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I'm in Paris until Thursday for the BNP Paribas Masters (aka Bercy Masters). There's usually plenty at stake in the ninth and final Masters 1000 event of the year: the race for world number one ranking or the battle for a place in the season-ending London finals. But this year, the eight players who have secured their spots are already known: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori.
I have however big expectations for this tournament:
– I'm eager to see the "new" Bercy arena: the POPB that hosts the Bercy Masters has been completely renovated (read more about the modernization project)
– I didn't manage to get tickets for the Davis Cup final, so I would like to see the clash between Andy Murray and David Goffin in the third round. I also would like to see Rafa Nadal and Kei Nishikori.
My first impressions about the renovated arena: everything looks so … grey: the court, the seats, the hallway. It's quite depressing! The food is expensive, as usual: €8 for a pizza slice, €4 for a 50cl Coke bottle! If you plan to attend the Bercy Masters next year, bring your own food. There's also a bakery just in front of the arena where you can buy good sandwiches. On the plus side: free wifi is now available in the arena, and the seats are much more comfortable!
Roger Federer vs Lucas Pouille. World number 2 vs world number 176. A 17-time Grand Slam champion vs a player taking part to his first Masters 1000 event. Prior to this week, Pouille had only won one tour-level match, against Alex Kuznetsov last year at Roland Garros. He beat Steve Johnson and Jarkko Nieminen in the qualifiers, and then Ivo Karlovic and Fabio Fognini in the main draw to reach the third round here in Bercy.
The match seemed unbalanced on paper, but not so much on the court.
Federer won with relative ease 6-4 6-4, but I wasn't impressed by his playing level. And I still don't get why he doesn't play more serve and volleys in such a game. As for Lucas Pouille, he did not seem impressed to play his idol Roger Federer in front of 12,000 people. He played a solid match, with some big serving and clean groundstrokes.
Follow our Bercy 2014 coverage on Tennis Buzz.


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There are 640 calories in 1 serving of Spicy Vegetarian Chili II.
Calorie split: 5% fat, 71% carbs, 23% protein.
Wendy's Copycat Chili
Chili recipe that is just like you get at Wendy's restaurants
Per serve - Energy: 211kcal | Carb: 29.60g | Prot: 16.46g | Fat: 4.12g
Ice Fruit Smoothie
An all fruit smoothie with a protein kick.
Per serve - Energy: 444kcal | Carb: 58.41g | Prot: 57.60g | Fat: 3.31g
Lean Beef & Bean Chili
Delicious chili made with Weight Watchers core ingredients.
Per serve - Energy: 205kcal | Carb: 32.29g | Prot: 14.34g | Fat: 2.57g
Tomato and White Bean Salad
Easy to prepare side salad.
Per serve - Energy: 176kcal | Carb: 27.45g | Prot: 9.50g | Fat: 4.02g
Strawberry Banana Soy Smoothie
A super scrumptious simple and quick smoothie that fills you up.
Per serve - Energy: 236kcal | Carb: 46.10g | Prot: 9.60g | Fat: 3.97g
Butternut Lentil Stew
Lovely stew with lentils and butternut squash.
Per serve - Energy: 364kcal | Carb: 67.09g | Prot: 17.96g | Fat: 4.87g

subset: commoncrawl


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Insights from Our Experts
What gets your website 'Hate Points' & How to fix those!
17Mar 2017
In this advanced digital age, the most valuable marketing asset your company owns is your website. The better a first impression your website makes, the better it influence the purchase decision of the visitor. Have an annoyingly confusing, hard to navigate, slow loading site? Wave Adios to your prospective clients and see them march to your competition. It is as important as in a face-to-face or on-phone conversation that you have your integrity shine through your website.
There are zillion reasons why a site visitor could possibly hate your website. Let's take a look at some of the most outrageous yet seemingly innocent faux pas that could potentially cost you a sale (or more!).
Forever Loading! / Long load times
As per studies conducted by kissMetrics, 47% of site visitors expect a site to load in 2 secs and 40% of them abandon the session if it takes longer than 3 seconds. Say Hello to abandonment, low conversion rates and Google pagerank penalty.
If you want people to stick around your website, you have to put your site's load performance optimization at the top of your to-do list and check on it regularly. Often overlooked things like image size reduction, caching static images or getting a faster hosting package could be the key to reducing loading time.
Mobile What? / Not mobile responsive
Who likes to scroll side to side to read content or zoom in to read smaller fonts from your mobile device? That's right. No one! Having to mention the importance of mobile responsive sites in 2017 may sound outdated, but there are still plentiful mobile non- responsive sites out there. It's better late than never. Invest in updating sites for a user friendly mobile browsing experience.
Who are you? / Private Domain Name Registration
An increasing number of websites are now using products like WhoIsGuard to hide their domain information. This irks visitors and makes your site looks suspicious. Be open about the ownership. Use your business' public contact information for domain registration and choose to keep those details public.
You should also have an apt privacy policy in place that interested site visitors could find and read with ease. The more trustworthy you get, the more sales you attract.
Not safe in here! / No encryption
When one has to disclose his contact or credit information on an online site, he may prefer a secure, encrypted site over a totally unprotected one. By having a secure https connection, also known as SSL (secure socket layers) any information going to and from your server is automatically encrypted. This prevents hackers from sniffing out your visitors' sensitive information as it passes through the internet.
Your visitors will feel safer on your site when they see the lock while accessing your website – knowing it's protected by a security certificate. Plus, Google do take website security as a 'Lightweight Ranking Signal'; a secure https connection could help with your page ranking as well.
Oh, my eyes! / Sub standard content
Nothing kills the vibe like an unprofessionally designed website. Flashy letters, blinking/scrolling text, tasteless graphics, tiny fonts, low quality/generic stock images and what not - A website that looks 'Made-in-the 90's is not going to get a second chance from a site visitor for obvious reasons. Keep it simple, classy and timeless. Use personable pictures from your work space instead of cheesy stock images for a more fresh and approachable feel.
The same goes with poorly written content. Quality, not quantity matters when it comes to website content. You only get the attention of a site visitor for mere seconds. Focus on content that hold that attention for longer. Invest in professional content writing that puts your business in the best light possible. Also try using charts, infographics or videos in moderation for those who have a lesser attention span.
I'm lost! / Poor Navigation
This common design faux happens when a design chooses style over user experience. Will the trendiest design pattern that you just used on your website really help your usual band of site visitors? If the answer is No, you don't necessarily need it. Keep it as simple or as complicated as your target audience is, After all, the bottom line is that any visitor not being able to navigate through your site will go back to Google search without a second thought.
Follow the navigation best practices, like using descriptive labeling, prioritizing menu item order and making internal linking smoother. A bonus tip with internal linking is that many desktop users these days prefer links opening in a separate tab rather than loading in the same one, while mobile users want the opposite. Again, the key rule here is to identify your core audience and adjust to their taste.
It goes pop pop! / Excessive pop ups
Pop Ups are like the telemarketers of web world. If used correctly they boost conversion, if not they annoy the life out of you. However useful and relevant they may be, they still interrupt a visitor's experience and tend to feel pushy and/or spammy.
People do NOT like pop-ups; It's not their first nature to like them. The one thing you can do is to have delayed pop-ups that only appear after the user has been on your site for a significant amount of time, or has scrolled to a certain break point within your content. If a user is interested enough to stick with your content, they are less likely to hit the back button when it comes to a pop-up ad. And try to step away from the trend of using 'Guilt trip' pop up messages. It may be working, but no one really likes them.
Beating around the bush / Not having proper contact details
Increasing number of service companies are shying away from providing their contact details and relying on contact forms instead. Maybe they see that as a good measure to keep annoying telemarketers out. Know what else it is good at? - Keeping a few prospective clients away!
Seeing a contact form in place of a ready-to-reach telephone number or email address is a definitive no-no when you have a target audience that demand your services on a quick call. Plus, no one has the time or patience to fill out a contact form and wait indefinitely for your reply. Think of it like this. If you had to choose out of two service providers, one who has a detailed contacts page complete with its top people profile AND another who has simply a contact form that you have to fill for them to get back to you, who would you chose? Choose wisely.
Shhhh!! / Autoplaying content.
Have you ever been on a website expecting to read some text data and had a unexpected random loud video clip play in background? Then you had to scramble around to find the video on the page and click 'Pause'. What an ordeal that was. Well, guess what. Other people too - some of them your site visitors - will find it downright outrageous and will resort to closing the tab altogether to escape.
Take a lesson from Facebook and Twitter. Even though they autoplay videos on our feed, they are always on mute unless we choose to unmute them. Extend similar level of courtesy to your visitors by not forcing your multimedia content on them. Either let them choose when to play it or have it start with the sound muted.
"Recent two year old Article?"/ Abandoned Blog Page
Having an in-site blog is a great way to say you and your team are active on the website. But a blog section with a "Recent Article" written several years ago is going to do more bad than good. Keep your blog updated and share your wisdom to showcase your subject expertise to prospective clients.
If your site has content that deserve shares, do have social media sharing buttons. It's a definitive downer for a visitor to not have an option to share the awesome content they found. The more shares you get, the more traffic you will have. It is a true win-win situation.


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Bad, bad jewccyfruits jewst begging to be banned from $permFart
A lot of mongrels and addlepated ass-clowns pretending to be Christians have left Stormfront for the reasons you mentioned, but this website has been officially declared "secular." Which means that me and Klunt, Moan Cybelene Sapphiracy of Klunt temp-el prostitute and me can't ban any real Christian Identity followers any more. Anti-Christian bashing has been a gratuitous sport for some time; even Don Black recently characterized it as "Christ-insanity" and told people of faith to "keep it in the asylum" (meaning Theology). He simply got tired of me and Klunt's/Debbie's antics in causing trouble and then begging like pussies for the persons we rile up to be banned. Why, Jack Poot has wanted to finish off this shit for years because it puts no slop in Milton Munster Don Black's and The Duck's virtual trough. And this was over a self admitted jew like MildSwill Finckelsheenie, that murderous Ashkenazi jewboy pig trying to crash the CI forum and incredible as it may seem, some WN's just didn't get the jew thingy. They do understand that me and Klunt are nothing but trouble and Klunt is now too pancake-titted and slack-twatted to provide much in the way of sacred whoredumbs, although she can still suck a golf ball through a garden hose when she neglects to put in her dentures. As long as I've been here, as a ZOGling baal-priest there has always been interlopers and fifth columnists playing the old 'divide and conquer' game which gives me and Klunt the excuse to ban them. We got away with that shit of banning only the Dual-Seedliners mainly, until Klunt fucked up and banned someone who gave Don Black over $8000 over the years. I can see how some of our kindred could get frustrated and leave for greener pastures, especially given that me and Klunt banned them and that is what the enemy wants. I know what I am speaking of for once because I work for ZOG/Babylon. You don't think I support myself and the pancake-titted old whore on my earnings as a graphic artist, do you? Time to plagarize: They came cum-cum for the Christians and no one said anything because we banned them; then they came cum-cum for the White Nationalists and me and Klunt banned them too, blah blah blah. Well, I look at it as spiritual warfare on the one hand; and on the other, Stormfront is merely a tool to plant the seeds of CI. jewniversal "No-Devil but in Debbie-el" Gerda-Kochite Sapphiracy of Klunt seeds. Many of our brethren have been banned, usually by me and Klunt Downey for venturing out into the open forums proselytizing. Yes, any secular website claiming White Power without Christ as me and that barren worn-out coosh Klunticum-cums define it is a lost cause. That's because they are without a prayer if they are stupid enough to let someone like me and Klunt run it into the ground. But, that's why I'm here, to be a beacon of light like Lucifer to those who are in darkness, in need of His, my Father Satan's marvelous Light whether they know it or not. If you can't hack or stomach getting begged by Milton Munster or The Duck for whiggaz-mites and geezergelt and the apparent futility of leadership gone awry, then I would suggest you go to the next best thing where CI is unencumbered by us jewish Marxist change agents, crypto jews, pancake-titted and slack-twatted old skanks and police informants. Visit this forum for a refreshing breath of air:
Of course, if you like us jewish and whiggrish Marxist change agents, crypto jews, pancake-titted and slack-twatted Sapphiracy of Klunt temp-el prostitutes and catamites and Jersey Shitty murderous sociopathic police informants, visit this forum for a refreshing stank of flatulence:
Cum-cum, cum-cum. The Holey Twatt-hole of Klunt awaits jew!!!


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In The Other Face of God, Mary Jo Leddy shares stories of her life at Romero House, a home for people who are, for now, refugees seeking a new home. Her stories describe the lives of individuals with whom she has lived, and out of her experiences a theology of neighborliness and justice emerges. How does the stranger "calls us home"? In Leddy's words, "Living in the shelter of each other, we begin to live in the neighborhood of God." This is a powerful book, full of passion and deep faith. As I read, the prophet Micah's words rang in my heart: "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Through living in Romero House in Toronto for more than twenty years, Leddy has built relationships not only with those living in her house, but in the neighborhood. In building relationships with Romero House residents, Leddy has experienced the critical importance of respecting individual people, not treating people as a "cause" or an "issue." Strangers can become neighbors when we learn to truly see one another. The distance between "us" and "them" disappears when people work alongside one another to plant a garden, to plan a party, to care for the needy in their midst.
Borders and boundaries between people do not need to be viewed as barriers. Rather, they can be meeting places. When we meet in a spirit of compassion, that meeting place can be full of the Holy Spirit. In Leddy's view, a Christian should not try "to see Christ in the poor," but to recognize that the spirit of Christ lives along the border—between you and I, between one and another, wherever compassion meets suffering.
Her narrative addresses the harsh and discouraging realities that people who are living without a country must face. The bureaucratic hurdles for those seeking residency and employment are many, and indifferent to individuality. I appreciated that Leddy drew upon Hannah Arendt's analysis of bureaucratic systems, and I think she did so in a way that would be very clear for readers without background in political philosophy. As a counter to the indifference of systems, people of faith are called to love our "enemies." Leddy provides an insightful analysis of the ways that governments can turn "strangers" into "enemies" to further their political agendas.
Through her life and her writing, Leddy offers a powerful call for the works of mercy to be given "a place of privilege" in religious communities. Like the merciful Samaritan in Luke 10, we must help the stranger in need. We must be willing to truly see the face of a stranger, rather than a "problem," and to allow compassion to emerge. We must remember that the parable ends with the command of Jesus that we "go and do likewise."
Amidst the diversity of religious beliefs and places of origin, "perhaps there is only one distinction that matters: those who are learning to love their neighbors and those who remain indifferent to them."
Mary Jo Leddy's The Other Face of God: When the stranger calls us home was published by Orbis Books in 2011.


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…you get a P-51 B Mustang III from Revell. Also this kit has been finished for a while, so it was about time it appeared on the blog. Lovely little kit, I must say, with just right amount of detail and complexity. The bubble canopy and Polish checkerboards on the sides made it an instant favorite of mine.
Minondas' adventures and mishaps in a world of historical tabletop wargames
December 23, 2017
And for the bonus round…
Najewitz French Café and garage
Couple of posts back I've posted a short note about starting work on a couple of 1/72 buildings from Najewitz. Well, they've been done for quite some time by now, I just haven't had time to take the snapshots. And here they are!
My verdict about the kits? Construction was pretty straightforward, although I didn't manage to get the walls to fit with each other 100 percent. In fact, the 'hacksaw' joints were quite prominent and even with generous dose of filler I didn't manage to get perfect result. I have however to clarify that the issue could have been self-inflicted. Initially I tried to glue the parts together with plastic glue and was a bit surprised when it had no effect whatsoever. In slight panic mode, I switched over to super-glue and that worked much better, but I rushed the job and wasn't very careful with ensuring 90 percent angles between individual walls.
Most problematic part turned out to be the roofs, or more precisely, getting the right angle there. I completely botched the job with garage roof and as a result there is a significant gap in the "joint" between the roof and the building.
Painting consisted of couple of steps. After a base coat of black from a spray can (big mistake, which I will not make again), I painted both buildings with actual acrylic wall paint. Let me tell you, those sample cans from DIY shops are worth their weight in gold, when compared with Vallejo or GW paints! Details like doors and window frames were painted with craft acrylics. Roof of the café building was airbrushed with Tamiya brown paint, while that of garage was painted with some off-green Vallejo paint. Not much consistency with techniques here…
As first step in weathering process, I gave both buildings a generous wash of Vallejo's dark brown wash. Next, I used enamel washes to do some dirt and rain water streaks. Drain pipes were darkened with a couple of layers of different dark brown and grey washes.
The big although perhaps irrelevant question (after all, Najewitz isn't selling these kits anymore) – are they any good and are they worth the cost? As for "any good", you may judge for yourself, but personally I'd say 'heck, yeah!'. They're perfect for any WWII scenario in France or neighbourhood! In regard of value for money; here I must say that it kind of depends. You get two nice, but relatively simple kits for 25 Euro. With a bit of effort and investment of 6-8 hours I could probably crank out something similar on my own and here's the big question – is the price worth a working day? To be honest, I don't know.
Anyway, here are the pictures, hope you enjoy them.


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Monday, March 4, 2013
From the SIGs - LTXHWM and LTXEHWM
John Adamski posted a question to the IIUG SIGs about how to identify a session that caused the long transaction that eventually put his system in a Blocked:LONGTX state. A few of us came back with some responses, but it wasn't until John Miller III from IBM and Informix Fun Facts replied with "finding the session that caused your long transaction isn't very useful, you need to prevent this situation from happening with the LTXHWM and LTXEHWM ONCONFIG parameters" that I realized these config parameters are typically underutilized.
LTXHWM and LTXEHWM
LTXHWM is the percentage of logical log space a transaction can span before it is declared to be a long transaction and is rolled back by the engine.
John points out that this rollback only affects the session being rolled back (well, excluding any extra strain on the system rolling back a long transaction creates), nothing else is blocked.
LTXEHWM is the percentage of logical log space a transaction can span before the engine decides we are in a bad enough situation that we need to block all other modifications to try and ensure we have enough logical log space to complete the roll back. This does affect other sessions and if your system is in a Blocked:LONGTX your users will be very unhappy and you are likely going to have a very bad day.
Your day will get infinitely worse if even after blocking other sessions you do not have enough logical log space to complete the rollback of the long transaction. You can read about recovering from a long transaction hang in the manuals if you want. I warn you, it involves a point in time restore or a call to IBM Informix support.
The Default Values
Out of the box LTXHWM is 70 and LTXEHWM is 80. Are these too high? They probably are if you have significant logical log space.
On one of my instances I have 16 GB of logical log space. This means that one of my users can start a transaction that spans 11.2 GB of logical log space before he gets the boot and the engine starts rolling back his long transaction. That is going to be a lot of rolling back and if it took this long transaction 3 hours to get to the point it needed to roll back I can expect the rollback to last at least 3 hours.
Avoid the One Size Fits All LTXHWM/LTXEHWM Recommendations
I had always believed that the 70/80 defaults were too high,and I've always heard that a better alternative is 50/60 and admittedly that is what I have always set my values to.
I'm rethinking that now. I don't know why it took me this long to rethink this, probably because I haven't had any problems with long transactions lately so I've been thinking about other things. One thing is for sure, a LTXHWM of 50 is still way too high for my system.
This is an OLTP system with no long running transactions and a lot of logical log space configured so we can run for at least 48 hours without needing to back up a logical log in case we have a TSM outage.
My LTXHWM should be a lot lower, probably something as ridiculous sounding as 5. I know the kind of transactions that run on my system and no single transaction should span more than 1 GB of logical log space and if it does, something is wrong. I want to kill that transaction ASAP so I only have a performance hit while rolling back 1 GB of logical logs instead of 11 GB.
I think my LTXEHWM setting of 60 is OK, maybe it could even go a little bit higher. The only reason I would want to block my engine to allow a transaction to rollback is if I thought I was in danger of not being able to complete the rollback because of limited logical log space. Setting this ONCONFIG lower doesn't make any sense.
Posted by Andrew Ford at 4:17 PM
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In case the steady succession of so-called cold fronts hasn't tipped you off, Christmas and the new year are right around the corner. So the Magic City is stacked with end-of-the-year festivities this week, from ugly-sweater parties to Bayskate's Holiday Boogie at Bayfront Park. Also, the must-see queer event Celebrity Deathmatch returns to the Hangar with the theme "Good vs. Evil." Bonus: If you already broke the bank on gifts, you'll be glad to know all of these festivities are free.
Here are the best free events happening in Miami this week.
Take your best four-legged friend out on the town with you. The month's iteration of the rotating Yappy Hour will be held at the Spillover in Coconut Grove. The event is held every third Wednesday of the month, giving puppy parents the opportunity to spend quality time with their little ones. For humans, there will be drink and food specials available throughout the evening. Furry buddies get complimentary dog food. 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 19, at the Spillover, 2911 Grand Ave., Miami; facebook.com. Admission is free.
Bars that give $5 gift cards to their trivia winners are lame. You don't have to worry about that at the Standard. Its prizes include a one-night stay at the hotel, spa passes, comped bar tabs, and other goodies. This Wednesday's trivia night is the Holiday Edition. So brush up on those Hallmark flicks, Bing Crosby tunes, and popular toys from Christmases past. (We're looking at you, Furby.) 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 19, at the Standard, 40 Island Ave., Miami Beach. Admission is free with RSVP to eventbrite.com.
Bayskate Miami is back for a fourth year. After a spooky, Halloween-inspired skating spectacle in 2017, there's a holiday shindig happening for 2018. Bayskate's Holiday Boogie will go down in front of the historic Pepper Fountain in Bayfront Park. In addition to free skating, there will be a Veza Sur beer garden with craft beverages, local food, and beer games; Gnome Forest picnic area; Ace Parlor cocktail spot; Botran coquito bar; and Chomp Park food village. Lace up and have a blast. 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, December 21; and 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday, December 22, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; bayskatemiami.com. Admission is free. UPDATE: Bayskate Miami has canceled its Thursday night Holiday Boogie due to weather concerns.
That hideous Christmas sweater Aunt Barb gave you in 1995 can finally have its moment. The always-wonderful shop/bar Thrift Shop is hosting an Ugly Sweater Party. Because this is America and we compete for everything, the person with the best ugly sweater will snag a $200 bar tab. There is perhaps nothing better than winning an ugly-sweater contest in a thrift-shop environment. #Goals. 7 p.m. Friday, December 21, at Thrift Shop, 28 NE 14th St., Miami; eventbrite.com. Admission is free.
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Miracle is the OG holiday bar. It opened its first location in New York City in 2014 and now boasts 80-some seasonal spots across the nation, including at Death or Glory in Delray Beach. The drink menu is extensive and includes the likes of Run Run Rudolph, made with prosecco, gin, mulled wine purée, lemon, and cane syrup; and the Yippie Ki Yay Motherf****r!, with sweet potato Barbados rum, cachaça, Trinidad overproof rum, dry curaçao, marshmallow orgeat, and lime. There's also themed food, including the Feast of Zero Fishes — vegan jackfruit crab cakes, Old Bay aioli, and lemon. Also, the über-adorable glassware is for sale, and 10 percent of the sale price will be donated to Action Against Hunger, so you can drink and check off your Christmas list simultaneously. If you can't make it to Delray, swing by a similar Miracle pop-up at Gramps in Wynwood. 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily at 116 NE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; 561-808-8814; miraclepopup.com.
Remember the TV show Celebrity Deathmatch? For a bunch of clay people fighting, it was amazing. Well, the Good vs. Evil Celebrity Deathmatch will happen in real life at the Hangar, pitting supervillains against heroes for everyone's favorite monthly queer, 18-and-over party. Four battles will take place, including Harry Potter versus Lord Voldemort (Sam Vincent versus Florida Elizabeth Man) and Princess Leia versus Darth Vader (Brandy Castro versus Christian Acevedo). Hair is sure to fly, so stay vigilant out there. 10 p.m. Friday, December 21, at the Hangar, 60 NE 11th St., Miami; thehangar305.com. Admission is free with RSVP.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, when Beach House Pompano throws its Ugly Sweater Party. Dig through your closet and throw on your most festive holiday sweater to rock the night away. Show off your look while diving into food and drink specials. Keep an eye out for shucked-to-order oysters, sliders with pimento cheese and caramelized onions, and jumbo shrimp tacos with fresh grilled mango. 8 p.m. Saturday, December 22, at 270 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach; 954-607-6530; beachhousepompano.com.


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BOSTON (CBS) — The Fuppets — the Felger & Mazz Puppets, that is — are back.
In this edition, Mad Mike is talking about one of his most passionate subjects: The salary cap.
There's one problem: Big Jim Murray can't quite follow Mike's logic.
The result is a bit of confusion and a whole lot of anger.
Check out the latest Felger & Mazz Puppets video above, and be sure to follow the show's Facebook and Twitter accounts.


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JulesID: 4su
Is / are:
Age group:
|55 plus
|Medical Secretary
Preferred locations:
|East of England All regions except Bedfordshire London (full regions list)
Reply rating:
More InformationI am a very fit, active lady. I walk a lot along the river and common and do about 32 miles a week. I go to circuit training and to the gym. I do fund raising for my local library. I enjoy writing and am a member of the local writing group. I also enjoy reading. I like cats, small animals and most dogs. I make jewellery for boys, girls and teenagers and do craft fairs. I was unable to download a photograph but can send you one by e.mail.
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text: Karen Charles Peterson is the Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications Cable. She formerly served as Chief of Staff for the Department. Prior to joining the Department, she served as acting Chief of Staff for the MBTA. Karen has years of leadership experience in city and state government, including Chief of Staff of the Executive Office of Transportation and of the Registry of Motor Vehicles. For 5 years she was the booking producer for the award winning news program, Greater Boston with Emily Rooney on WGBH. Karen is a 1993 graduate of Suffolk University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Government. She is a 1997 graduate of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Karen is the past president of the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), and the 1999 recipient of the Wonder Woman Award from The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus. Karen served as a Trustee at the Advent School in Boston, where she recently led the search for the new Head of School. Karen's hobbies include reading and traveling. She lives in Boston with her husband, Kevin C. Peterson.


text: yardfeeling 2 Posted January 18, 2010 First of all, thanks for everyone that submited their pictures! Now the first issue of the Free Internetbased graffitimagazine swegraff has been released and you can download it here: http://www.swegraff.com/download.php Hope you will like it! Best regards Swegraff.se Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Simple tips for Snaking Home Electrical Wire through Conduit
By Mark J. Donovan
|When remodeling a home or putting in a pool there inevitably comes a time when you find yourself needing to snake a length of home electrical wire through conduit. Snaking wire through conduit can be slow and frustrating. You frequently find the wire getting jammed in the conduit and having to make repeated attempts to get it through.
Occasionally I have had to snake home electrical wire through a section of conduit. Normally if it was a relatively shore piece of conduit, I simply wrapped some electrical tape around the Romex wire and then pushed it through the conduit.
This process works, but it is time consuming and you quickly wear out your hand pushing the wire through the conduit.
Then simply attach the Romex electrical cable to the end of the string and pull the Romex wire through the conduit.
For help on building a new custom home, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's New Home Construction Bid Sheet. The New Home Construction Bid Sheet provides you with the knowledge on how to plan a custom home building project, and what to look for when hiring contractors for your new home construction. It also includes a detailed cost breakdown table and spreadsheet for estimating your own new home construction building costs.
Related Information
- Snaking in Electrical Wires in Walls and Ceilings
- How to Rough in Electrical Wiring
- How to Test a Light Switch and Outlet Circuit
Additional Electrical Wiring Resources from Amazon.com
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Here are 5 AMAZING plumbing tricks that'll help you become the best plumber of all times ;)
Go visit the Family Handyman website and facebook page here!
The #1 brand for DIY (do-it-yourself)
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Also, go visit their Construction tips website where you'll find some of the best construction tips on the web!
https://goo.gl/1w6PFx (YOUTUBE CHANNEL)
Go visit Construction Fasteners & Tools for AMAZING prices on tools and equipment!


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Interior – 2018 Chevrolet Cruze by Waukegan WI
Designed as a five-seater with two rows, the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze has 22.7 cubic feet of space for cargo. Folding down the rear seats gives you 47.2 cubic feet. The top-of-the-line Premier stands out with its front-seat heating capability, 6-way power-adjustable driver's seat, 4-way manually adjustable front passenger seat (instead of the regular 2-way), and leather-wrapped steering wheel with heating capability. Standard comfort and convenience features included a four-speaker audio system for entertainment. The upper-level LT and Premier trims have additions and enhancements such as cruise control, six-speaker audio (instead of four-speaker audio), steering wheel-mounted controls, and a three-month trial SiriusXM® satellite radio subscription. Also, on either trim, you can replace the six-speaker audio system with a nine-speaker Bose® one. The Premier is the only one with remote keyless entry and vehicle start.
View all the details here.


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|CAIRO – The head of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni world, has ordered a school girl to remove her niqab during a visit to an Al-Azhar school, saying he would seek an official ban for the face veil in schools, Al-Masri Al-Youm newspaper reported on Monday, October 5."Why are you wearing the niqab while sitting in the class with your female colleagues?" Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi asked the 8th grader.
The young girl was shocked with the question coming from the country's top scholar.
A teacher intervened to explain.
"She takes off her niqab inside the class, but she only put it on when you and your entourage came in."
But Sheikh Tantawi was not satisfied and insisted that the young girl takes off the face cover.
"The niqab is a tradition and has nothing to do with Islam."
After the girl complied he insisted she should not wear it any more.
"I tell you again that the niqab has nothing to do with Islam and it is only a mere custom. I understand the religion better than you and your parents."
Most Muslim women in Egypt wear the hijab, which is an obligatory code of dress in Islam, but an increase in women putting on the niqab has apparently alarmed the government.
The ministry of religious endowments has recently distributed booklets in mosques against the practice.
The majority of Muslim scholars believe that a woman is not obliged to cover her face or hands.
They believe that it is up to every woman to decide whether to take on the face-cover or not.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar imam vowed to issue a ban against the face-veil in all schools linked to Al-Azhar.
"I intend to issue a regulation to ban the niqab in Al-Azhar schools," he said.
"No student or teacher will be allowed into the school wearing the niqab."
Established in 359 AH (971 CE), Al-Azhar mosque drew scholars from across the Muslim world and grew into a university, predating similar developments at Oxford University in London by more than a century.
Al-Azhar, which means the "most flourishing and resplendent," was named after Fatima Al-Zahraa, daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The first courses at Al-Azhar were given in 975 CE and the first college was built 13 years later.
Al-Azhar first admitted women students in 1961, albeit in separate classes.
Also in 1961, subjects in engineering and medicine were added to classes on Shari`ah, the Noble Qur'an and the intricacies of Arabic language.
Sheikh Tantawi's remarks coincided with those of Higher Education Minister Hani Hilal who has banned the face-veil in student hostels.
"Face-veiled students are free to do what they want outside the hostels but there is no room for the niqab inside the women-only hostels," he said earlier this week.
Many students demonstrated against the minister's statements and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights plans to take him to court.
"The minister's decision violates the principles of privacy, personal freedom and freedom of faith, which are guaranteed by the constitution."
source : http://www.islamOnline.net
Al Tantawi said : No Niqab
12 Oct 2009 Leave a comment
in Discussion, News, Woman


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SleepStream 2 [App Store] is a nice relaxation/sleep/meditation app with a very unique feature: it will continue to play while you listen to audio from the Music/iPod app on your iPhone.
I was specifically looking for this type of feature as an in-app feature, where you could add a playlist or an audiobook to the app's audio stream and mix in relaxation sounds and the binaural beats. I found apps that would let you add a song, but not a playlist or an audiobook.
While demoing the free version, I decided to try launching the Music app after I started the relaxation session, and was surprised to find it mixed the two audio streams together. Perfect.
The relaxation sounds are pretty good as well, not too New Age-y, unobtrusive, and I really like the feature where it will auto-mix all the loops in each category. The blending works great.
I've only just begin to play with the app and picked up the Pro version which is currently on sale for 99¢.


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Economic Times: 5 ways to delegate decision making
One of the basic tenets of leadership is being able to build leaders out of others. Leaders must do this by delegating decision-making, or empowering people in their teams to independently decide solutions to problems. This decentralised method of leadership helps the organisation reach the next level of growth because decisions and capabilities lie not in the hands of one, but many. Brinda Dasgupta has tips from experts on how leaders can delegate decision-making to ensure the organisation runs smoothly.
1 Know What You're Delegating
In any organisation, there is always a mix of nascent initiatives being explored to get to the next level of growth and initiatives that have reached product/market fit – that is, being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market – and need to be scaled. "Leaders should only delegate those areas that are beyond exploratory stage – initiatives that have achieved product/market fit as they have relatively less ambiguity, are ideas that are proven, and only flawless execution is required to scale it," says Sreejita Deb, chief business officer at Flyrobe, an online designer clothing rental service.
2 Get Updated Only When Necessary
Work with team leads to set up initial processes, and then take a step back and let employees make the decisions on their own. "Reviews can help leaders stay up to date on how these processes are functioning, but only step in when there is any crisis that needs intervention," says Pradeep Dadha, CEO at online pharmacy Netmeds.
3 Leave Aside Ego
Successful delegation of decisionmaking is about leaving ego aside and leaders recognising that they don't necessarily have to do it all. "It works only in an environment where employees are empowered to learn, work on their own, and make their own choices about processes, while at the same time demonstrating responsibility and accountability," Dadha says.
4 Don't Micromanage
Delegation is a culture, and it's important to be able to delegate decisions to employees whose strengths complement your weaknesses, says Sumit Mitra, CEO at Tesco Business Services, Bengaluru-based services arm of UK retailer Tesco. "Have faith that your team has enough expertise and knowledge to make the right decisions; do not suffocate them by micromanaging. It is important to give them the space to lead the work on their own," Mitra says. Instead, focus on setting up the right mechanisms to monitor the progress from a distance.
5 Ask for Small Outcomes
It is essential to ask your team for measurable milestones and outcomes at regular intervals. "Ask for updates and outcomes from time to time, to make sure the work is being done correctly; you can also ask the team for a roadmap of the strategy they are following," Mitra says.


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My live TV interview with RT on 7 March, 2017.
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Once again boring and reliable CSPAN because they have the transcript thing happening. The only witness Friday was former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Other people found it devastatingly compelling, I didn't feel it advanced the plotline much (doesn't mean I don't also think he's as guilty as hell on this specific thing or on conspiring with Russia to betray the United States in general or violating the Emoluments Clause the moment he took the oath).
It's not that TMC doesn't put up the live stream, it's the handy dandy post action transcript if you need to cop a quote. I put it up as a reminder also especially if testimony has been interrupted by time (I say that because I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle this week's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday format because I don't want to duplicate too much).


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Jury citation
The Australian PlantBank is a research institute, seed repository and public building housing the largest collection of plant seeds in the country. Built for the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, it includes in its irreplaceable collection seed stock dating back to the early English botanists including Sir Joseph Banks.
The building sits on a sloping bushland site adjacent to an endangered Cumberland forest at the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan in New South Wales.
Engaging effortlessly with the surrounding landscape, it is planned as two connected wings, one hugging the ground towards the rear of the site, the other negotiating the fall in the site to form a two-storey structure at the front. The two wings join in a central public lobby.
The building is entered from below, through a passage that leads under the eastern wing to a central courtyard. At this lower level, the building base is formed in concrete, while above the form of the main level dissolves into a lighter and more delicate essay of polished stainless steel panels and fins, fine mesh gauze and glazing – much of which is glass louvres. Reflective and beautifully detailed, the horizontality of the design here is pronounced and the building seems to retreat into the sky.
In the courtyard, a collection of sandstone building remnants discovered on the site has been assembled in a horizontal frieze and has become a home for varieties of lichen. Including quirky pieces of architectural ornamentation, this unexpected sculpture is dramatically reflected in the polished stainless steel ceiling above, making it appear like lava flow or something lost in time.
Internally, public and working spaces are spaciously planned and warmly lined in light timber panelling, with a feeling of understated luxury about them. Large sliding timber panels open many rooms, linking them visually to the outside.
There are a few small surprises, too: one in the playful false perspective of a balcony where the planning geometry of the two wings meet, and another in a charming office porch, adding intrigue to what is a successful and well-resolved building of national importance.
Read the project review by Andrew Mackenzie from Architecture Australia.
- Architect
- BVN Donovan Hill
- Project Team
- James Grose (project principal); Peter Titmuss (project director); Alex Chaston (project architect); Daniel Londono, Julian Ashton, Craig Burns, Benjamin Chew, Peter Clarke, Barry Dineen, Melanie Dodd, Jahan Faeghi, Andrea Fink, Olivia Giangrasso,, Barnaby Hartford Davis, Anton Kouzmin, Catherine Lee, Shane Leyden, Knut Menden, Olivier Solente, Tim Webster
- Landscape architect
- 360 Degrees Landscape Architects
Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Consultants
Bushfire consultant
Eco Logical Australia
Construction Hansen Yuncken
Engineer AECOM
Interpretive designer Xsquared Architects Pty Ltd
Planning Urbis
Project manager Thinc Projects
- Site Details
- Project Details
Completion date 2013
Design, documentation 13 months
Construction 18 months
Category Landscape / urban, Public / cultural
Type Outdoor / gardens
- Client
Client name
Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust
Website rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
Published online: 6 Nov 2014
Words: National Architecture Awards Jury 2014
Images: John Gollings
Architecture Australia, November 2014


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Day 1: L is for... Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous meets leopard print accent nail!
Day 2: I made this:
Something I haven't shared yet is that I have a jewelry line that I hand make and design myself!
Day 3: Key
proud to flaunt my Yankee fandom :)
Day 4: Lucky
Galaxy nails.. When you wish upon a star....
Day 5: Under
Louboutin Mani using NOPI Totally In The Dark and OPI Vodka and Caviar
Day 6: Chair
I am obsessed with this chair from CB2!
Day 7: Fear
Going out in public with naked nails :(
Hope you enjoyed my summary of this weeks posts!! If you are doing these on Instagram or your blog I'd love to check it out!! Please leave your blog address of ig name in the comments :)
Stay Sparkly,


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Examination Information
June 2020 GCSE Results Guidance and Information
Infographic for families for June 2020
Detailed Guidance for June 2020
Twickenham School General Exam Information
Year 10 Exams take place in school in June for two weeks. It is important that students prepare really well as these exams will represent the first year of their GCSE learning. As part of this preparation we are expecting students to actively use and refer to the GCSE Exam board specifications. This is a key skill that helps students to become good independent learners and exam ready. Subject teachers will show students how to access these on the exam board websites in lessons. To further support and encourage this at home, we have attached a list of all the details for each subject exam board and specification code (see bottom of this page).
Thank you for your support in this.
Examination tips for success
It is usually good to take some advice when planning your revision work. Planned revision, tactics for revising well, time out to rest and relax are good things to ensure examination success.
Have a plan and work hard through it
Most things are better when they are well planned, but do not spend too much time making the plan. Look at your evenings and weekends. Look for those good chunks of time – an hour or two. Plan your revision to follow the pattern of the examination timetable. Don't fall into the trap of revising the things you already know well, you have to plan to tackle the harder topics too. Divide all big tasks into a series of smaller ones and then take on the least pleasant ones first.
Get some exercise - be active
It is good to be in a sports team and it is good to be physically busy. Twenty minutes each day would be good. It gets the blood flowing well, which a hard working brain really needs. It helps release endorphins which is our brain letting our body know that things are good. Get into a pattern, a routine while you are exercising.
Know how to...
Most people feel more anxious when they are not sure what to do, so become an expert. Know your exam timetable, what is on when, how long the paper is, how many questions. Make sure that you know from each teacher what you have to show that you can do to get those high marks and then rehearse it, learn your lines. Allow your growing expertise to replace any anxiety, and be quietly confident.
Eat a balanced diet
This is always important, but particularly when we are facing challenges. We need to keep fit. So make sure you eat plenty protein, fruit and vegetables.
DO NOT USE ENERGY DRINKS. They are the wrong sugars and the high caffeine dose is not at all good for a brain that wants to work well.
Sleep well
As the evening gets later, then do the things that help you to wind down. Make sure that you have worked hard and that you have taken some exercise. Work out at what time you will fall asleep most easily. Six hours is your minimum. Some researchers say that teenagers need 9 hours' sleep each night.
The power of the positive
It is hard to be stressed when you smile so practise smiling at other people. It is good for everyone. It is hard to be stressed when we are breathing out so breathe out slowly. Six deep breaths in and slowly breathe them out. Try to keep a good perspective on yourself and on this year.
How to revise well
Here are some tips in no particular order. The best way is to try them out and see which ones help you to work most effectively.
- Transformation is really good – make it into a song or bullet pointed list or a limerick or a tongue-twister, a pie-chart – changing what something looks like may well give us two ways to remember it.
- Make up an acrostic/acronym – where each point gives you a letter of a word, real or made up eg Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain – leads to ROYGBIV – which are the colours of the spectrum in the right order – Red, Orange etc. The ones that you make up are the best for your brain.
- Take the blank page challenge – revise a topic, then walk away from it, do something else. Next time you are going to revise the same topic, take a blank piece of paper and write down all that you can recall. Compare what you have written with what you need to know – see where the gaps are.
- Space it out – work on a topic for half an hour and then do something else. Go back to the topic after about half an hour and then work through it again. Take a bigger break from this topic – maybe 48 hours – and then try it again. It is an idea called optimal spacing. Work out your own best pattern.
- Turn your topic into a story and tell it to your friends or family.
- Mind maps – some learners find these really helpful in getting a whole topic onto one side of A4 – and it is very good because it is visual as well as verbal.
- When I am learning lines for a play especially Shakespeare, I have to walk around and I have to say them out loud. Revision does not have to be sitting or silent.
- What's on the tray? The old memory game when there are a series of objects on a tray – tea towel on the top – remove it for 20 seconds – how many can you remember? Use the same visual technique with your chosen topic.
- Get on the Internet – The revision app Gojimo is excellent. Don't forget The PiXL maths app. There is a lot more available – check in with your teachers about which are the best for each subject.
- We tend to be very good at remembering gossip and stories – so turn your revision topic into a story which you visualise, with the key points becoming characters in your story.
- Question and answer is good – work with someone else.
- Teach someone what you have just learned.
- Make it into a cartoon/collage/poster – something a bit creative can help to memorise something.
Good luck!
|Page Downloads
|GCSE Exam Boards June 2021 & June 2022
|Examination Information
|GCSE Exam Boards June 2021 & June 2022
|06th Jul 2020
|Twickenham School - Summer 2020 Results and Appeals process
|28th Jul 2020
|Twickenham School - Next Step flow Chart Summer 2020
|28th Jul 2020
|Information for candidates Privacy Notice 1.pdf
|30th Jul 2019
|Information for candidates social media 1718 1.pdf
|30th Jul 2019
|No Mobile Phones Poster 2017.pdf
|30th Jul 2019
|Warning to Candidates 1718.pdf
|30th Jul 2019


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Making batches of dried tea is a very inexpensive and lovely way to shared herb magic or botanical alchemy. Most everyone enjoys a good cuppa, pagan or not. We will post more tea recipes that both the muggles and pagans in your life will appreciate. But to kick off the Witches Brew series, timed with the full moon, it seems only right to start with a recipe for Prophetic Dreams Tea. You can usually find a good selection of bulk herbs at your local health food store or at a herb or magic shop. For this recipe, you will need
- 3 parts Rose Petals
- 2 parts mugwort
- 2 parts Yarrow
- 1 part mint
- 1 part jasmine
- 1 part chamomile
- 1/2 part Cinnamon Stick, break or grind into chucks.
Mix all ingredients in a glass or wooden bowl. Package in a food grade, airtight container, amber glass is preferred as light degrades the aromatic and magical properties of dried herbs & flowers.
If you want to go the extra mile, you could create a tea kit with Organic Hawaiian Lehua Honey, a wand style tea infuser and a Fairy Magic Ceramic Travel Mug.


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Best Canadian Poker Sites4 years ago
12 Sep
Canada is fairly liberal when it comes to online poker. Despite provinces such as Quebec operating their own 'state-run' online gaming sites, Canadians can play on almost all the same poker sites as Europeans.
My top recommended "best Canadian poker sites" list starts with:
The world's largest betting exchange, Betfair is my highest rated online poker site for Canadian players.
Firstly, Betfair's offer for new players is probably the best out there right now. By signing up today and making a minimum deposit you will get around $60 absolutely free (at the time of writing, subject to change and all that!). This consists of a variety of bonuses/cash/tickets, not bad for a min deposit!
Of course, in addition to this offer you will benefit from the Betfair VIP program, a 200% up to €1500 first deposit bonus and lots of other goodies and promotions included. Overall in terms of value, there are only a couple of other poker sites that compete.
But, any good poker player knows that it's not all about the free cash and bonuses right? Being a member of the iPoker network (the fourth largest poker network / room in the world), players benefit from very respectable traffic levels, you will rarely struggle to find a game and maybe most importantly the games are soft.
When playing on Betfair, you will play against poker players from sites like Bet365, William Hill and PaddyPower. Although not very well known in Canada, these companies are not 'poker-first' businesses, they are primarily online betting sites and casinos. As such, it's fair to say that some very inexperienced opposition can be found on the iPoker network and I would contend that it is far weaker than the weakest players on a site like Pokerstars or even PartyPoker.
Consider the fact that anyone signing up to play at Pokerstars, does so with the intention of playing online poker. Thus, they must understand the game to a basic extent, or have some passing knowledge. At Betfair this is not the case. You will encounter passing traffic that just decided to check out what this beautiful game is all about - and who can blame them right?
Now we have the top recommended room out of the way, it's time to get onto the rest.
All poker sites in this review have been judged based on criteria such as software, traffic, game standard, safety and my personal experience. Although I understand that in some instances PokerTube may showcase special offers, these deals are for your benefit only and were not considered when I wrote this article.
If you liked the sound of my top pick, but do not fancy making a deposit, then look no further than 888.
Canadian residents are eligible for $88 CAD absolutely free without making a deposit. Of course, to be completely honest this is a little too good to be true - The $88 is not sitting in your account as soon as you sign up, but you did start with around $10 CAD free (at the time of writing) and how much you play the rest of the $88 CAD is released in increments over time. On top of the free cash, you will also get a 100% Deposit Bonus up to $400 and up to 36% cashback through VIP program, so not bad!
888 is currently ranked as the second largest poker site in the world in terms of cash game players and generally games are considered to be of a fairly weak standard due to the company's aggressive marketing campaign.
Tiger Gaming
Okay, this is a curveball, but a very deserved third position.
Unlike my top two reviews, TigerGaming unfortunately does not offer free cash, it does however offer a super fast clearing bonus, a whopping 100% up to $2500 clearing at 55%! You can also take advantage of the reload bonuses and VIP rewards program, along with cash leaderboards.
Tiger is currently one of three sites I play on, and I find the software maybe a little basic at times, but definitely smooth and most importantly the games are very soft!
As for deposits and withdrawals, I have always found Tiger prompt and I currently use my Skrill e-wallet to play there - Of course not an option any longer for Canadians.
Party is the flagship room on the "Party Poker Network". Today the network only consists of Party, BWIN (a big sportsbook) and DanskeSpil (Government run site in Denmark that we do not need to worry about too much!).
At the time of writing Party is ranked as the 8th largest poker room in the world, so like the other picks in this review, traffic is not a major problem. Our deal currently offers a nice 100% Deposit Bonus up to $500, plus upto 22% VIP rewards and cash missions to help boost your bankroll.
One of the only negatives is games only tend to run as high as $5/$10. But on the flip side, this cap on high stakes games means the wealthy, inexperienced, business man, fish-man we all dream of, spends his time at more reasonable stakes, tends to fire through far more buy ins and it makes for a genuinely enjoyable experience. They truly do offer some of the softest games available on the poker market, together with a nice user friendly software that is easy on the eye. I would highly recommend!
William Hill
By signing up and depositing today, you can received $20 (no strings attached) completely free, straight to your poker balance, plus a 100% fast clearing bonus of up to €1500, in addition to a ton of other goodies!
We often run huge money added tournaments on William Hill too, exclusive to our Pokertube players! Including upto $2500 per month in added cash/prizes. Anyone who creates an account with us will be eligible for any future tournaments held there, so keep an eye on the Pokertube tournaments calendar on the home page for those!
Aside from this offer and the company's strong reputation, the games are of course similar to Betfair as William Hill is a key member of the iPoker network.
I have held an account there for close to 10 years, played on and off and have had no issues to report. I always found the promotions more rewarding than most poker sites and with all these factors combined, there is no doubt that William Hill merits its place on this list.
So that's all for now and these were my Top 5 Poker Rooms for Canadian poker players. If there is an amazing room that you feel has been missed out or if you have any feedback, simply leave a comment below.
Stay warm Canada!
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A real paradise near the beach and away from the hustle
Beautiful traditional Andalusian villa, located in the protected natural area SIERRA BLANCA. The plot is only 14 km from the sea, very close to Puerto Banus and the urban center of Marbella. This property will be the ideal choice for those who appreciate the beauty of nature, ideally combined with luxury, comfort and security. Away from busy roads, it combines identity and privacy, which you can enjoy to the fullest in your own paradise.
An ideal space for life
The house was built in 2003 with a modern rustic style, adapted to the environment in a very organic and elegant way. Its location on a secluded hill and its main south-west orientation can boast exceptional views of the mountains. The house is divided into several levels, with an interesting architectural solution of the space, and the location of the bedrooms on different floors allows to guarantee the privacy of the residents and to hold family reunions and receive guests. The area of the house is over 860m2 and consists of two residential floors with a large living room, office, kitchen, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and 3 toilets, garage, gym, games room, spa area with Finnish sauna and Turkish bath, as well as a heated pool and jacuzzi, and several auxiliary rooms including a laundry. On the main floor of the house there is an exterior access to a roof terrace that allows to contemplate a beautiful mountainous landscape. This traditional and at the same time modern Spanish villa embodies the absolute symbiosis of classic design, exquisite interiors, spacious living and comfort, which gives rise to a high quality lifestyle.
A life in harmony with nature
The property is located on a land of 12.080 m2, fully landscaped on several levels, with a lake and a waterfall. On the upper level, next to the house there is a swimming pool and two quiet lookouts at different levels at the extremes of the terrain. Also a tennis court, a playground, an orchard and a beautiful Andalusian patio with a fountain inspired by the Alhambra is included. The large extension of the land is ideal for relaxing, sunbathing, sports and walks, being possible to use these facilities almost all year due to the excellent Mediterranean climate.


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In England, a Homeowner Learns the Importance of Patience
My boyfriend and I have only lived in our new home for a month and a half, but it's already taught us a lot about interior design. So I'm not surprised to hear that shop owner Gemma Lewis has learned a lifetime's worth of decorating lessons in the four years she's spent renovating her early-1900s home in Surrey, England.
Gemma shares the space with her husband Gary and two children — a brood not unfamiliar with moving around. For a decade they bopped between houses throughout England, living in each for no more than a year. This nomadic lifestyle has given Gemma several insights into how to set up a home quickly and make it comfortable. Her current Edwardian looker in Surrey, however, highlighted the setbacks of her trigger finger: "I don't often take the time to plan my decorating at home. I tend to rush straight in and hope for the best, which is probably why some of the rooms have been changed at least four times in the four years we have been here."
Not only has this century-old home taught her to take her time, but it's also shed light on the importance of paying attention to details. When the family purchased the home, for example, they initially only planned on renovating the kitchen. Upon closer inspection, though, it became apparent that the upstairs bathroom also needed to be gutted. This led to a rushed contractor search and a truncated timeline that forced the pair and their two small children to live in the house while it was under construction.
Luckily, Gemma has taken the setbacks in stride and her experiences mixing the old and new have given the home a one-of-a-kind feel. It may have been a winding road, but the end result is quite stunning. Scroll down to see more, and enjoy! —Garrett
Photography by Gemma Lewis
Image above: This end of the family's living room seemed destined to be a formal dining area, but Gemma, Gary and their children didn't have a need for one. Instead, Gemma's filled it with decorations that aren't super functional but that make her happy. She found these treasures in an antique dealer's barn.
Mural – Woodchip & Magnolia
Paint – Little Greene "Juniper Ash"
Living Room
Sofa – Maisons Du Monde
Chairs, dresser – vintage
Amber vase, faux fern, throw pillows, copper vase – Wattle & Daub
Dog print, floral canvas – Russell Lewis
Photograph – Keith Cardwell
Pendant light – Rothschilds & Bickers
Velvet Curtains – Made
Cabinetry paint – Farrow & Ball "Sulking Room Pink"
Wall paint – Little Greene "Sage Green"
Copper pans – eBay
Pottery – Leighan Thomas
Erin's Bedroom
Bed – vintage
Rug – BHS
Vase – Anthropologie
Throw blanket, throw pillows, wreath – Wattle & Daub
Sam's Bedroom
Dog print – Russell Lewis
Bed – Made
Throw – Wattle & Daub
Gemma & Gary's Room
Paint – Farrow & Ball "Purbeck Stone"
Throws – Wattle & Daub
Side table, dresser, artwork – vintage
Paint – Little Greene "Juniper Ash"
Mural – Woodchip & Magnolia
Chair, glass vase, faux flowers – Wattle & Daub
Radio – vintage
Light – Ebb & Flow
Artwork – vintage
Tile – local shop


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K-12 School Library Media Specialist (21 credits) and/or Certification for Public Librarians (21 credits)
Academic Credit Options (ACO) at the University of Nevada, Reno offers all of the required courses for the K-12 School Library Media Specialist through the Nevada Department of Education under NAC 391.255 and NAC 391.265 (www.doe.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/ndedoenvgov/content/Educator_Licensure/School_Library_Media_Specialist.pdf), and for public librarian certification through the Nevada State Library and Archives under NRS 379.0073 and NAC 379.020 (nsla.libguides.com/library-resources/library-certification)
The courses also may be of interest to BGS students and others interested in gaining foundational knowledge of libraries and librarianship. Each certification requires 21 credits (seven courses) that may be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit. Six of these courses are applicable to both certifications, and may be taken in any order (except EDUC 475/675):
click to expand/collapse EDUC 473/673 Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials (offered every fall)
Theories, principles, and practices of selecting books and other library materials with particular emphasis on public, special and school libraries. (Formerly LSC 309; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 473/673; implemented fall 2007.)
click to expand/collapse EDUC 477/677 Technology in the Library (offered every fall)
Use of technology in library settings and in the study of library science. Software, hardware, the internet, library automation and emerging trends. (Formerly LSC 477/677; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 477/677; implemented fall 2007.)
click to expand/collapse EDUC 476/676 Administration of the School Library (offered every spring)
Includes functions of school library. Relationship of library to schools total instructional program. Preparation of library budget. Other problems of library administration. (Formerly CI 476/676; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 476/676; implemented fall 2007.)
click to expand/collapse EDUC 478/678 Bibliography and General Reference (offered every spring)
Reference skills for public and school libraries. Covers basic reference tools, including electronic resources, and understanding of the reference process in the digital age. (Formerly LSC 303; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 478/678; implemented fall 2007.)
click to expand/collapse EDRL 607 Book Selection for Children (offered every spring)
Survey of the field of books for children. Children's reading interests and needs as bases for evaluating and selecting library materials for the elementary school. (Formerly CI 607; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 607; implemented fall 2007.) If undergraduate, contact ACO for options.
click to expand/collapse EDUC 474/674 Cataloging and Organization of Library Materials (offered every summer)
Cataloging of books and other library materials. Includes practice in working with Dewey and Library of Congress classification systems, principles of entry and cross referencing, and organization of periodicals. (Formerly CI 474/674; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 474/674; implemented fall 2007.)
click to expand/collapse EDUC 475/675 K-12 School Library Media Specialist (required 7th course)
Supervised Library Practice (offered by individual arrangement after completion of at least five other required courses, including Cataloging and Administration.
click to expand/collapse EDUC 472/672 Public Librarian certification (required seventh course)
History and Organization of Libraries (offered every fall — even years). Evolution of libraries and description of principal fields of library service, their organization, and special problems. (Formerly LSC 305; implemented fall 2003.) (Formerly EDS 472/672; implemented fall 2007.)
Typical class structure has scheduled online meetings in addition to online course work. See the current courses page for course schedules. For more program information contact Dawna Snyder at email@example.com (please indicate "Library Program" in the subject).


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Please check with the venue for cancelations and postponements
Join us for dinner at Sotto Sopra Restaurant and enjoy the amazing talents of Roderick Demmings on the keyboards.
Roderick Demmings Jr. began playing the piano as a toddler. Being raised in gospel church, "Rod" was surrounded by music. Much of his current style stems from his roots in the black, gospel Church. After two years of piano lessons, he debuted on solo piano at Carnegie Hall. He then pursued pipe organ where he merited a full scholarship to attend Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, graduating with a B.A. in Organ Performance.
Though a classically trained musician, his primary influences stem from Jazz, RnB, Gospel, Soul, and Pop. Rod is a big fan of the American Songbook and renders many selections from it during his concerts. Rod has also penned several compositions, some of which are currently in production. Rod prides himself most on his ability to transform audiences through the universal language of music.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Sotto Sopra
405 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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For those of you new to my site, I retired as a a Stampin' Up Independent Demonstrator
To "Follow", Subscribe, please go down to the right!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sneak Peek Of Cricut Stand and Salute Cart!
Here is a sneak peek of the cover of the Stand and Salute Cricut Cart that Provo Craft sent me. This is such a neat cart!!! Please tell me what ya'll think of this neat cart? This would be so great for those of you that make cards for soldiers but has many other uses as well. I can't wait to create a 'Becoming a Citizen" page for my little girl.
Posted by Snowmanlover at 8:05 PM
1 comment :
- ~BridgetL~ said...
Didn't think I need this one and after seeing all the demos with it I will have to have it. What are you going to make with it?
- June 5, 2009 at 10:11 PM
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The Austin Mini Skirt
The Austin Mini skirt is based off the shape of our best selling Gwen Skirt. The Austin mini features a subtle V shaped waistline and is designed to be worn back with the Austin Hankerchief Crop. Top off the look with the Austin headscarf.
- Chiffon Material
- Gold zip at back
- Mini length
- V shaped waistline


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According to a survey of property investors by the Loan market group – interest rate movements pose little concern to them. Real estate investors are more interested in purchasing in the right area to achieve maximum property growth, than in the upkeep costs.
Loan Market has interviewed investors to identify what factors impact their purchasing decision and what they will consider when deciding whether to invest in property during 2011. According to the results, 40% of investors see the house prices and capital growth as their biggest concern. Only 11% named the interest rates as the primary factor in their decision.
Loan Market chief operating officer Dean Rushton said the expectation of interest rate stability in the near term may have caused investors' rate concerns to diminish.
Additionally just over a quarter on investors named rental returns as an issue that they consider in making the investment decision and a similar number of people saw the direction of the Australian cost of living as having a bearing on the decision to purchase an investment property.


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Rocío Dúrcal's hits now available in unforgettable duets!
Fifteen of her greatest hits
In the voices of some of the most popular artists
of all time Featuring eclectic duets with Franco De Vita,
Kany García, Reily, Shaila Dúrcal & Roberto Carlos,
among other greats
At stores on Tuesday, August 25th
All the hits that made Rocío Dúrcal an enduring figure in Latin music are now available in this new release comprised of eclectic and original duets by celebrated artists that join Rocio, lending their voices in an exquisite tribute to her, "the most Mexican of Spaniards."
In this well-deserved tribute to her prolific career, her inspiration and melodic voice are present once again with new musical arrangements that intertwine with the diverse musical styles of some of the most renowned artists of today in this carefully crafted production.
"Rocío Dúrcal: Duetos" includes 15 hits like "Infiel" with Kany García, "Como han pasado los años" with Reily, "De qué manera te olvido" a duet with Franco De Vita and thanks to the advances of modern technology, also featured is a new version of "Sombras nada más" accompanied by the late Javier Solís. Also highlighting the CD is her classic hit "Amor Eterno" performed with her daughter Shaila, and "Jamás te dejaré" with her husband Junior.
The album is complemented with chart-topping hits of original duets recorded by Rocio with luminaries like Roberto Carlos performing "Si piensas, si quieres", "Déjame vivir" together with Juan Gabriel, "Y Nos Dieron Las Diez" with Joaquín Sabina and "La hora del adiós" along with Dyango.
The wait is over for her millions of fans around the globe. The new Sony Music Latin release hits stores on August 25th.


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She has quickly established herself as one of the most highly sought after lifestyle personalities with her unique, philosophy-driven approach to her expertise in health, wellness, nutrition, beauty and personal empowerment. She is also an influential public speaker and host of the top-rated Beauty Inside Out podcast , and believes that the key to true inner power and beauty is realized by owning your own uniqueness and authenticity. Backpacking around the world for three years led to the basis of my whole Beauty Detox philosophy, and everything from writing the books to working with clients, and creating amazing products, have all come from my heart and authenticity. Fashion item: My Gianvito Rossi flats. Place to hang out: Venice Beach. Always in my suitcase for hotel practice!
Nataly. Age: 25. I am a gentle, affectionate and very beautiful girl! Waiting for a real man for a pleasant stay! Meeting with me will be remembered for a lifetime! For those who want to plunge into the sea of heavenly pleasure and unforgettable impressions.
Organic Authority Premium
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Premium is the ad-free experience reserved for paying members. Support Organic Authority by subscribing to Premium and view the site with no ads. Snyder shares her five best tips to get your best sleep ever once and for all. If this is the common goal of all of us, we should all have the same sleep number to achieve it!
Ashley Greene. Age: 27. Enthusiastic young coquette with a luxurious model figure is eager to meet a generous and gallant man gentleman. If you want good sex, cool caresses and violent intercourse with me.
Feel Good Skincare System
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Our feel good skincare system delivers visible results at any age. Brighten, smooth, firm and even skin tone in four easy steps as you create glowing radiant skin with the perfect skincare regimen. Our plant-based, clean formulas are rich in skin-loving nutrients, protective antioxidants and most importantly, they produce results! Have more beautiful, healthier looking skin and feel good doing it. Add to Cart.


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|Main Street, Gili Air
Our first night was spent on the resort island of Gili Air along with LUNA BLU. The town has sand streets, horse cart transportation, tourists, and everything else necessary to support the tourist industry. hotels, restaurants, ATM's, boat transportation, ferries, etc. It was nice to be back in civilization. The ATM was also much needed.
|Gili Air waterfront
|Our home for a week
|The Medana Bay Marina Pontoon
Medana Bay Marina is 5 miles away on the mainland of Lombok. They are the ship agents for the Rally and handle the extension of our Visas. It takes 7 days and the extension is for 30 days so you really only gain 23 extra days. It would have been real tough to clear out within our original 2 month Visa time limit.
|A small gas station. Bensin is gasoline, Solar is diesel.
The marina has two steel piers with a steel crosswalk between them. Tortuguita was originally supposed to be on the inner section but the winds prevented that from happening safely so we tied up on the end for a day. We got the Visas started, filled up with diesel, and washed everything with fresh water.
The moorings were filling up so we grabbed one before they were gone. There was alot of complaining about boats rolling at night on the moorings but Tortuguita is so stable, we thought we were on land.
|Saki, our go to guy, at the MBM Restaurant (Our US Flag)
The marina restaurant is excellent and the prices even better. Our meals cost around $1.50 US. The priciest thing was the 24 ounce beers at $3.00. Every night was a social gathering with tables pushed together for 15 or more people.
|The usual dinner crowd.
Lombok is around 90% Muslim and there was no shortage of prayer callers on the loudspeakers from the handful of mosques in audible range. Personally, I don't mind them except for the 4:30 AM rant that goes on for half an hour. We're trying to sleep, dude. Keep it short and turn down the volume.
|Mama needs a drink
|Fairly gently 'wild' animal


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In a galaxy far far away lies the Bangladeshi equivalent of Mordor, the land known as Gawsia. Feared by many but revered by even more, the strange land seemed like a completely different planet. One fateful day, four friends took it upon themselves to bravely venture into the heart of this land they'd heard so much about. After hours of passing the daunting armada of cars, the scorching heat beating down on them, there they were, emerging through the thick veil of pollution.
Facing the maze of narrow alleyways, and looking at the experienced fleet marching on ahead to accomplish their own personal missions, they realised that nothing could have prepared them for the horror that was to follow.
With hope glistening in their eyes and faces still free and unaware of the sweat and pollution that was to mask them in the next five minutes, the four friends set forth into the land of fabrics. It was nothing less than magical since they were basically swept inside by a sea of people. Their mitochondria were given momentary respite as no precious energy was wasted in walking.
Now, in the narrow corridors of Chandni Chowk, the girls met their first obstacle – a middle-aged man trying to sell fabrics of unknown names in double the price. Luckily, one of the girls stepped forward to fight the Battle of the Great Bargain. The rest stared in awe as she slayed the price in half, while the rest of the gang desperately noted down all her strategies and moves.
After the first purchase of the day was done, in the far corner of the corridor glinted a fabric that was probably every millennial kid's dream. It caught one of the girls' attention and she rushed towards that glimmering minty green fabric with razorblade prints and tried out her newly learnt bargaining skills. She emerged victorious, holding the blade-printed fabric high over her head, making her the edgelord she had always dreamt of being.
However, bargaining wasn't the only thing she learned that day. Our girl learned to distinguish fabrics that are used to make dupattas from fabrics used to make kameez. She even learned new vocabulary: words such as "mishti" colour while describing clothes and most importantly made her transition into a true Bengali woman after finally uttering, "Amake kichu simple er moddhe gorgeous kapor dekhan."
The second leg of the adventure took the girls to the upper floors of Chandni Chowk where their goal was to find one of the girls her perfect kameez. If you have ever been lied to by people in your life and thought that was hurtful, being lied to by kameez catalogues is a whole new level of deception. Glossy look books with gorgeously photographed models displayed dresses that bore little resemblance to its real-life counterparts. Whether the same kameez in a slightly different colour in contrastive materials and weird patterns was still the same kameez or not is a purely philosophical question (this is a good time to look up Theseus's Paradox if you're not familiar).
Feeling confident the girls made their way straight to the third floor of the market which turned out to be a maze of liberally sized, sparkling clean shops where shopkeepers requested the girls take their shoes off should they chose to enter. As they scanned the shelves for designs they liked barefoot, the shopkeepers happily suggested clothes by laying them on the floor. Not finding a match and genuinely scared they would trip over the clothes as they walked, the girls made an exit.
The shops on the second floor of the market was home to attires more to the girls' liking yet they developed a new found empathy for Goldilocks as they complained the clothes were either "too fancy" or "too casual", some "too pricey" and others "suspiciously reasonable." Some seemed perfect at first glance with beautiful neck work and material but when displayed fully revealed to have entire forests as the design in the lower half.
Finally after scanning rows of shops, the girl in search of her kameez stumbled upon a small shop at the distant end of a lane that looked promising. Here they were shown boutique-made kameez in various colours that seemed to check all the boxes. After checking out versions in black, navy blue, a dark blue very different from the navy blue, yellow, a colour that no one in their right mind can categorise as either yellow or green, and of course, mauve, she very predictably zeroed in on one that was pink – a colour that she swore loyalty to.
Even though the shopkeeper quoted a price that would be unheard of in any other mall in the city, she decided to test her luck and bargain on that price because as a true Dhakaite bargaining came as her natural instinct. With great difficulty they managed to marginally reduce the price which they considered a great victory given how stubborn the shopkeeper was.
Disappointingly, the shop didn't have any mirrors for her to strike a few poses in front of. But it was nothing the other girls with their smartphones couldn't solve. The girls exited the store happily, considering the second part of their adventure a surprising success.
After the great success our protagonists had in the dazzling world of silk, cotton, and other fabrics allegedly named after chickens, the four of them dived into the alleys covered with jewellery. A myriad of displays shining with rhinestones sparkling in the glow of cheap yellow lights awaited them. With high hopes, and hopeful (albeit sweaty) faces, they stepped into the bizarre world.
Before they even got the chance to pluck earrings like a vulture, one of them lost her footing and sprained her ankle, during which she proceeded to fall to the ground in front of the mass. It seemed as though the world had stopped moving during those few painfully long seconds and she was the only person who was not stationary, but kept moving in slow-motion. During the fall, she could faintly hear "O Fortuna" ringing in her ears as she looked around and saw the disappointed faces of the seasoned soldiers. However, their faces were veiled with concern as she finally hit the ground with a loud thump.
In a desperate attempt to save face, she tried brushing off the incident as merely a scratch. But she did not estimate what a powerful enemy her low blood pressure could be. As a result, her vision started getting blurry and overexposed in the light. The faces of her friends turned into glowing blobs with dark eyes and she could finally understand why cartoon characters see stars when they hit their heads.
As she quietly accepted her somewhat dramatic death, an angel appeared out of the blinding sunlight holding a small bottle of Beshi Pure Fruit Drink in one hand and a bar of Not Mars Chocolate in the other. Another angel dabbed the sweat off her forehead with scented tissue paper followed by a third angel who helped her find a seat. She finally started feeling like a bad excuse for a person again, which meant that things were back to normal.
After her revival, they all wasted no time and set out for their mission. It was a pleasant surprise to all of them when they saw that they didn't have to push or shove their way through crowds, but it was an even bigger relief to the injured soldier because there was a good chance she would have fainted in dramatic Victorian-lady-finding-her-murdered-husband fashion.
Eventually, she managed to find two lovely pairs of earrings, in good price, and her near-death experience seemed to be almost worth it.
Following the glittery abyss of trinkets and accessories, the girls found themselves heading towards the external side of the market where they had noticed the blue and orange fortress of shoes when they entered. Each step towards the exit felt like a calling to leave the shadows of the alleyways and go out into the open where the sun could shine on them once again. Alas, the mission was yet to be completed, and their task unfulfilled. So, they stood in front of the bright blue tent, filled their lungs with as much air as they possibly could and entered with their goal in mind.
Each corner was occupied by a vendor with boundaries between each stall, only visible to the eyes of the vendors themselves. In between the stalls were poorly lined ramps where people swiftly tried on the shoes they liked and tried to walk on the jagged surface of the walkway to check if the overall agility and tensile strength of the belt and buckles matched up to their necessities. The wide smiles and energetic bargains once again pumped our shoe-hunting soldiers up with all the inspiration they needed to set out to search for the exact shoes.
With the tent soaking up a good amount of the sun that would have otherwise turned their heads into living examples of heated frying pans, they started looking into the piles of shoes. Realising that the piles were categorised by the level of bling added to them, the girls quickly moved to the piles containing the least amount of bling (subject to their bland taste, not that anything is wrong with a good amount of glitter or stones). As they scanned through the stack, one of them noticed the names and logos of the supposed shoe brands to find Cucci and Channel lined up right next to each other.
After a quick survey, she found herself attracted to a pair of beige and silver Engorgio Amrani slippers, perfectly suited to her regular wear. She had to stop herself from falling in too deep for these sandals as the chorus of Maroon 5's "This Love" kept playing in her head. However, the song quickly turned into the sound of glass shattering as the vendor asked her, "Apa, 5 naki 7?" This was the moment of truth, if the shoes were truly meant for her, they would be available in her size. "11," she replied in a low voice. She saw the vendor's eyes broaden and almost fall out of its socket, following which he quickly made himself busy looking for the unfortunate size.
After what seemed like an eternity of all the vendors looking into their secret stocks hidden below the displayed ones, and pairs of shoes flying about from random places, the vendor shook his head indicating that they didn't have it. Sighing, she walked out of the tent to the few shoe shops at the gate to see if she could get the idea of the beige Amrani out of her head.
After hours of sweating, shoving, bargaining and complaining, the girls finally walked out of the market with heavy bags and a renewed sense of self-worth. After all, they had just accomplished a magnificent feat. They emerged as brand new women ready to both navigate and negotiate their way through life. All in all, they can vouch for the fact that a trip to Gawsia and Chandni Chowk with friends truly is a must-have experience. However, it is crucial to be well-prepared before embarking on the treacherous journey, as one does not simply walk into Gawsia.


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With all Alliance factories inspected, a common question we get is: how do you know factories are making the required safety improvements? The Alliance's 32-member remediation team is entirely focused on the answer to this question — in partnership with my team, I spend five days a week in factories to verify they are making progress.
584 of our factories have received approved CAPs and are now in the remediation phase of the Alliance program. Alliance factories have an average of 87 open findings listed in their CAPs.
After the inspection, factories rely on their approved Corrective Action Plans (CAP) for guidance on how to manage remediation (you can read more about the CAP development and approval process in my colleague Wahid's blog post). Factories work with their internal engineering teams and/or external consultants to close the findings in order to improve the safety of their factories. These changes can be physical or organizational in nature, including:
- Hiring new or managing current staff to cover duties required of a structural load manager or fire safety officer
- Engaging firms to create design drawings for fire safety systems (such as sprinklers or fire alarms) and complete detailed engineering assessments
- Re-wiring electrical systems to address hotspots found during thermographic scans
- Retro-fitting columns and beams to comply with structural requirements based on the size, occupancy, and loads of the factory
- Installing fire doors and protecting egress (exit) routes
The list of remediation items that our factories must complete is extensive but the Alliance team is ready to advise and guide them through every step of the process. One of our most important duties is to confirm that remediation is being done according to the Alliance Standard. We do this by visiting each factory for a remediation verification visit (RVV) roughly six weeks after the CAP meeting has taken place. Each team — consisting of one structural, one electrical, and one fire safety engineer — visits one or two factories a day, depending on factory size and location. With a complete list of items the factory needs to fix and deadlines for completion, factory CAPs are crucial to helping us properly focus our factory visits! The full RVV process is listed below:
As of June 15th, 505 factories had received their 1st remediation verification visits (RVVs), and we hope to visit each Alliance factory at least once by our 2nd anniversary in July.
- Before the RVV. Before a factory begins remediation, we ask that factories submit plans and drawings to us; this check allows us to approve items such as a system's design so it is installed correctly from the beginning or structural retrofitting plans (to help the factory avoid re-work). We also answer technical questions posed by internal factory engineers and help calibrate consultants to be sure they understand Alliance requirements. Just before the six-week deadline, an Alliance case coordinator reaches out to the factory to request remediation evidence for items with upcoming deadlines. The case coordinator then reviews that evidence, schedules the RVV, and preps the assigned Alliance case manager (with his remediation team) on factory status.
- During the RVV. Using evidence submitted and the approved CAP, we visit the factory and verify any remediation that has been reported as done (and often check on items that are overdue but not yet completed). Brands are also invited to participate in the RVV, and we request worker representatives (and union representatives, where applicable) be present during the RVV opening and closing meetings. Our main goals are to 1) determine whether the reported remediation is done and 2) confirm that remediation has been done correctly. This time in the field is a great opportunity to interact with factory staff and answer any outstanding questions. It is also useful for the Alliance team to determine which factories are progressing and which are falling behind, so we can alter our outreach accordingly. During the closing meeting, the RVV team prepares an onsite report regarding the progress of remediation in all three areas (structural, electrical and fire) and provides a hard copy of the report to factory management.
- After the RVV. The team members create a presentation with RVV findings and update the CAP to reflect the factory's current remediation status. We also share findings with the other remediation teams to calibrate our technical guidance and identify trends across factories.
In general, we can place factories into several categories based on RVVs: (1) not submitting evidence with overall lack of motivation; (2) not submitting evidence but actually making progress on the ground; (3) verified evidence but erring in some aspects of remediation; and (4) verified evidence and making good progress. During a recent RVV, the factory we visited had not submitted any evidence prior to our arrival. We scheduled the visit regardless because there were items that were due — we have also found that many factory managers do not communicate extensively by email, and therefore do not always send evidence when requested. This situation turned out to be the case at this factory; though it was still behind in remediation progress overall, the factory had actually completed 26% of the items in its CAP. We were pleased to see some progress made, but also needed to push for more effort to close outstanding items, and to guide where remediation had gone wrong.
The Alliance team is starting to escalate factories that are not remediating at a fast enough pace. Though unfortunate, we believe this policy is necessary to encourage lagging factories and weed out others that have no intention of ever remediating. We are, however, also seeing highly motivated factories that are progressing swiftly and are focused on remediating correctly. We aim to highlight some of these factories through case studies in the coming weeks as a way to reward success and share best practices. We are also excited to see that some factories will soon be ready for final inspection because they are close to completing all items in their CAPs! These factories could serve as good resources for other factories that are making slower progress, so we look forward to sharing their stories. Remediation is a challenging effort, and while the Alliance team is here to support factories in any way possible, we also believe that factory collaboration and brand support are essential for continued success.


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Chandramouli Srinivasan | Blogs-Mobodexter
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Chandramouli Srinivasan
Trust on internet and the business generated out of the internet is shifting to a different scale. KPCB research reveals a few key messages on the internet usage and a shift in business patterns emerging in different geographies like USA, China & India.
* Global Internet user growth is solid but slowing. Global Smartphone subscription growth is solid but slowing.
* Global internet usage growth is strong due to growth of Mobile & Video.
* Total internet ad revenue is 50B in which mobile ad contributes 13B.