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On November 10th, we attended a Jimmy Choo event that was in collaboration with Melanie Pace in support of the Make-A-Wish foundation. Make-A-Wish is a heartwarming foundation that grants a wish for children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. This foundation is so determined to make a difference, that on average, they grant a wish for a child every 40 minutes or so. We, of course, were thrilled to be a part of an event that honored and donated to such a cause.
Of course, there had to be a fashion element to the event as well – this is when the new Jimmy Choo Cruise '16 collection was revealed. The collection is breathtaking – inspired by sunlight and moonlight, driven by wanderlust and adventure. The sunlight inspired items are earthy in both tones and textures, while the moonlight items are contrasted with luminous colors and jagged textures. Although each are different, they compliment each other in the most magical fashion – creating a breathtaking, cohesive collection.
Between admiring the new collection and mingling with fellow attendees, or trying on luxe items while getting photos taken by the photographer present, we were able to meet the Development and Events Manager for Make-A-Wish who shared with us how events such as this benefit the foundation. It made us that much more excited that we were able to attend and we look forward to any upcoming events in the future benefiting a great cause! More images from the lovely event to come soon.


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Autumn is now well and truly upon us and the lovely warm September has changed into a damp and grey October but the colours of the trees are amazing. The monsoon rains in Kalimpong are coming to the end and Heshron will soon be able to make repairs to the secton of banking at Albella that had suffered the landslip. The clear days in Kalimpong are allowing some beautiful views of the Himalaya range and Kanchenjunga . Heshron sent me a photo of one of the older boys taken in the Albella grounds with the Himalaya mountains in the background; a stunning backdrop.
The main road to Siliguri remains partially blocked by landslides and work has commenced to repair the damaged sections. This main supply route to Kalimpong is still affected but Heshron has a plentiful supply of dried foods, and local vegetables are still available in the market. The repair work to the road is a major undertaking as there is so little ground between the mountains and the river ravine. We need to bear the situation in our prayers that the rains will finally stop, allowing the road repair work to progress . Also pray that the peoples in the region will be able to source adequate supplies of food without the need of the six hour diverted road journey to Siliguri.
Heshron emailed to say that they had almost 20 children who were down with chickenpox & measles and these were all admitted in the Albella Infirmary. Some were severely affected but all are fine now. They had to join all the beds together due to the paucity of space but managed somehow. Right now the Infirmary is empty, so we thank God. Ebi had a busy time attending to the sick children but enjoyed seeing them responding to medicines. Roshan & Samuel (Two of the older boys) were a great help to Ebi.
- Alan Pickett

subset: commoncrawl


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Jamal Crawford declined his $4.5-million player option to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves for 2018-19 and will become a free agent, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Crawford averaged 10 points and 2.3 assists but he shot just 41.5 percent from the field in 20.7 minutes per game. Nevertheless, the veteran gunner was often tabbed by head coach Tom Thibodeau to close games.
Thibodeau will likely give Crawford's spot to promising backup guard Tyus Jones, who was largely bumped from the rotation following the acquisition of Derrick Rose. Jones averaged just 5.1 points and 2.8 assists but was adored as an advanced stats darling.


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Give your toddler a new angle on sippy cups. Tilty Sippy Cups keep the liquid at an angle so your toddler's head doesn't have to be. Tilty is more comfortable and natural than traditional sippy cups and aids in transitioning to "grown-up" cups.
Tilty Sippy Cups
Comments on this entry are closed.


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GAITHERSBURG, Md. – Peter Kirsch has joined Brickman as executive vice president. As a member of the corporate executive team, Kirsch's focus will be to provide leadership and guidance in the sales and marketing arena, and to assist Brickman in continuing their growth across the U.S. 【Get Price】
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While I wanted to work on a tracking device, I was also interested in the ideas Steve had for this class. Knowing we only had a week, I thought it was wiser to work with a partner to work on a concept. Steve had two ideas that I thought was interested, so I decided to work with him. Sadly I got sick for two days which affected my productivity this week, and when we only had one week it really wiped out a lot of my time. Here is the ideas we had and how we explored the project:
I was mostly tasked with thinking of ways to program the Arduino to pick up the signal and send the SMS. It was trickier than I envisioned: as I would need to think of a way to run this on as minimum power, and my idea to that was to build a crystal radio to receive the signal. I however was not 100% sure on how to write the code so that it would identify a specific AM frequency. The idea is that once I identify the range and when the Arduino receives the signal, it will send an SMS out to warn of loggers in a particular zone. I think the challenges would be to identify the best way to create an unique signal that could be delivered without human detection, and the best position to place the arduino 'base station' to ensure maximum coverage of the area.
I think I have learned a lot from this class and would love to explore further possibilities with GSM shields and micro-processors. I think I will spend the next week playing with tracking a little bit, hopefully I can make the GPS tracking work!


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Another year has passed since the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) conference has taken place. This year the location is in Las Vegas! It's an exciting time of year for anyone that has anything to do with business aviation not only in the United States of America but around the world. It is not surprising to see people from all countries at this conference.
The conference is broken up into two different locations, the conference hall and the live static display at an airport close to the city. The conference hall is inundated with everything from small booths which house the small companies that have something to present to the aviation community to the big manufactures that have a mockup aircraft displayed that customers can climb inside and actually see the actual size of some of the new aircraft that are available. There are even smaller aircraft that actually fly displayed in the facility. Every service from engine overhaul companies to fueling companies to insurance companies are represented. The static display of real aircraft will be located at an airport just south of Las Vegas called Henderson Executive airport. Such names as Embraer Aircraft Corporation, Bombardier Aerospace, Dassault Falcon Jet, Gulfstream Aerospace and Textron Aviation will be present. Numerous Aircraft sales companies will also be represented with special aircraft that they have actually flown out to the event to sell. The manufactures will have not only their new line of business jets displayed but also the existing line of aircraft that are available. Millions of dollars will be transferred from owner to manufacturer as the sales start to happen.
I am excited about this event each year because it allows me to become familiar with all of the new products that have been developed since the previous year but also allows me to see individuals that I have known for a very long time. My focus, of course, are the embraer products. I have two clients that will be at the show this year that are very close to making a decision on which aircraft they want to buy. They will be able to get inside of the Embraer Phenom 100, Embraer Phenom 300, and the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 products. They will be able to sit in the cabin and the flight deck and get a true feel of what the interior has to offer. Embraer Aircraft Corporation will have the following line up of aircraft in 2015 at the NBAA static display. The Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Legacy 450, Legacy 500, Legacy 650 and the Lineage 1000 will be displayed.
Hopefully you will be able to join me at the event. Please if you are there give me a call at any time! 817.946.0012


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I absolutely LOVE pumpkin spice EVERYTHING! These Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts just happen to be my grandson's favourite after-school snack.
Pumpkin cake donuts topped with a touch of cinnamon sugar. Since we can't eat pumpkin pie all the time, this easy pumpkin donut recipe is a great alternative.
I am so happy when pumpkin season comes around. This year I had my first pumpkin spice latte in September, the first day Starbucks had them available. My grandkids were thrilled when I treated them to an iced pumpkin latte (minus the espresso). No wonder they want to have sleep-overs all the time!
It may sound weird, but I have pumpkin puree in the house ALL year long. Pumpkin soup, chili, and risotto happen year round in our house. I have it in cans, but by all means put those Halloween pumpkins to good use and make homemade puree.
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts And More
I am NOT a fried donut fan, and I really never have been. When I was young, my mom made the most delicious cake donuts. I can still remember them so well.
Just a plain batter was used, but it was the cinnamon sugar coating that was the star of the show. Simple flavours that really hit the spot after a day at school. She also made the best cinnamon coffee cake ever!
Baked donut recipes are much healthier too. Over the years I have come up with a few. Chocolate Chili Mocha Donuts (which happen to be gluten-free) are perfect with your afternoon coffee.
If you really want to give the kids a treat in the morning, Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Donuts are not only delicious but contain lots of nutritious ingredients too.
Baked Pumpkin Donuts Ingredients
This recipe for baked pumpkin donuts is just as simple as my mom's cake donuts, but with a couple more ingredients.
- pumpkin puree
- pumpkin spice
- avocado oil
- eggs
- milk
- baking powder
- baking soda
- flour
- cinnamon sugar (for topping)
Mix up the batter, pipe into a donut pan, bake, top with cinnamon sugar and ENJOY! Your house will smell amazing. I love the aroma of pumpkin baking.
Donut pans are so much fun. I have 2, which allows me to make 12 donuts at a time. My grandkids loved these pumpkin spice donuts so much, they did not last long. Guess it's time to make more.
You can use store bought pumpkin spice, or make your own. I love this homemade pumpkin spice blend, and always have a jar of it in my cupboard. This way you can tweak it to your liking. A little more cinnamon, a little less ground cloves or however your tastes buds like it.
For the cinnamon sugar just mix up some cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and use a spoon to sprinkle it on. It is best to do this while the donuts are still warm so the sugar sticks. I had some cinnamon sugar blend that someone gave me, so that is what I used in this recipe.
Can you see how easy these pumpkin donuts are to make? Perfect for snacks and also as a brunch item on the weekend. I NEVER get tired of the pumpkin spice flavour.
Fall has some of the most delicious flavours of the year. From apple season to gingerbread heaven, Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts are at the top of my list! Hope you give this easy donut recipe a try. Let me know how yours turn out!
Don't forget to sign up for my WEEKLY NEWSLETTER and grab your FREE printable. If you would prefer to get PUSH NOTIFICATIONS instead, CLICK the PURPLE BELL on the bottom right of this page. FOLLOW ME on social media too!
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup whole milk (or your choice)
- 1 1/4 cups cane sugar (or granulated)
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/3 cups organic all-purpose flour (or regular all-purpose flour)
- 2 tbsp cinnamon sugar blend (for topping)
- Preheat oven to 350º F, and prepare donut pans with non-stick spray.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin spice into a small bowl, and set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the sugar and oil. Mix well.
- Add the milk to this mixture and combine well.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the pumpkin puree, and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Be sure not to over mix.
- Place the batter into a large piping bag with a large round nozzle attached to the end. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to fill the donut pan cavities with.
- Fill the cavities about 3/4 full.
- Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Test with a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness.
- Remove from oven, and top with cinnamon sugar (while donuts are warm).
- Remove from donuts from pans onto a wire rack to cool.


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A little while ago I rented a 5D Mark III to shoot a wedding (sorry, won't be posting pics), and I tried to use it as much as I could during the few days I had it on hand. I did some head shots for my friend Loretta and took some family photos.
I also took a little bit of time to take some shots of our beloved downtown Kitchener – mainly around the Tannery, the Kaufman lofts, and the UW School of Pharmacy.
I don't do a lot of architectural photography so I discarded a lot of the shots as I wasn't happy with the results – though I was pleased with what I learned from the missteps. Here are my favourites from that outing:
The Tannery.
Sneaking in at the Tannery
The Kaufman Lofts
UW School of Pharmacy


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CHAPPELL, NE (AP) – A woman accused of stabbing to death a man in the Nebraska Panhandle has pleaded not guilty.
Deuel County District Court records say 49-year-old Susan Glenn entered the plea Monday. The charge first-degree murder. Her next court hearing is scheduled for June 3rd.
She's accused of killing Robert Mick in January outside a mobile home in Chappell. The court records say a witness who was outside the home talking to Mick was calling 911 when Glenn came out of the residence, stabbed Mick and fled in her car. He died four days later.
The records say Glenn's acknowledged to investigators that she stabbed Mick.


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Credit: Greg Kelley/Youtube
Here's a great view (great but sad) of Rockingham Park right before demolition. I also visited around this time and took pictures. I was particularly attached to this racetrack. I won my very first bet there; a daily double for $143!! Both horses had Man o' War in their pedigrees; that's how I'd bet! But, it was never the gambling for me…it was always the horses.
Each and every horse, whether a 3k claimer or a stakes winner,
graced the track with their magnificence.


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About Us:
Thousands of people annually move their house from one city to one more city. However, the phoenix is one of them where people move their home accessories from one place to an additional place due to job, hospital and education issues. The development of relocating houses is very high in the phoenix people hire some local movers organization for transferring the home accessories from one place to another place.
Numerous USA Professional Movers companies available are offering their excellent solutions to the people. It is very critical to move the residence accessories from one place to yet another place without any kind of damage. If you will try to move the residence accessories by yourself, then you will get much more lose than you pay any shifting company because there are numerous precaution consider while packing the residence accessories. If you will do yourself, then you will get several damages in your house add-ons. It is better to hire the movers for moving the house because these are expert and expert as well. They know how to pack the home add-ons or unpack after attaining at the place.
If you will try to move the house accessories from one place to one more place, then it will take lots of time and money as well because you're not skilled moving services and do not know the techniques. Thus, while moving the house, you have to face numerous damage in your automobile or car. However, it is better to hire the USA expert moving services for moving the residence. Phoenix is extremely famous city and millions of people live here. However, many mover organizations available how are working. Thus, you have to find out the greatest moving service who keep the license to relocate the residence accessories.
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Scenes from a Life: Sunday Supper {3/9}
"It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love..." ~MFK Fisher
She has always felt this intuitively ~ that her time in the kitchen is about so much more than just food. For her cooking has always been a form of expression, of communication. It requires planning, effort, care. And joy taken in the preparation can be tasted. So inviting people to the table and feeding them well tells them they are important, valued, and loved.
It's why she cherishes Sunday Supper.
Most Sunday afternoons she can be found in the kitchen. Light from the windows that open onto the terrace spills in, and music permeates the space. Ingredients from the trip to the Saturday farmers' market are laid out and essentials for the week ahead are prepped as she sings (and sometimes dances) while she works.
But there's also the day's principle dish on the stove or in the oven. It's usually something that requires a long, slow cook: a braise, a ragout, a roast. As the day wears on its aroma penetrates her abode. At some point the dog will wander in, nose to the air, and sit beside her looking hopeful. That's usually about the time she sets the table ~ a cloth napkin and her great-grandmother's silverware are essential ~ and pours a glass of wine. It's almost time.
She enjoys the practicality of cooking ~ the ability to feed one's self well is a life skill. It has always been a fundamental one to her, a facet of her independence. She knows how to nourish herself. There is certainty in that fact, and its metaphor is not lost on her, either.
But she takes deep pleasure in it, too. Chopping is a form of meditation ~ it's one of the few things that slows the pace at which her thoughts fly ~ and putting a dish together is like painting with flavours. She considers it an extension of her creativity.
There's also the sense that she is profoundly connected to something larger. Food-gathering and preparation has been a central human activity, an animal instinct, from the beginning. It taps into something primal. And the practice of gathering to eat in community with loved ones is a tradition across cultures and time.
She loves having people for dinner, and her friends know her well enough not to protest the effort. They just show up hungry. But Sundays are quiet. Sometimes she wonders what it would have been like to feed a family. Would her children have been picky eaters? What stories would they have told at the table?
Hunger, and love, come in many forms. Sunday Supper satiates what it can.
Soundtrack: The Damned, "Life Goes On"


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Dental Health Options by Health Resources, Inc. (HRI) has signed an agreement to join Ohio-based Paramount Health Care. Paramount is a health insurance company located in Maumee, Ohio. It is the largest health maintenance organization in northwest Ohio and serves Commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and Marketplace members. Pending regulatory approval, HRI could become a member of Paramount by the end of 2017.
"We view this acquisition as a mutually-beneficial and long-term investment that will strengthen and complement our product portfolio and expand our geographic footprint," said Jack Randolph, Paramount president. "HRI is a good strategic fit for Paramount. Together, our organizations will integrate and align the synergies of dental with medical through a supportive ownership structure that will improve the health and well-being of our members."
Paramount was established in 1988 and is affiliated with ProMedica, a nationally recognized, not-for-profit healthcare network based in Toledo, Ohio. Its expansive network includes more than 2,300 physicians and 15,000 employees, treating 4.7 million patients annually at 332 sites throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Paramount serves 346,000 members including more than 240,000 in the statewide Medicaid plan.
"We look forward to a very bright future of growing our company with Paramount," said Terry Bawel, president and CEO of HRI. "We are confident that this new partnership will position HRI to accelerate our strong growth and product offerings while supporting and collaborating with our customer groups. Furthermore, this collaboration will allow us to integrate and align the synergies of dental with medical in the pursuit of a holistic approach to the overall health for our members."
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval which could take approximately 60-90 days. Once the deal is approved, Paramount will assume ownership of HRI. HRI will retain all current employees and continue to operate from its headquarters located in Evansville, Indiana.
Dental Health Options by Health Resources, Inc. has served employer groups in Indiana and Kentucky for over 30 years. HRI's dental plans insure smiles for 250,000 members and provide access to nearly 2,700 directly contracted dentists in Indiana and Kentucky and another 95,000 dentists available nationally through leased network arrangements. Coupling HRI's proprietary provider network with leased national networks offers members access to a broad array of network providers. In addition, HRI offers feature rich dental plans unrivaled in the small to medium market size group. HRI's strength lies in its ability to offer dental plans that strike a balance between meeting the needs of its employers, agents, dentists and members. For more information about HRI, please visit www.insuringsmiles.com.
Paramount Health Care is a health insurance company located in Maumee, Ohio. Established in 1988, it is the largest health maintenance organization in northwest Ohio, earning excellent member satisfaction ratings among all patient populations. Paramount serves 346,000 members including more than 240,000 members in the statewide Medicaid plan. It is a member of Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica, a mission-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. The 12-hospital system has more than 15,000 employees, nearly 2,100 physicians and advanced practice providers with privileges, and more than 800 healthcare providers employed by ProMedica Physicians. For more information about Paramount, please visit www.paramounthealthcare.com.
Media Contact:
Chad Decker, Director of Sales, Dental Health Options by Health Resources, Inc.
[email protected] © 812-431-6858


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Shanti Sen at Citi realty unit1 min read . Updated: 05 Oct 2007, 12:08 AM IST
Shanti Sen at Citi realty unit
Shanti Sen at Citi realty unit
Seattle: Citigroup Inc.'s real estate investment unit named Shanti Sen to the new position of head of merchant banking to help invest the bank's capital in property companies and assets worldwide.
Sen, 46, was named a managing director. She joins New York-based Citigroup from Government of Singapore Investment Corp. Pte Ltd, where she was a senior vice-president, responsible for leading investments and asset management in the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore Investment manages more than $100 billion (Rs3.95 trillion) of assets.
Wall Street banks are seeking to profit from rising rents and property values in Asia and emerging markets in Latin America and Eastern Europe.
"Asia, in particular the larger economies within that market—Japan, India and China—should provide sustainable investment opportunities," Sen said on Wednesday.
She added the bank doesn't have any specific geographic targets for allocating capital.


text: Taschen recently published a book on Web Design navigation. I was very pleased to find my Creative Mind project featured. With over 90 projects from more than 20 countries, the book focuses on, "the ingenious solutions to one of the most difficult and important aspects of web design'. Thank you very much Mr weiderman!


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Monday, July 1, 2013
July Sketch Challenge at SOG
Hola! Can you believe it's July already? I sure can't! Wasn't it just the Holidays??
The first of the month means SOG has a new challenge -- the July Sketch Challenge. For the sketch and more Design Team inspiration, please visit the blog link from the previous sentence.
I decided to finally use up this little fella - Super Tobie. I've colored him a while back, and I didn't have great mojo last week when the sketch was due. I think the biggest advice I could give anyone who's just starting out with a design team is to work ahead. I was quite thankful I had a couple of colored up images to work with!
Oh, and I love those triangle embellies I bought. I've been buying quite a lot of crafty stuff so I may follow Jossie's advice. I may just do a "No Shop July." Haha! At least none for crafty stuff or clothes, for that matter!!!
Catch Ya Later!
1 comment:
- Faye Wynn-Jones said...
How cute is this. I always love the embellies you choose! X
- July 1, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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A trip to Whitby gave me an excellent opportunity to potentially get some of the long exposure images required for my "Short Assignments 2". Packed my tripod, ND filters and off we went.
Managed to get a few of reasonable images that I liked. The actual taking of the images is not exactly rocket science and indeed rather simple after a few years of trying. Calculating the additional exposure time for the strength of filter, f/stop and ISO is made even easier as most manufacturers now include charts, with the potential exposure conversions on, within the kit. The difficulty I find is choosing an actual scene which suits a long exposure. Water is the obvious choice for me as I just love the look given with such an exposure.
I ended up taking one from the top of the cliff overlooking the harbour wall. This resulted in giving the image being split by the wall. One side busy being battered by the heavy swell of the sea to the relative calmness of the harbour itself.
Some ghosting can be seen on the wall where people were walking about yet amazingly my kids stood still for the duration of this image being taken. The chap in front of them was moving slightly when a few potential big waves threatened him.
The technicals are 30mm, f/9, 30 sec & ISO 100.
All images are taken using a 10 stop Neutral Density filter unless stated.
The following images were taken from around the area where my kids were standing on the first image.
This was a 2 min exposure, f/10, 30mm and ISO 100
This was 6.5 sec, f/2.8, 30mm and ISO 100
This final image would possibly be one that I may use for my final five in the short assignments.
Moving across a little I used the walkway entering the sea to guide the eye into the scene. I also liked the cloud effects and direction of them which is always something to consider when long exposing with a large sky.
A 1 minute exposure, f/10, 24mm and ISO 100


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Sonic: Lost World Coming to 3DS and Wii U
Nintendo has announced today that it has entered an exclusive partnership with SEGA to produce Sonic games. The first one will be called Sonic: Lost World. Lost World will be an action adventure platforming game set to release on Wii U and 3DS. No word on a release date but more info will surely surface at or before E3.


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No technology innovations have received as much coverage over the past year as virtual (VR) and augmented realities (AR). Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant have us all talking to our devices and interacting with non-humans on a regular basis.
As the water industry adapts to modern software technology, Water Talk caught up with Thomas Butler, Director of Business Development, to understand Mueller Water Products' use of VR and AR. "We're really excited about what we can do with virtual reality and augmented reality, to help our customers," explained Butler.
Butler sees virtual reality well suited for immersing utility staff in a risk-free training environment. "Let's say that we want to work on a product that is fully pressurized. With virtual reality, they can safely do all of the things that they would do, and they would need to train on, but you can actually put mistakes in there and you can put penalties for that mistake."
Explaining the difference between virtual and augmented reality, Butler sees AR more suited for troubleshooting. Utilizing AR on an iPad, augmented reality can take you inside a given product in the field and identify the mechanisms, parts and potential issues inside.
For more on the use of VR and AR in supporting products, listen here:


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The Easy Guide to Finding More Effective Pressure Washing Services
It's no secret that everything is going to become more dirty as time goes on. You'll find that nearly everything will start to look a bit dirtier the longer it sits out in the natural world, since the environment is so full of ambient dirt that will just keep accumulating. Anyone who wants to maintain the cleanliness of their belongings is going to discover that it can be a constant process to ensure that things don't end up becoming too dirty.
It might be helpful to realize that there are a lot of different kinds of cleaning tactics you can use whenever you're trying to get your surfaces as clean as they can be. For a lot of people who are looking for some incredibly powerful way to clean, there is no doubt that pressure washing is the way to go. Basically, power or pressure washing will use an incredibly powerful blast of water to force the dirt and grime to leave the surfaces that you're trying to get cleaned. To learn more about finding the best pressure cleaning services in the area, make sure to check out some of the information below.
The first place you should be looking whenever you're on the hunt for the best possible pressure washing services will be the internet. You'll be able to use modern search engines to assist you in locating every single one of the pressure cleaning services located close to you. It's also helpful to be able to search around online for the kinds of reviews that will give you some more insight into which companies tend to have the highest reputation. As you continue doing your research into the various types of pressure washing services that are out there, you'll end up making a solid choice.
If You Think You Get Options, Then This Might Change Your Mind
It can also be very helpful to look around to people you know to find out whether or not they have any recommendations for companies that can do some high-quality pressure washing on your home, driveway, or deck. Since you're going to be able to see just the kinds of results that are possible, it will be much easier to know whether you're getting a solid suggestion. Your decision about which company you should be working with will be a lot simpler once you've found a service whose work looks to be of the very highest quality.
What You Should Know About Experts This Year
As you can see, there are a lot of good reasons to seek out a top-quality pressure washing service. You'll have no problem getting your cleaning project completed once you have a company you can trust.


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If could reach back through time and have a heart-to-heart with your twentysomething self, what would you say to her?
She's in her twenties, that glorified period of life when she's supposed to be discovering herself, deep in exploration, living her most defining decade. And yet.....she may feel like the exact opposite. Or exactly that. Or somewhere in between. She probably doesn't even know.
Maybe you pour her a cup of tea, look into her eyes, wrap her in a hug.
What do you tell her?
As I was planning this series, I serendipitously came across a beautiful post by a woman named Maya Zaido, entitled "message for all my 20-something friends." As soon as I read it, I found Maya on Facebook and immediately messaged her: I saw your post this morning and knew I needed to connect with you. It was seriously perfect timing and seriously meant to be -- kindred spirits, for sure. Maya graciously contributed this piece and it needs to be shared. Thank you, Maya:
perfectly imperfect
you are unique
20something Maya
venturing to find what you are searching for
life is fast and moments aren't important
often there are way too many of them
moving way too slow
your 20s are the beginning of deciphering your pain
and the continuation of your escape
moments only seem to be one
or the other
life isn't fast
you are fast
running from one thing to the next
tricked into thinking you can find the answer outside yourself
you stop attending classes
you disappear as soon as the work challenges
you disappear from relationships
as soon as you become afraid
terrified of being exposed
of people seeing your ugly
all that makes you an imperfectly perfect kind of beautiful
in a society of illusion
it isn't until you commit to asking for help
no matter what
that you unknowingly discover the key
slowly getting ok with your personal ugly
you are running fast and when you aren't
utter pain comes to visit
making almost unbearable time spent in your quiet
the same quiet that your 40yo self yearns for when without
moments are enough in number now
the difference is that you no longer run
you truly love yourself
not perfectly
not without the hard moments found in any relationship
imperfectly perfect
you enjoy being in your own company
in your calmness
in your centered
you embrace both your still waters
and the ebb and flow at your shore
you've learned to appreciate storms as they bring great clarity in the clearing
there is a knowing that all truly does pass
you know this through experience
your choices
you know that life happens for you
with your best interest
even when you can't see the evidence
opt to not run
my dear 20something Maya
begin to embrace your ugly
give your exhausted spirit a break
find purpose in what you create and share
clarity of purpose is inside the pain
inside the spaces that feel too uncomfortable
ask for the support you need
ask until you receive
have your own back
create from your purpose when you can
bounce off of it as you trampoline toward life
choose your direction consciously
not by default
either way it's always your choice
remember there are no wrong picks
there are only experiences
for you
my dear
when you look back with your 40yo eyes
you will not regret your moments
you will open wide to your life
anew most every day
you will open wide to yourself
anew most every day
you will discover a perfect amount of moments
imperfectly perfect
as an artist who paints with words, i am impassioned by traveling to places others tend to avoid. you know, the iffy; the dark and scary; the at times seemingly treacherous places we all have. yeah, those places. i tell the tales that surface of my own treacherous places, my own iffy-ness; my own dark and scary. in hopes this somehow helps you as much as it does me; in hopes my words offer you exactly that: hope. because telling about your iffy places and rewriting them so they are no longer treacherous is the key to freedom. create on my dear. ~maya ox
stay connected: ravensway journal, mayazaido.com, facebook, pinterest


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A recent report in Nature has presented evidence for a link between an extended period of surface melt on the Ross Rea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and a strong El Niño event which resulted in warm marine air being directed to the sector.
The authors point to the importance of understanding the mechanisms involved to be able to gauge the future impacts on WAIS. Currently model results are inconclusive as to whether surface melting will make a significant contribution to WAIS instability in the twenty-first century. However, the number of strong El Niño events is projected to increase through the century. Studies of this type could therefore be a precursor to the future climate of West Antarctica.
Julien P. Nicolas, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Ryan C. Scott, Aaron B. Wilson, Maria P. Cadeddu, David H. Bromwich, Johannes Verlinde, Dan Lubin, Lynn M. Russell, Colin Jenkinson, Heath H. Powers, Maciej Ryczek, Gregory Stone & Jonathan D. Wille, "January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño", Nature Communications 8, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15799


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Automatic Data Processing ADP, -2.79% said it has been cleared by its board of directors to buy back up to 35 million shares of its common stock, in addition to the 16 million shares it was already authorized to buy under an earlier program. The additional program represents 5.7 percent of the diluted shares outstanding at the end of September. Separately, the provider of computer services approved a 4-percent increase in its annual cash dividend to 48 cents a share. The stock is tacking on 60 cents to $42.80.
ADP approves additional buybacks, ups dividend
Quote References
-4.73 -2.79%


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Sunday August 18, 2019
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May-07-2013 19:52TweetFollow @OregonNews
PTSD/TBI: Invisible Wounds and the Trillion Dollar Medical BlunderDr. Phillip Leveque Doctor of Pharmacology Salem-News.com
PTSD has been known for centuries.
(PORTLAND, OR) - CBS Sixty Minutes on May 5 2013, offered absolutely the best portrayal of the devastation caused by PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). I don't know if anyone can really separate these two entities because they both scramble the brain.
Both conditions have been known for a long time but because fighting soldiers have also been known as the bastions of machoism, any soldier who showed signs or complained about "battle fatigue" which is really "terror fatigue"- an old name for PTSD or "shellshock/concussion" for which the modern name is TBI would be considered a "sissy" and during WWI, they were routinely shot for being cowards. We have made little progress since.
In the US Army and Marines, the combat troops are given high doses of a wide variety of the so-called antidepressant drugs or their relatives, which in the words of the victims, cause zombification. Even when they get home from combat, they get the same melange of these highly dangerous and generally ineffective drugs. The worst part is that many veterans commit suicide with these same drugs.
I very highly recommend that everybody search for the CBS story online. The entire story is there.
I was hoping that there would be a typed script of the article, hopefully it will show up in print somewhere. CBS did provide comments from viewers of the program. There were 25 comments, most of which were praising the TV program, but there were some "bitches".
I will critique them.
One stated, "You don't want to 'overdiagnose' based on an imaging study". Heavens, no, it might show that all TBI victims really have a severe problem!
The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was part of the story but edited out. If these victims had micro-arteriolar vascular problems, HBOT might help. As it is now, the most useful therapy is anandamide or its surrogate, cannabis. Fifty percent of medical marijuana permits in New Mexico are for veterans with PTSD (or TBI). HBOT makes anybody feel better.
Got a question or comment for Dr. Leveque?
More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.
Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.
Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
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Faculty Spotlight
Jennifer Richeson
Understanding Stigma, Stereotypes, and Interracial Relations
Jennifer Richeson
From a "cute" fifth grader with a C average to one of the nation's preeminent scholars in interracial relations, IPR social psychologist Jennifer Richeson has forged a unique career and research trajectory.
On February 15, Richeson traced her distinctive path during her investiture as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair at Northwestern University.
Richeson began by pointing to her experiences with "identity shifts" between elementary school and her PhD program. The first occurred in moving from a mostly white, private elementary school to a mostly black, public middle school. In this diverse community of high-achieving students, her "jig" as a C-student was up; her grades "soared."
"[It] was these experiences as one of a few black students in advanced classes juxtaposed with my racial majority status in the rest of my classes that first made questions of race, identity, and interracial interaction salient," Richeson remarked.
She continued her rising academic trajectory at a mostly black, all-girl high school where classes were more diverse. More importantly, however, the shift to single-sex classes instilled in Richeson the knowledge that women could succeed in math and science and positions of leadership.
Richeson carried this new gender identity to her undergraduate studies at Brown and her doctoral program at Harvard, where she continued to excel in her studies—all the while navigating the strata of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Her "a-ha" moment came at Brown, in a course on the psychology of race, class, and gender.
"These neuroscience and psychology courses posed some of the most fascinating questions that I could imagine," Richeson recalled. "I never would have guessed that only a decade later I'd be engaging in human brain imaging myself to pursue questions of racial bias and intergroup contact."
Revolutionizing Studies of Race
In addition to her personal experiences of interracial interactions, what sets Richeson apart from most researchers who study the topic has been her quest to explain how belonging to a certain group or race affects not just those in the minority group but also those in the majority—and then employing innovative methods, such as human brain imaging, to investigate them.
As a new assistant professor at Dartmouth, Richeson found a kindred spirit in Princeton psychologist Nicole Shelton.
"Rather than compete for the next 40-some years, Nicole and I decided to join forces and collaborate on research examining dynamics of interracial interactions," Richeson laughed.
Their long-standing friendship and collaboration has led to several influential papers. In 2003, the two published their oft-cited study of majority-minority group relations in Psychological Science. In it, they used measures of cognitive functioning and prejudice to reveal that more prejudiced white participants displayed greater cognitive impairment following an interaction with a black participant. That same year in Nature Neuroscience, Richeson and her co-authors used fMRIs to measure participants' brain activity in response to images of black and white individuals to predict how those same participants might fare during and after interracial interactions. This finding reconfirmed the former—that navigating interracial interactions can deplete cognitive abilities and executive functioning, especially for those who are more racially biased.
In 2005, Richeson joined Northwestern. Motivated by her interactions with her colleagues and graduate students in psychology, African American studies, and at IPR, she expanded her research scope. She founded the Social Perception and Communication Lab to further her studies of how "people's social group memberships—their race/ethnicity, gender, and more recently, socioeconomic status—shape how they think about themselves and others and how they behave." She undertook investigations of interracial friendships and romance, gender-based test performance, and socioeconomic status and executive functioning, among others.
Faculty celebrate Jennifer Richeson's chair investiture on February 15.
From left: Dean and IPR associate Sarah Mangelsdorf,
Jennifer Richeson, and IPR Director David Figlio.
On her birthday in 2006, the MacArthur Foundation rang her with the news that she had received one of its prized fellowships, the so-called "genius grant." She had been singled out for providing a "novel way of examining and calculating the 'costs' associated with intergroup interactions."
The five-year fellowship "served as a validation for the intellectual risks that I'd taken in my research," Richeson said.
Her current projects, in particular those with her IPR colleagues and students, seek to tap into ways that such inter- and intragroup relations might be better understood across disciplines. With her colleagues in IPR's Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health—developmental psychologist Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, psychobiologist Emma Adam, and former postdoctoral fellow Sophie Trawalter (now at the University of Virginia), Richeson has begun to dig into the potential health implications of interracial contact.
Richeson is also opening a new chapter in her research, seeking to translate more of it into viable public policy. In another project with IPR sociologist Leslie McCall, she will run experiments to investigate Americans' views on inequality, opportunity, and redistribution. In a forthcoming article with Northwestern graduate student Maureen Craig, she explores what changing U.S. demographics might mean for race relations in 2042—when the racial majority is expected to tip from a white majority to a majority of minority groups.
Through these conversations and collaborations with her Northwestern and IPR colleagues, she finds challenge and inspiration.
"These interactions have also reminded me of why I became interested in social psychology in the first place—the potential to make a difference in the world," Richeson said.
Jennifer Richeson is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair, professor of psychology, and an IPR fellow.
Selected References
Craig, M., and J. Richeson. 2013. On the precipice of a "majority–minority" nation: How the changing United States racial landscape affects white Americans' racial attitudes and political ideology. Manuscript in preparation.
Richeson, J., A. Baird, H. Gordon, T. Heatherton, C. Wyland, S. Trawalter, and J. N. Shelton. 2003. An fMRI examination of the impact of interracial contact on executive function. Nature Neuroscience 6(12): 1323-28.
Richeson, J., and J. N. Shelton. 2003. When prejudice does not pay: Effects of interracial contact on executive function. Psychological Science 14(3): 287-90.
Photos by Jim Ziv.


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Arsenal boss Unai Emery has spoken out on his plans at left-back after Ainsley Maitland-Niles suffered a leg fracture which rules the youngster out for up to eight weeks.
Maitland-Niles started against Manchester City at the weekend but the 20-year-old was forced off after only 35 minutes of Arsenal's opening Premier League match of the 2018/19 campaign.
Summer signing Stephan Lichtsteiner came on to replace Maitland-Niles at left-back and Emery is considering starting the experienced Swiss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Another option for Emery is Nacho Monreal who missed the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to City but rejoined his team-mates in training this week after returning from a knee problem.
Sead Kolasinac is also unavailable with a knee injury and the Bosnian is expected back in October.
'It's clear that we don't want to have injuries in the team. When you want to play and be competitive, they can arrive,' Emery said when discussing Arsenal's injury concerns at left-back.
'The first injury with Kolasinac was important because I think he was playing well in pre-season. But we needed to play with another player like Ainsley [once Kolasinac was injured].
'His performance can improve, he can get better in his career in the team. Maybe not especially at left-back, but he was playing well in the first 25 minutes on Sunday.
'After this injury, I tried with Lichtsteiner, who is a player with experience. He can play at left-back but his position in the team is more at right-back.
'This week Nacho Monreal is working every day, training every day with us. The two options we have now are Nacho Monreal and Lichtsteiner to continue in this position.'
Emery is hoping for a 'good response' from his players at Stamford Bridge following the side's defeat to City.
'First, we want to build a competitive team,' the Spaniard said.
'We are going to play away but we need to keep our personality, keep our mentality, because I think on Sunday against Manchester City, the team kept their ideas, kept their spirit in the game for the full 90 minutes, even when we were losing, and didn't let [their heads] go down.
'That was a good thing, [despite] us losing 2-0. I want us to continue with this work and to be competitive for 90 minutes, but with a better performance than on Sunday, both individually and collectively.
'We want a good preparation before and a good response on the pitch to that preparation.'
MORE: Unai Emery confirms who will play in goal for Arsenal against Chelsea


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LIVERPOOL has been Sophie's home and inspiration since her move to the city in 2008, and she has built up a wide range of brilliant Liverpool themed, cards, prints and mugs, which are all available to purchase from her website.
Popular Liverpool subjects include the Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool's iconic Liver Building, and every popular venues St Georges Hall and Sefton Park Palm House.
Sophie also goes bananas for Liverpool's Superlambanana sculpture, with a large range of characterful superlambanana themed merchandise available. Did you know Sophie has also prouduced some BIG Superlambananas? Take a look.
Looking for a unique Liverpool gift? Commission Sophie to create a bespoke piece of Liverpool for an event or a loved one, simply message Sophie with your ideas.


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#9: Uncovering Your Creative Rhythm with Emily P. Freeman
Emily Freeman is the perfect balance of boss lady and soul whisperer. She gets stuff done and has the work to prove it but her goal is to create space for your soul to breathe, and our souls can't breathe if we're drowning in hustle. Listen as Emily and Kendra talk about the difference in dreaming about your ideas and actually making them happen, how they get in their own creative rhythms, and how you can, too.
Where to find Emily:
Instagram: @emilypfreeman
Emily P. Freeman online


text: Dirty Denims- Hit Me With Your Best Shot 7". Second single from these new riffy heavy hitters from the Netherlands. Interesting idea here. Looks like they took the classic Pat Benetar song title 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' and wrote their own original song around the song title. Pretty cool idea and it works! They got a pretty cool sound that mixes the guitar fire power of AC/DC and the Runaways with the new riffy action rock sounds of bands like the Hellacopters, Chuck Norris Experiment and Gluecifer and throw in a phenomenal female singer that can really belt it out. 3 song banger here. THESE ARE LIMITED TO 150 HAND NUMBERED COPIES AND ARE PRESSED ON THE LIMITED GREEN WAX! Import from Spain on Ghosh Highway Recordings.


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Cotton planting begins in CQ, amid low water supply
DESPITE extremely low water allocations for this season, Central Highland growers are remaining positive.
Central Highlands Cotton Growers and Irrigators Association President Aaron Kiely spoke on behalf of 40 growers and 50 associate members in the group, stating they were well prepared.
Membership is comprised of grower/irrigator members who grow crops that include cotton, mungbeans, soybeans, sunflowers, chickpeas, wheat, grapes, melons, and citrus.
Associate members include product resellers, bankers, agronomists, consultants, contractors, ginners, merchants and researchers.
"Growers remain optimistic about early rainfall to produce inflow into the dam which could lead to an increase in announced allocation," Mr Kiely said.
"There is no significant spring rainfall predicted at this stage."
The announced allocation from Fairbairn Dam has been "very reliable over a number of years" which irrigators are hopeful will continue, he said.
"SunWater had been providing projected allocation updates in the lead-up to the end of the water year," Mr Kiely said.
"Growers were expecting a reduced allocation and planned their production accordingly."
Cotton is a main source grown in the region, along with citrus and macadamias which have recently expanded in the region.
Planting for cotton began this week, Mr Kiely said.
"Growers have the opportunity to plant cotton until the end of December," he said.
"While the cotton plant has begun, there is still plenty of field preparation happening for the upcoming season.
"There will be reduced cotton planting hectares in the region as a result of the lower announced allocation."
This year will be a stark comparison to successful previous seasons, Mr Kiely added.
"Last season saw some excellent yield and quality results across the area," he said.
"This was the result of favourable weather conditions and a pleasing cotton price."
He said other growers are working out their plans on what they will do this year.
"Growers are making decisions to reflect the current allocation, however they arfe still preparing for opportunities throughout the coming season," Mr Kiely said.
"They will be making planting decisions based on their announced allocation and their carry over water from the previous season.
"Growers will still be prepared for planting opportunities later in the season should there be a local rainfall event or inflow into the Fairbairn Dam.
"There is no doubt that irrigators will be hoping for a wet start to the spring/summer season."


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A new, well-funded professional wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), is about to jump into the ring. It's a clearly ambitious enterprise and, as such, it'll inevitably come up against the staged sport's reigning champion, World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE).
WWE hasn't faced any serious competition over the last two decades. Perhaps that will change with the very rapid ascent of AEW.
Elite and engaged
AEW is basically a collaboration among several pro wrestlers who worked together in independent promotions in Japan and the U.S., and Jacksonville Jaguars billionaire owner Shahid Khan, along with his son, Tony.
This crew has quickly assembled the foundation of a wrestling promotion, naming several top executives and signing more talent. It apparently has a total of 15 wrestlers, male and female, under contract.
AEW has already announced its inaugural event, to be broadcast on pay-per-view: Double or Nothing, to be held in Las Vegas in late May.
A long championship run
So AEW has billionaire money and plenty of experience behind it, plus a talent roster that's already big enough to fill a pay-per-view card. Does it represent a potential threat to WWE's business?
Not just yet, and a big reason for this is television. AEW still lacks a TV deal, which is crucial for a promotion that hopes to reach a nationwide audience of any size.
TV is the backbone of WWE's business -- the money it is paid for its Raw and SmackDown Live programs on channels like Comcast's USA Network is by far its largest single source of revenue.
TV also lit the rocket that shot WWE's stock price through the roof. In 2018, the company signed a five-year, $1 billion deal with Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOX)(NASDAQ:FOXA) to move SmackDown to Fox Sports later this year. Currently, Comcast's bill for both shows is $130 million annually. On the news of the Fox deal, WWE shares went skyward and have yet to obey gravity in a meaningful way.
Even though its TV ratings have declined lately, WWE still has a dedicated audience for both shows. This, despite the 2004 TV debut of TNA (now called Impact Wrestling), and Ring of Honor's 2009 arrival on the tube. Both Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor are still on the air, albeit on lower-profile channels than USA Network.
WWE did have a serious, determined, and wealthy competitor in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Like WWE, WCW was packed with talent and aired on a popular nationwide TV channel (Turner Broadcasting's TNT). But WWE proved to be a very feisty competitor, amping up the sex and violence aspects of its TV storylines to keep eyeballs on its product.
It ultimately prevailed in the fight, and subsequently bought the rapidly fading WCW for a song in 2001.
King of the hill
Even if we take TV out of the picture, WWE is the company most readily identified with pro wrestling. It also has the biggest stars in its business.
To come close to WWE's pinnacle position, a new venture would need plenty of time, gobs of money, and a product fresh and compelling enough to be an audience drain for Raw and SmackDown Live. Nobody has managed to do this in over 20 years.
This isn't to say that AEW can't achieve that; I'm only suggesting that it's a tall order, and that WWE has felt the hot breath of major competition before. To be fair, there's still a lot we don't yet know about AEW and its presentation; we'll be better able to gauge its chances when we see the product.
Given what we do know (and WWE's current powerful position), I don't feel AEW is ready to take away WWE's business championship belt.
Check out the latest WWE earnings call transcript.


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Saving the Arctic with geoengineering only costs 24 million euros
But not to linger, waiting till tomorrow will cost much, much more:
But not to linger, waiting till tomorrow will cost much, much more:
Is what a group of engineering policy researchers and atmospheric scientists from Carnegie Mellon and MIT asked themselves. Considering increasing hurricane damage around the Gulf of Mexico – and technological options – they get to a 'maybe'.
But in order to save the climate it would be advised to first chop down that dark pine forest.
We recently witnessed a new Greenland melting record. And according to a new paleoclimate comparison by James Hansen we could be in for meters of sea level rise within this century, due to expected non-linearity of the melting process.
According to the WMO the current La Niña episode will continue to exist for at least another 2-4 months. Other sources state it may last until 2012. This La Niña could be the strongest in decades and is likely to … Continue reading
Aurora Flight Sciences recommends Aurora Flight Sciences. At least that's what David Keith, Climate Professor at the University of Calgary and a leading expert on geoengineering leads to suspect in their joint cost analysis, published three weeks ago.
Current proposals for geoengineering, measures to directly influence parts of system Earth, like the global climate system, seem overestimated – with respect to their proclaimed beneficial outcomes. Last month science magazine PNAS published an overview of some of the better … Continue reading


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Newsletter editors reacted with a big yawn to Merrill Lynch's May 21st settlement of the conflict of interest case brought by the New York attorney general. They like the company no better now than they did before.
Which is to say, they aren't particularly excited one way or the other. Of the 160 newsletters monitored by the Hulbert Financial Digest, only two of them currently feel strongly enough to take a position in the company.
The first is Investors Intelligence, edited by Michael Burke http://www.chartcraft.com/, and he recommends selling the company short. Burke first made this recommendation in early April, and he saw no reason to cover this short sale because of the company's settlement agreement.
To be sure, because Burke bases his short sale on technical analysis of Merrill's MER, -1.02% chart pattern, it is not particularly surprising that the recent settlement didn't soften his bearishness. The only indication Burke gives of what would persuade him to cover his short sale: The stock's rising to $57. Given that it is trading currently at $43.50, that doesn't appear likely any time soon.
The other newsletter that currently has a position in MER is long rather than short. But MER's true believers won't find much support here either: The newsletter's position in MER is the outgrowth of a mechanical trading strategy that couldn't care less whether the company is guilty of egregious conflicts of interest.
This service is the 2-for-1 Stock Split Newsletter, which is edited by Neil Macneale http://www.2-for-1.com/.
Stocks become eligible for Macneale's model portfolio solely by virtue of undergoing a two-for-one stock split, and once bought, a stock is automatically held for 30 months. Macneale bought MER for his model portfolio in August 2000, pursuant to its split that month, and therefore will continue to hold it until January 2003.
If it's any consolation for MER, newsletters these days aren't particularly fond of any brokerage firm. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter MWD, +0.25% is the most recommended brokerage among the 160 newsletters I monitor, but it earns this honor by virtue of being recommended by just 4 services. Given that the most-popular stocks among the HFD-followed newsletters typically are recommended by 15 or more services, MWD's popularity is very lukewarm indeed--revealing an industry that is significantly out of favor.
For more information, or to subscribe to the Hulbert Financial Digest, click here.


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NOTE: This review was originally set to be a video review. However, due to technical issues, I was unable to finish the video itself. However, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging, so here's the review in written form! Enjoy!
When you talk about supernatural elements in media there's two genres you see it in the most: action and mystery. More often, now a days, supernatural is lumped in with action series in order to show the badassery of supernatural beings or gifted individuals. Comic books are largely the reason for this as XMen and other parts of both the Marvel and DC universes share supernatural beings or elements. In anime, you may see this in series like Hellsing and Baccano. Mystery is the other genre that commonly uses supernatural elements. The TV series Supernatural is a western example here, while in anime I would say Shiki is a great example. But there is one other genre that supernatural elements seem to be rather popular in, the romance genre. Why didn't you make it three rather than two, Lilac? That makes no sense. It's because more often than not, the romance genre doesn't really give good results when they use supernatural elements. Sure, they have their fan bases like Twilight, Teen Wolf, and anime like Diabolik Lovers but it just barely manages to tell a story and a good one at that. What Japan loves to do with their supernatural series is add a spiritual element to them, something that action series like Noragami does really well with as well romance series like Red Data Girl.
Red Data Girl is an original 12 episode Fantasy/Romance series based on the novel series written by Noriko Ogiwara and published by Kadokawa Shoten from 2008 to 2012. A manga series written by Ogiwara ran from 2012 to 2014. The anime series from director Toshiya Shinohara and studio P.A. Works aired during the spring 2013 season. As of this review, the series has been licensed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment and Australia by Hanabee, with Joel McDonald serving as the ADR Director for the english dub.
Izumiko is a fifteen year old outcast who was raised in seclusion at an ancient shrine hidden deep within the forest. This mysterious teenager destroys any electrical device she attempts to use, and her painful shyness has left her with few, if any, friends. Her world begins to evolve after enrolling in Houjou Academy, a school home to students of supernatural origins. Accompanied by her fated guardian, the brooding monk in training Miyuki, Izumiko soon discovers the shocking truth about herself: she is a vessel for the spirit of a powerful and vengeful goddess from a time long since passed. As her bond with Miyuki grows stronger, the spirit lurking within Izumiko begins to awaken. Can this fragile beauty learn to control her newfound power, or will the secret she carries make her the enemy of all mankind?
Oh PA Works! You so pretty! If you're unfamiliar
with P.A. Works, they were founded in 2000 but didn't start producing their own anime series until 2008's True Tears. Though it wasn't until the success of Angel Beats! in 2010 that they really started going places. If you look at their history and what they have made, you'll notice there's a certain animation and character design style that a lot of these series have like Another, Tari Tari, Nagi-Asu, Charlotte, and of course Red Data Girl. The show uses colorful backgrounds and scenes to make a visually stunning series, which isn't anything new for PA Works. The attention to detail in those same backgrounds are what make it pop and rather pleasing to the viewer while the character designs are simple with a more shoujo style to them which is par for the course with romance anime series. The soundtrack also manages to compliment the series well with dozens of orchestral pieces that fit the tone the series was going towards as well as pieces that fit in more culturally for Japan. This can also be reflected in the opening and ending theme. Small WorlDrop by Annabel breathes true to the overall tone of the series while Masumi Itou's Yokan is a beautiful song with ending visuals that give the series a little more of an artistic style to it.
with P.A. Works, they were founded in 2000 but didn't start producing their own anime series until 2008's True Tears. Though it wasn't until the success of Angel Beats! in 2010 that they really started going places. If you look at their history and what they have made, you'll notice there's a certain animation and character design style that a lot of these series have like Another, Tari Tari, Nagi-Asu, Charlotte, and of course Red Data Girl. The show uses colorful backgrounds and scenes to make a visually stunning series, which isn't anything new for PA Works. The attention to detail in those same backgrounds are what make it pop and rather pleasing to the viewer while the character designs are simple with a more shoujo style to them which is par for the course with romance anime series. The soundtrack also manages to compliment the series well with dozens of orchestral pieces that fit the tone the series was going towards as well as pieces that fit in more culturally for Japan. This can also be reflected in the opening and ending theme. Small WorlDrop by Annabel breathes true to the overall tone of the series while Masumi Itou's Yokan is a beautiful song with ending visuals that give the series a little more of an artistic style to it.
Theoretically, the series may be split into three arcs, each using an event or certain characters to delve into the story further. The first three episodes give such a wonderful introduction into not only the world of Red Data Girl, but asks the right questions that the viewer really wants the answers to such as Izumiko's connections to the Hime-gami and how her relationship with Miyuki could play out in later episodes. Once the two enroll in high school, however, things get a little more complicated. There's much more political pieces involved thanks to the battle between Mayura and Takiyanagi, but it also throws in the typical teen angst that some people may not enjoy. This isn't to say the remaining nine episodes of the series are terrible, no. In fact it's the relationships in the series that help make the stories more interesting such as the triplets Mayura, Manatsu, and Masumi as well as Masumi's interactions with Izumiko in order to bring in different angles and complications. But the series also has the problem of leaving things unexplained or unfinished. In the beginning, we're to believe that Izumiko and her connection to the Hime-gami are going to be a major plot point, but sadly it gets side lined for a majority of the series. The political battle I mentioned before between Mayura and Takiyanagi is another that felt unfinished. There are some silver linings, though, as stories centered around Miyuki and his lack of power do gain some ground by series end. But it can be a little too late since, by the end of the series, there's no resolution what so ever to the Hime-gami storyline, but, instead, we're left with this need for more story. It's more accurate to say the Red Data Girl finishes it's current arc but not it's actual story, something that I blame the lack of material for if the studio was following the manga rather than the original novels, which would explain so much.
Just like the story, there are three categories that the cast of characters would fall under. You have Izumiko and Miyuki as our two leads, followed by the triplets as major characters, and ending with the familiar Wamiya, Miyuki's father Yukimasa, and school rival Takiyanagi as the more minor characters that still have some involvement. This is also where I would place the Hime-gami due to the lack of involvement she has with the story and it's development. While the majority of the development does, of course, belong to Izumiko and Miyuki, there are still some characters that do go through some changes in the series, the triplets in particular being the largest of the larger characters. I mean, let's be real here, the middle arc of the series has a huge emphasis on their relationship to each other and how it has been changing thanks to outside forces coming in such as Izumiko and Miyuki. Now, because we're still dealing with the typical high school anime, as mentioned, there is a good amount of teen angst and shenanigans that do tend to get in the way of the story's progression. However the larger problem I have with the characters is the rather mixed motivation. While the motivations for some of the characters are logical and progress and change appropriately, they tend to change rather quickly or make little sense because of the lack of prior explanation. The former is more for Miyuki, which I can forgive a little bit. The latter more falls for the triplets, with Mayura being the largest offender. Her struggles against Takiyanagi and her reasoning for it just seemed to really miss it's mark which doesn't help since it is one of the larger plot lines of the entire series. Again, this is one of those cases where more episodes could fix this problem as it would have had more time in order to explain and properly develop the characters. As for the whole romance element the series claims to have, it's kind of there. Kind of. Yes, Izumiko and Miyuki are seen as the major coupling for the series, but that relationship is slow going and ending on a rather high and rather natural note for the pair. The other potential love plot falls to Izumiko and Masumi which does come into play during the latter half of the series and in a rather big way. However, it seems the series would rather focus on political teen bull crap rather than developing the characters and their relationships to it's fullest extent, since this is considered a romance anime.
The dub is solid, which is par for the course with FUNimation now a days. However there wasn't really anything or anyone who stood out and amazed me; sacrificing the quality of the dub in order to keep with the tone of the series. In that regard, the dub works and Joel McDonald (Assassination Classroom, Laughing Under the Clouds), the dub's director did a good job. Micah Solusod's (Soul Eater, Seraph of the End) Miyuki works for the personality of the character, Kristi Kang (Fairy Tail, Ultimate Otaku Teacher), Chris Burnett (Romeo X Juliet, Shiki), and Joel McDonald who voice the triplets are a good balance to each other, especially Burnett's Masumi who mixes together playful with a bit of flamboyance to create one of the more fun performances of the dub. All the while, Kang's Mayura did take some time to adjust to as it was a little annoying in the beginning. David Matranga's (Code:Breaker, Le Chevalier D'Eon) Yukimasa seems a little out of place here, but his performance was fine none the less, while Ryan Reynolds's (Heroic Legend of Arslan, Hetalia: Axis Powers) Wamiya did do well at being menacing and other worldly. Caitlin Glass (Ouran High School Host Club, Show By Rock!!) is, well, Caitlin Glass and does her best as the Hime-gami though the tone of voice is an odd fit for the tiny Izumiko even if it did give off a much more regal air. As for the voices of Izumiko and Takiyanagi, it's best to say that this is one of the more early introductions to both Bryn Apprill and Clifford Chapin pre Attack on Titan DVD release. Chapin's (Tokyo Ghoul, Yona of the Dawn) performance gave the vein Takiyanagi much more snark and such a conceited air about it that honestly worked for the character. Meanwhile, Apprill's (Noragami, D-Frag) take on Izumiko kept the quiet innocence that the character called for, but may not have been her best work considering all the series that have been released since then including Show By Rock, Noragami, and, once again, Attack on Titan. However, it's a great effort here.
By the end of the possession, Red Data Girl is a stunning series that seems to lose it's way the more it continues. While the story starts strong and the relationships and side stories between characters can bring interesting elements, by the end it doesn't resolve itself to the point where it could have used either more episodes, a second season, or a rewrite in order to keep the strong start much more consistent throughout. I still believe this to be a good series, despite the glaring flaws and is one where a good amount of people may fall in love with it. It's pretty to look at, at least, if nothing else.
Next time, we cue the water works. Until next time, otaku on my friends!
Final Rating - 6/10 a beautiful series that ends with some missed opportunities.


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OUR MINISTRYNew Beginning was founded in 1994 by Pastors Charles and Ann Leister. After pastoring on the road in Cleveland, Ohio and Plain City, Ohio working to establish two new works, God placed within Pastor Charles the vision for a new ministry in their home city of Columbus, Ohio.
The vision of New Beginning was to establish a local assembly and ministries that ministered to the total person the Word of God thereby proclaiming the good news that one can have a new beginning in Christ Jesus, our Lord. New Beginning was originally established under the covering of the Church of the Living God, headquarted in Philidelphia. However from the beginning, the Leadership of New Beginning knew that the type of ministry God was birthing was requiring us to be non-denominational.
In September 1999, New Beginning Church of the Living God became New Beginning Ministries. The following year after building a relationship with Apostle La Fayette Scales came under his apostolic covering for accountability. As Apostle Scales and the Apostolic Team of the Network of Local Churches lauched a new association of local assemblies, New Beginning became a member at its formal organization in August 2001.
The Network of Local Churches, Inc. is a fellowship of non-denominational and denominational churches with a main objective of providing covenant relationship for Pastors, Five-Fold Ministers, and Churches. We also desire to train, equip and encourage the edifying of the Body of Christ.
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As Spain's national team walked off the field at Yankee Stadium, unbeaten for the 22nd straight time, Frank Sinatra was, per stadium custom, singing about being "king of the hill." With Spain having won three consecutive major tournaments, with a possible fourth on the horizon, the moment fittingly crossed sporting cultures.
Spain showed off its enviable depth in front of a lively crowd and dominated Ireland in a 2-0 victory, outshooting them by 22-5. How Spain won — with two goals from reserve players — seemed a good omen both for the coming Confederations Cup and a future in which its dominance is not guaranteed.
Roberto Soldado came on in the 59th minute and 10 minutes later volleyed a pass by Alvaro Arbeloa low into the left corner to put Spain ahead, 1-0. Two substitutes supplied the second goal as rapid combination play between Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata allowed Mata just enough space to push the ball past Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph in the 88th minute. A goal for the Irish was disallowed late in the second half for offside.
"I thought we played a good game, and we could have won by one more goal," Spain Coach Vincente Del Bosque said.
Spain will now head to Brazil for the Confederations Cup, where it will open against Uruguay on Sunday.
Since winning the European Championship in 2008, the Spanish national team has bridged the divide between Real Madrid and Barcelona by winning unlike any other soccer team in international history, with triumphs at the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros. Yet a place at the top of the mountain often feels tenuous in a sport that does not always reward talent or even the better team.
In Europe, Spain's dominance of club soccer slipped this season. Real Madrid and Barcelona — who employ 10 of the 11 Spanish starters against Ireland — were beaten by German opponents in the Champions League semifinals. And several other top players will be leaving Spain's top league next season: Jesus Navas is joining his national teammate David Silva in Manchester City, and Cesc Fàbregas, Soldado and David Villa have been linked with moves to English clubs.
Appreciative applause mixed in with a few boos greeted the Spaniards before the match in the Bronx. Inside the Stadium, they were, for a night, the dynastic Yankees of soccer. Playing in front of a giant video screen, the players could watch themselves while on the field. Attendance was announced at 39,368.
The match took on the feel of a true friendly; a wave broke out in the second half, and many of the olés were unified. When the star goalkeeper Iker Casillas entered as a substitute, the fans responded with knowing appreciation.
Del Bosque spoke positively of the crowds during the team's two-game tour of the United States, which began with a 2-1 win over Haiti on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Long before Tuesday's match, a group of Spanish fans — mostly clad in red — walked past the entrance to Monument Park. The area was closed off. For those celebrating a team that continues to make waves in the present, focusing on past sporting achievements probably made little sense anyway.
Only four players remained from the Irish team that lost to Spain at last summer's European Championships, and Spain kept the action in the Irish half for most of the first 45 minutes, repeatedly attacking a goal positioned between a foul pole and the Yankees' dugout. Spain occasionally delighted the fans with its tight, short-passing sequences but frequently fired shots over the crossbar.
Spain was at its most potent late in the half. Xavi found Silva, and Silva played a pass through to Villa, who was unable to convert. Two minutes later, Pedro shook the goal after some fancy footwork in the area against Sean St. Ledger. Silva missed the follow-up — skying the ball harmlessly in the air — and more friendly olés rang out from the crowd.


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Even with sister Paris in Las Vegas for the VMAs, the show must go on for Nicky Hilton who debuted her new clothing line, Nicholai at Fashion Week. Ever the proud parents, Kathy and Rick sat front row with Nicky's boyfriend David Katzenberg. Rick used his digital camera to remember the moment as he recorded the crowd, part of the show and even David. Brandon Davis, Jenna Jameson, Richie Rich and Traver Rains of Heatherette and Russell Simmons was also in attendance to see the very stylist, sleek line. Nicky's line featured sequins, tulle and so much more. After the show when the designer made her way onto the runway, she looked absolutely adorable as she applauded herself and the collection on her way back and threw her hands in the air and waved them back and forth. All in a days work for an heiress.
By Alisandra Puliti


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For Immediate Release | The Wicked Sensual Care Collection Receives Two "O" Awards Nominations
Los Angeles, Calif. - (August 13, 2012) – On the heels of its successful convention debut at the 2012 ANME Show in July, the Wicked Sensual Care Collection has received two high-profile "O" Awards nominations. Now in its fourth year, the "O" Awards celebrate excellence in the design and marketing of pleasure products. Within the nominations for individual products, the quality of the luxurious Wicked Aqua Candy Apple lube was recognized in the Outstanding Lubricant category. A tasteful and delicious water-based lube, Wicked Aqua Candy Apple contains subtle natural flavors that enhance oral pleasures with no aftertaste. Turning to the marketing nominations, the stylish and mainstream-friendly approach to branding that defines each product in the Wicked Sensual Care Collection was recognized with an overall nomination for Best Packaging. Justifiably proud of his new line's accolades, Wicked Sensual Care Collection owner and president Steve Orenstein observes, "We're happy to be recognized for our efforts so quickly. This is not something we put together overnight. We have been in development for a year, paying close attention to every detail required to deliver an extremely high quality line of original products." Winners will be announced at the Fourth Annual "O" Awards. The ceremony will be held during the 2012 AVN Novelty Expo, September 10-12 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wicked Sensual Care Collection. Being Wicked never felt so good. About the Wicked Sensual Care Collection For almost twenty years, Wicked Pictures has been bringing couples closer and making intimacy sexy. All of the things that you love about the Wicked brand have been brought together to create the Wicked Sensual Care Collection. Exclusive formulas using the highest quality ingredients available in the personal care market today have been lovingly crafted together to enhance and satisfy your intimate needs. Perfect for partner or solo play, these lubricants and enhancers are designed to have a superior feel and are concentrated to be extra long lasting. The addition of natural extracts enriches the products for added comfort and peace of mind. To learn about more, please visit www.wickedsensualcare.com. In addition to the collection's website, consumers, retailers and distributors alike are invited to follow the line on Twitter (@SensualCare), Tumblr (http://wickedsensualcare.tumblr.com) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/wickedsensualcare). The coming weeks will see the launch of an official Facebook page and other social media initiatives. To learn more, please visit www.wickedsensualcare.com. To contact product development manager Carrie Smith please email email@example.com or call 818-349-3593. For press needs please email Daniel M at email@example.com or call 818-266-7910. ###


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Now Terri is set to launch a fully revised UK edition. Terri has drawn heavily on the feedback provided by book bloggers across the world: as a result the new edition is sleeker, tighter and has seen 60 pages stripped away.
And I'm happy to have Terri here today with her Guest Blog titled:
Welcome, Terri!
Last May, a month or so after I began marketing my novel, In Leah's Wake, a former agent told me that I would never sell 500 books. A rookie, I had no idea what to expect. When I published the novel, I'd dreamed of selling a 3,000 – 5,000 books, hoping healthy sales numbers would attract the attention of an agent or traditional publishing house for my next novel.
The agent had left New York, but she'd been in the business for a long time, and her words stung. I hung up the phone, heartbroken, depressed. Had I not been in the midst of my first blog tour, I might have pulled my novel off the market that day.
Determined to see the tour through, I soldiered on. On the tour, I met wonderful, caring people, book bloggers, whose kindness buoyed and sustained me.
Over the next few months, In Leah's Wake appeared on hundreds of blogs. Bloggers opened their hearts and spread the word about this quiet literary novel. In August, In Leah's Wake hit the Barnes & Noble and Amazon charts. Now, seven months after my talk with that agent, the book has been in the Amazon top 200 for over five months, and we've sold just shy of 80,000 copies.
Book bloggers rock! I don't know how to say it any better. Book bloggers are the fairy godmothers and godfathers of the literary world. They invest their talent, their energy, and their time into reviewing and promoting books – and keeping dreams alive.
Even today, traditional media refuse to recognize or review indie books. In this very real sense, book bloggers are the heart and soul of the indie revolution. Their vision, their energy, and their determination have enabled this amazing populist movement to take hold.
Today, we have the great good fortune of hearing the funny, poignant, intelligent voices of new authors from around the world - voices that, just a few years ago, might have been silenced by the gatekeepers of the old guard. These voices reach into hearts and minds, forging connections, uniting us in a community of readers and writers, searching for and finding, through words, the better part of ourselves. Because, truly, at heart, this is what reading and writing is all about.
Here's to you, book bloggers! You are and always will be my heroes!
While her passion lies in the written word, Terri's primary inspiration comes from her interest in existential philosophy and her observations of people and human nature. Her stories expand upon the subtle truths and what-ifs of everyday life. No matter where her stories journey, they always tie back to the family—the ways we love yet, in loving, too often hurt one another, the grief, the sorrow, the revelation, and the joy. Terri's goal is to offer lasting hope and deep emotional connection in a compact and entertaining package.
Her life outside of books is devoted to her family. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, traveling to far-flung places, and meeting interesting people. True to her Italian-American heritage, she's an enthusiastic cook and she loves fine wine and good food. In an alternate reality, she could have been very happy as an international food writer.
Terri loves meeting and connecting with people who share her passions.
Visit on her Website: http://tglong.com/site/,
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tglong or
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tglongwrites
Your hostess, that's me!, is currently most likely getting a tan by Atlantic Ocean or getting a drink in the pool bar in Cape Verde - but you can be sure I'll reply to you all as soons as I get back next week!