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Modesto Rustic Mahogany Furniture
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Modesto collection brings the warm and natural beauty of rustic mahogany to your home. Featuring both dining, occasional, and bedroom furniture. Made from distressed mahogany solid wood and forged distressed metal turnbuckle accent. Plus the 12 step finishing process gives each piece a rich character that enhances it's rustic apperance. Create an inviting atmosphere to spending time with your family and friends can be brought to the comfort of your own home. This collection may require assembly and are made from Asia.
**NOTE: Every piece of the Modesto Collection is unique to give a one of a kind look. Imperfections may exist in appearance, texture, size and/or finish. Plus, the color shade of each piece may have slight variation. Since it's constructed from distressed oak solids and veneers it should last for years to come. If you have any questions, please call us toll free.
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany Bedroom Set
Modesto Rustic Mahogany Dining Table & China Cabinet Set
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany Server
Modesto Rustic Mahogany 78" TV Stand
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany 64" TV Stand
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany 50" TV Stand
Modesto Rustic Mahogany Occasional Table Set
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Modesto Rustic Mohagany Coffee table
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany Console Table
Modesto Rustic Mahogany End Table
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Modesto Rustic Mahogany Dining Table
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**NOTE: Every piece of rustic furniture is handmade and unique to give a one of a kind look. Imperfections will exist in appearance, texture, size and/or finish. Plus, the color shade of each piece may have slight variation, because they are made with natural products applied by artisans and lighting condition of the image taken, the actual finish will vary in appearance from any examples shown. In addition, worm-wood may be used to enhance the rustic apperance. Normal cracking of your kiln-dried rustic furniture adds to the handcrafted beauty and uniqueness of the piece, so it may not be considered a defect. If you have any questions, please call us toll free.
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closerlook | 2017
PerformanceRevenue decreased 11% to an MM&M-estimated $24 million in 2016
Plans"We are redefining expectations for what the next-gen AOR can deliver, with software and digital marketing sharing equally in importance and value with branding and creative."
— David Ormesher
Prediction"Many traditional companies will transform themselves into specialty pharma players"
— David Ormesher
Twelve months ago, David Ormesher, Closerlook's CEO, blasted healthcare marketers for running their campaigns from "intuition and last year's playbook." A year later finds him writing a playbook of sorts.
"We've built this tool called the Customer Guide, which is something we've distilled from years of digital marketing," he explains. "It's a road map for clients on how to actually do digital marketing. It lets us set certain benchmarks across tactics."
Ormesher says that the approach was prompted by continued confusion among pharma companies hoping to distinguish themselves in the digital realm. "We find that a lot of pharma marketers understand they need to 'do digital.' But they're still not fluent in it themselves, so they take a shotgun approach," he continues. "We want to offer a more strategic, coherent approach."
A new AOR relationship the agency forged with drugmaker Smith & Nephew validated that approach. "We're experiencing this evolution of the AOR, where we're managing the client's agency ecosystem. We've been growing more and more into a quarterback role," Ormesher says. "We've started coordinating the agencies that report to the client and manage them as they execute their tactics." Ormesher would not share how the agency fared in terms of revenue, other than to note that Closerlook did not hit or exceed the 35% growth it saw in 2015.
The agency reports that staff size at the end of 2016 was 120, down from 150 a year ago. As a result, MM&M estimates that the firm saw revenue decline in 2016, down from $27 million to an estimated $24 million, an 11% decrease. While Ormesher would not disclose any of the clients or brands Closerlook added during the past year, he says that the agency's work spans numerous therapeutic categories, including diabetes, mental health, cardiovascular, and oncology.
Two dynamics created a challenging environment in 2016, Ormesher says: a continuing squeeze on marketers due to the friction between increased patient expectations for breakthrough therapies and payers' desire for lower costs. "Pharma has to do more with less. Brands are smaller, but the workload hasn't changed," he explains. "This requires agencies to step into the gaps as never before in providing strategic support and high execution."
Those gaps have been a sweet spot for Closerlook, Ormesher says. "Data helps them plan and make decisions. We're helping them in the planning phase and digital is a lower-cost way to get to market."
But data alone isn't the salve for every problem, he cautions. "A big message we got from clients was, 'OK, there's a lot of data here. So what do we do with it? Give me three things I should do this quarter based on what happened last quarter.'"
That "big message" lead to the creation of Duet, a new software product Closerlook developed. "It's a data-mining tool that allows both our clients and our brand teams to load up all the data on their targets and then pull together new target lists and look at trends," Ormesher says. "It creates this curiosity among our account teams and our clients."

subset: commoncrawl


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Harvey Comics' Baby Huey was granted his own series in 1994, more than 40 years after he'd made his debut in a series of shorts that Famous Studios (Paramount) produced after obtaining a license from Harvey.
2 seasons of 13 episodes were produced, but it was a mixed bag. In the first season, Sid Raymond, who'd voiced Huey in the 50's, was brought back. Classic shorts from the 50's featuring Huey, as well as Herman & Katnip, rounded out the half-hour. In season 2, Film Roman took over producing the series. Raymond was cut in favor of a younger actor, Joe Alaskey (Tiny Toon Adventures), and 1st season shorts replaced the classics. Plus, Richie Rich was added to the mix, leading to the "World's Richest Boy" getting a 2nd shot at his own series.
Here's the 1st season intro:
I remember reading a few Baby Huey comics as a kid. I tried watching the show, and, well, something got lost in the translation.
Rating: C.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Sunday Funnies: The Baby Huey Show (1994)
2 comments:
- magicdog said...
I never liked the Baby Huey cartoons, either old or new.
He was the fat dumb "kid" who was always picked on by his "friends" who were also making him the butt of their pranks. I just found it too cruel to watch, even when those pranks backfired.
- Wednesday, 25 February, 2015
- hobbyfan said...
The pranks were meant to backfire because of Huey's size, offsetting his naivete.
Somehow, they didn't translate well on the air as opposed to the books.
- Wednesday, 25 February, 2015
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Greenwich Dentistry
Greenwich dentist, family dentist, and cosmetic dentist has set the standard for modern dentistry, providing advanced general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, pediatric dentistry and dental implants. Welcome to our website! Please feel free to navigate our site and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Dr. George Tsangaroulis has redefined what is possible with modern dentistry, which has evolved over the past five years. We are a small, boutique dental practice centrally located near downtown Greenwich, CT. Our mission is very simple: Provide the best, most comprehensive individualized dental care available anywhere using the latest technology and techniques, and the safest, highest quality materials in a respectful, relaxed, and comfortable manner. We pride ourselves on developing long lasting relationships with each and every patient. Our practice consists of a team of two highly skilled dental professionals – one Dentist and one Hygienist. When you are seated for your appointment, you will always be examined by the same provider and have our full, undivided attention. This allows us to provide a higher level of personalized care. We are strong advocates of prevention and thoroughly educating our patients. We take a holistic, conservative approach by utilizing sound techniques and principles, and recommending effective dental products or therapies that are safe, research-based and scientifically proven.
Dr. Tsangaroulis has been voted a Top Dentist in the area chosen by his peers and colleagues, "America's Best Dentists" by the National Consumer Advisory Board, and "Top Dentists in the United States" by the Consumers' Research Council of America. He is an active participant in the prestigious Spear Education Learning Academy in Scottsdale, AZ, the world leader in continuing dental education. The principles taught here place an emphasis on responsible, comprehensive, interdisciplinary dental care, and have taken Dr. Tsangaroulis to the highest level of dentistry. He specializes in "Responsible Cosmetic Dentistry" practicing holistic, minimally invasive techniques, and is one of the top cosmetic dentists in the Greater New York area. He has trained and worked with nationally recognized and world renowned dentists to master the art of Cosmetic Dentistry. This includes smile makeovers, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers and lumineers, direct cosmetic bonding, and Invisalign. Any dentist can make veneers. But designing a custom smile to fit an individual's face that blends in with mother nature is a unique art which Dr. Tsangaroulis has mastered. He creates dental restorations that emulate the natural opalescence and texture of teeth, and recreates the natural hue, chroma and value. He works in collaboration with exclusive accredited ceramists from dental laboratories in New York City and Beverly Hills who make the most beautiful, life-like porcelain veneers using the highest quality dental materials that are biocompatible and safe. He is well known for his meticulous nature, attention to detail, and wonderful bedside manner. Most importantly he strives to produce predictable, long-term results.
In addition to cosmetic dentistry, our dental practice offers a wide range of exceptional services with the whole body in mind. These always involve a thorough medical history and head and neck exam to determine if certain conditions in the mouth are correlated with underlying medical and health concerns, or vice versa. We screen and treat multifaceted gum disease through non-invasive therapy, Airway and Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Oral Cancer. We also use Oral DNA Labs for DNA genetic testing for those that may be predisposed to gum disease, and also to identify and target an individual's specific bacteria that are causing gum disease. Dr. Tsangaroulis uses BPA-free composite resin materials for fillings, and utilizes a special protocol for the safe removal of silver amalgam fillings that contain mercury and evacuation of mercury vapor that is released to prevent unnecessary absorption.
Our office is very much involved in the local community whether it's philanthropy, charity or volunteering. We recently raised money through our Halloween candy buyback/exchange program to donate to Hurricane victims and send candy to troops and veterans. We annually participate with Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October by wearing "pink" and using pink dental supplies in our office in which proceeds are made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for research. We also donate services to our local Breast Cancer Alliance for fundraising. In addition, Dr. Tsangaroulis as an affiliate of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, participates with Give Back a Smile, a program that treats victims of Domestic Violence with "Smile Makeovers" that have damaged teeth as a result of domestic violence.
While our ultimate goal is to provide the best dental care anywhere, we also strive to make your visit as comfortable and relaxing as possible. We guarantee that you will not leave our office without a smile. Call us today (203) 869-4755, to schedule a consultation! We would love to meet you and have the opportunity to be your dental provider!


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About Darlene
Darlene Watters; singer, musician, entertainer, web designer - owner of Wasaga.com - Your online guide to Wasaga Beach.
Hi, my name is Darlene and I am a professional singer turned Internet geek. My fascination with computers began in the late 1980's when the Atari 1040 ST hit the market. The Atari was a popular computer with musicians because it offered new ways to write and perform music. Sometime about 1990 my tallented bass-player husband Rick and I formed a computer-assisted midi duo which performed at venues in Ontario, Quebec, the U.S., and overseas.
The sight of two veteran musicians with a computer on stage was new then and some people were awestruck by it, while others were repulsed, but we couldn't argue with how good it sounded; an orchestra for the price of just two musicians! Rick became proficient at drum and keyboard midi programming and I learned how to deal with the myriad of software and hardware issues.
Before the internet was widespread, I spent time perusing electronic Bulletin Boards in Toronto where I met and learned from a motley crew computer savvy people. Staying employed in the music business required a good deal of self-promotion and I wanted to be one of the first to take advantage of this new technology. My first website, a simple html text site is laughable by today's standards but it was a good starting point.
In 1996 while performing in Dubai, we met a freelance website designer who convinced me that web design could be a full-time profession. It looked like a pretty sweet job; working from home in his pyjamas, no boss looking over his shoulder. Upon returning to Canada I began applying what I had learned to create Wasaga.com. At that time this website was an online portfolio of my website designs (all two of them) but as new businesses signed on it quickly turned into the place to find everything in Wasaga Beach.
Over the years, I have created over a hundred websites for clients such as Hawaiian Tropic Canada, The Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce, Conagra Foods Inc., Wasaga Waterworld, Saga Resort, the Donato House and many more. From 1997-2006 I worked with then CDO Bonnie Smith (now a local council member) to create an award winning website for the Town of Wasaga Beach which was fun, innovative and interactive. With a near blank slate to draw visitors to the area, the flagship website included everything from e-postcards (before they were popular), games for kids, articles featuring local topics, a live webcam feed featuring models welcoming visitors from a billboard, hand-drawn maps, and a database of area businesses.
When the Town of Wasaga Beach moved their website to the County, their site became more about municipal services which created a rather large void for tourists. At that time I began adding answers to "frequently asked questions" and updated it regularly with articles and events aimed at showcasing Wasaga Beach with both optimism and honesty. Site visitors have appreciated it and continue to write for help and advice on all things Wasaga.
Today I divide my time between updating and improving this website, designing and maintaining sites for clients, singing, playing guitar and electronic sax, hosting karaoke, DJ'ing, teaching music to enthusiastic beginners - and believe it or not, making soap to sell at local summer markets. If you think it's a lot to do, you'd be right, but I love all of it and consider myself very lucky.


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Very interesting stuff: the UN (that beacon of hope for human rights - NOT) voted on a resolution demanding basic civil rights for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered (lgbt) people. Some 66 countries supported the resolution, and not unexpectedly, to quote Donald Rumsfeld, Old European countries with their respect for civil rights feature prominently on the list. No surprise, unfortunately, that thuggish places like Saudia Arabia, Russia, Jamaica and others are missing in action. No surprise either that the USA and the Vatican cannot be found on the list of supporters of the human rights of lgbt people. No surprise also that South Africa, sliding ever faster itself into a Zimbabwe type failed state, is absent among the signatories of the resolution, despite the fact that the country's progressive constitution binds the government of the day to recognize the rights of lgbt folks.
It's probably useful to reflect on this also in the context of high hopes that people have for the incoming Obama administration in the USA. This guy (leaving aside for a moment the fact that he doesn't even support the idea of universal health care in the USA) has announced today that a known homophobic evangelical preacher will hold the sermon during his inauguration ceremony.
Here then the complete honor list (keep em in mind, next time you plan a vacation!):
Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon,
Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The UN statement, which includes a call for the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide, was read by Argentina.
Here's a Background briefing from IDAHO, the organisation that launched a campaign to get this resolution off the ground:
On May 17 2006, the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), the IDAHO Committee launched a campaign « for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality », and published a list of the first signatories, which include several Nobel Prize winners: (Desmond Tutu, Elfriede Jelinek, José Saramago, Dario Fo, Amartya Sen), entertainers (Merryl Streep, Victoria Abril, Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, David Bowie), intellectuals (Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, Bernard-Henri Lévy), and humanitarian organisations like ILGA, Aids International and the FIDH. On IDAHO 2008 (17 May this year) the French government announced that it would bring a LGBT human rights statement to the General Assembly of the United Nations. The text was read today in New York, and was supported by 66 countries in the world, and it clearly inscribes sexual orientation and gender identity as human rights.
The IDAHO Committee is the NGO coordinating the International Day Against Homophobia. This day is celebrated in more than 50 countries in the world, and is officially recognised by the European Union, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Costa-Rica, etc. These actions support international campaigns, like the call launched in 2006 "for a universal decriminalisation of homosexuality"
Rules of engagement: 1) You do not have to register to leave comments on this blog. 2) I do not respond to anonymous comments. 3) I reserve the right to delete defamatory, racist, sexist or anti-gay comments. 4) I delete advertisements that slip thru the google spam folder as I see fit.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Complete list of civilised countries now available
Posted by udo schuklenk at 11:10 pm
Labels: barack obama, civil rights, gay rights, human rights, rainbow nation, South Africa, UN
2 comments:
- AnonymousDecember 19, 2008
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Udo. As a South African, I am mortified.ReplyDelete
OMG, did you say that the Vatican is missing from the list? Surely not! ...ReplyDelete
Here I was thinking that the Cult of Misery was such a great protector of human rights and all.
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Create your own ethnic grooves with these acoustic tabla samples. These WAV files are single hits and licks. Build your own virtual instrument.
With this MegaPack of Ethnic loops and samples, you'll be fully kitted out to create some stunning sound tracks or simply add a little spice to an existing beat.
Nothing compares to the beautifully warm and hypnotic tone of the sitar. These live Indian sitar loops are ready for your songs.
The ultimate percussion loops toolbox for a wide variety of production styles.With Tabla loops, Cajon, DJ scratching and beatboxing there's a wealth of inspirational material to enhance any song.
Tabla loops can enhance beats in a big way. Download some of the free demo loops and try them out.
When you want that huge Bhangra beat sound you've simply got to include live Indian Dhol loops in your percussion tracks.


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My Peace Corps Application Timeline
From what I've observed through other bloggers in the Peace Corps and on the Reddit thread page, it seems like Peace Corps application timelines are really popular. Everyone who goes through this long process (sometimes taking up to a year!) is curious about when they'll hear back, or when they should expect to reach the next stage. I've divided mine into a general timeline of main events along with a detailed sub-timeline with my medical and legal clearances, so, here goes!
General Application Timeline
For those who want the general main sequence of events:
October 9, 2016: Submitted Peace Corps application
October 27, 2016: Under Consideration for Panama leaving July 2017
November 4, 2016: Interview request with placement for Environmental Engineer & Water Resources Coordinator position
November 10, 2016: Skype interview with placement officer at 9 AM EST for 1 hour
February 8, 2017: Received official invitation to serve and accepted!
May 10, 2017: Received medical clearance
May 15, 2017: Received legal clearance
July 10, 2017: Depart for staging in Miami
July 12, 2017: Depart for Peace Corps service in PANAMA!
Detailed Application Timeline
- Submitted Peace Corps application
- Received and completed Health History Form
- Received and completed Peace Corps Service Preferences
- Received and completed Soft Skills Questionnaire
October 27, 2016: Received Peace Corps Application Update email saying they reviewed my application and placed me Under Consideration for Panama leaving July 2017.
November 4, 2016:
- Received Peace Corps Interview Request email with placement for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Extensionist position in Panama leaving July 2017. I compared this with the Environmental Engineer & Water Resources Coordinator position and they were the exact same description, except the latter required engineering. I emailed my Placement Officer to ask about the differences and if I could be placed in the Environmental Engineer & Water Resources Coordinator position. My Placement Officer emailed back explaining the positions and moved me based on my request.
- Scheduled Skype interview for November 10, 2016 at 9 AM EST
- Received Peace Corps Interview Confirmation email with policy attachments and an outline of what will be discussed in the interview
November 10, 2016: Skype interview with Placement Officer at 9 AM EST for 1 hour. Great interview, told me since I was the first round of interviews I wouldn't hear back until after December. For a detailed account of the questions they asked, check out this Reddit page and there's also a Wiki Links page with questions. Since they had sent an outline in the email beforehand, I had prepared answers for each question, so make sure you do your homework and it'll go smoothly! My Placement Officer said she hadn't received my second reference letter yet and to send it in soon. I followed up with my second reference, my professor from college, and she submitted it that day (talk about a quick reply!)
November 18, 2016: Met with my local recruiter to talk about the Panama WASH (Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) program, ask questions about Peace Corps, and had her look over my resume to see if there was anything I could do to become a more competitive candidate.
November 28, 2016: Received legal packet in the mail. Was supposed to receive it within 3 weeks, but there was a problem sending it out. Made an appointment for fingerprinting at the local police station.
December 9, 2016: Followed up with my Placement Officer to let her know I had uploaded an updated version of my resume to account for some volunteer work I did with the Nepalese Humanitarian Help Organisation to provide support for their water resources sector. I also added some advanced Spanish classes I was taking at the local community center and provided the syllabus.
December 16, 2016: Fingerprinted at the local police station. Was told to keep the documents aside until I receive my invitation to serve.
February 8, 2017:
- Received and accepted official invitation to serve in Panama July 2017 as an Environmental Engineer & Water Resources Coordinator!
- Medical tasks were populated in the portal and started organizing and making appointments. What helped me was printing out each document and labeling each one with "to-do tasks" (yes, for every single document) to help me stay organized. That helped me to figure out what I already had done in the past and which tasks I needed to complete and appointments to make, and made my medical clearance an incredibly smooth process. Make your appointments ASAP since it can take a few weeks to see your doctors!
- Learning Spaces tasks were populated in the portal, such as "Orientation to Safety and Security" and "Peace Corps Core Expectations." I completed these in between waiting periods of medical tasks.
- New Volunteer Portal tasks were populated in the portal (there are so many portals!), which have to do with press releases, banking information, and other legal/ monetary details
- Sent in my legal packet
February 14, 2017: Met with the passport acceptance agent at the local library, since you could do walk-up appointments. Once completed, sent in all my passport documents to Sato Travel, the agency that handles all our passport and staging documents via FedEx. Since I knew that I would be traveling before departing for the Peace Corps, I had to jump a few hoops and fill out the DS-11 form so I didn't have to submit my current passport. I brought in the following documents to the passport acceptance agent:
- DS-11 form (NOT signed)
- 2 passport photographs
- Colored copy bio page of current passport
- Birth certificate (I didn't have mine so I had to order one online from VitalChek and rush ship it a few days earlier) + a black & white copy
- 2 completed copies of the Passport Block Letter
February 15, 2017: A few days earlier I had called my pediatrician to request my vaccination records so they faxed me the results. From what I received, the following medical tasks were submitted:
- Vaccination records: I sent everything that my pediatrician had faxed me under this file
- Varicella: Since I had both strains done under my pediatrician vaccination records, I basically made a copy of what I sent for the vaccination records, highlighted the varicella boxes, and sent in the file
- MMR: I did the same thing as I did for varicella since it was already done in my pediatrician vaccination records except highlighted the MMR boxes
- Polio: Again, same thing as the previous two except highlighted the polio boxes
- Medical Care Compliance form
February 16, 2017: Received email that my legal packet was received and my background investigation had begun
February 27, 2017: Met with my primary care doctor for my physical exam. I filled out and completed (some of) the following tasks:
- Medical Examination Form: My doctor filled out most of this form, but could not sign it off until I completed the attached blood tests so he could analyze the results
- Reported Medication Verification Form: Since I was not taking any medication, I just had him write "Not Applicable" and sign & date the form.
- HHF (Health History Form) Positive Response Form: My doctor just looked through this since we had filled this out when we submitted the application and then signed it off to verify all responses were true
- Physical Examination Lab Work Form: My doctor gave me a form to take to a lab next door (which I did right after the physical) for all the blood tests. He couldn't sign it off until we got the results back
- G6PD Lab Form: The doctor also included this blood test in the form to take to the lab.
- Yellow Fever: The doctor wrote me a referral to get this shot
- TD Immunization: The doctor wrote me a referral to get this shot
- Polio Booster: The doctor wrote me a referral to get this shot
March 3, 2017: Met with my optometrist for my eye exam and submitted the Prescription Eyeglasses Form
March 6, 2017: Met with my OBGYN doctor and my dentist the same day to submit the following tasks:
- Pap Screening Form: Called a couple days after the exam to have them fax me the results
- Dental Exam Form: I go to the dentist every 6 months so this was a pretty routine check-up for me
- Dental X-Ray Form: I had the bitewing x-rays done during this appointment but I also needed to include a Panorex. Fortunately when I had my wisdom teeth removed they took a Panorex, and since it was less than 2 years old I could use that. I called my oral surgeon and they emailed me a copy and I submitted it with the bitewing x-rays.
March 8, 2017: Went to Safeway to get my shots. Even though I had a referral from my primary care doctor, they said I needed to go through their doctor for the referral, so it cost extra. Luckily my insurance covered the cost of all the shots.
- Polio Booster: Even though I had all my polio shots done when I was a kid, they require 1 booster shot over 18. When submitting this task I just uploaded a copy of my receipt that said I got the shot
- TD: I had all my TD shots done when I was a kid, but they require 1 booster within the past 5 years. When submitting this task I just uploaded a copy of my receipt that said I got the shot
- Yellow Fever: Make sure you submit this task with the bright yellow World Health Organization card
March 13, 2017: Follow up appointment with my primary care doctor to discuss lab work results and sign off the rest of my documents. Submitted the last of the following medical tasks:
- Medical Examination Form: Everything else was filled out from the previous appointment so the doctor just had to fill out the blood test section
- Physical Examination Lab Work Form: I attached the lab results and had the doctor sign each page
- G6PD Lab Form: Since this test was done in accordance with the other lab work, I made a copy and highlighted the G6PD section and uploaded it.
April 3, 2017: Received an email the previous week from our Country Desk Officer for a conference call on the Peace Corps Panama program and to welcome our cohort! It was a general informational meeting about what service is like in Panama.
April 26, 2017: Received an email about my medical clearance tasks. My assigned nurse said that clearances were backed up and they were currently working on those with staging dates in early June and would get to mine soon.
May 1, 2017: Received another email from our Country Desk Officer to join the Peace Corps Panama Duolingo Classroom so they can keep track of our Spanish progress and get an idea of where we stand when we have our upcoming Spanish interview for placement when we arrive in Panama.
May 10, 2017: Received an email from my Peace Corps nurse asking if I could verify the date of the 3 shots I got and to confirm I'm not taking any medication. I replied as soon as I got the email, and then within minutes I received my Medical Clearance! She said my organization was "stellar" and made the process really easy 🙂 I've heard so many horror stories about medical clearances and how tough it is, but mine was a really smooth process.
May 15, 2017: Received my official email for Legal Clearance!
May 25, 2017:
- Had another conference call with the Country Desk Officer specifically about the Panama WASH program and what we should expect our training to be like.
- Received an email to schedule our Spanish interview.
- Also attended the Peace Corps Send-Off Party in Sacramento! It was great networking with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and getting great tips for service, and meeting a few other soon-to-be volunteers.
June 12, 2017: Spanish interview
July 10, 2017: Depart for staging in Miami
July 12, 2017: Depart for Pre-Service Training in PANAMA!


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I started this book Saturday with apprehension because of the subject matter. As I have read approximately 25% of the book, I must say the author does a tremendous job in sizing up American medicine. On the back cover of the book, Malcolm Gladwell sums it up very well.
"American medicine, Being Mortal reminds us, has prepared itself for life but not for death. This is Atul Gawande's most powerful-and-moving book."
Some really interesting paragraphs from the book, I wanted to share with our readers that I was unaware of:
From page 32:
"The idea that living things shut down instead of wearing down has received substantial support in recent years. Researchers working with the now famous worm C. elegans (twice in one decade, Nobel Prizes went to scientists doing work on the little nematode) were able, by altering a single gene, to produce worms that live more than twice as long and age more slowly. Scientists have since come up with single-gene alterations that increase the life spans of fruit, mice and yeast."
From page 33 on inheritance:
"It turns out that inheritance has surprisingly little influence on longevity. James Vaupel, of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, in Rostock, Germany, notes that only 3 percent of how long you'll live, compared with the average, is explained by your parents' longevity; by contrast, up to 90 percent of how tall you are is explained by your parents' height. Even genetically identical twins vary widely in life span; the typical gap is more than fifteen years."
That information was astounding to me!!!
From page 41:
"The job of any doctor, Bludau (the chief geriatrician at the Center for Older Adult Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA) later told me (Atul Gawande), is to support quality of life, by which he meant two things: as much freedom from the ravages of disease as possible and the retention of enough function for active engagement in the world. Most doctors treat disease and figure that the rest will take care of itself. And if it doesn't—if a patient is becoming infirm and heading toward a nursing home—well, that isn't really a medical problem, is it?"
And finally from page 44:
"Several years ago, researchers at the University of Minnesota identified 568 men and women over the age of seventy who were living independently but were at high risk of becoming disabled because of chronic health problems, recent illness, or cognitive changes. With their permission, the researchers randomly assigned half of them to see a team of geriatric nurses and doctors—a team dedicated to the art and science of managing old age. The others were asked to see their usual physician, who was notified of their high-risk status. Within eighteen months, 10 percent of the patients in both groups had died. But the patients who had seen a geriatrics team were a quarter less likely to become disabled and half as likely to develop depression. They were 40 percent less likely to require home health services."
I urge each of our readers to rush out and purchase a copy of this since it affects each and every one of us in some way. Here is a video from the author about the book:


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Open Thread: It Happened to You
This is your place to talk about the funny, sad, outrageous things that are happening in your life -- whenever you're ready.
"There's something I need to tell you before we go to sleep."
Everyone panics when I say this, but since the summer of 2008, I've had an obligation to lead a detailed conversation with certain people about my sleeping habits. Specifically, I need to tell people I'm about to sleep beside that I have a sleeping disorder.
"Oh, don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's just that I, uh, kind of sleepwalk. But instead of getting out of bed and walking around I sometimes, um, try to have sex."
I have sexsomnia, the grown-up version of wet dreams.
When I tell people this, they always come back to "that one Law & Order episode." But I don't stalk my apartment building in an attempt at finding the nearest person to have sex with. My alter ego is into foreplay and doesn't like to leave the bed.
When I wake up, I've often got my hand in my partner's underwear. When I don't, I've been told to go back to sleep or pushed away and my unconscious brain understands, or so I'm told -- I don't remember doing anything.
Baffled curiosity and laughter are the best reactions you can expect when telling someone you're a sexsomniac, so I'm grateful I'm no stranger to embarrassment.
My first of many life-changing humiliations came at the local public swimming pool in first grade. An absent-minded kid, I went into the change room, undressed, and showered -- forgetting a crucial step -- and wandered out into the public area, giving a clear view of my naked ass to classmates and teacher alike. Children do not forget moments like this.
Discovering I had sexsomnia felt much like learning I had a useless superpower; one day it was just there. I was in Toronto visiting a friend in the middle of summer. Once my plane landed, I began showing signs of what my doctor later told me was Pertussis, better known as whooping cough. Basically, I was overcome with fits of coughing every five minutes.
I had intentions of romancing my Torontonian friend and this was officially my summer vacation, so Despite my non-stop coughing, Samantha (not her real name, natch) and I spent the week sightseeing, gorging ourselves on great food, drinking every night and having sex.
Sometime in that sleep deprived week when I was coping with the mid-July heat and waking up throughout the night to drink Buckley's from the bottle, my sleep disorder poked its awkward head out. What I remember is this: I was asleep but the fog was lifting. I began waking up to find my upper body positioned over Samanthas's, and I was mashing my lips into hers. We kept making out as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
Imagine: you wake up and realize you're driving a car. That's what it feels like.
Once we were both awake in the morning, I looked at her. "Did I wake you up to make out last night?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I think I was asleep. At first, anyway."
She said she thought something was off. I dismissed it as a single, strange event, the product of my exhaustion. Then it happened again. I'd woken her at an ungodly hour and she saw me sitting up in bed. Instead of waking like a normal person when she said my name, I leaned over to put my tongue in her mouth. This is the story she recounted the next day.
We laughed -- it was funny! -- but I was eager to find out what was going on with me. Once I was back home I found articles on sleep sex, or sexsomnia. I read about a few sexual assault cases and the science behind the phenomenon. The legitimacy of the disorder was in question, so instead of going to my doctor asking, "What's wrong with me?" I self-diagnosed as a sexsomniac.
I know well enough that groggily waking up in the middle of the night while stimulating my partner's clitoris isn't normal behaviour. Since then sexsomnia has gained ground as a real disorder. Judging by the stories I've read, I'm what could be considered a mild case; there are sexsomniacs who harm themselves by masturbating violently in their sleep and others who can't sustain romantic relationships.
I know I'm lucky for the fact that every person I've involuntarily felt up has been okay with it and I've never groped a non-romantic partner. That doesn't mean it's all easy for everyone, though.
The summer after self-diagnosis I had a job traveling to festivals across northern Alberta giving away free condoms and lube and asking people to prove they knew how to put on a condom properly using a wooden penis. I traveled and slept in a tent with two co-workers. I had to tell them.
Rachel spent that summer sleeping in the van full of our educational material.
Because I'm unconscious when a fugue hits me, I have to rely on the people who witness my nighttime perversions for accurate accounts. I've woken partners by humping them in my old twin bed. Another girlfriend thought my sexsomnia was hot, though she admitted my acts weren't quite as precise when I'm asleep.
My current partner tells me my sexsomnia is often triggered when she shifts in bed, and that it happens once every few weeks. She's told me about the time she woke up with my hand under her pyjamas, groaning "Mmm…" in her ear. She's also explained the night I gave her a verbal reply when she said my name, but complete silence when she asked if I was asleep.
"And what about the other times?" I ask.
"It's mostly annoying," she says. "You're waking me up when I'm trying to sleep."


text:
Time to move on
Harry Redknapp feels it's time to give Hossam Ghaly another chance.
Harry Redknapp feels it's time to give Hossam Ghaly another chance.
The manager gave his thoughts after the midfielder was booed on his reappearance at White Hart Lane when he was named on the substitutes bench for Friday night's FA Cup third round tie against Wigan.
It was the first time Hossam had been in the 18 for a home game since he threw his shirt down on the touchline after being substituted in a league match against Blackburn in May, 2007.
Hossam apologised for his actions immediately after that game.
"I am just so angry with myself," he said at the time. "I have always considered it an honour to wear the Tottenham shirt and I never intended to show any disrespect.
"I know my reaction was totally wrong. I have apologised to the manager and I also want to apologise to the fans. I hope they don't judge me on this incident alone. I have tried hard for the Club this season."
Harry feels now is the time to forgive and forget.
"I really feel for the lad," said Harry.
"We all make mistakes in life. Show me someone who doesn't make mistakes and I'll show you a liar. He's made a mistake and he deserves another chance. Everyone deserves another chance."
Harry underlined the need to use the full squad with such a busy schedule and injuries hitting the midfield department - Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone were both ruled out against Wigan.
"Hossam has always shown a positive attitude since I have been here," added Harry. "We need the supporters to get behind everyone in a Spurs shirt.
"He is a member of our squad and we'll need them all to play a part in what will be a very important second half of the season."


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In our disconnected society we can struggle to connect with authentic leadership. Yet there is an elegant and simple map, based on the wisdom of nature and cultures that are strongly connected to nature. This course will help you restore these lost connections, bring all your gifts alive and become part of a global community of creative and engaged change-makers.
Short Courses
Mon, 10/09/2018 to Fri, 14/09/2018
Mon, 17/09/2018 to Fri, 21/09/2018
This course is an extraordinary opportunity to take part in an an experience of deep self-exploration using traditional techniques, ritual practices and wilderness methods from the indigenous South African traditions. This experience will include teaching time, deep conversation and sharing, group divination processes, reflection and integration time in the classroom and the wild surrounds of Schumacher College as well as a magical steam ritual.
Mon, 01/10/2018 to Fri, 05/10/2018
Immerse yourself for a week in the vibrant community of Schumacher College. This course is designed to give you space to enquire into what has meaning in your life, and what role you wish to play in the world. Prepare to be inspired and invigorated by some of the concepts and ideas upon which the college is based and also to participate in the rich daily life of the Schumacher learning community.
Mon, 08/10/2018 to Fri, 12/10/2018
Take this practical, hands-on course if you want to cultivate soil that is alive and vital, that is teaming with beneficial organisms and that has the capacity to produce healthy food, healthy people, and a healthy community. Learn how to use time-tested methods to grow healthy soils in your garden and on your farm, practice using some simple tools to measure and monitor soil health over time and explore how the benefits to your health and that of our planet in a changing climate.
Fri, 12/10/2018 to Sun, 14/10/2018
Fundamental to our identity as a species, crucial to the health and well-being of our communities, the way that we eat fuels the 21st century challenges that threaten our way of life. How do we resolve this dilemma? This course explores the transformative power of story as a catalyst for personal and social transformation in this age of climate change. In this course you can experience transformational story-telling skills, you can learn how to tell stories that spark the kind of social learning needed to put us on the path to a resilient food future.
Mon, 22/10/2018 to Fri, 26/10/2018
Join Martin Shaw and Carla Stang and discover how the imaginal world can be accessed by myth, poetry, philosophy and time in nature. Wrestling in the disclosures of a fairy tale or witnessing the luminous thought of Henry Corbin, the aim is participation not passivity, your own way in to the numinous foundation of existence.
Tue, 23/10/2018 to Sat, 03/11/2018
This learning journey in Beijing and Chengdu, China will offer you first-hand experience of the culture and ecology of China and have an opportunity to dialogue with intellectuals and activists about what creating an ecological civilization means in contemporary China. We will visit inspiring projects as well as exploring the cultural and ecological roots to traditional Chinese wisdom rooted in Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Participants will be introduced to the ancient holistic philosophy and practice of cultivating inner strength for outer action and have the unique opportunity to visit sacred places and monasteries related to modern day practices of these ancient holistic traditions. This course is delivered at several locations in China, organised by Southwest University.
Mon, 29/10/2018 to Fri, 09/11/2018
Join Professor Eve Mitleton-Kelly from the London School of Economics (LSE) and Cambridge University, for this two-week training in addressing complex organisational, societal and global issues. Eve has worked for over 20 years in both the public and private sectors, advised the United Nations, European Commission, five government administrations and many organisations in the EMK Complexity Methodology for working with complex problems. This is a rare residential opportunity to train with her.
Fri, 11/01/2019 to Sun, 13/01/2019
Join Stephan Harding and partner Julia Ponsonby on this special new year course to explore the healthy connections between the bacteria within our bodies and the bacteria within the earth. Learn simple fermentation techniques to make foods which promote good gut health and overall wellbeing. This course is designed to be a joyful and inspiring journey to understand the gift of deep belonging and of deep ecology, given us by the teeming organisms of our microbiome, our partners in Gaia.
Mon, 14/01/2019 to Fri, 18/01/2019
Holonomics is a powerful approach for the profound transformation of organisations. Make a practical impact on the evolution and sustainability of businesses based on universal human values. Learn directly with the creators of Holonomics, authors and consultants Simon Robinson and Maria Moraes Robinson. They will introduce their framework, tools and method from the development of a strategy to flourishing business model and the implementation of customer experiences with soul.
Mon, 04/02/2019 to Fri, 08/02/2019
Immerse yourself for a week in the vibrant community of Schumacher College. This course is designed to give you space to enquire into what has meaning in your life, and what role you wish to play in the world, while also being inspired and invigorated by some of the concepts and ideas the college is based upon and participating in the rich daily life of the Schumacher community.
Fri, 15/02/2019 to Sun, 17/02/2019
This is a chance to spend an intimate weekend, hosted by Satish Kumar to consider the role of love in our lives and how we can use it to live in a more fulfilling way. It will be an opportunity for discussion and deep reflection, incorporating the wisdom of poets and mystics, to consider the most powerful force on earth.
Mon, 25/03/2019 to Fri, 29/03/2019
A five-day short course combining animal tracking and bird language with spiritual practises, to cultivate a deep spiritual connection with nature, self and the sacred.
This unique and potent combination aims to create a powerful experience for participants with lasting benefits and practical tools to integrate into daily life.
Mon, 08/04/2019 to Fri, 22/11/2019
The GNH Practitioners Program is a collaborative one-year program hosted by the GNH Centre in Bhutan, and Schumacher College in the UK combined with online activities and support are designed to lead each participant on a personal journey of inspiration, discovery and capacity building. The program is designed to help all participants cultivate the skills and experience to develop their own GNH-inspired prototype.
Fri, 26/04/2019 to Sun, 28/04/2019
Throughout the Unplugged Weekend at Schumacher College, you will have the opportunity to take part in a guided walk across the unique wilderness of Dartmoor, yoga sessions and more.
Mon, 13/05/2019 to Fri, 17/05/2019
Learn how to design, implement, and maintain forest gardens and other sustainable agroecological systems. Participants will experience both recently planted and well established 25-year old forest gardens, as well as other agroforestry in and around Dartington.Includes sessions on harvesting, preserving and cooking with forest garden produce.
Mon, 20/05/2019 to Fri, 24/05/2019
A joint meeting of Schumacher College with the College for Real Farming and Food Culture. If we are to achieve the goal of ensuring everyone in the world can live well and in harmony we must re-think everything from first principles. Join us to re-assess all the big ideas we take for granted. We will be rethinking everything from the practicalities of cooking and farming, to the buildings in which we live, medicine, education, the mechanisms and ideologies of politics and economies and even the underlying notions of science and moral philosophy.
Mon, 03/06/2019 to Fri, 14/06/2019
An eight-month learning adventure of preparation, residential at Schumacher College and community of practice group in person/via Skype; the opportunity to develop leadership and facilitation to co-create a fairer and more beautiful world for all and lead for the emerging future. It is a pathway to the Schumacher Certificate in Leadership and Facilitation and is useful for groups, organisations, communities.
Mon, 24/06/2019 to Fri, 28/06/2019
Wild Eros is a way of falling into the depths of soul and nourishing radical intimacy with other-than-human beings. It's a subversive act of embodied participation that amplifies experience of Earth as sacred and may reveal seeds of vision for our troubled, tender world — potent seeds for artisans of cultural renaissance: change agents, tricksters, artists, poets, therapists, activists, and true leaders.
Fri, 19/07/2019 to Sun, 21/07/2019
Participate in a weekend meditating, walking and spending time in nature away from the daily stresses of life and discover the importance of bringing soul into the heart of everything you do.
Mon, 05/08/2019 to Fri, 09/08/2019
Embrace complexity in place of complication and learn how to transform even the small activities in life into something extra-ordinary.


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With the exception of a potentially major addition at linebacker, the Eagles aren't expected to make a huge splash in free agency. The front office already invested a sizable portion of their available cap space during last year's spending spree, and must put funds aside to re-sign some of their own players (DeSean Jackson, Evan Mathis), while possibly extending others (LeSean McCoy).
Besides, the Birds don't have as many front-line needs as a year ago. On offense, their core is only one season removed from setting the franchise scoring record. On defense, the front four features multiple Pro Bowl-caliber players, and the secondary has more starters at cornerback than the coaches know how to use, with a group of improving, young safeties pushing each other behind them.
But free agency always presents a prepared organization the chance to improve its team in one or multiple areas, and 2012 is no different. With the right additions, the Eagles can settle issues on the back end of their depth chart, and with any luck, put themselves one step closer to piecing together a complete roster.
QB Jason Campbell
Michael Vick's penchant for injury is no secret, and it's difficult to get comfortable with the current crop of relievers. Entering his third season, Mike Kafka has attempted 16 career passes in the NFL, so we have little to no idea where his ceiling is. He's joined by Trent Edwards, a never-was who spent 2011 out of the league.
To be fair to those guys, you never want to rule out success for a player who was never given a chance. Kafka obviously hasn't had much opportunity, and Edwards's development may have been stunted by his environment.
However, if Andy Reid shares our concern for the unknown, Campbell offers a clear upgrade at this point. The former first round pick of the Washington Redskins has started 70 games over the last six years, and hasn't posted a passer rating below 84 in a season in the past four. He hasn't gone above 86 either, so he's no star -- but he is a professional. Campbell is a consistent performer who played in a west coast offense, has some mobility, and limits his turnovers.
RB Mike Tolbert
The issue with back-up running backs and the Eagles is they are seldom used. Last summer, they added Ronnie Brown -- somebody good enough to be drafted second overall and be voted to a Pro Bowl -- and proceeded to hand him the ball a whopping 42 times. Some of that was McCoy's doing, but this has been a recurring theme for years, going back to Correll Buckhalter. Plus, the team has talented second-year back Dion Lewis, who may be in line for more touches.
Tolbert would make for an excellent complement to Shady though. At 5-9, 243, he's strong in short yardage, and has a nose for the goal line, rushing for 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He's also a viable receiver out of the backfield, catching 54 passes for 433 yards and two TD's in '11. Finally, he's solid in pass protection, so he can be used on all downs in practically any situation.
WR Plaxico Burress
We know Plax wants the Eagles, but do the Eagles want Plax? There's been no indication management has any interest in the eighth overall pick in the 2000 Draft, even though he might be worth considering.
The offense is still experiencing its share of struggles in the red zone. The Eagles committed eight red zone turnovers last year, and DeSean Jackson was ineffective when the field shrank. At 6-5, Burress still excels inside the 20, catching seven out of his eight touchdowns in 2011 once the Jets were deep. If Burress is willing to accept a reduced role, it might not hurt to provide Vick a big, proven target.
C Mike Pollak
Jason Kelce solidified himself as the club's center for years to come in his rookie season, rendering Jamaal Jackson and nearly $2 million in salary an unnecessary luxury, one the team could choose to part with. A former second round pick by Indianapolis, Pollak failed to carve out a permanent spot in their starting lineup. He's played in Howard Mudd's scheme, and should be available on discount.
DT Jason Jones
The Eagles surely would like to bring Derek Landri back after his strong season, and there seems to be some belief they could choose a tackle early on draft day, but Jones makes a ton of sense as a low risk/high reward signing. When Jim Washburn was in Tennessee, Jones was a player on the rise, notching four sacks in seven games in '09, and becoming a starter the following year. With Wash out of the picture, the Titans tried moving Jones to defensive end last season, where he didn't make much of an impact.
Jones should be interested in reuniting with Washburn in an attempt to get his career back on track, and the Birds might create the space. Even if they re-sign Landri, Jones might be a better fit in the wide nine than restricted free agent Antonio Dixon, whose strength is lining up at nose. The Eagles could make Dixon a reduced qualifying offer, perhaps tempting another team to trade a low draft pick as compensation for signing him away.
S Brodney Pool
While there is some disappointment over the state of the Birds' safeties, the fact is there are not a lot of moving parts there. Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett are second round picks -- Allen played well in spurts last season while recovering from a torn patellar tendon, and with a shortened offseason to bring rookies up to speed, Jarrett deserves the benefit of the doubt. Kurt Coleman is serviceable as well.
That said, it's admittedly an inexperienced group that has struggled with consistency, so bringing a veteran into the mix to stabilize the unit would be wise. Pool isn't fantastic, but he's not a liability in any phase of the game either. He started 18 games in relief of the Jets' Jim Leonhard over the past two seasons, and 77 total in a seven-year career. He won't be playing baseball in 2013.
KR Ted Ginn
Ginn never amounted to much as an NFL receiver, but he is an explosive kick returner, something the Birds have lacked for far too long. Ginn returned both a kick and a punt for touchdowns for the 49ers last season, and five of his six career returns for score were in the last three seasons. This would get DJacc off the punt team without sacrificing his explosiveness, and give them an actual threat on kickoffs for the first time since Brian Mitchell.


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This section contains 625 words
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When Le Guin wrote these stories, they appeared first in numerous science fiction and literary magazines and anthologies before being collected in The Wind's Twelve Quarters. Some of these stories are strongly imaginative and fantastic, while others are more mainstream in setting. But in all the stories, Le Guin uses realism and believable settings to depict real-life issues within the realms of the fantastic.
The first of her stories to appear in print was "April in Paris" (September 1962), a time-travel story, more fantasy than science fiction, in which black magic romantically unites four lonely people from different eras.
The second was "The Masters" (February 1963), her first genuine science fiction story, set in a post-catastrophic world where science is proscribed because of the havoc it has wrought. Its heroes are two defiant adventurers brought to inquisitorial justice for secretly studying mathematics.
The third published was "Darkness Box" (November 1963), a...
This section contains 625 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page)


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v1.48, 2012.12.02 by Robert Giordano
This utility spell checks your text against a 99,000+ word dictionary. The
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30 Jun 2009 8:40am
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"You should never post private or sensitive information into someone else's web site. We're not going to do anything with your information but this is NOT a secure form! Anyone could intercept it. This utility is for spellchecking text that is going to be public anyway, like blog posts, etc."


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The social media statistics I posted a few weeks ago seemed to strike a chord amongst the digital community, especially in highlighting just how big an issue this particular area of online currently is. So I'm happy to say that I've trawled around the internet to bring you some more snippets of useful data and awesome figures.
As before, all this information is likely to be out of date in six months or so – but until then, they're reasonably recent facts and once again I feel they demonstrate the meteoric rise and importance of this rapidly evolving area of online.
In no particular order:
- Social networks and blogs are the 4th most popular online activities online, including beating personal email. 67% of global users visit member communities and 10% of all time spent on the internet is on social media sites.
- If Facebook were a country, it would be the fourth most populated place in the world. This means it easily beats the likes of Brazil, Russia and Japan in terms of size.*
- 80% of companies use, (or are planning to use), LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees during the course of this year. The site has just celebrated reaching its 45-millionth membership.
- Around 64% of marketers are using social media for 5 hours or more each week during campaigns, with 39% using it for 10 or more hours per week.
- It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million listeners. Terrestrial TV took 13 years to reach 50 million users. The internet took four years to reach 50 million people... In less than nine months, Facebook added 100 million users.
- Wikipedia currently has more than 13 million articles in more than 260 different languages. The site attracts over 60 million unique users a month and it's often hotly debated that the information it contains is more reliable than any printed Encyclopaedia.
- The most recent figure of blogs being indexed by Technorati currently stands at 133 million. The same report into the Blogosphere also revealed that on average, 900,000 blog posts are created within a single 24-hour period.
- It's been suggested that YouTube is likely to serve over 75 billion video streams to around 375 million unique visitors during this year.
- The top three people on Twitter (Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres and Britney Spears) have more combined followers than the entire population of Austria.*
- According to Socialnomics, if you were paid $1 for every time an article was posted on Wikipedia, you would earn $156.23 per hour.
- The online bookmarking service, Delicious, has more than five million users and over 150 million unique bookmarked URLs.
- Since April this year, Twitter has been receiving around 20 million unique visitors to the site each month, according to some analytical sources.
- Formed in 2004, Flickr now hosts more than 3.6 billion user images.
- Universal McCann reports that 77% of all active internet users regularly read blogs.
Although these statistics look impressive, it needs to be remembered that no single piece of data can be used to base strategy or objectives upon, let alone be used as a forecast for future growth of a specific area of social media. To really drill down into a sector of interest, you need to fully aggregate and analyse all available data before making an informed decision or conclusion.
If you have any interesting or useful information that you think might be applicable, please add it into the comments below!
*Thanks to SEW for the b/g inspiration
Comments (13)
Social media has been played a great role epecially those who have an online business. But this people show bear in mind that a strategy in his/her online business is unique, one may not be applicable to the other.
Great stats but don't forget all the dead wood on Facebook, Twitter etc behind the stats. eg 20% of Twitter accounts are unused. another 50% of twitter users haven't 'tweeted' in the past week. 75% of tweets come from 5% of twitter users. puts a fresh perspective on it all.
My view on this issue is that organizations need to take into consideration both the social and technical aspects of the adoption and use of these types of services. Power and reach of these products and various services are what enables organizations to consider innovative approaches to establishing and maintaining relationships with those who are known and also unknown to various personnel internal to a particular organization or across a group of organizations, such as in the case of an industry. A good way to approach this issue would be to first assess the information culture that exists in a particular organization. What are the current practices, including technologies, that are being used to interact with others, including distribution of both "need to know" as well as "might want to know" information? What are the features of a various social media product or service that might extend the current practices to promote as well as expand the reach outside a particular organization? What training might be needed among members of organizations to make the change in practices happen? There are many other questions that should be asked to make a broad assessment of what is as well as what can be in the context of the adoption and use of the various products and services that are currently on the market as well as in other stages of development and anticipated to hit the market in the near future as well as on into the distant future.
Even if the figures themselves are not entirely accurate the trends are mind boggling, and over time the absolute values will improve.
As to whether the "dead wood" and babble counts against the importance of social media - I don't think so. It simply makes it all the more important to have a sound business process in assessing what you need to do, and how to form and execute a strategy.
@jake I agree with you except with your narrowing of social media to part of the "marketing mix". That is a fundamentally wrong approach as I am sure you would agree. The task is to assess its relevance and then to develop a strategy as part of the total customer experience and engagement. Which social media places and spaces that may involve, and which functions and departments within a particular business, are not pre-determined and the answers come from the analysis.
Walter Adamson @g2m
Social Media Academy, Australia
People are spending more time online than ever before and specifically in social media. This is where people are spending their time engaging with content and each other. How marketers engage with where people are spending their time is an exciting but still unformed process ripe for the innovators in the field. I believe most would agree that the standard banner ad has marginal effectiveness. Perhaps there is no good way to engage with this particular audience when they are on social media sites any more than how advertisers can't reach people when they are talking on the phone. As a medium to engage with brands directly, I've seen some great stories.
So what. Twitter is BORING!
Very impressive! But I think you must visit and know other online video-services like Vimeo and Videolog. In each case you can see a lot of good productions, not only TV features. Obviously, YT is the hit, but isn't the only one. Best Regards from Brazil!
more and more social media stats, can't seem to get enough of them, thanks for the list.
Great list thanks. Would be really useful to have the specific sources next to each one, so we can dig deeper and contrast sources. Cheers.
My view on this issue is that organizations need to take into consideration both the social and technical aspects of the adoption and use of these types of services. Power and reach of these products and various services are what enables organizations to consider innovative approaches to establishing and maintaining relationships with those who are known and also unknown to various personnel internal to a particular organization or across a group of organizations, such as in the case of an industry. A good way to approach this issue would be to first assess the information culture that exists in a particular organization.thank you
nice one
Intuition allows for accessing the information usually not
open to our senses. Think of it as a still voice, a hint or a gut feeling - right after it starts happening you will know it's no coincidence.!
Dowsing is a tactic someone can use to gain access to the intuition using dowsing pendulum or alternatively divining rod.
I've been practicing it for a quite a while and I do believe any person can easily learn it.
It is amazing how people interact with one another through social media; therefore, these statistics are not all that surprising. Of course, I would not be surprised if these social media numbers increased in the years to come.


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380 New York St.
Redlands, CA 92373
Phone: 909-793-2853
Esri® develops geographic information systems (GIS) solutions that function as an integral component in nearly every type of organization.
On any given day, more than a million people around the world use Esri's GIS to improve the way their organizations conduct business. Esri gives GIS users what they need by listening closely and incorporating their feedback and recommended improvements. Esri also hosts the largest GIS industry event in the world, publishes two of the most widely circulated periodicals in the industry, and operates the leading GIS book publisher.
Esri software is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including most U.S. federal agencies and national mapping agencies, 45 of the top 50 petroleum companies, all 50 U.S. state health departments, most forestry companies, more than 24,000 state and local governments, and many others in dozens of industries.
A significant aspect of the field assessment was to accurately map and record shelter site locations. The team used high-performance GeoXT/Nomad Trimble data collectors combined with ArcPad to digitally record transitional shelter site locations.
After an initial proof-of-concept phase, BP purchased 300 Trimble handheld devices for use in spill response.
Victoria Police Use Trimble Juno SC Handhelds to Speed Assessment of Damage Caused by Bush Fires.
Rugged handheld computers with built-in GPS capabilities are used in Reykjavik City to clean up graffiti.


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UFS Explorer
With UFS Explorer you may browse alternative filesystems and extract files from there. It has read-only support for BSD/MacOS UFS/UFS2, MacOS HFS+/HFSX and Linux ReiserFS/Ext2/Ext3, as well as has FAT support. It supports physical disks, including USB mass storage devices and set of virtual disks: VMWare (both 'flat' and 'variable size'), MS Virtual PC, MacOS .DMG (both raw and 'chunked' with ZLIB compression support), plain RAW disks.
* Read-only access to:
– Linux Reiser/Ext2/Ext3 filesystems;
– BSD UFS/UFS2 filesystems;
– Apple MacOS X HFS+/HFSX/UFS/UFS2 filesystems;
* File search support;
* File extraction (for files larger then 16k – available after registration);
* Folder/object group extraction (for Standard Edition);
* Hard-disks auto-detection;
* Partitions auto-detection basing on DOS/BSD/MacOS-style partitioning; supports no partitioning at all.
* Partition probeing: detect correct filesystem if partition label is invalid;
* File extraction from disk images. Supports:
– VMWare 3,4,5 virtual disks;
– RAW disk image files (as well as partiton image files);
– both RAW and 'chunked' Apple MacOS disk image files (.DMG) with ZLIB compression support;
– Microsoft VirtualPC virtual disks;
– floppy disk images;
* Virtual Disk image type auto-detection.
UFS Explorer has an average rating 2.5 out of 5 based on 4 user ratings.


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Wellness Program Advisory Board
The Wellness Program Advisory Board supports and advises the Orange County Department on Aging's Health and Wellness Division's activities to enhance the physical and mental health and social wellbeing of older adults in Orange County so they can live as independently and productively as possible.
The Wellness Board meets bi-monthly for 2 hours.
More information on membership coming soon.
- Help determine the organization's mission and purpose.
- Help develop a strategic plan and goals for the organization.
- Provide leadership for the wellness needs of the senior citizens.
- Implement policies and procedures contained in the organization's guidelines.
- Help develop financial resources to meet the needs of the organization.
- Help ensure effective public relations for the organization.
- Attend board meetings regularly and on time.
- Become well informed in advance on agenda items; contributes knowledge and
expressed points of view; helps the board make decisions reflecting the thinking of the total group.
- Assume board leadership responsibilities as requested and as possible.
- Attend meetings of committees to which appointed.
- Participate in new member orientation (July).


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SW-02A sniper rifle replica with scope and bipod
SW-02A replica is made of metal with plastics pistol grip and some internal part's. Body, RIS rail, outer barrel, bi-pod, magazine and transport grip are made of metal.Internally it is standard V2 gearbox wich allow's for easy tune up, metal inner barrel has diameter of 6.06 mm and it's lenght is 670 mm while hop up unit is TM M4/M16 standard. Included sight type 3-9x 50 with red illumination, flip up type cover and flash killer.
The set does not include the battery nor charger.
The set includes:
- the replica
- a magazine
- a bipod
- a telescopic sight
- a 22mm RIS rail mount
- a RIS rail mounted carry handle
Replika karabinu wyborowego SW-02A z lunetą i dwójnogiem
Snow Wolf
12 months
|Velocity [FPS]:
It is the spped of bb, while its leaving the innerbarrel of replica. This speed is measured in FPS (Feet Per Second).
1 FPS = 0,3 m/s
1 J = 99 m/s
|Propulsion / Powered by:
|Gearbox version:
Indications v2, v3, v6 does not mean the level of advance, but only shape of gearbox skeleton which was used and selected by the manufacturer depending on the capabilities of the body of the replica. For example, a models of the M4/M16 family, MP5, have a v2 gearbox, while the AK family have gearbox v3.
v2 Gearbox
|Type of fire:
Single, auto
|Lenght [mm]:
The length of the replca is measured between the two most distant points of each other. Different models have several of these values, because of its design allows to increase or decrease it length (eg. folding stock or extended flash hider).
|Inner barrel length [mm]:
|Weight [g]:
This is a value that includes the weight of the replica, magazine and other accessories that are include in set without a battery, charger, cleaning rod, etc., etc.
|Magazine type:
Hi-Cap magazine
|Magazine capacity [pcs]:
Hop-Up system is used for overclocking bb during the shot (putting it in rotation), through which, it extends its flight path. Acting laws of physics make that bb lift up, while the gravitational force take it down. Appropriate adjustment of Hop-Up, will compensate for these two factors, which result in long and straight flight for longer distance and be greater focus shot (to improve accuracy).
Yes, adjustable
|Blow Back:
Blow back is a simulation system of the cocking lever - it imitates the work of it as the equivalent sharp. This system raises the realism and adds a lot more experience during shooting.
|Made of:
ZnAl + steel + plastic
|Battery included:
rechargeable battery is characterized by high efficiency
current-carrying capacity, but there are disruptive effect on memory.
Should be unloaded and loaded in the full cycle, ie, it is recommended
to fully discharge, and after unloading must charge the battery
immediately without leaving it for a long time in a discharged state.


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Free Will and Consciousness
In order to make free will decisions on interactions, VP requires information of such interactions to be made available to it. The phenomenon of consciousness is designed by the evolutionary process to supply such information to VP on an ongoing basis in an optimized manner, in which only interactions (or parts of interactions) that require judgmental power (i.e. that require decision making) are sent to VP (and thus enter consciousness) filtering out those that are genetically programmed, repetitive, condition based repetitive and those requiring random decisions.
If there were no free will, there was no requirement of consciousness.
Free Will and Pain
The phenomenon of pain is designed by the evolutionary process for the only reason that free will exists.
In detail: As VP (i.e. the self) is a free agent, it has the freedom to consider the contents of perceived interaction or ignore it. To defeat possibilities of ignorance offered by acausal freedom (under title Compelling the Free Agent) in the cases of damage in the body, the survival aspect of the evolutionary process has designed the mechanism of pain, which not only alerts VP on a continuous basis, but compels it to intramurally process the damaged area in the IPS to resolve it (in detail).
Free Will is Not an Illusion
As they play vital role in the free will decision making process, it is important to understand mechanisms underlying phenomena like awareness, consciousness, decision making, conscious & unconscious thought processes & actions, etc. It is also not possible to debate about responsibility without understanding what the "self" is.
As the claim made by the DOS model is based on a causal mechanism (agent-causation) which not only coherently works with mechanisms mentioned above, but also mechanisms underlying phenomena like sensations, perceptions, attention, pain, instincts, empathizing, multitasking, heredity, attention limit, hunger, etc., it is the strongest ever objective proof of the existence of free will.
VP and LB: Partners in Decision Making and Execution
Decision Making: Summary and Flowchart


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Window Curtains Bedroom
Monday, February 13th, 2017
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Monday, February 13th, 2017
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Sunday, February 12th, 2017
Thursday, February 16th, 2017


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By Matt
Taste the Success
The celebrity-chef invasion gears up as British
bad boy Gordon Ramsay opens two restaurants at the new Conrad
Gordon Ramsay is remarkably laid-back for someone who has
just walked out of a grilling by the Japanese press corps
at the new Conrad Tokyo hotel, the site of his first restaurant
in Asia, and straight into an interview. Friendly and relaxed,
Ramsay has hardly answered our first question before he hops
up to go get milk for his tea, refusing the protestations
of the hotel PR people, who are eager to oblige.
Considering the 38-year-old chef is almost as well-known for
his temper as he is for his cooking, we are somewhat relieved.
The obscenity-screaming TV persona who harangues hapless celebrities
trying to cook in Hells Kitchen, and who attempts to
fix the slovenly ways of failing restaurant owners in Ramsays
Kitchen Nightmares, doesnt seem to have made it to Tokyo.
Instead we get a more low-key and relaxed Ramsay dressed casually
in jeans and a black leather jacket. Ramsay has every right
to be in high spirits considering that the previous Sunday
he ran the London Marathon and walked off with a BAFTA award
(the British equivalent of an Emmy) for Kitchen Nightmares,
and now hes about to open two establishments at the
Conrad Tokyothe upscale Gordon Ramsay and more casual
With a string of destination restaurants at some of Londons
most prestigious addresses, including his signature eatery
at celebrity-studded Claridges Hotel, Gordon Ramsay
is probably the most talked about British chef of his generation.
Creations such as baked baby sea bass with aubergine caviar,
roasted fennel, confit garlic, black olives and a lobster
nage have earned him three Michelin stars, and have won him
a reputation as a master of impeccable haute cuisinethat
comes at haute prices.
Ramsay has such a following for his high-end modern French
fare that getting a table at Claridges or the stand-alone
Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea involves doing battle with 2,500
other hopefuls who call each day. The 2000 Catey Award winner
for Chef of the Year has also built a stellar restaurant group
that includes The Savoy Grill, Petrus and trendy Boxwood Café.
Together, the group has amassed an unprecedented seven Michelin
Things didnt go quite so smoothly for Ramsay in the
first profession that he pursued, when injury brought an abrupt
end to his soccer career for Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers,
a turn of events that led him to enroll in a vocational course
in hotel management.
From then on, he's worked with a Whos Who of the worlds
greatest chefs, including Marco Pierre White, Albert Roux,
Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. Ramsay rattles
off what he learned from each of these greats: Guy Savant
was a light interpretation of fine cuisine; Marco was a great
executer; Albert Roux was a phenomenal flavors man; Robuchon
was incredibly classic and has a very rich style of cooking;
Ducasse was a Mediterranean style combining the Italian and
French influences.
Until Ramsay arrived, Ducasse had been the latest star to
land on Tokyos culinary map when he set up Beige in
Chanels Ginza flagship in December (a second Ducasse
operation is planned for Aoyama in the fall). Robuchon has
the Restaurant Joel Robuchon in Ebisu Garden Place and a branch
of his Paris flagship, LAtelier de Joel Robuchon, in
Roppongi Hills.
So why is Tokyo becoming a dining Mecca? The level of
quality here is staggering, second to none. There are very
few cities in the world that can sustain that kind of level
and competitive edge, Ramsay says, adding that he is
not intimidated by the competition. I worked with Robuchon
and Ducasse, and I get turned on the more difficult it is,
he says. I love going to the extreme, so now Im
rubbing shoulders with the best of the Japanese and your Ducasses
and Robuchons, and Im excited.
His enthusiasm for Japan, a country he has visited many times
for pleasure but never for work, is obvious, and stems in
part from the quality and variety of the local produce. Constrained
by declining stocks of fish in Europe, Ramsay is looking forward
to experimenting with some species not normally seen on his
menus. I quite enjoy regional Japanese styles. Its
the homemade rustic influences that get me turned on, like
they do in the UK, he says.
Naturally Ramsay plans to incorporate elements of the local
cuisine into his cooking. Ill use marinades, oils,
vinegars and the sort of sweet and sour effect you find here.
Of course, I dont need to start cooking total Japanese,
but Ill certainly be cooking up and mixing 15 to 20
percent of what we do and incorporating that into our style.
Considering that he has a good Japanese following in London,
Ramsay seems confident that his creations will appeal to Tokyo
foodies. In addition to a version of his signature spot, Gordon
Ramsay at Tokyo Conrad, which should feature stunning views
over Hamarikkyu Garden, Ramsay will also oversee Cerise, a
more casual location offering breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Ramsay is also beloved by his new Japanese staff, a refreshing
change from some of the failing chefs hes encountered
on his TV shows. There is an amazing amount of etiquette
in the kitchens here. The Japanese manner is so good. I wish
they were that well mannered back in the UK, he says.
I admire how they are so methodical and so direct. Theyre
so polite, and when you show them something, its like
turning on a light bulb.
After Tokyo, New York will be Ramsay's next challengehis
first US venture will open next summeralthough hes
quick to note that it is not mission accomplished
as far as the British end of his business is concerned. Weve
built an amazing infrastructure there with 1,000 staff and
a group of professionals that now turn over more than 40 million
pounds (¥8 billion) a year. And then theres
the job of keeping the three Michelin stars he personally
Its no different to trying to win the Premier
League every year, he says, falling back on his soccer
roots. Ive enjoyed having three stars and Ill
continue to enjoy them. Somebody asked me yesterday what I
would do if I lost one, and I said, Fucking win it back!
Ramsays attitude is a good deal healthier than French
chef Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide in 2003 following
his demotion in the popular GaultMillau guide. Were
not complacent. Were consistent in what we do. Im
not in danger of losing my third star because Im a control
freak. I know whats going on each and every day,
says Ramsay.
I think the misinterpretation is that you get judged
in January on what you cooked the year before. So like every
guide, you take it with a pinch of salt. Your biggest critics
are ultimately your customers. The guide is only there to
confirm how good you are. Three Michelin stars was a dream
come true, but maintaining that is a lot harder. You have
to be careful because you could be the best chef in Britain
with three stars, but if youre sat there without a full
dining room on a Monday night, then whats the point.
Pointing to the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants magazine
that he walked in with, Ramsay makes it clear that he considers
such specials to be fluffy marketing soufflés. Its
promotion for the magazine, nothing more. Its all about
you stroke my back and Ill stroke yours.
There are good restaurants around the world that deserve recognition,
but this kind of thing is just a self-perpetuating marketing
tool and nothing more. He does, however, listen to The
Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide, which he believes
have integrity. Very few chefs ever focus on their customers
and are more concerned with what other chefs say, but that
doesnt equate to more than 1 percent of your business.
Im close to my customers and know what is going on.
Rising to the top so young and having a high media profile
from his cookbooks, a column in The Times, the documentaries
Boiling Point and Beyond Boiling Point, and the reality show
Kitchen Nightmareswhere Ramsay tries to turn around
some of Britains worst restaurantshas meant that
there are many who would like to see this chefs sauce
curdle. Nevertheless, Ramsay certainly doesnt think
of himself as a TV chef in the mold of many of his contemporaries,
such as Naked Chef Jamie Oliver. When we ask whether
he plans to spend more time in front of the camera, the answer
is emphatic: Fucking hell! he exclaims. I
dont fit around [TV] and it doesnt fit around
me. I dont go in there with a format or a calling card
like on Ready Steady Twat, he says, lampooning
a popular UK cooking game show. Channel 4 has been brilliant
about letting me be myself.
Whatever his protestations, it seems doubtful that the media
has seen the last of him, with a second series of Kitchen
Nightmares coming to the end of its UK run and the first series
in 20 markets worldwide. If you thought the first one
was fucking hairy, then this ones even scarier. It is
hard to believe that there are restaurants out there that
function like that.
Behind the on-camera swearing and tension, it is clear that
Ramsay has a real desire to show people how it should be done.
If you work in this industry busting your nuts like
a donkey for 20 or 30 years and you dont have a pot
to pee in, then you fucked it big time. Businesses are there
to be viable. Theyre not about standing there looking
His TV shows mix a big slice of entertainment with the attempt
at culinary education, but Ramsay has found a better way to
foster professionalism in the industry by founding a scholarship
program. When I won my third Michelin star, I thought
about how I could keep evolving, and creating a scholarship
was a beneficiary of that desire, Ramsay says. It
was fresh and vibrant, a way of trawling through Britain and
finding talent and then propelling that talent. And last year
we went international and went over to New Zealand and found
a great chef there who came over and competed against the
best of the British, he adds.
Next year the scholarship program will go to America, and
in 2008 Ramsay hopes to bring it to Japan. We are all
in a position to do something when we hit the top of our career,
he says. Going through the back door of any kitchen
is far more exciting than going in through the front. You
get a phone call from a young cook and you catapult them from
Thomas Keller to Alain Ducasse in Paris and Tetsuya Wakada
in Sydney, and they come out of these kitchens excited and
vibrant and ready to go.
With his star set to shine on Tokyo, Ramsay certainly seems
enthused. So whats the big secret behind all the success?
We fucking work at it!
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editor at email@example.com.
Discuss this article with METROPOLIS readers
at http://forum.japantoday.com


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Home > Fertility treatments > Genetics and PGD
Genetics and PGD
One child in every 50 babies born inherits a genetic condition that can often have a devastating impact, not only on child but also the family. Detecting if an inherited genetic disease before pregnancy is becoming an increasingly precise science. Preconception testing can identify healthy carriers at genetic risk, whilst preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can be offered to couples wishing to avoid the risk of having a child with a genetic disease.
The Bridge Centre uses a comprehensive, focused male and female questionnaire and consultation with a clinician to recognise couples at genetic risk. Following a review of your family history, genetic tests may be recommended and the implications of the test results for you and your wider family will be carefully explained.
If indicated, we offer:
• Specific genetic tests relating to infertility
• Karyotyping (chromosome analysis) to identify any chromosome abnormalities
• Carrier testing for specific genetic diseases based on ethnic background and family history
The Bridge team has over 25 years experience in assisting infertility patients with Preimplantation Genetic Analysis
Over 1000 cases including:
• Over 700 Anueploidy
• Over 100 Translocation
• Over 100 Single Gene disorders