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dimanche matin....
Yesterday was a beautiful day here in SW France, not too hot and clear blue sky or as the French say le ciel bleu.
We managed to squeeze in a quick visit to our friends house and whilst we were there I snapped some shots.
Our friends are local farmers who farm plums and chickens and it is a fabulous place to visit as there is always something new to see.
I will even let you into a wee secret, a famous English chef spent some time at the property and as a result photos of our friend's property appeared in one of his french cook books.
We saw these fabulous creatures as we drove up the drive.....
Love how everything here is done the old fashioned way - all by hand and naturally.
The farm is such a restful place with row upon row of beautiful trees........A shot of our friends with Mr FF who is very camera shy at the best of times....
And one avec moi..love the flowers that appear to have sprung from Mr. A's tete..
A truly fabulous time, just wish that we could have stayed longer..
A la prochaine,
L x


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Victor Ortiz becomes the fifth professional boxer to trade in his gloves for color-coordinated costumes and dancing shoes on tonight's Dancing with the Stars. The 26-year-old Mexican-American former WBC welterweight champion, who is known for his boyish charm and a killer southpaw stance, will be the latest Latino luminary to hit the floor on the sixteenth season of the celebrity ballroom dancing competition series, following in the footsteps of William Levy, J.R. Martinez and Hélio Castroneves. Find out 10 things you didn't know about Victor Ortiz before he hits the dance floor tonight!
1. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_1
He's Had a Broken Jaw
Last June, Ortiz didn't just endure an upset loss to Josesito Lopez after nine brutal rounds; he also suffered a broken jaw at the hands of his opponent. Good thing it doesn't seem to have affected his million-dollar sonrisa.
2. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_2
He Owns His Own Skin Care Line
To quote the lyrics from the classic "Whispering" Jack Smith song, Ortiz has "got the cutest little baby face." It must be the result of using his very own skin care line, the VO by Victor Ortiz Collection. Developed by FaceLube, the line is described as "built for a boxing champion" and "fit for a man's man." The product apparently works on the body as well, as witnessed in Ortiz's steamy commercial for the collection.
3. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_3
He's a Multi-Million Dollar Man
Ortiz reportedly has a net worth of $7 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com. We can only imagine that number growing after his new DWTS gig!
4. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_4
He Earned His Vicious "Nickname" A Decade Ago
Ortiz is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his nickname "Vicious," which he even uses as part of his Twitter handle (@VICIOUSortiz). "I was 16 and a junior Olympic medalist," says Ortiz of the name. "I qualified for the Olympic trials. I won the bracket. They said that's Vicious with the smile. I said, no. But it had a ring to it, so I went with Vicious Vic. But it's an oxymoron because out of the ring, I'm not vicious at all."
5. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_5
He's Actually a Righty
Ortiz has said that his power is "just built" on his left hand and that fighting left-handed was "just more comfortable," giving him better defense. But boxing is the only thing he does with his left hand. "I'm actually right-handed," he confirmed in an interview.
6. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_6
He Loves the Outdoors
If you can't find Ortiz in the boxing gym, he's probably soaking up the sun outside. "I love to road bike, mountain bike, surf, skateboard, run a lot, triathlons with mymanager, swim," says Ortiz. "I enjoy the outdoors."
7. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_7
He Learned to Box to Fight His Bullies
Ortiz's father originally started teaching him to box – and later enrolled him in boxing lessons – at the age of 7 after his son had been bullied one too many times for being in the school choir. Despite "Vicious Vic" not liking the sport at all initially,
he showed great promise from the get-go and continued his training, according to BoxingScene.com.
8. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_8
He's Trained at an Iconic California Gym
Following his move to California, Ortiz trained at the legendary La Colonia Youth Boxing Club in Oxnard. The gym has produced notable Mexican American boxers like Miguel Angel Garcia, Fernando Vargas, Brandon Rios and Roberto Garcia, a former IBF Super Featherweight champion and the head trainer at the gym who helped hone Ortiz's skills.
9. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_9
He Gives Back to Charity in His Home State
There's a reason he wears the word "Kansas" and the University of Kansas mascot on his boxing shorts; Ortiz was born and raised in The Sunflower State. And even though he's not in Kansas anymore, the pro boxer still gives back to his local
community by participating in charity events like a KU basketball charity all-star game and a Boys & Girls Club charity event in Kansas City. This past Friday, Ortiz was given the Marconi Humanitarian Award for his work with children's charities
like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Rock Chalk, Football for Good, and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
10. VictorOrtiz_10_ThingsyouDidn'tKnow_10
He Trains Like a Mad Man
Ortiz is dedicated to his boxing, training seven days a week. "I never really take days off when I'm in training camp. I have three times a day training sessions," said Ortiz in a live chat with fans for ESPN's SportsNation. "It gets very tough, but it pays off in the end. In between fights, I stay with it, but not sparring. I keep up with the cardio to keep me slim to where I look like a fighter still."

subset: commoncrawl


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English Teacher
In a congratulation letter, one of sentences is:
You and Jack are such a perfect couple, and he is qualified for a good husband with his good character of responsibility, humility, integrity etc.
Is the phrase his good character of wasted verbiage? 'character' is wordy, and is it better to omit the phrase and more natural?


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Habla Ingles? English Language Immersion in Salamanca, Spain
Habla Ingles? English Language Immersion in Spain
By Lisa Lubin
What if I told you that I just had a whole week's vacation in a four-star villa in a small beautiful village near Salamanca, Spain and it included three full meals a day with wine and it came with about forty new best friends… all for free? Well, I did.
I know what you're thinking, 'What's the catch?' Well, there was one — all I had to do was speak English. And considering it is my native language… how hard could that be?
Pueblo Inglés is not exactly a school for English. It's more like an intense English 'experience.' It's a unique opportunity for native English speakers to immerse themselves in Spain's culture and people firsthand in exchange for just chatting with Spaniards.
And for the Spanish people, it's like an intensive week-long English 'sleep-away camp' which gives them the opportunity to improve and practice their English-speaking skills the best way — by force of course.
For the duration of the week, they are forbidden to speak Spanish and must converse in and listen to English at all hours of the day… easy for me, not so much for them.
I was trawling the web one day looking for a job in Spain when the website for Pueblo Inglés popped up.
The idea scared and intrigued me at the same time — not only would I be able to travel for one week without spending a dime (that's 15 cents in Euro), it would enable me to meet and connect with real Spaniards who mostly come from the professional business world — something often hard to do when you are a tourist.
I applied on a whim, not knowing if I truly wanted to commit to this week of constant jibber-jabbing and figured they probably wouldn't accept me on such short notice or I could always say 'no.'
Just one day later I received an email informing me that I had been accepted into the program and it was starting in two days.
The first day of the eight-day program we all gathered in a plaza in Madrid and were herded onto a bus. We rode for three hours west of Madrid to a tiny rural town called La Alberca full of winding cobblestone lanes and green hills dotted with clusters of trees all adorned in their autumn best dropping acorns and chestnuts all over the countryside.
Our hotel was in a bucolic setting with shady paths and ponds and was more like a group of several chalets. There were about 20 English speakers from Canada, the US, England, Australia, and Ireland and 20 Spaniards from all over Spain with ages ranging from early twenties to sixty plus.
English Spoken Here
The program directors laid down the law at the get-go: The most important rule of Pueblo Ingles — NO Spanish allowed. They really wanted this to be a true and hardcore immersion experience for the Spaniards — basically forcing them to drink, eat, sleep, and possibly dream in English.
The Agenda
Each morning after a buffet breakfast we paired off into 'couples' for 'one-to-one' conversations that would last about 50 minutes. After a ten minute break, we would then swap and grab another Spaniard for the next hour and so on.
Everyone was unique, friendly, and fun and despite my initial fears, we never once ran out of things to talk about. Everyday I was paired with different people and we constantly did different activities.
It certainly was an odd and funny sight to see all these coupled pairs of people wandering around the grounds, sitting in chairs, and strolling down the street. If someone didn't know better, it probably looked like some kind of psychiatric institution or rehab center at which we were all getting over our drug, alcohol, or other addictions.
Of course, if they saw our parties every night, they would probably think it wasn't a very good program.
Random Embarassing Behavior
We would usually have a break sometime in the morning and also other activities like games, conference calls, and presentations — during which lucky Spaniards got to tell us all about their jobs or Anglos entertained us with some kind of unique skill they have (singing, dancing, and other random embarrassing behavior).
A three-course lunch with plenty of vino (nothing gets conversations going like some cheap wine can) was at two o'clock, followed by the very crucial Spanish siesta (nap time) until five o'clock.
Then we continued with more talking, group discussions about anything and everything and hilarious skits. It reminded me of some university days doing role playing and brainstorming to come up with the most entertaining performance. It was fun to just be silly and what I really remember most is laughing almost all the time.
One day we toured the lovely nearby medieval village for a bit of a break.
A three-course dinner with more wine, of course, was at nine (a little late for the Anglos and too early for the Spaniards) and then their Inglés would really get tested as many of us hung out at the bar until the wee hours of the morning.
The Easy Life
The beauty of this program is your entire schedule is laid out for you. There is really nothing to worry about. I had my own small 'villa' that I shared with Potola, a sweet and hilarious flight attendant from Madrid.
Our 'casa' was just steps from the lobby and bar so it was so easy to stumble to bed before sunrise, and get up the next morning (even if it was only a few hours later) and just walk over to my next session of speaking English. There was no commute, no metro, no taxi. You just walked home in two minutes. Life was good.
It was easy for me, but much harder and more tiring for the Spaniards who had to do everything in their second language.
Imagine being constantly forced to speak Spanish all day. Your brain would be so tired. And even when they were 'enjoying the fruits of the vine' (read: drunk) and dancing, they were still speaking English.
After a week of fun, we all 'graduated' and received our certificates for completing not only a week-long English 'course' but one of the most fun weeks I've had in a long time.
All in all, the week spent at Pueblo Inglés was like an intense microcosm of life — a condensed, easy version — and having to say goodbye after our amazing week together was hard for me.
Hopefully the Spaniards improved their English, and I know I have made some amazing new friends in Spain that will remain in my heart and hopefully in my life forever.
To find out how you can have a free week in Spain, check out puebloingles.com.
Check our listings for discount flights to Spain
Lisa Lubin is an Emmy-award winning TV Writer/Producer from ABC Chicago who gave it all up (at least for now!) to travel the world. You can read more about her travels on her website: LLworldtour.com.
If you liked this article, you may like these as well:
If you like the articles we publish, maybe you can be one of our writers too! Make travel plans, then write a story for us! Click here to read our writer's guidelines.


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UK Grethr White Trail 6 Agravic Shoes Grethr Women's Terrex adidas W Grey Chacor Chacor Grefou 5 Grefou Running 7gq1nvxshoes red bowknot Red beige Round Spring Sweet Ladies JIEEME Single Ballet toe Women flats wZqpA7Fx
- DIY Parts
- Elastic Breathable Sneakers Red Monrinda Absorbing Lightweight Running Sport Shoes up Women Shock Lace Flying Woven Mesh Casual Summer Trainers Walking WRSqRgn
- Steering, Suspension & Alignment
- Batteries & Accessories
- Ignition System Components
- Snow & Winter Chains
- Belts, Hoses, Water Pumps & Cooling
- Alternators & Starters
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- Engines & Engine Parts
- Lighting & Fuses
- Windshield Wipers
- Fuel & Emission Systems
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- Drivetrain, CV Axles, Transmissions & Parts
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Price Match PolicyThe purpose of the Pep Boys Price Match Policy is to ensure that we are the automotive solutions provider of choice for the value-oriented customer, putting the customer first by offering the best value available.
For retail: We will match any local competitor's advertised or every-day price, on any comparable merchandise normally stocked as active in our stores' inventory or outside purchase, within 30 days of purchase with the original receipt.
For tires: We will match any local competitor's advertised or every-day price, on comparable tires within 90 days of purchase with the original receipt.
For service: We will match a local competitor's advertised or every-day price, on comparable automotive services utilizing comparable merchandise.


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Type a name for your new list.
Items which are considered "oversize" are noted on horizonhobby.com. Oversize packages will not ship 2 Day, Overnight or Saturday Delivery. For shipments to Puerto Rico, please call for a shipping quote.
Oversized 1 items are not eligible for Gift Wrapping.
Whether you've never flown RC before or you got your first taste of flying with a multi-rotor drone, the Carbon Cub S+ is the most versatile, capable and easiest to fly RC airplane yet because it's equipped with SAFE Plus GPS-enabled drone technology.
Whether you've never flown RC before or you got your first taste of flying with a multirotor drone, the revolutionary Carbon Cub S+ is the most versatile, capable and easiest to fly RC airplane yet. Based on the Carbon Cub by Cub Crafters, an upgraded and thoroughly modern iteration of the classic Super Cub, and equipped with Horizon Hobby's exclusive and innovative SAFE Plus GPS-enabled drone technology, this scale reproduction makes it easier to learn to fly in less time than ever before. Advanced features including AutoLand, Holding Pattern and Virtual Fence make it easy for almost anyone to fly successfully from their very first flight, while additional features including oversized tundra tires and optional flaps and floats offer the capability and versatility to fly from almost any surface, anywhere.
The included RTF version DXe transmitter is bound to the aircraft at the factory. The DXe can also be used with other RC aircraft as a pilot's skills progress.
Thick grass, gravel paths, dirt trails - Tundra wheels can tackle these and many other surfaces that would be impossible for most models of this size to handle.
The functional flaps are an option for impressive short-field takeoff and landing performance. This feature requires a 7+ channel computer transmitter, a flap servo, and a servo extension. (Sold Separately)
Turn your model into a float plane with the optional Hobbyzone float set. Installation takes just a few minutes and all the necessary hardware is included with the aircraft and float set.
When activated after holding down a button, the advanced AutoLand function puts the Carbon Cub S+ on a stabilized approach to autonomously land near the GPS initialization point. You can even provide some directional guidance to avoid obstacles or to adjust the approach while letting the system do the rest to execute a safe landing. As your skills progress and you gain more confidence you can take over more of the control inputs, eventually learning to land without any assistance from the automated system at all.
This handy SAFE Plus exclusive feature lets you essentially "pause" a flight by putting the airplane into a GPS-guided holding pattern. When activated after the quick press of a button, the airplane will automatically return to a position above the GPS initialization point and circle until the command is cancelled. It's a great way to safely hand the controls to a friend or to regain visual contact if you ever lose sight of the model.
It's easy to accidentally let an RC airplane fly too far away, but with Virtual Fence worry no more because it creates an invisible boundary the airplane won't fly past. When the airplane reaches this boundary it will automatically turn around and fly back toward the GPS initialization point, then it will wag the wings to let you know when you have control again.
If you ever lose control of the airplane in the more advanced control modes simply switch to Beginner Mode and release the control sticks. SAFE® Plus technology will automatically return the airplane to level flight.
Pitch and bank angle limits prevent over-control that can result in a loss of orientation and crashes. When the control sticks are released the airplane returns to level flight on its own. Best of all takeoffs are as simple as giving full throttle and letting the airplane fly off the ground or by giving it a quick hand launch.
More freedom in pitch and bank, but still prevents over-control and does not return to level flight on its own. This mode allows you to make tighter turns and to climb and descend faster as your skills advance. Beginner mode automatically activates and returns the airplane to level flight when the airplane descends below approximately 30 feet above ground level and the sticks are released.
No pitch or bank angle limits so you have complete control! You can even fly inverted (upside down) and perform aerobatic maneuvers including loops, rolls, stall turns and more. Panic Recovery Mode can be activated by switching to Beginner Mode and releasing the sticks.
Technical questions about this HobbyZone product should be directed to Horizon Hobby's Product Support Department:
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Second, they usually confuse decoding and interpreting. Machines are good at decoding and can help human beings with that. Interpretation is reserved for human beings. Some programs try to mimic this behavior. For instance, they say "this port is open" instead of "I received a SYN-ACK". Sometimes they are right. Sometimes not. It's easier for beginners, but when you know what you're doing, you keep on trying to deduce what really happened from the program's interpretation to make your own, which is hard because you lost a big amount of information. And you often end up using tcpdump -xX to decode and interpret what the tool missed.
Third, even programs which only decode do not give you all the information they received. The network's vision they give you is the one their author thought was sufficient. But it is not complete, and you have a bias. For instance, do you know a tool that reports the padding?
Scapy tries to overcome those problems. It enables you to build exactly the packets you want. Even if I think stacking a 802.1q layer on top of TCP has no sense, it may have some for somebody else working on some product I don't know. Scapy has a flexible model that tries to avoid such arbitrary limits. You're free to put any value you want in any field you want and stack them like you want. You're an adult after all.
In fact, it's like building a new tool each time, but instead of dealing with a hundred line C program, you only write 2 lines of Scapy.
After a probe (scan, traceroute, etc.) Scapy always gives you the full decoded packets from the probe, before any interpretation. That means that you can probe once and interpret many times, ask for a traceroute and look at the padding for instance.
Scapy ≥ 2.x needs Python 2.7, 3.4 or upcoming versions.
Scapy ≤ 1.x needs Python 2.5 or upcoming versions but does not support Python 3. However, Scapy 1.X is now deprecated.


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Over time, leaves, moss, debris and even birds nests can make it difficult for rainwater runoff to drain away properly.
Keeping your gutters free from obstructions can help them flow more efficiently and keep your property free from damp and flooding. These gutter cleaning tips should have you well on the way to gutters you can be proud of.


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Crystal Sheridan is not one to back down from a challenge. The Penn State University Dickinson School of Law graduate and former Presidential Management Fellow speaks Swahili, travels to conflict-stricken countries, and administers a $19.2 million foreign assistance budget for the State Department.
A program officer at the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan (USSESSS), Sheridan serves as the Contracting Officers' Representative and Grants Officers' Representative for USSESSS programs. She manages contracts and grants from solicitation to close-out while coordinating with other State Department and USAID offices providing support to Sudan and South Sudan.
Sheridan chooses to face all kinds of challenges in her career. She has worked as a rape crisis counselor, teacher, legal assistant, and for the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
"What we deal with can be hard to listen to and hard to think about," she said, referring to hunger, displacement, and violence of all kinds. "But at the end of the day it is better if we can help in some concrete way one step at a time," she said, adding that she enjoys being on the program administration side as opposed to the policy side.
Her legal education has been "extremely helpful" to her career. A member of the Class of 2009, Sheridan understands contract law, procurement, and legislation. She also credits law school with giving her above-average communication skills. "I take a very logical approach with contracts and grants. I write with a lot of brevity, which people find helpful and refreshing."
Sheridan has developed a particular interest in Africa. Prior to law school, Sheridan was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, where she taught mathematics to teenage students and started an English class for local village mothers. When her Peace Corps experience ended, she worked as an assistant in a law firm and then decided to earn a J.D.
Pursuing Human Rights in Law School
As a law student, Sheridan kept her sights focused on a public interest career. After her first-year, she interned for Amnesty International in Washington, D.C. She worked on the "Jena Six" cases and maintained a database of prisoner abuse complaints.
After her second year of law school, she worked as a protection intern at the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There, she conducted interviews with individuals who were hoping to be resettled to other countries and served as a contact person for urban refugees. The summer internship was made possible in part by the Public Interest Law Fund, an organization she led as president during her third year. "So many of these refugees have faced horrors that I cannot even imagine and yet they are persevering and fighting to move on with their lives," she wrote during the summer of 2010. "They deserve nothing less than respect."
She remembers her time with the Public Interest Law Fund fondly. "It was meaningful leadership experience and I'm still so glad I participated in it," she said. She also built leadership and international experience as a member of the Penn State International Law Review, which is now the Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs.
Plans for the Future
Sheridan thinks that one of the most exciting aspects of working in the State Department is the opportunity to make other international moves; she recently accepted a position within the Foreign Service. She is married to Penn State Law alumnus Brian Sheridan '09, who is a trial attorney in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. They are expecting their first child in February. Together, they wish to be global citizens and make a difference.


text: I was lucky enough to have two of my Impossible Project SX-70 Polaroids included in the Poladarium 2013 calendar (see above). Its lovely seeing your photographs in print, the thrill never really wears off... it's one thing that makes all the film, cameras, patience & time involved in film photography very much worth it. Submissions for next year's Poladarium are opening soon, so keep an eye out if you shoot Polaroid!


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Parent Directory | Revision Log
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Moved to https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Sparc/Netboot
netkit-tftp is being removed from portage; bug #425362
update package category moves, removals, etc. from an email sent to me
HUGE cleanup for the sparc netboot doc. a ridiculous number of changes big and small. ugh. bug 296744
Update sparc netboot howto with hexadecimal conversion notes, bug 296744
Coding style
Change syntax in the first sentence as per gustavoz's request on #gentoo-es. Don't need a version bump, rest of modifed lines is just text wrapping.
Improved coding style **No content change**
#101641 Add missing <path> tags
minor english grammer fix for #97075 (again)
minor typo fix for #97075
Added $Header$ CVS Keyword -- No Content Change --
Hexidecimal numbers must use capital characters
Bug 47861
#37231 - Add SPARC Netboot document
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3PointRoss needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 35 designs submitted by 13 freelance designers.
Creating a non profit that helps pets who are critically ill, owners who have lost a loved pet, or pet owners who can not afford the proper care for their animal.
Desired Color Scheme:
Colors from the logo, very clean
Desired Style:
painted feeling, slightly rough, organic, textured
Accepted File Formats:
Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
We are helping a wonderful organization build a website for their non-profit that is aimed to help pet owners and their loved pets when they really need the help. Every year people lose pets that were loved family members, and it is hard to find true support not only after the pet has passed on, but while the pet is critically ill. The website will serve as a place for people to connect with others who are looking to offer emotional support, medical support, or memorial services.
The brand position of this website and organization is "based around trust, compassion, and community.â€
The organization color is a rich purple, and the feel of the brand is a hands on approach. You can download the identity here (http://www.ingenexdigital.com/ancho…gofinal.ai). Obviously the identifiers are the heart to show compassion, and the paw to identify animal/pets. However the real unique aspect of the organization is the rough painted look to the logo. We would love to incorporate that look and feel into the website and design.
We want the site to capture the seriousness of the situation that these people face, and communicate that the organization is caring, compassionate, and willing to help.
We want to not only showcase the pets and animals, but the people who own the pets. Ultimately it is about people, and their love for the pets.
The initial focus of the website will be a flash style banner which fades through professionally taken photography of owners with their sick pets. We don't want the pets to look like they are dying, but maybe glossy eyed to really show compassion and care. Reach the hearts of the users of the website.
Below that we would like to feature three areas of the website:
• Memorial services where people can upload a photo, description, and story about their pet, purchase memorial items, etc.
• Support for those who have lost their pet, with finding a grief guidance, downloadable grief podcasts.
• Pet Hospice, where you can get medical support and care for your pet who is critically ill.
Two sub content sections would be news, and a place where user uploaded photos and descriptions will be displayed (1 at a time, randomly)
Home, About, Pet Hospice, Pet Memorial, Pet Care Assistance, Donate, Benefactors, Volunteer, Merchandise, Anchor Bay, News, Contact
Sitemap, Privacy Policy, Contact, Anchor Bay Veterinary Services


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Saturday, February 18, 2012
catching the sun ~
8 comments:
happy weekend to you as well... this picture brings warmth & happiness to my sleepy eyes :).ReplyDelete
SO incredibly beautiful my darlin friend.....this photograph makes me so incredibly happy. Those are two good eggs you've got there, ya know? And they have a mighty good egg in you too.....have a great weekend hunnie!ReplyDelete
Aww Mel,ReplyDelete
I can't think of a more perfect image. This photo is simply everything a soul needs. I love it so very much.
Happy Weekend~
XO Noel
beautiful image!ReplyDelete
She is just as radiant as that golden light. I think your little one lives in a world of magic.ReplyDelete
What a divine image...Totally frame worthy! I hope y'all had a blast here!ReplyDelete
What a beautiful image. I love that you guys captured your girl in a state of total bliss.ReplyDelete
What a beautiful pose of a child basking and trying to grasp the sun's rays. Blissful indeed.ReplyDelete


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There are some folks who protest the fact that expensive tickets to charitable galas are elitist. Women dressed in floor-length gowns and men in black ties reflect a past sensibility not relevant in modern society.
In an age where folks feel it is appropriate to wear T-shirts to church and flip-flops to the wedding of a friend, you must ask the question, cliché or not, "Do clothes make the man or woman?"
The answer is no. It has always been no. Clothes never trump the essential qualities of human interaction. However, appearance does equate with something important in the equation. That something is respect. Respect for a cause or purpose, an idea, a goal, and for fellow human beings.
Last Friday evening in the O.C., 430 citizens converged upon the Segerstrom Center for the Arts for the 39th Annual Candlelight Concert dinner and fundraiser benefiting what is arguably the cornerstone of civilized culture in this community. Nearly $1 million was raised from corporate and individual patrons donating thousands of dollars per person to attend. While such largess may be dubbed elitist by virtue of the affordability factor, it must also be labeled as generous, and even unselfish, inasmuch as funds raised support cultural enrichment and education programs offered by the center, touching the lives of some 325,000 young people who might otherwise have no exposure to professional music, dance, theater and other artistic endeavors presented each year.
It would seem that the consequence of such grand behavior is in fact democratic — the sharing of benefits made possible by those able to contribute giving to those not able. This is a quintessential American concept that is being hotly debated on the national stage as government tries to come to compromise over taxation of the wealthy.
The difference, of course, is the voluntary contributions of private citizens versus enforced taxation in the name of democratic reform.
Which brings up a serious point. SCFTA is funded by the private sector. The center does not rely on government grants or financial support, and it is considered a national role model for arts sustainability. It is a fact that founder Henry T. Segerstrom is suitably proud of. Segerstrom and his wife, Elizabeth, were among the major underwriters/donors of the 2012 Candlelight affair, joining presenting sponsor Vacheron Constantin represented by jewelry company president Hugues de Pins. Additional major underwriting for the massive gala came from Jane and Jim Driscoll, center board chair Lawrence Higby and his wife, Dee, and an executive committee comprised of local luminaries George and Julia Argyros, Wylie and Bette Aitken, Betty and S.L. Huang, Roger and Tracy Kirwan, Randy and Sally Crockett, Tim and Susan Strader, Charlie and Pat Poss and Dino and Leslie Cancellieri, to name only a few.
This year's party had no chairman, only a committee of citizens working to ensure financial success. The core of the group, some of whom are aforementioned, are counted upon year after year to make a difference. They never say no.
The crowd enjoyed a marvelous dinner catered by the Patina Restaurant Group, led by Executive Chef Ross Pangilinan with support from Gregg Wiele and Carlos Enriquez. VIPs including center President Terry Dwyer and his wife, Amy, Charles and Twyla Martin, Larry and Deborah Bridges, Kent and Carol Wilken, Michael Botsko of Tiffany & Co., Raj and Marta Bhathal, Byron and Ronnie Allumbaugh and Howard and Roberta Ahmanson were treated to the Broadway voice of Tony Award-winning songstress Sutton Foster, who performed two of Stephen Sondheim's most haunting ballads, "Being Alive" and "Anyone Can Whistle." San Francisco rockers Huey Lewis and the News capped the evening with music that filled the dance floor shoulder to shoulder until the Cinderella hour.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.


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John McCormack, (born June 14, 1884, Athlone, County Westmeath, Ire.—died Sept. 16, 1945, near Dublin), Irish tenor who was considered to be one of the finest singers of the first quarter of the 20th century.
McCormack won the prize at the National Irish Festival (the Feis Ceoil) in Dublin in 1903. Later he studied in Italy. He made his London operatic debut in 1907 at Covent Garden as Turiddu in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana. He appeared at the Manhattan Opera House, New York City, in 1909 as Alfredo in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata. Subsequently he sang with opera companies in Chicago and Boston and with the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York City. In 1911 he toured Australia with Nellie Melba performing Italian opera. He later turned to the concert stage and became a fine singer of German lieder. Most popular with recital audiences were the Irish folk songs he invariably included in his programs. He was admired for the beauty of his voice and for his careful musicianship. He became a U.S. citizen in 1919 and was made a count in the papal peerage in 1928.


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Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery, Volume 1
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Richard O Connell
I am fascinated and captivated by the human body. I work with drawing groups and also hire models. I am determined to make drawings that will equal the European classical mode. Whether drawing in line or making washes with a brush the aim stays the same: to capture the essence of the pose. To that end my drawing has to be fresh, fast and honest. I work with the clock not against it.
Over the years my technique has become simpler and my sense of form more architectural. I am now seeing form 'instantly' and 'drawing' ahead of my focal point.
I sometimes find myself drawing so quickly that the image is made before I realise it is 'completed'. I think the artist should identify with the stresses and dynamics of the model's poses. When we draw the human figure we are drawing ourselves.
I was born in Mumbles, Swansea, Wales, U.K. and attended Swansea School of Art, Norwich School of Art and Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxon.
My works are in the collections of Balliol College, Oxon, The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan Civic Offices in Barry and Penarth, South Wales and I have been established as an artist in Penarth, Cardiff since 1982.


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LaserLipo and LED LIPO-lite Weight Loss in Idaho
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Wildlife Rescue Centers in India
IFAW partners with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the Assam Forest Department, and the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department on a number of projects in India.
We run the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Center in the outskirts of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, and the IFAW Bear Rescue Center in the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. These facilities are unique in India and aim to be the country's centers of excellence in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
The goal of these rescue centers is to successfully return all treated individuals to their native habitat.
At the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Center, we care for a wide range of species including orphan elephant and rhino calves, wild buffaloes, tigers, leopards, deer, birds and small carnivores.
The center also coordinates disaster and other emergency response teams in the region. Wildlife in northeastern India is constantly threatened by natural disasters, particularly floods, as well as human activities such as poaching.
A large number of wildlife species are forced from or stray from their natural habitats. In addition, a significant number of wild animals are seized from illegal trade.
Click here to read more about how we are Making Elephant Protection a Reality in Manas National Park.


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In 1998, I walked away from a six-figure job practicing law to write a novel. I had never written a novel before and had, what is in retrospect, a laughably (or rather frighteningly) small cushion of savings. A year later, I had a lucrative deal with a major publisher. My first novel was a People magazine Page-Turner of the Week. We sold tons of foreign rights.
Do what you love, and the money will follow. Along with being the title of a popular self-help book, it sums up a distinctive ethos of a distinctive time in American history—an Oprah-fied vision of possibilities where the only limits were the boundaries of our dreams.
Times have changed.
Looking back, the Follow Your Heart love fest was a reflection—you might say a symptom—of an economy in overdrive. The widespread failure to see this link was a significant if not surprising vestige of ways of thinking that have deep roots in western culture. It is the same point made by any number of characters in Jane Austen's novels and stated with particular clarity in E.M. Forster's Howards End. "You and I and the Wilcoxes stand upon money as upon islands," Margaret Schlegel tells her aunt. "It is so firm beneath our feet that we forget its existence."
The danger of such forgetfulness is now apparent from any number of cautionary tales, most recently Elizabeth Wurtzel's meltdown in the pages of New York magazine. "I was alone in a lonely apartment with only a stalker to show for my accomplishments and my years," writes the bestselling author of Prozac Nation and graduate of Yale Law School, now in her mid-40s. "I have no husband, no children, no real estate, no stocks, no bonds, no investments, no 401(k), no CDs, no IRAs, no emergency fund—I don't even have a savings account. It's not that I have not planned for the future; I have not planned for the present."
And should this example not be sufficiently chilling, we also have the object lessons of once high-flying Oprah-endorsed celebrities brought low by financial missteps. Most visible among these is Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of the blockbuster Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, Oprah's favorite book of the year for 1996. After making a fortune proclaiming the joys of simple living, Breathnach went on a spending spree, with purchases including Sir Isaac Newton's "chapel" in England and Marilyn Monroe's furs. She ended up with nothing. (While Simple Abundance spent years on bestseller lists, her December 2010 comeback effort—Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Way to Financial Serenity—is ranked 396,776 on Amazon.com as of this writing.)
My own story lacks both the highs and the lows of either Wurtzel's or Breathnach's— after publishing two books and struggling with a third, I ultimately made my way back into the paid workforce—but looking back, I see a similar thread. I too had a tendency to see the present as prelude, to live as if success, once achieved, laid the groundwork for the future. (Which is true to some extent and in some ways but not to the extent or in the ways that some of us seemed to assume.)
All of which goes to explain my interest in a trend that I've taken to calling Follow Your Heart 2.0. In this iteration, we no longer have a stark dichotomy between idealism and practicality. Rather, the new model recognizes that contentment generally requires stability as well as passion. It's Follow Your Heart remixed for the 21st century.
An especially clear formulation of what I'm talking about appears in The Start-up of You, a book by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and co-author Ben Casnocha. The pair urge their readers to consider three interlocking pieces when making work-related decisions: Assets, aspirations and values, and market realities. Assets are the resources we bring to the table—our talents, education, and skills, as well as our bank accounts. The other two categories are pretty much what they sound like.
Significantly, the authors aren't telling readers to forget about their dreams. Rather, they're saying that dreams exist within a larger framework. Depending on your goals–and depending on your needs–context, including the market, may be critically important. "Of course, it's worth mentioning that [her] passion is mobile payment systems," Work Stew blogger Kate Gace Walton remarked dryly of one successful entrepreneur. All dreams are not created equal.
For those of us with ample stocks of education and social capital, the late 90s economy was forgiving and often fun. Risks were not so risky. You could always get a job. The economy circa 2013 is a very different place. "$100,000 is the new $300,000," one literary agent remarked to me, shortly after the Great Recession began. Five years later, it seems increasingly unlikely that we're ever going back.
More and more, I'm seeing Follow Your Heart 2.0 infuse the popular conversation—and I think that's a very good thing. It's apparent in Marci Alboher's excellent new Encore Career Handbook, which acknowledges the critical role that finances play in making a transition to more meaningful work in the second half of life. It's also central to Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, which makes the case that passion most often follows hard work and success, not the reverse.
As for me, I'm older and wiser (I think), but I still have a strong inner sense of direction, and I struggle when circumstances channel my energies into other things. For many of us, work that feels meaningful is a big part of what makes life worthwhile, and there may be times when pursuing that is worth almost any sacrifice. But today, the stakes are different, maybe higher, for many of us. Happy endings are harder to come by. Uncertainty is guaranteed.


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New Horizons Austin provides training for many industry recognized standard and credentials in project management.
Agreements with the following vendors allow New Horizons Austin to deliver the most up-to-date curriculum with specific standards set in alignment
Microsoft Learning Partner
Every Microsoft course at New Horizons Austin follows Microsoft Office Curriculum (MOC), and is taught by Microsoft Certified instructors so you receive the best possible training in Microsoft products.
New Horizons Austin provides Microsoft Technical and Microsoft Office training and certification. As a leading Microsoft training partner, we accept Microsoft SATV vouchers.
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Cisco learning partners are the only authorized sources for commercial Cisco training. This means your instructor at New Horizons Austin is distinctively qualified to offer Cisco authorized training on the latest developments in Cisco technology, while preparing you to pass Cisco Certification exams.
CompTIA Authorized Partner
As a member in the CompTIA Authorized Partner program, New Horizons Austin provides CompTIA-approved curriculum that is designed for the achievement of industry-recognized CompTIA certifications. CompTIA training and certification at New Horizons Austin sets up for successful entry or advancement into an IT career.
VMware Authorized Training Partner
New Horizons Austin has a learning partnership with VMware, a global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure. As an authorized VMware training partner, we will prepare you to manage server and desktop virtualization and achieve VMware certifications.
IBM Training Partner
New Horizon Austin's exclusive IBM training partnership offers IBM authorized training on the design, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of IBM software and systems. This partnership allows you to redeem your IBM Education Packs at New Horizons Austin.
Citrix Learning Partner
New Horizons Austin is a Citrix Authorized Learning Center. Our training gives you real-world skills that you can readily apply to increase productivity with Citrix mobile technology.
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New Horizons Austin is an authorized ITIL training organization, which means we provide the latest approved material. ITIL provides a set of best practices in IT service management.
ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.
The ITIL Accredited Training Organization logo is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.
The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in various e-business and information security skills.


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> select price
Festival Of Flowers
Product DescriptionShow someone you are thinking of them fondly with this crisp white and blue arrangement of flowers from NETZER'S FLORAL. Featuring eye-catching blue delphinium and crisp white roses and tulips, this Festival of Flowers bouquet is as fresh and bright as a clear winter sky and is perfect for any occasion.
You might also be interested in these arrangements
When you order custom designs, they will be produced as closely as possible to the picture. Please remember that each design is custom made. No two arrangements are exactly alike and color and/or variety substitutions of flowers and containers may be necessary. Prices and availability of seasonal flowers may vary.
Our professional staff of floral designers are always eager to discuss any special design or product requests. Call us at the number above and we will be glad to assist you with a special request or a timed delivery.


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Removing funds from completed orders-Adjustments
From MACS
Adjusting funds from completed orders
This procedure will make the funds applied to a completed invoice available for reapplication elsewhere.
This should be done in a zero balance adjustment batch (neg cash).
1. Remove the money from the invoice-you must have the invoice number
2. Undo the invoice so the customer does not owe us money (issue a credit)
- a. Removing the money
- i. Go to AR Enter Edit transactions>Cash Receipts>Click New
- ii. Remove the money by entering a negative amount in pymt field and on product code line in the amount paid fields.
- iii. Click Save
- b. Issuing Credit memo so the now open invoice does not generate notices
- i. Go to AR Enter edit transactions>Credit memo
- ii. Click New and enter ID number and invoice number
- iii. Enter the product code>quantity and amount of credit
- iv. Click Save
3. You will have the money in your batch to reapply.
Once the funds are applied your batch should have a zero balance.


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- Options
Item # CNE0032Item # CNE0032
If you've got a bike frame with a 44mm straight headtube you have a couple of fork steerer options. You can run a 1-1/8" straight steerer with zero stack (ZS) cups, but if you'd like to use a 1-1/8" - 1.5" tapered steerer, Cane Creek makes it possible with this 40 Series Tapered ZS44 EC44/40 Headset. The 44mm headtube is just roomy enough for a tapered steerer as long as the lower cup houses the bearing outside the head tube. As such, this headset is technically a traditional tapered 40-Series, but the 1.5" lower cup has a 44mm O.D. skirt for the press-fit into the frame. It will do the same job as the more expensive 110 Headset, but like the Ford Model T, it's only available in Black. That saves you some bucks.
Where the 110 headset has cups machined from 7075 T6 aluminum, this 40-Series Headset is crafted from 6061 T6 alloy. The functional difference is one of a few grams, with the higher tech alloy of the 110 headset allowing a lighter overall part. This 40-Series Headset spins on Cane Creek's black oxide bearings. The races and balls start out as 52100 steel and are then given an acid bath to make them more corrosion resistant, while still being porous enough to retain grease. They are angular contact bearings (ACB), which resist both axial and radial loads equally well. The cartridges are sealed with what Cane Creek likes to call a Split Lip Seal, which has two contact seals per side to better keep out contaminants and hold in grease.
To augment the seals on the cartridge bearings, Cane Creek adds face seals to the crown race and top assembly. So what if the bearings aren't stainless -- grease kept in and muddy goop kept out keeps 'em running like new for a long time. In the event that you might wreck the bearings through normal use or abuse, you should know that all the internal parts in this 40-Series Headset are compatible with their top-of-the-line 110-Series Headset. So you could always upgrade to the 110 headset's stainless steel bearings. The Clip-Seal in the upper assembly holds all the parts together, including the compression ring. This makes assembly a cinch, since there are no loose parts to misplace or install backwards.
The Cane Creek 40-Series 44 Tapered Headset is anodized Black. Cane Creek adds laser etched graphics including their Skink logo. This is a tapered traditional headset that will mate a fork with a 1-1/8" - 1.5" tapered steerer tube to a 1-1/8" ZS straight head tube having a 44mm i.d. The top bearing cover is compatible with Cane Creek Interlok spacers.
View more Threadless Headsets
Reviews & Community
Go to Steel hard tail Headset
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Much easier to find a tapered steer tube suspension fork these days, and if you pick up a steel hardtail with a straight head tube, this is what you will need to get rolling. So far I have thrown one of these in a Surly Instigator and an All City Electric Queen, no problems on either one. Cane creek 40 series is a solid value and solid performance.
When will this item be back in stock?
When will this item be back in stock?


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Well it didn't take us long to get to the bottom of the reason as to why Brammo will be racing at the AMA Mini Moto SX in Las Vegas this week, as we speculated the Ashland-based company has got dirt bikes on the mind, and today is launching its dirt/supermoto line of electric motorcycles. Debuting with the full-sized Brammo Engage MX & Supermoto, along with the Brammo Encite MMX mini moto, Brammo has a robust off-road offering to its name now.
Behind the new product launch is another big step in the electric motorcycle industry, as the Oregonian company is debuting its new Brammo Engage and Brammo Encite motorcycles with an Integrated Electronic Transmission (IET). Developed by Italian engineering firm S.M.R.E., the IET is basically a six-speed gearbox designed specifically for use on electric motorcycles, and should help lure current ICE rides to the dark side of electrification. With today's news, we think someone just put Zero Motorcycles on notice.


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Web-Cat needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 308 designs submitted by 81 freelance designers.
I am looking for a unique identity for a photographer logo. I am looking for something clean, simple and strong. Another competition used the following as a good examples of what they were looking for and got some great designs as a result [b]ecker, Jasmine Star, Jessica Claire.
Helen Maynard Photography
A simple classic logo
We are looking for a logo that is simple, classic and professional
It will be font based and could play on the H and M of Helen Maynard or could just be Helen Maynard Photography
The design may be that it is even just the words with no image at all.
Feel free to use a script font or plain standard sans serif or serif – completely up to you
The logo will possibly use different colours for the different types of photography ie.
Helen Maynard
Interiors Photography
Helen Maynard
Events Photography
Helen Maynard
Car Photography
We would like quite dark colours please – not bright.
Keywords for the logo are
Contemporary, corporate, trendy, neutral
The final design needs to be provided in Adobe Illustrator format please
- Clean
- Simple
- Classic
- Flexible
- No images of cameras or film
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
Our Flesh is a Tomb
Ada been through an excruciating two week transformation, but the question still remains, will she take the form of vampire or wolf? Jacob's lonely, he's been on the run for weeks now and avoiding the answer. Will he attend the wedding or won't he? Fate's waiting there for him in the shape of a blonde wolf, or maybe even a blonde vampire.
Jacob/OFC. Post-Eclipse, Pre-Wedding. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except Ada, all rights belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. Rating is subject to change.
1. Introduction: Stories
Rating 0/5 Word Count 2272 Review this Chapter
Introduction: Stories
It had been years since I'd been in this part of town. Years since I'd been in this country, but everything still felt the same. The way my feet pressed against the cobblestone street, the sound my sneakers made against each little block was like a message from a god somewhere up there telling me never to leave, to stay here for the rest of my life. I smiled to myself as the sun washed across my face and down the rest of my pale body. The rest of my life seemed so far off. My friends… even my family that was so often on my mind seemed like a distant thought. Dying wasn't even a lingering thought in my happy little mind as I continued down the street towards my destination. It must have been this place that made my heart spring to life like it did. It must have been the buildings and the cutesy store fronts alongside the rustic cobblestone streets that kicked my heart into full speed pounding against my rib cage in a fury of pure delight.
There was little foot traffic on the narrow street and the sidewalk by now, the sun was just beginning to set behind some of the tall buildings leaving a cool shadow in their wake. Stilling smiling, I tightened my sweater closer to my chest. I almost to my destination, slightly skipping when I skidded to a suddenly halt. There was someone there, down the dark alley to my right. I could smell them. It was a sickly sweet smell that stung my sinuses like mentholated cough drops. I turned my burning eyes towards the alley and forced myself to stop moving towards the scent. It was a dangerous scent. A scent I was taught to fear not by my parents or family, but by instinct. I had never actually smelled it before, but I knew what I had to do. It took all my strength, and what was left of my happiness, to pull myself from the mouth of that alley and continue on quickly to my destination. Keep moving, keep moving, I told myself. Don't go back that way, don't do it! I was practically yelling and screaming at myself. My insides dragging me back that way, but my emotions and conscience pushing to go on and as quickly as possible.
I pushed open the door of the small clock shop, instantly the clicking of the many mechanisms filling the air.
"Ah, good afternoon, Miss," the short, owlish man said, straightening his tie from behind his counter. I smiled gently, the scent of that thing far from my mind and striding up to the counter where he stood, holding a newspaper in hand. "What can I do you today, dear?" His voice was gruff, obviously a chain smoker in his off time maybe even a pipe smoker as well.
"I have this watch," I stuck my hand into my small handbag retrieving a gold pocket watch, a slender gold chain following from behind. I set it softly on the counter. He picked it up in his little hand, pulling up his glasses that were dangling at his neck to his nose. He inspected it quietly with scrutinizing eyes.
"Ah, yes," he smiled as he found the factory label on the inside of the little round door that protected the glass face of the clock itself. "I haven't seen one of these in years." Excitement plated in his tone. "Years…" he mused.
"Well," I thought about how to put it without sounding like a complete ass, "It's broken." I groaned to myself. Idiot. Of course it was broken, why else would I be here?
"Of course it's not." He smiled, flipped over the watch, and gently popped the backing open. He pulled his magnifier light towards him and set the lens in front of himself. He held the watch under it as he scrutinized it a little more. "There's a slight chip on this back gear that's causing the connecting gear to slip and not catch the teeth like it should." He looked up at me and frowned. "But I can't fix it here. My tools are not quite sensitive enough to fix a delicate piece of art like this."
"Oh," the coloured drained from my face.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you come upon such a fine timepiece?" his thick Austrian accent sticking to his words.
I collected my happy thoughts and pushed them into my voice box. "It's my father's, and now it's mine."
"It's such a lovely piece of Swiss workmanship. Beautiful." He turned it over in his hand. "18 karat gold, Russell and Son. London and Liverpool. About 1872... maybe '73." It seemed to be a bunch of nonsense to me. "You should really have this insured. I would say no less than $10,000, American."
I smiled, "Of course." Slightly bewildered… 1873, I was almost positive-
"I apologize for not being able to help you, but let me give the card of a good restoration artist," he chuckled, interrupting my thoughts. He pulled a card from one of the drawers behind the counter and held it out across the counter for me to grab.
"Thank you anyways," I said as I put the card and the watch back into my bag.
I found myself on the street, completely distracted at this point, angry with myself for even coming down here in the first place. It had gotten much darker since I'd entered the little shop. I halted again suddenly realizing the direction I was heading. I felt myself lose control of my feelings as that scent from earlier crept up from behind me and whirled around my face. I huffed, a deep breath expelling it. I spun on my heels, but it was too late. His arms were around me, dragging me into the dark alley.
* * *
My head spun and my thoughts were clouded as I opened my eyes. The darkness was blinding and the scent was building from all around me. I reached my arms out in hopes of finding, something… anything with in reach distance to pull myself up on. As I lifted my right arm, something slid against. I recognized it immediately as my leather handbag. I quickly ripped it open and dug through it furiously, blindly. My hand it something cool and square. My heartbeat quickened as I pulled out my cell phone. "No Service," the screen announced. If only I had been smarter to get the calling plan that included all of the European nations, and not just the ones I frequented. I flipped it open and illuminated a tiny area around me, some expensive flashlight. I scanned it around the area and pulled myself to my feet, using great care to be as quiet as possible. The floor around me was empty and it seemed to be some sort of concrete. I slipped quietly towards one end of whatever it was I was in. It was so sudden I didn't expect it, a groan from behind me. I stood solemn without another movement. And yet it rang out again.
"H-" the voice rasped. I turned on my heels and moved silently towards the noise, when my little light fell upon a person laying a few feet in front of me.
I bet down to the figure and touched her hair. She jumped slightly as my hand made contact with her face. "Who are you?" she asked in a soft, muffled voice.
"Ada," I smiled, looking down at her, trying to comfort her. Bruises covering her face along with a cold sweat. "How long have you been here? And," I paused, "where exactly is 'here?'"
She took a moment to grab another breath, before saying, "I don't know, a few days. This is some sort of storage building. There are piles of boxes all around us." She was right. She was leaning against a few herself.
A door a few feet away from us flew open clattering against the walls of the building. A light flooded the room, causing us both to turn away. I quickly scooped up my bag and threw the phone into it, zipping it shut.
"Ah, I see our sleeping beauties are awake," a cold voice laughed. The smell was so strong again it dizzied me. I heard the scuffled of feet outside the door, as the cold voice grabbed us both by the scruff of our necks, dragging us to our feet. "Now walk, and if you act the slightest bit suspicious, I'll kill you myself." I could see the voice's face now. Long, thin with a perfectly pointed nose, he had dark mahogany hair that rested just above his pale ears. His skin was an odd tone of white, translucent. His veins were pulsing with rage. We shuffled out the door and into the dimly light alleyway that I did not recognize. He walked quickly to the mouth of the alley with both of us in tow. The woman having a hard time keeping up, she tripped over her feet and her weak knees buckled. She fell with a thud. I turned quickly to help her back up.
"Leave her," he scowled. I turned to her pleading eyes just as another man moved from the shadows. I jumped back and started towards the entrance where the first man was leading me. I turned back over my shoulder to see the other man scooping her up and then following us.
There was a small group of people here, curiously chattering with each other. Some with shopping bags, others with cameras. Tourists, I thought to myself.
"Okay, let's go," he smiled to the group. We were herded out of the alley way by a few men who moved from the shadows. "Everyone on the bus." There were at least five of them, the crowded in around us, acting like they were tourists, but I knew better. I gave each of them a quick look-over, guessing my chances of running and actually making it. They all wore black jackets of some sort, but it didn't disguise the bulk beneath them. The looked like stone, marble to be exact. Each had a pale complexion and stony features. Strong men, and I was a simple, weak girl. I frowned, doomed.
There it stood a common tour bus, but the writing on the side was anything, but something I could read. It looked almost French, maybe… Italian. I recognized it now. I only knew a few words, none of which were on the side of the bus of course. I knew something was terribly wrong, I could feel it, but I didn't try to argue, fearing it would only make my situation worse, and got on to the bus. People filed in around me and behind me. I took a seat next to the window and a young couple sat down next to me.
"Caio, il mio nome-" the young lady said with a fierce English accent.
"I speak English," I mumbled, cutting her off.
"Oh, good," she smiled, obviously in chatty mood. The perk in her voice gave her away. "I'm Catherine and this is Thomas," the man next to her leaned over and waved. "We're from Leeds, and we just couldn't pass up such a deal."
"What deal?"
"Deal? Well, the whole tour, you know? Across Italy and beyond." She eyed me suspiciously, and continued. "This tour we're on, right now. Super cheap. Practically free."
"Almost too good to be true," Thomas laughed.
I didn't. This was sick. Herding people together, luring them in and then… and then what? What were they going to do with us? Throw us into a factory, forced labor, maybe? Maybe it was some sick thrill they'd get from kidnapping us and taking us where ever they pleased. Maybe even kill us. I shuddered. It seemed so distant to the thoughts I had earlier today when sunshine spread through my body. Was it still today? What day was it? How long had I slept?
I looked over my shoulder to try and find the woman who was held in the room with me, she was no where in sight.
"Um, where are we exactly?"
Catherine gave me a look of pure confusion, "Tuscany of course."
"And, uh, what day is it?"
"Sunday," she smiled, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Just a little car sick," I lied. She smiled again, another fake smile and turned away.
Sunday? If I remembered correctly it was Saturday when I roamed the streets of Vienna looking for the clock shop. An entire day I had slept, I must have been drugged… The bus jerked to a start and pulled away from the curb. The cold voice came over the P.A. system in the bus.
"Now as we move along these small streets we'll be looking as some…" His voice rattled on about architecture and historical sites. Suddenly, one word caught my mind, "To get into Volterra we'll be taking a small country road that leads directly into the city, through the only entrance."
Volterra. I shuddered. I had heard of the town before, fairy tales and fables passed on from generation to generation in my family. Stories of missing women and children, unexplained deaths, and… and vampires. I was frightened of the city as a child, deathly scared. My grandfather had made sure that I would never enter the city's walls by frightening me like he did. I pushed the thoughts of those stories from my mind. They were just that, stories.
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Recently I have been thinking about the following poset: the underlying set is $\mathcal{AFT}$ consisting of all (finite) automorphism-free undirected trees (with at least one edge to exclude the trivial cases pointed out by Joel) and the poset relation $\leq$ is defined by $T \leq U$ if $T$ can be obtained from $U$ by successively deleting one leaf node at a time in such a way that each intermediate tree is also an element of $\mathcal{AFT}$.
The smallest element of $\mathcal{AFT}$ is the seven node tree which is the Dynkin diagram of $E_7$ (and which I will therefore refer to simply as $E_7$ from herein):
So $E_7$ is certainly a minimal element in the above partial order.
Question: Does $(\mathcal{AFT},\leq)$ have a unique minimal element, namely $E_7$?
There are several equivalent formulations of this question which I have considered, hoping one of them might lead somewhere useful:
Question 2: Can every element of $\mathcal{AFT}$ be obtained by starting at $E_7$ and successively adjoining leaf nodes so that we remain in $\mathcal{AFT}$ at every stage?
Question 3: Is there an element of $\mathcal{AFT}$ besides $E_7$ such that deleting $any$ single leaf node results in a tree not in $\mathcal{AFT}$.
Question 3 in particular seems simple enough that it must have been answered somewhere before, but alas almost any search for 'automorphism-free' and 'trees' results in papers about the result that almost every tree has an automorphism or results on the fixed vertices/edges of trees under automorphisms.
Trying to construct a minimal example larger than $E_7$ for Question 3 keeps leading to near-misses where all but one leaf nodes' removal takes us outside $\mathcal{AFT}$, but after removing this one leaf node, there is still a sequence of removals remaining in $\mathcal{AFT}$ that leads back to $E_7$ which is the best evidence I have so far that Question 1 is true.
So, does anyone know where this might have been considered already, and if so, if the answer to Question 1 is affirmative?


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Human Journalism – best articles from periodismohumano.com
echo date('d.m.Y',strtotime($post->post_date)); ?> ·
By Carmen Rengel / Translation: Blanca García
- Mixed couples from Jerusalem and the West Bank risk their visas and spend their money to live together in no man's land
- The risk of losing their residence or their mobility permits leads them to buy houses on very expensive land, next to the wall, with no services or protection whatsoever
- More than 60,000 Jerusalem Arabs are now stranded on the other side of the concrete wall, because of the security layout imposed by Israel
The siege on Palestine complicates even love. A West Bank citizen, his moves completely limited, who cannot go to Gaza and who only exceptionally and for a very limited time has a visa to cross over to East Jerusalem, is almost forced to find a partner in his or her hometown, in the next village at most. There is no mixture, no integration: there is endogamy, and it gets more limiting every day. The blood and friendship ties among the historical Palestinian communities are reduced. Isolation is reinforced. You have to pair up with your neighbor. And that's it.
echo date('d.m.Y',strtotime($post->post_date)); ?> ·
- A UN report unveils the exploitation of about one thousand women: poverty, patriarchy and violence lead them to prostitute themselves.
- Most of them are sold by their relatives, their first abusers. Almost half of them were already married by the age of 14 and 60% were raped during their first time.
- The lack of legislation in the Territories leads to the complete impunity of pimps and mafias.
The gospel says that Jesus healed Mary, the sinner, of seven demons who tormented her. It was over by Magdala, a village by Lake Tiberias, more than 2000 years ago. About an hour away from the Magdalene's village (which the maps now say is called Migdal and is on Israeli soil) lives today Randa, 38, two kids, Palestine, Muslim, prostitute. She still lives with her seven demons: poverty, analphabetism, domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, family disownment, venereal disease…To name just seven. What she narrates is enough to understand that there are still a few more demons stalking her. Her case is one of the ones that have been the basis for UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women), whose experts have drafted the first report on prostitution and AIDS in the Palestinian territory and East Jerusalem, from about 250 testimonies of sex workers, pimps, clients and sanitary workers. It is radiography of a double disaster: that of female exploitation, hidden behind patriarchies, poverty and hunger, and that of the unknown disease, silenced, ignored by oppressors who place their pleasure over the safety and dignity of the woman.
According to data from the main Palestinian women's aid NGO's, at least a thousand of them prostitute themselves constantly in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. As they explain in SAWA (All the women together today and tomorrow), "necessity is the best aphrodisiac and Palestine, with poverty levels above 20% at best, is not an exception". There is no work for them: barely 15.5 % of Palestinian working-age women, compared to 67% of men (these are averages, in Gaza for example unemployment levels are over 45%). As the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) confirms, the rates have been stuck at the same level for a decade, so necessity becomes once again the best breeding ground for exploitation: families with an average of seven members, extremely low salaries (around 180 Euros a month), refugees, with limited movement because of the Israeli "occupation force"… "That leads to the families being the ones to give up their daughters in a lot of cases, even knowing that a stranger is going to wreck her", but they need the handful of bills, the report points out.
That is what happened to Randa (fictitious name), who had to leave her home at the age of 15, straight to the brothel. It was her father who decided to sell her. She doesn't know for how much. He did it "out of necessity", six children and a wife to support on a construction worker's salary but there was no sorrow in his decision. In 36.5% of the cases the fathers are the ones who initiate the girls in prostitution or their own husbands (38.1%). The clients' cynicism is brutal when, in the survey, more than half of them state that they are convinced that the women act "freely", that they are the ones who administer themselves and who decide to practice prostitution. The same men who take the first step in white slave trade, even with their own blood. Randa now works as a clerk in a West Bank store, after leaving prostitution three years ago. She was lucky: she was able to escape because lately she had been working for a pimp, not in a brothel, and he died of cancer. She did not owe anything to anyone. Nothing to account for. She packed her bags and left for a different town, and for another one, and for another one. Now she feels safe. Her children are her daily light. Neither one of them was born out of love, but out of clients' rapes. Knowing who the fathers are is impossible. She does not see them as a disgrace. She leans on them, illegitimate children as disowned by society as herself. Two boys who now have their first girlfriends, whom they respect and take care of. "People think that I'm a Gazan's widow, I have my job and my kids are studying. But some people ask too many questions…", she states, sheltered by staff from the NGO that helped her start her new life.
Her case is prototypical, it fits the most important strokes of the UN report: she was abused in her home, just like 96.3% of Palestinian prostitutes, mostly by her father; her oldest uncle tried to sexually abuse her several times, but always there was a witness to spoil his plans and he just touched her –another common trait, sexual attacks by relatives, almost eight out of ten prostitutes suffer them-; like 74 % of them, Randa did not finish even her basic education, she stopped going to school when she was 11 to help her mother sew at home; her entry into the world of prostitution was clearly forced (like in 64.3% of the cases). "Actually, the remaining percentage of women who choose sex do it out of obvious necessity so, even though they are the ones to take the first step, it is not really voluntary either", clarifies the report.
Prostitutes in Palestine are mostly local, with whom they traffic internally between Qalqilia, Hebron, Tulkarem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jerusalem, for the most part. Before the blockade they also arrived from Gaza. There are exceptions, such as the almost one hundred girls from Eastern Europe who were first taken to Israel and then to the Territories. Even though social pressure and religious connotations make the topic absolutely taboo, the UN has found "clear evidence of escort services, private houses, brothels and homes supposedly familiar"; the most common, they say, is that the girls work in brothels ran by a madame. "A tyrant who let us eat bread with milk once a day", Randa reports, remembering her first exploiter, the one who was her father's accomplice. To hide from curious eyes, some mafias go to the extent of buying houses in Jewish colonies in the West Bank, in the ones that are less watched over, and set up the meetings there. If they are "urgent", abandoned or under construction buildings will do.
Most of the girls are single or divorced, recruited by their close circle (family or neighbors). 43% of all married prostitutes got married when they were under 14 years old and for 58.3% of them their first time was not consented. "It is in these marriages blessed by society in which forced relations take place from the beginning, to which we have to add the fact that husband and wife don't know each other, the age limitations, the lack of knowledge about their bodies, their dignities and their obligations, the risk of submission…"experts indicate. Many of these teenagers, who have already grown up humiliated, were Randa's mates in many West Bank brothels. "Most of them were prostitutes because the husband demanded it to pay for his gaming or drug debts", she tells. It is an almost unbreakable loop: "First it is your husband who abuses you. Then he starts offering you to his friends for money, then to the people he owes money to or to the dealer he wants drugs from. Sometimes you end up in an apartment with a madam and sometimes you become a drug addict yourself and then, even of your husband is not there or does not demand you prostitute yourself, you stay in the sex business to pay for your addiction", she adds. UN Women has found widowed women hooked on drugs because of their husbands, who after they died, kept offering their bodies around refugee camps like Shufat. Sometimes they would do it for 20 shekels (around 4 Euros). Money, food, clothes, cell phone charges… Anything that allows them to breathe or to bring some money home. "We have found 15 to 20 year old women who are the oldest ones in their household and that way they make some money for the younger ones. There are others who live in places like Hebron, where all the industries have been destroyed and they are the only ones who have a source of income. There are some whose husbands are in prison for political reasons and who no one wants to hire in case Israeli soldiers look for her and cause trouble. Some have even turned to selling sex to pay for their college tuition fees as a way to escape and have other opportunities in the world", explains the report. In most cases they do not take the money and administer it, they do it through their pimps, so they do not always manage to pay the bills. Even worse if they are forced to look for clients in bars and restaurants, because they are the ones who have to pay for the orders. Barely a third of the services are estimated to end up in the girls' hands. There have been documented cases like that of a young woman from Gaza who offered her services in exchange for a sandwich. Those who complain receive beatings or threats against their children. "They are prisoners", the experts sum up. And they do not report it out of fear of losing their kids, suffering even more brutal abuse or losing their lives.
Deception techniques are also used in this region: 15% of the girls end up in prostitution after getting fake documents to cross the border to Ramallah or East Jerusalem, supposedly to work as cleaners. The mafias also publish job offers with 2,500-3,000 shekels salaries (between 500 and 700 Euros, a good wage) and, when the girl shows up, she is asked about her family's money, if she is married, if she has any diseases… "If she is not very pretty or if she is a little fat, she is immediately rejected. Clearly, they were not looking for housekeepers, secretaries or store clerks", like the ads said.
The subjugation of these slaves –deepens the report- is more intense than in other areas of the planet because they come from backgrounds in which a woman's voice does not matter at all. Patriarchy leads Palestinian women to having a secondary role, to a forced dependence, to "vulnerability and exploitation". In fact, the few reports that are made are done by the Europeans, says the Jerusalem City Police. To that we have to add the torment undergone after years of enduring beatings and abuse: according to PCBS, 61.9% of married women suffer psychological abuse in present day Palestine; a third, physical abuse, and 11% sexual abuse. Domestic violence is a private matter that is not talked about or reported out of shame or because of the damage to honor, the same one that has, in the last year, taken the lives of nine girls, at least two of them pregnant with their own brother of father's baby. Divorce is not an option, because the families do not always welcome the woman back. If they do not have a partner or a home, they reach prostitution in a short period of intense desperation. Everything keeps adding up until making up the forcibly submissive soul of these women who, moreover, because of their culture and lack of knowledge, understand sex as complete service to the man, "who is not a man for some of them if he does not hit and dominate". "To that are added the problems caused by the Israeli occupation, which are reflected in the homes and in the brothels. The men who feel insecure or weak may turn to violence to exert control over their families, to regain the sense of power. If you are humiliated at a checkpoint, it is possible that you go home and beat your wife, and even more a prostitute, which they treat with total impunity", the report points out.
Palestine, relatively autonomous, and at the very least, months away from being independent, does not have any laws that penalize these kinds of behavior, so the problem is never solved. There are some traces of Egyptian and Jordanian laws, the countries that controlled the Territories before the 1967 war, and before the Israeli laws were applied in East Jerusalem, but the doubts as to which text is valid cause that, in the end, they are worth nothing. Some laws are already being revised (domestic abuse, crimes of honor, divorce…), but the burden is still there: for example, in rape cases, they make a distinction of victims who are virgins and victims who are not, and if the crime is committed against the second ones, the conviction is minimal (two months to two years in jail); there is no conviction or fine if the rapist agrees to marry his victim and there are no legal references either to rape inside marriage, as the 1960 Jordanian legislation indicates. The conviction for having a brothel is six months in prison, for the pimps it is six months to two years, although the average time is never over a year. Exploiting women is very cheap. In the case of sheer prostitution, the law does not link it to human trafficking, so that other criminal circle impossible do dissociate is never investigated. As if throwing a teenager from Jenin onto a truck and sending her with a false visa to the At Tur neighborhood (East Jerusalem) was not pure trafficking.
The Police do not offer much help: there are not enough resources, training or sensibility, denounce the authors of the report. 91.4% of prostitutes do not think the officers would protect them if they needed it. There have been cases of girls who have sought their protection and, an hour later, were being dragged out if the police station by "a hundred" relatives, claiming vengeance on the whore that is dishonoring them. They might even be the same ones who initiated her in the business and who raped her as a child. "The most painful thing is to see how the woman completely loses her capacity to make decisions, they control the way she dresses and she is told how to look for a partner, they need a man to open a bank account and then they are exploited with no legal consequences. Fear of a bad reputation, social norms, tradition, the way sex is understood and unspoken violence make it a breeding ground for suffering", concludes the document. Those who live under Israeli legislation are not better off, some because they are in East Jerusalem illegally, others because for political reasons are scared or going to the "enemy" agents. The result is the same: utter defenselessness. Several doctors confess to the UN that they have tried to help these women and that they have found themselves with answers such as: "It is not your business. You are just a doctor. Do not stick your nose into other people's business". The person who got such a cutting answer had just attended a nine year old girl that several relatives raped and who was "available" to anyone who wanted her, with previous payment. The report holds testimonies of clients who, without hesitation, justify the sexual exploitation of women. "Our society is closed and of you are not married it is impossible to obtain sex any other way". "I go out of desire or to find more sexual variety". "We know of madams who you call and they send a little girl to your house any time you want". "It is a good way to initiate yourself in sex". "They do what they have to do because we tell them to". Most clients are married (58%) or married men who "cannot stand" waiting until the wedding (32.8%). There are taxi drivers, lawyers, salesmen, and even some of the many foreigners who move around the Territories. More and more, adds the UN, teenagers become part of this inhumane chain. In Palestine there is the character of the teacher, a man who takes whole groups of young boys to drink alcohol and do drugs and, later, to "visit the prostitutes".
The arrogance of the clients and the lack of information are the causes of the lack of protection these prostitutes face AIDS with. According to UN Women, limited access to brochures, advice, therapy and other health orientation prevents them from choosing between their security and the exploiter's orders. They cannot negotiate. It is not only a matter of will, many of them do not know what AIDS is or how it is transmitted: 39% of them admit to not knowing the risks, compared to 1.6% of clients. They do know, but they deal with it with superiority ("That cannot happen to me"): 81.2% of the men believe that they are not vulnerable to HIV; the women, when they learn about it and understand, confess that they are completely exposed to it (78%). "There is no AIDS in the Middle East, condoms decrease pleasure and also here we have a healthy environment. I sleep with young and clean girls, I am sure they do not have AIDS". With statements like these, 64% of clients refuse to wear a condom. It is what the girls say. The men deny it, only 14% confesses to never using it. Experts suspect that the percentage may be even higher, because many times the girls are used after having been drugged. "They are not too sure about what they do to them". The men do not use condoms, basic means to prevent the transmission of HIV, because "they feel less pleasure", "it is more natural without it", "they cost a lot money", "they cause infertility" or, simply, because they don't want to. That way the risk increases because of fluids and because of the possibility of blood exchanges, due to the injuries the women can have during these brutal sex sessions. The girls who also do drugs maintain that sharing needles is very common in brothels.
The National Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry has registered since 1986 about 19 cases of asymptomatic HIV carriers and 47 of fully developed AIDS, most of them young men infected during heterosexual relations. The WHO says that this data is very questionable; the chaos of an unfinished administration reaches health too. In all of the Middle East and north of Africa the epidemic is constantly growing, going from 200,000 cases in 2001 to 310,000 in 2008. There is an estimated 33 million people with HIV worldwide. Prostitutes, since they are more exposed (bad habits, violence, change of partners) should be more careful in its prevention, but it is not the case: only 18.5% of the women have gotten tested at some point, opposed to the 81.5% who never have. They are completely unaware that, if they go to a healthcare center, they have the right to get tested with complete confidentiality. They are more scared of the publicity than of the disease itself.
Randa confirms what the UN data say. She got to the point of being subjugated to 9 men in one night. She barely remembers having used condoms, and every time she did it was because the woman who owned the club demanded it, not because her wishes were heard. She only got tested once in 21 years, at the demand of a German business man who fell for her and was her stable client for a while. She could not work for ten days after a client repeatedly raped her and hit her with a rubber truncheon. Sometimes she left her sons in the brothel because she did not have friends of money to make sure they were taken care of. She is still recovering from the gonorrhea that has caused her severe hemorrhages. She pretended to be the mother of some younger prostitutes to make believe that they had permission to go shopping in Jerusalem. Those girls stayed in the capital hidden and they were never heard from again. She was kicked out of a brothel for refusing to recruit young girls ("I was not going to do with them what they did with me") and one of the partners kept her to secretly drive her to a small village, where he left her living on the outskirts, in the fields, in an unreachable area surrounded by a tiny vegetable garden and a well, where every night he would bring the clients and some food, so no one would see her or know anything about her. A great deal of pain until the death of his last pimp set her free. Her testimony, brought together more by the volunteers than by herself, is sharp and gritty. It is the result of the hands that have beat her, the force that has subjugated her, the pain that has sunken her. Now she tries to look towards the future with her sons and her job. Just a humble and simple wish of survival in peace. It is what she wants for her old workmates and for the 4.5 million women who are prostitutes in the world right now.
UN Women report recommendations:
- To create temporary laws in Palestine to avoid the lack of protection of women who are prostitutes and to punish the crimes they endure before and during the exploitation
- To strengthen the role of women in the Palestinian job market, that prevents them from being forced into prostitution out of necessity. We must insist on opening new ways in traditionally male jobs and new areas of innovation
- To train the Police to assist the victims and prevent their exploitation and illegal transportation
- To set up a national plan against domestic and sexual violence, forced prostitution and human trafficking
- To reinforce an education based on equality and values so the models of oppression and violence are not reproduced in adults, with special insistence on rural and unstructured areas
- To facilitate access to information about HIV and to guarantee safe and private tests.


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As I remember it, the most any one team can be bumped down in the draft lottery is one spot. Is that correct?
If so, if the Penguins finish last overall, they are guaranteed at worst a 2nd overall pick, and therefore are guaranteed Kessel or Johnson (unless some sniper is available that high, which I think is the Penguins biggest weakness right now).
Anyone know if this is accurate?


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vre-guy needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 434 designs submitted by 152 freelance designers.
We are in internet marketing company that teach people how to build businesses online. We have a new product coming out called "virtual real estate."
The concept is similar to regualar real estate - but the key is it's all digital.. We teach how to make websites, get them to cashflow for you, or flip them.
People who want to make money on the internet OR people who were trying to make money with real estate, but don't trust it anymore - and want something similar, but MUCH more powerful!
I want you guys to be creative. I just need a killer logo that will be on our website, and also on a book cover.
Here are some logos and color schemes that I really like:
Somehow we need to show in the logo that it's a blend of "real estate (houses) and "virtual" (websites)...
Excited to send someone a lot of ca$h!
New Updates!!!
Lots of great designs, but still not hitting the right angle yet... I think that they right direction instead of the house theme, is to do a "blueprints" theme...
Here are a few samples I found:
I'll post more in teh comments section.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.