text:
Dust is the kind of game that comes along once in
a blue moon. It's a sleeper that will probably be
overlooked by most gamers because it's a budget title
and won't be promoted anywhere near as heavy as something
like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. It's best described
as an adult version of YU-GI-OH as it uses a card-based
battle system - but in real-time. It blends strategy,
action and luck and is a lot of fun to play but it
really needs the support of online gamers to make
it irresistible.
you even attempt to go online you're going to have
to deal with the single-player story mode. The story
is convoluted and almost ruins the experience but
you have to make your way through it to acquire your
cards, which are referred to here as skills. There
are 340 skills in all. You can win them by completing
mission, purchase them from shops or trade them online.
There are 40 rare skills which can only be acquired
by accomplishing some rather difficult missions.
are what you live for in the game. You'll have to
talk to an awful lot of dud characters to find a good
fight. All too often these characters will have plenty
to say about nothing but you keep listening in case
they leave you a clue. Do they give valuable clues?
I'm not going to spoil anything for you, you should
suffer as I did.
take place in real time. Once you have collected a
number of skills you put them into your arsenal which
is essentially your deck. You are only allowed four
skills for any one battle. The CPU picks them for
you randomly and also chooses another three which
are locked inside spheres. You can use these skills
by replacing them with the ones that the CPU has chosen.
All of the skills have to be activated by aura particles.
The higher the level of your skill the more aura particles
will be required. They are also stored with your skills,
in your arsenal, which has 30 slots.
differ in strengths and uses. Some can be used to
attack as in launching a fireball while others can
be used as shields for defense purposes. These skills
are kind of like magical powers but they have to be
used with a good degree of skill on the player's behalf
since they require timing and coordination. You can
block or even counter attacks if you have the right
skill available and are able to put it into play at
the precise moment your opponent releases his attack.
Some skills will give you the ability to fly, others
allow you take away some of your opponent's skills.
Stacking your deck with the appropriate skills is
where the strategy comes in. You also have to learn
to adapt quickly to best use the skills which are
randomly selected for you so you'll want to make sure
you have a only the best skills in your deck.
can also move around in real-time to dodge attacks
or take cover behind the various obstacles in the
arena. The environments are totally destructible,
allowing you to take advantage of the situation by
destroying support beams and walls in an effort to
crush your opponent with falling debris.
skills can only be used once while others can be reused.
If you run out of skills before the dual is over you
will rapidly deplete your life points and ultimately
lose the match. The only way to win a match is to
deplete your opponent's life points by having him
run out of skills and hitting him with various attacks.
you can purchase more skills or trade them with other
players. New skills have, and will, be made available
for downloading in the future which will keep things
fresh for as long as there are players to use them.
Quick Match and Opti Match modes are available online
as well as a Skill Store, trading lobby and a worldwide
ranking. Up to four players can be accommodated online.
the game is surprising rich in detail and quality.
The environments are well animated with plenty of
activity going on in the background. There are a lot
of onscreen meters and gauges to keep track of which
can be distracting at times. The music is well balanced
and features a symphonic score which is almost unheard
of for a budget title.
seems to me that Phantom Dust was never intended to
be released as a budget title. The production values
are just too high. Don't hesitate to take advantage
of this game; some company's loss is your gain.


text:
Everything You Need to Know About Local SEO
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Category: Start / Ensembles/Performers/Associations/Societies / Ensembles/Consorts
- Sites currently sorted by: Title (Z to A)
- Sort links by: Title ( + | - ) Date ( + | - ) Popularity ( + | - )
"The Early Music Company was founded in 1990 by Mamiko Hirai and Kenji Sano in Osaka, Japan, as a basic nucleus of voice and lute around which are built various combinations of voices and instruments for concerts centering mainly on the Renaissance and Baroque periods. They play European music from the14th to 19th century, give regular concerts in Japan, and record regularly for Aeolian records. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 10, 2008 | Hits: 1399
"Alla Moderna is an ensemble founded in 2007 by Dmitry Badiarov.
The group consists of musicians who have shared the utmost joy of playing together and are all renowned performers in the early music field. The name of the group derives from Bartolomeo Bismantova's Compendio Musicale (Ferrara 1677/1694), where he refers to Violoncello da Spalla Alla Moderna.
The history unveils that the early cello was frequently, if not predominantly, played on the shoulder when, in the 17th Century, it was still a 'modern' instrument. The group intends to perform the earliest violoncello repertory with instruments and voices using such a violoncello da spalla and other innovative bowed instruments re-created by the founder. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 1167
"The vocal ensemble TriacaMusicale was first formed in 1995 and its activity has since mainly revolved around giving concerts and carrying out research into old music and in particular unknown repertoires and authors from the European Baroque and Renaissance musical periods.
Research and study into the original theories of the chosen historical period, of manuscripts and original prints, is carried out by the members of the Ensemble, exploiting their various levels of musical experience and competence."
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Jul 07, 2008 | Hits: 1355
" ... Our activities include the representation of music concerts, sacred and profane from the medieval-Renaissance periods ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 24, 2008 | Hits: 1351
Andrea Ortu traverso flute
Claudio Frigerio cello
Milena Frige' harpsichord
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 1115
Midieval musical, theatrical and dance ensemble. Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 25, 2008 | Hits: 1216
Luca Mereu: baroque mandoline
Elisabetta Fardelli: harpsichord
"The Pizzico Ensemble was created with the intent to promote a repertoire dedicated to compositions for harpsichord, mandolin, vocals and strings now forgotten. The repertoire experienced its heyday in the eighteenth century along with a lot of mandolin composers such as: Paganini, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Vivaldi and others. …"
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Dec 03, 2011 | Hits: 1265
" ... It is to recreate the atmosphere and courteous popular medieval world that the group uses of musical instruments, some faithfully reconstructed on the basis of precise iconographic references, others still in use in the tradition of countries bordering the Mediterranean.
The group has toured in France, Germany, Poland, Holland, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Australia. The ensemble has performed for important associations concert and has participated in major ancient music events both Italian and foreign. ... " (translated (ed.)) Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 18, 2008 | Hits: 1017
"Founded in 2007 by violinist Riccardo Minasi, unites the solo, chamber music and orchestral experiences of some of the most active young musicians on the international scene today. In the few years since the group was conceived, it was already invited to important festivals and concert series such as Bologna Festival, GOG of Genova, Ravenna Festival, Birmingham Early Music Festival, Festival of Utrecht, Auditori of Barcelona, Caixa Madrid, Valencia, Festival de Divonne, Santiago de Compostela, Attersee Festival, Potsdam Sanssouci Festival, Musica e Poesia a S.Maurizio, O Flos Colende from Florence, Bad Kissingen, Festival de Santander, Innsbruck Festival,Teatro de El Escorial, etc… With a repertoire that expands from late 1500's to the beginning of the 1800's Musica Antiqua Roma thanks to rigourous study and continuous musicological research, maintains a particular attention to the vast, and partly forgotten repertoire of Music by roman composers from the 17th and 18th centuries."
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 21, 2012 | Hits: 1002
Early Music Ensemble performing Medieval music. Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 25, 2008 | Hits: 1367
"LiliumLyra is an artistic project that aims to research and interpret medieval music, sacred and profane of the XII-XIII centuries inspired directly from the original manuscripts. " (Google translation) Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 25, 2008 | Hits: 1438
"The Trompettes des Plaisirs ensemble has a staff of natural trumpets (in number varying from three to five), baroque timpani and organ in addition, the voices and other instruments, as the songs scheduled to reach a staff orchestra. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Jul 01, 2008 | Hits: 1216
"Formed in 1993 by Neapolitan musicians dedicated to research in the field of early music, "Le Musiche Chamber" from the outset has directed its activities towards the rediscovery of songs unpublished or little known Neapolitan composers of the XVII and XVIII. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 1241
"Inspired by Romance lyrics (reverdies) celebrating the return of Spring, the ensemble laReverdie was founded in 1986 by two pairs of sisters, all singers and instrumentalists, with the intent of exploring the musical repertoire of Europe from the High Middle Ages to the end of the 14th century.
The painstaking attention to authenticity with which laReverdie prepares its programs is only one of the numerous means through which the ensemble strives to communicate the vitality, meaning and unaffected harmony of everything it presents to its audience. A particular attention is given to the wide and mostly unexplored repertoire of "sacred theatre": liturgical dramas and dramatic liturgy, collective representations, manifestations which evoke the religiousness of an age whose echoes are not extinguished yet. The aim is not so much to meticulously catalogue a collection of archaeological relics as it is to faithfully reconstruct the musical heritage of the Middle Ages as a living fragment of a culture long since past but not lost.
laReverdie has enjoyed the regular collaboration of various other musicians: among the others Doron David Sherwin, one of the leading specialists of cornetto, as well as a versatile arranger, singer and percussionist. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 24, 2008 | Hits: 1705
"THE DULCAMARA training is instrumental, composed primarily of reeds and percussion, who wants to convey the variety of colors and sensations of representations itinerant street in the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque. ... " (Google translation) Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 24, 2008 | Hits: 1180
"The Cultural Association of "Orchestra Barocca La Confraternita de' Musici" is not for profit and aims to promote the musical culture through diversified solutions such as research, concerts, conferences, meetings, records, courses and competitions.
Founded by Cosimo Prontera, the Ensemble makes its debut at the "Leonardo Leo" Barocco Festival 1997. The ensemble plays on period instruments esploring the important and unknown repertoire of apulian composers acttive in Naples during the XVII and XVIII century. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Jul 01, 2008 | Hits: 1132
"L'Astrée was born in Turin in 1991 and specializes in early music instrumental repertoire with the use of original instruments.
The ensemble takes its name from a combination of François Couperin Le Grand and that of the one of his trio sonatas called L'Astrée."
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Tags: Fondazione Academia Montis Regalis Onlus
Added on: Apr 24, 2011 | Hits: 1170
"Born in Sardinia, Paola Erdas was awarded her diploma in harpsichord at the Conservatory of Venice in 1991. From 1992 to 1996, thanks to a five-year scholarship, she studied under Kenneth Gilbert at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Since 1996 she has been a member of the ensemble L'Apothéose, recording for the Stradivarius label.
In the same year, together with recorder virtuoso Lorenzo Cavasanti, she founded the JANAS ensemble. The group, which collaborates with the theatre and historical dance specialist Deda Colonna, soon became multi-instrumental, with the sound of the harpsichord augmented by voice,winds,strings and percussion , in performances combining poetry, dance and music of the late Renaissance and Baroque periods in the Mediterranean area. ...
She is presently working on a critical edition of the "Pièces de Clavessin" by N. A. Lebègue, the first volume of which has been already been published by Ut Orpheus Edizioni and recently recorded by her on the Stradivarius label.
Paola Erdas teaches thorough-bass at the Conservatory of Trieste. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Apr 13, 2008 | Hits: 1319
Members: Enrico Onofri, violin & direction Alessandro Tampieri, violin and lute Alessandro Palmeri, cello Riccardo Doni, harpsichord & organ Margret Koell, harp Maria Cristina Vasi, viola/violin
"Founded and directed by Enrico Onofri, the IMAGINARIUM Ensemble (Imaginarium: "the place of images") brings together a group of musicians who all appear with key Early Music ensembles. In 2006 IMAGINARIUM Ensemble released with great success the CD "La voce nel violino", dedicated to the great Italian Early Baroque repertoire for violin. In 2010 a new CD of Imaginarium Ensemble has been released by label DHM/Sony (Vivaldi, La Follia and violin sonatas).
Among the members of Imaginarium: ..."
Visit website for more information.
Added on: May 20, 2015 | Hits: 912
"Il Giardino Armonico was founded in 1985 by Giovanni Antonini (recorder), Paolo Beschi (cello) and Lorenzo Ghielmi (harpsichord), joined after a short time by the lutist Luca Pianca and the violinist Enrico Onofri, and brings together musicians from some of Europe's leading music institutions, all of them specialized in performing on period instruments. The ensemble's repertory is mainly focused on the 17th and 18th centuries. Depending on the demands of each programme, the group will consist of anywhere from 3 to 35 musicians. …"
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Feb 04, 2012 | Hits: 1191
Early Music Ensemble from Italy. Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Apr 13, 2008 | Hits: 1379
"Il Circolo delle Quinte Vuote"is a vocal and instrumental group which was formed in 1992 by musicians who share the same interest for ancient music.
Italian Renaissance and Baroque music, played with copies of original instruments, and according to a filologic lecture, is the main activity of the ensemble
The group gives several concerts every year, in Italy as well as abroad, always meeting the extreme favour of all kind of spectators.
"Il Circolo" took part in theatrical performances, as well as in international festivals such as the International Music Campus in Latina; the Festival Latina Musica Oggi; the second edition of the International Festival of Ancient Music in Avellino; the International Ferrara Buskers' Festival; in Germany, Dachau and Munchen; in Prague, in the beautiful baroque frame of Nostilz Palace, at the presence of some members of both the italian and the czech Embassies, and of the Italian Culture Institute; in the International Ancient Music Festival in Var in France, etc. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Jun 29, 2008 | Hits: 1256
"Gruppo Seicento early music ensemble was established in 2002 by the effort of musicians dedicated for a long time to the early music in the will to face the baroque repertoire, with a special interest in Seventeen century Italian music, using original instruments or copies, studying the original sources of this period and performing on historical tunings.
The Gruppo Seicento has played in several early music concert seasons and festivals in Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and South America obtaining unanimous approval from the public and the critic. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Jun 29, 2008 | Hits: 2577
"Ghislieri Choir & Consort, Baroque ensemble in residence at the College Ghislieri, provides some of the best singers and instrumentalists Italian Baroque. Has an active project of rediscovery of the sacred choral reperorio the eighteenth century that will be released worldwide by Sony-Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. …" (Google Translate)
Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: Mar 03, 2012 | Hits: 1188
"The Galinverna music group was born in Turin in 1996, with the purpose to make a research in different directions concerning ethnic and ancient music. By means of musical festivals and historical shows they could perform in most Northern and central Italy and in France, giving concerts of ancient music or playing within historical commemorations, making street animations with traditional music, theatrical co-operations and also concerts of original music, where the interest for the ancient music melts with the interest for Mediterranean and European folk sonorities. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)
Added on: May 24, 2008 | Hits: 1264


text:
On Sept. 6, 2016, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new law that requires public schools in New York to test for lead in all water outlets currently or potentially used for drinking or cooking.
Per the new legislation, Schalmont Central School District had 301 of its potable water outlets across the district tested on Sept. 17. This was in addition to previous testing on 77 done Aug. 19, before the new law.
The district has received the results of the water testing completed in the high school/middle school campus, as well as the retesting of the two faucets that had elevated levels from the Aug. 19 testing.
"We are pleased that this round of testing is conclusive with our initial results, and once again, showed no issues in the overwhelming majority of water outlets in our schools, including all water fountains used by students on a regular basis,� said Superintendent Dr. Carol Pallas. "We are committed to ensuring that our students and staff have safe water to drink and that the water quality in our schools meet state and federal guidelines.�
Elevated levels of lead were detected in 16 water outlets in the
middle school. These included sinks in current and past science
classrooms, outside faucets, and the unused girls shower. As a result,
outside faucets and the sinks in the non-science classrooms will be
turned off. Signs have been posted in current science rooms stating
the sink is restricted to washing and water for experiments. The girls
shower also has been shut off, as it is currently unused.
In the high school, elevated levels of lead were detected in 46 faucets. These included non-drinking faucets such as sinks in science classrooms, showers in the old locker rooms, and a sink in the kitchen used for hand washing. Signs have been posted in current science rooms and above the kitchen stating the sinks are restricted to washing and experiments. Signs have also been posted near the showers stating the outlet is restricted to washing.
The two faucets that were retested after the district received the Aug. 19 results registered levels below the actionable limit and are permitted to be used once again.
"The results for all water outlets used for drinking and food preparation were under the acceptable limits,� Pallas said. "Most of outlets that tested at higher levels are ones that are not actively used, therefore water is sitting in the pipes instead of constantly flowing through them.�
The Center for Disease Control states that human skin does not absorb lead in water, and that it is safe to wash in water, even if it contains lead over EPA's action level. Therefore it is safe for the science and slop sinks, all of which are designated for washing only, to continue to be used.
All outlets with elevated levels will be retested according to the
guidelines of the state Department of Health.
The district is still waiting for results from both Jefferson and Woestina schools from the August and September testing. Those results will be shared once received.
If you have questions about the testing process or results, call the Superintendent's office at (518) 355-9200 ext. 4001.
The following resources provide additional information about water testing in schools:


text:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska--Rising 4,200 feet from the lower west side of Alaska's Cook Inlet, Mount Saint Augustine is one of the state's most active volcanoes. Better known for plumes of ash that disrupt air traffic around Anchorage, Saint Augustine has attracted the attention of scientists who study tsunamis--large ocean waves created by volcanoes and earthquakes.
One of those scientists is Elena Troshina. As a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Troshina created a computer visualization model of a tsunami that occurred in 1883. The wave was created when the north side of the volcano's dome collapsed into the sea. The tsunami traveled 51 miles across the inlet and partially flooded the small fishing village of English Bay.
"There are records that say on that day the air became black and foggy and it began to thunder," said Troshina. "Then an hour later four tidal waves came and raised sea levels by about 20 feet and partially flooded the village."
Since then, four other eruptions have spewed lava and rocks onto the slopes of the volcano. Scientists believe material on the summit now is so steep and unstable that another tsunami-producing landslide is possible. "There was great public concern in 1986 when the volcano erupted," said Troshina, "At that point the dome was already unstable. But it didn't collapse. Now it looks like the next eruption may collapse this dome."
Following the last eruption, the Alaska Sea Grant College Program, a federal-state marine research agency in Fairbanks, commissioned UAF scientists to model the impact of the 1883 tsunami on English Bay. Juergen Kienle from the Geophysical Institute and Zygmunt Kowalik from the Institute of Marine Science calculated the volume of material that slid into the sea, the initial creation of the tsunami wave, and the propagation of the wave across Cook Inlet. Troshina employed mathematical formulas that consider ocean depth and local topographical features to model the wave as it moved across Cook Inlet and flooded English Bay. Based on her model, the tsunami took just 53 minutes for the first 20-foot wave to hit the village.
In addition, Troshina modeled the impact on Homer Spit of a tsunami originating from a collapse of the east side of the volcano. She will present the models May 30 at the American Geophysical Union's session on coastal hazards in Baltimore, Maryland. The models will be used to help officials predict what might happen should future landslides and tidal waves occur.
"We know the volcano has a history of dome-building eruptions and then sudden collapses that cause tsunami waves," said Ron Dearborn, director of Alaska Sea Grant. "This model allows emergency planners to understand and plan for the risks."
Troshina says the model will be especially useful to scientists and emergency planners because different scenarios can be plugged into it to see how various waves may affect lower Cook Inlet communities.
"In the model you can consider landslide velocities from 10 meters per second to 100 meters per second," said Troshina. "You can look at the whole range of results from different avalanches."
According to the model, a landslide on the volcano similar to the one that occurred in 1883 would direct most of the tsunami's energy at Anchor Point. This is a region of high bluffs that would absorb the force of the wave, Troshina said. Most at risk from another collapse of Saint Augustine's dome would be Homer Spit, a peninsula that juts about four miles into Kachemak Bay that is a popular summertime tourist attraction.
"A lot depends on how much material ends up in the water from the collapse of the volcano's dome," said Troshina. "At high tide it can be a danger. It could flood Homer Spit if enough material crashed into the water at high tide. If something happens there it will be a problem just to leave the spit, to organize an evacuation."
Because the Kenai Peninsula shoreline offers protection, Anchorage is not at risk from a tidal wave generated by a collapse of the Saint Augustine dome.
The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory coordinate their efforts to alert coastal residents of possible dangers. Thomas Sokolowski is the chief geophysicist at the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
"There have been a number of landslide-generated tsunamis in Alaska," said Sokolowski. "We had at least five confirmed landslide-generated tsunamis during the 1964 earthquake that shook up two-thirds of the state. So in this respect her work helps us understand the kind of wave action that can be generated from them and their run-up onto shore."
A video that depicts the 1883 tsunami and its impact on English Bay is being completed by the Alaska Sea Grant Program and the visualization lab at the University of Alaska Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. It will be used to inform emergency planners and citizens about the cause and possible effects of a tsunami triggered by a landslide on Mount Saint Augustine.
The Alaska Sea Grant College Program is a marine research, education and outreach service headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. It is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the state of Alaska and private industry.
Photos of the 1986 Mount Saint Augustine eruption as well as images of the coastal topography created by the 1883 landslide can be seen on the web at the Augustine home page, http://www.avo.alaska.edu/volcanoes/augu/augu.html.
Alaska Sea Grant press releases and links to other fisheries and oceanographic material can be found on the Internet at http://www.
To join our news release distribution list, or to switch from fax to e-mail delivery, send an e-mail to Doug Schneider at firstname.lastname@example.com, fax to 907-474-6285, or phone 907-474-7449.


text:
A rare day when Fukushima rates only a tangential headline. But never fear, things are at a rolling boil in lots of other venues. . .
We begin with a hint of things to come from Want China Times:
US dollar era could end: Nobel laureate Thomas Sargent
Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Sargent says the era of the US dollar as the world's largest trade currency could come to an end, China Entrepreneur magazine reports.
Sargent, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2011, made the comments in an interview during a recent visit to China.
The US dollar rapidly became the world's top trade currency after the conclusion of World War II because wars have affected the US relatively less, allowing the country to maintain its balance of payments, Sargent noted, adding that predictions about the end of the US dollar era have been premature.
In the future, however, all national governments will take more precautions but will still allow the public to decide what trade currency they prefer to use. If they end up deciding to use a different currency like the Chinese yuan, then the era of the US dollar will effectively end, Sargent said.
The Contributor Network delivers the inhumane:
TX Rep on Why He Joined Congress: To Stop Single Moms from Getting Welfare
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of LBJ's War on Poverty, which introduced major initiatives designed to help lift Americans out of poverty. President Obama marked the occasion by recommitting himself to fighting poverty, declaring that "our work is far from over."
Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler), on the other hand, used the occasion to reaffirm how much he hates poor people, especially single mothers.
In a speech on the House floor Wednesday night, Gohmert explained that the War on Poverty inspired him to run for Congress. But it wasn't because he wanted to fight poverty, it was because he hated welfare. Gohmert said that as a state district judge, he realized that "the government will send you a check for every baby you have out of wedlock" and he decided he had to stop it.
Just for the sake of reality, consider the following as our riposte to Gohmert's, er, gomerism, via Montclair Sociologist:
A relative of Obama's commerce secretary goes for the [Acapulco] gold via Bloomberg:
Pritzker Scion Backs Pot Plans as Getting High Gets Legal
Robert Frichtel will have 10 minutes to persuade a roomful of investors in Las Vegas to part with as much as $6 million for a business leasing space for growing marijuana.
Frichtel's firm will be among 12 companies making pitches Jan. 23 to as many as 70 angel investors assembled by the ArcView Group, based in San Francisco. Members include Joby Pritzker, whose family started Hyatt Hotels Corp., and Adam Wiggins, co-founder of Heroku Inc., a software maker acquired by Salesforce.com Inc.
"Everybody is running toward this as the next entrepreneurial wave — the green rush," said Frichtel, 50, president and chief executive officer of Advanced Cannabis Solutions Inc., based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
TheLocal.de covers a landmark:
German carmakers celebrate record US sales
German automakers predict further growth in the US market after achieving record sales in 2013 by capitalizing on expanding demand for luxury vehicles, the head of the VDA automakers association said Monday.
The country's carmakers have managed to outpace the market, expanding sales by 75 percent since the financial crisis pushed US sales to the lowest level in decades in 2009.
"During those crisis years we, the German auto industry, did not make the mistake of underestimating the importance of the US market," VDA's president Matthias Wissmann said at the Detroit auto show. "On the contrary, our companies consistently expanded their activities here in the United States. This long-term strategy is paying off."
The Washington Post strikes close to Republican home:
Survey: Strong concern about health coverage among congressional staffers
The vast majority of congressional staff directors think their employees are worried about their health benefits after a GOP amendment to the Affordable Care Act forced them off their normal federal-worker plans, according to a survey released Monday.
Ninety percent of chiefs of staff and local directors in a Congressional Management Foundation survey said their employees are concerned about the benefit changes, while 86 percent said their workers are worried about cost.
Congressional staffers previously qualified for coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan, but an amendment by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to the health law now prohibits lawmakers and their staffers from taking part in the program.
Those individuals must now seek coverage through their spouses, parents, or the federal exchange established under the health law. Otherwise, they have to pay a penalty for not having insurance.
Another institution gets an offshore owner via BBC News:
Japan's Suntory buys Jim Beam drinks group in $16bn deal
Japanese family-owned drinks firm Suntory is to buy the US beverage group Beam Inc, the company behind the Jim Bean bourbon brand.
Under the deal, worth $16bn (£9.7bn) in all, Suntory will pay $13.6bn in cash and take on Beam's debt.
It will make Suntory the world's third largest maker of distilled drinks.
Belated realization from Al Jazeera America:
Larry Summers joins the reality-based economics community
Former Obama adviser discovers that prolonged economic downturns are a serious problem
In a remarkable departure from earlier versions of Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary, Harvard president and top Obama economic adviser has recently been sounding the alarm about secular stagnation — a prolonged period when the economy operates below its potential level of output. This discovery may provoke choruses of "duh" from the tens of millions of workers who for years have had the opportunity to live with secular stagnation in the form of unemployment, underemployment or stagnant wages.
But even if his discovery is not news to most people, it is a huge development nonetheless. Summers is one of the world's most prominent economists. In the mainstream of the profession, it has long been a matter of virtual absolute faith that the economy tends to sustain full employment levels of output. Any departures from full employment are quickly corrected by the self-adjusting market, ideally with a push from a reduction in interest rates by central banks.
Gee, ya think so? From Salon:
Noam Chomsky: Trans-Pacific Partnership is a "neoliberal assault"
The political theorist and linguist slams the agreement that has little to do with free trade
Critics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement — a purported free trade deal between 11 countries, including the U.S., Canada and Japan, which has been in negotiations for some years — have noted that the deal has little to do with free trade. Rather, the TPP is about limiting regulation, helping corporate interests and imposes fiercer standards of intellectual property (to, again, largely benefit corporate interests).
Noam Chomsky has joined the chorus decrying the TPP. On Monday he told HuffPost Live that the deal, which is not yet finalized, is "designed to carry forward the neoliberal project to maximize profit and domination, and to set the working people in the world in competition with one another so as to lower wages to increase insecurity."
Chomsky said it was "a joke" that the deal is designated a "free trade" agreement. "It's called free trade, but that's just a joke," Chomsky said. "These are extreme, highly protectionist measures designed to undermine freedom of trade. In fact, much of what's leaked about the TPP indicates that it's not about trade at all, it's about investor rights."
On to Europe, first with a warning from the Australian Financial Review:
IMF adds four European countries to financial risk list
The IMF has added Denmark, Finland, Norway and Poland to its list of countries that must have regular check-ups of their financial sectors, under an effort to prevent a repeat of the global financial crisis.
Looking down with EUbusiness:
Portugal, Greece, Latvia highlight eurozone deflation risk
Consumer prices rose by an average of 0.3 percent in 2013 in Portugal and fell by 0.9 percent in Greece, according to data released Monday, showing the risk of deflation in the eurozone periphery remains real.
In Baltic state Latvia, inflation was zero in 2013 compared with price levels in 2012, official data in Riga showed. Latvia became the eurozone's 18th member on January 1 this year.
Portugal's INE statistics agency said that annual consumer price inflation picked up to 0.2 percent in December, from the -0.2 percent registered in November. It said the disinflation trend in 2013 was mostly due to a 0.7-percent drop in energy prices.
In Greece, annual inflation came in at -1.7 percent in December, after hitting -2.9 percent in November, according to EL.STAT.
Another warning, via Reuters:
ECB's Mersch says recovery on wobbly legs
The euro zone economic recovery is still very tentative and fragile and is Europe's number one challenge for 2014, European Central Bank Executive Board member Yves Mersch said on Monday.
"I see the big challenge for this year in the still very tentative upturn," Mersch said in the text of a speech to be given at an Ifo Institute event in Munich. "The economic recovery in Europe still stands on wobbly legs."
Mersch also urged those countries which can afford it to invest in infrastructure.
While he did not specifically name Germany, it has faced criticism from countries in Europe and beyond for spending less on infrastructure over the past decade.
On to Britain with a weighty entry from RT:
Obesity pandemic looms large as half of Britons could be overweight by 2050
Prognoses that only half the UK population will be obese by 2050 ''underestimate the true scale of the problem,'' a new report has warned. The National Obesity Forum says Britain is in for the worst case obesity scenario.
"It is entirely reasonable to conclude that the determinations of the 2007 Foresight Report (i.e. that half the population might be obese by 2050 at an annual cost of nearly 50 billion pounds), while shocking at the time, may now underestimate the scale of the problem," the report by the National Obesity Forum stated.
"Obesity and weight management are a direct cause of many health problems and are already placing enormous demands on the NHS at a time when health resources are stretched like never before. The current situation is unsustainable," Professor David Haslam, the forum's chair said.
Just say no, via EUobserver:
UK parliament should have right to veto EU laws, MPs say
The UK parliament should have the right to throw out EU laws, according to a letter from Conservative MPs to Prime Minister David Cameron.
In the letter, made public on Sunday (12 January), 95 Conservatives (out of a total of 225) stated that the House of Commons should be able to block new EU legislation and repeal existing measures that threaten Britain's "national interests".
A national parliament veto power would allow the UK to "recover control over our borders, to lift EU burdens on business, to regain control over energy policy and to disapply the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights".
The idea was quickly dismissed by ministers.
Neoliberal gospel from the Irish Independent:
Slash tax to create jobs and attract business, report urges
INCOME tax should be dramatically slashed to encourage risk-taking in business and bring in foreign start-up companies, the Government is being advised.
A radical report by an expert group on entrepreneurship, seen by the Irish Independent, has recommended a flat tax on all income of 15pc to 20pc in a long-term strategy to attract corporations, immigrant business people and keep wealthy Irish in the country.
The low flat rate of tax would be on all income and would also be aimed at eliminating evasion.
"High income tax rates results in fewer jobs, results in more people on social welfare, and results in a dying economy," the report by the Entrepreneurship Forum says.
On to Amsterdam, with a bill to come from DutchNews.nl:
Prisoners to pay €16 a day for their time in jail: justice ministry
The cabinet is planning to make convicted criminals pay towards the cost of the investigation into their crimes as well as a fee for each day they spend in jail.
The justice ministry said in a statement on Monday it is to introduce a charge of €16 a day for prisoners, people in psychiatric prison and the parents of juveniles in detention.
Prisoners and parents would be liable to pay the charge for a maximum two years, costing them up to €11,680.
Hints of coming Danish deflation from the Copenhagen Post:
Inflation at a historic low
The yearly rise of consumer prices has reached its lowest rate in 60 years
Last month saw consumer prices rise by 0.8 percent over December 2012 – the second-largest jump of the year – but as a whole, inflation was at a historic low in 2013.
With prices rising just 0.8 percent from 2012 to 2013, it marked the lowest inflation rate in 60 years.
A drop in the price of food and petrol are among the explanations for the historically low inflation rate, according to Arbejdernes Landsbank chief economist Lone Kjærgaard.
Germany next, putting on a happy face with New Europe:
Germany: Government wants German army to be an attractive employer
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced her plan to reform the labour relations in the German army.
"My goal is to make the armed forces to be one of the most attractive employers in Germany…In doing so, the most important issue is the compatability of employment and family," Ms. Von der Leyen told the national Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag. The German Defence minister also served as a Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and a Minister of Family Affairs in the previous governments.
Chinese new agency Xinhia reported that according to German media reports, soldiers often criticise the family-unfriendly conditions in the German army. The complaints made to Hellmut Konigshaus, Parliamentary Commissioner for the German Armed Forces, have reached a record high in 2013. Ms. Von der Leyen said that she intends to promote part-time work for soldiers who need to take care of their children or parents and also expand child care services in army barracks. Moreover she stressed that, "anyone who, for example, uses the option of a three- or four-day week while raising a family must still have career prospects."
Europe Online books a profit:
Volkswagen overtakes GM with 16-per-cent growth in China
German auto giant Volkswagen AG on Monday reported annual sales of 3.27 million vehicles in China last year, up 16.2 per cent, beating the sales volume of US rival General Motors.
"2013 was a very successful year for us, and we intend to continue our growth in 2014," said Jochem Heizmann, the head of Volkswagen Group China.
Sales of the company's Volkswagen-branded vehicles rose by nearly 17 per cent to 2.51 million.
EurActiv voices opposition:
French senators strongly attack EU-US trade deal
During a debate in the French Senate, all political parties harshly criticised the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but the French government defended the potential deal, EurActiv France reports.
The minister in charge of foreign trade, Nicole Bricq, admit with regret that France was the country where the mobilisation against what they call the 'transatlantic treaty', is the strongest.
A debate, which took place in the Senate on Thursday (9 January), showed bipartisan opposition to the agreement and the government found itself somewhat isolated on the topic after facing criticism from speakers from all political sides.
Though we usually avoid sexcapades, in the case of the French President trysts have transformed into troubles for an already deeply troubled regime. From The Independent:
The French First Lady Valérie Trierweiler has demanded a "rapid clarification" of her status – both romantic and public – following President François Hollande's reported love affair with a 41 years old actress.
The President's official companion has told a French journalist that she believes that an official statement needs to be made to the French people despite Mr Hollande's insistence that the episode is merely part of his "private life".
François Hollande And Julie Gayet's 'Love Affair Flat' Linked To Corsican Mafia
Ms Trierweiler, 49, was still in hospital suffering from depression and shock tonight, three days after Closer magazine revealed that Mr Hollande was having an affair with the actress Julie Gayet. Her office announced that doctors judged that she needed more rest and she would not leave the hospital as originally planned today.
"She needs to recover after the shock she received," her office said. "She needs quiet."
And the latest twist from TheLocal.fr:
Hollande-Gayet 'love nest' linked to mafia
Reports in France over the weekend linked a "love nest" allegedly used by President François Hollande and actress Julie Gayet to two figures with connections to the Corsican mob. It is the latest twist in a tale that is dominating the headlines in France on Monday.
The story of French President François Hollande's alleged affair with an actress took a darker turn over the weekend when reports surfaced saying the suspected trysts took place in a Paris apartment owned by someone with ties to the Corsican mob.
The apartment on Rue du Cirque, not far from the Elysée Palace in the city's 8th arrondissement, was allegedly made available to Hollande and actress Julie Gayet by a woman who was married to a recently slain Corsican mafioso and who is the ex-wife of Michel Ferracci, who also has alleged links to Corsican mafia, French newspaper Le Monde claimed.
Spain next, first with a pitch from TheLocal.es:
Spanish PM to sell recovery in Obama talks
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is set to visit US President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday in what some in the Spanish media have called a long overdue meeting.
It has taken two years and one month, but Rajoy will finally make an official visit to the residence of the US President on Monday. In the heavily scrutinized world of international diplomacy, such details can take on significance.
Spain's El Mundo pointed out on Monday that Barack Obama only waited 10 months after being elected to invite ex-President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The daily also pointed out that the leaders of Greece and Italy hadn't had to wait so long to pay their respects to Obama.
El País boosts:
Economy grew 0.3 percent in fourth quarter, De Guindos says
Minister presents advance figures to bolster government claims that recovery is gaining pace
Economy Minister Luis de Guindos announced on Monday in Congress that the fledgling recovery of the Spanish economy gained more strength in the fourth quarter of 2013. According to advance figures from the government, GDP grew 0.3 percent between October and December compared with the previous quarter. That is two points higher than the figure for the second quarter, when Spain finally managed to leave behind the longest recession of the democratic era.
During his appearance in Congress, De Guindos summed up the positive signs now appearing in the Spanish economy, with the aim of bolstering the government's argument that the recovery is gaining pace. The country is now "faced with a recovery, albeit fragile, but one that is, after all, a recovery," he said.
The Portugal News re-ups:
Prime Minister to seek second mandate
Pedro Passos Coelho announced his intention to seek a second mandate as Portuguese Prime Minister and will correspondingly stand as candidate for the leadership of the Social Democrat Party, the senior coalition party in power, he told a party meeting in a Lisbon hotel.
"My intention is to once again stand as candidate for the leadership of the Social Democrat Party and thereby to campaign in the next parliament elections as a candidate for Prime Minister," Passos Coelho said to warm applause.
The party leadership elections are due on January 22 with national elections due in 2015.
The current prime minister added that the party leadership election was taking place "in the middle of an ongoing process" that had first begun in 2010 when he took over the party leadership when still in opposition.
From Lisbon, have we got a deal for you! From EUbusiness:
Barroso says Portugal would do well to take new aid programme
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Monday taking a precautionary credit line would boost confidence in Portugal once it finishes its EU-IMF rescue later this year.
"A precautionary programme would without a generate more confidence and security," Barroso was quoted as saying by Portuguese journalists in Brussels.
"It would be the best option, in principle, but it is still a little early to decide."
As Portugal nears the end of its 78-billion-euro ($106-billion) EU-IMF bailout in May there has been increasing discussion whether it will follow in Ireland's footsteps and forgo any of the EU's new assistance programmes.
Off to Italy and a declaration from a rising new party via AGI:
M5S voters support decriminalizing clandestine immigration
The on-line M5S referendum on decriminalizing clandestine immigration attracted 24,932 respondents, who expressed their vote on Beppe Grillo's blog.
15,839 voters were in favour of decriminalization and 9,093 were against. .
The harsh reality from TheLocal.it:
'Migrants are treated like dogs': Italian MP
In December, shocking footage showed migrants being disinfected at a migrant "welcome centre" on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. Shortly after, MP Khalid Chaouki spent a number of nights at the centre to experience just how bad conditions for migrants are. He speaks to The Local about what he discovered.
While the Italian government and the EU launched investigations into the Lampedusa centre, Khalid Chaouki flew there to experience for himself what life was like for people arriving on Italy's shores.
After landing on December 22nd, the Democratic Party (PD) MP found the centre in an "appalling" state, with water leaking into the rooms and "awful" hygiene conditions. Filthy mattresses piled up, while there was nowhere set aside for people to eat, he said at the time.
After the jump crimes, austerity, and punishment in Greece, Turkish tempers, Latin American medicine, an Indian surprise, Thai troubles, Aussie immigration politics, Chinese marketization, a Japanese admonition, and the latest environmental news. . .
Our first Greek item charts decline with MacroPolis:
Greece saw first annual deflation in almost half a century in 2013
The drop in Greece's Consumer Price Index (CPI) decelerated to 1.7 percent in December after peaking with a 2.9 percent decline in November, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.9 percent for the first time since September. The average rate of CPI change in 2013 was negative at -0.9 percent for the first time in more than 45 years, according to the Bank of Greece.
The positive change in prices by 0.9 percent in December compared to November is fully attributed to a jump in clothing and footwear prices by 9.4 percent most likely reflecting a 10-day sales period introduced for the first time in the beginning of November. The same reason also explains the deflation peak on a yearly basis in November, when clothing and footwear prices retreated 11.5 percent.
ANSAmed captures another fall-off:
Crisis: Greece, retail sector expects turnover to drop 10%
Winter sales begin today to last until February 28
Greece's suffering retail sector will be looking for a boost from winter sales, which begin on Monday and are due to last until February 28, as Kathimerini online reports.
Estimates from the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce (ESEE) put the expected turnover in this sales window at 5 billion euros, down from 5.5 billion in 2013 – i.e. a decline of just under 10%. The annual drop last year had amounted to 14%, while in 2012 it had come to 14.89%. In contrast to last year's winter sales, stores will be allowed to open on the first Sunday on of the sales period, which is on January 19, if they wish
From Greek Reporter, one sale does go through:
BP Buys Greek Oil Reserves
The agreement for the purchase of the Prinos oil field reserves was signed on Monday afternoon at the Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, between Energean Oil, the Greek company exploiting the reserves and British multinational BP Oil International.
The $500 million price tag relates to oil production estimates for the Prinos field over the 6 year duration of the contract at current oil prices. It also marks the return of BP to the Greek energy market, which the British company abandoned in 2009, selling its domestic assets to Hellenic Petroleum S.A.
This return to the Greek market is seen by observers as important, particularly in terms of developments expected over the next few months regarding other potential reserves in Greek controlled waters.
ANSAmed charts another decline:
Crisis: Greece's industrial output continues to suffer
Greece's industrial slump deepened further as output contracted in November for a fifth consecutive month, to the tune of 6.1%, as daily Kathimerini reports quoting data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), highlighting the ravages of a six-year recession even as the debt-laden economy is showing tentative signs of recovery elsewhere. The revised figure for the previous month pointed to a 4.7% contraction.
The reduced production of wood, petroleum, carbon and metal products led to a 5.8% decline in manufacturing output in November. The drop brings the overall decline in Greek industrial output to an annual pace of 3.9% in the first 11 months of the year, compared to a 3.4% drop for the whole of 2012. Greek industrial production has been on the wane since 2008, and has dropped by about 30% since its peak.
Deutsche Welle serves it up:
Soup kitchens for the Greek middle class
In Greece even the middle class is suffering because of the crisis. Soup kitchens and food donations for the needy are being organized – even in fancy suburbs of Athens.
In Athens's elegant and green suburb of Kifissia Maria Kefalas-Salmatani distributes food and medicine to the needy. In 2003, the contractor had been elected to the City Council – with the promise to create a new home for disabled children and young people. But since then, the priorities of the local government have changed: Due to the rapidly-spreading economic crisis, the councilor has to first care for the needy. The majority of start-up funding – approximately 4000.000 EUR – was given by an EU program. Today, the auxiliary project is primarily funded by private donations. By the end of January, the local administration of Kifissia will also open a social pharmacy for the needy.
To Vima withholds:
13% VAT rate for food and restaurants extended to end of 2014
Reduced tax rate applies to food delivery services and goods intended for immediate consumption
13% VAT rate for food and restaurants extended to end of 2014
According to the regulation issued by the General Secretary of Public Revenue Haris Theoharis, the 13% reduced VAT rate for food and restaurants will be extend until the 31st of December 2014.
The lower VAT rate, which was implemented in August, is applicable to food delivery services, coffee and hot drink kiosks, as well as other goods intended for immediate consumption at restaurants.
Mr. Theoharis clarified that the regular 23% VAT rate will remain in place for night clubs, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages accordingly and other related goods, which are not intended to be consumed immediately.
Greek Reporter coughs it up:
One in Three Greek Physicians Found With Unjustified Incomes
As part of a full-scale operation conducted by the Greek Financial and Economic Crimes Unit (SDOE) targeting money laundering in the health sector, it was revealed that hundreds of physicians all over Greece were involved in tax evasion and black-economy practices.
According to the newspaper "Eleftheros Typos," the opening of bank accounts owned by physicians working in the Greek National Health System revealed huge amounts which couldn't be justified by the physicians' legal incomes. It is suspected that these amounts come from bribes and illegal practice outside the NHS.
The results of the investigation show that at least 1 in 3 of the investigated doctors has been found with unjustified amounts in his bank accounts. In many cases, the black-market money discovered, amounts up to thousands of euros.
From the over 500 physicians audited — mainly gynecologists and obstetricians — the tax evasion percentage exceeds 35%.
Prosecutions aplenty with Kathimerini English:
Judiciary steps up parallel corruption probes
Suspect questioned in bank loan scandal as two more arrested for submarines
The judiciary stepped up a corruption probe on two fronts on Monday, arresting two officials suspected of taking under-the-table payments for a submarine deal and questioning the first suspect in a new scandal embroiling the state-led Hellenic PostBank (TT) in the issuing of millions of euros in unsecured loans.
The former managing director of Skaramangas Shipyards, Sotiris Emmanouil, and an associate of ex-Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Yiannis Beltsios, were arrested in connection with taking bribes to secure arms deals. Emmanouil is alleged to have received some 23 million euros in kickbacks to secure submarine deals with German firm HDW Ferrostaal. Authorities arrested him in his luxury home, which was subsequently seized.
Warrants for the arrest of the two men were issued after former Defense Ministry official Apostolos Kantas alleged during testimony that they had received under-the-table payment.
And for our next entry in Law & Order: Athens, consider the following from EnetEnglish.gr:
Former finance minister Papaconstantinou to stand trial over Lagarde list
Judges rule that the statute of limitations for the alleged offences has not expired
Former Pasok finance minister George Papaconstantinou faces charges of dereliction of duty, doctoring a document as well as breach of faith over allegedly removing the names of three of his relatives from the Lagarde list of suspected Greeks with undeclared cash deposits in a Swiss branch of HSBC bank
Former Pasok finance minister George Papaconstantinou will face an investigation for having tampered with a confidential tax list in late 2010, judges have decided.
Meeting on Sunday, the five-member judicial council of a special court called to look into the case agreed with the finding of a Supreme Court prosecutor that the statute of limitations related to the alleged offences has not expired.
As a former minister, Papaconstantinou would have avoided prosecution only for the May 2012 election produced a shortlived parliament. Under the law, ministers lose criminal liability if no action is taken against alleged offences during two consecutive sessions of parliament. But judges ruled that, as it sat for only 24 hours, the parliament formed after the May 2012 elections could not count as a normal session of the body.
Neos Kosmos slams the cell door:
Another Golden Dawn MP placed behind bars
Three other Golden Dawn MPs, among them the leader Nikos Michaloliakos, have been put in custody since late September
Another Golden Dawn MP was placed behind bars on Sunday, meaning a third of the Greek far-right party's 18 lawmakers are currently being held in pre-trial detention.
Continuing a crackdown against Golden Dawn, Stathis Boukouras was remanded in custody on Sunday afternoon, court officials said. He joined two other MPs, Giorgos Germenis and Panayiotis Iliopoulos, who were also put behind bars at the weekend. All three face charges of joining and directing a criminal organization.
And To Vima heats up:
Government and police concerned about upcoming urban militant attack
Escaped November 17 member Christodoulos Xiros may be cooperating with other urban guerrilla groups
The recent escape of convicted November 17 member Christodoulos Xiros during a leave of absence from the Korydallos prison has alarmed the government and police alike, who fear that he may be planning a terrorist attack.
In 2003 Xiros was convicted to ten life-time sentences and 25 years imprisonment for his participation in 8 terrorist attacks, robberies and other crimes attributed to November 17. After the lengthy appeal process his sentence was reduced to 6 life terms.
The authorities' predominant fear is that in light of the assumption of the EU's presidency by Greece, militant and terrorist groups will want to take advantage of the unique and international publicity opportunity and escalate their actions.
Turkey next, with resolution from New Europe:
Turkey: Erdogan sticks to his guns
Turkey's government said on January 13 that it has no plans to withdraw legislation that would tighten Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on the judiciary. Last week, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors – the HSYK – said coming under justice ministry control would undermine its independence.
The bill would strengthen the Justice Ministry's hold on a council that appoints judges and prosecutors while a major corruption scandal in which cabinet ministers have been implicated, is being investigated in Turkey. Three ministers' sons were arrested and are among tens of people facing charges.
The police officers that were in charge of their arrests along with hundreds of others have been removed.
PM Erdogan claims the corruption charges are a conspiracy orchestrated by followers of an Islamic movement which he says has infiltrated the police and judiciary. The movement correspondents say, is headed by a former Erdogan supporter and enjoys support in judicial circles.
Latin America next, and medic-aid from the Los Angeles Times:
Brazil's president imports Cuban doctors to ease shortage
The Mais Medicos program, which will bring 11,000 Cubans, is already helping, backers say. But the doctors are not being paid capitalist-style.
Brazil has seen a rapid increase in wealth during the last decade, and more than 40 million people have risen from poverty into the middle class. But as the country prepares to take the global stage as host of the 2014 World Cup, much of the population has not seen commensurate improvements in public services.
Brazil's Constitution calls for free care for all citizens who have no private plan, but in reality that remains little more than a promise. Neglected communities, long lines and bloody tragedies are often easier to stumble upon than an available doctor.
MercoPress beefs up:
Paraguay plans to climb from eighth to world's fifth exporter of beef by 2018
One of Paraguay's priorities is to make the country the world's fifth exporter of beef by 2018, according to Industry and Trade minister Gustavo Leite. The land locked member of Mercosur currently holds the eighth position.
"But we also want Paraguay to become the world's third per capita consumer of beef (behind Uruguay and Argentina), because let's not forget that Paraguayans love to eat beef and love their barbecue", added Leite.
The minister revealed that the plan is based on incorporation an estimated 120.000 small cattle farmers to a national production program, applying modern technology and sanitary practices.
The Guardian covers funny money:
World Bank's ethics under scrutiny after Honduras loan investigation
Private lending arm lent millions to palm oil company accused of links to assassinations and forced evictions, audit reveals
The verdict could not have been clearer: the World Bank's private lending arm failed to comply with its own ethical standards when it lent millions of dollars to a Honduran palm oil company accused of links to assassinations and forced evictions.
This was the damning verdict by the World Bank's Office of the Compliance Adviser/ Ombudsman (CAO) on Friday. It had investigated whether a $30m (£18.2m) loan by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to Corporation Dinant, an agribusiness owned by one of Honduras's richest and most powerful men Miguel Facussé, was made after proper environmental and social due diligence.
MercoPress digs in:
Nicaragua announces that construction of inter-ocean canal begins this year
President Manuel Ortega said on Saturday that the construction of a massive inter-oceanic canal in Nicaragua that could significantly alter global trade would start at the end of 2014. Ortega gave a Chinese group a concession to manage the future shipping channel for 50 years, with the possibility to renew the contract for another 50.
"The Nicaraguan government and HKND Group are pleased to confirm that canal construction work will begin as planned in December 2014," Ortega announced alongside Chinese tycoon Wang Jing, whose group has secured the rights to dig and operate the waterway.
The massive 30-billion-Euro project would connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and rival the century-old Panama canal.
And the Miami Herald loses it:
Bogota mayor loses appeal to keep job, calls for national protests
Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro is calling for national protests after the Inspector General's Office Monday ratified a ruling that will oust the one-time guerrilla and presidential candidate from office and ban him from politics for 15 years.
It's not clear when the ruling will take effect and Petro maintains that his ouster isn't official until President Juan Manuel Santos ratifies it.
"From Bogotá we call on all the democratic forces of the country and all the citizens to mobilize against this coup," Petro wrote on Twitter shortly after the announcement was made.
Inspector General Alejandro Ordóñez maintains Petro violated the constitution and broke environmental regulations when he ordered the city to take over trash collection in 2012. The transition was messy, leaving tons of garbage in the streets for a few days and forcing the city to use dump trucks due to the lack of garbage trucks.
BBC News rounds up the posse:
Mexico vigilantes clash with Knights Templar cartel in Michoacan
A group of vigilantes in Mexico has seized the small town of Nueva Italia after clashing with alleged members of the Knights Templar drug cartel.
More than 100 men entered the town in western Michoacan state on Sunday morning and disarmed local police.
There were exchanges of fire with alleged gang members before the vigilantes occupied the town.
The vigilante group was set up by residents who say the army and the police have failed to protect them.
On to Australasia with the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia:
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to personally decide visa cancellations
IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison will personally cancel the visas of undesirable residents from now on, denying them any right of appeal.
The announcement comes after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal stopped the planned deportation of New Zealander Sean Gabriel, who had a hand in the 2008 violent robbery of prominent Melbourne doctor Mukesh Haikerwal and four others.
That decision was made by the department, and Mr Gabriel's appeal to the AAT ended in a ruling he would have difficulty adjusting to life in New Zealand and should stay.
A curious move in India's capital by a populist government from The Hindu:
Delhi govt. withdraws approval for FDI in retail
The policy reversal could impact Delhi's FDI-friendly image with the city's consumers being amongst the top spenders in the country.
The Arvind Kejriwal-ruled Delhi government has decided to withdraw Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multibrand retail. On Monday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government informed the Centre of its decision to renege on its predecessor, the Sheila Dikshit dispensation's approval of the policy.
Monday's policy reversal could impact Delhi's FDI-friendly image. Delhi consumers being amongst the top spenders in the country made the State an attractive destination for FDI in retail. The State is also amongst the biggest receivers of FDI.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters that his government was not opposed to FDI but the decision had to be taken as it was part of the AAP's manifesto.
Thailand next, and action from the New York Times:
Protesters Occupy Bangkok's Central Business District
Bangkok's central commercial district was swarmed by antigovernment protesters on Monday as part of a so-called shutdown of the city, a largely peaceful demonstration that cut off most traffic to Thailand's costliest real estate and most prestigious addresses.
The protest was the boldest move in two months of protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Protesters frustrated with what they say is a dysfunctional political system have issued some of the most radical political demands seen in Asia in recent years: the scrapping of elections scheduled for February, a hiatus for democracy and the formation of an alternative form of government involving an unelected "people's council" that would replace Parliament.
More from Channel NewsAsia Singapore:
Thai protesters threaten stock exchange
After turning central Bangkok into a flag-waving sea of protest on Monday, anti-government protesters now say they are preparing to take their campaign to the next level by seizing Thailand's stock exchange.
Tens or even hundreds of thousands of flag-waving protesters massed at key intersections in the city, setting up rally stages along with tents for sleeping and stalls offering free food.
The well-organised protest movement has vowed to occupy parts of the capital until Yingluck quits, threatening to disrupt a February election which it fears will only return the Shinawatra clan to power.
"Today will be written in Thai history," firebrand protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban told a rally on Monday night, vowing to intensify the shutdown until the government falls.
Deutsche Welle reaches out:
Thai PM seeks dialogue as anti-government 'shutdown' halts Bangkok
Amid a massive "shutdown" protest, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has offered to meet with the opposition in a bid to ease tensions. Protesters have vowed to continue demonstrating until Yingluck resigns.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kissana Pattanacharoen, said more than 15,000 police and soldiers had been deployed to maintain security. Monday's demonstration was reported to have been relatively peaceful however, at least eight people have died in protest-related violence, since the latest anti-government rallies began.
Thailand's military has staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years, but this time it has tried to stay neutral with army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha publicly refusing to take sides.
On to China, and m well, this from South China Morning Post:
Chinese firm to replicate the Titanic for 1 billion yuan for inland theme park
Sichuan firm to spend billion yuan on attraction recreating experience of famous ship's sinking
A Sichuan company intends to spend one billion yuan (HK$1.27 billion) building the world's first full-scale replica of the Titanic as part of a theme park in the southwestern province's Daying county.
The company, Seven Star Energy Investment, announced in Hong Kong on Sunday that it would fund the construction while a US partner would design the ship. The replica would be permanently docked on the Qi River, and become the main attraction of a planned theme park.
"When the ship hits the iceberg, it will shake, it will tumble," Su Shaojun, chief executive of the investing firm, was quoted by Reuters as saying. "We will let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effects … They will think: 'The water will drown me; I must escape with my life'."
South China Morning Post brings the ridiculous:
Nanjing politicians claim pupils at risk of gender identity disorder due to excess of female teachers
Pupils taught by female teachers in primary schools are more likely to become "feminine boys and macho girls", China News Service quoted members of the political advisory body in the eastern city Nanjing as saying.
Members of Nanjing's Political Consultative Conference submitted a proposal calling for more male teachers in primary and secondary schools during a municipal Political Consultative Conference, according to the report on Monday.
Four in five teachers in Nanjing are female, the proposal pointed out, adding that this raised the possibility that pupils could suffer from gender-identity disorder.
Nikkei Asian Review goes urban:
China urging mass migration from rural farms to regional cities
President Xi Jinping's government will launch an ambitious initiative to relocate some 100 million rural farmers to small regional cities by 2020, seeking to narrow the income gap and spur domestic demand via infrastructure development.
The urbanization rate, which indicates the proportion of city dwellers among China's 1.3 billion population, stood at 52.6% in 2012. The government is considering setting the next target at upward of 60% by 2020. These goals would require roughly 100 million rural residents to relocate to urban areas over the next seven years.
While People's Daily points to an urban conundrum:
Chinese cities unable to meet housing price control target: experts
It's virtually impossible for major Chinese cities to meet their housing price control target set for 2013, experts say.
The prices of newly-built housing in the four first-tier cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, kept a 20 percent growth rate from September to November, according to statistics published by National Bureau of Statistics.
The statistics also show that the new housing prices in 26 other major cities have been growing at over 10 percent in the same period.
"Generally speaking, it's virtually impossible for the four first-tier cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, to meet their annually housing price control targets," Zhang Dawei, director of research at Centaline Property, a real estate agency, said. "As for cities with over 10% growth rates, it's also the same."
Want China Times inflates:
RMB appreciation unappreciated as inflation dampens affordability
Despite the rising value of the Chinese yuan to the US dollar, spiking domestic inflation has many Chinese nationals complaining about goods and services becoming more and more unaffordable, reports the Beijing Times.
At the end of last year, the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, to US dollar exchange rate was 6.0969 yuan to US$1, compared to the 8.2765 yuan rate when China's central bank began reforming the country's exchange rate regime on July 21, 2005.
The 35.7% appreciation in the value of the yuan during this eight-year period has been a positive development for Chinese exchange students studying overseas, but locals who have remained in the country are complaining that their money is becoming less valuable given that the consumer price index, the main measure of inflation, has averaged around 3.1% per year.
Tokyo next, and a political ploy from the Japan Times:
Top Tokyo election issue shouldn't be atomic power: Abe
2020 Games, day care issues raised amid focus on Hosokawa
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested Sunday that nuclear power should not be the main focus of the closely watched Tokyo gubernatorial election on Feb. 9.
In response to growing speculation that former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa might be a key contender in the race and call for ending Japan's use of nuclear power, Abe said: "Energy policy is an issue not only for Tokyoites, but all people in Japan.
"Energy issues will of course likely be discussed, but balanced debate is also necessary for other issues that must be dealt with by a Tokyo governor," he told reporters in the Mozambique capital. Abe, who is considered pro-nuclear, is in Maputo on the third leg of his weeklong tour of four Middle East and African nations.
Al Jazeera America looks back:
Coal mining's long legacy of water pollution in West Virginia
As tap-water restrictions continue for 300,000 residents, activists say there's nothing new about chemical-laden water
Officials on Monday started lifting the ban on tap water prompted by last week's chemical spill in the Elk River. About 300,000 people in nine counties have been unable to use their water other than to flush toilets for the past five days.
Experts, however, say the problem goes much deeper, and that coal mining made many wells and streams useless years ago. "For more than a century, the coal industry has had pretty much free rein to do whatever it wants," said Vivian Stockman, spokeswoman for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.
Al Jazeera America gets ready:
UK environmentalists brace for flood of fracking
PM Cameron said England is 'going all out' for fracking days before oil giant Total announces exploration plan
Environmentalists in the United Kingdom are reeling after French energy giant Total became the first company to announce an investment in fracking in the country.
The $48 million play is tiny by industry standards, but many see it as the first sign that Prime Minister David Cameron's push to allow the controversial practice has paid off, despite protests from environmentalists and local communities, who say the environmental danger posed by shale gas exploration (commonly know as fracking) outweighs the potential economic benefits.
Sky News goes bully:
Fracking: Cameron Offers Councils Drill Money
Angry protests break out as David Cameron says he is going "all out for shale" with a promise of £1.7m drill cash for councils.
The announcement sparked angry scenes at a fracking site in Barton Moss, near Salford, Manchester, where protesters confronted lorries entering the plant, then handcuffed themselves to the vehicles.
Six people – three men and three women – were arrested on suspicion of either obstructing the highway or obstructing police.
About a hundred people have been living in tents and caravans at the spot near the M62 where IGas has been given permission to carry out exploratory drilling. Most are local but others have travelled from various parts of the UK to join in.
The Guardian fades away:
China wetlands shrank 9% in a decade
340,000 square kilometres – an area larger than the Netherlands – have disappeared since 2003, forestry officials say
China's wetlands have shrunk nearly 9% since 2003, forestry officials said on Monday, aggravating water scarcity in a country where food production, energy output and industrial activity are already under pressure from water shortages.
China has more than a fifth of the world's population but only 6% of its freshwater resources, and large swathes of the nation, especially in the north, face seve


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Comments by lmeoriole
Page 1 of 7 | Next
Posted on March 23 at 2:19 p.m.
Congress could pass a law that would restrict donations (ha ha).
They could also pass laws limiting the length of election campaigns thereby decreasing the need for huge campaign funds.
Constitutional amendment anyone?
Posted on March 23 at 2:06 p.m.
A great beginning. Let us hope that cities and employers will help with additional transportation.
Posted on March 16 at 6:31 p.m.
Farewell, Nellie. You were a great teacher and friend.
Posted on March 16 at 6:24 p.m.
Skip was a beloved member of the La Cumbre Faculty for many years. It was a privilege to know him and share in his kindness.
Posted on March 16 at 6 p.m.
Another church protecting its reputation instead of its members.
On Another Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Carpinteria Church
Posted on March 4 at 2:39 p.m.
In a recent auction a group of postcards representing California Missions sold for $92.
Posted on January 15 at 6:59 p.m.
There should be no project without a southbound onramp off Cabrillo Blvd. It makes no sense to have south bound cars drive on Coast Village Road, making local traffic impossible. Only traffic engineers living elsewhere would ignore this need.
Posted on October 2 at 2:59 p.m.
Quote from article: "We (sic) must be ready to sacrifice their life...for the sake of their faith, nation, and nation.
That seems to validate those who blow themselves up for the sake of their faith or country or nation..
Posted on April 26 at 5:17 p.m.
Several years ago my daughter took me to lunch at Water's famed restaurant. I had to argue with the waiter to have him replace my cracked plate. Because they had been told it was my birthday, we got stale cupcakes (mine had a candle) instead of the delicious desert that other diners enjoyed. It takes more than talk to make a good restaurant.
Posted on April 5 at 3:28 p.m.
While I refuse the SBNP because of its unfair labor practices, It is no great loss. It's a sloppy, biased newspaper. I applaud all of you who tried to act honorably.
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Confidence is growing in the UK economy, with most sectors set to increase
staff levels this quarter.
The Manpower quarterly survey of employment prospects reveals that most
employers are expecting to take on more staff in the second quarter.
The research, based on responses from 2,000 businesses, measures the number
of employers intending to recruit against those planning to shed staff.
Every sector, apart from electronics, anticipates a rise in staffing, with
hotels and restaurants the most buoyant. In this sector, the index shows a net
balance of 31 per cent of employers are planning to hire new staff over the
next three months.
Recruiting expectations are up on last quarter in all regions, with four
regions – Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire and Humberside and the North – more
confident than this time last year.
Ian Herbertson, managing director of Manpower, said: "Business seems to
have bounced back from last quarter's downturn, when the US recession and 11
September hit employment prospects hard. There is reason to be cautiously
optimistic, but for a full recovery we need to see this maintained.
"In the current climate, flexible staff solutions will continue to be
an important tool for business," he said.


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What is it/what does it do?You don't even need to click through to the product's website, I have produced a summary of what they say about themselves here:
A guide teaching you how to play improvised piano
- Showing you how to relax your arms, hands and fingers with the right stroke while playing
- Showing you how to find the most comfortable grips for chords as you glide over the keys
- Showing you what you need to do to get a grip of your rhythm problems like a pro
- Showing you how to easily perceive the keys while looking at the keys in pairs
- Showing you how to find a relaxing touch and find the right keys
Is anyone buying it?Time for some hard facts. Again, the payment processor provides us with something they call the product's "Gravity". It can be used a an indication of a product's sales rank. I've processed this figure and produced a rating out of 100. Products with a high rating are popular. Chord Piano Workshop scores 73.80/100 which is around standard.
Time to buy – your optionsBy now you've read through the summary of what the product does (or claims to do…). You've had a look at the user reviews on the right hand side of the page. Perhaps you've even decided you'd like to buy the product. So what now?
Option 1: Buy DirectYou click on the following link to http://www.chordpiano-workshop.com/node/61, and find their link to buy the product. From there you'll be linked through to the payment processor page and you can make payment with a credit/debit card or PayPal. At the time of writing the standard price for the product was $37.
Option 2: Buy Through MeIf you click this link: chordpiano-workshop.com you'll also be taken through to chordpiano-workshop.com, where you can buy the product in the same way as the first option. In this case though, because you were sent to the site through a special link, I get the credit for sending over a potential buyer. If you do buy, I will be given a commission. There's no difference in the cost to you. You might like to choose this option if:
- You feel this site has helped you and you'd like to show your appreciation.
- You'd like to be eligible for a purchase bonus (see below)


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Ate 26 of 26 points earned 7 activity points.
Brunch (6)-Oatmeal, with egg white, pomegranate and walnuts
Snack (8)-portabello mushroom sandwich and apple
Snack (1.5)-cottage cheese
Dinner (11)-Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs, roasted sweet potato, green beans
Snack (1)-vitamuffin
The chicken was great, but man chicken thighs are fatty, might have to try this with breasts.
Did a firm cardio "calorie killer" and walked in the afternoon
Running Weekly totals used 33 of 35 weekly points, earned 11 activity points.
Maternity Photos
4 hours ago


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Home > Restaurants >
201 W. 103rd St.,
New York, NY 10025
A glowing brick oven beckons hungry diners to Buca, a cozy Italian café tucked way up on the Upper West Side. With candlelight and intimate seating, the dining room feels like a refuge, and the Italian spoken between the staff only adds to the old-world charm. Hearty appetizers, including house-made meatballs, shine with fresh sauces and cheese, but the real star is the pizza. Crunch and crumb are artfully balanced in each crust, with specialty toppings such as soppressata, gorgonzola, and truffle oil. The white pizzas feel decadent, especially the quattro formaggi, whose four cheeses harmonize deliciously. Meanwhile, the homemade tomato sauce sparkles with tang and sweetness, though it tends to overwhelm the thin crust. If the dinner-plate-sized pies still leave you with room in your stomach, a light and creamy panna cotta or a generous slice of tiramisu make an excellent finish.Recommended Dishes
Melanzane alla parmigiana, $7; quattro formaggi e salamino, $12
- Scientists Pretty Sure Humans Could Eat Food Grown in Martian Soil
- Another Restaurant Bites the Dust on Clinton Street
- A Talented Pastry Chef Will Open a New Bakery in the Rockaways
- This 3-D Food Printer Actually Makes Pizza So You Don't Have To
- Bergen Hill Relocates to Noho With a Seafood-Heavy Menu
Popular Restaurant Guides
Where to Eat
Adam Platt picks 2014's top dining destinations,
including the Elm, New York Sushi Ko, and Lafayette.
Best of New York Food
The best that the city's restaurants have to offer:
roast chicken, gnocchi, ramen, and more.
The Cheap List
We live in a city full of small cheap-eats miracles,
including pork buns, Asian hipster grub, and pizza.


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First Financial Credit Union (FFCU) of West Covina, California has been in service for more than 40 years, currently from 11 locations. Its field of membership is a state-chartered natural person credit union.
Checking services include no cost share drafts, share certificates with low minimum balance requirements, bill pay services, overdraft protection and overdraft lines of credit. Debit cards, ATMs with no surcharges and prepaid debit cards are available.
Besides automobile loans and other kinds of borrowing, FFCU can do real estate loans, has a first time homebuyer program and can grant interest only or payment option first mortgage loans. Conveniences include low-cost wire transfers. First Financial CU members may also benefit from student scholarships.
Services to businesses and professionals include mortgage processing and the credit union is an approved mortgage seller.
Available electronic access to FFCU includes Internet account access, bank by phone and wireless phone apps. From home, you can apply to join the credit union, take out a loan, look at your balance, order share drafts, loan payments, view account history, transfer money, online bill pay, download your account history and view statements.
Free credit report for Canada residents.
Monitor your credit and protect against identity theft! Who checked your credit report recently, and what did they see?
SCE Federal Credit Union , Irwindale (2 miles.)
United Catholics Federal Credit Union , West Covina (2 miles.)
San Gabriel Valley Postal Credit Union , Covina (3 miles.)
Printing Office Employees Credit Union , Covina (3 miles.)
El Monte Community Credit Union , El Monte (4 miles.)
Special offer to credit union members. See your instant credit report.
Also see our daily credit union news page.
Online newspapers and TV stations serving West Covina and California: Los Angeles Times, The Press Enterprise, The Sun, or view a national listing of newspapers.
Thinking of buying a car? See California car dealers listed alphabetically by city.


text:
'The Nikon D5500 is a minor update to an excellent camera, the D5300. '
'excellent and affordable DSLR camera'
'The overall feature set of the D5500 is great.'
'It's a good option for new DSLR buyers.'
'A clear Dave's Pick, the Nikon D7200 is the company's best effort yet in the enthusiast DSLR market.'
'great camera'
'Overall the Nikon D7200 is an impressive enthusiast DSLR.'
'The D7000 line has always been a solid DSLR, Nikon's 2015 enthusiast camera takes the fully featured D7100 and enhances the sensor even more, for images with rich, yet true-to-life colors and excellent noise reduction. '
It's a great workhorse that can see in the dark, but you won't want to use ISO 409,600 very often
Pros: Almost indefatigable battery life, autofocus improvements for outstanding performance.
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews.
We are currently aggregating 376,500 reviews
covering over 29,490 products.
© 2018 ReviewGist.com. All Rights Reserved.


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Happy Valentine's Day!
I saw a really cute idea for making placemats not too long ago.
I've done some changing but came up with some really fun and
helpful placemats that my kids really like.
I used an old placemat to get an idea for the size I wanted to go with.
I only had 12x12" paper, so I added some paper to the outer
edges to make my placemats big enough.
To stretch the paper to the right size, I added two 3" sections on either end.
I should have done the scalloped edge in, but wasn't thinking ahead.
Oh well, it all worked out and it still looks great, just got to roll with it!
With some fun patterned paper, trace and cut out a place setting to fill your placemat.
Arrange it on your paper placemat as if you were setting the table. Once you're pleased with your arrangement, use a tiny amount of glue to adhere it in place.
At this point you can label each part of the place setting if you'd like.
Using some clear adhesive vinyl, cover your placemat so it won't be ruined by food or beverage stains and spills. I bought my roll of vinyl from a local office supply store for less than two dollars for the roll.
When you're covering your paper, cut a piece of vinyl that is slightly larger than your placemat. Remove the protective backing, and lay your placemat face down onto the vinyl. Rub the whole thing over with your hand, making sure there are no air bubbles.
Once your placemat is secured there should be some extra vinyl overhang, trim the corners and wrap the excess vinyl around the edge of your paper. For added protection, cut a second piece of vinyl, about a half inch smaller than the measurement of your placemat. Remove the vinyl backing and adhere this piece to the back of your placemat.
These were super quick and fun to make. I made the first one for my daughter and my son was quick to ask if I was planning on making one for him as well. The kids have both really liked setting the table and making sure they've got everything just in the right place, they also like reading what each of the labels say.
For the boy version I added some graffiti-ish doodles to make it a little more masculine.
I wish I'd have though of that before I covered the girlie one,
I would have liked to add some little girlie doodles like hearts and butterflies.
I hope you have as much fun with this as I did, and that your kids like them too!
Thanks for coming by!


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One of the top production killers might very well be the one in your hand. How you hold, load and execute cuts—determine the maximum efficiency of the cut. Benchmarking products in the field leads to all sorts of interesting useful data, like this one for example.
Cutting-in 1 mile or (5280 feet) takes one brush 6.5 hrs. Cutting-in with another brush of the same size was only capable of cutting-in 1884 feet in 6.5 hrs.
Almost a year ago, Proform Technologies of Wyoming slapped us in the face with the world's first angular oval brush, Picasso PIC1-2.5″ . It was stated in our September, 2010 Picasso PIC1-2.5″ review, "…designed to be the most advanced brush you can buy today, tomorrow or next year." We are in the business of moving paint and we could not have been any more true with that statement.
Purdy Elite has been around for quite some time but we finally got our hands on one and spent last week with it. Like the Purdy XL, the Elite is hand-chiseled and fitted with Orel® polyester and nylon solid round tapered filaments however the Elite uses Chinex® instead of Tynex® found in the XL. Brushes with Chinex® requires a break-in period for best performance because the filament is self flagging. The XL and Elite are blunt cut.
I'm a freak about cleaning paint brushes to get the most life out of them so you might imagine how surprised I was to see all this junk come out of a brush I thought was clean using water. The brush was washed as usual with water then placed in Krud Kutter for about 5-6 minutes, occasionally working the brush. I let the dirty solution (60% water/40% Krud Kutter) sit over night and was surprised how much paint settled in the container. Seen above after I let it evaporate.
The Professional Ergonomic P2.5AS by Proform Technologies is the second brush to hit our test lab from the Wyoming company offering a new twist in handle design plus filament advancements. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about this brush but spent more time than usual testing it because of the superior finish it leaves with acrylic trim paints – simply amazing results. It wasn't until later I noticed I was not holding the brush like it was designed.


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Processing time
1-3 business days
Customs and import taxes
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Assists with mental clarity, opens the mind, bringing insight and stimulating taking action, helping one to make decisions with discernment and understanding, unclouded by emotions. Helps to release fear and anxiety, bringing balance to one's life. Anchors in Divine Light energies while keeping one grounded. Enhances creativity and aids in kundalini awakening. Protection stone that has been used to prevent curses and ill~wishing. Also attracts abundance and prosperity.
I intuitively choose a stone after it is ordered, cleanse & clear it, then I infuse it with Divine light energies that are meant just for you or the one it is gifted to. After, I add the information card and a leaf or two of white sage to the package to keep any lower energies from attaching on it's journey to you.
The picture shown is of the actual stones I use. Yes, these are pocket size, perfect to carry, wrap, place in grids or any place else you wish to. Please keep in mind that no 2 stones are exactly alike, so color, size and shape may vary. This is a decent representation of the current stones I have in stock. I do not doctor the colors in the photos, as I feel that is misrepresentation, however colors do seem to look different on different screens, i.e. cell phone vs computer.
Coupons! Be sure to enter the code before checkout, otherwise it cannot be applied.
10PERCENTOFF25 ~ 10% off purchases $25 ~ $49.99
15PERCENTOFF50 ~ 15% off purchases $50 ~ $74.99
20PERCENTOFF75 ~ 20% off purchases $75 ~ $99.99
25PERCENTOFF100 ~ 25% off purchases $100 and up
1-3 business days
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery
Request a cancellation within: 0 hours of purchase
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
10% off purchases $25 ~ $49.99 ~ enter code: 10PERCENTOFF25
15% off purchases $50 ~ $74.99 ~ enter code: 15PERCENTOFF50
20% off purchases $75 ~ $99.99 ~ enter code: 20PERCENTOFF75
25% off purchases $100 and up ~ enter code: 25PERCENTOFF100
Shipping does combine! Just add the items to your shopping cart and it will do the rest.
If you place multiple orders in one night or over the weekend, (i.e. 1 on Friday afternoon and another on say Sunday) put "order add-on" in the order comments so it will catch my eye. I will then combine those 2 orders and refund the difference on the shipping. Obviously, the orders must be going to the same address and not shipped yet for this to work ;)
This is a retail shop, however I do have coupons available for up to 25% off and I occasionally have bigger discount sales through social media. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @KIliamma and Facebook @KiliAmmaLove to stay up to date!
Here are the coupon codes, incase you missed them in the item details
10% off purchases $25 ~ $49.99 ~ enter code: 10PERCENTOFF25
15% off purchases $50 ~ $74.99 ~ enter code: 15PERCENTOFF50
20% off purchases $75 ~ $99.99 ~ enter code: 20PERCENTOFF75
25% off purchases $100 and up ~ enter code: 25PERCENTOFF100
I provide sizes in inches and millimeters. If you need them in another form of measure than what is listed, please click here and use this handy Google tool
Weights are provided in ounces and grams. Once again, if you need it converted into something other than what I have listed, please click the above link and select "Mass" in the top drop down box, then, in the bottom ones, select what you are converting from and to, i.e ounces to grams.
Thank you!
I will not hold or reserve and item. With this being a metaphysical shop, if it's meant to be, the item will still be here when you are ready to purchase it.
Apr 10, 2018
Apr 6, 2018
Nice stone shipped on time good quality
Nov 7, 2017
My stones are beautiful and came on time.
Oct 4, 2017
Thank you so much for your vibes and words. This is a beautiful crystal! :) <3
Sep 18, 2017
Exactly as described, in great condition. Thanks!