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These islands are a land that time forgot, for they are cut off from the coast of Ecuador by 1,000 kilometers of water. They hug the equator and are scattered across 17 thousand square miles of ocean, a cluster of 13 major islands, seventeen islets and 47 reefs.
"I have not as yet noticed by far the most remarkable feature in the natural history of this archipelago; it is, that the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings" -- Charles Darwin
Sunrise over the Galapagos Islands
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Darwin Island
Discovered in 1536, the Galapagos Islands have never been connected to the mainland so the myriads of reptiles, birds, plants and shorefish which drifted or flew to its shores have remained isolated in a unique environment to undergo their own distinct evolution.
A young frigate bird A blue-footed booby
Because of what he saw here, Charles Darwin first conceived the revolutionary theory of "the origin of species". Indeed, so rare are these species, that virtually all the reptiles and half the plants and bird life are found nowhere else in the world.
The Galapagos Islands
A land of breathtaking contrast with grey volcanic rock, parch deserts and lush cool forests located off traditional maritime routes, it is not surprising that the early marinas were disbelieved when they talked about strange flightless birds, fire spitting volcanoes, bubbling black rocks, seaweed eating dragons and tortoises big enough to carry men on their backs.
A wildlife paradise almost prime evil in its splendour, the animals are so tame you can walk among them, swim with them and photograph them up close. Today, the Galapagos Islands are an Ecuadorian National Park with a strict yearly visitor quota limit.
A brown pelican, an endemic sub-species of the Galapagos
Only cruise vessels with permits are allowed on specific islands and then only at certain times. No one is allowed ashore without a qualified naturalist guide. Once on shore, you stick to set paths so that the eco-structure is not spoiled.
Sunset at the Galapagos Islands
Climate Tropical heat tempered by the Pacific Ocean breezes.
Clothing Casual. Take good walking shoes, bathing suit and a light jacket for evenings.
Electricity 110 volt generated on cruise vessels only.
Time Zone GMT minus 6 hours.
Currency American dollars or Ecuador sucres
Tipping Expected on cruise vessels.
Visas & Health An entrance fee of US$100 is payable on arrival.
Aerolineas Argentinas and LanChile to South America, then to Equador where the Government-run TAME Airline flies from Quito to Galapagos. San Airlines (non-government) also flies to the Galapagos Islands from Quito.


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Governor Rick Scott Announces Federal Approval for a Major Disaster Declaration for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties
Late this evening, Governor Rick Scott announced federal approval of a major disaster declaration for individual assistance for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties due to the severe storms and flooding that impacted communities last week. This declaration will help bring additional resources to support recovery efforts.
Governor Scott said, "We are continuing to work so every Florida family affected by last week's storms has the resources available to get back on their feet. Tonight's news ensures additional aid towards recovery, but our work is not done. We will continue to focus our efforts so every family in the area can recover, and I look forward to traveling back to the region to assess recovery operations."
For a copy of the Governor's initial request to President Barack Obama, please click HERE.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jan 9, 2016
Re: Multi-Channel conundrum, what does it cost to solve?
...solutions as we use Magento + M2E Pro+Temando but I am amazed at the LACK of... more
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At the new CMGO fully automated plant in France, even swallows are remembered
As one of the biggest aggregates plants in Europe, the new CMGO (Colas) Grand-Champ quarry in Brittany, France, pays special attention to all environmental issues. In addition to investing in the best noise and dust suppression systems and a closed water circuit, every spring the quarry builds a "nesting" sand wall to protect the swallow population in the quarry area.
"Our quarry meets all the required environmental regulations. Besides keeping the bird population alive, we carefully restore and plant the old quarry areas after exploiting," says Médéric d´Aubert, Sites Manager for Carrières et Matériaux du Grand Ouest (CMGO) South Brittany operations.
In addition to the swallows, the bees and frogs in the quarry are also thriving, thanks to the exceptionally low noise and dust emissions. Some buildings are equipped with double-layer insulation for noise reduction. Conveyors are extensively covered, and crushers and dust-laden points feature efficient dust filters.
CMGO's recently opened, two-million-ton per year stationary plant with an hourly capacity of 850 tons of high quality aggregates has been designed in close cooperation with Metso's process experts from the Systems business line.
The novel process design that Metso's Systems business line created for the Grand-Champ plant integrates all feeders, crushers, screens and conveyors. It also includes a revolutionary, fully automated truck loading system and electrification engineering. To complete the state-of-the art installation, Metso introduced VisioRock® in the aggregates circuit monitoring for uniform end-product delivery.
Consistency, performance and uptime are the main drivers
Close cooperation between Metso and CMGO began back in 2005.
"We chose Metso for this Grand-Champ project because they could fulfill all the specifications and process engineering that we wanted for the new quarry. Metso has the capacity to work as a full-scale processing expert and technical partner in all related subcontracts, such as automation, and is not just an equipment provider of crushers and screens," Médéric d´Aubertcomments.
"As our main goals, the consistency and uptime of operations and energy efficiency were crucial for us," he adds.
A stationary plant with impressive numbers
The CMGO Grand-Champ quarry, referred to as "Clara" after the former site manager's granddaughter who was born in 2005, is really a plant with impressive numbers. It was inaugurated in June 2016 and replaces two existing plants: an old plant built in 1973 and a newer, temporary plant built in 2008 to avoid disruption in the day-to-day business while awaiting the new plant.
The new plant is built with 2600 tons of steel to meet a maximum capacity of 2 million tons per year. It includes 2.6 kilometers of separate conveyors and 7500 square meters of building space. The quarry area is built to an area of 140 hectares and has reserves for 40 years of quarrying.
The rock processed is a mylonite type of granite, classified as high-quality material for any demanding usage. The Los Angeles index is 25-30. Some 40% of the end products are used for concrete production, 20% for road construction, and another 40% for other construction-related jobs.
"We can produce everything our customers need"
When Equipment Director Pascal Trescos of Colas explains the end-product selection of the Grand-Champ quarry, the details come easily:
"Thanks to the new, highly versatile quarry, we can actually produce everything that our customers have a need for. Our basic range is 0-20 mm sized aggregates, of which we can process all necessary grades, for example 0-2 mm, 0-4 mm, 2-4 mm and so on. We are able to make manufactured sand and wash all end products according to the customers' needs."
According to Pascal Trescos, the quarry currently produces 1.3-1.5 million tons per year.
"One 8-hour work shift produces one million tons per year, and now we are running it at 1.5 shifts, meaning 12 hour days. When needed, the production can easily be increased to 2 million tons," Mr. Trescos adds.
Full automation, including truck loading, secures efficiency
CMGO Grand-Champ is probably one of the most advanced quarries worldwide with its state-of-the-art automation system created by Metso. The whole quarry can be operated with just two persons, securing efficiency and competitiveness.
CMGO is the first customer globally to use a brand new loading automation system created by Metso and its sub-suppliers.
The new system is based on swipe cards and a laser measuring system. When the driver arrives to the site, he swipes his card, which indicates the end product size he's requesting to load.
Meanwhile, two scanners precisely measure the volume of his trailer in order to secure the loading amount and properly distribute the material in the trailer.
"This system enables independent loading and a much quicker operation than before. With the new system, up to 30 trucks per hour can be loaded," Pascal Trescos notes.
VisioRock® guarantees an accurate setting and the right-sized products
CMGO Grand-Champ is one of the first French quarries to introduce Metso's innovative VisioRock® aggregates circuit control system. The computer-based system, processing visual information gathered from accurate video cameras placed above the conveyors, has two main purposes.
"We have VisioRock® at our Nordberg® HP Series™ HP500 cone crusher to always secure the precise closed-side setting in the cone crusher. The second task is to detect oversized materials before they pollute the 4-6 mm and 6-10 mm materials for road base materials. We can even use VisioRock® for preventive maintenance to predict the wear of screening media," Médéric d´Aubert explains.
The VisioRock® system will be expanded this year to also the two tertiary Nordberg® HP Series™ HP6 cone crushers.
First use of VisioRock® in tertiary crushing globally
"For Metso, this will be the first time globally that VisioRock® will be used in tertiary stages in aggregates production. It shows that there is interest in this innovative visual monitoring device in the mining industry," says Vincent Celsi, Sales Support Manager and Metso's Project Manager for the showcase Grand-Champ plant project.
Watch the video:


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Life in Mono, by Mono, is a music from the Great Expectations movie soundtrack.
You know those songs that for some reason are part of your life and will follow you forever?
The ones you always get back to on happy and sad days, like an old friend?
Well, this is one of those for me, and part of a series of posts I'm calling my permanent playlist.


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I have to say I loved this scene because Tom was so puffed up about his pancakes...
...and Liz could clearly care less, and then Tom asks her to marry him again, to renew their vows... (C'mon, man, you've only been married two years, dial it back a bit, haha) ...and then when he leaves for the day, Liz just loses it, smashing the plate before tearing the house apart.
To make Tom's pancakes, I used the gluten-free pancake mix from Bob's Red Mill. The recipe on the back of the package was: 1 ½ cups pancake mix, 1 egg (I used 3 T mashed banana), ¾ cup milk (I used soy), and 1 T oil (I used canola). Mix it all together, and get making your pancakes, pretty simple. Mine came out a little thick; I think the recipe was supposed to make 8 pancakes, but I got 6 out of it.
I added the rest of the banana, sliced, as well as some blueberry syrup to three of the pancakes (and saved the others as leftovers for tomorrow).
I say, YUM!
They turned out pretty good, probably would have been better thinner, but other than that, everything was good.
Bonus quotes from this episode (Season 1, Episode 18, "Milton Bobbit (No. 135)"):
Liz: What?
Dembe: This paint – what color is it?
Liz: It's called "Chicago Skyline."
Dembe: Nice.
(Sorry, I just loved that bit for how random it was.)
Just as I was sitting down to write this post, Buttons spotted a cricket by one of the heating vents, and she chased him around until we were able to intervene. While I held Buttons back, Zach scooped the cricket up into a cup and held a piece of cardboard over top. We took him outside and set him free; Buttons was a bit grumpy about it.
|"Really?! How dare you take my crickets away from me?"
Leela, on the other hand, doesn't quite get Buttons' fascination with bugs.
|"You and your silly crickets."
Hope anyone who watched The Blacklist last night enjoyed it. I'm still thinking through what happened, but I think two of the best things were: A) Liz's reasoning regarding her name, and B) the developments regarding Harold's character.
|Hot chocolate in my Vegan MoFo mug last night while I watched The Blacklist.
Peace. :)


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Tomorrow I'll go to my garden for the first time since this week's frost, to bear witness to the dissolved protoplasm my flowers have surely become. But just a few nights ago, looking out toward the river, the whole world seemed filled with improbably resilient cosmos and velvet-stemmed tithonia.
It's a sea-change kinda time. I left a very sturdy houseplant outside and its cells froze and gelatinized overnight. Though today was warm and lovely, I can hear the heater kick on again and again. For me, that means it's time to drink whiskey and eat chocolate and start stockpiling books.
I put this together for my friends at The Grocery, in celebration of their grand opening on Tuesday. It's a beautiful new shop, full of tiny delicious necessities and completely unnecessary nearly-necessities. Flower Scout arrangements will be there on the semi-regular throughout the winter months, should you need some tabletop love.


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Plaintiffs Claim Pennsylvania Legislation Violates State Constitution
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three low-income Pennsylvanians with disabilities, Billie Washington, Opal Gibson, and Tina Smith, filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court today seeking to challenge Act 80, signed by the Governor on June 30, 2012. Act 80 eliminated the General Assistance cash grants of about $200 per month that enabled 68,000 Pennsylvanians to pay their rent and eat. Act 80 also creates a pilot block grant program that allows 20 selected counties to shift tens of millions of dollars for already underfunded mental health and intellectual disability services to pay for other services.
These individuals are joined by multiple advocacy and membership organizations for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and mental illness and people seeking treatment for addiction, including the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association, the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania, the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Alliance, the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association. They are also joined by Success Against All Odds, a statewide membership organization that helps low-income families obtain education and training.
The lawsuit alleges that the legislative process through which Act 80 was enacted violates the Pennsylvania Constitution for multiple reasons:
- Act 80 made historic and sweeping changes to seven different programs in a single omnibus bill that had no connection to the bill's original, narrow purpose and language. Such drastic and extensive changes to an original piece of legislation are considered "log-rolling" that violates Article III of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
- Neither the Senate nor House considered Act 80 on three separate days as required by Article III. The complex core of the Legislation – including the termination of General Assistance cash grants and the creation of the pilot block grant program – was considered in less than a day by each chamber on the last two days of the fiscal year contrary to Article III's goal of a transparent and public legislative process.
- Act 80 violates Article III by giving the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) and individual counties the unlawful authority to spend money for purposes other than those for which the Legislature appropriated funding.
- Act 80 violates Article II of the Constitution by allowing DPW to implement the pilot block grant program without adequate legislative guidance.
"All we are looking for is a fair and level playing field," said Michael Froehlich, an attorney with Community Legal Services which represents the individuals who lost General Assistance. "If Pennsylvania really wants to eliminate General Assistance, a last resort safety-net program for nearly 70,000 people with disabilities who are unable to work, it ought to be done lawfully and consistent with our state Constitution."
"I have suffered since my General Assistance was cut off," said Ms. Billie Washington, a 52-year-old Philadelphia resident whose sole source of income of $205 a month was terminated on August 1. Ms. Washington had to stop working as a home care attendant because of her chronic rheumatoid arthritis and other serious health conditions last fall. She has a pending application for disability benefits with the Social Security Administration and was receiving General Assistance while she waited for her application to be decided. "I don't want to end up in a homeless shelter," she said.
"After cutting 10 percent from already underfunded appropriations for mental health programs and for some intellectual disability programs, the Commonwealth now has created a program that authorizes counties to take even more money away from services for Pennsylvanians with mental illness and intellectual disabilities through the 'pilot block grant' program," said Kelly Darr, Legal Director for the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. "If the Governor and Legislature wish to implement this program, they must do it with opportunity for debate and real consideration, as the Pennsylvania Constitution requires."
This lawsuit, Billie Washington v. Department of Public Welfare, is filed by several law firms, including Young Ricchiuti Caldwell & Heller, Community Legal Services, and the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. It will be heard in Commonwealth Court.
The lawsuit asks the Commonwealth Court to issue a preliminary injunction to stop implementation of and nullify Act 80, restoring General Assistance cash grants, rescinding the pilot block grant programs, and removing obstacles that make it more difficult for low income families to move from welfare to work.
SOURCE Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania


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Geography: North America
Industry: Insurance
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company, the only insurer dedicated solely to serving the jewelry industry in the United States and Canada, was founded in 1913 by a group of Wisconsin jewelers to meet their unique insurance needs. Today, Jewelers Mutual remains the trusted insurance advisor and loss prevention expert for nearly 10,000 jewelry business locations including retailers large and small, wholesalers, manufacturers, custom designers and appraisers.
To meet the needs of its customers, Jewelers Mutual needs the flexibility to evolve quickly and release new applications to market faster and more efficiently.
CA Release Automation is an enterprise-class, continuous delivery solution that automates complex, multi-tier release deployments through orchestration and promotion of applications from development through production.
Since deploying CA Release Automation, the insurer has been able to increase its monthly release cycle from just one, to four or five deployments, per month. This enables it to introduce new features faster, and align with its agile approach to development.
Within eight weeks of deploying the solution, 90 percent of our deployment processes were automated. This not only saves us a huge amount of time, but also mitigates the risk of human error being introduced by manual processes.
Tim Dallmann
, Platform Engineer , Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company
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This sultry makeup works well for a wide range of Halloween costumes! Whether it's a vampire, witch, or even a dark take on your favorite Disney princess, this look is sure to scare and seduce.
Step 1: Apply foundation or power in a shade or 2 lighter than what you typically wear to the entire face – be sure to include your face and neck!
Step 2: Using beautyADDICTS Solution Eyes Eyeshadow, apply the lightest shade on the entire lid and the darkest shade to contour in the crease.
Step 3: To create a perfect (and dramatic) cat eye, carefully draw the outline with beautyADDICTS Effortless Eyes Eyeliner in SEDUCE and then fill in. Draw in a downward motion to avoid and holes near the lashline.
Step 4: With the same eyeliner, line lips and gently blend in towards the center with beautyADDICTS Pro Smudge Brush for an ombre look.
Step 5: Apply beautyADDICTS Beautifull Lips Lipstick in Peep Show to the entire lip.
Tip: Finish with beautyADDICTS showOFF Mascara on top AND bottom lashes.


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If you are suffering from low business turnover in shop or office then one can try following remedies.
- Cleansed and Abhimantrit undamaged/cracked Gomti Chakra of Big size
- Cleansed and Abhimantrit Laghu Nariyel
- Mala to Jap Mantra; Mala of Crystal OR Rudraksh OR Tulsi Bead or Kamal Ghanth
- Dhoop
- Pure Ghee Diya
Recite 5 Mala of following Mantra to Abhimantrit Gomti Chakra
Remedy 1:
Fill broad Glass bowl with pure water and place 11 Big size cleansed and Abhimantrit Gomti Chakra in the bowl facing flat side up, offer Dhoop and Diya. Every morning as soon you open your shop/office change water and offer Diya and Dhoop. Recite one Mala of above mentioned Mantra.
Placing of bowl is very important, make sure bowl is placed such a way that customer can see it.
Remedy 2:
Place 11 cleansed and abhimantrit Gomti Chakra and 3 Laghu Nariyel in yellow cloth and tie the cloth. Place this cloth at the main entrance of the shop or office; every time customer enters the shop or office they pass underneath this. Daily offer Dhoop and Diya and chant 1 Mala of given Mantra.
You can order Gomti Chakra, Laghu Nariyel or Mala from us by calling us on +7776034447 OR 9049410786. You can also send us an email firstname.lastname@example.com
Keep visiting our www.MantraTantraYantras.com web site for more blogs and product listings. Share our site in your group and your comments will help to continue to serve the best possible way.
All your Mystic needs, visit our online store
Mystic Shop
Image of Laghu Nariyel and Glass Bowl
Our standard Disclaimer applicable to all our blogs.
Other interesting Blogs:
Wealth Creations
Laxmi Yantra as per your own Rashi
Secrets: Where LaxmiJi Resides
Sri Yantra Pyramid OR Prosperity Yantra


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We wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their business and continued support in 2011! It was a very successful year and we owe it all to our clients and those we partner with. I personally wanted to also thank my husband for all of his love and confidence in me this year with Dulce as well as my dear friends (Nicole, Jen, and Marlisa) whom I bounce many ideas off of. We wish everyone a Happy Holiday and a very blessed New Year! We will be out of the office until early January to celebrate the holidays and new year with family and loved ones.
Thank you all again and see you in 2012!


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Would you like to have earth shattering ideas spring up so often it feels like your mind is a pixar meeting room? It is very easy to think creativity is just for the Advertisers responsible for selling a big brand product or the artist with a white canvas in front of them, yet I would argue that creativity is one of the most important traits we need to nourish within us in order to succeed. Being creative keeps you motivated in what you love doing, it keeps you fresh and on your toes. It never grows old that strong intense feeling in my stomach and the big smile on my face when a great idea hits my awareness.
The downside though is great creativity can not be forced, they don't bubble up into consciousness at will. However the following 5 suggestions are where you can create conditions for yourself where your creative instinct gets finely tuned more often.
Have something you can note ideas down in seconds
We have all had those moments where we are walking, thinking about nothing in particular and all of a sudden a great idea or realization comes into your awareness. Making a note of the idea is a must but you say when you get home you'll make a note of this epic brain wave. You get home and after Facebook has been updated, You tube has been viewed and your cat has been fed suddenly you haven't got a clue what that big realization was! The truth is you have a window where you will remember your big ideas before there is a danger that your brain is required to focus on something else.
By getting into the habit of taking a notepad everywhere or having a note taking app on your phone you have a place to quickly note down the idea for you to go back to when it is convenient.
Don't always rely on verbalizing it initially
I was speaking with a friend who is a great problem solver. He mentioned that he has ideas all day and sometimes he can't even put words to an idea so he has to draw something that represents what he is thinking. Research shows that when people have these great 'ah ha' eureka moments the area of the right hemisphere sparks up on a brain scanner. The right hemisphere is more associated with lateral thinking but verbal literal language is more associated to the left hemisphere. As a result for some ideas, you may be able to visualise something (think Einsteins riding over a sunbeam on edge of universe) but not put words to it. For that just draw something so you can build on it rather than it get littered by your attempts to vocalize it.
Look outside your immediate interests
The fashion powerhouse Tom Ford commented that to get ideas for future seasons fashion he reads various magazines, newspapers, watches films and even rubbish TV. He does this to get a sense of the general mood of the culture at the time. Whatever your interests look outside your field in order to inspire new ideas and also because your competition are unlikely to be doing it! Today read a magazine you wouldn't normally read and become aware of any connections coming up between what you are reading and your passions.
Constantly ask questions
The late fantastic comedian George Carlin once ranted for parents to not just teach their children to read but to get them to question everything. He was onto something because when you don't accept the status quo your brain has to come up with an alternative. The humble MP3 player was in full force but Apple didn't care, they knew they could do a better equivalent. Question everything you see in your chosen field and interests, you won't always get a response but by asking
'why does it have to be like that?'
'what would be another way?'
'What would happen if I did it this way?'
You are training your brain to become curious. I love Mixed martial arts (MMA) and up till a year ago it was considered a no no to do a front kick to the head…until someone did it, now everyone's trying it!
Get bored.
We live in a world where, if allowed, there is a constant demand for our attention making us constantly in a state of focus, which is a hindrance for big creative insights. Why do you think you get big 'ah ha' moments when your washing your hair or daydreaming out the window or going on long walks? Its because you are not in a state of focus and as a result have more ability to 'listen' when these ideas filter through. If you want to become a creative powerhouse ensure you become ruthless with having times of not doing anything. If you do, be ready because your next million dollar idea might just seep through!
Being creative powerhouse means you can think outside the box, come up with new solutions to common problems and be that guy (or girl!); the one everyone goes to for the great ideas. Nurture your creative nugget and it will reap you many rewards.
What did I miss? What creative habits do you have that work for you?
Aaron Morton is the creator of The Confidence Lounge. A platform where you can discover how to turn your ideas into reality. Aaron works with individuals who want to earn money on the side from their job using the skills and talents they already have. If you want to learn more about igniting that confidence inside you, go to www.theconfidencelounge.com
How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest.


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Act justly, love kindness, walk humbly. Rescuing the Hebrew Covenant one blog post at a time.
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Reclaiming the language of Jewish identity
8 comments:
You can do better than this...and you should.ReplyDeleteReplies
I'm open to constructive comments...but can you say a little more? Email the blog if you prefer.Delete
Don't worry about the spiteful criticisms, Robert! You are spot on as usual, and robustly defending your faith and the true identity of Jewishness - they know it and it rattles them for the truth of it! To quote wise words "There is no prophet who is despised except in his city and among his kindred and in his house". You are probably not a prophet ;) - but your words are wise so keep going – the world would be poorer without them!ReplyDelete
Inspired and true as always, Robert, keep going, God is definitely with you.ReplyDelete
- Judith Norman1 June 2015 at 20:19
I'm with you. Advocating for Palestinian rights is an intrinsic part of my Judaism.ReplyDelete
- StephenB4 June 2015 at 09:37
I think that " advocating for Palestinian rights " suffers greatly from a lack of focus. I mean generally, not you specifically. We get drawn into arguments about history and trade competing narratives. People, of course, don't live in history or narratives they live in situations. The situation is perfectly simple, and we must not buy into the " its complicated" game.ReplyDelete
There is a de facto one state between the Jordan and the sea, and that isn't going to change. The simple ( not easy ) task is to democratise it. This can be be easily understood by the mass of people that are not particularly engaged, people whose sympathies have to be won.. This would, of course, entail dumping the word " occupation".
Too many " advocates for Palestine", including some high profile names in the " game", seem to think it is a war of anecdotes.
As a corollary there is a welcome move on the part of some UK Jews to disassociate Jewish culture from Israel. One group in particular is becoming very effective in this respect and can use as much encouragement as they can get.
I think some versions of Judaism restrict all the positive helpful aspects of Judaism (care for orphans and strangers, that sort of thing) to other Jews, not to humankind as a whole. In any case, some Israeli rabbis are quoted as saying things that (it seems to me) amount to this view. Israel Shahak said something of this sort.ReplyDelete
In any case, if there are any Jews who take such a view, then they are not going to agree with you. But ethical universalists will (or should) agree with you.
So keep the kippa on, maybe wear a kaffiyeh as well, why not?, and preach the good word.
One question: what did the ancients mean by such concepts as 'other gods" and a "Golden Calf" and "monotheism"? When does an overly possessive regard for Israel -- or a particular territorial realization of the idea of Israel -- become a Golden Calf or another god?Replies
Thanks for this comment. I'm familiar with the idea that some of our most ethical ideas are only meant to apply to other Jews. It does not really make sense to me though. The constant refrain in the Hebrew bible reminding us that we were 'strangers in the land of Egypt' and therefore should treat 'strangers' in our 'own land' with respect, care dignity etc must refer to 'others' not just Jews. And if I have got this wrong then I am in very good Jewish company. I also think a religion that cannot look beyond ethical concern for its own tribe has not progressed beyond the stone-age and is not worth bothering with!Delete
On your final point, I'd say that 'other gods' were meant to refer to local deities that must have been in competition with the idea of monotheism. I think once we are more bothered about 'land' than 'God' then we have crossed the line and swapped something eternal and worthwhile for 'the Golden calf'. All the best.


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The increasingly popular digital currency, Bitcoin, has made its debut on a major US exchange.
On Monday, futures trading of the virtual money started in the Chicago Board of Exchange. Interest was so high that the board's website crashed due to heavy traffic. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Washington, DC.
Al Jazeera
- Chicago Exchange crashed by Bitcoin - NewsBTC
- Start van de handel in bitcoin futures stuurt koers bitcoin bijna $2.000 omhoog - Business Insider


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Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Prods. has recruited "The Amazing Race" creators Bert Van Munster and Elise Doganieri to serve as showrunners for the talkshow queen's upcoming foray into reality TV.
Van Munster and Doganieri will exec produce "Oprah Winfrey's The Big Give," one of two unscripted projects Harpo set up at the Alphabet late last year (Daily Variety, Dec. 15). Deal reps the first competition-based reality show Van Munster and Doganieri have produced since launching "Race" on CBS in 2001.
While the reality genre doesn't have the best rep in TV circles, "Race" has emerged as one of the genre's more critic-friendly skeins. It's also an industry fave, snagging the competition reality show Emmy for each of the past four years.
Lisa Halliday, VP of communications for Harpo, said the company was "delighted to be teaming up with" Van Munster and Doganieri.
ABC has given an eight-episode order to "The Big Give." Skein follows a group of 10 people who will be handed money and resources — and then challenged to find dramatic and emotional ways to use the coin to help others.
Contestant field will be winnowed down each week, with the winner getting his or her wildest wish granted.
ABC and Harpo are keeping a tight lid on details surrounding the production timetable for "Big Give," though the skein is expected to air sometime this year.
Both "Big Give" and another reality project are being developed with Harpo's Chi-based TV development group, which Winfrey launched in September.
Van Munster has worked with the Alphabet before. He exec produced the documentary-style "Tales from the Front Line" for the net a few years back. Like "Race," that project was produced with Jerry Bruckheimer.
Both Van Munster and Doganieri are repped by CAA.


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Read on to hear what our clients think of our level of service and market intelligence.
"We are a seed-stage startup on a tight budget, and had some very specific requirements for our space. Mary was able to find a great place for us at a very low cost, and was right by our side the whole way through the process."
— Josh Switkes, CEO
"Mary Wadden is an extraordinarily capable real estate professional. She is patient, thorough and worked extremely well with our management team and Board of Directors to understand our complex and changing requirements. Her insights on the market and her guidance through the negotiations were invaluable and helped us secure a long term lease on an absolutely spectacular piece of property. She went the extra mile, providing connections with the city and press to gain us invaluable publicity and press coverage. I would unconditionally recommend her services."
— Nat Mani, President
"As a venture backed start-up, Mary has been involved with EtaGen since its inception. She is very knowledgeable about what locations to focus on in order to get the best value. She facilitated the entire process including getting us in touch with the right vendors and following up on many of the details that we would have overlooked. We continue to consider her a great resource for all of our real estate needs as we continue to grow."
— Adam Simpson, Founder
"Mary was such a fun, well-informed, and well-connected broker to be working with in the Silicon Valley. She made my company's experience finding an office space enjoyable, productive and efficient, always stacking numerous tours throughout the morning, so we could evaluate a number of spaces against each other and really hone in on what was important to us. Not to mention, I think she knows every single person in the Valley! Which made the meetings relaxed, quick, and informative. I would definitely recommend Mary to any company looking for office space in the Bay Area. Not only did she serve as a great broker, but a new friend! You can tell from her energy, conversations, and sense of urgency that she knows what she's doing, and has her client's best interests in mind. Thanks again, Mary!!"
— Chelsey Middlebrook, Managing Director Silicon Valley
"Mary was exactly what we needed! She found us a number of appropriate spaces to look at, within the range of price and features of we wanted. She knew the ins and outs of the various spaces, landlords, and tenants and how best to negotiate with the landlords. Ultimately she found us a spot that was perfect for what we needed. It only took a few tours, not too short and not too long. She reviewed our lease carefully and aggressively lobbied for our interests, even when the contract language was arcane and beyond our understanding. We've recommended her to business colleagues and will user her again — overall, a great job!"
— Stephen Fraga, CEO
"Mary was instrumental in locating a corporate headquarters site for Cardiva and negotiating build-to-suit tenant improvements for a first class medical device manufacturing operation. She knows the commercial real estate market and is a great asset to Silicon Valley clients."
— Mac Farnsworth, CFO
"Mary has proven to be a vital advisor for Victrio. She located and negotiated a transaction for us at a rate that was well below market. She remains a great resource and continues to help save us valuable time and money. She is a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her services to any company looking for a new home in Silicon Valley."
— Lisa Guerra, Founder


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The actress says her daughter with Urban has "a little bit of hair" with a "reddish tinge"
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's newborn daughter, Sunday Rose, takes after her daddy, the actress said in a radio interview in Australia on Thursday.
"She looks like Keith," said Kidman on the local Kyle and Jackie O Show on 2DayFM. "She's got a little bit of hair. It has a bit of a reddish tinge."
The family trio arrived in Australia Wednesday night local time, marking 1-month-old Sunday's first trip to her parents' home country – and her first chance to meet some of her grandparents.
"My Mum was there with me for the birth but my Dad hasn't met her and Keith's mum and dad are coming down," the actress said.
Urban also chimed in on the radio show, calling his little girl "just awesome."
"Anybody out there who's got kids knows it's just a certain kind of feeling that you can only experience when you do it – we're stoked," he said.


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Trying to lose weight? Better keep eating chocolate! Slimmers who carry on enjoying favourite treats more likely to shed the pounds
- Research found 86 per cent of slimmers who ate their favourite treats during diet lost weight
- Survey proves diets 'centred around food elimination' are more likely to fail
- Other research found eating chocolate could also help you live longer
It seems dieters have got it all wrong – cutting out chocolate is likely to make you put on weight rather than lose it, according to a survey.
In fact, the poll found that 86 per cent of slimmers who carried on enjoying their favourite treats successfully lost weight.
And of the 2,100 men and women questioned, those who lost the most weight had – in 91 per cent of cases – continued to eat the same amount of chocolate they normally ate before going on a weight-loss plan.
Janet Aylott, a nutrition scientist with online calorie-counting plan Nutracheck, commissioned the YouGov survey, which is published today.
She said: 'Extensive research has proven that diets centred around food elimination are much more likely to fail.
'The key is to take a more relaxed approach and to have a little of what you like.'
Previous research has shown that dieters who completely eliminate treats such as chocolate, wine and biscuits are often more likely to put on weight as they 'compensate' by eating more of other foods.
One study even showed that as many as 65 per cent of those who give up all treats actually end up ballooning in weight.
And there's more good news for chocoholics, as separate research has also suggested that eating chocolate may help you live longer.
A Harvard University team studied 8,000 men for 65 years and found that those who ate modest amounts of chocolate up to three times a month lived almost a year longer than those who ate none.
They concluded that this was likely to be due to the fact that cocoa contains antioxidants called polyphenols, also found in red wine, which prevent the oxidation of harmful cholesterol.
Antioxidants are also known to protect against cancer.
Dieter Leisa Mallalieu-Ingman, 27, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said she had refused to cut out her favourite foods.
She said: 'I love chocolate. I still factor some in most days.
'I don't eat as much of it as I used to, but I find I crave it a lot less than I used to before I lost weight. It's quite easy to include a couple of squares of chocolate in the Nutracheck diary.'


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Businesses are running on such an infinite loop of evolution that it's easy to forget that there are things that stand the test of time. Customers may adopt new ways to interact with brands, and employees may embrace the convenience and speed of digital technology in everyday work. But one thing that will never change is the fundamental need for understanding and connecting with customers.
Digital Strategy Slowdowns
According to Bob Parker, group vice president of IDC, many organizations are stuck in a digital transformation deadlock that's slowing down their ability to translate customer knowledge into value-differentiating products and services. "There have been some gains in digital maturity," he shared during the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) webcast "Creating the Right Technology Strategy for the Digital Economy. "However, 59 percent of organizations have yet to move beyond digital exploration and digital plays to transform themselves and disrupt their industry."
In a marketplace where the pressure for constant innovation and relevance never stops, Parker's observation hits very close to home for many organizations. Is it possible that their digital strategies are not evolving fast enough to keep pace with the constant onslaught of technology innovation and new customer behaviors?
As Digital Transformation Evolves, So Should Digital Strategies
Unprecedented scale in connectivity and massive proliferation of data associated with the extensive digitalization of entire industries are giving businesses a unique opportunity to accomplish their goals. For example, machine learning is addressing top concerns such as identifying fake news, targeting customers with the right ad messages, and rooting out bias in the workplace. Even blockchain is beginning to show promise in helping secure trust in areas such as financial services and contract management.
As Pat Bakey, president of SAP Industries at SAP warned during the event, "This new environment can be scary for businesses that do not have a plan. In reality, the full range of available technology—from high-speed computer processing to machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality--will continue to affect digital maturity over a simultaneous period of time."
Intelligent Enterprises Running on Real-Time Insights
What companies should consider, Parker and Bakey believe, is becoming an inherently intelligent enterprise. Running on real-time insights from advanced analytics enabled by, for example, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or blockchain can help them overcome digital strategy mistakes that hold back transformation progress. Common missteps include outdated key performance indicators, siloed digital transformation initiatives, short-term tactical plans, limited expertise and digital skills, and disparate innovation.
Hype-Free Digital Strategies
When finding ways to innovate that go beyond a technology-centric view, businesses quickly realize that technology is just a piece of a component of the entire digital strategy.
Bakey revealed, "Businesses have to understand the various layers of the overall transformation. They have to know all existing and redefined business processes and the moment when technology should be inserted into them. And most importantly, they have to know how to bring all of these technologies together to build a complete solution."
Explore the technologies and best practices you need to power your digital transformation. Listen to our recorded webcast, "Creating the Right Technology Strategy for the Digital Economy," featuring Bob Parker, group vice president of IDC, and Pat Bakey, president of SAP Industries at SAP.


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Square 1 Bank Provides $1.75MM Debt Facility to BioSurplus
Square 1 Bank provided $1.75 million in debt financing to BioSurplus. Loan proceeds will go towards fueling expansion and to repay existing indebtedness.
"BioSurplus has built a successful business with a history of exceptional performance, offering solutions for every stage of the laboratory equipment life cycle," said Scott Foote, senior vice president and managing director of Square 1 Bank's Life Sciences West division. "We are delighted to contribute to BioSurplus' growth in the life sciences industry."
Kathy Scott, CFO of BioSurplus, said, "It was a pleasure working with the professionals on the Square 1 team. They took the time to understand our business, and offered terms tailored to our unique market and capital needs. Square 1 will be an important partner to BioSurplus in facilitating our anticipated growth, both regionally and via new service offerings."
Square 1 Bank is a full-service commercial bank that serves the financial needs of the venture capital community and entrepreneurs in all stages of growth and expansion.
BioSurplus is a provider of equipment management solutions and pre-owned scientific instruments to the life sciences industry.


text: Brick Oven Pizzas Whether you like it on regular or wheat our dough is made fresh daily and the pizzas are baked in a brick oven creating a perfect thin and crispy crust! Brick Oven Pizzas The Vegetarian Pizza $13.95 Pizza sauce, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, onions, peppers and Mozzarella cheese. Pepperoni Pizza $12.95 Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with oregano and pizza sauce. Thai Chicken Pizza $13.95 Spicy Thai sauce, Mozzarella cheese, chicken green onions, shredded carrots, bean sprouts and peanuts. BBQ Chicken Pizza $13.95 Diced chicken, onions, Mozzarella, Gouda and Cilantro with Brew-house BBQ sauce. Margherita Pizza $12.50 Whole wheat pizza dough drizzled with olive oil and topped with garlic, fresh Mozzarella, Roma tomatoes and chiffonade of basil.


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Join us on Wednesday, February 10th for our annual MAUW and Michigan 2-1-1 Legislative Day! This year will follow a similar format to last year, with a roundtable debrief in the morning followed by the Legislative Reception in the afternoon.
United Way Roundtable
Speakers' Library
9:30 am - 11:15 am
Legislative Reception
First Floor, North Wing
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
For questions, contact Janine at 517-664-9814.


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Here is a short explanation regarding the historical origins of Advent:
1) The LORD lead the People of God to commemorate certain saving events in a sort of Jewish liturgical year. The annual celebration of Passover is a great example. Every year they remember, celebrate and commemorate with sacred ceremonies their liberation from slavery in Egypt, the Exodus.
2) In the earliest days of the Church, Christianity was but a small sect among many sects in the Jewish faith of the time. By the end of the first century, Christianity had separated from the synagogue and was considered a separate religion.
3) You can read about the first great Christian controversy in Acts 15 and Galatians. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the leaders of the early Church decided that non-Jewish converts did not have to accept certain Jewish practices.
4) As Christianity spread, grew and developed the early Church started to imitate Jewish liturgical sensibilities. Before the year 100 AD, Christians were celebrating Easter with some sort of time of preparation (which became what we now call Lent). By the year 200 AD, some Christians were celebrating the Birth of Christ and some sort of time of preparation (which became what we now call Advent).
5) Before the year 400 AD, we find references in several writings bearing witness to various practices of preparation for the celebration of Christmas.
6) By the middle ages we see a richly developed liturgical season filled with special readings, prayers, hymns and devotions.


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Daily Primer: Capitals, minus Ovechkin, visit FlyersNHL.com @NHLdotcom
The Washington Capitals are off to a 5-7-0 start even with captain Alex Ovechkin scoring 10 goals. What will they be like without him? We'll find out Friday night.
The Capitals complete a five-game road trip with a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US), but Ovechkin won't be with them. Ovechkin skated Thursday but will miss the game due to an upper-body injury sustained in a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
The Flyers, who are trying to bounce back from a 3-2 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, won't be sorry Ovechkin is sitting this one out. In 29 regular-season games against Philadelphia, Ovechkin has 24 goals and 39 points.
Here's a look at all the action on a busy Friday:
Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers -- The Capitals need a victory to go home with a winning road trip; they defeated the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers before losing to the Calgary Flames and the Canucks, a game in which they were outshot 41-19. Coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin might be ready to play Saturday, when the Capitals host the Florida Panthers. Philadelphia, which has lost eight of its first 11 games, brought back forward Steve Downie in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, sending Maxime Talbot to the Central Division leaders. Downie was a first-round pick by the Flyers in 2005 but was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning three years later.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins -- These teams play about 160 miles from each other, but they've been in opposite conferences until realignment this summer put them into the new Metropolitan Division. After never playing each other more than twice in a season, they'll face off on back-to-back nights. Columbus has had four days off since a 4-3 home loss to Anaheim dropped the Blue Jackets to 5-6-0. Pittsburgh has taken firm command of the division race with a 9-4-0 record and is coming off an emotional 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes -- After going 5-2-0 on a seven-game homestand, the Lightning managed one goal and 17 shots in a 2-1 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Brett Connolly, the team's 2010 first-round pick, got the call from Norfolk of the American Hockey League after coach Jon Cooper was unhappy with his team's play in Newark. For the Hurricanes, this is the second game in a stretch of seven of eight at home. They signed veteran center Manny Malhotra on Thursday but are without their top two goaltenders, Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin, due to lower-body injuries.
New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators -- The newest Islander, forward Thomas Vanek, should be very familiar with the Senators; he spent his career with Ottawa's longtime division rival, the Buffalo Sabres, before coming to Long Island in a trade Sunday. Vanek and new linemates John Tavares and Kyle Okposo are getting used to one another; they did little in a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. The Senators have lost three in a row, but playing the Islanders has historically been a cure-all: Ottawa is 5-0-3 in its past eight games against New York and 51-17-11-4 all-time.
St. Louis Blues at Florida Panthers -- These teams are concluding their two-game season series; the Blues routed the Panthers 7-0 on the first Saturday of the season. St. Louis begins a three-game trip after beating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 Tuesday on a last-minute goal by Alexander Steen, whose 11 goals lead the NHL and are three more than he scored all last season. The Panthers are completing a six-game homestand in which they are 1-2-2; they've been off since Sunday, when they overcame a 3-1 third-period deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning only to lose 4-3 in a shootout.
Montreal Canadiens at Minnesota Wild -- This is the sixth visit by the Canadiens to Xcel Energy Center since the Wild entered the NHL in 2000; Montreal has won three of the first five. The Canadiens will have at least a few fans among the 18,000 or so in the crowd; the fathers of the players are making the weekend trip to Minnesota and Colorado. The Wild expect to get center Charlie Coyle and defenseman Keith Ballard back from injury. Minnesota spent practice Thursday working with revised lines; No. 1 center Mikko Koivu was between Nino Niederreiter and Kyle Brodziak, a combination the team's website said appears likely to remain intact Friday.
Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars -- Maxime Talbot is expected to make his debut with the Avalanche after being acquired from Philadelphia on Thursday for Steve Downie. Talbot might play as a wing with Nathan MacKinnon and Jamie McGinn, or he might center Colorado's fourth line, joining Cody McLeod and Patrick Bordeleau. Either way, Talbot is going from a team that lost eight of its first 11 games to one that is 10-1-0. Dallas is home after splitting a pair of one-goal decisions, beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 and losing 2-1 at the Montreal Canadiens. The Stars are 3-1-1 at American Airlines Center despite going 0-for-16 on the power play at home.
Detroit Red Wings at Calgary Flames -- The Red Wings reverted to their persona as a puck-possession team in the opener of a trip through Western Canada, limiting the Vancouver Canucks to 20 shots in a 2-1 victory. Daniel Alfredsson has goals in back-to-back games for Detroit after scoring once in his first 11 games with the Red Wings. The Flames are coming off a game when they did a lot of things right but managed two goals on 43 shots in a 4-2 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joey MacDonald, acquired by Calgary on waivers from Detroit last season, makes his first start in four games when he takes the ice against his old team.


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According to the website, the starter is done when it is this bubbly and smells sour- check and check! It took me alot less time than I thought for the starter to be done. I only fed it once!!
Now I am on to proofing! I added one cup of flour, one cup warm water and now I must leave it out for the night. I am planning on making the bread tomorrow, otherwise when the starter is done you put it in the fridge. Can't wait to see how this turns out!


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Trustee, Area 6 — Peralta Community College District
Access additional information about this contest in the tabs in this section. For most screenreaders, you can hit Return or Enter to enter a tab and read the content within.
About this office
Trustees establish policies for academic and facilities plans and programs, approve courses of instruction, establish academic standards and employment practices, and oversee the district's budget.
News and links
Learn more about this contest
More Nonpartisan Resources
Candidate Forums — League of Women Voters Oakland
You can vote for 1 of these 2 candidates.
Karen Weinstein
Health Educator
Top 3 Priorities
- Good Governance is shared and public governance -...
- Accessability - Expanding High School and Peralta...
- Student Achievement, Successs and Equity- Expand...
Nick Resnick
Educator, I work with 40 low-income...
Top 3 Priorities
- Develop systematic partnerships with the K-12 districts,...
- Systematize recruitment efforts across Peralta Colleges
- STEAM program development to ensure our graduates...


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Why yes, this IS my third 4th of July post. But you'd post too if you had something this precious to share!
Since we received Madeline's Dx in 2008 - we've been waiting for the day that she can TELL US what she sees; for the last two years I've been wondering how our little one perceives the world around her. And then I blinked, and here we are! If you ever wondered how a two-year-old with vision loss understands the world - here is a bit of commentary from Madeline herself.
Fireworks were an awesome multi-sensory experience! You can hear them, smell them, feel them, and see them! And what great high-contrast: bright lights in the pitch-black sky.
On our first Fourth of July in Huntsville we SERIOUSLY underestimated the traffic. We ran into a stand-still on the highway about 6 miles away from the fireworks themselves, s0 we pulled off the road and watched from an exit ramp. We weren't alone - easily 50 other people along our little stretch of road enjoyed them with us.
And here are a few pictures of Madeline and her new friend, Daisy, whom she met this holiday.
Now, onto post-Fourth of July living!


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The 'Logic of a Gardener' caught in the 'Eye of the Photographer'.
Music man, ...... Music. This is the reason I started this business. I myself am a musician and "paulifornia" started out of a necessity for artwork for demos, flyers etc. So when I get to work with musicians and artists that are doing what they love, it makes my job all the more sweeter. Gardeners Logic is a band out of Orange County and they're starting to turn heads. Check out their music here (http://gardenerslogic.bandcamp.com) Live they do the occasional Modest Mouse cover which makes just about everyone happy.
I've seen bands tend to act too cool for band photos etc. but it's important for press and promotion.... I mean what else do you send magazines, newspapers and blogs when they ask for something. I love these guys cause they don't give a sh*t about trying to be cool... they just are.
Below (and in the portfolio section of the site) is my favorites from the portrait session.


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Host a Herbal Workshop!
Would you like to learn more about herbal medicine? Are you interested in learning to craft your own herbal remedies? Want to reclaim your wellness and health?
Our Custom Workshops
Our workshops blend our intimate knowledge of the plants with classic herbal techniques and uses.
- Learn to make medicinally potent infusions, tinctures, massage oils, and more!
- Feel empowered to incorporate herbs in your daily life.
- Learn to create meaningful personal rituals
- Sample yummy teas, and make your own products to take home!
- We supply everything, including herbs from the farm.
- Sample topics include: Introduction to Using Herbs as Medicine, Make Your own Herbal Massage Oil, How to Take an Herbal Bath, the Ancient Art of Tea Blending, Using Herbs in Ceremony, Herbs for Anxiety & Stress, Growing Medicinal Plants, and more!
- Workshops are best with 5-12 people. Prices vary depending on supplies used: typically range from $20-45 per person. Workshops are usually 2-3 hours long.
We believe in the power and utility of plants for our health and wellness. We seek to empower you to work with these amazing plants, help you identify them, prepare them, better understand them, and use them. Your workshop can be seasonally appropriate, tailored to specific interests or usages, and focused on any particular treatments.
Workshops can be held at your location or on the farm. We offer workshops in our gardens and indoors as well.
Click here to book a workshop!


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There are many, many ways for a tape to get wet; whether or not the footage can be salvaged depends on what it was exposed to.
The important thing to keep in mind that the only thing that really matters is the tape itself, not the cassette or shell.
If your tape was exposed to water only all you need to do is let it air-dry naturally and slowly and you'll find that it will be just fine to play in a few days.
Unfortunately most tapes are not dipped in pure water alone, and it's what's left behind that causes the trouble. Any chemicals in the liquid can and probably will cause a chemical reaction, permanently etching the surface of the tape and causing playback issues ranging from static interference to potential equipment damage.
We've seen tapes that have been in floods, seawater, soda, washing machines, purses with a broken perfume bottle, and much more. Luckily the tape is usually wound up tightly on the reels of the cassette which prevents substances from seeping all throughout and ruining the majority of the footage; in most cases only a small amount of tape needs to be removed and the cassette either needs to be cleaned or replaced to get the tape back in working order.
If your tape has been exposed to anything except water it's very important to just let it be- attempts to clean out the cassette including rinsing with water could simply spread the substance, subsequently damaging more footage than the original exposure.
Give us a call or send us an email, we'll be here to help!


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3 Simple Tips for Taking Better Photos on Your Phone
Ever scroll through your camera roll and wonder how you're ever going to find the time to wade through all those pictures?
As our phone cameras become more sophisticated and storage capacities increase, so does our ability to take a lot of photos without thinking twice.
The sheer amount of them can be overwhelming. I get it - I'm right there with you.
But what's wrong with taking lots of photos?
Well, nothing really.
But for most of us too much choice in any area of our lives can be overwhelming, and overwhelm can lead to getting stuck.
So too many photos can lead to too many choices and too much digital clutter when it comes to using your photos to create memory-keeping projects.
Better Photos, Fewer Photos
I really believe that a simple approach to memory-keeping begins with taking (or hanging onto) fewer photos.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but the fewer photos you take (or keep), the less overwhelmed you'll be when you decide to do something with those photos.
Over the years, I've found a few simple things that helped me start taking photos I really loved, and I still do all of these things to this day.
Here are three simple tips for improving the quality of your phone photography so you can capture more photos you love (and hopefully fewer photos in general!).
Tip No. 1: Clean your lens
Have you ever noticed that your phone photos start to seem a little fuzzy over time? Or maybe even a little out of focus?
There's a good chance your lens is dirty.
Think about it: we stash our phones in back pockets and toss them in our cars and purses.
The face of our phone gets dirty and so does the part on the back that's not covered by the case: the camera lens.
Awhile back, I noticed that my Mom's photos looked so fuzzy and out of focus. She thought she needed a new phone. Nope! She needed to clean her lens.
It happens - we use our phones all day everyday and forget to clean them.
No worries.
How to Clean Your Lens
Try getting in the habit of wiping the lens with soft cotton (like the edge of your t-shirt) or with a microfiber cloth. You can even use the cloth in your sunglasses case.
Wipe gently until the lens is clean.
Your photos will automatically look brighter and sharper.
And don't forget about BOTH lenses.
You have a lens on the back of your phone AND a lens on the face of your phone for taking selfies.
Both lenses need to be wiped down pretty frequently to keep the quality of your photos high.
Tip No. 2: Simplify your background
I love when I take a photo and the subject of that photo (often a person or group of people) really stands out.
My go-to method for making the subject pop is to simplify the background. There are several ways to do this in your photos.
1. Blur the Background
By blurring the background, you can minimize "busy" elements in the background like random people or distracting scenery.
You can do this on your "big camera," your DSLR, by lowering the aperture which will blur the background.
But what about on your phone?
If you have a late-model iPhone or use another photograph app with this feature, you can blur a background by selecting "portrait" mode and tapping on your subject.
Your subject should come into focus while the background blurs just a bit.
A blurred background fades from focus, making the subject really pop.
But what if your phone doesn't have this feature?
2. Pick a Simple Backdrop
My favorite photos - particularly portraits - have a simple background.
A simple backdrop puts the focus on what you really want to see in the photo - the people you're taking a picture of.
Think about it this way: a photo bomb happens when someone random shows up in the background of a picture and that's all you can manage to see when you first glance at it.
It's a distraction.
So I like to try to minimize distractions when I'm taking a photo: crop out random people, if possible, choose a background that's simple, and put the emphasis on the subject.
Try positioning your kids or family in front of something like a brick wall or a fence covered with leaves.
Sky or sea also make beautiful simple backgrounds.
Even a vista or lookout can be a "simple" background if its far enough in the distance.
If your background is simple, it won't distract or detract from the subject you really want to capture.
3. Shoot Your Photo Closer Up
Sometimes you can't help but shoot a photo against a busy background.
Places like amusement parks or beaches can be filled with distraction, but I have a go-to technique for making my subject stand out even in those situations.
If you have a busy background, try taking a selfie or hand your camera to someone and have them take the photo a little closer up than people normally do.
A close-up will place the people in the foreground and your focus will automatically go to them.
Also, if they're close enough to the camera, the background may naturally blur or at least fade from focus.
If you're too far away from your subjects, they'll blend into a busy background.
Think about those photos in front of the Disney castle. If you're too far away from the camera, you just blend into the surroundings.
When you're closer up to the lens, you'll stand out.
It doesn't matter how you minimize the background - by blurring it, simplifying it, or putting it further behind the subject - keeping it simple will really help your subject stand out in photos.
Tip No. 3: Leave some margin around your subject
I've just told you to take more close-ups, but now I'm going to throw a little wrench into that suggestion.
In order to make editing and printing easier, be sure to leave some space around your subject.
Why Margin Matters When You Print Photos
A little space around the subject of your photo is important for a few reasons related to printing and editing.
When you go to print a photo, whether it's for a frame on your wall or a holiday card or a photo book, depending on the size of the photo, you may lose some of the original.
For example, if you're cropping a photo you captured on your phone to fit into a square on Instagram or a square space on a holiday card, you're going to lose about twenty percent of the original photo.
Why Margin Matters When You Edit Photos
The same thing happens during the editing process.
I like to tilt my photos in case they're not lined up when I originally took them.
When you tilt a photo to straighten it out, you lose some of the original.
You may notice something in the background that doesn't look quite right.
In order to crop out anything distracting in the background, you'll need a little room to maneuver.
So my rule of thumb is to try to leave some margin around your subject so that if you need to edit or print your photo, you won't lose any of the most important elements.
How to Include Margin in Your Photos
In general, I like the look of photos when someone is set off to one side (I cover this more in my free photography workshop).
But a good rule of thumb is just to take photos so you leave a little some space around your subject.
That way, if you need to crop some of it or change the shape (aspect ratio) from horizontal to vertical or from vertical to square, you won't lose any of the important stuff in the photo.
And if you're a memory-keeper, this is especially important.
Leaving some white space around your subject means you can add text or cut part of your photo out to fit into your project.
Leaving a little margin around the people in your photos will give you flexibility and actually put more emphasis on what you think is important in the photo.
In summary, here are three things to keep in mind when you're taking photos with your phone:
- Clean your lens
- Simplify your background
- Leave some margin around your subject
Upping the quality of your photos has a couple of concrete benefits.
First, if you get in the habit of taking fewer photos, you'll be less overwhelmed by the number of digital memories you're capturing.
Second, if you improve the quality of your photos, you'll be more likely to want to save and share what you capture.
Memory-keeping begins with a simple approach to capturing memories.
Want more simple, specific photography tips?
I have a video mini-workshop walking you through my favorite tips for taking simple, fresh-looking photos with your phone.
These are my go-to strategies for taking pictures I actually want to print and share.
Grab the FREE video now and get started taking better photos today!


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Our deposit planner calculator can help you work out how much deposit you need for a new home. Set your goal, then start saving.
Compare home loan repayments and fees.
Calculate how much you can borrow.
Find out what your repayments will be.
Work out how much deposit you'll need.
Plan your budget to help build a deposit.
Find out how much Government stamp duty you'll pay.


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The Nestpick
Let us pay your rent!
Struggling with the cost of student housing?
Nestpick helps you!
We are awarding three students with a scholarship worth of 2.500 € each to help cover the cost of housing. We want to reward students who are leaders in their community, whether at home or abroad, because we believe in the power of helping each other.
Tell us how!
what and where you study, and how
your acts benefit the community
We understand how hard it is to find
accommodation when studying
We are here to help you with a scholarship towards your accommodation costs! We want to help all students, so it doesn't matter what you study, as long as you are dedicated to helping the community.
Eligibility: all students enrolled at university course (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD)
Deadline: 15th December
people helped
- *Originality: we will honour participants that help the community in an original, creative and innovative way
- *Authenticity: all participants must document their entries with genuine facts, reliable stories and legitimate actions.
University of the Philippines-Manila
European University of Madrid
- 1. Employees of Nestpick and their family members are not eligible for the scholarship.
- 2. There is no entry cost for participants.
- 3. The closing date for entry will be 15th December 2017 at 23:59 (GMT+1). After this date no further entries to the competition will be allowed.
- 4. Nestpick accepts no responsability for entries not received for reasons unrelated to the company.
- 5. All material that is uploaded by contestants can be used by Nestpick for promotional purposes.
- 6. Videos, personal details and documents of entrants will not be shared with third parties.
- 7. Entries can be made in any language or a mixture of languages and feel free to use subtitles.
- 8. As per decision of Nestpick judges, three scholarships will be awarded.
- 9. Applicants must be 18 years old or above.
- 10. Applicants must be currently enrolled in studies in higher education institute.
- 11. In order to verify that you are enrolled, a proof of valid enrollment needs to be provided to Nestpick.
Nestpick is the world's leading furnished property aggregator. We are live in 200 cities and aggregate more than 1M properties worldwide. If you are looking for rooms for rent or apartments for rent use our smart search tool to find your next accommadation.


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New Industry Association:
September 10, 2013
Cross-Cultural Marketing & Communications Association
By Bill Duggan
I attended the opening day of the "The Total Market Conference" from the Cross-Cultural Marketing & Communications Association on Monday in N.Y.C. According to the CCM&CA, the total market is the description of a business vertical emerging within the marketing and communications industry; it describes the converging "general market" and multicultural business verticals. The purpose of the association is to provide total market enterprise and cross-cultural marketplace awareness, education and certification across business, governments and education verticals. Lots of rich information was shared and a half dozen key takeaways for me follow:
- Importance of Millennials: There is no bigger single source of growth today than millennials and multicultural millennials in particular. Over 40 percent of millennials are non-white. (Jeff Yang, The Futures Company)
- Wall Street Loves Multicultural: Multicultural audiences can be the first to demonstrate growth trends that can drive the entire market and also drive financial valuations. (James Dix, Wedbush Securities)
- Brand Value Increases by Total Market Appeal: Having a brand that appeals to the total market increases brand value. Strong cross-cultural brands have meaningful connections across all major ethnic segments – Hispanic, African American, Asian, and White. Subway and McDonald's were cited as the top brands in the QSR category. (David Burgos, Millward Brown)
- It's "Cultural Branding" rather than "Multicultural": PepsiCo uses the term cultural branding instead of multicultural. They are not just looking at ethnicity but considering the role of culture in music, sports, and more. The move from multicultural to cultural branding can have a positive impact on funding and the perception of the team within the organization. (Javier Farfan, PepsiCo)
- Research is Lacking: The research segment has not caught up to the needs of multicultural marketers. (Lizette Williams, Kimberley-Clark)
- Employees are Vital: Your employees are perhaps your most important consumers and your employee base needs to mirror your consumer base. (Greg Kuczaj, Towers Watson)
Congrats to Jeffrey Bowman, Ogilvy's Cross-Cultural Practice Lead and founder of the Cross-Cultural Marketing & Communications Association.
ANA's 2013 Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference is November 3 to 5 in L.A. and is themed, ""Marketing to a Multicultural Nation," and recognizes that the multicultural market is increasingly becoming the new general market. Presenters include two marketers noted at the CCM&CA conference – McDonald's and PepsiCo.
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Keeps automatic watches fully wound and charged when not in use, also extending the life of your watch. For anyone who does not wear their automatic watch every day (or has more than one), watch winders are perfect for storing a watch. The gentle rotation keeps the watch wound and ready to wear. Automatic watch should be kept wound and running as much as possible to prevent its lubricants from congealing over time, which diminishes their accuracy and damages the watch.
- Colour: black
- Molded case
- Black interior
- One watch stand
- Transparent viewing window
- Two directional settings (clockwise & counter clockwise)
- Quiet motor
- Easy to use
- Suitable for office, study, dressing room etc.
- Approx. dims 128 x 140 x 156mm
- Approx. weight: 400 grams
- Power I/P: AC 100-240V 50/60Hz 0.2A O/P: DC 4V 500mA
- One watch stand
- Case materials: Plastic & glass
- Japanese motor
Working Program
- Choose to wind clockwise or anti-clockwise
- Each movement rotates 1 hr and rest for 3 hrs ( 2160TPD)
- Load your watch on the pillow
- Plug in the adaptor and turn on the power
- Select programs by program switch on / off
- Power adaptor with Euro plug
- User manual
- Manufacturer´s 1year warranty


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"Ouch," Max complained dryly. "Ouch, ouch, ouch…" He continued a bit more anxiously.
"Just stay still, ok? I have to find it," said his brother.
Trusting your brother when you're a kid is a double edged option. It could go very well or it could go terribly wrong and end up dreadfully.
"You're not doing it right." Disgusted, Max took short glimpses at his finger being poked at with a needle by his brother. "Look what you're doing!"
"Calm down, calm down, what a wuss…" His brother had a strange glazed look on his face. It seemed he was enjoying the whole procedure a lot more than Max would have like him to.
"Mike! Oh, look, look, look, blood!" yelled Max.
"Stay still!"
Mike had stuck the needle in the wound and was twisting it left and right making the hole bigger.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'm fishing for it."
"Twisting the needle left and right?! That's not fishing!"
"No? Ok. I'm out of here," and Mike walked away leaving Max with a bloody needle stuck in his finger and a splinter laughing at all of them.
Gently, Max pulled the needle out and for days tried to forget about the splinter.
The finger seemed to gain a life of its own as time went by. It looked like it didn't belong to his hand. When he finally decided to tell his mother about it, he was rushed to hospital. The splinter came out alright. And it brought a friend.
"Next time you get a splinter…" started the doctor.
"… I'll make sure to help my brother like he helped me. After all, we are twins. And twins must look alike, right?"


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Many Louisiana towns have a local holiday lighting display, but north and central Louisiana take it a step further with the Holiday Trail of Lights. The trail includes Shreveport-Bossier City, Minden, Monroe-West Monroe, Natchitoches and Alexandria-Pineville. Festivities generally run mid-November to early January, and visitors can drive from one trail city to the next in about an hour.
Natchitoches is home to one of the state's oldest and largest Christmas decorations displays. Beginning Nov. 19, 2016, the city's downtown will transform into a holiday wonderland with hundreds of thousands of colored lights and set pieces. The most notable day in December is the 90th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival on Dec. 3, 2016. The festival has grown in recent years and spans multiple weekends. Now each December weekend offers downtown entertainment and fireworks. Other Natchitoches holiday events include the Christmas Tour of Homes, the Holiday Kids Festival and nightly visits with Santa Claus. Learn more about the Natchitoches Christmas events.
This year's holiday in Alexandria-Pineville is a packed with festive activities for the 12 nights of Christmas. Enjoy the Holiday Light Safari, the Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration at the Kent House Planation, the Pineville and Alexandria Christmas Parades, the Garden District Tour of Homes and much more. Shop for gifts, tour the historic homes, decorate cookies and go caroling, all to get you in the holiday mood! View all the events.
Shreveport-Bossier City is aglow with the holiday ligts. Venture into Christmas in Roseland, a 26-acre park that lit with one million twinking lights. Don't miss the fireworks display at the Christmas on Caddo Fireworks festival on Dec. 3, 2016. The twin cities' holiday celebration kicks off Nov. 12, with the Bass Pro Shops Christmas Parade at the Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets. Between the copious shopping opportunities and the dazzling festivities, you will find something for everyone. Discover more events.
To the east, Minden's holiday observance celebrates both Christmas and the community's German roots. On Nov. 19, 2016, the Minden Fasching Celebration takes place—the German equivalent to Mardi Gras. Downtown will feature vendors serving German food and beer, live music and a children's area. Other notable offerings include the Minden Christmas Parade that winds through the historic district while hundreds of lifesize Nutcrackers line the streets and don't miss the Old World Christmas Lights Spectacular. View the full event calendar.
Monroe-West Monroe's holiday celebrations include the Holiday Kids' Fest on Nov. 19, 2016, followed by must-experience events like the Santa's Christmas Village and the Holiday Lights that set downtown aglow. Head to the Biedenharn Museum to wander through the beautiful decorations and at night explore the city with wagon rides. Learn more about the Christmas events.
For details on all Holiday Trail of Lights activities visit HolidayTrailOfLights.com.
Learn more about south Louisiana's tradition of building Christmas Eve bonfires on the Mississippi River levee.


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"Dark Knight Rises" to Help Victims of Colorado Theater Shooting
(AURORA, Colo.) -- Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio that produced The Dark Knight Rises, will make a "substantial" donation to a fund that supports charities helping the victims of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., a studio representative and a spokesman for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday night during a screening of the film.
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded early Friday morning when a gunman walked into a sold out midnight showing of the latest Batman film in Aurora and opened fire.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted sources as saying the studio's donation to Colorado's Community First Foundation would be "substantial," though they would not name a specific amount. Both the studio and the Colorado governor's office confirmed the report to ABC News.
Hickenlooper's office said there would be an official announcement of the studio's donation on Tuesday morning.
Despite the mass shooting, The Dark Knight Rises took in about $162 million in North America over the weekend.
Warner Bros. had announced it would hold off reporting the film's opening grosses until Monday, but the information was leaked to several media outlets Sunday.
"Out of respect for the victims and their families, Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend," the studio said in a statement to ABC News.
Warner Bros. also removed the trailer for the Ryan Gosling film, "Gangster Squad," which featured a movie theater shooting scene, from screenings of The Dark Knight Rises. The studio pulled some TV ads for the Batman film, according to Bloomberg News.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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DIY Glitter Cutlery
This is grown up glitter play.
Forget the children - these are beautiful to play with and for adding a little sparkle to your dinner table or party buffet.
Take one plain set of mis matched cutlery and...
I picked up a collection of cutlery at my local charity shop for 10p a piece and 3 hallmarked silver serving spoons for £1.50 each.
I raided my craft supplies and found a half empty pot of gold glitter and grabbed a clear nail varnish from the bathroom cabinet.
There are lots of DIY tutorials on the internet for adding glitter to wooden spoons using the US product modge podge but in the absence of that magic glue, I found nail polish was perfect and creating a smooth, shiny finish.
It leaves a hard surface on the gilder meaning that there's no dreaded dust once dry.
Step 1
Over a piece of paper paint a think layer of nail varnish onto the area you want to glitter.
Step 2
Using a spoon, generously sprinkle your wet area with glitter. Tap to shake off the excess. Leave to dry.
Take a cotton bud and wipe the excess for a smooth finish before step 3.
Step 3
Repeat step 1 over the glittered area and leave to dry.
When finished simply curl the long edges of your piece of paper towards each other and funnel the excess glitter back into the container for another day.
Nail varnish will withstand washing, but not forever. So very now and again give them a revarnish.
You could try bright coloured glitter for a Spring feel or coordinate your glitter to your party theme.
I am going to make some more servers for my niece Yasmin's Flamingo First Birthday Party! I wonder how many shades of pink glitter there are!
Linking up with Sunday Best Showcase & #MagpieMonday


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The Huffington Post | By Shelley Emling Posted: 06/11/2013 1:08 pm EDT
Tired of having to guzzle down that awful-tasting laxative preparation designed to get your colon squeaky clean prior to a colonoscopy? If so, here's some good news.
A new study has found that women can be screened for colorectal cancer at least five to 10 years later than men when undergoing an initial "virtual colonoscopy."
Published this week in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may help pave the way for the creation of guidelines as to how to use this screening technique, which is much less invasive than a traditionalcolonoscopy.
Detecting precancerous polyps through the use of imaging techniques such as a traditional colonoscopy may prevent colorectal cancer. But there are those who find the procedure too invasive. Others are simply not healthy enough to undergo it. A possible alternative is the virtual colonoscopy, which uses computerized tomography to create an animated, three-dimensional view of the inside of the large intestine.
However, no study has ever considered the age at which virtual colonoscopies should first be performed. To investigate, Dr. Cesare Hassan of the Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital in Rome, Italy, and his colleagues studied 7,620 patients who were referred for a first-time screening using a virtual colonoscopy from 2004 to 2011. A total of 276 patients (3.6 percent) were ultimately diagnosed with advanced cancer. Age and gender were linked with advanced disease, while body mass index and a family history of cancer were not.
"We showed that the possibility for average-risk individuals to have clinically meaningful polyps detected by virtual colonoscopy is strictly associated with two main variables, namely age and sex," said Hassan in a press release. The researchers determined that 51 women under 55 years of age would need to be screened to detect one case of advanced neoplasia, compared with only 10 men older than 65 years.


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One of Donald Trump's Stocks Isn't Partying Like Dow 19,000
Donald Trump has been a boon to markets and companies that opposed the businessman during his presidential run.
On Tuesday, the Trump rally continued as the Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Russell 2000 surged to new highs simultaneously.
But some companies were not welcomed into the winner's circle after Trump won the election—including Newmont Mining Corp, Earlier this year, investors predicted that a Trump win would be matched by a surge in gold prices. But as investors calmed and began to pile into stocks, gold fell. The drop comes despite that the fact that many have warned that Trump's policies will lead to massive inflation. Gold usually rallies in times of inflation.
One gold mining stock in particular, Newmont, has become one of the worst performers on the S&P 500 since Trump's election, despite the president elect's love of all things gold—including the gold standard. Trump has vowed to boost employment in the mining industry.
After an initial surge after election night, Newmont has since fallen 9.4%, Barrick Gold Corp. has dipped 12%, and an exchange traded fund tracking gold miners, the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF has fallen a whopping 24% since Trump's win.
Another big stock market Trump loser is Medtronic (MDT). The maker of implants and other medical devices was up for the year before Trump won the election. It has since fallen nearly 13% in the past two weeks, now down 4% for the year, as investors are worried a roll back of Obamacare could hurt sales.
But it may not just be Trump holding down these stocks. Demand for gold, the "fear index" has likely be curbed by greater odds of a December rate hike, as well as the surging dollar.
That comes as financial stocks have been the biggest stock market winners since Nov. 8, thanks to Trump's promises to pull back on banking regulation such as Dodd-Frank, and tech stocks sank on fears of the president-elect's more protectionist trade policies.


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By: Amy Flick
The American Society of International Law (ASIL) kicked off its 111th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2017 with its 19th annual Grotius Lecture. The 2017 Grotius Lecturer was David Armitage, Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History at Harvard University, and Distinguished Discussant Mary L. Dudziak, Asa Griggs Chandler Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law.
The program was introduced by Camille Nelson, Dean of American University Washington College of Law. She remarked that Professor Armitage and Professor Dudziak have each published on the subject of civil wars. Since modern conflicts do not fit into a classical international law model of conflicts between states, a discussion between historians on whether international law applies to civil wars is an appropriate topic for annual meeting.
Professor Armitage's book is Civil Wars: A History in Ideas, which Professor Armitage acknowledged was inspired by Professor Dudziak's book War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences. Professor Armitage observed that civil war is a recent field of study. History has traditionally been separated into war and peace times, with war considered temporary, but with modern conflicts, it is difficult to determine when wars begin or end. Civil wars are not declared, they resonate even after a conflict ends, and they are prone to recur. Post World War II has been an age of civil wars, with 20 on average at any one time, and consequences arising from internal wars becoming international through intervention and outside combatants.
Professor Armitage explored the history of the study of civil war, beginning with the Romans, who likened them to natural phenomena like volcanoes. Grotius distinguished between public and private wars, classifying civil war as a public war against the same state, and finding any peace preferable to civil war, with civil wars never categorized as just wars. By contrast, Vattel disagreed with Grotius on the existence of private war, and positing that a civil war could be a just war if evils within a state are intolerable. His book The Law of Nations influenced 18th and 19th century United States thought and was cited in the Prize Cases, 67 U.S. 635 (1862). "When the regular course of justice is interrupted by revolt, rebellion, or insurrection, so that the Courts of Justice cannot be kept open, civil war exists, and hostilities may be prosecuted on the same footing as if those opposing the Government were foreign enemies invading the land." The Lieber Code, though, did not distinguish between insurrection and civil war, and defined the 1860s U.S. conflict as a rebellion, not a civil war, allowing the suspension of habeas corpus.
Professor Armitage brought the lecture to the current era with the extension of the Geneva and Hague Convention protections to internal conflicts with Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Protocol II. In discussing the current Syrian conflict, he addressed the problem of language. Assad has called the conflict of 2011-2012 an insurrection, not a civil war. The ICRC confirmed it as an "armed conflict not of an international character," covered by international humanitarian law. Professor Armitage pointed out the political reluctance to call a conflict a civil war, with definite declarations and peace treaties, even though since World War II there have been more peace treaties for civil wars than for inter-state conflicts. He concluded by calling this an urgent moment in history to define what is a civil war and what we value, as more political disputes are being described as "civil wars."
Professor Dudziak found the categorization of war in categories of civil war and its opposite inter-state war as useful, but remarked on another category of war, with examples from 1864 of the United States Civil War and the U.S. Indian Wars. The U.S. Civil War was considered a "real war" in legal history and treated as fitting in the Lieber Code definition of civil war as an appropriate example of the use of war powers. The carnage of the civil war created widespread suffering which the public had to respond to by creating a "community of suffering" and humanizing the other side. By contrast, the Indian Wars of the 19th century have not been considered civil wars. Native Americans were considered barbarians, outside the borders of civilization and outside non-combatant immunity. The Lieber Code limits did not apply to "savages." The exception of uncivilized people from protection culminated in the Sand Creek massacre of the Cheyenne.
Professor Dudziak concluded by declaring that in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, peace is not a time, it is an identity for people isolated from the battlefield. The absence of shared suffering has created an American apathy about war. Ending on a more hopeful note, she asked "Wouldn't it be great if people could be brought together in peace instead of suffering?"
[Check out ASIL's YouTube channel for the full video of the 2017 Grotius Lecture. For another recap on this program, visit ASIL Cables].


text: Haha! Shopping fast, I have outsmarted you in the most base way possible. To get around not buying books for the next 84 days, I got a LIBRARY CARD! It's got flowers on it and for NO MONEY I get to keep a Michael Chabon novel and a James Joyce collection for three whole weeks… Or longer. Feeling old school and valiant and grateful that this period got me back into my local library after a three-year separation that existed purely because iBooks and used books on Amazon Prime were at my digital-buying fingertips.