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NEW YORK (AP) — Legal troubles and regulatory scuffles keep piling up for the banking industry, a fact that's sure to drag down results when the banks start reporting fourth-quarter earnings beginning Friday.
Most obvious will be the pall cast by this week's national settlement over foreclosure abuse. Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and six other banks have agreed to pay a combined $8.5 billion to settle the government's accusations that they wrongfully foreclosed on millions of struggling homeowners.
The banks have already said the settlement will crimp their fourth-quarter results. Bank of America expects a hit of $2.5 billion — more than it made in the fourth quarter of 2011, when it earned about $1.6 billion.
Longer term, the settlement is the latest reminder that a legacy of risky mortgage lending, which helped set off the 2008 global financial crisis, is still exacting consequences in the form of quarterly charges, lawsuits and regulatory fines. The financial crisis may no longer be a sharp pain, but its aftermath is a nagging ache.
The foreclosure mess is hardly the only legal or regulatory maelstrom banks are dealing with. In the fourth quarter, the government separately sued Wells Fargo, JPMorgan and Bank of America, among others, over mortgages they or companies they later bought made in the years before the crisis. The banks have disputed the allegations.
Also, Citigroup had to dismiss a high-profile analyst after regulators accused him of breaking disclosure rules about a company he was covering. A British bank, HSBC, settled Justice Department accusations that lax oversight allowed money launderers to shift funds around with impunity.
Some investors are wondering if U.S. banks could become ensnared in a scandal over the manipulation of a key interest rate. Over the summer the British bank Barclays was fined $453 million by U.S. and British regulators for trying to manipulate the rate, which is known as Libor, or the London Interbank Offered Rate.
Both Citigroup and JPMorgan have said in regulatory filings that financial regulators and state attorneys general had asked them for information related to their role in setting the interest rate, which is a global benchmark for many kinds of loans and short-term borrowing. They and Bank of America, along with other banks, are the subject of Libor-related lawsuits filed by pension funds and other investors.
Banks are already operating in a challenging business environment. Low interest rates are crimping what the banks can earn when they make loans. Increased regulation has cut into some of their former sources of profit, like trading for their own account. Feeble economic growth has made many small businesses and individuals nervous about borrowing money.
And even though 2012 was a good year for bank stocks, that was in large part because 2011 was so bad. Financials were the best performing stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 index in 2012. In 2011, they were the worst.
To be sure, analysts predict that earnings at most of the big banks could increase for the fourth quarter. Much of that could come not from higher revenue or lending but from cutting jobs and other expenses, and from trimming reserves they hold for loans that might go bad.
Thomas Curry, head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a government agency that regulates banks, warned recently that banks shouldn't deplete their capital cushions just to boost quarterly earnings.
"I remain very concerned that too many institutions are continuing to reduce provisions (for potentially bad loans) solely to boost earnings," Curry said in a speech in October. "... We are ready to take action if and when it is needed."
Here's a rundown of when major banks will report financial results for the final quarter of 2012:
—WELLS FARGO: Reports Friday. Mortgage refinancing drove third-quarter results at both Wells Fargo, the country's biggest mortgage lender, and JPMorgan Chase, the second-biggest. Analysts will want to know how long the wave can last.
—JPMORGAN CHASE: Reports Wednesday, Jan. 16. JPMorgan's surprise $6 billion trading loss last year has made it a target for investigators. In a regulatory filing in November, JPMorgan said it is under "heightened regulatory scrutiny" and expects that it "will more frequently be the subject of more formal enforcement actions."
—GOLDMAN SACHS: Reports Wednesday, Jan. 16. Analysts will want to know if the "fiscal cliff" budget showdown in Washington made Goldman's clients shy away from trading, or whether they jumped at the chance to make money on the uncertainty.
—BANK OF AMERICA: Reports Thursday, Jan. 17. The bank continues to grapple with the fallout from problem mortgages made before the crisis. On Monday, in addition to the national foreclosure settlement, Bank of America announced it would settle charges with the government-sponsored mortgage lender Fannie Mae over mortgages Fannie bought from Bank of America.
—CITIGROUP: Reports Thursday, Jan. 17. The earnings report will be a critical test for new CEO Michael Corbat, who will be making his first major appearance to Wall Street since taking over the bank in October. He took the top job after Vikram Pandit abruptly stepped down in October. Corbat has already announced job cuts and plans to exit some countries.
—MORGAN STANLEY: Earnings date not announced. The bank is trimming jobs and other expenses, including plans reported this week to cut another 3 percent of its workforce, or 1,600 jobs. Morgan Stanley is also focusing on financial advising as a way to build up revenue more reliably.


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NEW YORK (AP) — A number of major U.S. companies postponed quarterly earnings reports scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, as Hurricane Sandy barreled into the East Coast and caused the first unplanned shutdown of financial markets since 2001.
Pfizer Inc., Thomson Reuters Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Tesla Motors Inc., Spirit Airlines Inc. and NRG Energy Inc. are among those holding financial reports until later this week.
Pfizer, Avon Products Inc., and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., which were due to report Tuesday, will announce results Thursday. Thomson Reuters, also originally scheduled for Tuesday, will report Friday. NRG and McGraw-Hill Cos. will also report on Friday instead of Wednesday.
More companies delaying their announcements:
— Power provider Entergy Corp. will report on Nov. 5 instead of Tuesday.
— Biopharmaceutical Acorda Therapeutics Inc. will report results on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
— Maintenance products distributor MSC Industrial Direct Co. will report results on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
— Mortgage insurer Radian Group Inc. will report earnings on Thursday instead of Tuesday.
— Rudolph Technologies Inc., which makes measurement and process control software, will report results on Wednesday instead of Monday.
— Satellite radio provider Sirius XM Radio Inc. will report on Thursday instead of Tuesday.
— Commercial mortgage real estate investment trust Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc. will report on Thursday instead of Tuesday.
— Office Depot Inc. will report on Nov. 6 instead of Tuesday.
At least 26 other companies also announced that they were postponing earnings announcements.
Some companies, including Burger King Worldwide Inc., Valero Energy Corp. and MasterCard Inc., are reporting as planned. Luggage maker Tumi Holdings Inc. said it will report its third-quarter results on Monday, but canceled its scheduled conference call because of Sandy.
Flooring and ceiling maker Armstrong World Industries Inc. posted its third-quarter results, but said it would reschedule its conference call to a later date.
Liberty Mutual Holding Co. canceled its conference call scheduled for Tuesday and said its financial results will be available on its web site as soon as possible.
The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and CME Group in Chicago closed Monday. Trading on the NYSE was last closed on Sept. 11, 2001. The last time it closed for a weather event was in 1985, when Hurricane Gloria hit the East Coast.
Stock trading will be closed in the U.S. for a second day Tuesday as the hurricane moves inland. Bond trading will also be closed. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq said they intend to reopen on Wednesday and would keep investors updated.
This is the New York Stock Exchange's first weather-related consecutive-day closing since 1888, when a blizzard left drifts of snow as high as 40 feet in New York.
CME Group Inc., which operates exchanges that trade commodities, futures, options and securities related to interest rates, said its equity markets will be closed Tuesday. However, it will reopen its equity index futures and options on futures markets late Monday for overnight electronic trading.
CME's interest rate markets will reopen late Monday for overnight trading and remain open on Tuesday.
Hurricane Sandy strengthened and sped up as it approached the East Coast on a predicted path to make landfall by early Monday evening in southern New Jersey or Delaware.— putting it on a collision course with two other weather systems that would create a superstorm with the potential to wreak havoc over an 800-mile area, from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.
Parts of lower Manhattan near the Financial District are under mandatory evacuation orders. By Monday afternoon, flood waters from New York harbor had flooded the esplanade at Battery Park, a short walk south of the New York Stock Exchange.
Those conditions are expected to worsen over the next two days as the storm surge intensifies.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Gospel According to the Other Mary
Source: Los Angeles Philharmonic
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Michel van der Aa: Sunken Garden trailer 2
Source: English National Opera
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Anna Clyne: Night Ferry with the CSO
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Michel van der Aa on Sunken Garden
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Michel van der Aa introduces his new 3D film opera Sunken Garden, performed by English National Opera at the Barbican Theatre in London in April and staged at the Holland Festival in June. Also appearing are singer Roderick Williams and Pierre Audi of the Holland Festival.
The opera combines music and film by Michel van der Aa, libretto by David Mitchell - author of Cloud Atlas - with singers and chamber orchestra. The work explores 3D technology both in its subject matter and its stage presentation. A filmmaker is creating a documentary about mysterious disappearances but gets caught in an occult web leading to the 'sunken garden'.
Sunken Garden is a co-commission by English National Opera and the Barbican, the Holland Festival, Toronto Luminato Festival and Opéra de Lyon.
> Also view a video trailer about Sunken Garden


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"trio of Black hand enemies""The Black Hands wielded paired weapons" "Lion Knight Albert"Okay then.
She is beautiful actually, here u can find her slidershttps://imgur.com/r/SoulsSliders/HkrMw
Parry queen
This NPC is Kriemhild. When has an NPC's name ever been their relationship to a named character? It's just a grammatical fluke of listing one's title before their name. This is the standard naming practice of NPC's in Dark Souls, with exception of when their title is simply "of (homeland)", "the (descriptor)", or, on occasion, "knight of (homeland)".
If she's there defending the Princes, and was most likely a scholar of the Archives, she's got to have some irreverence for the whole flame linking thing and her wearing of fire keeper robes may illustrate that. Not just any rando is allowed to wear those and I can bet she pulled them off some corpse in the untended graves.
It says that three people on the Grand Archives are the Black hands but that isn't true, one is Kamui (who IS up there) one is Gotthard ( who you summon and find the corpse of) and the other is unknown.
http://i.imgur.com/aH8rUFk.jpg Doubt anyone cares at all, but I've got an okay-ish-sorta picture that shows her face
Somehow this woman just parried two handed Astora Greatsword R1 like it was a twig. Apparently she can parry UGSs for some reason.
Combat information is wrong, she does riposte.
Anyone know if the trio is weak to toxic at all?
I'm a fan of the idea that her name is most properly pronounced as daughter of crystal; Kreimhild. In the same way that black hand; Kamui and lion knight; Albert are her compatriots whose names are preceded by their titles. This is opposed to her being the daughter of the original crystal Kreimhild.
Ok, people in the comments are kind of silly, so here's the deal.-She drops nothing in Untended Graves at all, besides souls. She likely invades because at this point you're close enough to Lothric and Lorian where she feels the need to step in.-She is the same in the Archives as when she's a Dark Spirit. The Staff was likely given to her by her mother, who was a favored human by the Crystal Sages. Her mother received the staff from them and gave it to her. It's also why the Crystal motif.-The Firekeeper robes are likely just for fashion. I see no reason other than that.
She's the daughter of the Crystal sage in the Grand Archives, similar to Heysal because she's the daughter of the Crystal sage in the Undead Legion. She uses the Crystal Rapier and the Crystal staff and she wears the Fire Keeper outfit. She can be found next to the Farram Knight and the Black Hand probably protecting Lothric and Lorain. She can also invade you in the Untended Graves, which is kinda weird sense we has no purpose there in the first place.
() An example simulation from the experiments summarized in panel (), where is 0.9: green and red traces correspond to the corresponding neuronal shapes in the left panels. The blue trace is …
We now turn to the analysis of large-scale microendoscopic datasets recorded from freely behaving mice. We run both CNMF-E and PCA/ICA for all datasets and compare their performances in detail.
We begin by analyzing in vivo calcium imaging data of neurons expressing GCaMP6f in the mouse dorsal striatum. (Full experimental details and algorithm parameter settings for this and the following datasets appear in the Methods and Materials section.) CNMF-E extracted 692 putative neural components from this dataset; PCA/ICA extracted 547 components (starting from 700 initial components, and then automatically removing false positives using the same criterion as applied in CNMF-E). Figure 6A shows how CNMF-E decomposes an example frame into four components: the constant baselines that are invariant over time, the fluctuating background, the denoised neural signals, and the residuals. We highlight an example neuron by drawing its ROI to demonstrate the power of CNMF-E in isolating fluorescence signals of neurons from the background fluctuations. For the selected neuron, we plot the mean fluorescence trace of the raw data and the estimated background ( Figure 6B ). These two traces are very similar, indicating that the background fluctuation dominates the raw data. By subtracting this estimated background component from the raw data, we acquire a clean trace that represents the neural signal.
() An example frame of the raw data and its four components decomposed by CNMF-E. () The mean fluorescence traces of the raw data (black), the estimated background activity (blue), and the …
Top left: the recorded fluorescence data. Bottom left: the estimated background. Top middle: the residual of the raw video (top left) after subtracting the estimated background (bottom left). Bottom …
To quantify the background effects further, we compute the contribution of each signal component in explaining the variance in the raw data. For each pixel, we compute the variance of the raw data first and then compute the variance of the background-subtracted data. Then the reduced variance is divided by the variance of the raw data, giving the proportion of variance explained by the background.
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(blue) shows the distribution of the background-explained variance over all pixels. The background accounts for around 90% of the variance on average. We further remove the denoised neural signals and compute the variance reduction; Figure 6C shows that neural signals account for less than 10% of the raw signal variance. This analysis is consistent with our observations that background dominates the fluorescence signal and extracting high-quality neural signals requires careful background signal removal.
New design patterns are forming as more and more people deliver software with containers. Red Hat engineering is leveraging and driving many of these patterns in the community. The goal of this section is to help highlight and define some of these patterns.
The way a container is saved on disk (i.e. its image format) can have a dramatic affect on how it is run. For example, a container which is designed to run sssd needs to have special privileges whenever it's run, or it can't do its job. The following is a short list of patterns that are forming in the container community:
These images are what end users consume. Use cases range from databases and web servers, to applications and services buses. These can be built in house or delivered to a customer from an ISV. Often end users will investigate and care about what bits were used to create a standalone image. Standalone images are the easiest kind of image to consume, but the hardest to design, build, and patch.
A base image is one of the simplest types of images, but you will find a lot of definitions. Sometimes users will refer to corporate standard build, or even an application image as the "base image." Technically this is not a base image. These are Intermediate images.
Simply put, a base image is an image that has no parent layer. Typically, a base image contains a fresh copy of an operating system. Base images normally include the tools (yum, rpm, apt-get, dnf,
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) necessary to install packages / make updates to the image over time. While base images can be "hand crafted", in practice they are typically produced and published by open source projects (like Debian, Fedora or CentOS) and vendors (like Red Hat). The provenance of base images is critical for security. In short, the sole purpose of a base image is to provide a starting place for creating your derivative images. When using a dockerfile, the choice of which base image you are using is explicit:
These are a specialized form of container image which produce application container images as offspring. They include everything but a developer's source code. Builder images include operating system libraries, language runtimes, middleware, and the source-to-image tooling.
When a builder image is run, it injects the developers source code and produces a ready-to-run offspring application container image. This newly created application container image can then be run in development or production.
For example, if a developer has PHP code and they want to run it in a container, they can use a PHP builder image to produce a ready to run application container image. The developer passes the GitHub URL where the code is stored and the builder image does the rest of the work for them. The output of a Builder container is an Application container image which includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux, PHP from Software Collections, and the developer's code, all together, ready to run.


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Self-drafted pencil skirt with vent
Added Feb 9, 2013
by janene
London, United K...
There's a lot of talk about the balance of 'frosting' to 'cake' out there. The penny dropped when I realised I had a fine choice of clothes for the weekend but nothing to wear to work on a daily basis. Well you can't get more practical than a black pencil skirt!
I self-drafted a pattern for my grey skirt back in August 2012 and just tweaked it to make it longer and more tapered for this one. I also included a vent with mitred corners.
I made the top too. A peasant top using Butterick B4685. I completely forgot to blog it but I have made this top a couple of times before. But here's a link to the gingham one I made before.
More pictures and details for the skirt over at ooobop!
Material Notes
100% wool outer and poly lining.
6 Comments Sign in to add a post
Feb 11, 2013, 12.25 AMby Vanessa Velasquez
i love black skirts with blouse blouses!!! this is a combination that never gets old and yours is really fantastic!!!
Feb 9, 2013, 07.06 PMby neveenkarnes
You can't go wrong with black skirt, it goes with everything I love it well do the whole outfit looks fantastic!!!! Great job!!!
Feb 9, 2013, 06.04 PMby zsyzu
The pencil skirt is a wardrobe must have especially in black! Well done for the whole outfit. I love your hair and shoes too!
Feb 9, 2013, 02.56 PMby ink
So lovely, I need a great skirt like this ! Gorgeous.
Feb 9, 2013, 01.17 PMby mokosha
that's a great skirt.. i, for sure, need more cake.. have all those patterned tops and skirts that i can't wear, 'cause i simply have nothing to match them to.. thanks for the inspiration :)
Feb 9, 2013, 09.03 AMby Mary Athey
Fab outfit, love the skirt!! I.ve a couple of burda pencil skirts.(easy) I use..i'm the same as.you,.i've loads of evening wear but not much day wear so.'m sewing basics x
Add to Favorites 1 person added it


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Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
Description of Sepia apamaSepia apama is the Australian Giant Cuttlefish. It is the world\'s largest cuttlefish species, growing to 50 cm in mantle length and over 10.5 kg in weight. S. apama is native to the coast of Australia, from Brisbane in Queensland to Shark Bay in Western Australia. It occurs on rocky reefs, seagrass beds, and sand and mud seafloor to a depth of 100 m. Breeding takes place with the onset of the southern winter. Males abandon their normal cryptic colouring and set out to dazzle the females by adopting rapidly changing bright colours and striking patterns. Devious males mimic female colouring and form in order to gain access to females protected by dominant males. Death follows shortly after mating and laying of eggs that will spawn the next generation. Sepia apama are primarily diurnal and have a small home range (90-550 meters) over short recording periods. They are able to channel most of their energy directly into growth because they spend 95% of the day resting, suggesting bioenergetics more like that of an octopus than a squid. Very little time is spent foraging (3.7% during the day and 2.1% during the night), most of their time is spent resting and hiding in crevices from predators. The exception to this behavioral routine is the mass spawning aggregation, where cuttlefish are far more active during the days or weeks that they spend there.


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DC Council To Take Up Resolution On Redskins
WASHINGTON (AP) — The D.C. Council will take up a resolution next week urging the Washington Redskins to change their nickname.
The council passed a similar resolution in 2001, and the new one has broad support on the 13-member body. It comes amid a national debate about the name, which some consider to be offensive to Native Americans. President Barack Obama recently said he would "think about changing" the name if he owned the team.
The resolution no longer suggests a new nickname for the team. Councilmember David Grosso, who wrote the original resolution, had suggested "Redtails" in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen.
The council has no power over the Redskins.
Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation have requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners during Super Bowl week to discuss changing the nickname.


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You have converted 3000000 KRW to NZD: 4 048,00 New Zealand Dollar's. For this operation we used International Currency Rate: 0,00135. The result will appear with every reload of the page. You can convert South Korean Wons to other different currencies with the form on right sidebar. If you want to know money equivalents of 3000000 South Korean Won in other currencies see "In other currencies".
Convert currency 3000000 KRW to NZD. How much 3000000 South Korean Wons to New Zealand Dollar? — 4 048,00 New Zealand Dollar's
Reversed currencies - Convert 3000000 New Zealand Dollar to South Korean Won
On this chart displays history of exchange rate for KRW/NZD or (South Korean Won / New Zealand Dollar)


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Chai Eggnog
2 cups 2 percent milk, divided
3½-inch stick cinnamon, smashed using the side of a knife
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
10 whole cloves
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
½ teaspoon ground ginger
4 cardamom pods, crushed (or ½ teaspoon ground cardamom)
Kosher salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
Brandy or rum, for flavoring (optional)
Grated nutmeg, to garnish
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1½ cups of the milk with the cinnamon, vanilla bean, cloves, peppercorns, ginger, cardamom pods and a hefty pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it stand for 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a sieve, discarding all of the solids except for the vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk; discard the vanilla pod.
Wipe out the saucepan and return the milk to the pan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat the eggs with the sugar for 2 minutes, or until they are light and lemon colored. Add the heated milk in a stream, whisking gently. Return the egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 4-6 minutes. Do not let the mixture come to a simmer or the eggs will scramble.
Quickly add the remaining ½ cup milk to the pan to stop the cooking. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and chill for at least 2 hours or until very cold.
To serve, divide the eggnog among 4 chilled glasses, stir in a dash of brandy or rum, if desired, and top with a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.
Serves four.
Nutrition values per serving: 140 calories, 4.5 g fat (2 g saturated), 16 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 16 g sugar, 7 g protein, 100 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium.
Sara Moulton for The Associated Press


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Charles Pitkin, 58 - April 08, 2009
Charles A. "Chuck" Pitkin, 58, of Callaway died Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Services were held on Friday, April 3, at the United Methodist Church at Callaway with the Rev. Jerry Schwarz officiating. Burial was at the Rose Hill Cemetery at Callaway.
Pitkin was born May 22, 1950, at Callaway to Charles John and Mildred Anna (Lange) Pitkin.
He attended elementary school at West Cottonwood District No. 254, graduated from Callaway High School with the Class of 1968 and then went on to further his education at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte, graduating in 1970.
After college, he returned to Callaway where he worked as a carpenter. In the 1970's, he went back to his love of farming, according to family members. He raised Black Angus cattle and Targhee sheep, especially enjoying raising his Angus bulls.
Pitkin was a man of many talents and could fix anything, family members said. In his spare time, he enjoyed hunting.
He had three children by his first marriage, and met the love of his life, Gayle (Fripp) Evens, in December of 2006. The couple were married July 7, 2007, at the United Methodist Church in Callaway. His wife brought to this union her three children.
?Pitkin was always very active in the Methodist Church, his love of the Lord and love of children led him to teach Sunday School and junior high youth group, according to family members. He was also an active member of the Emmaus community.
He was preceded in death by: his father, Charles; a sister, Beverly.
Survivors include: his wife, Gayle Pitkin of Callaway; his mother, Mildred Pitkin of Callaway; his children—Charlie Pitkin of Chadron, Katie and Emily Pitkin of Fairbury; stepchildren—Peter Evens of Aptos, CA, Maria Evens of Newman, CA, and Timothy (Susanna) Evens of Seattle, WA; six step-grandchildren; a brother, Ken (Jill) Pitkin of Callaway; nephews—Ryan and Chad Pitkin.
Memorials are suggested to the family for later designation.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at reynoldslovefuneralhome.com.
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CARSON, Calif. – Landon Donovan has a pair of appearances under his belt after taking a two-and-a-half month sabbatical and now he may be asked to play a greater role in the LA Galaxy's CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal second leg against C.F. Monterrey on Wednesday.
Heading into his third week of training with the club, Donovan admits that he is feeling fitter each day as he looks to regain the scoring touch that made him a valued member in LA's consecutive MLS Cup winning sides.
"I feel great," Donovan told reporters following LA's final training session in Southern California before departing for Mexico. "We obviously have a busy week. We've got the game in Mexico and then the Dallas game which is obviously a big game for us. I think Bruce wants to be smart in how he uses a lot of people, myself included, but I feel great and when they're ready to use me then I'm ready."
Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena told reporters on Monday that it was doubtful that Donovan could go a full 90 minutes, but the Galaxy attacker admitted that he won't know how fit he truly is until he starts logging substantial minutes.
"I feel pretty fit, but to play a full game. I feel pretty fit, but until you play a full game, you're not back to full fitness," said Donovan. "If I'm called upon on Wednesday then I'll go as long as I can and give us much as I can and we'll see what happens."
Would you like to see Donovan get the start on Wednesday? Or would you want him to come off the bench against Monterrey?
Share your thoughts.


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Come to Orkney for the wildlife, the beaches and the history, and we reckon that you'll fall for the culture and the creativity too. This archipelago of around 70 islands lies north of mainland Scotland and was voted one of the UK's top 10 islands in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards, which is no mean feat!
Island life
With a unique culture and history, Orkney has a strong identity of its own. The largest island, and also the most populated, is known as the Mainland. On the East Mainland coast lies Kirkwall, the ancient capital of Orkney, with its Viking cathedral, fishing port and distillery. The archipelago's other main port and town, Stromness, is located in the south of West Mainland. It's a highly creative place with many crafty gift shops and art galleries amongst its old, winding streets.
Walk like an Egyptian
Did you know that the island of Rousay is known as the 'Egypt of The North' because it's home to over 150 archaeological sites, including a 5,000 year old chambered tomb?
In fact, the ancient settlement of Skara Brae on the Mainland is older than the Pyramids, and, together with the dramatic Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
And that's just one aspect of Orkney's fascinating history.
Back to nature
Award-winning beaches, fantastic wildlife, dramatic sea stacks and rugged cliffs - what more could you want? Let's take a closer look:
- Nice and beachy - when you see the white sands and turquoise waters of Orkney's beaches, you might mistakenly think you're in the Caribbean.
- Puffins, fulmars and rare birds - Orkney happens to be on one of the busiest flight paths for migrating birds, with tens of thousands of birds and hundreds of species spotted each year.
- All going swimmingly - porpoises, dolphins, whales and other sealife can be spotted on and around Orkney's shores, and underwater creatures can be found in rock pools and on dives too.
- Rocking through the ages - there are rugged cliffs, deep caves, rocky skerries and dramatic sea stacks to be seen, and sometimes climbed, dotted along hundreds of miles of coast.
- Northern lights - Orkney is considered to be one of the best places in the UK to see the magical Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.


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News Release
News Releases Home Page - DMV Home - State of Nevada Home - DMV Office Locations and Phone
|February 8, 2010
|NEWS FROM: Directors Office
Beginning Thursday, Feb. 11 in Reno, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will begin Advanced Secure Issuance (ASI). ASI is a new license or ID card marked with a gold star indicating it meets federal identification standards for boarding commercial aircraft and entering federal buildings where identification is required.
ASI debuted in Carson City Jan. 11 and the Department so far has issued over 900 ASI driver's licenses or ID cards. The ASI cards will be available in all DMV offices by mid-March.
The biggest change coming with ASI is that the Department will require two documents proving Nevada residency. Utility bills, mortgage statements, rental agreements, and bank statement with the correct residential address are all acceptable. A complete list of acceptable documents can be found on the Department's website.
The Department also recommends that motorists visit its website before making any major change to a license or ID card. The DMV will be asking motorists to show proof of identity and residential address on most license transactions. Duplicates are one exception. For renewals, motorists should renew by internet or mail if possible and wait for their next in-person renewal.
Because the Department has met the first 18 bench marks of the federal Real ID Act, the licenses and ID cards Nevadans currently possess will be good for federal purposes for several years.
"The federal government will continue to accept Nevada licenses and ID cards because we are in compliance with the Real ID Act." Said DMV Director Edgar Roberts.
The documents required to prove identity for an ASI card are the same documents Nevada already requires for first-time licensees and new residents. The difference is that DMV will be accepting only those documents it can electronically verify. The only additional information required for an ASI card is utility bills or phone bills to prove residency.
Nevada's compliance with the Real ID Act has not been plagued by some of the problems of other states. Nevada has had one of the highest standards of identity in the nation for its licenses and ID cards for years. Also, the Department's migration to a central issuance process for cards last year resulted in its current card being one of the toughest to alter or counterfeit. Nevada has also been aggressive in pursing federal dollars to fund the compliance and, to date, has secured $3.7 million in federal grants.
Also, some of the concerns about the Real ID Act have no basis in fact, such as the act requiring a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip in driver's licenses or a national database of driver information. When Governor Gibbons signed emergency regulations that allowed the Department to comply with federal law, he ensured the regulations had specific language that prohibits the use of RFID chips or other technology used to track individuals was included in the final Emergency Regulations. The regulations also define how the DMV will store and restrict access to personal identification data.
Complete information is available at www.dmvnv.com.
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Nevada Proof of Identity and Residency Requirements
Advanced Secure Issuance Home PageNevada DMV Home Page


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- 5806
10 Years of CUTMR
Come Up To My Room (CUTMR), our annual alternative design event turns 10 this year. Coming together in dialogue and collaboration, participants are limited only by their imaginations, making CUTMR one of the most exciting shows in Toronto.
After several failed attempts at finding non-creepy clowns to make balloon animals in the lobby, we eventually decided that the best way to celebrate 10 years of CUTMR creativity was with a beautiful archive gallery.
So please check out the CUTMR 10 Year archive HERE And, definitely make sure you come up to this year's CUTMR Jan 24 – 27, 2013. (Don't worry, there won't be any clowns).


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Avocado Stuffed with Crabmeat Salad
Makes 6 servings
A delicious spring and summer dish...healthy too!
Find this recipe and more in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Always Cooking!.
4 medium-size ripe avocados
juice of 1 lemon
Seasoning Mix:
5½ teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic®
¾ teaspoon dried mustard
¼ teaspoon dill weed
Vegetable Mixture Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers
Crab Salad Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce®
1 egg
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 pound lump white crabmeat, picked over to remove shells and cartilage
how to prepare
Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed. Carefully remove the peel, leaving the sections in one piece. Coarsely dice 1 avocado half and set aside. Sprinkle the remaining with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Set aside.
To Make Vegetable Mixture:
Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are brown on the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden and the bell peppers have rich but subdued colors, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and stir for 1 minute. Add the Seasoning Mix. Cook, stirring frequently, until the seasoning darkens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a sheet pan, spread them evenly over the pan and cool in the refrigerator.
To Make the Crab Salad:
Combine the Magic Pepper Sauce and the egg in a food processor. Process briefly to combine then add the oil in a slow, steady stream until the mayonnaise is thick and the oil is absorbed. Add the reserved chopped avocado and process until smooth. Transfer the mayonnaise to a mixing bowl and fold in the cooked vegetable mixture and the green onions; then gently fold in the crabmeat until the mixture is just combined (do not over mix). Refrigerate the crab salad until ready to use. Makes about 3 cups.
To serve:
Mound ½ cup of the Crab Salad on top of each avocado half. Serve on a bed of lettuce, if desired
final dish


text: I have a Sandisk 32GB Extreme Pro SD card which I have used without issues in my D800E for some time. Today, I was doing some test shots, removed the card, placed it in the Delkin card reader and my Mac Pro tower would not see the card! The images are there, I can see them on the camera LCD; I tried a Lexar card reader, no luck, I tried a different USB port, I reformatted the card in the camera, restarted the computer, and went back and redid everything and still, the Mac Pro will not see the card. I tried to reformat the card in the Mac Pro using disk utility and the card came up as "generic storage card media" but it would not erase it because it said "couldn't open disk." The Sandisk 32GB Extreme CF card to which I wrote simultaneously works fine. I tried another SD card in the D800E and it had no problemMy Macbook Pro laptop has no problem with the Extreme Pro SD card, it works in the on computer slot as well as with either card reader.So, to summarize, the Sandisk 32GB Extreme Pro SD card is not seen by ONLY by my Mac Pro. And... it has worked fine for months. I assume it's faulty in some way, and will attempt to replace it through the vendor from whom I purchased it but it still seems strange that it fails to be read in the Mac Pro ONLY whereas all my other cards work fine in the Mac Pro and everywhere else.Thanks so much for any thoughts, especially if you've seen this before or if you have a solution.Eric


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Summer School at Tech: A Research Experience for High School Teachers
By Dennis Walikainen | Published
High school teachers from across Michigan are doing a little summer school themselves, attending the Research Experience for Teachers on the Michigan Technological University campus. In the program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), they are doing multi-disciplinary research in Michigan Tech's Wood-to-Wheels forest-based biofuels transportation enterprise.
The teachers will use their research experiences to help them develop rich, classroom-relevant teaching units that incorporate multi-level engineering content into high school courses. Other teachers will have a similar opportunity for the next two summers of the three-year project.
"Our goal for this project is to provide in-depth, multidisciplinary research experiences and concurrent curriculum development activities for 21 high school teachers over a three-year project," said David Shonnard, Robbins Professor of Sustainable Materials, a chemical engineering professor who mentors the teachers' research in bioconversion to cellulosic ethanol.
The six-week research experiences focus on three technical areas: Shonnard's bioconversion; forest plant biotechnology, mentored by Chandrashekhar Joshi, professor of plant molecular genetics; and combustion in next-generation engines, mentored by mechanical engineering professor Jeff Naber, head of Michigan Tech's Advanced Power Systems Research Center.
The RET program includes comprehensive laboratory research activities, teaching unit development/refinement, and opportunities for knowledge integration and information sharing among the teacher participants, graduate students and faculty mentors. After the summer research experience, Tech faculty will visit select high schools to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching units.
The project also supports travel for the teachers to present their outcomes at regional and national conferences, and ongoing communication among teachers and Tech faculty through web enabled technology including a project web page and document sharing. Effectiveness of the RET experience will be assessed at each high school by surveys of student attitudes toward STEM education and likelihood of the students pursuing engineering and science careers at universities.
Hands-on Research
One day recently, the teachers who had chosen biofuels combustion as their research area were huddled around a flex-fuel engine in the depths of a Michigan Tech building one recent morning.
"We have a very steep learning curve," said Karl Balke, a physics teacher and robotics coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. "It was bewildering at first. We received some preliminary papers to read, which we diligently did. Then Dr. Naber scheduled us to observe the experiments that his graduate students are performing."
Naber explained: "I think it is important for teachers to understand the wide range of opportunities available in engineering. Also that engineers rely on a solid fundamental education background, along with the importance of problems we are working on. Bringing this back into their respective classrooms, I hope, encourages our next generation to purse engineering and STEM careers."
After witnessing the initial lab tests, the high school teachers reread their homework papers. This time they understood more of the jargon, Balke said.
"We were able to return to the testing environment and ask more intelligent and informed questions about the independent and dependent variables of the experiments," he added. "We are a lot less anxious now that we are more sure of our knowledge of what is going on."
Mandy Frantti, a physics teacher at Munising High School, said each teacher is taking something different from the experience.
High School Curriculum Development
"I am planning to use what I develop in my applied physics class. These are students who are interested in working with instruments, equipment, etc. The course is lab-based, and some of this work here at Michigan Tech will fit well into my curriculum."
Frantti emphasized that her goal is to bring some of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) focus back to students. "Students rarely know what engineers, for example, really do," she pointed out. "By participating in research that is happening here, we will be much better able to give students a picture of what engineering or research is all about. It is also an opportunity to learn about current research and inform students about what kinds of things are being done."
Todd Waurio, a math teacher from nearby Calumet High School, appreciated the professional environment, as they witnessed mechanical engineering PhD students Dan Madison and Wei Chen tinkering with a Ford flex-fuel engine.
"They are keeping the engine load and engine speed constant," Waurio said, "and adjusting ignition settings and EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) percentage, looking at the change in overall efficiency of the engine and decreasing emissions."
The real-world educational aspects fit right into Waurio's plans to share what he is learning with his students.
"Students want to hear about real things," he said. "The social aspects, too. We have many logging trucks in our area, for example, that run on diesel fuel. From another lab experience here, I can teach the students about those engines and environmental impact, and they can see the bigger picture."
Sometimes, Waurio said, students fear "government control," but when they see that regulations are developed to help curb emissions of internal combustion engines and environmental impact, "they can understand why the guidelines are being established."
The problem-solving aspect is also important, according to Balke.
"We are hoping to learn how engineers solve problems by acting like research engineers," he explained. "We will take this experience back to our classrooms and communities to share with our students and demonstrate to the students that teachers can also do the things that we are trying to teach them.
"Hopefully, this will give us added 'believability' when we tell the students that, 'yes, you do need to know this stuff,'" he said, "and that engineering is a most financially and creatively rewarding field of study. Engineers solve problems that matter."
The Michigan Tech grad students and faculty will be sharing the actual results generated during the testing, so the teachers can use it in the classroom.
"I'll use the physics in my applied physics course and the data in my math course," Frantti said. She said she hopes be able to apply ideas of energy, work, efficiency, pressure and more to enrich her existing curriculum.
Frantti said they are also learning what the Tech faculty want to see from the high school students coming to school there.
"And, this project deals with fuels and transportation, something that is relevant to all kids," she remarked. "Most of them either drive or hope to in the near future, and buying fuel for cars is near and dear!" Balke sees an additional, potential payoff, too.
"Michigan Tech is a really nice university. They should think about coming here!"
Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigan's Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.


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I try implement algorithm from article "A stereo matching algorithm with an adaptive window : theory and experiment" by Takeo Kanade and Masatoshi Okutomi. (I am new user and I can't post link)
First problem is on page 7 (denoted as 2) - Taylor expansion with partial derivative. How compute this derivative? It will be delta neighbour pixel intensivity? But in Taylor series is only first derivative - it mean, derivative is constant over window?
Second problem: never exists formula to compute noise variance \sigma^2_n in formula (26) on page 11 (denoted as 6). If I assume this as zero in first step, or no noise at image (or even image1=image2) in denominator can bez zero, derivative/denominator will be infinity at (0,0) point, Each sum will be infinity, and 1/infinity will zero always for no noise.
Maybe it is error in Taylor series and derivative is not over f2 but f2-f1?


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The company also announced that Steve Ackerman, former president of FKI Logistex North America, has been appointed executive vice president. Ackerman has more than 28 years of experience in the automated material handling industry and has held an executive management role for FKI Logistex or one of its companies for over a decade.
The combined company will continue to manufacture and support FKI Logistex products, including loop sorters, palletizers, and fulfillment systems, as well as other products and services traditionally offered by both Intelligrated and FKI Logistex.
Intelligrated will be headquartered in Cincinnati with key systems operations in California and Maryland and manufacturing plants in Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky. The company will also maintain sales and operations offices in 10 states in addition to a sizeable presence in Canada and Mexico.
Intelligrated is privately owned by Gryphon Investors, its majority shareholder, Tudor Ventures and Management.
For more information, visit http://www.intelligrated.com or www.fkilogistex.com.


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AI War 2 is a GO! You can preorder it and get early access if you like.
Opened your save. My computer wept. Switched to the ST planet and ship icons filled my screen, so I zoomed out. Game told me that it _was_ totally zoomed out. You could seriously walk from one end of the inner grav well to the other without getting your feet cold.


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Join local candidates and other activists campaigning for Labour in Fleetwood. If you've never been out on the doorstep, you'll be paired up with one of our veteran campaigners who will help show you the ropes.
Canvassing in Fleetwood
When?May 03, 2015 at 11am - 1pm
Where?Labour Office Fleetwood
50 Lord Street
Fleetwood FY7 6DT
United Kingdom
Google map and directions
Ben Singleton · · 07872417252


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Msgr. Gerald Ryan, who began working as a priest in the Bronx in 1945 and went on to become the longest-serving pastor in New York and probably the country, died on Thursday at Our Lady of Consolation, a residence for ill priests, in Riverdale. He was 93.
The cause was stomach cancer, said Madelyn Feliciano, the office manager of St. Luke's in Mott Haven, the parish Father Ryan led from 1966 until his death.
"Our hearts are broken here," Ms. Feliciano said Thursday. "He was the most amazing priest; he was loving and caring, generous to a fault. He was a father to many people including myself, and he was just our heart and our joy."
For over four decades, Father Ryan was a joyful though sometimes stern fixture on 138th Street in the Bronx, where the stone spires of the church rise among empty lots, bodegas and apartment buildings. When he started at the parish, some in the neighborhood called him the hippie priest, because he wore his red hair long, and was an active part of the civil rights movement, marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala., Father Ryan recalled in an interview last July.
When the South Bronx began to burn, Father Ryan stayed on, opening the church basement as a community center, and later, helping to lead a church effort to build housing projects from the ruins. Through the turmoil, the parish school remained open, offering a refuge to neighborhood children.
"What was most powerful to me is that nobody ever believes that anything good can come out of a place like that, but it was incredible to see how much good came out of that parish," said Cynthia Ceilan, who graduated from the parish school in 1973 and continues to raise money for it.
When Father Ryan was awarded the title of monsignor in recognition of his many years of work, he asked parishioners to continue calling him by the more basic title of father. His rectory quarters were simple, with no air-conditioning or even a fan through the summer months.
Though archdiocesan rules required that he formally relinquish the title of pastor at age 75, he continued as parish administrator for 18 more years, waking up at 6 a.m. to lead services, officiating at weddings, and helping children find scholarships to pay for the parish school.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, in a statement Thursday, referred to him as a pastor, and called him "the epitome of what a priest should be."
"Monsignor Ryan's example has inspired me to be a better priest," he said, "as I am sure it has inspired so many others who worked with and learned from this humble, hardworking, faithful follower of Jesus."
For his part, Father Ryan said last year that he found that living simply helped remind him of the deeper meaning of his life's work.
"I think I have come a long, long way from when I was ordained," he said. "It isn't about serving the church in the way you have envisioned, from the altar, and from the position of authority and power. But it is learning what human nature is, and what the struggles of people are. And where Jesus really is."


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Easton Outfitters introduces the new Stake Out Pack, a full-featured daypack with an innovative retractable, integrated seat pad.
The Stake Out is the perfect match for day hunts when mobility is key. This pack is tailored for "run and gun" turkey hunting, but is equally at home in the treestand or ground blind. The Stake Out is lightweight and with a capacity of 1800 cubic inches, can handle a decent amount of weight when needed. The pack has a padded waist belt for added comfort that can fit up to a 52-inch waist.
The quick-stash hip pockets are handy for calls, a wind indicator, or other small items needed for quick access. The Stake Out is Hydration Bladder compatible, making it easy to stay hydrated in the field. The pack is equipped with six internal and six external pockets for plenty of storage. A rollaway rain cover keeps the pack and gear dry during wet weather and accessory compression straps carry extra layers securely.
The Stake Out features a key ring hook, double-stitched, reinforced seams throughout, a safety whistle conveniently located on the chest strap, reflective cords and oversized zipper pulls for easy access with gloves. Constructed of quiet-brushed, water-resistant material in Realtree X-tra and accented in nylon khaki.
For more information on the Stake Out pack by Easton Outfitters, visit www.EastonOutfitters.com or call 1.800.800.6686.


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100% cotton
LAST CHANCE - was from £48
With its exaggerated woven texture and its deeply embossed waffle weave, the Veiros Quilt is a simple yet statement-making feature for any bed. Woven in a chunky jacquard weave, the 100% cotton design has a generous fabric density of 375 GSM, making it a versatile layer, suitable for use with a sheet in the warm summer months, or as an extra layer on cool nights. The cool, calming block-coloured shade is given depth thanks to the textural finish, and will bring a restful ambience to your room. The design is neatly finished with piping at the seams.
Couple the Veiros Quilt with the matching Veiros Cushions to complete the look.
This collection is made according to the following industry certification standards:
The weight of the Veiros collection makes this a versatile piece that is soft and comfortable against your skin, and agreeable to lie under on both warm and cool nights. The chunky yet precise jacquard weave creates an interesting texture and adds something special to this simple, block-coloured design. Available in complementary shades, mix the blue, with the collection's neutral tones to create a bespoke bedspread and cushion combination that will freshen any bedroom.
Material: 100% cotton
Weave: Jacquard
Fabric density (weight per m²): 375 g
Single - 1.5 kg
Double - 2.38 kg
King - 2.73 kg
Design: Block-coloured quilt with waffle design and piping
Colour: Black
Made with love in: Pedome, Portugal
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® 3928CIT, 2369CIT, 5333CIT
Available sizes:
Single - 180 x 230 cm
Double - 240 x 265 cm
King - 265 x 275 cm
50 x 50 cm
40 x 60 cm
Want more information on materials, manufacturing and care: Read our buying guide
Free delivery & returns
Enjoy free delivery on all orders over £50 within mainland UK. Shop confidently, too, with 100 days free returns (including gifts!), so if you don't absolutely love your order, don't hesitate to send it back – free of charge, no questions asked. Visit our delivery page to find out where else we deliver and the associated delivery fees.
Good things come to those who wait
Occasionally, some collections may have longer-than-normal delivery times. As a thank you for your patience, you'll save on all products with a delivery time of three or more weeks: the longer you wait, the more you save.
Sara ASKS:
"Is the finish soft, despite the texture?"
"Yes, the Veiros collection has a thick, soft finish that is gentle and comfortable against the skin."
Got a question?
Ask our friendly customer service team about this product using the form below.
Thank you!
Your question has been received and our customer service team will reply via email as soon as possible.
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Speak to our customer service team directly between 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
Copyright © URBANARA 2010-2018 | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
URBANARA GmbH: Gipsstr. 10, 10119 Berlin, Germany | Registered at Berlin Charlottenburg under registration number HRB 136641.


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In this podcast from the SQL PASS Summit, SQL Server Magazine spoke with technical experts and executives from Quest about industry trends affecting SQL Server. We ranged over a number of topics including SQL developer tools, the growth of SQL Server, the move of SQL Server to the cloud as a part of the Azure platform, the pros and cons of SQL Virtualization, and the new Quest SQL wiki, called SQLServerPedia.
Participating in the roundtable were Billy Bosworth, Quest SQL Server VP & GM, Kevin Kline, SQL Server MVP (and Former President of PASS),Brent Ozar, Domain Expert, and Douglas Chrystall, Quest SQL Server CTO.
For more on SQL Server cloud computing see:
Cloud Computing: How Will It Affect Corporate IT
Hide comments


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Built on one of the smallest platforms ever for a riding scrubber, the new Betco Stealth MicroRider Scrubber delivers maximum productivity and innovative conservation technology to reduce cleaning costs by up to 36 percent. With a drive speed just under four miles per hour, the machine increases productivity, reduces labor requirements, and lowers wear and maintenance expenses by cleaning 30,000 square feet per hour.
The Stealth MicroRider Scrubber includes a new ECO-Mode feature that allows the machine to operate at only 54 decibels, making it one of the quietest automatic scrubbers ever produced. The push button ECO-Mode control also allows the operator to extend run time by lowering energy consumption of the brush motor and vacuum motor.


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Jeff Gordon is a daddy again! The NASCAR star and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch welcomed their second child this morning. Leo Benjamin was born at 8:53am and weighed seven pounds, two ounces and was 19 inches long.
Gordon announced the good news on his official website, saying "he's happy and healthy, and Mom is doing great."
The couple have another child, Ella Sofia, who is three. [Read more...]


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
"Dancing with the Stars" is back with an all-new cast and fresh show format. The competition begins with the two-hour season premiere, live, Monday, Sept. 16 (8-10:01 p.m.) on the ABC Television Network. "Dancing with the Stars" will shake things up this season by transitioning to a one night, two-hour format. The premiere episode will kick off with an opening number featuring the entire cast. Each couple will then perform a cha cha, foxtrot or contemporary routine, vying for America's vote for the first time.
Beginning with the second episode on Monday, Sept. 23, one couple will be eliminated at the end of the show by combining the judges' scores from the first two weeks with the public votes from the previous week.
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning host Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos") and Brooke Burke-Charvet, "Dancing with the Stars" is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines that are judged by renowned ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
The celebrities and their partners for Season 17 of "Dancing with the Stars" are:
Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday nights during and up to 60 minutes after the end of the "Dancing with the Stars" broadcast in each time zone. Online voting at www.ABC.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dancingwiththestars is open for 24 hours, beginning from the start of each episode on the east coast at 8 p.m., and closing at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. For the final week, on Monday, Nov. 25, online voting will open for 15 hours, beginning from the start of the episode on the east coast at 8 p.m., and closing at 11 a.m. the next day. A custom Facebook app lets fans vote, share whom they voted for and say why, as well as see whom friends voted for.
Fans can follow "DWTS" on:


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All Starbucks City Mugs from «Aydin»
Latest Site Comments
verity I just wanted to ask admins if vases are now part of this Website: I know plates and other sorts... Sep 15, 2018
twreefer You keep adding mugs with no pictures that are already in the database. Sep 15, 2018
sailend How I can buy this starbuck bottle? Sep 14, 2018
verity Pamee you have unfortunately added a lot of mugs which are already in the database. They will... Sep 12, 2018
sorenyth Does anyone know which Starbucks has one of these? I%u2019ve been to several in the city... Sep 12, 2018
macalvi Why are you adding mugs that are already listed on the site? Sep 12, 2018
JD Anyone willing to sell this mug. Kindly let me know. Thank you. Sep 10, 2018
JD How can I buy this mug? How much? Sep 9, 2018
TK Is this still available? Sep 5, 2018
Badger Issued as part of a 3 demitasse boxed issued to commemorate the opening of the Milan Roastery. Sep 3, 2018
City: «Aydin» (1 found) (x)
→ add mug to Fred's database →


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Methuselah, Mathusala [Mētho̅o̅'se lah]—a man of the javelin or it shall be sent (deluge). The son of Enoch, and grand-father of Noah, who lived longer than any other man recorded in history (Gen. 5:21-27).
The Bible represents human life as vastly prolonged before the Flood. Afterwards it grew rapidly briefer. The longevity of the antediluvian races proves that the constitution of man was different from what it is today. With the Flood a change took place so that now the duration of human life is rarely over one hundred years. No strength of constitution, temperance or vegetable diet can add years to such a limit. The instructive register of Genesis five shows that the man who lived for the shortest period lived for 365 years, and the one who lived for the longest period lived for 969 years.
The remarkable longevity served a useful purpose in that it made possible the reception and preservation of ancient traditions. Perhaps Adam lived for about 113 years after the birth of Methuselah, and Methuselah could not have been more than 369 years old when his grandson Noah was born. Thus, Noah conversed with one who had conversed with Adam and Enoch had the privilege of conversing with Adam. God knows how to preserve His truth for the guidance and sanctification of succeeding generations.
Although Methuselah, whose name was fitting for a time when the earth was full of violence, lived for almost a millennium, nothing whatever is recorded of his long life save the birth of his children. What an immense influence he could have exerted through the years if only, like his father Enoch, he had walked with God! It is not the length of a life that counts, but the quality of it.
Why did Methuselah die thirty-one years short of a millennium? Has God reserved the privilege of living for one thousand years for the millennial saints? During our Lord's millennial reign, life is to be prolonged again, so that one hundred years shall be the duration of childhood, and a grown man's ordinary age shall be in the age of a tree (Isa. 65:20, 22).
Devotional content drawn from All the Men of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer. Used with permission.


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PARIS (AP) — He started with the woman who hired him at the secretarial school, befriending her and winning her confidence. She introduced him to her elderly mother, her children. Her grandchildren, nearing adulthood, were next. Soon, Thierry Tilly was almost a member of the family of aristocrats.
Then he dropped the bombshell: Someone wanted them dead.
Bit by bit, family members saw sinister motives in even ordinary encounters. They retreated to their chateau, where Tilly took away their clocks, their calendars, their sense of time. One by one, they relocated with him to Oxford, England, then returned to their Bordeaux home where, the family lawyer said, they were cut off from friends and relatives.
"There was no day and no night," said the lawyer, Daniel Picotin.
Protection didn't come cheap: They sold their ancestral home, apartments, jewels, wine collection, luxury watches — more than 4.5 million euros in all — handing over the proceeds to Tilly, a man they saw as their protector, even their "guru."
The family was in hiding for nearly a decade before two of the adult children realized Tilly wasn't what he appeared.
"We were a normal family that stumbled into an abnormal story," Christine de Vedrines, who first sounded the alarm when her employer declared she and her family were being brainwashed, said in a radio interview. "Thierry Tilly is not a guru; he's a predator."
Tilly, whose manipulation of the de Vedrines family has led to comparisons to the Russian mystic Rasputin's legendary influence over the tsar, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday, convicted of arbitrary detention, using violence against vulnerable people and abusing people weakened by "psychological subjection."
Tilly held the family in his sway from 2000, a year after he was hired by Ghislaine de Vedrines to work at her secretarial school, until 2009. During that time, he led 11 people — ages 16 to 89 — to believe there was a secret plot against their lives, according to court testimony.
Skeptics like Ghislaine's husband were shunned, according to Picotin.
The presiding judge, Marie-Elisabeth Bancal, described it as a "Machiavellian plot."
Picotin said the family's money was poured into a fake charity that Tilly, now 48, claimed was set up to pay the Vedrines' "protectors."
"He persuaded them they were surrounded by enemies," Picotin said.
With the trial over, Christine de Vedrines told the Sipa news agency the family would somehow rebuild.
"Eight years is a small price to pay for what he did to our family and children," said Christine de Vedrines, who Picotin said was locked up by the family for nearly two weeks and deprived of sleep and food before managing to get away.
Picotin said he hopes to help the family reacquire their ancestral home. As for the rest, he said, "it's all gone."
A Tilly accomplice, Jacques Gonzalez, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison.
Tilly's lawyer had argued that the family from the 13th-century village of Monflanquin in southwestern France had acted willingly.
"These 11 family members aren't ill, have their feet on the ground, a level of self-awareness. Eleven people manipulated by mysterious forces by a single man? The legal basis for the case is weak," lawyer Alexandre Novion told The Associated Press.
Novion denounced testimony about the family's mental state, saying a man's freedom should not depend on "an old Freud tome found in a psychoanalyst's attic." He also said Gonzalez — and not Tilly — was the ringleader and absconded with all the money.
According to court statements, in the years after Ghislaine de Vedrines met Tilly in 1999 and introduced him to the rest of the family, he played relatives against each other, creating group paranoia and preying on the family's weaknesses.
"He is a liar, a fantasist," Ghislaine de Vedrines said at the outset of the trial, according to Europe 1. "He kidnapped us, saying anything and everything, and set us against each other."
Tilly was arrested in Switzerland in 2009.
Although Tilly was deemed mentally stable during his trial, French media have reported that he has a history of lies and exaggerations. Tilly claimed before the Bordeaux court that he was a member of the Habsburg dynasty and that he once almost played soccer for Marseille.
Tilly remained defiant Tuesday despite the conviction, saying he is a British citizen and will take his case to the European Court of Justice.
"(The trial) has only just begun," Tilly declared.
His lawyer, meanwhile, said he was not aware that his client was a British citizen.
Picotin said he had hoped Tilly would get a longer sentence. "I'm sure that if he gets out he'll begin again," the lawyer said.
The case raised echoes of another controversial trial involving France's richest woman, 90-year-old L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, who was swindled by a French tax lawyer into handing over to him a private Seychelles island.
Thomas Adamson can be followed at http://Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP
Lori Hinnant can be followed at http://twitter.com/lhinnant


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Find Hotels in Alingsas
Alingsas Hotel Deals from ZUJI
Looking for cheap accommodation in Alingsas, Sweden? ZUJI helps you compare hotels in destinations all over the world for any time of year, whether youre booking early to secure a great rate or trying to snap up a cheap last minute room. Compare TripAdvisor reviews, browse our comprehensive range of Alingsas hotels and make your travel booking with ZUJI today!


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Main Course - Veg
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Personal Trainers in Long Beach, CA
Long Beach Super Sport - View club info
3030 N Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90808
Browse the profiles below to learn more about our Personal Trainers in Long Beach, CA. Once you've found your trainer, you can purchase personal training sessions online. We'll do our best to match you up with the personal trainer that you choose but availability may vary.*
Not ready to choose a trainer? Purchase a Personal Training package and choose a trainer in club.


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Putco Spider Web Grille 303195
- Heavy duty ¼ inch thick solid billet aluminum
- Shows off fully polished mirror finish
- Installs over factory grille - no cutting or drilling
- Eye-catching spider web design
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Made in the USA – Des Moines, IA
As much as we would like to be able to turn you into the next superhero, we unfortunately do not have that power. We do however carry the Putco Liquid Spider Web billet grille that will give your vehicle's front end the added super powers it needs! Get your Spidey senses tingling with this awesome addition to your truck, car, or SUV.
Manufactured from a heavy duty ¼ inch thick solid billet aluminum, this billet grille is built to last. Not only does it add eye-catching style, but provides additional protection to your ride. Showcasing a fully polished mirror finish, when you drive by heads will be turning.
Proudly made in the USA, the Putco Liquid Spider Web billet grille installs directly over your factory grille. No need for any cutting or drilling, making this install on your vehicle in no time. Once installation is complete, you may not be fighting crime, but you will be riding in style!
Order Notes
- (2007) Chevy Silverado 2500 New Body
- 2008-2010 Chevy Silverado 2500
- (2007) Chevy Silverado 3500 New Body
- 2008-2010 Chevy Silverado 3500
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Putco billet grille inserts offer an easy at home installation. No drilling or cutting of factory grille is required. For additional information, please call toll free 1-877-216-5446 or 701-253-5906.
|Putco 71100 Installation Instructions


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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Memory chipmaker Micron said the Tokyo district court issued an order approving its acquisition of Japanese memory chipmaker Elpida after creditors agreed to the plan.
Boise, Idaho-based Micron, which is losing money due to a crumbling PC industry, wants to create larger economies of scale and offered in July to buy Elpida for about $750 million in cash and to pay creditors a total of $1.75 billion in annual installments through 2019.
Elpida's creditors voted to approve the deal on Tuesday, Micron said.
In October, the Tokyo court referred the reorganization plan to creditors for approval after it dismissed a rival proposal promoted by a group of bondholders led by hedge funds Linden Advisors, Owl Creek Asset Management and Taconic Capital Advisors.
Finalization of the approval order could come with four weeks, presuming no appeal is filed, Micron said.
Micron and Elpida also need approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, where the opposed bondholders have shifted their fight.
Elpida, the last of Japan's dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chipmakers, was driven into bankruptcy by falling chip sales and foreign competition.
The acquisition would make Micron, which continues to expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2013, the No. 2 global supplier of DRAM chips, behind Samsung Electronics.
(Reporting By Noel Randewich; editing by Andrew Hay)


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33 U.S. Code § 940 - Deputy commissioners
The Secretary may appoint as deputy commissioners any member of any board, commission, or other agency of a State to act as deputy commissioner for any compensation district or part thereof in such State, and may make arrangements with such board, commission, or other agency for the use of the personnel and facilities thereof in the administration of this chapter. The Secretary may make such arrangements as may be deemed advisable by him for the payment of expenses of such board, commission, or other agency, incurred in the administration of this chapter pursuant to this section, and for the payment of salaries to such board, commission, or other agency, or the members thereof, and may pay any amounts agreed upon to the proper officers of the State, upon vouchers approved by the Secretary.
In any Territory of the United States or in the District of Columbia a person holding an office under the United States may be appointed deputy commissioner and for services rendered as deputy commissioner may be paid compensation, in addition to that he is receiving from the United States, in an amount fixed by the Secretary in accordance with chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5.
Deputy commissioners (except deputy commissioners appointed under subsection (a) of this section) may be transferred from one compensation district to another and may be temporarily detailed from one compensation district for service in another in the discretion of the Secretary.
Each deputy commissioner shall maintain and keep open during reasonable business hours an office, at a place designated by the Secretary, for the transaction of business under this chapter, at which office he shall keep his official records and papers. Such office shall be furnished and equipped by the Secretary, who shall also furnish the deputy commissioner with all necessary clerical and other assistants, records, books, blanks, and supplies. Wherever practicable such office shall be located in a building owned or leased by the United States; otherwise the Secretary shall rent suitable quarters.
If any deputy commissioner is removed from office, or for any reason ceases to act as such deputy commissioner, all of his official records and papers and office equipment shall be transferred to his successor in office or, if there be no successor, then to the Secretary or to a deputy commissioner designated by the Secretary.
Neither a deputy commissioner or Board member nor any business associate of a deputy commissioner or Board member shall appear as attorney in any proceeding under this chapter, and no deputy commissioner or Board member shall act in any such case in which he is interested, or when he is employed by any party in interest or related to any party in interest by consanguinity or affinity within the third degree, as determined by the common law.
In subsec. (b) "chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5" substituted for "the Classification Act of 1949, as amended" on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, § 7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, the first section of which enacted Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
1984—Subsecs. (a) to (e). Pub. L. 98–426 substituted "Secretary" for "commission". See Transfer of Functions note set out under section 902 of this title.
1972—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 92–576 inserted references to Board member.
1949—Subsec. (b). Act Oct. 28, 1949, substituted "Classification Act of 1949" for "Classification Act of 1923".
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–426 effective Sept. 28, 1984, see section 28(e)(1) of Pub. L. 98–426, set out as a note under section 901 of this title.
Amendment by Pub. L. 92–576 effective 30 days after Oct. 27, 1972, see section 22 of Pub. L. 92–576, set out as a note under section 902 of this title.
Act Oct. 28, 1949, ch. 782, cited as a credit to this section, was repealed (subject to a savings clause) by Pub. L. 89–554, Sept. 6, 1966, § 8, 80 Stat. 632, 655.
For transfer of functions to the Secretary of Labor, see note set out under section 902 of this title.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Friday September 21, 2018; 01:52 am EDT
Scary forces fight for souls, all in elegant bodies
A tonic to warm up the blood would do good in these heavy days of Pisces, where we're stuck till the first day of spring. You'll find it at Ballet Theatre of Maryland's double feature, The Firebird and The Scarlet Letter, this weekend only at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
Don't do ballet? Dianna Cuatto, artistic director since 2003 of Maryland's only professional ballet company, gives you reason to stretch out of your comfort zone.
"Ballet is soul-to-soul communication in a language that's very powerful because in it you don't need words," Cuatto says.
Plus, she adds, there's the spectacle, the monsters, the heavy-metal music and "the kind of movement you see on television in You Think You Can Dance."
She would say that, as ballet is her language. But hear her out.
"Appearances don't necessarily show what's in the human heart. That and redemption are messages I try to delineate in this pairing," Cuatto says. With degrees in English and dance, she's a master of the content and power of stories. Story is always one of the reasons behind this creative director's choice of what her company will dance.
A Scarlet Letter has been a favorite since high school. Then as a graduate student, Cuatto was the first to choreograph 19th-century American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne's story of sexual hypocrisy among the Puritans. She also danced the role of Heather, creating the first interpretation of the ostracized single mother who believed in love more than dogma — and paid the price.
Cuatto has paired that dramatic dance — which takes 45 minutes and does not have a happy ending — with the Russian fairy tale The Firebird. Complete with a prince on a quest to rescue a princess, an evil sorceress, a magic captive bird and monsters, The Firebird allows love to conquer. Fifty-nine minutes long, it begins the double bill, divided by intermission, when the bar opens.
Endings aside, both stories have a dark and brooding tone just right for the star sign Pisces.
You'll hear that in the music, by American composer Samuel Barber in The Scarlet Letter and Russian Igor Stravinsky in The Firebird, now almost a century old.
"In those brooding scores," Cuatto says, "I wanted the audience to hear the evolution from the beginning of romantic music with Stravinsky to its continuation in Barber."
|"Ballet is soul-to-soul communication," says Ballet Theatre of Maryland artistic director Dianna Cuatto. It's "very powerful because in it you don't need words."
She's inviting comparison and contrast in color as well as mood. The firebird — danced by Erica Wong on Friday and Sunday and Nicole Kelsch on Saturday — wears the brilliant plumage of a red tutu. The costumes of other dancers flow rather than reveal, with the Puritans in black and white and Heather branded in red. Monsters wear dark fur.
Thirty-two dancers make up the company, playing many roles.
Alyssa Johnson sews Cuatto's costumes, including her own as sorceress in The Firebird.
Dancer and technical director Brian Walker plays triple-duty as set builder in The Scarlet Letter, where he also dances as The Rev. Dimmesdale.
Joining the professionals, children from the ballet school play junior monsters in The Firebird.
Ballet Theatre of Maryland takes its name and mission seriously, dancing and teaching beyond Annapolis and planning to extend its reach statewide. Often the dancers perform in what Cuatto calls "underserved schools where kids have not seen ballet." Teachers, she reports, say the kids are "really moved."
The double bill, however, may not be the shows for kids. Firebird is pretty scary, but kids have seen a lot nowadays, and this certainly won't be the worst. The Scarlet Letter, Cuatto says, is better for fifth grade and up.
Adults can handle both and just might get the tonic to wait out the last month of winter.
Fri. & Sat. Feb. 24 and 25 at 7pm; Sun. Feb. 26 at 2pm. Maryland Hall, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. $45: 410-280-5640; www.balletmaryland.org.


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Happy Mother's Day! A Look At 12 Of Our Favorite Celeb Moms
Beyonce and Blue Ivy
Happy Mother's Day!
Today is the day we honor and thank those in our life who played a special part in raising us. Being a mom isn't an easy job and sometimes they just need to hear "thanks" or that they are loved. We want to recognize some of our favorite celebrity moms out there who are doing a phenomenal job. Today is for you!
Take a look at 12 of our favorite celebrity moms!


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Just in time for graduation weekend at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (go blue!), my mom and I arrived to share cacao at Zingerman's, truly one of the most amazing and unique food stores in the world. I may be biased since I grew up in Michigan, have gone there since a little girl and went to UM, but Zingerman's truly is special.
When you walk into Zingerman's you see fresh bread on your right and amazing cheese on your left and a sign board in front of you with endless sandwiches. It is a colorful visual delight and the good news -- these items taste outstanding too -- at the end of the day, Zingerman's is not a large place and brings in only a few select items. Each item has to pass through their rigorous taste tests. (sweetriot is honored to be there - they were one of our very 1st customers!)
We spent the entire UM graduation (go blue!) weekend sampling cacao. There were entire families in town for graduation and some locals too. You can see some great shots here of me and my mom and the great team at Zingerman's who joined in the riot. Huge thank you to my mom for rioting, to Duff our Zingerman's host and their great team, and to Kathleen Dolan of UMBS, Jason & Shelby, and April, Kip, and Lei from AIESEC Michigan for visiting us. Have you been to Zingerman's?...would love to hear your stories!
PS - If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may have seen a post last fall about Zingerman's. I love this place!


text: DIVISION CHIEF, PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGIST —— in Orlando, FL. The Nemours Children's Clinic seeks a Pediatric Endocrinologist, Attending Physician to provide clinical services to children w/ endocrine disease, such as diabetes, obesity & thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, bone & other metabolic & hormonal disorders. Req. MD or foreign equiv. & eligible for FL licensure, BC/BE in Pediatrics & Pediatric Endocrinology, completion of 36 mos. residency prgm + 24 mos. of Pediatric Endocrinology fellowship training, passage of USMLE 1, 2 & 3. Send CV & cvr ltr to: Brian Richardson, Physician Recruiter, 9145 Narcoossee Rd., Ste. A102, Orlando, FL 32827. WEB OS30052


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About Arborilogical Services, Inc
Arborilogical™ Services, Inc. has provided expert tree care services in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area since 1981.
In the beginning, the owner and president, Steve Houser, and the vice-president and co-founder, Kevin Bassett, offered their clients the highest quality tree care with a commitment to "do whatever it takes to do the job right". That tradition continues today with a staff that includes some of the most recognized talent in our industry.
To find out more about the services we provide, please select "Services" from the main menu above.
Come explore Arborilogical Services through our web site. Our Services and Service Request Form section will provide you with


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The JCC is Gearing Up for Early Dismissal
November 7, 2012
Daylights savings has come and gone and the days are now shorter which means the JCC is gearing up for the Milwaukee Jewish Day School's (MJDS) early dismissal on Fridays.
Every Friday, starting this Friday, November 16th and running through March 8th, the JCC runs children's programming from 2:00 – 5:30 pm. JCC member children age 9 and up are welcome to use the JCC, unaccompanied by an adult, every Friday where they can enjoy sports tournaments and GaGa in the Marcus Gym, trivia and puzzle games, movies and cooking projects in the pre-teen lounge, free swim in the pool, café specials, and a quiet study space in the reading room. For non-members we offer a Friday Facilities Pass for children age 9 and up who are attending MJDS. $150, allows non-member students to come to the JCC on Fridays and participate in these fantastic programs.
For families who will be in the building with children age 6 and younger, we offer our Shabbat Drop In. Every Friday at 2:45 pm families are invited to join Rabbi Shari Shamah in the Guten Family Discovery Center for weekly games and activities like challah braiding and Shabbat bingo.
If you are interested in a supervised program for your child on Fridays, we offer the Kids Center After School Program to MJDS students in K4-6th grade at a reduced rate. We also offer a Pre Shabbat Sports Club and theater programs; Glee for 2nd-5th graders and Jr. Glee for K5 & 1st graders.
We hope to see you and your children here on Friday afternoons getting into the Shabbat Spirit. If you have any questions about our Friday afternoon program opportunities, contact Sarah Ruiz at 414-967-8185.


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Law Practice Magazine
Table of Contents | Features | Frontlines | Technology | Business
Table of Contents | Features | Frontlines | Technology | Business
Why would a law firm want to hold a brainstorming session? Believe it or not, there are a variety of reasons. You're looking for greater input from a broad range of people in your firm. You feel as if your marketing ideas are stale. Or you're trying to rethink what you're currently doing in any number of areas.
The process of brainstorming is simply listing all ideas put forth by a group in response to a given problem or question. To encourage creativity and foster new ideas, though, you must follow a cardinal rule: In the idea generation process, prohibit evaluating or altering an idea until everyone has contributed to the greatest extent possible. All suggestions are to be considered legitimate—in fact, the most far-fetched could be the most beneficial. According to Alex F. Osborn, the advertising executive who coined the term brainstorming in the 1930s, "It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one."
Done right, brainstorming helps interrupt the general risk aversion and feasibility critiques that are part of how lawyers have been trained to think. But to get the most from your session, make sure you follow these general guidelines.
■ Limit the number of participants. When brainstorming groups have more than 10 or 12 people, it's more difficult for everyone to participate. If you want to generate ideas from a large number of people, run separate groups to allow for broader participation.
■ Engage a diagonal slice. To get the greatest range of ideas, ask a diagonal slice of employees to take part, from the most junior to senior levels. Getting participants from every level of the organization that would be affected by an idea, or be implementing it, will help create buy-in once you've settled on a course.
■ Create an agenda and some guidelines. Let participants know the meeting's content and purpose in advance. Some people are better at generating ideas in advance while others prefer the spontaneity of doing it on the fly. Both approaches are viable.
Also, place a set length of time on the session—and begin and end on time. Even if you aren't finished, it will help create structural integrity for the process and participants will know that future sessions are also likely to run according to plan. Anything longer than 90 minutes is too long.
Ban cell phones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices from the room. Everyone's attention to the matter at hand is critical to building on the ideas being generated and sparking more ideas.
■ Select a facilitator who has no stake in the outcome. If you're brainstorming about a practice area's content, do not ask the department chair to run the session. He or she needs to be an equal participant with the other members of the team to generate the best ideas.
Likewise, do not have "in-house subject experts" be the facilitator on their topics of expertise. For instance, if you're brainstorming about marketing, do not ask the marketing director to be in charge. Because these people have more knowledge about what may or may not work, they are more likely to censor ideas. However, their input is important so make sure that, whatever your topic, your resident expert is at the table. To keep the process impartial, consider hiring an outside facilitator.
■ Preserve the idea generation . Writing down ideas as they are being generated helps spark ideas in others. Let people know that ideas will be written on a white board or flip chart as they are being put forth, but without attribution. People are more likely to speak up if they know their ideas will be part of an anonymous list.
■ Ask for more ideas . The process often starts slowly because people are reluctant to think out of the box and are wary of risking criticism. Allow time for silence as participants grant themselves permission to be more far-flung in their thinking. Reluctant individuals will warm to the process as you continue to ask the room for more ideas.
■ Create a "parking lot" for unrelated concepts. People often generate excellent but off-topic ideas during a brainstorming session. Rather than dismissing a good thought, or allowing the group to head off into a tangential area, use a special notepad or white board to write down and "park" these good ideas until a future meeting or a later time in the same meeting.
■ Schedule a break between generation and selection. When you've generated a broad range of ideas, schedule a break before discussing which ones are feasible. You may even want to have the idea generation and selection processes on different days. It will give participants more time to think about the ideas presented and consider adjustments to their ideas or those of others.
Once you've held a meeting to discuss feasibility and the best options, proceed to translate those ideas into actions. Nothing is worse than having a brainstorming session and not acting on the information generated. After you've identified the best strategy, create a timeline, assign accountabilities and implement your plan. If you've created a good process, everyone should be on board.
Wendy L. Werner is the principal of Werner Associates, specializing in career management, coaching, and lawyer and business practice management. She is also Editor-in-Chief of the ABA's Law Practice Today webzine.