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Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Cape Town, South Africa •
Over the last few weeks, I have spent my weekly Adoration hour meditating on a series of Fr. Kentenich's sermons given in 1962 to the German immigrant community in Milwaukee (Exchange of Hearts, translated by Fr. Jonathan Niehaus). In the series, our founder speaks about an "exchange of hearts" to describe the Covenant of Love, where we exchange our weak hearts with Mary's strong heart. He says that this is the antidote for the "disease" of our times, where we have forgotten how to love.
It was the third sermon (September 30, 1962) that prompted me to write this reflection. This sermon — entitled "Exchange of Hearts in Impersonal Times" — was given less than two weeks before the start of the Second Vatican Council, which he said would "chart a course for the future so that the world…can find its way again to God." Even though Fr. Kentenich was speaking 54 years ago, it touches a nerve. Pope Francis is also trying to chart the Church and its members into a time of great mercy and compassion, which is the enactment of the vision of Vatican II.
The world is becoming "unglued"
However, this new era in the Church — then as well as now — happens at a time when the world has, in Fr. Kentenich's words, "practically been turned upside down, is becoming unglued, coming apart at the seams."
He adds that modern man is "presently treading on a fiery volcano and we are constantly aware that the volcano could erupt at any time." Just turn on the news and we see reports of violent protests, terrorist attacks, the ravaging effects of war, the devastation of natural disasters, the effects of the damage we are inflicting on our planet. It really does seem as if the world is becoming "unglued." At some point, we go into overload and just can't take it all in anymore.
We are faced with such confusion, despondency and hopelessness that our natural, self-protective instinct is to withdraw into ourselves. This becomes the consequence of our fear, stemming from a world that appears to be careening out of control.
Withdrawal as a response to fear
And so, we develop defence mechanisms. At its worst, we detach ourselves completely, preferring to live in our small bubbles of safety, divorced from reality and create our own version of reality.
Alternatively, we focus on one of the many issues plaguing our world and make that our personal battle. This allows us to contribute something to the greater good. However, we also risk becoming one-sided in our battle and forget to see the many other issues calling for our Christian response. When we are only looking at our side of the battlefield, we don't even think to cross to the other side to look at the same issue from the perspective of the other. Like the first group, we also risk creating a bubble, and fail to recognise that perhaps the best solutions to the great ethical challenges of our times come when divergent sides encounter each other in a space of mutual purpose and find negotiated solutions.
Overcoming fear with through the "exchange of hearts"
At the heart of it, both of these responses, are responses of fear. We act this way because the assault on our emotions leaves us paralysed, unable to love. This is precisely the malaise of our age. In the sermon, Fr. Kentenich points out that "our hearts have lost the ability and strength to love in a personal way."
The further we detach ourselves from a love that is personal, the more we become "infected with secularism and worldliness, gradually suffocating our love for religious things and the supernatural," says Fr. Kentenich.
We can only hope to overcome our fear and open our hearts once again to love if we consecrate our hearts to Mary. Our founder says that in all this confusion "Our Lady has the mission to save the world once more…placing us in the arms of his [God's] mercy." Fr. Kentenich invites us not only to consecrate our hearts, but also the hearts of our families, "of nations and of the whole world."
In Mary's heart, we unite ourselves also to the heart of Jesus. "Through these two hearts, the Eternal Father wants to rekindle the love of God in the hearts of men and attain a deep, deep union of love, even with mankind today," says Fr. Kentenich.
More than just words
He warns us, however, that our consecration should be more than just a covenant of words. Our Covenant of Love for the whole world should also be accompanied by our actions, our experience of a life lived in the Covenant of Love, "so that the exchange of hearts between our hearts and the heart of Mary will become as perfect as possible."
Love is what enables us to be merciful. We have spent the last year reflecting on mercy, finding practical opportunities to practice mercy. At times, it was very difficult because we found ourselves being challenged to love those whom we more accustomed to despising or overlooking. It was only when we faced our inability to love and asked for God's help that we were able to love others. And it was only through the power of love, that we were able to practice mercy.
Love and mercy will renew the world
We cannot forget the lessons of this year. As we head into Advent and a new year in the Church's life, we need to continue to show mercy, especially to those who are marginalized, those who contradict us, and those who challenge the values we hold so dearly. We need to continue to act merciful even though we are living in a time of fear and a change in our world order. We cannot do this without love. We cannot do this without the perfect love that emanates from the hearts of Mary and Jesus. We cannot do this unless we exchange our weak hearts with their strong hearts.
Only then will "Divine mercy overtake Divine justice, and Divine mercy and kindness will disarm divine justice." Equipped with mercy and a love that is personal, Fr. Kentenich assures us that "we are on the best path to renewing the world and to supporting the renewal of the human family today."


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03 Jan The Importance Of Reading
Table of Contents
The Importance Of Reading
Once upon a time in a faraway land, little Snow White stumbled into a tiny cottage owned by dwarves. Having nothing to do, she pulled out a chair and flipped open a book. A great beam of light radiated from the pages. Its glow intensified and minutes later, Snow was sucked in. She had been teleported to another dimension. Clad in rubies and emeralds, she found herself dancing with the crown Prince at his birthday gala. When the clock struck 12, that very beam of light devoured her again. This time, she found herself running away from a wolf dressed in grandma's clothes. She ran and ran until she arrived at a gingerbread house adorned with candies and treats. As she was about to enter, she was awoken by the echoes of 7 knocks. The dwarves were finally home.
As you skimmed through the above passage, we're certain that just like Snow White, you were transported to another world. That's the power of reading. It feeds your imagination and enhances your creativity. Without possessing the ability to read, you wouldn't have been able to comprehend these sentences. Letters would be gibberish and words would be meaningless rubbish. You wouldn't be able to read driving signs or follow a recipe or even accept a wedding invite!
Reading is a fundamental skill that must be inculcated from an early age. Getting a headstart allows your child to reap the infinite benefits of reading before others. Here are some of them :
• Neurological Benefits
Children learn at a faster pace during their formative years, especially during the first six years. Their brains absorb information like sponges when they're young. Vital connections in the brain are made very early in life. At birth, a healthy baby is born with approximately 200 billion active brain cells or neurons. Given the right kind of stimulation, each neuron is capable of sprouting up to 20,000 different dendrites and synapses. When parents perform brain activities like talking, singing, and reading to their child, they're providing the necessary stimulation to not only strengthen existing links between brain cells but also form new links. By cultivating a love for reading from an early age, you're also instilling a lifelong love of learning and knowledge.
• Educational Benefits
Reading unlocks the door to your child's academic success. Research suggests that early readers achieve higher grades in not only Literature but every subject. Children who read have greater general knowledge, a richer lexicon, and are better able to articulate their thoughts. Improved attention spans, better concentration, supreme oral skills, and fluency are additional benefits of reading. They also gain proficiency in their writing skills as they understand grammar and sentence structure. Advanced comprehension skills enable them to think critically. This makes them excellent researchers as well. Therefore, it's no surprise that reading will give your child the necessary impetus to excel scholastically.
• Psychological Benefits
A loving environment is conducive to growth. A child who learns to read in such a joyful environment will grow in self-confidence and independence.
Reading sparks curiosity about people, places, and things and it also quenches this thirst for knowledge by providing relevant explanations. Other benefits of reading include enhanced creativity and imagination. Reading also proves to be a phenomenal activity if one is looking to spend some quality time with their children.
Early readers will also have an upper hand over their peers. As they've learned to read at a leisurely pace, they view reading as an exciting adventure and not a tiresome chore. In a crowded classroom, they won't have to compete for the teacher's personal attention. Undoubtedly, their self-esteem is bound to soar when their reading competence helps them progress faster. Such a child will also become a natural and self-confident leader.
• Linguistic Benefits
Reading results in improved linguistic skills in the form of an abundant vocabulary, correct grammar, improved writing, better spelling, and oral eloquence. Research emphasizes that children with a wider vocabulary fare better academically during their early years. Reading also contributes to effective communication skills.
• Safety
Early reading allows children to comprehend important warnings and labels such as ' poison ', ' danger', ' beware', ' stop ', etc.
• Relaxation
When you read, you relax your mind and focus on whatever it is that you are reading. Doing so slows down your brain and keeps you calm and tranquil. It is a form of escape that soothes you to the core. Reading is also a fulfilling and productive activity that makes you feel accomplished.
• Discipline
Reading requires concentration and focus. This teaches your child self-discipline. A longer attention span and better memory retention are additional benefits of reading.
• Empathy
While reading, your child will put himself in the character's shoes. This teaches him empathy which allows him to relate to the character on an emotional level.
You can do the following to inspire your child to read more :
• Make books accessible
Children who become readers often have books and other reading materials available at their homes. Thus, as a parent, you should ensure that there are plenty of books at home. Place the books in an easily accessible corner so that your little one can read as per his convenience.
• Be a role model
Children often emulate their parents' behavior. When you pick a book up for some leisure reading, your little one will probably do the same. If your child notices your profound love of reading, he will be more inclined to develop the same adoration for books.
• Visit the library frequently
Along with extracurricular activities, you should also encourage reading. You can do so by visiting the library together. The opportunity to choose books of his choice will make your child more enthusiastic about reading. Such library visits can be your very own tradition that your child will fondly remember when he grows older.
• Make reading fun
When you read, make sure you do justice to the narrative. Act out stories, modulate your voice, use your hands, and read with excitement! Remember, a monotonous tone can make the most exciting of stories dreary and boring.
So go ahead, grab a book and spin a magical world just for you and your tiny tot.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nelson Oliveira slowed Wolves' promotion charge as Norwich staged a stunning fightback to hold the runaway Championship leaders to a 2-2 draw at Molineux.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side had raced into a 2-0 lead with just 25 minutes gone after wing back Jamal Lewis put through his own goal and midfielder Alfred N'Diaye headed home a second.
Christoph Zimmermann pulled one back within two minutes to give the visitors hope, and the real drama came at the death. The game was in the third minute of stoppage time when substitute Oliveira smashed a long-range shot into the top corner to make it 2-2.
Second-placed Cardiff took full advantage as they battled their way to a 1-0 win at Ipswich to reduce Wolves' lead to nine points. Perhaps more importantly, Cardiff opened up a four-point lead over Aston Villa, who sit third.
Kenneth Zohore was their match-winner 25 minutes from time, scrambling in an untidy goal as the Bluebirds extended their unbeaten run to seven games.
Fourth-placed Derby left it late to snatch a point as Leeds twice took the lead at Pride Park, only to be pegged back at the end of both halves.
Leeds struck against the run of play when Pierre-Michel Lasogga headed home Stuart Dallas's 34th-minute cross, but Andreas Weimann levelled in first-half stoppage time after defenders Laurens De Bock and Liam Cooper hampered each other.
Ezgjan Alioski restored the visitors' lead with 11 minutes to play when he rounded off a counter-attack at the second attempt, but Derby got themselves out of jail at the death when Kasey Palmer struck in the second minute of added time to spare his side back-to-back league defeats.
Aleksandar Mitrovic's first goal for Fulham was enough to take only a point as Bristol City hit back to avoid a home defeat.
On-loan Newcastle striker Mitrovic's 14th-minute strike from Cyrus Christie's pass was his first goal in club football since August.
Bobby Reid dragged the home side back into it 10 minutes before the break and although Mitrovic twice went close in a positive start to the second half by the visitors, Fulham had to make do with a draw which extended their unbeaten league run to 11 games.


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How when the US hires support personnel to augment their forces, they're mercenaries, but when the UN hires combat troops, they're peacekeepers helping to stabilize the troubled regions?
I'm just sayin'...Launched by Bravo Romeo Delta at May 28, 2004 03:24 PM
Hmmm. Now that you mention it....Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at May 28, 2004 04:44 PM


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SugarCRM vs Salesforce CRM comparison with facts, differences and reasons – April 2020
It is clear you understand the benefits of using a CRM Software and its advantages in processing a business. So if you are evaluating CRM software for your organization, Salesforce, SugarCRM and Microsoft dynamics may not miss your eye. Salesforce is no doubt the biggest CRM vendor of our time but is being bigger the best?
Ofcourse, Not. It does not mean the best and also may not mean value for money. SugarCRM is the most popular cost effective alternative to Salesforce CRM. Yet the decision on the right CRM tool is very important and it has to be done responsibly at this important stage in your organization's growth. SugarCRM vs Salesforce is a common comparison point for many CRM customers and we help you with all the necessary information to help make your decisions right.
Key Enterprise CRM Products
In the mid-market and enterprise market there are three CRM vendors namely SugarCRM , Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics who compete with each other.
Among these CRM companies, SugarCRM and Salesforce are the two companies that only focus on CRM. Rest other companies are in the CRM market but their core product might be something else and might have joined the CRM bandwagon as an add on to their other products. For example, SAP and Microsoft both have ERP as their main focus and offer CRM functionality.
SugarCRM and Salesforce CRM are niche because they focus all their energies in satisfying their customer relationship management and customer experience management areas.
When we are looking at Salesforce vs SugarCRM, co-incidentally they both originated out of the San Francisco Bay area and started in 1999 and 2004 respectively.
This article compares the feature benefits between the two products. Definitely the Salesforce brand has gained more popularity in comparison to SugarCRM but it is still imperative that you understand the feature differentiation to evaluate your ROI.
Salesforce vs Sugar CRM Branding
Typically, companies create branding and market value around themselves to stay ahead. Salesforce from day one is a marketing company and has spent a lot of money on brand building. Salesforce is also number one in the market in terms of its revenue. However, it has never reported a profit even for a quarter in the last two decades due to its extensive marketing budget.
While, Salesforce spends a lot of money on marketing and branding, on the other hand, SugarCRM spends most of its money on product improvement and usability.
In 2018 SugarCRM partnered with Accel KKR and with the infusion of new funds Sugar re-branded with a new Sugar logo. It added new products such as Sugar Market, Sugar Connect, Sugar Discover and many more to extend its product family.
Let us look at these two crm systems and see their differences and similarities
Salesforce crm vs Sugar – product offerings
Being the full suite CRM companies, both Sugar and Salesforce offers the following products
|Sales Force
|Marketing Automation
|Email Marketing, Drip marketing, Lead Scoring, Web Tracking Solution
|Sugar Market
|Marketing Cloud
|Sales Force Automation / Sales CRM
|Lead Management, Account & Contact Management, Opportunity Management, Sales Pipeline management, Forecast, Quote Management etc
|Sugar Sell
|Sales Cloud
|Customer Support Automation / Support CRM
|Ticketing / Case Management, Knowledge Base, Customer Self Service Portal
|Sugar Serve
|Support Cloud
Typically, companies create branding and market value around themselves to stay ahead. Salesforce from day one is a marketing company and has spent a lot of money on brand building. Salesforce is also number one in the market in terms of its revenue. However, it has never reported a profit even for a quarter in the last two decades due to its extensive marketing budget.
While, Salesforce spends a lot of money on marketing and branding, on the other hand, SugarCRM spends most of its money on product improvement and usability.
In 2018 SugarCRM partnered with Accel KKR and with the infusion of new funds Sugar re-branded with a new Sugar logo. It added new products such as Sugar Market, Sugar Connect, Sugar Discover and many more to extend its product family.
Sugar On Premise Products includes:
SugarCRM vs. Salesforce CRM- Function & Pricing
Let's look at salesforce pricing, there are too many options, addons and choices. This might make salesforce a one stop solution for any organisation initially. On the flip side, it also gives scattered experience while deciding and so it may confuse the first timers or small & medium businesses.
SugarCRM comes with a plain and simple pricing policy and follows one price for one product mechanism. For the price you pay, you get all the features and there is no selective entailment or disablement.
|Marketing Automation
|Sugar Market Priced at USD 1000 per month per 10K ContactsAnnual Prepay – USD 12000
|Salesforce Marketing Cloud – Pardot B2B Growth Priced at USD 1250 per month per 10K ContactsAnnual Prepay – USD 15000
|Sales Automation or SalesCRM
|Sugar SellPriced at USD 80 per user per month10 Users Minimum with Annual Prepay – Starting at USD 9600
|Salesforce Sales CRM – Sales Cloud Enterprise EditionPriced at USD 150 per user per month For 10 Users with Prepay – Starting at USD 18000
|Customer Support Automation or helpdesk CRM
|Sugar Serve Priced at USD 80 per user per month10 Users Minimum with Annual Prepay – Starting at USD 9600
|Salesforce Service CRM – Service Cloud Enterprise EditionPriced at USD 150 per user per month. For 10 users Annual Prepay – Starting at USD 18000
|For Sales Force Automation along with Customer Support Automation
|Sugar Sell + ServePriced at USD 110 per user per month 10 Users Minimum with Annual Prepay – starting at USD 13200
|Salesforce Sales + Service CRM – Enterprise EditionPriced at USD 175 Per user per month. For 10 users with Annual Prepay – Starting at USD 21,000
|Other Editions
|SugarCRM offers on premise customers Sugar Professional Edition and Sugar Enterprise Edition.
|Salesforce has other editions like Essentials priced at USD 25 and Professional Priced at USD 75, but feature wise they can't be compared with Sugar products. Only the Salesforce Enterprise Edition is comparable to the Sugar's Sales CRM and Service CRM.
For more details on SugarCRM pricing, please click here
In SFDC vs Sugar price comparison, SugarCRM wins on two parameters:
- It is available at 50% cheaper than Salesforce for the same / similar feature set.
- Price Simplicity – There is one price to choose from for SugarCRM. Whereas in Salesforce you need understanding of complex parameters.
SugarCRM vs Salesforce – Features
Salesforce is considered a leader in the CRM Market. In order to sustain as a leader, the company has to keep on adding more and more features to its CRM platform. In a mission to catch up and control the market, most other CRM solution providers try to offer all the features to be the chief provider in the market. SugarCRM offers almost all the features of Salesforce and also comes with a better look and feel as discussed below:
SugarCRM vs Salesforce- UI / UX
SugarCRM released an all new platform level upgrade in 2013 to shift its UX as well as development platform to suit the latest mobile technology revolution. Sugar has been revamping its UI often from 2004 onwards but the 2013 upgrade is a major change with technology.This new version has a highly flexible UI and also uses a Client Side MVC framework to make it a much faster experience than other CRMs. Sugar makes continuous changes to UI / UX and in Sugar 9 released in 2019, the focus has again been on UI / UX changes to improve usability of the platform.
After 3 years of Sugar platform level upgrade, in 2016 October Salesforce followed SugarCRM with a complete revamp of its UI / UX calling it Lightning.
Salesforce UI was stagnant for a very long time from 1999 to 2016 close to 17 years and the new UI may not change in the near future due to its multi-tenant architecture.
Whereas Sugar continues to improve its UI by taking continuous feedback from customers and partners.
SugarCRM vs Salesforce – Usability and Navigation
SugarCRM and Salesforce both have moved to new UI frameworks and have improvised the basic navigation of the system. Sugar has improved its top navigation whereas Salesforce has adopted the Tab / Twitter Bootstrap navigation ecosystem.
SugarCRM UI is very simple and easy to learn whereas Salesforce tried its best to give more features but at the cost of complexity. The UI is complex to visualise as well as navigate.
Mobile CRM
SugarCRM and Salesforce significantly invested in building a flexible and user friendly mobile app for their CRM. They are available for both Android and iPhone. The modules and fields that need to be visible on the mobile UI can be controlled from the Admin area. SugarCRM has improved its application with the new client side MVC framework by making it a responsive application.
That way, it renders neatly on the mobile browser if you do not want to download the mobile app. For SugarCRM Enterprise Edition and Salesforce Enterprise Edition the mobile application works offline too.
In the mobile application, Salesforce offers the sales features like account management, lead management, opportunity management and activities management. On the other hand, SugarCRM offers all of what salesforce offers such as quote management, all custom modules and customisation. This way the SugarCRM mobile CRM/application is way ahead of salesforce.
Customisation and Extensibility
SugarCRM and Salesforce come with customization and extension capabilities. Both have a drag and drop field addition and field movement in UI.
However when you want to write a business logic or integration they use two different paths.
- SugarCRM uses open source technologies like PHP, JavaScript apart from the Business Process Engine SugarBPM.
- Salesforce uses custom proprietary language called APEX
Because of this difference, when you need deeper customisations and integrations, Salesforce becomes quite expensive when compared to SugarCRM.
Salesforce and SugarCRM both come with extensive web services API that help integrate the system with other systems. There may be inherent limits that control the usage of these APIs but if SugarCRM is hosted on the cloud or on premise these limits may not be an obstacle for integrations.
Apart from the admin area from which the system can be customised, SugarCRM being an open source CRM application, a lot more code level enhancements can be done efficiently. Most of the enhancements are done using Javascript related technologies and PHP.
So overall salesforce is weirdly stitched and confusingly expensive.
Sales Experience
Salesforce comes with an enterprise level sales team across the board. Once a sale is made by the salesforce sales team, it is handed over to the implementing partner for implementation. Sometimes for large implementations salesforce itself takes the implementation. Most of the time there may be an expectation mismatch once a sale is made by Salesforce.
Whereas SugarCRM sells mostly through their partners and SugarCRM's partners can be small or large enterprises or can be of any size. SugarCRM sales experience during evaluation and sales process will be much different than salesforce. The main difference between SugarCRM and salesforce can be observed that salesforce sells with their own sales team and implements it with the partner team.
In SugarCRM's case, the partner does both the sale and implementation except for pretty large deals where SugarCRM will be directly involved.
Since pre sales and post sales your key point of contact is the partner and hence you may find SugarCRM implementations better than Salesforce.
SaaS CRM / Cloud CRM / Deployment Options
Salesforce is a pioneer in inventing the SaaS model or Software as a Service Model to counter the then existing packaged hosted solutions like SIEBEL. When salesforce came into existence in the late 1990s, CRM was very expensive. Salesforce made it an affordable solution by accepting payments for yearly usage rather than for buying and hosting in the company premises. Even though there is a definite shift over a period of time from hosted CRM to Cloud CRM / SaaS CRM, there is still a large market for Hosted CRM. In this scenario salesforce offers only SaaS CRM hosted on their own cloud.
SugarCRM offers a lot of flexibility in terms of deployment. It comes by default with SaaS CRM hosted on SugarCRM's own cloud which it calls as 'SugarCRM On Demand' and the same application can be hosted on customer premise or any public cloud or private cloud. Unlike Salesforce's csv file backup for migration, SugarCRM provides complete installation along with a database as backup so that anyone can restore it on their own hosting platform.
The deployment option is not a problem as long as there is no corporate policy to host inside the premises or country regulatory system allows customer data to be stored outside the country. If any of the above two conditions are a bottleneck, SugarCRM fares well against salesforce by providing an option to host. Since most of the companies are not maintaining their own data centres, SugarCRM is being hosted on public clouds like AWS or SoftLayer, or Microsoft Azure or private clouds provided by many cloud companies.
Many countries are slowly but steadily putting regulatory framework not to store customer data of financial institutes outside the country. In this scenario salesforce is altogether ruled out if they do not have their cloud hosted in that country.
From above all the points when put together, It can be concluded that SugarCRM provides better flexibility and effective solution with cost efficiency when it comes to CRM and Business Management.
Bhea is a leading SugarCRM partner with more than decade expertise in implementing SugarCRM and migrating Salesforce to SugarCRM.
You can connect with us for further information and book a demo so that we can show you practically how SugarCRM is far better than existing CRMs in the market.
If you find the above article interesting, surely you can check this one,


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TITTA shirt
This item is available in two different options:
- 049 is the basic model. Our unique TITTA shirt. Every skater should have one during their skating journey!
- DX049 is our new interpretation of the model. The main colour of the Titta Shirt will be black, white or blue navy according to your choice. Then, you can choose the colour of the right sleeve among the options!
The image has the sole purpose of representing the model. To order the product you must specify your preference regarding size, fabrics, inserts, colors and Rhinestones.


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Over 700 people attended Swiss Testing Day this year and it was incredible to learn that there are now over 1 Billion Technology Startups coming into the marketplace every year. As Adrian Zwingli, Chairman of the Board of Directors from SwissQ Consulting AG stated "Every Business Will be a Digital Business". So the question is what does this mean today and what will it mean in the future? The Internet of Things is already keeping Testing Teams at capacity overload if we continue with the same traditional approach to improving testing efficiency and effectiveness at some point we will hit the wall. Adrian mentioned that Software Quality Assurance still needs to focus on efficiency and effectiveness but in addition, incorporate agility and flexibility while considering which types of testing talent is needed.
In a presentation of Google Assistant, Tilke Judd presented how far voice interfaces have come at Google and what types of challenges needed to be addressed. Tilke Judd went on to say that testing everything is impossible so you need to focus on testing the most important things. Then there is the explosion of devices that keeps everyone involved in software delivery on their toes.
100% traceability & E2E Testing are just a few of the challenges that clients are facing as apps, integrations, devices and web services today are getting to be more and more complex. How can you keep pace with future complexity: as Adrian stated in the Opening Presentation: "Build for Change".
Efficient! Effective! Flexible! Scalable!
That's the NEW WORLD!
About QACube
QACube helps drive competitive advantage with predictive QA visual analytics and dashboards across popular ALM/software testing tools such as: CA Agile Central (formerly Rally), HP QC Enterprise, JIRA, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Team Foundation Server, Redmine, Tosca Testsuite, Spira Test... so you can deliver great software on time and with less risk.
Banks, Financial Services, Insurance Companies, Telcos and others can achieve QA visibility and transparency for faster time-to-market with lower risk. For more information, please visit www.qacube.com


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Webinar Recording
Understand the Customer Experience With the Right Insight Elements
Customer experience professionals struggle to understand the full depth and breadth of the customer experience because they're unable to link what customers say with what they do. To do this, they must employ a variety of analytical techniques on multiple data sources and types. Forrester's Periodic Table of Insights highlights many of the most commonly used techniques for deriving insights from data.
Brandon Purcell, Principal Analyst from Forrester shared how to use these proven techniques as a blended strategy to optimize the impact of your insight efforts.
Watch this webinar to learn how to:
- Uncover effective techniques to optimize customer experience
- Drive the Insights-to-Action Lifecycle
- Scale individual feedback for actionable insights


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Years ago, when I was a senior in high school, my family rescued a German Shepherd from the streets. It was about one year old, and clearly malnourished and mistreated. And so, my dad and my brother took the dog into our home in order to give it a new life. My brother named the dog "Rolex." I'm allergic to dogs.
Sadly, the trouble began with Rolex right away. Apparently a short life of abuse had rendered him psychotic. Every human (except, oddly, my dad and my brother) was an enemy. Everyone Rolex saw was greeted with loud, vicious barking and violent, spasmotic movements. Rolex had an insatiable bloodthirst. He wanted to exact revenge on all of humankind for whatever unspeakable and unknowable horrors he faced as a puppy. Once, Rolex bit me on my butt.
The family tried different things. Numerous dog trainers and obedience schools. One trainer assured my dad that Rolex was a lost cause, that he could never be truly tamed. My dad found another trainer. My dad even almost bought a choke chain. He held it in his hands at the pet store for a short while but couldn't bring himself do buy it. Rolex probably would have eaten through the choke chain and then killed someone.*
When I would come home from college, law school, or what-have-you, Rolex would be there, behind a fence or enclosed in some sort of large chainlink thing, barking at me, convulsing hither and yon, staring at me with his menacing eyes. He treated Meli the same way when she started coming around. Meli is convinced that Rolex wants to eat her.
I'm sure Rolex could lead a very happy life in some sort of government work, perhaps terrifying prisoners at Guantanamo. But he's just not cut out for life as a family dog. He likes to chase rabbits. Maybe he could live in the Outback of Australier.
Recently, my brother posted this photo to his MySpace. The caption he gave it was "family pic gone bad." I think this image accurately sums up what Rolex means to me and my family.
* I don't advocate choke chains or any other cruelty to animals. I'm glad my dad didn't get the choke chain. I also acknowledge that Rolex's behavior isn't his fault. But that doesn't decrease the extent to which I don't want to get mauled by him.


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So, is there really such a thing as evil? Subjectively, yes. You can call sadistic torture or genocide or rape evil. You may mean something very specific and have well-reasoned arguments as to why you have called a particular person or act evil. But as soon as you have a discussion about it with others, you may find that what you think is an undeniable act of evil is not perceived that way by them. Certainly by the time you bring people who have committed the act into the discussion, you are likely to encounter a different perspective. To once again cite Nietzsche, evil is only created in the moment when we perceive something as such. And just as quickly as we can make evil, if our perception shifts, it can disappear.
We make evil when we label something so. Evil exists as a word, as a subjective concept. But I firmly believe there is no person, no group, no behaviour, no thing that is objectively evil. Perhaps evil only really exists in our fears.
You have probably heard the saying that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Well, the same thing rings true for many contexts – one person's soldier is another's insurgent, one person's sexual liberation is another's perversion, one person's dream job is another's source of all ills. When we learn that evil is in the eye of the beholder, we begin to question the beholder and the society they live in. And when we turn our attention to ourselves, we realize that we sometimes curiously even betray our own sense of morality.
Because of what I consider an insurmountable problem of subjectivity, I think that neither humans nor actions should be labelled evil. Instead, I cannot help but see a complex ecosystem of decisions, cascades of influences, multifaceted social factors. I refuse to summarize all of this into a single hateful word.
"Perhaps evil only really exists in our fears".
Feature story this week of some core concepts from #makingevil in the @globeandmail 🇨🇦https://t.co/QjVG9RZHGI
— Dr Julia Shaw (@drjuliashaw) February 16, 2019


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As the nation ramps up to the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA30) on July 26, 2020, the 50-member ADA Lead On "Core Production Team" (in front of and behind the camera/keyboard) and 22 ADA Generation bloggers, influencers and signal boosters are focused and determined to set the record straight, flip ... Read more
Senator Tom Harkin
Justin Dart Remembered — Humanitarian, Leader and Friend
Editor's note: In recognition of a great humanitarian, leader and friend, we present "The Resurrection of Justin Dart Jr. : A Quest for Truth and Love," which was written by Mari Carlin Dart and originally appeared in the Diahann Carroll issue of ABILITY Magazine. Also included are additional comments from Dr. Fred Fay and ... Read more
Senator Duckworth Receives Paralyzed Veterans of America's Gordon H. Mansfield Congressional Leadership Award
Paralyzed Veterans of America recently announced it will honor Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois with the 2019 Gordon H. Mansfield Congressional Leadership Award during the organization's Annual PVA Gala. From critical efforts on the Americans with Disabilities Act, to improving the air travel experience for passengers with disabilities, Senator Duckworth has been ... Read more
Harkin Summit – Boost Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
For decades, former Senator Tom Harkin has actively championed the rights of people with disabilities. First serving in the US House of Representatives and later in the Senate from 1985 to 2015, the Iowa native helped craft and introduce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1988. Although ostensibly retired, he remains active in ... Read more
Possibilities of ADA — Harkin
Dear ABILITY readers, Thanks to the progress we've made since passing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) more than 20 years ago, millions of people have grown up proud of who they are, confident that the doors of opportunity are open to them. This landmark legislation was a major victory for equality, and helped ... Read more
Harkin — The Benefits of Health Care
THE HEALTH REFORM LAW: MAJOR PROGRESS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES Dear ABILITY Readers, The new health reform law, signed by President Obama last month, includes provisions that offer important new protections and choices for individuals with disabilities. These provisions—for which I fought very hard— include, for example, prohibitions on denying insurance coverage based on ... Read more
Sen. Harkin — The Affortable Care Act
Circa 2012 Dear ABILITY readers, The Affordable Care Act includes a number of provisions intended to benefit individuals with disabilities. One of the most important of these is the Community First Choice Option, which represents a significant step toward removing institutional bias in the Medicaid program. Recently, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services ... Read more
Keeping all Students Safe
Protecting Students in the Classroom Dear ABILITY Readers, Last month, I introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, a bill to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint practices in schools. All too often, we hear heartbreaking stories about children being injured or even killed because of risky and inappropriate "disciplinary" tactics used at ... Read more


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It's been his go-to routine to help keep in shape and stave off the cabin fever blues amid the coronavirus pandemic.
So Arnold Schwarzenegger, 72, hit the nearly streets of Los Angeles for a bike ride with girlfriend Heather Milligan, 45, and good friend Ralf Moeller this Mother's Day.
And the former California governor led the trio most of the way as they powered their way through his Brentwood neighborhood and beyond.
Schwarzenegger opted to not wear a protective mask, but he and the others practiced proper social distancing throughout their excursion.
Like most day, he kept it sporty in black shorts with a blue bodybuilding t-shirt that was covered up by his dark blue jacket and black slip-on sneakers.
The exercise regimen began with some stretching exercises moments after he parked his SUV, and then they were on their way.
The trio had little worry about traffic due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the Mother's Day holiday.
Milligan donned an all-black ensemble that consisted of leggings, light jacket and baseball cap over her blonde tresses.
Moeller, who's a German actor and former bodybuilder, wore camouflage shorts with a blue t-shirt and red tracksuit jacket.
For the most part, the Terminator actor took the lead with his lady close to his side and Moeller trailing in the back of the pack.
The couple have been dating since 2015.
Schwarzenegger split from his wife Maria Shriver in 2011, following the revelation that he fathered a son, Joseph Baena, 22, with his family's former housekeeper Mildred Baena during their marriage.
The actor also has sons Patrick, 26, Christoper, 22, and daughters, Catherine, 30, and Christina, 28, with Shriver.
The former couple were married for 25 years when they called it quits.


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There are many different types of pipe wrenches, but what does a pipe wrench look like? The pipe wrench, also known as a monkey wrench, is one of the most common tools in the shop. It's used to tighten and loosen nuts and bolts on pipes or other cylindrical objects.
A pipe wrench can be used for plumbing work, automotive repairs, or any job requiring quick tightening or loosening nuts and bolts.
What Does a Pipe Wrench Look Like: The Parts of a Pipe Wrench
Here are the components of a pipe wrench:
The handle has two heads. One head is fixed, and the other rotates around it in its own socket. It can rotate 360 degrees if you want to give that particular wrench a try.
The fixed head is flat, and its primary use is to tighten or loosen nuts. The rotating part of the handle has an adjustable jaw that can be adjusted by turning a screw with your fingers. This setup allows you to quickly adjust the wrench while keeping it very sturdy on whatever nut you are trying to turn.
One end of the pipe wrench's jaws ends in two teeth that dig into surfaces for added grip strength when needed, but they also make sure not to cause any damage like stripping what you're tightening down onto (or loosening).
These teeth allow for smooth rotation if all goes well but will stick before causing any damage. They don't get stuck too often, though! Just enough where I'm confident things will stay secure.
The nut is located on the opposite end of your pipe wrench and is where you tighten or loosen whatever nut it is attached to.
The jaws are adjustable to fit around odd shapes if need be (like tree roots) and tightly secure round objects like pipes. The nut is made of steel, and it is very strong, but the adjustable jaw makes sure not to damage what you're working on.
How to Use a Pipe Wrench
Here are some simple steps that you can take to use a pipe wrench:
Step One
Put the wrench on your object of choice. Make sure that you are using the appropriate size so it fits well without slipping while also fitting over what you're trying to work on comfortably.
Step Two
Tighten down the jaw until it is secure around whatever nut or pipe you need tightened or loosened (or if working with a tree root, make sure that everything feels very tight).
If turning something like a bolt, turn in whichever direction has teeth digging into things better; either clockwise for tightening and counter-clockwise for loosening. I've found this information out through trial and error!
Step Three
Once completely turned in one way or another (in my case, usually only halfway), use your other hand to hold onto the jaw that is staying put while continuing to turn the wrench in its socket with your other hand (or vice versa if it's loose).
Step Four
Continue until whatever you are tightening or loosening feels secure. If using on a pipe, continue turning just enough where things are not too tight but aren't slipping either.
We also suggest practicing on some old pipes before working on anything important so that one knows how tightly to tighten without damaging what they're trying to fix.
Why You Need a Pipe Wrench
A pipe wrench is a tool that is used to tighten, loosen or grip cylindrical objects. This can include plumbing pipes as well as other types of piping equipment.
Having a pipe wrench is important for anyone who works on pipes, especially those that are found in homes and commercial buildings. A pipe wrench can make plumbing tasks easier to complete, which is why it's important for anyone who works on pipes or piping equipment to have one.
Where to Buy One for Yourself?
There are many ways to buy a pipe wrench. You can go to a hardware store and have them order it for you, or you can just purchase one online from an e-commerce website that sells tools.
If you're going to be using your new pipe wrench on commercial buildings, then having one ordered specifically with the building's name is recommended by professionals who work in this field.
In addition, buying a professional-grade tool will ensure that you get high-quality equipment. These are often made of alloy steel so they won't break easily even after being used multiple times.
If you are interested, you can also see our post on how to sell copper pipes in tight places and move a toilet over a few inches.


text: Llongueras with more than 50 years of experience offering quality services and exclusive techniques Llongueras, opens its doors at the Miramar Shopping Center. Llongueras salons, a symbol of exclusivity and high quality service along with the latest technologies, and a new concept that uses materials such as wood or steel creating a contrast that reflects modernity, warmth and innovation. Our team will advise you in choosing the cut not only corresponding to your personality but also taking into account the nature of the hair and your face. Your Llongueras room opens its doors from Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. We will wait for you!


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What is family therapy?
Family therapy is a positive way to help families overcome stress, conflict, or instability by working together toward a workable solution. Sometimes, a part of the family will be involved in therapy due to the issues being discussed. Sometimes one person is identified as the "problem", but the family comes together to help. Sometimes, home life becomes so uncomfortable, that outside help is needed.
How long will it take?
Family Therapy lasts as long as it takes to meet the goals determined by the family and therapist together. Most often, this is done in the short term, somewhere between one and ten sessions.
What problems will be helped?
Often, problems families are faced with are out of their control, like dealing with death, chronic illness, divorce, natural disaster, or change. Sometimes, problems in families center around the behavior of teens or children, or the parents reactions to the behavior of their children. Therapy may involve setting or clarifying boundaries, expectations, or rules. It may include education for parents or children regarding normal responses in each other. Therapy may also address concerns parents have about the direction they see their children taking with their lives.
What does it cost?
The cost is the same for a family as it is for an individual. A 50-minute session is $200.00. Sessions will be most often scheduled weekly at first, but may be more or less often, depending on need, resources, and scheduling issues.
Dr. Karla Austin
I am trained in Marriage and Family Therapy as well as Psychology. I have conducted numerous parenting seminars as well as training for teachers in both the public and private school system. I often utilize the Love & Logic materials by Foster Cline, M.D., and Jim Fay (educator). Their techniques emphasize good communication and consistent relationship building. I place a high value on personal responsibility for children, teens, and adults. I am very careful not to take sides when working with more than one person in session. If family therapy, the family is the client, just as in marital therapy, the marriage is the client.
***As with any psychological disorder, do not consider information found on the internet sufficient in diagnosing or managing your condition. It can be used to find appropriate treatment from a healthcare professional. If in need of help, please call Dr. Austin at 972-986-0150, or if an emergency, always call 911.


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Daily Buzz: How Trend Analysis Can Benefit Associations
Your organization might not engage with every viral trend, but you should pay attention to what fads show about human behavior. Also: how boards can help new leaders.
When trends come and go quickly, it can be easy to dismiss them as a passing fancy. But whether you engage with them or not, it pays to study them, says Colleen Dilenschneider on Know Your Own Bone.
"Trends can allow your organization to peer into the minds of current and potential audiences, making your organization aware of challenges and opportunities," she says. "Think of it this way: It's helpful to know if there's a tornado warning in the area, even if you aren't sure if it's rolling down your specific street. Just knowing with confidence that there's a tornado in your midst can help you decide how to prepare and respond."
Trends can help associations learn about the perceptions, behaviors, and motivators for engagement that current and potential members hold—all of which can unlock key insight and strategies that will push organizations into the future.
"A primary benefit of data isn't that it allows us to look backwards and congratulate ourselves on past decisions (although it's nice when it does), but that it removes guesswork and informs our direction moving forward," Dilenschneider says. "Instead of declaring that trends do not apply to or impact them, we encourage leaders to ask, 'To what extent do these realities apply to us, what do we need to know about our own institution given this critical information, and what is the best way forward?'"
The Board-New Leadership Connection
Support from the board of directors is crucial to the success of any new leader, but it is particularly important for those that are new to an organization. https://t.co/AYYP15FNgm— The Chronicle of Philanthropy (@Philanthropy) June 26, 2019
The search for a new leader can leave boards feeling exhausted, but that new leader will need support as he or she takes the reins. This is not the time for the board to disengage, writes Jim Rendon in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
To ensure an effective leadership transition, consider creating a board committee separate from the search committee to work directly with the new leader. "That committee can help anticipate priorities in the first 90 days—key meetings, fundraising events, legislative deadlines, or other important issues," Rendon says.
Because that committee wasn't involved in the search, it's likely that its members will feel less drained and more ready to orient a new leader in his or her role.
Other Links of Note
Need event inspiration? Take a cue from your favorite TV shows and movies, from BizBash.
Embarking on a chatbot strategy? The Buffer blog offers a beginner's guide.
Speaking of artificial intelligence, should planners create more AI-friendly events? Meetings Today considers that question.
(Maxger/iStock/Getty Images Plus)


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Ibn Abee Haatim(.328H) Rahimahullaah said:
"I entered Damascus and came upon the students of hadeeth, and I passed by the circle of Qaasim al Joo'ee(d.248 AH). I found a group sitting around him and he was speaking. Their appearance amazed me; and I heard him saying:
"Seize The Benefit Of Five Things From The People Of Your Time:
I Also Advise You With Five Matters:
Ibn Abee Haatim said: "So I took that as my benefit from Damascus."
Related by Ibn al Jawzee in Sifatus-safwah(2/200).


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Bukit Tabur (Selangor)
Half day trip (4 hours) to one of the highest points around Kuala-Lumpur, allowing a 360 degree view of beautiful sceneries. Suitable for people who are relatively fit and not afraid of vertigo.
- Climbing a limestone ridge, which looks like the backbone of a pre-historic animal who should be guarding the precious forest reserve and the Klang Gates Reservoir located at his foot.
- Walk / Climbing the top of an impressive limestone ridge, so hot and dry that only short trees can survive.
- 360 deg. sceneries of Batu Caves in the West, Genting Highlands in the North, Ampang Heights in the East, and of course the unique twin Petronas Towers in the South.
- The back trail crosses an orchard, where seasonal tropical fruits can be found (Jack-fruit, rambutan, durian etc.)
Kindly contact us via our web form for more information.


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Free PSD shows of iPhone And Macbook Mockup On A Leather Background. The PSD file is easy and fully editable with smart objects. The PSD file measures 2600 × 1733 px at 240 dpi.
I am Prasad G (Prechu). I analyse, Optimise websites to improve their search results, a regular blogger of cssauthor.com
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Co. Longford → Ardagh → Ardagh Civil Parish → Ardagh East Electoral Division → Carnan
Carnan is in the Electoral Division of Ardagh East, in Civil Parish of Ardagh, in the Barony of Ardagh, in the County of Longford
The Irish name for Carnan is An Carnán
Carnan is on Logainm.ie: Carnan.
It is located at 53° 39' 37" N, 7° 38' 6" W.
Carnan has an area of:
Nationwide, it is the 27190th largest townland that we know about
Within Co. Longford, it is the 408th largest townland
Carnan borders the following other townlands:
We don't know about any subtownlands in Carnan.
Curious to see who lived in Carnan in the past? Maybe even seeing scans of their handwritten census returns?
Carnan was added to OpenStreetMap on 30 Aug 2012 by PaddyMatthews.


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$46.00 $98.00
Born from the fertile imaginations of the creative geniuses from Rockets and Rascals and faithfully hand crafted in northern Italy, these garments are a limited-edition collaboration to inspire the spirit of discovery and the explorer within.
Designed to sit close to the skin, this jersey is made for the rider seeking that aerodynamic advantage. Crafted in technologically advanced fabrics mixed with intelligent detailing, this piece is constructed with versatile and breathable 4 way high-stretch fabric.
Triple-fabric construction includes endurance tested Asteria on the front, perforated material on the rear and sides for increased breathability. This slim fitting, low profile collar jersey features a longer sleeve length designed in Force LPX fabric, laser cut from one piece of material for a clean, seamless finish.
- 3 Rear Pockets
- Long Hidden Zip, With Quick Lock Zip Function
- High Moisture Wicking Materials >> Cool/Dry On Skin
- Increased Wind and SPF 50+ sun protection
- Suited To A Wide Range Of Temperatures (17C Without A Vest - To 35C)
- BLUESIGN Certified fabrics
Because we are the manufacturer, a jersey of this quality would cost between $210 and $230 (AUD) from most other brands.
This is one of the best jerseys I have put on lately. Thanks
This is my new favourite jersey. Luckily I'm a skinny mini so the fit from a medium is great. Bought from the source in Plymouth. Steve Toze doing his stuff as usual!
great response from the team and nice jersey
Rockets & Rascals was born in Plymouth, UK, a stone's throw from the ocean where caffeine fuelled explorers have for generations set out to conquer the unconquered. Exploration and an affinity with life under the stars are as ingrained as the ink in their skin. We bring you a collection of garments that celebrate their spirit of discovery and their tales from the far corners of the globe.
40 years practice, makes perfect.
We are proud of the craftsmanship of our garments. If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, you can return them to us for a refund; no questions asked. If you prefer to exchange for a different size or style, we can do that too – just let us know!Contact Us
All Marcello Bergamo garments are 100% Made in Italy. Each garment has been meticulously designed, tested and hand made by artisans, who are dedicated to the art of creating high quality cycling apparel since 1977.
Due to our ideal location, we have been able to adhere to the strictest standards and have access to the forefront of sustainability and ethical practices. We are now redoubling our efforts to ensure that we fully understand our entire supply chain and that all components are appointed by organisations that follow those same standards and principles.MORE


text: Dr. Benjamin Pinsky is the director of Stanford Medicine's Clinical Virology Laboratory. (Photo/Steve Fisch) News Bay Area Q&A: This Stanford doc hunts down Covid-19 variants in California Facebook Twitter Email SMS WhatsApp Share By Maya Mirsky | February 12, 2021 Dr. Benjamin Pinsky is a clinician and professor of pathology and infectious diseases at Stanford, and the editor-in-chief of the international Journal of Clinical Virology. He directs Stanford Medicine's Clinical Virology Laboratory, which in January launched an ambitious project to identify and track variants of the Covid-19 virus in order to provide crucial information to vaccine researchers and public health officials. Earlier this month, his lab detected the first two cases of the South African Covid-19 variant in California. Pinsky spoke with J. from his office in Palo Alto. Tell me about the lab's project to find Covid variants. What are you doing? We're screening all positive samples that come through the Stanford lab for mutations that are associated with known variants. Those include the UK variant, the South Africa variant, there's two different Brazil variants, and more recently the California — or now called West Coast — variant. And those have specific mutation patterns that we can detect by basically the same technology we use for diagnosis. When we get a screen positive, we then sequence the whole genome to make sure that it's really that variant, for confirmation. And additionally we take a subset of the samples that don't have one of these known mutations and sequence the whole genome of those, so we can identify new mutations and new variants. Why is keeping an eye on the spread of variants so important? This monitoring is important for a number of reasons. These variants, first of all, may be more transmissible — that's already been shown for the UK and South African variants. Secondly, there's the possibility that the variants may cause more severe disease. That's still uncertain for these variants, but definitely if that were the case we'd want to be out in front of that. Thirdly, the variants may have an impact on vaccine efficacy. That has certainly been shown for the South African variant. How many samples have been tested that way so far at the Stanford lab? We started doing this on a larger scale a little over three weeks ago, so we've now screened over 1,700 samples and sequenced several hundred. We're trying to do this for all of the positive samples that come through the Stanford lab. We serve Stanford Health Care, Stanford Children's Health and also Valley Care, so we're getting samples from across the Bay Area counties. What has your research found so far? Right now, the most common variant in our area is this California variant, which has a specific mutation in encoding the spike protein. This California variant right now is in about a third of the samples that we're evaluating, and that has rapidly increased over the last, I'd say, about six weeks or so. It was first identified in Southern California at Cedars-Sinai and then identified in a large outbreak in San Jose. Since then it's been seen in increasing prevalence in samples in the Bay Area and across California. The other variants are much less common. We've identified four UK variants, we just reported two South African variants, which I believe are the first two in California, and then I believe we've confirmed two of the Brazil P2 variants. Which variant is the one to keep an eye on? That remains to be seen, which variants may take over in our population here. For example, early on in the pandemic one particular mutation sort of took over basically the entire globe; it's found now in basically every sample. More recently the UK variant is now in 80 different countries and appears to be more transmissible. So we'll see what variant takes over, or whether any of these variants become the predominant strain here in California or in the United States. The one to really keep an eye on that may be the most challenging one, particularly for vaccine efficacy and also the effectiveness of antibody therapies, is the South African strain. The vaccine trials in South Africa with high prevalence of that particular variant have performed less well than in other parts of the world. Most recently, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial in South Africa was put on hold; that was due to apparently poor efficacy in South Africa due to the variant. I think that's the one to keep an eye on. And then also the Brazil P1 has a very similar constellation of mutations. That one doesn't seem to have spread as widely, but that's another one to keep an eye out for. And of course the California one just because it's in our area and it's becoming quite highly prevalent. What should the public keep in mind about mutations? And what does the data you're collecting mean for public health? I would say a lot of the reporting has been quite good on the variants, but there is a tendency to make it more alarmist than perhaps is necessary. I think it is reasonable to monitor and make sure we are aware of the spread of these variants, and also to find new variants. What I think is important is that all of the public health interventions like masking, social distancing and handwashing are still effective, so that should continue. And perhaps the emergence of these variants will encourage people to continue to do these things. In addition, this should not discourage folks from getting vaccinated. It's still very important that folks get vaccinated. In the U.S., the vast majority of strains are completely susceptible to vaccines, so efficacy would not be expected to be reduced. Even in places where the South African variant is highly prevalent, even though the vaccines are less efficacious they still appear to be effective at preventing severe disease. So vaccination is still critically important. Folks shouldn't be waiting to get vaccinated, for any reason. Maya Mirsky Maya Mirsky is a J. Staff Writer based in Oakland. Also On J. Sports Giants fire Jewish manager Gabe Kapler after disappointing season Bay Area Dianne Feinstein, longest-serving woman in senate, dies at age 90 Politics Biden administration plan to combat antisemitism launches at CJM Northern California Antisemites target El Dorado supes over 'Christian Heritage Month' Subscribe to our Newsletter Enter Email Sign Up


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C.P. Bourg Introduces Tandem Sheet Feeders Offering Peak Production Finishing Flexibility and Efficiency
Bourg's new tandem configuration automatically switches between units to allow non-stop finishing of jobs from in-line or off-line presses.
Super-efficient tandem design will be shown at Graph Expo 2014 in the C.P. Bourg booth #3631.
Print finishing leader C.P. Bourg will raise the bar on volume finishing production efficiency and flexibility when it unveils a new and industry-first tandem configuration of its Bourg Sheet Feeder (BSF) here at Graph Expo 2014, September 28 through October 1, in booth #3631.
Able to operate in-line or off-line, C.P. Bourg's latest innovation for super-efficient production finishing is a highly automated bindery tool that pairs two proven Bourg Sheet Feeders alternatively feeding printed sheets under program control to any compatible automatic booklet maker, perfect binder or other finishing device.
While one of the high-capacity tandem Bourg BSF feeders is being loaded or ready to go, the other can feed printed covers and content up to 26 x 14.3 inches (660.4 x 364mm) at the full-rated speed of the finisher. When one of the tandem feeders is finished feeding its jobs, the other starts automatically, allowing non-stop production at peak finishing efficiency.
When operating in-line with a digital press, the new tandem Bourg BSF feeders maintain C.P. Bourg's unique "dual-mode" functionality. The dual-mode operation provides unmatched in-line production flexibility by enabling the dedicated finishers to handle jobs from both in-line and off-line streams.
When configured off-line, the tandem Bourg BSF feeders become a highly efficient gateway for multiple off-line print streams to enter an automated production finishing line.
Finishing equipment compatible with Bourg Sheet Feeders include automatic booklet makers, perfect binders, rotary die cutters and business card finishers made by C.P. Bourg and its growing list of finishing partners worldwide, including Watkiss, Epic and Rollem.
"On-line workflows are inflexible, and short-run off-line workflows have frequent human, equipment and job interruptions. Each approach is subject to equipment downtime and process inefficiency," says James Tressler, Director of Marketing for C.P. Bourg, Inc.
"By pairing two Bourg BSF Sheet Feeders operating seamlessly and sequentially, our new tandem configuration minimizes or eliminates the downtime associated with loading sheets, and further maximizes finishing equipment utilization and ROI," says Mr. Tressler. "Each of the tandem Bourg BSFs can be loaded and ready to run when the press or the other BSF stops sending pages to the finisher," he explains.
"C.P. Bourg's versatile BSF platform provides an ideal way to enhance productivity by giving users at high-volume in-plant or commercial print shops with multiple presses the freedom and flexibility to send different set-secure print streams to the most appropriate production finishing resources," he adds.
Speed and Integrity for Short-Run Production
The proven Bourg BSF is equipped with two sheet feeding compartments that can accept pile heights of 19.7 inches (500 mm) for primary content and 5.5 inches (140 mm) of covers or other content, and feed the sheets at up to 18,000/hour — much faster than most finishers can operate. Paper can range from the size of an open CD-ROM booklet to 14.3 x 26 inches (364 x 660.4 mm) – among the largest sheets currently handled by digital printers.
The Bourg BSF also makes it easy to maintain the integrity of collated sets by automatically transferring printed output from stack carts made for different manufacturer's printers to any compatible finishing process. An innovative air-table design allows the Bourg BSF operator to load and easily center stacks of collated sets from stack carts common to HP, Kodak, Canon/Océ, Xerox and other manufacturer's printers.
Each Bourg BSF feeder combines optical mark recognition (OMR) and ultrasonic detection (DMC) technologies to detect doubled or missed sheets from either feeding compartment, and senses when a stack bin is empty, allowing the operator to reset a job or allow the other BSF in a tandem configuration to take over feeding sheets. Optional barcode scanning with a flexible positioning scanner allows Bourg BSF users to place a bar code anywhere on the sheet, eliminating traditional "hard fixed" bar code placement.
Tandem Bourg Sheet Feeders can operate with the fully automated Bourg e-series Document Finisher (BDF-e), Booklet Maker (BM-e), and Bleed Crease Module (BCM-e), and BB3202 EVA/PUR binders; as well as the multifunction Watkiss PowerSquare™ booklet maker and high-speed Rollem JetStream card finisher.
Demonstration at Graph Expo 2014
At Graph Expo 2014 in the C.P. Bourg booth (#3631), the new tandem Bourg BSF will be shown operating in an off-line configuration connected to a Bourg BCM-e and Bourg BM-e producing saddle-stitched booklets.
Other Bourg Sheet Feeders will be shown in various in-line, dual-mode and off-line configurations on the Graph Expo show floor at partner booths, including digital press manufacturers Xerox and HP, and finisher manufacturers Watkiss and Rollem.


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Note: Signed copies may be delayed slightly – it takes time to get them.
Shadowy forces are working to undermine and destroy the United States, liberty, the Constitution, and Christian civilization itself. In this DVD, international journalist and author Alex Newman names names, explains how the Deep State works, and gives you powerful tools you can use to get involved in the fight for faith, family and freedom.


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9/3/2019 0 Comments
September 03rd, 2019
Evicted from her cloister after the German Socialist invasion, Mother Mary Collete of the Crown of Thorns (born Władysława Kaminska), with the Order of Capuchin Poor Clares, she was eventually arrested by Gestapo, interrogated tortured and moved to Bydgoszcz prison.
Transferred to Gdańsk, she was sentenced to death, beheaded by guillotine, on September 23, 1944, and it is believed that her body was sent to the German Medical Institute in Gdańsk, where an experimental factory was making soap from human fat.
VIVA CRISTO REY! Niech żyje Chrystus Król!
Leave a Reply.
THERESA MARIE MOREAU is an award-winning reporter who covers Catholicism and Communism.
September 2023


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Apart from protection against corrosion, special requirements are also made of the appearance and feel of the coating in the spray zone around showers and toilets, next to urinals in both private and public areas, as well as in many private and commercial buildings.
If radiators require greater protection against water spray and/or humidity due to their location, then a coating in accordance with DIN 55 900 is inadequate. The new Kermi anti-corrosion coating offers a cost-effective alternative here, providing optimal protection against corrosion with high standards regarding appearance and feel. The special coating is applied directly to the radiator and is then finished with a high quality powder coating.
Kermi anti-corrosion coating: Better in every way:
The new anti-corrosion coating from Kermi: Ideal anywhere that radiators are exposed to increased humidity levels: for example in the spray zone around toilets and urinals, in private bathrooms directly above or next to the bathtub, directly adjacent to walk-in shower enclosures or in washrooms and changing rooms in companies or public buildings.


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Book Outlet has been in operation for over 15 years selling books all over the world and the #1 player in the discount book business. They've made it their mission to offer customers a huge selection of books at fantastic discounted prices of 50-90% off the original list price. This program has a 30 day cookie duration.
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The Impact of Marijuana Use on Memory in Patients with HIV/AIDS
The most robust neurocognitive effect of marijuana use is memory impairment. Memory deficits are also high among persons living with HIV/AIDS, and marijuana use among this population is disproportionately common. Yet research examining neurocognitive outcomes resulting from co-occurring marijuana and HIV is virtually non-existent. The primary aim of this case-controlled study was to identify patterns of neurocognitive impairment among HIV patients who used marijuana compared to HIV patients who did not use drugs by comparing the groups on domain T-scores. Participants included 32 current marijuana users and 37 non-drug users. A comprehensive battery assessed substance use and neurocognitive functioning. Among the full sample, marijuana users performed significantly worse on verbal memory tasks compared to non-drug users and significantly better on attention/working memory tasks. A secondary aim of this study was to test whether the effect of marijuana use on memory was moderated by HIV disease progression, but these models were not significant. This study also examined whether the effect of marijuana use was differentially affected by marijuana use characteristics, finding that earlier age of initiation was associated with worse memory performance. These findings have important clinical implications, particularly given increased legalization of this drug to manage HIV infection.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Rights for Collection: Duke Dissertations
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info


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Here are your morning links!
Patriots' offensive lineman Marcus Cannon ready for anything - ESPN
Versatility is perhaps just as important as ability for the Patriots on the offensive line. The team has always sought out players that can handle multiple positions along the front.
Matt Carpenter on his MVP-caliber season - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
With just a few games left in the season and a playoff spot clinched, Cardinals' third-base coach José Oquendo hits groundballs before a recent game against the Nationals to Matt Carpenter, Daniel Descalso and Rafael Furcal. They field ball after ball. Then Oquendo approaches Carpenter and Oquendo squats down, stepping back into a throwing motion while explaining one of the many possibilities of a routine groundball that could come Carpenter's way at second.
Who Holds the Advantage: TCU vs. SMU | Dallas Morning News
Two crosstown rivals will battle in Fort Worth on Saturday when SMU travels 42 miles down Interstate 30 to the TCU campus. TCU (1-2) and SMU (1-2) will both seek to even their record after a pedestrian start to the season.
Shirt mocking SMU alumnus selling across the country | TCU 360
A store on Blue Bonnet Circle is getting national attention all because of a t-shirt.
TCU DE Devonte Fields unlikely to play against SMU - NFL.com
Now Fields' status against SMU this week is uncertain because of a foot injury he suffered late in the 20-10 loss at Texas Tech on Sept. 12. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a source described the injury as serious and that Fields is not expected to play after missing practice Wednesday.
TCU tops among Big 12 teams when it comes to scheduling | News OK
The Horned Frogs needed marquee wins against BCS-conference teams to break through to college football's elite and they did it with aggressive scheduling that included games at Oklahoma (twice), Texas, Nebraska, Stanford, Clemson and Oregon State before joining the Big 12 last season.
Big 12 membership helps TCU Athletics financially | TCU 360
For all the intangible benefits afforded to TCU by joining the Big 12, there's been one entirely tangible asset the Horned Frogs have taken advantage of in their new league: Money.
TCU looking for new momentum against SMU | TCU 360
After a rough start and a long break for TCU, Saturday's Battle for the Iron Skillet might be more aptly named the Battle to Regain Momentum.
TCU Report: Volleyball draws positives out of loss to No. 5 Texas | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports ...
In front of a sellout crowd Wednesday, the TCU volleyball team was tied 18-18 against the defending national champions and No. 5 team in the nation, Texas.
Former TCU star Tanner Brock: 'I thought I was untouchable' | Dallas-Fort Worth...
Tanner Brock's hope is that one day he will return to TCU for a football game, to tailgate with friends and family, to walk the grounds the way he did as a student. And that maybe one day, should he have a child, he would attend the school.


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Micro Pneumatic Cylinder come in thousands of variations. Here's a look at different types, how to calculate force, speed, and air consumptions, available options, and when to consider special designs.
Cylinder types
Although there are many types of cylinders, their construction is fairly similar from one to another. Basically, a cylinder is a sealed tube. It contains a rod, attached to a piston, that extends through an opening at one end. Compressed air enters through a port at one end of the cylinder, causing the piston rod to move. At the other end, a second port lets air escape. Understanding the basics helps to show how different applications affect the cylinder and piston rod.
To avoid excessively high system pressure, experts generally recommend large cylinders for heavy or fast-moving loads.
The first step in choosing a cylinder is deciding whether to use the single- or double-acting version. As the name implies, single-acting cylinders use compressed air to move the load in one direction, such as lifting an object. With single-acting cylinders, air is supplied to only one side of the piston, while the other side vents the air to the environment. A spring (or, in some cases, gravity) returns the piston to its original position once air pressure is removed.
A double-acting cylinder uses compressed air to power the rod in both directions and move a load, such as opening and closing a gate. This type of cylinder uses more energy, but it's well suited for loads that require both pushing and pulling.
However, force calculations can get complicated. In single-acting cylinders with a spring, the spring force opposing the push or pull increases as the stroke progresses. And in double-acting cylinders, push and pull forces are not equal, as designers must account for the rod area in making force calculations. Manufacturers' catalogs often list push and pull values for both double-acting and single-acting cylinders, with and without springs, simplifying calculations for users.
Speed affects productivity, longevity, and controllability. Calculate the stroking speed of a pneumatic cylinder from:
s = 28.8q/A
where s = speed, ips; q = airflow in standard cubic feet/minute; and A = piston area, in.2
Other factors that might affect speed include port sizes, inlet and exhaust flow through control valves, and hose or tubing sizes — if they create bottlenecks that restrict air flow to or from the cylinder. Likewise, air pressure that is barely capable of moving the load will hamper speed.
With any fixed combination of valve, cylinder, pressure, and load, it is usually necessary to have adjustable control over cylinder speed. Flow controls at the cylinder ports let users tune speed to their application.
For most applications, unidirectional flow regulators installed to restrict flow out of the cylinder and permit free flow in give the best results. A regulator in the rod-end port controls extension speed, and one on the cap-end port controls retraction.
Air consumption
It's often necessary to calculate the cylinder's air consumption carefully, to make sure enough air will be available, especially in fast-cycling applications. Make sure that the compressor has the capacity to supply your pneumatic equipment even in worst-case conditions, as air starvation at a crucial moment will adversely affect performance.
Mounting configuration defines how a cylinder is attached to the equipment. Many mountings are produced as standard, both rigid and articulated, which makes it easier to fulfil specific movement requirements for your application. If the style of cylinder you want doesn't have the appropriate hardware to match your desired mounting position, it can be modified, but commissioning unique hardware will cause delays and add to the cost.
Pneumatic cylinders are usually made of brass, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, engineered polymers or a combination of several materials. What material you choose will depend on its suitability for the operational environment. The same goes for seal materials, but alternatives can be specified for operation in hazardous environments.
Custom actuators
Sometimes standard components just won't do the job and you need a custom design. This may mean devising a new configuration for standard and/or modified components, or inventing a whole new unit. If you're looking for a high level of efficiency, complex motion control, or components that don't presently fit standard combinations, you might consider this option. These days, intelligent design is much more able to incorporate specialised configurations and will create custom products that precisely fit your requirements.
That's all information, if you want to know more information please visit the professional Pneumatic Cylinder manufacturer https://www.nblida.com/product/actuators/lqw-series-micro-cylinder.html


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by Brian Hioe
Photo Credit: Presidential Office/Public Domain
A RECENT CONTROVERSY regarding the distribution of counterfeit "Made in Taiwan" masks proves the COVID-19 edition of a long-running social issue in Taiwan.
In particular, it proves an endemic issue in Taiwan that Taiwanese companies try to cut corners on their products as a means of reducing costs. Consequently, Taiwanese consumers end up with substandard products—sometimes with dangerous effects on health or safety.
One prominent example would be the frequent food safety scandals that Taiwan has seen over the past decade. Examples include the use of plasticizer to replace palm oil as a clouding agent by Taiwanese companies Yu Shen Chemical Company and Pin Han Perfumery Company in 2011, and the discovery of the sale adulterated cooking oil by nine Taiwanese companies in 2013, the largest of which were the Ting Hsin International Group and the Wei Chuan Food Corporation. This was followed by another adulterated cooking oil scandal in 2014, as well as the discovery of the use of methyl yellow in tofu in 2014.
Line outside of a pharmacy for mask purchases. Photo credit: 玄史生
To this extent, one has seen similarly regarding the construction industry. Given longstanding issues regarding crony capitalism in Taiwan's construction industry, construction companies have long been accused of ignoring safety standards and providing haphazard construction to minimize expenses, despite the risks to public safety.
In 2016, the collapse of the Weiguan Jinlong housing complex after an earthquake made international headlines because of the fact that the building collapsed in on itself, photos of the wreck of the building resembling an accordion. 52 out of the 55 individuals that died in the quake were in the Weiguan Jinlong complex. It was later found that the Weiguan Construction Company that built the complex had used large cans of cooking oil in the construction of the building in order to reduce costs.
Other incidents in which shoddy construction or lax maintenance have resulted in deaths in the years since have proved similar. A recent example would be a fire in a Taipei KTV that resulted in the deaths of five people, with over fifty hospitalized. After the fire, it was found that safety equipment such as emergency lights, sprinklers, and fire alarms were not functional during the fire, with the building's major fire safety features all proving non-functional during the fire.
In particular, the mask counterfeiting scandal has centered around several Taiwanese companies found to have been attempting to pass off non-medical grade masks imported from China as "Made in Taiwan" products. These include Carry Mask and Team Power Healthcare, which are based in New Taipei, and Haw Ping Company, which is located in Yuanlin. Both companies are part of the "National Team" of companies requisitioned to produce medical masks by the Taiwanese government.
Relatedly, a man in New Taipei surnamed Huang was found to have set up an underground mask production factory to produce masks passed off as products of the Taiwan Pro-Level Papers International Company. Subsequently, a Taichung company, the Chong Kuang Company, was found to have possibly relabeled Chinese-made masks in collaboration with Lih Yow, a certified medical company, by relabeling them as Lih Yow products.
Again, such companies are attempting to cut costs by importing cheaper Chinese products and passing them off as Taiwanese products. This is despite the risk to the safety of average citizens, seeing as this has involved passing off non-medical use masks as medical masks.
The Taiwanese government has gone at length to try and reassure members of the public that masks circulated in the Taiwanese market are safe and reliable, offering substitutions for counterfeit masks. Restrictions on mask imports have been introduced—though the government is not outright banning mask imports for China, given the use of Chinese-made masks for non-medical purposes—and the Taiwanese government is introducing new measures among members of the Taiwanese "National Team" to certify genuinely 'Made in Taiwan" masks, along with new measures rolled out to track the distribution of masks imported into Taiwan. The KMT has, however, sought to leverage on the scandal as a means of attacking the Tsai administration.
Photo credit: Presidential Office/Public Domain
Indeed, part of what is at stake is Taiwan's international reputation and national pride. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has won accolades for its successful handling of the pandemic. Taiwanese products exported internationally, such as medical masks, have sometimes been juxtaposed to substandard Chinese products, and the Tsai administration has taken to sending Taiwan's surplus of medical supplies to other countries in order to strengthen diplomatic relations.
But despite that much media coverage of the issue of Chinese-made masks not being intended for medical use being passed off as Taiwanese masks has tried to highlight the narrative of Taiwanese products being superior to Chinese ones, one notes that the social problem this very distinctly reflects issues endogenous to Taiwanese capitalism. It is, after all, primarily Taiwanese companies that are attempting to pass off non-medical use Chinese products as Taiwanese ones, and Taiwanese companies that are responsible for deceiving the Taiwanese public—returning to longstanding issues regarding companies that prioritize reducing costs to maximize their profits over the safety and health of the public. It should not be surprising that this has continued to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic.