text:
In this article in the series on the local democratic audit, the authors argue that municipal democracy in the Netherlands has become a multiple democracy. Within the formal framework of representative democracy, numerous democratic arrangements have emerged that may be referred to as participatory, direct and also what the authors call 'do-democracy'. Additions to representative democracy did not come without reason: representative democracy is not a perfect system, either in theory or in practice. Efforts have been made to improve the functioning of representative democracy in a number of ways. Three of these are discussed in this article. The authors note that these three reforms do not solve the problems in representative democracy. So the Dutch municipalities have started looking for additions to representative democracy. In this article various forms of participatory, do-it-yourself and direct democracy are discussed. Many effects of these reforms are still unknown and knowledge about them has crumbled, but one conclusion can be drawn: people with a low education are not inclined to take part, even with arrangements that are easily accessible. Striving for a more vital local democracy seems meaningful; the authors formulate a number of ways of thinking about this.
Zoekresultaat: 6 artikelenDe zoekresultaten worden gefilterd op:
Tijdschrift Bestuurswetenschappen x
Ambitieuze en ambivalente vernieuwing van de lokale democratie in Nederland
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2019
|Dr. Linze Schaap, Prof. dr. Frank Hendriks, Dr. Niels Karsten MA e.a.
Gewelddadig protest loont!?
Over het effect van geweld, bedreiging en intimidatie rondom azc's op de lokale democratische besluitvorming
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 2 2018
|Dr. Niels Karsten en Jurre van der Velden MSc
In a well-functioning democratic state under the rule of law, people's representatives are not inappropriately forced to vote for or against a certain policy intention. Violent protest against a decision or proposal, like establishing an asylum center, however, can put a lot of pressure on politicians' independent judgment. However, research into the effects of violence, threats and intimidation on democratic decision-making is scarce. Therefore the authors of this essay investigated the effects of violent protest against the establishment of asylum centers in three small municipalities in the Netherlands: Bernheze, Geldermalsen and Steenbergen. They conclude that the direct influence on democratic decision-making, however serious it is in itself, seems limited. But they do observe that violent protest damages the information exchange between citizens and politicians, and also disrupts the debate. Therefore, in policy and research, not only is attention needed for the resilience of individual politicians against violent protest, but also for the perverting effects of aggression and violence on the broader democratic decision-making process.
Gezocht: integere en daadkrachtige verbinder (m/v)
Het onderscheidend vermogen van profielschetsen voor Nederlandse burgemeesters beoordeeld
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 1 2018
|Niels Karsten, Hans Oostendorp en Frank van Kooten
There is a lot of criticism on the profile descriptions in which Dutch municipalities express the requirements which they put on a new mayor to be appointed. They would look too much like each other and contain few real choices. This article describes the requirements Dutch municipalities put on candidate mayors and analyses the discriminatory power of profile descriptions. A content analysis of 231 profile descriptions and talks with five focus groups show that municipal councils especially ask for integer networkers and linkers, who are above all effective, empathic and communicative. The differences between municipalities in this respect are small and the municipal size hardly makes any difference. Municipal councils do not fully utilize the opportunities in profile descriptions for local customization and barely translate the local conditions into specific requirements. The explanation for this is partly located in isomorphic processes, that lead to uniformity: municipal councils follow the guide of the national government for the appointment process and copy texts from each other. At the same time the office of the mayor in the Netherlands asks for a specific content, that is translated into the profile descriptions. It is therefore the question if the criticism on profile descriptions is fully justified. They do have discriminatory power, although municipal councils could make much sharper choices in what they expect from a mayor, appropriate to the challenges the municipality faces.
De aanstellingswijze gewogen
Een overzicht van argumenten voor en tegen verschillende aanstellingswijzen van de burgemeester
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 4 2017
|Dr. Julien van Ostaaijen, Dr. Niels Karsten en Prof. dr. Pieter Tops
This article offers the reader an overview of arguments for and against the different modes of appointments of Dutch mayors. The authors do this from different perspectives that are based on relevant values of good governance. In relation to the intended deconstitutionalization of the mode of appointment, they want to contribute with this overview to the debate on the role of the mayor and the mode of appointment. The three modes of appointment discussed are nomination by the Crown, election by the municipal council and direct election by citizens. On the basis of this research, they conclude that changing the mode of appointment to one of the three (pure) modes of appointment has advantages as well as disadvantages, but that the combination has important consequences for the functioning of the local governance system as a whole. In addition, they conclude somewhat paradoxically that the mode of appointment is only one of the factors that influences the functioning of a mayor. Therefore, the question about the mode of appointment of Dutch mayors must be considered within a broader framework of possible measures, with the underlying questions: what kind of mayor, and what kind of local governance, do we want ultimately?
'Maar ze hebben er wel over nagedacht'
Over de rol van gezag bij het voorkomen van vijandigheid jegens politieke ambtsdragers
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 1 2015
|Dr. Niels Karsten
The aggression and violence towards political office-holders underline the importance of rethinking public authority. This essay contains an exploration of contemporary sources of authority for political office-holders and especially local executives. This is done on the basis of a review of the literature and an analysis of empirical research in this area. After an exploration of the sources of authority for Dutch mayors and aldermen, these sources of authority are related towards aggression and violence towards political office-holders with the help of the political theory of Chantal Mouffe. Based on this exploration the author argues that political office-holders who invoke generally accepted principles, values and norms, or who use personal sources of authority, are more favorable in the struggle against aggression and violence than other local executives who invoke institutional or delegated sources.
Krachtig en kwetsbaar
De Nederlandse burgemeester en de staat van een hybride ambt
|Bestuurswetenschappen, Aflevering 3 2014
|Dr. Niels Karsten, Dr. Linze Schaap en Prof. dr. Frank Hendriks
This article describes, on the basis of a broad empirical research, the development of the office of mayor since 2002 (the year of the introduction of a dualist local system in the Netherlands) and the present state of the office. It shows a fundamental change in the office during the last decade and how the already existing hybrid nature of the office has continued to grow since 2002. The article describes the effects of this hybridization and identifies, on the basis of this description, eight power lines and vulnerabilities of the office of mayor. The authors relativize a number of issues that are frequently problematized in relation to the office of mayor, but they also point to new concerns amongst mayors. According to the mayors for example the presidency of the council and the presidency of the board of mayor and aldermen can be combined quite easily in practice. Mayors however, and with good reason, are concerned about the vulnerability of their authority and the sustainability of their neutral position 'above the parties', their most important source of authority. For this reason a reorientation of the office of mayor in the Netherlands is needed. This reorientation should start with an answer to the question which roles the mayor has to play in Dutch local government.


text:
The fourth season of Africa's biggest reality TV show, Big Brother Naija premiered across all DSTV packages on channel 198 and on GOtv Max and Plus on channel 29 on June 30, 2019. This year's Big Brother Naija will be hosted in Nigeria for the first time since 2006 and is sponsored by Bet9ja.
Twenty-one new housemates for the season themed 'Pepper Dem', were unveiled at the launch along with the surprise announcement that the show has been extended by one extra week taking the new season to 99 days in total.
Speaking on the new season, the CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said: "The Big Brother franchise remains one of the most exciting content options available to viewers across the world. Big Brother Naija, which is easily the most popular version in Africa, is finally here and for the first time since 2006, the show will be hosted in Nigeria. Our viewers should expect the very best of entertainment, intrigue and drama, all delivered with excellent production standards straight from a house here in Nigeria."
The new housemates bound for BBNaija household-name stardom include: Seyi, Esther, Ella, Frodd, Omashola, Avala, Khafi, Ike, Tuoyo, Kimoprah, Isilomo, Jackye, Khafi, Nelson, Sir Dee, Thelma, Gedoni, Diane, Mercy, Tacha, Mike and Jeff. The new housemates have an array of exciting career backgrounds including a part-time stripper to a Lawyer and a music video vixen.
The fourth edition of Big Brother Naija follows the hugely successful past season themed 'Double Wahala', which saw the emergence of pilot and fan favourite Miracle Ikechukwu as the winner of Ksh12.8 million (N45 million) worth of prizes. The excitement for the forthcoming show was further ramped with a hugely popular reunion show with housemates from the previous edition discussing highlights and controversial moments from their time in
the house.
Big Brother Naija season 4 is available across all DStv packages on channel 198 and
on GOtv Max and Plus on channel 29.
For more information, please visit www.africamagic.dstv.com/BigBrotherNaija You can also
follow the Big Brother Naija social media fan pages for news and updates with #BBNaija on
Twitter @bbnaija, Instagram @bigbronaija and Facebookwww.facebook.com/bigbrothernaija
For more information, please visit www.dstv.com, www.gotvafrica.com or
www.africamagic.tv/bigbrothernaija and follow the conversation on all verified social media
pages of DStv Nigeria, GOtv Nigeria and AfricaMagic.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Catch up on a recent study about the need for better water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools around the world
Attending school without basic water and sanitation facilities is the reality for millions of children around the world. In fact, just 66 percent of schools globally had basic sanitation services in 2016, and 69 percent had basic drinking water services, according to a recent United Nations' study.
This news comes as the world continues to work towards a global goal to make water, sanitation and hygiene available to all by 2030. Why? "If education is the key to helping children escape poverty, access to water and sanitation is key to helping children safely maximize their education. To neglect this is to be careless with the well-being and health of children," explains Kelly Ann Naylor, global chief of water, sanitation and hygiene at UNICEF.
At Christian Children's Fund of Canada, we make it possible for girls to attend school while they're menstruating by providing bathrooms. We also build classrooms and water facilities, so students don't have to learn outside in the heat without access to clean water.
To support water projects in vulnerable communities around the world, visit our gift catalogue.
Sharing is caring:
About Christian Children's Fund of Canada:
Christian Children's Fund of Canada works globally to support children and youth who dream of a better world. For nearly 60 years, we've brought together diverse people and partnerships, driven by a common belief: education extends beyond the walls of a classroom and is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world. We focus on breaking barriers preventing access to inclusive, quality education for all, especially girls.


text:
Part Time Automotive Quality Role
- Recruiter
- Vivate Recruitment Limited
- Location
- Birmingham
- Salary
- £10 - 12 per hour
- Posted
- 21 Feb 2019
- Closes
- 22 Mar 2019
- Contract Type
- Full Time
Vivate recruitment are seeking part time, experienced, quality control personnel, to work for a global quality management company. Working on a part time basis and working hours to suit you. In return you will receieve excellent renumeration (dependant on experience), which can also increase when working overtime or night shift premiums.
Your daily tasks will include, travelling to customer locations to meet with clients and support thier quality concerns (you will need your own transport to travel to and from customer sites), by creating and/or interpreting pre existing work instructions. As well as some supervisory tasks such as;
- Carry out daily checks/perform process audits to ensure jobs are covered appropriately and immediately address issues with appropriate corrective actions
- Ensure operatives are equipped with correct tooling/PPE
- Ensure operatives have a high standard of attire/appearance and ensure that housekeeping/5s is maintained throughout the team
- Plan and organise resources to ensure targets are achieved
- Update quality results via on site paper documentation and in house computer system accurately and on time
- Liaise with the Quality Technicians/Engineers if potential supplier quality issues are discovered
- Carry out accurate handovers with the oncoming supervisor at the end of shift
The Candidate
The successful applicant MUST have the following experience:
- Experience following/developing/creating 'work instructions'
- Manufacturing experience (in either auto/logistics/aero/FMCG, pharma)
- Good communication and advanced use of English language (speaking/reading/writing)
- Basic computer skills (able to use in house computer systems and MS packages including word/outlook)
- Mobile – role may require walking up to 5 miles/day moving between locations on site
Desirable but not essential experience:
- Quality Inspection background
- Customer facing experience
- Good computer skills (excel, word, outlook, SAP)
- Previous experience writing 'work instructions'
- Engineering background/qualifications
- Ability to understand CAD diagrams
- Understanding of quality tools (namely 8D up to D3)
- Process audit experience
- Own car, happy to travel to other locations if necessary
If you feel that you match the above description and would like to be considered for the role, please send an up to date CV and one of consultants will be in touch to discuss your application.
This job was originally posted as www.totaljobs.com/job/85389517


text:
Tags: BrunetteDoubleTeenSister
Description: Currently you are watching Double lesbien fucked masturbatian porn video uploaded to: Double porn category. You can find more videos like Double lesbien fucked masturbatian below in the related videos section. Free Porn Videos 2. Mom Fucks Boy 3. Dad Daughter Sex 4. Young Virgin Top 5. Boy Fuck Mom 6. Watch Double Penetration Lesbian HD porn videos for free on kuruscepat.site Lesbian Ass Fuck Mea Melone, Wendy Moon, Mea Melone, Blanche Bradbury.
Added: 10.07.2019 at 07:27
Duration: 09:38
www.kuruscepat.site - Unleashed lesbic sexo orgee gallerys porn archive - Free hot lesbian porn pictures of gorgeous sexy ladies are availabe in thousands of sex photo galleries. Lesley-ann brandt nude photos. Huge lesbian orgee. Massive hardcore fucking movies. It is convenient to look on the phone and tablet and download erotic galleries for free in your ipad!


text:
Richmond's micro flower farm and herb salt maker
Richmond's micro flower farm and herb salt maker
Established in late 2015, Hummingbird Gardens is a small scale culinary herb salt company and tiny cut flower farm. Owner and operator Amanda Montgomery is passionate about the local flower movement and making things that taste good. You can find the herb salts in almost a dozen shops throughout the Richmond area and a few beyond the city limits. With hopes to expand to other parts of the state and beyond, keep an eye out for the salts as they grow!
By employing growing practices rooted in respect and love for the land, Hummingbird Gardens is a place that not only inspires the senses, but is also a catalyst for collaboration and community building. Amanda is the co-founder of River City Flower Exchange, Richmond's ONLY all local floral market and is a member of Floret Farm's Farm Florist Collective.
If you're interested in carrying the salts at your shop, want to order flowers, or have any questions at all, email Amanda at amanda{at}hbgrva{dot}com. You can also follow us on Instagram (@hummingbirdgardensrva or @rivercityflowerexchange) or follow on Facebook (here).
photo by Beth Furgurson


text:
Popular Posts
Breezy recommends people who don't like it should "taste this fart."A while back we reported that singer Chris Brownwas p...
"Style defines culture. Our people define style." What better way to sum up Complex's February/March 2012 issue, starring style kings A$A...
Kid Ink Talks Being A Visual Artist, Using Themes In His Records & More
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Engineering Panel Backpedals On Yellow Times - [image: Jarlstrom equation]Opponents of red light cameras have long argued that yellow times are too short. Now, the body responsible for setting yellow ti...
4 hours ago
Writer's Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Fone WST... +1318.717.9017
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." ~ Gaius Cornelius Tacitus
last year we noted how the native spider lilies bloomed later than usual.
this year however, they seem to be back on schedule although they dont seem (so far) to be blooming as prolifically as last year.
consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet i say unto you, that solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ~ jesus christ at saint luke chapter 12 kjv
Posted by wst... at 10:14
Labels: native_spider_lily


text:
The Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola is a sedentary bird in the Azores archipelago, where it is an important game species. In S. Miguel island, hunting has been forbidden for at least two decades, but this measure seems to have failed in its purpose of increasing population size. Our work aims to determine woodcock distribution and relative abundance during the breeding season in S. Miguel, identify the proximate habitat factors related to the species occurrence and evaluate the role of reminiscent natural Azorean forest for the conservation of its populations. We conducted censuses at 71 observation points, systematically distributed along the island using UTM 1 × 1 km grid cells. During the breeding season, male woodcock performs display (roding) flights. Census consisted in recording the number of contacts with roding birds, during the evening roding period. The species was detected in only 30% of the points and its relative abundance was generally low. The species was mainly distributed in the most mountainous regions of the Eastern part of the island. Several habitat variables were measured at each observation point and their relationship with species occurrence was determined with logistic regression. The presence of roding birds was negatively correlated with the distance to natural vegetation and positively correlated with arboreal vegetation surface. The model had a high prediction success (88.9% for presences, 83.3% for absences and 85% overall, for a 0.3 cut-off point) and explained the distribution of the species well. The observed restricted distribution and overall low abundance supports the maintenance of the hunting interdiction. The preference for natural vegetation during the breeding season is an important aspect. Reforestation with endemic species, control of invasive species and the maintenance of forest edges and small patches of vegetation between pastures would contribute to woodcock conservation in the island.
Bird populations can be affected severely by human activities that cause changes in their natural habitats, and agricultural and forestry practices are amongst the most important (Newmark 1991, Edenius & Elmberg 1996, Pain & Pienkowski 1997, Aebischer et al. 2000, Newton 2004). In island ecosystems, the isolation of populations further contributes to an increased vulnerability. For instance, severe population decline was reported for the Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina, in the archipelago of Azores (Ramos 1996a, b), primarily due to the invasion of aggressive exotic flora.
A similar phenomenon may occur with the Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola in the Azorean archipelago. Although this migratory wader is widely distributed in the Palearctic Region, from Western Europe to Japan (Piersma et al. 1996, Ferrand & Gossmann 2001), there are sedentary populations in the Macaronesian archipelagos of Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal) and Canaries (Spain) (Ferrand & Gossmann 2001). Preliminary results from genetic studies pointed out a restriction in the gene-flow between these islands and the continent, between the archipelagos and even among islands of the same archipelago (P. Cardia, unpubl. data).
The Eurasian woodcock selects habitats with particular characteristics during the breeding season. In continental Europe, it prefers mosaic habitats, e.g. extensive woodland, whether broad-leaved, mixed or coniferous (Cramp & Simmons 1983, Hirons 1987, 1988, Hirons & Johnson 1987, Ferrand 1989). In winter, habitat requirements are less specific and woodcocks mainly use woodlands and hedges during the day and fields and meadows at night (Cramp & Simmons 1983, Hirons & Bickford-Smith 1983, Wilson 1983, Gossmann et al. 1988, Duriez et al. 2005a, b). However, habitat preferences in the Macaronesian archipelagos are unknown.
The size of the woodcock populations and their trends are little known in Europe, where this species is hunted in most countries (Ferrand & Gossmann 2001). Its conservation status in Europe was established as 'vulnerable in winter' (Hoodless 1994) but it was recently revised as 'stable' (Wetlands International 2002). Although woodcock is one of the most important game species in the Azorean archipelago, no reliable data are available concerning population trends, except for Pico island where the population has seemed stable over the last five years (Machado et al., in press). Consequently, Eurasian woodcock conservation status in Azores is presently considered to be 'data deficient' (Cabral et al. 2005).
In the second half of the 20th century, a decrease in woodcock abundance in all Azorean islands was reported due to high hunting pressure during the breeding season (Bannerman & Bannerman 1966). At that time, woodcocks in S. Miguel island were already rare (Beurier 1973), which imposed legal restrictions on its hunting. Presently, local authorities and hunters in this island agree that woodcock population size has continued to decrease during the last decades. Due to this supposed decrease, hunting has been forbidden for more than two decades, but this measure seems to have failed in recovering the population size.
Being the largest and the most populated island in the Azores, S. Miguel has also suffered important landscape changes during the last century. The natural forest (Laurisilva type) has decreased due to agriculture, cattle production and the introduction of exotic flora such as sweet Pittosporum Pittosporum undulatum, ginger lilly Hedychium gardneranum, Chilean gunnera Gunnera tinctoria and lily of the valley tree Clethra arborea (Sjögren 2000, Silva & Smith 2004). These changes may have affected habitat suitability for woodcock, and could be the major factor contributing to theapparent low abundance levels in S. Miguel during the last decades.
Hence, the main objectives of our work were to assess the distribution and relative abundance of woodcock in S. Miguel island during the breeding season, identify the proximate habitat factors related to species occurrence in the island and evaluate the role of reminiscent natural Azorean forest for the management and conservation of woodcock populations.
Material and methods
Study area
The Azorean archipelago, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, comprises nine islands of volcanic origin. Our study was performed in S. Miguel, the largest (760 km2) and the most populated island, situated between 37°42′-37°55′N and 25°8′-25°51′W. S. Miguel includes three different geomorphologic regions (Fig. 1): the Western Region, including the volcanic massif of Sete Cidades (maximum altitude: 874 m a.s.l.); the Central Region, with several small volcanic cones; and the Eastern Region, the most mountainous area which encompasses several volcanic massifs and the highest point of the island, Pico da Vara (1,103 m a.s.l.). The climate is temperate-oceanic rainy to very rainy, with mild temperatures, moderate to high rainfall and high relative humidity. The average rainfall rate is about 1,300 mm/year, the annual mean air temperature is 15 °C and the annual mean relative humidity is 77% (Novo et al. 1999).
The majority of natural Azorean forest is Laurisilva type, dominated by laurel Laurus sp., juniper Juniperus sp., holly Ilex sp., blue berry Vaccinium sp. or yew Taxus sp. which are considered a Tertiary relict (Dias 1996, Sjögren 2000). However, since the arrival of the first settlers in 1439, vegetation has suffered profound and irreversible changes (Furtado 1984, Pereira et al. 1998) mostly for agricultural and forestry purposes. Currently, about half of the island surface is covered with pastures for rearing cattle and the other half is forest. Nevertheless, about 80% of the forest is composed of Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica plantations, characterised by a very high density of plants and a species-poor understorey. Additionally, the introduction of exotic and invasive plant species like Pittosporum, ginger lilly, Chilean gunnera and lily of the valley tree constitute another threat factor for the natural ecosystem of Azorean islands (Dias 1996, Sjögren 2000, Silva & Smith 2004).
Distribution and relative abundance of woodcocks
During the breeding season, male woodcocks perform display flights at dawn and dusk with the purpose of finding and attract females (Hirons 1980, 1983). Most birds display for about twice as long in the evening as in the morning (Hirons 1983, Ferrand 1993). This specific behaviour is called roding and according to Ferrand (1989, 1993) the number of contacts with roding birds in a certain place can be regarded as a relative abundance index. To determine the distribution and relative abundance of woodcocks, we recorded the number of contacts with roding birds (birds seen and/or heard) at fixed observation points, during the evening roding period (Ferrand 1989, 1993).
Fieldwork was carried out between 1 March and 15 April 2004. Previous studies conducted in Pico island (Machado et al. 2002, 2006, in press) suggested this period to be the most adequate to monitor woodcock populations in Azores by this method as the number of contacts with roding birds was high and stable during this time of year. Sampling units were based on Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) 1 × 1 km grid cells. The first cell was randomly selected by random number generation and the others established systematically afterwards, resulting in observation points located 2-3 km apart from each other. This method of selection is expected to decrease spatial autocorrelation of observations, a phenomenon known to affect the independence of observations in ecological modelling (Cliff & Ord 1973). A total of 71 observation points, located preferentially in the centre of the cell, were established (see Fig. 1), and each point was visited once. When weather conditions were considered inadequate for bird observation (e.g. heavy rainfall or fog) the census was postponed and the point visited later.
Considering that the census in all the observation points should be carried out between March and mid-April and one observer could only perform one census per evening, six equally trained observers were conducting this part of the fieldwork.
Characterisation of habitats
To characterise the structure of the habitat surrounding each observation point, we measured nine ecogeographical variables (hereafter EGV) (Table 1), including topographical, habitat and human-related factors. Orthophotomaps and topographic maps were used as data source for the automatic measurement of EGVs, using MicroStation mapping software. Variables were quantified within a 500 m radius buffer (78.5 ha) centred in the observation point. This surface was chosen to include the potential area used by males during the evening roding period as studies with radio-tagged woodcocks showed that this area could range from 60 to 100 ha (Hirons 1980, 1983).
Table 1.
Ecogeographical variables (EGVs) used to characterise the habitat of Eurasian woodcock in S. Miguel island, Azores. Variables were measured within a 500 m radius buffer around the observation point, except for distance to natural vegetation and distance to urban aggregations.
Natural vegetation and urban aggregations were expressed as distance and not as surface because most of the observation points did not present values for these variables within the 500 m buffer. The maximum distance considered for the quantification of these EGVs was 3 km.
Statistical analysis
A non-parametric Spearman test was used to test for possible correlations among the different EGVs, and altitude and pastures were removed due to strong correlations (rs > 0.6) with other EGVs. Relations between the occurrence of woodcocks and EGVs were estimated by logistic regression, an ecological modelling technique frequently used to predict the occurrence, distribution and habitat preferences of several species (Brito et al. 1999, Franco et al. 2000). This method relates the effects of several independent variables on a dichotomic dependent variable, presence/absence of the species (Hosmer & Lemeshow 1989). The selection of EGVs in the model was carried out by a forward stepwise method using SPSS 12.0 (SPSS Inc. 2003). From the 71 total observation points, 60 were randomly selected by random number generation to build the model and the remaining 11 points were used as a validation sample for the obtained model.
To evaluate the fit of the model, two procedures were used: calculation of the prediction success and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of a plot Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC, sensu Liu et al. 2005). The presences, absences and overall prediction success were calculated for ten cut-off points, defined from 0.1 to 1.0, with intervals of 0.1. As the model classified the observation points with a continuous probability of occurrence, it was necessary to define a threshold, above which we considered the species to be present. The chosen cut-off point was the one that produced the most equilibrated correct classification rates. In this case, it was preferable to optimise the correct classification of presences because some absences might have resulted from the fact that the observer could not detect the species (Franco et al. 2000).
The ROC curve relates the sensitivity (probability of classifying presences correctly) and specificity (probability of classifying absences correctly) of the model and it is independent of event frequencies and of the decision criterion (Swets 1988, Pearce & Ferrier 2000). In this analysis the AUC can be interpreted as the probability of the model to distinguish correctly between an occupied and a non-occupied place, and it ranges from 0.0 (randomness) to 1.0 (perfect fit) (Liu et al. 2005).
Distribution and relative abundance of woodcocks
Woodcocks were found in 29.6% of the observation points (21 out of 71),most of them located in the Eastern region of S. Miguel, the most mountainous and forested area of the island (Fig. 2). In the Western region, the woodcock was observed only in two observation points, both with a number of contacts lower than five.
Considering the points where birds were detected, the number of contacts was equal or inferior to five in 62% of cases (N = 13) and only in two points (9.5%) were >15 contacts recorded (Fig. 3). The median of the number of contacts was 4.0 (range: 1-29).
Factors affecting occurrence of woodcock
The occurrence of woodcocks was negatively correlated with the distance to natural vegetation and positively correlated to the total surface occupied by arboreal vegetation (Table 2).
Table 2.
Coefficients (βx), standard error (SE), values of Wald test and significance of the variables included in the logistic regression model explaining the occurrence of Eurasian woodcock in S. Miguel island, Azores.
The 0.5 cut-off point optimised the overall prediction success (86.7%), correctly classifying 72.2% of the presences and 92.9% of the absences. Nevertheless 0.3 was considered to be the best cut-off point, since it produced more equilibrated classification rates. For this cut-off point, the prediction success was 88.9% for presences, 83.3% for absences and 85% overall. In the validation sample (N = 11), the prediction success reached 100% in the correct classification rate of presences, absences and overall, for both 0.3 and 0.5 cut-off points. From the ROC curve obtained with the 71 observation points, the AUC parameter was estimated at 0.934 ± 0.29 (P < 0.001), i.e. in 93% of the cases, the model could make the distinction between a presence and an absence.
Both observed and predicted distributions were similar, assuming 0.3 as the cut-off point (Fig. 4). The model correctly predicted the regions where the species was present and also the absence of the species in the Central Region.
Woodcocks were apparently absent from a considerable area of S. Miguel island. Roding birds were detected only in about 30% of the observation points, whose distribution was almost restricted to the Eastern region of the island, with more mountainous and forested areas. Since male display activity is concentrated in areas where receptive females are most likely to be found and most nests to be located (Hirons 1987, Ferrand 1989), the areas with more contacts in S. Miguel should be considered priority for conservation management plans.
According to the abundance categories delimited by Ferrand (1989) and Mulhauser (2002), the majority of the observation points (57.1%; 12 out of 21) with roding birds in S. Miguel presented very low to low relative abundance (≤4 contacts), 33.3% (7 out of 21) presented mean abundance (12< contacts ≤20) and only 9.5% (2 out of 21) presented very high abundance (≥21 contacts). For Pico island, Machado et al. (2002) obtained values comparatively higher: about 74% of the 19 observation points systematically distributed along the island presented >10 contacts (43% presented > 21 contacts).
The occurrence of woodcocks was negatively correlated with the distance to natural vegetation and positively with the surface occupied by arboreal vegetation. Since woodcock is essentially a silvicolous species, these results were partially expectable. However, the species seems to prefer the Azorean natural forest to other types of woodland like plantations of Japanese cedar or formations of sweet Pittosporum and/or wattle Acacia sp. The highest relative abundances (≥21 contacts) were obtained in observation points with natural vegetation within the 500 m buffer. The preference for natural vegetation may be due to its structure, which presents a more developed lower stratum, providing an adequate refuge for nests and broods and probably offering more food, especially earthworms (Granval 1987, 1988, Hirons & Bickford-Smith 1983). Breeding in young and dense woodlands could be an anti-predatory strategy (Hirons 1987, 1988, Hirons & Johnson 1987, Ferrand 1989), however, the role of buzzard Buteo buteo rothshildi, longeared owl Asio otus or ferret Mustela furo as possible predators in the Azores should be evaluated.
The plantations of Japanese cedar in Azores expanded largely during the second half of the last century, mainly in S. Miguel island (with a surface of 760 km2): 2400 ha in 1948, 5000 ha in 1963 (Oliveira 1965) and 8500 ha (i.e. 80% of the forestall area) in the 1990s (Goes 1991). For comparison, the area occupied by this exotic tree in Pico island (the second largest island of the archipelago, 433 km2) was only 260 ha in the 1990s (Goes 1991). The plantations of Japanese cedar are characterised by a high density of trees with compasses of 2 × 2 m or 2 × 3 m being used, but shorter compasses of 1 × 1 m were common in the past (Goes 1991). After thicket stage, the closed canopy prevents sun light to enter and reach the soil, leading to a drastic impoverishment of the understorey (Hoodless 1994).
The sampling scheme was strongly conditioned by the area of the island. The increase in the number of observation points, at the cost of decreasing the distance between them, could lead to the registration of the same birds at different observation points. Despite the sample size, the built model presented a high prediction success, both in analysed samples and validation samples, suggesting that the model is capable of predicting woodcock distribution in S. Miguel reasonably well (Liu et al. 2005). According to Swets (1988), models with estimated AUC values of ROC curves > 0.9 exhibited a good discrimination capacity. Taking this into account, the model obtained in this work can be used to extrapolate the distribution of woodcock to the entire island and, with the necessary validations, to other Azorean islands. At present, the lack of complete soil occupation or vegetation cover maps is a serious limitation.
Given that woodcock hunting in S. Miguel has been forbidden for at least two decades, the results of the present work suggest that the restricted distribution and overall low abundance presently observed is probably due to habitat changes over time. The area of natural vegetation has been decreasing, not only in S. Miguel but in all the Azorean islands (Tutin 1964, Sjögren 1973, Furtado 1984, Pereira et al. 1998). The preferences for natural vegetation by woodcock during the breeding season are an important aspect to take into account in future management practices. The maintenance of forest edges and small patches of vegetation between pastures could create alternative wintering refuges and breeding areas, simultaneously working as natural corridors along the island.
The observed overall low values of relative abundance and the restricted distribution pattern of the woodcock in S. Miguel island, supports the maintenance of hunting interdiction. However, monitoring of the species would be important to improve present estimations and detect long-term trends in the population. In order to decrease the human pressure in some breeding sites, it would also be important to create local protected areas, where several human activities should be restricted (such as the training of hunting dogs), at least during the breeding season.
this study was financed by the Direcção Regional dos Recursos Florestais (DRRF, Azores). We are grateful for the logistic facilities provided by the Serviço Florestal de Ponta Delgada (SFPD) and the Serviço Florestal do Nordeste (SFN). ALM was supported by a research grant from ICETA-University of Porto. JCB was supported by a Post-doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/11542/2002) from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. We thank Pedro Tarroso for his help with Fig. 1 and acknowledge the valuable comments of two referees.
- N. J. Aebischer, A. D. Evans, P. V. Grice, and J. A. Vickery . 2000. Ecology and conservation of lowland farmland birds. British Ornithologists' Union. Hertfordshire. pp. Google Scholar
- D. Bannerman and W. Bannerman . 1966. Birds of the Atlantic islands.Volume 3- A history of the birds of the Azores. Oliver & Boyd Ltd. Edinburgh and London. pp. Google Scholar
- N. Beurier 1973. La Bécasse des Bois aux Açores. La Mordorée 105:18–20. In French. Google Scholar
- J. C. Brito, E. G. Crespo, and O. S. Paulo . 1999. Modelling wildlife distributions: logistic multiple regression vs overlap analysis. Ecography 22:251–260. Google Scholar
- M. J. Cabral (Coord.), J. Almeida, P. R. Almeida, T. Dellinger, N. Ferrand de Almeida, M. E. Oliveira, J. M. Palmeirim, A. I. Queiroz, L. Rogado, and M. Santos-Reis . Eds;. 2005. Livro Vermelho dos Vertebrados de Portugal. Instituto de Conservação da Natureza. Lisboa. pp. In Portuguese). Google Scholar
- A. D. Cliff and J. K. Ord . 1973. Spatial autocorrelation. Pion Ltd. London. pp. Google Scholar
- S. Cramp and K. Simmons . 1983. Scolopax rusticola Woodcock.-. In S. Cramp and K. Simmons , editors. Eds;. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Waders to Gulls. Volume III:Oxford University Press. Oxford. pp. 444–457. Google Scholar
- E. Dias 1996. Vegetação natural dos Açores. Ecologia e sintaxonomia das florestas naturais. PhD thesis. Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroismo. pp. In Portugese. Google Scholar
- O. Duriez, Y. Ferrand, F. Binet, E. Corda, F. Gossmann, and H. Fritz . 2005a. Habitat selection of the Eurasian woodcock in winter in relation to earthworms availability. Biological Conservation 122:479–490. Google Scholar
- O. Duriez, H. Fritz, S. Said, and Y. Ferrand . 2005b. Wintering behaviour and spatial ecology of Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola in western France. Ibis 147:519–532. Google Scholar
- L. Edenius and J. Elmberg . 1996. Landscape level effects of modern forestry on bird communities in North Swedish boreal forests. Landscape Ecology 6:11325–338. Google Scholar
- Y. Ferrand 1989. Contribution à l'étude du comportement du mâle de Bécasse des Bois Scolopax rusticola L. en période de reprodution. Méthode de dénombrement. PhD thesis University of Montpellier. pp. In French. Google Scholar
- Y. Ferrand 1993. A census method for roding Eurasian Woodcock in France. Biological Report 16:19–25. Google Scholar
- Y. Ferrand and F. Gossmann . 2001. Elements for a Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) management plan. Game and Wildlife Science 18:1115–139. Google Scholar
- A. M. Franco, J. C. Brito, and J. Almeida . 2000. Modelling habitat selection of Common Cranes Grus grus wintering in Portugal using multiple logistic regression. Ibis 142:351–358. Google Scholar
- D. S. Furtado 1984. Status e distribuição das plantas vasculares endémicas dos Açores. Arquipélago, Série Ciências da Natureza V 197–209. In Portuguese. Google Scholar
- E. Goes 1991. A floresta portuguesa - sua importância e descrição das espécies de maior interesse. Portucel. pp. In Portugese. Google Scholar
- F. Gossmann, Y. Ferrand, Y. Loidon, and G. Sardet . 1988. Méthodes et résultats de baguages dés Bécasses des bois (Scolopax rusticola) en Bretagne.-. In P. Havet and G. Hirons , editors. Eds;. Third European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop.. Paris, France. ONC, IWRB, CIC. pp. 34–41. In French. Google Scholar
- P. Granval 1987. Régime alimentaire diurne de la Bécasse des bois (Scolopax rusticola) en hivernage: approche quantitative. Gibier Faune Sauvage 4:125–147. In French. Google Scholar
- P. Granval 1988. Approche écologique de la gestion de l'espace rural: des besoins de la Bécasse (Scolopax rusticola L.) à la qualité des milieux. PhD thesis. University of Rennes. pp. In French. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons 1980. The significance of roding by Woodcock Scolopax rusticola: an alternative explanation based on marked birds. Ibis 122:350–354. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons 1983. A five-year study of the breeding behaviour and biology of Woodcock in England - A first report.-. In H. Kalchreuter , editor. Ed. Second European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop.. Fordingbridge, England IWBR Publication. pp. 51–67. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons 1987. Habitat use by Woodcock Scolopax rusticola during the breeding season. Gibier Faune Sauvage 4:349–362. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons 1988. Habitat use by Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) during the breeding season. In P. Havet and G. Hirons , editors. Eds;. Third European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop. . Paris, France. ONC, IWRB, CIC. pp. 42–47. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons and P. Bickford-Smith . 1983. The diet and behaviour of Eurasian woodcock wintering in Cornwall.-. In H. Kalchreuter , editor. Ed. Second European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop. Fordingbridge, England IWBR Publication. , pp. 11–17. Google Scholar
- G. Hirons and T. H. Johnson . 1987. A quantitative analysis of habitat preferences of Woodcock Scolopax rusticola in the breeding season. Ibis 129:3371–381. Google Scholar
- A. Hoodless 1994. Woodcock Scolopax rusticola.-. In G. M. Tucker and M. F. Heath , editors. Eds;. Birds in Europe: their conservation status. . BirdLife International. Cambridge. BirdLife Conservation Series no 3. 270–271. Google Scholar
- D. W. Hosmer and S. Lemeshow . 1989. Applied Logistic Regression. John Wiley & Sons. New York. pp. Google Scholar
- C. Liu, P. M. Berry, T. P. Dawson, and R. G. Pearson . 2005. Selecting thresholds of occurrence in the prediction of species distributions. Ecography 28:385–393. Google Scholar
- A. L. Machado, Y. Ferrand, F. Gossmann, A. M. Silveira, and D. Gonçalves . 2006. Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) breeding biology in Pico Island (Azores - Portugal).-. In Y. Ferrand , editor. Ed. Sixth European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop- Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Wetlands International Woodcock and Snipe Specialist Group. 25-27 November 2003, Nantes, France. International Wader Studies 13, Wageningen. The Netherlands. pp. 10–16. Google Scholar
- A. L. Machado, Y. Ferrand, F. Gossmann, A. M. Silveira, and D. Gonçalves . in press. Application of a roding survey method to the sedentary Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola population in Pico Island, Azores. European Journal of Wildlife Research. Google Scholar
- A. Machado, D. Gonçalves, Y. Ferrand, and M. Silveira . 2002. First data on Woodcock Scolopax rusticola breeding in Pico Island, Azores. Airo 12:35–44. Google Scholar
- B. Mulhauser 2002. Suivi spatio-temporel des aires de croule des bécasses des bois Scolopax rusticola à l'aide de recensements simultanés. Alauda 70:1121–130. In French. Google Scholar
- W. D. Newmark 1991. Tropical forest fragmentation and the local extinction of understory birds in the Eastern Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Conservation Biology 5:67–68. Google Scholar
- I. Newton 2004. The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actions. Ibis 146:579–600. Google Scholar
- M. E. Novo, J. P. Lobo Ferreira, F. Cota Rodrigues, and E. Brito de Azevedo . 1999. Desenvolvimento de um Inventário das Águas Subterrâneas dos Açores. Fase 2 - Relatório de Progresso. Relatório LNEC 124/99-GIAS. Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil. Lisboa. pp. 301. In Portugese. Google Scholar
- J. F. S. Oliveira 1965. Ensaios efectuados nos viveiros a cargo da Administração Florestal de Ponta Delgada. C - Cryptomeria japonica. Estudos e Informação no 125. Lisboa: Direcção Geral dos Serviços Florestais e Aquicolas. (In Portuguese. Google Scholar
- D. J. Pain and M. V. Pienkowski . 1997. Farming and birds in Europe: The Common Agricultural Policy and Its Implications for Bird Conservation. Academic Press. London. pp. Google Scholar
- J. Pearce and S. Ferrier . 2000. Evaluating the predictive performance of habitat models developed using logistic regression. Ecological Modelling 133:225–345. Google Scholar
- M. J. Pereira, M. Moura, G. B. Maciel, and J. B. Oliveira . 1998. Conservation of natural vegetation in Azores Islands. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal Suppl. 5:299–305. Google Scholar
- T. Piersma, J. Van Gils, and P. Wiersma . 1996. Family Scolopacidae.-. In J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, and J. Sargatal , editors. Eds;. Handbook of the Birds of the World. . Hoatzin to Auks, Volume 3. Lynx Edicions. Barcelona. pp. 444–534. Google Scholar
- J. A. Ramos 1996a. Action plan for the Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina).-. In B. Heredia, L. Rose, and M. Painter , editors. Eds;. Globally Threatened Birds in Europe, Action Plans. . Council of Europe Publishing. Strasbourg. pp. 347–352. Google Scholar
- J. A. Ramos 1996b. The introduction of exotic trees as a threat to the Azores Bullfinch population. Journal of Applied Ecology 33:710–722. Google Scholar
- L. Silva and C. W. Smith . 2004. A characterization of the non-indigenous flora of the Azores Archipelago. Biological Invasions 6:193–204. Google Scholar
- E. Sjögren 1973. Vascular Plants New to Azores. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal 27:94–120. Google Scholar
- E. Sjögren 2000. Aspects on the biogeography of Macaronesia from a botanical point of view. Arquipélago. Life and Marine Science Suppl. 2 (Part A) 1–9. Google Scholar
- SPSS Inc 2003: SPSS for Windows. Release 12.0.-. Chicago SPSS Inc. Google Scholar
- J. A. Swets 1988. Measuring the accuracy of diagnostic systems. Science 240:1285–1293. Google Scholar
- T. G. Tutin 1964. A vegetação dos Açores. Açoreana VI 1:8–32. In Portuguese. Google Scholar
- Wetlands International . 2002. Eurasian woodcock In. Waterbird Population Estimates. Third Edition. Wageningen, Wetlands International Global Series No. 12 164. Google Scholar
- J. Wilson 1983. Wintering site fidelity of woodcock in Ireland.-. In H. Kalchreuter , editor. Ed. Second European Woodcock and Snipe Workshop. Fordingbridge, England IWBR Publication. pp. 18–27. Google Scholar


text:
FemTech Fund
Focusing on emerging technologies, products and services improving women's health and wellness throughout their lives.
Ready for Some Great Pitches?
Companies to be Announced May 1, 2019
Upcoming Pitch Call: May 10, 2019
Missed the last pitch session? Check out the videos here.
March 13, 2019
Fe3 Medical is addressing Iron deficiency anemia in women using a novel delivery modality.
NX Prenatal is the only firm utilizing proprietary exosome-based liquid biopsy techniques to create breakthroughs in maternal-fetal diagnostics.
Pitch evaluation and discussion of Fe3 Medical and NX Prenatal by fund leadership and Portfolia FemTech fund members.
In Diligence
Interested in joining a diligence team? Email us and let us know.
MitraGen is a cardiovascular device company developing a unique and compelling approach to Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR).
Invested Companies
Select a portfolio company below for company updates, open positions, and executive bios so.
Madorra has developed the first effective, non- hormonal treatment and new treatment paradigm for vaginal dryness.
Future Family helps families more easily afford fertility services like IVF and egg freezing.
Prime Genomics is creating innovative new ways to transform the cancer screening market by using saliva testing.
Fund Leadership
Have a question or issue?
Upcoming Investing Events
(in Pacific Time)
Upcoming Social Events
(in Pacific Time)
Pacific Standard Time
Pacific Standard Time


text:
Jasco Products Blog – 11.2.18 (11.1.18)
Did you know that the screens we look at every day could have a negative impact on our sleep quality? Luckily, with the help of SleepLite technology – the end to a poor night's sleep could be closer than you think.
Read more: Blue Light Maybe Ruining Your Sleep, Combat it with a SleepLite


text:
Telling tales of life in the 1900s
ARMED hold-ups at Curra Station, near-death experiences at Harvey Siding and pioneering life in Wide Bay in the early 1900s.
It's all in The Life of a Queensland Settler, the memoirs of German immigrant Konrad Nahrung.
Goomeri's historic Boonara Homestead turned 150 last month but three years after it was established, Konrad was working and married there.
He had migrated to Australia in 1858 and, after arriving in Sydney, found work in Maryborough, then Roma and Mackay, working as a bullock driver, shepherd, cook and bootmaker.
He dabbled in gold mining and was a publican before settling on a farm at Miva, where he lived out the rest of his life. His descendants still live in the district.
In the early 1900s, Konrad provided his hand-written memoirs to his grandson Alex, who assembled the loose sheets and added his own introduction and postscript.
Now, Konrad's great-great-grandson Jason has further organised, annotated and indexed Konrad's account of life as a Queensland pioneer.
The book includes photographs, family tree information and details on the voyage of Konrad and his sister from Germany to Sydney.
His memoir provides a first-person view of interactions with Aborigines and commentary on the opening up of large tracts of Queensland.
On his Gympie sojourn, Konrad writes:
"They say fortune only knocks once on your door and it knocked on mine during the few days I remained at Gympie, for I was offered what turned out to be the famous New Zealand claim for 30lb, but I did not heed the knock as I ought to have done. The men working it were short of funds and I thought if it is not worth their while, it is not worth mine."
Konrad declined to buy the claim, which was instead bought by Black Brothers, who made a fortune.
He then took his wife and family to Nine Mile - now Harvey Siding's - and stayed with the Palmere family for a few days. It was about that time the gold escort was robbed near Curra Station, then owned by CJ Booker.
"The robbers, five in number, first of all frightened or secured the servants in the kitchen and outhouse," writes Konrad.
"Evidently their intention was to get the gold under the escort and Mr Booker's money in the one act."
One of the robbers got the drop on the escort, resting on a sofa in the room where the gold was kept, but a struggle then ensued and the robber's weapon was knocked out of his hand and then used to shoot at him.
"The alarm was now given and the robbers made off," Konrad writes. "In the morning, traces of blood were found, no doubt the effect of (the escort's) shot."
The book is published through Lulu.com as a free e-book or cost-only paperback.


text:
We woke up in our tent around 6:30 a.m., after a not so great night sleep due the to constant heavy rain. We knew though, that we had to get moving and pack everything up, even though most of our gear was really wet. Let me tell you, there is no such thing as waterproof, only water resistant - kinda.
We had set up camp about 75 yards from the road, at a place called Winding Stair Gap. So all we had to do was walk down and hitch a ride into Franklin, NC; about 12 miles east. Turned out to be easier than we thought, because within 15 minutes of standing there, a very nice couple, Linda and Bob, who had spent the weekend camping were heading back into town.
For the rest of the morning, we went grocery shopping and getting some other items we needed. When we were almost finished shopping, one of the managers at the Ingles Grocery Store offered us a ride back to the Gap. He told us that whenever we were ready, to just find him and he would take us back up to the trail. We quickly took him up on his offer and got back to the trail around 12:00 noon. Just in case you forgot, this whole time, it still pouring down rain. We were really thankful for his generousity.
Kate and I were able to get 12.5 miles of hiking in today, even though we didn't start until after lunch. When you are hiking in the rain, everything gets wet. By the time it had finally stopped raining, around 3:00 in the afternoon, there was only a very small part of me that was not yet totally drenched.
When we arrived at the shelter we were staying for the night, we met a group of people that were hiking together. Their names were Dirty Trever, Lawman, and Hobble. They were a pretty fun group of guys. Most of them were in college still, but Lawman is from Austin Tx.
Dirty Trever gave me my trail name - "The Kid". I like it a lot, I think the reason why is because I am still a kid. When he said The Kid, I immediately thought of Billy The Kid, the famous outlaw, and I liked that.
Miles: 12.5
Steps: unknown
Location: Latitude: 35.18786, Longitude: -83.56225


text:
There are two basic ways to do this, and neither is very complicated, although they can be.Rather than using wax that adheres to your skin and pulls on it when you are removing the hair, sugar binds to the hair and pulls it out at the root.
Waxing is one of the most effective ways of removing excess or unwanted hair from the body.It is applied at lukewarm temperature and gently removed with a flicking motion in the direction of hair growth.While it is a matter of personal choice for many of us to remove pubic hair or not, there are many ways to do it.Nothing tops a razor (look for aloe or shea-butter moisture strips) for navigating this ultra-sensitive, uneven terrain in a pinch. (Beware the afterburn if you dare to wear deodorant without.
In my opinion, there is no rule to how you should keep your pubic hair.
While a Brazilian can be a variety of different hair removal styles that remove almost all pubic hair from the pubic region, a full Brazilian removes it all, leaving no hair whatsoever.
If you do find it uncomfortable, our healthcare professionals can prescribe a numbing cream for the skin.Many creams also have hair retardants which slow the growth of new facial hair.
The Natural Plant Wax is a process that incorporates natural plant-based waxes.New refers to a brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item, while Used refers to an item that has been used previously.
The warm weather does wonders for our souls, but we could certainly do without the extra time it takes to shave, wax and laser off every exposed hair on our bodies.Women of ancient Egypt removed all of their body hair, including that on.Hair removal wax is an effective way to get rid of unwanted hair for several weeks.Hard Wax Beans for Painless Hair Removal (All In One Body Formula) Our Versatile Pink Best Loved by KoluaWax for Face, Bikini, Legs, Underarm, Back, Chest.
Signs of an allergy may include red and irritated skin, along with itching, blisters, and swelling in more serious reactions.Sugaring is a natural, hair removal method that uses a mixture of sugar, lemon and water to create a sugar wax paste.


text:
Writers, photographers, storytellers — gather your lenses, unsheathe your pens — today Maptia 2.0 is launching.
Come and join our global community of creative individuals who love to explore new cultures and new places, who care about the environment, and who believe that thoughtful storytelling can make a tangible, positive impact in the world.
The past 1,000 days have seen us journey across four continents on our quest to build Maptia. It has been an amazing adventure, and today we are proud to open Maptia up to the world — with a whole set of exciting new features and a beautiful new design.
Yes, it's new and shiny, but no, it's not finished or complete or done or any of those things — it's not even close, and we hope it never will be. Because as long as there are more people having more experiences in more places all over this beautiful lump of spinning rock that we are lucky enough to call home, then Maptia will never be done.
Maptia is a place to publish our most thoughtful and inspiring stories about the world around us. Stories about the places we call home, stories about the places closest to our hearts, stories about the places we have travelled. Stories about lives utterly different from our own, and stories about the people and places who need our help and support to thrive.
Together with our community, we are on a mission to gather an ever-growing, shared record of our diverse lives and experiences from every single place on the planet — one that inspires us to get out there and to make the most of our time on Earth.
Scroll onwards for a taster of what to expect from Maptia 2.0 or head straight over to maptia.com and check it out for yourself.
Storyteller Homepage
Everyone who joins Maptia has a beautiful storytelling homepage, where they can showcase their writing and photography, increase their exposure, and share their unique lens on the world.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust, 1871–1922
Beautiful Stories
National Geographic's Jim Richardson says that, as photographers, "it's our job to be in service of the story." We have designed our story layout with these words as our guiding philosophy. The story comes first, always.
Our story editor enables you to craft beautiful photo stories. And we're only just getting started. In the coming weeks and months we will be launching new features like custom story maps, photo grids, multiple header layouts, the ability to present your story in distinct sections using chapters or moments, and beautiful typographical quotes.
"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world."—Philip Pullman
Storytelling Themes
Once published, you can submit your story to one of our global Storytelling Themes, where your story will be featured alongside some of our top storytellers if you can you impress our editors.
"There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place."—J.K. Rowling
Featured Stories Homepage
If your story really resonates with our community and starts to generate momentum, then it will be featured on the main maptia.com/home homepage — alongside our daily Editors' Pick.
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." — Jawaharlal Nehru
Putting Your Stories on the Map
Beautiful maps are an integral part of what makes storytelling on Maptia unique, and all stories must have an overall location — which can be as broad (e.g. India) or as specific (e.g. Taj Mahal) as you like.
One of the most important parts of our mission at Maptia is an ongoing quest to build the most inspirational map in the world — an interactive map of the world filled with beautiful, thought-provoking stories from every corner of the globe. One that we can all contribute to, and one that we can share with the generations to come. We believe that everyone, everywhere has unique stories to share.
But hang on just a moment, we hear you cry, this sounds amazing, I want to dive in right now and start exploring….where is this map?
Well, don't fret because along with our good friends over at Mapbox, we're working on it. Maptia 2.0 is a completely new product, and we wanted to share the first version with you as soon as it was ready. Adapting current map-based technology for storytelling, so that our maps are truly beautiful, interactive and customisable, is a challenge—but it's a challenge we're excited about, and we're making good progress behind the scenes.
For now, you'll spot the bold new maps in the headers of all Maptia stories, and you will also spot the very first, humble version of our world map of stories on our Editors' Picks page, where we visualise the most remarkable stories contributed to Maptia (see a screenshot below, then head over to Maptia to explore the map in all its interactive glory). And before long we will be visualising everyone's stories on a much bigger version of our map.
Over the next few months, in addition to working on expanding our world map, we will be working with our storytellers to build a fully interactive story map, which will beautifully visualise the places or locations that a storyteller writes about (we call these 'place mentions') within their story.
We are also launching the first Place Pages on Maptia today (see below) and over the coming months we will be running special storytelling events to launch country and city pages—gathering together hundreds of different perspectives and stories from each place.
If you're a writer, photographer, videographer, or storyteller with a special love or unique perspective on the country where you now live or where you grew up — and think that you might like to be involved in helping us launch your country's place page on Maptia, then please do drop us a line.
"That is the charm of the map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible." — Rosita Forbes, Writer and Explorer, 1890–1967
Will your stories find a 'home' on Maptia?
On the Internet, just as in real life, we are all searching for places that feel like 'home.' Places filled with like-minded and thoughtful people. Places that we instinctively know are the right platforms and communities for the particular type of content we are sharing.
When we find these places it is inspiring to know that we are part of a community who live by similar philosophies, who share our passions and beliefs, and who are uniting for a common cause while at the same time celebrating and learning from their differences — it feels good to find somewhere that we belong.
Part of the beauty of the Internet is that it gives us the tools and the freedom to build an infinite number of different platforms, for many different types of stories, from all over the world — and for each of us to find our own particular 'home.' It is a blank canvas on which to explore our many similarities and differences.
To paraphrase Craig Mod's wise words, this amazing array of different platforms actually means that we have the opportunity to publish our work and our stories in more than one place — which is a very good thing. Doing so enables us to work with new people, to connect with new audiences, to be creatively challenged, to see things from new perspectives, and to engage with the world around us with greater empathy.
We are inspired by the growing diversity of well-designed and thoughtful platforms and apps that encourage and enable us to share meaningful, beautiful content online. Today — along with our wonderful community of founding storytellers — we proudly launch Maptia 2.0 out into the colourful, connected, and unfathomably large tapestry of human creations that make up the Internet.
Join a Community That Gives a Damn
We hope that many of you will find a 'home' for your most thoughtful and inspiring stories on Maptia, and we believe passionately in putting our purpose and our why — our 'raison d'être' — first.
At Maptia we are on a mission to create a shared record of our diverse lives and experiences from every single place on the planet. To gather stories that will foster empathy and understanding between cultures; stories that will empower us to care for our fragile environment and to support those people and places that need our help; and stories that will inspire us to get out there and make the most of our time on Earth.
So if you are looking to join a passionate community of storytellers, photographers, writers, adventurers, and changemakers — all of whom are contributing to a growing library of inspiring and thought-provoking stories from all over the world — then Maptia is the place to be.
We look forward to welcoming you into our community.
Dorothy, Dean, Jonny, Daniel, and Brian
— The Maptia Team


text:
A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Realty Income Corp. (O - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 1.4% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Realty Income Corp. due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
Realty Income Q1 FFO and Revenues Beat Estimates
Realty Income' first-quarter 2019 adjusted FFO per share of 82 cents surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents. The reported figure is also up 3.8% from the prior-year quarter's reported tally of 79 cents.
The company benefited from year-over-year growth in revenues and also witnessed high occupancy levels. Recently, the company announced its first international real estate investment and raised its guidance for full-year 2019.
Total revenues for the reported quarter came in at $354.4 million, up 11.3% year over year. The revenue figure also exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $347.6 million.
Quarter in Detail
During first-quarter 2019, same-store rents on 4,891 properties under lease inched up 1.5% to $298.6 million from the prior-year quarter. Portfolio occupancy of 98.3% as of Mar 31, 2019, shrunk 30 basis points (bps) both sequentially and year over year.
Further, the company had 102 properties available for lease, out of a total of 5,876 properties in the portfolio as of Mar 31, 2019, compared with 80 properties as of Dec 31, 2018. Additionally, during the quarter, the company re-leased 71 properties to existing and new tenants, at a rent recapture rate of 104.7 %.
Portfolio Activity
During the first quarter, Realty Income invested $519.5 million in 105 new properties and properties under development or expansion, situated in 25 states. The assets are fully leased, with a weighted average lease term of around 17.0 years, and an initial average cash lease yield of 6.7%. Around 31% of the rental revenues from acquisitions reported during the quarter came in from investment grade-rated tenants and their subsidiaries.
The company sold 19 properties for $22.5 million, with a gain on sales of $7.3 million, during the January-March period.
Finally, Realty Income exited first-quarter 2019 with cash and cash equivalents of $3 million, down from $10.4 million at the end of 2018. Furthermore, Realty Income raised $2.2 million from the sale of common stock, at a weighted average price of $67.85 per share, during the reported quarter.
Further, the company has a $3.25-billion unsecured credit facility, comprising a $3-billion revolving credit facility and a $250-million term loan. As of Mar 31, 2019, the company had a borrowing capacity of $2.2 billion available on its revolving credit facility.
Realty Income expects full-year 2019 adjusted FFO per share in the range of $3.28-$3.33, up from $3.25-$3.31 guided earlier.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates.
VGM Scores
Currently, Realty Income Corp. has an average Growth Score of C, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. However, the stock was allocated a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the bottom 20% quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Realty Income Corp. has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.


text:
- Salary
- Starting salary will be based on experience and credentials
- Team
- Customer Service
- Location
- Aurora, IL, USA
This role will be functionally responsible for all scheduling, forecasting, real-time monitoring, and staffing level analyses across a 400+ FTE contact center operation. We are looking for a strong Workforce Manager who will be able to balance long- and short-term strategy and the day-to-day management of workforce personnel.
Conduct all workforce management activities to recommend appropriate staffing levels
- Create and maintain metrics related to workforce management, to include forecasting, call center statistics, capacity planning and scheduling.
- Perform analysis on metrics to make scheduling recommendations to management, appropriate to call volume projections, to achieve service level goals
- Monitor call queues and make adjustments based on seasonal variations, special events, or other cyclical patterns that impact call volume
- Identify change initiatives to support successful productivity levels and quality customer service; promptly and thoroughly implement agreed-upon changes
- Maintain and analyze Daily Activity reports, Agent & Department Scorecard reports, Forecasting Volume reports and other reports as assigned.
- Make staffing recommendations that support team goals and initiatives, while maintaining high levels of performance
- Partners with call center supervisors and managers to ensure appropriate staffing is in place and contingency plans are created to overcome operational challenges
- Create, compile and extract information to maintain agent Pay for Performance database and submit weekly/monthly performance reports to Customer Experience staff
- Compile time sheet report for interim staff using NICE database
- Complete and track daily and weekly attendance reporting and monthly attrition reporting
- Per request by supervisor or manager, create trending analysis and other various reports
Fulfill other duties as required
- Special projects as directed by manager
- Relish the opportunities to pick up new activities that fall broadly in the purpose of the role
- Ability to take initiative to think outside the box and identify opportunities for improvement
- Identify problems and find solutions
- Minimum 4-8 years' experience in workforce management or analytics required
- Bachelor's Degree strongly preferred
- Minimum 4-8 years' experience in a call center environment preferred
- Familiarity with InContact and IEX software required
- Workforce Management software experience required
- Strong proficiency with Excel
- Must be a highly motivated, enthusiastic team player, driven by targets
- Dynamic, driven, energetic, engaging and ability to drive for results
- Must have a customer focus
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong organizational skills, able to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously
- Ability to build strong relationships with all types of people
- An innovative thinker who enjoys learning and solving problems
- Ability to work a varied schedule including nights, weekends and overtime if needed
- Ability to lift, push or pull up to 30lbs
Dyson US monitors the market to make sure we offer competitive salaries and retirement plans. But financial rewards are just the start of a successful career at Dyson. Professional growth and new opportunities are driven by regular reviews and dynamic workshops. And with a vibrant culture, the latest devices and a dress code reflecting our creative engineering spirit, it's an exciting team environment geared to fuelling and realising ambition. Dyson is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with Dyson and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please send an e-mail with your contact information, the job number of the position for which you are interested in applying, and the nature of your request to firstname.lastname@example.com or call: (312) 706-2260. Determinations of requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis. Dyson is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities


text:
A good pair of cycling shoes are a must for any serious cyclist. They should be stiff, comfortable, light and stylish. Many professional cyclists (who are often superstitious) value their favourite shoes so highly that they won't let them out of their sight in between races. But there are times when you'll want something a little different from the flashy, garish, ultra light and Velcro-strapped footwear that we see in the pro peloton.Read More
Ride Velo 2016 Highlights
With political turmoil and the sad death of some of the greats of the music, art and entertainment world, 2016 seemed a bit bleak at times. But, as HG Wells once said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair of the future of the human race." So, while the year had its tricky moments, we were lucky enough at Ride Velo to see plenty of adults (and children) on bikes as well as ride a few ourselves. Here are some of our highlights of the year.Read More
Eroica Limburg: a European Vintage Cycling Adventure
Eroica: a vintage cycling celebration and ride that started in 1997 on the Strade Bianche in Tuscany, has many incarnations these days. California, Japan, South Africa and even Uruguay have their own version. Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire just celebrated its third year and has developed into a full on festival with dressing up competitions, food stalls and entertainment on a scale that caters for thousands, winning the award of best non-music festival last year. So, Ride Velo were very excited to be invited to Holland for the first edition of Eroica Limburg.Read More
Review: The Light Blue St John's Retro
With Eroica Britannia just one week away, Ride Velo has been busy preparing for the three day festival and, in particular, the Sunday morning bike ride. This must be undertaken on a pre-1987 bike... with a couple of exceptions.
Two of the new 'sport range' of Light Blue bicycles are eligible for Eroica Britannia even though they are were only released last year - they are the Kings and St Johns retro steel bikes - and they are gorgeous! Ride Velo was lucky enough to take three of the new range out for a photo shoot back in December: the Robinson, Trinity fixed and the St Johns. We loved them all, but it was the St Johns that I kept coming back to.Read More
How to Dress Vintage
Vintage cycling events have become massively popular in the last few years. The Tweed Run has been going for eight years and tickets for this year's London event sold out in just 30 seconds! The Eroica Britannia festival had its second outing last year and attracted 50,000 guests as well as winning the UK Festival Awards prize for the best non-music festival. This year, 4,500 are set to ride around the glorious Derbyshire countryside on pre 1987 vintage steeds, including Ride Velo and lots of our friends. If, like us, this is your first time, we're here to help you look the part!Read More
Hopkinson Saddle Bag Review
Hopkinson England must have heard that we've been vintage bike shopping for the upcoming Eroica Britannia as they asked us to review their 'Louis Bag', a leather cycling bag with a classic look and simplistic design. Good thing too - It looks great on my new 1970s Bianchi road bike.Read More
Vintage Bike Shopping for Eroica
Ride Velo has never been to Romford before and, an hour into the journey, we were seriously considering why we were enduring the traffic jams to get across London to a place that we've successfully managed to avoid for several decades without worrying about it. If we'd known what an Aladdin's cave we were about to enter we would never have questioned the sanity of spending a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon stuck in the car negotiating the dubious driving skills of the inhabitants of Essex, rather than enjoying the country lanes of the Kent Alps on a road bike.Read More
The All New R.E.W. Reynolds
Many of us who get into cycling immediately start chasing down the lightest carbon fibre bikes, and snap up replica apparel as worn by our pro cycling heroes. After we've been riding for a little while, however, we look back at the history and heritage of cycling, learning about the great riders as they tackle the most iconic climbs. Images of pain, heroism and grit etched on the faces of the true stars of the sport, such as Hinault, Simpson and Coppi put the likes of Contador and Froome in the shade. And the clothing… well you only have to look at the shocking new Tinkoff-Saxo kit to know that the teams of the 60s, 70s and 80s just oozed style and sophistication compared with their modern equivalents.Read More


text:
Find Events
Host Events
Create Event
Sign Up
Log In
Antics Joke Show Ft. Tom and Ollie
Cafe Kino
108 Stokes Croft
City of Bristol
Luke Mallison
Celebrate the start of another May Bank Holiday weekend with your regular supply of fantastic local comedy!For this Antics Joke Show, we are proud to present: ** Sketches from TOM & OLLIE COMEDY ** "Tom & Ollie Comedy are an award-winning*, comedy-competition-final-reaching* sketch-comedy double-act of completely equal worth and wit*. Expect anything from Scotland's own Andy Murray, to the World's Worst Philosopher™, to the mysterious properties of a revolutionary magnifying glass, depending on which sketches we actually decide to do. 'Shades of a young Steve Coogan' ~ Steve Bennett, Chortle'Genuinely hilarious'~ Inter:Mission, ***** *Only Tom has won awards *Only Tom has reached comedy-competition-finals *Highly debatable" ** Improv from UP THE ANTICS ** Up The Antics is a sketch and improvisational comedy group from Bristol, U.K. Established in 2014 as 'The VA' by graduates from Bath Spa University, as a company they have performed in and hosted a variety of live performances all over the country, including Bath Comedy Festival, the Southampton Comedy Fridge, and in various venues across London and Bristol. Collaborating with friends and local artists, Up The Antics will showcase their bizarre and silly take on popular culture, social conventions and nerd nostalgia. "Up The Antics [...] are taking the city by storm" - The Bristol Magazine ** And even more improv from IMOGENÉ ** One improviser. One word. One chance to use improvised theatre to change the world. IMOGENÉ is Imogen Palmer's visual album. 'A master of her craft' ~ Charlie Sturgeon (Improv Conspiracy, The Quiet Achievers) Imogen Palmer has been performing improvised theatre for over six years, most recently with 'Soothplayers' (improvised Shakespeare) at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and with Impro Melbourne's improvised musical 'Smells Like a Song'. She survived all 26 hours of the Bristol Improv Marathon 2017 and runs workshops for impro companies across the UK, specialising in bringing authenticity and good storytelling to improvised work. IMOGENÉ is her first solo, impro project. Contact her at www.imogenpalmer.org. ** Stand-up from PETER JONES ** Pete is a veteran of the Bath comedy scene, and is currently a member of Bristol-based comedy troupe Up the Antics. His unique nonsense has seen him woo audiences in Bath and Bristol, as well as audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 and 2016. '[W]arm and likeable…imaginative and very funny.' 'Peter Jones' set consists in large part of rambling about his hair' ~ Theatrebath.co.uk 7pm // £5 // Cafe Kino
This listing has no upcoming events


text:
The term "biohack" is all the rage these days. But what does it actually mean? Biohacking is simply taking control of your environment so you can improve your mental and physical biology, increase your longevity and improve your health and performance. Who doesn't want that!
While biohacking is a relatively new term, the desire to slow aging isn't. That's why we want to be sure you know that the oldest and best biohack is to give your body the nutrition it needs from unprocessed, chemical-free whole foods. Quite honestly, the best way to do that is with Mother Nature's original biohack – algae. Noted below are just a few of the hundreds of reasons why algae helps you turn back the hands of time, improves your chances for longevity and protects you and your family's wellness. Are you ready to look and feel more amazing? Good! Let's do this!
Algae was the first food on earth and 4 billion years later it still offers the most complete nutritional profile of any food which is why NASA [8] has used and endorsed algae [9] for decades. Spirulina algae (we call ours ENERGYbits and BEAUTYbits) is regarded as one of the most protective, functional and healing foods of the 21st century and boasts an unmatched nutrient profile and benefits. [1]
Spirulina has the highest concentration of protein [2] in the world and its powerhouse of 40 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients [3] work synergistically and naturally to elevate energy, improve mental focus [15] enhance skin & hair health [14], improve athletic performance [17] boost vitality, reduce inflammation [16] and support optimal health. In 1974 the United Nations [18] even identified spirulina as the answer to world hunger [4]. Wow.
The knowledge of spirulina's health benefits have been documented for fifty years in over 25,000 scientific studies so there is no question that spirulina's benefits are all evidence-based and contribute to your longevity and optimal health. With our food supply and environment so toxic and our health and families suffering, instead of asking yourself why you and your family should take algae every day, maybe you should be asking yourself why wouldn't you!
Our other favorite algae for biohacking is chlorella. Chlorella algae (we call ours RECOVERYbits) is world recognized for its wellness and medicinal properties [5] including its unique ability to chelate metals [6] including mercury and lead.
Chlorella algae has the highest concentration of chlorophyll in the world. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green and it is essential for cellular health, cleansing your body and helping to prevent disease such as lung disease [10] [12].
Chlorella also has high amounts of bio-available iron, RNA/DNA, chlorella growth factor, and forty other vitamins and minerals that help to boost your immune system, speed cellular renewal, support mitochondria function, reduce aging [11] accelerates recovery [20] from athletics and improve eye health [13]. Chlorella even removes alcohol so it helps reduce hangovers (woot!).
Chlorella algae also contains a rare source of natural Vitamin K2 which supports heart and bone health [19] and skin health [21]. In fact recent research has found that heart disease is due to calcification of your blood vessels. Only Vitamin K2 can remove this calcium out of your blood vessels and move it into your bones where it should be. To learn more about Vitamin K2 is and why everyone is deficient in it, check out the book called Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox which you can purchase on Amazon.
Take a handful of chlorella tablets every night or after a workout to flood your body with its healing, cleansing recovery and biohack properties. You can swallow or snack on them either alone or with macadamia nuts, blended with smoothies, added salads, trail mix or anything you like. We love them with slices of fruit or even dark chocolate and sea salt. Yum.
In Summary
Adding ENERGYbits spirulina and RECOVERYbits chlorella algae to your daily routine will boost your energy, health, longevity and vitality. If you're still not convinced, check out this recent by article in Psychology Today [7] by nutritionist/neuroscientist Dr. Nicole Avena PhD who writes about the benefits of our algae.
If you're ready to take your wellness and wellbeing into your own hands with algae, visit us at ENERGYbits to purchase the cleanest, purest, safest, most nutrient dense algae available. If you don't have our 20% discount codes, please email our Customer Care Manager Corey Imparato (firstname.lastname@example.com) who will be happy to email it to you! If you're still undecided but want to try a sample we have good news! You can purchase single servings online or from a retailer near you!
Please note that all our algae tablets are naturally grown, non-GMO, keto, vegan, unprocessed whole food. They have one ingredient, one calorie, zero net carbs, FORTY vitamins and minerals, high amounts of EFA and 5 gram of protein (per serving of 30 tabs). Algae is a whole food which is why both the FDA and US Congress [23] recognize algae as a food crop, not a supplement.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061973/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27507218
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5387034/
- http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/docs/statement08/iimsam.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26561078
- https://www.nihadc.com/library/detox-for-life-class-2-addit-resources/54-4-dosing-with-chlorella/file.html?accept_license=1
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/food-junkie/201810/should-you-be-taking-algae-supplement
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136577/
- https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2552.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC526387/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4200191/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5286777/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22313576
- https://www.naturopathic.org/article_content.asp?edition=105§ion=157&article=949
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772061/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576896/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20010119
- http://iimsam.org/en/category/press-releases/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566462/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4186384/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/antioxidants-fact-sheet
- http://www.algaeindustrymagazine.com/algae-agriculture-act-introduced-in-congress/
Additional References
- Hasler CM. Functional foods: benefits, concerns and challenges–a position paper from the American council on science and health. J Nutr. 2002;132(12):3772-3781.
- Park H-J, Lee H-S. The influence of obesity on the effects of spirulina supplementation in the human metabolic response of Korean elderly. Nutr Res Pract. 2016;10(4):418-423.doi:10.4162/nrp.2016.10.4.418.
- Serban M-C, Sahebkar A, Dragan S, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of Spirulina supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations. Clin Nutr Edinb Scotl. 2016;35(4):842-851. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.007.


text:
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, "Look at us!" The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!" Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. Acts 3:3-7 (NLT)
Which one are you? The lame man or the apostle? It's sort of a trick question. You see on the surface we see the lame man begging and the apostle delivering. But, there is another contrast that I want to look at more closely. The lame man was asking for money. He had done the same thing day in and day out. If he had a really good day, maybe he wouldn't have to come tomorrow because he would have collected enough for two days but probably most days he was getting just enough to get by. Those were his expectations. He was settling.
Along came Peter and John. Peter wants to give him more than just enough. He wants to give him more than he can even imagine. Peter wants to give him Jesus. So Peter says "Get up and walk!" Peter knows there is so much more out there than what this man is asking for. He knows that Jesus has more power to transform his life than this lame man even understands. And he has the faith to make it happen. Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit to utter those words. And he did! He believed with all of his heart that Jesus would deliver.
As I was thinking about this story I wondered about the different place they were spiritually and why they were there. Peter and John had spent a lot of time with Jesus. They'd seen miraculous things and experienced his love toward people. Their walk with him the last few years had changed them. It had grown their faith. The lame man had not had those experiences. He was never exposed to that saving power.
Then, I wondered, "Where am I?" Maybe I am somewhere in the middle? I know God wants so much more for me than the bare minimum. But I am not Peter, yet. I can only pray that as I continue to walk with Jesus that he will grow my faith and one day I too will be prompted by the Spirit to boldly issue a God command and I'll do it. In the meantime, I can say "What I have I'll give you." And I will share Jesus.
How about you? Who are you in this story?


text:
Amazon Boss Accuses Tabloid Of Blackmail
The world's richest man, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, has accused the owner of a US gossip magazine of trying to blackmail him over lewd pictures.
He said the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc (AMI), wanted him to stop investigating how they had obtained his private messages.
Story from peacefmonline.com News:
Published: 2019-02-08 10:21:44
© peacefmonline.com


text: This is acceptable to me. Thanks German. On 3/7/17, 10:28 AM, "rc-bounces at nro.net on behalf of German Valdez" <rc-bounces at nro.net on behalf of german at nro.net> wrote: >Hi > >Please could we agree in a draft agenda for the coming IAN RC meeting in >ICANN 58. > >Here is a proposal for your review > >0. Welcome >1. Rol Call >2. Review Open Actions >3. IANA Performance Report (presented by RC RIR community members) >4. Internal Operational Procedures >5. Community Engagement >6. Next Meeting >7. AOB >8. Adjourn > >It¹d be great to include it in the invitation email for this meeting. > >Given the time constraint I will send an initial invitation tomorrow >(one week in advance) > >German >_______________________________________________ >Rc mailing list >Rc at nro.net >https://nro.net/mailman/listinfo/rc


text: Blockchain Ireland Week 2019 Pete Townsend shares his views on Blockchain Ireland Week 2019:#BlockchainIrelandweek was such an awesome display of what we're doing here in #Ireland with #blockchain! I got to catch up with tons of fantastic people, and even work on my own inability to do 3 things at once - think, speak and look right into the camera! @BlockIreland pic.twitter.com/soySDXH3dh— Pete Townsend (@PeteTownsendNV) May 31, 2019 Pete TownsendMay 31, 2019 Twitter LinkedIn0 0 Likes


text:
Your Care Advisor Darren Wendroff has been trying to reach you to learn more about your care situation and to get you started. Please contact Darren directly at (407) 431-2214 or [email protected] at your earliest convienence.
You can also click the button below to set up a call back. Thank you.
To start off, I am a very young caregiver and most of the times very under estimated! I've been working with clients (not patients!) since I was 19 years old within my family's business. I've grown and learned so much from them and honestly have been blessed to grow close as family. Once you get to see how I am, you will be pleasantly surprised... I definitely bring life to them! This job can not be taught, it's just something within a person that gives them the patience and compassion for it! I assure you, you will be pleased to have me as part of your team ;)


text:
Some friends on our Journey
Daniel and Stacey at our live events
We want to thank all of you that have attended our LIVE events. So many good memories and friends made. Hope you are all doing well and using the Technique on yourself and with your family and friends and are changing lives.


text:
Welcome to Rovaniemi! Are you looking for a convenient place to stay during your vacation with your partners? Then we guess you came to the right place. We offer many kinds of accommodation, let's find out below...
Santa's Holiday Homes
Our hotel is located right in the center, where you can reach all kind services around town within a few steps. Right under the hotel, there is a club where you can party with your friends, a pizzeria when you feel hungry and also a grocery shop which opens 24/7.
For other services aside from accommodation, please contact our reception, we will give you our best advice and services during your trip in Rovaniemi.
Luggage Service
We all know how annoying it is when you are on vacation but having to walk around town with a heavy luggage on your back or rolling on the street. Don't worry, we can help you.
Our luggage point is located right in the city center, so you can visit us easily
Address: Koskikatu 20, 96200 Rovaniemi
Price: 6€/1hr – 12€/3hrs – 18€/ 6hrs – 22€/ 12hrs
Address: Koskikatu 20, 96200 Rovaniemi
Price: 6€/1hr – 12€/3hrs – 18€/ 6hrs – 22€/ 12hrs
Note: The service is free if you use our accommodation, which is Santa's holiday home.