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Mersey Care's Director of Security at Ashworth Hospital has won a prestigious national award for security innovation after introducing digital innovations within the high secure setting.
Dave McKenna won the accolade at the National Association for Healthcare Security Awards for a series of initiatives introduced within the hospital to improve the patients' digital experience.
"I'm delighted to have won this award, which really does reflect on the whole team here at Ashworth, who have worked so hard to ensure the standards of care and the patient experience remains at the highest possible standard," he said.
"We're acutely aware of the demographic of our patients in secure services, particularly in relation to our younger service users. It's important they avoid being isolated from digital technology while being cared for in hospital, particularly when you consider how important a role it plays in all our lives."
The award judges were particularly impressed with several developments inside Ashworth High Secure Hospital, including:


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Hi all,
Now that VMworld 2013 is over (both America & Europe), I noticed that a bunch of the break out sessions are now up on YouTube. Kyle Gleed (@VMwareESXi) and I delivered a 1 hour presentation on "what's new in vSphere 5.5", including ESXi, vCenter and Storage. You can watch the whole thing here.
If you didn't get to VMworld, we hope you like this. If you did get to VMworld, but would like a refresh on all the new vSphere 5.5 features, you might like to watch this again. Of course, the best bit starts at about 26 minutes in, but don't tell Kyle that 🙂
Get notification of these blogs postings and more VMware Storage information by following me on Twitter: @VMwareStorage

subset: commoncrawl


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| 12.6°C Belfast
Belfast car parts maker Montupet has seen a small dip in its pre-tax profits.
The firm, which produces cylinder heads for some of the world's largest car makers, saw turnover dropping slightly to £85m for the year ending December 2015. Pre-tax profits dropped from £15.6m to £13.7m.
The workforce grew from 585 to 593 during the same period.
In its strategic report, the firm said its financial position at year end was "satisfactory".
Montupet has operated in Northern Ireland since 1989, using the former home of DeLorean.
Last year the company announced a new £140m contract for the Dunmurry plant.
Earlier this year Montupet's French parent company was taken over by family-run Canadian firm Linamar.
Last month Montupet said a £7m contract with Jaguar Land Rover "could open up" further major deals in the coming years, after it fought off stiff competition from European rivals.
Alan Malcomson, engineering manager at Montupet, said Brexit wasn't slowing the business down, and the company didn't have have "any immediate concerns".
"Its an important boost to us," he told the Belfast Telegraph.
Belfast Telegraph


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No artistic pretensions, just dedication and respect for the craft of tattooing: that's how Zuno describes himself, a pro who is in love with Old School, and who is less obsessed by perfection than authenticity. You can take a look at his lovely timeless flash in the new eBook he has done for Tattoo Life and read our interview here to get to know him a little better. And if you want to get yourself one of his tattoos, all you have to do is catch up with him in Viareggio…
Hi Zuno, would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I'm Zuno, I'm 37 years old and next year I'll be celebrating my first twenty years in the trade!
When you first started out, how did you go about developing your own style?
I got into tattooing by chance, but then I was lucky enough to meet Pepe, who opened the first tattoo shop in my town. He was the first person who believed in me and gave me a job. I owe it all to him. Over the years, a lot of things have happened and this led to me openin my own shop in 2016 – Classic Tattoo – here in Viareggio. My style is no more than the result of years of dedication and respect for the traditions of this craft, without any kind of artistic pretensions.
Has it changed much over the years?
Luckily, I think it has changed very little, at least as far as the content is concerned… but I hope it has improved in terms of form! I'm not that bothered about perfection, actually, it often irritates me. I need to get excited and this often happens when I'm up against things which are not objectively speaking beautiful.
How important is it for you to paint and draw apart from tattooing?
Painting and drawing are an integral part of the process, they're utterly essential. No digital medium will ever give me the same satisfaction as brushes, paper and colours. The smell of our trade is really important: blood, like paint, is a part of the experience.
What are your favourite subjects?
I don't have any subject I particularly like, I work with the classic repertoire of the 1900s, but I do everything really. It would be such a pain in the ass to have the good fortune to do what you like and then end up always doing the same old thing!
I love this job above all because it gives me the chance to have different experiences, meet new people and visit fabulous places.
And what about your favourite techniques?
Mainly black indian ink, watercolours, acrylics, but basically any material can become interesting and fun to experiment with. For this eBook I pared it down to the bare bones, black ink and that's it. I don't think the instrument is so fundamental. I am all about the motivation and the process, never mind the final result.
Where did the idea for this eBook come from?
Like I was saying, I'm no great fan of technology, so I had to compromise in this case, trying to come up with a real catalogue of nostalgia – but for a multimedia format. Same purpose: drawings ready to tattoo, timeless classics like skulls, daggers and snakes. Obviously it's all hand drawn, reproducing some of the classic icons of Traditional tattoo.
What are your plans for the future?
I'll be travelling for the next few months, going to some conventions in Italy and abroad: I'll be off to England and the States. Then I want to try to slow down for a bit and dedicate some time to by two kids and my partner.


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Excerpts of this article appeared in the March 2019 edition of the Forbes Real Estate Investor.
March is one of my favorite months in the year, especially because that's when the biggest college basketball tournament takes place, and I'm a big fan. I played basketball back in the day but since I mostly warmed the bench, I didn't get drafted by the NBA.
Instead, I went on to become a financial writer. My passion for the sport has not faded and I've even found ways to utilize the set of skills needed to play the game in my investment pursuits. I use my offensive and defensive skills to score the best REIT returns and as editor of this newsletter, I like to think of myself as the coach to subscribers who depend on me for honest and dependable guidance.
It's a responsibility and honor I take very seriously. It's also something we're going to have fun with this month. In this issue, I've put together my own "March Madness" brackets for each REIT property sector. You'll also find an updated rhino rating model, in which we pick the best REITs to own across the various categories.
As you know, diversification is critical to a healthy investing model and REITs are an important form of diversification for many reasons. Perhaps the most important is how REITs have delivered long-term total returns that generally match—and often beat—broad market aggregates.
For example, the 25-year compound annual total return on the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index through January 2019 was 10.3%, a full percentage point higher than what the S&P 500 managed over the same period.
In addition, REIT returns are not highly correlated with the broader stock market. It's easy to see how this diversification works when you examine the range of returns across different REIT property types over both short- and long-term horizons.
U.S. Equity REITs posted a total return of 11.6% in January compared to 8% for the S&P 500. The various property sectors, meanwhile, delivered returns ranging from 6.4% for self-storage REITs to 18.2% for timber REITs. Seventeen different REIT sectors outperformed the S&P 500 during this 31-day stint.
Over the 12 months through January 2019, REITs delivered a total return of 10.3% while the S&P 500 declined 2.3%. Ten different REIT sectors made double-digit improvements over this period, with freestanding retail, which may surprise you, topping the list at 34.2%. Both the high returns and diversification benefits of owning REITs across property types hold up over longer time periods as well.
In the past five years, the total return for the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index was 10%, slightly behind the S&P 500. But when you break it down, there were seven REIT sectors that featured total returns in the double-digits, led by manufactured homes (23.9%), infrastructure (16.7%) and industrials (16.2%).


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WinView raised a partial close of a $3.4 million Series A round of equity financing to allow the company to further corner the synchronized two-screen TV market as well as continue to push their live television play along, digital fan experience. The Silicon Valley-based sports technology business is focused on delivering free mobile two-screen synchronized televised sports games for prizes in the U.S...Read More
Holland tagged posts
Cisco Video Technology Delivers Throughout The Sports Year And At IBC 2014
IBC 2014 is going on this weekend and Cisco is there after a sporting year where their technology helped to power the World Cup Brazil, NBC Sochi Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. Cisco and TV Globo, a Brazilian TV network and significant global content producer, together created a 4K/ultraHD (UHD) to showcase the proof-of-concept 'Future of Video' people witnessed during the World Cup event, allowing the executive team an exclusive opportunity to see the look and feel of the future of live sports inside the redefined home user experience...Read More
LongoMatch Acquired By Fluendo To Change Sports Analytics
Have you noticed the expanding role of analytics in sports thanks to technology, if so, get ready for LongoMatch. They were just acquired by Fluendo, to help sport organizations with their tech products that analyze, evaluate and digitally breakdown, live game and post-match performance and strategy metrics. The Sports Techie community blog spoke to Muriel Moscardini, CEO of Fluendo, about this exciting business opportunity via LongoMatch, their future of OnePlay, suite of open source software solutions and the new Pro Version. On the heels of the STATS acquisition of Bloomberg Sports, together with the LongoMatch purchase, the sports analytics Industry is growing at an amaz...Read More
PlaySight Interactive, an innovative sports technology Company and creators of an affordable, tennis analytic system (the 'SmartCourt'), today announced the completion of a $3.5 million investment round from high-profile private investors including Novak Djokovic, Billie-Jean King, Bill Ackman, Mark Ein, Dr. Jim Loehr and others. The Sports Techie community blog is excited to share this revolutionary sports tech product created by PlaySight with our website readers, club owners, and all levels of tennis coaches and players.Read More
The good folks at adidas are asking Sports Techie community blog readers and other football fans around the world to show your colors or fade away. Become the ultimate fan with Official National Team soccer jerseys and gear, promotion details are at adidas.com. Adidas is the official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World CupTM in Brazil and Sports Techie is an affiliate through out the world's greatest International tournament and event. Click on links to purchase the latest high-tech inspired National team jersey, custom cleats and the adidas Brazuca World Cup Soccer Ball.
adidas FIFA World CupTM Collection
World Cup Jackets — The FIFA World Cup Collection is filled with regal track jacket styles for fans of all world-class soccer teams...Read More


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Halloween is a time of year filled with fun and whimsy. It's the perfect time of year to have some fun with your pooch, too. What could be more wholesome good fun than a Halloween costume pun? These dogs prove the answer to that question is absolutely nothing.
Chia Pet
Ch ch ch chia! The Chia Pet brings back such fun memories, and this has become a very popular costume for dog owners. The funniest part is these Chia Pets look better than any actual Chia Pet we've ever seen. Did anyone actually get those to grow out like the picture on the box?
Wide Retriever and Rufferie
The perfect costume for any retriever breed–the wide retriever! But as absolutely adorable and sweet as this costume is, his little buddy the Rufferie is what really makes it great. Just make sure when you're ready to throw the ball for these two you don't wait too long, or he'll call you for delay of game.
Corn on the Dog
This costume is a little corny. So was that joke. We make no apologies. A little corncob on a dog makes a great corndog corn on the dog (try saying that ten times fast!). This little guy is sure to be a hit at Halloween parties.
Hot Dog
No list of dog costume puns would be complete without the original: the hot dog. While the hot dog costume is probably most famous on Dachshunds (because really, who can resist a weiner joke?), but it works for a variety of breeds.
Pugkin Spice Latte
Halloween and Fall have become synonymous with one special beverage: the pumpkin spice latte. They're everywhere this time of year, so why not pay homage with your dog's costume? If they're half as beloved as the coffee drink, you have a real winner.
Happy Halloween from Betsy Farms!


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Now - Nov. 1
Enjoy over 100 crafts beers from breweries across the State of Florida, plus a few domestic and international craft favorites.
Now - Nov. 1
At SeaWorld Spooktacular, trick-or-treat your day away in an underwater fantasea of endless imagination.
Oct. 3 - Oct. 31
Experience our all-new "Flicks & Frights" drive-in movie event to view a Halloween-themed feature film on select nights.
This is separate ticketed event.
November 14
Come together with your friends and family and run, skip, jog or stroll through the 2nd Annual Furry Friends Fun Run at Sesame Street Land at SeaWorld Orlando.
Nov. 21 - Dec. 31
Where holiday traditions are made, with delicious food, stunning live shows, delightful holiday shopping and joyous entertainment – all designed with enhanced health and safety measures.
December 31
Celebrate New Years Eve with a spectacular musical celebration and bold fireworks display.
Returning in 2021
Join us again next year for Three Kings Day, a royal celebration to commemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men.
Returning in 2021
Join us again next year to sip and sample your way around the world with exciting flavors and local craft beers, plus live performances every weekend.


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You'll need a credit score of at least 580 to qualify. If your credit score falls between 500 and 579, you can still get an FHA loan provided you.
Credit score requirements relax for FHA loans which is helping more borrowers qualify. Analysis and effect on housing, plus today's live FHA.
How To Get A Fha Mortgage What Makes A House Fha Approved The federal housing administration's mortgage programs offer a variety of benefits to low- and moderate-income borrowers. The phrase fha-approved means you have met a certain set of guidelines. What Is an FHA Loan and What Are Their Requirements? – FHA home improvement borrowers will have to make a good case for the loan by providing a.You cannot simply get rid of mortgage insurance on an FHA mortgage. To stop paying PMI on an FHA loan you will need to refinance into a conventional mortgage. If you have paid down the loan to 78% of the value of the home you can refinance into a conventional mortgage without having to pay PMI. Conventional PMI rates are lower than FHA. The mortgage insurance fee on a conventional loan is lower than it is with FHA. FHA MIP rates are 0.80% – 1.00%.
USDA mortgage loans require a minimum credit score of 640 for automatic approval – provided other requirements are also met. However, homebuyers with lower credit scores can still be considered for a manually underwritten loan. To qualify for a USDA mortgage, you must also meet the special eligibility requirements in your state.
However, the mortgage data analysis company Ellie Mae states that less than 2 percent of mortgage applicants qualify for FHA loans with credit scores below 549. Additionally, you must put down a minimum of 10 percent if your score falls between 500 and 579. If your credit score is below 500, you do not qualify for an FHA loan.
Borrowers can qualify for an FHA loan with a down payment as little as 3.5% for a credit score of 580 or higher. The borrower's credit score can be between 500 – 579 if a 10% down payment is made. It's important to remember though, that the lower the credit score, the higher the interest borrowers will receive.
Credit Scores and FHA Loans. Although FHA states that the minimum middle credit score requirement is 580, there are some restrictions to this such as sales price or loan amount, down payment, alternative trade lines, etc. Ideally, a borrower with a middle FICO score of 640 and above gets a better interest rate.
Keep reading to learn what you can do to buy a home even if your credit score is less-than-perfect. Investigate.
Technically, the minimum FHA credit score is 580. This is 100 points lower than Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac program requires. Credit bureaus consider a 580 credit score fair, which means you could have some negative credit and still get an FHA loan. If you have a 580 credit score (or higher), you can get an FHA loan with as little as 3.5% down on the loan.
You must have a credit score of at least 500 for an FHA loan, but to qualify for the lowest down payment, you'll need 580 or higher. FHA loans can be the.
The Federal Housing administration (fha) backs loans to certain higher-risk. To qualify for the 3.5% down payment, your credit score will need to be at least.
First Home Buyer Loan Qualifications The First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage Program is the foundational mortgage program that can be combined with the NJHMFA Down Payment Assistance Program, which provides qualified buyers with $10,000 as an interest-free, five-year forgivable second loan with no monthly payment that can be used to cover down payment and closing costs.Getting Pre Approved For An Fha Loan The other half is choosing the best type of mortgage. before you get serious about looking at homes and making offers. Why? You'll be able to act more quickly and may be taken more seriously by.Information On Fha Home Loans Ditech Financial Correspondent Clients should note that effective immediately, estimated income must be obtained from the applicant(s) on non-credit qualifying FHA. Loan Estimate. Mountain West.Who Funds Fha Loans FHA currently has 4.8 million insured single family mortgages and 13,000 insured multifamily projects in its portfolio. Note that the FHA has maximum mortgage limits based on the place you live. To find out how much house you can buy with an FHA loan use LendingTree's FHA loan limit tool.


text: @overthrownyc great game yesterday #NYCRising on the court #West4th Interview's with Coach Joey Goodwin & Team! #TheCage moving what's next new series filming in #NewYorkCity discover new fun positive media inspired by my teams creative impulse @valentinedennie nice shot #behindthescenes Basketball has been embraced by New Yorkers since the sport's beginnings in the 1980's and today there are well over 100 courts in #Manhattan parks alone. Known for the high quality pick-up #basketball games played daily at this site, several NBA players got their start at the West 4th #StreetCourts. A yearly tournament at "The Cage" showcases this talent, and players come from all over the world to compete. Great work Thursday star power @dennisvereten on the #canon #6D please learn more about the players on Joey's team work moves me!! The Cage Steve NYC Rising for the win Steve for three led by Sidney Smith http://sidneysmith25.com was born in Harlem, #NewYork and relocated to New York's Lower East Side. Sidney's rare physical gift, natural basketball aptitude #StyleShow #StreetStyle #film #MadeinNY #NewYork #2001films (at West Fourth Street Courts)


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Two Ohio State researchers performed a series of studies that reveal the unconscious ignorance consumers face when dealing with products made unethically.
Rebecca Reczek, an associate professor of marketing, and Daniel Zane, a doctoral candidate in marketing, were both co-authors of the studies which uncovered the role that unconscious coping-mechanisms play when consumers make choices regarding purchasing unethical products.
"The majority of people I actually believe want to do the right thing, but it's easy to fall prey to some of these biases when we're relying on our memory," Reczek said, adding: "We see this systematic bias in memory. They're much more likely to forget negative ethical information than they are positive ethical information."
The studies looked at how consumers were more forgetful about information regarding products that were made unethically. For example, they looked at desks made with wood from rainforests and jeans made from child labor.
In the first study, 236 college students saw six descriptions of different fabricated desk brands. The descriptions included information about the quality, price and source of the wood, which was either acquired from sustainable tree farms or an endangered rainforest.
The students were asked to memorize the information and were tested shortly after on how much they could remember about each of the desks. About 94 percent of people could recall whether the wood came from the rainforest or from tree farms.
"That was to show that it was indeed that it wasn't that they weren't encoding this information in their memory upfront. They were able to memorize it upfront," Zane said.
Afterward the participants were given an unrelated task to distract them for 20 minutes, and were then asked again about how much they could remember. The results showed 45 percent of participants could remember information correctly regarding the desk from rainforest-sourced wood, but 60 percent were able to remember correctly with the tree farm-source of wood.
In a follow-up study, 402 online participants were asked to choose an outfit from a selection of clothing items that included one pair of jeans — the ethical component of the study. The jeans were described as either being made with or without child labor. Half the participants saw the jeans made with child labor, and the other half saw them without.
"We wanted to show that this willfully ignorant memory holds true not only for recall memory but also for recognition memory. It's not unique to desks, or to rainforest versus tree farm wood. Now we have a different product category and labor attribute," Reczek said.
The clothing study further confirmed the results of the desk study, with a significant difference between the memory recall of the people who saw the unethically made jeans and those made ethically. With a 16 percent or 26 percent difference depending on the task participants were assigned.
"In some sense in [the second study], the recognition memory is actually more a conservative test of the hypothesis because they should be better able to get it right in recognition rather than recall," Reczek said.
The researchers then took it a step further. They had participants judge a hypothetical man named Chris who bought jeans produced by children. However, half the participants were told Chris had known earlier that the jeans were made with child labor but forgot at point of purchase. The other participants were told that Chris remembered the information but purchased the jeans anyway.
The results showed that forgetting negative ethical information is judged less harshly than remembering this information and ignoring it.
"Forgetting the ethical information is more morally acceptable than ignoring the information. So, this is sort of an acceptable way of coping" Reczek said.
Zane said oftentimes consumer have go through a process in which they let themselves forget where an article of clothing, such as the jean in the study, come from.
"So, it seems that this coping mechanism is allowing that memory to be forgotten so that 'I can feel good instead of feeling poor,'" Zane said.
Businesses with ethically made products might have a disadvantage when it comes to competing with products made unethically, due to this unconscious coping mechanism, the researchers said.
"If you really want to make purchases that are consistent with your values, don't rely on your memory," Reczek said. "So that means simple things like when you're shopping, check up right there and then is this an ethical brand."


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Still, I am trying to stay positive and feed myself the tidbits like "It was not meant to be", "there are other jobs out there", "the job did not fit you" but it is hard to take it and stay in a positive state of mind.
My current job is just making me feel so useless. While I can't get into the details it is sufficient to say that there are a lot of changes that have happened and the powers that be don't fully get our niche and are imposing a vision that just does not fit. With this new power change, my role has yet to be utilized and I see it no longer existing. My projects have all but dried up and I sit there doing very little if anything at all. I want to be busy, I want to be utilized I want to feel accomplished.
But most of all, I want a new job.


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SINGAPORE - The Chinese Heritage Centre opened 20 years ago, but its mission has become more important than ever in a world that is getting more inter-connected.
"Singaporeans are exposed to many information flows and different influences. Even as we are plugged into the world, it is important for all of us, especially our young, to remember our roots and understand our own history, culture and values, and how we came together as a people, as we build a stronger sense of national identity," said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Saturday as the centre marked its 20th anniversary with a fund-raising dinner at The St Regis Singapore.
Located at the Nanyang Technological University, the centre was set up to promote the awareness of Chinese history and culture among all of Singapore. Similar roles are played by the Malay Heritage Centre, the Indian Heritage Centre and the Eurasian Heritage Centre in helping spread understanding of different cultures.
"Today, Singapore is the most religiously diverse country in the world, yet we live in harmony," said DPM Teo in his speech at Saturday's event. "But maintaining our multi-racial, multi-religious harmony takes continuous hard work, based on give-and-take, mutual trust and understanding, and treating everyone fairly - regardless of race or religion. And, we must always stay watchful of the danger of accentuating differences that could divide us.
"I am glad that the Chinese Heritage Centre has been making continual improvements to reach out to Singaporeans of all races, especially young Singaporeans."
He highlighted how the centre has held public lectures and exhibitions honouring pioneer Singaporeans. It has also started to digitise its Early Textbooks Special Collection to help research on the Chinese community in Singapore and the region. The collection features teaching materials that were used in China and Chinese schools in Southeast Asia during the 20th century.
"If done well, these and other initiatives will facilitate more conversations and deepen understanding about our heritage, culture and tradition, as a community, and also as part of the larger Singaporean identity," said DPM Teo.
But the "unique" experience of Singapore's Chinese community can also be relevant to those abroad.
"Singapore is the only independent country in the world whose population is majority Chinese. But this was not always the case. In fact, the Chinese community in Singapore has lived through the entire range of experiences that a Chinese overseas community can face," he said.
"The Chinese community here during the early colonial times was an extension of China. It retained its loyalties and links to China. Subsequently the Chinese community in Singapore was a minority community pledging its loyalty to an independent multi-racial Malaysia. And after Independence, the Chinese community in Singapore became the majority community in a multi-racial Singapore, determined to build our own nation as one united Singapore, and take our future in our own hands.
"These experiences have shaped the Chinese community along with all communities that make up Singapore. They also hold useful lessons for communities of Chinese overseas in other parts of the world, who may be going through experiences which at one time or another in our history, the Chinese community in Singapore has gone through."


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LG Reconfirms that Select 2019 TVs will offer 4K 120Hz with VRR Support
And you thought that 4K 60 was demanding
Published: 6th March 2019 | Source: LG |
LG Reconfirms that Select 2019 TVs will offer 4K 120Hz with VRR Support
Once again, LG has committed itself to high-end TV standards, stating that select 2019 OLED and NanoCell TVs will support HDMI 2.1, which enabled 4K 120Hz content to be viewed (4K HFR), adds support for HDMI 2.1's automatic low latency mode (ALLM), enables variable refresh rates (VRR) and delivers enhanced audio return channel (eARC). This is great news for gamers, though at this time no consoles or PC graphics cards support HDMI 2.1, but new GPU drivers and console firmware revisions could enable support for specific features like HDMI VRR and automatic low latency mode.
New TVs which use LG's α9 Gen 2 processor, such as their W, E and C series OLED screens, will also be able to use deep learning technology to offer AI-based image enhancements. At this time it is unknown how well this technology works in practice, but LG promises the "best algorithm" to deliver "a stunning real image". Hopefully, this feature can be disabled for those who prefer lower input latency or dislike upscaling techniques.
Later this year, LG also plans to update their 2019 lineup with support for Apple AirPlay2 and Apple HomeKit, which will allow Apple's smart home product to more easily interact with their TVs. Future firmware updates will also add Amazon Alexa support, complementing the TV's use Google Assistant out of the box.
The pricing and availability of LG's 2019 lineup of TVs will vary by region, with LG announcing no retail prices in their latest press release.
You can join the discussion on LG supporting HDMI 2.1, VRR and 4K 120Hz framerates on the OC3D Forums.


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I call my style, if it can be called a style,
Contemporary Cave, because it is my belief that
man has forgotten something through the ages,
that something being a mystical, magical
connection with his land, his universe.
I try and imagine, while I am sitting in my damp and badly lit cow-shed of a studio a caveman daubing at the wall of his cave from a mixture of goodness knows what.
What was he thinking? Was he using language? Did he have a God? What was his inspiration?
Perhaps the answer to these questions are within us, after all our genes, our DNA is handed down to us from our caveman brothers. Perhaps the answers to these questions and to this lost knowledge is in that part of our brains we do not use and in our imaginations.
What I am trying to do with my Art is to re- establish that magical mystical connection with my universe by using my experiences of living closer to the land, to nature, to create abstract and symbolic paintings by experimenting, not quite like the caveman, but with modern and not so modern paints and materials.< br/ >
The outcome of this is that I create works that are experimental and a lot of the effects are completely accidental.
What you get from this is, in my opinion,is a uniquely, honest, psychological creation that is imbued with that magic and mystery that once was lost.
I use an alchemy of oil paint- acrylic- water-white spirit- gold and silver- varnishes-glass paint- artists mediums various- the weather- heat guns- and various other chemicals that come to hand. As you can imagine this takes a long time, painting in multiple layers takes ages to dry ergo I am not prolific- phew! to be continued.
My wife and I have spent the last 2 years renovating our 1800 Century cottage in the Dalveen Pass and beginning to establish a wildlife garden out of this 3 acre piece of bog land. We have planted around 2000 trees and shrubs in the hope of attracting the wildlife into our life. The work on the ponds and the rest of the garden is ongoing and hopefully never-ending and hopefully it is this experience with the land and the area surrounding us that will be my main influence in my artistic endeavours, coupled with my wife Lindas amazing faith and encouragement.
P S. The experience of life itself is the connection.


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Growers and industry leaders are praising the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the H-2A guest worker program, changing the way wages are determined and streamlining other parts.
However, the fast-track proposal doesn't solve all the problems with the program, industry leaders said.
The Department of Labor will take comments on the nearly 500-page proposal until mid-September.
Growers welcomed the reform effort but many had not read through the lengthy document as of July 18.
The H-2A program has become an integral part of doing business for many growers.
Maureen Torrey, co-owner of Torrey Farms, Elba, N.Y., said the farm relies on the program for about 90% of its labor.
"We work hard at making it work well for us," she said. "I would not want to give it up at this point." She said the reform effort appears to make the application process more efficient and will allow growers to advertise for open job online rather than paying for print ads in local or regional newspapers. Firms must advertise openings to domestic workers before being approved for guest workers under the H-2A program.
"That's a wasted cost and last year it probably cost close to $20,000 to advertise (in newspapers)," she said.
Although she said she had read only a fraction of the rule as of July 18, Torrey said the H-2A proposal appears to change the rule about how long firms would be compelled to hire domestic workers if H-2A workers had already begun their jobs. Under current rules, agricultural employers must hire domestic workers for up to 50% of the H-2A contract term (which can be as long as 10 months) if the domestic workers apply for a job. That can result in some farmers sending H-2A workers home early.
The proposed rule would change the requirement to the first 30 days of the H-2A contract, Torrey said.
The document from the administration doesn't appear to address the need for year-round workers for dairies, greenhouses, mushroom farms and other agricultural operations, she said.
It may take a combination of regulatory reform and Congressional action to change the program to be more responsive, she said.
The escalation of wage rates in the H-2A program also is a concern, she said.
New York state's H-2A wage rate is $13.25 per hour.
"That's one issue that they need to take a look at — just how (H-2A wage rates) have increased faster than inflation or the consumer price index — we just don't know what the basis of (that wage rate increase) is," Torrey said.
Torrey said any growers who use H-2A should be a part of a trade organization that communicates about the latest regulations.
Scott Marboe, director of marketing at Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, said he hasn't had time to look through all of the proposed H-2A regulation yet, but said that the guest worker program has become a "standard" way of doing business. "Without it, I don't think we get the crop harvested."
The agriculture workforce has changed dramatically since the H-2A program was crafted, and changes in the program are needed, Lisa Lochridge, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, said in a statement.
"One significant improvement in the proposed rulemaking is to allow for staggered entry of H-2A workers into the U.S. within 120 days from the projected start date, reducing the need for multiple applications," she said.
FFVA will be reviewing the proposed regulatory changes and submitting comments, she said.
Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said the H-2A program grew from about 240,000 positions certified last year to a projected 300,000 this year. A big part of the reform proposal he said, is attempting to make the whole application process digital. The proposal also appears to alter the way minimum wages would be calculated but separating high tech precision agriculture positions from field workers.
The United Fresh Produce Association said the proposal includes some changes it supports.
"In particular, United Fresh is pleased with the electronic filing and digital signature proposal along with staggering entry of H-2A workers on a single application," according to a United Fresh statement.
Still, the group said a more complete Congressional overhaul of the program will be needed to preserve the ability of currently undocumented workers to remain in agriculture.
"Perhaps you can start comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges because when you have workers that are doing one type of work, they don't get blended together with folks that are in an incredibly different category," Marsh said. The proposal appears to have a compressed timeline for implementation, perhaps as early as the 2020 growing season.
"It seems that the administration really wants to move this along and see if we can this squared around sooner rather than later," he said. Marsh said the group will talk to members and legal counsel before it submits comments on the proposal.
According to the proposal, the reforms would:
- Mandate electronic filing of job orders and applications;
- Allow employers to stagger the entry of H-2A workers on a single application;
- Upgrade standards for housing/public accommodations that growers in the program must offer;
- Strengthen surety bond requirements;
- Beef up enforcement, such as banning growers who have substantial violations of H-2A; and
- Update methods of setting wages, and ensure those wages don't have an effect on U.S. worker in similar jobs.
Related articles:
UPDATED: H-2A regulatory reform proposal finally published
Demand for H-2A program continues to rise
The AEWR farmers must pay must be uniform across the several States.
FFVA has gone downhill in their labor department since it prime 30 years ago, they had the best labor person in the industry, and he worked with the best labor people in the industry, they tried to get growers to get set for the H2A days, but no once cared as they had plenty of labor. Now they need H2A and all FFVA can do is give a PR comment.


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Juraj Payer
Dr. Payer is a highly experienced plastic surgeon specialising in aesthetic and plastic surgery and surgery of the hand. He has acquired experience at the best clinics, several long-term internships abroad as well as workshops and congresses all around the world. He graduated from the Medical Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava. He has been the author or co-author of publications and lectures internationally. He speaks English, German, French and Spanish.
European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (EBOPRAS)
International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS)
Slovak Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery (SSPECH), Slovak Society of Hand Surgery (SSCHR)
Service de chirurgie plastique, reconstructrice, esthétique et traitement chirurgical des brûlés, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France
Assistant at a whole range of surgical treatments in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery and burn treatment on a team led
by Professor Maurice Mimoun
Center for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Gayrettepe Florence Nightingale Hospital Istanbul, Turkey
Assistant at a number of aesthetic surgical treatments and reconstructive breast surgery on a team led by Dr. Tunç Tiryaki
2012 Structural Fat Grafting – A practical course in fat transfer for long-term results by Sydney R. Coleman M.D.; Prague, Czech Republic
2011 ISAPS Cadaver Course Certificate; Brno, Czech Republic
2010 Esthelis, Fortelis, Mesolis – Filler Materials Certificate – Medicontur; Bratislava, Slovakia
2010 "Aesthetic surgery of the face, Hands-On-Human-Cadaver-Course" Certificate;Vienna, Austria
2009 Mentor Paragon Forum, Breast Implants – Certificate of Completion; Rhodes, Greece
2013 Controversies, Art and Technology in Facial Aesthetic Surgery; Ghent, Belgium
2013 Course in Breast Reconstruction and Augmentation with Mentor Implants; Oponice, Slovakia
2012 8th Annual QMP Aesthetic Surgery Symposium; Chicago, Illinois, USA
2012 Polytech Advanced Course on Aesthetic Breast Augmentation; Ghent, Belgium
2012 Advanced MACS Lift Course; Ghent, Belgium
sports, arts, cooking


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AQUAMARINE is an extensively refitted and upgraded 4 cabin Privilege 435 EZC version. It offers the legendary interior fit and finish of this top brand and blue-water capability that is second to none. This particular cat was thoroughly refitted in 2014 and 2015 and her scrupulous owners have upgraded her further over the last two years.
She is equipped with all the amenities for comfortable and safe cruising: generator, aircon, water maker, electric heads, Satphone, AIS, EPIRB...
The 2014-2015 top to bottom refit included new engines and sail-drives, new standing rigging, new mast and boom paint, all new sails, new solar panels, new wind generator, new batteries, new inverter/charger, all new through-hulls, new hatches, new fridge, new stove. A total refit. More recently the owners added a new hardtop, new Sea Dek in the cockpit and transoms, new spinnaker, new ground tackle to name the highlights. The refit and upgrades are detailed in the attached inventory.
AQUAMARINE is US flagged, imported (US duty paid), currently in the water in St. Augustine and ready to go. The owners just took her on a two week cruise to the Bahamas last month. If you are looking for a genuine, blue-water equipped yacht that is ready to go now, this is the cat.
4100 Main St
Suite 304
Philadelphia, PA 19127
United States


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Our Beliefs
At Seton Catholic Schools, we believe that Catholic education has the power to change lives – and we're actively working towards that goal. By bolstering educational services, we are ensuring the bright futures of each of our students.
As a community first and foremost founded in faith, we believe that our faith should be at the center of everything we do. Our students are educated in the Catholic faith through religion classes and participation in the sacraments, and they are growing into the future leaders of their community, the Church, and the world.
With Christ at the center of our mission, we strive to emulate His teachings and works. Our schools are respectful and loving learning environments. Students and staff live out God's call to love one another, by the way they treat each other and through service in the community.


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A few years back I recall a TV interview with a man who had survived 11 lightning strikes and lived to tell the tale. The lightning victim's explanation was that God must therefore have some special purpose for him. I am afraid my cynical reaction was to assume that if whatever that man meant by "God" was involved, a more likely purpose seemed to have been using the man for target practice.
More seriously, I am continually astounded by the number of people who can talk with authority God's mind – not only being able to explain to the rest of us divine reasons for natural disasters – but usually in terms of group punishment for some other people's imagined God-offending behaviour. Even more remarkable are the doom-saying prophets who have it on divine authority that everyone (apart of course from the prophet approved believers) is for it in big and terrible ways.
Which brings us to today's gospel message in Mark where Jesus is cautioning his listeners against the dangers of listening to false prophets. History suggests since Jesus first spoke those words there has been no shortage of contenders for the false prophet classification.
Prior to President Trump, the open distrust of President Obama from a few zealots in the Bible belt states of the US was such that each time a mega storm, flood or wild-fire hit the US it became predictable that a number of self-appointed prophets should immediately post articles on the Internet, attributing the latest natural disaster as a sign of the end times.
Via the Internet I now learn that current disasters of fire in California and the odd hurricane or earthquake is God punishing people for lax attitudes to gay marriage and abortion.
With so many past prophecies, it is easy to record the failures of the self appointed prophets. The Mayan Calendar closed off on December 12, 2012 but the world went on. Remember Pastor Harold Camping, whose personally guaranteed predictions about the end of the world convinced a good number to sell their houses and await the end or three separate occasions, yet despite the hype, the end failed to materialize. Other failures included numerous Jehovah's Witness prophecies over the last century as well as some of the Seventh Day Adventist prophecies and many, many more dating back to Bible days.
That my eyes still turn heavenward at the present offerings should not necessarily be taken to mean that I am astounded and impressed by the latest warnings. When Jesus said there will be many false prophets, his words should be heeded if only because history has since proved him right many times over. Yet the certainty with which many well meaning and no doubt sincere zealots keep climbing into the ring to replace earlier failed prognosticators might at least give us pause for thought.
It is of course very easy to be drawn to such prophecies and many sincere and otherwise mainstream people have, from time to time, been sucked into assuming that this time it is for real and people need to be warned. While it is not exactly an historical secret I would not for example be surprised that Methodist minister training down- plays the slightly embarrassing memory that first Charles Wesley and then his brother John both incorrectly predicted different and wrong dates for the end of the world.
It is certainly not the case that all prophets are dangerously astray and when Paul reminds us that some do have the gift of prophecy we should remember that through the ages prophets have provided invaluable service both to society in general and to the Church in particular.
To quote one man whose own reputation as a modern prophet is well deserved, Colin Morris:
"There are men and women in the modern church who are worthy to be named in the same breath as those Hebrew wild men of the Old Testament. They see things steadily and see them whole while the rest of us thrash around treating the world as a cheap watch – to be subject to inexpert investigation until all the pieces lie in front of us, defying our efforts to put them back together." (from Colin Morris, Mankind My Church ,P42)
However before we rush to identify those so worthy, we might do well to remember that Old Testament prophets were mainly concerned with drawing attention to the characteristics of their age and showing how their nation was demonstrating behaviour which went against the principles of goodness and justice. Their prophecies were grounded in painful realities which they faced squarely- often after much serious soul searching – before making their uncompromising warnings – often in the face of genuine danger to personal reputation and even sometimes their lives.
It does occur to me that there may be some signs that might help us distinguish the genuine from the misguided.
When it comes to those claiming to be speaking in the name of their religion, many of the false prophets I have met seem fixated on finding answers to complex contemporary problems by using the Bible for quotations of the sort the great missionary CT Studd once called neat little Bible confectionary. Unfortunately the Bible is not designed as a one volume Readers Digest of instant answers to life's genuine dilemmas. And let's face it. There are more than enough well meaning church folk blundering into bad advice with well meaning but thoughtless analysis.
That does not mean that the Bible is irrelevant – but to the genuine prophet, attention is drawn not so much the answers but more to the questions the Bible invites us to ask – and there not so much about scriptures but about our realities.
For example, Mark in his selection of what needed to be recorded from Jesus would have been most keenly aware of the disaster which had already befallen the Temple by the time he wrote his words. To Mark, Jesus' words were not so much dealing with the implications of what was still to come, as the current dilemmas the disciples were likely to be encountering at the time of writing.
As Mark was writing his gospel there was a backdrop of real horror. The Jews had risen up against the Roman invaders – who had responded by destroying the Temple, sacking the city, torturing and executing thousands and if the historian commentators had it right, at the very time Mark assembled his gospel the Romans would have been in the process of driving those left from the city and from the land. The real message in Jesus words were not to the readers some with dire warning about something still to come. It was a description of something that had already happened. And rather than recording these words as prophecy – Jesus message in the thirteenth chapter of Mark – was one of hope and comfort for the nervous and dispirited.
It is hard to be certain in what sense Jesus was talking about the Son of Man coming. Yet when Jesus talks of his impending world of unfolding terror we can see that for Mark at least, this was far more than Jesus talking about some mysterious unpredictable horrors.
Trial and betrayal. (Verse 9 – 13) Mark knew about this – it had happened. Desecration and fleeing refugees (verse 14 – 20)…. He might as easily been writing the weekend newspaper political column. False hopes and predictions.(verse 21 – 23) The talk in turbulent times is inevitably of false hopes and predictions.
Some were reading the signs and calling this the finish. What did Jesus say? Ignore the false hopes. Don't listen to the false prophets. Keep your faith in good times and bad. The implication for his contemporary listeners was simply that the temple may have been destroyed but the Church is still alive.
History tells us that the problems facing the human race are likely to be with us for many years to come. Foolish decisions destroying habitats and dispossessing communities stretch back into the mists of time and we need look no further than the Pacific and now Europe where there are refugees aplenty.
The wars Jesus referred to may well have changed in nature – but two thousand years later they are no less distressing to those affected. The spectres of hunger, injustice and fear are there for those of us who will only look. In short, 2000 years of Christianity do not and have not provided respite or protection from the ravages of the horsemen of the apocalypse.
It may even be that the most constructive way of facing disaster is to focus on the rebuild. I remember talking this through with a young minister whose church building had been destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake. When I asked him how he and his congregation was coping, he said "Great. Now the church has fallen down we are rediscovering what Church really means."
At present, for me and my family there is plenty of security. Unlike the situation for some victims our home is intact. There is money in the bank. Most of my family are enjoying good health. We are surrounded by friends and family and we have a supportive church congregation. Yet if we read the signs we would need to be living in some other-worldly cocoon not to be aware that our situation is vastly different to many in the world. And we need our prophets to be forcing us to realize that not only are those in such situations facing grim realities – but that these are our neighbours. As self-claimed Christians, can we honestly pretend that these are our neighbours to be loved as ourselves – as our faith proclaims – at the same time we show by our actions we are unconcerned?
For those of us concerned primarily with our own settings – and how those settings affect us, our need is not for prophets who have the same myopic view. As a wise person once observed, to be wrapped up in yourself is a very small parcel. This is perhaps why the false prophet looking at his or her own immediate community disasters and projecting them on to the whole world for signs of impending doom seems so irrelevant,
The true prophet can see the bigger picture. I suspect a true prophet might remind us we are not only living in a post Christian world – but that we should be adjusting our goals accordingly.
I know that the term post-Christian is potentially upsetting to the Christian who faithfully attends Church each week – yet I think there is a serious truth to be faced.
New Zealand currently has an appalling set of statistics for a country with such a high place in the OECD ranking showing an increasing large proportion of children living in poverty – 11% in 1986 and 25% today – with all the attendant problems of disease and deprivation. Now an OECD record for youth suicide….
We as church members could well ignore the problems, since for many of us they occur outside our immediate family circle. And yes we might focus only on our immediate church families and local communities – but to do so would make us entirely irrelevant to this serious situation.
Those who presently remind us of the statistics may be showing us how a prophet should be approaching the situation. Telling the plain and uncomfortable truth helps us see our setting as it really is and identifies more clearly the places where we can apply the fruits of our faith.
True we are embedded in a situation where genuine problems will continue to affect us and our neighbours. Some of these are very serious indeed. But the places of terror and dark foreboding continually recede and re-emerge. That is part of the human condition. We kid ourselves if we don't admit the frequent failures of those who predict the final cataclysm in what comes next and are equally blind if we pretend that only the events which directly affect ourselves are the ones that matter. If we are listening to Jesus in his message we will know it is not blind panic or blissful ignorance we are called to. Rather it is the notion we can face the worst that our future holds with the mystery of hope and the certain knowledge that actions born of love have more to offer than despair.


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Why don't they listen?
Quit beating your head against the fence, Sugar. Makes sense right? Quit flicking your tail and back away from the fence, Kizzy. Helen, don't eat my spoon! Snickers, quit jumping off the roof.
Yep. He broke his foot. Idiot. As breaks go, it isn't too bad, but he might have some pulled ligaments as well.
He also got some good drugs while he was at the vet's, so he's just sleeping on the pillow.
Good thing I'm on winter break to cater to his every need and run to the vet.
I do hope you'll come back to join me for Friday's Hunt. I have this week's items at the top of my side bar.


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Urban Vocals from Production Master lets you step up your game with a brand new vocal sample pack from David 'Hi-Def' Tuscher, ranging from singing vocals to rapping and have that raw and energetic flow that you want in Hip-Hop, Drill, Tr, p and RnB projects.
In this vocal sample pack, you will find 10 fully stemmed out acapellas, ranging from 93-128 BPM. Each track contains intro, verses, bridge, and chorus, split up in a lead vocal, one or multiple harmonies, ad-libs and separate one-shots.
Professionally recorded with a Neumann condenser microphone in a high-end studio for maximum clarity. All vocal samples are ran through top end hardware for warm timbre and dynamics.
The samples of the beats of the demo can be found on the packs Innovative Hip-Hop & Trap 1 and 2 and 'Juiced Up Drill & Trap' also from Production Master.
Expand your professional vocal library with David 'Hi-Def' Tuscher with 'Urban Vocals' today.
- 10 Vocal Construction Kits
- 162 Wav Samples
- Intro, Verses, Bridges, Chorus
- Lead Vocals/Harmonies/Ad-Libs/One-Shots
- Tempos: 93-128 BPM
- 883.75MB (Unzipped)
- Instant Download
- 100% Royalty Free


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Anyone who is a parent in Denver knows how much time and effort go into raising children. When two parents split and share custody, it can be a huge adjustment for everyone involved. Many parents fear that having less time with their children will cause their relationship to suffer. However, some people have found that a shared custody arrangement can actually help them improve their parenting.
According to TIME Magazine, children of divorce are often happier when they get to spend with both of their parents. That may be why shared parenting arrangements are increasingly becoming more common. In the past, mothers were typically given preference when it came to custody but many courts are now aiming for split parenting to become the norm. One advantage to this is that each parent may have different strengths that they can impart on their children. Kids end up being more well-rounded because they benefit from what they learn from each parent, rather than only benefitting from the experience of one of them.
Slate also points out that some parents who share custody also feel that getting a break when their children are with the other parent enables them to be a better caregiver. Being a full-time parent makes it easy to get bogged down with all they day-to-day stuff that needs to be taken care of. Add a contentious relationship with the other parent into the mix and it is perhaps not surprising that people may find themselves unhappy.
However, once shared custody begins post-divorce and some of that stress is relieved by time off from parenting, some people are able to fully appreciate the time they do get with their children. Parenting is a difficult job and time away from one's children is never easy. However, when everyone makes an effort and embraces the benefits of shared custody, successful co-parenting is often the result.


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Rip Curl Dawn Patrol 5/4mm Chest Zip Hooded Wetsuit. Men's Rip Curl Cold Water Surfing Wetsuit. The new Dawn Patrol chest zip redefines performance and value from a leading Wetsuit brand.Flexibility and warmth are unparrelled a this pricepoint. All new Thermoflex superstretch neoprene lines the internal torso and legs for increased stretch and warmth. We added E5 to the arms and 3/4 internal E5 tape to the rest of the body. Subtle refined graphics and colorways add a level of superiority. E5 Neoprene - Rip Curl's premium high stretch neoprene.
Super stretch and lightweight with a high quality hand feel that is smooth and comfortable against the skin. The item "Rip Curl Dawn Patrol 5/4mm Chest Zip Hooded Wetsuit Men's Large, Black" is in sale since Sunday, April 22, 2018. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Water Sports\Wetsuits & Drysuits\Wetsuits\Men". The seller is "seatoski" and is located in Freeport, Maine.This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica.