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Top Items:
Jesus Diaz / Gizmodo:
Steve Jobs' Health Declining Rapidly, Reason for Macworld Cancellation — According to a previously reliable source, Apple misrepresented the reasons behind Macworld and Jobs' keynote cancellation. Allegedly, the real cause is his rapidly declining health. In fact, it may be even worse than we imagined:
Discussion: Guardian, Silicon Alley Insider, Between the Lines, VentureBeat, Digital Daily, AppleInsider, Tech-Ex, CrunchGear, The Mac Observer, Gawker, SlashGear, Tech Trader Daily, Apple 2.0, GMSV, Perez Hilton and digg.com
Jack Schofield / Guardian: Is Steve Jobs's health 'declining rapidly' or not?
MG Siegler / VentureBeat: The many rumors of Apple's final Macworld
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: AAPL Sauce: Steve's Fine
Katie Marsal / AppleInsider: Gadget blog juices fears over Steve Jobs' health
Technology Expert / Tech-Ex: Apple Stock Drops After Another Steve Jobs "Poor Health" Rumor
Devin Coldewey / CrunchGear: Slapfight over the Steve's health status
Owen Thomas / Gawker: Digg's Kevin Rose in Steve Jobs Health Panic
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0: What's Macworld without its "living legend"?
John Murrell / GMSV: Steve Jobs health rumors just won't die
Jim Goldman / CNBC.com:
Apple's Jobs is (Still) Fine — You want to know how skittish Apple investors are and how little conviction they have in the company, or trust in its message, look no further than today's Gizmodo rumor fiasco. — The blog reports a serious decline in Steve Jobs' health as the real reason …
Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog, Gawker and digg.com
Chris Gaither / L.A. Times Tech Blog: Steve Jobs illness rumors return, Apple stock falls
Owen Thomas / Gawker: Why It's Time for Steve Jobs and Apple to Split
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
Steve Jobs' Health 'Totally Fine' — CNBC (AAPL) — Conflicting reports about Apple (AAPL) boss Steve Jobs' health: A "solid" Gizmodo source says Jobs' health, not politics, is the reason why Jobs is skipping his annual Macworld Expo keynote. CNBC's Jim Goldman follows up saying that's not true …
Discussion: Reuters, Boy Genius Report and Macsimum News
Zach Epstein / Boy Genius Report: Jobs' health called into question yet again, Apple source denies rumors
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: Jobs' health is fine—or not
MD5 considered harmful today — Creating a rogue CA certificate — Jacob Appelbaum, Arjen Lenstra, David Molnar, Dag Arne Osvik, Benne de Weger — We have identified a vulnerability in the Internet Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) used to issue digital certificates for secure websites.
Discussion: Zero Day, Computerworld, Computerworld Blogs, Hack a Day, CrunchGear, Washington Post, Security Fix, Bits, TidBITS, Obsessable, The Register, InformationWeek, securosis.com, Engadget, Mozilla Security Blog, eWeek, internetnews.com, GMSV, hackademix.net, Errata Security, SC Magazine US, BreakingPoint Labs Blog, Security Research and Windows Connected
Ryan Naraine / Zero Day: An easy fix ignored
Robert McMillan / Computerworld: Researchers hack VeriSign's SSL scheme for securing Web sites
Michael R. Farnum / Computerworld Blogs: MD5 CA hack and the PS3
Eliot Phillips / Hack a Day: 25C3: Hackers completely break SSL using 200 PS3s
Scott Merrill / CrunchGear: MD5 collision creates rogue Certificate Authority
Brian Krebs / Washington Post: Researchers Hack Internet Security Infrastructure
Brian Krebs / Security Fix: One Weak Link to Rule Them All
John Markoff / Bits: Outdated Security Threatens Web Commerce
Glenn Fleishman / TidBITS: Secure Certificate Hack Doesn't Imperil Users
Stephen Schenck / Obsessable: Hackers compromise SSL, potentially able to fake encrypted web connections
George Hulme / InformationWeek: The (Not Quite) End Of Security On The Internet
Rmogull / securosis.com: What Average Users Need To Know About The SSL/Root Certificate Authority Exploit
Joseph L. Flatley / Engadget: PlayStation 3 used to hack SSL, Xbox used to play Boogie Bunnies
Johnathan Nightingale / Mozilla Security Blog: MD5 Weaknesses Could Lead to Certificate Forgery
Brian Prince / eWeek: Rogue Digital Certificates Require CAs, Browser Vendors Work …
John Murrell / GMSV: Hackers create Secure Sockets Liar
Giorgio / hackademix.net: Putting SSL in Perspectives
Robert Graham / Errata Security: Not all MD5 certs are vulnerable
Angela Moscaritolo / SC Magazine US: Hackers find hole to create rogue digital certificates
Alexander Sotirov / Security Research: Creating a rogue CA certificate
Aubrey / Windows Connected: MD5, PKI Compromised
Jonathan Stray / CNET News:
Web browser flaw could put e-commerce security at risk — But the SSL certificate is issued by MD5 Collisions Inc. — BERLIN—A key piece of Internet technology that banks, e-commerce sites, and financial institutions rely on to keep transactions safe suffers from a serious security vulnerability …
Discussion: Technologizer, Zero Day, Tech-Ex, Freedom to Tinker, Errata Security and WinBeta
David Worthington / Technologizer: Researchers: E-Commerce is Insecure
Technology Expert / Tech-Ex: Don't Panic, But SSL is Broken
David Maynor / Errata Security: I am not dead AND guessing redacted documents...
Microsoft Security Advisory (961509)
Microsoft Security Advisory (961509)
Discussion: Computerworld, Security Vulnerability … and MSRC
Kevin Poulsen / Threat Level:
Researchers Use PlayStation Cluster to Forge a Web Skeleton Key
Researchers Use PlayStation Cluster to Forge a Web Skeleton Key
Discussion: Gizmodo, Data Center Knowledge and PS3 Fanboy
Matt Buchanan / Gizmodo: Researchers Create Web Skeleton Key With 200 PS3s
Rich Miller / Data Center Knowledge: PlayStation Cluster Busts MD5 SSL Certs
Stephanie Clifford / New York Times:
Consumers Union to Buy a Blog From Gawker — Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, planned to announce Wednesday that it had acquired Consumerist.com, a popular blog formerly owned by Gawker Media. — Consumerist is one of several sites Gawker has sold this year …
Discussion: CNET News, Technologizer, Consumerist and BuzzMachine
Steven Musil / CNET News: Gawker Media sells Consumerist blog
Harry McCracken / Technologizer: Good News: Consumers Union is Buying the Consumerist
Ben Popken / Consumerist: Consumers Union Buys Consumerist
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Gawker Media's Nick Denton Sells Another Blog and Puts Another One on the Block — Gawker Media's Nick Denton continues to shrink his blog empire: He has sold off Consumerist.com to Consumers Union, the nonprofit that publishes Consumer Reports. And he is in talks to sell Defamer.com.
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider: Gawker Sells Consumerist To Consumer Reports
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Large Form iPod Touch To Launch in Fall '09 — We've got this from three independent sources close to Apple: expect a large screen iPod touch device to be released in the Fall of '09, with a 7 or 9 inch screen. Prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources, and Apple is talking to OEMs in Asia now about mass production.
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, Macworld, Incremental Blogger and Edible Apple
Matthew Lasar / Ars Technica:
Martin drops porn filtering from FCC free wireless broadband plan — Kevin Martin, the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, called Ars Technica today to let us know that he has revised his proposal to roll out a free (and smut-free) wireless broadband service.
Michael Masnick / Techdirt: Kevin Martin Agrees To Drop Filters From Free Wireless Web
Roy Mark / eWeek: Martin Revises Free Internet Proposal
Olga Kharif / Tech Beat: FCC's Martin Drops Porn Filtering Idea
Stacey Higginbotham / GigaOM: Adding Porn Won't Make AWS-3 Plan Any Better
Richard Koman / ZDNet Government: Martin drops porn filtering from broadband proposal
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: FCC's Free Wireless Broadband Plan Now Unfiltered to Protect Free …
Chloe Albanesius / AppScout: FCC's Martin Reportedly Ditches Plans for Smut-Free Broadband
Marguerite Reardon / CNET News: FCC Chairman revises wireless broadband plan
Marin Perez / InformationWeek: FCC Could Drop Filtering For Free Internet Plan
Jason Lee Miller / WebProNews: Martin Changes Tune On Broadband Smut-Filter
Ron Schenone / Lockergnome Blog Network: Will The FCC Provide Us With Free Broadband?
Karl Bode / DSLreports: Martin Pulls Smut Filters From Wireless Plan - May have FCC vote again in January
Eric M. Zeman / Phone Scoop: FCC Chief Deletes Adult Content Filtering from Wireless Plan
Bill Ray / The Register: Free wireless broadband boosted
John Eggerton / Broadcasting & Cable: Q&A With FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
Katie Marsal / AppleInsider:
Piper sees dull Macworld, new form factor iPhone by spring — With Apple chief executive Steve Jobs skipping out on this year's Macworld Expo, investment bank Piper Jaffray isn't holding high hopes for new product announcements outside a pair of refreshed Macs, but said in a report Tuesday …
Discussion: NEWSFACTOR, iPhone Savior and TUAW
Mr. Besilly / iPhone Savior: Macworld Expo Downgraded To Moderately Boring
Robert Palmer / TUAW: Munster: New Macs for MWSF, small iPhone by second quarter '09
Apple prepping a quad-core MacBook Pro? … Apple's mid-October refresh of its notebook line left a curious gap at the top end of the card, with the 17 inch MacBook Pro missing the make-over of its 15 inch cousin and the 13.3 inch MacBook. — That could be about to change next week …
Discussion: TechSpot, TheAppleBlog, MacBlogz, CNET News, MacRumors, MacDailyNews and InformationWeek
Jose Vilches / TechSpot: Intel launches lower priced quad-core notebook chip
Darrell Etherington / TheAppleBlog: Quad Core MacBook Pro On the (Macworld) Horizon?
Erica Ogg / CNET News: Quad-core MacBook Pro on the way?
Antone Gonsalves / InformationWeek: Intel Launches Fresh Mobile Quad-Core Chip
Sarah Perez / ReadWriteWeb:
Brightkite Integrates with Facebook — Do you want your Facebook friends to know where you are and what you're doing at all times? That's now possible thanks to mobile social network Brightkite and its recent integration with Facebook. Through the addition of Facebook Connect …
Discussion: The Web Services Report, VentureBeat, Brightkite Blog, NewTeeVee, Feld Thoughts, RotorBlog.com, Technosailor.com and All Facebook
Harrison Hoffman / The Web Services Report: Brightkite is Facebook Connect's newest adopter
Tam Vo / VentureBeat: Brightkite hooks up with Facebook Connect, makes location-based stalking easier
Brady Becker / Brightkite Blog: Brightkite and Facebook... now Connected
Liz Gannes / NewTeeVee: Video Sites Lead Facebook Connect Implementation
Brad Feld / Feld Thoughts: Renormalizing Denormalized Data
Aaron Brazell / Technosailor.com: Tech Predictions for 2009
Nick O'Neill / All Facebook: Do You Want Your Facebook Friends to Know Where You Are?
Wall Street Journal:
Musician Finds a Following Online — Word-of-Mouth on Blogs and Other Sites Attracts Fans — and a Record Deal — In late 2006, Justin Vernon, a musician in Eau Claire, Wis., recorded nine songs while staying at his parents' hunting cabin in northern Wisconsin after a breakup with a girlfriend and his long-time band.
Discussion: Techdirt and Recording Industry vs …
Michael Masnick / Techdirt: More Musicians Discover That Online Is The Path To Fame
Response / F-Secure Antivirus Research Weblog:
Curse of Silence, a Symbian S60 SMS Exploit — An easily reproducible SMS exploit was disclosed and demonstrated today at the 25th Chaos Communication Congress (25C3). The exploit is effective against a wide range of Symbian S60 smartphones and will effectively prohibit victims from receiving SMS messages.
Discussion: Symbian-Guru.com
Robin Goad / Hitwise Intelligence:
Social Xmas: Facebook's busiest day ever, YouTube overtakes Hotmail, Social networks = 10% of UK Internet traffic — With all of the focus on the economic downturn and the troubles in the retail sector, it's easy to forget the continued growth of social networking in the UK.
Discussion: Mashable! and WebProNews
Adam Ostrow / Mashable!: Boring Holidays = Social Networking Extravaganza
Doug Caverly / WebProNews: Social Media Sites Hitting Milestones Left And Right
Jack Loechner / MediaPost:
Most Media To Suffer Retrenchment in 2009 — According to a new report by FitchRatings, the company forecasts that the contraction in output among the major advanced economies will represent the steepest decline since the Second World War, with GDP in the U.S. to decline approximately 1.2%, while inflation is forecast to be 2.7%.
Discussion: VentureBeat
Chris Dannen / Fast Company:
How 2009 Will Spur The Rebirth Of Cyber Squatting — Call it the end of the dot-com world. Next year ICANN, the non-profit that oversees domain name and IP address registration, will start taking applications for new domain name suffixes, creating the potential for billions of new addresses ending …
Discussion: TechCrunch and Domain Name News
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch: Squatters Are Screwed; Nobody Cares If Your Domain Has That Hot New Suffix
Michael Thompson / Ars Technica:
Downloading your games? Get ready for extra fees — The business of selling games has rapidly changed over the past few years, mainly because online services have allowed developers to bypass the middleman that is retail stores. There are major advantages to purchasing a game via digital distribution …
Discussion: GamePolitics News and digg.com
Ben Kunz / Business Week:
A Modest Blogging Proposal — If "pay per post" lets online writers shill for cash, why not go all the way and sell real-life opinions, too? — It all started with a simple question from Forrester Research (FORR) analyst Jeremiah Owyang late in the afternoon on Friday, Dec. 12.
Discussion: The Noisy Channel
Daniel Tunkelang / The Noisy Channel: Reductio ad Advertorium
Tiernan Ray / Tech Trader Daily:
S&P Sees Microsoft-Yahoo! JV, Google-Apple Tensions — 'Tis the season to make year 2009 predictions. Today, Standard & Poor's analysts released their predictions for the Internet in 2009. Scott Kesler, Internet analyst with S&P, says Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo! (YHOO) will …
Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog
Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog: What does 2009 have in store for the Internet?
Jason Green / Mercury News:
Thieves steal $10,000 in equipment from Palo Alto Apple Store, later hit Los Gatos site — Two men broke into the Apple store in downtown Palo Alto early Sunday morning and made off with $10,000 in high-tech gear, police reported. — The thieves triggered an alarm at the University Avenue store …
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
Digg's Ad-Targeting Improves — Bearing witness to social news site Digg's sad 2008 revenues — about $6.4 million on 30 million monthly uniques — we complained that one of the site's biggest problems was its ad-selling partner Microsoft's poor ad-targeting.
Discussion: CenterNetworks, Clickety Clack and Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim
Allen Stern / CenterNetworks: Did Digg Really Improve Their Ad Targeting?
Effective Cpms / Clickety Clack: When People Who Don't Know Anything About Ads Write About Ads
Trisha Lyn Fawver / Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim: Digg's Lack of Ad Targeting is Hurting Revenue
The Economist:
The other transition — Léo Apotheker, SAP's new boss, is an unusual choice, installed in an unusual way — CHANGES in leadership at big companies can be like those in Washington, DC. They bring in fresh perspectives and new people. At the same time, they are often drawn out …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Netflix, Adobe, Google Rated Best Places To Work. AT&T, eBay, RadioShack Among the Worst. — Where are the best and worst places to work? Glassdoor, the site that surveys employees about workplace conditions in great detail, has issued lists of the best and worst 50 companies as rated …
Discussion: The Technology Chronicles, Macsimum News, glassdoor, WebProNews and Cheezhead Recruiting
Deborah Gage / The Technology Chronicles: The best (and worst) places to work
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: Apple makes list of '50 Best Places to Work'
Doug Caverly / WebProNews: Google Makes Another Best Places To Work List
Vanessa Dennis / Cheezhead Recruiting: careerbuilder makes list of best places to work


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The thank-you page or order confirmation page refers to a landing page shown to customers as soon as they complete a purchase.
As a matter of fact, people always visit thank you page to update their order and shipment status. However, thank you page can perform better than that. It's can be a great tool to create customer loyalty and even profit!
If you're looking for ways to optimize your Shopify thank you page, you've landed in the right place!
In this post, we'll show you useful tips to transform your basic Shopify thank you page into a revenue-pumping asset.
Let's jump in to know how!
- 7 Tips to Make your Shopify Thank-you Page Conversion-focus
Why Optimizing Shopify Thank-you Page is a Must?
Each Shopify store theme will form different thank-you pages. However, they all share one thing in common – they are pretty basic and less conversion-focused. Customers can use it to get some ideas on an order summary and shipping updates only.
In fact, if you give your Shopify thank you page proper optimization, it can greatly improve the user shopping experience and drive more sales to your store.
First, emails that include the link to thank you pages always get a 100% open rate. Online shoppers have to open them to view order status and shipping details.
If you include upselling elements, such as discount codes or bestseller items on that page, chances are your customers notice them and continue to shop.
Plus, since your buyers need to keep track of the shipping dates, they have to visit the order confirmation page quite often. The more they see your post-purchase offers, the more conversion your Shopify store will get.
Second, customize your Shopify thank you page lets you massive ROI with little effort. Considering this fact: you fight tooth and nail to increase your upsell email open rate from 10% to 15%, while that rate reaches full 100% when upselling on thank you page.
Besides, the whole process doesn't take you much effort or money since your thank you page already exists. All you need to do is find the right tool to optimize it. Comparing the fee for purchasing tools with the ads, it's just a drop in the bucket.
How to Create Custom Shopify Thank you Page
While Shopify does go with a default thank you page, it provides limited options to natively edit or customize the page. Store owners have to opt for a third-party app to help them style their Shopify thank-you page. Alternatively, they have to play with a bunch of code.
We'll walk you through how to create a custom Shopify thank you page manually, as well as listing some best free Shopify apps to help you simplify the job.
Customize Shopify Thank you Page Manually
Editing the JavaScript or CSS code allows you to insert images, text boxes, buttons, order status, etc. in your thank you page. Simply follow these steps:
- Log into your Shopify admin dashboard, head to Settings > Checkout > Order processing.
- Scroll down to the Additional scripts then add this code snippet to this box.

Note: Similarly, you can insert other elements using this format, e.g <button> for buttons,  for images.
Alternatively, it's possible for you to style your order confirmation page by editing your theme. Go to Online Store > Themes > Actions then paste the code above there and you're done.
Apps to Style Shopify Thank you Page
#1. ReConvert Upsell & Cross-Sell – start at $7.99/month
This app is such a wizard in turning your thank you page into an upsell and cross-sell tool. Its drag and drop interface helps you weak your thank you page easily.
Reconvert is widely endorsed by the Shopify community with over 2.5K 5-star reviews.
#2. Thank You Page Customizer – start at $7.99/month
Thank You Page Customizer offers a drag-and-drop interface as well as tons of widgets, letting you customize your thank you page exactly to your liking. You can add social share buttons, recommended products, videos, custom messages, and many more.
The app has gained an impressive overall 4.8 ratings so far.
#3. Better Thank You Page – start at $10/month
Similar to other Shopify thank you page apps, Better Thank You Page include a dozen of the widget to customize your thank you page. The app enables you to display a thank you page video, embed your social profiles, and post-purchase surveys, etc.
Thanks to these robust features, the app has received an overall rating of 4.7/5 stars.
7 Tips to Make your Shopify Thank-you Page Conversion-focus
Depending on the business style, each Shopify store has a different thank-you page design and conversion-focused point. We will highlight some actionable tips to make your Shopify thank you page stand out from crowds.
#1 Give a Personal Vibe
The first and foremost thank-you page 101 centers on offering a personal touch. Once customers fill in their personal information, i.e name, shipping address for order confirmation, you can utilize this info and include it on your thank-you page.
Rather than just showing order codes, you can directly address them right off the bat, for example. "Hello, Lucy" or "Hi, Tom" then followed by a heartfelt note. This gives your customer a sense of being valued.
Besides, integrating a Google map containing their shipping address into your Shopify thank you page also makes it more personal.
#2 Add Social Share Button
Adding social media button encourages your customers to engage with your Shopify store on social platforms. Once following you, they can receive notifications about product updates, new item releases or hot deal announces. This significantly leads to repeat purchases from your online shoppers.
In case they win your hot deals, you can congratulate them with a lovely message and encourage them to share their purchase on Facebook or Twitter. This may catch the attention of their friends, increasing the chance of your store getting more sales.
#3 Visualize your Brand
There comes a saying "more impression, more conversion." That said, to have more impressions the next time, the first impressions mean everything.
Your thank you page plays the first and most important factor to impress your customer, build a strong relationship with them, and make them return to your shop.
You have to make it stand out from the crowd by all means. But how?
Forget about the default Shopify thank you page. Its generic style will sink like stone among thousands of other Shopify purchase confirmation pages. Instead, you should beautify it with your visualization, using a logo, images, unique and catchy copy, or tutorial and/or FAQs video.
Not only your buyers can view the shipping status but they also have some ideas on your product and brand from your Shopify thank you page.
#4 Offer Incentives for Return
If attaching social share buttons doesn't help you much in doing the trick, offering customers incentives can trigger the action. In particular, a discount code or a referral link can push customers to refer their relatives and friends to your brand.
Italki has made the most of this trick effectively. Whenever a learner finishes a trial lesson with Italki, it sends them a referral link to invite other members to join its community.
Each successful reference will bring win-win situations to both existing learners and newbies. The formers will get rewarded $30 to continue their learning process, while the latter receives the first $10 for trial lessons.
#5 Include Customer Services and Tracking
We can't stress enough the immense power of delivering top-notch customer service to an online business. It stands out as the most crucial factor magnetizing customers coming back to your store.
By providing support options and order tracking directly on your thank you page, customers are free from visiting your website and searching for support services. This describes your ideas of "you can reach out to us anytime, we're here for you!"
#6 Show Trust Badges
Normally, trust badges are displayed on product pages and checkout pages to gain trust from customers and boost conversion rates.
Since you're doing your best to make your Shopify thank you page conversion-driven, showing trust badges on that page happens to be a great idea.
Trust badges, as well as other guarantees, e.g 5-star ratings from Google, Yelp Shopify, free shipping, and money-back guarantee can give shoppers a real kick of assurance. Also, this will bolster their confidence in trading with you.
#7 Insert Post-purchase Survey
To understand more about the user shopping experience on your site, you can leverage your thank-you page as a survey tool by inserting a post-purchase survey into it.
This supports collecting more customer data, plus, keeps you in the know of what you're doing right and what is not. From here, you can improve your service, product quality, or branding design.
The thing is, surveys can be a two-shaped knife. Lengthy surveys can cause distraction, irritate customers, and drive them away. Bear in mind to keep them short, sweet, and to the point.
It's Time to Optimize your Shopify Thank you Page!
This article has given you a clue about Shopify thank you page, how to customize it, as well as useful tips on making it conversion-focused.
All of the tips are quite easy to follow. If you're confident with your coding skill, you can apply our suggestions manually. In case you don't like playing with code, Shopify apps will help you simplify that process.
We've also brought forward trustworthy picks for Shopify thank you page apps. Look at them and select one that is suitable for your site and budget.
Having any ideas on optimizing Shopify thank you page to suggest? Don't hesitate to present them in the comment below.

subset: commoncrawl


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Solid as a Rock
As part of the Youth Ambassadors Programme, Youth Learning Network embarked on a residential trip to the Sayers Croft in Middlesex.
The residential included rock climbing as part of the training activities sponsored by Awards for All.
Participants enjoyed themselves as they learnt valuable life skills and bonded together during their stay. This is just one example of the educational activities that Youth Learning Network provides. Check out at our services for a more in-depth look at how Youth Learning Network provides educational support to youths and their families that promotes and builds a better future for all.
Don't forget to join our mailing list to keep up-to-date with the activities of the Youth Learning Network.
<br />


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It had been too long since my young dining companion and I went off on one of our adventures in DC, so I wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been before. Bar Civita just got something of a scathing First Bite, but I wanted to form my own opinion.
On the Sunday before Memorial Day, I'd called to see if there would be a problem getting a table at 6:15, and they said no, just come on in – Woodley Park was, not surprisingly, packed with tourists, the Gin Joint at New Heights was open, and Open City appears to be continuing its tendency to print money, it's patio being completely full with patrons from the Omni Shoreham and the Marriott Wardman Park hotels. The Wardman Park, in particular, will play a vital role in Bar Civita's ultimate success, the question being: will this restaurant play to the tourists, or will LaCivita join New Heights in upping the ante?
We were seated by the hostess and given menus, and then a runner came and filled our water glasses, but nobody had yet taken a drink order. Finally, our server came by and took our entire order, and with my order, I asked for a cocktail, a Hemingway Daiquiri ($11) which didn't arrive until after our first appetizer. Unfortunately, this was symptomatic of the service problems we would be experiencing during the entire meal, the one saving grace being that our server was clearly a nice person (who had the easily correctable habit of saying, "No problem!" every single time either of us said thank you – perhaps a dozen times through the course of the meal) The entire staff needs to be trained, and Bar Civita should consider this an almost-urgent priority.
A somewhat clumsy plate of bread arrived, four pieces in total, with a small tub of butter – the plate itself was just too big, and life would be simpler for everyone if this humble accoutrement came in a small basket – when our house-made Lamb Rillettes ($4) landed, it came with its own small plate of toasted bread, and we needed to consolidate our plates, eliminating the bread plate entirely. The rillettes was served at refrigerator temperature, which compromised an otherwise-clever riff on the classic British dish, "Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Jelly," as the "layer of fat" on top was indeed house-made mint jelly, and was quite good. At the right temperature, this dish is a keeper; our server was unable to tell us which of the other various charcuterie offered were house-made, and which were procured, so we just stuck with the rillettes. At $4, especially with the presentation on a wooden board with house-pickled vegetables, mustard, and sea salt, this is a bargain; the restaurant is undoubtedly hoping that customers will order multiple types of charcuterie.
For appetizers, we each got a half-portion of pasta: Gnocchi ($8) with Abruzzese sausage in the form of small meatballs, tomato, Sambuca, mozzarella, and large, green olives, possibly Castelvetrano; and Pincianelle ($9) with leg of lamb and neck ragu, a large dab of goat ricotta sitting in the middle of the bowl, fava beans, mint, and chiles. As diametrically different as these two pastas may sound, they were, amazingly, almost indistinguishable from one another – the somewhat sweet, bland tomato sauce was the dominating factor in both dishes.
A half-portion of the NY Strip ($12) was a good value for several cubes of properly cooked, medium-rare steak, served with smoked potato and truffled cheese puree (not hot enough), grilled asparagus, and red wine tamarind jus. A full order of Roasted Chicken Contadina ($21) comes with a warning that it will take 35 minutes (okay with me), and is listed as being served with confit and crisped breast, preserved lemon, sweet and hot cherry peppers, mushrooms, Roman style gnocchi, and chicken jus. This was accompanied by a glass of good Sauvignon Blanc ($10.50), served in quality stemware at the proper temperature – I had a choice of New Zealand or French wines, and chose the French: I never did ask about the producer, but it might have been a Patient Cottat "Le Grand Caillou." There were substitutions on this evening, as the breast was served atop a cylinder of polenta, and there were three roasted shishito peppers encircling the plate. This has the potential to be a very good dish, but this was the driest roast chicken I can remember having at a restaurant in a long time, and the somewhat flavorless steak wasn't far behind.
I see in Bar Civita a casual restaurant with potential, and I've seen the chef's work at both Centro and Liberty Tavern, so I know he's capable of running a good kitchen; for now, this must be considered a work in progress, to be monitored for its potential: despite all of the intricate details listed on the menu, the entire restaurant needs to step backward, take a deep breath, and look at the big picture, both in terms of service, and also in terms of basic flavor and textural profiles in its cuisine.


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Deciding whether to take a genetic test is a huge decision and requires you to take time before rushing into making a decision. It is vital that you take time to understand everything about genetic testing, know when you should do it, and the benefits of a DNA test.
A DNA test can play a huge part and tell you a lot about your health. Here are some of the ways in which undergoing a DNA test can help you know your health status.
Understand your diet
This may sound unrealistic, but taking a DNA test can actually help you determine your optimal diet. You probably think that a diet plan is all about eating the healthy meals but did you know that you can follow a diet based on your genetic needs? Undergoing a DNA test will help you understand the right proteins, carbs, and fat proportion to include in your daily meals.
Determine heart-related risks
Your heart is the center of all the body organs and functioning. In fact, the rest of your body parts cannot function if your heart is at risk. A DNA test can help you to uncover any issues or risks that could be surrounding your cardiovascular system. You will know if you are at risk of developing problems such as heart attack or high blood pressure due to a high level of cholesterol. If you ever wanted to find about your DNA, then grab top DNA testing kits.
Vital if you are about to undergo a fitness plan
What works for another person may not work well for you, and the vice versa is true. A workout plan that worked for your colleague might not be the ideal plan for you. Most people tend to overlook this aspect and assume that any exercise is okay as long as it can help them stay in shape, but that is only because they have not checked the bigger picture and how doing the wrong workouts can adversely affect their overall wellbeing. Undertaking a DNA test will help you know your body makeup and understand which types of exercises are right for you. It could either be strength or endurance workout.
Understand if you are at risk of hereditary diseases
Believe it or not, but it is not a myth that some conditions are passed across families. These include diabetes and cancers, among others. You may never know if you have inherited any of these problems until it is too late and you are already a victim. A DNA test can help you see if you have a potential of suffering hereditary diabetes or cancer. This way, you can take fast measures before matters get out of hands.
If you are allergic to gluten
This is a problem that a lot of people seem to be dealing with. You have probably come across various gluten-free campaigns where people are advised to avoid any foods that are rich in gluten. The big question is; do you need that? Doing a DNA test is one effective way to get answers to your question and know if you are at risk or you are safe so you can stop experimenting with your diet.
Understand your skin sensitivity
Everyone's skin is different, and while we all learn about skin sensitivity and how to take care of our skins, you must understand your skin type first before coming up with the right measures for it. Taking a DNA test helps you to know how much sensitive your skin is so you will know the proper measures to take and make sure that what you choose to do is safe for your skin.
If you want to get into weight management
Weight is one of the most stressful things that people have to deal with. You may go on a diet for a week and lose 5 pounds. You get so excited that you decide to celebrate and before you know it you have already gained ten extra pounds. You go on with the same cycle, and in the end, you will be achieving nothing. This can be super demoralizing, and also, it is putting your health at risk. Taking a DNA test can help you discover your genetics, which will then guide you on the best weight management and eating habits to take. You will easily know what substitutions are best in place of your sweet snack.
All these are some of the things that you can learn about your body and health by taking a DNA test. Take the right step and do a DNA test online if you feel like time is a constraint. It is flexible and convenient and helps you to stay calm.
Image credit: DNA Testing via create jobs 51/Shutterstock


text: Due to the increasing use of general purpose graphical models (e.g., UML diagrams) and domain specific graphical models in different stages of software development, software engineers who work with these models spend more time interacting with modeling tools. Thus, the usability of interaction techniques of modeling tools affects the overall productivity of software development. Tool developers and user interface designers rely on the feedback from usability tests to optimize the user interface of tools that provide a graphical editor. Developing a working prototype to test new techniques is costly due to the complexity and variety of graphical models. This results in either tests at the late stages of development when changes are more expensive, or tests with prototypes that only support a subset of the intended graphical models, thus not comprehensive. In order to simplify conducting usability tests, instead of using the intended graphical models in the tests, we propose to use simpler models that require similar interactions when being manipulated. For this purpose, we introduced ImitGraphs, an extended graph with additional properties so that it can be specialized in interacting similarly to an intended graphical model. Then, we designed a method to instruct test participants to create ImitGraphs. Specialized graphs enable us to develop prototypes for usability tests faster and consequently cheaper resulting in more usability tests at early stages of tool development and on a wider range of intended models.


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Contact Us
Google Rating
Canada Shutter Pros - Roll Up Shutter Installation Barrie
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The head of the Iowa Department of Corrections announced Monday that he will retire at the end of December.
Jerry Bartruff made the announcement at the end of his budget presentation to the governor. Bartruff is calling for a budget that is about the same as last year. "We know that we have some things that we are proud of. We know we've got some things that we need to do something about and we need to have a plan," Bartruff says.
Bartruff laid out some of the issues he says they've faced. "We've had attacks on staff. We've had attacks on other incarcerated persons. We've had contraband in our facilities, we've had people on parole who absconded and committed another crime, and a rising prison population," Bartruff says. "We know that part of the nature of corrections in managing and dealing with these situations. We are starting to see some good trends."
Bartruff says one of the positives is a drop in attacks by prisoners. "If you look at FY '16 there are over 140 incidents of either staff having a substance thrown at them, a serious injury. The trend has dropped the last three years — so as you can see in F-Y '18 there are only eight serious assaults on staff," Bartruff says. He the serious assaults mostly occurred at the State Penitentiary where the worst prisoners are housed.
Bartruff says they are working to address the increase in prisoners who commit another crime once they get out. "We think that there are some reasons for that," Bartruff says, "we are releasing higher risk people at a higher rate. We focused our resources on making sure that we have the right number of people to supervise, but we don't always have the right number to treat."
The rate for prisoners committing another crime has gone from 29.7 percent in the 2011 to 2014 fiscal years to 37.8 percent in the 2015 to 2018 fiscal years. After the hearing Bartruff told reporters that they have been trying to get more treatment when they can.
"One of the things that we have done is to look at every vacancy that we have and make sure that we use that vacant position to meet our needs," according to Bartruff. "One of the things that we've done over this last year is as vacancies come up, we've hired more counselors, people involved in treatment. So, using the resources that we have effectively as possible."
The union that represents the corrections officers says the staffing levels are too low. Bartruff was asked if keeping a status quo budget continues that situation. "I understand that way of looking at it. But last year we went through a staffing survey with all of our corrections officers — what's our minimum staffing numbers that we need. And with the money that we go last year we are able to get to those numbers," Bartruff says. "So, we think that it's not additional staff — it's staff being more proficient in some of the core corrections practices."
He says providing enough treatment isn't the only answer. "It's also making sure that we don't keep people locked up any more longer than necessary. There is some data that suggests the longer you keep people in prison without reintegrating them into the community — the likelihood of them recidivating increases. So its' a myriad of factors," Bartruff says. The Corrections Department Budget last year was roughly 450-million dollars.
There are 7,739 men in prison and 730 women. The number of men went up by 100 in the last fiscal year, while the number of women dropped by nine.


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Saint Marks Avenue (The Domenech)
Brooklyn, NY (2006 - 2010)
This new 72-unit residence developed by Common Ground Community includes 18 studios and 54 one bedroom apartments. The deep and narrow site required that a U-shaped mass be configured around a mews-like court with all apartments organized along single loaded corridors. A volume holding the library is set on columns within the court, allowing residence continuous passage from planted mews to rear terrace, where south-facing benches and a central fountain define the rear edge of the site. A green roof terrace overlooking the street is one of several environmentally sustainable amenities, which also include daylight harvesting Kalwall checkerboard facades along either side of the court.
Saint Marks Avenue is one of a family of six new supportive housing residences which have similar building programs and share a common feature: they all adapt to irregular 'remnant' urban sites.
Publications + Awards
Restoring the Urban Dream - Affordable Housing in New York, Bauwelt December 2011
Imagining Housing for Today, New York Times November 2011
Comment> Jonathan Kirschenfeld, The Architect's Newspaper April 2011
Building Brooklyn Award: Residential Affordable Category, 2011


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Japanese student held after two killed with crossbow
June 4, 2020 03:08 PM
A Japanese student allegedly killed two members of his family with a crossbow and injured at least two others before being arrested, local media said.
Police in Takarazuka city in Hyogo region in western Japan arrested the college student at the scene of the incident in a residential neighbourhood, according to the local Kobe Shimbun newspaper.
Two adult women were rushed to a hospital but were confirmed dead, the newspaper said, adding that the man reportedly confessed saying: "I killed several members of my family."
The man was arrested on an attempted murder charge, national broadcaster NHK said, adding at least two people had been injured -- a man and a woman who were both being treated in hospital.
It said police were alerted when a woman called saying: "My grandchild shot me with an arrow."
Local police declined to comment on the case.
Violent crime is rare in Japan, and weapons are tightly controlled.


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What are the cheapest countries to retire in Europe? You have worked hard your entire life and since the retirement is getting closer, maybe it is time for you to consider where you can enjoy your free days and spend your hard earned retirement fund. Well, all we can say is that you are reading the right article, since we have made a list of the 11 cheapest countries to retire in Europe, and one of them might be the dream country you have always dreamt of. We hope that the information you get from this article will help you in deciding which European country best suits your pension budget, but if you want more information about cheapest countries in the world, then check our article most affordable countries to live and retire in the world. Before we can say: "The cheapest country for retirement", there are some factors that have to be taken into consideration. The most important one is definitely the cost of living, which includes basic expenses such as rent, healthcare, the price of fuel or public transport, and the last, but not the least, comes the climate.
Before we start naming the countries where you can start your holiday for life, let's explain, in detail, the factors that make these countries the cheapest to retire:
Cost of living
By definition, the cost of living refers to the amount of money you need, on a monthly basis, needed to keep a certain level of living, and that includes:
– Real estate prices: Meaning that you will want to find a country where rent is much cheaper than where you come from.
– Food: This means that your new country should offer cheap food, which further means that you will be able to eat like a king, and not worry about the price.
– Healthcare: This is a very important factor, and you have to be sure that the country where you plan to retire offers a good health care system. Basically, what you need to know is the price of the health insurance, and what is included in that price. You don't want to live somewhere where you pay for health insurance, and then pay additional money for every exam, or anything related to health care.
– The price of fuel and Public transport: Also an important factor, since you will have plenty of free time, you will want to travel around the country and explore what it has to offer, so it is necessary that the price of fuel or the price of public transport is not high.
This factor is important, but every person has different ideal climate standards. The point is that you have to make sure that the country where you will retire has the ideal conditions that will positively influence your health.
Basically, what we did to create a valid list, is that we have ranked the countries based on the cost of living, because that is the most important factor when looking for the cheapest country, right? The lower the cost of living is, the higher the country is ranked on our list. Now that we have got that explained, it is time to move to the list of the European countries that are cheapest and best for the longest vacation you will ever have.


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Beginning with a catalogue of woes (which I'll quickly leave behind), U.S. jobs recovery versus the huge drop in employment from February to April is barely above 50%.
The initial jobless claims number in the latest week went in the opposite direction to what was hoped for; it increased by +137,000 (Graph 1).
And most pertinent of all, coronavirus infections continue to rage across the U.S., negating many of the best-intended plans to re-open the economy.
But hope is on the horizon. Effective vaccines are being rolled out and will 'blanket' the population by the Summer. And savings levels have swelled, which will soon fuel purchases in consumer services areas where pent-up demand can't wait to burst through the doors (e.g., a return to dining out again; going to cinemas and the theater; and the compulsion to travel, for vacations and/or to visit with distant friends and family, plus business trips.)
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Against this backdrop, there are the following additional observations to be gleaned from the latest public and private sector data releases.
(1) There are two other labor market numbers that bear watching. From November's Employment Situation report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of 'discouraged workers' (i.e., they've given up trying to find positions) in America in the latest month was 657,000, up +12% from October's figure of 588,000, and more than double year-ago November's number of 316,000. Also, the count of individuals now categorized to long-term unemployment status (i.e., they've been out of work for 27 weeks or more) has climbed to 3.9 million from 3.6 million in October and only 1.2 million in November 2019. (I promise that from here on, the bullet points in this article will be more balanced, leaning towards a brighter side.)
(2) The not seasonally adjusted (NSA) unemployment rate nationally in America is currently 6.4%. The degree of joblessness, however, displays considerable variation regionally. Currently the metro areas in the U.S. with the lowest unemployment rates are: Salt Lake City, 4.1%; Minneapolis-St. Paul, 4.2%; St. Louis, 4.3%; Kansas City, 4.5%; Atlanta, 4.7%; Columbus and Indianapolis tied at 4.9%; Jacksonville, 5.0%; and Austin and Cincinnati, both 5.1%.
A number of those eleven cities can boast of holding buffers against jobs losses thanks to vibrant high-tech sectors. How are some of the other urban centers often cited as having the closest ties to high-tech activity doing on the unemployment front? Raleigh and Seattle are each presently chalking up an unemployment rate of 5.3%; San Jose is at 6.0%; Dallas-Ft Worth, 6.1%; Denver, 6.5%; Washington (which, as the nation's capital, also benefits from the jobs stability traditionally found in a 'government town'), 6.6%; Boston, 6.7%; San Francisco, 7.2%. The reader will notice that only San Francisco has a reading much above the national figure of 6.4%.
There are three cities with unemployment rates in double-digit percentages: Los Angeles, 11.0%; New Orleans, 11.3%; and Las Vegas, 13.8%. Sitting only slightly under the unfortunate 10% benchmark are Memphis and New York, both at 9.7%.
(3) Speaking of the high-tech sector and its corporate leaders, the FAAMG group of companies has managed some impressive equity price gains to date this year, even with the handicap of some deep cratering in share prices that was experienced in February and March. The tumbles downwards in the second and third months of 2020, provoked by worries about the imminent coronavirus contagion, proved to be temporary. As of mid-December, compared with the first trading day of this year, the share price of Facebook is +31%; Amazon, +67%; Apple, +63%; Microsoft, +34%; and Google/Alphabet, +28%. If you think those gains are impressive, wait 'til you hear the next one. Tesla's share price has risen by +641% since the beginning of this year.
(4) Nobody (by which I mean economists and other economy-watchers) is particularly worried about inflation anymore. I'm not as sanguine on the subject, but I'll come to that in a moment. The U.S. all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) advance in November was a mild +1.2% year over year. The 'core' rate of annual increase (i.e., omitting volatile energy and food items) was +1.6%. The 'energy' sub-index was -9.4%, with gasoline at -19.3%.
Four of the most dramatic shifts in prices on the downside, year over year in November, were in 'lodging away from home, including hotels and motels', -12.7%; 'women's dresses', -13.5%; 'airline fares', -17.0%; and 'men's suits, sports coats and outerwear', -21.4%. Two of the biggest price jumps on the upside were in 'used cars and trucks', +10.9% and 'major appliances', +17.2% (with 'laundry equipment' at +13.6%).
(5) Some of the reasons for thinking inflation may not prove to be moribund over the longer term include the following. With China embarking on another massive infrastructure spending program and world trade about to revive, commodities ‒ which are the building blocks of everything ‒ are drawing more attention again. The global price of oil has firmed up a little, to around $45 USD per barrel; softwood lumber doubled in price in early Fall, although it has retreated somewhat since then; and the cost of the iron ore used in steelmaking has risen to its highest level in years.
Plus, there's the move afoot to reverse globalization. Over the past twenty years, the defining purpose of globalization has been to reduce the costs of goods production and services delivery. Inherent in the shift to deglobalization is a willingness to put up with more expensive inputs and processes to secure supply lines under all circumstances. Deglobalization implies a shifting dynamic between workers and employers in labor negotiations. Employees in industrialized nations have become accustomed to knowing that if they make 'waves', their jobs may be outsourced. Deglobalization, 'Buy America' policies and labor-friendlier initiatives to be introduced by the incoming administration in Washington will restore some of labor's lost empowerment.
(6) Many of my colleagues in the economy-monitoring fraternity are counting on the 'savings rate' to turbo charge the economies of the U.S. and Canada when the pandemic loosens its grip. What's all the excitement about? The answer appears in Graphs 2 and 3. In Q2 of this year, the savings rate in the U.S. soared to an all-time high of 26.0%. In Q3, it fell back, but remained exaggerated at 16.1%. Canada's savings rate shot up to 27.5% in Q2, then descended about halfway to 14.6% in Q3.
The 'savings rate', as a math expression, is a residual. Simplified, it's incomes minus taxes (a calculation which yields 'disposable income'), also minus expenditures, as a percentage of 'disposable income'. It's easy to understand the increase in the savings rate due to people 'sheltering at home' and spending less on commuting, dry cleaning, entertainment and so on. But an extra-big boost to the 'savings rate' has come from governments issuing unemployment relief funds and other support payments in excess of the drop in 'disposable incomes.' (Gross incomes have fallen but so have taxes.)
There's a belief that the topping-up of savings, including cash simply held in bank accounts, will light a fire under consumer services spending once everyone feels confident to go out into the world again. The vast amount of debt taken on by government is seen as concerning, but it's generally conceded that there are sickness and recessionary crises to be overcome first.
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Graph 4: U.S. Unemployment: Headline Rate & Broadest Measure (U-6)
(Seasonally adjusted – SA)
"U-6 is total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force."
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Graph 5: Y/Y Jobs Change, U.S. Total Industry & Major Subsectors − November 2020 (based on seasonally adjusted payroll data)
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Graph 6: U.S. Manufacturing vs Construction Employment
November 2020 ‒ Seasonally Adjusted (SA) Payroll Data
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Graph 7: Canadian Provincial Labour Markets – November 2020
Chart: ConstructConnect.
Alex Carrick is Chief Economist for ConstructConnect. He has delivered presentations throughout North America on the U.S., Canadian and world construction outlooks. Mr. Carrick has been with the company since 1985. Links to his numerous articles are featured on Twitter @ConstructConnx, which has 50,000 followers.


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Beauty & Health
The 15 Best Healthy Hair Products Deals
Experts rate hundreds of hair products every year and that's a good thing, from shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, and hair masks to styling products like intense sprays, anti-frizz serums, hair mousses, hairspray, and dry shampoo. Haircare is taken as seriously as skincare, so for many women, choosing a shampoo, conditioner or hairspray is kind of like dating.
According to customer reviews and ratings, here are the top 15 hair products and brands that have been proven to work for healthy hair, including options for all types of frizzy, dry, damaged, straight, curly, long, natural, and drier hair. This means we know what really works and what Does not fit.
With pioneering ingredients and ideal for creating a quality plant-based formula, PURA D'OR Original Gold Label Smoothing Anti-Hairfall Shampoo is categorized as a premier anti-hair loss shampoo and conditioner clinically tested to boost hair strength and thickness while increasing volume and minimizing breakage
2- EDEN BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Clear Shampoo
A revitalizing, purifying, and cleansing shampoo that increases circulation to the scalp for a fresh and rejuvenated feeling. Removes all traces of dirt and oil. Formulated to help relieve dry, itchy scalp using pure peppermint botanicals.
3- OGX Renewing Plus Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo
Hydrate, repair and renew dry hair with this argan oil of Morocco shampoo Free from parabens and sulfated surfactants, this moisturizing shampoo helps leave tresses feeling radiant, silky, and smooth.
4- Zion Health Adama Clay Minerals Shampoo
Adama Clay Minerals Shampoo contains all the necessary ingredients to give your hair health, shine, and extra shine to hair without harsh chemicals. The jojoba oil will add shine to your hair while the aloe vera gel helps cleanse without drying. The minerals in this shampoo helps balance the pH of the scalp, improving the quality of your scalp to prevent hair loss and waste buildup. This gentle cleanser is an excellent aid for colored hair and hair dulled from overheating.
5- Tea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Liter Duo Set
Lemon sage shampoo for thickening and strengthening of tresses is a refreshing formula that fills in delicate strands, so that hair looks thick, clean, and healthy-looking. Helps strengthen and protect split ends. Lemon, sage, mint, and refreshing tea tree refresh the mind, spirit, and hair. Lemon Sage Thickening Hair Conditioner is a lightweight formula that soothes, boosts volume, detangles, and protects. Reduces static charges and reduces frost.
6- Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo
Moroccan Moisture Repair Shampoo gently cleanses and helps restore weak and damaged hair due to chemical treatment, color, or thermal styling. A nourishing formula infused with antioxidant-rich argan oil, restorative keratin, and fatty acids for stronger, shinier, more manageable results. Perfumed with a distinctive Moroccan scent, an exotic blend of spicy amber notes and sweet floral notes.
7- Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Volumizing Shampoo
Those who have fine, thin, or weak hair. This shampoo is enriched with ginseng, biotin, and Vitamin B5 to promote healthy hair from root to tip. Maltodextrin, a natural sugar starch, thickens and separates each strand separately to enhance fullness and volume. The sulfate-free formula cleanses without drying, drying, or fading hair.
8- Pureology Strength Cure Strengthening Shampoo
Shampoo for damaged hair gently cleanses and repairs hair. Strength Cure Shampoo helps fortify hair damaged by color-treated micro-scars and provides a soft, velvety finish. Featuring Asta-Repair shampoo with Astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant derived from nature, as well as Keravis, Arginine, and Ceramide, this shampoo for dry and damaged hair helps heal and repair hair, restoring strength and softness.
9- Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen
Shea Moisture Jmaaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo strengthens, grows, and restores a gentle shampoo on your hair. It nourishes and revitalizes the scalp as it gently cleanses your hair strands from daily grime and grime. Rich in the properties of natural ingredients like Jamaican black castor oil and certified organic raw shea butter, this shampoo provides nourishing moisture to dry and brittle curls and protects them from split ends and damage from external pollutants.
10- OUIDAD Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil Shampoo
Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Shampoo moisturizes and cleanses your tresses for a smooth, healthy look. Rich CR-4 Complex contains fortified fatty acids and proteins to repair your follicles from the inside out. Its formula removes your roots from product build-up, impurities, and excess oils with a light, foaming texture.
11- Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
This Bond Maintenance Moisturizing & Replenishing shampoo is formulated using Bond Olaplex building chemistry. Restores inner strength and moisture levels to add stunning shine and manageability. Recommended for all types of hair. Improves hair texture.
12- Nioxin System 1 CLEANSER SHAMPOO
Nioxin System Cleansing Shampoo 1, is a detoxifying shampoo for fine or fine hair and frizzy hair types. Formulated with a concentrated blend of moisturizers and botanicals, this cleansing shampoo removes the build-up of products, pollutants, toxins, and minerals, removes nutrient pathways at hair follicle sites without stripping away essential oils, provides an ideal scalp environment, and maintains it.
13- Nexxus Shampoo and Conditioner for Dry Hair
Nexxus Therappe & Humectress is a salon-quality shampoo and conditioner formulated to help rescue and moisturize dry hair for 24 hours. Nexxus continues to pioneer and innovate, creating salon-made hair care products inspired by nature's strongest ingredients. Our moisturizing shampoos contain a lightweight, silicone-free formula that revitalizes hair without weighing it down, helping to give hair the elasticity and suppleness it needs to retain its natural movement.
14- WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo and Hair Conditioner
From water sourced from Himalayan springs to premium natural ingredients, premium formulas, and laboratory tests, all the way to our sustainability. We share your passion for quality, nature, and health, which is packed into every WOW product.
This premium shampoo and conditioner set, full of botanicals for clarifying and reconstructing, contains no sulfates, silicones, parabens, etc. Get salon results in weeks from the comfort of your home.
15- HASK ARGAN OIL Shampoo and Conditioner for All Hair Types
The HASK Argan Oil Repairing range is formulated with organic argan oil sourced from Morocco. This highly absorbent oil, known as "liquid gold," penetrates and repairs split ends while leaving even the most damaged hair soft and nourished. Good for you ingredients sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, and powdered alcohol. HASK is also proudly cruelty-free.
Read our :The 7 best automatic soap dispenser review


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Takeaways From the Perfect Season Parade
Well, Cleveland. The "Perfect season Parade 2.0" has come and gone. While I haven't been shy about my opinions regarding this gathering on Twitter or Facebook, I decided to forgo expressing a definitive personal stance until all was said and done. I chose this route, in part because, CST officially endorsed and participated in the parade. However, as someone who has spent the past 17 weeks looking for diamonds in this dumpster of a season, I find that providing more negativity is neither productive nor practical.
Before my analysis of this event, I would like to express my sincere happiness that the Cleveland Foodbank profited from this assembly. Hunger and hardship have no season and I am glad the food bank received the means to continue to help our neighbors who are in need of everyday essentials.
Now, about the parade, I'd like to congratulate anyone sports betting, the planner, participants (including the spectators) on finding a way to humiliate this city and its team even more than all of ESPN's collection " Cleveland's great losses" compilation videos combined. You sure showed all of us who thought that things could not possibly become any worse, yes, indeed a brand new low…. Bravo. Please, by all means, take a bow.
Ahhh, I hear the rumbling now, it was all about "protesting" the team's management. Hmmm, the last protest I saw had no "creative" floats, free candy, or the word "parade" attached to it. If your intent was a protest, you might have gotten that point across by using that word in the name. Back peddling about people who were wrongly attributing the dictionary definition of "parade" to the event did not cut it and looked a bit reactionary. In case you doubt how this exhibition looked to those on the outside looking in, I did a scan of media to see how Cleveland, the Browns and this subset of Browns fans were perceived.
- ABC News headlined its coverage by announcing the parade was to "mark the Browns 0-16 season."
- NFL on ESPN mentioned fans "celebrating" the teams winless season.
- NFL on FOX politely described the parade as "a thing that happened today."
- CBS recounts the fans celebrating the winless season.
- TSN declared the parade to be "hilarious" adding that Cleveland Browns fans finally have something to celebrate.
- And the saddest quote of all from Cleveland.com "The Drive. The Fumble. The Parade."
I've heard the arguments, that this took place in "fun" and that it was meant to grab the Haslam's attention. The Browns organization released their requisite apology statement and it is unlikely that more will come from the team or its owners.
Current and former Browns players spoke out against the parade. Bob Golic, Danny Shelton, Emmanuel Ogbah and Joe Haden all expressed displeasure with the gathering.
As they say, "what's done is done." I trust it was as enjoyable for the participants as it was dreadful for the detractors. Just a friendly suggestion, the next time you want to protest something, call it by its rightful name and for God's sake burn someone in effigy, so the rest of the world understands what the hell you are trying to accomplish. I contend that this "protest" managed to both divide and heap humiliation on a fanbase that has suffered too much for too long.


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Merrell Adds Hy Rosario to Team and Makes Investment in PD
Wolverine World Wide's Outdoor Group Makes Significant Investment in Product Development Team and Adds Hy Rosario to Merrell Team Emphasis on Gender-Specific Product Development Teams Expected to Accelerate Growth of Key Footwear Initiatives
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Rockford, Mich. (May 20, 2010) — The financial stability of Wolverine Worldwide and the continued impressive results of the Outdoor Group allow Merrell, Chaco and Patagonia Footwear to aggressively invest in new product development capabilities. Over the last eight months, the Outdoor Group has been executing on plans building additional product prowess, adding key talent throughout the Product Development Teams, enhancing sourcing capabilities, and implementing a new process to better integrate marketing and sales. The results of these investments are coming to fruition as new products take shape for the Spring 2011 launch.
"Our increased investment in product development will bolster a creative process that sets Chaco, Merrell and Patagonia Footwear apart as leaders in the outdoor market,†said Jim Zwiers, President of Wolverine World Wide's Outdoor Group. "These changes are now implemented and the teams are evolving with new talent allowing for a greater focus dedicated to each distinct brand and gender – men's, women's and kids. We are confident that this new process will enhance creative freedom and the ability to bring innovative products to the market. We are very excited about the future.â€
Most recently, Merrell added Hy Rosario as Vice President Product Development – Merrell Men's. In his new role at Merrell, Rosario will leverage his global acumen, proven track record in delivering sales growth and ability to successfully execute a product strategy to grow the men's footwear business. Rosario, who most recently led Hi-Tec's product development team, brings extensive outdoor and multi-brand experience to Merrell, with more than 18 years in the footwear industry. In his tenure at Hi-Tec, Rosario drove innovative product initiatives and growth through his proven product innovation and management skills. Prior to Hi-Tec, Rosario led product teams at Reebok and Stride Rite.
Rosario joins Merrell veteran Manon Belley, Vice President Product Development – Merrell Women's Team, Deirdre McDonnell who joined the team at the end of 2009 to direct the Merrell kid's product development team and Jim Scholle, another Merrell veteran who now directs strategic development. Additional investments have been made to strengthen the brand specific product development teams for Chaco and Patagonia Footwear. Brandan Hill leads the Chaco product development team and Les Horne leads the Patagonia Footwear product development team. This group of senior managers reports to Bill Dodge, Vice President – Outdoor Group Product Development, who took over the leadership of the team in September 2009.
"We are excited about the product innovation pipeline in The Outdoor Group as our teams focus on key priorities. Each brand is distinct and is clearly defined in the market and we carefully cultivate the individual brand's special connection with the consumer through our product offerings,†states Dodge.
About Merrell
Merrell® is a brand within the Outdoor Group, a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. that also includes Chaco and Patagonia Footwear. Merrell believes in encouraging everyone to get outside, be active and have fun, and is the largest outdoor brand partner of the National Park Foundation. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan. The company's portfolio of highly-recognized brands includes: Bates®, Chaco, Cushe®, Hush Puppies®, Merrell®, Sebago® and Wolverine®. The Company is also the exclusive footwear licensee of the following popular brands: CAT®, Harley-Davidson® and Patagonia®. The Company's products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in nearly 180 countries and territories. Merrell, 9341 Courtland Drive, Rockford, Mich. 49351. Phone: (800) 789-8586; Fax: (888) 746-3329. FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/#!/merrell?ref=nf. TWITTER: @merrelloutside.


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The Irvine Difference
As an Irvine & Company employee, you will work alongside professional staff and directly with partners who take a genuine interest in your success. You will be expected, and allowed, to make a contribution from your first day on the job.
Our office environment may be laid back, but our hiring process is not: we have strict hiring standards that ensure that our office is populated by team members who are smart, diligent, friendly, and personable. We believe that this process has led to a collaborative work environment that focuses on providing exceptional client service.
What makes us different?
Our employees say that what makes us different is our comfortable, casual atmosphere. You will not just make hurried introductions to the existing staff; we want you to have the opportunity to get to know who you will be working with.
Further, all of the professionals in the office have significant client contact, and you will have the opportunity to follow projects, from tax returns to financial statements, from beginning to end.
What is missing?
Here at Irvine, we believe a happy staff is a productive staff. For that reason, we monitor workloads and shift work to maximize efficiency while looking out for the welfare of our staff. You will not see 65 to 80-hour workweeks at Irvine.
In fact, we continually assess our staff needs year-round to avoid overworking our employees. And during tax season, we require that each employee take at least one full weekend off per month. We believe that rested, healthy employees provide higher-quality service to our clients.
What are some of the benefits?
Irvine & Company, LLC offers:
- Competitive salary
- 401(k) profit-sharing plan
- Generous, paid time off
- Health insurance
- Free office parking
- Reimbursed Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses
- Dog-friendly office
- Much more
We are always looking to add additional team members to the Irvine & Company family. Please visit our LinkedIn page for current opportunities.


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If you've been eyeing up the DreamCloud Luxury Mattress, now is a good time to buy as the brand has launched a flash 40% off Halloween Special, live now until Sunday 24 October. You'll save up to £583.60, depending on the size you buy, and get a free Adjustable Memory Foam Pillow worth £89 with your order. A double size now costs £749.40, with a total saving of £672.60 (money off and a free pillow) available with the super king size.
This is one of the best DreamCloud mattress sale offers we've seen in recent months, and beats the £315 discount offered earlier this October. You can also save up to £805 on the Essential Bundle: here you'll get a Luxury Hybrid Mattress, a duvet, mattress protector, two cooling pillows and a bedding set. Prices start from £908.01 (was £1,593).
The Luxury Hybrid is one of the best mattresses for restless sleepers who find it hard to get comfy enough to drop off. Why? Because it's designed to offer constant pressure relief around your back, neck and hips, and it regulates temperature so that you don't overheat during sleep. It comes on a 365-night trial and is covered by a market-leading Forever Warranty too.
The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid:
was from £999 £599.40 at DreamCloud
Save up to £583.60 - This premium memory foam mattress is perfect for restless and hot sleepers, and offers good support in a range of sleeping positions. It's well-priced without a sale, considering the premium materials and innovative sleep tech on offer, so with a 40% discount it isn't one to miss. You'll get free shipping and returns, plus 365 nights to try your new mattress at home to make sure it's perfect for you.
The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid is a fantastic memory foam mattress designed with a cooling cover. This, combined with a layer of breathable foam, dissipates body heat so that it doesn't pool in the mattress. It isn't a proper cooling mattress, but if you want a comfy, supportive and breathable hybrid for less than comparable models, it's an excellent choice. Especially at 40% off.
Like its sister brand Nectar Sleep, DreamCloud offers a Forever Warranty. The average is 10 years, so you won't get any better than this. The brand also offers free shipping and a clear returns policy – if you change your mind during the trial period, DreamCloud will collect the mattress for free (some mattress in a box brands charge for this) and refund your money.
Choose the bundle instead and you'll set yourself up with The DreamCloud, plus luxury bedding and accessories for less. These include two of the brand's best pillows for sleeping, plus a quality mattress protector to keep your bed fresher for longer. The 40% off Halloween Special ends this Sunday (and curiously not on Halloween).
Read more
DreamCloud Sleep currently offers just the one mattress in the UK, but it's a well-designed luxury hybrid that suits a range of sleeping positions and needs. In America the brand offers a wider range of hybrid mattresses, and focuses on using non-toxic materials to help you enjoy healthier sleep for less.
- The best mattress toppers for extra comfort
- Our guide to the best cooling mattress for hot sleepers
- Our pick of the best Saatva mattress sale offers


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A humanitarian commission left the southern Colombian town of Florencia Wednesday to pick up French journalist Romeo Langlois who the FARC promised to release after more than a month in captivity.
The commission, consisting of members of the Red Cross, former Senator Piedad Cordoba and a French government delegate, left Florencia in a four-car convoy little before 7AM.
The Colombian military on Tuesday suspended all military activity 20 square kilometers around Florencia to allow the release operation to take place.
Local media expected Langlois to be released before noon local time, after which he will be taken to France.
The reporter was captured by FARC guerrillas on April 28 while embedded with Colombian armed forces carrying out anti-narcotics operations in the Caqueta department, where he will also be released. Langlois was shot in the arm and at least four soldiers were killed when the army unit was attacked by rebels.


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Sharing our Weekly Meal Plan with make-ahead tips, freezer instructions, and ways to make supper even easier!
Saturday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches + Coleslaw + Mississippi Mud Cake (Slow Cooker, Make Ahead)
Sunday: Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Zucchini (from the Add a Pinch Cookbook) (Freezer Friendly)
Monday: Sweet and Sour Meatball Rolls + Chips (from the Add a Pinch Cookbook) (Leftover Makeover)
Tuesday: Cashew Chicken + Zucchini Noodles (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Skillet Beef Ziti + Salad (30 Minutes)
Thursday: Air Fryer Enchilada Stuffed Baked Potatoes + House Salad + No Bake Chocolate Cookies (30 Minutes and Make Ahead)
Pulled Pork Sandwiches: Let the slow cooker do all the hard work for you. You can easily put everything into the slow cooker insert the evening before and refrigerate. Then, on Saturday morning, just remove from the refrigerator and place into the slow cooker, set the timer and go! Easy AND delicious!
Coleslaw: This coleslaw comes together in a snap, but is also a great make-ahead side dish too.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Zucchini: My family has always loved this recipe of my Mama's – so of course it had to go in my cookbook! It can also be served over rice, but I like to serve over zucchini because it adds another vegetable to supper.
I make my applesauce used in the recipe ahead and refrigerate (just a bit of advice – make extra – because it's so delicious you may just eat the first batch!) You can make your meatballs ahead and refrigerate if you wish. I will go ahead and prepare the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate so that at supper time, I put it all together and cook. This is wonderful for a Leftover Makeover meal that I'll make tomorrow. It's also one of my Freezer Friendly dishes in the cookbook!
Sweet and Sour Meatball Rolls: Leftover Makeover from last night's supper makes tonight's meal so simple!
Cashew Chicken: To prep ahead, I like to go ahead and cut the chicken into pieces and store in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator until ready to use. Also, go ahead and whisk together the ingredients for the sauce: soy sauce or coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, tomato paste, honey, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Then, just cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Skillet Beef Ziti: So easy and quick, but you can pre-measure ingredients to make it even quicker if you'd like.
House Salad: I always keep a mixed green salad prepped and ready to go in the refrigerator. So easy to add to suppers during the week.
Air Fryer Enchilada Stuffed Baked Potatoes: This is such a quick, delicious and versatile recipe that comes together in a snap! It's a tasty meatless meal, but you could also add some ground beef to these if you want.
Shrimp Tacos: These are such a perfect dish to serve my family and my son's friends that are sure to be at our house tonight!
Since the shrimp only takes minutes to cook on the grill, I like to get everything else ready right before we throw the shrimp on the grill. That way, as soon as the shrimp is ready, we can begin assembling our tacos!
If you prefer your shrimp tacos with cold shrimp, this makes a fabulous prep ahead dish! Just grill your shrimp earlier and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve, then assemble and enjoy!
Hope you have a great week!
Robyn xo


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Public law is a very wide-ranging and distinct branch of French law. It applies to the State, local authorities, all public bodies and administrative and regulatory authorities as well as to any transactions among, with or involving these entities.
Given the key role played by the State and public bodies in the French and European economies be it as shareholder, contracting party or regulatory authority, public and administrative law is a crucial branch of law in France. Responding to this reality, Magenta has developed a comprehensive public & administrative law practice.
Matters relating to laws and regulations, administrative and public law contracts (e.g. public procurement procedures and public service concession contracts) are governed by Public Law. Public law also applies to questions relating to public property, State aid, transactions involving shareholdings of public sector companies, foreign investment control, environmental issues, town planning, public accountability. Regulated sectors such as energy (including renewables), infrastructure, telecommunications & broadcasting, transport are very often governed by Public Law. Moreover, a separate and distinct court system exists in France for public law matters (administrative courts, administrative courts of appeal, and a specific supreme court known as the "Conseil d'Etat"), with very specific rules of procedure making it absolutely essential to engage the services of a public law specialist.
Magenta, has extensive experience in public law matters and litigation as well as in-depth knowledge of industrial sectors and the applicable regulations.
Accordingly, we advise our clients on all matters relationg to :
Administrative and public contracts (e.g. public procurement contracts, public service concession contracts, complex contractual arrangements, etc.).
Regulatory framework applicable to doing business in regulated sectors.
The design and drafting of legislative and/or regulatory proposals or provisions and/or their amendments.
Aspects of environmental law relating to classified facilities, water management, quarries, chemical and biocidal products, waste treatment, gas, oil or chemical products pipelines and any disputes arising therefrom.
Urban planning & development issues including planning permission and disputes relating to these issues.
Requests for authorisations or rulings under French foreign investment control rules.
Corporate governance issues in state-controlled companies or where the State is a stakeholder and Transactions relating to their shareholding.
Projects in Francophone Africa (e.g. public procurement procedures; concession contracts; environment related issues; etc.).
Pre-contentious and contentious administrative procedures before domestic and European courts, regulatory authorities and/or arbitration tribunals (judicial review, planning permission appeals, authorisations to operate a business, recommendations and warning statements issued by administrative authorities, etc.) as well claims in public tort liability against a body governed by public law, etc.;
Recent exemples of transactions :
Advising operators and financial institutions on the development, acquisition or financing of solar plants and wind farms (both onshore and offshore) – analysis of the regulatory framework applicable to the erection of the solar plants and wind farms, the grid connection to the transmission network and the power purchase obligation (obligation d'achat d'électricité);
Advising an operator on the development of an interconnector between France and UK;
Advising a concessionaire in connection with issues arising out of the performance of a concession contract entered into with the Gabonese Republic;
Advising a financial institution in the context of a tender offer to provide certain payment services to French pension and social security entities;
Advising an operator of an electronic communication network holding several concession contracts for the implementation of a high-speed network in France in the context of the award and the performance of these contracts;
A judicial review challenge on behalf of several operators against regulations governing their businesses, notably on the basis that these regulations were unlawful under both
French and EU law;
Legal challenge of several taxes and royalties applied in the energy and electronic communication sectors on the basis that these taxes/royalties were not compliant with both French and EU laws;
Successful opposition proceedings against a revenue order before the administrative court, the administrative court of appeal and the Supreme Court (Conseil d'Etat);
Acting for the Paris Regional Transport Authority (STIF) in judicial review proceedings relating to passenger transportation in the Paris region (claims pending before the administrative court of Paris);
Appeal before the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal against a judgment of the French Polynesia administrative court of first instance declaring null and void a ministerial order establishing the wholesale price of leased lines.


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- Provides Cholecalciferol
- Immune & Bone Support
- Convenient Softgels
- Superior Nutrition & Formulation
Jarrow Formulas® Vitamin D3 provides cholecalciferol, which is the form produced by the (human) skin in response to UVB exposure (sunlight) and may also improve vitamin D status better than equivalent amounts of ergocalciferol (D2). Vitamin D3 is ultimately converted to its hormonally-active form, calcitriol, in the body as needed. Calcitriol enhances dietary calcium and phosphorous absorption, supports the production of osteocalcin (an important structural protein in bone), and supports a healthy immune response.
Suggested Use
For adults, take 1 softgel daily or every other day with a fat-containing meal or as directed by your qualified healthcare professional.
Individuals consuming more than 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D should periodically obtain a serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D measurement. Consult a healthcare professional before using this product if you are trying to conceive, pregnant, or lactating, under the age of 18, or have a medical condition (especially kidney stones or dysfunction, hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, lymphoma, or sarcoidosis); if adverse reactions occur, discontinue use. Keep out of reach of children.
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.


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This content can be accessed for FREE when you register
Budapest assembly makes significant move towards becoming more transparent
8 Nov 19
An anti-graft programme has been adopted by Budapest's new municipal assembly, which hopes to make its finances and operations more transparent.
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FB in a Nutshellother blog: the everyday minimalist
talk to me: contact me here
location: canada/usa
works: business consultant
net worth: ~$155,000 as of Dec 2011
eats: sashimi, tartiflette, pho
drinks: earl grey cream tea
gadgets: macbook pro 17", ipod touch (pda)
beauty: fb's list of toiletries/makeup
wants: roland rd700-gx piano
reads: ayn rand, tom stanley, sophie kinsella
watches: bones, mentalist, castle, top chef
wears: wrap dresses & necklaces
loves: minimalism, $$ management, traveling
hates: wearing shorts & being late for anything
AboutI'm a 20-something year old who got out of $60,000 of debt in 18 months, earning $65,000 (gross) a year.
This is more of a lifestyle blog with hint of money talk, like a moneythropologist.
You can read more about me here in The FB Story, check out my favourite posts or you can send me a note if you have questions (please be nice).
Receive all of our posts in your email inbox, it's free:)
Come and visit my other blog The Everyday Minimalist which is all about achievable everyday minimalism, simplifying my life, living like a modern nomad.
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nutella pound cake strawberry panini Archive
Fun With NutellaPosted on May 23, 2012 | 13 CommentsTweet A few months ago, I went to Italy with a couple friends. There, I tried Nutella for the first time. Fortunately, it didn't taste at all like I expected. It was, well, kind of good. Even though I think of myself as a fairly […]


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When I was younger (yes Sarah, I used to be EVEN younger), my favourite show on TV was Arthur. I was obsessed, and I could (and still can) sing the entire theme song from memory. Watching Arthur was my after-school ritual because it was a great show. The premise was wholesome, the jokes were funny (even as an adult), and it covered important topics like bullying, self-image, and accepting people even if they're different from you.
For those of you unfamiliar with Arthur, the series started in 1996 and is about a 3rd grade class in the small town of Elwood City, taught by Mr. Nigel Ratburn. He's a strict but caring teacher who loves homework. Obviously, as you get older, Mr. Ratburn becomes less of an antagonist, and more of a relatable character. He's a teacher, coach, school newspaper supervisor, children's puppet show producer, and cashier in the summer. Mr. Ratburn was living the gig economy before it was even a thing.
The stories revolve around Arthur Read, the main character, and his relationships with family and friends like Buster, Francine, and Muffy. (Side note: Muffy was always THAT bitch who knew she was royalty among peasants. Respect for MY queen. She also inspired the funniest Tumblr post I've ever seen.)
(I can't find the original post, but this is a screenshot of it).
I was content with my childhood memories of Arthur until I saw yesterday that Mr. Ratburn was trending on Twitter. Initial reaction: Arthur is STILL going??? Second reaction: MR. RATBURN IS GAY (OR BI)!!!
In yesterday's Season 22 premiere, PBS dedicated an entire episode to Nigel's wedding to Patrick, the cute owner of the town's local candy shop. (Yes, I know he's animated and an animal, but he's still cute af. Don't judge me.) This news is the exact opposite of "childhood ruined." Childhood enhanced. Childhood upgraded. UP-GAY-DED!
Yesterday, when Melayna wrote about the possibility of Janelle Monae and Lupita Nyong'o being an item, I gay screamed. Today, Mr. Ratburn is married to a man. If we continue at this pace, I don't think my heart will last the week.
There's obviously an important message in "Mr. Ratburn & The Special Someone." Arthur and friends are appalled to learn that he's getting married, and to a seemingly rude bride (played by Jane Lynch). They even go so far as to write a fake poem to the librarian in order to convince her to be with Ratburn. (She instead corrects several spelling mistakes in red pen, and hands the poem back to the kids along with a book on writing poetry for beginners. SAVAGE). Eventually, they plan to just object at the wedding until they discover that his alleged mean bride was in fact his mean sister. Instead, Ratburn walks down the aisle with cutie Patrick, who he probably met on Grindr like two months ago.
deep down didn't we all know mr. ratburn was gay when we found out he was in a band that looked like this! pic.twitter.com/e0metZH7nb— luke! 🍊 (@tusktwo) May 13, 2019
There are definitely some logical fallacies in Arthur, though it's still better than Game of Thrones at this point. For starters, the kids read the wedding invitation. Why didn't they see that Ratburn was marrying Patrick? Why didn't anyone tell them? How do these 8 year olds afford to eat at that damn diner every day? Who's paying???
Nevertheless, the key takeaway from this episode is the power of assumptions. Everyone assumes that Ratburn is marrying a woman, even when they try to find another bride. At the wedding, the children (and viewers) are forced to confront these ingrained beliefs. It's a neat way to teach children how to use tools like gender neutral language to make others feel comfortable. The best part is that Mr. Ratburn's personality is unchanged despite "coming out." No one ever feels the need to address it, and he remains the same homework loving geek he always was. Unlike JK Rowling or certain Endgame directors, although Mr. Ratburn's sexuality has little bearing on his role in the show, these writers took time to give him a clear, visible Gay Moment™. That's huge progress, especially for a staple channel like PBS.
Mr. Ratburn has now entered into the Gay Hall of Fame alongside greats like Babadook, Korra, and Marceline the Vampire. Werk it Nigel.
You can watch the season premiere of Arthur here.


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Dermalogica - Clear Start Oil Clearing Matte Moisturiser 60ml
by Dermalogica
Sold out
A moisturiser that minimises oil and shine? It's true! This ultra-light, non-greasy hydrating formula controls oily areas like the nose and forehead for an all-over matte finish. SPF helps shield against the UV rays that can make breakouts worse and cause dark spots.


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This hot spring facility is located on the top of a small hill and commands the beautiful view of Mt. Nanayma. It features cedar woods for the interior here and there. The hot spring quality of PH 10.1 feels pleasantly sticky to the skin and has a good skin beautifying effect. You can also enjoy delicious meals here.
Basic information
|1150, Nanayama Takigawa, Karatsu City, Karatsu (佐賀県唐津市七山滝川1150番地)
|Official Name
|鳴神温泉 ななのゆ
|1st Tuesdays Each Month (2nd Tuesday only in May)
Year End and New Year's Holidays (12/30 - 1/1)
|About 10 Min. Drive from Hamatama Interchange of West Kyushu Expressway
About 15 Min. by Bus (Car) from Hamasaki Station of JR Chikuhi Line
|Parking Availability
|Free Parking Available for 105 Cars
|Cell Phone Battery Charging
|Wi-fi Availability
|Available at All Areas / Password Not Required
|Credit Card Acceptance
|Hot Spring
|Available (Drop in spa)
|Type of Hot Spring
|Large Bath Room, Outdoor Bath, Private Bath Room
|Attached Facility
|Sauna, Massage, restaurant
|Bath Available Time
|10 AM - 9 PM (Last Admission 8 PM)
|Bathing Fee
|Adults 520 Yen, Kids 310 Yen
adults 410 Yen, Kids 210 Yen (After 17:00)
Private Bath Room 1,040 Yen (60 Min)
(1,570 Yen when booked by phone)
|182 389 680*70
- 0952-20-1601
- sagacall_f1