text: Miss Hilton (at least we think that's her) is riding shotgun in a car in Las Vegas, "driving around while smoking marijuana," when a cackling police officer pulls her over. Paris then goes to the bathroom to presumably dispose of a baggie of cocaine, but the authorities find the drugs and arrest her. NMA compared this to Lindsay Lohan's recent parole violation. "Some joke that Paris had to get arrested so that she can get some attention too," the subtitles read.


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Atlantic Diagnostic Laboratories (ADL) is a full-service laboratory providing microbiology, chemistry, toxicology, immunology, and virology testing in the Northeast Region.
We are dedicated to providing personalized, efficient, quality-oriented laboratory services in our state-of-the-art 26,000 square foot facility.
We are a growing force in the healthcare industry, and have been providing customized service to a wide array of clientele, including Physicians Offices, Pain Management Clinics, Drug Rehabilitation Clinics, Nursing Homes, Hospitals and more for over thirty years.

subset: commoncrawl


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Does Competitive Swimming Help Weight Loss?
Competitive swimming is an all-inclusive sport that involves everyone from the fast to not-so-fast swimmer. There are more than 300,000 members of USA Swimming from every state, age, ability and background. The sport is popular because it provides a fun, competitive and healthy activity that is virtually impact-free and accessible to even those who have sustained an injury or have a medical condition.
There is a broad scoop of competitive swim meets, ranging from local meets to national invitationals. Events can have anywhere from 150 to 1,000 swimmers and feature competitors from beginners to professionals. One of the most important aspects of being a competitive swimmer is proper nutrition. Like every athlete, swimmers need the proper amount of carbohydrates, calories, fat and protein to maintain or lose weight.
Calories and Swimming
Swimming is an aerobic sport that burns calories. Because of the calorie burn of swimming, it is easy to lose weight through competitive swimming as long as you eat fewer calories than your body burns every day. To lose 1 pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat. For a 160-pound person, you burn 423 calories per hour swimming freestyle laps at a slow pace. If you push it to a face pace, you would burn 808 calories per hour. Each stroke burns a slightly different amount of calories. The butterfly is the most demanding stroke to burn calories, and the backstroke burns the least amount of calories.
Race Day Eating
Most competitive swimmers employ a different eating strategy for race day because of the different demands on the body. Because events could be scattered throughout the day, you will always need to maintain a certain level of energy, be able to stave off hunger and avoid any digestive problems. Start the day with a light option that provides the body with the metabolism boost it needs. Good choices include oatmeal with skim milk or fruit and yogurt. Snack throughout the day on lean protein and complex carbohydrate foods such as nuts, cheese sticks, hardboiled eggs, unsweetened dry cereal and pretzels.
Swimming Weight Loss
According to Swimovate, swimmers who focus on improving their stroke and train intensively for several hours a week burn more calories than swimmers with a less-refined stoke. Interval training that uses different strokes is the best weight-loss option for competitive swimmers. By switching between freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, swimmers cause their heart rate to increase and decrease constantly throughout a workout, which results in an increased calorie burn.
Photo Credits
- Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images


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The report summarises health and safety issues within HSE. It charts HSE's performance against the Health and Safety Corporate Plan.Areas covered include: management of stress, musculoskeletal disorders, display screen equipment, manual handling, slips, trips and falls, health and safety of the public where HSE has responsibility and accident, ill health and near miss reporting. It also encompasses health and safety training and ill health statistics.
Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/hsinhse1314.pdf


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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
As the years pass, you discover seedlings that grab your attention for one reason or another. Perhaps one stands out as very different from its siblings, or one might have an architecture feature you like, or superior disease resistance. While it might not be immediately apparent what purpose such a seedling might serve, it is wise to hang on to it and culture it and wait for its purpose to be revealed. I know that sounds a bit too mystical to be appropriate for something as systematic and planned as rose hybridizing, but the concept has meaning.
Take 42-03-02 illustrated here, for example. It is a selfing of the Moore breeder 0-47-19. It bears a striking resemblance to the Moore Hybrid Wichurana except that it has deeper coloring and is a 2.5 foot rounded shrub, always in flower. As its parent is a known diploid, I am assuming this is also and so I now use it in breeding specifically to further diploid breeding lines. It accepts a wide range of pollens and makes seed with about 50% viability in most cases. Testing the limits of its ability this year, I put some strikingly dissimilar pollens on it, including a 'Schneezwerg' F2 seedling and 'Scabrosa'. I have also used my R. foliolosa on it, and all of these pollens have resulted in healthy, fat hips.
My recommendation to breeders is that when a seedling grabs your attention for some reason, pay attention. It might prove to be a stepping stone at some point down the line, It might not tell you what its purpose is today, but it might turn out to be meaningful in a few years time and you'll be glad you kept it.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
R. fedtscenkoana
With the advances in genetic testing and DNA sequencing, it has become possible to perform tests on historic roses to determine the facts about their ancestry in ways we never could before. Case in point: the Damask roses. In 2000, an article was published in Gene magazine in which the researchers studied the genes of key Damask varieties to determine which species contributed to their creation.
From the article "Triparental origin of Damask roses" comes the following abstract:
"Damask roses are one group of old rose varieties and a key material in old European rose improvement in the 19th century. To clarify the origin of Damask roses, we selected four varieties as the oldest Damask varieties and examined the relationship between the Damask varieties and their putative ancestors at the molecular level. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of the Damask varieties proved that they had an identical profile, indicating they were established from a common ancestor. They have never been allowed to reproduce sexually; their reproduction depends entirely on vegetative propagation. We identified three Rosa species, R. moschata, R. gallica and R. fedschenkoana, as parental species of the original hybridization that contributed to forming the four oldest Damask varieties by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA. We also found that all the four oldest Damask varieties had chloroplasts derived only from R. moschata, as judged from psbA-trnH spacer sequences. This triparental origin of the four oldest Damask varieties can explain some morphological characteristics of the four oldest Damask varieties, like fruit shape, leaf color and the 'Moss' character."
Authors: Iwata, Kato, Ohno
Reference: Gene: 2000-Dec; vol 259 (issue 1-2) : pp 53-9
A few years ago Kim Rupert sent me cuttings of one of his R. fedtschenkoana hybrids, where 'Orangeade' was the seed parent. The plant illustrated above is that hybrid. This is, in a sense, a primitive Damask and may have value as a source of some of the same genes that make the ancient Damasks such valuable shrubs. I am currently using this Rupert hybrid in breeding and it appears to be fully fertile as a pollen parent, and although it has never set seeds for me, Kim tells me it does so in his desert climate. Since both seed and pollen parent are tetraploids, I am assuming this hybrid is as well and I will proceed on that assumption.
The Rupert hybrid is a tall arching shrub with bluish-green foliage and loads of small (1.25") white blooms, about 15 petals per bloom. It is a freely suckering plant and extremely healthy in my climate. The blooms don't always open properly, which I think is a response to our weather cycles in the early Summer. The blooms have a very odd Musky-soapy scent that many people would find unappealing.
I will soon post a photo of one of this year's seedlings derived from this R. fedtschenkoana hybrid.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Striped sport of 'Jocelyn'
Occasionally, if you are very lucky, you will find mutations called "sports" among your roses. What you see here is a striped sport of E. B. LeGrice's 'Jocelyn', one of his "brown" Floribundas. I have had this for a couple of years now, and I'd have distributed it by now except that it has proven difficult to propagate. I'm trying some different techniques now to see if I can get some plants started. Curious, eh wot?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
New photo of possible R. omeiensis hybrid available
Friday, June 19, 2009
Recognize this?
I don't really understand how this happened, but it suggests that R. foliolosa is a bit of a trickster, capable of producing offspring that look similar to 'Basye's Purple' when crossed with a variety of other roses. It may be important to note that 'Little Chief' is almost certainly a diploid, and it is highly likely that this "R. foliolosa" is also. The thing to do now would be to grow a population of open pollinated seeds from the "R. foliolosa" I have and see what the offspring look like. I suspect there will be noticeable variation and a percentage will look like this. I have sent out some seeds from my "R. foliolosa" and so perhaps the recipients will be able to report their results.
PS: it is of interest to me that this purple seedling appears to be fertile as both seed and pollen parent and I will be working with it more, now that I know that. If anyone wants to try pollen from it, I am willing to share it. Comment to request it.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Another misidentified species hybrid?
However, two individuals stood out among the group as being quite distinct. Both of these had denser foliage with more rounded, larger leaflets that were quite downy when young. Blooms come in clusters of three to a dozen at the axils along the canes and are pink with a white eye. Take a look at the shape of the receptacles in the lower left photo: tubular and elongated! There is a light, pungent musk-like scent to the blooms. Both plants have bluish canes when young and neither has ever set seed to my knowledge. Both are about 8 feet tall now, upright but arching from the top third or so. Neither gets Blackspot or Mildew.
I suspect these roses were all seed grown and the two I saved are conspicuously hybrids with something else they were growing in the field. Do any of you recognize any of this rose's features? Does it remind you of any other species?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
L83 X Stanwell Perpetual
Monday, June 15, 2009
R. pisocarpa
This is a charming little species, with its one inch cool pink, sweetly scented blooms that start in mid-June and continue on and off through August. It tends to prefer damp locations, and shade, whenever possible. I have a couple of hybrids from last year that are now making sturdy shrubs in the test garden, but none have bloomed yet.
The plants of R. pisocarpa here on the farm are mostly thornless, especially towards the outer canopy of the shrub, and it is always graceful with its upright habit that tends to arch horizontally towards the top of the plant. I'm hoping to capture some of its graceful architecture in its offspring, as well as its cluster flowering habit and perfume.
All of the literature I have encountered lists this as a diploid, so it might be very useful for anyone wanting to work on a Winter hardy line of diploids. Pollen, as always, available upon request.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
R. foliolosa
If you read the descriptions of R. foliolosa, it is repeatedly stated that this is a low-growing, suckering shrub between 18" and perhaps as much as three feet. It is frequently referred to as thornless as well. Now, my specimen is a non-suckering shrub nearly 6 X 6 feet, with an average number of small, hooked thorns. The bloom color is generally listed as being white to pale/medium pink, where my plant has deep magenta blooms. I have a vague recollection that the person who gave me the seed stated that (for reasons I do not recall) they thought these seeds may be hybrids and not pure R. foliolosa. The fact that my plant deviates significantly from the average description makes me wonder if it isn't in fact a hybrid with something else, probably another species? Who knows. Since I know this is both seed and pollen fertile, the possibility of it being a hybrid makes it potentially even more valuable as a breeder.
One thing I can tell you is that years ago I made a cross of my R. foliolosa X 'Little Chief' and the three seedlings I saved all have some degree of remontancy. One of these three looks remarkably like 'Basye's Purple'! (more about that plant soon) And so, I think its high time I put this plant to work in my breeding.
Oh, one last thing: I have some seeds collected from this plant that are last year's crop. They are likely still fertile, and I am willing to distribute some of these with other hybridizers who are interested. Comment if you want to try germinating these.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The search for yellow in R. bracteata hybrids.
I've mentioned this before: it can be very difficult to get good coloring in seedlings when using 'Out of Yesteryear' as a parent. However, once in a while luck drops something decent in your lap. This seedling is the best yellow I have had from the Bracteata breeding line so far. It may not be the most sophisticated bloom in terms of shape and petal count, but it has a beautiful rich yellow hue and it holds its color for quite a long time. It appears to have excellent resistance to Blackspot, which is a great thing. It has no discernible fragrance though. Its long basal canes break into bloom along most of the upper half of their length, with one to five blooms per lateral. It makes an attractive shrub overall.
I'm not sure this has merit as a "finished product" and so I am currently using it solely as a breeder to see if it passes on its color and excellent growth habit to its progeny. I will soon be seeing some of its first offspring bloom, so with luck I will start to get an idea of its potential as a breeder.It does not appear to set seed but its pollen is fertile. It is entirely possible that it is a triploid, as 'Out of Yesteryear' produces both haploid and diploid pollen.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
More on R. clinophylla
Case in point; the shoot pictured here. (Click to see a full sized version) This shoot, which is now about 18" long, is new wood from the base of the plant, and yet it has terminated in a cluster of bloom. There are several other new basal shoots that are 24" or longer and starting to show flower buds at the tips as well. Now, this is still a young plant and so I can't really say for sure how remontant it is, but this looks promising. I hope this plant in particular is fertile so I can move forward with a diploid line from R. clinophylla. Who knows what kind of tricks this species has up its sleeve, since we know very little about its behavior as a breeder.
Note the fine pubescence on the receptacles of the buds.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Working with R. clinophylla
The rose pictured here (click photo to see a full sized version) is one of my first hybrids using my R. clinophylla. This is seedling 92-06-03, bred using a self seedling of Ralph Moore's 0-47-19 I grew years ago called 42-03-02.
This seed parent, 42-03-02 is a fully remontant pink/purple with 5 to 9 petals, blooming in large panicles of 1 inch blooms on a 2.5 X 2.5 foot plant. It is highly resistant to all diseases and although not tested for its ploidy, I expect it is a diploid, like its parent. It also happens to be quite fragrant. I have not used it extensively as a parent until fairly recently, choosing it more often now because I have a use for a disease resistant diploid in my work. (You'll read more about that in the months to come, I'm sure)
Back to 92-06-03: this is the most colorful of the three seedlings from this cross to bloom so far. There are four more that have not yet bloomed and they are behaving as though they have genetic problems, so I expect they will be discarded this year. The plant in the photo has long arching canes that bloom along the length of the cane all in one quick flush, with side buds following shortly after. Each bloom lasts 2 days and then drops cleanly. This clone has a slight fragrance. This plant and its two siblings are being used as both seed and pollen parent this year to determine if they have fertility. I am using some old standard diploids with them, such as 'Old Blush' and 'Trier' with the hope that these will allow me to step forward with some remontant, fertile diploids in the next generation. The beautiful ferny glossy foliage on these (especially 92-06-02, which you can read about here) is something I want to retain, but with this ancestry, I suspect these will be evergreen, warm climate roses only. We shall see!
Monday, June 8, 2009
The search for purple: 50-08-03
This is one of several seedlings selected from 50-08 so far and I sense there will be more. It shows signs of being very fast with reblooming, a trait it would have picked up from 'Dragon's Blood' I expect. And yes, it has a strong fragrance.
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Basye Amphidiploids, part II
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Basye's Amphidiploid
What follows is a bit long, but well worth the read, in my opinion. Dr. Basye specifically mentioned 'Commander Gillette' in reference to working with the Amphidiploid with the goal of Blackspot immunity in mind. The following is a quote from an article written by Dr. Basye in the 1980's.
"May I outline just one plan of attack which I would consider if I were that young rose breeder? I would consider starting with a nucleus of three tetraploids: 'Commander Gillette, and the two amphidiploids, 67-305 and R. kordesii. These three stud roses carry genes of the four species carolina, rugosa, abyssinica and wichuraiana, all of which are highly resistant to Blackspot. And 'Commander Gillette' has the potential of removing the thorns."
"We would begin by crossing the two amphidiploids and growing a population of F1 seedlings. We would expect no great variation here in Blackspot resistance, but if there should be, let us select the best ones for selfing. In each of the resulting F2 generations of selfs we have a segregation of characters and thus a better chance of variation in Blackspot resistance. Again we select from each F2 the plants with the highest resistance. Let A designate this final group of plants of highest resistance. We would hope that their resistance equals or excels that of the two amphidiploids. In any case, we now have plants that carry genes of rugosa, abyssinica and wichuraiana. "
"It remains to introduce the fourth species, R. carolina, and take the first step in the thorn problem. 'Commander Gillette' is ideally equipped for this. I mentioned in a 1985 article that the cross 67-305 X 'Commander Gillette' produced a rose, 77-361, which was free of thorns and bristles and had perfectly smooth midribs of the leaves. Recently, I repeated this cross and confirmed this possibility. But before making the cross Ai X 'Commander Gillette', where Ai denotes a member of the group A, we first make a cosmetic change in 'Commander Gillette'."
" 'Commander Gillette' itself is free of thorns and bristles and has smooth midribs. Among the selfs, however, the bristles will often appear; also a rare thorn or a slight roughness on the midribs. Those recessives are easily bred out by several successive selfings. The criterion for success in such a self is that one further selfing produces a population completely free of the undesirables. One reason I have not done this before in my other breeding work is that it can lead to the loss of other recessives that are desirable. For example, 'Commander Gillette' contains a latent gene for recurrency which might be lost. I nevertheless recommend the cosmetic change for the labor saving dividends it will pay down the road - not a small item."
"We return now to the crosses of the type Ai X 'Commander Gillette' where Ai denotes a member of the group A, and 'Commander Gillette' has been subjected to the cosmetic change described. A small percentage of the seedlings of this cross should be free of thorns, bristles and roughness on the midribs. Several successive selfings of each of these should produce one or more plants homozygous with respect to each of the three traits. We repeat this routine for each member of group A. All the roses so obtained form a group B. Our final group G comes from selecting from B the plants with outstanding resistance to Blackspot."
"To further reduce the labor of the operation just described, it might be best to use the reverse crosses, 'Commander Gillette' X Ai, and mix the pollens of Ai."
"Of the group G we can that each rose it it has high resistance to Blackspot, is homozygous with respect to freedom from thorns, bristles and roughness of the midribs, and, last but not least, carries genes of four of nature's noblest roses."
Final note: I will make pollen of my Amphidiploid F2 seedlings available to anyone (in North America) who wants to experiment with them.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Something I saw while looking at R. virginiana
Oh, and in case you are interested in R. virginiana as a breeder, its a tetraploid.
Someone asked in the comments whether 'Banshee' ever sets seed. This photo depicts seven seeds I found in one hip on my plant of 'Banshee', from last Summer. I have no idea if these would be fertile or not. (Click on the thumbnail for a larger view)
Old dogs and new tricks, part IV
120-06-02 = 174-02-17 X "Grandma's Hat". The seed parent is discussed here in a previous post. This cross was done to do several things: 1) determine what qualities the seed parent was capable of passing on, 2) to see how two extremely different roses would behave when mated, and 3) to determine if any of the health aspects of "Grandma's Hat" could be transmitted to offspring. "Grandma's Hat" is an old Bourbon/Hybrid Perpetual that was rediscovered a number of years ago, and much speculation exists over its true identity. For the most part we can only make guesses. Whatever its true identity, it is a superb rose that in many climates is one of the healthiest of repeat blooming Old Garden Roses one could wish to grow. It repeats generously, has good vigor and an outstanding fragrance. Whats not to like?!
The seed parent is a cross of a miniature and the Bracteata hybrid 'Out of Yesteryear'. I have not used it a lot in breeding till 2006 when I decided it was time to explore its qualities more aggressively. I got three seedlings from it with "Grandma's Hat" as the pollen parent, and the seedling pictured here interests me a great deal. The color is richer than the photo suggests, being deeper and more of a true crimson than pink. The plant has good vigor and best of all, it is not getting any Blackspot (or Mildew) in the test garden, even with another seedling towering over it, raining down Blackspot spores. It also has an appreciable "old rose" fragrance. I am now testing it as a pollen parent with some of the better disease free roses I grow, like the Robert Basye hybrids.
Monday, June 1, 2009
William Baffin seedling
If anyone reading this blog wants pollen from this to experiment with, just post a comment and I'll get some pollen ready to mail out.


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The Chic frontman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010
Nile Rodgers has been given the all-clear from prostate cancer.
The Chic frontman was diagnosed with the disease in 2010.
Announcing his current test results on Twitter, he wrote: "Instead of showing gross internal video I'll show my doctor's fly examination room. I'M ALL CLEAR AGAIN!" However, Rogers later followed the tweet up with another one, which read: "I never celebrate much when I get an All Clear because in 6 months I'll go through the same drama." He added: "All clear is a lot better than the cancer has returned and it's spread."
Rodgers blogged about his experience with cancer after he was diagnosed in October 2010. He wrote: "Cancer is horrifying. It makes you think a lot. My ex-partner passed away and most people don't realise many songs they sing along with every day he did. Maybe, I was just afraid of dying and feeling sorry for myself – cancer also makes you do that."
The musician also told the Official Charts Company this year that the success of his track 'Get Lucky' with Daft Punk helped him overcome the disease. "I was facing life and death issues and then to get something so rewarding as a Number One record is pretty amazing," he said.
"I think this particular experience rates very high, because two years ago I was stricken with cancer just right out of the clear blue sky. And from that moment I decided I was going to work as much as I could, play as many concerts, do as many records, because that's what I live for."


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Sr UX Designer with two decades of hands-on experience delivering products to market for fortune 500 companies.
When I first began designing on the web, it looked kind of like Atari meets Netscape -- banner ads, Jpegs that had to max at 4KB because of broadband limits, and foosball wasn't even a hip thing yet.
I believed in the web as a design medium then, and I believe it still today. I've been continuously employed in design on the Web since 1995, or since some of my coworkers were in diapers. Does that make me better than everyone? No! It just makes me more seasoned, experienced, and fully aware that web design needs to embrace the next change before it's even identified. Our interaction with content has become tighter, faster, and more integrated. The bottom line: companies that succeed have Visual and UX designers who understand how to best engage with the target audience, and can connect the message, product, or service to the consumer while cutting through the noise.
For the past 20 years I have worked on b2b and b2c initiatives in the following categories: product marketing and branding solutions, direct interactive email campaigns, mobile services, SaaS applications, iOS apps, Android applications, Windows Phone core features, and big data application.
These are my favorite projects from the last 10years as a designer working in tech.
"UX is the intangible design of systems that bring us to solutions."
Erik Flowers
Since 2016 I have enjoyed managing a small but dynamic team that has made many positive impacts on the company. I have been leading the efforts of the Small Business team to reframe the small business digital application process and have found an appreciation for and obtained a mastery of complex online enrollment processes. We have improved the customer journey through our process by more than 350%.
I have had the pleasure of mentoring, forming, and leading a team of seven: three UX designers, a visual designer, a research resource, a content designer, and a prototyper. Implementing a leadership style that focuses on frequent feedback, we have increased trust, made our process more efficient, and eliminated bottlenecks.
I believe in investing the time and energy in making things better: the team, the product, and the company. I am a pragmatic designer and leader, passionate about helping others, and I enjoy solving problems without sacrificing project timelines and relationships with other departments.
It was 2012. Putting necessary business and social media in the hands of sales teams as they come into a pitch, was a new concept and the logical next step in hand-held device usefulness in the sales process. At the same time, markets, consumers, and corporations were all talking about Big Data and how it could be deployed in outside sales. I came to Hearsay Social to completely own the visual presentation of a SaaS application, and to use my skills in design and management to work on an innovative b2b product and to build a team that would work hard and build and break things quickly. With multiple social media platforms in use, developing a way to aggregate them all into a single presentation was essential. By 2015, knowing we couldn't be all things to all people, we narrowed our product for a single sector – insurance and wealth management. This allowed me to concentrate on a more tightly focused application and, as a result, the visual became more modern than we ever expected from a SaaS application.
In detail, I am most proud of the following accomplishments during my tenure at Hearsay Social:
How better to understand mobile services than to work for a cell phone company? From 2009 – 2012 I worked with Nokia as a visual designer, creating the visual language and style for third-party social apps, Facebook and Twitter on Meego and Symbian platforms, and for Nokia Games Services: N-Gage and Ovi Games. While I was originally hired as a visual designer, I adapted as the teams shifted priorities to work on both visual design and user experience projects. I applied brand guidelines and kept a consistent visual style throughout all interfaces - PC Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile Device UI. Working on client-facing projects as well as internal services promotion, I am most proud about having had the opportunity to art-direct and design social networking apps for phones which have shipped, and on an eBooks client for a future product. While at Nokia I have enjoyed working on teams spread across continents and timezones, finding it exciting to work as a part of several international teams.
In Summary while with Nokia:
In August of 2006 I answered the call from Microsoft to be a part of a team dedicated to unifying the fractured social experiences located across the properties in the MSN brand. Basic Web 2.0 staples such as blogging, inline comments, and User Generated Content had never been adopted and integrated in a cohesive suite on MSN. Using my experience and expertise in time-tested web design and fluency in UX best practices, I was the lead designer on this client-facing redesign with global reach and key strategic vision for the company.
While at GQPSF I was a major contributor to several client projects, including the Borland 2006 Advertising Campaign, and Collateral Redesign of Freescale Semiconductor. From day one I was tossed right into the action. I have added value to my projects in the following ways:
I came to World Savings through Aquent Creative Employment Agency. I worked as a contractor for two years, being added to the permanent staff in November 2004. Coming from a fast-paced, client-driven advertising agency, World Savings provided me a chance to see the internal client side of interactive marketing and see my skill set from a different view. I worked within a constant brand, delivering frequent, regular promotions under brand uniformity, collaborating with the account team to give creative solutions on how to structure a campaign for online direct marketing. In 2005, the Marketing Department began to evaluate my direct email efforts against the same parameters used in the print campaigns. In each instance, email outperformed expectations. In the last three years, my average click-through and conversion rates on campaigns is 6.1%.
At FusionDM (acquired by Publicis Dialog, a full-service agency with PR, Media, Branding and Strategic Planning) I was able to translate the skills learned in b2b interactive direct mail to the energy of a larger agency working on Business to Consumer projects. I learned to confidently present my work to clients. I always thought about the bigger picture when working on my piece of the campaign, and designed with strategy and goals in mind. In summarizing the two years I spent with this company:
The history above represents the last 16 years of my career, prior to that, I worked as a Sr. Web Graphic Designer at: AOL/Netscape, 1999, Assistant Art Director/Online at: PCWorld,1999, Sr. Web Designer at: Third Age, 1998 -1999, Gamespot.com 1996- 1999, Zip2 1996, Dimension X 1995.
More detailed information may be provided, if needed.
"Simon approaches his work with a solid sense of what is practical. While i praise this as an important skill for a designer, it forces solutions to swing toward the more conservative side. Simon is delivery focused, and knows that tradeoffs have to be made to ship products, but i'd like to encourage him to dig into at least one effort and really shoot for the fences."
"Simon is one of the most unique, talented creative directors I have had the pleasure to work with in the digital space. Simon introduced me to "user experience planning" as a specialty way before entire agency departments were created for that purpose, and his innovative designs for even the most mundane business services always surprised and delighted clients."
"I have really enjoyed working with and learning from Simon. I appreciate his honest and transparent approach to all things. He is always available and willing to help any way he can.""
"Simon is incredibly easy to work with. The nature of the work I do is very ad hoc, and Simon is always accommodating in short notice. I can rely on him to provide rational and informed feedback quickly."
"Simon always brings End-to-end product thinking. Simon is always realistic and pragmatic about customer needs. He is not romanced by technology solutions. Simon is a great storyteller. He is great at narrating a design discussion"


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Can Netflix really tell if you're using a VPN to watch content from other countries?
Article by Alex Hern for the Guardian
More than 30 million Netflix users live in countries where the service is unavailable without the use of location-masking software, giving the company a hefty financial incentive not to crack-down on members who use the technological loophole to watch content not authorised for their country.
The figures, which come from market research firm GlobalWebIndex, show that Netflix has more than 20 million users in China alone, all of whom must connect through virtual private networks (VPNs) since the streaming video provider has not yet launched in the country.
Not every Netflix "user" is a subscriber to the service, however. GlobalWebIndex surveyed almost 200,000 individuals across 32 markets, and asked how many of them had watched Netflix in the previous month using a VPN. A significant proportion of those saying they had will have watched at a friend's house, or been sharing a username with others – indeed, as of October 2014, the company had 16 million international members, significantly less than the total number of users of the service.
- Read more at the Guardian


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The night before we traveled to Western Sahara for our film shoot with the legendary Group Doueh, I drank a frightening amount of wine on a Paris park bench with my dear friend Allan K. and anyone else who stopped to talk. At some point I lost the tiny Rollei 35s camera that had been serving me so well throughout the summer. I also lost my way and wandered sweating in the blinding morning sunlight, bumping into waiters putting out cafe tables, looking for my friend's apartment. I barely made the flight, but I had enough time to buy a disposable camera at a gift store by the departure gate. A sad replacement.
We filmed like mad, and the first Raw Music feature documentary will be coming to a film festival near you (if they take us and you live near a doc-loving metropolis). In the meantime, Roads & Kingdoms published some of the disposable camera photos from that roll. I love the casual feel of these cameras. No one feels threatened. You don't have to think. You shoot and forget. Above are a few outtakes. See them all here: http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/sounds-of-the-sahara/


text: Boomer T1 is a single-boom face drilling rig for narrow drifts and tunnels with cross sections up to 23 m2. The carrier features high ground clearance as well as SAHR brakes. For maximum durability, the rig is equipped with a heavy-duty aluminium feed with high bending and torsional resistance. The rig can be fitted with a variety of cop rock drills to suit your needs. To further increase the versatility, Boomer T1 can be equipped for long-hole drilling. When you need some extra punch in tight spaces, you can count on Boomer T1.


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Betrayal @ The PlayhouseShare Event on Facebook Share Event on Twitter Share Event on LinkedIn
1977. A pub. London. A news ticker of sorts displayed across the set of Betrayal was the beginning of this Harold Pinter play that can be, brilliant, frustrating, painful and annoying. Usually all at the same time.
In the directorial hands of Geordie Brookman and a fine cast from the State Theatre of South Australia, he uses the nine scenes taken from a decade in the lives of three people as we go backwards to 1968 and forwards but not chronologically, with a time travelling feeling as the circular intergalactic lighting grid and a rotating clothes rack circuits the stage, all with great effect.
And with Pinter the master of the pause, its best to hold your breath and think of something else, as you wait for some emotional display or screaming match. But no it's so uptight and disciplined you can't help but feel this seventies trio missed the memo about the swinging decade while thinking that no one knew what the others were up to. Betrayal is all about just that.
At the after party it was all about family catch ups with Rob Thorman catching up with his cousin, the Chief Executive of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Rob Brookman, who is the father of the director Geordie Brookman. And along for this gathering too was Thorman's mum and dad Alice and Ray Thorman. Got that?
The Brookman connection where son works for dad worked brilliantly for this production and despite an overwhelming dose of the flu, Brookman junior made it to the opening with a brief but hearfelt speech to his cast and crew for making it all come together.
As for the circular clothes rack, a mini version would be every woman's dream.


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Category: Productivity
Device support: Universal
Temporarily unavailable.
Filegrid is a really simple file manager for iPad, without any excesses and complications. Filegrid has great considered design and provides PDF reader, photo viewer and other features, which will make your file reading easier than ever. For people who love the ease and convenience.
All Files. In the grid.
Filegrid inroduces new files list appearance with thumbnails and file format badges, which help you find the file you want faster than in usual table view.
Read, watch, enjoy.
Read your PDF files of any complexity in simple PDF reader with page content recognizer. Watch your videos in beautiful video player. Enjoy your photos in comfortable photo viewer.
Add and go.
Add files using iTunes, direct link, from photo library or any cloud storage services, e.g. Dropbox. Then use as you want. Filegrid supports most of popular image and video formats and PDF, of course.
Passcode Lock.
Protect your data using password of any complexity you may want, and know how many times someone tried to access the application.
[slidingtabs id='986′]


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In this age of high tech gadgets, it is tempting to conclude that you no longer need an insurance agent for your insurance needs. On the other hand it is probable you will need an insurance agent more than ever. Unless you have the time to study all of your options to become an expert you could be outsmarted by your smartphone!
Your agent is like a trained personal assistant willing to guide you in dealing with any insurance question in the vast array of options available in the insurance field. Computers answer the question you pose. The key to the best answer is asking the right question and knowing where to find the best answer. Computers and phone apps are best used to connect you. Insurance agents serve you with experience and knowledge to obtain the best coverage your hard earned dollar can buy.
Our lighthouse logo symbolizes our commitment to guide your insurance decisions. As an independent insurance agency, we write insurance for multiple A+ rated insurance companies. We focus on your best interests including coverage and cost to find you the best deal that suits your needs. We are customer oriented and strive to find better ways to serve you.
The true test for any insurance product is: Will you be made whole after a claim? A lot of people learned valuable lessons after Hurricane Katrina. As your insurance agent we pledge to protect your interest first. Your questions and concerns are paramount.


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Revenue Cycle Services
Every step of the revenue cycle from intake to authorizations, the provision of care, data collection and medical records impacts cash collections as greatly as an agency's billing and collections department. BlackTree enables organizations to capitalize on an agency-wide approach to the revenue cycle that will maximize collections through a wide array of revenue cycle management services including: revenue cycle assessments, process redesign, interim management and staffing, training, and accounts receivable services. Commit to an effective revenue cycle by partnering with BlackTree.
We had the opportunity to work closely with BlackTree as they have conducted an assessment of our back office functions and processes. The engagement included the placement of a consultant into our staffing model to implement the recommended changes. This model of engagement has
been extremely successful and resulted in providing us with a baseline for
performance and standardizing processes moving forward."
Software Conversion Support
Many major home health systems are fully integrated platforms that impact almost every operational process from intake and clinical documentation to all aspects of the revenue cycle. The challenges associated with a home health system conversion can overwhelm an organization. The appropriate selection of a software platform and a smooth implementation can provide an agency with a competitive advantage while poor system selection or implementation can set an agency back years.
Recognizing the importance of a smooth system conversion, BlackTree Healthcare Consulting provides system selection advisory services, system implementation support, process evaluation and redesign, and post conversion support. A well -executed system conversion can be very time intensive. BlackTree can help by alleviating some of your daily operational burdens through the placement of interim staff and management or by providing accounts receivable support, enabling you to focus on the implementation.


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About 75 percent of Africa's savannahs or grasslands and more than two-thirds of its lions have disappeared over 50 years, according to an American study.
The study, led by Duke University researchers, estimates the number of lions now living on the savannahs to be as low as 32,000, down from nearly 100,000 in 1960. The liona in West Africa have experienced the greatest declines.
"The word savannah conjures up visions of vast open plains teeming with wildlife," said Stuart Pimm, professor of conservation ecology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment, the journal Biodiversity and Conservation reports.
"But the reality is that massive land-use change and deforestation, driven by rapid human population growth, has fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah. Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States," added Stuart, study co-author, according to a Duke statement.
Pimm and colleagues used high-resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth, coupled with human population density data and estimates of local lion populations, to map areas still favourable to the big cats' survival. They identified only 67 isolated areas of savannah across the continent with suitably low human impacts and densities.
"The next 10 years are decisive for this region, not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health," said Andrew Jacobson, a member of Pimm's lab.
"This research, which is the most comprehensive assessment of lion numbers to date, is a major step in helping prioritise funding strategies for saving big cats," said co-author Luke Dollar, former graduate student of Pimm.
"Of the estimated 32,000 to 35,000 lions, more than 5,000 of them are located in small, isolated populations, putting their survival in doubt. The research will help us better identify areas in which we can make a difference," added Dollar.
The research was funded by National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative, a long-term effort to halt the decline of big cats in the wild through assessment efforts, on-the-ground conservation projects, education and a global public-awareness campaign.


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Browse by Event/Special Topic
Summit on Race
UT Austin has multiple experts on race and related topics covered at the 2019 Summit on Race in America.
Black History Month
As Black History Month is celebrated throughout February, experts at the The University of Texas at Austin are available to discuss a range of topics from the intersection of race and politics to health and educational outcomes for African Americans.
2018 Midterm Elections
From campaign finance to policy issues to voting trends in Texas and at the national level, faculty experts at UT Austin are poised to provide insight for coverage of the 2018.
Flooding and Severe Weather
UT Austin has experts available to speak on the causes and impacts of flooding in Texas and beyond, from flood risk forecasting to water resource management.
UT Austin Experts Available to Speak About Tragedy Related to Police Shootings
In light of recent events in Dallas, Baton Rouge and Minnesota, UT Austin has experts available to speak on any number of topics from law enforcement tactics to the psychology of tragedy.
Memorial Day and Veterans
History experts at UT Austin are on hand to address veterans affairs and war in the context of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day Travel
Many people will kick off the Memorial Day Weekend and the summer with a car trip. Last year, AAA Travel said 37.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home during Memorial Day. Numbers that are expected to increase this year. The University of Texas at Austin has a wide variety of experts available with backgrounds ranging from traffic congestion to autonomous vehicles to transportation planning and policy-making.
Vietnam War Summit
The Vietnam War Summit held April 26-28 at the LBJ Presidential Library at UT Austin dives into a range of topics in an attempt to shed light on the lessons and legacy of the war.
2016 Presidential Election
From campaign strategy to policy issues to voting rights, faculty experts at UT Austin are poised to give insight for coverage of the presidential election.
Texas Legislative Session
As lawmakers convene to tackle complex issues for the state, experts at The University of Texas at Austin can provide rich commentary and insight based on years of research and work in the field.
Texas Tribune Festival
The eighth-annual Texas Tribune Festival held Sep. 27-29 at UT Austin dives into a range of topics that affect all Texans. Faculty members from across campus offer expertise on the issues addressed by sessions and speakers in the festival's tracks.
For journalists covering the upcoming Texas legislative session, specialized guides to experts who can provide rich commentary and insight are available online at http://experts.utexas.edu/event.


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Alex Rodriguez made his broadcast booth debut at the Yankees and Royals game and came prepared with some notes in a ruled notebook. Chip and Cern dig in to some notes that are visible via a Tweet from the official Fox Sports Net Twitter account. A-Rod fails to write in between the lines or have an regard for anything on the paper. There are some curious notes on there that reads:
- Birth control
- Baby
- Pull out stuff
Chip and Cern are really scratching their heads over this one from A-Rod. Chip shoots out the theory that one of A-Rod's kids are about to get the sex talk and A-Rod is gonna school them on his wise ways of the #pulloutstuff.
Cern suggests that it might be A-Rod's mantra that he uses to gain focus before some big events.
Chip and Cern dig into when is the right age to start bringing up the sex talk to kids. That evidence, along with Chip's "sex talk" theory really seems to be the correct answer here.
What do you think A-Rod meant by his notes in his book? Be sure to tweet us at @chipandcernshow
Be sure to spread the word around and tell your friends about the Chip and Cern Show. The radio is dying and podcasts are coming, so be ready. You can plug your phone into your car and listen when driving around.
If you wanting a free sticker, shoot an email to email@example.com and we will give you one. Thanks again to Michael Spiegel Design for the great logo he did an awesome job at our logo design.
As always we appreciate you spreading the word with your friends, coworkers, family and churchgoing community members. The Hits v1, The Hits v2, The Hits v3 and v4 are a great into to the Chip and Cern Show, so share those!


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Actualité | Offres de bourses et de postes
2 doctoral researcher positions in intellectual history
Tallinn University is offering two full-time and fully funded doctoral student positions to conduct research in Intellectual History/Cultural History/Political Philosophy.
The position is available within the 5-year European Research Council funded (ERC Starting Grant) project "BETWEEN THE TIMES – Embattled Temporalities and Political Imagination in Inter-war Europe", led by Dr. Liisi Keedus. The project explores 1) conceptions of time and historicity in inter-war Europe, comparatively and interdisciplinarily, including how these translated into methodological innovation and social discourses; and 2) the possibilities of thinking and speaking politically beyond the narratives of progress. Further details on the project:
Tallinn University is a young, vibrant public university located in Tallinn, a charming city with a medieval Old Town on the Baltic coast, offering a safe and high quality of life at an affordable cost of living. The 2 PhD students will join a team of 3 post-doctoral researchers and several senior researchers, including the project leader at the interdisciplinary and international School of Humanities. They will enroll in an interdisciplinary doctoral programme in Cultural Studies (with specialization in either philosophy, cultural theory, literature, among others) or History and will collaborate with social and political studies research centres at the University. The project funding allows for international research trips and conference attendance and the students are given support for publishing in international peer-reviewed journals. They are expected to conduct their own research on a topic closely related to or on a case study of the project, write and publish academic papers and their doctoral dissertation, as well as, being given an opportunity to teach and engage in public outreach activities.
The expected start date is September 1, 2018 and the maximum duration of the contract is 4 years. The positions include full social security coverage and a net salary of approximately 1,200€ per month. The PhD students are expected to live and work in Tallinn.
The deadline for applications varies according to your country of origin, for further details, please see:


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Good luck, Anna./
For Anna. My beautiful, smart, carefree baby sister. I know you know a lot of this, but I wanted to remind you. I thought about sending you a letter, but I realized it won't get home in time and you'll already be at school.
Everyone says college is the most fun four years you will ever have in your life. Yeah, it's pretty fun. Mom and Dad pay for your meals while you "find yourself" and try to make it to all of your classes. You'll make lasting friendships, find a couple of boyfriends, and drink cheap beer. It really is the life, but you have to take advantage of this precious time.
Take school seriously.
Just go to class. It really is hard to fail if you go to all of you classes. OK, skipping a few 8 am's or two won't hurt because those are a construct of the Devil himself, but more than that and you'll stress yourself. Feeling behind is the worst. I promise the stress isn't worth it.
Take a couple fun classes.
I think I learned more life lessons from my "extra" classes than I did the classes I took for my major. Take women's self defense, pottery, anthropology of sex. Whatever peaks your interest. The "extras" will give you personality points down the line in a future conversation with a boy at a dimly lit bar over artisan cocktails. More importantly they will stretch your mind and make you think about things. Maybe important things.
Be one of the guys, but don't drink like them.
You and I both see eye to eye on this one. We like to hang with the guys "drama free" (jokes on us, boys cause way more drama than girls). It's cool to be the easy-going friend who can get in deep conversations with any guy, but freshman boys are freshman boys and they don't know their limits. Never be the girl with eyes glazed and has to be carried home. But if you do, make sure your ride is sober and don't be afraid to call someone to pick you up. I really would fly to Birmingham if you needed me, but try Lily first.
On the topic of guys.
You may have a boyfriend, or two, or three, in college. They probably won't be "the one." Don't forget to remind yourself that. You'll be 21 when you graduate. You can't be expected to find your soulmate having only legally been able to drink for three months.
Don't ever be afraid to say "no."
You don't owe anyone anything, no matter what you're wearing, what you said before, how much you drink, or how much older he is. Even if you just wanted to make out a little, you can still say "no" at any point. You always call the shots. Period.
Dress how you want.
I made it a point in college to call out every girl (in a bi-weekly printed column!) who dressed the same. But just like I "did what I wanted" and wore tutus and sequined pants to class, so can everyone else. If you want to sport the Nike shorts and XXL Comfort Colors tee, by all means do it. It's hot as hell in Tuscaloosa and I wouldn't blame you. But don't be afraid to rock your own look. You are queen of all things boho-chic and you look good in it. Keep it up.
Try everything.
Not everything. That's not a good excuse to do dangerous or illegal activities. Try every club and every campus event. A bunch of them will be boring or sound lame, but it's worth it. Not only will you have things to add to your resume (see: very, very important after you graduate) but you will also meet great, wonderful, unique people you would normally not hang out with.
Don't use a fake.
You will get caught, it will go on your record, and dad will pay a fine. No fun.
Even in a stereotypical southern state school like UA, there are boatloads of people looking for answers outside the box. These people will do big things and you need to listen to them. I learned more from my peers than I did teachers. Listen to outspoken classmates with contrasting opinions. You may not agree, but his/her feelings are valid and you still need to listen. Listen when you think you should argue. It's much better to hear all sides before coming out with a conclusion of you own.
Never wear heels on Gameday
It's not worth it. Ever. You will fall over and your feet will bleed.
Good luck with moving in and rush next week. I miss you and love you more.
xoxo and rtr,


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How to Lose Belly Fat: Latest Secrets from the Research Labs, Part 2
Abdominal fat is now seen as a growing health hazard, an indicator and contributor to "Syndrome X," or metabolic syndrome. The risks of metabolic syndrome go far beyond a bulge at your waistline, and include heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
If you're over 40, it's time to get serious about reducing your abdominal fat. Not just for your waistline, but to dramatically reduce your risk of chronic disease.
How to Lose Belly Fat: Secret #2 - DHEA
DHEA is a human hormone that has also been found in certain types of yams. While some of the research on DHEA and fat loss is inconclusive, a new study published in the prestigious JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) in 2004 is turning heads.
In the JAMA study, 28 men and 28 women, ranging from 65 to 78 years of age, took 50 mg. of non-prescription DHEA for 6 months. The DHEA treatment produced "significant decreases" in both abdominal fat and ordinary fat. In addition, insulin sensitivity was also substantially improved.
The researchers concluded that "DHEA replacement could play a role in prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome associated with abdominal obesity." Primarily, I would add, in elderly people- or people with low levels of DHEA.
DHEA levels are known to decline with age. The older you are, the more likely that DHEA will help you reduce belly fat. Your doctor can also do a blood test for DHEA levels.
The theory of hormone replacement therapy, which links your body's gradual loss of certain hormones to aging and age-related disease, has a lot of established medical proof. In its narrowest sense, HRT is means replacing estrogen in menopausal women. But the broader picture of HRT includes human growth hormone, melatonin, sex hormones, and DHEA.
If you are still young, you probably have adequate levels of most or all of these hormones. There would be no sense in giving you more, because you are not yet "deficient."
The key to HRT, especially as it relates to aging, is to return your hormone levels to a more "youthful profile." Levels similar to what you had when you were, say, 25 years old. Before most of us were worried about diabetes, heart disease, or our bulging bellies.
Just as low levels of this hormone can be a problem, too much DHEA can also cause problems. Ask your doctor about the blood test before you supplement.
David L. Kern is a health researcher and publisher of New Health & Longevity, a newsletter devoted to the latest advances in nutritional science. Find out how to lose belly fat today at http://www.applepoly.com/bellyfat. This entire series of articles, How to Lose Belly Fat: Secrets from the Research Labs will be available for download at http://www.applepoly.com/howtolosebellyfat.
Hybrid Sweeteners in Todays Health
What is the advantage of these new half sugar and half synthetic baking sugars that are on the market? These drink products made with � the sugar carbs and � synthetic sweeteners and foods marketed and eaten by our kids, does it really give the consumer that much more of an advantage?There was a national news story on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brocaw (11.08.
You Dont Have to Stop Eating Out Because You Are On Diet
Diners have become more health-conscious the last few years, and now want healthy choices whether eating at home or at their favorite restaurants. Luckily, the restaurant industry has been quick to accommodate the demand, so you'll find you have many options to "eat healthy" these days.
Best Diet Type -- Losing Weight for Your Wedding
Choosing the right diet type is the most important decision you'll make, as you plan for weight loss success.The best plan to follow is designed to produce 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week.
Living with Your Diet
Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry. Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat.
Learn the Truth About Weight Loss and Getting Great Abs
Debunking The Ab MythAb training has been done to death but it's time to take another look. Why? Because people are still training their abs wrong so all that ab training information must not be doing the job.
A New Diet -- Bowel Cleansing for Weight Loss
An ancient practice from Eastern Medicine, bowel cleansing is fast becoming the next new diet for the Western world. What is bowel cleansing and does it safely cause healthy weight loss? Bowel Cleansing 101 Keeping things simple, bowel cleansing is equal to Western Medicine's laxative.
Easy Weight Loss -- 5 Steps to Lose Weight
Is it easy to lose weight? Yes. Losing weight is easy.
How to Eat All You Want and Still Lose Weight
How would you like to eat all you want and still lose weight, or maintain your trim figure? Sounds impossible? Have you seen those skinny young women who eat like horses, with plate after plate of food at the buffet table without putting on any weight? Ok, so some of them may be bulimic. You know, the sort who eat all they want, then go to the toilet to throw up everything they just ate.
Low-Carb Diets: Are You Losing More than Weight?
The average American eats about twice as much protein than what they require. Some people, in the pursuit of thinness, are going on low-carb diets and are eating up to four times the protein their body needs.
Playing Games Does Not Help Your Weight Loss Efforts
Have you ever wondered why some fat people can be playing tennis, swimming and jogging often, yet they never lose weight?Many overweight people began playing tennis, walking, running or swimming because they were told that these activities are aerobic and therefore, beneficial to weight loss.So, is it really true that aerobic activities promote weight loss?Technically it is true that aerobic programmes do help.
Weight Loss, Exercise, and Bodybuilding Tips - Keeping Your Body-Fat Low: Part 7 of 10
People usually quit weightloss and exercise programs for one of two reasons: boredom or lack of results, maybe even both!I cannot explain this, nor did I learn this in a classroom, but twenty years in the field proves it to me all the time- after about ten weeks the body starts catching onto what your workout will consist of that day. I believe that your body knows after awhile exactly what you are going to put it through, adapts to it and stops progress.
New Weight Loss Program -- How to Make Your Diet Work
This is a continuation of the article entitled, "Making Diets Work." In the original article, I introduced the concept of Diet ShockTM and its role in weight regain.
Weight Loss: Its Not About the Numbers, Its Your Approach!
Today obesity, diabetes, and heart disease run through us at epidemic levels. Why? The answer lies not in the thousands of different kinds of diet, weight loss and workout programs offered, the answer lies in the approach.
7 Diet Tips For Rapid Weight Loss
1. Quit snacking in between meals.
Online Weight Loss - Fact or Farce?
Over the past 5 years, online weight loss programs have become increasingly popular. One such Internet-only weight loss program claims to have over 1.
5 Ways To Make Protein Benefit You
Imagine this ..
When Gaining Love Means Gaining Weight!
Do you tend to find your weight increases when you enter into a relationship? During weight management coaching, I use a tool called the "lifeline" to help my client and I understand what life events occurred around the time of gaining and losing weight. As my own experiences testify, I have found that many of us tend to put on weight when we enter into a relationship.
What Cows Know About Weight Loss That We Have Forgotten
I want to talk to you about cows and what they can teach us about weight loss, or more specifically, fat loss. While it may not be obvious, we can learn a very important lesson from cows.
Weight Loss Programs:The 7 Critical Points You Must Check Before You Choose
Yes, you must be aware of the following 7 points before adopting a diet plan.1) Your weight loss program must remove toxins from your body.
Top 5 Weight Loss Strategies From A Top Level Personal Trainer
You are ready to shed those energy draining, body crippling, unattractive extra pounds and you are ready to make it permanent this time. You are on the right track because you've taken the most important step toward your goal.
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The idea for this Provenance column has been in my mind for a couple of years, yet I've never quite had the wherewithal to make it happen in the substantive way in which I imagined it. For this reason, I am thrilled beyond words to have someone here now who is perfectly suited to pen this column because of her unique background as a design historian and also because of our shared appreciation for a global sense of style that often times comes from the use of age old techniques. Please welcome CLOTH & KIND's newest guest editor, Jacqueline Wein of the wonderful blog Tokyo Jinja. Jacqueline is an antiques dealer, design historian and "trailing spouse" living in Tokyo, Japan with her husband and two beautiful daughters. Tokyo Jinja (jinja means shrine in Japanese) tells the story of her travels throughout Asia and elsewhere looking at decorative and fine arts as well as chronicling her interior design projects. Always able to spot the proverbial needle in a haystack and sort the valuable from the junk, she combs Tokyo flea markets, better known as shrine sales, for treasures each week for clients around the world. Porcelains, textiles, woodblock prints, baskets, vintage fishing floats, and katagami stencils are just some of the finds that come her way. And there is nothing she likes better than imagining and researching an object's past and finding a modern day use for it. She cut her teeth at the 26th Street flea markets in New York and Les Puces in Paris, and honed her Asian expertise along Hollywood Road in Hong Kong. Jacqueline's incomparable background makes her the most natural guest editor to author this column, which offers a scholarly nod to the history of iconic styles in textile & design. KRISTA
prov-e-nance \ˈpräv-nən(t)s, ˈprä-və-ˌnän(t)s\ noun. the place of origin or earliest known history of something.
Guest edited by Jacqueline Wein.
These days, ikat has become a household word, extending well beyond those in the textile world. Kasuri, on the other hand, is not, although it is the Japanese form of ikat, in which the weft and/or the warp threads are tie and resist dyed before being woven. That simply means that very tight binding threads are wrapped around all the places that are not meant to take the colored dye. Traditionally, kasuri was made from hand spun durable cotton using natural indigo and patterns were white against the blue, created by those areas left uncolored by the binding threads. Like many other indigo cottons, these were everyday fabrics worn by the common people. Aptly so, as indigo is credited with having the ability to strengthen fabric, making it more durable, as well as being able to repel bugs and insects which makes it ideal for the clothes of those working in the fields. Even as late as the early 1970s, most rural workers in Japan were wearing kasuri garments and Amy Katoh, author and owner of the iconic Blue & White store in Tokyo remembers the gardeners around the Imperial Palace wearing it through the 1960s.
Over time, additional pigments and modern designs were added to the mix. Occasionally, I stumble across an unusual two-tone piece that is not blue, like this madder colored one, although these tend to be more recent examples. But most kasuri still has an indigo base, even the modern machine-produced ones.
The complexity of the kasuri technique lies in having to plan where the pattern will go, not just before weaving, but as the thread itself is dyed. The charm of the technique lies in the slight blurring at the edges of the patterns and images, giving the fabric a soft sense of movement. Most ikat is designed with patterns laid out on the warp – the stationary threads on the loom – which is much easier to produce. Kasuri tends to be weft ikat, which allows the weaver more control in varying the piece as they go, but is also harder to plan and create. The paler wispy white areas in these examples are woven that way. Solid white areas in kasuri are actually double ikat, meaning they have patterns placed across both the warp and the weft, which is very technically demanding. Interestingly, while there is a tradition of ikat in almost all world cultures, only three countries - Japan, India and Indonesia - produce double ikat. Kurume kasuri, as shown below, is a regional geometric form that highlights this double ikat very well.
The areas of single and double kasuri are also easily distinguished from each other in the traditional length of fabric sourced by designer Maja Lithander Smith and I in Kyoto, which she had made into this beautiful bolster pillow. And I love the textile play with the more common Uzbek-style ikat on the pillow behind and the Japanese classic asa-no-ho (hemp pattern) on the vintage geisha pillow on the side table shelf.
Much kasuri is comprised of small repetitive geometric shapes, but it is also possible to create images and scenes with the technique. Pictorial kasuri is referred to as e-gasuri and the variety of patterns is endless - from literal patterns like this butterfly, to allegorical ones like this thunderstorm dragon pattern. Debate rages about where from and when ikat techniques were introduced to Japan, and some even believe it was invented independently at the end of the 18th century, but either way, this distinctive e-gasuri is Japan's own.
Kasuri is width limited by the narrow loom size prevalent here, being approximately 12-14 inches wide. Weaving was and is devoted to making kimono and other garments, which are constructed of vertical strips of cloth sewn together. A single tan, or bolt of cloth measures approximately 9-11 meters long as that is what is needed to construct a kimono. While it's not unusual to visit antique markets and shrine sales in Japan with their racks of vintage kimono, it's less common to come across great varieties of old kasuri ones, although I occasionally do. It's eminently possible to take a kimono apart and re-use the fabric for other projects. Small vintage pieces perfect for modern day uses as pillows, table runners and accent fabrics are often found this way.
Larger items such as futon covers and furoshiki (wrapping cloths) were made by sewing strips of kasuri together. This early futon cover is made from hand-spun cotton and features both a realistic camelia and a stylized floral diamond called a hana bishi. It has aged and faded over time, adding to its charm and now displays beautifully as a throw over the back of a sofa.
Modern developments in weaving after WWII meant that yarn was no longer necessarily handspun and much of the dyeing process changed. Different kasuri stencil techniques emerged wherein the fabric was loosely woven first, stenciled with color and pattern, only to be tightly rewoven again. This sped up production and allowed for additional complexity in designs. Foreign influences and more varied coloration became common. Today, the word kasuri is often thrown around incorrectly referring to other kinds of Japanese textiles that use an ikat-like technique such as Meisen, Omeshi and Tsumugi silks, which were extremely popular from the art deco era through the post-war period. Their designs were the height of modernity at the time, and still feel extremely fresh today.
I am always hunting for vintage kasuri in good condition. If you are seeking Japanese textiles, including kasuri, shibori, katazome, tsutsugaki, silks, patchwork boro or anything else interesting please don't hesitate to reach out to me at jacquelinewein(at)yahoo(dot)com. And if you have any examples of kasuri in your home, please do share with us at info(at)clothandkind(dot)com.


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I have decided that it's time to redecorate.
I'm not going to go overboard. I just want some fresh ideas for the summer.
The theme to the full bath is Palm Trees and Beaches. The shower curtain looks like a photograph of....a palm tree, water and an island. But it's torn around some of the hooks because it's made of plastic. I'd like to replace it with a cloth one for durability. So tomorrow I'm going to Walmart, Target, Kohl's and JCPennies to price compare. I'd like to stay with the same motif because I just bought new bathroom linens a couple months ago and they are still in great condition.
My bedroom is beige...."crisp cracker" actually, with one wall painted metallic purple. I love it. I don't want to change it. So I've decided to get new bedding instead. I already placed an order for a new comforter/quilt and shams. It's old-fashioned stitching in the shape of a star. Something that you'd find in a farm house. It still has purple in it, but also a splash of light green. As long as I'm going shopping, I'm going to look for some new sheets too. Real grown-up sheets. Solid colors...in light green. It's time to put away (a.k.a. get rid of) childish things. I still have my NKOTB and Tweety Bird sheets, although I can't use them because they're for a twin bed.
It feels good to cleanse the house of old, unwanted things and start fresh!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I have decided that it's time to redecorate.
Posted by Julie at 5:41 PM


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FY2005 H-1B Cap Reached!!!
October 04, 2004
On the evening of October 1, 2004 - the first day of the 2005 fiscal year (FY2005) - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Press Release: USCIS Announces New H-1B Procedures - Reaches Cap.
In the Press Release, USCIS announced that enough H-1B petitions have been received to meet the annual H-1B cap (65,000) for FY2005. Included in the 65,000 H-1B petitions allowed for the fiscal year are 6,800 set aside for the Free Trade Agreements between the U.S. and Chile and Singapore - effectively reducing the cap to 58,200.
After October 1, 2004, USCIS will not accept any new H-1B petitions that are subject to the FY2005 annual cap.
How come people claim that offshoring is causing job losses in US when H1 VISAS (employment visas used by high-tech immigrants) are getting completely booked one year in advance?


text: On Fri, Aug 25, 2006 at 04:34:44PM -0500, Manoj Srivastava wrote: > On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:16:28 -0700, Steve Langasek <email@example.com> said: > > > On Fri, Aug 25, 2006 at 07:54:59PM +0200, Mike Hommey wrote: > >> I'd add something to say that this is *really* the last time we > >> postpone the fixing of the issue and that no further GR should > >> change that. > > > Why? That can't possibly be binding? > > What makes you think that? The developers, by a GR, can > preemptively take the release decision that etch + 1 would not be > released with non-free software in the kernel, and that non-dfsg bits > in main, which violate the SC, would, for once, actually be really > considered RC. > > Why does this not fall under takeing decisions that the > delegates are empowered to take bit? Because we could just as well hold a vote some time in the future, to say that finally, we are not going to make it for etch+1 and revert that decision. Friendly, Sven Luther


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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 18.104.22.168
joined:June 15, 2001
votes: 93
The main reason I have used Links is because it creates static pages for the directory as opposed to dynamic url's and rewriting short addresses.
The template system is also very easy to use and you will fairly easily be able to make it use your existing site layout.
IMHO, you are the one who would like to build a directory. It follows from this that you must have some kind of idea about what you would like this directory to do....
So, start by thinking it through: What kind of structure would you need? How should the pages look? What kind of functions would you need?
In other words: Make an exhaustive list of features first, ie your wish list.
Then, visit the directory CMS makers and start examining their systems in detail. Put checkmarks next to those of your desired features that they supply. And, if they've got a demo version try it out thoroughly so that you know if you like the way it works.
That would be one possible way to do it.
I agree with the advice about deciding on "desired features/functions" first and then looking for candidates. In some cases a very light script will do the job. In others the need is for industrial strength.
Most scripts leave some form of footprint, even where an effort is made to remove "the prints". So, by examining sites of good looking, quality, ranking directories you might get some hints. I did, at least hints worth following up on.
joined:Mar 3, 2003
votes: 21
IYPs are local search directories, so they start with a location, then they have categories and then business listings. These contain a phone number and address and maybe a website URL and email. You can't buy scripts for these, but some scripts may superficially resemble them.
Link directories are category centric and have a URL as a minimum. The rest is optional. Scripts tend to be for this market and they seem to focus on bells and whistles rather than allow the user to customise it.
I think it is useful to describe the business model and then look for a script that comes close to this model, rather than fit the model to an available script.
For example, IYPs usually have a default ranking based on seniority within a product family, e.g. oldest Platinum customer stays #1 as long as they renew. Oldest Gold customer stays #1 below the lowest Platinum, and so on.
Some business models give each listing its own page - the business profile page (BPP). At this point you need to step back and decide how can you best optimise the type of business that will be on this page and get that page to compete for a page 1 ranking.
If you want to have a default alpha sort then how will you deal with the AAAAAAAAAArdvark kind of names that will compete for page 1 in the directory.
Will there be different price points and how will they be reflected by way of features?
You will now begin to think about textual content and it will probably go far beyond a Description field. It might include product pages.
You may want interactivity, such as maps, driving directions, iPhone app, different types of downloadable files, etc.
However.. I'm building a new directory and I haven't found a script I would like to use for it so I'm making the directory in wordpress manually. Basically I want a directory that ranks for terms and I'm not going to get that from most of the scripts out there


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Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|DOA - Dead or Alive
Actors: Jaime Pressly, Devon Aoki, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe
Genres: Action & Adventure, Indie & Art House
PG-13 2007 1hr 27min
Four gorgeous women are invited to a remote island to participate in a fighting tournament.
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Yenesis C. from CAGUAS, PR
Reviewed on 9/9/2009...
i thought it was gonna suck but i really like it! is pretty cool!
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Eydie B. (erubiob) from CHANDLER, AZ
Reviewed on 7/3/2009...
Fun Fun Fun moive! I enjoyed it. It was an eye candy movie!
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amber M.
Reviewed on 9/12/2008...
Awesome Movie! tons of action! action packed from the beginning to end! definitely recommend watching this!
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
"Girl Power" collides with "Mortal Kombat"..A FUN Watch!
Woopak | Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell | 08/28/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
""D.O.A.: Dead or Alive" as everyone knows is based on the Video game franchise of the same name. This film was released in mid-2006 in Asia before in the U.S. possibly because of the larger market for video game inspired movies. For this reason, I managed to own the region-3 Asian release (image by S. L. Bledsoe in Amazon) even before the movie hit U.S. theaters. Directed by Corey Yuen (Transporter, So Close) an acclaimed Martial arts choreographer, (although Corey's not as renowned as the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping) D.O.A. looks promising. After all, Jet Li quoted Corey Yuen In Black Belt magazine as "..if I need something fresh, I go to Corey Yuen."
A tournament called D.O.A. is being held in a remote Island by a man named Donovan (Eric Roberts). Three beautiful but lethal women are invited to compete. Tina (Jaime Pressley), Kasumi (Devon Aoki), and Christie (Holly Valance). Each of the three female leads have their own motivation and has their own baggage to carry. Once there, they must battle their way up the fighter rankings through a bunch of other seasoned fighters to reach the finals. Once in the final phase, the women uncover a hidden "sinister" secret that is the true reason for the competition. Aided by Helena (hottie Sarah Carter) and Hayabusa (Kane Kosuji), they must either join forces or perish...
Since the movie is based on the video game, expect something with a simple plot with scantily-clad women engaging in fisticuffs and, ahem, volleyball (which is a nice touch, there is a game called "D.O.A. Beach Volleyball"). What can we expect? The game itself is renowned for its hard-hitting fights and titillation factor ("bouncing b--bs" and skimpy outfits) so the film just exploits those factors.
It is fairly obvious that Corey Yuen has a limited budget to work with. Still, he manages to pull off an accelerated fast-paced action film that is both hard-hitting and visually stylish. While the plot is lacking and with almost no decent character development, Corey goes for the throat with a lot of mano-o-mano fights and as much "PG-13" brutality(no blood) he can spare to compensate for the lackluster plot. The extensive fight choreography is the true "lure" of the film. The film is based on a video game so reality is out the door.
D.O.A. remains true to its roots (gimmicks), as there is enough tease (but not explicit) to make a male(like me) excited, shots of a few tanned skin and sexy curves to satisfy the raw sex appeal of the games. While it does have its goofy moments, (the nerdy guy is so annoying), there is enough action to divert our attention that it does avoid the screenplay from becoming "cheesy" nor "campy". Eric Roberts is definitely miscast as the bad guy, he didn't have the "raw appeal" for a baddie. Wrestler Kevin Nash even makes an appearance as Tina's wrestler Dad. The film is short, and the ending gives you a little tease of the possibility of a sequel.
Since I am 90% certain that the U.S. release will have the same transfer, I will give you my take on the dvd quality...
VIDEO/AUDIO: Anamorphic widescreen. The PQ is excellent. Colors are vibrant, clean and extremely sharp. Black levels are solid and strong when needed. 5.1 Dolby digital/DTS-ES English track. The DTS track is the way to go if your equipped since it is very powerful and crisp. The 5.1 Dolby isn't too shabby either.
Corey Yuen made every effort to bring the video game to life. "D.O.A." is a hyper-accelerated-kinetic stylish action film that gets the fight sequences (for a Hollywood film) just right and that's the best anyone can hope for given its source material. Its' a video game with hot chicks, what can we expect?
RECOMMENDED! For fans of the game and the action genre, a good rental for everybody else. (3 ½ stars)
Crap review on Netflix, but it was better than that
Paladin08 | Folsom, CA | 10/15/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"After reading all the 1 star reviews on Netflix, I still watched the trailer. Then I found out the director of the Transporter did this movie too. So....I just had to check it out.
It was fun.
I'm not going to own it, but it was fun and much better than Ultraviolet.
- Fast action.
- Acrobatic martial arts.
- Gorgeous girls all around (so much better looking than the Charlie's Angels trio and they had Sarah Carter who I just loved when I first saw her in the tv show Smallville)
- Eric Roberts as a bad guy on the tv show Heroes and a bad guy here. He's perfect for those types of roles.
- Great sets that get smashed to pieces
- Lots and lots of fighting that is so unrealistic you laugh at the silliness of it, but love it at the same time
If it wasn't for all the scantly clad bodies and sexual themes, this no-blood fight movie would have been rated PG.
Yes, everyone who gets slashed by a sword just falls down with no blood. No effort went into any type of makeup work on the main characters after taking several punches in the face. Oh, well, we like our female leads looking pretty throughout I guess.
It was a movie where you turn your brain off, laugh out loud a couple of times and enjoy the scenery and action. Pure fun, but not an oscar winner by any stretch of the imagination.
You want a quality, thinking person's movie watch The Fountain or Children of Men.
You want a zone out for a bit with the type of movie that isn't another bad effects B-horror film, then get this."
A bona-fide guilty pleasure
N. Durham | Philadelphia, PA | 09/11/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Video game to film adaptations rarely work as you no doubt already know. Chances are if you've seen any previews of the Dead or Alive movie, you most likely laughed at how ridiculous it looked. Well, guess what? Here it is on DVD, and it's surprisingly not the terrible waste of film that many (including me) thought it would be. Sure, it's nothing remotely great in the least, and even laughable in some spots, but as a whole, Dead or Alive is a fun and entertaining guilty pleasure that does it's job well. A martial arts tournament is being held on a remote island, with many of the competitors being in the form of some incredibly hot babes (Holly Valance, Jamie Pressly, Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe), who soon learn that there is more going on than it seems. The action is good (courtesy of Transporter director Corey Yuen) and the movie delivers plenty of eye candy, no matter how inane or non-sensical the events that unfold turn out to be. That aside, the film manages to pay some delightful homage to it's source material (volleyball anyone?), and while it's not always faithful to it, it's still a fun ride regardless. Also featuring Eric Roberts, former wrestling star Kevin Nash, Matthew Marsden, Brian J. White (who looks exactly like Zack from the game) and look for Mortal Kombat star Robin Shou as the Pirate Leader."


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┌── Harry Rawlings Henshaw │ 1907-1997 ┌── Harry Rawlings Henshaw, Jr. ──┤ │ 1930-2007 │ │ └── Zelma Irene Peters │ 1912-2000 Cindy Henshaw ───┤ B: ? │ │ └── Nancy O'Neal 1944- M: - Glenn
|Cindy Henshaw [ID 18554]
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She married - Glenn.1
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The name of the game these days is peonies and lilac. Old fashioned flowers seemingly present in every yard. These peonies actually came from Holland as ours aren't quite out yet and I had a wedding to pull together, but the lilacs are all from the neighbourhood (cut with permission of course!!). The response to these flowers was amazing - people were so excited to see peonies the size of their face and curious about one of the lilac varieties I used called 'Sensation.' I love when my flowers elicit questions - compliments are one thing but curiosity is even better because it means the flowers were worth lingering on. They made people want to reach out and talk to me about them. In case you were wondering, you too can grow 'Coral Charm' peonies in your garden, as well as hundreds of varieties of lilac!
I'm waiting for photos from the wedding but wanted to put a few up before lilac season is over. If you want to cut lilac from your yard (or from someone else's with permission), I recommend doing so before mid-morning or in the evening. Lilac looks its best if it's given lots of water as soon as possible after you cut it. Simply make a fresh cut with sharp clippers on the diagonal, then one cut straight up into the stem to split it, and then submerge in water. Lilac will last longer if it's kept cool, but like many heavily scented flowers, it usually only lasts a few days once cut.
Big thanks to everyone who let me cut lilac from their yards!!