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Candidates release statements after ballot challenge
PHOTO: Candidate for DeKalb County Sheriff Michael Edmondson released a statement, accusing his opponent Nick Welden of trying to keep him off the Republican ballot. Welden responded this afternoon. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)
By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — On Thursday night, the DeKalb County GOP Executive Committee met for a hearing regarding seven letters submitted, challenging declared candidate for DeKalb County Sheriff Michael Edmondson's qualification to appear on the ballot.
While the content of the letters in question were not released, Edmondson said that the letters were accusing him of, "being unfit to serve the people of DeKalb County as Sheriff based solely on my 18 years of experience in the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office."
Before submitting the letters, those who offered the challenge were told it would be anonymous. After a brief meeting between the Executive Committee and Edmondson's campaign, it was announced that the challengers would also have to face the committee. With around 30 Edmondson supporters (many whom work at the Sheriff's Office) crowded around the entrance to GOP Headquarters, no challengers came to face the committee.
"The last few days have been a roller coaster of questions and accusations made towards me and my campaign.
My opponent accused me of being behind letters contesting him being allowed to run as a Republican candidate for Sheriff of DeKalb County and not allowing citizens to vote the way they want.
He was quick to take a cheap shot at me only to try and gain sympathy support and paint me a villain!
I was NOT behind any letters or attempt to stop him from running. As a matter of fact I personally asked members of the qualifying committee and the chairman to allow him to run so this wouldn't turn into an old political trick as it so did!
I was told by the committee and chairman they would do what was best for the party and I had no say so !
If you were one who was quick to judge and condone another's accusations then I am sorry you fell into that trap that was apparently planned out.
I have simply tried to run a truthful, professional and honest campaign and I ask of you to open your eyes and see the tactics that were just deployed against me!
I am a simple and God fearing family man that is only trying to stand up for what is right.
I do not have a full fledged campaign team or a campaign manager that plans these types of attempts or accusations to try and turn things around or create drama that is uncalled for.
I simply try to do what's right and will continue to!
I pray for these folks and for all who will read this or was quick to judge an accusation that was meant to do harm!
I stand strong for everything that is right and GODLY but the reason I'm being falsely accused and attacked is that I stand UP to see corruption FALL!
God Bless you ALL!
Nick Welden"


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State of Arkansas VS. All Y'all Top
$4.49SALE orig. $30.00 85% OFF
Stand by your fellow Arkansans through thick and thin with this top! Its "Arkansas VS. All Y'all" wording detail shows your state pride with every wear.
- Short-sleeves
- V-neckline
- "Arkansas VS. All Y'all" wording detail
- 100% cotton
- Machine washable
- Imported

subset: commoncrawl


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5 Things You Need To Know About Cat Hammock With Stand Today | Cat Hammock With Stand
What is the best way to bless National Anchorage Day on Sunday? By spending the day adequate in a hammock, of course.
Image Source: amagicalmess.com
If you never got about to blind up your hammock, stop procrastinating.
If you don't accept one, alpha shopping. You'll acquisition an arrangement of types and sizes, from bifold wides to blind chairs, absolute for abacus zip to a baby deck.
Lazy-day hammocks are a attitude in some families, said Brittney Pettis, E-commerce administrator at the Anchorage Co., in Greenville, N.C. Kids who comedy on granddad's anchorage appetite one aloof like it back they accept their own house.
"It's aloof a adequate way to relax," Pettis said. The Anchorage Co., offers several brands, including the Original Pawleys Island Braiding Hammock. Pawleys has been hand-crafting hammocks back 1889, according to its website.
Country Stove Patio and Spa in North Royalton awash so abounding hammocks for Father's Day that its stocks are low, said administrator Tom Faught.
Hammocks — abnormally the bedlam bolt affectionate — are alike added accepted in the fall, as homeowners try to extend the alfresco season, he said.
An online analysis begin hammocks on hayneedle.com, as able-bodied as the Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot websites. Analysis with your adjacency abundance to acquisition out if it has hammocks in banal afore branch out.
Image Source: shopify.com
Hammocks accept a continued and bright history. There are belief that Spanish campaign begin Central and South American citizenry sleeping in hammocks, adequate from acerbic insects and snakes. These aboriginal hammocks were alloyed from the case of the hamack tree.
During the Golden Age of Sail, British sailors slept in canvas hammocks to save amplitude aboard ships. In the backward 1800s, hammocks became accepted in the United States with the apparatus of a wider, added adequate version.
Over time, versions of this simple abstraction proliferated. Now there are Mayan and Brazilian types, quick-drying ones for bank and poolside, carriageable camping hammocks and two-person hammocks. Expect to pay amid $80 and $190 for a accepted hammock.
Today's hammocks appear with lots of adequate accessories, such as pillows, canopies and ancillary tables that affix to the frame, Pettis said.
Modern science has alike ample out how to booty copse out of the equation. Anatomy hammocks can be placed poolside, on a accouter or anywhere there is room.
Just as there are cat bodies and dog people, there are those who affirm by braiding hammocks and others who adulation fabric. Braiding conforms to the body; bolt lies flat, which some loungers feel is added adequate than rope. "We acquaint them it's a claimed preference," Pettis said.
Traditional affection braiding hammocks are still around. Hammocks fabricated with counterfeit DuraCord won't ache blush crumbling and won't cast alike if larboard out in the rain.
Image Source: nealasher.com
Cotton or polyester braiding is usually beneath big-ticket than DuraCord, but back the amount aberration is beneath than $50, "it's account the upgrade," Pettis said.
If you don't appetite a braiding anchorage that wraps about you, baddest one with spreader confined that amplitude the ropes so added than one being can sit on it and additionally anticipate "cocooning."
Mayan and Brazilian hammocks do not accept stretcher bars. They blanket about your anatomy for cocoonlike fit and are lighter and easier to store. Brazilian are cloth, Mayan are woven.
Fabric hammocks use mold-resistant, colorfast fabric. These appear in lots of patterns and colors and are generally reversible.
If abhorrence of attractive like a adversary on "Wipe Out" is befitting you from anchorage heaven, Pettis understands. Here are her instructions:
Stand abutting to the hammock. Put the bend abaft your knees and sit. Grab the bend abaft you and cull your legs up. Rotate your anatomy and centermost your after on the hammock.
"People are afraid about flipping to the added side," she said. "You're not activity to cast to the added side."
Image Source: evtaxicabs.com
Here are added considerations back affairs a anchorage and tips for caring for it. This advice is from the Anchorage Co, Anchorage Care Tips and Homeclick.com:
Metal frames should be rust-resistant. Look for top-quality solid accouterments stretcher bars; amusement them for acclimate resistance.
The amplitude amid copse should be 2 anxiety best than the anchorage length, and acme should be 4 to 5 anxiety off the ground.
A timberline anchorage will amplitude out 1-2 anxiety over time. Timberline straps instead of hooks will acquiesce you to accomplish adjustments as the anchorage stretches out.
Do not leave it alfresco year-round.
Annual aliment includes blockage ropes for damage, and sanding and revarnishing spreader bars.
Clean a bolt anchorage by overextension it on driveway or accouter and application balmy bactericide in baptize and bendable brush. Adhere to dry in absolute sunlight. Clean a braiding anchorage in bathtub and let it air dry.
Image Source: pinimg.com
Protect it from damp, clay and rodents back autumn for winter. Use a accumulator bag or adhere a braiding anchorage from its metal rings. Clean afore storage.
Supervise adolescent accouchement who may be clumsy to get in and out of a anchorage safely.
5 Things You Need To Know About Cat Hammock With Stand Today | Cat Hammock With Stand – Cat Hammock With Stand
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Country Road LIVE WITH US Feature
I am lost for words to describe the week that has been, so here are a few words from a couple of weeks before when I was interviewed by @countryroad at 38 weeks pregnant. I am so glad I was open to do this so close to the arrival of our baby boy. I will cherish these images of me pregnant with him forever 💙 I've added a pic of Sebastian at the end, taken yesterday at 5 days old... And yes, he is dressed and wrapped in CR.. and no, it was not planned!! I did not know when this was coming out! 🙊
Read more by clicking the link in the @countryroad bio or head to www.livewithus.com.au
A huge THANK YOU to Country Road for inviting me to be a part of Live With Us. I am completely humbled. Mon x
Photography by @aimeejonesphoto
Makeup by @ashleekerford_beauty
Hair by @mellyd_hairstylist_@meraki_forhair
Interviewed by @natashainchley


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Searching for sweetness, bitterness, heck, a scrub brush to cleanse my tongue, I enter Fresh Health Food Emporium (594 Nostrand Ave., 718-774-3550). Burning incense perfumes the shop, while the fridge contains tonics promising to boost my libido. I eyeball pinkie-size rectangles of sesame crunch candy, only 95 cents per quarter pound. A few pieces make cuttlefish's inky memories vamoose.
That means it's time to say hello to Zen's Caribbean Flavor Restaurant (602 Nostrand Ave.). This ma-and-pa eatery promises one-dollar lentil soup, but the tureen's empty. "Whaddya have for a buck?" I beg of the indifferent hairnet-clad counterwoman. She points to a log-like "cheese straw." The baked good is Sahara-dry and Antarctic-cold. Sometimes you get what you pay for. The straw meets the trash and I motor to Royal Bakery (618 Nostrand Ave., 718-604-0200), home to "TRINIDADIAN CHINESE AND HOT ROTI, ALL IN ONE PLACE."
Greasy lo mein is always a dreadful notion, but the freshly baked treats displayed inside a scuffed glass case are not. I order a dense brick of bread pudding. It's moist and riddled with coconut slivers, and expands in my belly like an add-water-and-watch-it-grow dinosaur sponge.
"Must…eat…more…" I groan, as I shuffle into the reggae-playing GT Golden Loaf Bakery & Restaurant (715 Nostrand Ave., 718-363-2954) and order a currant roll. "You gotta try it warm," the tee-wearing counterwoman says, nuking it in the microwave. The pastry is flaky and fruity, a familiar flavor unlike what I find on the corner of Saint Johns Place and Nostrand Avenue. A makeshift card table is topped with a glass jar containing bobbing yellow fruits. "It's a june plum in my special mixture," says a man with a bushy beard begging off the camera. "Is this legal?" I ask. He smiles enigmatically as I nibble the tart, spicy, salty and disconcertingly firm flesh.
Down to my last dollar, I spy the gated Q's Tavern (761 Nostrand Ave., 718- 774-9021). In front, a man hacks off sugarcane with a gleaming machete. "Wan' some?" he asks, grinning. No, no, I reply, enamored of lumpy balls the color of compost, sold from a glass jar labeled "TAMARIND BALLS HOT HOT HOT." They're 50 cents apiece, so I buy two. They're spicy and sweet, gooey with sugar and studded with gag-causing seeds.
"Drink this, man," says the salesman, holding up a bottle of milky liquid.
"What's it cost?" I choke out.
Two bucks.
No thanks, I reply, wandering off in search of something just a little bit cheaper.


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A campaign has been launched in the UK to encourage the adoption of lean principles into horticultural businesses to help improve labour efficiencies in production.
The new AHDB knowledge exchange programme seeks to address rising labour costs and concerns about labour availability following Brexit.
As part of the first stage of the programme, a series of case studies is underway with lean consultants, MPL Ltd, visiting businesses to identify where there is scope to improve.
A broader survey will then be sent to growers over the summer to understand labour efficiency potential within a range of businesses to help paint a picture of the wider industry. Regional lean workshops are then planned for autumn 2017 and spring 2018 to share the results.
Debbie Wilson, knowledge exchange manager at AHDB, said: "Automation and robotics may offer longer-term solutions, but with increased pressures from rising labour costs due to the National Living Wage and concerns about availability of labour following the Brexit decision, many growers are looking for solutions to help with their labour costs now."
Tom Hulme, from A C Hulme Ltd who is participating in the case study programme said: "Other than the weather, labour costs and availability are our biggest challenge but also our biggest opportunity.
"We signed up as we want to understand different ways to look at productivity and also benchmark ourselves against others in the industry. The visit confirmed that we are on the right track but need to stay focused on efficiencies."
The LEAN programme is part of a series of projects AHDB is currently running to help improve labour efficiencies in horticulture.
AHDB Horticulture growers will receive the lean survey in summer 2017.
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finished finals (barely).
now for my month long "bust my ass for preview/do as much freelance as i possibly can" hell.
i'll be busy until i die.
Previous Entry · Leave a comment · Share · Next Entry
On December 15th, 2005 05:48 pm (UTC), shamus9999 commented:
It doesn't stop at death either.


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World of Warcraft WordPress Theme V-3
Launch sale ends on Jan 31/2019
World of Warcraft WordPress Theme V-3 Features
- Powerful New Responsive Framework for WP 5+
- Child Theme Included
- bbPress Forum design integration
- WooCommerce web shop Integration
- Custom Front Page Designs
- Full Width Page option (no sidebar)
- Featured Posts Automatic Slider
- Montaged Backgrounds and Character Personas
- Background customizer UI
- 3 Footer Widget areas
- One time purchase, no recurring fees
- Free updates of version 3
- Instant Download
Brand New (2019) World of Warcraft WordPress Theme has been designed for gamers and bloggers that want to build a WOW gaming community with their own WordPress blog and Forums.
Get this epic theme and get your community or blog rolling. The theme includes custom front page designs (templates), Featured content slider , option to make pages without sidebar, mobile responsive design, designs for the bbPress forum and WooCommerce shopping platform – both freely available from plugins portal-maintained and developed by WordPress developer team of great people.
Post photos, screenshots, videos. Write tutorials and guides. Write articles and short stories, create guides forum and put some merchandise in shop. You can monetize the content by serving adverts.
All the setup guides and how-tos is provided on this website. Check Theme V-3 Guide link
There are no reviews yet.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


text:
I am a business, a mom, a wife, a friend, a playmate, a pet owner, a book reviewer, a freelance writer, a plant killer, a bargain hunter, a fashionista, a gamer, a head banger, and a shopper extraordinaire.
Welcome to my world.
I lurve this so hard
Post a Comment


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The shuddering of the ground should be alarming. Yet this whole town would not be as close a community if it was not for the strange natural occurrence. The low frequency rumbling, traditionally termed 'Little Noise', occurs throughout each evening, once the shadows retreat into the earth. On special occasions, from full moons to birthdays and religious holidays, the town joins in with 'Little Noise', creating an energetic, celebratory composition of sounds. At the stroke of midnight, the small gathering of people with their chosen instruments gives purpose to the unexplained rumble of the soil for an energetic five and a half minutes of the night.
Boasting electronics pulsate around breakbeat percussion and deep bass, creating a quirky and energetic dance floor mover, in Ciel's latest release 'Little Noise'. The Toronto based Ciel has gifted a high octane dance floor mover to new coming label Junted run by Marshall Applewhite for their debut various artist cassette and digital release due for release November the 3rd. Junted have pieced together 27 tracks, ranging from sludge, techno, bass, noise and hip-hop, for what is an tasteful eclectic release. We at As If. No Way! present you a taster of some of the textures Junted are offering, with the first being Ciel's bass heater 'Little Noise'.


text: This was such a romantic gesture! I'm very glad to have been apart of it! This was at a remote park in an El Segundo neighborhood. The girlfriend was so surprised and couldn't believe he went though all that for her. He had her parents hiding in the Limo so when they came out she was even more emotional. Its good to see there are still romantic guys out there.


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Hermitage Foreshore track
Sydney Harbour National Park
The easy Hermitage Foreshore walk is one of Sydney's great coastal walks. Start at Nielsen Park and take in the views of Shark Island, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the grounds of Strickland House along the way.
- Where
- Sydney Harbour National Park
- Distance
- 1.8km one-way
- Time suggested
- 30min - 1hr
- Grade
- Grade 3
- Price
- Free
- What to
- Hat, sunscreen, drinking water
One of Sydney's great coastal walks, the easy Hermitage Foreshore track offers up stunning views of Sydney's harbour, islands and icons.
Be sure to take your camera as there are plenty of photo opportunities along this walk; you'll be able to see Shark Island, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the grounds of Strickland House along the way.
You can start the walk at either Bayview Hill Road or Nielsen Park and whichever way you walk, a stop at Nielsen Park is a way to spend some time. There's a family friendly beach to enjoy, lots of grass for spreading out a picnic blanket and the Nielsen Park Café that offers coffee, lunch and snacks.
Take a virtual tour of Hermitage Foreshore Track captured with Google Street View Trekker.
Google Street View Trekker
Using Google Street View Trekker, we've captured imagery across a range of NSW national parks and attractions. Get a bird's eye view of these incredible landscapes before setting off on your own adventure.
Conservation program:
Fort Denison heritage collection project
Fort Denison is home to a wealth of historic heritage. The Fort Denison heritage collection project invited volunteers to locate, identify, document, conserve, interpret and make accessible the heritage collections in Sydney Harbour National Park. This allowed NPWS to engage with the community and ensure our collections are protected.
Operated by
- Nielsen Park office
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- 02 9337 5511
- firstname.lastname@example.com
- Greycliffe House, Nielsen Park, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Park info
- in Sydney Harbour National Park in the Sydney and surrounds region
Sydney Harbour National Park is open sunrise to sunset but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
Park entry fees:
Bradleys Head carpark: $8 per vehicle per day. North Head carpark: $5 per vehicle per day. There are pay and display machines that accept cards and coins - no change given. Chowder Bay Road parking: Monday-Friday: $3 per hour, to a maximum of $16 per day. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: $4 per hour, to a maximum of $20 per day. If you hold an NPWS All Parks or Multi Parks Pass, you can park free for up to four hours per day - additional time can be purchased. Car parks operated by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust or Mosman Council are not covered by your pass. Please check signs carefully.
Other fees:
Landing fee or tour fee applies to visit Sydney Harbour Islands. To visit Shark, Clark or Rodd islands Island, all vessels, including kayaks, need to pay a $7 per person landing fee. To arrange, please contact 13000 PARKS (13000 72757).Buy a pass
- Nielsen Park office
02 9337 5511
Contact hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Greycliffe House, Nielsen Park, Vaucluse NSW 2030
- Email: email@example.com
- Nielsen Park office
- Middle Head office
02 9960 6266
Contact hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 9.30am to 4pm.
- Sydney Harbour National Park (Middle Head), Governors Road, Mosman NSW 2088
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Middle Head office
What's nearby:
Things to do (59)
- Aboriginal culture (4)
- Beach (2)
- Birdwatching and wildlife encounters (10)
- Cafes and kiosks (3)
- Canoeing/paddling (6)
- Cycling (1)
- Fishing (4)
- Historic heritage (30)
- Other experiences (2)
- Picnics and barbecues (21)
- Sailing, boating and cruises (4)
- Sightseeing (30)
- Snorkelling and scuba (4)
- Swimming (13)
- Walking (16)
- Wildflowers (seasonal) (2)


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Realizing Smart Cities in the Home of the Fab Four
I'll have my first chance to visit Liverpool this coming week. I've been to Manchester, Preston and even Blackpool (several times, in fact) but never Liverpool.
I'm not visiting just to go to find Penny Lane or snap photos in front of The Cavern Club. I'll be there do something a bit more contemporary – but less musical – namely, to be part of the Smart Cities Realized Summit which focuses on smart city case studies of real and deployed/deployable solutions from cities around the world. The summit is part of The International Business Festival which happens every two years in Liverpool, attracting 30,000 people from various parts of the world.
Sigma will be there because we've put forward two solutions for the Mayor's Challenges, which is a competition to implement Smart City ideas by signing contracts with the City of Liverpool as well as share vital information with all the other cities in attendance. The two areas we focused on were:
- Smart Transport – How do we enable sustainable, low carbon, equitable travel in a city? How do we overcome current and future travel issues?
- Ageing Population – How do we respond to the challenge of an ageing population? What changes does a city need to take into account? How can social care be delivered more effectively?
In developing the response to these challenges, two points jumped out when it comes to Smart City applications.
First, cities are going to be dealing with a lot of data – and I mean a lot of data – as they start to create and then deliver smart services to their citizens. From our experience with service providers, too much data can easily become a problem that can get out of hand. It also, conversely, presents a great opportunity, if managed well, to gain insight from data to improve operations and services themselves. Definitely, cities must be aware of and be ready to manage a greatly increased set of data.
Second, as technology advances to enable more and more services, there'll be lots of new technology that needs to be co-ordinated by cities, who probably don't have a great deal of expertise in doing so. Thus, cities will buy services and equipment from communications services providers and cloud services providers like AWS to enable smart services – all of which still needs to be understood and managed.
The core of our solution for Smart Cities, Sigma Catalog, excels at the understanding, design and management of such services, especially in a federated model, making services shareable among all people within a city administration. In the use cases of transport and ageing population, we're proving that Sigma Catalog will help them co-ordinate and figure out what services city administrators have access to and what they can offer their citizens, and then innovate on top of those. Just like we've done with communication services providers around the world.
I'm excited to finally see Liverpool (sorry Blackpool) and I'm excited to find out if we'll be able to work with the city of Liverpool to trial and prove some of the Smart City use cases.
Drew Jordan
Director of Product Architecture
Sigma Systems


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Judges Plead Case for Funding in CA Assembly
SACRAMENTO (CN) – Head judges from all over California urged legislators on Thursday to allow them to decide how to keep courts open in the face of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed $200 million budget cut, and argued that the Legislative Analyst Office's finding that some courts were overfunded last year is incorrect.
"We are definitely not overfunded, we are under-resourced," said Presiding Judge Sherrill Ellsworth of Riverside County Superior Court. "We'll do anything to keep our doors open."
Ellsworth said her court has even gone so far as to eliminate bottled water in the courtrooms, and that judges have volunteered their pay to keep the court operational.
"In San Diego, our court definitely does not feel like we're overfunded," said San Diego Presiding Judge Kevin Enright. "The decision made by this sub-committee and by the legislature will have a direct affect as to how we can service the public."
Enright added, "We recognize the difficulty the state is having, but we have a sixteen percent vacancy rate on our court staff, and manifestations of that vacancy rate have resulted in even longer lines, specifically in our civil division. We have a backlog of ten to eleven months in processing judgments, and in terms of service to the public that is fundamentally wrong."
The Legislative Analyst's Office has recommended several solutions to the state courts' budget shortfall, from implementing electronic court reporting to allowing courts to privatize court guards and court interpreters. The legislative analyst also recommended reducing the amounts retained in trial court reserves.
"For example, the trial courts had about $312 million in unspent funds at the beginning of 2010-2011," said an LAO report presented at the hearing.
In light of California's budget woes, the LAO recommended that the legislature reduce funding to the trial courts "on a one-time basis" in 2011-2012 by $150 million, "and direct the trial courts to use their considerable reserve funds to buffer against the loss of state funding."
The LAO has also recommended that budget cuts should be minimized for courts with the greatest financial need. On the hand, it identified thirteen trial courts that could shoulder most of the burden, including those in San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, Santa Clara, Napa, Marin County, Santa Barbara and San Mateo.
"A year ago, I know San Francisco came within one inch of closing their courts," said the Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles). "They may have a view as to whether they're over-resourced."
Testifying on behalf of the Consumer Attorneys of California, Christopher Dolan said, "I have to speak up for San Francisco. Speaking from the trenches, I must tell you court closures last year were devastating." He added, "People were taking time off work and seeing these signs that said the court was closed and were bewildered."
Dolan said that last year, San Francisco Superior Court's presiding judges had told him the court only had "one week's reserve to make payroll."
Only weeks ago, San Francisco Superior Court Executive Officer Mike Yuen told a local TV reporter that the court may have to shut down its entire civil division if massive cuts are implemented.
At Thursday's hearing, Dolan argued to the legislators, "If excess exists here, I don't know of it. I enforce the laws that you make and without a court system, the laws you make become just words floating in ether."
Assembly member Feuer added, "I think all of us recall days when we did not have courts open, and that undermined the core of who we are as a democracy."
Near the end of the public comment period, San Bernardino Superior Judge Keith Davis, president of the California Judges Association, said, "Please take away from all the comments today this: this is an issue the branch has a process to resolve and discuss."
He urged the legislators to "allow the branch to solve these budget issues."


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We have the privilege of singing for the annual banquet for Gentle Shepherd Ministry being held at Crossview Covenant Church in North Mankato, Minnesota. We look forward to ministering to this great group.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: November 8Christ Community Covenant Church - Owatonna, MN
Later Event: November 18Elim Shores - Eden Prairie, MN


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Celebrating Independence Day--Part I
It's hot here in Summit, NJ. The weather widget on the computer says 100 degrees! The thermometer on the cloister says 80 in the shade.
But it's not too humid and there is a delightful breeze! We all got a chance to enjoy it this afternoon as our power and the power in the area and beyond experienced more than 4 hours without electricity!
Except for concerns for the older sisters and the milk in the refrigerator most of us enjoyed the experience of having no electricity. First of all, it's amazing how SILENT the entire house is! It's wonderful! The phone doesn't ring nor does the doorbell! A friend did stop by this afternoon and yelled up to the windows, "Anyone there?!"
You never realize how noisy things like refrigerators and freezers, Cuisinarts, printers, computers, fans and air conditioners are until none of them run!
Everyone had their coping tactics. One Sister spent siesta sleeping outside under a tree on an old quilt. Others found the coolest spots where there was a breeze and stayed there. Filipino banana leaf fans came out at Office time which we sang in the community room, opening the choir doors and lining up our chairs in front.
Several sisters remarked that the lack of electricity provided them with the pleasant opportunity to spend an afternoon doing just about nothing or getting comfortable with a book.
An occasion such as this really gives us all pause to thank God for the gifts of we enjoy here in the United States—gifts that people in many parts of the world never have and we asked God to bless them and to bless the poor in our own country who suffer from the heat.


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As you remember, a few weeks ago I started taking a sewing class in which I learned how to make a tote bag. Well, I finally finished it! Six weeks and many hours of hard work and I have a beautiful, functional bag to show for it. Not only that, but I gained a wealth of knowledge and feel ready to tackle another project.
Here's what I learned during my adventure:
1. Fabrics are expensive.
2. Patterns are hard to read and almost impossible to understand. (This was a general concensus of my entire class.)
3. Sewing is time consuming, but rewarding.
4. Having a whole new appreciation for the contestants on Project Runway.
What I liked about the experience:
1. I now know how to use my sewing machine. Yay!
2. A boost in confidence knowing I can make something for myself.
3. Listening to my husband brag about what I made to his friends. (I love it when I can make him proud.)
4. Meeting a great group of people in my sewing class.
5. Having a new skill that will come in handy when making gifts for people.
6. Having the ability to custom make things to please my picky tastes.
What I didn't like about the experience:
1. Removing tailor tacks. Errr!
2. Not being able to afford the fabrics I really wanted to use.
3. Lack of fabric selections and supplies at the sewing stores. You'll have more luck finding exactly what you want online.
Overall, I had a lot of fun and will most likely take additional classes to keep learning all the secrets, like altering garments and making clothes. Watch out Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, I'm your next fashion designer in the making!
Even Abe approves!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tote Bag Tales
1 comment:
- Aubre said...
WOW. I'm SO impressed with this tote bag! WAY better than the tote bags and boxers we made in 6th grade home ec! Seriously, the bag looks totally professional. Amazing job!
- May 22, 2010 at 1:05 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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I've kept a tiny secret from my boyfriend, and basically everybody else as well, but I had to change hosts. Again. I said I was going to a while back, because the web host I chose during the early spring sucked balls and I got really so annoyed with them that I started looking for another one practically immediately. I found a new one, they're called "Egensajt" which basically means "Your own site" or "your website" cramped into one word. They are also very cheap, they provide SSL easily with let's encrypt and also provide a bunch of other useful stuff I plan on starting using later, WP-cli, SSH and git.
However, my trip over here hasn't been the greatest either, due to me being an idiot, but I guess everything is fine now at least. I've spammed the support a gazillion times for the past weeks since I started my account there, because I've struggled a bit with the move of other domains, the obligate down time while moving a website, installations of Drupal, WordPress Multisite and Limesurvey and a few other things.
The good things are though that, except for the Drupal problems(I'll get to that one later), all the other issues are fixed and were basically down to two things; Me, having a brain that requires that everything should happen in an instant and me being (yet again) a complete, uneducated n00b regarding techie stuff.
All of this have just taught me that I really need to learn how to code, so I can understand all of this fun stuff for real, but I haven't been able to find the energy for that all spring, basically. I'll explain a bit more below, but I have my reasons for doing all this, even though it's practically unnecessary…
I realized that you can't have folder listing or anti-hotlink (or whatever it's called) activated if you want to install php applications with your web host. I had no idea about that! Folder listings make php apps to not activate, and anti hotlink makes you get broken images if you've got SSL activated.
I also had the problem with WordPress. Like I've mentioned before my setup is basically this:
- I have a multisite install where all my public blogs and websites live, except for this one at the moment.
- I have another WP multisite on a separate subdomain where I do all the testing for the main site.
- I have this install for this single domain, that has moved around a bit, but will probably stay as a single install and separate from the others just because it's for the best. I think.
- I create other various subdomains and use other domains from other web hosts I've registered that I use for testing purposes. Most of them are WP related, but some are for other PHP clients, like Drupal and Limesurvey.
Since moving to yet another host, I've tried to have my normal setup and I finally got everything to work, but Drupal did not work like it should for some strange reason. The reason I wanted to play around with Drupal is due to a thing at work. I got an idea and figured out that Drupal can basically solve everything, but sadly my proposal was denied for now which basically just made me more upset 😦 . I did most of the Drupal testing at my previous host (Inleed) while I was waiting for the main domain to move over to the new host. Then, as I got to the new host, Drupal did not work. It was practically impossible to install it, because I fell into the classic Drupal trap where I got access denied, even though I was the admin and everything. In the end I had to ask the web host to install it for me, but it was to no avail.
During all of this I had also installed Limesurvey and the test sites, but no matter what I did the templates from the clients, aka the text inside the php files where showing when I visited the url and I could not install, or login. Turned out, like I mentioned above that this was due to the folder listing being activated. When I turned it off I could install the applications. Then the other issues came up…
First of all I noticed that the clients had broken images when I viewed the sites with SSL. After a bit of googling again, I discovered that it was due to the anti-hotlinking was activated. Also I had problems with wildcard…
Yesterday I noticed that my testing site did not have an .htaccess any longer and the network settings had vanished. This I have no idea why it happens, but as I'll explain what happened below, maybe these two are related?
In order to use WordPress Multisite you have to setup a wildcard A record in your dns setting. The thing is, I've done that like a billion times and I know what it is. The difference is that with this new host, I thought I'd done that correctly, but I had not. I did not set the wildcard as a dns record. Instead my web host turned the wildcard as an alias for my main domain. I also had no idea there was a difference! When I changed it from an alias to a proper A record wildcard dns, I could access my sites again. The old problem of the redirect thing happened again until this was changed and I felt depressed and like a total idiot while I couldn't figure this out. I also decided I did not want to bother the support again either, even though they get paid to help me out. I just want stuff to work!
The only problem I have now is that WordpPress – all of my installs are incredibly slow when it comes to updating plugins, the core and saving post and other changes. Otherwise it's pretty fast and works well. I upgraded the PHP memory to 256 MB, and I've also activated the Memcached that this web host has. I also turned on Varnish Cache that's also an option here. So far it has helped a little, but it's still extremely slow when I want to install or upgrade something. I just hope that this post will publish as usual to social media as well. Maybe it'll work properly in a day or two…
An important note!
The reason for me switching host once again is due to several reasons. I said that I'd probably do this in a couple of months and that was the truth. I've had a really painful spring at work and also in my private life and playing around with php clients, like WordPress and my newly found interest in learning code really helps with not feeling bored and/or restless as fuck.
I still should point out, that me wanting to learn code has turned into crap, basically which is not surprising due to all my illnesses and how my mind works. I have made up my mind that I'm gonna finish the C# class I started a while back, but I've been way to tired to focus on that, due to a gazillion other stuff going on that steals my thunder. I really hate it, because I'm so into this. It feels like the right time is now to start a new beginning, but I guess I won't be able to until I'm not this tired anymore and there are no other problems lurking around the corner… I can't really explain this tiredness either. I just feel it and the only thing that helps are shitty crap-stuff with the usual stuff. Aka, playing around with code and knowing nothing with WP, Drupal and Limesurvey being the test subjects as of today.
I'd like to learn as much as possible, but everywhere I turn – there's trouble for some reason – because I don't understand code! I'll probably blog a bit more about it later, and for those who understand Swedish, I'll make a post soon as well to explain myself a bit more. Basically, I'm stuck in a circle and I'm doing what I can to keep up and not lose my mind, but no matter what I do, I feel bored, lost or angry and disappointed.
In less than a few weeks, me and the BF will move to another apartment that's closer to everything and I bet that after having a long vacation from work, I'll find my strength somehow. I think living right where we live now is one small contributing factor to why I feel like i have these past months. I really thought it was gonna be a life changer, but all the move to this exact place was, was nothing but meh. Besides living more to the south in Sweden and having the luxuries of living so close to Malmö, it's not been that great. After the move I hope I'll learn to code a bit more and hopefully I can focus more on blogging instead of struggling like I have AND need to in order to feel a little like myself these days.
Thanks for reading this far!


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Hi -
My company is thinking about expanding in to technology consulting. I would like to know on average how much companies are charging for their services and what it includes.
We would be providing Windows only support for clients that sell our companies products. So, they are Microsoft only shops.
Full Network Administration (Servers, Firewall, Domain, Hardware etc..)
Network structure consulting and recommendations
Full End User Support (but we are trying to seperate the network administration from end user support so they have 2 options...)
No app development or web hosting
- Average hourly rate
- Do you do a min monthly charge - what does that include
- How much extra are onsite services
-Do you define End User Support vs Network Administration in your services offered, if so how are they defined.
I appreciate any information!!!
7 Replies
I think this depends on your staff and the services you plan to offer...... I mean are you planning on offering web development or network admin or both and if you plan to offer services like network administration what certifications do you bring to the table, are you a windows only team or can you work with linux as well? Do you do any security work? How much experience does your team have??? these are the things that you need to define first and then look at what the customer needs are and tailor a service contract to their specific needs..... I've been in shops that do this and they have support contracts that very from low level $30.00 hr for general maint. to full on 24/7 support that can cost $2000.00 monthly and full time onsite support for upwards of $50,000 yr but it really boils down to what you can offer your perspective clients..... and what your clients needs really are.
The rates also vary by region (New York is much more expensive then Burlington, CO)!
As stated above, it really depends on the type of services you offer. Hourly vs fixed? When I was a consultant we had set contracts of "x" hours and we would visit on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis--all depending on what the client wanted. Or we would just do break/fix and come when something was broken.
The whole decision of doing "tiered" support is a interesting one. On one front it's a no brainer, right? Why send in a sledge hammer to swat a fly?
The problem creeps up though of sending in a fly swatter when you have a F-16 swooping in with guns blazing!
It's tough sending in your desktop guy when you're relying on a user to describe a problem and knowing the user is always wrong. So is the problem REALLY a small one, or are you looking at a serious server issue? And if it is, will the client be understanding and pay the whole bill or will they dispute the hours the desktop guy was floundering?
Not having teired services sometimes helps with this as you have a flat rate and the price is the price. But often scares clients away because of the high cost!
theres pricing examples in karl's stuff and the sbs show:
"My favorite client is a guy named Hank. Hank never believed in the whole "managed" crap. He wasn't sure about licenses. He wasn't ready to just turn over his whole operation to us and back off. After years -- after NINE years -- he finally backed off, signed the deal, and let us take over.
We predicted a hard drive crash, moved him to a new server, and saved his business. He was 99.99999999999999999% sold.
Eight months later his server and all his other computers were stolen. We rebuilt it all in short order, and saved him THOUSANDS on software because he'd bought licenses! Yeah! Now he's 100% sold."
"The first flat-fee managed service contract we signed was to a client with nine desktops and one server. $6,000/year."
again look in your area and compare yourself to best buys new online support. http:/
Dell ProManage-Managed Services
Sun Managed Services - flexible IT outsourcing model
HP Managed Services Suite
Lawrie Dalman Consulting is an IT service provider.
Hi Mike (Mike3277), how did you get on with your proposed or intended changes to your business? Did/have you made the transition into providing a wider range of technology services?
If you get a chance, drop back and give us a bit of an update.


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Category: Just For Fun
Observing US Memorial Day
The last Monday of each May is the day that the United States dedicates to remembering the American soldiers who died while serving in the line of duty. The holiday first originated in 1868, as Decoration Day following the American Civil War, and was designated as the day for the nation to place flowers on … Read More »
Have You Ever Taken The Myers Briggs Personality Test
This article, "The Definition Of Hell For Each Myers-Briggs Personality Type", uses humour to emphasize the importance of being aware of our strengths and weaknesses so we can better adapt our style.
Try this simplified test to learn more about who you are and why you do things the way you do.
SUBSCRIBE … Read More »
Celebrating Queen Victoria and Canada's National Patriots
Commonly referred to as the May two-four long weekend, Victoria Day and National Patriots' Day heralds the unofficial start of summer, as it is the first long weekend of the year with warmer weather. For many of us, it's the first opportunity to head out to the cottage, play a round of Golf, or even … Read More »
We've Recently Enhanced Our Google Plus Page
Our team at Goldbeck Recruiting has recently enhanced our Google Plus Page where you will now see updated job opportunities and relevant blog articles related to your employment search.
Please follow us on Google Plus for more tips from our recruitment team.
Celebrating Working Moms this Mother's Day
The special celebration of Mother's Day first originated in 1908, West Virginia, when a woman named Anna Jarvis held a memorial to honour her mother who had passed three years earlier, and who first campaigned for Mother's Day to be a recognized holiday in the United States. Today, it is celebrated in numerous countries across … Read More »


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There are so many of life's wonders that because we live with and in Christ, we are blessed to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. We need to sit in awe of God's creation and the path that he has illuminated for us by giving us his only begotten Son. The marvels of his work are plenty and it was demonstrated with the children sitting around Huda looking at all of her special bibles. It is with child-like wonder we can hold onto to look to the world around us, witness the sweetness of the honeycomb and thank God for His creation.
Another awe-inspiring power of God is through His callings. I truly believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and while we might not know it we must listen for his word to provide us direction. I was called back to my faith after many years away. When I journeyed back to church and began to grow further with Jesus Christ, there was another St. Andrean who was always there and has supported my deepening faith – Alex, my church brother. How extraordinary is it that God has called Alex, he has heard the calling, and he will start his studies this fall towards ordained ministry? Today listening to him preach was one of life's moments where you just sit back and say "praise be to God."
They more than gold, yea, much fine gold,
to be desired are:
Than honey, honey from the comb
that droppeth, sweet far.
Psalm 19:10, from the Scottish Psalter of 1650
Colleen G.


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iRadio is joining forces with Lyons Tea and Pieta House to broadcast a special live show on World Mental Health Day. #TimeToTalk will take place in 56 Central on Shop Street in Galway City tonight!
Presented by Dave Duke from the station's late night show The Hub, it will feature a number of high profile guests and campaigners who will share their personal stories and their tips for better mental health. These include David Burke Galway hurler, Choice Music Prize winners Rusangano Family, renowned street artist and illustrator Joe Caslin, Donegal Rose Amy Callaghan, Mayo footballer Donal Vaughan and award-winning mental health blogger Fiona Kennedy. There will also be performances from Midlands-based indie pop band Fallen Lights and Cork singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey.
#TimeToTalk encourages families and friends to put some time aside this World Mental Health Day, boil the kettle and open up to each other over a cup of tea. On average, one in four people will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Pieta House says that's normal and we need to stop pretending it's not.
This is the second year Lyons Tea is partnering with Pieta House to raise awareness and funds for the suicide, self-harm and bereavement care charity. The brand is producing specially marked Pieta House packs of Lyons Original Blend 80s during October, and for every box sold, Lyons will donate 10 cent to Pieta House.
Stephanie Rainey – 100 Like Me
Show Comments


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POPULAR SWEEPS --> $10,000 Cash Giveaway | $12,000 Giveaway | Earn Money Now!
All participant information is being provided to dealmaxx.net. By entering this sweepstakes you will be added to the dealmaxx Deal Hunter news. You are not obligated to remain on this email list in order to win this prize.
Check out The Reebok Real Flex Train 4.0 Sneakers on Amazon – Mens or Womens
Post expires at 11:59pm on Friday September 28th, 2018


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Jump to navigation Jump to search
Oyaki (おやき) is a Japanese dumpling made from fermented buckwheat dough wrapped around a stuffing of Japanese vegetables, fruit, or anko bean paste and then roasted on an iron pan. Oyaki are popular and widely available in Nagano Prefecture which is famous for the dish.
Other websites[change | change source]
- My Home Town and Local Food English language web page describing how oyaki are made at Oyaki Village in Ogawa Village, Nagano Prefecture.
- Oyaki Village website (Japanese)


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Good Morning.
I've been on this website for a little while this morning making some updates. You may have noticed some changes to the homepage. I would like to hear from you now. I would like to hear your wine stories and wine questions. If you would like to reach out to me via the connect page on this site, please do so. With permission, I would respond to your wine questions and shared stories on this blog. You can remain anonymous if you wish. Or if you just want to share a wine story you wish to have posted on this blog, just send it over.
I look forward to reading and answering you questions.
Have a fantastic day!


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The Service of Recognition of Retirement celebrated the ministries of 34 persons. Rev. Lilian Gallo Seagren offered a sermon entitled, "Discipleship in Various Love Languages."
The audio player...
Need to download the file?
Right-click (control-click on a Mac) the link and choose "Save Link As..." to save the audio file to your computer


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Leaders at Work: Raise Your Hand if You Need Help!
He should have raised his hand and asked for help. He didn't. Instead, he shredded thousands of documents in an attempt to destroy the evidence that he was in over his head. How did that work out? The manager went to prison where he died.Read More
The Poisonous Stick Interpretation
The other day on a hike, I jumped out of my skin when I came across a stick that had the same coloration and shape of a copperhead. Obviously, I could only interpret that observation as any sane person would: the stick, wishing to protect itself, used a camouflage design to resemble a deadly snake. No predator in its right mind would attack a copperhead. Similarly, leaders often make all of the right observations but draw completely false conclusions. For example, when a leader sees poor quality, he interprets, I must have lazy, careless employees. When a leader sees declining performance,...Read More
Success Secrets from a 1,300 Year-Old Family Business
What are the success secrets to keeping a business in the family…and keeping it successful…beyond one generation? What success secrets are you passing down to the next generation of leadership in your organization?Read More
Expanding the Team: Orientation and "Fit"
Fit is Everything A few months ago, my wife and business partner, Jocelyn, and I knew we needed to expand our team in the upcoming year. Our top priority was finding the right "fit," especially since ours is a lifestyle business with periods of frequent travel and a blurred line between work and play. Orientation doesn't happen in a moment. When we bring in a new team member, it's for the long haul, so we took the time to get it right. Work with a Professional I contacted an expert to help me find the best potential candidate, and she did all of the pre-screening for us. Each...Read More
Invest Like a Successful Leader
Talking with several financial successful business owners and leaders over dinner, the discussion started on how to invest in solar and wind energy before straying onto another energy investment: emotional energy. Invest In The Right Things If I'm honest, my earliest pictures of success look a lot like Daddy Warbucks and Ebenezer Scrooge, two guys known for stinginess with both time and money. As a child watching these make-believe characters, I assumed that selfishness had a hand in their make-believe successes. But I heard something very different from non-fictional successful...Read More
Success: One of These Things Is Not Like the Others….
Sometimes we just assume that successful people get that way because they are smarter, worker harder,etc. However, I've seen just one trait that all successful people share…Read More


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New music
About the brand « Different »
Everyone is intrinsically Different, if you just BE YOURSELF. The brand "Different" is represented by the logo "III", which signifies the last number in the area code for the nation's capital of Canada, Ottawa (61″3″). The number 3 has been significant to J.C his entire life, and now he has decided to associate his city with a piece of himself.
To be a part of this movement all you have to do is just be you. There are way too many copies of everyone else in this world and not enough originals. Find your own path and your own purpose. If there is none then create one.
In refusing to conform to society's boundaries or to what the majority may view as popular and by choosing to find your own path, you are choosing to be unique and special in your own way. Be different. III
About J.C
Now a university graduate with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, at only the age of 24, J.C has managed to craft a unique and creative sound that distinguishes him from other artists. In doing most of his production by himself, J.C wishes to continue to enhance his skills further and put forth the knowledge and experience he has learnt over the years towards music. J.C has transcribed his life into music ever since he was a little kid and has now decided to make his passion his priority. By using his words through his voice J.C believes that he can help influence and change the world for the better. J.C is an independent artist with no management. Keep an eye out for this underdog because with the right support and his continued persistency and discipline this rapper may be on the come up.


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The following is online bonus content for "Markets on the Move," from Dairy Today's June/July 2012 issue.
David Freedheim, sales consultant with the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), reports on the booming dairy market in Mexico:
- With a population of more than 113 million people, Mexico is one of California's most important export markets, with strong growth for California cheese (even before tariffs were removed), butter and ice cream. California cheese volume at Wal-Mart Mexico rose 38% for the first quarter of 2012 over last year's business alone.
- Mexico is also becoming a market for extended shelf life (ESL) California-standards milk with the mid-June rollout of ESL California-standards milk in 200-plus Wal-Mart locations (150 Superamas, 53 Sam's Clubs), with demo support from the CMAB.
- Pizza is the most significant foodservice market across the globe, including Mexico, where Pizza Hut is now using California cheese in two of its three divisions in the country.


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DORAL, FL--(Marketwired - Nov 24, 2014) - United Data Technologies (UDT) Managed IT as a Service team has experienced a surge of growth in recent months, due to increased demand. In fact, the company was recently named to CRN's Managed Service Provider 500 List and was also recognized as one of the 50 fastest growing IT firms in the U.S. by Everything Channel.
Previously, UDT's Managed IT as a Service (MITaaS) was one of the best-kept secrets. Awareness spread mostly through word of mouth and grew tremendously as clients were impressed by UDT's team of highly skilled IT professionals. Now, UDT has nearly tripled the dedicated team to this booming business function, as well as a state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC), which provides a bird's-eye view of various clients' systems and software, at any given time.
UDT's suite of managed services features five main focus areas that work together to optimize IT infrastructure performance:
1. Service Desk
Serves as a client's single point of contact for all incident, problem-management and request fulfillment.
2. Centralized Services
Includes 24/7 remote monitoring, antivirus software, patch management, backup and disaster recovery management.
3. System Administration
Includes delivered cooperative IT services, which are dedicated, recurring and typically scheduled on site.
4. Virtual Client Advisors
This dedicated team of technology professionals advises clients on the specific solutions that will help them reach their goals.
5. Professional Services
This is UDT's expert escalation tier, which also handles projects that require infrastructure changes and the implementation of new technology.
"We've taken a more consultative approach in recent years," explains EVP of Marketing and Sales, Gerard Amaro. "We're really focused on understanding our clients' pain points because they're opportunities for us to provide the right services and solutions. That's why we're expanding this part of our business and why we have dedicated client advisors -- these are services our clients wanted."
About United Data Technologies (UDT)
UDT is a leading IT firm with locations throughout the Southeastern United States. The company is dedicated to helping customers maximize their investments in IT by reducing the risks, costs and complexity of deploying next generation technology (RC2). It partners with top-tier industry leaders to provide the latest products -- from personal computing and audiovisual infrastructure to customized solutions. UDT believes that your IT experience should always help you "accomplish more." For more information, visit www.udtonline.com.
United Data Technologies (UDT) is a registered trademark and/or trademark of United Data Technologies, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions.


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Is Chanukah not the Festival of Lights?
By Chana Pawliger | Guest Columnist
It started a few weeks ago when we were driving to school and talking about our excitement for the upcoming holiday. My toddler noticed it first- a proud Menorah prominently displayed in the center of the rounded two-story wall of windows on the main floor of a beautiful new office building! My kids and I were thrilled.
I promised the little ones that one of these days we would park and go inside to get a closer look and tell the owner how glad his Menorah made us.
Yesterday was that day. We walked in smiling and told the woman at the front desk that we wanted to see the big Menorah and if the boss wasn't too busy, could we thank him in person? She was eager to help but a bit confused. "A Menorah? I didn't know we had a Menorah here. Inside or outside? In the corner of the building? Let's go see what you mean." She led me and my bouncing children into a hallway, drawing in a curious employee, a nice Jewish boy, to help solve the mystery ("Menorah? I didn't know we had a Menorah. By the way, I know your husband from way back!")
We got to the part of the building that I had indicated, and I looked around. Where was the Menorah? I knew we could see a row of lights from outside… And then it dawned on me. The "Menorah" was not a Menorah at all, but a pendant light fixture with a row of evenly spaced bulbs, hung above a counter in a mini cafeteria. I laughed. It was funny. Strange, slightly embarrassing, definitely disappointing. I felt awful for my children that their Chanukah Miracle was a Chanukah Mistake. I put on a smile and told the kids, "we can pretend it's a real Menorah in our imagination!" and we piled back into the car.
I had the whole drive home to think about it all. Would the company add to the fixture to make it into a Menorah, just for fun? Why aren't there more public displays of this bright and beautiful holiday in our many Jewish businesses and neighborhoods?
Why does it have to be that when we pass a home that is dark and sad-looking in December, we know it is likely a Jewish home? Is a lit up and decorated home inherently Christmas-y? Isn't Chanukah the Festival of Lights?!
I know from what I read on social media that a lot of Jewish families, especially those with children in public school, struggle to make Chanukah as exciting as Christmas for their kids. Let's face it: Christmas looks breathtakingly beautiful on the outside of some of our neighbors' homes. If we string up blue and white lights from the roof, hang a Chanukah wreath on the front door, or put out a cute "Mensch on a bench" on the lawn or the mantel, are we apologizing to our children for our "less-cool" holiday? Are we trying too hard to prove something to our non-Jewish neighbors?
I wrestled with this thought. What is better, a dark house or a house that is decorated in a borrowed-from-Christmas manner? The answer, I believe, is that we have such a rich tradition of our own to draw from in our celebration of the story of Chanukah. We really don't need external input! We have our lights for our holiday- the light of the Menorah. Put a bright menorah on the outside of your home! Put one on your car! Put one in your office window! Let the Jewish children passing by on their way to school know that you are proud of our shared heritage and excited for the beautiful Chag of Chanukah.
In the sea of wreaths and strung lights, your Menorah will be a beacon of light to the many children who are lucky enough to see it this holiday season.
Happy Chanukah!


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Calder Cup Finals Notebook
by Mark Caswell, Jr.Jun 11, 2015
Stay tuned here for updates from the Comets third round series against the Manchester Monarchs. Follow @UticaComets on Twitter and Instagram for photo updates.
Round 1's Notebook can be found here.
Round 2's Notebook can be found here.
Round 3's Notebook can be found here.
FRIDAY, 6/12 - GAMEDAY - Puck drop 7pm
4:46pm: Jeff Lerg, who was signed to a PTO by the Monarchs, just left the arena. He told the arena staff that he had asked for, and been granted, his release. On his way out he said "I have no affiliation to these guys, so....Go Comets!". Drew quite a bit of laughter from those around.
12:39pm: Markstrom is the man in net for the Comets. It is unclear who will be manning the pipes for the Monarchs. Berube did not take morning skate. Neither did MVP Brian O'Neill.
12:03pm: Ask any coach and the most important game is the next game. It is no different tonight. Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals is tonight at The AUD.It's a crucial game for the Comets who can even the series at two games apiece with a win. Preview.
THURSDAY, 6/11 - Off-day
12:17pm: The crowd was at it's best yesterday. We had some NHL-level visitors along with the an opponent that visited for The AUD for the first time. Here is what they had to say about their first taste of Comets fans. Tweets:
I knew it was going to be loud but wow #Utica just blew me away - unreal atmosphere, rink was ROWDY
— Paul Albi (@AlbiJr) June 11, 2015
Impossible to hear ref's whistles in here...Deafeningly loud — Manchester Monarchs (@MonarchsHockey) June 10, 2015
This place is rocking and it's only warmups pic.twitter.com/8nbNqhQRlU
— Manchester Monarchs (@MonarchsHockey) June 10, 2015
So a @UticaComets fan just drank a beer out of a prosthetic leg.But the weird part is - it was the leg of the guy sitting behind him not his — Bailey LA Kings (@BaileyLAKings) June 11, 2015
Utica kills, and their already loud fans somehow find a way to get louder.
— Andy Tonge (@AndyTonge1) June 11, 2015
Whiteout in full effect as @UticaComets hit the ice. This place is LOUD!!! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/NKCx1QLgTz — Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) June 10, 2015
It's so loud that I almost can't even read your tweet. #CalderCup https://t.co/bKTcyMSIZg
— Rob Sanderson (@RSandersonWHTK) June 10, 2015
It was so true!!! #AHL #Comets https://t.co/H7VuSAAstN — Bob Howard (@PPPSHOW) June 11, 2015
1-0 @UticaComets and this is pretty much the loudest Arena in the #AHL, no doubt in my mind! #AHL #PPPShow @Megoriffic @MarkCaswellJr
— Bob Howard (@PPPSHOW) June 10, 2015
12:02pm: Some great coverage coming from Vancouver and Los Angeles that you do not want to miss. Vancouver Canucks perspective | LA Kings perspective
Another great article in the Vancouver Sun talks with Travis Green about his decision to stay in Utica this season - Vancouver Sun - Travis Green
11:49am: Good news out of Comets practice this morning. Darren Archibald skated for the first time since he suffered a lower body injury.
WEDNESDAY, 6/10 - GAMEDAY - Puck drop 7pm
11:43pm: The entire post-game press conference can be viewed below, the spark notes version are below. Post-Game Press Conference
- "The fans gave us a boost right from the start. We've been used to it all year but tonight was definitely the loudest it's been."-O'Reilly
-"Huge win but now we're focused on the next game and tying this series up." -O'Reilly
-"The first period was the best period we've played all year." -O'Reilly
-"You never want to see an injury. You never want to see a guy get hurt on our team or their team." -Markstrom
-"Huge game for us. New day tomorrow." -Markstrom
-"Playing at home, in front of the best fans in the league makes a difference, really easy to get up for these games." -Jensen
-"It's a great place to play. The crowd is the best in the league and they give our guys a big energy boost." -Green
-"Tonight was obviously the best game of the series and we'll need an even better game Friday." -Green
-"Our crowd and our players knew how important this game was." -Green
11:15pm: Interesting night all around here. Let's get to it.
-Injuries to the Monarchs:
-No update from Coach Stothers on Berube or MVP Brian O'Neill.
Don't take our word for it, you're going to want to watch this.
-Injuries on the Comets: -No word on Brandon DeFazio, who left in the waning minutes of the game. He was seen in full gear watching the final seconds which bodes well.
In front of the wildest and loudest Comets crowd yet, the Comets win Game 3 by the score of 3-2. Series now sits at 2-1 in Manchester's favor.
6:54pm: Jake Virtanen, after missing practice due to an illness on Tuesday is out of the line-up. Wacey Hamilton is back in.
12:21pm: Morning skate is complete for both teams, Markstrom vs Berube tonight. Neither Jensen nor Wacey Hamilton took extra skate so it'll be interesting to see who is out tonight.
TUESDAY, 6/9 - Practice Day
10:22am: Just like yesterday, the Calder Cup is in Utica and making stops. It is not scheduled to have any public appearances today, however, it will be going around the tailgate tomorrow during the 4-5pm hour. So keep an eye out for it. You can catch the Cup on the news twice today.
12noon - WKTV
6pm- WUTR
MONDAY, 6/8 - Off-day
1:11pm: The Monarchs added Jeff Lerg to their roster. He is a goaltender from the ECHL.
10:12am: Game photos and highlights are now posted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=envpEaW7tgc
SUNDAY, 6/7 - GAMEDAY - Puck drop 5pm ET
9:39pm: Post-game reactions:
-"We have to stay in the moment and execute one shift at a time." -Huskins
-"They are a well-coached, well-organized team. They won a lot of games for a reason. Speed has served them well." -Huskins
-"It's always tough to lose in overtime. Feel it for a little bit. Can't sulk this time of the year. Have to move on and fix it." -Huskins
-Jensen played well tonight. As a coach you're happy when a guy comes in and scores." -Green
-"I thought it was just time for Jensen to get in the line-up." -Green
-"This time of year, especially in OT, a bounce here or bounce there decides it and they got the bounce tonight." -Green
For the first time all playoffs the Comets dropped back-to-back games after losing 2-1 in overtime.
4:54pm: In a surprise, Nicklas Jensen is in the line-up in place of Wacey Hamilton. Sven Baertschi is good to go.
2:54pm: As expected, no update from Head Coach on Sven Baertschi. We'll keep an eye out to see if he takes pre-game warm-ups.
10:43pm: Post-game reactions:
-"They played a good game. They are a great team." -Green
-"We missed the net six or seven times in the second. We tried to cut our shots too fine." -Green
-"They established a better forecheck tonight. We'll watch the tape and make adjustments for tomorrow." -Green
-"We didn't play our best tonight. Manchester probably deserved to win tonight. We'll come back stronger tomorrow." -Green
-"We almost stole one from them. We have to play a lot better if we're going to take this series." -Conacher
-"They are faster than any other team we've played this year. We need to a little bit more physical." -Conacher
-"If we can pepper more shots on net and create more traffic in front of the goalie we can score." -Conacher
-"They are a good team.We didn't have our best tonight which put us behind the 8-ball. Marky played a great game and kept us in it."-O'Reilly
-"It's great having all those Utica fans here tonight." - O'Reilly
The Comets dropped Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals in overtime by the score of 3-2.
11:52pm: Some odds and ends stats.
-295 miles separates Utica and Manchester. It is the closest Calder Cup Finals match-up since Adirondack vs New Haven in 1989 (200 miles).
-Three times the host of the AHL's All-Star Classic has played in the Calder Cup Finals. 2000 (Rochester), 2014 (St. John's), now Utica. Those teams are 0-2 in the Finals.
-The AHL MVP has played in the Calder Cup Finals in each of the past eight years. The MVP's team is 6-1 in those series.
-Averaging a height of 6'2", the Monarchs will be the biggest defensive corp the Comets have faced since they played Chicago (6'3").
10:46am: Morning skate has concluded, those seeing extra ice time, meaning they won't be in action tonight, were Travis Ehrhardt, Nicklas Jensen, Andrey Pedan, John Negrin, and Joseph LaBate.
9:54am: On paper the Manchester Monarchs appear to have an edge in almost every way except in net. While there is no substitute for combatants squaring off themselves in the ring, this series preview attempts to breakdown what you'll see, and forecasts just what the Comets need to do to win the coveted Calder Cup.
8:15am: Wrapping up the craziness that was the past 48 hours. The Mayors of Manchester and Utica made a bet: The Mayor's Bet Tickets to Games 3, 4, and 5 of the Calder Cup Finals sold out in just over two hours: Two Hours and Four Minutes for Three SelloutsA guest wrote about what this special season means to Utica: Guest Column
8:02pm. The first fan is in line. Tickets go on sale at 10am. pic.twitter.com/J6QpCiEZXI — Comets #BuiltForThis (@UticaComets) June 5, 2015
FRIDAY, 6/5 - Off-day
9:49pm: Take a moment and watch the newest ##BuiltForThisMoment video from Game 6. Warning, if you're in bed don't watch. You'll have a hard time falling asleep. 6:23pm: The team traveled by bus to Manchester, NH Thursday afternoon, and arrived around 6pm. Around 1pm they took their first Calder Cup Finals practice with everyone looking good to go. The only players that did not make the trip were Darren Archibald and Carter Bancks. Both are still tending to lower body injuries.


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Reeder App
Article posted on Mar 22, 2011
I know some folks say RSS is dying. Apparently, those folks haven't seen the number of feeds I subscribe to. I have tried many feed readers over the years and I have to say Reeder is my new favorite!
Article posted on Mar 22, 2011
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Welcome to another episode of Geek Bytes Podcast.
We bring you the week's Geek and Tech news and then discuss anything we're interesting in that week.
Don't forget to subscribe to us on Itunes, Stitcher or any podcatching app, and Leave a good review if you like the podcast.
I'm Ramon Mejia…….I'm Edgar Acosta
In Geek News this week, we'll talk about President Obama's clean energy plan, how HitchBot was decapitated in Philly, Never Buy Ink Cartridges again, Microsoft's Gamescon announcements, the New World of Warcraft expansion, Kevin Smith auctioning Jorts for Charity, Dragonball Z RESURRECTION , Sony massive reboot, an X-Men TV series, a Dungeons and Dragons movie, the Death of a "Rowdy" Roddy Piper , Trailers of the Week, and more
In our Discussions section we'll talk about our review of the Fantastic 4 movie
For the Full Show Notes Click Here


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Aug 31, 2017
John Lewis to sell plumbers and builders
Finding the right person to handle jobs around your home has always been a difficult task. John Lewis has already spent the summer testing out its Home Solutions service in Milton Keynes. "As a trusted retailer of home products, our customers often ask us if we can help them with tasks in their homes," said Tom Athron, who is group development director at the John Lewis Partnership. "We have taken a lot of care to find professionals who will deliver service to the standard that people expect from John Lewis." All the work done will be covered by a one-year John Lewis guarantee.
Related companies
Make a complaint about John Lewis by viewing their customer service contacts.


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You can throw a hurricane at us.
You can give us unreasonable building inspectors.
You can give us snow, freezing rain and frigid cold.
But we can build a new room, rip off siding & a roof, do internal demo and get this job started anyway.
Day #8
More to come.


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Discus specific topics in our friendly Christian forums.
What follows is Part 1 of a series from The Christian Post, I thought I may be worth reproducing it here as there is so much in the news of late about Transgenderism. As Christians we need to have the information so as to be able to respond.
Editor's Note: This is Part 1 in a Christian Post series on how Christians should respond to transgenderism.
The percentage of American adults who identify as transgender has doubled over the past decade to about 1.4 million people. And that number is expected to increase, especially as more children are now beginning to identify as someone of the opposite gender.
The Christian Post is launching this series on transgenderism as children as young as 3 are being increasingly told that it's normal to change their gender identity and as parents and institutions are being forced to accommodate and embrace transgender children.
The first part of the series will offer an overview of the science and the few studies that were done to better understand why people identify as transgender.
To begin with, let's define some terms.
Sex is assigned at birth. It "refers to one's biological status as either male or female, and is associated primarily with physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone prevalence, and external and internal anatomy."
Gender "refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys and men or girls and women. These influence the ways that people act, interact, and feel about themselves. While aspects of biological sex are similar across different cultures, aspects of gender may differ."
Transgender is "an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behaviour does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth."
Gender identity "refers to a person's internal sense of being male, female or something else."
Gender dysphoria (also known as gender identity disorder): "formal diagnosis given by mental health professionals to people who experience distress because of a significant incongruence between the gender with which they personally identify and the gender with which they were born."
The Science
Currently, little is known about what causes some people to reject their biological sex and identify with the opposite gender.
Previous research findings — much of it on the brain — have led some to conclude that being transgender is not a choice. But not all researchers are on board with that conclusion.
So is there a biological basis for being transgender?
Here's a look at some of the studies often cited by those who argue that transgender persons are born that way.
In 1995, a study by the Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research showed "a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals."
Researchers had looked at a part of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc) — a brain area that is essential for sexual behavior and is larger in men than in women. They found that male-to-female transsexuals had a female-sized BSTc.
The researchers also noted that "the size of the BSTc was not influenced by sex hormones in adulthood and was independent of sexual orientation."
In a follow-up study in 2000, the same research institutions looked at the neurons — specialized cells that transmit information — in the BSTc. More specifically, they examined the number of somatostatin-expressing neurons. They found that men had almost twice as many somatostatin neurons as women.
Male-to-female transsexuals had a similar number of neurons in the BSTc to that of women. The number of neurons in a female-to-male transsexual was similar to that of men.
Researchers concluded that there could be a "neurobiological basis of gender identity disorder."
In 2009, the UCLA School of Medicine's Department of Neurology analyzed MRI data of 24 male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals not yet treated with cross-sex hormones. Researchers found that "regional gray matter variation in MTF transsexuals is more similar to the pattern found in men than in women. However, MTF transsexuals show a significantly larger volume of regional gray matter in the right putamen compared to men."
This finding, UCLA researchers said, "supports the assumption that brain anatomy plays a role in gender identity."
An additional study that has led some to make similar conclusions that being transgender is caused by genetics is a 2013 one on twins by the Pacific Center for Sex and Society in Hawaii.
Researchers use the twin study design to determine whether a trait is due to genes. Identical twins share nearly 100 percent of their genes and are raised in the same family environments whereas fraternal twins share around half their genes. Thus, "if a trait is more common among identical twins than fraternal twins, it suggests genetic factors are partly responsible."
The Pacific Center researchers analyzed over 100 sets of twins where at least one had transitioned from one gender to the other. They found a 28.38 percent concordance among identical twins compared to a 0.34 percent concordance among fraternal twins — meaning the identical twins are more likely to both be transgender than fraternal twins are.
The results from all of these studies have been presented by many as evidence that there is a genetic basis for transgender identity.
Nevertheless, research on transgenderism is still in its infancy and there have been no "irrefutable conclusions," Reuters recently reported.
Currently, the "largest-ever study of its kind" is underway with scientists from five research institutions — including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, George Washington University and Boston Children's Hospital — exploring whether there is a genetic factor behind the existence of transgender persons.
In the meantime, findings from the aforementioned studies have been rejected by some as inconclusive or even accepted as evidence that there is no genetic cause.
Michelle Cretella, a board certified pediatrician with an interest in adolescent mental and sexual health who is also the president of the American College of Pediatricians, a conservative organization, told The Christian Post that the twin study from 2013 shows that transgender identity is not something one is born with.
"If transgenderism were 'hard wired by factors before birth,' then every identical twin would have the same gender identity, but they do not. Transgenderism is in the mind, not in the body," Cretella said. "This is why there is no medical test that can diagnose a person as transgender; we must simply take the individual's word for it because only the individual knows what he or she is thinking and feeling."
As for the research on brain structure, scholars at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland released a report in 2016, arguing that there is not enough definitive scientific evidence available to suggest that gay, lesbian and transgender individuals are born that way.
Lawrence S. Mayer and Paul R. McHugh argued that the studies had small sample sizes and need further scientific consideration.
"The question is not simply whether there are differences between the brains of transgender individuals and people identifying with the gender corresponding to their biological sex, but whether gender identity is a fixed, innate, and biological trait, even when it does not correspond to biological sex, or whether environmental or psychological causes contribute to the development of a sense of gender identity in such cases," they contended. "Neurological differences in transgender adults might be the consequence of biological factors such as genes or prenatal hormone exposure, or of psychological and environmental factors such as childhood abuse, or they could result from some combination of the two.
"There are no serial, longitudinal, or prospective studies looking at the brains of cross-gender identifying children who develop to later identify as transgender adults. Lack of this research severely limits our ability to understand causal relationships between brain morphology, or functional activity, and the later development of gender identity different from biological sex."
Hormone Therapy
A 2014 study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute — UCLA School of Law's think tank — showed that more than 4 in 10 trans men and trans women tried to commit suicide. The prevalence of suicide attempts was highest among those who are younger (18 to 24).
Puberty suppression therapy through hormone intervention is increasingly being recommended for children with gender dysphoria and at younger ages. Advocates argue that puberty blockers may improve the mental health of transgender adolescents on the grounds that puberty can be "unbearable" for transgender teens.
A 2011 study that analyzed 70 adolescents who received puberty suppression between 2000 and 2008 found that behavioral and emotional problems and depressive symptoms decreased after the puberty blocking treatment. The study concluded that "puberty suppression may be considered a valuable contribution in the clinical management of gender dysphoria in adolescents."
Although advocates claim that puberty blockers are safe and reversible, others argue that it can do more harm than good.
Cretella told CP that puberty blockers have been associated with possible bone damage in young women, as well as obesity, and testicular cancer in men and cognitive deficits.
"More importantly, when a child is placed on blockers between the ages of 9 and 12, followed seamlessly (or concurrently) with cross-sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen), the child is rendered permanently sterile," she warned.
In a June 2017 report, Mayer, McHugh and Paul Hruz, associate professor of Pediatrics, Endocrinology and Diabetes at Washington University in St. Louis, warned that physicians and parents are endangering children when they expose them to puberty-blocking hormone therapy considering that it has not been adequately researched yet.
"[U]ntil controlled clinical trials of puberty suppression are carried out, this intervention should be considered experimental," the report states.
Hruz contended: "In essence, what is being done with these children is uncontrolled experimentation on them and they are not even being told that they are being experimented on. It is not presented in that way."
The scholars also noted that gender dysphoria in children does not often persist into adulthood.
In biological males, persistence of gender dysphoria has ranged from 2.2 to 30 percent, and in biological females, persistence has ranged from 12 to 50 percent, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Mayer, who recently retired as professor of statistics and biostatistics at Arizona State University and scholar-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University, warned in an interview with CP that putting children through hormone therapy could almost eliminate the possibility that gender dysphoria will stop persisting into adulthood.
"The benefits are that you will have this person to be more comfortable in their identity," he said. "But what choice do you give a kid who has been without hormones for three years? And now, a lot of these kids may just go along. You are foreclosing on the chance for them to return to a gender identity consistent with their biological sex."
Sex Reassignment Surgery
According to the Encyclopedia of Surgery, the number of gender reassignment procedures conducted in the United States each year is estimated at between 100 and 500.
Transitioning to the opposite sex requires several surgeries.
For males transitioning to females, Cretella explained that one would need facial reconstruction, reduction of the Adam's apple, breast implants, surgical castration, and surgery to remove the penis and construct a "neovagina." The neovagina is "really just a pouch," she noted. Also, the urinary tract must be re-routed.
As for females looking to become men, Cretella explained that the the patient may obtain a double mastectomy (removal of breasts), hysterectomy (removal of all or part of the uterus), and an oophorectomy (removal of ovaries).
"But many only go through with the double mastectomy," Cretella noted.
She told CP that even though genital surgery is not recommended before the age of 18, some surgeons are performing procedures on patients of younger ages.
Although advocates say that hormone therapy and sex reassignment may improve the mental health of transsexuals, an extensive long-term study conducted in Sweden by scholars at the Karolinska Institute and Gothenburg University concluded that "persons with transsexualism, after sex reassignment, have considerably higher risks for mortality, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric morbidity than the general population."
The study analyzed 324 sex-reassigned persons (191 male-to-females, 133 female-to-males) for over 30 years after their gender transitions from a period of 1973 to 2003.
"Our findings suggest that sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism, and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group," the study reads.
Cretella told CP that the Sweden study is "the best study we have."
"Initially, most subjects reported feeling relief and experienced improved social functioning. Beginning at 10 years out, however, rates of depression and anxiety began to rise significantly," Cretella said. "By 30 years following surgery the completed suicide rate was nearly 20 times that of the general population. Transgender activists are quick to point out that it is possible that transgender identified individuals denied surgery might experience even higher suicide rates (we do not have that data), but all experts agree that hormones and surgery are clearly not the cure many proclaim them to be."
Mayer and McHugh's 2016 report considered the Sweden study to be "one of the more robust and well-designed studies to examine outcomes for persons who underwent sex-reassignment surgery." However, "the study did not compare outcome variables before and after sex-reassignment surgery; only outcomes after surgery were evaluated."
In analyzing various reports and studies on whether reassignment surgeries have a positive effect on a transgender person's mental health, Mayer and McHugh concluded that a "skeptical view" should be taken "toward the claim that sex-reassignment procedures provide the hoped-for benefits or resolve the underlying issues that contribute to elevated mental health risks among the transgender population."
"While we work to stop maltreatment and misunderstanding, we should also work to study and understand whatever factors may contribute to the high rates of suicide and other psychological and behavioral health problems among the transgender population, and to think more clearly about the treatment options that are available," the report stated.
(c) The Christian Post August 10th, 2017
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All Saints' Day, is celebrated on the night of October 31 and all day November 1. It is a Christian festival that has become more famous in recent years because of its US variant with costumes and music. However, the more classic version of the holiday continues to triumph in many places, Spain being one of them.
Every year in Spain the controversy is rekindled and we argue about whether Halloween is an "imported" holiday or not and about how "disrespectful and sinister" it is. But if we take a closer look, we can see that there are traditions in Spain that may just rival this "dark festival." Let's take a look at a few examples.
Hispanic day is celebrated on October 12. It commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival to America; but – historical curiosities – it is not the only October 12 important to Spanish speaking countries. Take a look at a few more.
Continue reading…
You're in a café in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville… it's time to go, you ask for the check and the moment you've feared has come… How much do you leave for a tip?
You're not the only one who has asked this question. Many tourists and students who come to our country don't know how much money they should leave to show their gratitude for good service.
Continue reading…
Coming to a new country is always exciting. But you can't help feeling disoriented and confused for the first few days, especially when you want to organize some kind of activity or trip. So, we've come up with this list of answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we get, to help you feel a little more at home.
If we say "Spain" you probably think sun, beach, waves… but right now, fall is almost here. And does that mean the best time of year in Spain has passed? Of course not!
We must admit that for some unknown reason, we Spanish people consider ourselves to be the reference for others in matters related to passion and romance. As such, we won't let you down as we give you some ideas and advice for this Valentine's Day and what you can do to blend in and make this day as Spanish as possible. So, take note!
Continue reading…
If there is anything that differentiates the Carnival in Cádiz form the rest of the Carnival celebrations around the world, it would be that in Cádiz, for an entire week, the celebration is held almost exclusively in the street. Music and good feelings flood the city during this time, but before this street party kicks off a contest is held in the Gran Teatro Falla to determine the best Carnival associations.
These associations, or agrupaciones, are comprised of choruses, comparsas, quartets and chirigotas. These groups dress in costumes and sing about current events, often with biting social commentary. In this contest, they will try to outwit and outdo the other groups with the hope of being the winner in their class.
The choruses (or coros) are the largest associations that include different musical instruments baking up a large vocal section. Even though quartets (or cuartetos) implies four people, these groups are actually formed by three to five people and don't rely on instruments. Finally, there are the comparsas and chirigotas which have many similarities.
Like the comparsas, chirigotas sing while accompanied by guitars, a bass drum, a caja (a typical Andalusian percussion instrument common in flamenco) and the famous pito or güiro (kazoo), but what is the difference?
Compared to the chirigota, the comparsa is an association that is offers a more critical view of society and current and social events. Their lyrics tend to be more poetic with a more social message and their purpose isn't necessarily to be funny. The groups are formed by 12 to 15 members and comprised of different voices like octavilla (singing two notes above the tenor), contralto, tenor and segunda (baritone). The structure of a typical comparsa is the following: presentation, pasodobles, cuplés, chorus and medley.
The Chirigotas also offers original and witty lyrics with the purpose of making people laugh. These associations are comprised of between seven and 15 people whose voices range from contralto, tenor and baritone. A typical chirigota has 5 fundamental parts: presentation, pasodobles x2, cuplés x2, chorus (repeated after each cuplé) and medley.
Do you want to know more about Carnival in Spain? Then don't miss our article in Enforex.com
Only recently have we started celebrating Halloween in Spain. True: it is not an official holiday, and some people don't like it because it is "imported" or "disrespectful to the dead;" but it is also very popular and it becomes more so every year. Continue reading…
It is said that on the last Wednesday of August of 1945, a group of friends caused one of the participants of the Giants and Big-Heads parade to fall down in a village near Valencia. The injured citizen, in a fit of explosive rage, began chasing the gang throwing at them anything he found on his way. He finally arrived to a vegetable peddler and, realizing how effective can this ammunition be, started throwing tomatoes at the kids.
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