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In general, the lipid mediators derived from the n-6 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) arachidonic acid are pro-inflammatory and pronociceptive (increase pain), while those from n-3 LC-PUFAs are less inflammatory. DHA and EPA (found in fish oil) also give rise to several compounds (resolvins, protectins and maresins) that are anti-inflammatory, pro-resolving and pain-reducing. These distinctions suggest that dietary manipulations to reduce n-6 PUFAs and increase n-3 LC-PUFAs might contribute to the effective management of pain.
This study was designed to explore this in patients with chronic daily headache. The patients were assigned to either:
diet high in n-3 LC-PUFAs (long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids) and low in linoleic acid (n-6 fatty acid)
diet only low in linoleic acid.
The investigators examined headache-related clinical outcomes, red blood cell fatty acids and pro- and anti-nociceptive derivatives of these PUFA families. The primary outcome was headache hours per day.
Sixty-seven participants were recruited who had headaches ≥ 4 hours per day for ≥ 15 days per month for at least 3 months and a headache history of ≥ 2 years under physician headache management. Participants with headaches secondary to head or neck trauma, cranial or cervical vascular disorder, substance use or withdrawal and certain other conditions were ineligible. A neurologist classified the type of headache as chronic migraine, chronic daily headache with migraine features or chronic daily headache without migraine. Approximately 87% of participants were female, with an average age of 42 years.
After a 4-week run-in phase, participants were randomly allocated to consume either the low n-6 PUFA/high n-3 LC-PUFA diet or the low n-6 PUFA diet for 12 weeks.
The investigators calculated the total highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA, unsaturated fatty acids with ≥ 4 double bonds) in the red blood cells and the proportion of n-6 PUFA in the total HUFA, as well as the n-3 index, the sum of EPA and DHA. They measured anti-nociceptive mediators derived from EPA and DHA, pro-nociceptive mediators derived from linoleic and arachidonic acids.
To assess headache-related disability, participants completed the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) at randomization and on the final day of the 12-week intervention and completed a daily headache diary for the run-in and experimental periods to determine the number of headache days. The HIT-6 test covers six categories of the effects of headache. The investigators monitored the number and type of medications used at the beginning and end of the study.
At 12 weeks, both groups had significant improvements in all clinical outcomes, but the improvements were significantly greater in those on the low n-6/high n-3 LC-PUFA diet. There were also significantly fewer patients on the low n-6/high n-3 LC-PUFA diet who used any pain-related acute or adjunctive medication at the end of the study compared with baseline.
Both groups achieved significant reductions in red blood cell n-6 HUFA score and significant increases in the omega-3 index, with changes substantially greater in the low n-6/high n-3 LC-PUFA group. It is worth noting that simply reducing the consumption of n-6 PUFAs without adding n-3 LC-PUFAs was associated with a significant increase in red blood cell EPA and DHA. Only the low n-6/high n-3 LC-PUFA group had significantly reduced red blood cell arachidonic acid levels (change, 14.3 to 12.3, P = 0.001 vs 14.2 to 13.2, NS), even though the low n-6 PUFA group reduced their dietary intake of arachidonic acid by half. This observation suggests that red blood cell concentrations of arachidonic acid are tightly regulated.
The low-n-6/high n-3 LC-PUFA diet was also associated with significant increases in the precursors of EPA- and DHA-derived resolvins, which have anti-nociceptive properties, and decreases in several pro-nociceptive eicosanoid derivatives of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Interestingly, the low n-6 PUFA diet was associated with lower levels of some pro-nociceptive derivative HETEs, even though their precursor levels did not change. This group also had increased anti-nociceptive precursors, which was probably related to the higher EPA and DHA levels observed in their red blood cells. The authors suggest that these changes might have resulted from reduced metabolic competition between n-6 and n-3 LC-PUFAs.
The key finding from this study was the significant marked reduction in chronic headache pain, as observed in fewer headache hours per day, fewer headache days per month and clinically improved quality of life among chronic headache patients consuming a diet low in n-6 PUFA and high in n-3 LC-PUFAs. There were modest improvements in headache pain with the low n-6 PUFA diet (Table), but none were comparable to the changes with the combined dietary PUFA alterations. The combined dietary changes were also associated with a significant reduction in the consumption of acute and chronic pain medications and red blood cell arachidonic acid concentrations. Changes in the concentrations of the PUFA-derived anti- and pro-nociceptive mediators, such as resolvins and prostaglandins suggest that these substances might contribute to the clinical improvements observed. More detailed studies could confirm and extend these observations.
These results were superior to other studies that simply supplemented with EPA and DHA without restricting n-6 fats.
This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing clinical usefulness of fish oil supplementation in the context of other dietary fatty acid intake.
Targeted alteration of dietary n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for the treatment of chronic headaches: a randomized trial
Ramsden CE, Faurot KR, Zamora D, Suchindran CM, Macintosh BA, Gaylord S, Ringel A, Hibbeln JR, Feldstein AE, Mori TA, Barden A, Lynch C, Coble R, Mas E, Palsson O, Barrow DA, Mann JD.
Pain. 2013 Nov;154(11):2441-51. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.07.028. Epub 2013 Jul 22.
Omega-3 and n-6 fatty acids are biosynthetic precursors to lipid mediators with antinociceptive and pronociceptive properties. We conducted a randomized, single-blinded, parallel-group clinical trial to assess clinical and biochemical effects of targeted alteration in dietary n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for treatment of chronic headaches. After a 4-week preintervention phase, ambulatory patients with chronic daily headache undergoing usual care were randomized to 1 of 2 intensive, food-based 12-week dietary interventions: a high n-3 plus low n-6 (H3-L6) intervention, or a low n-6 (L6) intervention. Clinical outcomes included the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6, primary clinical outcome), Headache Days per month, and Headache Hours per day. Biochemical outcomes included the erythrocyte n-6 in highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) score (primary biochemical outcome) and bioactive n-3 and n-6 derivatives. Fifty-six of 67 patients completed the intervention. Both groups achieved targeted intakes of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. In intention-to-treat analysis, the H3-L6 intervention produced significantly greater improvement in the HIT-6 score (-7.5 vs -2.1; P<0.001) and the number of Headache Days per month (-8.8 vs -4.0; P=0.02), compared to the L6 group. The H3-L6 intervention also produced significantly greater reductions in Headache Hours per day (-4.6 vs -1.2; P=0.01) and the n-6 in HUFA score (-21.0 vs -4.0%; P<0.001), and greater increases in antinociceptive n-3 pathway markers 18-hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acid (+118.4 vs +61.1%; P<0.001) and 17-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid (+170.2 vs +27.2; P<0.001). A dietary intervention increasing n-3 and reducing n-6 fatty acids reduced headache pain, altered antinociceptive lipid mediators, and improved quality-of-life in this population.


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The Purpose of Team Building
"Team Building" has become a catch phrase; an excuse for a day of team mini golf or ping pong tournaments, or general "morale events". At Adventura, we know about team building We live it and breathe it with our team of experienced facilitators, our workshops that have been tested and honed over many years, and our dedication to building collaboration and communication.
Team building, for us, is not simply about creating friendships with coworkers and having fun with your team. It is working toward bettering ourselves and becoming more whole people. We work from those basic values to strengthen your team from the individual out. In any relationship, being a better person, with stronger communication skills contributes to a stronger bond. It's no different with interpersonal work relationships.
This is what we offer Our goal is not to be your friend. We want to help you understand yourselves better, improve decision making skills, support each other, and become better humans.
Why is Adventura Your Pick for Team Building Near Sky Mountain?
Adventura is the only company of its kind in the pacific northwest. Our facilitators are second to none in the art of experience-based learning. Our clients receive exactly what they sign up for: straight forward team building from a seasoned team. We will help you define your team building priorities, and we will help you achieve your goals.
We don't offer online assessments, powerpoint presentations or listicles, just pure, direct interaction, communication, and exploration between humans.
We want to help your team improve, and we have a unique point of view to share with you. Our workshops are designed combining our knowledge of team building and what we know about your company and team. Our facilitators are highly qualified and ready to guide you and your team through your selected workshops.
How is Experienced-Based Learning Useful for Team Building?
It is all about practice and mastery: Can you dance? Do you know how to write amazing code? Do you know how to play an instrument well? How did you learn your skills? Through practice of course. It isn't sufficient to just be told a thing. Hearing does not equal seeing, seeing does not equal knowing, and know does not equal doing Applying knowledge to practice, this is our objective. The process of developing skills via experience is embedded within us all. Our goal here at Adventura is to guide our clients through the transition from knowing to applying.
How to we make the jump from typical work-mode to practice-mode? This questions is key in how we make the most of team building time investment We are here to create this shift in focus. We use experience-based learning to do it.
Meet Our Team Building Crew serving Sky Mountain, King County
We have high expectations for our Team Building practitioners. They are a highly skilled group, motivated to work with you toward achieving your goals. The work we do is both demanding and rewarding. Our team is committed to making a long term impact in a few days, or sometimes even hours.
Typically we look for candidates with degrees in Organizational Psychology with an emphasis on experience-based learning. Our Team members should be committed to our values, and they should be able to communicate those to our clients.
Do You Need Team Building?
We have worked with a lot of individuals and teams, and we're confident that anyone and everyone would be able to find value in our workshops. We spend time improving communication, self discovery, and collaboration. These are skills that are completely transferable from work to life.
We tend to work well with groups of 25-40. This seems to be the sweet spot for positive interaction. If you do have a larger group, be sure to contact us so we can create and event around your needs.
In our experience, these are the types of teams and companies that most benefit from our team building workshops:
- Small businesses (less than 40 employees)
- Executive leadership teams
- Small to medium business with less than 150 employees
- Teams with new leadership
- And more!
Team Building in the Long Term
There has been an extensive amount of studies done on the benefits of team building. It's been almost universally found that team building should be required, not just encouraged.
Long term benefits from Team Building are clear. Well conducted team building workshops can change the direction of whole companies and the lives of their employees. This kind of development improves morale and communication, builds respect and camaraderie, and encourages productivity. Developing skills in team building, the way we do at Adventura, can have long term, positive impacts on every area of life.
Team building can highlight different problem solving approaches, work styles, and different strengths and in doing so, it can break down barriers between individuals. It can create an atmosphere of appreciate by revealing what each team member contributes to their workplace. By working together to complete a task, the multiplicity of skills within the team can be highlighted and acknowledged. Our team building workshops give coworkers a healthy environment to practice problem solving and communication in real time.
Teaming building has lasting effects on:
- Creating a workplace where respect and individual strengths are appreciated.
- Strengthening interpersonal communication
- Encouraging productivity through a more positive workplace.
- Featuring strengths to inspire creativity.
Some Feedback We Have Received
We take deep pride in the work we do and the results we produce. We receives lots of real time feedback, due to the interpersonal nature of our events. These are some of our favorite comments:
"This is the workshop we needed years ago. I'm relieved that we've finally found a company that helps us to be better people".
"It all makes sense now. I actually understand why conflict exists in the team and there is no closing our eyes anymore."
"Not only did this communication skills workshop make a huge difference for the team, it made a huge impact with my family."
"Every company out there, that really cares about having a healthy dynamic, should hire you all."
"Best workshop I've encountered in 35 years."
What to Expect From Our Team Building Workshops in King County, WA
It would be impossible to tell you exactly what happens at our team building workshops because every experience is a little different. Each is structures around what your team brings in the door with them. It is a collaboration between our team and yours. Your team is there for the work. We will be your guides.
We make it fun. It can be intense. At times it's relaxed. Sometimes it is eye-opening. Your experience is up to you.The experience you have is entirely up to you. You will only be as successful as you are prepared to be. What we ask is that you arrive open and honest, and ready to take your experience seriously. We will meet you where you are. It's going to be hard work, but if are up for it, and ready to put in the effort, the results can be life changing.
We have the experience to believe in our process And we've found that this gives us the experience based faith to believe in you.
Types of Team Building Workshops with Adventura
The Essentials Team Building Workshop
This workshop does just what its title indicates. It hits on the fundamentals of healthy team dynamics. We offer your team a look at the foundation of trust and communication.
This workshop takes a look at what is important to a team and what is essential to YOUR team." We utilize collaboration, humor, and adventure to help folks find out what works in creating a team. In this approach, each person is given to opportunity to experience exactly how a healthy team can help the individual.
This workshop utilizes activities, games, and sometimes climbing in order to guide participants towards a healthy dialogue. Fun and laughter is encouraged as we take participants toward a deeper level of learning and developing together.
The final goal is better communication, increased interactive creativity, and the ability to work together as a team. Read more
The True Colors Team Building Workshop
Seventeen questions, four colors, and a day to change everything. Our True Colors workshop is available in three variations.
We truly craft this workshop around our clients. Your experience could range from one day of team building exercises, all the way to a three day deep dive of self exploration. What we offer is a journey toward self-awareness and team dynamics, collaboration, and communication. Our 3-day retreat gives participants an all encompassing experience in skill development and implementation, knowledge and practice. It is during these 3-day retreats that participants can truly change their approach to communication and self discovery. This can lead to powerful results. Read more
What is Adventura?
Adventura is an experiential based education company that is located in Washington that specializes in aerial course adventures and team building. We are an experiential education company located in Woodinville Washington and that specializes in aerial course adventures and team building events. We create unique memories, experiences, and adventures that span from a single afternoon to a life- changing weekend retreat.
We will support your corporate events, individualized adventures, and team building needs. Our values are simplicity and honesty in our work and we craft all of our adventures with this in mind.
Our team here at Adventura has adopted a lifestyle that is centered on the pursuit of happiness through outdoor activity, and a commitment to experiential learning. We share a passion for engaging every-single-human and creating a one-of-a-kind experience and connection with our customers. We've received overwhelmingly positive feedback from those we work with, and this tells us we are achieving our goals.
Contact Us and We'll Answer All of your Team Building Questions
Giving your employees tools to build more positive team dynamics can change the direction of a company. It can be the turning point you need to increase productivity, morale, dedication, and creativity. These positive changes can have a direct impact of the success for your company.
We want to work with you to help define what team building means to you and your team. We want to give you a positive experience in our team building workshops that you may not have expected. We will push you and guide you to new levels of self awareness. You may expect to have improved company morale, but we've found that our workshops can have a deeper change. They can change how an individual approaches their life.
We've created this one-of-a-kind program for a reason. We believe in the value of developing team building skills, and we believe that you can take the skills you learn in our workshops and translate them into other all areas of your life. We have passion for interpersonal growth and we want to share that with you today.
We would love the chance to work with you. call 1.866.981.8665, or email: email@example.com today to find out more about our events and workshops.
Mission Statement
Adventura is dedicated to team dynamics, human behavior, and crafting experiences to explore what it takes to be a team.

subset: commoncrawl


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Technical Support Analyst - Tier 2
Dropbox builds simple, powerful products for people and businesses. 500 million people around the world use Dropbox to work the way they want, on any device, wherever they go. With 200,000 businesses on Dropbox Business, we're transforming everyday workflows and entire industries.
We believe technology should get out of the way, so there's no limit to what people can do. We're a thoughtful, tightly-knit team that's committed to realizing ambitious ideas.
We're building the next great technology company and have partnered with ManpowerGroup, a world leader in workforce solutions, to support our contractor recruitment programme across EMEA.
We are looking for Tier 2 Analysts to come join our team on a 6-month contract basis!
You will be working with a thoughtful, tightly-knit team that's committed to realizing ambitious ideas. The Customer Experience team simplifies how users and customers interact with Dropbox. They focus on understanding the customer journey as well as where they can simplify interactions and improve the Customer Experience.
Responsibilities include:
- Gain a solid knowledge of the Dropbox product offerings
- Gain in-depth knowledge of one Dropbox area (e.g. Billing & Payments, Mobile, etc.)
- Communicate complex technical information to technical and non-technical users
- Delight users through reactive support on multiple channels including email, phone and chat
- Give guidance to T1 agnets on escalated tickets
- Provide a high quality and friendly user experience
- 1-2 years of work experience, preferably in tier 2 tech support related role
- Fluency in English is required
- You have existing interest and knowledge of Dropbox
- You can communicate complex technical information in user-friendly ways
- You can complete set tasks in a timely and effective manner
Want to know more about life inside Dropbox?
If you are interested in this position.. APPLY NOW!!
Or if you have a friend who might be interested, tell them about this amazing opportunity!
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THIS TALK IS THE AUGUST CD OF THE MONTH. THE MP3 IS NOW AVAILABLE. THE CD WILL BE AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2019.Click Here for a PDF ofô Selections from Letter to the Youth, by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II's papacy is marked by the ways he engaged with and was loved by the youth. Scores of young people were drawn to him from around the world by a magnetism that continues even today, in his ... [More]
Dr. Christopher Blum, Academic Dean of the Augustine Institute, unfolds the inspiring life of St. Teresa of ûvila and her important role in the Catholic Reformation. He shares how, after having already been a nun for twenty years, she had a radical transformation in her own life and then went on to become one of the most powerful forces for bringing about conversion and positive change in the his... [More]
Order now to get 20% off! Retail Price: 59.95 Sale Price: 47.96 This six-episode series explores the lives of Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Thomas More, Francis de Sales, Philip Neri, Charles Borromeo, and Teresa of Avila. As True Reformers introduces you to these great saints, youãll want to stay friends with them for life, even unto eternity, as you discover how they spearheaded th... [More]
Order now to get 20% off! Retail Price: 79.95 Sale Price: 63.96 Get the full experience of True Reformers with this Kit including the DVD box set (six episodes on three DVDs) and the corresponding Study Guide. In True Reformers, Dr. Christopher Blum explores the lives of six saints who spearheaded the Churchãs rebirth after the turbulence and confusion caused by the Protestant Re... [More]
Order now to get 20% off! Retail Price: 79.95 Sale Price: 63.96 This engaging and accessible Study Guide for True Reformers with Dr. Christopher Blum helps you better understand the Churchãs rebirth from the ashes of the confusion caused by the Protestant Reformation. Click here for a sample of the Study Guide. This workbook, which features over 50 pages of powerful co... [More]
THIS ITEM IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT.VIEW A SAMPLEBlessed John Henry Newman was one of the most beloved and well-known preachers of his time. Originally an Anglican priest, Newman converted to Catholicism and became a Catholic priest and cardinal. Known for his beautiful prose and exultant preaching, Newman has long been a source of inspiration for those in the Church. In this new and compact compilati... [More]


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New Delhi, Delhi, India
LexisNexis®, a leading provider of content and technology solutions for legal, corporate, tax, academic and government markets, launched 'Appointing our Judges-Forging Independence and Accountability' edited by Santosh Paul, at Indian Law Institute, on April 11, 2016. Hon'ble Mr. Justice Madan B Lokur, Judge, Supreme Court of India, who was the Chief Guest of the function, released the book in presence of eminent dignitaries like Hon'ble Mr. Justice Kurian Joseph, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Hon'ble Mr. Justice V. Gopala Gowda, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Mr. Fali Nariman, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Mr. Dushyant Dave, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Mr. T R Andhyarujina, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Prof. (Dr.) S Sivakumar, Professor, Indian Law Institute; and many other eminent jurists and academicians.
While welcoming the guests and other dignitaries, Ms. Supriti Narayanan, Associate Director, Content Creation and Acquisition, LexisNexis India, said, "Appointment of Judges has been a much debated subject in India and across the world. Mr. Santosh Paul has in this book has brought forward this debate capturing critical developments culminating in the Supreme Court judgment striking down the 99th Constitution Amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act. This judgment has determined the continuing course of judicial appointments in India, the judiciary's place in the constitutional scheme and its independence. The book traces legislative and judicial developments through meticulously arranged articles by eminent jurists, judges, lawyers and scholars. His introduction and his analysis of the NJAC judgment make for lucid understanding of the subject."
Congratulating the author on his achievement, Mr. Fali Nariman wished good luck to the author for his endeavor. He specifically mentioned the front page of the book where the author has dedicated his work to Justice Dorab Framroze Patel, Justice Ghulam Safdar Shah and Justice Mohammad Haleem who in the teeth of a military rule wrote their dissent on February 6, 1979, refusing to convict the deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Other distinguished guest of the function Mr. Dushyant Dave congratulated LexisNexis India for publishing this great collection of articles edited by Santosh Paul. He said, "This book is of great use to the lawyers across the country; they would derive a lot of benefit out of it. Legal texts are generally not enjoyable. However, this is an excellent and enjoyable work by the author that can be read at leisure." He added, "Having an institutionalized mechanism to discuss views and opinions about candidates in a transparent manner will help. A non-compromising, zero tolerance approach to select the best judges is needed."
Mr. T R Andhyarujina, another eminent guest of honour, mentioned that Mr. Santosh Paul's book deals with all aspects of the highly contentious subject of judicial appointments. He said, "Most of our best judges in the judiciary undoubtedly came from the earliest system where the President appointed judges in consultation with the Chief Justice. However, overtime the Chief Justice became the appointing authority. In no other system of the world, you find judges appointing judges. On the book, he added, "Character of a judge is very important. This book by Santosh Paul is very useful and encourages a debate on appointment of judges in higher judiciary."
On the occasion, Prof. (Dr.) S Sivakumar, Professor, Indian Law Institute, congratulated the author on his venture and LexisNexis to facilitate its publishing. He said, "The book is an anthology of articles and papers written by eminent jurists from the Supreme Court and High Courts of India and the United Kingdom, legal practitioners and scholars on the contentious issue of judicial appointments. The author has himself written a chapter on the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 – Independence, the Centripetal Force." He appreciated the hard work put in by the author and the comprehensive research he did for compiling this unique work. The book considers well the mechanism for dealing with the appointment procedure and every step in the judicial appointment.
The author Mr. Santosh Paul said, "The chief purpose of this book is to understand the history of judicial appointments to the higher judiciary in India; the conflicts between the executive and the judiciary and how it shaped the power to appoint; the long and tortuous history to wrest primacy from the executive; the several attempts at creating a wider consultative mechanism and the dangers all along to the independence of the judiciary." Citing the impeachment of Justice William Douglas on the role of the IB, it exposes the unbounded power of governmental agencies engaged in information and intelligence collection and the devastating effect it can be put into.
Mr. Vikesh Dhyani, Director, Marketing & CDI, LexisNexis India, said, "Set in the backdrop of the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, the Constitution (99th Amendment) Act, 2014 and the subsequent plethora of petitions filed challenging its constitutionality, the book explores the pros and cons of both the collegium and the commission system of appointments of judges. It's a compendium of brilliant articles from eminent national and international jurists, scholars and thought leaders. This book analyses the impact of the Supreme Court judgment and provides relevant extracts for the interested readers. The book will prove to be of great interest and value to jurists, legal professionals, law makers, thought leaders and academia. Experiences from the UK with a successfully implemented Judicial Appointments Commission will benefit the readers with a comparative international perspective."
About LexisNexis
LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of content and technology solutions that enable professionals in legal, corporate, tax, government, academic and non-profit organizations to make informed decisions and achieve better business outcomes. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. Today, LexisNexis Legal & Professional harnesses leading-edge technology and world-class content to help professionals work in faster, easier and more effective ways. While working towards driving a technological transformation in the legal, tax and academic segments, LexisNexis has designed and developed LexisGreen™ – Law Books and Bare Acts on a Pen drive. This compact yet transformational solution helps smart professionals research better and take clear, confident decisions, anytime, anywhere, without internet access. Through close collaboration with its customers, the company ensures organizations can leverage its solutions to reduce risk, improve productivity, increase profitability and grow their business. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 175 countries with 10,000 employees worldwide, is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.


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At Wazoku we constantly strive to build and improve our platform, Idea Spotlight, to be even better and to serve … Read More
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In this post we are going to look at one of the first stages of a successful innovation programme – Leveraging the … Read More
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London, May 10, 2017– The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has launched a new initiative to galvanise the population and … Read More
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Engagement is a current hot topic and one of the solutions that's being presented to organisations that want to be … Read More
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"Fundamentally, economics is not about finding a right set of answers or mastering concepts that only economists can understand. Economics … Read More
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>>> The Lady's Shave
By staff writer NG Hatfield
January 30, 2008
We were the last dope deal of the night for Sam and everybody could tell he was getting frustrated. He was squatty, Irish, and always fucking stoned, but for some reason, the kid had a tick that just made it fucking obvious that he was upset.
"Listen man," he said, rubbing the sweat from his temples in tight, quick circles, "I'm the only guy in this town who: one, calls you when I get shit, and two, gets it to you quick. Cut me some slack."
Gary opened the Ziploc that held the eighth again. His hand looked like a duck preparing to gobble up a bag of oregano. He shook the spice and kept his frown, "All seeds." And then, after another shake, "I don't care if you give me fucking head when you deliver. I'm not paying full price for a bag of fucking seeds."
"Alright. Alright. Seventy-five percent and that's the offer."
"We need witnesses for this shit. Phil's going to go into a coma and I don't want to be held liable."
Gary looked up from the bag to me. I shrugged. I never bought dope and didn't care about the seeds. It was all the same to me. I was a "scavenger smoker" and a good one at that. I never bought the shit, never kept it on me. I was the guy who was always looking out for cops when we went cruising. Both Gary and Jake, his roommate, gave me shit about it, but I'm sure on some level they appreciated my concern.
Jake finally cut around my shoulder, "We'll take it."
Gary protested, balled up the bag in his fist and let it drop on the brown linoleum table. We were in a Subway.
"Good," Sam said, "I need to get back to work."
Somebody pulled out the wad of cash they had collected and smacked it into Sam's latex hand. He left our table and asked some cutesy-looking teenage girl what kind of bread she wanted for her veggie sub.
"I'll take herb," she said, and Jake, Gary and I laughed on our way back home. For at least an hour.
Phil came over to Jake's trailer the next day with the brazen intent of getting high for the first time. He was a tall, skinny guy and awkward as all hell. He was always speaking cryptically. Essentially, he was making inside jokes with himself.
He opened the door to the trailer shouting, "Polly Polly where is your Dolly?" and slapping himself on the chest.
"Phil, you're a stupid bastard," I said and went back to drawing cartoons of Jake's mother and Gary's cat having sex. It looked more like a unicorn jumping into a pile of maple leaves.
"What you doing there?" he asked.
"Oh, just trying to maintain some sense of reality."
"Looks like a fucked up Canadian flag."
Gary and Jake were playing video games and stopped to get out the weed and pack the pipe. They were best friends since early childhood and a lot of the time, they couldn't get a five-minute job done in ten minutes because they were constantly bickering.
"You need to pack it so there's a little more air in there," Gary said.
"You need to let me pack my bowl the way I want to fucking pack it," Jake said.
"Well if I did that, we'd all be smoking resin."
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
Eventually, their voices twisted into each other and I couldn't tell who was winning the debate.
In the most oblique way I could, I shouted at them, "Just pack that fat caddy, fuckers."
In time, the matter was settled and the fresh, green stuff was sent over to Phil. Jake usually wasn't so gracious with the weed, but we were all plenty
"So, you just hold this here and inhale?" Phil asked. The piece was a brass pipe, worn with use. It looked like a smaller version of something you'd find in a nineteenth century mill in Worchester or Lancashire or something like that.
Jake told him to let off the carburetor when he inhaled, and we watched Phil draw in the smoke and let it all out in a cough.
"Whoa," he said. He hit it again.
They were all stoned and when Phil got what he wanted he went out on the deck of the trailer. I had just built the thing for Gary, so I went out to see how Phil liked it.
"It's mayonnaise," he said.
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
"It means more mustard than the deli shop's got, you big lug."
"Alright Phil," I said, and headed down to the grass to enjoy some sunshine.
About thirty minutes later, Phil, Jake and Gary had joined me in the yard. The grass was hot and stale; it felt like stepping on little shards of cardboard when I walked around the trailer. I had been chasing Jake's cat Ulma, and enjoying how large its eyes got when I threw beer cans at her.
"C'mere you little bastard!" I said.
"Leave her alone, goddamnit. She'll never come back," Jake said.
I stopped and laid down in the grass and folded my ankles at the heels. I stretched my arms out and looked up at the trees. Like it or not, my intentions were to feel like Christ. I don't know why and I feel no reason to justify it. I looked just like him, though; or at least like the massive painting that hung above the alter at St. Pat's: skinny, white, shirtless.
The sun was now shinning behind a few cumulus clouds, giving them a gold lining. Phil had looked up from his spot and saw these clouds.
"Huh?" Gary asked.
The lanky bastard spun around and was on his knees. He looked like he was praying. After a few seconds, I could see tears were streaming down his cheeks and being caught on the neck of his shirt.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Phil?" Gary asked, and laughed.
Phil didn't answer, but threw up two clenched hands to the sky, "THANK YOU GOD. THANK YOU GOD FOR LETTING ME LIVE!"
Phil's existential quandary. He was there in the grass kneeling like it was the goddamned Sabbath and bawling. "IT'S THE JUDGMENT DAY. TAKE ME JESUS. TAKE ME INTO YOUR ARMS!"
Except for my head, I didn't move. I kind of liked the idea that I was a martyr…or maybe a prophet. Whatever I was, I had inspired Phil into a moment of pure monotheistic bliss.
"Jesus. Jesus. Jesus." He kept chanting. "Jesus. Jesus. Jesus."
"Would you stop crying, for Christ sake?" Gary demanded. His command fell to deaf ears, if only because, it seemed to me, that he wasn't convicted in it. He was still throwing a massive red ball in the air and catching it as he looked down at Phil.
"You've got to come over here. Phil is having a fucking Divine stroke," Jake said, and let out his goofy-ass laugh. He was on the phone with McCoy. I could hear him laughing through the phone from a good twenty yards away.
"McCoy's coming over," Jake said to Gary and I.
"Sweet," Gary said, "we need witnesses for this shit. Phil's going to go into a coma and I don't want to be held liable."
It was true. Phil had moved from his praying position to a full-out, Christ-like pose. That of which I had moved out of as Phil began asking if he could touch my stigmata.
"No, you fucking fag," I said, and leapt up to the porch.
Think of Phil what you might, but the bastard really believed. And it went on like this for about thirty minutes. That is, until Phil pissed himself.
That's when we knew we had to get him back to reality or he'd die.
"Snap the fuck out of it," I said. And honestly, I didn't think that would do it. So, Gary, Jake and I began shaking him. I held his legs. Gary shook his head and Jake was there wailing at his chest.
I'd be lying right now if I didn't say that it was fun—beating the heaven out of Phil—but something in the process wasn't right. Homosexual overtones aside, we were removing the purity from our friend and I was always taught to embrace innocence.
But finally, with a big sigh, Phil returned to earth.
With an, "Oh," he stood up to see the stain on his jeans. "I can't believe you let me piss myself," he said, and asked where all the weed had gone.Twitter, Facebook, or weekly newsletter.
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DDFP: Chargers Camp & thoughts from MJD (Full Show)
DDFP: Mike Williams joins the DDFP!
DDFP: Joey Bosa joins the DDFP!
DDFP: MJD breaks down the AFC North
DDFP: MJD reacts to the all-time Jags player list
DDFP: What makes Tom Brady a trailblazer
DDFP: Zaxby's Fresh Takes: Making a Perfect Season
DDFP: Is Andrew Luck a Hall of Famer?
DDFP: Expectations for Eli Manning & the Giants
DDFP: First Zaxby's Show of the 2019 Season!
'DDFP' makes early MVP picks
DDFP: What's in store for Gordon, Zeke?
Which No. 26 in N.Y. will have the better season: Bell or Barkley?
DDFP: Evaluating Antonio Brown's transition to Oakland
DDFP: Baker Mayfield's ranking in 'Top 100 Players of 2019'
DDFP: Best of Eric Weddle's interview at Rams' training camp


text: Store Cards Guide Store cards are sometimes called the 'devils debt' because of the extremely high interest rates and often complicated terms. In the right hands however they can be a great way of saving money on your purchases because stores are only too happy to give you 10% or even more off their products if they think that they might get the chance to lend you money at a rate where they can get back more than the 10% they gave away. Store cards are like credit cards though so if you do decide to use them they are normally easy to pay off. You may typically get up to 56 days interest free credit which you should take advantage of if you can. Once this period is up you can switch the debt by either paying it off or transferring it to another product via a balance transfer at a lower rate, preferably a 0% credit card. This can save you a lot of money in interest payments and it is well worth doing because you have also benefited from money off the products you were going to buy anyway. Remember though every store card you get runs a credit check on you and so it is best to ensure that you don't apply for too many as it could affect your credit rating.


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Our Scrip Fundraising will be transitioning to ONLINE orders/payments beginging January 1st, 2017
Beginning in January, you can pick up your online orders on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 7-8 PM @ THE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ENTRANCE
Our Scrip Fundraising will be transitioning to ONLINE orders/payments beginging January 1st, 2017
Beginning in January, you can pick up your online orders on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 7-8 PM @ THE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ENTRANCE
ONLINE ONLY (begining January 1, 2017)
Order / Refill Scrip Online!
50% of retailer's donation goes to student accounts!
Now you have the convenience of ordering Scrip from your home or office online. ShopWithScrip.com is a free, online scrip program from Great Lake Scrip Center. Register online at www.shopwithscrip.com, Families can register and place scrip orders on their own. The orders are then sent on to the scrip coordinator to fill and process orders. For a small fee ($0.15) you can also use Presto Pay to pay for your purchase online (checking account only). You have access to all of the local and national retailers, their denominations and percentage that is donated to the Northview Band Boosters. Reloading your gift cards at www.shopwithscrip.com couldn't be easier. There are several retailers that are offering this service. You can see a complete list of all participants in the Great Lakes Scrip program by going to www.glscrip.com.
Follow these Simple Step by Set Instructions
Go to:
-Click the Green button in top right corner GET STARTED
-Then the Blue button JOIN YOUR EXIXTING PROGRAM
-Enrollment code DL5855A42896.
-Click Blue button REGISTER
-Create a user name ( I would use your email address)
-Create a password with the following criteria
For verification you will be asked to enter your phone number to receive either a text or call ~ you will receive an immediate text if you choose the text option to enter in the next screen.
Your registration will now be complete!
Prosto pay enables payment online for your scrip order directly from your banking accoung to set up to go to your dashboard, click on Presto Pay.
Read the page and click on the blue box YES AND I AGREE, if you agree to the terms.
You will then be directed to the page where you enter will enter your checking account information.
Need Help? 1.800.727.4715 Option 3
Email Robyne Bailey at email@example.com
(Table located inside athletic entrance of High School from 7:00-8:00 pm)
Sept 13 and 27 (orders due 9/8 and 9/22)
Oct 11 and 25 (orders due 10/6 and 10/20
Nov 8 (orders due 11/3)
Dec 13 (orders due 12/8)--Scrip cards will be available for purchase on site at December band concerts
Jan 10 and 24 (orders due 1/5 and 1/19)
Feb 14 and 28 (orders due 2/9 and 2/23)
March 14 and 28 (orders due 3/9 and 3/23)
April 11 and 25 (orders due 4/6 and 4/20)
May 9 and 23 (orders due 5/4 and 5/18)
What is Scrip?
Scrip is a gift card fundraiser. Every purchase of gift cards made with scrip earns money for the Northview band programs. Best of all, it doesn't cost you anything - $5 in scrip is the same as $5 in cash. You generate revenue by making purchases you would normally make. Each retailer donates from 3-15% (sometimes higher during holiday shopping) of your total purchase to the band and your student gets 50% of the retailer's donation put into their student account. Student accounts can be used for Toronto and Europe trips, band apparel, Solo and Ensemble fees, and other band related expenses.
Once ordered online, your Scrip can be picked up on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from 7:00-8:00 in the Athletic Center entrance. Please email Robyn Bailey @ firstname.lastname@example.com if you have any questions.
How much can my Scrip purchase help?
Take a look at the chart below... even if you used SCRIP for only 1/2 of these expenses; your annual contribution to the Northview Bands could be over $300!


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In our last post, we discussed how service providers were using robotic process automation (RPA) to dramatically change the way outsourcing is designed and delivered. This technology, which allows companies to automate support processes, data manipulation or any other transactional activity, is revolutionizing the outsourcing industry and provides an attractive alternative to combat the growing costs of offshoring. This can dramatically improve the way outsourcing service is provided and offer many benefits to clients.
We have already discussed how RPA can improve scalability, offer better support and improve efficiency. Today, we will continue describing the benefits of adopting RPA, why outsourcers need an alternative to outsourcing and how service providers will continue to use RPA in the future to lower costs and deliver better service to their customers.
A new model for global service providers
Although the cost of labor in Asia is still significantly lower than in the U.S. and Europe, it is rapidly catching up. Wages in China have consistently risen by 12% each year since 2001. [1] This, coupled with mounting political pressure to bring jobs home is making many outsourcers reconsider their past strategies.
In order to be successful in the coming years, it is important for companies to rethink the way they design and deliver their services. According to industry consultants at the Everest Group, there are three principles for reimagining global services and automation comes first. "Automation and intelligence lie at the heart of our ability to reimagine technology services, because automation helps us deliver breakthrough outcomes without blowing the cost model out of the water." [2] Taking an automation first approach that focuses on delivering innovation while maintaining costs allows companies to stay competitive in dramatically changing global markets. This is driving an unprecedented adoption of RPA, with the market seeing an expected annual growth rate of 60.5% between 2014 and 2020. [3]
Benefits of adopting RPA
By giving service providers the ability to use automation to mimic human actions and complete tasks in the same way that a person would, automation can reduce operating costs while allowing the organization to stay agile and responsive. Our last post discussed several of the high-level benefits of adopting RPA. Today, we will discuss some of the more specific benefits the technology can provide to outsourcers.
- Deeper insights & analytics – RPA can be leveraged to provide automated in-depth logging and reporting, allowing users to gather data more efficiently. This can allow the company to gain insights into processes, improve efficiency, reduce errors and lower costs.
- Rapid ROI – The efficiency of automation allows companies to roll out new features faster. This can dramatically increase the speed with which they attain a positive ROI for new solutions.
- Reduced redundancy – Human workers often perform redundant tasks and do unnecessary work. Automated processes can automatically identify these redundancies and eliminate them, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
- Better management ability – RPA naturally lends itself to better governance and compliance. Managers can look at statistics in a dashboard, easily turn off or adjust processes with the click of a button and generate reports and visualizations quickly. This allows them to gain finer control over day-to-day operations without investing more time or energy in the process.
- Leverage human employees – Although many workers are afraid that automation will take their jobs, it can actually allow companies to assign their workers more rewarding and stimulating jobs. Creative roles and management roles still need to be performed by human workers and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
Outsourcing providers will only continue to find more applications for RPA, using it to make their services more efficient, more reliable and better able to meet the requirements of their clients. As the need to find alternatives to increasingly costly and politically difficult offshoring increases, a greater number of companies must turn to automation in order to stay competitive.
Source: Softomotive-How Service Providers are Adopting Robotic Process Automation Internally. Part 2


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Our lives change constantly. Kids who were toddlers are now adults. We get married. Or divorced. We move from one place to another. Our relationship with loved ones changes. We decide that a charity or alma mater deserves some of our wealth when we die.
Circumstances in our lives are seldom static, that's why I've created the list below–to help you get your thinking hat on about whether you need to change a will or other estate documents, like powers of attorney or living wills. Of course, if you don't have these crucial documents, you must. Here are a number of reasons to have your will updated (or created) along with other estate documents:
- You have been married or divorced
- You no longer want to leave things to the people in your current will
- You've moved to a different state–or country.
- A beneficiary in your will has died.
- You want to name a new executor or add a co-executor
- You've have a change in assets or you've created a successful business
- You want to change the agents in your financial or medical power of attorney
- You want to change your election on your living will
- You decide you need a trust for assets instead of a will
Act today–there is literally no time like the present to make these changes in your lives. 713 880 3329.


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With some 20 years of legal experience, Anastacio "Trae" Mindiola has operated his own law practice in Houston, Texas, since 2011. Focusing on civil suits involving insurance law, Anastacio Mindiola litigates cases involving bad faith.
An insurer that acts in bad faith has failed its obligation to properly investigate and pay a claim. Following are several examples that illustrate typical examples of bad faith lawsuits.
– An automobile accident victim won a $2 million settlement because the policy only provided $100,000 in coverage, a policy limitation that was not revealed to the claimant.
– In a $23.5 million case, the courts ruled the insurance company falsely informed a California claimant that earthquake damage was covered in its policy and encouraged the claimant to initiate repairs.
– In another California suit, a jury found an insurer guilty of bad faith when it offered only $10,000 to a couple whose only child had been killed in a car accident; the limit of coverage in the policy was actually $300,000.
– An auto repair shop owner asked his insurance company to defend him in an environmental damage lawsuit. The company first said he did not have a policy, and then harassed him with information requests that were impossible to meet. He successfully sued the insurers for acting in bad faith.


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This group is designed for adults who have experienced the death of a loved one through homicide (murder). The group meets the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Center. All group participants are required to schedule an intake session before attending the group. To schedule your session or for more information, please call Gail at 214-452-3105.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: March 30Executive Director guest facilitates at the National Tay Sachs Family Conference
Later Event: May 6Mother's Day Tea and Butterfly Release


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This project is the first step toward a regional based implementation approach to reduce phosphorus and total suspended solids in the 12 cities on the Mississippi River. By the time this project is approved, a stormwater retrofit analysis will be completed for the cities, and the MHB will be discussing with them a strategic way to implement the study on a regional scale. By funding this project, you are encouraging the future implementation in a strategic and organized process.
The Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) program identifies environmental contaminants for which current health-based standards currently do not exist or need to be updated, investigate the potential for human exposure to these chemicals, and develop guidance values for drinking water. Contaminants evaluated by CEC staff include contaminants that have been released or detected in Minnesota waters (surface water and groundwater) or that have the potential to migrate to or be detected in Minnesota waters.
Itasca County is about to begin their water plan update process, which will be finished in 2017. This plan will be watershed protection oriented following a similar format to what Crow Wing County has done. We are currently in the process of have lake screening reports completed for 38 Itasca County lakes, and we would like to continue this program to add reports for an additional 34 lakes.
This project is to finalize the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategies (WRAPS) for the Red Eye and Long Prairie Watersheds.
St. Louis County's Comprehensive Water Management Plan Update 2010-2020 identifies providing financial assistance to qualifying homeowners to upgrade or replace failing septic systems as a Priority 2 action. Funds from the FY-16 Clean Water Fund Projects and Practices Grant will be used to provide funding to low-income homeowners to repair or replace SSTS identified as Imminent Threat to Public Health (ITPH) within the following watersheds: Lake Superior South, St.
This project will focus on creating a watershed identity, monitoring & assessment, stressor ID assistance, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report development, Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report development, watershed prioritization and targeting, and the continuation of the Civic Engagement components of the project. Currently, this watershed has seven listed conventional impairments (Lake Eutrophication); however, it is possible that additional stream impairments (up to four) may be identified during the IWM process.
Approximately 70 percent of all Minnesotans rely on groundwater as their primary source of drinking water. Wells used for drinking water must be properly sealed when removed from service to protect both public health and Minnesota's invaluable groundwater resources. The Minnesota Department of Health protects both public health and groundwater by assuring the proper sealing of unused wells.
Clean Water funds are being provided to well owners as a 50% cost-share assistance for sealing unused public water-supply wells.
This project will extend the simulation period for the Hydrological Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF) models for the Grand Rapids, Brainerd, Crow Wing, Redeye, Long Prairie, Sartell, Sauk, St. Cloud, and Crow watersheds, and review and comment on the calibration.


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Update on EBAY sales of Ferrini's horde/
I communicated with Robert Kraft yesterday and found out that Mr. Ernest Muro was the main person who was keeping track of the "Geneva wares" that Ferrini was offering for sale on EBAY. He thought that he had identified a piece of Philippians from the Coptic Paul codex and possibly other pages. So he purchased several of the Coptic pieces.
PHOTO: Piece identified by Muro as Coptic Philippians. Photo from
Unexpectedly Muro died and someone disposed his collections, including the papyri. Kraft has worked to put up all the images from the EBAY sales. These can be accessed via the article link he wrote,
and posted.
I am thinking that it would be a good idea to get all the information about the distribution of the El-Minya horde up on a web page(all four books: Tchacos Codex; Paul's Coptic Codex; Exodus' Greek Codex; and the Mathematical Treatise). So I'm going to start working on that project.
I'll share information as I get it.


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It had been five months since we got the apartment together. It happened four months ago when we started fighting everyday. We were both still only eighteen years old, but we thought getting an apartment together would be a good idea. We thought it would be fun, and we thought it would help us grow together. But instead, we had been growing apart. The fighting started after paying the bills began. Sure, we both had full time jobs, but it was still far more difficult living on our own than either of us expected. We had been together for years, even at our young age, but we didn't expect for this to be the hardest time in our relationship. Looking back, we should have realized... but even five months ago, we were a lot younger than we are now.
"Goddamnit Lilly! Stop leaving on the light when you leave the room!" I could hear Oliver's yell from our bedroom.
I sighed heavily, mentally preparing myself for yet another fight about a stupid thing neither of us really cared about. That's what stress did to us, or does to anyone really... makes us fight with the people we love.
When this part of the agrument happened, him quickly walking into the room, I used to stand up to defend myself. But now I just stayed sitting on the couch, and looked up at him as his feet carried him into our living room. "What?" I asked, staring up at him, too tired to even pretend to fight with him right now.
"Do you have a problem with lightswitches or something Lilly? Is it really that hard to turn off a light?" He asked, glaring at me.
"We've had this dicussion so many times." I simply stated, pushing myself up from the couch. "I just forget, ok?"
"Seriously? You forget? Well it's adding to our electricity bill. Which we have to pay for... believe it or not."
"I believe it. I've been doing it for five months, Oliver."
"You realize it would be a lot lower if you stopped leaving lights on, right?"
"You realize that we pay so much extra money monthly because you just have to have cable? I don't even watch cable! Why do I have to pay for it, if I'm not the one who uses it?"
"You watch cable!" He yelled back at me, becoming slightly red in the face.
"Only when you do! If you aren't home I don't even bother with it!" I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I began to glare back at Oliver. We both hated these dumbass agruments. They were about nothing... but once again, money. It's like that's all we ever talked about anymore was money. Whether we were agruing, or just talking about our days... it always went back to money. Tears began to fill my eyes as I realized this.
"Why the hell are you crying?" He couldn't help but scream at me, only because it frustrated him.
"This is all we do!" I screamed back at him, shaking slightly.
"What do you mean this is all we do?"
"All we do is fight about money, discuss money, worry about money! What happened to us Oliver? We're eighteen years old... but all we do is talk about money. That's all we talk to each other about is money. What happened to us?"
"Nothing happened to us!" He yelled still, becoming more hostile towards me for his lack of wanting to believe what we were becoming.
"How can you not see what we're becoming Oliver! We aren't us anymore! We're... damnit, I don't know what we are... but it's not who we were five months ago!"
He just looked at me with glazed over eyes for a few moments, before breaking our eye contact, and walking towards the door. He grabbed his coat off the hanger it was on, and grabbed his keys. "Where are you going?" I weakly asked, feeling myself emotionally and physically began to break down.
"Out." He said, then walked out of our apartment.
Two hours later, I still lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, waiting for Oliver to come back. Finally I heard the louding creaking of the door, and waited for him to finish putting all the appropriate things in the right place. I could hear the shuffle of his feet, bringing him to our bedroom.
I switched my eyes from the ceiling over to him, pulling off his shirt and throwing it on the floor. Maybe he didn't realize I was awake, or maybe he didn't care, but all I could do was watch him as he pulled off his jeans. Standing in the middle of the room, in only his boxers, he put his hands on the back of his head and sighed. "She was right." I heard him mutter softly, letting me know that he had no idea I was still awake.
My eyes looked back up at the ceiling, tears glazing over them. I shut my eyes quickly as he pulled the covers to make room for him to slip in between them. The sound of fabric moving rang in my ears, and I imagined him turning towards me, staring at what he thought was the sleeping version of myself. "I love you." He said outloud, and I felt a kiss on my forehead, before feeling both of Oliver's arms wrapping around me. I snuggled up closer to him, remembering when we used to do this every night... before everything changed.
After getting home from school the next day, I sat on the couch, waiting impatiently. Waiting for what, I had no idea. The day was going to go down like every other day. I don't know why I thought anything different was going to happen, or ever going to happen for that matter. But still, everytime I heard something that might have possibly been the front door, my eyes automatically darted right to the door, waiting for the image of Oliver to appear.
What felt like hours later, he did infact walk through the door, and even though I tried my hardest to do it, I couldn't even smile at him. "Hey." I said to him, not even being able to produce the word 'babe' along in the sentence.
"Hey you." He said back, walked over to me, and kissed me on top of the head.
"What was that?" I asked, looking up at him, while he still leaned over my body sitting on the couch.
"I gave you a kiss..." He said, looking clearly very confused.
"You haven't given me a kiss on the top of the head like that in... months..." I said, becoming clearly depressed from this realization.
Instead of saying anything, Oliver instead sat next to me, and pulled me towards him. Almost forgetting what this felt like, I put my face in his chest, and sighed heavily. He put his arm around my middle and squeezed onto me tightly. "I'm sorry Lilly."
I didn't say anything back to him, instead I could feel myself beginning to cry. And instead of him asking me why the hell I was crying, or becoming angry at me for crying about anything "stupid", he held onto me yet even tighter than he had been seconds before.
So we sat there for at least an hour, holding each other; me crying, and Oliver randomly shaking. Finally after wanting to ask since we had been sitting here, I opened my mouth, "What happened to us?"
But Oliver didn't react like I had grown for him to react to things. Instead, I felt another squeeze from him before he said, "Life did."
Not expecting this response, no words came from my mouth as it lay there, opened. Millions of thoughts ran through my mind as we sat there, but none of them seemed to be the right thing to say at a time like this. So instead I settled on something that could at least buy me some time. "What do you mean life happened to us?"
"We should have listened to everyone when they said this would change us. We should have listened when they said we might fight, but it would be worth it in the end. Remember hearing it would be worth it in the end?"
"Yeah. I remember." I said, sitting up, with my back against the arm rest, so I could actually look at him. "But I didn't expect for us to change this much. I didn't expect for you to become bitter... and for me to become heartless."
"You aren't heartless."
"Then why the hell am I always so rude to you? Why the hell do I not even stand up when you start talking to me anymore? I spend all my time in this apartment, sitting on this couch."
"You aren't heartless." He said again. "You still love me. And I still love you."
I didn't say anything, instead I stared down at the blue couch, almost wishing we weren't having this conversation.
"You do still love me, right Lilly?"
I looked up at him, tears staining my cheeks. "Yes. I love you more than anyone on this planet. Anything in this universe."
"Then why didn't you say anything back to me?"
"Because..." I looked back at the couch. "...no matter how much I love you... it still wasn't as much as I loved you before we moved in together."
"Ouch." Was the only thing he said as looked at the wall behind me. "Why do you think that is?" He asked me, after seconds of more silence.
I could feel myself becoming scared and weak, but decided since we were both opening up to each other, I mind as well tell him the truth. "You yell at me." I answered, looking up at him. "We don't talk anymore. And when we do talk it almost always turns into an argument. We used to be so in love, and now I can feel us slipping away from one another. It scares me, and I hate it, but I don't love you like I used to anymore."
"You don't think it scares me? God Lilly, it scares the crap out of me." He put both of his hands on my face, "I don't want to lose you. You think I don't feel us slipping apart? Yeah, I can feel it, and it scares me to death. But never... once... have I questioned whether or not I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's just part of what becoming an adult is. And believe it or not, this is what we signed up for when we decided we wanted to get an apartment."
I began shaking my head violently, "I didn't sign up for this at all."
The grip he had on my face became tighter. "Yes, we did. We didn't realize it at the time, but we signed up for this. For everything. The fighting, the awkward silences we never used to experience, the talk about money all the time, everything about this we signed up for. But we'll grow out of this. I don't know when it'll happen... but one day we'll look at each other again, and just be able to smile and be ok. One day we'll be able to just watch tv without worrying about how we're going to be able to pay for it that month. One day we'll look at this as the time we grew up together. But for now, we just have to work through it. We have to remember that through our fights, and through our awkward silences, that we still love each other, and nothing about this time in our life is making it fade, instead... it's making it grow."
As his hands slipped off my face, I could tell he was scared his little speech hadn't worked. But instead, I grabbed his face and pulled him towards me, locking our lips together. As I pulled away, I put my forehead against his. "I love you Oliver."
A small smirk appeared on his lips, "I love you too Lilly."
And from that moment on, I knew we would be fine. We would still fight sometimes, sure. And yes, we would still want to kill each other every once in a while. But we would work through it... together. And he was right... one day we would look back at living in this crappy little apartment, and wish we could go back to how young and innocent we were. And together, we would look back at this, and know that this was the greatest part of either of our lives. And as I looked into Oliver's eyes, and could see the slight smile still written on his face, I knew I would never love anyone like I loved Oliver. Never in a million years.
(I haven't written FanFiction in quite some time. Life got a hold of me. But I'm glad I'm back to this. I enjoyed writing this story. Let me know what you think about it lovelies. And thank you for reading.)


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Sponsored Post: ASOS - discover fashion online/
I recently had the pleasure of looking through their selections online, and was so incredibly pleased with what I found. Since I'm off to BlogHer'12 in August (New York City…here I come!), I know that there are going to be cocktail events, parties, and even just dinners out with my favourite bloggers…and I will need a few smashing outfits!
The Tulip Dress with TieBack is absolutely adorable, and it would look amazing with a killer pair of heels…maybe even ones covered in glitter? So girly and fresh…perfect for the end of summer, and for a night out with the girls!
ASOS has everything from bubble hems to maxi dresses, one shoulders to bias cuts and the selection of fabrics, colours and patterns is to die for. They seem to have a wide selection of styles, so no matter what inspires you, you will certainly find the perfect dress here.
For some vintage inspiration, the Love Jersey Floral Print Belted Skater Dress is so delightfully feminine and delicate. Pair it with a long antique brass chain, and soft flowy curls in your hair and you have a perfect outfit for strolling in Central Park!
And for us curvy girls, look no further than the Textured Midi Body-Conscious Dress with Scoop Back. It is chic and sexy, without giving away too much, and hugs your body in all the right places. Perfect for a date night with your special someone, a night out with the girls, and even dancing the night away!
Whatever the event, ASOS has you covered. Their selection of party dresses is like no other that I have seen. Great quality, impeccable style and super affordable! I definitely will be putting a few into my collection for BlogHer'12!
*this post was sponsored by Susanna Cha, on behalf of ASOS – discover fashion online


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Winnetka Ave Public Comments Summary
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on all aspects of the Winnetka Avenue Street Improvement project throughout the outreach process. We appreciate the comments from community members and other stakeholders on this important effort.
Approximately 33 people attended the open house and public hearing held on January 29th, 2019, where City staff provided community members an opportunity to review the project's conceptual design as well as the results of the traffic impact analysis. (For reference, the materials from this meeting can be found here). Attendees were encouraged to provide their thoughts on the project through written comments and/or oral testimony to a hearing officer. The 30-day comment period for this phase of the project closed on February 3rd.
We received a total of 63 comments (50 written and 13 oral) from a total of 50 commenters. More than one third of the commenters (35%) fully supported the project, noting that the project would be a much-needed safety improvement for those who already bicycle on Winnetka Ave, Supporters also saw potential for the project to calm the often fast-moving traffic on the street, and to provide important access to the existing high-quality bike facility along the Metro Orange Line. About a quarter of the commenters (26%) were generally opposed to the project. The remaining (39%) had concerns about the project, with the primary issues being the potential for overnight/RV parking and general requests that the project not be implemented south of Victory Blvd.
Below is a discussion of some of the recurring themes among the comments received.
On-Street Parking:
The project proposes to remove existing peak-hour restrictions where they exist between Vanowen St. and Calvert St., restoring these lanes to full-time parking for residents and Pierce College. Several people supported the project because they want to see full-time parking restored in front of homes along Winnetka Ave.
However, many specifically requested that the City impose overnight parking restrictions on Winnetka Ave. and surrounding streets, noting their experience with RVs parking for extended periods of time, and worries about safety of students and residents walking at night in the area. LA Municipal Code (LAMC 85.02) currently prohibits overnight vehicle dwelling (9 PM to 6 AM) in residential areas and all day and night within one block of schools (more info). The project does not propose any changes to this rule, and does not preclude the ability of the City to install signage to help enforce LAMC 85.02, similar to signs currently placed along the Victory Blvd perimeter of Pierce College, which prohibit overnight parking.
Traffic Congestion:
Half of the commenters shared their thoughts on traffic congestion, with many raising concerns about conditions south of Victory Blvd. and around the Hwy 101 ramps, future growth in the nearby Warner Center, and concern about "cut through" traffic through the residential neighborhoods of Carlton Terrace and College Acres adjacent to Winnetka Ave.
The proposed project would remove peak-hour parking restrictions where they currently exist, which is between Vanowen St and Victory Blvd (southbound in AM peak hours and northbound in PM peak hours) and between Victory Blvd. and Calvert St. (southbound in AM peak hours only). This would eliminate the ability to use these parking lanes as travel lanes during the peak hours. No other travel lanes are proposed to be removed. LADOT prepared a traffic impact analysis report (link), which looks at impacts across all four signalized intersections in the project area and discusses the topics of related development and the potential for traffic diversion. Congestion further south was not analyzed as it is outside of the project study area.
Project Limits:
Many of comments we received specifically requested that the project scope be limited to the segment between Vanowen St. and Victory Blvd., and not extend further south to Oxnard St. due to concerns about traffic impacts. The project was originally planned to end at Victory Blvd., but early feedback received led to adding an additional segment to link the project to provide bicyclists access into the Pierce College campus Brahma entrance and link to the existing east/west bike lanes on Oxnard St., which lead straight into the heart of Warner Center. Extending the project would have limited impacts to the roadway configuration between Victory Blvd. and Calvert St., and no impacts to the roadway configuration between Calvert St. and Oxnard St (no lanes removed.)
Some people noted that bicycle ridership is low or non-existent on the Oxnard St. bike lanes, especially due to the steep grade. However, others did comment that they use Oxnard St. and see the benefit of making this linkage and completing more of the bike network in this part of the Valley.
Bicyclists/Pedestrian Safety:
Among those that commented on the topic of bicyclist safety, they either noted how unsafe the current street is for bicycling, or how the proposed design for standard bike lanes could be made safer. Numerous suggestions were made regarding the design, in an effort to avoid potential "dooring" and other conflicts between bikes and cars.
Unfortunately, north of Victory Blvd. there is no room within the current roadway width to incorporate buffered or protected bike lanes. The proposed design for this segment reflects the same layout and dimensions that are currently found north of Vanowen St. South of Victory Blvd., where there is a bit more width, there may be a possibility of incorporating "protected" bike lanes (buffered area with vertical delineators) that can make for a safer more comfortable ride. The design team is exploring this potential.
In addition to bicycling, many expressed concern about pedestrian safety in the area, with a few people explicitly expressing support for the project's proposed pedestrian crossing on Winnetka near the LA River. The team is continuing to study this potential crossing.
Thank you once again to everyone who came to the January open house and shared their thoughts with us! As we move forward in the design process, we will be considering the comments and suggestions we heard. Keep checking the blog for updates, or sign up for project notifications by contacting firstname.lastname@example.com.


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You shouldn't be afraid to reach for the putter from off the green, says PGA professional David Northey.
Northey is also the head professional at Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney.
To book a tee time at Castle Hill, click here.
To watch more instruction videos, click here.
Want video tips delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to iseekgolf.com newsletters.


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Don't recall if we talked to much about this. Last year our trade deadline was the tues. after week # 13 so there would be no trades allowed during the playoffs but free agency & waivers were still in effect. I think that should stay the same. NOW that we are no longer a re-draft league.I believe it should be that when the season ends. Free agency & waivers end but trading is allowed until the cut down keeper deadline & then No player movement until after the draft. opinions ?
In my opinion, trading should stop at the beginning of the week 14 games and should resume when the last playoff game is over. Free agency/waivers should remain in effect at all times. The cut down/keeper deadline is just prior to the draft and player movement should stop at that time and remain suspended until after the draft.
If that is what you said, John, then I agree with you.
Basically YES,before week # 14 . I just thought in the off season when trading re-starts , Free agency should be put on hold (you can work on your team with trading But not add anyone new until we all can have a chance at players in the draft ) so if someone breaks out during the NFL play-offs No one could get an advantage by quickly picking him up. Holding the value of free agents until the draft.
I am for stopping free agency as well as trading after week 14 when the playoffs are about to begin.
I don't want to see free agency being locked after week 14, I think it should be locked after week 17
yea we'll keep it open through the championship.......I would also like to start talking about the rookie draft date, which I believe should be right after the nfl draft
Are we having discussions prior to voting or are we getting executive decisions from the commissioner? This is not clear to me. If we are discussing prior to a vote, then "yea we'll keep it open through..." is way premature. On the other hand, if we arre getting executive decisions from the commissioner, then there is no need to discuss the rookie draft date...Announce when it will be and be done with it.
Yes, Rich, that kind of confused me too, because on one hand we spent all offseason discussing settings for the league; they were determined 100% by votes, not by the "commissioner", so just the same way one can't reverse one game without opening up the field to reversing any and all games, we need to vote unless we're opening up the field to dictatorship (dictator: "a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control ") instead of democracy ("a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents"). I make this 100% clear at the beginning of the season in every one of my leagues that I run: everything rule related shall be determined by votes, not by LM's rigid opinions.
So, like Rich says, we need to go one way or the other, and this, along with other rule settings, should be put to a vote. Only five people have spoken on this topic. Since everyone has an opinion, even if it is abstaining, that leaves eleven with silent opinions. Voters with silent opinions can sometimes hold the most power and change the results of a vote. That's why it's important to put up an official poll.
I know the commissioner likes to hold "absolute power", but you can't do that simultaneously with a democracy. Commissioners hold the position and authority for when things get out of control, such as Anthony's incident. They can hold absolute power then, but they cannot make executive decisions alone when everyone in the league is smart, sane, and can form their own opinions.
To encapsulate my views from what folks have expressed. We should have a trade deadline that is before the playoffs, the waiver wire can stay open throughout the playoffs until the end of the season. After the playoffs all players lock and no trading is allowed until near when the draft rolls around. Once we have decided on our draft date a one week trading period opens {but no free agency} until one day before the draft, at thta point rosters are cut to 15 and then the draft progresses. Once the draft is complete either trading can be reopened immediately or a predetermined length of time can be set before trading is allowed to resume and at that point free agency resumes with normal waiver processes {initial waver set can be based on the final standings from the previous year} As to the rookie draft that may be somewhat at the mercy of NFL.com as we won't be able to do it until leagues can be reactivated and that would be early June most likely


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Articles Tagged 'Environics'
Environics adds mobile analytics for location-based data
The aim of the new offering is to give users more options for location-based marketing integrating demographics, dayparting and how profiles shift over time.
Environics acquires select Spectra services from Nielsen
The move boosts the analytics firm's offering to CPG and grocery retailers.
Spotted! An artistic look at Smartwater
The Coca-Cola brand used art installations to bring the design and movement of its water bottles to life.
Vancouverites earn most, Montrealers struggle: report
Environics Analytics data reveals how Canadians across the country are faring post-recession.


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Hepsia vs cPanel
cPanel is the most widely used web hosting Control Panel these days. But that does not mean that it is the best - it has numerous imperfections and it has had them for so long that they are no longer regarded as faults by the majority of users. But just because something was OK in the year 2000 doesn't mean that the same thing will be okay nowadays.
Here are the most critical distinctions between the cPanel hosting Control Panel and the Hepsia hosting Control Panel:
1. Domain/billing/website controls
With Hepsia, you can administer your site, domain and billing very easy, from a one place.
With cPanel, you have two different Control Panels - one for your web site and another one for your invoices and domain names.
2. File structure
With Hepsia, each domain has its own separate folder.
With cPanel, you have one principal domain name folder and all other add-on domain names are located inside it.
3. File Manager
With the Hepsia website hosting CP, you can take advantage of drag 'n' drop file upload right into the File Manager. It also supports archive/unarchive options and right-click contextual menus.
After certain recent updates, cPanel's File Manager performs and looks much better. Nonetheless, it offers neither drag-and-drop file upload functionality, nor archive/unarchive functions.
4. Free bonuses
With Hepsia, you obtain numerous free-of-cost extras.
With cPanel, the free-of-cost extras you receive depend on the hosting accounts provider, which suggests that you can also get a stripped-down cPanel with nothing else.
5. Control Panel speed
Tests have demonstrated that the Hepsia Control Panel is 3 to 5 times faster than the cPanel CP.
While with the cPanel you can get the work done, it's designed on concepts from the year 2000 and can be slow at times.
6. Mutli-domain controls
Administering ten different sites with the Hepsia hosting Control Panel is as difficult as administering 1 or 2 websites.
Hosting more than ten web sites in one single cPanel account is indeed difficult.
7. Control Panel navigation
Hepsia lists just the most important sections on the home page and you can navigate using drop-down menus available in all of the sections.
the cPanel web hosting Control Panel shows all available icons on the home page. To move between sections, you invariably need to return there.
8. Demo accounts
The Hepsia web hosting Control Panel features a full-fledged demo account with just a couple of functions disabled. You can even set up a complete site and check how it looks like before deciding whether or not to open an account.
The cPanel CP features a bare-bones demo, which will only offer you a crude idea of what the cPanel Control Panel can do.
This list can go on and on. But instead of merely reading about these web hosting Control Panels, why don't you give the Hepsia CP a shot with our Live Demo and discover for yourself how easy website hosting can be?
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Petrophysics for Non-Petrophysicists
Upcoming Sessions
|14 October 2019 - 18 October 2019
|$ 4,150
|Register →
Who should attend?
Geoscientists, engineers and other technical staff at all experience levels wanting a fundamental background in the petrophysics discipline.
About the course
Petrophysics is extremely important in the oil & gas business. Petrophysics and well log analysis help geologists to quantify and understand the distribution of reservoir properties in the subsurface. For reservoir engineers it is essential to build reliable models. The concepts for a wide range of applied tools must be understood for any accurate well evaluation. The courses deal with fundamental petrophysical relations, principles, modern interpretation methods and core measurements. All commonly used data is briefly presented with explanation of how it is acquired and where it fits in the overall scheme. The formation evaluation essentials of determining reservoir rock, porosity, saturation, fluid type, contacts and permeability are explained in the broader context of a companies reserves and profits.
You will learn
- Understand and apply at a basic level the theory and operation of major petrophysical tools
- Calibrate porosity and permeability values from core and log sources for improved saturation calculations
- Apply basic cased-hole logging, borehole seismic, image, and LWD/MWD
- Analyze and integrate log, core, geoscience, and engineering well data for well and field development projects
- Select petrophysical tool combinations for specific applications
- Assess the impact of petrophysical analyses on technical uncertainty estimates of reservoirs
Course content
- Fundamental concepts of petrophysics
- Depositional systems and petrophysical rock parameters
- Nature of porosity and permeability
- Basic rock properties; theory and quicklook techniques
- Mudlogging
- Core analysis, acquisition, interpretation, and quality checks
- Theory and basics of resistivity, radioactivity, acoustic tools
- LWD/MWD versus open hole logging
- Determination of rock types using core and logs
- Cased hole logging
- Petrophysical impact on economic uncertainty
- Evolving petrophysical technologies


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4570 Grove St
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Denver Colorado
The Perfect Blend of 1890s Charm Outside & Premium Modern Finishes Inside * Classic Bungalow Updated with Newer Windows, Plumbing, & Electrical * Open Concept Living with Continuous Flow Through Living Area, Dining Space & Gourmet Kitchen * Perfect for Easy Everyday Living & Effortless Entertaining * Main Floor Master with Walk in Closet & Stylish, Contemporary En Suite Bath * 2nd Main Level Bedroom Perfect for Home Office * Updated Main Level Full Bath * Sophisticated Finished Basement with Rec Room, Updated Bath, & 2 (Non-Conforming) Bedrooms * Great Outdoor Living Spaces including Fenced Yard & Stamped Concrete Patio perfect for Grilling & Great for Entertaining * Newer Detached 2 Car Garage * 1/2 Block to Rocky Mt. Lake Park with playground, Jogging Trail, Tennis Courts & Ball Fields
More Details: Click Here
About Think Darryl Photography a premier real estate photographer in Denver. Photography services specializing in children, family, maternity, newborn, engagement, professional headshots, and real estate.


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For information on the next Break Bread, Break Borders dinners, please stay tuned to the MAP website and make sure you join our mailing list here.
If you are an immigrant or refugee living in the United States and would like to organize a Break Bread, Break Borders project in your community or particapte in the on-going proejct in North Texas please contact us. Thank you.


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What can we say about this movie that likely no one reading this has ever heard of? "Flirting" is an Australian film made in the early 1990's, starring a whole lot of actors/actresses that you've assuredly seen elsewhere since (even though they were "small time" at the time of release), including Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Thandie Newton, Noah Taylor and… well, maybe that's all you'd recognize, but yeah, it's worth a watch if you enjoyed films like "Dead Poets Society" and (every other boarding school movie ever). I mean, it's produced by George "Mad Max" Miller, for fuck's sake… or George "Happy Feet" Miller, if that's more your speed.
Performers of note: Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton, Nicole Kidman, Bartholomew Rose (I think?), Naomi Watts, and a bunch of other Australians.


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Pay-Per-Minute Viewing
You can now enjoy this movie on your iPhone®, iPad®, or compatible Smart TV & Android devices.
Purchase Options
Pay-Per-MinutePurchase Minutes
Streaming Rentals
Available MP4 sizes:SD 480p (1.25 GB)
DRM-free downloads offer content that is not limited by standard Digital Rights Management (DRM) access technologies. These technologies allow hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to limit the usage of digital content.
When you purchase DRM-free downloadable content, that content is available for you to download on any computer and save to a disk whenever you like. You can also download to multiple computers. There is no timeframe associated with your purchase and the content will not expire.
Running Time: 84 minutes
Released: 11/2011
Studio Name: Homemade Media
Series: Home Made Masturbation
Categories: Masturbation Homemade Gonzo All Girl
Description: Intimate moments with girls that love to show-off! Solos with toys that will make you drool!
7 Scenes from Home Made Masturbation 11
Home Made Masturbation 11: Scene 1 Free Preview
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Settings: Bedroom
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Design by: Stefan Dorra
Published by: FX Schmid
3 – 4 Players, 45 minutes – 1 hour
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser
We're talking nasty here. No, not just nasty … cut-throat in the vilest sense of the word. It is a virtual guarantee that you will screw … and be screwed by … EVERY player during the course of this game. That is the nature of the game. It is certainly NOT for the faint of heart.
The game is Intrige, an out-of-print nasty delight from Stefan Dorra. The game was published by FX Schmid of Germany and can still be found overseas and occasionally appears on the internet marketplace bulletin boards. If you see a copy … AND are into vicious, back-stabbing games …. grab it.
Each player represents an Italian family who has a nice Palazzo with five jobs to fill. The jobs provide income ranging from the princely sum of $100,000 to the pauper income of $10,000. Each 'family' also has ten relatives in five different professions (two in each of the five professions: Lawyer, Accountant, Banker, Military and Religious) who must go out into the Italian countryside and seek jobs from the other players.
On each turn, players must send out two relatives to seek employment from the other players. Since each Palazzo only has five potential positions, of which no two can be occupied by tokens of the same profession, it doesn't take long until players are competing with each other for positions. And, of course, the higher-paying positions are much more desirable. How does one compete for the jobs?
Sheer, naked bribery. During the phase wherein players must fill job positions, each player soliciting a job first makes promises and threats to the potential employer. Then, each player, in turn, GIVES him a bribe … cold, hard cash. This bribe is accepted and kept by the player regardless of whether the person giving the bribe is actually awarded a position or not!
Any promises made or inferences given aren't worth a darn thing. The employer, after collecting all of the bribes, doles out the positions as he sees fit. Thus, if you felt relatively secure in giving an impressive $50,000 bribe for the $100,000 position, you may wind up with the $10,000 position while your opponent, who offered no bribe, gets the top paying position. Cruelty at its best (or worst!).
Another type of conflict can arise when someone already holds a position and another player sends a token of the same profession to that Palazzo seeking that job. Then, the player currently in the disputed position gets the first crack at bribery in order to maintain his position. After all bribes have been given, the Palazzo's owner then decides who to grant the job to. Losing tokens are exiled (ala Napoleon) to an island of despair, never again to reappear.
Promises, threats, bribery, back-stabbing, deceit … boy, this game is UGLY … but TONS of fun. Be warned: This game is NOT for everybody. Anyone who is easily offended if he is back-stabbed or takes offense at out-right lies and deceit should avoid this game like the plague. But those who thrive on such tactics will revel in this game's treachery.
The game is designed to keep everyone close, as it is easy each turn to spot the player who is doing the best during the income phase; i.e.: the player raking in the most money. Thus, in the following round, that player becomes the target and is usually ousted from many of his plum positions. However, on the very next turn, it is highly likely that another player will have risen to the lofty high income position and is certain to be brutally treated during the following round!
However, the game is not simply one of deceit and bribery (although that alone is deliciously wonderful), one must also manage his money properly. When to bribe .. how much to bribe … when to concede a position and hang on to your cash … all play an important role in determining the ultimate victor. One who bribes too generously may, indeed, get the plum positions, but find himself on the short-end of accumulated cash at the conclusion of the game. And accumulated cash determines the victor.
The game is quick … it plays in about an hour. However, in that one hour, it packs in enough treachery, back-stabbing and brutality to last a full evening. I don't think I've ever been so viciously treated yet loved every minute of it!