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Hetep (Peace & Blessings) Family
In this post, I decided to share a little and give you a little insight into how I practice Kamta. I credit the inspiration behind this post to my lovely sister and Boricua (Puerto Rican Sister) who had my back and was in my corner.
What happened and why I am giving major thanks to my Sister? Well, as most of you know, my father is preacher and my mother is a strong, loving Christian woman. Now, before anyone goes there, I have already surpassed the basic and superficial things dealing with Christianity, so now I see it for what it is which is metaphorical lore. Like most lore, Christian lore has a host of metaphysical and metaphorical truths. As urban shamans it is important that we see this connection so that we can change the physical reality as we see fit, by using scriptures from the bible, Tibetan prayer flags, African iconography or anything we can find to influence the spiritual universe.
But, my mother. I love her dearly, but she is determined to save me from "heathen ways." Like most good mothers who knows their child, when my mother is visiting. She never questions me about my altar when my guard is up and I am expecting her to do so. It is always the sneak attack when my guard is down and then I find myself trying to justify to her that "We don't worship idols." For instance, while bringing in groceries, or watching TV that when she pops the question, "Hey, so why do you have that altar thing again?"
My response to my Mom's strategically, carefully time planned questions have been good but they aren't good enough for her to leave the subject alone. I think because part of her doesn't want to accept it but the other part, the egotistical Set part (or lower spirit) tells her based upon her conditioning, "This is not Christianity. He's going to hell."
Yeah, if it was anyone else who asked me, I would simply say, "Go kick rocks. It's personal" because it is none of their business and this is not a religion, so there is no proselytizing going on. If it were anyone else the conversation is simple and goes like this:
Them or Agent Smith: "So, Mr. Moore. In one life you are respected professional. In the other you go by the Kamitic alias Rau Khu. One of these lives is a good Christian but the other is a Heathen. Why, Mr. Moore do you say…you have an altar and work with "spirits?"
Me in Pedro Cerrano mode: "I work with my spirits because it helps me."
Them or Agent Smith: "Mr. Moore. I don't understand why you need to 'Work with spirits' anyway. Why do you need to work with your spirits? Why are they Your spirits? How did you acquire them? Did someone give them to you? You can't even see them, so how do you know they even exist? How do you know that they are real or not? Are they listening to you? Why can't you just be a good Christian and let Jesus help you with whatever you need."
Me in Pedro Cerano mode: "Hahahaha (jajajajaja). Jesus (pronounce Hay-zeus) is good but he no good for bat. Go kick rocks! "
Cerrano was a power hitter in the movie Major League but he struggled throughout the film to hit curveballs and every pitcher knew it. For help, he turned to alleged spirit Jobu. When a fellow player suggested that Cerrano try Jesus Christ. Cerrano's response was that Jesus is good but "he's no good for bat."
In other words, our spirits are archetypes and have a purposes. Jesus can't help me with my woman because he ain't had one. Damn the conspiracy, he was a 30+year old man with no love interest. He can't help me with that. Jesus didn't have any children, so it is pretty hard for him to help people with their children. Umm, Jesus didn't have no weight issue, so he can't help people trying to diet and stay healthy. The bible never talks about how Jesus dealt with his coworkers while building a house and doing his carpentry work, so he can't help me deal with my coworkers. Our Spirit understands that Jesus is only good for "Saving Souls." Meaning you want to go to heaven and deal with the afterlife….you better call on Jesus. For everything else, if you don't know your spirits, then you are left without a paddle being religious. I am very conscientious about my Spirit (Knowledge of Self). I know how my Spirit works in my life and I know my Spirit is strong but in order to work it, I need a spiritual paddle. I needs SPECIFICS to feed my Spirit. We need spirits that have accomplished specific tasks, which is why as Cerrano has said "Jesus not good with bat."
It is difficult to explain holistic thinking to people in a non-holistic culture. Think about how long it took Americans to understand why Native Americans kept saying that the land was sacred. Yeah, 500+ years to change that mentality and at great cost. This is why unless someone is interested in my spiritual tradition. I usually don't share or waste my time.
But my Moms, that's a different story. Your Mom as the Brandon Lee said in The Crow (I paraphrase) "Mother is the word for God on the lips of all children," so it is hard to go against God. It is one of the hardest spiritual tests to pass is to tell the woman who carried you for nine months, birthed you, taught you to read, write, do math, fed you, taught you how to pray and talk to God, that what she taught you doesn't work. It is a challenge because no one wants to hurt their Mom's feelings, at least no one with a sense of humanity. You always want to let her down gently so she can respect what you do and stop asking questions about your spirituality, when she is not really interested in it. In other words, you have to find a way to tell your Moms to shut up, mind her damn business TACTFULLY. Yeah, you have to pass this test because it teaches you how to "catch flies with honey".
Right, a work in progress.
But, that's when "IE" (we should call her to protect her identity) comes into the picture. When IE wanted to see my het aakhu/netcharu (ancestor and guardian spirit house), I did a reading and my shells said "Yes with a blessing." When IE saw the altar, the scent of the Florida Water and other colognes I had out for my spirits, she said reminded her of her late grandmother in Puerto Rico. A sort of calmness and peace overcame IE as she took in the various icons, images and symbols that adorned my sacred space. After a few minutes she said, "Thank you for allowing me to see this" and exited the room.
Now, I didn't know why my spirits granted me permission to allow IE to gaze upon the altar, but I soon learned why. You see, several months later IE and I were visiting my brother's family, and while she was alone with my sister-in-law, she was asked what her thoughts were about me having an altar. IE told her, "I think what he is doing is right in line with my culture. It is not religious, it is spiritual," which is what people on the island do all of the time.
PERFECT! Yep! She nailed it! No divide between me and my baby! No demonizing my ancestral ways.
You see, everywhere African people were taken during slavery, they hung on to their culture and today in places like Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil, Cosamaloapan, Haiti, Colombia, Jamaica, Dominica, etc. The African influence is celebrated, loved, respected, cherished and used as a tool of liberation. Only stateside in the United States are we made to be ashamed of our history, heritage, culture, ancestral practices and literally pimped for our cultural ingenuity. Only, in the United States are we divided because of religion.
So, not too long after, I like the unsuspecting swimmer didn't hear the Jaws music when my mother was visiting me and that's when she attacked, "So, what does IE think about that altar-thing?"
"Well, Mom," I said calmly and non-defensively, "To be honest with you, she is okay with it because it is not religious. It is spiritual. It is our culture and it reminded her of her culture and a practice that her grandmother would do."
The look on Mom's face….PRICELESS.
Why? Because our cultural practices are SPIRITUAL. It has nothing to do with going to a church, mosque, temple, etc. It is God and our ancestors that unite us and all of these Western religions that have divided us. In other words, spirituality is personal and is concerned with making us better individual by overcoming our egocentric lower spirit or Set. This is how "they" get us all of the time, so we have to constantly remind ourselves about the true enemy.
I am reminded of this every time I gaze and think about my het (spiritual house or altar). As I have mentioned before, the Kamta altar draws upon the Afro-Cuban Espiritismo Cruzado (Crossed Spiritist) tradition but is totally based upon the Kamitic tradition and the remnants of the Kongo philosophy that survived in North America. I draw upon the Espiritismo Cruzado because my godfather, Papa, taught me that the Cruzado altar called a boveda, was the most fluid, multi-purpose altar in the Afro-Diaspora that functions according to how you feel. I was taught that there were only two rules that should be obeyed when it comes to working with the boveda and they are: 1) always keep the altar clean, and 2) never put images of living people on it. Other than that, if you get a hunch, a feeling, a thought to place something or take something off of the het, then follow your intuition. If something doesn't feel right, then remove it because you are in control and this is your altar. It was through following these rules that led me to find my spirits. As I said, it is spiritual, not religious, which means there is no dogma attached to it.
This needs to be clearly understood because similar icons are used and I have seen some people trying their best to put a trademark on our ancestry. No. You do you and let me do me! My godfather was an old, stern Black Cuban man. He was a babalawo (high priest in Santeria) and a member of the Abakwa Society, and in the little time that I knew him, he taught me a lot. And, one of the most important things he taught me about my spirits is that NO ONE CAN DENY YOU what you have experienced. If someone else didn't experience it, guess what? They didn't experience it but it doesn't mean that your experience was not authentic. Failure to understand the nature of one's Spirit is how good people are taken advantage of.
This is why I don't care if people believe what I do or not, because your spirituality is not a religion. It was not created to save your soul. It was created to help you to prosper while on earth. It is spiritual, which means it only needs to make sense to one individual and that is YOU.
It has to be remembered that our ancestors didn't lose all of our culture as people claim. What our ancestors lost due to slavery was the philosophy and theology behind our cultural practices. So, the het aakhu (the ancestors/spirit guide altar) represents KAMTA or the spiritual realm where the aakhu dwell. The cross symbolizes the four directions of universe and hence the presence of the Divine. I have nine clear glasses, symbolizing the nine netcharu who in my mind united with Osar (Asar, Ausar or Osiris) against Set. I also use this symbolism to signify the various African ethnic groups or nations that were brought to the Americas and forced to work together for a common goal due to slavery. See How to Honor Your Ancestors the Kamitic/Kemetic Shaman Way.
I put on my het photos of my ancestors but it is also adorned with icons of four important African American spirit guides who I believed helped my family to survive slavery. The first two iconic images are of an elderly black man and woman. They are known by various names. In Cuba they are called Francisco y Francisca, in Brazil they are called Los Pretos Velhos (The Old Black Ones), in the Mexican tradition they are called Los Negritos (The Little Old Blacks People) and in the Puerto Rican tradition they were called Los Congos, Los Esclavos, La Madama, Negro Jose, etc. African Americans respectfully referred to these elderly men and women as Papa or Uncle and Momma and Auntie because they were believed to be the first Africans (or first descendants of these Africans) that were enslaved. Being the first, they still remember the Old Ways. Many, including myself, believe that these aakhu were Kongo spirits and this is why they are commonly associated with various Espiritismo spirits.
There are also two Amerindian or Native American spirits that adorn my het as well. The first is Black Hawk (shown but his weapons and offerings are not shown) and second is a female spirit who sits across from him. There are numerous stories of how many Native Americans harbored runaway slaves and even adopted early African Americans into their tribes. While it is true that some Native Americans also participated in the slave trade in North America. History reveals that they were not as cruel as white slave owners and allowed their slaves to have various rights and could even marry into the tribe and their offspring were born free. The Native American spirits sit upon the het and continue to fulfill this role as protector spirits, so when I gaze upon my het. It reminds me of those brave souls that fled to the hush harbors in order to practice their spirituality.Black Hawk sits on the edge of the het with a watchful eye protecting my cultural practice.
I cannot show you my het netcharu (house for my guardian spirits) but above is a het (spirit house or altar) for Npu. Npu also called Anpu, Enpu or Anubis in Greek, some call him Sebek. He is akin to all of the trickster spirits like Ellegua, Exu, Pomba Gira, Papa Legba, Lucero, St. Peter, Brer' Rabbit, Anansi or Aunt Nancy, Nino de Atocha and the Native American spirits Coyote. Npu is a crossroad spirit as one of his praise names implies, Apuat means "Opener of the Way".
According to legend, when Oset (Isis) learned that Set had killed Osar and she went in search of his body to provide him with a proper burial. Her initial search was unsuccessful, until Ra sent Npu to help her. Npu is therefore the finder of lost things. Like most trickster spirits, Npu is a psychopomp meaning he escorts or guides newly deceased souls into the afterlife and participates in the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which established a soul as an ancestor. Npu therefore crosses in between two worlds, hence the crossroads. He intercedes on our behalf and is everyone's personal guardian but he wears the mask of a dog because dogs can be loyal or disloyal depending on how their owner treats them. When they are loyal, they will protect you, guide you and pull you in the safe direction, but when they are disloyal because of your maltreatment, they will lead you into a traps or run off when you need them the most.
In Kamta, the netcharu are not worshipped but they are treated as honored and respected. Since Npu's like all crossroad spirits are unique to the individual. This Npu shown above is fond of cigars, coffee liquor and candy.
These are just some of the spirits that I work with and this is the reason I was so happy to have told my Moms that it was SPIRITUAL, and that it was our culture and IE's culture. It is our culture that unites us, and no Christian would dare say that their ancestors were enslaved in order to become a Christian. When you truly understand history, is when you will have Culture Freedom.
Yes, I finally did it! I finally passed the test without getting upset and without trying to explain why I do what I do to a "Parent that just doesn't understand" and I owe it all to IE (Thanks Girl).
You see, we in the United States always feel that we have to explain ourselves because mainstream America has demonized our cultural way of life. As a result, we find ourselves really trying to explain our spiritual practices especially to our loved ones because even though we know our spirituality is not a religion. We have been told all of our lives that if we weren't in the Church we were going to hell and a small part of us still believes this. We only stop believing in this lore and start accepting that heaven and hell are states of mind when we seriously begin honoring and working with our spirits. It only when this happens, we realize that we are truly free and the only thing that enslaves us is what we have been taught as children to believe.
On this 100th post, I am happy I have been able to touch so many peoples' lives. I have met some amazing people through the LandofKam blog and I have enjoyed reading your comments, criticisms and suggestions. No, we're not signing off but I just wanted to thank you all for your support and look forward to another 100 posts.


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In an Orlando Magic offseason filled with secret meetings with general-manager candidates, potential coaches and a disgruntled superstar, one of the most important discussions started inside the Our Mother of Good Counsel gym in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
There, in early August, newly hired coach Jacque Vaughn and point guard Jameer Nelson started their working relationship. Vaughn watched Nelson train for the upcoming season, and after Nelson finished, the duo drove into downtown Philadelphia for dinner at a Del Frisco's steak house.
"I asked questions," Nelson remembered. "He answered them. He asked questions, and I had to answer. So, right then and there, I could tell we were going to get off to a good start."
The relationship between Vaughn and Nelson — brand-new head coach and veteran point guard — needs to work for the rebuilding Magic. Orlando likely will begin the regular season with three rookies and four second-year players on its roster, and more than ever, the team needs Nelson to be a leader.
In the best-case scenario, Nelson will serve as an extension of Vaughn on the court and as an empathetic big brother off the court when the squad endures rough games.
Those few hours in Pennsylvania might have built the foundation.
"We just opened the lines of communication," Vaughn recalled.
They share much in common.
Vaughn is 37 years old. Nelson is 30.
Vaughn played four seasons of college ball. Nelson played four seasons.
Vaughn lasted 12 seasons in the NBA, even though he was never the most athletically gifted person on the court. Nelson already has played eight NBA seasons, even though he faces a height disadvantage in most games.
And, of course, they are point guards: one retired, the other still playing.
Nelson has said he wanted Stan Van Gundy to remain as the Magic's coach, and he credits Van Gundy for helping him develop as a player.
But, at the same time, Nelson sounds excited about Vaughn.
Vaughn will give Nelson freedom to run the offense. Although it's dangerous to draw too many conclusions from a preseason opener, Nelson noted that Vaughn didn't call a single play in last Sunday's exhibition in Mexico City.
"Things were different, and a lot of times for me, different is good," Nelson said. "I've learned a lot from the people in the past. But everything in basketball and in life is a steppingstone, and I'll use what I learned to my ability. I can tell that Jacque trusts me.
"I'm not saying that Stan didn't trust me, just that these coaches manage the game different."
Nelson has reason to feel rejuvenated. Dwight Howard's stay-or-go saga took a toll on Nelson because Howard made it known publicly that he wanted to play alongside Deron Williams or Chris Paul, which seemed like an indirect slight at Nelson.
Meanwhile, in his role as team co-captain, Nelson occasionally brought teammates' concerns about Howard's situation to Howard in an effort to bring the roster together. That didn't always sit well with Howard, but it helped develop Nelson as a leader.
Vaughn hasn't named a captain or captains yet, but Nelson's importance was solidified when the team re-signed him to a three-year deal believed to be worth at least $16 million over the first two seasons.
Nelson seemed to set the tone in the preseason opener by delivering two pinpoint passes and by diving on the floor for a loose ball.
"My job is to lead," Nelson said.
He and Vaughn agree on that, for sure.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rest in peace, SGT Bader. You died while defending a monastery. I'm sure you scored lots of points with the Big Guy for that one! Your memory will always live on.
"SGT Lester Bader
Sgt. Bader's Body Arriving Wednesday
The body of Sgt. Lester Bader, 25, Luxemburg, route 2, son of Mrs. Mary Bader, Luxemburg, who was killed in action on Christmas day, 1943, in Italy, will arrive on the Milwaukee road at 9:45 Wednesday evening, and will be met by the Ralph Kline American Legion post, Luxemburg, who will escort it to the Dupont-Malcore Funeral home.
Sgt. Bader was killed while defending a monastery on Mount Defoncha, Casino, Italy. He was born in Red River and before his enlistment the day after Pearl Harbor, he operated a farm with his brothers, and served as auction clerk in company with a brother's auctioneering business. He attended East High school in Green Bay.
After training at Fort Riley, Kan., and El Paso, Tex., the soldier entered the secret service and took special training at Norfolk, W. Va. He was on secret duty in Attu, Alaska, and in Africa before being transferred to the European theater of war.
Besides his mother, he is survived by three brothers, Mose and Ralph, on the home farm, and Edward, Green Bay; and three sisters, Mrs. Martin Williams, New Franken, Mrs. Joseph Coel, Edgewater Beach, and Mrs. Jerry Baier, Green Bay.
The Holy Name society of St. Louis church, Dyckesville, of which he was a member, will say the rosary at 8 o'clock Wednesday evening at the funeral home, with the Rev. Ludolph Jacobs, O. Praem.
Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Friday morning in St. Louis church, Dyckesville, with Father Jacobs offering the requiem mass. Burial will be in the church cemetery. The Ralph Kline American Legion post will conduct the military rites."
No publication information was written with the newspaper clipping I have. It would most likely be from one of the local Wisconsin newspapers, perhaps the Green Bay Press-Gazette since he attended high school in Green Bay.


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The Koshland Science Museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary on April 24 with the opening of the Idea Lab, a space where we will experiment with new approaches in collaboration with you, our visitors.
The initial theme of the Idea Lab focuses on community resilience: our ability to come together to prepare for, absorb, recover from, and adapt to adverse events. Building a culture of resilience is a shared responsibility among citizens, the private sector, and government, and is an important priority as we face the future. What actions make our communities more resilient to the hazards we face? How can you engage with your community to become a part of this effort? How can you measure your community's progress in becoming more resilient?
In the Idea Lab, immerse yourself in video clips, interactive games, and puzzles that will help you consider these important questions. We want your feedback about how these activities help you understand resilience and how it relates to your life and community.
In the center of the Idea Lab, create a model of a resilient coastal city with a jumbo jigsaw puzzle that was created by the Koshland Science Museum in partnership with the National Research Council's Resilience Roundtable. While you assemble the puzzle, watch and listen to videos containing ideas about how to foster resilience nationally alongside personal stories about how people and communities have shown resilience in the face of disaster.
Three interactive stations nearby feature a wide array of digital content on the theme of resilience based on studies from the National Research Council and resources provided by government agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations. Engage in interactive activities:
Play a disaster simulation game. Step into the role of a disaster planner. Invest in measures with the greatest potential to reduce the impacts of natural disasters.
Map risk and resilience. Use real-world data to investigate risk. See how a community's resilience compares to other communities within the same region.
Connect with a resilience network. Get real-time data about weather alerts and other public emergencies. Find the closest shelter and investigate available resources.
- Make a plan. Create a checklist to prepare and protect yourself, your family, your home, and your pets from the impacts of disasters.
The Idea Lab is not a conventional gallery space, and the Koshland is not a conventional museum. Come experiment with us in the Idea Lab. Give your feedback. Let us know what you like most and what could be improved. We will be making changes based on your ideas. We look forward to building this space together with you.
If you cannot visit in person, please send us an email or shout out on Twitter. What topics and resources would you like to see in the Idea Lab?
Thank you for being a part of our community and for joining us in celebrating ten years. Learn more about our history and share an anniversary wish or your favorite memory of the museum or Marian Koshland or Dan Koshland on our Facebook page.
Please consider supporting the museum with a gift. No matter how big or small, your support helps prepare the next generation of decision makers and makes it possible for us to bring new ideas to life.


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As being designer myself, coding part usually is hardest part in web development process. But there are so many great tutorials teaching how to use simple XHTML and CSS to get amazing layouts and they offer You to see what's really happening behind the scenes explaining every step. Learn how to use CSS, how to create layouts in the right way, forget about table-layouts and enjoy CSS real power and put these 43 PSD to XHTML and CSS tutorials in good use!
1. How to: CSS Large Background
2. How To Create a Horizontally Scrolling Site
3. From PSD to HTML, Building a Set of Website Designs Step by Step
4. Subcide: Creating a CSS layout from scratch
5. Build a Sleek Portfolio Site from Scratch – PSD+XHTML Tutorial
6. From PSD to CSS HTML in 4 easy tutorials
7. Create a Killer Band Site with Drupal: A 6-part Tutorial Series
Great tutorial about creating site with Illustrator, coding with Drupal, using standards compliant XHTML and CSS.
The Complete Lesson Index:
Read Part 1 – Design it Illustrator
Read Part 2 – Slicing it Illustrator
Read Part 4 – Theming in Drupal
Read Part 6 -Wrap Up and Additional Resources
8. How to make sexy buttons with CSS
9. Horizontal Menus That Grow on You
In this quick tutorial, I'm going to discuss how to create a neat little menu effect. I'm dubbing it the liDock, because elements in the menu resize as the mouse moves over them, similar to the dock on OS-X, and because it's a list menu.
11. CSS Gradient Text Effect Tutorial
12. From PSD to XHTML Tutorial
In this first-ever video podcast, I start the conversion process of an Adobe Photoshop mockup of a website, into a real live CSS based website. This is pretty rough here folks, I'm sure these will get more focused with time.
13. Converting a Design From PSD to HTML
16. Using CSS Sprites Tutorial
18. Creating a table with dynamically highlighted columns like Crazy Egg's pricing table
20. Photoshop tutorial+ slicing part + coding css
This tutorial will show You how to make clean, nice vertical menu using Adobe Photoshop.
21. Slice a Template and Code it Using CSS
22. Coding Your 1st PSD Tutorial
23. Making Simple Work of Complex CSS Layouts
24. Making Your Footer stay put with CSS
25. How to Convert a PSD to XHTML – Video Screencast
28. Invasion of the Body Switchers – Learn how to switch styles
29. Float Tutorials – Step by Step
30. CSS Slicing Guide: Picking The Right Layout
31. Create a Simple, Intelligent Accordion Effect Using Prototype and Scriptaculous
32. CSS Sprites + Rounded corners
33. 3 Simple Steps in Coding a Rounded Corners Layout
35. Converting a Photoshop Mockup: Part Two, Episode One
36. CSS Vertical Navigation with Teaser
37. Fixed Footer Backgrounds with CSS
38. A simple introduction to 3 column layouts
40. CSS Layout Technique – Achieving 100% Height
41. Vertical CSS menu with a 'behavior' file
43. Breaking Out of the Box With CSS Layouts
Now You should have impressive foundation to create really advanced layouts using standard compliant XHTML and CSS.


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Kat Caldwell
Bishop Blanchet High
Memories of Kat Caldwell
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Skullgirls, Revenge Labs downloadable game coming sometime soon ("early 2012" is the latest word) on PSN and Xbox Live, is a 2D fighter with a heavy multiplayer component. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a story explaining who its characters are, how they acquired their skills and powers, and just what the heck "Skullgirl" means, anyway.
That trailer above, which Revenge released on Friday, clues everyone in on the Skullgirls canon, then walks you through the main characters and the moves they'll use in gameplay. For more details, including the exclusive trophies PS3 users will get with the game, head on over to PlayStation Blog.
Dev Diary: Skullgirls is a Feature-Rich PSN Fighter [PlayStation Blog. h/t hazelnut1112]


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Six Plus Holdem
This variant of Texas Hold'em offers great entertainment and more opportunities to win big. Six Plus poker is played with a deck reduced from 52 cards to 36. The hand-hierarchy is slightly modified to accommodate the removal of 2, 3, 4, and 5 from every suite, with 6 as the lowest value card in the deck and A the highest.
As far as the betting structure and the style of play are concerned, the games functions no differently than classic Texas Hold'em. The hand hierarchy has changed as a result of cards being removed from the deck and is as follows:
• Royal Flush
• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Flush
• Full house
• Three of a kind
• Straight
• Two pair
• One pair
• High card
For example, the weakest straight available in Six Plus poker is A6789, while AKQJT remains the strongest, three-of-a-kind beats a straight and a Flush beats a full-house. Strong hands will be more common when playing and as a result, plenty of more opportunities to cash in will arise. Be mindful that your opponents will enjoy the same benefits this unique poker style has to offer.
NOTE: Six Plus poker tables are only available on the new Ladbrokes Poker software.
Six Plus Games
Six Plus poker games have their own designation in the Ladbrokes Poker software and players can sit at these Six Plus tables just as they would any other.
Six Plus Speed, Six Plus SNGs, and Six Plus tournaments are also available in the software, offering a great variety of ways to play this unique variation of Texas Hold'em.


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MOONACHIE, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey will deploy military trucks to serve as polling places on Election Day in storm-battered communities, the state secretary of the state announced Thursday during a visit to this flood-ravaged town. The state is also extending the deadline on mail-in ballots.
Department of Defense trucks will be parked at regular polling places that have lost power, as long as the sites are still accessible. Paper ballots will be used.
Republican Secretary of State and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said voters will find "a DOD truck with a well-situated National Guardsman and a big sign saying, "Vote Here."
Guadagno said it was still unclear how many of the state's 3,000 polling places are without power, but she would know by Friday. Alternate sites are to be identified in cases where polling places are gone, she said.
More than 1.6 million electric customers in New Jersey remained without power Thursday night.
The state also extended the deadline for when county clerks may accept mail-in ballot applications to the close of business Friday. Election officials said they could be handed in as late as Election Day, by the close of the polls.
The secretary of state urged as many people as possible in storm-damaged areas to vote by mail-in ballot because, she said, "obviously in places like Seaside Heights and Sea Bright, there is no polling place, it's gone."
"There's no reason not to vote, there's no reason not to vote today, there's certainly no reason not to vote on Tuesday, five days from today," Guadagno said.
Gov. Chris Christie said that in areas without electricity, voting would again be "old school."
"You walk up, get a paper ballot, fill it out and hand it back in," he said.
With paper ballots to be counted, the governor said some races might be more suspenseful.


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Illinois State Bird - Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis
State Bird of Illinois
Illinois schoolchildren chose the cardinal as the Illinois state bird from among five choices: the winner received 39,226 votes; the blue bird got 30,306; the meadowlark, 16,237; the quail, 15,843; and the oriole, 15,449. Illinois's designation was made in 1929 by the Illinois General Assembly and is codified in 5 ILCS 460/10. Six other states also have the cardinal as their state bird: Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
APPEARANCE: The northern cardinal, a mid-sized songbird, generally has a body length of 7.9 to 9.3 inches, has a wingspan ranging from 9.8 to 12.2 inches, and weighs between 1.19 and 2.29 ounces, with an average weight of 1.58 ounces. The adult male is a brilliant crimson red color with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest with the red becoming duller and darker on the back and wings. The female mostly gray-brown with a slight reddish tint on the wings, crest, and tail feathers. The female's face mask is gray to dark gray and less defined than the male. Both sexes have prominent raised crests and strong, conical, bright coral-colored beaks.
DIET: The cardinal's diet consists primarily of weed seeds, grains, and fruits. Cardinals occasionally eat small insects such as beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers, and snails; and also consumes some fruits and berries, corn and oats, sunflower seeds, and the blossoms and bark of elm trees. Cardinals are also known to drink the maple sap from holes made by sapsuckers (four species of North American woodpeckers).
NOTES: The name cardinal refers to the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, who wear distinctive red robes and caps. The term "northern" in the common name refers to its natural habitat, as it is the northernmost cardinal species. There are a total of 19 subspecies of cardinal, the first of which the Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis as noted by Linnaeus in his in his 18th-century work, Systema Naturae (1758) and the most recent of which was the Cardinalis cardinalis phillipsi as noted by Parkes in 1997.
Kingdom: Animalia (animal)
Phylum: Chordata (chordates)
Class: Aves (birds)
Order: Passeriformes (perching birds)
Family: Cardinalidae (cardinals, grosbeaks, saltators, and cardinal-grosbeaks)
Genus: Cardinalis (cardinals)
Species: C. cardinalis (northern cardinal)
Binomial Name: Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Taxonomic Serial Number: 179124
LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT: The specific legislation designating the cardinal as the Illinois state bird is: Chapter 5 (General Provisions) of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, 460 (State Designations Act), Section 10. State bird. The text of this legislation is: "The bird Cardinalis cardinalis, commonly known as the "Cardinal", is designated the official State Bird of the State of Illinois."
Detailed Description by John James Audubon, F. R. SS. L. & E.
(Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh)
[Northern Cardinal.]
PITYLUS CARDINALIS, Linn.
[Cardinalis cardinalis.]
In richness of plumage, elegance of motion, and strength of song, this species surpasses all its kindred in the United States. It is known by the names of Red-bird, Virginia Nightingale, Cardinal-bird, and that at the head of the present article. It is very abundant in all our Southern States, as well as in the peninsula of the Floridas. In the western country a great number are found as far up on the Ohio as the city of Cincinnati, and they extend to considerable distances into Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. They are found in the maritime districts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where they breed, and where a few remain the whole year; some are also seen in the State of New York, and now and then a straggler proceeds into Massachusetts; but farther eastward this species has never been observed.
This fine songster relishes the interior of the forest, and the heart of the deepest cane-brakes or retired swamps, as well as the neighbourhood of cities. It is constantly found in our fields, orchards and gardens; nay, it often enters the very streets of our southern towns and villages to breed; and it is rare that one goes into a planter's yard without observing the Red-bird skipping about the trees or on the turf beneath them. Go where it may, it is always welcome, and every where a favourite, so rich is its song, and so brilliant its plumage.
The Cardinal-bird breeds in the Floridas. In the beginning of March I found them already paired in that country, and on the 8th of February near General HERNANDEZ's. In the neighbourhood of Charleston, as well as in Louisiana, they are nearly a month later, and much the same lapse of time takes place again before they form a nest in the State of New Jersey or in that of Kentucky.
The nest is placed, apparently without much consideration, in some low briar, bush, or tree, often near the fence, the middle of a field, or the interior of a thicket, not far from a cooling stream, to which they are fond of resorting, for the purpose of drinking and bathing. Sometimes you find it placed close to the planter's house or in his garden, a few yards from that of the Mocking-bird or the Thrasher. It is composed of dry leaves and twigs, together with a large proportion of dry grass and slips of grape-vines, and is finished within with bent-grass, wrought in a circular form. The eggs are from four to six, of a dull white colour, marked all over with touches of olive-brown.
In the Southern Districts they now and then raise three broods in the season, but in the Middle States seldom more than one. The young on leaving the nest, frequently follow their parents on the ground for several days, after which they disperse and seek for food apart. During the pairing season, the males are so pugnacious, that although they breed near birds of other species, they never allow one of their own to nestle in their vicinity. One male may be seen following another from bush to bush, emitting a shrill note of anger, and diving towards the fugitive antagonist whenever an opportunity offers, until the latter has escaped quite beyond his jurisdiction, when the conqueror, elated, returns to his grounds, ascends his favourite tree, and pours out his song in full exultation.
Those which migrate to the eastward begin to move about the commencement of March, usually in the company of the Towhe Bunting and other Sparrows, hopping and passing from bush to bash during the whole day, announcing to the traveller and husbandman the approach of a more genial season, and resting at night in the secluded swamps. The males precede the females about ten days.
Towards autumn they frequently ascend to the tops of tall trees in search of grapes and berries, being as fond of succulent or pulpy fruits as they are of the seeds of corn and grasses. On the least appearance of dancer they at once glide into the interior of the nearest thickets. During the summer heats they frequently resort to sandy roads to dust themselves, carelessly suffering people to approach them until within a few yards, when they only remove to the nearest bushes, until the intruders pass.
They are easily raised when taken from the nest, and breed when kept in aviaries. My friend Dr. SAMUEL WILSON of Charleston, has had them breeding with him, having placed straw-baskets for the purpose, in which the female deposited her eggs, without improving the nest any more than by placing in it a few grass-blades, perhaps pilfered from some of her neighbours. The purity of its colouring is soon lost when it is kept in confinement, where it is gentle, easily fed on corn or hemp-seed, and it sings when placed in a cage for several months in the year.
During winter the Cardinal Grosbeak frequently shews itself in the farm-yard, among Turtle-Doves, Jays, Mocking-birds, and various species of Sparrows, picking up its food from the store daily supplied to the poultry. It now and then seeks refuge at night in the lee of some haystack, or throws itself with many other birds among the thickest branches of the nearest evergreen tree.
The flight of the species is strong and rapid, although seldom continued to any great distance. It is performed by glidings and jerks of the tail. When the bird is alighted it also frequently juts its tail with grace. Like all birds of the genus it hops, but does not walk.
Its song is at first loud and clear, resembling the finest sounds produced by the flageolet, and gradually descends into more marked and continued cadences, until it dies away in the air around. During the love-season the song is emitted with increased emphasis by this proud musician, who, as if aware of his powers, swells his throat, spreads his rosy tail, droops his wings, and leans alternately to the right and left, as if on the eve of expiring with delight at the delicious sounds of his own voice. Again and again are those melodies repeated, the bird resting only at intervals to breathe. They may be heard from long before the sun gilds the eastern horizon, to the period when the blazing orb pours down its noonday floods of heat and light, driving the birds to the coverts, to seek repose for awhile. Nature again invigorated, the musician recommences his song, when, as if he had never strained his throat before, he makes the whole neighbourhood resound, nor ceases until the shades of evening close around him. Day after day the song of the Red-bird beguiles the weariness of his mate as she assiduously warms her eggs; and at times she also assists with the modesty of her gentler sex. Few individuals of our own race refuse their homage of admiration to the sweet songster. How pleasing is it, when, by a clouded sky, the woods are rendered so dark, that were it not for an occasional glimpse of clearer light falling between the trees, you might imagine night at hand, while you are yet fir distant from your home--how pleasing to have your ear suddenly saluted by the well known notes of this favourite bird, assuring you of peace around, and of the full hour that still remains for you to pursue your walk in security! How often have I enjoyed this pleasure, and how often, in due humbleness of hope, do I trust that I may enjoy it again!
This species is very abundant in Texas, where, as in our Southern States, it is a constant resident. Mr. TOWNSEND has observed it on the waters of the Upper Missouri. According to Dr. T. M. BREWER, it is but a chance visitor in Massachusetts during summer, indeed so rare, that he never knew certainly but of one pair which bred in the Botanical Garden, Cambridge, about six years ago, and departed in the fill, with their young. The eggs measure one inch and half an eighth in length, five-eigths and a third in breadth, and are thus elongated, although the smaller end is well rounded.
Male, 8 1/2, 11 1/2.
Breeds abundantly from Texas to New York. Very rare in Massachusetts. Valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Resident from Maryland southward.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Loxia cardinalis, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 38.
FRINGILLA CARDINALIS, Bonap. Syn., p. 113.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK or RED-BIRD, Fringilla cardinalis, Nutt. Man., vol. i.p. 519.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, Fringilla cardinalis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 336;vol. v. p. 514.
Adult Male.
Bill short, very robust, conical, acute, deeper than broad at the base; upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides rounded, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip slightly declinate; lower mandible broader than the upper, with its dorsal line straight, the back broad, the sides rounded, the edges inflected; the gap-line deflected at the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the feathers. Head large, neck short, body robust. Legs of moderate length, rather strong; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with a few scutella, posteriorly sharp; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal; claws slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of the hind toe considerably larger.
Plumage soft and blended, slightly glossed. Wings of moderate length, broad, much rounded, the fourth quill longest; primaries rather broad, rounded, from the second to the sixth slightly cut out on the outer web, secondaries rather narrow and rounded. Tail long, straight, rounded. Feathers of the crown long, pointed, and erectile.
Bill of a tint approaching to coral-red. Iris dark hazel. Feet pale umber. The whole upper parts of a deep dusky-red, excepting the head, which is vermilion. The anterior part of the forehead, the lores, and the upper anterior part of the neck, black. The under parts are vermilion, which is brightest anteriorly. Inner webs of the quills light brown, their shafts and those of the tail-feathers blackish-brown.
Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12, along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.
Adult Female.
The female has a crest as well as the male, which it resembles in the texture of its plumage, but the tail is proportionally shorter. The general colour of the upper parts is dull greyish-brown, slightly tinged with olive; the longer crest-feathers are streaked with dull red, the wings, coverts, and outer edges of the quills, are of the same tint; the edge of the wings and the lower coverts are pale vermilion, and the inner edges of the quills are of the same tint, but paler. The parts surrounding the base of the bill, which are black in the male, are blackish-grey, and the lower parts in general are pale greyish-brown.
Length 7 1/2 inches.
In a male preserved in spirits, the palate ascends very abruptly, and has two very elevated soft ridges, at the junction of which anteriorly is a prominent soft space, on the lower mandible beneath are three longitudinal ridges with four grooves, of which the two lateral are much wider. The tongue is 4 1/2 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, convex and fleshy above, as high as broad, horny beneath, tapering to a point. The width of the mouth is 6 twelfths. The lower mandible is broader than the upper, exceedingly strong, and very deeply concave. The oesophagus is 2 inches 5 twelfths in length, 3 twelfths in width. The stomach pretty large, roundish, 7 1/2 twelfths long, 7 twelfths broad; its lateral muscles strong, the tendons large, the epithelium very dense, longitudinally rugous, brownish-red. The stomach is filled with seeds, which have all been husked. Intestine 10 1/4 inches long, its width from 3 twelfths to 2 twelfths. Coeca 3 twelfths long, 1/2 twelfth broad, 1 inch distant from the extremity. Cloaca ovate, 4 twelfths in width.
Trachea 1 inch 10 twelfths long, from 1 1/4 twelfths to 1/2 twelfth in breadth; its rings 52; the muscles as in the other species. Bronchial half rings about 12.The cardinal is also the Indiana State Bird, Kentucky State Bird, North Carolina State Bird, Ohio State Bird, Virginia State Bird and West Virginia State Bird
Web version of John James Audubon's work. "The Birds of America"
Portions copyright © Creative Multimedia Corp., 1990-91, 1992
Published with permisson by Marchex, Inc


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Before a bushfire
- Fire agencies recommend that you develop a written bushfire survival plan and discuss this with your family.
- Know the fire danger ratings and what they mean. Use them as your trigger to stay or leave the area.
- Don't wait and see. It is extremely dangerous to leave after there are signs of fire in your area. Come up with a plan to decide when to leave, where you will go and how you will get there.
- Consider moving children, the elderly and people with illness or disability, as well as animals, away from danger as early as possible.
- If you live in or intend to travel to a high-risk bushfire area, know the location of the nearest bushfire safer place, meeting point or evacuation centre and how to get there.
- Check the frequency of the nearest ABC Radio station using our frequency finder and/or check ABC Emergency on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date with conditions.
- Always notify your family and friends of your plans and intensions to stay or go.
- Make sure your bushfire survival kit is ready and you know of its location.
If you decided to leave your home, make sure you:
- Close doors and windows, fill sinks with water and move outdoor furniture away from the house.
- Pack food, water and your survival kit in your car, adding any final items.
- Turn off mains gas supply.
- Take your list of contacts in order to inform them of your departure and destination.
- Develop a back-up plan, including where you will shelter if you have not left early and it is unsafe to leave. This is a dangerous situation and you must know where you will seek shelter from radiant heat.
- Establish the location and route to your closest Neighbourhood Safer Place (NSP). NSPs are places of last resort. They may save your life but they do not guarantee safety.
- If you are able, identify several exits to ensure you can leave safely if your planned route is blocked.
- Make sure you are wearing protective clothing to shield you from deadly radiant heat.
If you decide to stay and defend your home:
- Fire agencies say defending your home requires at least two able-bodied, fit and determined adults.
- Both adults need to be sure they're physically and mentally prepared to work in difficult conditions.
- Homes in an area with a Code Red or Catastrophic fire danger rating are difficult to defend, even if well prepared.
- Ensure your home is prepared by following a guide like this prepared by the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales. You should ring your state's fire authority and ask for an assessment or advice.
- It is recommended that you have 10,000 litres of water for firefighting purposes as well as a firefighting pump and hoses.
- Other equipment needed includes a water sprayer, bucket, mop, shovel, torch and battery-powered radio.
- Ensure you have adequate protective clothing as outlined in the survival kit. Radiant heat is the biggest killer in a fire.
If you are travelling:
- Find out what bushfire safety plans are in place in the area where you are camping, caravanning or renting accommodation.
- Know the most up-to-date fire danger rating in the area via your ABC Local Radio station, on Twitter and Facebook, or checking with the local fire agency.
- Find the nearest Neighbourhood Safer Place when you are staying in a high-risk fire area and know alternative routes to leave your destination.
- Plan activities carefully on hot, dry and windy days. Contact the visitor information centres for safe tourist activities and locations.
- Pack your own emergency survival kit and have it accessible at all times.
During a bushfire
Always inform family and friends of your movements.
Also, and only if it is safe to do so, contact your ABC Local Radio station via phone or social media to tell others what you can see. This will help the community with first-hand and reliable knowledge about what's going on.
Radiant heat
Being outdoors during a bushfire means you risk exposure to radiant heat, which can kill a human without flames ever touching them.
Extreme temperatures from radiant cause death from heatstroke where the body's cooling system fails, leading to heat exhaustion and heart failure.
Ensure you continue to stay cool and keep drinking water to stay hydrated.
If someone is affected by heatstroke, move them to a shaded area and try to cool them down. Call triple-0 and seek help immediately.
Seeking shelter
If you need to seek shelter due to a sudden change in your bushfire survival plans, fire agencies say the main priority is sheltering from radiant heat.
- It is recommended you seek shelter in a well-prepared home that can be actively defended, a private bunker built to regulation or at a community shelter or refuge.
- If sheltering in a building, make sure you have a point of exit in every room of the shelter.
- Maintain visibility so you know what's happening with the fire outside.
- Take your survival kit and wear protective clothing to help guard against radiant heat.
- Leaving when a bushfire has arrived is extremely dangerous, but if you have no other option you can go to your local place of last resort — a ploughed paddock or the beach, dam or river — but don't shelter in water tanks.
- Radiant heat can be blocked by a solid object such as a concrete wall or building which creates a barrier between you and the fire.
If defending your home:
- Everyone defending your home should wear protective clothing.
- Make sure all cars, farm equipment, caravans and portable gas cylinders are moved away from the house. Also remove door mats, outdoor furniture and all other flammable items.
- Ensure the mains gas supply is switched off, switch off air-conditioning units, and gas cylinders should be kept upright with their relief valve away from the building.
- Fill gutters with water and wet down around the building. Keep wet towels and rags nearby.
- Windows and doors should be closed and wet towels used to fill gaps under doors.
- It is recommended that you shelter inside until the fire front passes but still patrol for embers and extinguish them on landing.
- If your house catches alight, close the door to the room behind you. Never get caught in a room without an exit. If you must go outside, move onto burnt ground as soon as possible.
This is a last resort. Cars are a very dangerous place to be during a bushfire as they offer very little protection from radiant heat.
Driving somewhere will take longer than you expect and road conditions can become dangerous. There may be road closures, smoke, fallen trees and embers.
- Park behind a solid structure to block as much heat as you can. If this is not possible, pull over to the side of the road into a clear area, well away from debris that may ignite.
- Wind up your windows, close the vents, put on your hazard lights and headlights, leave the engine running and air conditioning on recirculate.
- Get down as low as possible below window level and cover up with a woollen blanket until the fire passes — if you have water, drink it.
- Get out of the car only once the fire has passed.
After a bushfire
- Stay tuned to your ABC Radio station, listen online or via the ABC Radio app, and/or check ABC Emergency Twitter and Facebook for updates and instructions from official agencies.
- If you have evacuated, do not return home until you are advised it is safe to do so.
- For those who have stayed and defended their homes, continue to wear your protective clothing and patrol your property for embers hours after the fire front has passed.
- Call your family and friends to let them know you are safe.
- In case you become separated from loved ones, Red Cross manages Register.Find.Reunite, a national registration and enquiry service. When the service is activated, people can register at www.redcross.org.au or in person at an evacuation or relief centre. You can also use the website if you are unable to contact a loved one who may have been affected.
Property damage and insurance
- Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to inform them of any loss or damages.
- Your local fire service will help secure the premises until responsibility can be handed over to the owner/occupier or insurance company where possible.
- If your home is unsafe to occupy, notify police and check with your insurance company whether you can claim temporary housing expenses or obtain an advance on your eventual settlement.
- It is the owner's responsibility to secure a site following a fire. Make sure outside doors can be locked and that openings are covered against weather and entry. If you are the occupier, contact your landlord or real estate agent and inform them of the fire.
- Food, beverages and medicines exposed to heat and smoke should be discarded.
- Services such as telephones and supply of water, electricity and gas may be affected by the bushfire.
- If your house is damaged, your local fire service will contact the local council, gas, fuel and electricity suppliers to disconnect services as required.
- If any services have been disconnected, it is the owner's responsibility to have the service checked and reconnected by the utility service provider. Do not attempt to reconnect services yourself.
Fire emergency services
- Rural Fire Service (NSW)
- Fire and Rescue Service (NSW)
- Country Fire Authority (VIC)
- Metropolitan Fire Brigade (VIC)
- Country Fire Service (SA)
- Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service
- Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA)
- Queensland Rural Fire Service
- Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
- Tasmanian Fire Service
- ACT Fire and Rescue


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Founded in 1902, British American Tobacco (BAT) is the world's second-largest tobacco group, with brands sold in more than 180 countries. BAT employs almost 60,000 people worldwide and manufactures cigarettes in 39 countries.
BAT is the only international tobacco group with a significant interest in tobacco leaf growing, working with over 100,000 directly contracted farmers and covering some 400,000 hectares, mostly in developing countries.
BAT has worked with Earthwatch since the early 1990s, providing major support to our capacity-building and employee fellowship programs.
Supporting sustainable agriculture.
Earthwatch trains British American Tobacco staff to assess Biodiversity Risks and Opportunities across its agricultural operations.
BAT's supply chain relies on sustainable agriculture and farming communities, and the group has had long-term involvement in agricultural extension (the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education). BAT currently provides direct agronomy support (applying the science of soil management and crop production) to around 160,000 growers in 19 countries, covering all aspects of environmental best practice. Most of these farmers grow tobacco on a small scale, alongside or in rotation with food crops, in mixed farming landscapes.
In 2001 Earthwatch, BAT, and several other conservation organizations established the BAT Biodiversity Partnership. Currently the Partnership consists of BAT, Earthwatch, Fauna & Flora International, and the Tropical Biology Association. The aim was to introduce biodiversity awareness into the business as well as to start to address biodiversity impacts and management within agricultural ecosystems. Initially the Partnership focused on local implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and gaining an understanding of BAT's impacts across its leaf-growing operations. The NGO Partners delivered significant conservation outcomes through their own initiatives as well as laying the groundwork for joint projects. Between 2001 and 2010, BAT helped 205 young scientists and educators gain skills and experience working on Earthwatch projects in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Belarus, and 137 BAT staff joined scientists on Earthwatch projects around the world.
In Term 2 (2006–2010), the Partnership developed a more integrated program to help BAT's commitment to embed biodiversity conservation principles into its business operations, and a range of tools to drive change. This included development of the Biodiversity Risk & Opportunity Assessment (BROA) Tool and support for its rollout across BAT's operations. The direction for this journey was set by the British American Tobacco Biodiversity Statement of 2006. The Partnership continued to support important conservation projects around the world, in line with the NGO partners' missions.
Since 2011 the Partnership has had a sharper focus on biodiversity and ecosystem services in mixed agricultural landscapes and the ecosystems on which they depend. In addition to joint "operational" projects such as BROA, Earthwatch is currently implementing two "aligned" research projects focused on agricultural landscapes in the Indian Himalaya and the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil.
The Partnership is funded by £1.5 million per year split among the four partners (approximately £300 thousand per year for Earthwatch).
The Partnership supports two pieces of high-quality research in strategic locations for Earthwatch (India and Brazil) that will make important contributions to the understanding of certain aspects of the ecology of these landscapes. This understanding will in turn help inform policy and management practices in those regions.
Learning by doing in Malawi: On the Mount Mulanje Ecological Monitoring project.
The Indian Himalaya: One of the sites where we explore biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
"Earthwatch has considerable expertise in working with the corporate sector and has made a significant effort to understand our business, consistently providing insightful, targeted and relevant advice on biodiversity issues. Over a number of years Earthwatch has helped us to develop biodiversity management into our business operations across the globe, driving real changes in our capacity and behaviour."
David Christian
Group Head of Environmental, Health & Safety, BAT
More Corporate Partnership Case Studies
Find out how business and environmental outcomes are achieved by corporate partnerships with Earthwatch.
EY professionals gain hands on experience with both science and the business of sustainability through the EY-Earthwatch Ambassadors Program.
HSBC's Sustainability Leadership Program is a unique professional development experience for senior leaders, designed to promote understanding of sustainability as a core business issue and opportunity.
Coral Communities in the Seychelles began in 2006 to assess the impact of climate change on coral reefs and informing plans to help safeguard these precious ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
Microsoft employees exchange the office for Oxfordshire's Paradise Woods to take part in Earthwatch's innovative one-day employee engagement program.
Earthwatch and Starbucks have partnered to support scientific research and employee engagement. Together, they've promoted sustainable farming practices in one of the world's premier coffee-growing regions.


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Melrose Primary School is a non-denominational school situated in the Scottish Borders serving the town of Melrose, surrounding villages and rural areas. It is part of a Learning Community of eight schools in the Earlston High School catchment area, and almost all children from Melrose transfer to Earlston for secondary education.
The school consists of two buildings. The head teacher's office, a depute head teacher's office, the school office, the Nursery, gym hall/dining area, support for learning room, the library, one large general purpose room (audiovisual room) and the P1- 4 classrooms are located in the main building (the new school building). The P5 -7 classrooms, a depute head teacher's office, computer suite and a general purpose space, the 'Big Space', are located in the Annexe building (the original Grammar School building).
The children are grouped in classes from Primary One (P1) to Primary Seven (P7). There are thirteen classes in school with a total roll of approximately 320. Classes are organised in single year or composite groups. Straight year groups do not exceed twenty five pupils in P1, thirty pupils in P2 and P3 and thirty-three in P4-7. Composite groups do not exceed 25 pupils.
The school Nursery caters for up to sixty 3 and 4 year old children in two groups of 30 (morning and afternoon).
School Handbook
The School Handbook is written as a source of reference for all parents/carers, children and anyone with an association with the school. It gives information on the philosophy that lies behind our work with children, answers questions about the school curriculum and gives details of the day-to-day running of our primary school. The nursery also has its own 'Information for Parents' handbook. You can download both these documents on our Key Documents page.


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Thursday, August 20, 2009
PCC Animation
It's not very often that I am allowed to post work-related stuff here (or even that I'd want to post some of what I do for pay), but this is a cool opportunity to share something.
A few months ago I was hired as an animator to help create a handful of animated short pieces to be played in conjunction with a live stage show at the Polynesian Cultural Center in O'ahu, Hawaii. The new show is called Ha, Breath of Life, and plays nightly (excluding Sundays) at the Center. (Click on the link to learn more about the show.) It's kind of cool to have been part of a project like this that gets such frequent and comparatively broad exposure.
The link above is, from what I can tell, taken (likely unauthorized) from the handheld of a tourist who went to see the show. You can watch quite a bit of the show, but the animation starts at around 1:15 in to the clip. Unfortunately, the coolest animation is further in to the show, and I haven't seen any of it surface on the web yet, so I guess this gives everyone an excuse to go to Hawaii! (You should be thanking me.)
Also, as with all work of this sort, a number of drafts were gone through before we got to a final product, so I can post here some of my animation that was rejected in favor of stuff that was less fun. Alas.
Posted by Anthony Holden at 10:03 PM 13 comments
Labels: animation
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The Illustrious and Illustrative Sketch Adventure Lifestyle of Anthony Holden. Cartoons, Sketches, Character Designs, Storyboards, Comics, Illustration, Animation, Silly thoughts, Intermittent Posting, and Arbitrary Capitalization by American animation artist, Anthony Holden. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!
All content on this page copyright 2007-2011 Anthony L. Holden. Do not use without permission, except for purposes of review.
All content on this page copyright 2007-2011 Anthony L. Holden. Do not use without permission, except for purposes of review.


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About that Casey Affleck situation
He's being sued by a former producer on his Joaquin Phoenix documentary I'm Not Here. Amanda White says she was sexually harassed by Joaquin's bff and brother-in-law, claiming she was fired for not f-cking him. According to White, she was terminated when she rejected Casey's demand that they start sleeping together. She also says that Casey was aggressive with her and that he and Joaquin locked her out of her room while they were tag teaming some other broads. White adds that Casey would walk around the set boasting about his conquests and calling women "cows". And he judged her for not having babies yet.
Casey has categorically denied the allegations through his legal team and, they say, plans to countersue.
You know normally I'm never on Team Celebrity, especially in cases where the woman appears to be powerless. But this is less about him than it is about Joaquin Phoenix. Casey is married to Joaquin's sister. Joaquin is famously guarded about his family, fiercely protective. They are all very close, all were present for the birth of Rio, son of sister Liberty, named of course after his brother. Joaquin supposedly cut the umbilical cord. That's as tight as it gets.
Would Joaquin be down with his sister's husband's infidelity? And participate? He's crazy in many different ways. Seriously f-cked up. But I can't see him being f-cked up in that way. To engage in betraying his own sister. Then again, it's also very possible that this entire episode is part of their giant hoax for I'm Not Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix during which Joaquin tries to be a rapper, supposedly gets cranked up on cocaine and sucks off a publicist, and let's some dude SH-T ON HIM while he's sleeping. Yes. Word is there's a scene in which one of his rivals sneaks up on his while he's sleeping and moves his bowels.
I'm Not Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix opens on September 10. Photos attached from when they were shooting the doc in 2009.
Photos from Wenn.com


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This is just a simple tutorial that will teach you how to draw Fairy Tail, step by step. For every show including anime and manga, there has to be some sort of logo. I know I talked about two of the main characters so far and even a little about the anime itself. What I want to do with this tutorial is talk about the anime/manga. The Japanese manga was created by Hiro Mashima who is better known for his creation "Rave Master". Fairy Tail is a series that appears in Shonen Magazine, and has been since August of 2006. Nowadays you can actually watch Fairy Tail because it has been airing on TV Tokyo since October 2009. The story is about a young sorceress named Lucy Heartfilia, and the series follows her on her adventure to the land of Fior. Lucy goes to Fior to join the Fairy Tail Guild. I really want to save the rest of the story line for the tutorial on Lucy because I will be submitting her today as well. The symbol of Fairy Tail may look a little weird to draw but in all it's pretty cool. This lesson shows you how to draw Fairy Tail with step by step instructions, and easy to follow steps. I hope you will all like, and learn something form this submission. I will return with some other cool stuff, but in the mean time, try your talent with this anime/manga symbol. Peace out guys and happy drawing!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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From the Houston Chronicle
The first baby conceived through in-vitro fertilization was dubbed a "miracle baby" by scientists and by her parents when she was born. And 35 years later, we're pretty certain that more than 5 million other parents of in-vitro babies feel the same about their own children. This Thursday, the first-ever "test-tube" baby, Louise Brown, celebrates her 35th birthday. She was born in Oldham, England, on July 25, 1978. Her sister, Natalie, followed on June 14, 1982.
Brown was also the first woman conceived through in-vitro fertilization to have a baby of her own. She conceived her son, Cameron, naturally and gave birth in 2007.
In-vitro, while still a miracle, is now so commonplace, it sometimes seems the practice has been around a lot longer than 35 years. Take a look at some other medical breakthroughs that may be just as prevalent three decades from now.
Photo: Photo from Business Insider


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Pivot3 and Seanodes increase performance, scalability of iSCSI storage products
Pivot3 Serverless Computing iSCSI systems get RAID 6e protection and scalability, while Seanodes adds solid-state drive (SSD) support to its Exanodes iSCSI software.
Startups Pivot3 Inc. and Seanodes are taking steps to increase the performance and scalability of their iSCSI offerings. Pivot3 is increasing the RAID protection for its Pivot3 Serverless Computing to RAID 6e, while Seanodes Inc., whose Exanodes software can turn commodity servers' internal storage into scale-out shared storage, is adding support for solid-state drives (SSDs).
Pivot3 adds RAID protection to serverless systems
Pivot3 is upgrading the Pivot3 Serverless Computing platform it launched last August. Pivot3's Serverless Computing eliminates physical application servers by moving them onto its x86-based storage nodes running an open-source Xen hypervisor. Now Pivot3 is adding what it calls RAID 6e (enhanced) – which allows three simultaneous drive failures or one appliance and one drive failure – while bumping up maximum capacity from eight appliances (96 drives) to 12 appliances (144 drives). It's also adding network-attached storage (NAS) capability through Microsoft Windows Storage Server. Each array now scales to 48 server cores for 24 Gbps of iSCSI bandwidth.
"They're striping data across multiple nodes together in a complete system in such a way that you can sustain a whole node failure before it becomes an issue," said Noemi Greyzdorf, research manager, storage software at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC, of Pivot3.
RAID 6 allows a system to recover from two simultaneous drive failures. The ability to lose an extra drive is key for Pivot3, which plays mostly in the video surveillance space and has customers with many high-capacity SATA drives. Lee Caswell, Pivot3's chief marketing officer, said RAID 6e requires no more drives or capacity than RAID 6.
Jason Pritchard, integration manager for the Choctaw Nation, estimates he saved approximately $300,000 by getting rid of around 90 application servers after installing Pivot3 systems in three Choctaw casinos across Oklahoma. Pritchard said he's installing one of the new systems this week in a new casino in Grant, Okla. Choctaw casinos have more than 2 PB overall on Pivot3 Serverless Computing systems, which store data from the casinos' video surveillance cameras.
"I'm looking forward to RAID 6e and to not having to worry so much about drive failure," Pritchard said. "With RAID 5, if we lost two drives we were in a hole. With our old [Adaptec Inc.] DAS [direct-attached storage] storage banks, it took 24 to 36 hours to rebuild and re-initialize a drive. With Pivot3, the rebuild is a whole lot faster. It takes an hour or so to rebuild, and we can lose multiple drives across a cluster and keep recording."
Because the casinos are scattered throughout the state, Pritchard said any downtime can result in lost video.
"Sometimes we lost a day's amount of video with our old storage because it takes three hours to get somebody up there to the casino," Pritchard said. "Some of that stuff comes back to bite you on the butt later on. It's Murphy's Law that if something happens and you need to look at a video, it will be on that server that was down."
Seanodes enters SSD market
Seanodes is widening its support to hardware with solid-state drives (SSDs). Its underlying server nodes can theoretically hold up to 48 SSDs or hard disk drives, but Seanodes business director Frank Gana said customers are more likely to deploy 2 SSDs per Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) I/O controller for maximum performance benefit.
From there, up to 128 CPU nodes can be aggregated together with Exanodes, and all the SSD capacity in that pool can be accessed from any host attached to it. The rest of the drive slots inside a server can be filled with hard disk drives in a separate pool. Exanodes aggregates not only the capacity of the SSDs, but the network bandwidth of the cluster. So a 16-node configuration, for example, could get up to 16 Gbps of bandwidth. Gana argues that's an improvement over putting a solid-state drive behind an array controller, which some in the storage market have argued defeats the performance gains from SSDs.
Some vendors supporting solid-state drives also include automated tiered storage functions for moving data between SSD and hard disk drive pools, but Seanodes said its customers can use third party tools such as VMware Inc.'s Storage VMotion for that.
Jeff Boles, senior analyst and director of validation services at Hopkinton, Mass.-based Taneja Group, said the ability to pool the capacity of solid-state drives could lower the cost and lets organizations add more capacity per drive – something that's on customers' SSD wish list.
"Compared with array-based SSDs that may have a per-device markup of anywhere between five times to 20 times, SSD in the server costs a fraction of that," Boles wrote in an email. According to a Seanodes demonstration, an eight-node cluster with one SSD per node can offer up to 36,000 IOPS for less than $20,000 (for this demonstration, the servers didn't contain hard disk capacity).
Boles maintained that the major array vendors will have to start thinking more along these lines soon to stay competitive.
"Solutions from the likes of Seanodes, [Dell Inc.'s] EqualLogic, Atrato [Inc.] and others are making SSD more scalable, more affordable and consequently more useful than it is in classic arrays," he wrote. "When we're seeing the street prices of SSD devices marked up by 10 to 20 times by the time it is integrated into an array, and then the number of devices are limited as well, I think more end users are going to be easily attracted by what these non-traditional solutions can deliver."


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About us
EdgeMod is founded on an unshakable set of core values, integral to who we are as a company. We pride ourselves on three things: exceptional design, fantastic customer service, and competitive pricing.
Based in Los Angeles, California and offering state-of-the-art warehousing, our mission is always to provide our customers with fabulous, contemporary designs to fall in love with. Specializing in edgy modern and contemporary decor, EdgeMod is dedicated to delivering the furniture, lighting, and accessory pieces that customers crave.
Quality is of the utmost importance at EdgeMod and we produce only those pieces that meet our demanding standards. Working directly with designers and producers allows EdgeMod exceptional quality control, from the first sketches right through the manufacturing process, ensuring unparalleled excellence.
Dedicated to superb customer service, EdgeMod provides a simple and intuitive online ordering system, with personalized support from a dedicated service representative to ensure every customer receives exactly what they're seeking.


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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A Convoluted and Corrupt System
I have to wonder….is it the politician who is dishonest or does the dishonesty stem from such a convoluted and corrupt system that has been allowed to flourish?
In 1975, following President Nixon's resignation from the White House, Americans were longing for a simpler time….a time when they felt they had a more honest relationship with the man inhabiting the White House.
Follow this link over to American Presidents for my post 1975: Nostalgic for Give 'em Hell, Harry.
If I still haven't gotten your attention then follow the link to discover what the band Chicago and Harry Truman have in common
4 comments:
- Greg Bevier said...
The comedian George Carlin took your idea on where the corruption comes from one step further. He said politicians
"don't fall out of the sky....They come from American parents, American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses, American universities, and they are elected by American citizens...if you have selfish, ignorant citizens you're going to get selfish ignorant leaders...maybe it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe WE suck."
Just something to chew on...
- Cutom Term Paper said...
Nice blog
- DegreeFinders said...
I think everybody has their own agenda now. The theory of loving thy neighbor went out with the trash for many people long ago. When politicians get in office they have their own reasons for wanting to be there. And even if there is a shred of nobility in them, it seems to quickly vanish with the granting of power. What is that saying? Absolute power...
- Paul Swendson said...
I'm not a big fan of politicians, but I think that a lot of the problem stems from the voters. (This may be the next post on my blog.) A common complaint is that politicians are bought off by interest groups. So why do politicians need money? They need a lot to spend on TV commercials, signs, direct mail, and all kinds of other crap. If voters were not influenced by these things produced by the "campaign," then politicians would not need all kinds of money to spend on them. There are other ways that voters are partly to blame, but I will save that for further ranting later.


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Riff Raff Shows Off His New Icee Cup Diamond + SODMG Chain In Las Vegas!
"RiFF RAFF SODMG NEW iCEE CUP DiAMOND CHAiN - NEW CHAINS BALLING IN LAS VEGAS"
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Course Description
RE 251 Adventure Activities, Facilitation and Group Behavior 3 cr. (2-0-2)
- Offered: Fall, Winter
- Prerequisite: RE 110 and RE 250.
Study of group process, development and facilitation skills, practice listening skills, use of metaphor and debriefing. Discuss transfer of learning and the direct experience and skill development of facilitating adventure type activities, such as our high ropes course and climbing wall.


text: URMC / Mary Parkes Center / Services / Pulmonary Evaluation (Adult) Pulmonary Evaluation (Adult) You have been referred for a pulmonary consultation with a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease. Your visit to the Center will include a detailed medical history, physical exam, and possible testing to determine a diagnosis. Please plan on spending a minimum of 1 hour at the Center. Conditions Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency An inherited disorder that results in low or no production of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin. This deficiency leads to damage of the lungs. Symptoms can surface at a very early age or in adulthood and relate to the lungs (with shortness of breath). There are several options for treatment of the lung disease, including replacement of the missing protein. AlphaNet: Alphas Serving Alphas Alpha-1 Association Asthma COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) The two main diseases that make up COPD are Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. COPD Foundation Chronic Bronchitis Chronic bronchitis is a chronic inflammatory condition in the lungs that causes the respiratory passages to be swollen and irritated, increases the mucus production and may damage the lungs. The symptoms are coughing and breathlessness, which will get worse over the years. The definition of chronic bronchitis is chronic cough or mucus reproduction for at least three months in two successive years when other causes have been excluded. COPD Foundation Emphysema Emphysema is a lung disease that involves damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of emphysema. Tobacco smoke and other pollutants are thought to cause the release of chemicals from within the lungs that damage the walls of the air sacs. This damage becomes worse over time. Persons with this disease have air sacs in the lungs that are unable to fill with fresh air. This affects the oxygen supply to the body. National Emphysema Foundation COPD Foundation Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) ILD is characterized by scarring of the lungs which makes it hard to take a full breath. There are different types of ILD. The most common types are Pulmonary Fibrosis and Sarcoidosis. Pulmonary Fibrosis Pulmonary Fibrosis symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and diminished exercise tolerance. The goal of treatment is to decrease lung inflammation and subsequent scarring. Sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis involves the entire body causing small growths or lumps. It is a disease that produces inflammation or swelling of the tissues in any part of the body including the lungs. Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing stops for more than 10 seconds during sleep. Sleep apnea is a major, though often unrecognized, cause of daytime sleepiness. OSA affects more than 20 million adult men and women in the U.S. Breathing stops because of airway collapse. Airway collapse may be due to extra tissue in the airway, large tongue, or decreased muscle tone holding the airway open. Air is then prevented from getting into the lungs. Most people who suffer from OSA do not realize they have the condition, it is someone else who witnesses the signs. Some of the signs of OSA include snoring, daytime sleepiness, and obesity. American Sleep Apnea Association Pulmonary Hypertension Pulmonary Hypertension Association Abnormal Imaging Studies (Chest X Ray or Cat Scan) Chest X-ray Abnormal findings on chest x rays are used in conjunction with a physician's physical exam findings, patient medical history and other diagnostic tests to reach a final diagnosis. For many diseases, chest x rays are more effective when compared to previous chest studies. CT Scan A CAT scan of the lung may be ordered to further evaluate an abnormal chest x-ray. It is vital that we have your films (both chest x-rays and cat scans) at the time of your visit.


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Regular price
Sale price
We hand make our sausages from grass fed beef and case them in natural sheep casings. A classic versatile beef sausage, delicious with mash and onion gravy.
These beef sausages are made with a gluten free rusk instead of a wheat rusk.
Delivery and Collection
Where we deliver
We deliver to the whole of Ireland, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and the whole of the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Channel Islands, Highlands, Scottish Islands and Isle of Man.
Delivery charges
Delivery is free for larger orders - please see Delivery Charges page for details of delivery costs. Your delivery will be automatically calculated depending on your order value and delivery location and will be shown on the checkout page when you order.
How we deliver
We use Parcelforce 24 hour delivery service (GLS in Republic of Ireland). Your order will be shipped from the farm by us and delivered by Parcelforce on the next day between 9 am and 5 pm. Your order will be packed in an insulated box with ice, which will keep the meat cold until it is delivered. Please ensure you unpack and refrigerate or freeze your meat order as soon as it is delivered.
Delivery address information
Please note: we cannot book a courier delivery service for customers without a complete delivery address - recipients's name, house number, road, UK postcode or ROI Eircode, town, recipients email address and recipient's phone number, (mobile preferred).
When we deliver
We deliver nationwide Tuesday to Friday.
Please note we do not deliver on Bank Holidays or Public Holidays.
Delivery dates and delivery address
There is an option to specify a delivery date by checking a date on a calendar on the checkout page. We will attempt to schedule delivery on that date if possible. This is not always possible and will depend on availability of stock, and the time required to butcher some items.
After you place an order we will send you a confirmation of order email showing the goods you have ordered. We will also send you a second email telling you on what date we plan to SHIP your order. At this stage you can let us know if you wish to change your shipping date or your delivery address. If we do not hear back from you we will ship your order to the delivery address which you put on your order and will send your order with Parcelforce on the SHIPPING DATE we have told you. Your order will be sent by Parcelforce 24 hour service and will be delivered the DAY AFTER your shipping date.
You can change your delivery address or shipping date by emailing us or phoning us up to a deadline of 5 pm on the DAY BEFORE your scheduled shipping date. After 5 pm on the day before your shipping date it is not possible to change your delivery address or shipping date. Please note no changes to delivery address or delivery date can be made on the date of shipping - the parcels are collected from our farm early in the morning and the delivery address or delivery date cannot be changed once they are scanned by the Parcelforce driver into the Parcelforce system.
Tracking your parcel
From the morning of the delivery date you can track the progress of your parcel on the Parcelforce website https://www.parcelforce.com or you can download the Parcelforce tracking app My Parcel Live which allows you to see where your parcel is and how far away the driver is.
Someone must be at the delivery address to sign for your parcel
Unlike other couriers the Parcelforce driver is not allowed to leave your parcel at your door or at a gate - the driver must get a signature to leave a delivery so please ensure someone is at the delivery address to sign for your order OR IT WILL NOT BE DELIVERED and they will take it back to their depot. Parcelforce delivers anytime between 9 am and 5 pm.
If you cannot be in at the delivery address you requested on your online order, please let us have an alternative delivery address where someone will be available to sign for your parcel anytime between 9 am and 5 pm (e.g. a work address). The deadline for changing your delivery address is 5 pm on the day before your order is shipped.
Collecting your order in person
If you wish to collect your order in person you can you collect at the farm shop in Killyleagh Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm or at St George's Market Belfast on Saturdays 9 am - 2.30 pm. There is NO minimum order value for orders collected in person.
Product weights
Weight of meat cuts & poultry
We cut meat as accurately as possible, but as this is a natural product the weight of the product supplied may vary slightly from the weight ordered. It is impossible for the butcher to be absolutely precise when cutting meat to size and poultry weights vary slightly from week to week depending on the exact age of the birds when killed. Customers who have paid in advance online will not have to pay more if they are delivered or collect a heavier product than than purchased, but we will not make a refund if a product is less than 10% lighter than that prepaid online
Customers who opt to pay on collection at the Farm Shop or at St George's Market Belfast will be charged the exact price for the item supplied as shown on the scale when they collect.
Storing meat and poultry
Your order may contain both fresh and frozen items. Both fresh and frozen meat will be delivered packed in gel ice, in an insulated box.
Frozen items are marked with a 'Best Before' date of 365 days from the date of packing. Please ensure you put frozen items in your freezer immediately your package is delivered, and store them frozen until you are ready to cook them. Once thawed or defrosted previously frozen items have a 'Use By' date of 12 hours and must be cooked within 12 hours. Do not leave previously frozen items in a refrigerator for several days after thawing – they will not be safe to eat and should be discarded. Previously frozen items can be cooked and then refrozen for example, frozen mince can be defrosted, cooked and then frozen as e.g. Shepherds' Pie or Bolognese Sauce.
Fresh items are marked with a 'Use By' date of several days (the length of which varies depending on the type of product – minced items with no preservative have a 2 day shelf life, fresh chicken has a 3 day shelf life, sausages or burgers containing preservatives have a 5 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, beef steaks have a 14 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, bacon has a 14 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, but 4 days shelf life only once the pack is open). Fresh meat and poultry should be stored in a refrigerator set to the lowest setting (2 degrees Centigrade) and should be cooked before the 'Use By' date on the pack. Once cooked fresh items can be frozen and stored in a freezer. All fresh items can also be frozen at home if they are put in your freezer immediately your package is delivered.


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News Release
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Suspect Accelerates Van at Officer in Attempt to Evade Arrest NR12500ne
November 7, 2012
The officer involved in the below officer-involved shooting has been identified as
Police Officer II Tom Appleby.
Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the suspect that attempted to run over a police officer.
On October 30, 2012, Van Nuys officers responded to the corner at Hazeltine Avenue and Riverside Drive to an unrelated radio call. When the officers arrived they saw a man running northbound in the parking lot being chased by two employees from a nearby business.
The officers observed the suspect manipulating his waistband as he was running and they began chasing the suspect on foot. The suspect entered a white, late 90's, Chevrolet Astro van and accelerated the van at one of the officers, striking one officer, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred.
The suspect was able to drive away in his Astro Van. He is described as a male, white, in his late 30's.
Los Angeles Police Department Force Investigation Division (FID) responded and will be handling the investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and The Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department's use-of-force policy which states that an officer's use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable. Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the officer-involved shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to call Force Investigation Division at 213-486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.
7870 Nollan Pl
Panorama, CA 91345
Panorama, CA 91345
Valley Bureau Community Police Stations