductive, we can feel good about ourselves…if only for the brief span of a news cycle.
Follow Kristin Iversen on twitter @kmiversen
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Today is April 1st, 2014, commonly known in many parts of the world as April Fools' Day.
On April Fools' Day, people – in real life and on the internet – enjoy "pranking" or "joking" with each other. Here are some of the pranks that companies made of real people offered online today.


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The reissue of four performances by the Stuyvesant String Quartet is welcome news for long-standing admirers and newcomers alike. Drawn from four different sources (producing an equally varied degree of "closeness" and balance), Brian C. Peters has lovingly remastered the music and captured much of the warmth that analog gives as a matter-of-course compared to digital's less intimate result. Kudos also to annotators Jay and Laurie Shulman whose richly detailed notes and historical background add insight, perspective (how many more recordings would have been made if only commercial sessions weren't so lucrative!) and understanding to the generous collection.
At the centre is the first-ever pairing of Debussy and Ravel's sole entries into the genre. The former's opening movement moves (particularly the inner voices) convincingly over the bar lines and is firmly rooted with Alan Shulman's full-bodied cello. Perhaps a notch too "animé" for some, the miraculous late-inning lift is rendered perfectly. The latter's "Amiable" is nicely layered and textured; the second-subject octaves a particular pleasure; the truly marvelous foreshadowing of "Summertime" sets the tone for a coda that exudes peace and relaxation. The "Scherzi" feature spot-on tempi, discreet portamenti and a combined treatise on the effective use of pizzicato. One wishes to be in the room with the deeply personal statements of Debussy's haunting "Andantino" (even if the climax cries out for a pinch more breadth); Ravel's introspective "Très lent" is often more colourful, but his earlier-born colleague has more to say. Here, the sense of ensemble is impeccable and the "Mother Goose" adieu couldn't have had a more subtle utterance. The finales are notable for rhythmic surety, spirited, energetic undulations and nearly pitch-perfect performances that are honest and "alive."
The lesser-known bookends set and clear the table with both logic and ease. Malipiero's rustic, Copland-laden Rispetti e Strambotti shows the quartet's versatility (the childlike episode a marvel of human warmth), dynamic range (from full-cry Eastern hues to stratospheric pedals and an amazingly reflective chorale) and commitment. Miles away is Shulman's "Rendezvous"—the perfect bonbon after such an enjoyable meal, featuring the frantically excited contribution of Benny Goodman's mild reed over a bed of string tone that can't be beat. JWR
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- Talking to a Loved One Battling Substance Abuse: Staying Positive Is Key
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- Kids' ER Visits for Mental Health Crises Rise When School Term Begins
- Medicaid Reinstated for Nearly 500,000 Children and Families: CMS
- Newer Diabetes Meds Might Not Work as Well in Black Patients
- Vaping Raises a Teen's Odds of Developing Asthma
- Scientists Spot Gene Mutation Linked to Esophageal Cancer
Healthy Lifestyle May Reverse Cellular Aging, Study Suggests
MONDAY, Sept. 16Healthy behaviors such as exercise, good diet and stress management have the potential to reverse aging on a molecular level and partly restore the vitality of a person's cells, according to a new pilot study.
Healthy lifestyle choices can increase the length of DNA sequences found at the end of a person's chromosomes, said lead author Dr. Dean Ornish, founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif.
What's more, the healthier you live, the stronger your chromosomes become, the researchers said in the Sept. 17 online issue of the journal The Lancet Oncology.
"We may be able to reverse aging on a cellular level," said Ornish, a best-selling author who advocates a lifestyle-driven approach to improve health and combat disease. "Our bodies are much more dynamic than we had once recognized, and the more you change at any age the more you can improve."
But one geneticist cautioned that the study findings are preliminary, and raised several unanswered questions
The DNA sequences, known as telomeres, directly affect how cells age and have been associated with an increased risk of premature death and age-related diseases. As telomeres become shorter and their structural integrity weakens, cells age and die faster.
Shorter telomere length has been tied to unhealthy behaviors such as cigarette smoking, chronic emotional stress and poor diet, Ornish said, as well as diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, obesity, stroke, osteoporosis, infectious diseases and diabetes.
"They're sometimes likened to the plastic tips on the end of shoelaces that keep your laces from unraveling," Ornish said of telomeres. "In this case, they keep your chromosomes from unraveling."
Previous research has shown that adopting a healthy lifestyle can provide many medical benefits, including reversal of heart disease progression. The researchers said, however, that this is the first study to show that the benefits of healthy living may extend down to a person's cellular genetics.
"If validated by large-scale randomized controlled trials, these comprehensive lifestyle changes may significantly reduce the risk of a wide variety of diseases and premature mortality," Ornish said. "Our genes — and our telomeres — are a predisposition, but they are not necessarily our fate."
The five-year study focused on two small groups of men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer that had not been treated. Ten men were asked to make comprehensive lifestyle changes, while a control group of 25 men maintained their personal status quo.
The lifestyle changes focused on four main areas, Ornish said:
- Eating right. Adoption of a whole-food, plant-based diet that was low in fat and processed carbohydrates.
- Moderate exercise. Thirty-minute walks six days a week.
- Stress management. Participation in meditation, yoga and other relaxation techniques for an hour a day.
- Social support. Attendance at an hour-long support-group meeting once a week.
The researchers took blood samples and measured the length of the participants' telomeres at the start of the study, and again after five years.
The men who made comprehensive lifestyle changes experienced an average 10 percent increase in their telomere length. Men in the control group had their telomeres shrink an average of 3 percent.
Further, there appeared to be a relationship between the "dose" of lifestyle change and the body's response — the more positive lifestyle choices someone made, the longer their telomeres grew.
"Our bodies in general have a remarkable ability to heal if we simply stop what we're doing," Ornish said. "I've been impressed by how dynamic these mechanisms are and how quickly people can get better."
The pilot study's results are promising, but need to be replicated in a large, randomized trial, said Joseph Lee, a human geneticist and associate professor of clinical epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
"The participants in the intervention group were highly motivated, as they maintained the intervention regimen for more than five years and they continued to attend meetings when the meetings were not required," Lee said. "One needs to be cautious as to how effective lifestyle changes will be in a large general population where the level of motivation may not be so high."
Lee also regretted that the researchers didn't check health traits such as weight, body-mass index or blood pressure along with the length of the patients' telomeres.
"For example, if the participants in the intervention group with longer telomere length had lower blood pressure, it would have been far more interesting," Lee said. "Even though it may not have been significant statistically due to small sample size, it would have been informative."
The study was not intended to gauge whether lifestyle changes slowed progression of prostate cancer.
More information
For more information on telomeres, visit the University of Utah.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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Hotels on Kuta Beach
Surprisingly enough, it is easy to find a hotel on Kuta beach that meets all your hotel requirements, as well as your price range. The area offers everything from hotels, to private villas, to luxury hotels. Below is a showcase of a few of our favorite hotels, as well as reviews of other popular hotels on Kuta Beach. If you have any suggestions or comments on these Kuta beach hotels, let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
Hotel Santika Beach
Hotel Santika Beach is located right along the beach in South Kuta. This beautiful location is housed for world class service with its incomparable comfort. The hotel is located within acres of lively tropical gardens, and is sure to be a getaway from your everyday life. This wonderful hotel features over one hundred seventy rooms, including bungalows and suites. The suits are spacious and comforting to accommodate the leisure traveler. The suite rooms are isolated behind private gates, and are built around an exclusive pool and garden.
All of the rooms have air conditioning, with the essential room accessories such as the mini bar, coffee maker, and hair dryer. All rooms are equip with satellite TV, and in-house video channels. Hotel Santika Beach also offers baby sitters, for when you want to spend some time alone with your spouse. Laundry and dry cleaning service is available for your use, along with a multi-lingual hotel staff for any of your questions. At the hotel, there is a souvenir shop and drugstore, for anything that you may have forgotten to pack. The hotel is located right on the beach, and water sports are available for the visitors, such as water skiing. With a total of three swimming pools, and a beach to relax on, the Hotel Santika Beach is an excellent location for your vacation getaway.
Ramayana Resort and Spa
Right in the heart of Kuta is the Ramayana Resort and Spa. It has its own secluded location, and easy access to the city life for your vacation styles. They offer six different types of rooms for you to choose from, and range from superior rooms, to family rooms. All of the rooms in the Ramayana Resort are fully furnished and decorated to make you feel at home. The superior rooms are located behind the pool area, and feature the use of local volcanic rocks in the buildings. Other rooms that are available to you, are the deluxe, poolside, executive, and resort club rooms.
Taking a family on vacation can be difficult and expensive, but at the Ramayana Resort they make it easy for families to have accommodations. It is definitely easier for families in spacious rooms. Unlike other hotels, the Ramayana Resort has a king size bed, and two single beds all the family rooms. For entertainment at the resort, there is a shopping arcade, and also a mini market on the first floor. For meals, choose from room service, or one of the three restaurants and bars available to you. If you're going on a vacation you will never want to forget, stay at the Ramayana Resort and Spa for a wonderful experience.
The Vira Bali Hotel
Situated on the Karika Plaza street, is the Vira Bali Hotel. The Vira Bali Hotel is a world class hotel with it excellent mix of local culture. The Vira Bali Hotel is in a great location, with easy access to the city, and to the local international airport. All facilities are specially designed with a touch of local culture. The designs and decorations around the hotel will leave you in a comforting and relaxing mood. To fit in with being a part of the locals, over seventy percent of its friendly staff is local, and will have you feeling like you are a part of their community.
The feeling and vibe you get in this hotel will be like no other. With its inspiring artwork and culture, along with its friendly staff, it will make you a part of one big family on your vacation. Meals at the restaurant are available, featuring their hotel restaurant that serves local and international menus. If you were staying on business, the Vira Bali Hotel is just the place. With its giant U-shaped meeting room, it is just like a real boardroom. The Vira Bali Hotel's accommodations, with its rich mix of local culture will be the sure spot to spend the days of your vacation.
Inna Kuta Beach
Situated next to the Kuta Art Markets in Kuta, is the Inna Kuta Beach. The four star Inna Kuta Beach Hotel is in an excellent location for travelers, because it is within walking distance of Kuta attractions in the city. The Inna Kuta Beach hotel offers over one hundred thirty rooms in a variety of different settings. With its Wing Rooms and Bungalows all surrounding a swimming pool area. In the swimming pool area, there is a full size pool, and also a children's pool. With a peaceful garden environment there is a tennis court, children's playground, and a massage treatment, the Inna Kuta Beach hotel offers everything to keep you relaxed.
When choosing from the one hundred thirty rooms, you can choose the Bungalow standard, Bungalow suite, standard, superior, junior suite, and Executive suite rooms. The Executive suites offer an individual balcony or terrace, overlooking the pool area. The Inna Kuta Beach hotel is in a great location for any traveler, and is right in the city for a special touch of culture. Located right next to the beach, the Inna Kuta Beach hotel is an excellent location to watch the beautiful sunsets. The tropical garden, along with the hotel's atmosphere makes you feel like you are right at home.


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Is there anything that black can't do? From ballgowns to baseball tees, it can be effortlessly casual or five-star swanky. You can dress it up or down, and wear it from day to night. It slims in all the right places, transforming the wearer into an "I woke up like this" goddess with its dashing darkness. Dive into SKYE's latest inky black collection for all of your poolside and beachfront adventures, crafting a look that can be simple, sexy, or sporty. Tip: throw a beautiful patterned kimono on top of your aquatic ensemble for a contrasting pop of color.
The Mid Waist Fold Over is here to make you look your absolute best. A unique tummy control panel tucks in all the right places, and a traditional rise and full-coverage back provide the discreet comfort you're looking for.
- Traditional rise
- Fold over waistband
- Tummy control panel
- Fuller coverage
- Mix & Match with Bora Bora, Catalina, Maya, Seaside, Sulawesi, Tokelau and Tzigane


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Effects of Ice Growth
All of us are vaguely familiar with how ice is formed. However, most of us are not aware of the potential harm that growing ice can cause, and fewer of us are familiar with details of how ice grows. Knowing these details can help us figure out techniques to prevent ice from growing where we don't want it to.
So what kind of problems can ice growth cause? Turns out there are many ways that ice growth can cause damage or harm. Perhaps most well-known is the danger of icy roads. But there are other situations where ice growth can cause problems, for example, on airplanes, on wind turbines, on building structures, and on power cables. Ice growth in these circumstances can cause a lot of damage and can have fatal consequences.
Ice is a big concern for airplanes. Growth of ice on the surface of an aircraft can change how the air flows around the plane, increasing its drag and making it easier to stall. Ice can also interfere with instruments on the outside of the plane. Airplane icing has been linked with a number of incidents across a variety of airplanes, famous examples include the crashes of: USAir 405 in 1992, Air Ontario Flight 1363 in 1989, China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 in 2004, and Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009. In total there are over 150 deaths associated with these incidents alone and there are many more incidents that have occurred with smaller planes. There are a number of systems in place to prevent ice growing on airplanes, but human error and extreme weather conditions can still cause accidents.
Perhaps less deadly than planes, but still causing a lot of potential harm is icing on powerlines. Powerlines are exposed to all kinds of weather conditions, but generally it is wind and ice that can take them down. The way ice damages powerlines is pretty straightforward. As ice grows on the powerlines they eventually become too heavy and causes the cable to disconnect. Compared to airplanes, the difficulty in preventing icing on powerlines is that there are a huge number of lines spread out over a large area and it in infeasible to keep them constantly monitored.
There are some well-known examples where ice has caused extensive damage to powerlines. In December 2013, a large ice storm hit North America. In addition to tornados and high winds, heavy freezing rain produced enough ice to take down many electrical powerlines and poles. In Toronto, Canada, over 300,000 people were left without electricity due to damages caused by ice growth. In January 2007, ice damage to powerlines caused almost 600,000 people to be without power in the states of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois, USA. In December 2005 an ice storm in North America caused wide spread damage to powerlines due to ice growth, leaving over one million people without electricity for over a week. And probably the most famous incident was in 1998 where an ice storm caused the failure of powerlines, primarily in Canada, leaving over 4 million people without power for weeks. The damage caused was huge and required rebuilding of many parts of the electrical grid.
Related to powerlines, wind turbines can also be damaged by ice growth. Like powerlines, wind turbines are frequently subject to high winds and cold temperatures, perfect conditions for ice accretion. Ice on turbine blades can have several negative effects including:
- Reduction of efficiency as the extra weight of the ice requires more energy to rotate the blade at the same speed.
- Damage to the turbine blades by changing how the weight is distributed in the blades. This increases the stress in the blade and makes it more likely to fracture.
- Injury to humans and animals caused by break-away ice from the blade.
How does ice grow?
If we want to prevent ice growth, it helps to understand how ice grows in the first place. It is a little more complicated than you might expect and there are many conditions to consider. The temperature, humidity, the presence of liquid water, all have an effect. We can also consider ice forming in the air versus ice growing on a surface. But even with all these factors, the beginning of ice growth occurs in a similar way in most conditions.
You might think that if the surface is below 0°C that ice will immediately begin to grow. But this is not quite true. Ice, along with all other crystals, requires a nucleation site to begin growing. Nucleation sites are locations where it takes less effort for a change in state to occur (change of state: solid->liquid, liquid->gas). Without a nucleation site, it is very difficult for ice to begin growing. On a surface, cracks and defects are usually nucleation sites, in the air, dust impurities are usually nucleation sites. You may notice that fizzy drinks in a glass will form bubbles at the same locations. These are small scratches in the glass and they are the nucleation sites for the bubbles. The same happens when boiling water in a saucepan, though effect is perhaps best observed in a glass champagne.
So why does this matter? The important part of this information is that ice will have difficulty growing on very smooth surfaces. In fact, if you have a smooth piece of glass with no scratches, ice will not grow on the surface until the temperature is lower than -30°! Below this temperature spontaneous nucleation will occur where some random location on the surface will begin to grow ice.
The same ideas also apply to the formation of rain, ice, and snow in the atmosphere. Rain drops and snowflakes do not form directly out of water vapor, they form around pieces of dust floating in the air. In fact it is possible to create rain by dispersing small particles into clouds which act as nucleation sites for raindrops.
After nucleation ice will then grow as a crystal, forming complex shapes as can be seen in snowflakes. The growth of the crystal then depends on how much water is available in the surrounding water or air.
Nucleation and crystal growth happens on the small scale. When it becomes bigger we then consider bulk ice growth. There are basically two types of bulk ice growth: Rime ice and Glaze ice. Rime ice is formed directly from water vapor in the air, without becoming a liquid first. This occurs in very cold conditions, usually when it is windy. This is the kind of icy that grows in the direction of the wind. Glaze ice is formed when cold drops of water freeze. This occurs during freezing rain and can cause thick, heavy build ups of ice. This kind of ice commonly damages powerlines.
How can we control ice growth?
The big question is, what can we do to prevent ice growth? As there are different conditions that ice will form in, there are different techniques that can be used to prevent and remove ice. Of course the question is: How can we control and prevent ice growth? The answer to this depends on the situation.
Ice growth can be prevented chemically. This is commonly seen when roads are deiced with salt. The salt and water mixture has a lower freezing point than water alone, this causes the ice on the road to melt as it forms salty water. There are a bunch of chemicals available that can prevent ice growth in this way. They are generally known as antifreeze chemicals. Typically antifreeze chemicals are used to prevent liquid water from turning to ice. A common use is to prevent car coolant from freezing. A downside to chemical deicers is that they can be toxic and can have a negative on the local environment.
Ice growth can be prevented mechanically. On the wings of some airplanes, there are inflatable rubber sheets known as deicing boots. After ice forms on the front of the wing, the boot is inflated and the ice is cracked and falls off. The boot is then deflated. By doing this repeatedly during a flight dangerous amounts of ice growth can be prevented. Though a downside of the deicing boots is that they need frequent maintenance and replacing, and as an active system, requires energy to run. Some airplanes do not use deicing boots and instead redirect warm exhaust air to desired locations or have electrical heaters built into the wing.
Above were some examples of active deicing systems, as they require energy and resources to be used. An alternative is passive deicing, where the surface naturally prevents ice growth and does not need to be turned on and off as needed. Passive deicing is typically done by altering the surface chemistry or structure to make it repel water.
Passive ice prevention systems are desirable as they don't require energy to function. This is particularly useful for things like powerlines where they are spread out across the country and are difficult to monitor closely. Since ice typically forms from water, the main approach to preventing icing is to make the surface repel water in the first place, no water, no ice. Surfaces like this are known as hydrophobic surfaces and they use materials that water does not like to stick to. There are many examples of hydrophobic surfaces both in nature and made by humans. The leaves of plants are hydrophobic as ice can damage the leaf tissue. Lotus leaves are famously very hydrophobic. PTFE (commonly known as Teflon) is used as a non-stick surface and is also hydrophobic. PDMS is another common hydrophobic polymer which can be made into a spray and applied to clothing.
Hydrophobic surfaces such as these have very flexible applications. Their downside is that they tend to be fragile and damaged, requiring reapplication overtime.
In addition to hydrophobic surfaces, we also have superhydrophobic surfaces, there is currently a lot of research on developing materials with superhydrophobic properties. As the name implies these are much more hydrophobic than normal hydrophobic surfaces. Hydrophobic surfaces tend to repel water through the chemical interaction with water. Superhydrophobic surfaces tend to use micro and nano scale patterns to keep water from spreading on the surface. The water droplets find it difficult to penetrate into the pattern, so stay on top of the pattern where they are easily removed. Superhydrophobic surfaces have a lot of potential as deicing surfaces. There a many types of superhydrophobic surfaces but a common problem with many of them is that if a water drop manages to hit with enough speed, it can penetrate through the microstructure and become stuck. The drop will then become the nucleation spot for further ice growth.
What do we do?
Part of our research is investigating the effect of nanostructures on nucleation and growth of crystals, particularly under flow conditions, like those experienced by airplane wings and turbine blades. In addition to researching water ice growth, we research the growth of carbon dioxide crystals (dry ice) on nanopatterned materials. Investigations into the growth of dry ice allows us to separate the chemical effects influencing crystal growth from the structure effects. It also provides a nice model for the growth of rime ice where the solid phase is directly formed from the gaseous phase.
The effect of flow conditions is of particular interest to us, particularly across nanopatterned surfaces. There are interesting effects that occur on the nanoscale of gas flow where the gas stops behaving like a gas. We are investigating how this breakdown can affect the nucleation of crystals, particularly carbon dioxide and water ice.


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There is no doubt that biological drugs are the treatment future for many pathologies. They can be used in areas such as oncology, diabetes or pain control. However, they are much more expensive than traditional drugs made through chemical synthesis, as their production is more expensive. Nevertheless, as we have mentioned in previous posts, with the expiration of many of their patents, there is opportunity to market biosimilar drugs. This would allow similar treatments to become available, with a financial saving of up to 20–30%.
Following the expiration of many biological drug patents, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has authorised the marketing of 23 biosimilars from 9 active substances to date. These include somatotropin, epoetin alfa, epoetin zeta, filgrastim, infliximab, follitropin alfa, insulin glargine, etanercept and enoxaparin sodium (EMA, European public assessment reports, November 2016). The first biosimilar, approved in 2006, was Omnitrope® from the company Sandoz GmbH, whose active substance is somatotropin. In January 2016, Benepali® (etanercept, Samsung Bioepis UK Limited) was approved; and in September, two biosimilars with the active substance enoxaparin sodium were approved: Thorinane® (Pharmathen S.A.) and Inhixa® (Techdow Europe AB).
Over the course of 2016, the expiration of two biological drug patents is also expected: Lucentis® (ranibizumab, Novartis) and Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim, Amgen); in 2017, Xolair® (omalizumab, Novartis) is expected to expire; in 2018, the patent of Humira® (adalimumab, AbbVie) and Levemir® (insulin detemir, Novo Nordisk) will expire; and in 2019, the patent of Avastin® (bevacizumab, Roche) will also expire (IMS Health, MIDAS, MAT 09/2012). Therefore, new biosimilars based on all these active substances are expected to emerge.
That being said, given the complexity in manufacturing biosimilars and the controls for their approval, introducing them onto the market requires more time than drugs made through chemical synthesis. For this reason, it will take time for comprehensive data about their progression on the market to become available. However, some consultancies have already made some estimates. By the year 2017, it is estimated that global sales of biosimilars could reach 2–5% (IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, 2013). On the other hand, despite legal reforms in many countries, there are still many concerns surrounding biosimilars, such as their regulation in terms of their substitution and interchangeability, as well as the extrapolation of indications. In this regard, the EMA is the most advanced regulatory agency. In fact, its equivalent in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is adopting regulations established by Europe.
Spain has also introduced various initiatives. Very recently, the head of the Biologics, Biotechnology and Advanced Therapies division of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), stated that the indications can in fact be extrapolated from reference drugs to biosimilar drugs, in the same way as when a reference drug changes its production process, which is commonplace throughout the marketing history of all pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the Spanish Association of Biosimilars (Asociación Española de Biosimilares, BIOSIM) is assisting in the development of a series of proposals to help pull away from the legal limbo surrounding biosimilars, involving both Autonomous Communities as well as the Central Government.


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Learn About Us
At Beleza Surgery, we want to provide you with the best patient experience possible. We do this by dedicating ourselves to creating a unique and one-of-a-kind experience for each and every one of our patients. We believe that each individual is unique with their own special circumstances. It is our goal to foster a relationship with you based on you and your lifestyle so we can help you create a treatment plan that works for you. At each of our Central Texas facilities, we take what the Dalai Lama said to heart: "The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self." A successful aesthetic transformation is not one that makes you look like someone else but one that makes you look like a better version of yourself. At Beleza Surgery, we are here to help you look and feel incredible in your own skin.
*All information subject to change. Images may contain models. Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary.


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MPs have blasted rail bosses following a series of budget overspends and delays to major projects including the Midland Main Line.
The Public Accounts Committee said spiralling costs were "staggering and unacceptable" in a report highlighting planning and budgeting failures.
The £1.1 billion electrification of the Midland Main Line was 'paused' by Network Rail earlier this year.
In September, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin proposed line speed and capacity improvement works already underway for the Midland Main Line be extended, with electrification of the line north of Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019.
However, the line north of Kettering would not be completed until 2023. The works would see faster rail journeys from Sheffield to Bedford on a route which passes through the East Midlands.
The report said there is still "far too much uncertainty" on costs and eventual delivery dates for the electrification of Midlands Main Line and the TransPennine route, and warns more projects could be delayed in order to balance Network Rail's budget.
The committee has called for a review of the regulator's role and effectiveness in planning rail infrastructure.
It has also urged the Government to publish a revised and recosted programme of electrification improvements.
Scott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: "While the decision to 'unpause' the electrification of the Midland Main Line was extremely welcome, the chamber remains disappointed that it will now not be fully completed until 2023, which is, in effect, a four-year delay in the project.
"The chamber echoes the Public Accounts Committee's call for Government to publish a revised and recosted programme of investment in electrification, along with a firm timetable for its delivery.
"It is important for business to have this certainty and that there are no further delays to a project which is a key part of the infrastructure needed to drive forward the Government's ambition to make the Midlands the 'UK's Engine for Growth'."


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The Trump administration recently released regulations allowing employers, colleges, and universities to eliminate birth-control coverage from their health-benefit plans because of religious or moral objections. These new rules will allow employers and schools to discriminate against women while undermining the importance of women's health.
What does this mean for women? It means their employer or school can drop birth control coverage from their health plan. The result is that these women will have to pay hundreds of dollars a year if they continue using birth control. Some women, who cannot afford the cost, will stop using birth control. Others will have to choose between birth control and other medical care or necessities. While there are claims that not many employers or schools will actually cut birth control, the reality could be quite different.
Prior to the rules, employees and students of religiously affiliated entities received coverage for birth control through a third party. Now these organizations can simply cut birth control coverage without any other entity stepping in to provide the coverage. This could leave the more than half a million people, plus their dependents, working full time for Catholic hospitals, without birth-control coverage. It can leave hundreds of thousands of students of religiously affiliated colleges and universities without birth control coverage. The rule also opens up the door for an unknown number of employers and schools to claim a moral objection without any religious underpinnings.


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MONTREAL — As it welcomes guests back, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal has introduced its Lead-with-Care program, along with enhanced health-and-safety measures.
Grounded in healthcare expertise and enabled by access to leading technologies and tools, the Lead-with-Care program is focused on delivering the utmost care, confidence and comfort to guests, residents and employees.
"While the Four Seasons experience may look different, the new atmosphere is grounded by the Four Seasons service and guest experience you've come to trust and expect," says David Wilkie, general manager at Four Seasons Hotel Montreal. "We've created an environment where guests and residents can return to enjoy what they love while feeling safe and cared for. In everything we do, we strive to build a connection that's sincere and enriching."
As part of the new health-and-safety protocols, all guests, residents and employees will adhere to a temperature check before entering the hotel. Employees will be wearing personal-protective equipment and all guests are asked to wear a face mask when in public spaces inside the hotel. The Four Seasons Mobile App provides a convenient and contactless way for individuals to customise their stay, including making and managing reservations, requesting luggage pickup, airport transfers, room service, housekeeping requests and more.
Hotel amenities, including MARCUS Restaurant and MARCUS Lounge, as well as Spa Four Seasons Montreal, have re-opened alongside the hotel.


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VRM is for the individual human beings we call customers.
While human beings form collective groups — families, teams, parishes, parties — what makes each of us most human is our individuality — and our capacity to grow and change.
We are all different. Even identical twins, grown from the same split egg, can be as different as male and female.
Our species evolved faces so we could tell each other apart, express ourselves differently, and live separate and unique lives. No other species has the same degree of variation among faces and voices, or has the same ability to customize personal appearance, behavior and voice, through diet, exercise, piercings, markings (such as tatoos) and other choices.
And yet we also form organizations — tribes, churches, businesses, governments — that cannot scale to usefulness without treating people as populations, groups and templates. We need these organizations to operate civilization.
But we also need our individuality. This is why we bristle when asked in a survey to provide our age, ethnicity or income group. Both asking and answering those questions insults our dignity as separate and distinct individuals: ones with dominion over ourselves, born to possess full agency in the world, and irreducible to demographic characteristics.
Humanity by its nature is also distributed. Scattered. In the computing and networking worlds — which are now the same — distributed means comprised of individual points of autonomy and control. The same goes for links between those nodes.
Paul Baran described the different ways humanity and its networks can be organized, with this drawing here —
— in this essay for the Rand Corporation on the subject of distributed communications. It was radical when it was written, in 1962, because centralized networks were the only kind. But Baran was also writing at the height of the cold war, when the need to create the smallest possible "attack surface" was imperative. Hence the distributed design that later became the base-level nature of the Internet: as basic and elemental as chemical valency — the combining power of elements — and human nature.
This design is what David Isenberg calls "stupid" — because its purpose is to put all the intelligence at the network's infinite number of ends (which are mostly human), rather than in the middle(s), where it is vulnerable.
Over the last decade, however, large businesses operating on the Internet, and provisioning access to it, have become increasingly centralized — or at best decentralized, but in very central ways. Visualizations of the Internet, such as this —
— and this —
— are of type B in Baran's drawing above: decentralized, rather than distributed.
But the forces of decentralization and distribution are still with us, growing up from the Net's own grass roots: individual geeks, working together on behalf of the Net itself, and its native nature.
Jon Udell wrote about them yesterday, pointing to this amazing list by @rossjones by way of @Jeremie Miller, father of XMPP, one of the most widespread protocols in the Internet suite. It's far longer than our own here at Project VRM. But we will include it, because what they're doing supports what we are doing, in the most fundamental way possible.
Lately I've been asked, along with many others, if there is still hope for a Net free from control by giant Net-based corporations, governments, phone and cable companies, the entertainment industry, and combinations of all those forces. On the surface it looks like the answer is no.
But looking down in the grass roots, growing upward out of the Net's deepest and most permanent layer — also the most human one — gives me faith.


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By: Jessica Farley Who doesn't love a trendsetter? Better yet, who doesn't want to be a trend setter? When it comes to the founding fathers of media literacy, it is hard to dispute that John Culkin lead the pack. Culkin paved the way for today's media literacy scholars, and ultimately shifted the way our society […]
under: Comm 455
Tags: Jessica Farley, john culkin, media literacy
Tags: Jessica Farley, john culkin, media literacy


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It's that time of year when we might hanker for the scent of something warm and spicy emanating from the kitchen. If you don't have the time or inclination to actually make an apple pie or cinnamon rolls, how about throwing together some simmering potpourri!
A pot of aromatic cinnamon potpourri simmering on your hearth completes the harvest atmosphere.
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
½ cup lemon juice or 1 lemon cut into pieces
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 orange peel
1 qt. water
Place in pot, slow cooker or saucepan. Heat on low heat. You can refrigerate and reuse any leftovers!
Turkey at Thanksgiving is a timeless tradition. But you can give your holiday meal a novel twist with these birds of a different feather. The holiday treats are cute, sweet and made from all kinds of goodies youngsters love to nibble on.
If you want wings on your turkey add two candy corns to the sides like in the picture
7 Candy Corn
2 Double Stuffed Oreo Cookies
1 Whopper
1 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
1 Tube of black piping gel
1 tube of white icing
1 Yellow and red food coloring
1 Yellow and red food coloring
1 plastic Ziploc bag
1 sharp knife
1 pair of scissors
1 bowl
Put your Peanut Butter Cups in the fridge to cool. If you have cold hard chocolate to work with it makes it a lot easier.
Squeeze some of the white icing into a bowl. This will be your orange. Mix red and yellow food coloring with the icing to create your desired orange. Then put that into a plastic bag and set it aside for later.
First you will be creating the tail using 1 Oreo cookie and 6 Candy Corns. Gently, with one candy corn, pull apart just one side of the Oreo don't break! . Put a good amount of icing in between the two sides. This will help the Candy Corn stay. Place 6 Candy Corn (white side down) in between the cookie. See picture.
Take your white icing and squeeze a generous amount onto the top back of an Oreo cookie. Take the other Oreo and put the bottom into the icing to have it stand up. If it doesn't stand, add more icing! Once you have it stand put it up against something so it doesn't fall until the icing is dry. Use a thick book.
Remove your Peanut Butter Cup from the fridge. Take your knife and cut off the very bottom so you have a flat surface. Put icing on the bottom of it the bigger flat. Bump it up against the bottom and back of your Oreo cookies. See picture.
Next take your Whopper and squeeze more icing on it on one side. Place the whopper on top of the Peanut Butter Cup to make your head.
Find a piece of Candy Corn that has a nice big white end. Using your sharp knife cut the color off leaving you with the white end. Place some icing on it and stick it on your whopper as the beak to your Oreo Turkey. Hold for a moment.
Take your icing and place two white dots as eyes. Get your tube of black piping gel and place a black dot on each eye to make them come alive.
Grab your bag of already created orange. Cut a very small hold in the corner of the bag. Pipe the feet.
Recipe by Kimi Coopet
Making a gaggle of these gobblers is a fun project to do with kids,"
48 sugar cookies (3 inches) Use Nabisco Pinwheels
1 package (12 ounces) chocolate and marshmallow cookies
1 can (16 ounces) chocolate frosting
1 cup vanilla frosting
Yellow and red paste food coloring
Using a serrated knife, cut 1/2 in. from one side of 24 sugar cookies. Using a sharp knife, cut marshmallow cookies in half vertically. Spread chocolate frosting over the bottom of each marshmallow cookie half; align cut edges of a marshmallow cookie and a sugar cookie, and press together to form each turkey body and feathers.
Spread chocolate frosting over the cut edges of each turkey; position and attach near the back edge of a whole sugar cookie.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag. Insert a #12 round pastry tip; fill bag with 3/4 cup chocolate frosting. Pipe a neck and head on each turkey.
Tint 1/2 cup vanilla frosting yellow and 1/2 cup red. With a #3 round pastry tip and yellow frosting, add eyes, beaks and legs. With #3 round tip and red frosting, pipe snood and tail feathers. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe by Zoraya Jennings
Folks will gobble up these sweet-tasting turkeys, whether the easy-to-assemble goodies are sold at fund-raisers or featured on holiday tables.
40 fudge-striped cookies
1/4 cup chocolate frosting
2 packages (5 ounces each) chocolate-covered cherries
20 pieces candy corn
Place 20 cookies on a flat surface, solid chocolate side down. With frosting attach a chocolate-covered cherry to the top of each base cookie. Position another cookie perpendicular to each base cookie; attach with frosting.
With a dab of frosting, attach one piece of candy corn to the front of each cherry for the head. Let stand until set.
Recipe by Sue Gronholz
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups crisp rice cereal
28 chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies
1-1/2 cups chocolate frosting
1 package (12-1/2 ounces) candy corn
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add marshmallows; stir over low heat until melted. Stir in cereal. Cool for 10 minutes. With buttered hands, form cereal mixture into 1-1/2-in. balls. Twist apart sandwich cookies; spread frosting on the inside of cookies.
Place 28 cookie halves under cereal balls to form the base for each turkey. Place three pieces of candy corn in a fan pattern on remaining cookie halves; press each half onto a cereal ball to form the tail. Attach remaining candy corn with frosting to form turkey's head.
Recipe by Sue Gronholz


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Battlefield 3's End Game DLC may have appeased futurists by including a miniature hovering dropship from Battlefield 2142, but what about fans of late-Jurassic period dinosaurs, hey DICE? Come on, where's your bizarre Easter egg for those guys? Oh, it's on the Nebandan Flats, in the form of a pterodactyl that's merrily flapping about the place.
So we've had dino eggs , a toy tyrannosaurus and now this. Hopefully now DICE can announce Battlefield 145,000,042 BC and be done with it. I'm serious. That would be brilliant.
Additional End Game Easter Eggs have also been found, including a dinosaur skull and some snowmen. Videos below. End Game is out on PC for Premium Members on March 12th, and for everyone else on March 26th.


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- Face-up artist(s):
- Dollmore custom
- Body blushing artist(s):
- Dollmore
- Date of acquisition:
- May 29, 2012, head; October 14, 2011, body
- Provenance:
- Body and head ordered, separately, from Dollmore
- Reason for choice:
- I originally ordered the body for a different head but it didn't work. So I decided to get a head that was designed to go with the body and, of all the Dollmore Model Doll F heads available at the time, I liked sleepy Bella the best.
- Best Points:
- I only learned to really appreciate Bella after I received her. I love her ski-jump nose and sleepy eyes. Her face has nice contours and her body is gorgeous.
- Worst Points:
- None really.
66cm+ Dolls Doll Profiles created by phanuel, Feb 29, 2016
- Maker:
- Dollmore
- Head Sculpt:
- Sleepy Eyes Bella Auden
- Skintone:
- normal
- Body:
- Dollmore Model Doll F
- Sex:
- Female
Jill in WV, Refashionable and Viivi like this.
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WCW Nitro 4/26/1999
Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Nitro
Date: 4/26/1999
From: Fargo, North Dakota
The show opens with a bell salute for the recently deceased Rick Rude.
Footage from last week is aired, such as Flair being committed and DDP turning heel, officially.
We go to the Florida Mental Hospital where Ric Flair is disturbing the patients. They are told that Nitro will not be shown. The segment comes to an end with Flair strutting around.
Backstage, Charles Robinson and JJ Dillon are hanging out. Robinson is now the VP of WCW. With Flair being unable to be in charge, that leaves Robinson as the guy in charge.
Roddy Piper makes his way down to the ring for an interview. Piper says he is the man in charge tonight and proceeds to reinstate Randy Savage effective immediately. With Savage now reinstated, Piper books Savage in a match with WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner! WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page comes down to the ring. Piper makes it clear that he wants Page to give Sting a title shot tonight. DDP doesn't want to give Sting a title shot tonight. Piper ends up telling that Page will defend the title at 9:00pm tonight!
Opening Contest: Konnan defeated Brian Adams by disqualification: Konnan with right hands to get the quick advantage to open the match. Adams stops his offense with a clothesline and an atomic drop. Konnan bulldogs Adams followed by a dropkick to a seated Adams. Adams connects with a gut buster, but Konnan comes back with a face buster and locks in the Tequila Sunrise but the New World Order enters the ring to cause the DQ as they beat down Konnan. 1/2 * (Just advancing Konnan's feud with the non-important New World Order guys. Anyone else feel that Konnan is being wasted in this dumb feud?)
After the match, the New World Order stands tall over Konnan after the beating.
A quick promo for Sting is aired and we get word that the Horsemen have apparently taken Saturn out causing the next match to be a handicap match.
Second Contest: Scott and Steve Armstrong defeated Raven in a handicap match: Scott accidentally hits Steve on the apron and nearly gets pinned by Raven with a roll up. Raven double bulldogs the Armstrong's as they argue for a moment. Raven has gotten a chair but doesn't use it at first. Raven drop toe holds Scott on the chair moments later but only gets a two count. Steve is also sent into the chair with a drop toe hold. Steve comes off the top but misses Raven and again hits Scott on accident. Raven hits both men with knee lifts. Scott stops Raven flurry of right hands with a super kick but on a second attempt he hits Steve on accident. Raven plants Scott with a DDT but Steve uses the chair on Raven and Scott ends up pinning Raven for the win. * (Even with this being a handicap match, this is a complete shocker. I like the Armstrong's but they shouldn't be going over anyone even if it's a handicap match. Raven is way too popular and valuable to be losing to jobbers.)
Back to the Mental Hospital, Ric Flair wants Piper to be fired.
Gene calls out Charles Robinson for an interview. Robinson makes it clear that he is in charge and not Piper. He announces that tonight we will see Sting vs. Page. Roddy Piper ends up making another appearance and gets slapped by Robinson after talking some smack. Security and JJ Dillon run down to arrest Piper. Robinson smack talks Piper as he is lead away from the ring. Robinson says that Piper is still fired but will wrestle Flair at Slamboree..
Third Contest: Sting defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page to win the title: Sting sends Page to the floor following a quick shoulder block. They begin to trade right hands with Sting winning the exchange by sending Page to the floor. Page backs Sting into a corner to deliver a back kick and keeps the upper hand with a few short arm shoulder blocks. Page yanks Sting down by the hair and bails to the floor. Sting follows the champ and goes to work with several right hands and rams Page head first into the announcer table. Sting knocks Page down in the ring with a few clotheslines and hits a Stinger Splash! Sting goes for the Scorpion Death Lock but Page reaches the bottom rope and rolls to the floor again. Page returns and puts a hammerlock on Sting for a few moments. Page stops Sting's comeback with a clothesline and goes for the Diamond Cutter but is shoved to the floor by Sting. Sting follows him and rams Page into the guard railing a few times. Sting scoop slams Page on the aisle way! Back in the ring, Sting delivers right hands in the corner until Page low blows him and drops Sting face first onto the top turnbuckle. Page connects with a back suplex and delivers a few stomps to keep the advantage. Sting comes off the ropes to shoulder block Page and ends up stagger down onto Page's groin. Page gets up first and has a chin lock on Sting. Page hits a swinging neck breaker but Sting kicks out at two. Page drops Sting with a right for another two count. Page rams Sting groin first into the ring post a few times before wrapping Sting's knee around the post. Sting kicks Page away into the guard railing. Sting avoids the Diamond Cutter by hanging onto the top rope. Sting delivers a jaw breaker and several right hands. Sting with an atomic drop and connects with a running face buster. Sting leaps off the top rope to hit a big splash but Page kicks out at two! They go back to the floor where Page rams Sting into the guard railing. Back in the ring, Sting delivers another jaw breaker and rams Page head first into the turnbuckle padding. Page plants Sting with a sit down power bomb but only gets a near fall! Sting rolls Page up out of the corner for a two count but is met with a quick clothesline. Page inside cradles Sting for a two count and is met with a clothesline from Sting when he gets to his feet. Sting plants Page with an odd looking pile driver for a two count. Sting goes for the tombstone pile driver but Page counters only for Sting to counter to eventually hit it! Sting covers but Page kicks out at two! Page hits Sting with a float over DDT! Page low blows Sting as he tried for a backslide. Sting counters the Diamond Cutter with the Scorpion Death Drop and wins the title! ***1/4 (a very good world title match and the crowd went nuts for the final five minutes or so. A nicely done match and I'm convinced that Sting is one of the guys who brings the best out of DDP every time they compete.)
Ric Flair is talking to Charles Robinson on the phone and tells him that he wants Sting to wrestle Goldberg at Slamboree.
Fourth Contest: Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated WCW Cruiserweight Champion Psychosis to regain the title: Psychosis dropkicks Rey as Rey lays on the mat awaiting for a leapfrog. Psychosis misses a splash in the corner and Rey leaps off the top to hit a head scissors takedown. Psychosis blocks a head scissors by dropping Rey throat first across the top rope. Psychosis drops Rey face first onto the top turnbuckle but misses a tornado DDT attempt. Psychosis recovers by dropping Rey gut first on the top rope and follows up with a dropkick to put Rey on the apron. Psychosis goes to the top rope but Rey cuts him off. Psychosis is shoved off and lands on the top rope. Rey leaps off the top looking for a hurricanrana off the apron to the floor but they botch it. The Horsemen make their way down to the ringside area. Psychosis connects with a twisting front suplex off the middle rope but Rey comes back with a face buster. Rey leaps off the apron to clothesline the Horsemen from behind. Psychosis baseball slides the tag team title into Rey's face. Psychosis hits a sit down power bomb but Rey kicks out at two. Rey plants Psychosis with a simple tornado DDT to win the title. **1/4 (the finish was quite lame but the action as pretty decent considering it didn't go all that long. I think it's a shame that Psychosis didn't get a longer reign.)
After the match, the Horsemen enter the ring and toss Rey high into the air before Rey crashes to mat. Horsemen end up leaving Rey laying in the ring.
Kevin Nash comes out to the ring. Nash is mad that the main event for Slamboree is going to be Sting vs. Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship because he was supposed to get the shot against DDP. Nash issues a challenge to Sting, Goldberg and Page for a match tonight with the winner walking out as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. We see backstage that Flair has ordered the four way match to happen.
Fifth Contest: Bam-Bam Bigelow defeated Erik Watts: Yeah, Erik Watts would surely prevent fans from switching over to RAW. Bigelow wins in about two minutes after hitting the Greetings from Asbury Park.
Sting comes out for a quick interview where he says he is back in black and accepts Nash's challenge.
Sixth Contest: WCW Television Champion Booker T defeated Meng to retain the title: Late in the match, Meng has the Tonga Death Grip on Booker but the referee was knocked down by Booker on accident. Stevie Ray comes down and whacks Meng with the slapjack to allow Booker to retain the title.
After the match, Rick Steiner comes down to the ring and attacks Ray for getting involved in the match.
A video looking at Hulk Hogan's knee surgery is shown.
Ric Flair is back on the phone and says he wants Booker T vs. Rick Steiner at Slamboree. Also, he makes the fatal four way match a no disqualification match. Flair ends up seeing Scott Hall at the mental hospital!
Seventh Contest: Brian Knobbs defeated Hak, Horace and Mikey Whipwreck in a hardcore match: Knobbs wins the match after using a ladder on Whipwreck and will now wrestle Bam-Bam Bigelow at Slamboree.
Eighth Contest: WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner defeated Randy Savage by disqualification to retain the title: The finish to this match is just the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Savage backs Steiner into but is shoved by Steiner causing Savage to back into the referee and the referee, Charles Robinson, calls for the bell. The "match" lasts all of ten seconds.
After the match, Madusa attacks Robinson and rolls him into the ring. Robinson is stripped of his clothes and its revealed he is wearing Florida Gator boxers.
A video looking at Gorgeous George train is shown.
Main Event: Diamond Dallas Page defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting, Goldberg and Kevin Nash in a no disqualification match to regain the title: Goldberg works on Sting and Nash to open the match as Page is out in the crowd, apparently. Nash knee lifts Goldberg as he screams for Page to get in the ring. Goldberg punches his way out of the corner knocking both Nash and Sting off their feet. Goldberg gets a near fall on Nash following a over head slam. Goldberg catches Sting as he comes off the ropes and connects with a power slam for a two count Page enters the ring and attacks Goldberg from behind with a swinging neck breaker for a two count. Nash attacks Sting in the corner with right hands while Goldberg hits a swinging neck breaker on Page. Sting hits Page with a Stinger Splash and does the same to Nash and Goldberg! Nash stops Sting's momentum and connects with three big boots on all three opponents. Goldberg prevents Nash from hitting the power bomb on Page with a right hand. Goldberg head butts Page several times before hitting a power slam. Nash tries to cover Page but only gets a two count. Sting hits the Stinger Splash on Goldberg and Nash gets another near win on Goldberg. Nash side slams Sting but isn't able to get a three count. Page misses a clothesline on Goldberg and is met with a super kick. All four men try quick covers but are unable to get the win. Sting avoids a big boot in the corner by Nash and puts the Scorpion Death Lock on him! Goldberg spears Page and spears Sting as he lets go of the hold! Goldberg hits the Jackhammer on Sting but Randy Savage enters the ring and attacks Goldberg. Savage clotheslines Goldberg over the top to the floor. Savage tosses Page brass knuckles and Page nails Nash with them and hits the Diamond Cutter to pin Nash and regain the title! ** (I thought it was a pretty lackluster match that focused purely on brawling for several minutes. Not a big fan of having two title changes in a matter of two hours. Page should've just been champion the whole night without any kind of interrprution.)
Final Thoughts: Aside from DDP/Sting this week's Nitro was quite underwhelming for me. I don't see the reasoning of having DDP lose and win the title back in the same night. I also don't get why Rey Mysterio Jr. needs the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. He should be branching out and go for bigger titles. Anyone remember his giant killer gimmick from two months ago? They really should've kept up with that. This week's Nitro get a thumbs down from me.
Thanks for reading
Bob Colling Jr. View All
34-year-old currently living in Syracuse, New York. Long-time fan of the New York Mets, Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota Vikings. An avid fan of professional wrestling and write reviews/articles on the product. Usually focusing on old-school wrestling.


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Carp, Catla (Catla buchanani)
The Catla Catla or Catla Carp is a member of the Cyprinidae (carps) family which is indigenous to Northern India.
The Catla Catla is found in various lakes and rivers in the Northern provinces of India it has been introduced to various countries throughout Asia including Thailand.
This rarely caught and obscure Indian carp species has a broad pronounced head with a wide mouth and small upturned lower lip. The Catla Catla is covered with small dark silver to blue/ black plated scales and has a high raised dorsal surface with dark coloured fins and a large fork shaped caudal fin (tail).
The Catla Catla or Indian Carp has been observed to cross breed with other cyprinid species such as Giant Siamese Carp in the captive environments of the fishing lakes of Thailand creating new hybridized strains of Asian monster carp sharing anatomical characteristics from each parent species.
The Catla Catla or Indian Carp subsists on a varied diet of mollusks, zooplankton, insects and various other aquatic vegetation in its natural range of the wildest rivers in India.
In the mighty Ganges River in India the Catla Catla is part of the staple diet of the Ganges River Dolphin.
Very little scientific study has been carried out on this amazing freshwater species with little scientific information available about the Catla Catla or Indian Carp.
The Catla Catla or Indian Carp is a relatively rare capture whilst fishing in Thailand and although being present in various commercial fisheries throughout Thailand the shy and wily Catla Catla is not a regular visitor to the net.
The Catla Catla is sometimes caught whilst fishing form other Asian carp species such as the Giant Siamese Carp or Rohu.


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The name of the game at PointsAway is, of course, free travel. However, we receive one question far more often than you might think:
I don't actually travel that much. Is there a card that can just save me money?
We don't talk about Discover much here since the company doesn't offer a travel-focused card. What they do offer, though, are several of the best cash-back cards on the market today.
These cards are great not only for those who want to save money at home but also for those just beginning to build their credit history and students, too.
Discover It
Discover It offers a 5% cash-back bonus on up to $1,500 of purchases within spending categories that change each quarter. For example, here's what the 2015 calendar looks like:
- January – March: Gas and Ground Transport
- April – June: Dining
- July – September: Home Improvement
- October – December: Holiday Shopping
This is very similar to how Chase Freedom is structured, but I think Discover's 5% categories are just slightly stronger. For example, Freedom only offers 5% back at Amazon, Zappos and select department stores, while Discover It can earn 5% back with a far wider array of online merchants, including eBay among others.
Maximizing Your Cash Back
If you maximize your 5% cash-back each quarter, you can save up to $300 per year, and keep saving at 1% on all purchases. That's a great value considering the card has no annual fee.
Maxing out your cash-back is easier than you might think, too. For example, gas stations tend to offer a wide variety of gift cards, allowing you to extend the 5% discount at gas stations to a variety of other shopping this quarter.
All other purchases – and purchases from 5% categories after the first $1,500 each quarter – earn an extra 1% cash-back. You can receive your points either as a statement credit to help lower your bill or redeem them directly toward purchases at Amazon.com.
Discover Advantages
Discover It comes with a variety of features that are particularly useful to students and those still building their credit history. For example:
- Discover It cardholders gain free access to their FICO score, which is a great way to stay on top of your credit health.
- Paying late doesn't raise your interest rate.
- There's no late fee the first time you forget to make a payment.
- Discover will help you out on your bill if you lose your job.
- You can pay your bill up until midnight on the day it's due and your payment is considered on time.
None of those features apply to Chase Freedom, by comparison.
Discover It: Key Features
- 5% cash back in categories that change each quarter up to $1,500 in purchases.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- No annual fee.
Discover It Chrome
Discover It Chrome is very similar to Discover It in many ways. The only real difference is in how the card's cash-back is structured.
Rather than rotating categories, Discover It Chrome offers 2% cash-back up to $1,000 each quarter for purchases at restaurants and gas stations. These categories don't change and you can still earn 1% cash-back on all other purchases.
If you tend to use your card most often when dining out or filling up, this might be a good option for you. For most people, though, I'd recommend sticking with the higher cash-back offered by Discover It.
Discover It Chrome: Key Features
- 2% cash back for up to $1,000 in restaurant and gas station purchases each month.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- No annual fee.
You can actually save a LOT more than 5% with your Discover card thanks to the ShopDiscover shopping portal.
Right now, for example, Walmart.com is offering an extra 5% cash-back and Nike is offering an extra 15% cash-back on purchases made through ShopDiscover. Some retailers offer as much as 25% cash-back, and your cash-back will be combined with any cash-back earned in incentivized spending categories each quarter.
For example, you save 5% from October to December on your first $1,500 of online shopping with Discover It. Purchases on Nike's website would be considered an online purchase, so you'd earn not just 5% but also the extra 15% for a total of 20% cash-back so long as you click through ShopDiscover on your way to make a purchase.
Shopping portals are one of the key ways we talk about for earning points and miles normally, but ShopDiscover's cash-back rates are often well above those offered by any other shopping portal and is only open to Discover cardholders, making it a great benefit of using any Discover card.
Options For Students & First-Time Cardholders
If you're still a student and you might be looking for your first credit card, you can start building a solid credit history with the student version of Discover It or Discover It Chrome.
There's no difference in features for the student cards over the standard cards. You're simply more likely to be approved even with a limited credit history for the student version because they typically come with lower spending limits than the standard versions of the cards.
If you're just beginning to build your credit history, getting one of these cards now can not only earn you some valuable cash-back but also build your credit history and improve your credit score, making you eligible for more of the exceptional travel cards we more typically talk about here at PointsAway. If you want to travel for free in the future, using one of these cards now can put you on the right path.
Best of all, Discover's offering a $20 statement credit when you sign-up for their student card right now!
Discover It For Students: Key Features
- 5% cash back in categories that change each quarter up to $1,500 in purchases.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- $20 statement credit after your first purchase.
- No annual fee.
Discover It Chrome For Students: Key Features
- 2% cash back for up to $1,000 in restaurant and gas station purchases each month.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- No annual fee.
Why You Should Almost Always Choose Credit Over Debit
Discover It and Discover It Chrome also come with a variety of features available on most credit cards, but which folks who rely exclusively on their debit cards might not be familiar with. These core features – along with the ability to earn points and miles – are why I always make purchases with a credit card instead of a debit card.
Purchase Protection
You just bought a new phone and managed to drop it and crack the screen just a month after you bought it. Crisis averted: if you pay with your Discover card, you're covered for damage or theft of purchases for 90 days, up to $500.
Price Protection
You just bought a new computer and a couple months later, it was replaced by a new model and is now hundreds of dollars cheaper than when you bought it. Believe it or not, this is a huge win for you! If you find a lower price within 90 days, Discover will cover the difference up to $500.
Extended Product Warranty
You bought a new video game system and it refuses to turn on 12 months and 1 day after you bought it. "Not our problem," is the answer you'll likely hear from the manufacturer and the retailer. Good news: Discover offers additional warranty protection, even after the manufacturer's warranty expires. For warranties up to 36 months in length, Discover will add an extra 12 months of protection.
Return Guarantee
You buy a new pair of shoes from an online retailer and they don't fit. "Sorry, no refunds," is the store's reply. You're covered with Discover: you can return any qualifying purchase within 90 days and receive a refund, up to $500.
Fraud Protection
Bad news: you lost your wallet or your card was stolen. If your debit card is lost, it could take weeks or months to sort it all out with your bank, and some banks may still hold you liable for NSF charges triggered due to fraudulent spending on your account.
That's simply not the case with credit cards like Discover It. You have $0 of liability for fraud and tools like enhanced account verification and Discover's mobile app help you ensure the only person spending with your card is you.
Discover It For Yourself
If you're not a traveler, Discover It is one of the best ways to still save a bundle on your everyday purchases. If you're already a points and miles enthusiast, Discover It might make sense for you, as well. The cash-back opportunities available through ShopDiscover only to Discover cardholders can make having a Discover card on hand worthwhile for many shoppers.
To learn more, head on over to Discover's informational pages on each card:
Discover It Card
Discover It Card For Students
Discover It Chrome
Discover It Chrome For Students
PointsAway receives an affiliate credit if you apply using the above links. If one of these cards are right for you, simply using one of these links is a great way to support PointsAway while saving a bundle!
Every Friday, we send one email filled with:
- Points-Earning Secrets
- Trip Plans Based on Reader Submissions
- Informative How-To Features Showing You How to Save Thousands
- Exclusive Tips and Tricks Found Only in the Newsletter
- Contests Reserved Especially for Newsletter Subscribers


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4 Stars
Suntara RestaurantAddress: Phiawat Village, Sisattanak District, 85620
$ New
Enjoy the beauty of a sunset's kiss for the night, with an unobstructed view of the sunset and the Mekong Riverside. Relax with a cold beer, or whet your appetite with our wide array of dishes. Suntara has VIP rooms to cater to a multitude of functions, meetings and cocktail parties. We provide unparalleled service and food, catering to all your needs under one roof. 3rd floor – Lunch and dinner. Enjoy Live Music in the evening alongside the river and sunset atmosphere.


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- by Addie Lawson
3 Easy Ways To Ground Your Energy
Ever spend time around people or a particular space and find yourself exhausted after the interaction? Do you find that you're riding an uneven wave of emotion, feeling as if you are at the mercy of all that surrounds you? This can happen because all things in this universe vibrate, but not all vibrations really harmonize with our own.
Our energy shifts and fluctuates throughout the day. Hour to hour, moment to moment all things are in a constant state of motion and adjustment. It can be easy to take on the vibrations that surround us, even without us realizing it. People vibrate, objects vibrate, even environments can vibrate with a particular energy. If we expose ourselves long enough, by choice or not, that energy will eventually attach itself to our own.
Just as our exposure to others as well as the actions we take can take its toll own our own vibration and sense of grounding, it is our actions and choices that can help us in remedying this fact of life. Grounding your energy, or bringing yourself back to your central vibration doesn't have to be a lengthy process. It doesn't need to involve fancy instruments. All it takes is a person aware of their needs, willing to commit to a powerful act of self care.
Here are 3 ways to ground your energy that are easy enough to do every day.
1. Cool Water
As many Reiki and students of energy work are taught and know, simply sipping on or washing the hands, face, or feet with cool water can have such a calming effect. Uncross your feet and place both feet firmly on the ground as you sip on your water. Feel your energy changing as you take this cool fluid into your body, changing your temperature. Feel the water cool your mouth and move down your throat. Visualize it running all through your body, changing your vibration from within. You can even visualize the water as a color you find particularly grounding (there are no rules here, though common colors used for this purpose are white, gold, and blue). Another way to do this is to charge the water in your hands with your intention. Focus yourself as you hold the water and intend for it to be clarifying, balancing, and grounding to your mind, body, and spirit, washing away all energy that is negative or stuck. There's many ways to use this simple technique. Get creative!
2. "Earth" yourself by walking barefoot
It's just as easy as it sounds. Take those shoes off, find an open patch of grass, and plant those soles firmly down upon it. We easily absorb and release energy through the soles of our feet. You can take this action further by breathing deeply, visualizing roots growing from your body and connecting you to the Earth. Visualize negative energy leaving your body via these roots and being given back to the Earth to heal. Then visualize new, light energy flowing back up your roots and into your body from the Earth, revitalizing you. Lay your entire body upon the Earth and feel the healing flow!
3. Music/Dancing
Music and dancing can be their own form of meditation. Headphones are perfect for this purpose. As stated above, we are vibrating beings. We can fall out of tune with ourselves and fall prey to other, lesser worthy vibrations. Turning on music, particularly music that holds meaning for you can be a very powerful and grounding event. You can take this simple act further by playing music that is tuned to 432 hz. or that is played through a 432 hz. tuner, which is easily downloadable through iTunes in both free and pay versions.
Dancing, particularly movements that involve stomping feet and that raise our body temperature can shift our vibration. The movements shift our focus to our bodies and causes us to become aware of our breathing, bringing the mind back into alignment with the body. The stomping can help to disperse positive ions that we can pick up from our environments that are often the cause of feeling ungrounded and even sometimes angry.
May you find the time every day to center your energy and empower yourself! :)


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In the latest issue of the German Journal for Medical Devices, MPJ-Medizinprodukte-Journal, you find an interview with the Managing Director of MEDCERT GmbH. On several pages the topics such as: preparation of a Notified Body for the MDR, questions regarding re-certification under the MDD, transition periods, impacts of Brexit and differences between MDD and MDR, are addressed in more detail.
You get the interview here.